“Just let him sleep, it’s probably better anyways…” Himchan tried to keep his voice down as he spoke softly with Daehyun, who had detangled himself from Youngjae to stand at the doorway. “Did… Did he seem to remember everything that happened yesterday?”

“I’m not really sure, hyung… I mean… he knows about what happened with Kyungsoo… but… I don’t think he remembers the rest…” Daehyun rubbed at his arm as he looked back over his shoulder where his boyfriend was still curled up, asleep in the bed. “I don’t want to tell him either…” he looked up as Himchan’s fingers clasped his shoulder.

“You don’t have to, Daehyun…” He said, a gentle smile on his face, “Stop trying to take on so much, okay? You went through a lot too back there… Don’t forget to worry about yourself…”

Daehyun forced a smile, “I know, hyung… I’m okay, really…”

Himchan sighed softly, nodding, “Just remember, if you want to talk… we are all here for you, okay… And let Youngjae know the same thing when he wakes up…”

Daehyun nodded, “Okay, hyung…” He closed the door softly before going back to the bed, easing back under the covers as he curled up to Youngjae’s back. “I know you’re awake…”

“… I’m sorry…”

“For what—“

“You almost died, and I’m being selfish, okay…” Youngjae turned over, wrapping his arms around Daehyun as he hid his face against Daehyun’s chest. “I… I was just so focused on myself—“

“Youngjae. Stop. Now.”

Youngjae instantly shut his mouth at the authority in Daehyun’s voice, taking quick breaths through his nose as he waited for the elder to continue.

“I’m fine, okay. You don’t need to worry about me, okay… Look at me, Youngjae…” When Youngjae scooted away a bit so he could look up at Daehyun, the elder smiled, “I’m alive because of you… and you deserve to be selfish… What you did… it takes a toll on you, mentally and physically… and… I’m okay, really… I just want to be here for you, okay?”

Youngjae nodded slowly, closing his eyes as Daehyun leaned in for a quick kiss.

“Do you wanna go ahead and get up… Himchan made breakfast…”

Youngjae shook his head, “I… I don’t think I’m ready… just yet I mean… You can go ahead out there…”

“You sure?”

“Yeah… I just… wanna think, yah’know?”

Daehyun nodded, “Okay… well, I’ll save you a plate… come out when you’re ready…”

Youngjae forced a smile, shooing Daehyun out of the bed. The second the door was shut and Youngjae was alone, he let out a heavy sigh, the smile fading as he stared up at the ceiling.

He closed his eyes for a bit, just relaxing as he tried to calm his nerves before joining the rest of B.A.P for breakfast.

Youngjae finally rolled out of the bed a few moments later, a heavy sigh on his lips once more as he slowly rose up from the bed, making his way out of the room and to the kitchen. His steps were slow as he drug his feet, staring at the flooring beneath him as he made his way along. He really didn’t want to leave the bed, but, he knew that Daehyun would come back if he didn’t get up, and Himchan would begin his mother-like nagging, and honestly, Youngjae couldn’t handle it all right now.

The best thing for him to do at the moment was just to go eat breakfast, and then find a quiet corner to sit and turn over his thoughts in.

Youngjae frowned as he stood in the doorway to the kitchen; the table was completely void of the rest of B.A.P, leaving just Jongup at the empty table, his back to the doorway.

“Jongup… where did everyone else go?” he asked, his feet still dragging across the floor as he walked over to the younger. “Jongup… Jonguppie, why are you ignoring me?”

He reached forward, his hand light on Jongup’s shoulder as he tried to get his attention. The slight touch was enough to disrupt Jongup’s balance, and Youngjae watched in horror as the younger collapsed forward against the table, his eyes wide and unseeing as his cheek landed right into the pool of blood that had begun to spread across the wood.

Youngjae stepped back, tripping over his own feet as he hit the floor. “J-Jongup?” He continued to scoot back, his hand coming into contact with something soft, and Youngjae let out a scream as he yanked his hand away, trying to put distance between himself and Himchan’s body, his eyes locked upon the knife that was still buried in the elders back.

He scrambled to his feet, running from the kitchen as fast as he could. He wasn’t but two steps into the living room when he was tripping again, his foot catching on something real this time, and Youngjae tried not to look back at where Zelo lay on the ground, his hand outstretched against the floor and the blood smears a clear sign that the maknae had been trying to drag himself to something in his last moments.

Tears were clouding his vision as he looked across the room, and a sob shook him as he noticed what was probably Yongguk, collapsed back against the wall across from Zelo’s body, his blood painting the walls behind him from the bullet that had gone through his skull and had taken his life.

“I told you, I would kill you, Yoo Youngjae.”

Youngjae snapped his head to the left, his eyes widening as Kai stepped forward, dragging Daehyun with him.

“Maybe not physically just yet… but mentally… You are dead, Youngjae.” He growled, spinning the knife in his hand before gripping Daehyun’s hair and yanking his head back to expose his throat.

“…Youngjae…”

…

“Youngjae…. Damnit Youngjae! Wake up!!” Daehyun pinned Youngjae’s wrists against his chest, trying his hardest to keep the younger still as he thrashed against him, struggling against the tangle of the blankets as the sobs continued to shake through him, even in his sleep. Daehyun had only left Youngjae alone for a mere 10 minutes to check on breakfast before he decided that he really wasn’t hungry, and would have much rather spent his morning with his boyfriend.

The second he had walked in the door, he took note of the way Youngjae was already beginning to fight against the blankets. His hands were shaking as he gripped the pillow in his clutches and sobs shook his very being.

Himchan pushed open the door, “Daehyun, what’s going on—“

“He’s having a nightmare, hyung, I can’t wake him up!!” Daehyun shouted, his voice on the edge of hysteria as he swung his leg over Youngjae, straddling his waist as he pushed him farther down into the mattress, trying to keep his still. “Hyung, wait!!” Daehyun let out a frustrated noise as Himchan just left the room with no help, and Daehyun was left trying to keep Youngjae from hurting himself in his sleep. He continued to shake him, trying to pull him from the night terror.

It wasn’t long until Himchan returned, and Daehyun had no time to move out of the way as the elder dumped the bucket of cold water onto the pair of them. The shock jolted Youngjae into awareness as he tried to sit up, but Daehyun’s hold kept him pinned down.

He was gasping for breath, his eyes wide in panic as he looked around from Daehyun to Himchan before a sob of relief had him falling limp beneath Daehyun.

Himchan dropped the bucket to the floor, easing Daehyun away from Youngjae before pulling the younger up from the soaked mattress and holding him tightly in a hug.

“C-Channie h-h-hyung…  I thought… i-it was r-real…”

Himchan shushed Youngjae lightly, gently rubbing his back. “Youngjae… what happened… Me and Daehyun are here for you, okay…”

“K-Kai showed u-up and… h-he killed e-every o-one…” Youngjae stuttered out, hiccupping slightly as he in shaky gasps of air.

“Jae, baby, it wasn’t real… it was just a nightmare…”

“F-felt r-r-real…”

Himchan held Youngjae a bit tighter, “Well, we’d never let him or anyone else come in here and hurt anyone, okay, Jae? You’re safe…” When he felt Youngjae nod against his chest, he pulled back, taking Youngjae’s cheeks in his hands as he used his thumbs to wipe away the tears, “Now, c’mon, you and Dae need to eat, okay?”

Youngjae nodded gently again, letting Himchan and Daehyun get off the bed first before he climbed out of the tangled blankets and stuck close to his boyfriend. Daehyun instantly reached over, taking Youngjae’s hand in his own as he squeezed it gently. “Hey, I’m right here, okay?”

Youngjae stayed close to Daehyun as they made it to the kitchen were Himchan sat them down and brought over the breakfast plates. He made no comment as Daehyun ate with his left hand so he could continue to hold Youngjae’s hand. He merely smiled at the two before leaving the room in search of Yongguk.

Himchan walked through the large warehouse, finally finding Yongguk sitting at the desk in his room as he worked. He knocked softly on the doorframe, leaning partially into the room. “Guk…”

“Mhmm, what’s up Channie?”

Himchan walked into the room, instantly flopping down onto the elder’s bed as he grabbed one of Yongguk’s pillows and smothered it over his face as he launched into his rants.

Yongguk was quick to put down his pen as he turned in the swivel chair, “Chan… I can’t understand you…”

Himchan removed the pillow, “Youngjae is already having nightmares and Daehyun keeps insisting that he’s fine, and I’m worried about the kids, Yongguk…”

Yongguk got up, moving to sit at the edge of the bed, “I know you are, Himchan… but, you’re doing what you can for them… Something traumatic happened, and Youngjae is going to have to work through it and come to terms about what he did… and as for Daehyun, if he says he’s okay, I’m sure he is…”

“Guk… Daehyun almost died… and… we weren’t there for him… I… I didn’t even notice—“

“Kim Himchan. You stop right this instant.” Yongguk’s voice was firm and Himchan instantly shut up, listening now as Yongguk continued, “Daehyun is stronger then we give him credit for… If he says he’s okay, give him the chance to be okay… And don’t you dare blame yourself, you had your hands full back there… we all were doing the best we could…” He patted Himchan’s hand gently, trying to offer a reassuring smile, “What matters now is that we support them… all of them… okay?”

Himchan nodded, sitting up. “Okay…” he sighed gently, “What about Youngjae’s nightmares?”

“As long as he has Daehyun, I’m sure he’s going to be okay…”

Himchan pulled a face, “This means I have to let them sleep in the same bed still… doesn’t it.”

“Yeah, Channie, it does… You’re just gonna have to deal with it.”

“Just because I have to deal with it, doesn’t mean I’ll like it.”

P.O sighed as he paced the floor space of his living room, his hands deep in his pockets as nervous butterflies fluttered about his stomach. He nearly jumped out of his skin as the lock turned in the front door and the door eased open.

“P.O, this really had better be important…” The voice from the walkway called and P.O instantly let out the breath he was holding.

“Yeah, it really is… you guys came alone, right?”

Minhyuk looked at P.O before turning his attention to U-Kwon, “Did he really just judge our ability to not be tailed?”

“Yeah, yeah I think he did…” U-Kwon said, grinning.

“Oh, shut up you two, please… This is really important…”

Minhyuk nodded, “I know… sorry… What’s going on P.O? Really, you sounded kinda freaked out when you called earlier…”

P.O waved them into the apartment, motioning for them to sit down as he flopped onto the chair next to the couch, “It’s about Youngjae…”

U-Kwon sighed, “P.O, did you seriously call us over here because you miss Youngjae—“

“I spent the weekend with him.”

“—because if you did, then you are in serious trouble—you did what?” U-Kwon nearly collapsed to the sofa, barely catching himself as he sat at the edge instead.

“I spent the weekend with Youngjae a…and B.A.P…”

Minhyuk grinning, “Oh my god, this is great, P.O! Do you know where they are at? We can send in a team to get them and Youngjae can come home—“

P.O shook his head, “It’s not that simple hyung…”

U-Kwon reached forward, resting his hand on P.O’s arm, “C’mon, Jihoon, you know you can tell us anything, right?”

P.O nodded this time, “Yeah, I know… that’s why Youngjae wanted me to talk to you two… to.. Uhm… pass on a message of sorts…” He sighed. “All this research you have on B.A.P… on what they’ve done and their whole gang history… it’s all false…”

“I don’t understand…”

“They’ve been set up this whole time… there’s like… these gang wars going on, I don’t know, but… There are only five of them, and… they are barely adults. They just sit at their home and… they don’t really do anything. It’s all talk.”

“But the bank robberies… the murders, everything we have on them—“

“Is wrong. All of it, just… wrong.” P.O looked at U-Kwon and Minhyuk, “You guys believe me, don’t you? Because… Youngjae gave me more… but… I have to know that I can trust you…” he sat up a bit straighter, “He’s risking his life, and theirs, by giving me this information… And I need to know that I can trust you.”

Minhyuk pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh, “We need proof that it’s all false, P.O, we can’t just take some gangs word that they didn’t do anything… I know Youngjae’s risking a lot by talking to you now, but—“

“No. No B.A.P liked me, that’s not the risk, they wouldn’t come after me… It’s just… There’s a mole in our agency, and… t…there’s someone else that knows about Youngjae’s status as an undercover cop…”

U-kwon’s eyes went impossibly wide, “If his cover is blown, we need to get him out of there now, it’s not safe anymore… we need to tell Jieun.”

P.O shook his head quickly, “There’s no telling who the mole is. We can’t risk anything, please… just… I need to know now… do you trust Youngjae’s judgment?”

Minhyuk and U-kwon shared a look, forming a silent agreement before they both looked to P.O, nodding. “Yeah, we trust him, and we trust you, P.O. If you two say that B.A.P is innocent, well… we’ll hear you out at least…”

P.O sighed in relief, reaching beneath his chair and pulling out a thick notebook before flipping it open. He thumbed through the pages, each one written out neatly in P.O’s handwriting, as he tried to find the notes he was looking for. “Bang Yongguk is the eldest in the group, he’s the one that started B.A.P from what Youngjae told me… it started out as him and his friend Yang Yoseob, who is now deceased. He did so to help, uhm… Choi Junhong… He goes by Zelo though, and he’s the youngest… Youngjae told me that Zelo’s parents were always getting drunk and fighting and Yongguk saved him.” P.O glanced at Minhyuk and U-kwon before looking back down at the pages, “Uhm, the next one that had joined as Kim Himchan… Youngjae refused to tell me the exact reasons how Himchan hyung became part of the group, but, he made it clear that Yongguk hyung had saved Himchan after some sort of violent attack.”

“Why wouldn’t he tell you this part?” U-kwon questioned.

“He said it was really personal and it wasn’t his story to share…” P.O said, flipping a few pages, “Uhm… another one of the members is Jung Daehyun… He has a record of running away from home, and Youngjae told me that Yongguk took him in during a monsoon season a few years back when he found him sitting outside in the rain…” P.O grew quiet as he tried to figure out how to bring up the subject of the last member.

It was Minhyuk that seemed to notice P.O’s hesitation. “You’ve only told us about four… there are five of them though, right?”

P.O nodded, pulling out a note from the back of the notebook. “Uh… the last member, he joined before Daehyun, and… well, Youngjae told me that it was Himchan that had helped him…” The two waited patiently for P.O to continue and finally, he folded the note book over before setting it onto the coffee table. “Look… B.A.P wouldn’t have any reason to rob any banks. It would be redundant, considering their last member is Moon Jongup.” If the matter at hand hadn’t been so important, P.O might have laughed at the twin looks of shock.

“M-Moon… as in—“

“Yeah, that Moon. He took off with is families fortune and found Himchan in the streets. Youngjae said that nobody in the gang, aside from maybe Himchan hyung really knows what happened that night… but… They are still living off of what Jongup had managed to fit into his backpack that night…”

U-kwon sighed, “I don’t know… It all sounds… too good to be true…”

P.O nodded, “yeah… That’s what I thought.”

“Why were you even with them, P.O?”

P.O looked at Minhyuk, “Uhm, about that… I told you that there’s a gang war going on, right? The one that is setting them up… they grabbed Youngjae and did a pretty bad number on him, left him drugged in some alley way… I was the only one that could trace the cell phone they left with him…”

U-Kwon looked shocked, “Why the hell would they do that, I thought you said B.A.P weren’t involved with the street gangs?”

“Not fully… But there’s this one… they are the ones that have been setting B.A.P up. Apparently it’s not the first time that it’s happened though.” P.O sighed, “And please… just… don’t ask about them, okay… We can’t go after them…”

“Why not, we’re cops, P.O… if they are the ones that are causing all of this violence, we need to focus on them and not B.A.P—“

“They know about me and JB… They’ve threatened Youngjae.”

“.” Minhyuk ran his hands through his hair. “Fine, okay, we will find a way to track them down later. But how do we know that we can still trust B.A.P?”

“Well… after I got Youngjae back to their hideout safely, Himchan hyung made me stay for dinner, then wouldn’t let me leave because it was past 1 am and he didn’t like the idea of me driving that late…”

“Okay, so one of them worries a bit—“

“You didn’t see the way they were when I brought Youngjae inside…” P.O shook his head, “I swear, they all had to make sure he was okay, they wouldn’t believe him just stating it… Every single one of them checked for injuries that he might have been hiding… They are worse then you are with Minhyuk…”

U-kwon looked surprised, “That’s can’t be true… Me and Minhyuk are in a relationship, it’s different—“

“They are a family, U-Kwon…” P.O said, his voice stressed as he scooted forward in his chair, “That explosion a few months back… Did you know B.A.P was caught up in it…”

“Yeah, there was rumor that B.A.P caused it—“

“No… They were there meeting with someone else… another gang tried to kill them…”

Minhyuk looked confused, “Well, apparently they are fine, so why are you bringing this up?”

“Youngjae was there.”

“And he’s fine—“

“Because Daehyun went back into the burning building and pulled him out from under the debris before the roof could collapse on him. He risked his own life to save Youngjae’s. You can’t tell me that it’s any different.”

U-kwon stared at P.O, “… You better not be implying what I think you are, P.O…”

Minhyuk just looked plain confused as he looked between the two, “What… What is he implying, Kwon?”

U-kwon turned to Minhyuk, “He said they are worse than we are… The only reason I’d go running into a burning build is if you were inside… well, is because I love you…”

It took a few seconds before Minhyuk caught his drift and he put his head in his hands, “... Youngjae’s gotten himself in deep…”

“Yeah… he has…”

The next week seemed to go by so slow for the members of B.A.P, between both Youngjae’s nightmares and Daehyun’s constant insistent that he was fine and his refusal to talk about his near death experience, all of the members were walking on a thin wire. There was constant tension in the air, and the nights seemed to drag on forever, each member too preoccupied with their own thoughts to get any sleeping done.  Almost everyone refused to leave the hideout in fear of Exo coming after them and another member of their family getting hurt. Nu’Est had stopped by a few times, JR and Aron giving Yongguk and Himchan updates on what was going on in the underground, Minhyun would always try to get Daehyun to talk, and Ren always bring over a good amount of food knowing full well that B.A.P was unable to leave to go shopping for the basics.

MYNAME had shown up once in the week, bringing a night of good cheer as they tried to keep B.A.P busy and their minds off of the threat of EXO with several board games and a few movies.

The second week was easier for them all, Daehyun had opened up to Youngjae, and in turn, Youngjae had less nightmares then the week before.  They began to do normal things once more, including Himchan going out shopping for groceries to restock the fridge.

It would be lie to say that the collective sigh of relief was nonexistent when Himchan returned from the trip without a scratch, complaining that the bags were heavy and help would be nice with them. Zelo and Jongup slowly slipped back into their roles of troublemaking, pulling light pranks on their hyung’s to induce the contagious smiles that were sure the light the place back up.

By the third week, Youngjae barely had any nightmares and Daehyun was smiling and trying to eat the place out of house and home once more. Himchan was back to his nagging “umma-chan” role, teasing Daehyun and  Youngjae about their sleeping in the same bed while insisting they were too young for that sort of stuff. Yongguk was back to watching any and every war movie he could get his hands on, and Zelo would always join him, sitting at the floor at his feet and leaning against his legs as they watched the often foreign movies. And as for Jongup… no one was ever sure about the kid, but he was smiling just as he always did, silently observing everyone with happiness in his eyes as his family slowly got back to their normal selves.

It was nearly a month after the instant had happened when Himchan had a spur of the moment thought, insisting that the warehouse needed to be cleaned from top to bottom. He put everyone to work dusting and mopping and cleaning every nook and cranny of the building.

Youngjae was left with the task of taking out the newest bag of trash accumulated from one of the store rooms. He pushed open the door with his hip, dragging the heavy black bag behind himself as he made the slow trek to the dumpster located behind the warehouse. It took a deep breath and a good heave to send it up over the edge of the dumpster and into the bin on the inside. Youngjae grinned when the task was complete, wiping his hands on his thighs as he turned to head back inside.

The screech of tires spinning on asphalt had him pausing as he his heel to look back at the street. A white unmarked van skidded to a halt, and Youngjae barely had time to so much as breath as the door was slid open with ease and he was drug into the dark interior.

Youngjae put up a fight, lashing out as he was pushed roughly to the floor of the van. His first instinct was to open his mouth to scream for help, knowing full well he was still close enough to the warehouse for someone to hear him. Rough hands were quick to shove a wad of course material between his teeth, forcing a strip of duct tape over his lips to help further muffle any sounds Youngjae could even wish to make. Still, Youngjae protested as loud as he could behind the gag, trying not to choke on the thick material as he was rolled onto his stomach. It didn’t take much for the strong men to pin his arms behind his back, his wrists being bound in place by the constricting duct tape.

He tried his hardest to roll out of their hold, but weight on his legs kept him still as his feet were pushed together and more of the duct tape was wrapped around his ankles. Youngjae wasn’t even given a chance to get a good look around the interior of the van as he was hauled up from the floor board and into a sitting position. A thick hood was pulled over his head, the rope at the base tightening around his neck to keep it in place. Youngjae instantly began to panic as the darkness engulfed his vision. The hood kept in the heat from each harsh breath he took, and Youngjae felt like it was already suffocating him.

The van came to a sudden halt, and Youngjae toppled to the side, a small moan of pain as his head struck the hard floor escaping him. He struggled, trying to get away from the grip on his arms as the doors opened and he was unloaded from the van roughly.

His heels drug uselessly against the concrete as he was moved from the van that had picked him up to an unknown vehicle. His feet were knocked out from beneath him, and Youngjae’s stomach turned over as he was carelessly loaded into the trunk of what might have been a car. The whimper of fear was barely heard as someone gripped onto his jaw through the hood, turning his head to the side.

“Yoo Youngjae, if I were you, I wouldn’t do anything stupid.” The voice was a mere growl, and before Youngjae knew it, the trunk slammed shut and he was left bound in his cramped prison.

His heart raced a million miles a minute as the heat from being in the trunk made it even harder to breathe through the hood. He slowly shifted his body, testing how far he could stretch his legs in the small area. He learned that there wasn’t much room, but still, Youngjae rolled as far as he could onto his stomach, trying to pull his arms free from behind him.

The only thing he managed to do was cause the duct tape to roll together tighter against his skin as he worked up a sweat in the already uncomfortable space. He gave up, blinking heavily as the situation he was in settled in.

He wasn’t sure how much time went by in the small trunk but he knew with each inhale, his breathing was becoming more labored. His hair was plastered to his forehead as the sweat rolled down the side of his face and the extreme heat was making him feel lethargic.

Youngjae was barely conscious when the car finally came to a lurching stop. There was a moment of silence before the trunk was popped open. Youngjae was grateful for the sudden rush of fresh, and more importantly, cool air and was too busy trying to take in as many deep breaths as he could to put up much of a fight as the strong hands pulled him roughly from the back of the car. Youngjae conserved his strength, merely remaining limp in the hold as his feet once more drug across the ground as he was moved from one location to the next.

He was dropped down into a chair, a knife sliding between his arms to cut the duct tape free. Any chance of freedom Youngjae could have hoped for was diminished as his arms were pinned down to the armrests of the chair, thick chains wrapping several times around his wrists to hold him in place.

“Are you going to be a good boy, Youngjae?”

Youngjae took a shaky breath through his nose, nodding slowly. He was grateful when the rope around his neck was loosened and the hood was pulled free. He whined softly as the duct tape was ripped off his mouth before the gag was removed from his mouth. Youngjae blinked against the harsh spotlight that was shining directly in his eyes, “What do you want with me—ungh.” His head snapped to the side and the taste of blood filled his mouth as a fist connected with his jaw. He spit the blood from his mouth and tried to ask his question again. This time, the fist sank into his stomach, sending Youngjae doubling over in the chair as he choked on his air.

“I don’t want anything with you, Yoo Youngjae… this is just going to be extremely fun for me.”

The voice set Youngjae’s teeth on edge, and he knew he had the right to worry as he wasn’t given so much as a chance to breathe it between each punch. He was on the verge of passing out from the sheer pain when a grip on his jaw forced his head up.

“Hmm… If I had more time, I’d have liked to wait until the bruises show up… but I guess this will do for now.”

Youngjae’s eyes were almost closed as his head fell forward once more. He took shaking breaths through his blood caked lips, listening as the man began to talk.

“—It’s simple really, you have something I want, and I have something you want.”

Youngjae couldn’t help but cry out in pain as the fist connected with the side of his face, harder than any of the other times as he nearly toppled out of the chair, only managing to stay in the seat because of the chains still wrapped around his arms. His face was lifted up again as the man ran his thumb over his split lip, smirking sadistically down at him.

A tight grip in his hair kept his head held back, exposing his neck as the cool metal blade of a knife was pressed into his skin.

“State your name.”

“Y-Y-Yoo Y-YoungJ-jae…” he stuttered,  blood bubbling on his lips as he tried not to shake in fear from the knife.

He was let go momentarily, the heavy weight of something being hooked around his neck. He barely got a glimpse of the $10,000,000 sign that had been put on him before his hair was being yanked back again. It was now that Youngjae finally got a good look at what was in front of him, the slow blinking red light on the edge of the camera causing his stomach to turn in knots. The camera was clicked off, and the hand in his hair released him almost immediately.

“Someone get this cut and edited so we can get it out ASAP.”

There was a ton of movement around Youngjae, and his head was spinning just trying to keep up with it.

“God damnit, let me in here now!!”

Youngjae slowly brought up his gaze as a bright red headed male pushed his way to the front, collapsing in front of the chair Youngjae was still bound to. “, Jae… This wasn’t supposed to happen, I promise…”

Tears welled in Youngjae’s eyes, “U-kwon…?”

“Shh, it’s okay Jae…” U-kwon looked away from his friend, “Can someone please untie him, he needs medical care.”

“No.”

U-kwon stood up, turning and coming almost nose to nose with Hyunseung. “What do you mean “no”… You’ve gotten your power trip from beating him, let us do our job and take care of him now—“

“Why, so B.A.P can wonder who took care of Youngjae and dressed his wounds when he’s supposed to be held hostage for ransom? Get your head out of the damn clouds. Youngjae is fine, a good roughing up will toughen him anyways.”

U-kwon grit his teeth, trying not to fly off the handle and provoke Hyunseung into doing anything else to hurt Youngjae or anyone else for that matter. “Can you at least get someone to let him out of the chair?” He asked through gritted teeth.

Hyunseung grinned, “Sure, I’ll take care of that.” He said, glee in his voice. True to his words, he unlocked the constricting chains, giving Youngjae just a few seconds of freedom before yanking his arms in front of him, placing a pair of tight fitting handcuffs around his wrists.

“Hyunseung! What the hell—“

“Do you know how long he was with B.A.P, how brainwashed he might be… This is for our own protection.”

“We don’t need protection from Youngjae—“

“Yeah, and I bet the first words he’s going to try to tell you is that B.A.P is innocent. He was with them for nearly half a year, we don’t know what kind of thoughts they put into his head.”

Youngjae felt his heart sink as he listened to U-kwon and Hyunseung continue to argue. It was true, the second he was alone with U-Kwon, he was going to try his hardest to convince his friend that B.A.P was innocent, that they had been set up… but now, with Hyunseung's words, it’d only make the theory of him being brainwashed that much more believable. “U-kwon…  I-It’s fine…” Youngjae finally mumbled, his voice rough and slightly muddled as he tried to speak through the intense pain in his jaw and the swelling of his lips.

U-Kwon nodded sadly, “Alright… well… let’s at least get you somewhere so you can rest…” He said, easing Youngjae out of the chair. The younger was unsteady on his feet, but soon found enough balance to follow after U-kwon. He kept his gaze on his feet, ignoring the stares he got from his once coworkers as he walked behind U-kwon, his hands still bound tightly in the handcuffs like some petty criminal. U-kwon reached back and took Youngjae’s elbow, steering him into an unused room and shutting the door quickly behind them.

“Damnit… I don’t have the right key for these, I’m sorry…” He said instantly as he inspected the hand cuffs.  He eased Youngjae down into an abandoned chair as he kneeled in front of him, resting his hands gently on Youngjae’s cheeks, “I need to know now, will they actually show up for you?”

Youngjae looked up at U-Kwon, nodding his head slowly, “I got into the organization, and became part of the group completely. I did my job.” He whispered.

He was definitely in shock the second U-kwon broke out into a grin, “From what I heard, you did a whole lot more…”

“I-I… I mean, n-no—“

U-kwon shook his head, “Don’t lie to me, Youngjae…” he warned, a grin still on his lips, “Jihoon told us everything, by us I mean me and Minhyuk, and… we will try to help you, okay?”

“… You don’t think I’m brainwashed?”

U-kwon shook his head. “I know you weren’t… And… I trust your judgment, besides… everything that Jihoon gave us as evidence, it makes so much more sense… We’ve been working on this for a month…”

Youngjae nodded slowly. U-kwon was rubbing gentle circles with his thumbs on Youngjae’s cheeks, the action soothing as Youngjae found his eyes closing slowly. “I don’t want to betray them…”

“Youngjae… we have a plan.” U-kwon whispered, continuing the gentle action as it lulled Youngjae to sleep, “Just… do what Jieun wants you to do… we will take care of the rest.” He smiled, leaning forward and kissing Youngjae on the forehead, “We’ll take care of you now, okay, get some sleep, Jae…”

Youngjae wasn’t sure how long he had been asleep for, but he knew that much time couldn’t have passed. He was awoken with the sharp sting of a slap, his head jerking to the side from the force as the groan of pain made its way through his bloody and cracked lips.

“There we go, our little sleeping beauty is waking up…” Hyunseung grinned down at Youngjae as the dirty blonde blinked owlishly up at him, trying to get his baring and understand what was going on.

Youngjae tried to look away to take in his surroundings to make sure he hadn’t been moved from the room U-Kwon had taken him to. The gasp was quick to leave him as a strong grip settled on his already bruised jaw and forced his head back to the front.

“You think you’re hot , don’t you, Youngjae? You’ve got the big bad B.A.P wrapped around your little finger…” Hyunseung’s voice was like venom as he reached down, gripping the short chain between the handcuffs so that Youngjae couldn’t try to push him away. He applied the right sort of pressure, causing the metal cuffs to dig uncomfortably into Youngjae’s skin. “I wish I had more time to play… It would be so fun to break you…”

Youngjae bit his tongue, trying not to provoke the elder. His head was still pounding and he was sure that Hyunseung had already left quite a mark on him from the previous beating. He honestly didn’t want to risk any further injury.

“Don’t worry though… I can’t kill you just yet… EXO has yet to get their revenge, after all.”

Youngjae’s eyes widened and he pulled back, trying to get away from Hyunseung, “W-What are you—“ Youngjae was cut off as Hyunseung let go of his jaw in opt to back hand him sharply, the skin of his cheek rapidly reddening as it smarted.

“Did you honestly think you would get away with murder, Youngjae? Every man must accept the consequences of his actions… Besides… After all the help EXO has so willingly given me…” Hyunseung grinned sadistically, “I think handing you over will be quite the reward.”

Youngjae nearly fell from the chair as Hyunseung shoved him back roughly as he stood before him, “Enjoy what time you have left, Youngjae…” He said, laughter in his voice as he left the room.

Youngjae was left to his own thoughts for a good thirty minutes before U-kwon finally came in the room. “Oh, good, you’re awake, Youngjae~” he said brightly, “I brought you breakfast—ouch… I guess they did a number on you yesterday… god, it looks like its getting worse…” he gently touched Youngjae’s cheek, noticing the dark splotches of red upon the skin that were sure to fade into the purple of bruising. “Do you want me to get you some ice for that?”

Youngjae shook his head quickly, “I’m fine, U-kwon…”

“If you say so…” 

omg, insanely long chapter. I'm sorry. I thought heavily about splitting it, but then both chapters would have been kinda short (in my opnion). I hope you all don't mind.

we are back in MV territory... omg, i'm on schedule. haha. I can not wait for these next few chapters, I have been teasing you guys so much about what is to come, and I am so excited now. I hope you all are enjoying the story!!

Cuddles,

Lynn