INVITES CHERIE LIU & A GUEST TO AN INTIMATE EVENING SOIRÉE AT THE

CARLTON HOTEL BAGLIONI

VIA SENATO 5, MILAN, LOMBARDI, 20121

SATURDAY, MAY 13

9PM

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"I'm so sorry," Hyukjae whispered, the lavender-scented invitation card from Vogue scrunched in his hand.

Cherie's cheeks, Hyukjae sniffed and let out a bitter laugh. "You must hate me right now. I feel so ing useless. I don't even know who I'm supposed to protect you and my family from."

The life-support machines whirred weakly as the electrocardiogram tracing monitor beeped loudly, reveberating in the grim, white hospital room filled with nothing but harsh forboding and lifeless gloom. Cherie's frail body lay vulnerably on the standard-issue hospital bed, her delicate features tinted with hideous shades of gray and pale blue, pallid in a cadaverous nature.

"It doesn't look pretty," the doctor had said. "She has an unfathomable amount of rat poison in her system."

Burying his face in the hollow of Cherie's neck, which was barely pulsating against her fragile, cold skin, Hyukjae let out a tortured cry.

"Please don't go," he whimpered, feeling his tears staining his own face.

"It really hurts. It hurts to even think of not having you by my side. Please don't leave me by myself. I'd do anything to have you wake up and look at me with those breathtaking eyes. I told you this before but the first time I met you, I knew I couldn't let anyone else have you. Your kisses are mine. Your hugs are mine. You're mine and mine only. I know this is extremely selfish of me, but I can't let God take you back yet. I know we've only known each other for a month, but this was the best month of my life, and I want to have many more months like this together. With you, the love of my life. I love you, Cherie Liu."

Surreptitiously standing outside of Cherie's hospital room, Bea's nose tingled as she overheard his confession.

Whoever the psycho was, he was going down. Even if she had to personally the bastard down into the fiery pits of raging hell, she would. For Vincent. For Hyuk. And for Cherie.

"Oh, Mrs. Lee, were you going in too?" Leeteuk asked from behind her, holding a pot of fresh chicken soup.

"No dear, I was actually just leaving. You can go ahead," Bea said as she gestured for him to go in.

Walking in, Leeteuk set the soup on the table beside Cherie's bed. "How's she doing?"

"Not too great," Hyukjae sighed as he sat up straight in his chair. Clasping Cherie's hands in his, he hoped to transfer some of his warmth to her icy body.

Hyukjae's red rimmed eyes looked hollow and sunken, his bloodshot orbs devoid of vitality. It was obvious he had been crying for a long time.

"I'm sorry bro. Is there anything at all I could do?"

"Maybe catch the dousche who did this to Cherie and my dad and kill him for me?"

"I would, if you told me who he was," Leeteuk said.

"That's the problem," Hyukjae narrowed his eyes. "If I knew who the culprit was, Bea would have him thrown in jail for life before he could even say 'Dickhead-of-the-year'."

"Do you have anyone in mind?"

"There's no one I know who would actually do these kinds of revolting acts," Hyukjae twisted his face in disgust.

"Maybe a secret stalker of some kind then," Leeteuk offered.

"You're probably right," Hyukjae blinked a couple of times, considering Leeteuk's point. "There was an anonymous package one night, and last night, Cherie got creeped out by weird shrieking noises near her window."

"Which is why she spent the whole night in your lovely bed with you," Leeteuk couldn't help but add.

Hyukjae smiled ever so slightly, but brushed away the thought for now. He needed to catch a lunatic on the loose first.

"Did he leave hints as to what he wanted?" Leeteuk asked again.

"No, he just told Cherie to be careful... which doesn't make any sense since isn't the stalker aiming his attacks at me?"

"I think you're getting somewhere."

"Do you remember that day we were at the beach where those two guys went up to Cherie and Hyorin when we were getting the volleyball stuff?"

"Vaguely."

"I've seen Cherie with the really tall one quite a few times at Vogue, but when I arrive, he always seems to disappear. It's really odd."

Leeteuk snapped his fingers and stood up. "The one with the short black hair and dimples like mine?"

"Uh huh. Do you know him?"

"He's in the same modeling agency as me, just from a different branch. His name is Shiii... Sheewun?"

~*~*~*~

"Butter scone?" Donghae asked as he and Hyorin walked around the front lobby of the hospital.

"No thanks. I don't have an appetite," Hyorin croaked.

"Stay strong hun. Hyuk's in there with Cherie. The power of love triumphs all no?"

Seeing Donghae's resassuring grin, Hyorin rolled her eyes, the corners of turned upwards. "I guess."

Donghae smiled and hugged her with one arm, squishing her close to him as he landed a peck on her head.

"That poor girl. There's a rumor going around that she was drugged," a middle-aged man in a black cashmere turtleneck gabbed to a younger woman at one of the coffee tables. "I heard that the person she last saw didn't even work at Vogue. He had a staff ID, but no one knew who he was. How shady is that?"

Intrigued, Hyorin motioned for Donghae to follow her to sit at a table beside the gossips.

"I saw him. He's sooooo creepy. The way he smiled at her when he handed over the coffee? Eww, I'm going to have nightmares for days," the woman commented before taking a bite of her lemon cake. "I feel so sorry for Cherie though. She's totally gonna miss out on the party tomorrow night."

Hyorin furrowed her eyebrows and leaned in more closer to the man as he was dimming his voice down to barely above a whisper.

"Excuse me miss, you're in my personal bubble."

Startled, Hyorin made eye contact with the man, whose facial expressions changed from one of perturbed anger to flirtful interest.

Hyorin cleared and prepared to work her charm.

"We're close friends of Cherie's and we couldn't help but overhear your conversation. Do you know the name of the person you were just talking about?"

Batting her eyelashes for good measure, Hyorin flashed the man with her megawatt, red-carpet smile she had practiced to perfection before she debuted. No one could resist it.

"Oh uhhhumm, well, people say that his name is Siwon," the man mumbled.

"Thanks," Hyorin patted his arm before standing up.

As she and Donghae walked away, the woman sitting at the table laughed at the man.

"Aren't you gay?"

"Yes, but I'd totally go straight for her. Did you see the badonkadonks on her? Man oh man..."

Donghae side-glanced at Hyorin and slowly slid his hands into her jean pockets.

"These are my badonkadonks."

~*~*~*~

"Yes, it's Siwon. There's no last name, and I don't care if you have to pull strings. Just get me his contact information now!" Bea hung up on her ex-law firm secretary. "We should be able to track him down in less than half an hour."

"How's dad?" Hyukjae rasped.

"He's doing just fine honey. The doctor said it was just a minor concussion he got from whip lash. Nothing too serious."

"That's a relief," Hyukjae frowned as he tucked Cherie's limp arms into the white blankets.

"Don't worry. We can use what's left over from your dad's BMW to run the over ten times straight," Bea said as she smoothed down bits of Hyukjae's hair that were standing up. "Cherie needs you more right now."

"Thanks mom."

"Guys, we have a visitor," Donghae announced.

And in stepped Siwon, with a bouquet of white roses in his hands.

"Greetings everyone," he said as five pairs of eyes stared back at him.

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