Chapter 8 - Part 1 - What do I do!?

Taeyeon watched in panic as the five boys continued advancing towards them. Her palms were moist from the nervousness she felt at the moment. She had just told Jessica she will protect her, and she does want to, but to be completely honest, she really has no clue how she’s going accomplish that. A tiny girl versus five tall boys? There’s no way she’ll be able to escape this without a scratch. Actually, they might not even be able to escape. The probability of her getting beaten to a pulp is pretty high up there. The only thing she believes she can do is to distract them for a bit so the others can escape.


But how am I supposed to distract them?! Omo! They’re getting closer! Taeyeon think!


What everybody has yet to notice was the girl slowly pulling herself up from the concrete ground. Yoona stared menacingly at the five boys. They’ve been bullying her for about a year now and she’s had enough of their stupid games. She wanted retribution and so she sought them out. She had planned to go alone, but Seohyun insisted on tagging along just in case things get out of hand. And it did. How foolish of her to actually think she could take on five guys. She balled her hands in frustration. If she can’t get back at all of them, at least she’ll get back at one. Without another thought she ran as fast as she could and shoved one of the boys hard on the back.


*Thud!*


The boy fell flat on his stomach.


“Minho!” One of them yelled.


The four remaining guys standing up snapped their heads towards Yoona’s direction. “You b*tch!” The really buffed guy out of all of them shoved Yoona back with even more force than she herself inflicted on Minho.


*Thud!*


“Ugh!” Yoona fell on her back.


“Yoona!” Seohyun screamed hysterically.


“Yah!” Taeyeon yelled out in rage.


She gently removed Jessica’s hand that was gripping her shirt and marched towards the guy who mercilessly shoved Yoona to the floor. Before the guy had a chance to notice her, she shoved him hard on the chest, making him fall flat on his back.


*Thud!*


“Jonghyun hyung!”


Jessica stood shock at what Taeyeon had just done.


Taemin shifted his gaze to Taeyeon. “You stupid midget!”


He grabbed her by the collar, lifting her up from the ground, and rammed her face against the fence. Her cheek made contact with the steel material, scraping the side of her face. She grunted in pain. She felt something wet dripping down the side of her face.


Sh*t! I have a cut!


Taemin turned her around and pinned her back on the fence.


“Looks like the position has been turned, huh?” He smirked at her.


“S-screw you!” Taeyeon hissed in between gritted teeth.


Taemin wasn’t too please with her response. He gripped her collar tighter and slammed her hard on the fence, just like how she slammed him hard on the wall.


“You like that?” He asked maliciously.


Her face scrunched up in pain. She could feel a sharp throbbing pain shoot through her back. In addition to the back pain, her head was still wringing from the impact. She could already feel a bruise forming at the back of her head.


This isn’t good! At this point all of us will suffer! No! I have to protect Jessica!


She grabbed Taemin’s wrists and attempted to pull his hands away; she scratched and clawed his forearms repeatedly hoping it’ll loosen his grip on her collar. Unfortunately, her aching body combined with Taemin’s strength suppressed her from doing much damage. But that didn’t stop her from fighting back anyway. She continued tugging his arms away.


Come on! Arrrgh!


To her dismay her strength was slowly draining away. Taemin tightened his hold on her collar, almost choking her. She gasped desperately for air.


“Let her go!” Jessica marched towards Taemin and began beating his back with her fists. “Let her go now!”


Taemin unconsciously loosened his stronghold on Taeyeon allowing the girl to take in a much needed air. He looked over his shoulder and called over his posse for help. “Yah! Onew, Key, hold her back!”


The two boys each grabbed Jessica’s arms and aggressively pulled her away from Taemin’s back.


Refusing to be dragged away, she fought back. “Yah! Let me go!” She pulled and kicked trying to escape their strong grip. She smirked when she successfully hit one of them square on the face, while she almost kicked the other between the legs. He was lucky he has fast reflex, if not he would have scrambled eggs in between his legs by now.


Seohyun, who has taken refuge behind a dumpster, watched in horror as each one of her friends were taken captive by Taemin’s gang. “What do I do? What do I do?” She repeatedly chanted to herself. She’s stuck. She doesn’t know how she’s supposed help them. Fighting back is definitely out of the question; seeing Taeyeon and Jessica’s failed attempts, there was no way she’d even take a crack at that. Plus, it’s not like her punches would do any damage either. She’s pretty much useless in this kind of situations.


If only she could help them in some way other than a head on altercation. But what can she do? She thought hard. Her face lit up as an idea popped in to her head. She fished her phone out from her pocket and began dialing. Why didn’t I think of this sooner!?


“Hello? Is this the police station?”


------


“Ahh!! That hurts!” Jessica cried in pain. Their grasp was on her was too tight and it was putting a strain not only to her arms but to her back as well. The two boys had forcefully coiled her arms behind her back to thwart her flailing arms from doing any more harm to their precious body parts. But that was barely minimizing the damage since her legs were still kicking in all directions.


Upon hearing Jessica’s aggrieved voice Taeyeon forced open one of her eyes and saw the struggling girl being held down by the two boys. Her blood boiled at the horrid sight. She was disgusted. How could two guys do that to a woman?


Jessica raised her head up locking gaze with her. They stared at each other, both blaming themselves for putting the other in this complicated situation. Jessica thought it’s her fault Taeyeon was suffering because she knew Taemin just wanted to get back at her by hurting those close to her. On the other hand, Taeyeon’s blaming herself because she couldn’t protect Jessica like she promised she would.


“I’m sorry.”


“I’m sorry.”


“S-Sooyeon-ah…” Taeyeon said in between rasped breaths.


Taemin frowned at this. “Why do you care about her so much, huh?”


“Because…” She stopped to think about it. Why does she care about Jessica so much? It’s not like they’re that close; they’re barely even friends. Heck, they just became friends a couple of days ago! Then, why? Why does she have the urge to always protect the girl she hardly even knows?


“I…I just d-do.”


Taemin scoffed at her vague answer. “Yeah, right. You have feelings for her don’t you?”


“W-what?” Taeyeon stared at him incredulously. How could he just conclude she likes her just because she cares about the girl? Caring about someone doesn’t immediately translate to ‘I like you.’ At least not to what he’s trying to imply. “I-I don’t like her l-like that.”


“Stop playing dumb. I suggest you suppress that feeling of yours because she’s just going to get you killed in the end.”


A look of confusion crossed Taeyeon’s face. What is he talking about?


Taemin looked off to the side as the thought of his deceased brother came to his mind. “You’ll die just like my brother.” He mumbled.


Taeyeon didn’t catch the last thing he said, but she could care less. She’s got more important matters to deal with, like escaping this current predicament she’s in. She glanced over at Jessica and saw the girl’s pained expression.


“Sooyeon-ah…”


Taemin looked up and stared hard at Taeyeon. “Why don’t you stop worrying about her and start worrying about yourself instead!”


He pulled out a pocket knife from his back pocket and flipped it open.


Taeyeon’s eyes widened at the sight of the glinting metal. He smirked at her reaction.


Seohyun’s eyes widened in fear. Taeyeon unnie! Aish! Where are they!?


Jessica, who was still being held down, saw the switchblade. She screamed frantically. “Yah! Don’t hurt her! Please stop it! Don’t hurt her, please! Taemin! Please don’t!”


He turned around and captured her gaze. Jessica stared deep at his brown orbs, searching his eyes for any hint of emotion, anything at all that will reassure her that the Taemin she knew was still there buried deep within this tough façade he created. To her dismay, she saw neither warmth, nor any type of emotion in them. Those eyes that used to be filled with so much light and happiness, was now struck by coldness and apathy. What happened to him? What happened to you, Taemin?


“Please, Taemin. Don’t hurt her. Please! I beg you!” Her voice was fraught with desperateness. She’s never stooped as low as to beg for anything, but right now, she doesn’t care how pathetic she sounded. All she wants is for him to not hurt her. “Please, Taemin. Don’t hurt her!” She pleaded again. A tear made it down her porcelain cheek. Strings of tears soon followed thereafter.


Taemin broke his gaze from Jessica and ignored her pleas. He smirked at Taeyeon before positioning the knife at her neck.


Taeyeon gulped. Now what do I do!?


Taemin applied more force on the knife causing it to pierce through Taeyeon’s skin. A trail of blood trickled down her neck. Taemin smirked with delight.


Jessica was crying frantically. She can’t believe that Taemin actually had the guts to do that. All of these years she had known him, she never thought he was capable of hurting a fly, let alone another human being! She can’t let him hurt Taeyeon. If she dies…if she dies, then I don’t know what I’ll do. I don’t think I’ll be able to handle another person leaving me. No! She can’t leave me all alone! 


“TAEYEON!!!!”


As if on cue, they heard the sound of a police car siren approaching their area.


Wee woo! Wee woo! 


“Yes! They’re here!” Seohyun clapped happily behind a dumpster.


“Sh*t! Taemin! The popo’s here!”


“Wait, just a second! I still have to deal with her!”


“Forget about her, man! If they catch us, we’re going to jail!”


“I said just give me a godd*mn second!”


The siren got louder.


“Forget it Taemin, we’re outta here!”


The two boys holding Jessica hurriedly released her and made a dash towards the exit. The other two boys holding Yoona back made a dash for it as well. Taemin watched in disbelief as his ‘supposed’ friends fled the scene, leaving him behind.


“!” He hissed. He turned to Taeyeon and gave her a stern look. “This isn’t over!” He said before letting go of her collar and running after his gang. Taeyeon’s body slid down to the concrete floor. Jessica hastily crawled over to her side, scooping her up and gently resting her head on her thigh.


“Taeyeon-ah,” She cooed, her voice wavering a little. She delicately ran her fingertips down Taeyeon’s cheek to her chin, careful not to apply any force. Her eyes unconsciously scanned the small girl’s fragile face. She winced at the gash on her cheek and the blood trailing down her neck. Guilt arose within her. “I’m sorry.” She whispered.


Taeyeon kept her eyes shut, not because she was unconscious but because her whole body was aching. She’s trying her best to keep the pain at bay, but her efforts seems futile as she can still feel the excruciating pain throughout her body.


She stirred when she felt soft fingers caressing the side of her face. She opened one of her eyes lazily and saw a blurred vision Jessica’s crying face. She closed her eyes once more and savored the warm touches she's receiving from the other girl. Even though it didn’t rid the pain, it still felt nice. She tried to stay conscious, but her will to keep awake slowly drained away.


“Taengoo, please wake up.”


That was the last thing she heard until she finally succumbed to the darkness.


------


She wasn’t sure how long she's been out of it, but by the time she awoke the sun was already setting. Orange light seeped through the blinds of…Sooyeon’s room?


She groggily opened her eyes and a blurred vision of someone’s face came in to view.


Blonde hair? Sooyeon? When did she get her hair dyed?


“Woah! You’re awake!”


That aegyo voice…why does it sound so familiar?


“Yah! Wake up you lazy bum! She’s awake!”


She heard someone groan nearby and a tall figure came in to view as well. She blinked a few times to get her vision clearer. Gradually, the faces hovering above her became crystal clear.


“Sunny!? Sooyoung!?” She shot up from the bed hitting Sooyoung’s head with her own.


“Urghh!! What the hell shortie!?”


“Omo! Taeyeon-ah, are you okay!?” Sunny hurried to her side, pushing Sooyoung away in process. The shikshin fell on her bottoms.


“Yah! I’m hurt too, but how come you’re only worried about the midget!?” Sooyoung complained.


“Stop calling her a midget! And of course I’m concerned about her! She just got beaten up by some gang!”


“But she’s fine already! We healed her!”


“Not completely! The bruises and the cuts might be gone, but the soreness is still there!”


Taeyeon slumped back down on the bed and placed her arm over her eyes. Ugh! These two can never go a day without bickering. They’re like an old married couple!


“Hey—what’s going on in here?” A soft angelic voice suddenly intruded.


Taeyeon removed her arm over her eyes and saw Jessica standing by the door with her arms crossed over her chest and an irritated expression on her face.


“Why are you guys so loud? Can’t you see there’s a sick person sleeping in here?” Her eyes glossed over at Taeyeon's direction, making eye contact with her. “Omo! Taeyeon-ah, you’re awake!” She turned to the duo and glared at them. “YAH! You woke her up!”


Uh-oh. The ice princess is here…


Jessica grabbed the two by the collar and dragged them out of the room.


“Yah, we didn’t wake her up!” Sooyoung protested.


“Yeah, we really didn’t!” Sunny piped in.


“Uh, huh. Yeah right.”


Jessica continued to drag them out until they disappeared from the room. As they got farther and farther away from the room, their voices slowly became softer and softer until it was complete silence. 


She lied back down on the bed and closed her eyes. Sunny was right, her whole body still felt sore. Ugh, everything hurts. Thanks to Sooyoung, my forehead hurts too. I think I may have a bump up there. Ugh.


Suddenly, she felt soft fingers caressing her bruised forehead. It was the same soft fingers that were caressing her not too long ago in the parking lot. It felt nice and warm. She could definitely get use to this. She unconsciously smiled.


Wait a second…who’s touching my forehead!? 


Her eyes shot open and she came eye to eye with the ice princess. Her eyes widened and her cheeks turned to a shade of pink when she realized that the brunette’s face was just mere inches away from hers. Startled, she quickly grabbed the girl’s wrist and pulled her hand away from her forehead.


“W-what are you doing?” Taeyeon asked nervously. She scooted carefully to the side, creating a safe distance between her and the brunette.


Jessica inwardly frowned by her sudden reaction. After she had discarded the two bickering girls away from the room she came back inside to find Taeyeon sleeping again. She couldn’t help but stare at her serene expression. That’s when she noticed the bruise on her forehead. It looked pretty new. She knew it must have been one of the girls' doing. She just wanted to make her feel better so she started massaging her forehead. Why did she have to react like that?


Instead of expressing her hurt feelings, she kept her ice princess look and stared at the girl currently retreating to the other side of the bed.


“I was just curious at how big the bruise on your forehead was. I’ve got to admit, it’s pretty big.”


“Oh.” Taeyeon frowned. She really thought the girl was concerned for her.


An awkward silence filled the air, as both were upset by the other’s reaction. They were too deep in thought to realize that no one was talking.


Jessica was the first one to break out of her trance. “So, umm, are you feeling better?”


Taeyeon awoke from her trance when she heard the latter speak. “Erm, yeah. I feel a bit sore, but nothing a couple of days’ rest won’t heal.” She said reassuringly.


“That’s good. By the way, I didn’t know you made friends here on Earth.”


“Huh? What are you talking about?”


“The two girls that was just in here. They were the ones who saved us from Taemin’s gang.”


“They came to our rescue?” This got Taeyeon’s attention. She sat up from the bed and reclined her back on the headboard.


“Yeah. At first we thought the police came, but it turned out it was just them with a portable police siren along with the sound effect and everything.”


Taeyeon couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Why am I not surprise? After she’s done laughing, she turned to Jessica. “Wait, so what happened to Yoona and Seohyun?”


“Ah, they’re actually in the living room right now. By the way, I finally found out what Yoona’s been hiding.”


“You mean her ‘illness?’”


Jessica nodded. “Come, let me show you.”


She took one of Taeyeon’s arms and slung it over her shoulders. Together, the two walked towards the living room where they found Yoona and Seohyun sitting comfortably on the couch. For some reason there was something different about Yoona. She couldn’t place her finger on it. She swept eyes from Yoona to the glinting metal object on the coffee table. Her eyes widened. She snapped her gaze to Yoona’s leg and that’s when she realized what was so different about her.




Yoona has an artificial leg.

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A/N: It's not much of an update, but I still hope you enjoyed it! At least Taengsic's feelings are developing. Hmm, and it seems like Jessica's falling first. I wonder what she'll do with these new found feelings? Oh, I must have added more questions to your list by that last bit with Yoona. Lol. 

As always, comments are very much appreciated! =] By the way I may or may not be able to update next week. Gotta study for my finals! Eeep! >.<