Chapter Text
Hongjoong couldn’t tell how many times he readjusted the strap to his black sling backpack. His hands fiddled with the strap as he watched the waves crash against the ferry boat. The boat had a lot of room for all the people milling throughout it. He heard the excited chatter about visiting the famous Jurassic World theme park and zoo. His fingers worked the buckle on the strap pulling the sling backpack tighter around his body before loosening it once again. Brown eyes flitted around the area as he tried to take in the excitement of the other visitors. Different ages, ethnicities and cultures swarmed around him in an uncomfortable way. The young man sighed as he leaned over the railing as his hands soon wrapped around the cool metal.
Dinosaurs.
He’s always liked dinosaurs. He remembered his childhood bedroom being covered in dinosaur toys -- collectibles now. He remembered The Land Before Time being his favorite movie forever when he was a child. His favorite character was Cera the Three-Horn afterall. He propped his elbow onto the railing as his cheek settled into his hand. Watching an animated movie was, not surprisingly, very different from seeing real-life, alive , dinosaurs. The nails of the fingers settled onto his cheek dug into the skin there. He didn’t know what to expect from this adventure he had agreed to go on. Butterflies and rocks rolled around in his stomach.
He was nervous.
Hongjoong couldn’t figure out why his nerves were flaring so bad. He could almost pinpoint it as anxiety, but it hasn’t hit that level -- not yet. He released his cheek before laying both arms over the railing once again. He felt his lungs expand as he attempted to take deep breaths to calm the butterflies and rocks. It had worked a little bit. He ruffled his brown, curly hair before his fingers pulled at the curls. He needed to do something with his hair. It was a liability to get stuck to branches or something if he understood the meaning of camping in Jurassic World. His other hand moved to the pocket of his jacket as he brought out the crumbled piece of paper.
“Camp Carnivore,” he whispered as he looked over the brochure that had been sent to him before travel even began to get to the island. “Such a cozy name for an upcoming camp.”
The brochure was bright, colorful and it hurt his eyes to stare at it too long. The piece of folded paper highlighted all the fun things that campers could do while at the site. He saw kayaking on the river, safaris in the forests and plains, and he noticed that they could see the carnivores whenever other visitors would not be around. The fact that the meat eating dinosaurs were locked in paddocks gave him a sense of relief. He wouldn’t have to worry about running away from a t-rex or something. He sighed as he shoved the brochure back into his pocket.
The island was a lot closer now. He found his fingers readjusting the strap of his sling backpack once again. He had to do something with his fingers to keep them busy. They were used to his work as a new, slowly gaining popularity, music producer. He didn’t work for any major companies, but he shared his songs on YouTube. Nobody really knew the face behind No1LikeMe’s music, and he wasn’t about to share that information on Isla Nublar even if somebody was able to figure it out on their own.
He would keep them guessing.
His eyes fluttered to the watch on his wrist. It was nearing 3 PM the island’s time. It had taken so long to get there. So many planes, boats, and adjusting to different time zones. Hongjoong was so tired that he didn’t feel tired anymore. His energy had plummeted, but the nerves had kept him going. The producer gave another sigh as he stepped away from the railing of the boat. He dodged around and underneath the other passengers as he got to the front of the boat. His feet paused as he stared at the dock. His eyes moved upward before he spied the park.
It was huge.
“Kim Hongjoong?”
Hongjoong snapped out of his thoughts as he heard his name being called. The young man stepped off the ferry onto the dock. A man, not much older than him, stood near a light pole. His name was on a sign, and he felt the rush of red on his ears. They didn’t need to make a sign -- especially if they were going to call out his name.
“I’m Hongjoong,” he breathed as he walked over to the man.
“Perfect!” the man said as he smiled at him. “I’m Jack. I’ll be one of your guides during your stay at Camp Carnivore. You’re the last camper to arrive, so I’m here to bring you to the others.”
Jack began to walk off the dock to a part of the area that hadn’t been surrounded by visitors. Hongjoong followed him as he looked up to spot the sign that indicated that this is where campers would go when they arrived on the island. It explained why the place wasn’t crowded. He knew the camp was a new idea to the island, and he knew that he was one of the eight people to try it out for the first time.
Except -- he didn’t know the other people he would be camping with at Camp Carnivore.
“The people you’re about to meet,” explained Jack, “are inspirational to the public. They’re well-known throughout their own cities. None of them should know who you are though.”
Hongjoong grimaced as he heard Jack. Right. He had to figure out how the people behind Jurassic World managed to find his identity. He kept it a well-guarded secret, and he was not pleased somebody was able to track him down. His lips fell into a frown as he narrowed his eyes at the guide. Jack laughed as he saw Hongjoong’s expression before waving him off with his hand.
“I’m not going to tell anybody,” the guide hummed. “It was in your contract that you signed with us. We aren’t to share you are No1LikeMe.”
Hongjoong huffed as he heard Jack. His right hand gripped the strap of his backpack as he paused. There was a truck in front of him. Seven unfamiliar faces stared at him as he stared back at them. Jack moved to stand in front of the others before waving a hand in greeting. He motioned for Hongjoong to come closer. The producer walked over with hesitation. He was soon at the truck with the others. His face was turned to the ground to keep himself from seeing them.
“Oh, I don’t believe for a second that you’re actually shy,” one of the boys spoke up. “Come on. I’m Jung Wooyoung, but you can call me Wooyoung or Woo. I don’t really care.”
Hongjoong made a noise as Wooyoung lifted his head to look at the people within the truck. His eyes stared at the one who spoke to him first. He had fluffy black hair that came in waves to his neck. He had a small ponytail to pull his bangs out of his face. Almost black eyes grinned as he gained Hoogjoong’s attention. He let go of his face before going back to settle into his spot in the bed of the truck. Hoogjoong’s eyes swept over the others that were also in the bed. Each one was unique in their own right. He didn’t know any of them. He didn’t recognize these famous internet people.
“Introductions are in order I suppose,” Jack said. “As he said, that is Jung Wooyoung. He’s an internet dancer. Starting to rise in popularity.”
Wooyoung flashed him another smile before giving a thumbs up at his introduction. Hongjoong was tired just from the chaotic aura he got from the other young man. Jack pointed to the person beside him.
“This is Kang Yeosang,” he explained. “Quiet a lot of the time; however, he’s well known for his YouTube reviews on music.”
Yeosang gave a shrug as he moved to lean back against the cab of the truck. His hair was red, but it had been a washed out red. Hongjoong could admit that it matched the man perfectly. He didn’t say much like Jack had explained to Hongjoong. He gave a small smile before turning his attention to Wooyoung. It would seem that they had made fast friends with each other at the very least.
“Song Mingi,” Jack continued. “He’s an internet rapper. Very intense.”
Hongjoong had felt short when his attention moved toward Mingi. The rapper was tall -- a lot taller than necessary. He was dressed in dark clothing, but nobody should judge somebody based on what they’re wearing. Besides, he could spot Mingi in the dark with the bright yellow and muted orange hair.
“I don’t think he’s that intense in real life,” came the voice of the person sitting next to Mingi. “I’d liken him more to a princess than anything.”
“Yunho,” Jack introduced as he heard the young man speak. “Jeong Yunho. Resident golden retriever.”
“Is that how you’re really introducing me, Jack?” he asked him. “Not a famous twitch streamer?”
“Are you a famous twitch streamer?” asked Hongjoong. “I don’t recognize you.”
“Ouch,” laughed Mingi beside him. “That had to hurt, Yun.”
Yunho’s expression fell as hurt laced his lips and eyes. It didn’t seem to affect him that badly, but Hongjoong could see why Jack had called him a golden retriever. He radiated that energy. Yunho brushed his blue and silver highlighted hair from his eyes before he huffed. The young man elbowed Mingi causing the rapper to grunt in pain.
“Play nice children,” came another voice. Their voice wasn’t as deep as Mingi’s own; however, it was deeper than he had anticipated.
“Hwa,” whined Yunho. “Mingi doesn’t understand my pain.”
“Park Seonghwa,” the young man introduced himself as he turned toward Hongjoong. “Ignore the idiot duo. They’ll grow on you in time.”
Hongjoong felt his lips twitch upward as he heard Seonghwa. He looked at him before chuckling softly. Seonghwa looked like a model, and he was sure that was exactly what the other man was within his own profession. His white hair looked as if it was glowing compared to the others of the group he had met so far.
Hongjoong hopped into the bed of the truck afterward. He looked around before spying a spot next to two people that he hadn’t been introduced to yet.
“That’s Choi San and Choi Jongho,” Seonghwa said. “Brothers for the most part. I wouldn’t worry about them. They’re nice.”
“It is nice to meet you,” San said as he nodded his head. “You can sit beside me. I promise I won't bite.”
Jongho snorted at his brother before he moved to play with his phone. Both brothers had black hair and slightly bulkier builds. Then again, everybody else had been covered in clothing while they were tank tops. He wasn’t sure what everybody else’s body builds were like at the moment.
Hongjoong sat next to San as he watched Jongho on his phone. He hadn’t thought about it, but he was wondering if they had a signal in the park -- at least wifi at the bare minimum. He moved his backpack to his stomach to protect it from getting damaged. His laptop and some work equipment were in it.
“Are you going to tell us your name?” asked Jongho, surprising Hongjoong. “You know all of ours.”
“O-Oh,” Hongjoong muttered as he suddenly realized he hadn’t introduced himself. “I’m Kim Hongjoong.”
“Well, Hongjoong,” said Yeosang as he turned his attention away from Wooyoung. “Hope you find us decent to live with at the very least. We’re spending a month together after all.”
“It’ll be a long month with Wooyoung,” teased San as he leaned over to stare at him.
Wooyoung scoffed as he moved around Hongjoong to smack San. It caused the other man to laugh as he moved away from the black haired young man. Hongjoong made a noise as Wooyoung leaned over him to get to San as he moved away. He wanted to voice that they could just switch seats, but the moving of the truck had both of them jolting, almost falling to the center of the bed.
“Stay seated!” the other person in the truck cab called to them as she opened the window. “I’m Crystal. I’ll be your other guide. Please remain seated. It’ll ensure that you do not get injured during the ride.”
“She made that sound like a recording,” snorted Jongho as he reached over to help Hongjoong back into his seat.
Hongjoong watched Yeosang help Wooyoung back into his own before he moved to grab his bag once again. He would make sure that he would protect the bag at any cost. It held his lively hold -- his passion. The producer winced as he felt the bumps that the truck drove over as they made their way to the campsite. The nerves came back full force as he realized what was about to happen to the others and himself.
“If you want to look to your left, you’ll begin to see the campsite,” Jack explained. “We’re almost there then Crystal and I will help you settle in.”
Brown eyes flickered toward the treetop cabin that they would be staying for the next month. Hongjoong gripped his backpack tighter.
He had the feeling that his backpack was going to be the least of his concerns.