It was so silent; a pin being dropped on the floor could be heard from a mile away. The males stared at the beaten and bloodied female, and she stared right back. She swayed on her feet, unsteady. Opening to ask again, the entrance doors slammed shut from the gusty winds outside, making everyone jump, but worked to snap the men out of their daze. The female had flinched when it shut, turning her head to gaze fearfully at the door, as if she expected someone to come rampaging in at any moment. Youngbae stared at her neck as she turned, noticing the finger-like bruises on her neck and windpipe. Jiyong was the first to speak, taking charge like usual.

“Seungri, can you grab another chair please? Youngbae, grab a glass of water, please” The men got up to do their jobs, Seungri scrambling to grab a chair off the top of the nearest table. Jiyong grasped Youngbae’s arm as he passed, causing the male to pause. “Make sure it’s not cold. If she sculls the drink, it could chill her stomach” Youngbae nodded, and the other male released his grip on his arm, gently patting his back as he passed. Jiyong walked past Seunghyun, acknowledging the taller by patting his arm as he passed, the male taking it as a signal to return to his seat. Jiyong approached the female, taking in her whole hurt figure. “Do you want to sit down? What’s your name? What happened?” He rapidly fired the questions at her, but immediately went silent as she looked taken aback. He reached out to take her elbow to guide her to the seat but she immediately flinched away from his touch.

Jiyong looked at her apologetically, taking a few steps out of the way to clear the way for her. Slowly she limped forward, taking the seat that Seungri had put out for her. She winced as she slowly sunk down, biting her lip.

Youngbae came around from the bar, placing a glass of water in front of her. He took the liberty of placing down a few saltine crackers for her as well, sending her a gentle smile. “Don’t worry; no one is going to hurt you. You’re safe here” She nodded blankly at him, picking up the glass and taking a sip. The water washed out the metallic taste of blood and she put the glass back down on the table. The men slowly sat back at the table, making sure to give her plenty of space.

“What’s your name?” Seunghyun asked, leaning across the table slightly. The woman looked at him, hesitating before opening to speak. Her voice was clearer than before, and gave the impression that if she were to laugh; it would be like the soothing twinkling of wind chimes.

“Keum Jayoung” She muttered softly to the men, keeping her gaze low. The lady, now identified as Jayoung, slipped her hand out of her sleeve to slide one of the crackers off the table, taking a small bite from it. The men exchanged a look, all having a silent conversation. What were they supposed to do? They were all curious as to what had happened to the female, but none were brave enough to ask. The hand that had emerged had dark bruises around the wrist, and the back of her hand had scratches down it. Daesung cleared his throat, drawing Jayoung’s attention to him.

“What happened to you, Jayoung-ssi?” He asked soothingly and she shook her head. Trembling hands reached up to brush the hair out of her face.

“It’s not important” She mumbled, voice barely above a whisper. “Do. . .Do you think you could lock the door?” Jayoung had glanced fearfully every time there was a sound at the entrance, so at this request she looked at Seunghyun. He had been the first to approach after all.

Seunghyun stood hastily, quickly rushing to the entrance to lock the door, double checking before he came back. “No problem. You don’t need to worry. You’re safe here. Right, Jiyong?” He looked at the other males, sharing the concern. They weren’t sure what to do with the female; they needed to go home soon. Jiyong cleared his throat, looking at the feeble female.

“Right. So, Jayoung-ssi” The female lifted her face to see him, but soon adverted his gaze, too scared to make eye contact. “Would you like the phone? To call the police? Or maybe paramedics? Or both?” As soon as the sentence left his mouth, her head shook rapidly.

“No. No. Nothing. I don’t need anything like that. I can take care of myself” She scowled slightly, finishing her glass of water and her crackers. With a small sigh she mustered her strength, swaying slightly as she pushed herself to stand. “I think I’ll leave now. . .I’m sorry to intrude” Jayoung’s eyes were lifeless as she turned from the males, looking at them, but not really taking notice. The beaten female turned and stumbled towards the door, cut feet protesting against the hard floor. Once again they shared a look, and they rushed to stand. Youngbae was the first one to speak, his voice coming out louder and quicker than the others.

“Let me take you home!” He rushed, grabbing his jacket and running over to the woman. Jayoung took a few steps back, wary of the rushing male. “S-Sorry” Youngbae breathed heavily, gesturing for her to follow him to the back door. “I’ll take you home, come on”

Jayoung self-consciously wrapped her arms around her waist, shaking her head. “No. I can’t go home. I won’t go home” She said firmly, staring at Youngbae. The remaining four males shared a glance; what had really happened? Calmly Youngbae nodded, gesturing his hand.

“Alright, then. You can stay at mine. If it makes you feel better, I can have one of the boys stay with us” He said calmly, smiling kindly at her. She shook her head again, walking to stand just behind him.

“Let’s just go. Please” Jayoung reached past him to push open the door, shivering as the cold night air hit her bare legs. Youngbae nodded, sending a look and a small wave at the men before closing the door. As the wind blew around him, he just realised his thinking. Why was he helping her? Looking at the beaten female, he was drawn to the mysteriousness of the situation. He wanted to help her. He wanted her to not be afraid. He wanted to save her. “Are we going to get in the car? Or stay here all night?” She muttered, staring at him. He snapped out of his thoughts, nodding quickly as he unlocked his car and opened the passenger seat door for her.

“Come on, get it. I’ll turn on the heating once the car starts” She walked past him to get in the car, avoiding any contact as she pulled on her seatbelt. With a small sigh Youngbae went to the driver’s seat and got in, starting the car and turning on the heating. He directed the vents towards the slightly shivering female, smiling considerately as he caught her gaze, only for her to look away. “Better?” She simply nodded in reply, focusing her attention on her hands.

It was a quiet drive home, full of uneventful attempts of conversations, initiated by Youngbae, answered with quiet acknowledgements by Jayoung. He parked the car out the front and led her inside to the apartment, up the elevator and down the corridor to his apartment. Unlocking the door he gestured for her to come inside, moving behind her to take off her jacket. He began to pull it off her shoulder, before a loud scream and the jacket was yanked back up. Startled, Youngbae stumbled back away from her. Turning, she clutched the fabric tightly to her.

“I-I’m sorry. It’s just that. . .It’s just. . .” Words failed her so she slipped down the shoulder of the jacket, flashing a black strap of a bra briefly. Jayoung’s cheeks were red, and she averted her gaze. “I didn’t have time to grab proper clothes and change” She stared at her bare feet, looking up in surprise at the soft chuckle. She lifted her head, looking at the soft smile Youngbae gave her.

“Don’t worry about it. You can borrow my clothes for now” He smiled, leading her over to the bathroom. “You can have a shower, I’ll fix some warm food and some tea while you’re cleaning yourself. I’ll leave some dry clothes in the laundry just outside the bathroom. But I’ll close the door, so I won’t see anything” Jayoung nodded slightly to his words, heading where he said. Youngbae watched her go, making sure to hear the closing of the bathroom door before he went to gather clothes.