I kept myself on high alert, but for some reason, SHINee didn't do anything. Nothing at all. It was like.....they were waiting, or something.

After a few days, Jinae returned to school, looking skinny and with gaunt circles under her eyes, but otherwise alright.

"I don't really remember what happened, to be honest," she told me when I asked her what happened. "One minute I heard a crash, the next someone dressed in all black with a ski mask covering their head appeared and pressed a gun to my head. Then I out. When I woke up again, I was in the hospital."

I pretended to be just as clueless as the others when we tried to find out who did it. But it's hard -- so hard -- to pretend not to know anything when you knew exactly who it was.

Beast were being very supportive and trying their best to help us out, even with the absence of clues. I wondered how they managed to do this even with the war against Teen Top going on.

"Oh, that?" Doojoon looked confused when I asked him about it. "Yeah, we forfeited."

"WHAT?" I gasped. "But.....but why?"

He shrugged, then smiled and ruffled my hair. "We have more important things to do. Your friends are getting targeted, right? Of course that will be our first priority."

"But you can bet we're going to go right back into that war once this is over," Junhyung added roughly, before lightly tapping the back of my head. "Stop spacing out and get to class already, woman."

I couldn't believe it. They stopped fighting. For me. For my friends.

Why would they do that? Why would they stop doing what they did best -- what they liked to do -- just to help out people they didn't care about? Just because those people were my friends?

Hyunseung must have read my thoughts, because he leaned forwards and said quietly, "We're friends, that's why. We'll help you when you're in trouble, because you did the same for us."

"W-when have I ever.....?" I stammered, unable to think properly when he was whispering into my ear.

He gave me a half-smile. "DBSK. Teen Top. You fought them all to protect us, wasn't it? Now we'll repay the favour."

And then he walked away, leaving me with more pain in my haert and my conscience.

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

"A trip to.......Incheon?" Gaesuh read the notice that was posted all over the school walls. "All junior and senior-level students will be going on a three day, two night trip to Incheon?"

"That's great!" Heemin said, clutching at Jinae's arm. "The attacker wouldn't be able to hurt us on this trip, right?"

"That's right!" Jinae said, breaking into a smile. Her eye bags were slowly disappearing.

I nodded, feeling a smile on my face too. There was no way SHINee would be able to find us there.

"Ooh, sounds like fun." Kikwang glanced at me and gave me his usual flirty grin. "Do you want to share a room?"

"In your dreams, !" I snorted.

"Already have been."

I grabbed the mirror Dongwoon was using to check his hair and chucked it at Kikwang's face. He dodged it easily.

"Yah!" Dongwoon complained as the mirror shattered on the floor. "I was using that!"

"To check your hair? What are you, a girl?"

"They don't call me a 'god' for no reason, you know. i have to keep up appearances."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. You guys going?"

"We usually never go on stupid trips like these," Doojoon said slowly.

Yoseob bounced over to my side. "But since you're going, Ringo-ah, we'll make an exception just this once!"

I rolled my eyes. "I'll be going next year too, you know."

"Um.......then we'll make an expection wherever you're concerned!"

 "But no, seriously, Ringo-ah. Can I share a room with you?"

"NO!!!!!"

"OW!!!!"

"Saja Ringo!" Someone called. I turned to see Raehi. "Saja Ringo, come with me for a second."

"What does she want?" Gaesuh scowled. They never really forgave Raehi for being such a to me before.

"No, it's okay, guys. It's fine. I'll meet up with you guys later." I waved at them and headed towares Raehi. She turned around and I followed her to her office.

The minute the door was closed and locked we both became serious. "Any news?" I asked hurriedly.

"None at all." Raehi scowled. Her desk was a mess, papers and maps were everywhere. "I've been ferreting around, but it's almost impossible to find SHINee's hideout. If they were any normal gang, I'd have more information on them, but since they're Underground....."

"It's alright, I understand." I picked up a photograph. It was a photo of the club Taemin made me enter, the Moon King club. "That's the place they always hang out at, right?"

"Yeah, but it's freaking impossible to get in without an invitation. You have to be KNOWN to get in there, and you have to KNOW people to get in there. If a nobody tries to sneak in, they'll be kissing the asphalt before they step one foot inside."

"They always hang out in the VIP room, from what I heard." I grabbed a blank sheet of paper and drew out a really rough sketch of the inside, from what I remembered. "There was.......a long bar, here. And......and the dance floor in the middle. The VIP room........it was somewhere on the other side.....here maybe?" I sketched it out.

"Hmmm, remember any windows? Any emergency exit doors? Skylights, maybe?" Raehi pushed for more information. "Anything that could get a person in without an invite?"

"Umm.....I saw windows here -- and here -- and there was some sort of exit sign around here......."

Raehi gave a frustrated sigh. "They're really secretive. You hear things all the time, about the they do......but you never actually know anything about them."

"Thanks for.....you know.....helping me." I muttered in embarrassment.

Raehi shrugged, her expression neutral. "You haven't told Beast about this yet, have you?"

I shifted uncomfortably. "No."

"Are you ever?"

"No."

Raehi gave me a sharp look. "You don't want them to be disappointed in you, huh?"

She knew me too well. Maybe that was the reason we got along. Sort of.

"I just.......I need to fix this. Alone. Before anyone else gets hurt."

"Don't worry about it. You guys are going to Incheon. SHINee never strays too far from their territory, or Seoul's boundaries for that matter. You'll have time to get your thoughts straightened out."