A/N - *Deep bow, begging for forgiveness* >< Once again i put Doongie in the bad spotlight. Mianhe~ HOWEVER!!! Everyone's still supporting Doongie and THATS what counts~~~~ But hopefully this chapter will fill up the plot holes and explain exactly why Doongie acted the way he did all those months back. With that said, i'm sure you're all eager to read one, (hence an earlier update), so enjoy~

@drYang - haha, thanks for subscribing! Here's the update~~~

@thunbii - See~~~ Evidence of Doongie supporters!!! Your answer will be in this chapter, but let's just admit it to ourselves. We ALL know Doongie's too sweet to do something as cruel as that, right *wink* Blackmail is involved tho~

@HanSang - I'm OFF MY MIND as well with joy at all these comments~~~ Waah, you re-read the whole thing!!! What were you confused about? And good luck for the chem exam...sounds like you have a lot of exams lately.... Hwaiting!!! Make sure you get enough sleep~~~

@ainnurdoongie - >< NOOOOO~~~~ I will bow down respectfully like a good little dongsaeng and update my chapter. Therefore i'm totally expecting an update from you TODAY!!! Got it!!! (will be watching you carefully from the shadows) Haha, and yup once again i put Sanghyunnie into a blackhole >< My bad, but this is to clear up why Doongie has been acting the way he has been for the last few months. Forgive me Doongie >< I promise you the best of ends~~ 

@T4kara - Another Doongie supporter! Woot! And i'm the same, i love ending each chapter as a cliffhanger but when i find a really good story that JUST has to keep ending at the really nail-biting, heart-stopping points, i feel like chasing them down and holding them at gunpoint till they update. Ahem *koff koff*, that includes you. 

@wookielove - Haha, i am a meanie. More cliffies each chapter as we proceed to the ending~~~

Finally, thanks to drYang for subscribing!!!

Chapter 42 – Through Thunder and Lightning, he begs for forgiveness

Seungho POV

Only two hours ago, I had promised Dara I would believe in Sanghyun, support him and trust him no matter what. But now, with the criminal evidence in front of my eyes, what could I say? They say seeing is believing. But I didn’t want to believe what I was seeing.

“Sanghyun?” it was Dara’s cracked voice that filled the air this time.

Sanghyun looked at us with wild, wide eyes that begged for us to understand. “No! Hyung…noona…” he whispered throatily. “Please, believe me! I didn’t take those photos!”

“Then who did?” I spoke, harsher than I meant to and saw Sanghyun flinch. “Please tell us.” I tried to soften my voice.

Sanghyun cleared his throat and proceeded to explain his side of the story.

Cheondoong POV

I spoke quickly, afraid that they had all connected the dots wrongly and come out with some sort of conjecture that left me the criminal I already seemed to be.

“I don’t know how, but somehow the Syndicate got cameras in all our bathrooms and, and” I huffed for breath as words spilled from my mouth. “And I don’t know how long they had the photos for, but they used it to blackmail me. They said if I didn’t get them more photos, they would spread these online. And if I went to the police, they would spread it anyway.” I gazed at them beseechingly, begging them to understand what I had gone through. “What could I do, hyung?”

What could I have done? I’m sure there were a thousand other better solutions I could have taken, but I was scared, I was frightened, I had been a pathetic twenty-year old with no one to depend on. And I had to protect everyone. Even if I was the devil in disguise.

I watched their reactions, holding my breath painfully. My heart thumped like some sort of epileptic rabbit on steroids. I swear they could all hear me.

G.O gaped at me like a goldfish. I hated it. Gods hyung, why couldn’t you just tell me what you were thinking instead of letting me wait here, like a prisoner on trial, unsure which way the jury would swing. 

Maybe I should add more in my favor. “Of course I wasn't going to give them more photos to play with. So I pretended to agree and instead tried to find the cameras. Maybe I could stop it or fake it or something-“ I broke off coughing, my dry throat and throbbing ribs getting the better of me. However I couldn’t just leave it there.

Clutching at my ribs to dampen the pain slightly, I continued. “I found the camera in Ji-eun’s bathroom and bedrooms and I faked the image,” I still remember fighting the insane urge to smash that black camera and its irritatingly shiny lens into itty bitty pieces. And then having to restrain myself and calmly place a false photo in front of it instead, returning to Ji-eun’s sweet call instead of answering the sinful pleasure that came from breaking objects. 

“But then I had to break into the 2ne1 dorm.” I turned my gaze to Dara, trying to convey to my noona through my eyes what I could never say in words. “I couldn’t just ask you, so I had to sneak in. But then you guys came home earlier than I expected and I had to run.”

I could see Dara tremble as she turned the facts over in her mind. Would she still support me?

“So all that mess,” Chae-rin spoke in a wobbly voice. “That was you trying to look for the cameras? You were trying to protect us?”

I nodded furiously.

Please believe me.

“And did you find the camera?” she continued to ask.

That made my head fall and my heart pang again with regret. I shook it sadly.

“I didn’t.” I admitted. “But I didn’t have to afterwards because you moved dorms. So in a way I still accomplished what I set out to do.”

Hope, hope, hope…please believe in me…

“And then,” Seungho cleared his throat awkwardly. “The camera at the mblaq dorm?”

I turned to face him with a guilty expression. My biggest failure.

“No hyung.” I confessed in a heavy voice. “I couldn’t find it. Why else do you think I never went to the police? There was still a missing piece of the puzzle that I couldn’t ascertain. Please understand,” I looked at him imploringly. “Please I tried!”

I could hear G.O gulp.

“Please.” I was practically begging now, tears forming. “Please…please…please…”

And then G.O finally spoke. He opened his mouth and out came the raspy words that tore my heart into two and smashed it into tiny fragments.

“You idiot.” He whispered.

G.O POV

Sanghyun’s face turned pale and his eyes widened in fear as if he thought I was about to abandon him.

“You idiot,” I said softly, my words filling the silence of the indomitable night. “You absolute, silly, idiot.”

I couldn’t help but half-laugh here, a dark chuckle entering my words. Sanghyun blinked and frowned, confused despite the pain glazed in his eyes.

I wanted to explain to him the raging mess of emotions that filled me right now. But words stuck in my throat. It was a maelstrom, a vicious tornado of unexplainable, inexplicable feelings. It wasn’t that I couldn’t forgive the kid. I had long forgiven him. Rather I was feeling insanely guilty. The stomach-ripping, heart-clenching, throat-grabbing kind of guilt.

I had accused him, blamed him and pretty much dumped it all on him. So, okay, maybe I hadn’t said it out loud, but I had pretty much done the same with my body and tone that night at the beach so long ago. I had practically snarled down his throat with blazing eyes of an avenger and even when he had crumpled to the ground, exhausted of this life of lies, my anger had continued to smolder.

So right now, it killed me to see him imploring me to forgive him, to tell him that it was alright and we would be simple brothers again. It tore me apart that me still blamed himself. Blamed himself! And not me. 

And I couldn’t let it go on for any longer.

“Sanghyun-.” I finally managed to get my stupid voice working. But he interrupted me then.

“Hyung, I get it.” He whispered in a raw voice, sounding like a dying man. “If you can’t forgive me, then I get it.”

Wait…what!?

He looked up at me with shiny eyes. “What I did can’t be forgiven hyung. I sneaked around behind your backs, I hid secrets and I never even tried to talk to you all. These photos are a serious crime. I get that you’re hurt, after all, my secrecy could’ve cost you a lot.” His mouth tugged downwards into a frown. “In fact I’ve already hurt you.”

I knew he was thinking about Hyo Jin. I was as well.

“That’s why,” He said in a suddenly determined voice. “I’m ending this now.”

My body stumbled forwards, hand reaching out as if wanting to stop Sanghyun from whatever crazy act he was about to do-

-which was attacking Go Ji Young.

Crap.

Sanghyun was quite a stubborn little fighter. He darted in right when Go Ji Young wasn’t concentrating – the Syndicate leader’s eyes fixed on us as if watching to see what amusing reactions we could concoct – therefore, he didn’t see Sanghyun snatch desperately at his pockets, searching for something.

“Bastard!” Go Ji Young cursed, jumping backwards and swinging his cane upwards.

But Sanghyun had got what he wanted. I caught a glimpse of something shiny and black. A phone. Sanghyun threw it to the floor and stomped down hard, the electronic gadget splintering into fragments under his foot. His face spread into a gleeful grin. As he did so, he launched himself forwards and straight into the Syndicate leader, sprawling them both back about four feet.

“Get off me!” The Syndicate leader screamed, sounding none too pleased at Sanghyun’s sudden vivacity. He staggered to his feet and scraped a hand roughly over his bleeding cheek, his eyes dark and promising revenge.

However I was not letting anything happen to my dongsaeng any longer. I rushed forwards and stood in front of him, a barrier to Go Ji Young’s fury-filled face.

“Don’t you dare touch Sanghyun.” I snarled, meaning every word of it.

Behind me I heard Sanghyun make a sound of surprise. I twisted my neck to look at him.

“Sanghyun,” I spoke. “You’re such an idiot.”

“Stop telling me that hyung.” He mumbled. “Just tell me what you mean.”

“I’m calling you an idiot because you are one.” I said. “Because you’re an idiot to not have realized that we all forgave you a long time ago.”

His eyes widened with surprise and his mouth fell open. “Hyung?”

“If you’re asking for our forgiveness, then I have to ask the same from you.” I said throatily. “Because I am just as much to blame. I accused you of hiding secrets because I knew they never end well but I never understood just how difficult it is to tell those secrets. I should've learned my lesson with Hyo Jin, but I didn't. And for that I am sorry. I blamed you for Hyo Jin’s accident but I never thought how much you suffered as well. It is just as much my fault as it was yours.”

“Hyung.” Sanghyun was sobbing now, his voice wavering. “Th-thank…you…” he held one arm over his eyes as if trying to hide his tears. It made me smile.

“But from now on, Sanghyun.” I continued. “Try and believe in us a little. We are your hyungs after all.” I winked at him and he buried his eyes against his grey hoodie again.

Suddenly a warm body walked over next to me. “Byunghee’s said it all.” Seungho said, smiling as he stood next to me shoulder to shoulder and faced down Go Ji Young. “We’re here for you, got it!”

Sanghyun gave a tearful laugh. “Then hyun-“

“Oh stop this tear-jerker scene.” Go Ji Young scoffed, his voice loud and menacing. “Oh yes, let’s all believe in one another, next thing there’ll be the group hugs and kisses and then we’ll all go home and live happily ever after.”

I turned back to face him.

“Stop being so sugary sweet.” He spat. “It’s disgusting. You’re disgusting Sanghyunnie. It makes me want to puke.” He said mockingly.

“Oi!” Seungho hissed angrily and took one step forwards, looking like he was about to punch the living daylights out of the criminal man. “Don’t you dare say another word-“

He was too late.

Go Ji Young pulled out a silver gun, its metal barrel gleaming in the cold light and fired.

I swear in that moment time slowed down, just like it does in the movies. Or maybe my senses just accelerated. Either way my head spun round to watch that perfect silver bullet arc through the air, slowly but surely spinning and the air parting around it in a bluish hue. It soared through the sky and right past me. And then the sound it made when it hit Sanghyun was one that would haunt me for months to come.

It wasn’t a loud bang or a gruesome splatter like those horror films. It wasn't quiet either.  It was quite simply a small puncture; the exact noise that a balloon makes when you stick a needle into it. 

Pop.

Then time returned to normal and I turned around just in time to see Sanghyun’s tiny mouth fall open with a small ‘oh’ escaping out. His eyes rolled back and then he collapsed.

A/N - Um, so yeah, Sanghyun got injured again >< Sorry, he seems to be the only one getting repeatedly punched, shot and slashed. Sorry Sanghyunnie! I promise it'll be better soon! One better day~~~ Anyhoo, you all know the truth now. Basically Go Ji Young got the photos beforehand (Sanghyun didn't take them) and he threatened Sanghyun to take more (but of course Sanghyun's not an idiot, so he knew handing more photos over wouldn't achieve anything), therefore he tried to find the cameras instead - but he failed. 

Next chapter...let's just say G.O becomes awesome and punches the living daylights outta some people!

And for day, i reccomend reading One Better Day [Story#2] by seoulchae. It's the second in the series but this one focuses on Doongie! The first one is called Beautifully Broken [Story #1]. Both are fantastic reads~