[Music: Skinny Love by Birdy]

Dara felt Jiyong’s heavy breathing close to her hair and how his chest heaved up and down. She looked up at his face, she couldn’t quite tell what he was thinking but when he held her tighter Dara furrowed her brows confused.

Jiyong looked down at her and his face reflected hers when he saw her confused face. Then he realised how tightly he was holding and immediately let go of her.

“Are you mad?!” he growled as he stepped back but not before pulling Dara away from the road, “You nearly got killed?!”

Dara still stared at him in disbelief. Why did he sound worried about her?

“SAY SOMETHING DAMN IT! DON’T JUST STAND THERE!” Jiyong shouted angrily.

“JIYONG!” the others rushed to them, “You found her!”

Jiyong grimaced and turned away from Dara, “Someone take her inside!”

Seungri and Taeyang walked up to her but Dara panicked, stepping back and tripped over her own feet.

“CAREFUL!” Jiyong shouted but immediately stopped. He furrowed his brows, why was he worried about someone else?

The guys noticed too but quickly went up to help Dara up.

Suddenly a car screeched to a halt close to them and CL and Bom jumped out of the car.

“What’s going on?” CL asked as she rushed towards them.

“Oh god, is she ok?!” Bom asked before running towards Dara, “What happened?!”

Dara pushed everyone away from her and tried to stand up again but fell to the ground.

TOP took his phone out and walked a few steps away to make a phone call.

“You can’t stay out here” Bom tried to reason with Dara.

Dara pushed Bom away.

“Please you can’t stay outside-“

“Leave her” Jiyong spoke up.

Dara and the others looked up at Jiyong.

“If she doesn’t want our help, leave her.” Jiyong said heatedly.

Dara’s bottom lip trembled as Jiyong turned his back on her. She didn’t know how to act. Why could he not see that it was near impossible for her to trust anyone after what she’d been through? And him, the one person she felt safe with couldn’t understand her. But still her gaze remained on his back, she wanted him to push everyone aside like before, she wanted him to scare everyone away so she could feel safe again.

“Jiyong, the social services are on their way here, they’ll be here any moment” TOP said to him as he put his phone away.

Jiyong gritted his teeth, something didn’t feel right inside. He slowly turned back around to look down at Dara and his face fell ever so slightly as he saw a tear fall from Dara’s right eye while she looked up at him helplessly. His lips parted slightly at the scene, it felt so familiar. She was crying on the cold hard ground just like the woman crying back in the police station 18 years ago.

“They’re here” TOP patted Jiyong’s shoulder and walked over to the two men and woman stepping out of a van.

The girls stood up and watched TOP discuss something with the social services.

“Are they here to take her away?” CL asked Taeyang.

Taeyang nodded, “Maybe they’ll be able to help her-“ he suddenly stopped when he saw Jiyong and the girl looking at each other. He looked at the unfamiliar expression on Jiyong’s face and wondered what he was thinking.

“Agashi?”

Dara looked to her side and saw a strange woman smiling at her. Dara startled and fell back slightly.

“Agashi, I’m from the social services. I’m going to take you somewhere where you’ll be safe” she smiled warmly.

Dara’s eyes widened and she looked back at Jiyong who was still looking at her. She shook her head and scrambled back from the woman.

The woman sighed sympathetically before calling the two men over, “I think I need help.”

The two men stepped forward and gently placed their hands on Dara’s arm.

Dara panicked and pushed them away from her.

“She doesn’t want to go” Bom stepped forward, “Can’t you see that?”

“She has to go” TOP replied, “It’s the only way we can help her.”

“But…” Bom’s face fell when she saw how petrified Dara looked.

“Agashi?” the woman tried to calm Dara down again.

Dara pushed her back and tried to stand up but the two men held onto her now.

Jiyong felt his foot step forward instinctively but he stopped himself before he did anything.

Taeyang saw this and he furrowed his brows as he looked at Jiyong and then back at Dara.

“Can’t you be more gently with her?!” CL shouted as the two men were now carrying Dara to the van while she struggled to free herself.

“I’ll be in contact detective TOP” the woman bowed and followed the men.

Dara panicked, she wanted to scream and kick these men off her. But what would she scream? Who would hear her screams? She looked back and saw a glimpse of Jiyong, she tried to utter his name, the name she’d heard his friends say so many times now.

“Let’s go” Jiyong said through gritted teeth and started heading back home.

“ji…jiyong!”

Jiyong suddenly stopped, he felt every hair on his body stand up at the mention of his name from an unfamiliar voice.

The others looked back at Dara in surprise. They never thought she’d speak and here she was with her first words being Jiyong’s name.

“jiyong…please” Dara stuttered again as the men tried to get her into the van, “jiyong!”

Jiyong slowly turned around in shock but he was unable to move or do anything but stand there and stare in disbelief.

“jiyong!” Dara shouted now, she somehow managed to free one arm and pushed the men away from her. And before she could think, her body reacted for her and she ran past everyone else and straight to Jiyong before hugging him tightly.

Jiyong stepped back slightly from the force, his arms at his side not knowing what to do.

“please jiyong”

Jiyong looked down at her in shock.

“I’m sorry sir” the men were in front of Jiyong now and they tried to pull Dara away from him.

“…please Jiyong please keep me safe”

Jiyong’s face fell slightly, she was asking him to protect her.

“Agashi please come with us” the men tried to pull her away.

Dara’s hands tightened around Jiyong’s shirt, “…please save me.”

“Agashi-“, the man stopped when he felt a forceful grip on his shoulder, he looked up and saw that it was Jiyong. He stopped trying to pull Dara and both men stepped back.

“What’s Ji doing?” TOP asked stepping a little closer.

“please…please please” Dara prayed repeatedly.

“Sir, we have to take her” the woman walked up to Jiyong.

Jiyong gritted his teeth as he could still hear Dara begging him under her breath.

“Sir?“

“You can’t take her away” Jiyong suddenly spoke up.

Dara stopped praying and her eyes fluttered open but she didn’t dare look up at Jiyong’s face.

“We need to take her in, that’s the only way we can know what happened to her” the woman tried to convince Jiyong.

“Jiyong what are you doing?” Taeyang stepped forward now, “Let the girl go with them.”

Jiyong arms suddenly encircled Dara’s small body and he pulled her to the side away from everyone, “I said she’s not going anywhere.”

“Jiyong-“

“If she doesn’t want to go with them then she doesn’t have to!” Jiyong growled angrily surprising everyone there.

“Mr Kwon with all due respect you can’t just keep her here with you” the woman said sternly.

“Sure I can” Jiyong said bluntly before turning to Dara, “Do you want to go her?”

Dara looked at the woman and shook her head nervously.

“Then do you want to stay with me?” Jiyong asked her now.

Dara’s eyes widened and she looked at everyone else who had their jaws hanging wide open. She gulped and looked up at Jiyong. Could she trust him? What if she disappointed her again?

Jiyong didn’t know why he was trying so hard right now. But a moment ago when she was crying on the floor, he remembered that’s just how the woman 18 years ago cried for her Sandy. And how she begged him to save her just now too, he couldn’t ignore her after that. No matter how much he tried to distance himself from everyone else, there was something about this stranger he couldn’t ignore.

Before Jiyong realised what he was saying, he said it, “I’ll keep you safe.”

Dara felt the air leave her lungs and she tilted her head slightly at what he just said. Was he promising her he’d keep her safe?

Jiyong furrowed his brows, wondering why those words left his lips. But before he could say anything he saw her nod.

“…I want…to stay here…with you” Dara whispered.

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Minzy massaged her arms as she stepped out of the hospital, her first shift done.

“It would have gone so well if it wasn’t for that jerk!”Minzy mumbled angrily as she stuffed Youngdeuk’s coat in her bag, “Aish!”

“Yah!”

Minzy recognised the voice and sighed before turning around with a polite smile, “Neh doctor nim.”

Youngdeuk walked up to her with a frown, “Don’t forget, I want my coat by tomorrow morning.”

Minzy forced a smile and bowed, “Neh doctor nim.”

Youngdeuk squinted his eyes at her, “Don’t forget.”

“Aish this-“ Minzy suddenly stopped while Youngdeuk raised a brow at her, “haha…I mean neh doctor nim.”

Youngdeuk smirked and walked off.

“Arrogant jerk!” she kicked the air behind him as he went off to the car park. She looked at the coat, “Dry cleaning? What’s the point when I can wash it myself?” She grimaced where Youngdeuk had walked to before heading to the bus stop.

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“Can someone make him understand please!” Taeyang sighed heavily as he stood up.

“Ji, Taeyang is right. It’s not a good idea keeping her here with you” TOP said.

“Don’t you think I know it’s not a bloody good idea?!” Jiyong glared at him.

“Then why? WHY?!” Taeyang asked.

“It just happened, I don't know either!” Jiyong shouted.

“You don’t by any chance like the girl do you hyung?” Seungri asked.

JIyong slowly looked up at him with his icy stare.

“Look whatever the reason, it’s best if she goes with the social services. We still need to figure out what happened to her” TOP added.

Jiyong sighed heavily before looking up at the table where the girls were with Dara. He got off the chair and stormed up to them.

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“There have a drink” Bom placed a drink in front of Dara.

They suddenly looked up when they heard someone roughly pull a chair on the other side of the table.

Jiyong sat down and glared at Dara making her nervously look away.

“Oppa, stop it. You’re scaring her” CL hissed.

“You!” Jiyong said looking straight at Dara.

Dara gulped and looked up, not knowing what he was going to do to her.

Jiyong continued to stare at her with a frown, “What’s your name?”

Dara’s lips parted slightly and her eyes fluttered at what he was asking. Her name? No one had ever asked her that in her life.

“Name?” Bom asked herself before realising they’d never asked the poor girl her name.

“What is it?” Jiyong asked gruffly again.

Dara furrowed her brows trying to think hard, but the only name she knew was the one that her kidnappers had called her for as long as she could remember. She knew she was called something else a long time ago, but she’d stopped hoping and remembering that past life.

Jiyong took a deep breath and stood up before storming out to get something.

“…you must know your name...” CL asked softly, “Can you tell us?”

Dara bit her lip and looked down at her hands.

*SLAM*

She looked up and saw a pen and paper in front of her and Jiyong standing next to her.

“If you can’t speak then write it down!” Jiyong growled.

“Jiyong be a bit more gentle” TOP reminded him.

“If she’s going to be staying with me then I need to know her bloody name!” Jiyong growled back.

Dara looked at the pen and paper. She couldn’t remember the last time she held a pen or even wrote anything. Would she be able to remember how to write? She looked up at Jiyong and shook her head.

“Write it down” Jiyong muttered through gritted teeth.

“Oppa!” Cl raised her voice.

But this time Dara slowly picked up the pen. It felt smooth and unfamiliar on her fingers and she looked at it curiously. With shaking hands she pulled the paper closer to her.

The others started to slowly gather around too, all wanting to know what she was going to write.

Dara pressed the tip of the pen on the paper and tried to remember how to write. She then slowly started writing a word in infant like handwriting.

Jiyong furrowed his brows as he read the first character.

“Da” Bom whispered.

Dara gulped and with her shaking hands she wrote her simple little name.

“Dara?” CL asked with a smile, “That’s your name?”

Dara nodded.

“It’s beautiful” Bom said warmly.

Dara put the pen down and slowly looked up at Jiyong who was still looking at the name.

Jiyong felt his chest tightening at the way she’d written her name. The writing was so childlike the letters were different sizes and the lines were rough and messy. It made him realise whatever she had been going through, whatever those men did to her it’s been going on since she was a child. She was more wounded than he thought.

Dara kept her gaze on Jiyong, puzzled at why he was staring so deeply at her name. Maybe he couldn’t read her writing.

Jiyong grimaced at the thought of what she must have gone through.

“…dara”

Jiyong looked up at her when she finally spoke.

Dara placed her hand on her heart, “My name…it's Dara.”

“dara…” Jiyong heard himself say her name.

Dara nodded slowly.

“Well Dara” Seungri stepped forward loudly, “I’m Seungri.”

Dara blinked nervously and looked away slightly.

Jiyong grimaced and glared at Seungri for scaring her again.

“This is TOP hyung, Taeyang” Seungri carried on introducing the others.

Jiyong kept his gaze on her the whole time. For some reason whenever she was around that’s all he seemed to be doing.

“I’m CL” Cl smiled, “And this is Bom.”

Dara nodded and looked back down at her hands.

“If you need anything let us two know arasso?” CL said.

Dara lifted her head only slightly to look at Bom and CL smiling at her.

“Right, if she is staying with you I need to go sort things out with the social services back at the station” TOP said as he got his jacket.

“I’ll come” Taeyang said grabbing his phone.

“Yah!” Jiyong looked up at Taeyang, “Where are you going?”

Taeyang sighed, “Since my client doesn’t listen to a word I say, I have to sort everything out myself!!”

Jiyong grimaced, “Aish! Just go if you’re going to go!”

“Hyung I’m off too then” Seungri patted his back before turning to the girls and CL, “See you. CL shi, I'll come by the office tomorrow.”

CL smiled weakly, there was still something about Seungri that made her uncomfortable.

“CL shouldn’t we go too?” Bom asked.

“What?!” Jiyong suddenly looked at them.

“What is it oppa?” CL asked surprised.

“If you all go what am I meant to do with her?” he pointed at Dara.

CL sighed, “Then why did you make her stay? Look if you need any help just give us a ring ok?”

“Bye Dara, we’ll come by tomorrow” Bom smiled as she stood up.

Dara nodded again and watched the girls leave. It was just her and him now. Dara slowly looked up to see Jiyong looking at her. She gulped and looked straight ahead.

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"TOP aren't you coming?" Taeyang asked as he got into his car.

TOP looked back at the house and saw Bom and CL walking towards Cl's car.

"You go ahead, I'll catch up" TOP shouted back to Taeyang before running off to the girls.

-----

"Bom!"

Bom and Cl saw TOP running towards them.

CL bit her lip and got into the driver's seat, "I'll give you two a minute."

"CL!" Bom exclaimed but she was already in the car.

Bom glared at TOP and opened the car door only for him to shut it close again.

"What the hell?!" Bom shouted at him.

"You can't ignore me forever." TOP said.

"I'm not ignoring you, I just have nothing to say to you" Bom corrected him.

"Bom I'm begging you-"

"Please!" Bom stopped him, "How many times do I have to tell you I don't want to talk about it?! I can't remember-"

"I don't care if you tell me to get lost a million times, until you talk to me I'm not going anywhere!" TOP raised his voice.

Bom clenched her jaw angrily, "Of course, it's easy for you isn't it? You weren't the one that had to go through what I went through that night!"

"No you're right I didn't" TOP nodded as he felt his eyes redden, "But Minsook did."

Bom's face fell at the mention of her name.

"My baby sister...she...went through it" TOP stuttered.

Bom felt her eyes blur just from the thought of the little girl. She gripped onto the car door for support as her breathing quickened.

"Please Bom you're the only one that can help me" TOP pleaded.

"Oppa" CL had enough and got out of the car, "Leave it for tonight...she can't tonight."

TOP looked back at Bom who looked petrified all of a sudden, "Bom..."

Bom reached for the door handle and quickly opened the car door before getting in. She shut the door and closed her eyes as she felt cold sweat form on her forehead.

"Cl" TOP stopped CL getting in, "Tell her I'm not going anywhere. When she's ready...tell her I need her help."

Cl nodded sadly and got in the car and drove off.

TOP watched the car disappear and he sighed heavily. He knew it hurt Bom, what he had no other choice. He had to find his sister no matter what.

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“Right how hard can this be?” Minzy looked at the coat and stuffed it in the washing machine. She looked at the buttons and tabs on the machine and frowned. Usually her mother did this, but now that she was all alone she had to just grow up and do these things on her own.

“Ok…let’s go with this button…and that one” Minzy mumbled to herself as she pressed random buttons.

“There done!” Minzy smiled happy at herself, “Well done Minzy well done. Once I give this back to that arrogant jerk I can walk the halls of Seoul Hospital happily.”

She walked to the balcony and was about to take a sip of her water when she suddenly thought she heard Youngdeuk’s voice shouting at her. She looked down and around the place and quickly placed her glass back down.

“Oh god, I’m starting to hear his voice already?” Minzy gasped, “I can’t even drink water peacefully aish!”

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Dara blinked at Jiyong as he sat on the other side of the table thinking hard.

“I must have gone mad” Jiyong spoke to himself, “That’s the only logical explanation for all this.”

He looked at Dara but she just blinked again.

He sighed and raked his fingers through his hair, “Is blinking your hobby?! Stop it!”

Dara looked down at her hands, “…mianhe”

JIyong looked up and felt that little pang deep inside again. His gaze fell on her bruised and cut arms again and he wondered what she went through?

“Who were those men last night? Jiyong asked finally.

Dara froze up.

“Were they the ones that hurt you?” Jiyong asked again.

Dara clenched her jaw and tried to calm her breathing.

“Did they?”

Dara closed her eyes suddenly remembering all those bad memories.

Jiyong stopped asking those questions, he’d got his answers from just her reactions.

“Is that why you want me to keep you safe?” he asked slowly.

Dara eyes fluttered opened and she looked up at him.

“You want me to keep you safe from them” Jiyong said quietly.

This time Dara nodded.

“How do you know I’m safer?” Jiyong asked, “Not a lot of people like me and I’m not the nicest guy either.”

Dara stared at him for a long moment, the silence engulfing the room.

“…your voice” she whispered.

Jiyong furrowed his brows when she finally spoke.

“When…you found me…I heard your voice” she said slowly, “…that was the first time in my life... I felt safe.”

Jiyong’s face softened slightly as he stared at her from across the table.

“…you are safe” Dara said nervously, “…you’re the safest.”