Twenty Three. 

Hongbin hadn't meant to run away as soon as he saw the unconscious gang member. He had run so he didn't need to hide his fear. It was irrational. Why should he be afraid when Hoya has been hospitalised? He shouldn't be afraid. But he was.  

He found himself walking down the street, away from the hospital as quickly as he could, without running that was. He didn't want to attract unwanted attention. Right now he just wanted to be alone, that's why he ignored the vibrating from his pocket, quickly dismissing it as Hyuk worrying over him once again. 

When he first met Hyuk he wasn't effected as much as he though he'd be about being called 'a damsel in distress' but when he thought back to it, it did rather bother Hongbin. He knew that he wasn't exactly weak, nor was he considerably strong. But he knew he didn't want to be saved anymore. He didn't want to be a liability. 

These thoughts and a few others prompted him into moving his feet in the opposite direction of the hospital, to the more rundown part of town. It took him a while, half an hour at least. Before he stood in front of that same warehouse. That symbol that had been burned into his memory and carved into his skin staring right back at him. 

He'd returned to the warehouse that Hyuk had taken him to a while ago. Where he'd last seen Hoya, walking and talking and actually looking like he was alive. He needed to face his fears head on. Otherwise he'd never get over them. Hoya's unfortunate condition just gave him that extra push to do so. 

He found the side door and entered the same way as last time, careful not to cut his hand on the jagged pieces of glass of the window. When he stepped inside he felt a strange sense of déjà vu. Everything looked pretty much the same. Nothing had changed since he'd last come here. Except this time the lights were on before he walked in. 

It was deserted and Hongbin felt himself deflate from his previous rush of adrenalin, filling with disappointment. They weren't here. Or they'd completely moved on. He sighed slightly before he paused, hearing noise coming from the room they'd referred to as the 'back' room. He stared at the door for a moment wondering if he should risk it or not before he silently walked towards it. 

There was noise coming from the other room, muffled by the door between the two rooms. Hongbin found himself leaning in, pressing his ear againt the door in order to hear what was being said. 

"We have to do something! We can't just sit here and do nothing!" Sungyeol's voice reached him, Hongbin remembered it clearly. 

"What do you suppose we do?! The police haven't been able to find anything on this guy! How are we supposed to?" Anther voice answered, sounding as if it barely contained the rage behind it. It sounded like Sunggyu, it would make sense, considering he is the leader of the group. 

There was silence for a few moments and Hongbin wondered what was going on until the door was thrown open, making him tumble inside the room, near enough falling on his face. He slowly pushed himself up, aware of the six pairs of eyes trained on him, some wearily, others angry. Yet one curious. 

"Come back to die?" Sunggyu asked, venom dripping from each word as he scrutinised Hongbin, before turning his gaze away from the younger man. 

Hongbin somehow found that his rush of adrenalin returned, he stood up straight, staring at Sunggyu for a moment before he breifly looked around the room. Dongwoo was stood to the side of the door, presumably the one wo had opened it, looking deflated. 

He noticed L, leaning against the opposite wall whilst he looked out of the window, seeming vaguely interested in Hongbin's arrival, but not enough to move from his place. 

Woohyun was sat on the large oak desk, staring at Hongbin in confusion. He must of thought that he was stupid for returning, when he was quite obviously alone and unarmed. 

Sunggyu was sat behind the desk in the small wooden chair, looking professional as well as fierce. His eyes were narrowed in Hongbin's direction, making them look smaller then they actually were. He seemed angry. He most likely was. But Hongbin knew what he was doing, even if it was a long shot. 

The last person in the room was the boy that Hongbin had noticed last time, the younger boy, Sungjong if he remembered rightly was staring at him curiously but he seemed hopeful at least. Which was more then then the other members of the gang seemed. They all looked..well defeated. 

"I saw Hoya...and I thought that-" he started, catching the attention of everyone in the room. Some eyes widened and others had questions formed on the tips of their tongues. But the first one to speak-or rather interrupt was Sunggyu. 

"And you thought what? You'd come here and rub it in our faces that he may be on his death bed!?" The leaders anger seemed to explore at the photographer, as he stood suddenly and knocked his chair back with the jerky movement. Even Hongbin was surprised at that. Because the man had no hope in his words. Nor his eyes. 

"Sunggyu! Watch your mouth!" Dongwoo's drawn out warning was enough to make everyone in the room freeze for a moment. Most of the time Dongwoo was very chilled, the calm one of the group. However when he got angry he turned from the lovable dinosaur man to a cold killer. Hongbin noted to not get on his bad side. 

"I want to..help you guys." Hongbin's words seemed to shock the gang members as they stared at him in surprise. All except Sunggyu, who seemed to laugh tauntingly. Hongbin knew that it would take some convincing, considering the unsure looks most of the others were giving him he had some work to do. Though he didn't notice whilst he'd been thinking that Sunggyu had gotten closer. 

"What makes you think that you of all people can help us? Your afraid of us." he said sternly, eyes turned into slits, denoting his annoyance. Hongbin stared back for a moment as Sunggyu gritted his teeth trying to control his anger. Now that the older was closer Hongbin, the younger could see worry lines forming in his face, a clear sign of the stress he was suffering from. He also noticed that his bottom lip was bitten raw, probably something that the leader had not even realised he was doing in his nervousness. But Hongbin saw. He saw through the anger, saw someone that needed help. However they all knew that Sunggyu would never reach out first for help. 

"I may be afraid of you. But that's why I've come here. To get over that and help you out when you are at a disadvantage. Because if we don't hurry up and catch this guy- this murderer then he will come back and he will kill your friend. The Demon doesn't leave witnesses. You all know that." he said, his words bringing another wave of anger to burn within the brown haired male in front of him. He was speaking the truth but right now that wasn't what the leader of Infinite wanted to hear. 

Hongbin ended up shoved against the wall he was closest to,  the shorter male gripping his collar and staring into Hongbin's eyes, as if trying to look into his very soul. The younger thought wistfully that this may look rather comical to a stranger, the way Sunggyu though shorter then Hongbin was trying to intimidate him. Hongbin though couldn't focus on the funny aspect of the situation. It was far too serious right now. 

"And what is stopping me from killing you right now?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly with the effort it took him to keep his act up. Sunggyu didn't want to have to be the strong one anymore. He needed time to process the information, the knowledge that one of his best friends was at the hospital, in a coma. Of course he blamed himself. He could have protected him. 'If only...if only it had been me instead...'

"I am." a voice interrupted, whilst the youngest boy, Sungjong stood from his seat and walked towards Sunggyu who seemed to be frozen in either shock or surprise, Hongbin couldn't tell which. The boy placed a hand on Sunggyu's shoulder, pulling him back and surprisingly Sunggyu let him, without protest. 

"Your not going to hurt him hyung. He's willing to help us after what we've done to him. Now your going to do everything within your power to help him. Because Hoya-hyung is there laying in hospital because of some murderer!" he finished his voice rising towards the end of his rant and surprising his hyung. Even Hongbin was rather surprised by this. 

There was silence for a long while, no one really knew what to say. The members of Infinite were just stood there, unsure of what to do. Sungjong had never spoken out against any of them. He wasn't really a member of their gang so to say, he was someone they all cared about and wanted to protect. So they tris to shield him from the darker side of Seoul because he was too sweet and innocent to be exposed to something like that. However Sungjong wasn't stupid or ignorant. He knew what they did. He listened but never said anything to them about it. until Woohyun broke it. 

"A few nights ago...Hoya came to me with some videos tapes. He wanted to know if I could repair them...but they were pretty damaged. I've not been able to fix them and recover the film yet. He seemed pretty curious and it was just a bit out of the ordinary y'know? I didn't think anything of it until now...." Woohyun muttered, eyes grazed over as he seemed relive memory.  

Hongbin pushed himself off the wall and away from Sunggyu who seemed to of calmed down slightly. 

"I can help with fixing those. I know a guy." he said, focusing on Woohyun now, who raised a brow but nodded his head as he left the room for a moment. Hongbin turned to looked at L, who still stood by the window, seemingly indifferent towards the situation but was clearly paying attention. 

"Can I ask you a question?" he asked, drawing attention back to himself whilst Woohyun was out. He didn't know what to expect from L. Maybe he wouldn't answer him. Or perhaps he would refuse his question. Though he had every right to. And Hongbin wouldn't  hold anything against him. He received a short nod from the man, who leant against the wall. 

"How do you know Wonshik hyung?" he asked, studying the dark haired man's face carefully for any reaction. There seemed to be a quiet sense of surprise spread across his face as he raised a brow. 

"He hasn't told you?" his words only confused Hongbin more as he slowly shakes his head letting his confusion be known. Dongwoo seemed to understand what L was talking about, as his expression became grim again. His expression matched that of Sungyeol and Sungjong. 

"Told me what?" He asked, confused again as he looked around at the others. L opened his mouth about to answer but then closed it again. Because he didn't know what to say. If Wonshik hadn't told them then this could be extremely bad for him...but it's not like they could get away with saying nothing now. L cursed within his mind. He'd screwed up for his little brother. 

"He's our brother." Sunggyu's voice came and shattered the silence that had been surrounding them. Hongbin's head whipped to the side, staring wide eyes at the gang leader, who returned the gaze without hesitation. Hongbin slowly blinked, trying to process the information because now it made sense, more so then. Wonshik hadn't told anyone because he'd never of become who he was today if he had. He felt betrayed, but he couldn't work out why. Did it really matter that much to him? 

At that moment, Woohyun returned holding a black plastic bag in his left hand, he raised an eyebrow at the tense atmosphere and offered the bag to Hongbin, who took it with a small nod towards the other. 

"I'll contact you when we have new information." he said quietly as he his heel towards the door to the main warehouse that had been left open their small meeting. A voice stopped him before he could leave. It made him happy, the words spoken. Because perhaps now he could move on. 

"I'm sorry, Lee Hongbin...but thank you for what your doing." the leaders voice sounded regretful and it made Hongbin turn back around to stare at the older, his eyes weren't lying and so the younger smiled, holding out his hand. The hand was scrutinised considerably by the other, as if it were an alien limb threatening to poke him. There was a moment where Hongbin thought that he wouldn't shake his hand before another hand clasped his, a firm shake followed. Hongbin felt a smile on his lips.  Now he could move on. 
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It was about 3:00pm when Hakyeon knocked on the pristine white door of his own apartment. He'd felt much better when he woke up this morning. After a while the nurse had arrived and stated that he was healthy enough to be discharged, much to Hakyeon's relief. He couldn't wait to get out of there. 

He'd been reminded that he didn't have a motorcycle to drive when he'd gotten outside. He was forced to call a taxi to pick him up, as he didn't want to bother the other guys who were busy with the new victim. He smiled slightly knowing that he could spend time with Sungjae, as Rovix had kindly forced him to take a leave of absence for a few weeks. At least until the new year anyway. Hakyeon couldn't argue with him though. He needed it. 

The door opened, revealing his brother smiling widely and wearing a apron covered in an array of colourful looking sauces and spices. Strong scents were assaulting his senses and he raised a fine brow at the younger who merely laughed and pulled him inside. 

"I wanted to cook you something special, like a welcoming home present." he said and glanced back at his brother grinning. Hakyeon cringed at this and looked around. Thankfully there were no holes in the walls and nothing was broken. Well from as far as he could see anyway. 

"You didn't blow the kitchen up did you?" Hakyeon asked, eyebrow raised as he sent a pointed stare towards his younger brother who merely smiled sheepishly at him. 

"Of course I didn't!" he said and laughed a little before he turned fluidly on his heel, graceful from years of practise in dance. He had to be like that, for his profession. Sungjae was a talented singer and dancer. He was apart if the boy group named BTOB. And Hakyeon couldn't be prouder of his little brother. Because he was doing something that he loved. Something that made him who he was today. 

Back when Hakyeon had been younger he'd taken a shine to dancing. He loved to dance, as the years went by life started to get in the way. He still danced, he could never give that up, but just not as often as he used to. Though it was all worth it, to see Sungjae up on stage or seeing him in his music videos for the first time. Hakyeon loved it. He was glad. 

Hakyeon walked towards his balcony, in need of some fresh air as he heard the radio switch on, playing a song that Hakyeon didn't know the name of. But Sungjae seemed to recognise it as he sang along fluently to the lyrics. The black haired male smiled whilst he shook his head, opening the balcony doors and taking a deep breath as he slowly relaxed himself. Time had flown so quickly. He hadn't really took time to think about ow much he'd experienced so quickly. 

He'd met so many people, some that he hoped to be friends with for the ret of his life and he'd had fun along the way. He felt as if he'd already lived a long life in just over a few months. Though he wouldn't change it. Well perhaps the parts where he kept getting hurt but other then that he was happy with everything that had happened. He hadn't realised how much the task force had effected him until now. 

His head cleared again as he took a soothing breath of fresh air. He finally felt at peace. He was happy. He had friends and he had his brother. All he needed now was to get rid of the cases that were beginning to stack up against them. Then they would be fine. A thought hit him suddenly, when this was all over...would they all stay together? They wasn't really a reason for them to. But he found himself saddened by the thought. He'd grown attached to the others. 

Hakyeon vaguely heard the radio stutter but got back to thinking. He'd certainly miss the task force. Not just one person in particular but them all. 

He'd miss Ken, who he'd first met officially, that strange yet wonderful man. He remembered when the forensic scientist had first walked into his office to Hakyeon sat at his desk, the confused and yet surprisingly sassy edge to his voice and the overwhelming smile he'd given him after he'd seen the file. That was one of his favourite moments with the younger man. 

He knew he'd miss Hongbin. The photographer was someone he wanted to protect, yet he was so strong and he didn't even know it. Hakyeon smiled at the thought. He was so kind and sweet to other people, that dimpled smile could make anyone return his kindness. And Hakyeon had been charmed by him. He took pictures of everything, Hakyeon promised himself that he'd someday steal all pictures he'd taken of them away and keep them for himself. 

Their youngest, their maknae Hyuk was someone Hakyeon had adored the minute he'd looked at him. From the moment he'd dragged him away from his ex-partner Seo In Guk to this very moment. Hakyeon always had to remind himself that Hyuk was younger then him, as he was so mature and determined. But he had moments, where he became that childish boy again. For example when he'd fallen asleep in this very apartment, after coaxing them into getting to know each other a little better. 

Then there was Taekwoon, or rather Taekwoonie. Hakyeon remember their slightly rough start, the fact that Hakyeon had followed the younger around until he agreed to join their team. It warmed his heart that he'd been able to convince the stubborn man to help them. It had been for the best. Taekwoon was someone they needed here, Hakyeon needed him, to snap him out of his delusions from time to time. Because he's the only one that could. 

And finally there was Wonshik, his partner and his friend. He'd miss their arguments most of all, the ones where Wonshik found himself yelling at the other because of his dangerous antics on his bike. The arguments amused Hakyeon more then anything else. He grew to like annoying the other man. But overall it was entirely too sweet of him, being so concerned for his hyung all the time. But he was grateful of this, because sometimes he just needed to be looked after instead of worrying about everyone else. 

The memories were sweet and at the forefront of his mind now. There were times he would never forget because they'd become special to him. And to think that it could all come to an end so soon, made his mood dampen. 

"H-hyung..." Hakyeon blinked as he heard Sungjae's voice behind him. He turned and his eyes widened significantly as his blood ran cold in his veins. He blinked, hoping, willing it to be a dream but it wasn't. He knew that. 

Sungjae was stood in front of him, eyes widened in fear. One would think he'd been watching a horror movie, one that was just a bit too graphic. But it wasn't because of something so trivial. It was because of the barrel of the hand gun pressed dangerously into the side of his head. 

Hakyeon followed the arms that wrapped around his younger brother, dread filling him as his eyes travelled up and up until his eyes met that of the man he'd been looking for. A friend that he'd been searching for in hopes of clearing his name. It was Ji-Yong, G-Dragon, holding the gun to his brothers head. Hakyeon swallowed harshly as his whole body filled with fear at the sight. 

"It's nice to see you again Hakyeon, long time no see." 
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A/N: Hey everyone, wow I can't believe how far into this story I am now. There are currently six chapters and an epilogue left to write. Anyway it's been awhile, I'm hoping to finish this soon. Thanks for all the support , and thank you all for reading and/or subscribing! See you all next time hopefully!