As the commotion in the Shinee dorm finally settled down, Sojin had a moment to breathe. Taking a seat on the couch, he cycled through the pressing matters that he needed to take care of. First off, he only had four days left to make Onew fall for him. That was a big enough problem in itself. He considered simply confessing to the leader and hoping that the older boy would reciprocate, but he couldn't work up the bravery. The second problem was the risk of anymore attacks by the hitmen. Sojin was fairly sure the men hadn't followed them, but they seemed to have a lot of information. If they had found out where his apartment had been, what was to stop them from breaking into the dorm? The third matter was Taemin's overbearing presence. His inability to shut the maknae down during their previous conversation seemed to have made the dancer even more aggressive in his pursuit of Sojin. Ironically, Sojin was shaken from these thoughts as the dancer sat down on the couch next to him, seemingly deep in thought as well.

Sojin scanned the room, hoping to see one of the other members so that Taemin wouldn't try to pull anything. Unfortunately, they all seemed to have returned to their rooms or left the dorm. After a brief silence, Taemin turned to him with a devious smile. Sojin moved to get up from the couch, but the younger boy pulled out a piece of paper from the jacket he was wearing and held it out towards him. Confused, he took the paper and read it over. An address?

"What's this for?" Sojin asked, his eyes narrowing at the dancer. It better not be some kind of offer for a date.

"After the night when the men broke into your apartment, I had some of my friends track down them down for you. That's where they live! I wasn't gonna do anything if they didn't bother you again, but..." the maknae trailed off. 

"What?!" Sojin exclaimed, getting so surprised that he began coughing. Regaining his composure, he looked from the note to Taemin. "Well...I guess this is good. We can call the police on them!"

The dancer shook his head, plucking the note from Sojin's hand and rising from the couch.

"Nope! I'm going to go take care of them myself!" he stated. Sojin's eyes widened upon hearing the maknae's words. As the dancer moved towards the door to the apartment, Sojin grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"No! Why would you put yourself in danger like that?" he questioned, keeping his grip on the maknae's arm to make sure he didn't get away. Taemin glanced back at Sojin, a slight smirk crossing his face.

"If I agree not to go, will you...go on a date with me?" 

Sojin stared up in disbelief at the maknae before breaking out into laughter. After a few moments, his face darkened.

"You're really losing it, aren't you?" Sojin asked. "You did all of this just to get a date? You're going to put your life in danger to get a date?" 

Taemin nodded. "Doesn't this prove how much I like you?" he questioned, seemingly serious about the whole thing. Sojin shook his head in annoyance.

"You're not going. And I'm not going on a date with you! Especially in a situation like this!" 

Taemin pulled his arm free from Sojin's grip and headed towards the door.

"Ya! Stop, Taemin! This is so dumb!" he exclaimed. He glanced down the hallway, wondering if Onew was in his room. "Onew hyung! Onew hyung, come here quickly!" 

Maybe the leader would be able to talk Taemin out of it. However, upon hearing Sojin call for the older boy, the dancer broke into a run. Not wanting to lose sight of him, Sojin followed, unable to wait for Onew. Reaching the bottom of the staircase, Taemin had managed to put a bit of distance between them. Sojin raced out the front door of the dorm, nearly colliding with Jonghyun who was reentering. 

"Jonghyun!" Sojin exclaimed, grabbing the singer's wrist and pulling him after him. "Follow me! And get Onew on the phone!"

Jonghyun looked unpleased at having to run, his eyes turning from confusion to a glare. 

"Where are we going? Are you and Taemin playing tag or something?" he asked. This time it was Sojin's eyes who narrowed. He quickly explained the maknae's plan, causing Jonghyun to gasp in surprise and pull out his phone.

"I'll call Onew! Make sure we don't lose sight of him! This kid..." Jonghyun muttered, placing his phone to his ear. A few moments later, he lowered it with a sigh. "He must be in a recording or something. Looks like we'll have to handle this ourselves."

Sojin gritted his teeth and nodded, pushing himself to increase his speed. The boys continued to run for what seemed like an eternity, the distance between Taemin and the duo shortening and lengthening, but never allowing the pair to catch up. Sojin's lungs were on fire and he could hear Jonghyun panting beside him as the chase continued. If this went on for any longer, he would have to give up or face collapsing. As if he could hear Sojin's thoughts, Taemin slowed to a halt, glancing back at Sojin and Jonghyun before entering a large brick building to his left.

As the pair came upon the building, Sojin glanced up at it, curious to see what the enemy's base looked like. He had expected something more high tech. The building's windows were almost all boarded up and the whole structure looked rather dilapidated. Graffiti lined the walls near the lower levels, though it trickled off near the third, and final, level. The door in front of him had no lock or handle, swinging back and forth lightly from Taemin's entrance.

"Should we arm ourselves before we go in?" Jonghyun asked, breaking Sojin's focus. 

"I guess so...who knows what they have in there."

Jonghyun entered the alleyway alongside the building and returned with a metal pole and a wooden stake, handing the metal weapon to Sojin. The younger boy's eyes widened. Would he really be able to hit someone with this if it came to it? He wasn't much of a fighter and he always felt guilty about even slightly harming others. The boy questioned whether he was actually happy that Taemin had led them to this place. Perhaps they could finally put an end to the craziness that had taken ahold of his life. Tightening his grip on the pole, Sojin looked to Jonghyun, nodding, then entered the building.

Even though he had seen the rundown appearance of the building's exterior, the dim lighting and stained walls still surprised him. The sheer size of the interior was also intimidating. Taemin could have gone in a number of directions as multiple rooms branched off from the main lobby where they had entered. The first floor was silent and devoid of people, including Taemin. 

"I don't think there's anyone on this floor..." Jonghyun muttered, echoing Sojin's thoughts. "Did he go up already? Now that we're here, he should have waited for us!" 

The lead singer wasted no time in dashing up the stairs, Sojin following close behind. As they reached the top of the steps, Jonghyun came to a sharp halt, the younger boy bumping into him.

"Shh!" Jonghyun exclaimed, putting his finger to his lips and peering around the corner. "There are people on this floor!"

Sojin crept up and also took a glance. This floor was split into two large rooms, one with three men standing guard over the next staircase, and one empty save for a single desk with paperwork on it and Taemin sifting through it. Sojin's eyes widened upon sighting the dancer and he made to move towards him, but Jonghyun grabbed his arm and pulled him back. The singer pulled him to the corner of the staircase in an embrace, signaling to be quiet as a guard walked from the staircase room to the room with Taemin. 

"Hey! What are you doing in here?" the man questioned, moving towards Taemin. The dancer didn't answer, moving to the other side of the desk to put it between them. Sojin tried to escape from Jonghyun's embrace, but the singer held him tightly.

"You're just gonna attract the attention of the other two guards!" Jonghyun whispered. "Maybe he has a plan. If he needs our help, we can go give him a hand!" And so the pair stayed in the staircase, watching the scene unfold.

The man closed the distance between himself and the maknae in a moment's time. Sojin thought he saw a plan formulating on the maknae's face. Maybe Taemin knew some information that would get him past the guards without a fight. In the blink of an eye, the dancer had ripped out one of the desk's drawers and swung it at the man. Surprisingly, it actually made contact, making a loud cracking sound as it shattered against the man's shoulder. The man grunted and shouted for his allies before charging the dancer. Taemin dodged nimbly out of the way before picking up the desk's chair and using it to fend off the man. 

As the two other guards passed by Jonghyun and Sojin and headed towards Taemin, the lead singer finally released him. 

"We'll take them by surprise. You take the left one and I'll take the right. Just make sure you don't miss!" 

Sojin nodded as Jonghyun counted down from three. As the countdown ended, the duo bounded out from their hiding place, Jonghyun swiftly striking down his target before moving on to aid Taemin. The singer swung at the man Taemin was staving off, forcing him to dodge. Not skipping a beat, the maknae caught the side of the man's head with a leg of the chair, sending him sprawling to the floor. Sojin had not faired so well. The metal pole in his hand felt rather deadly and it had caused him to hesitate before striking his target. Sensing Sojin behind him, the man had turned, grabbing hold of the pole and trying to wrench from the boy's grasp. He managed to hold onto the weapon, but the man used his strength to jab the pole into Sojin's stomach. 

"Ugh!" he exclaimed, releasing his grip as the breath was knocked from him. He managed to regain his composure to hop just out of range of the man's first swing with the pole, glancing around for something to save himself with. Nothing. 

Suddenly, the stake Jonghyun had been holding flew through the air, striking the man square in the back and causing him to drop the pole. 

"Nice aim!" he heard Taemin explain. Sojin dove for the pole, managing to grab it before his aggressor. This time he did not hesitate, driving the pole up with all his might and striking the man square between the legs. Taking the full impact of the strike, he let out a squeak and fell to the ground.

"Knocking him out quickly would've been more merciful," Jonghyun said, shaking his head disapprovingly. Taemin ran over and pulled Sojin to his feet, looking him up and down in surprise.

"Why did you come in here! It's too dangerous!"

"I could say the same to you! You made Jonghyun and I so worried that we had to follow!"

"I guess it's good that you did...I probably couldn't handle three of them on my own."

Sojin walked over to the desk, tracing his fingers over the papers laying on top. "What were you looking for in here?"

"I wanted to get some evidence that I could take to the police to get that girl arrested!" 

Sojin raised his eyebrows, impressed. That actually wasn't a horrible idea, minus the part about entering a guarded building alone. 

"Did you find anything?"

Taemin smiled and held up a slim, maroon booklet. "It's a list of all their targets. It even has pictures and their plans!" 

Jonghyun let out a cheer. "Perfect! Let's take this to the police and send them here. They'll put her away for sure!" 

Taemin nodded his agreement, waving the booklet in the air. "I never intended to fight her. I'm better at planning than that, Sojin."

Sojin glared, but refrained from arguing. "Alright, let's get out of here before someone notices."

The trio headed back to the staircase and quietly descended, nearly reaching the front door before a voice pierced the air. 

"HOLD IT!" 

Sojin's heart dropped as he saw the girl appear at the bottom of the staircase, a switchblade in hand and the guard that Sojin had hit behind her.

"You sneaky bastard," she said, pointing at Sojin as a smile spread across her face. Sojin took a deep breathe, turning to face her.

"Please! I don't want to get you in trouble...I just want you to leave me alone!" he exclaimed. Sojin remembered the book in Taemin's hand, realizing that the girl had other targets that must be experiencing the same torment as him. "Actually...I do want to get you in trouble! You harass people over nothing and I see that I'm not the only one!"

He had tried to be nice, but this girl wasn't having it. If he had to be aggressive for once in order to take her down, he would do what he needed to. 

"I tried to be nice about it! I tried to work out a deal, but it seems like all you want is for me to end up dead! Let's settle this once and for all. I won't hold back anymore!" 

A smirk spread across the girl's face. "I was hoping you'd say that."

She rushed the boy, blade glinting in the dim light. Sojin held firm until the last second, when he sidestepped and delivered a blow to the girl's back with the pole. Her momentum carried her into the wall, just left of the front door. Unfortunately, Sojin's dodge left him open to the guard. The man moved quickly and locked the boy in a chokehold. Regaining her composure, the girl dashed towards him, eager to take him down. Perhaps too eager, as Jonghyun easily bodychecked her from the side, sending her rolling across the floor. Taemin grabbed the blade before she could react and ran over to Sojin. The guard released him in fear and backed away. 

"Make sure he doesn't get away!" Sojin exclaimed, as he headed towards the door, intending to get help. Taemin nodded and backed the man into a corner. Before Sojin could get out the door, and before Jonghyun could stop her, the girl let out a roar of annoyance and tackled the boy with all of her might. Both of them smashed through the front door, rolling down the wooden front steps onto the sidewalk below. 

"I'LL KILL YOU, YOU BRAT!" she exclaimed, pinning him down and wrapping her fingers around his throat. Cuts covered her face from the fall and he was sure it was the same for him. Multiple passerbyers slowed down to observe the scene as Sojin attempted to pry her grip away. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Jonghyun in the doorway, a concerned look on his face. Sojin held his hand out, signaling for the singer to stay where he was. If all these observers saw a Shinee member embroiled in this, a huge scandal would be created.

As he began to get dizzy from lack of air, a smile spread across his face as the sound he had been waiting for finally flitted across his ears. The sirens of a passing police car blared loudly as it pulled over next to the boy and girl, the officers immediately lifting the girl off of him and looking at her in bewilderment. 

"He attacked me first!" she immediately exclaimed. 

"It's not true," said one of the witnesses, the others nodding around him. "I saw her tackle him out of that building and then scream that she would kill him."

Sojin pulled himself to his feet and drew a deep breathe. "Not only that, but she has a whole book of plans to assault others in that building," Sojin said, pointing. He led the police within, hoping that the Shinee members had cleared out. Indeed, the building was empty, save for the maroon book laying on the floor. Sojin handed it to the police and saw their eyes widen. 

"She's linked to those gangsters? Kid, we've been searching for this girl for a long time. You just did us a huge favor," one of the policemen stated. Sojin managed a smile, even through his aching bones. 

"I think a few of her crew are still in the building," he stated, pointing towards the staircase. The policemen nodded and urged him to go back outside. Sojin obeyed, locking eyes with the girl as she was handcuffed. A look of pure rage filled her eyes and he swore that she would have killed him right then and there had the handcuffs not restrained her. Sojin widened his smile to a full out grin as the police stuffed her into their vehicle. 

"Do you need to go to the hospital?" one of the officers asked him, taking a closer look at his injuries. 

"N-no, it's fine!" Sojin stammered, in disbelief that he was finally free of this situation. "I'm just going to head home."

The officer nodded and handed him a piece of paper with information on how to follow up. Sojin thanked him and began his trek back to the Shinee apartment. With one of his problems taken care of, he could finally turn his attention to Onew. He was sure that Taemin expected some kind of reward for this--and admittedly, he deserved one--but he would deal with that later. He inhaled and took in a deep breathe of the outdoor air as a smile spread across his face. For once he would be able to have a peaceful walk back home.

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Omg, sorry, that was the longest hiatus EVER. School got reallll cray xD but the upcoming Shinee comeback inspired me to come back! This chapter is super long to make up for the gap. ^^; pleaseeee subscribe and comment! <3 thanks guys!