The next three days were intense for ZoNE. The sudden restart of their idol activities caught them by surprise and stole their time as they prepared for their Saturday performance – just under a week away. They were confident they would be able to perform well. But their safety was questionable.

“Taeyeon, will you stop pacing back and fourth?” Tiffany asked. “You’ll make a hole in the ground if you keep doing that. You’re still injured, too!”

Taeyeon tried to sit and relax. “I’m worried though! What if the last boss lady tries to kill them? No, I’m sure that she’s going to try.”

Sunny grabbed Taeyeon and forced her to stay seated. “Panicking is not helping anyone. If you get injured again, Jessica is going to worry about you more.”

“I know…but…” Taeyeon breathed deeply.

“Just do as you promised. Be her bodyguard and protect her.” Sunny said.

Hyoyeon was also with the girls. “Boss lady hasn’t contacted me yet. As far as I know, boss lady doesn’t know I’m helping you now, but she could have eyes all over the place. I can try and get information from her. No guarantees, though.”

Sunny nodded. “Get what you can, please? If it gets dangerous, just get out of there. We’ll understand.”

Hyoyeon stood and bid farewell to her allies. “Take care of Eunhyuk for me, will you?”

The three nodded. Eunhyuk was healing well, but his arm was limp. He struggled to use it. As soon as the wound was better and the doctor cleared him, Eunhyuk was going into physical therapy. For the time being, he was living in a guestroom at Taeyeon’s house, along with Hyoyeon.

“What should I do…the performance is in five days!” Taeyeon was panicking again. Sunny cringed and was about to hit her.

“Stop that! What happened to the confident Taeyeon who always appeared whenever danger was near?” Sunny exclaimed. “Stop moping around. ZoNE is training for their performance, so you should train to protect them.”

“Sunny’s right!” Tiffany said in excitement. “You’ll be like their knight in shining armor!”

Taeyeon couldn’t help but laugh at Tiffany’s childish logic. “Fine…I just don’t know how or where to train. I can’t exactly go to my old training center, and its not like I can just randomly walk into a gun range.”

“Just train at home. No one will think its weird if you exercise and stuff here, or even in the park. Just stay on top of your game!” Sunny posed with a fighting stance. “You’ll be so cool, and Jessica will be all over you.”

“Okay, your turn to stop that.” Taeyeon sighed, but at heart she knew her friends were right – she couldn’t just sit there and worry. She needed to stay on her game incase boss lady decided to play.

Taeyeon spent the next days training. She ran across the town and did push-ups in her living room to keep her endurance up. Taeyeon transformed her living room into a training hall, using couches and pillows as target practice. “Intense” did not do her regiment justice.

~~~~

“We haven’t worked this much in so long…” Yoona fell to the floor with a light thud. “I wanna go home!”

“You always say that.” Sooyoung sat next to Yoona with two bottles of water.

The dance room was large. Mirrors lined the walls, bouncing the bright lights to every corner of the dance floor. Jessica stood in the middle, dripping with sweat. It was totally out of character. Jessica? Sweating? It was difficult enough to get her to work, but now Yoona and Sooyoung couldn’t even get her to sit and drink some water.

Jessica danced as if her life depended on it. And, while it was possible to argue that this was the case, she really looked like she was about to die of exhaustion.

A water bottle collided with Jessica’s feet. “Take a breather!” Sooyoung said. “You’ll hurt yourself if you don’t let your body recover.”

“Sorry, but if Taeyeon is going to train to protect us, the least I can do is give a strong performance. Besides…” Jessica kicked the water bottle towards Sooyoung. “I don’t want that “boss” lady to think she won.”

Jessica’s intensity scared Yoona and Sooyoung. They really had never seen her so driven to do something, and they had no idea how to react. They were happy that Jessica was actually willing to pull herself off the floor and do something. Yet, that same drive was pushing Jessica to her limit.

Admitting defeat before the battle over Jessica and her strained body, Sooyoung let out a heavy sigh as she got up and turned the air conditioner up as high as she could. Yoona propped open the door and a couple fans. The artificial breeze caressed their aching bodies. Jessica’s body shivered at the sudden change in temperature. She jumped as a hand fell on her shoulder.

“If you’re going to do this to yourself, may as well join in.” Sooyoung gave Jessica the most reassuring smile she could. “Can’t have our fans thinking we’ve been slacking off all this time.”

Yoona took one last sip of water before hoping to her feet. “And I don’t want Jessica stealing my fans.”

The joint effort gave Jessica a second boost of energy. “Alright then, ladies. From the top!”

~~~~

“Oh Boss Lady~!” Hyoyeon skipped into a decrepit room. “Boos Lady, where are you?”

“What do you want, Hyoyeon.” The third and final cloaked figure glided in the room and paused behind Hyoyeon. “Took you a while to return to my side. I was starting to get worried about you.”

“Things got messy. But it looks like it’s just you now – number 2 got taken out.”

Boss Lady silently stood there.

“What? Starting to second guess yourself?” Hyoyeon brushed passed her boss. “If you need me, I’ll be down in my dance room.” Hyoyeon walked out of the room. Her footsteps could be heard as she walked down the steps, each creak of the old wood echoing into the empty halls.

The cloaked lady who remained in the room sat in a dusty chair off to the side. She slammed her fist into the wall, startling the spiders that had gathered on the decrepit wood. “I was sure Yuri was good enough. Turns out she was just as useless as Seohyun.” The lady took off her hood, letting her long locks of hair cascade over he shoulders. “I’ll just have to do this the quick and dirty way. But just in case, I need a safety net…”

The woman got up and walked down the same path Hyoyeon did moments before. In the darkness, a stream of light emanated and lit the way for the woman. Before entering, the woman waited outside the door.

Inside, Hyoyeon was sitting next to a radio that played a quiet waltz. It was the same waltz from when she was dancing in her dingy living room with Eunhyuk. The quiet melody brought a sense of serenity to Hyoyeon; a peaceful quiet that would soon be disturbed by a dreadfully eerie second movement. The waltz changed pace as though announcing the coming of evil. Thoughts of getting revenge for what happened to Eunhyuk raced through Hyoyeon’s mind. And thoughts of saving her brother followed.

“What a sickeningly deceitful sound.” The woman walked back in with her hood back on her head. “Such a sweet melody…who would have thought it would turn into something so ugly?”

“What do you want? I’m trying to relax.” Hyoyeon let out an angry huff.

“So bi-polar, now, aren’t we?” The cloaked woman tapped the radio with her foot. “Now, why don’t you go fetch something for me?”

“What am I now, a dog? Did I get demoted from spy to pet somehow?”

“No. I just need to get a safety net of sorts. You said Taeyeon had some friends, right?”

Hyoyeon glared at her boss. “Yeah. Friends. Something you don’t seem to have many of.”

The cloaked woman gritted her teeth at Hyoyeon’s sudden streak of snarky comments. “I’d watch your tongue if I were you. Or maybe you’d be fine if your brother couldn’t walk again?”

“Don’t you dare! You said you wouldn’t touch him!” Hyoyeon stood as though she was about to fight, but restrained herself. “Just…what do you want with Taeyeon’s friends? Want me to spy on them, too?”

“I told you to “fetch”, didn’t I?”

Hyoyeon was slightly puzzled before a light went off in her head. “You want me to kidnap one of her friends?”

“Wow, it’s true. Dogs are smart creatures.” The cloaked turned to leave. “Bring her by Friday. I want to make sure everything is set.”

“Can you at least tell me why you’re doing all this?” Hyoyeon wanted to get any piece of information she could. “What are you getting out of this?”

The cloaked woman halted her steps. “What does a dog like you care about my motives? You’ve been hired to do my work, no questions asked, and now you want to know what it is you’ve been doing for so long?”

“I think I have the right to know why I’m being used like this.”

“Too bad. This is one thing we don’t seem to agree upon. However…”

Hyoyeon perked up as the cloaked woman trailed off. “However?”

“If you bring my one of her friends by Friday, maybe I’ll reward you for your good work.” The cloaked woman left Hyoyeon in her dance studio.

Hyoyeon slid down back next to the radio. “That woman is going to be the death of me.” She turned the volume up and fell into a light slumber.

~~~~

The sounds of cars and busses passing by filled the air. Or, they should have. The cars were definitely moving, and the wind was blowing, but there was no sound at all. Hyoyeon was standing at one end of the block looking for…something. She didn’t know what, but she felt that she was in search of something.

There was a fairly tall man who got off the next bus. He was talking to a girl. She seemed to be younger than the man, maybe even younger than herself.

Uh…what is this…?

“Hey Hyoyeon! Come over here, I want to introduce you to someone.”

A dream…?

Hyoyeon felt her feet move towards the man. “What is it, Jungsu?” Hyoyeon looked at the girl. She seemed to be really young, but something tugged at Hyoyeon’s gut and told her that the girl in front of her wasn’t all that young. She had short hair and pale skin. Hyoyeon was taken aback by her beauty.

“This is…” Jungsu mouthed something, but for some reason his voice cut out.

“Who?”

Jungsu mouthed again, but no sounds came out. “Need your ears cleaned or something?” For some reason, only when Jungsu said the girl’s name did his voice not work. But fact, it was like he didn’t even realize it. The girl didn’t flinch at the lack of her name being properly said, either.

“Nice to meet you.” The girl held out a hand for Hyoyeon to shake. The girl felt…delicate? Hyoyeon couldn’t find the proper words to explain it, but the girl seemed very gentle.

“Uh, how do you know, my brother?”

“Oh, we just met on the bus.” The girl looked at Jungsu. “You never mentioned that this was your little sister.”

Jungsu laughed. “Sorry, that never came up during the bus ride. But yeah this is my little sister.” Jungsu patted Hyoyeon on the head. “We don’t look much alike, do we? We’re actually half-siblings on our moms side.”

“I see. Hm…Hyoyeon, would you mind me asking how old you are?”

“I just turned 19 a couple months ago.”

“Really? I turned 19 earlier this year, too. What a coincidence!” The girl pulled Hyoyeon close and put her lips to Hyoyeon’s ears. “Is Jungsu really 26? He looks so young!”

Hyoyeon nodded. “He looks young, but he acts old…”

“I can hear you, you do know that, yes?” Jungsu pulled Hyoyeon away from the woman. “Anywho, I invited ____ to come watch our next performance. You have the address written down, right?” Again, Jun

“Jeez, you need to keep your things straight…” Hyoyeon pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket. “This is the place.”

“Alrighty then.” The girl quickly copied down the address into her phone. “I’m excited! I can’t wait to see you there.”

Hyoyeon smiled as the girl walked away.

Suddenly, the scene changed. Rather than the bustling streets, Hyoyeon was in the middle of a large, underground club-esqu hall. The hall was full of people, but Hyoyeon wasn’t among them. She was on the stage.

“Ready?”

“Ah!” Hyoyeon turned around. Jungsu was smiling. “Uh…um…no…I don’t…”

“Just follow the routine. You’ll be fine.” Jungsu left to take his place behind the curtain.

“Routine? Wait, I don’t know the routine!” Hyoyeon’s feet were frozen in place. She was between two people, but their faces were blurry. Jungsu was the only person she could recognize.

What do I do…

A beat dropped. A loud series of thumps rang in Hyoyeon’s ears. A Violin melody slowly fell into place. The girl in front of Hyoyeon moved gracefully to the sound of the string. Another body began to move, and soon Hyoyeon could feel her body being tugged in every which direction against her will.

Then it was all over. Hyoyeon’s body stopped moving and she felt her momentum almost force her to fall on her face. But she didn’t.

Jungsu’s voice came out of no where “Hyoyeon, what are you doing?”

Huh? What does…I’m not on the stage anymore?

“You were great!” It was that woman from before. “You must be tired.”

The conversation continued, but Hyoyeon wasn’t paying attention. Why do I feel so uncomfortable about her…She’s a friend, right?

Hyoyeon saw the scenery change again. Like the last one, there was a large stage. Hyoyeon’s neck felt heavy, and the feel of cold metal was nestled in her hands. Around her neck was a large camera. She was sitting off to the side, in perfect position to capture the performance. The audience was much smaller, though.

“Take some good pictures, okay Sis?” Jungsu gave Hyoyeon a thumbs-up as he ran back stage.

“Yeah! Give me the camera before you go sneak back to work.” Said Jungsu’s partner.

Ah! Eunhyuk! Hyoyeon looked around before the lights dimmed. That woman wasn’t around.

The lights dimmed and two spotlights hit the stage. Two men – Jungsu and Eunhyuk – stood and danced to a quick beat.

They’re so good. I wish I could be on stage with them. Hyoyeon snapped a few pictures before running up to the side of the stage. One day, I’ll get there.

Hyoyeon took a few minutes to admire the stage. She saw a shadowy figure running across the catwalk. At first, Hyoyeon thought nothing of it, but a nagging feeling made her keep checking up on the shadow. It seemed to move in a very calculated manner, as though waiting for the right time.

The applause and shouts from the audience caught Hyoyeon’s attention for a second. It was enough to loose track of the shadowy figure. Hyoyeon looked back up, and found the shadowy figure next to a rope supporting a large wooden prop.

What is that person…no!

“Eunhyuk, Look out!”

Jungsu looked up and saw the prop falling over Eunhyuk’s head. Eunhyuk, who was too wrapped up in the music, didn’t hear Hyoyeon.

It all happened in a split second. Jungsu pushed Eunhyuk off stage. Then, the prop crashed on top of Jungsu. After a moment of silence, everyone screamed and ran to the aid of Jungsu. Everyone but Hyoyeon, who was paralyzed with fear.

No…this is…this is…

“Hyoyeon! One of the other dancers ran up to Hyoyeon. “Someone told me to give you this note. I’m going to call an ambulance. Be right back.”

The delicately folded piece of paper was suddenly in Hyoyeon’s hands.

            “This is what you get for skipping work when I said no.

            Disobey me again, and you wont be so lucky.

            Meet me outside.

            Now.”

Hyoyeon ran outside and looked for someone who could possibly be her boss. She looked left and right. No good. Was she too late? Impossible. She didn’t have enough time to figure out where she needed to go, so how could her boss just leave? Hyoyeon ran around until she was out of breath. She stopped running. She felt weird. She was out of breath, yet she didn’t feel tired at all.

“Hmph. This desperate?”

“Boss!” Hyoyeon turned and saw the all-too-recognizable cloak.

“I told you to stay at the building and wait for further instructions. I said you would regret coming here. You didn’t listen. I hope you learned your lesson.”

“Yes, Ma’am…” Hyoyeon lifted her head. “Please, don’t hurt my brother or my friends. I’ll take full responsibility. Just don’t drag them into this!”

“I’m the boss. Don’t think you can get away with telling me what to do.”

A strong gust of wind threw itself at the boss’ face. The hood of the cloak started to fall back. Hyoyeon caught a glimpse of her boss’ face.

Isn’t that…

~~~~

“Hyoyeon!”

“Huh?!” Hyoyeon opened her eyes. A…dream? “Uh, yes Boss Lady?”

“Get a move on! Get me one of her friends, now!”

“Yes!”

~~~~

Taeyeon was napping in her living room. Sunny was, too. The chime of the doorbell woke Sunny from her nap.

“Tae, door.” She said groggily. “Taaaae!”

Taeyeon refused to wake from her training-induced slumber.

“Fine. Make me get it…” Sunny slowly made her way to the front door. “Oh, hi Tiffany.”

“Good day to you, too…”

Sunny shook her head a few times. “Sorry, I was up with Tae all night. She’s still sleeping on the couch, so don’t be too loud.”

Tiffany tiptoed into the living room and looked at Taeyeon. She was sleeping heavily. Likely, a very well deserved rest. Tiffany then made her way into the kitchen and sat in one of the chairs. “The big day is soon, isn’t it?”

“In four days…Hyoyeon hasn’t come back yet, has she? She left two days ago to do some re-con, but she hasn’t contacted any of us since.” Sunny poured Tiffany a glass of water before sitting with her.

“She’ll come back. I know she will…I hope she will.”

Sunny nodded. “Watch Tae for me, will you? I need to go home for a little while and take care of some house work.”

“Yeah, I’ll tell her you’ll be back later.”

“Thanks.” Sunny got up and grabbed her bag. “Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone – she and Jessica are dating.”

“Shush! Just get out of here.” Tiffany blushed as she shooed Sunny away.

Sunny giggled to herself. “I’m just saying! You’ve had a thing for her since forever, and she’s utterly oblivious to that fact. Everyone is but me, since you never shut up about it when we hang out together.”

“I wont do anything. Just hurry up and come back, okay?” Tiffany pushed Sunny out the door. “She’s really going to rub me the wrong way one of these days.” Tiffany returned to her seat in the kitchen and drank the rest of her water.

Taeyeon rolled around on the couch. The creak of old springs startled Tiffany from her moment of relaxation. Tiffany walked into the living room and looked at Taeyeon again. She just laid there in a t-shirt and sweatpants. She’s going to get sick if she falls asleep like this. Tiffany grabbed one of the blankets from Taeyeon’s room to cover her up with. As the soft cloth gently fell onto Taeyeon, Taeyeon tossed and turned and wrapped herself in the newfound warmth.

Tiffany pulled up a chair and sat down next to Taeyeon. Tiffany just stared at Taeyeon’s face. So pretty. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her this calm. After a few minutes, Tiffany got back up and tidied up the room some.

The doorbell rang once more. Tiffany quietly made her way to the door. “Sunny, I thought you said you were going to be- Hyoyeon! Oh jeez, come in. Taeyeon’s sleeping in the living room so…” Tiffany put her finger to her lips.

“Sorry, I really need to talk to you and Sunny. Should I have called in advance?” Hyoyeon walked in.

“No, don’t worry about it. I’ll call Sunny and tell her you’re back. Feel free to make yourself at home.” Tiffany whipped out her phone and led Hyoyeon into the kitchen. “Hello, Sunny? No, everything is fine. Hyoyeon is here, so hurry back. She said she needs to talk with us. Okay, then. Bye.”

Tiffany sat down with Hyoyeon. They talked a little bit, but found it difficult to keep the conversation going. Hyoyeon was oddly quiet, but refused to tell Tiffany why until Sunny arrived.

“I’m going to check up on Eunhyuk.” Hyoyeon said as she stood up.

Tiffany nodded. “He’s still in the guest room. He was up late watching TV last night, though, so he might be sleeping still…”

Hyoyeon nodded before scurrying off to see Eunhyuk. “Just tell me when Sunny is here.” She said as she made her way down the hall.

Alone again, Tiffany went to keep Taeyeon company in the living room. A frown found its way onto Taeyeon’s sleeping face, accompanied by a furrowed brow strained by stress and panic.

Tiffany knelt down and brushed the hair out of Taeyeon’s tired eyes. “Don’t worry…this will all be over soon.”

--------

a/n
hihi~ meant to put this up yesterday, but I was feeling kinda sick...I hate headaces T.t