“So… ready for this?” Yoona asked shakily as she held Seohyun’s hand. The maknae shook her head, her features showing nothing but fear. The doe-eyed girl still held it together, knowing she had to appear strong for Seohyun. “Me neither.” Yoona whispered. She had tried convincing both herself and Seohyun that things were going to be okay, thinking that they even had Mr. and Mrs. Seo’s blessing, but it was useless. Nothing could prepare her well enough for what was about to happen. Seohyun had convinced Chansung to go home after school without her, telling him that she’d meet him afterwards. Now she and Yoona were right in front of the Im’s household, getting ready for the worst.

“Let’s go already. The faster we do this, the better.” Seohyun said finally. Yoona nodded and tried to let go of Seohyun’s hand, but the maknae wouldn’t let her.

“Hyunnie? I don’t think it’s a good idea if we go inside like this…” Yoona reasoned, knowing she didn’t want to let go of Seohyun’s hand either.

“Promise me you’ll take my hand the moment we tell him?” Seohyun asked, her voice breaking a little. Yoona smiled lightly and ran her thumb over the back of Seohyun’s hand.

“I promise.” She whispered as Seohyun finally let go of her hand. The two entered the house as casually as they could. They found Chansung on the couch, engrossed in his book, not even noticing that the two had come together. He looked up, smiling widely as he saw Seohyun, totally ignoring Yoona’s presence.

“Hyunnie!” He said excitedly, while Yoona rolled her eyes. Seohyun cracked a smile that looked more like a grimace as he stood up to approach her. He was about to lean in and kiss her when he noticed Yoona was standing right beside Seohyun and looked like she had no intention of moving.  

“Mind giving us some privacy?” He asked quite rudely. Yoona bit her lip to keep herself from cursing at him, knowing what his intentions were.

“Yes, I do mind, Chansung. We need to talk to you.” Yoona said curtly. One of her hands went to Seohyun’s lower back, rubbing it in circles to comfort the maknae. Since they were standing right next to each other, it went unnoticed by Chansung. Said boy sighed with exasperation, and distanced himself from the girls. He failed to notice anything fishy on Yoona’s request.

“What is it?” He looked at the two of them, especially at Yoona, expectantly. Yoona felt tongue-tied, while Seohyun didn’t dare herself to say a word. She was utterly scared, even though she felt safe being with Yoona. “I’m listening…” The older boy pushed, losing his patience. They hadn’t even told him anything and he was already worked up.

“Act like a grown up for once and be patient.” The boy rolled his eyes at Yoona’s scolding. The doe-eyed girl was also getting worked up. Seohyun’s breath started becoming heavy with tension.

“I’m being patient, Yoona. Spit it out, Seohyun and I want some privacy, don’t we Hyunnie?” He asked, sending a smirk on Seohyun’s direction. Yoona once again had to hold it together, but that didn’t keep her from trembling in anger.

“No, we actually don’t.” Seohyun answered confidently, shocking both of them. Yoona smiled slyly by seeing Chansung’s face. The older boy could feel his blood boiling.

“What’s going on with you two?!” He snapped, looking back and forth between Yoona and Seohyun.

“Seohyun and I…”

“Wait, Yoongie!” Seohyun cut her off. “Let me start. I’ve been wanting to tell you something for so long that I can’t keep it inside my chest any longer, Chansung.” She started taking a menacing step towards the dumbstruck older boy. Yoona couldn’t help but smile at how fearless she looked. She was taking control of the situation, and she looked very y doing that. “For these past months, I’ve been your shadow, haven’t I? Always following you wherever you went, doing almost everything you’d ask me to so that you wouldn’t leave me… Well, guess what? This ends today.” She finished firmly. Both Chansung and Yoona were left agape. Chansung tried to laugh it off, somehow believing it was a joke.

“Where is this all coming from? Are you sick or something?” He asked, smiling forcefully and touching Seohyun’s forehead with his hand. Yoona was about to act when Seohyun beat her to it, pushing Chansung’s hand off her forehead.

“I’m just sick of you! Don’t touch me ever again!” She raised her voice almost violently. Yoona widened her eyes at her, thinking that the maknae was probably taking it a little too far, so she put a comforting hand on Seohyun’s shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. Chansung, who was now slightly aggravated, failed to notice the gesture.

“I’d never thought you’d be one to throw a fit like this, Seohyun… Quit being difficult for once.” He said menacingly. Yoona was trying hard not to get involved, knowing Seohyun had to let it all out.

“If you think I’m throwing a fit, you’re completely wrong… and if you think you’re scaring me, you’re dead wrong, Chansung. To be honest, I only chose to be with you because I was stupid and I was in love with someone else… Someone who actually treats me right and makes me feel good about myself, unlike you.” Seohyun said venomously. Even in the heat of the moment, Yoona couldn’t help but blush at Seohyun’s words. The maknae’s new found confidence wavered a little when she saw Chansung clenching his fists. “And that’s exactly why I’m leaving you.” She finished, closing her arms right after.

“So you’ve been cheating on me? Who the heck do you think you are?!” He asked more to himself than to Seohyun, whose confidence was dangerously wavering by now. Instead of venting all his anger on Seohyun, as they all expected, the older boy turned towards Yoona. The doe-eyed girl trembled in fear once she saw the look of pure hate that Chansung was giving her. “You knew all this, didn’t you?” He seethed, forcefully pushing Seohyun out of the way so that he was now face to face with Yoona. The doe-eyed girl, not being able to handle anyone manhandling her Seobaby, stepped forward pushed Chansung by his shoulders, making him stumble back a bit. Even though he looked well-knit and strong, he was actually clumsy and Yoona was faster.

“I think she made it clear that she doesn’t want you touching her ever again, didn’t she?” Yoona said lowly, now that she was completely face to face with her adoptive brother. Chansung bit his lips in anger, almost drawing blood. His little empire of control was slowly crashing down, and he didn’t like it one bit.

“This isn’t even your business, so why are you even here?” He remarked. Seohyun, scared by Chansung’s outburst, decided to stay quiet until she mustered enough courage to say something else. She was deeply scared for Yoona.

“Do you want to know why I know all this? Because she’s with me. I’m the one she’s in love with!” Yoona dropped the bomb. Chansung widened his eyes, not believing Yoona’s words at first, but as he thought back… It all made sense. The anger he was feeling multiplied. He couldn’t even see straight.

The wild look on his features made Yoona flinch. Things were about to get nasty. Seohyun couldn’t even register what was going on. Her heart was beating so erratically that she thought she could faint, but there was no way she was going to leave Yoona alone in this. He turned to Seohyun almost robotically, not a single emotion showing on his face. This scared both girls even more.

“Tell me she’s lying.” He demanded towards Seohyun. Yoona, remembering her promise from a couple of hours before, ran to Seohyun’s side and took her hand. The maknae, not trusting her voice, only shook her head, not taking her gaze off Chansung’s. “Tell me!” He yelled. By now, his brown eyes looked abnormally blackened.

“Don’t yell at her, stupid! You know she won’t lie to you!” Yoona stood up for her, yelling nearly as loud as Chansung had. Seohyun was thankful; all her senses were on hold because of the fear, which increased significantly when Chansung walked closer to approach them.

“So this is why you’ve been avoiding me lately, huh? You’ve been around with Yoona!” Seohyun finally reacted to Chansung’s angry words, slapping him with all the strenght she had. Yoona instinctively stepped in front of Seohyun, knowing Chansung would want to hurt the maknae. The older boy held his stinging cheek, lifting his gaze to meet Seohyun’s frightened one. The impact had made his head turn. “That wasn’t bad at all, Seohyun, but I’ll show you a real one…” He trailed off before walking towards the maknae with the intention of returning the slap, but Yoona was faster. She took Chansung’s wrist and twisted it behind his back in a swift movement. As expected, the older boy shrieked in pain and fell on one knee. Yoona smiled cheekily; those taekwondo classes she had taken when she was ten had actually paid off. Seohyun, who had hidden her face in Yoona’s back, sighed in relief. Enjoying that grimace of pain drawn on his face, Yoona leaned down next to Chansung’s ear.

“Nah-ah, men aren’t supposed to be slappers. Seohyun already slapped the only in here.” Angered by Yoona’s statement, Chansung took all the stamina he had to free himself from Yoona’s grasp. After all, he was a man, and even if he wasn’t as fast or as athletic as Yoona, he could still defeat her. Taken aback by the sudden movement, Yoona tried to kick him, but it was useless since he was using all the strength he had to hold her down against the floor.

“Yoongie!” Seohyun yelled, running to where the two wrestled.

“Stay out of this, Hyunnie! I can handle it on my own!” By the seriousness in Yoona’s voice, the maknae couldn’t help but comply.

“She’s right, Seohyun! Stay out of this!” Both girls were surprised by Chansung’s words. “This was never between Seohyun and me, and you know it, Yoona! If your argument is that I don’t love her, then I guess you’re right! But you don’t love her either! Why is it that every time something is finally mine, you take it over? I’m not stupid, Yoona, it has always been like this!” Both girls were extremely surprised when they saw a couple of tears threatening to fall from Chansung’s eyes, which he wiped automatically, never letting go of Yoona, who still struggled to move out of his grasp.

“It’s not like that, Chansung, neither of us meant for this to happen!” Seohyun tried to reason, tears running mercilessly down her cheeks.

“Shut up! This is between your beloved Yoona and I!” Chansung yelled at her, not taking his glare off of Yoona, who could only watch in awe of how genuinely hurt Chansung seemed to be.

“Oppa, please don’t…”

“Don’t you dare calling me that!!” Chansung interrupted her, making his point by slamming one of his knees into Yoona’s lower ribcage. The doe-eyed girl nearly screamed in pain. Seohyun sobbed loudly and fell onto her knees, about to disobey Yoona and get herself involved. “You were never my sister and that’s what hurts the most! That you pretended to be it when you hated me! And now you’ve taken it all away from me! Are you happy?” He continued to yell, before slamming his knee back down, only this time the impact fell onto Yoona’s upper abdomen. The most earth-shattering pain coursed through her whole body at this second hit. By this time, she was nearly sure that she was going to die. Seohyun, having the same thoughts, hurriedly looked for something that would at least hit Chansung enough to distract him. She then remembered her heavy Biology book was on her backpack, and right now, that was the closest and most reliable weapon she could use. Running to messenger bag, she took it and finding it heavy enough to cause a good impact, she whacked the delusional boy in the head before he could continue to hit Yoona. As expected, the hit was enough to get him unconscious. Seohyun breathed in relief, still not believing what she had just done. Her whole body was shaking. She rushed to Yoona, who looked as surprised as she was. The maknae her hair soothingly.

“Hyunnie… You saved my life!” Yoona exclaimed breathlessly.

“No one messes with my girl…” She whispered softly. When Yoona tried to laugh at Seohyun’s statement, terrible pain struck her abdomen area. The same excruciating pain shot up when she tried to sit up so she could hug Seohyun.

“H-hyunnie? I-I feel weird…” She whispered breathlessly. “I c-can’t breathe…” Seohyun widened her eyes, remembering the hard knee kicks Chansung had given the doe-eyed girl. As the younger girl lifted Yoona’s shirt, she felt horrified to see a big black bruise already forming on Yoona’s upper abdomen.

“Omo! Yoona?” She took the doe-eyed girl’s face in her hands, realizing she had fallen unconscious. “Please, hang on!”

…

Seohyun was startled when she felt a slowly increasing grip on her hand. Her head shot up and in an instant, she locked sight with the slowly-opening dark brown eyes she'd been waiting to see for hours.

"Hyunnie..." Yoona slowly croaked out.

"I'm right here, baby." Seohyun said quietly. She glanced up at the clock, which read 8:18 p.m. Even as battered and dozed off as Yoona was, she couldn’t help but smile at the pet name Seohyun gave her. The maknae cupped Yoona’s face in her free hand.

"Where are we?" Yoona didn't bother looking around. She kept her eyes on her girlfriend.

"We're at the hospital...Do you remember what happened?"

Yoona paused. Her eyebrows furrowed and her lips pursed in thought. Once everything came back to her, Yoona's whole expression changed. Her eyes widened and her hand that was in Seohyun's gave a tight squeeze as opened to speak.

"Omo! Seobaby, are you okay? Did he hurt you?" She asked, waking up fully from the shock of remembering. Yoona tried to sit up, but Seohyun put a gentle pressure on her shoulders to keep her down.

"Don't move, Yoona. You're really hurt, okay? Two of your ribs are cracked and they think two more are bruised. Just stay down, trust me." Seohyun warned her.

"Of course I trust you, Hyunnie." Yoona's face softened to a look of concern, "...So, are you all right?"

"Um...yeah. I just have a couple bruises from when Chansung pushed me..." Seohyun mumbled quickly.

"What?" The doe-eyed sounded devastated.

"No, please don't worry, alright? It's not even sore." Seohyun assured her. She paused as the feeling of tears welling in her eyes came up. “Seulong should be getting here soon. He’s the only one I’ve called.”

“What about… him?” A somber look crossed Seohyun’s face when she realized who Yoona was talking about.

“He’s in another room. He’s unconscious but it’s nothing serious. And here you are…”

“Hyunnie, you shouldn’t have gotten involved. He could have hurt you!” Yoona scolded.

"He was going to KILL you, Yoona! What was I supposed to do?" Seohyun blurted out.

Yoona ceased all conversation on her end.

"...Well, I don't know if they were gonna go that far, but he definitely wasn't finished after he knocked you out...What was I supposed to do?" Seohyun repeated.

The maknae was looking at the floor. She knew she did the right thing. The whole ordeal could have gone much further if she hadn't stepped in. But Seohyun still felt immense guilt for not doing it sooner. As far as she felt, she could have jumped in before Chansung hit Yoona the first time. Then the doe-eyed girl wouldn't be in a hospital bed, looking so broken.

"...I kn-know it was a dumb move...But I c-couldn't just stand there and watch him hurt you...It literally broke my heart, Yoona." Seohyun’s voice broke. Yoona still couldn’t say a word.

Yoona took in as deep a breath as she could, slightly wincing when the pain in her ribs caught up to her, and then sighed. With some effort, she brought Seohyun's hand to her lips and kissed it. Seohyun, using the most gentle pressure she could, ran her fingers along the right side of Yoona's face. She started at her temple, and stopped as she reached the girl's jaw.

Slowly tracing Yoona's bottom lip with her thumb, Seohyun's facial expression turned into one of curiosity. Yoona picked up on it and unlaced both hands and brought hers up to lift Seohyun’s chin so that she was looking at her. With a nod from the prone girl, Seohyun leaned down, hands on the side of the bed, and brushed her lips against Yoona's. Yoona responded by leaning her neck up and capturing Seohyun's top lip in hers and moving her hand to Seohyun's shoulder. Even though it was a brief kiss, it let both girls know that somehow they were going to be okay.

“Thank you, Seohyun. You probably saved my life and I’m here, scolding you for doing it.” The maknae’s eyes welled up with tears once again. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s just that… I’m the one who convinced you of telling Chansung, and you end up in a hospital bed because of it… You have no idea of how sorry I am…” Yoona shook her head, tears welling up her eyes as well.

“We couldn’t wait any longer, Seobaby. It would have been worse.” Yoona whispered, Seohyun’s cheek with some effort. They were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. The pulled away from each other sheepishly, and turned to look at a nurse, who looked just as embarrassed to have to interrupt their little moment.

“Is you name Im Yoona, sweetie?” The doe-eyed girl nodded. “So Dr. Im is your father, isn’t he?”

“Yes…” Yoona answered, uncertain of why the nurse was asking her such obvious questions. “Something wrong?

“He just woke from his comma.”

…

Veeery dramatic chapter, which I didn’t enjoy writing -.-“ And a small cliffhanger for all of you ^^ Thanks for reading, and if you’re going to comment, don’t forget to mention how much you dislike Chansung in this story ^^