A/N - Haha, so i've officially slashed Doongie with a knife, shot him with a gun and now sent him flying with an explosion. I don't know how Doongie survives this all but he's a man of steel. Lol. Is this the end for Doongie? Or is it just the beginning. Anyhoo~ I'm super happy after shopping loads today at STGCC and buying posters and an ADORABLE gloomy bear soft toy and listening to the singer Piko live (go listen on YouTube, he has an amazing voice) and generally spending lots of money. Lol. Not good since i'm going on holiday tomorrow and spending even more money in Korea. Buuuuuttt, in turn this chapter should be equally as heart-pounding. Lot's of emotional stuff and from each charas POV so enjoy~~~

@T4kara - *hugs* Love you too. And i'll be awaiting an update tomorrow~~~ Even if i'm not in the country, i'm sure i can get internet access!!! And thxs for telling me about unnie. Seems she ended up reading it anyway, lol~ And i've update now! Mission Imposible completed!

@HanSang - Woo~~~ Early comment! And yup, Byunghee was awesome in that chapter. Logically deciding it was better to punch the living daylights of someone, boo yeah! And i thot Doongie giving the ring to Seungho was the perfect sign of trust! Finally~~~ Haha, i seem to love colorful wedding rings more than just plain silver, but they also gotta be artistic. Not those gaudy things with ginormous jewels you see sometimes. *shudder* And i'll update earlish tonight so you can sleep early~~~~ How does that sound!

@ainnurdoongie - I love you too~~~ Haha, and i must be the same coz i keep putting Doongie in these dangerous and comprimising situations! Anyhoo, an earlier chapter tonight! Must go see that mblaq song you mentioned~~~

@SNSDMBLAQ - Haha, it won't end just yet. Not for like...another...15ish chapters. Idk, as i write it just seems to keep getting longer and longer. Before it was around 56 chaps and now its 60+...

@ImaVIPbaby - So then if i revive Thunder will you revive me, miss mad scientist (therefore you should be able to)? Ooo and jap keyboard~~ I've never used those sorta things but i must investigate!!!! Haha and here's my TOO frequent update of the day~

@wookielove - Yup, G.O is awesome, always thot he had this kinda character in him~ And...um...another sorta cliffie at the end of this chapter. Glad you liked the sweet manly moment!!! Totally envisioned it happening like in the movies: you know, the injured guy hands over something, the two men share some manly bonding time and then the injured man closes his eyes and the other guy wails his heart out. Totally manly *nods head* haha, but yeah, that was the idea. 

And thanks to cazz_96 for subscribing!!! We're nearly to 40 subbers~

Chapter 44 – Through Thunder and Lightning, he vanishes once again

Mir POV

The black, night sky is lit up by the roaring blazes of the warehouse. It is like out of an action novel, the roaring of wood and concrete and steel collapsing in a cacophony of destruction, the wailing of sirens still too far away and the funny muted sound that tells me the explosion has temporarily deafened me.

In addition, the world slurs around me, thick as mud and heavy as tar. It’s as if I’m watching a movie – not really here nor there.

I am sprawled on the ground, limbs awkwardly heavy and sluggish. I try to move but my body doesn’t seem to be computing with my brain and for a moment, I just lie there frozen and watch the world move without me.

To one side, there is Joon screaming and clutching his leg. I don’t know why I don’t go to him, but somehow it just feels all unreal. I frown and furrow my brows as I watch his face scrunch up in pain. Move! I tell myself, but my brain is slow to process it.

So I move my head, shaking it as if to clear the dust and clutter, and then I see Chae-rin unconscious against a brick wall, Seungho and Dara huddled together with Seungho protectively shielding her and in his hand, the ring still clutched like it is the holy grail.

I manage to sit up, it’s more of a kneel but it’s an improvement. I put one hand to my head and try to make my vision see straight instead of double.

I see the Syndicate thugs staggering to their feet and that should get me moving if nothing else does. Especially when Go Ji Young – the goddamn source of our problems – angrily gets to his feet and sweeps back his long streak of hair. Particularly when he kicks G.O-hyung in the stomach. But my body doens't want to move yet. 

So for a moment, I just watch. His face is a priceless piece of artwork – his eyes narrow slits and his mouth so wide and so long I think it is physically impossible to do so. It is as if he’s having a heart attack and a totally out-of-place bubble of laughter escapes my throat. He could give Edvard Munch’s The Scream a run for its money.

And then my eyes fall onto Sanghyun. My hyung. My closest bandmate.

The man who put my sister into hospital, why broke the hearts of my brothers, who made me retreat to my room in tears every night he went missing. Who made me doubt the possibility of true love. 

And all of a sudden my brain starts working. Buzzing. Like a jolt of espresso coffee.

I’m awake. And my hyung isn’t.

G.O POV

The world was blindingly bright, the heat scorching and scalding my skin. I felt the rough scrapes of rock and concrete slam into my body and tried not to groan.

My entire body was battered and bruised, but I persisted in pushing my body till I was on all fours. A mockery of standing. My head swirled and I clutched it, searching my surroundings for signs of other life.

Then near me I saw Sanghyun.

“Sanghyun!” I could help but cry with relief. I scrabbled forwards, ignoring my scuffed palms and knees. I bent down next to him, touching his cheek gently. He was still breathing, but just barely. And he was half-buried by rocks.

I began excavating him, invoking the utmost care with every piece I tossed aside. Soon enough his body emerged, caked entirely in dust. He looked like he had just had a bakery accident and I cracked a small smile.

“Stay with me, Sanghyun.” I whispered again.

“Oh?” a girl’s voice shocked me. It was cool and sweet but somehow sent shivers down my spine. “I’m afraid he won’t be staying with you any longer.”

I turned around to see the source of the voice and suddenly a foot connected with my stomach. I flew backwards, my body smashing into the hard brick wall and my entire system shaking. I groaned and slid to the ground.

As I looked up I saw a beautiful girl dressed in a navy blue dress and with eyes of sorrow. She watched as a heavy-set man picked up Sanghyun unceremoniously and then, with that stupid Syndicate leader, the trio slid into a dark colored car and drove away.

I moaned and told myself to get up and get after Sanghyun. But my body didn’t want to move. It all hurt too much and as I tried to put pressure on my foot, I gasped and crumpled.

Lying amongst the dust and dirt and rubble, I felt waves of blackness at my limbs. The utter pain was indescribable and I wondered if this was what dying felt like. I wondered if this was the end. 

I wonder if this is what Hyo Jin felt like the night I abandoned her. 

Seungho POV

The moment the world exploded, I ran for Dara. Instinct, worry, call it what you will; my first thoughts were for Dara and Dara alone.

I scrambled to my feet, feeling stabs of heat at my heels, and tackled Dara away. All I was thinking was about wrapping my arms around Dara and becoming a blockade between the incinerating wall behind me and her body. 

Perhaps I really am a bad leader, a bad hyung. I only thought of Dara even though there were four other dongsaengs I should be worrying more about. Heck, one of them was bleeding to death on the tarmac and I still could only see Dara. But I knew, I knew with all my heart and all my soul that if Dara ever died, I would too.

It was that kind of relationship we shared. Not just moments of affection and sometimes lust, not just instances of longing to be next to the other person, not just flashes of pure happiness that came from holding the other’s hand. It was the relationship where when you cut the lifeline of one, you cut the other’s as well. Kill one and you kill the other. Plain and simple. There was no such thing as Yang Seungho and Park Sandara. There was just Seungho and Dara: two people with one soul.

And it was impossible to tear us apart.

Dara POV

I groaned and opened my eyes slowly. A warm body covered me and loving arms that I knew so well were wrapped around my small frame.

“Seungho?” I whispered, coughing as dirt and dust filled my mouth. “Seungho?”

I rolled out from under him and shook him awake. He coughed –a sign of life – and I couldn’t help but let out a breath of relief.

“Seungho baby.” I kissed his dusty cheek, uncaring of how messy he was right now.

He blinked and opened his eyes letting me see his gorgeous brown eyes, dark and sinful as chocolate.

“Dara?” he mumbled, sounding slightly incoherent or just out of it. “Are you okay?” his eyes fully opened and he ran his hands over me desperately, looking for any signs of injuries.

“Shhh,” I soothed him. “I’m fine. Just a few bruises. You protected me.” I kissed the tip of his nose and then laughed.

“What?” he sounded perplexed.

“With all the dust,” I giggled. “I can’t even see your dark circles.”

Seungho relaxed slightly and let out a soft laugh. “Haha, I should recommend it to the stylist noonas then.” He grinned and raised one hand.

I stared at the object clasped in it. Then the gentle glint reminded me of something far more important.

“Sanghyun!” I hissed as my brain kicked into action. How could I be so stupid to have forgotten my baby brother?! “Where is he?!”

Seungho’s brain seemed to be fully functioning now as he too twisted around, searching the massacre around us for the signs of my baby brother. My injured baby brother.

And then I spotted him, lying amongst the rubble and unmoving.

“Sanghyun!” I yelled and staggered to my feet. But I must have hit my head harder than I thought because the world swam for a moment and I nearly fell, but Seungho, dear sturdy Seungho, grabbed me and steadied me.

We took one step forwards towards Sanghyun, but someone beat me to it.

I squinted to see who it was.

Eh? I thought she was at...

I shook my head and tried to get a better look. No…it was her right?

I opened my mouth, ready to call her name and tell her we were coming over to help her. But then she spun around and stared at me, eyes dark pits, and I froze.

It wasn’t her, was it?

She smiled sadly, a small flicker that disappeared almost instantly.

My suspicions were proved correct when all of a sudden Go Ji Young appeared behind her, face hellbent on causing some sort of terror. One he inflicted on G.O who went flying as a result of the leader's foot. 

“Get away from Sanghyun!” Seungho yelled as he too saw the Syndicate leader look down at my baby brother. Seungho tensed as if ready to dash over, but then he looked down at me.

“I’ll be fine.” I told him hurriedly. “Go help Sanghyun, please.”

He nodded and ran forwards, but suddenly out of the dark came one of the Syndicate thugs. He raised one silver gun and fired towards Seungho.

“NO!” I screamed and tackled him, knocking us both to the ground heavily. Luckily, the bullet flew over our heads and embedded itself into some far off building. I could hear the police sirens in the distance and willed them to hurry up.

“Sanghyun!” Seungho yelled hoarsely as the Syndicate thug picked up my baby brother and slung him over one shoulder mercilessly, ignoring whatever wounds he might have. Then the three of them – the thug, Go Ji Young and the mysterious girl – slid into an inconspicuous black car and drove away, taking my baby brother to god knows where.

I screamed at my helplessness as once again, my baby brother vanished.

Joon POV

Pain, pain, pain. Bolts of lightning and thunder stabbed at my leg like hot fire. Call me a baby, call me a pathetic wimp of a man, but it hurt!

I shuddered and tried to get into a better position, maybe sitting up would ease the pain.

Around me I could see the shell-shocked remains of the explosion. Mir was on his knees, swaying as if he had hit his head too hard. Chae-rin was unconscious and not moving, Seungho and Dara getting to their feet, G.O somewhere I didn’t know and…and Sanghyun…where was he?!

Then I saw him. Lying half-hidden in the rubble. I let out a soft sigh, but then I stopped as I realized nothing was over yet.

I tried to get to my feet, but my left leg was holding me back. It hurt like hell and there was no way I would be able to stand up. Gritting my teeth I looked around for anything that could help me. A stick, a pole, whatever.

And then a bullet rang through the air.

My head spun around so fast it cracked. I turned in time to see Dara tackle Seungho to the ground and the shining gleam of the gun. My eyes travelled over to the thug who slung Sanghyun over his shoulder the way a butcher throws the dead carcass of a pig into a sack and onto a truck.

And then all thoughts of pain fled my mind.

No.

No. No, No, No, No, No!

It couldn’t be.

Not her. Please not her.

She turned around and saw me. Our eyes met. Hers were dark pools that always drew me in. I remember looking into them as we kissed, her hot lips scalding mine and her tiny hands pulling me in closer. I remember them so well because that was all I ever looked at properly. They were so dark, so mysterious and so damn lonely. They hypnotized me. And then they betrayed me.

She offered me a soft smile and mouthed something.

And then she turned around and slipped her arm around Go Ji Young and both of them slid into a black car and far away from me. The final betrayal.

I felt myself break down into tears, hot, hot tears that slid down my dust-covered cheeks. I couldn’t care less. Call me a baby, call me a pathetic wimp of a man, but it hurt.

Because her last words were: I don’t love you.

A/N - >< LOVED writing this chapters! It feels really good to write about emotions and all that stuff~~~ Hope you liked it as well. And yes, next chapter! More on Joon's story! (Pst, can you guess who the girl is. I'm pretty sure you all already know!)

Ah, yes and reccomendation of the day is to read this: Confined [Forced to Love] by xXthunderloverXx. it's an ABSOLUTE favorite of mine, but pretty graphic and M rated. It's got the most precious Seungdoong and JooMir moments, and the story plot is fabulous. However, you have been warned by me and the author that it's graphic. But an amazing world to step into. Check it out if you're not afraid~