Sooyoung opened the door absentmindedly and instantly regretted it when she saw who was at the door. She could feel flames of rage, hate and jealousy her heart as she stared challengingly into those deep brown eyes.

“What do you want?” she demanded belligerently despite the fact that she knew exactly what he wanted.

A smirk appeared on his face and grew with every word he spoke, “I think you know exactly what I want, or rather who.”

Sooyoung was tempted to slam the door right in his face and say that Jessica was somewhere far away from such a disgusting monster like him but she heard almost non-existent footsteps behind her and knew it was too late. It was not long before Jessica’s tremulous voice sounded out behind her.

“Hello Donghae,” a thin whisper passed through her lips.

She is so fragile, like glass.

The said person ran a hand through his hair and grinned widely at her, “Let’s go out for dinner, shall we?”

Jessica gave a small, obedient nod, “I’ll just go and change.”

Donghae gave her a flirty wink, ignoring the numerous glares that Sooyoung was shooting his way, “Wear something pretty baby.”

How could I give her to Donghae? If something happens, she won’t be able to protect herself.

As soon as Jessica disappeared into her room, Sooyoung turned to Donghae, “We should have a little talk here.”

Donghae raised an eyebrow and looked her up and down with disdain, “I think I should be the one saying that, scarecrow.”

Sooyoung opened to shoot back something equally insulting but Donghae beat her to it.

“If you don’t remember, Miss Choi Sooyoung, Jessica agreed to a little deal which means that she’s mine from now on. Mine. Do you hear me? I own her, she is my property and she must obey everything I ask of her. Got it?”

Sooyoung crossed her arms, “No, I don’t get it.”

He jabbed her in the chest menacingly before waving his hand dismissively, “Never mind whether you get it or not, just remember that Jessica is under my ownership from today onwards. If I ask her to go somewhere with me, she must go, if I ask her to do a favour for me, she must do so. Now go and shuffle back to your bed, you bag of bones before you collapse or disintegrate or something along those lines. I can’t see how Jessica… let alone anyone or anything could have feelings for you when you look like that.”

Just as Sooyoung was preparing a retort, trying to ignore the stinging pain inside her chest at his words, the door opened and Jessica appeared into a stunning dress. Even though she had lost a lot of weight and she had dark circles under her eyes, she still radiated beauty.

My Sica, beautiful as always. Except you’re not dressed for me, you’re dressed for another person.

Sooyoung looked on with helpless revulsion as Donghae’s eyes travelled greedily up and down her body, like a dog eyeing a juicy bone. Fortunately or maybe not so fortunately, Jessica was unaware of his glances.

“Let’s go, Donghae” she said and walked past Sooyoung without a word of greeting or any acknowledgement.

Donghae offered his arm to Jessica and she took it. After walking a few steps, Donghae turned back and sneered at Sooyoung, “Don’t worry Sooyoung, I will take good care of my precious Jessica. Unlike you.”

No! I can take good care of her, I love her so much it hurts. I’ll do anything for her. Sica! Don’t leave! Don’t leave me! Don’t leave me like that, without even looking at me. Don’t break my heart once more. Because I know, even if you break my heart a hundred, a thousand, an infinite number of times, I’ll still love you, I’ll still watch over you, protect you. Don’t leave Sica! You’ll get hurt by Donghae, he wants your body. He wants to hurt you. Can’t you see? Or are you so blinded by your love for him you don’t see it? Maybe I am just a scarecrow to you, a useless bag of bones. Maybe that is how you see me. You loathe me don’t you Sica? You hate me so much you can’t even bear to look at me, not even a fleeting glance.

Sooyoung watched the two of them walk away without another look back. When she could no longer see the two figures she silently clicked the door shut and slid down against it, tears pouring down her cheeks in a deluge. Her heart had been forcibly wrenched out of her chest and been torn and trampled on. Not just by Donghae’s jibes but also by Jessica’s actions, her lack of any gestures or any sign of consolation, just coldness. She couldn’t take it. She felt like drowning in her pain, in her grief. With her back leaning against the door like that, she sat with her knees tucked under her chin and choked through her sobs silently for the rest of the afternoon.

*

SNSD’s manager twisted about on his seat as he waited anxiously for his meeting with Lee Sooman.

At long last, a meek looking lady came towards him, “Please come to Lee Sooman’s office, Sir.”

The manager nodded his head and got up to follow the lady. When he opened the door, he saw Lee Sooman sitting at his table and writing on a piece of paper which he immediately put aside once the door had been opened.

“Lee Sooman” he greeted with a bow.

Lee Sooman nodded in response, “Ah… you have come to visit. How are the SNSD girls?”

The manager cleared his throat nervously and chose his words carefully, “The girls are in quite a delicate state at the moment. As you know, after the accident that has befallen Taeyeon, she has returned to Jeonju and it’s very hard on the girls.”

Lee Sooman let out a sigh, “Yes, I am aware of that. But we will just have to work around it like we always do.” He tried to look optimistic but failed miserably.

The manager nodded seriously, “Yes, I’m sure we can do that. There’s just something else I wanted to say.”

Lee Sooman looked at him curiously.

“You see, even though the girls are feeling emotional about the loss of Taeyeon, I have suspicions that something else is troubling them but they are not telling me anything no matter how much I ask them to. I was thinking, maybe we should do a little bit of investigating, just enough to know what’s troubling them so much and for the meantime, step up their security in case they are in any danger.”

Lee Sooman’s lips pursed in a thin line as the manager awaited his reply anxiously.

*Flashback*

Lee Sooman had just entered his office after a dinner with his colleagues as he still had some paperwork to do. Upon approaching his desk, he saw a manila envelope which he was certain wasn’t there earlier which was strange since he had locked the door and windows before he left for dinner. Dismissing thoughts on how the envelope could have ended up on his desk, he reached for it. After picking it up, he opened it, apprehension rising as he saw the bolded letters: TOP SECRET. His movements became more frantic as he uncovered a letter and another envelope. Scanning through the contents quickly, his face paled and he immediately threw the papers aside, collapsing on his chair and massaging his temples. How could this happen? This was blackmail!

Starting up his computer, he tried to forget everything that the letter had outlined but the final words in the letter burned in his mind. “Do everything as I instruct or else… You have been warned.”

Lee Sooman felt restless and he got up from the chair and began to pace up and down the room. Finally, he made up his mind. Feverishly, he reached for the smaller envelope and opened it. Looking through the photos, he cursed and ripped them into pieces before setting them on fire with his lighter. As he reached for the envelope to burn too, he saw a few lines of small writing he had missed out earlier. After reading through it, he swept all his papers off the table, watching them spiral down in a maelstrom just like his mind was. There was no way to escape this situation, he could only accept.

*End Flashback*

An involuntary shiver passed through his body. He couldn’t risk it.  

In a cold and dismissive voice he answered, “I think you’re just over-reacting. The girls will be fine, just give them some more time, they’re probably still grieving over Taeyeon. There’s no need for the extra measures such as investigating and extra security.”

The manager protested, “But it’s been a week now and they are hardly fit to appear in public the way they are looking. It couldn’t hurt to…”

Lee Sooman held up a hand and stared at the manager authoritatively, “Make-up was invented for a reason. As I firmly stated before, there is no need for extra measures. You can leave now.”

The manager opened his mouth to speak but at the last moment, decided not to say anything, instead giving a deep bow and going out the door. He was puzzled. The Lee Sooman he knew would do anything for the wellbeing of the girls even if at times, the actions were unnecessary and a hassle to organize. But now, he just wanted to stand back and let things go with the flow. He inhaled deeply. If Lee Sooman wasn’t going to do anything about the situation, he would. He felt that it was his duty to protect the girls since he had been their manager for years, sometimes, he even felt like their father.

*

Donghae and Jessica sat at a candlelit table in one of the most expensive restaurants in Seoul after an afternoon of shopping.  

Only the best for my baby, Donghae had said.

Despite the lavish surroundings and gourmet food, Jessica didn’t feel at ease or in any way pampered. In fact, she was getting a gut feeling that the night was not going to end well. However, she had to keep her end of the deal.

Think about Sooyoung. You’re protecting her by doing this. You don’t want her dead do you? At least if I do this, Sooyoung won’t have to get hurt. Even if you get hurt, it doesn’t matter because the one you love won’t.

Meanwhile, Donghae was barely able to concentrate on his food with the thought that Jessica would be his tonight. He his lips.

She’s all mine tonight.

Reaching over, he poured Jessica a glass of wine. Jessica gave a small thank you and drank from it, not seeing the white powder that had trickled down Donghae’s sleeve into her drink.

Watching the scene from outside was a person dressed in a dark hoodie and track pants with a black scarf obscuring all the features of the face except for the eyes.

The person spoke into an earpiece, “When they leave the restaurant, follow them. You know what happens next.”

*

Back at the dorm, Seohyun stepped out of Yoona’s room. She had spent the entire afternoon with Yoona, boxes of tissues and boxes of chocolates at hand. As hard as Yoona was trying to forget about Yuri, it was impossible and every time she thought of the other girl, sniffles would almost certainly follow.

Seohyun was at a loss on what to do about the situation except for trying to distract Yoona which would only serve as a short-term solution. There was only so much chocolate could do. Yoona was currently sitting on her bed, with a giant teddy bear underneath her chin, watching a comedy which failed to bring even a smile to her face. At least, Yoona didn’t seem to need a lot of comforting right now leaving Seohyun to have some peace and quiet and some time to think.

But no sooner had she walked to the end of the hallway, she heard the quiet sobs of a person. Even though the sobs were muffled, it was still as clear as day. Seohyun turned around and walked back to Yoona’s room, instantly assuming the girl had started thinking about Yuri again, however, she noticed that the sobs only got quieter.

Strange.

Seohyun followed the noise to come to the front door where Sooyoung was, her back still against the door and body shaking from her sobs.

She let out a sigh, it seemed that today, everyone was in a fit of tears and she only wished that somehow she was like a fairy godmother who could whisk away all the pain and grief. Poof! Just like that. She hated seeing her unnies so sad and in such a delicate state.  

Going over to Sooyoung, she pulled the girl into a hug. Sooyoung surprisingly didn’t pull away and instead sobbed into Seohyun’s shoulder while Seohyun patted her like a baby.

Something really bad must have happened. Sooyoung usually pushes everyone away when she’s hurting because she doesn’t want to be a burden to us.

Once Sooyoung’s sobs had died down a little, Seohyun lifted up Sooyoung’s tear streaked face and gently wiped the moisture away.

“Now tell me unnie, why are you crying like this?” she questioned gently.

Sooyoung’s eyes glistened but she didn’t break into sobs, “Jessica… she…”

Sooyoung paused, not knowing how to say what she wanted to without giving away her feelings. Little did she know that Seohyun, being the intuitive person she was, had long ago picked up on Sooyoung’s feelings for Jessica.

“You like her right?” whispered Seohyun.

Sooyoung looked at her with wide eyes, wondering how on earth the maknae had worked that out. Had she been too obvious?

“Am I right, unnie?” asked Seohyun yet again.

Sooyoung gave in, she could trust Seohyun with her little secret. She gave a small nod.

Seohyun gave a small glimmer of a smile, “I could tell. But unnie, why are you crying because of Jessica?”

Sooyoung gave a curt response, “She left.”

Seohyun’s forehead creased, “By herself?”

Sooyoung shook her head, “With him.”

“Who?” asked Seohyun.

“Donghae.” replied Sooyoung, the loathed name rolling off her tongue. She felt goose bumps appear on her skin every time she thought of that wretched person.

“Donghae,” pondered Seohyun out loud, “He’s not that bad is he?”

“Not bad?” choked Sooyoung in disbelief, “Not bad? Well he sure is everything but good.”

Seohyun was curious yet shocked by the hate in Sooyoung’s voice.

She wondered what Donghae could have possibly done to anger Sooyoung so much.

Wait. Sooyoung likes Jessica, right? And Donghae left with Jessica. Could Sooyoung be jealous?

It seemed to make sense in her mind. But then she was sure that Sooyoung wouldn’t have been crying for so long if she was just jealous. There was something else.

“But why did Jessica leave with Dongahe?” Seohyun inquired.

“The deal.” came the response which was completely unexpected by Seohyun.

“What deal?” Seohyun probed further, voice tight with anxiety.

Did Jessica make a deal with Donghae? But why would she do that?

Sooyoung sensed that the younger one was not going to go away without a full explanation so she told Seohyun about the deal that Jessica made with Donghae to be his property meaning that he could do whatever he wanted with her and what he wanted from her was more than obvious. Then she told Seohyun about Donghae’s appearance earlier in the afternoon and how he took Jessica away and Jessica had agreed without hesitation and walked away coldly.

“He did what?” came a loud screech once Sooyoung finished her explanation. Sooyoung winced at the shrillness of it as she felt her eardrums reverberating.

“He’s so going to pay for this.” came another voice in reply.

Seohyun looked up wordlessly to see Hyoyeon and Sunny who had been eavesdropping on the conversation.

Grabbing their coats, the two of them prepared to venture out.

“Where are you going unnies?” asked Seohyun, worry sparking in her voice.

Hyoyeon gave Seohyun a sweet smile before her face darkened, “Don’t worry Seohyun. We’ll take care of Donghae.”

Sunny nodded affirmatively, “Yes, no one is going to get away with hurting one of our members. Jessica is not a toy. She’s a living being. He has no right to own her. We'll go and find some guys to help beat him up."

Upon seeing Seohyun’s eyes b with concern, Hyoyeon stopped down and tucked a strand of hair behind Seohyun’s ear, brushing her fingers gently across her girlfriend’s cheek in the process. She desperately wanted to kiss Seohyun but decided that it would probably shock the others too much. They didn’t need any more shocks right now.

“Don’t worry yourself Seohyunnie. We’ll come back to you alive.” she whispered, giving another sweet smile.

Seohyun gave a little pout with puppy dog eyes and held up her hand, “Hyoyeonie, pinkie promise?”

Hyoyeon couldn’t resist and linked her pinkie finger with her girlfriend’s, “Pinkie promise.”

Meanwhile Sunny and Sooyoung looked from one to the other, both with the same suspicions.

Seohyunnie?

Hyoyeonie?

Since when did Hyoyeon become so sweet?

Since when did Seohyun use aegyo so much?

Hyoyeon reluctantly drew away and beckoned to Sunny.

“Come on girl. Let’s go!” she cheered, punching her fist in the air. Sunny followed with similar enthusiasm while the two girls on the floor watched their departure with a combination of pride and apprehension.

As they walked out of the dorm, Seohyun felt a niggling voice at the back of her mind saying that something was going to go wrong but she pushed that aside.

I’m worrying too much. Nothing could go wrong, right?

*

Yuri sighed and narrowed her eyes at the sight of Donghae leading an unsteady Jessica down the street. The boxers should be there any moment. All she could hear from the earpiece was a soft crackling sound.

Donghae raked his eyes over Jessica as he supported her. Her skin was beautiful, flawless, a milky white and he would most certainly enjoying making his marks on her.

His plan had worked. There was no way Jessica was going to refuse him tonight. Her rejection of him still stung and now he was going to have his revenge. He flicked his tongue over his lips and imagined what it would be like when…

Thud!

Three well-built men dressed completely in black with balaclavas jumped in front of him. He felt fear building up in him but he tried not to show it.

“What do you want?” he demanded, shoving Jessica behind his back. Jessica was his. His prize, not theirs.

“The girl.” said one of the men, voice barely coherent through the fabric of the balaclava.

Donghae sneered, “You’re not having her until I’m done with her. Then you can have all the fun you want. But right now she’s mine, got it?”

The second man glowered at Donghae, “We’ll see about that.”

Before Donghae had time to react, he felt a fist connect to his jaw. And then another. Then, it seemed that the blows were coming from all directions. He coughed continuously as the breath was knocked out of him and spurts of blood began pouring from his mouth.

“Stop!” he cried, voice gurgling from the blood, “Stop!”

But his voice was feeble and inaudible amongst the sounds of the kicks and punches.

Yuri watched coldly.

This is what you get for hurting my members.

“You can take her now.” she spoke into the mouthpiece.

One of the men, picked up a pale Jessica who was on the verge of fainting and strode towards the black van parked on the sidewalk while the other two continued to attack Donghae.

Opening the door of the van, he placed Jessica, who had passed out from the shock, on the backseats and gave a small inclination of the head to Yuri.

“Thank you,” she murmured and began to tell him the directions to the girls’ dorm. As the van pulled away, Yuri saw the figure of Donghae lying on the pavement surrounded by three figures in dark clothing. 

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Hello my wonderful readers, 

Again apologies for the late update, I've been pretty busy but to make up for it, I did a slightly longer chapter, it was more than 8 pages in Word. I should be able to update weekly from now on:D What do you think of this chapter? Things are certainly not going well for the girls but at least Jessica is saved from being molested by Donghae. Yuri is doing a pretty good job, right? If you were reading carefully, you might have realized something about the last sentence. Can anyone see it? (I think I made it pretty obvious:P) 

A big thank  you to all of my new subscribers and my existing ones. I hope you are still reading this story. I would be very grateful if you let me know your thoughts with a comment. 

That's all for now, see you on the next chapter♥