--

Jiyong.

My face throbbed from the cuts he had given me, and my wrists bled from the rough rope that was used to tie them. I was unable to cry out, thanks to the gag around my mouth, but I wouldn’t have cried out anyway.

My kidnapper had a gun, and I knew Seunghyun would be searching for me, and very possibly the rest of the team as well. I feared for my group’s lives – even though I wasn’t familiar with Seungri or Daesung, there was no way I would let any of them take a bullet just to save me. I was basically useless now to them anyway, since I remembered nothing.

I was resolved to let myself perform the sacrifice play this time around when I heard a voice.

“…Street! Get over here now, Taeyang! As soon as possible!”

I tensed, and noticed my masked friend jump as well. Cursing under his breath, the criminal concealed himself. At this point, I could only pray that Seunghyun wouldn’t be as stupid as to run out in the open against an armed kidnapper just to try and save me.

Before I even finished muttering my prayer, Seunghyun came bounding toward me, shouting, “Jiyong! Jiyong, can you hear me?”

--

Seunghyun.

I knew I had to be careful since the guy was armed with some sort of handgun, but when I saw Jiyong tied up in a chair by himself in the middle of the room, I lost all reason and raced toward him.

It wasn’t just because it was Jiyong that I sprinted over into danger, though that played a large role. The main reason I was shocked out of logic was his physical state. Much worse than I last saw him, Jiyong not only had blood on his face, but his wrists were obviously bleeding and his arm wound seemed to have opened again.

I could see the fear in his eyes as I charged toward him, the slight shake of his head and his mouth straining against the rope, trying to warn me of danger. Nonetheless, I continued, not scared for my own safety but for his. Even if it cost me my life, I would save him.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang throughout the warehouse, and Jiyong cried out in pain. My eyes widened as I realized what had just happened; his already bleeding arm had been nearly torn apart by a bullet.

“Freeze.”

I whipped my head around toward the sound of the voice, but was startled by another shot. Jiyong cried out in pain again, straining against the ropes tightly wound around his body.

“What part of freeze did you not understand?”

Gritting my teeth, I let my head flop down onto my chest. “What do you want?”

Footsteps rang against the concrete ground, growing ever louder. The voice was right behind me, the stranger’s breath on my neck. “Getting right down to business, aren’t we?” he whispered, sending chills down my spine.

I could hear the smirk in his voice as he announced, “I want money. Money in exchange for your pitiful little G-dragon.”

Anger roared in my ears when I heard this. “Jiyong isn’t pitiful,” I growled under my breath.

“What was that?”

“Jiyong isn’t pitiful!” I yelled, clenching my fist in rage.

“Hm,” the criminal said in a sing-song voice. “I agree, you’re much more pitiful than he is by far.”

I couldn’t take it anymore. I whipped my leg around, trying to catch the man in the stomach with a kick, only to fail miserably.

A shot rang out again, and Jiyong cried out in pain, the bullet this time piercing his leg.

The stranger wagged his finger. “Oh no Hyunnie, no good. Your beloved is crying out in pain, and it’s all because of you. I told you to freeze, didn’t I?”

He shifted his aim and I felt cold metal pressed against my temple. “Maybe this will teach you how to follow instructions.”

I closed my eyes, hearing the sound of the trigger. The gunshot rang throughout the building, and I heard Jiyong scream. “Seu-mffph-ie!”

There was a dull thud as the body fell to the floor.

“Are you guys okay?” Taeyang called, rushing into the building with policemen at his back.

I collapsed to the ground, knees weak from the tension. “Check on Jiyong; he got shot twice.” I managed get out with what little breath I had.

I heard them running toward him, Taeyang gently wrapping his wounds and speaking to him softly. “Ji, are you okay? Don’t worry, we’re here now. You’re safe, Ji.”

I could only feel the cold concrete on my knees, lamenting over how ing unmanly I was.

--

Jiyong.

Each bullet that tore through my skin only made my senses number. After the first shot, I felt groggy, almost close to unconsciousness.

Instead of pain, I only felt a dull thud when the metal made contact with my flesh. I stared forward, unable to completely understand what was unfolding in front of me.

I was vaguely aware that the man – my kidnapper – had begun to threaten Seunghyun, but it was not until he held the gun to Hyunnie’s forehead when I snapped into reality.

I tried to cry his name as the trigger was pulled, only to have it be drowned out by the sound of a gunshot.

My heart dropped and my eyes closed as I heard the dull thud of the body on the ground.

My eyes refused to open after that, though I heard Youngbae’s voice calling out to me from far away.

Seunghyun is dead, and it’s because of me…

--

Taeyang and Seunghyun stood outside the hospital ward, nerves devouring them alive.

“What happened?” Taeyang asked for the umpteenth time.

Seunghyun swallowed, trying and failing to clear the lump in his throat. He had been trying to avoid the topic, but he knew now it was impossible to dodge.

After what seemed like years of uncomfortable silence, Seunghyun cleared his throat. “I was the reason he got shot,” he stated bluntly, unable to find any other way to put it. “I didn’t do what the kidnapper told me to do, and he shot Jiyong.”

He could feel Taeyang tense beside him as the news was delivered.

“You did what?” The strain was apparent in Taeyang’s voice. “You put Jiyong in more danger, even when you knew he had just been discharged from the hospital?”

Top could only hang his head in shame. His voice broke as he said, “Ne.”

Such a succinct answer coupled with Top’s broken, guilt-filled voice caught Taeyang off-guard, leaving a heavy silence between the two of them.

The silence was broken as a doctor came out into the hallway.

“Good news guys!” The doctor announced, almost a little too happily. “He’s just fine. The bullets went cleanly through, and none of his bones were shattered. He just needs to rest and he’ll be fine.”

Seunghyun and Taeyang both breathed sighs of relief, both too familiar with the tension outside of a hospital room.

The doctor’s voice cut their silent celebration short. “So, that was the good news. Ready to hear the bad news?”

--

Seunghyun.

My jaw almost dropped when I heard what happened to Jiyong. As soon as the doctor was finished, I burst into Ji’s room, only to find him yet again trapped in the web of tubing and machines.

“Ji…” I said softly, holding his hand. “Jiyong, it’s me, Seunghyun.”

His eyes fluttered open. “Seung… hyun? Hyung?”

I gripped his hand with more force, trying to affirm the fact that I was really there. “Ji, it’s me. I’m not dead, Jiyong! It’s me, your hyung!”

Jiyong’s eyes seemed clouded as he looked into my face. “No,” he muttered. “I’m not insane. I’m not hallucinating. This is just a dream.” Silent tears streamed down his face. “Seunghyun is dead, Jiyong. Get over it and continue living your life. Stop dwelling in the past, Kwon Jiyong. Snap out of it and –”

I cut him off, crying in desperation. “Jiyong, it’s me! Believe me, I’m alive!”

“I saw him shot in front of my eyes. I was supposed to be the one who died but he did instead.” Jiyong uttered, as if it were a string of facts. “He fell to the ground, I heard it. I couldn’t even cry his name at the end. He left this world without even knowing the truth.”

The bed was wet with Jiyong’s tears. “Seunghyun passed away because of me. I could have just gone with the man obediently and he wouldn’t have spotted us. I could have warned him more firmly, pushed him out of the way or at least cause a distraction.” Jiyong’s face contorted in pain. “Instead, I passively sat by –”

His voice was hindered by my mouth on his. I held him there, crashing my lips against his face, trying to revitalize him, bring him back into reality. I held him by his chin, surprised when he began to reciprocate the kiss. Soon enough, however, I had to break away for lack of oxygen.

Jiyong looked at me again, this time with the eyes I knew and loved. “Hyunnie?”

Shedding tears of my own, I leaned in to kiss him on the nose. “Ji, can you hear me now? It’s Seunghyun.”

Tears of what I hoped was recognition slipped down his face as I wrapped him in a bear hug.

“It’s you.”

 --

Oh yay happy stuff yay woot woo happy yeh happ yup

I realize the chapter title has nothing to do with the actual chapter but I couldn't think of anything so that's what you're going to get~