A/N: Hello! I understand there were too many characters that it got confusing, so I added a namelist of the gang members under the story's description. Hope it helps :)

Sungmin could hear Ryeowook screaming in pain and the cracking of a whip. He ran down the empty hallways of Arch-A quickly, darting his eyes everywhere into every room, looking for Ryeowook.

“Help me hyung!”

Sungmin sprinted towards the direction of the voice, but the next scream came in the opposite direction.

“Hyung—”

Ryeowook’s cry was cut short suddenly.

“Wook!” Sungmin screamed, as he shot up in bed. Without registering his surroundings, Sungmin attempted to get off the bed, but a sharp pain shooting through his left leg halted his actions. He cried out in pain.

“Hyung!” There were various voices calling out to him.

“Hyung, are you feeling okay? Don’t move!” The nearest voice told him. He turned to see Y’s worried face.

Y pushed him down on the bed, adjusting the blanket that he had kicked off.

Sungmin took in the clean look of the room and the faces of his underlings that had crowded around his bed.

Everyone looked at him worriedly, observing his expression and anticipating his next action.

“Hospital?” Sungmin whispered. Yes, he remembered passing out in front of Asphalt.

Y nodded at him. “Do you feel dizzy or anything?”

“No… How long have I been unconscious?”

“About two hours. Asphalt hyung just left with Jet hyung and Ginger noona. Poser, Vither, Tempt and Ice are at Kil’s ward.” Y said in a soothing tone.

Kil… Wook. He had been dreaming of Ryeowook.

“Where is Wook? Is he okay?” Sungmin asked, his tone turning anxious instantly.  

“Kil is alright, hyung.” Hunter said.

Ryeowook’s screams sounded in his ears again. He was worried, paranoid.

“I need to see him.” Sungmin muttered and tried to sit up again. Hands pushed him down on the bed.

“Let me go. I need to make sure he is fine for myself!” Sungmin grabbed Y’s arm tightly and Y winced.

Catching the pained expression, Sungmin released his hand and saw the red burns on Y’s arms. The details of the disciplinary session were returning to him. The candle. The whipping. The knife.

He turned to the other pair of arms and saw the similar red long streaks on Hunter’s arms.

“Why didn’t you two treat your burns?!” Sungmin chided.

“We tried to convince hyungs, but they wanted to make sure you were fine.” Basker said.

Sungmin looked up at the other Ephines, this time spotting all the bruises and cuts over their faces and other visible parts of their bodies. The two ladies appeared to have no injuries except the excessive swelling on their red faces. It was obvious that they were slapped while the guys were beaten up, when they were questioned by Joker’s underlings.

“All of you too! I’m fine now, so go treat your wounds!” Sungmin shouted. Everyone avoided his gaze.

“Loy, get the doctor for hyung. Muns, inform Kil that hyung is awake and see if he can come over.” Y instructed and the two Ephines left the room.

Right at the time when Sungmin was going to scold them for ignoring him, a female nurse walked into the ward. Her face lit up when she saw that Sungmin was awake.

“Oh! Sungmin-ssi, you are awake!” The nurse made her way to the bed and the Ephines moved aside for her.

Sungmin took a quick glance at the nametag – Kim Suhee.  “I need your help, Nurse Kim.”

“Sure, are you feeling unwell anywhere?” The nurse used her practiced reassuring voice.

“No, but they all are.” Sungmin pointed at all his underlings. “Can you send them somewhere to treat their wounds please?”

“Oh…” The nurse took a look at the rest, appearing to assess their injuries. “They refused when I offered to get a houseman doctor to help them just now.”

“They won’t refuse now.”

“Hyung—” Y tried to interrupt.

“Please, Nurse Kim?” Sungmin pulled out his puppy eyes – a tactic that worked ninety-percent of the time when he needed a favor from girls.

The nurse gently smiled. “Of course, after I check your leg.” She moved towards the left side of the bed.

Sungmin shot a glare at his underlings, making sure that they won’t dare to disobey him.

“Sungmin-ssi!” The nurse’s sudden outburst startled him.

Sungmin looked confusedly at the nurse, who was raging with anger.

“Did you try to move around just now? Your wound is bleeding again! It already seeped through the bandages!” The nurse reprimanded.

“He tried to get off the bed.” Y said, flashing a grin at Sungmin.

“I—”

“Here you are telling your underlings to treat their wounds and you don’t even care about your own wound!” A few giggles escaped from his underlings.

Sungmin blinked at the nurse. From the way she put it, she knew Sungmin was involved in a gang, but she was reprimanding him without a tinge of fear.

“What? Don’t look at me like that. I don’t care what you do outside, but you are a patient in the hospital now. You need to listen to the doctors and nurses here to get well soon.” The nurse propped her hands on her waist.

Sungmin laughed. It felt good to be treated like a normal person.

“What’s so funny? Now don’t you dare to move, Sungmin-ssi. The doctor will be here soon and he will do a simple checkup and change the dressing for your wound. The rest of you, follow me to get your wounds treated.” The nurse commanded, a total different look from the gentle one she had when she walked into the room.

“I promise I will be a good patient, Nurse Kim. Thank you.” Sungmin smiled widely.

“Good. I will get you something nice to fill your stomach later.” The nurse winked and led the rest out of the room.

~---~

“Hyung, does your leg still hurt?” Ryeowook reached out for Sungmin’s hand as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

Now that everyone has gathered in Sungmin’s ward after the checkup by the doctor, the ward was slightly too crowded with fourteen people in it.

“No, I took some painkillers. How about you?” Sungmin noticed the whip wound that extended down the side of Ryeowook’s arm.

“It’s nothing, hyung.” Ryeowook bowed his head down. “Sorry… that you had to take the lashes for me.”

“No, I’m sorry. Sorry to all of you too.” Sungmin’s eyes flickered from one underling to another. “It was because of me that all of you have to go through these.”

“Hyung.” Everyone called out.

“You are our hyungnim. You don’t have to apologise, hyung.” Ryeowook said. The rest nodded at Ryeowook’s words.

“Hyung… Regarding what Chopper said about the information from the Ephines, do you want to…” Y asked hesistantly.

Sungmin stopped Y by raising his hand. He was sure that none of the Ephines saw Kyuhyun and from what he gathered from Hunter, nobody outside his division knew about him saving Kyuhyun during the fight with the Odyssey. Queen probably only heard the lat