Ye Sung’s POV

When Ye Sung saw the condition that Eunhyuk was in, his anxiety for Ryeowook doubled, especially when he scanned the room and quickly came to the conclusion that Ryeowook was not in there. The police were also trying to find his lover but he was nowhere to be seen. Could he be in the white room where Eunhyuk and Teuk hyung were… He turned to KyuHyun, “There’s supposed to be another room within this room, right?” Kyuhyun looked at the orientation of the room and pointed to the left side which looked like any other wall in the room, “If I didnt remember wrongly, the white room is supposed to be there.” The police commander in charge overheard their conversation and commented, “There could be a switch somewhere that would activate the opening to that room.” With that he sent his men to search and Kyuhyun, Sungmin and Ye Sung joined in. Siwon and KiBum escorted Donghae and Eunhyuk respectively to the hospital in two different ambulance and Shin Dong went with Lee Soo Hyuk, wanting to keep an eye on the kidnapper.

Sungmin was combing the most extreme of the left wall when he felt something protruding and started trying to pry it open with his fingers. However no matter how hard he tried, the supposed hidden latch wouldn’t open. The commander who saw what he was trying to do, went over to his side to take a closer look. Without a word, he placed his fingers onto the protruded part and pressed. The latched caught and clicked to reveal a handle that SungMin pulled. “Rizz….” The middle, upper top part of the wall suddenly shifted, opening to reveal the white room through the transparent window, throwing off a lot of officers who were standing in front of it. Ryeowook was lying on his stomach with both his arms above his head, completely except for the blanket that covered his lower body. Ye Sung began pounding on the window, “Ryeowook! Wookie!!!!” Through the window, they could now see where the door was located, but the switch to open the door remained to be found.

When they finally got the door open, the stark contrast between the two rooms blinded Ye Sung for a moment. Nevertheless, he ran for the bed, stumbling along the way, being half blinded. Tears welled in his eyes when he saw Ryeowook’s back. The amount of red marks were countless though only two or three were deep cuts that had blood staining the thin bandages. The paramedics crew that followed him into the room gestured for him to wake his lover up gently, “I need him to be conscious even though the wounds looked to have been properly taken care of. If I touch him before he is awake, he…” All the medical personnel were briefed about the condition of each member based on the videos that were sent to the dorm previously so they understood how fragile their mental state could be if they were to be touched, especially by another man. Ye Sung kneeled before Ryeowook and gently patted his face. “Wookie,” he called gently, “Ryeowook.” He sprang to consciousness with a jerk and recoiled from Ye Sung instinctively but his back injury prevented him from doing anything other than lifting his head. There was a flash of pure, nauseating fear in his eyes as he whimpered. “Wookie, it’s me, Ye Sung ah. It’s me. Don’t move. Look at me, look at me. It’s me. They won’t hurt you anymore, Ryeowook. Don’t be scared…” Ye Sung kept his voice steady and calm, watching Ryeowook’s face carefully. “Ye Sungie hyung?” Ryeowook questioned, his eyes still hazy with pain and confusion. “나야. (It’s me.) Look carefully, it’s me. I am really here, Wookie.” “Ye Sungie hyung….” Ryeowook strained to look through his pain at the familiar face in front of him. When his mind finally registered that Ye Sungie hyung was really in front of him, he burst into tears, “Hyung!” Ye Sung started crying as well, “Wookie, oh Wookie… I was so scared… So scared to lose you.”

The paramedic in charge let them have a few moments to themselves before clearing his throat. “Sorry to interrupt but I think it will be best to send Ryeowook shii to the hospital first.” Ryeowook flinched at the male voice and Yesung reached out to sooth his hair, “It’s alright. They are here to help. Let’s get you out of here, alright? They are going to touch you, Ryeowook, to see the extent of your injuries. Can you bear it?” Ryeowook gave a small nod. Although the paramedic-in-charge tried his best to lightly remove the bandages and probe his wounds, burning fire blazed through his back and he inhaled sharply. The medic immediately stopped the moment he removed all the bandages but Ryeowook couldn’t stop trembling and panting at the pain. Turning to his crew, the medic said, “Prepare anesthesia for me.” Turning back to Ryeowook, he spoke gently, “Ryeowook shii, I cannot move you in this condition so I will be injecting anesthesia into your back. This is so that you won’t feel as much pain when we move you. Usually spinal anesthesia isn’t painful but I fear that with the current state of your back, the pain could be excruciating…. I assure you, the pain will not last longer than five seconds but it will be painful. I need you to understand that and brace yourself for it before I inject it into you. Do you understand?” Ryeowook shut his eyes at the memory of the pain of Lee Soo Hyuk whipping him and wondered which would be more unbearable as he answered, “I understand.” Ye Sung looked at Ryeowook worryingly and placed his hand above Ryeowook’s. At his touch, Ryeowook opened his eyes and smiled reassuringly.

Ryeowook felt the medic’s hand at the base of his spine, “I will inject it at the count of three.” Ryeowook nodded in response and grabbed the sheets in his palm as he braced himself. The moment the needle pierced through his skin, his whole back went taut with agony. “Ahh… ha… ah haaa ah… ” He panted, struggling to breathe through the pain, to draw enough air into his lungs. No longer having the voice to scream, even his pants sounded hoarse. He turned his face into the bed, trying to find something to bite but there was nothing solid enough for him to bite. His teeth automatically clamp onto his own lips but even then he still couldn’t stop his whimpers of pain. Tears pooled uncontrollably in his eyes as his body trashed futilely, as if it could escape the stabbing flame through his spine. His only support was the warmth from Ye Sung’s palms squeezing his clenched fist tightly together, telling Ryeowook that he is there for him. He frowned ferociously, breathing extremely hard as the five seconds felt like a lifetime before the tingling effect of the anesthesia numbed his back. He slumped in relief when the fire on his back finally faded. His throat hurt so much that he didn’t know if he could talk.

The medic his wounds again, double checking to make sure that he was no longer in pain before announcing that they were going to move him onto a stretcher and get him to the hospital. Gently, they turned him onto his side and lay him on his stomach on the stretcher. As they were exiting the white room, Ryeowook saw that Eunhyuk and Lee teuk hyung were no longer in the black room. His voice came out with a croak, “Eunhyuk hyung and Teuk hyung… are they also on the way to the hospital?” He asked Ye Sung. Ye Sung nodded and briefly explained how three members, instead of two were sent to the hospital. Ryeowook didn’t seem very concerned about Donghae’s condition when he heard that the older man fainted but Ye Sung was caught by surprise at the next question. “What about Soo Hyuk shii?” To be exact, Ye Sung was astonished by how formally Ryeowook addressed his kidnapper and the lack of animosity against him. “That bastard got shot in the shoulder and is also on his way to the hospital.” Ye Sung seethe with rage but he noticed how quiet Ryeowook became when he heard the news that Lee Soo Hyuk was injured and that he had a feeling that his lover might even be worried about his kidnapper. In that moment, uneasiness took root in his heart because Ye Sung suddenly had a feeling that he couldn’t hold onto Ryeowook even if he was standing in front of him. It was a feeling he didn’t like.