No less than a week after the first incident, SHINee struck again.

It was right after dinner when I was helping mom wash the dishes (Baejun was supposed to be helping too, but he was too busy spilling soapy water everywhere) when the phone rang.

"Yeah, don't worry, I got it." I picked it up. "Hello?"

"Ringo-ah?"

It sounded like Heemin -- a really hysterical, tearful Heemin.

I immediately felt my heart drop down into my stomach. "Heemin-ah? What's wrong? What happened?" If another dog just got brutally murdered by Minho, Yoseob would go on a massacre.

"Ringo-ah, come to the hospital immediately. It's......it's Jinae-ah....."

I felt my hands begin to shake. I hung up and ran out of the house, not even bothering to put shoes on. Ignoring my mom's calls from behind me, I just sprinted to the hospital as fast as I could, without stopping or slowing down, wearing nothing but socks. I could feel little pricks and short pains from the sharp rocks and that cut into my feet, but I ignored it.

I finally slowed to a stop when I entered the hospital lobby, and I collapsed against the side of a wall, gasping for breath and clutching my chest.

Heemin and Gaesuh saw me and ran towards me, pulling me into a big, blubbering hug.

"What happened?" I croaked, my throat dry and my lips cracked. "Jinae-ah......what happened to her?"

If SHINee hurt her, so help me god, I will kill them all. I will ing rip their hearts out.

"S-she's not hurt....." Gaesuh whispered, and I sighed in relief. "B-but she's in shock......all cold and clammy and sweating......"

"Why? What happened? What....." I bit my tongue. I almost said "What did SHINee do?" but that would have revealed my mistake.

"W-we don't know yet." Heemin shook her head, tears cascading down her cheeks. "B-but I think her house was broken into, I saw the windows broken and the door forced open. I-I think she panicked from the shock of seeing the burglar or thief or whatever and she fainted. The doctors said she'll be okay, but she needs to stay in the hospital for now."

"T-this is horrible," Gaesuh whimpered. "First Heemin-ah, then Jinae-ah.......Ringo-ah, it might be you next!"

I felt my conscience give a big, loud pang. They were worried about me. Even though it was my fault. Without knowing it was my stupidity and carelessness that brought them and their loved ones into danger, they were scared I might be targeted.

I am the worst. The absolute worst.

The doctors arrived. "Shim Jinae's condition has stabilized, she will be alright."

We all sighed in relief.

"However, she will have to stay in the hospital for the next few days. If she gets another shock like this, she might get brain trauma. The police also need to question her, as she was the only one in the house at that time."

"Thank you, doctor," we chorused weakly, and he left.

"I'm going to stay with Jinae-ah," Gaesuh announced shakily. "I want to be there for her when she wakes up."

Heemin nodded. "Yeah." She turned to me. "What about you, Ringo-ah? Do you want to stay?"

I hesitated. I couldn't do it. I couldn't see Jinae's face as well, gazing at me and worrying I might be next, knowing it was my fault she was there in the first place.

"Y-you guys go on ahead." I whispered. "I'll......" I suddenly found inspiration. "I'll go find Beast. They could help us track down the intruder. You know they'll do it."

"That's a great idea!" They broke into smiles, and I felt my conscience give another big pang inside my chest. They trusted me. They trusted me so much. And I betrayed them. I sold them out.

They left to go to Jinae's room, and I shakily stood up. When I had both feet square on the ground, I almost collapsed again.

"," I swore, when I lifted up one foot. The whole bottom of my sock was red. My feet were bleeding.

"ing ," I continued to swear as I half-hobbled, half-slid, half-limped my way outside.

The automatic doors slid open, and I limped out. I froze when I heard a familiar voice.

"How's your friend?"

I whirled around, my eyes wide with fear, my heart pounding. Someone was leaning against the wall, hidden in the shadows, next to the exit. Waiting for me.

"J-Jonghyun," I hissed weakly. "You er, you were the one who broke into her house, did you?"

Jonghyun shrugged in the darkness, but I could hear the smirk in his voice. "Not that hard to scare people, really. A pretty, young, innocent little girl, so naive and alone in her big, empty house.......how easy would it be to take advantage of her.....and no one would know......"

Before I knew it, I had hobbled as fast as I could over to him and gripped the collar of his leather jacket in my shaking fists. "If you dared to touch a single hair on her head, I WILL KILL YOU!!!!" I screamed.

Jonghyun just smirked again. "Relax, Red Lion-sshi. I didn't do anything to her. All I had to do was point a gun at her head and she fainted. It was all rather boring, really......I dearly hoped she would put up more of a fight....."

He reached out to touch my face, and I shivered. "See, that's why I like girls like you, Red Lion-sshi. So fierce, so strong......if it was you, you would have fought back, wouldn't you.......you would have made it more interesting....."

"You sick-minded, twisted son of a ," I spat out, my voice shaking in fear and revulsion.

He gave a short bark of laughter. "I'm a gangster, darling. This is what I do. This is who I am."

I broke away from him, pushing myself away. I rubbed furiously at the spot where his fingertips grazed my cheek, but his touch still lingered there, burning like guilt.

"See you later, Red Lion-sshi," he said, before melting away into the shadows.

I turned around and ran back home again, even though my feet hurt more than ever.

Gaesuh was next. I knew it. They would target Gaesuh. Key, Taemin, or Onew. One of them would be after her.

I had to protect her. I had to.

*****************************************************

LOL, the funny thing is, I actually really like SHINee. But it's so much fun making villains out of the people you love. You just wait, someday Beast will be the evil, horrible bad guys in one of my fics :)

I want to get this done as soon as possible, so I'm adding more chapters......