???? ???? ???? (EN- REVERSE HAREM)

Chapter 18

No managers. No control. No stage lights.

Just them. Planning the most ambitious thing they'd ever done while not on schedule—sneaking into a local festival for the experience of a lifetime.

The windows were covered with thick curtains, blocking out the faint golden glow of the Kolkata sun. Their only objective now was to navigate this trip without being exposed.

Jungwon and Niki, who was asking about every description on the papers stood by the large table in the middle of the room, which was littered with papers, travel brochures, and a laptop. Jay was typing away, clearly focused. He was seated on one of the plush armchairs, casually scrolling through his phone, while Heeseung was chatting with Jake. Sunoo and Sunghoon were on the couch, going through the instagram reels and trying to brainstorm ideas for keeping the trip low-key.

"Okay, guys, we really need to think this through," Jungwon said, rubbing his temples. "Durga Puja is huge here. If we don't plan it today, it'll be a mess when it's actually the day."

Heeseung raised an eyebrow. "You know, we are trying to do the exact same thing but nothing seems right."

Jake patted his back and laughed a little, "We just need a solid plan—good disguises, low profiles... and maybe a bit of luck on our side."

Jay, who had been listening intently, leaned forward, suddenly coming up with a suggestion. "What if we split up? That way, we can blend in and not attract too much attention. No need to be in a big group all the time. Plus, if someone does spot us, we can always deny it."

Sunghoon, who was sitting back and quietly observing, rolled his eyes playfully. "I don't think that's going to work, Jay. Last time Jungwon tried to go alone on our first day here, and gave us all a heart attack."

Jungwon's face flushed slightly at the memory as everybody glanced at him. "That was a one-time thing, okay? A complete misunderstanding!"

Sunoo and Niki chuckled, while Heeseung nodded in agreement. "I think splitting up might work for certain parts, but we need to figure out a strategy. We could each take a different route to the event, so we don't look too obvious. But we'll still need to stay in contact, just in case."

Sunoo took out his phone and started pulling up maps of Kolkata. "Avoid the tourist hot spots. Stick to the quieter areas where we're less likely to run into crowds."

There was a pause as the others exchanged glances. The magnitude of what they were trying to do was slowly sinking in.

"I think we're overthinking this," Niki said with a laugh, breaking the tension. "What's the worst that could happen? We'll just act normal, like regular tourists. If someone recognizes us, we just smile and walk away. Simple."

Jay frowned, though. "It's not that simple. We're already pushing it by coming here, it's not like an official schedule. We can't just stroll through the festival like we're any other tourists. We've got to think of every angle."

Heeseung leaned against the wall, looking more serious now. "We need a good cover story in case someone gets too close. What do we tell people if they ask about us?"

Jake raised an eyebrow and grinned. "We can pretend we're international students doing a project about cultural festivals. It's believable enough, don't you think?"

The others stared at him for a beat before bursting out into laughter. Jungwon chuckled and shook his head. "I don't think we'll be able to pull that off for long, hyung. But it's a decent start."

There was another brief pause before Sunoo spoke again. "We could also stay in character. If anyone asks us anything, just act like we've been to Kolkata a thousand times before. Avoid making it awkward."