“Yoon Ha Yeon!” TaeHyung’s voice echoed down the hallway and HaYeon stopped... momentarily. Just as she thought she had gotten by the day at school quietly, avoiding the boys and others’ watchful looks cleverly, she was proven wrong. 

Without even turning back, she knew exactly who was calling her. Pulling her hair over to cover as much of her face as possible, she hung her head low and jogged, away from TaeHyung. When the footsteps behind her became heavier and quicker, hers did too.

What started out as a jog turned into a full speed sprint as HaYeon tried to run away but before she knew it, he had caught up with her. Swiftly, he overtook her and stopped in front of her causing the two to bump into each other. HaYeon let out a painful groan as she held both shoulders, her eyes shut in agony as she tried to embrace the feeling of her skin ripping under the bandages. 

For a moment there, tired gasps whizzed through the empty halls and no one spoke a word. TaeHyung scanned her from head to toe as he crouched lower to have a clearer look at her face that refused to meet his eyes. 

Trying to keep his composure in case an unnecessary outburst like last time started again, he called out softly. “Yoon Ha Yeon, why are you like this again?” He tried to sound calm but the slight quiver in his voice suggested he is ready to run out any moment and teach the person that did this to her any moment now. 

Ha Yeon shook her head, “I-” 

“Fell.” TaeHyung completed her sentence for her, running a hand through his messy hair in frustration. “How long do you intend to keep up that excuse?” 

“It’s not an excuse,” Ha Yeon defended, but refused to look at him anyways, in case her lie was exposed. 

“Was it done by... Someone we know?” TaeHyung tried to control his tone, his heart bursting with anger that there was a high possibility Kai had done this to her given his reaction whenever they met.

HaYeon shook her head again and insisted for the last time that she fell, “mind your own business,” she hinted to TaeHyung that she was going to get angry if he pushed her further. 

“Fine. Show me your hands.” 

Silence engulfed them and no one moved a bit: Ha Yeon refusing to submit even though she was clueless as to why he wanted to see her hands and TaeHyung refusing to budge this time. 

“Show me your hands and I’ll let you go.” His voice dropped into a serious whisper. 

Reluctantly, she stuck her hands out to him in a clenched fist that gradually relaxed. 

He took one last glance at her face before looking down to her hands. “Okay,” he spoke after taking a quick look at her hands. “Take care of yourself. If you need someone to punch that bastard that did this to you, you know you can get me any time. Go on home now.” 

“I told you I was not hit!” Her voice slightly louder than a shriek, cautious not to gain unnecessary attention. 

TaeHyung just smiled and gave her a reassuring look. “Look, it doesn’t matter if you don’t want to tell me about it. I know some things are just hard to tell others.” His voice gentle and his eyes fixed on hers, “Those hands can’t lie. If you really fell, your hands would be scrapped because you would have tried to break the impact from your fall. But it wasn’t.” He concluded, explaining his confidence in his belief that she was abused. However, deciding not to push further, he reminded her again that he will be available whenever she needed him before offering to send her home. 

TaeHyung and Jimin were walking out of school with HaYeon tagging behind, exhausted form detention, when they noticed 4 other boys in a distance dressed in black. Coolly, they approached them, understanding that gesture. Without a word, the eldest emerged from the group and threw him a set of dark colored clothing as well to which the duo accepted. 

The boys looked over TaeHyung’s shoulder to see HaYeon hiding timidly behind, her face shielded with her hair but her bruises nonetheless showing. “Yah, what happened to HaYeon?” Jin asked, surprising HaYeon that they actually remembered her. 

“She fell.” Jimin answered. 

HoSeok’s eyes widened, “Fell?! There’s no way a fall wou-” 

“Hyung do we have some time?” TaeHyung asked, shutting Hoseok up before he could continue on, as he was reminded that he had offered to take HaYeon home. 

NamJoon looked apologetically towards HaYeon and flashed her a small smile before shaking his head. “It’s a little different today.” 

HaYeon immediately waved her hands and reassured TaeHyung that she could make her way home herself, shooing the boys off. “All of you look ... Busy.” HaYeon said, trying to sound calm but her heart was unknowingly palpitating faster at the sight of 4 boys dressed in black, some of their faces covered with a black mask seemingly anxious about the passing time. 

She was not sure now, but she felt the intense need to run away from them. Far away. 

TaeHyung and Jimin looked at HaYeon before exchanging glances with each other. They knew they had no choice but to let her go home herself. Reluctantly, the boys nodded and sent her off on her ways. “Sorry Yoon Ha Yeon. Text me when you are home. Remember to do so.” TaeHyung reminded again as she walked further away from them towards the road junction. Gripping onto her school bag tightly, she nodded and continued on her way. 
 
As soon as she disappeared round the corner, they immediately diverted their full attention to the group. 

“Location?” TaeHyung asked as he pulled off his uniform coat hurriedly and put on a black hoodie over his shirt. As he squeezed his clothes into his school bag, NamJoon gestured towards the black van waiting for them by the road. 

“This time, I don’t know either.” 

HaYeon’s feet shuffled against the cold pavement as she dreaded each step she took closer to her home. It was a Thursday night, which meant that her father was probably not going to be home early as he is working. Checking her surroundings, she then pushed herself to hurry home before her father arrived. 

From the gate, she could vaguely hear the soft laughter of HwanHee coming from within. Reckoning that it was a sign her father was not home yet, she skipped in leisurely, greeting her little one as she took her in her arms. Smooching HwanHee uncontrollably, she gave Mrs Jung a gentl