The sun’s rays had not long been streaming through the curtains before Youngbae was awoken by sharp rapping on the door, two different hands knocking out of time with each other. He groaned, sitting up with a pain in his back. He frowned, curious to his surrounds before remembering where he was, and why he was on the couch. With the thought of Jayoung, he jumped off the couch, ignoring the pain in his back as he ran to door, yanking it open.

“Do you guys mind? She’s sleeping!” He whisper yelled, staring at the two males standing in his doorway. Daesung whined pathetically at being scolded, while Seunghyun just rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah. Have you got any food? We’re starving” The taller male pushed past them both, following the familiar route to the kitchen. He pulled open the fridge door, sorting through until he found something edible. “Where is she anyway? Did you two have a long night – talking?” Seunghyun wriggled his eyebrows at Youngbae, making him scoff. Daesung glanced at the living room, noticing the blankets and pillows on the couch.

“Hyung – they didn’t do anything of the sort. He slept on the couch. You’re such a gentleman” He teased, pushing at Youngbae’s bare shoulder. Youngbae pushed him back, scowling in response.

“Shut up. She looked like she needed the rest more than I did” He ruffled his hair, reaching over the back of the couch to grab his jumper and pull it on to cover his bare chest. “And get your own food. You make the same amount of money I do; you should be able to afford the food” He grumbled, reaching to snatch the bread roll from his hand – albeit failing. The two began to squabble, fighting for the bread roll. Daesung edged away, moving to neatly fold the blankets that were on the couch.

Jayoung slept mostly peacefully throughout the night. She awoke from a fitful dream partway through the night, her slight scream immediately muffled by the pillows. She fell asleep soon after though, and slept soundly until morning. That was, however, until she heard voices yelling from the kitchen. The female awoke, disorientated by her surroundings. Memories of last night flashed through her head, and she self-consciously clutched at her clothing. She slipped out of the bed, bare feet landing on the cold floor. Jayoung stood; cuts and bruises aching as she stretched. She moved to follow the noise of the yelling, but paused as she spied her own reflection in the mirror. Reaching up, she ran her fingers over the bruises of her black eyes and cheekbones. They had already begun to turn into a deep yellow colour, and she winced at the sight. Fixing her hair to cover the majority of the bruises on her face, she opened the bedroom door and followed the sounds of the voices. She was greeted by a queer sight; the man she remembered as Youngbae reaching up to try and take the bread roll from a taller male; she remembered him as the one who first spoke to her. The final male was ignoring their antics, folding up the sheets Youngbae slept under.

None of the males realised she was there, until she coughed to catch their attention. Youngbae immediately stopped, smiling at her, the brightness rivalling the sun.

“Jayoung! You’re awake!” He grinned, looking between the two males. “The tall one is Seunghyun. He’s the bouncer at the club. And the other one is Daesung. He tends the bar with me” The boys acknowledged her in their respective order, and Youngbae took it as an opportunity to snatch back the half eaten roll. “Are you hungry?” Jayoung slowly shook her head at the sentence, her arms still wrapped around her torso. She felt uncomfortable, and shifted to pull the sweatpants back up to a comfortable height; they were slightly too big for her.

“You have to eat, Jayoung-ssi” Daesung piped up, glancing at the time. “Well, we came here because we’re all having a meeting at a cafe down the road. You can come with, and we can get food there” He nodded firmly, not giving her a chance to oppose.

“I can’t go out in this” She mumbled quietly, plucking at the sweatshirt. She looked up, seeing Youngbae’s slightly hurt face. “I-I don’t mean it in a bad way. It’s just that . . . It’s the clothes I slept in” Jayoung glanced at the males, reaching up to gently touch her cheekbone. “A-And the bruises. . .” She trailed off, biting down on her bottom lip. The males pondered this thought for a moment; it would seem bad for them to come out with her dressed and looking like that. Youngbae quickly brightened up, smiling before running to the door.

“I’ll be right back” He yelled as he ran out, door shutting behind him. Jayoung stood awkwardly in the entrance to the living room, avoiding eye contact and conversation with them. Daesung opened his mouth to make a statement before Youngbae threw the front door open, a woman in tow behind him. The woman had some clothes thrown over her arm, and a bag in her hand. Jayoung tilted her head curiously, and Youngbae pulled the woman over to her.

“Jayoung-ssi. This is my neighbour, Dara noona. She can help.” Youngbae grinned, watching the two females before going back to the boys. Dara smiled gently at the female, gesturing to the clothes on her arm.

“I’ve got some clothes for you to try. And I’ll help you cover your bruises. We’ve got similar skin tones” She smiled, gesturing for Jayoung to follow her. It was obvious to the spectators that Jayoung felt much less scared around the female than the male.

After half an hour of hair and makeup, Jayoung believed she finally looked presentable to the public. Donned in a pair of Dara’s jeans and a flowing long-sleeved blouse, her bruises all but invisible, she stepped out to the males. “Thank you” She mumbled softly, and Dara gently patted her shoulder before leaving, waving goodbye to the men. Jayoung turned to the group of males, clutching at her torso. “Are we ready to leave?” She asked nervously, and the males nodded as they all got ready to leave.

Fifteen minutes passed and the five men and one woman were sitting around a table at a local cafe. Jayoung mostly zoned out of the talk, focusing on her drink instead.

“. . . oung. Jayoung. Jayoung!” Jayoung snapped out of her reverie, blinking up at the voice of Youngbae’s that was slowly becoming familiar. She stared at him, hands wrapped around her takeaway cup. “Seunghyun hyung’s offered to take you in for a few days. He’s got a spare bedroom you can stay in” The pink haired male looked at the female, and she simply nodded in response. Staring out at the window as the men chatted among themselves again, watching the strangers walk around. She caught a glimpse of someone, and froze. Jayoung’s mind went blank, and her hands shook as she held onto the coffee. Seunghyun, who had been watching the female, frowned deeply and looked out the window.

“What’s wrong?” He asked curiously, leaning forward slightly. The female ignored the question, eyes fixed on a person outside.

“W-W-We have to go” Jayoung stuttered, moving out of her seat in a flash. “H-He’s here, I can’t stay here. We have to go” She pleaded, eyes full of hurt staring back at Seunghyun. The male’s heart fluttered slightly at the look, but swiftly stood up and grabbed his coat.

“Who’s here?” Jiyong questioned, all the men confused by her sudden outburst. Jayoung shook her head quickly, eyes b with tears.

“I have to go” She stressed, making sure Seunghyun was following before she rushed outside. Seunghyun followed, placing his jacket over her shoulders to keep her warm. He couldn’t help but notice the paranoid glances she kept sending to the people around her, always looking behind.

Seunghyun tugged her sleeve gently. “Here. Get in the car. We’ll go straight home, I promise” He paused at his car, holding the passenger door open. Jayoung quickly got in and Seunghyun shut the door as soon as she was fully in, rushing to the driver’s side and getting in. He pulled on his own seatbelt and checked she had her own on before starting the car, pulling out into the street.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

A man noticed a familiar female in a coffee shop, and his face widened into a smirk. He quickly stalked his way across the road, making eye contact with the female. He saw her quiver in fear and abruptly stand up, eliciting a chuckle out of the sadistic male. He loved the fact that just the appearance of him scared her. He watched as the female rushed out and moved quicker to approach her, but pausing once a tall pink haired male followed her out and wrapped a jacket around her. His face immediately changed to a look of evil, and he followed them all the way to the car. He watched him help her in and then speed off. He snarled quietly, clutching at a gold chain in his hand. She was his. Only his. And he’ll be damned if he let anyone take her away from him.