[From Yoojung’s POV]

 

By the time I had completed Mr Jung’s Mathematics assignment and had a short chat with the SEVENTEEN boys over Skype, it was already 12.30am, as shown on the digital clock at my bedside. 

 

“Time does pass fast, doesn’t it…” I thought to myself, while thanking the Almighty that the holidays had already begun. Hence, early mornings were no more for the time being and I was elated just thinking about the subsequent mornings when I could wake up at any time without worry. 

 

Unfortunately, the rain continued to pelt mercilessly against the window pane. The lightning and thunder storms had lessened, which was great, but it was still enough to scare me, due to the fact that I flinched whenever I saw streaks of bright light scratch the dark sky. 

 

At that point in time, I was already tired out from the activities of the day and was ready to step into the bathroom to wash up until I heard a knock at my door. The knocking happened more than once but I only thought I was hearing things in my tired state of mind. 

 

However, all that thought ceased when I heard a distant shout behind the door. It was filled with worry, anxiety, doubt and most importantly? Fear. If one were to hear the tone of the shout, it was bound to make a heart sink as one thought the worst. 

 

“YOOJUNG UNNIE! UNNIE! PLEASE ANSWER THE DOOR.” The voice called out in a state of panic. 

 

After much thought about who it was, it dawned on me that it was somebody I knew. There were only 2 people I knew who called me “Unnie”, and they were namely Hyorin and Yoonsol who were the 2 younger sisters of Jisoo and Seokmin respectively. Hence, I only had two choices to choose from regarding who they could be. 

 

Luckily, there was another way to differentiate and that was by voice. Yoonsol had a higher voice, very much like her brother, but Hyorin’s was neither high nor low. Instead, it was smooth and gentle (unless she was screaming about something or someone), just like Jisoo, her older brother. 

 

I opened the door after looking through the peephole, of course, only to find Hyorin soaked from head to toe. Not only that, her hair was untied and she came in a now drenched t-shirt and jeans with her favourite pair of Converse. Unfortunately, there was one thing that caught my attention and that was her pink luggage, leaning against the wall. 

 

“Unnie!” She called out and gave me a hug, as if she had not seen me in centuries. But it was no hug that was meant for a greeting; In fact, it felt like it needed comfort, like she was anxious or worried about something. I returned the gesture, despite the initial shock, and patted her back, hoping to ease her nerves. 

 

I let her into my apartment, before giving her a towel to dry herself in and a blanket to keep her warm. Despite it being the start of summer, I turned the heater on for her sake so that she could minimize the likeliness of her catching a cold. 

 

“Do you want me to get something warm for you?” I asked with worry. Looking at her state, she was shivering uncontrollably and I only brought her more blankets to cover her up from her head to toe. 

 

Hearing me, she nodded and I quickly got some hot water to make a cup of hot chocolate for the freezing Hyorin. By then, she had already warmed herself up but I knew that there was definitely more to why she showed up in this weather at this kind of timing. She was only 15 years old, so why would she go out in the middle of the night? 

 

After giving her some form of comfortable silence, I asked, “Hyorin-ah… What’s wrong? I mean, I know you love to drop by but not at this time…” 

 

She shook her head and looked as if she was confused herself at the reason she was here. 

 

“O-oppa told me to come here… H-he said that he needed some time a-alone. I hope it’s okay with you…” She stammered, but I knew that it was probably not the true reason he had sent her here. Growing up, I was always quick and sensitive to people’s emotions and I knew that even a girl, like Hyorin, would doubt her own brother. 

 

“I’m fine, of course! I have an extra room so just give me a minute and it’ll be ready in no time!” I replied quickly, afraid that I came across as an unwelcoming host now to her plight. However, I began to get lost in my own thoughts gradually, thinking about the many reasons why Jisoo would send her here. He wasn’t responding to any of our messages, he sent his sister over to my place at this time of night… 

 

The thoughts flowed at the speed of a bullet train but I could not pinpoint a proper reason why he would do this, especially when they came without notice. 

 

It wasn’t long before Hyorin’s voice brought me back to reality after much pondering and sifting through my memory bank to remember whether he had told me anything that I probably never paid attention to. 

 

“He told me one thing before he asked me to leave the house.” She said in a doubtful manner, as if in a predicament between whether things were true or a complete lie.

 

“What?” I asked quizzically, but was afraid for the worst. 

 

“He told me not to come home. Not until he tells me to because… Home is no longer the safest place anymore.”

 

****

 

[From Jisoo’s POV]

 

A sudden eerie silence fell over the house ever since Hyorin had taken her leave. The only sounds that filled and echoed through the home was the sound of the rain and the distant booming of thunder. 

 

It was sudden that I had to send Hyorin away but I knew that I had to do this for the better. As an older brother, it had become a responsibility for me to protect her, especially after our mother had left us not too long ago to flee from her debtors. 

 

Yes, we did not have a “perfect” life, unlike what everyone had assumed since we were from the labelled “famous and affluent” clique, SEVENTEEN. We were of a different status altogether, with regards to the rest of the group. In SEVENTEEN, we had the inheritors and we had the relatively average ones, whose parents still earned a pretty large income for the average person. 

 

Hyorin and I? We were neither here nor there when it came to whether we were rich or poor. There were times when our mother bestowed us with luxury goods but there were also times in which we had to be careful on what we spent on. It was something to think about for the both of us, but little did we know about the origins of the money given to us and how it came so easily at times. 

 

Ever since my father had passed away, we became dependent on the money that he had left for us as a part of his will. According to the calculations, if we were to use the money wisely, it was enough to pay for my education and Hyorin’s for the next 5 to 10 years, or at least until I graduate from the University or Hyorin graduates from High School. Even with that, we were supposed to have enough to live our lives comfortably, by being able to fully pay for the household bills to putting food on the table. 

 

Unfortunately, only God knows what had happened to my mother. Despite the front that she put up with Hyorin and I, she never really healed from the fact that my father was gone. Soon, she began to slip into gambling and drinking, as well as working late nights as a personal, senior secretary to reduce her stress and perhaps, take it away at times.

 

Often, we found her at home with a terrible hangover the next morning but soon, the morning meetings, no matter how unsightly they were, became nothing at all. We never saw her anymore, apart from hearing the main door open and close in the wee hours of the morning.

 

Hence, it was left to Hyorin and I, taking care of one another’s needs. We made sure that we were well and good if we needed to support the other. Furthermore, luck was on our side as my father had left some allowance for us to spend wisely. Therefore, we became frugal, just in case we needed to use it for a rainy day. 

 

Of course, no one really found out about our financial capacities as the SEVENTEEN group preferred to stick to things that we can afford. There were times when we would just eat at a Korean fast food restaurant for a simple meal of ramen and even the street stalls at times for a sumptuous meal of spicy rice cakes. 

 

Unfortunately, I had found out not too long ago that my mother had gone in debt. My heart sank when I knew the stakes that we were in, especially for Hyorin. It turns out that she owed money for her careless gambling, but didn’t have the money to pay for her losses. Hence, this resulted in her borrowing large sums from the loan sharks in a desperate attempt. 

 

Sadly, I had to find out from the fact that there were people coming to our house quite often. Oh no, they were not here for charity donations whatsoever. They were burly men with all sorts of tattoos covering their arms. Often, they were seen having a cigarette hanging out of their mouths 24/7 or an empty beer bottle in hand. All of them were fierce looking and were undoubtedly intimidating. 

 

Whenever they came, my mother was never at home and Hyorin preferred to study out of home, leaving me alone most of the time. On their second visit, they threatened me loudly and fiercely, “Where is that , Mdm Kim Yeonjae?!” 

 

Despite the fact that shivers travelled down my spine, I held my ground and said, “She’s not at home right now. She’ll be back at around dawn. And by the way, my mother does not deserve to be called a ---”

 

I didn’t even get the opportunity to finish my sentence before I found a strong hand grab my collar and pin me against the hard, concrete wall. With the impact, I felt as if all life had been knocked out of me and I struggled to breathe but the man only tightened his grip around my neck. 

 

“No punk speaks to me like that. Tell me, do you know why we even called your mother a ?” He questioned, with no sympathy at all, only with a hard, cold stare, “She owes us money, you see. And whatever is not yours, you have to give it back, don’t you?” 

 

I was struggling to catch my breath at this point in time and was nearly on the verge of passing out before he let me go. I fell on my knees, coughing and wheezing to breathe normally again. 

 

“Boss, we need to leave! Someone has seen us!” A younger, skinnier man alerted the burly one who only laughed at me with a wicked, bitter laugh. 

 

“We’ll let you off this once, you son of a . Besides, if we don’t see the money by next week, you will experience hell and you would prefer to be dead by the sun’s rising.” He warned with a cold voice, before taking off together with his gang, leaving me to process whatever that had just happened. 

 

“How can you do this….?” At that point, this was the only thought in my head, “How could you be so selfish to neglect Hyorin and I? You hardly spend time at home, preferring to drink and gamble and now? We’re in danger.” 

 

Thinking that things could not get any worse, the nightmare came true when my mother burst through the front door later in the day. Judging from her clothes, she was probably rushing from her workplace back home. However, she had a panicked look on her face, as if she had seen a ghost before reaching the front door. 

 

I wanted to tell her what had happened but she only pushed me away onto the couch, running to her room in a frenzy. The sounds of a bag opening was evident, and hangers collided with one another, signalling that she was probably packing clothes into a luggage as well as some basic necessities. 

 

After a few minutes, she opened the door of the master bedroom again and she had a luggage in hand with her handbag on her shoulder. She rummaged through her bag frantically, making sure she had everything before she took off again.

 

“EOMMA!” I shouted, almost screaming, and she stopped in her tracks, with her hand at the door knob. 

 

“Don’t tell me you are just going to leave like that.” I said in a frustrated tone, hoping to get my message across. 

 

“How could you do these kind of things? First, you lied to us that you were okay, and then you disappear, leaving Hyorin and I alone?! I know I’m old enough to take care of her but she still needs a mother’s love too. We’re in grave danger now, being hunted down by the loan sharks for money. Her father is dead and----” 

 

“HONG JISOO!” My mother bellowed, her shrieking voice echoing throughout the home, “Don’t you dare speak a word about your father to me.”

 

“THEN WHAT?!” By this time, I was already fuming mad and I bet my heartbeat and blood pressure were off the charts. 

 

“AND YOU’RE GOING TO LEAVE?! WELL, THANKS EOMMA.” I raised my voice in a sarcastic manner, “YOU DON’T EVEN GIVE A NOW?! YOUR CHILDREN'S’ LIVES ARE IN DANGER NOW. AND WE HAVE NOTHING. NOTHING. NOT EVEN SAFETY AND SECURITY.”   

 

“THIS IS THE ONLY WAY I’M GOING TO PROTECT YOU! YOU WILL UNDERSTAND THAT SOON.”

 

That was the last sentence before my mother turned the doorknob, running out of the house immediately. Her footsteps softened and the wheeling of the luggage lessened too, decreasing in volume with the distance. 

 

“Protect?” I thought bitterly, scoffing at the thought, “We have nothing now. Our funds are tight, our parents are gone and our safety is compromised. That’s a lot of protection.” 

 

I sat there in the living room, weighing the odds that the loan sharks will come back. Considering the frequency, there was a 95% probability that they’ll be back soon. Furthermore, if Hyorin stays, she’ll be in danger because God knows what men are capable of. If she leaves, I’ll be in danger with no one by my side. 

 

It was a tough decision and after much pondering, I had decided to let Hyorin go. It was the best option for her as it lessened the risk of us being in danger together. Furthermore, she was only 15, meaning that she had much more to go in life and I didn’t need her to get involved with these precarious situations. 

 

“I’m sorry, Hyorin-ah. Trust oppa for once and leave this place. Home is no longer the safest place anymore.” 

 

****

 

As I recalled the past, I looked up at the clock on the wall, which ticked away with every passing second. 

 

“1am… Hyorin should be with Yoojung, I really hope so.” There was plenty of doubt and uncertainty but I trusted 

 

Unfortunately, my thoughts were disrupted by the hard pounding on the front door. In a state of panic, I rushed to the door and opened it, thinking that Hyorin had come back against my wishes. 

 

As soon as I opened the door, I was greeted with a hard punch on the face, causing me to collapse on the floor. A metallic taste began to fill my mouth gradually and I discovered that the corner of my mouth was bleeding after he had hit me. 

 

“So…. We meet again, don’t we? According to my men here, your mother ran away, didn’t she? Tell me, where did she go?” 

 

“I don’t know.” I replied, without showing any signs of fear, “She just left.” 

 

With that answer, the man gave me another punch and I collapsed onto the floor once again, except that my head started to throb in pain from the impact. 

 

“Well then… I’m sure we’ll find her again anyway. You believe in ‘What goes around comes around’, don’t you? In the meantime…,” He turned to face his men and cocked his head in my direction, “Take him away.” 

 

Immediately, they grabbed my arms and placed them behind my back. With my last ounce of strength, I attempted to fight back but to no avail. In fact, I was outnumbered and the movement did no help to the throbbing pain. 

 

I could only sigh and the man who grabbed me initially kicked me in the stomach, causing me to double over as they pushed me out the door. They pushed me with so much force that I could have tripped. I decided to follow their instructions for now, knowing that I was not in the right shape to escape or fight back without putting my life on the line.

 

“Before we leave this neighbourhood, this is just to make sure you can’t escape anytime soon.” The leader stopped in his tracks and took out his pistol, using the gun to hit it against the side of my head. 

 

I didn’t pass out initially but he continued to hit my temple again and again until black spots appeared across my field of vision and warm liquid trickled down the side of my head. Giving up in the end, I was knocked out cold and did not have the slightest idea what was happening around me anymore. They might have killed me and I wouldn’t have known. 

 

This was the day in which my life turned upside down, and the same goes for everyone around me. 

 

Before I had passed out, the only words mentioned by the man was, “Welcome to Hell.” and indeed, those words showed no signs of contradiction or irony in any way after the 28th of May 2013. 

---

 

Author's Note: 

Hi readers! :D This is the second chapter for Class A-Team! :D I would like to apologize first that I kinda made you guys wait. >_< Was supposed to post it yesterday but I didn't manage to so sorry for the late posting :( Nonetheless, I would like to thank everyone for their support because it really means a lot to me :> For those that are new to my story, click the "Subscribe" button to get updates for this fanfiction! ^^ Also, feel free to drop something in the comments below! :D 

I hope you guys enjoy the chapter and do look out for Chapter 3, which will be published very soon! :D