I immediately chastised myself for such blasphemous and greedy thoughts. I had already ingested too much poison throughout the day, considering that since the boys barely got any time to eat they often ate in the cars and dressing rooms and, by extension, stuffed me full with more food than I’ve eaten in a long while. Well, I guess warmth wasn’t as much of a greedy thought as food, since the room was definitely colder than before. Maybe they had turned up the air conditioner to prevent the computers from overheating in the small room? For extra protection from the cold, I pulled on the mask Henry had gotten me yesterday. Wow, had it really only been yesterday morning?

I carefully zipped up my backpack, promising the book inside that I’d read more later since I hadn’t gotten much studying in so far, and followed Sungmin and Eunhyuk out the door, noting the printed English words “Studio 1” on the door. Were there more studios or something? But only after we passed another door labeled “Studio 1 Recording” right next to it did I realize why it was labeled in such a way. My mind flashed back to the interior of the studio, and my eyes widened in dismay as I remembered the large mirror that had dominated one side of the room. Mirrors like that were in my favorite police shows back home. Was it a two-way mirror? Had there been people on the other side, inside this “Studio 1 Recording” room, watching us? Had there been old Korean people on the other side, watching me, judging me, condemning me? Did they thing I was lazy since I fell asleep in the middle of the radio show and did nothing? Oh my gosh, were they filming us from inside the room? Was I caught on camera?! Were they staring at me even as I stood, seeing only a foreign girl chasing after the boys like some crazy fan? Were they in on it with Sungmin and Eunhyuk, plotting my inevitable demise in Korean, laughing in front of my face since I couldn’t understand them? Was I being ridiculed and hated by some of the most famous idols in Korea, and their gang of studio people?

In the midst of this, I heard a voice seemingly from nowhere scream at me, “Move or die!” Almost of its own accord, my body twisted a few steps to the side, and that was enough to snap me out of my momentary trance of paranoia. Blinking, I shook my head, trying to dispel the poisonous thoughts wrapping my mind in their clingy web. I took a few more steps and realized that my whole mental thing had gone unnoticed by the boys, who were only a bit ahead of me, and that I hadn’t even paused for that long. Groaning inwardly, I wondered why that had just happened at this particular moment.

When we reached the front door, I was a bit surprised to see that it was already growing dark outside. I let out an involuntary shudder; bad things happened in the dark. I didn’t know how far away we were from the dorms, but I hoped with all my might we’d get there before nighttime. I really didn’t want to be caught outside then. When I had first arrived at the dorms a couple of days ago, I had been extremely lucky.

Sungmin noticed my shiver, apparently. He smiled kindly and said, “Car is warm. We are warm soon. Okay?”

I nodded, smiling thinly. Poor thing thought I was shivering out of cold. Well, I was, but that wasn’t the only reason. I walked next to Sungmin down the drive; for some reason, he seemed like the only person who could stand between me and the night.

Fortunately, the van was ready and waiting down by the street, the dying sunlight casting sharp shadows all around it. The boys pulled open the door and hopped in, leaving the seat closest to the door for me.

All the way home, my eyes couldn’t stay still. Worry flooded my mind as I watched the sun start to dip below the horizon; my eyes flicked back and forth between the sun side of the car and the darker side of the car. I barely registered Eunhyuk’s and Sungmin’s quiet voices filling the van with their soft sounds; I was only concentrated on the exterior. Multiple times my hand strayed to the safety lock on the door, making sure it was engaged. Don’t let me be trapped in here with those things out there. Don’t let them get in. Please let us get inside safely…

I had been a fool to think I could escape.

The sun was almost all the way down when the van pulled into the driveway of the apartment building. My hands shaking a bit, I pulled open the door, desperate to get inside before the sun was completely gone. I totally ignored the cramps in my stomach, the biting cold from the slight wind, the burning pain in my back, the small noises the boys were making as they gathered their things. I bolted up the driveway and into the lobby. The brightly lit lobby. My breathing immediately eased, and I shakily bowed to the person at the front desk as I turned to wait for Sungmin and Eunhyuk.

Suddenly, I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I pulled it out

From: Mary
   Idiot. Worthless girl. You didn’t think you could escape that easily, did you? You didn’t tell me. You will reap the consequences.

My eyes widened. It was true, I didn’t tell him that I was coming to Korea. I pushed my phone back into my pocket, hands trembling again. Consequences? He couldn’t, he promised he wouldn’t! But there was only one thing he could mean…

Just then, the boys entered the lobby, smiling tiredly and bowing to the person at the front desk. I let out a small sigh of relief just at the sight of them. They reached me, and Sungmin took me by the arm. “Home soon!” he said, pointing up.

I nodded. “Home soon,” I repeated, all my senses flooding back to me. Hunger and pain and stress and fatigue clawed at me, but it didn’t matter. Just his touch calmed me. I was safe with him.

How did I become so weak?

~~~~~~

Hey guys, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please give me your feedback, I appreciate anything!

By the way, I know I haven't been updating regularly, and I have lost a few subscribers because of that, but in all honesty, I told you all in my foreword that I do have a life outside of writing. Thank you loyal subscribers who have stuck around! And a special thank you to SunseTsj_fw for the upvote! You all rock!

{Edit} After I put this up, I realized that this has been going for over a year now! Thank you all so much for staying with me, especially you who have been with me from the beginning! Thank you!!