"yah hyung, hyung, HYUNG!!!!" jisung barely feels his feet against the hoverboard as donghyuck pulls him closer, taking over his controls godspeed. "hyung, let me go!"

the boys have spent too much fun with these new hoverboards they have presumably 'borrowed' for entertainment purposes. because this particular mark seems as carefree as ever, the younger and less experienced tend to follow his steps. chenle takes his skills to another level as he successfully attempts to spin around on top of the hallowing trees, proving his skills above everyone's. mark cheers him on like a proud older brother he is, followed by a very ecstatic jaemin who hugs everyone every time he gets the chance. jeno's the one to make sure that donghyuck doesn't cross the line when he's teasing jisung, though that doesn't eliminate the chances of him incorporating the mischief of his same-age friend. renjun subtly follows the group from the back, his hands gliding back and forth as he slowly flings over with his hoverboard, trying to observe his surroundings.

mark lee said that the earth just went through another war? the hell happened here? also, how did we survive global warming.. how did the human race survived at all? renjun passes by the pink clouds, the air feeling a lot more unfamiliar as he did so. i wouldn't really bet much to believe that the human race has enough brains to be as advanced as this!

mark nudges his shoulder, sending him back to reality. "anything you got in mind?"

renjun flutters his eyes in surprise. "yeah, uh, when did the world end? because from the looks of it, it seemed like we were already dying in the 21st century." he sighs. "hard to believe that we were still striving ever since then."

"who said you were still striving? humans are awfully lenient and primitive beings, if nature chooses to restart itself, we do not have any other choice but to follow where it takes us." mark purses his lips. "this floating island? built over the ashes of mass burials. mid 25th century was the worst time to be alive, with your descendants facing the consequences your generation has concurred. the world was in its fragile state. but like the skin of snakes, it reveals itself anew, with the appearance of a rebirth. the peak of the aftermath. the light whom pictures the start of a new day. look!"

he points at a levitating billboard with the words '뉴서울' glowing above them like real life fireflies. the boys stare at the never been seen before technology in astonishment, unable to understand how anymore fourth dimensional could it ever get.

"new seoul! we've changed the name of this lovely city into something lovelier after the second enlightenment era," mark grins. "or just like what some people also like to call it, neo seoul. makes it sound cooler, right? we prefer to call them that on textbooks."

"neo seoul... i don't think i won't have a problem staying at the place like this." donghyuck smiles faintly.

"too bad lee, this place's occupied." jaemin rests his arm on his shoulder, admiring the view of the place he supposedly was originally in.

"haechan-ie? expecting a 29th century type of era as his origin?" mark shakes his head. "not an intended spoiler, donghyuck-ah, but please don't expect too much."

donghyuck sighs. "never had been. my dreams are more like a compilation of nightmares, so i might consider myself grateful that i'm not living in an era like that."

"hyung, how about new york?" chenle asks as he glides above them, unintentionally showing off as he grabs their attention. "do they now call it new new york?"

mark moves his index finger. "more like new, new new york. the new new york era ended after the abolishment of the statue of liberty — yikes, i'm talking too much. let's just move forward, shall we—"

"WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU BOYS DOING??" they were interrupted by a voice of a man from down below, yelling at them. "COME BACK DOWN THIS INSTANT!"

donghyuck looks down in annoyance. "oh god, why is this crusty mac and cheese screaming at us?"

jeno laughs. "crusty mac and cheese.."

"hyung's got a point, though. must be the eyebrows." jisung mumbles as he peeks behind jeno.

"i think it's about time we meet this guy, i've been lowkey searching for him." jaemin turns to his friends. "let me introduce you to the main character— kinda— of my dream. it's the blond rectangle man with some anger management issues!"

chenle sneers. "and i thought dreaming about mark hyung was already a bad thing."

"what did you just say?" mark ruffles his hair aggressively. "okay, i think we should go down and listen to whatever he needs to say. he looks rather pissed."

so the boys followed mark and jaemin back to the ground as they face the new additional component of jaemin's pastel dreams. the man huffs in annoyance, glaring at the seven boys with a frustrated look. "when x æ a-144 told me that we were delivered a new batch, i didn't expect them to be a group of hormonal teenage boys."

"wait, i'm sorry, who?" renjun couldn't believe the existence of such name. mark just lightly smiles at such reaction.

"just get in. we don't want to waste anymore time." the tall man guides them back to the blue room right after they return the hoverboards to where it originally belongs. "batch 127 of the dream house, or what of whom i must say, the youngest batch. you guys are in high demand, you know that? for that i must pay attention to you lot the most."

mark's eyes widen. "of course! the dream house!" he turns to the other boys. "that's why the wallpaper just looks oddly familiar, 29th century, scouting orphanages are starting to become a trend!"

"seems like one of you did your research." the man gives out an unsettling grin. "anything else you know about this place, kid?"

"not much, it's just that... we're orphans." he glances at jaemin, the one who has this place as to where he originally belongs. "29th century, people start to rely to machines and artificial intelligence rather than real humans.. with humans uninterested of going into labor, to the point that they've created enhanced individuals of their own without the need of childbirth. a new species of humans designed by machineries, a soul of their own.. the children of the dream house." he gapes. "oh my god, na jaemin—"

"now i understand why you guys are the chosen ones, bright souls with an advanced program, that's what you are. we don't have to explain to you the fact that you guys aren't created in your mother's womb anymore, great." he grabs a see through tablet and starts to scribble a few sentences. "names, please. starting from the pretty boy." he gestures at jaemin.

jaemin's eyes flutter. "me?" he was too invested by mark's discovery of his origin to the point he forgot that he was still there in the conversation. "i'm.. i'm lee jeno."

jeno gives him a surprised look, followed by confused glances by the other boys. the man didn't seem to care. "okay, next!"

"huang renjun!" jisung exclaims a little bit too erratically, earning a look of suspicion from the blond man, but he did not elaborate.

"lee donghyuck," mark says calmly.

"zhong chenle~" jeno answers.

"mark lee!" renjun answers excitedly as he gestures a finger gun to the 'original' mark. mark winks.

"park jisung." chenle nods to himself in confidence.

it was donghyuck's turn. he looks back to the boys and tries to remember who's name wasn't taken yet. "who's turn is it now—"

"you, of course! what's up with the delay?" the man snaps.

"lee donghyuck."

"haha, really funny. try asking smartypants's permission to use his name." he gestures at mark who was grinning from ear to ear.

"but that is my name, he's the one who's using it for no absolute reason!"

"his name is lee haechan, kind sir," jaemin answers it for him. "uri maknae tends to forget his name a lot, we're really sorry—"

donghyuck gives him a deadly glare. "mAKNAE—"

"good lord, it's that easy right?" the man sighs as he inputs donghyuck's name as 'haechan'. "your names sound very old school, like you were born somewhere on the 21st century or something, before world war 3 happened. i could've sworn i heard one of your names in history class. no wonder you're considered a special batch." the man heads towards one of the beds. "change your clothes to the new ones given, and please cleanse yourself at the hydroshower. i want to see everyone nice and clean in their new uniforms the second i get here again." without any further avail, he left the boys alone in the blue room they were now assigned to live in.

jisung lets go of his breath as if he wasn't been able to do so when the man was still in the room. "so we're now posing as orphans in an orphanage meant for superior human cyborgs in the 29th century. great, it's not like i didn't expect this to happen at all."

jeno glances at jaemin in realization. "wait, if this is jaemin's era, the place jaemin's supposed to be in.. doesn't that mean.. he's one of them? one of those.. new species.. thing.."

jaemin sniffs. "wow."

—

ndjdjdnd i rly dont know what to do w this story anymore but im still holding on to the plot bc the amount of effort needed to come up w this difficult plot itself deserves a chance to be written 😔

ok 15 votes for the next chap~

- yuehwa