The horrors of that night were only relived two nights later when all three cell phones rang at once. Heechul had finally come out of her room and was sitting at the dinner table at Leeteuk’s insistence that she needed to eat. Said man was sitting with her to make sure she didn’t just push her food around. The shock of two nights prior had not worn off and they knew it probably would never become easy to handle. But they had to try for the sake of the rest of the group. Hangeng was cleaning the kitchen as per usual when three distinct ringtones went off. They all looked at the incoming picture message.

Leeteuk felt his breath catch in his throat as he looked at the gruesome image. Hangeng remained silent. A shaking gasp escaped Heechul’s lips. Siwon, one of the older members, lay on the cold ground, eyes as silent and unseeing as Ryeowook’s. Another member was gone.

That night was one of the hardest they had ever had to experience. It wasn’t long after they received the text that the usually expressionless Kibum appeared in their doorway suddenly clinging to Heechul who had been the one to answer the door. She pulled the younger over to the couch where they sat for the rest of the night until the sobbing girl finally fell asleep.

Heechul pulled a blanket over the sleeping girl that was stretched out on her couch. She had cried herself into unconsciousness. It was nights like this when Heechul was grateful to be one of the oldest in the group and therefore one of the leaders. Taking care of the younger members allowed her to take her mind off of her own issue with Hangeng and Leeteuk and focus on what needed to be done about the unit. With two members dead and another two in states of what could only be described as emotional discord, their world was coming down around them. They didn’t know who the next victim would be or when the man called Phoenix would strike again.

Running her fingers through Kibum’s hair in an attempt to calm the restless sleeper, Heechul made the decision to remain on guard for her entire unit. She would protect the remaining members with every fiber she had in her body, giving herself up if she had to. Everyone else would never approve of it, but if it kept them safe, it was worth the argument. This was more than a group of people who worked together; they had become a family to each other, some quite literally.

Siwon had been the man to open Kibum up to the world around her. Although she remained expressionless the majority of the time, there were moments when her eyes would shine behind a hidden smile. Those were the moments when Siwon was with her. And only he could bring out that side of her. Now Heechul was scared the younger girl’s newly found expression would be lost with him.

The next morning, the apartment was filled with the members of the unit, minus two. The spaces where they would have sat stood out, the emptiness weighing heavily on everyone. They sat scattered amongst themselves this time.

Yesung was even quieter than usual today. That wasn’t surprising though. He was still in shock from earlier that week. After getting back to the apartment, Leeteuk had called Kangin to tell him the news and asked him to go break it to the older man and stay with him. The older took it hard and it took four of them to get him out of his apartment and drag him to the meeting.

Heechul, herself, was on the verge of emotional turmoil. She was sitting on the window ledge just outside of the group that had gathered in her living room. Heebum jumped from her perch next to Leeteuk’s head and landed next to her owner, weaving between her ankles in comfort. Heechul pulled the cat up to her chest where she nestled into the space under her chin. Well, at least Heebum felt safe. The Shindonge couldn’t exactly be said about everyone else in the room.

“If no one has anything to say, I’m leaving.” Yesung said. His voice cracked from not being used for days as he got up from his spot on the couch and started towards the door.

“Yesung, please stay. We don’t want to lose you too.” Donghae was the one to speak this time.

“I don’t have the café. I don’t have Ryeowook.” He answered, not turning around.

“But we have everyone else.” Kibum’s frail voice was his answer. Everyone in the room turned to look at that the younger woman.

“Kibum…” Leeteuk started to say but her sharp eyes cut him off.

“Shut up. You’re our leader. Tell us what our next step is and let us get on with it. We’ve got work to do.” The tone of her voice was nothing short of daggers, exactly the way she used to be. Leeteuk sighed, resigning to the fact that she had retreated into her old defenses. By that point, everyone had. Donghae and Eunhyuk had retreated into each other in their own little world to the point that they were nearly unbearable to be around. Yesung refused to talk. Just hearing him speak that little bit was more than a shock. Kangin was keeping a closer eye on his brother, jumping up to help every time the older man so much as coughed which was more often than not since he had picked up his old smoking habit. Shindong’s appetite was growing again. Sungmin and Kyuhyun were constantly fighting amongst themselves. Hangeng refused to talk to Heechul who had found some form of solace at the bottom of a bottle of whatever was in the newly restocked liquor cabinet.

“There’s nothing we can do right now. We just have to keep each other safe at this point.” Leeteuk said. It was the last thing he wanted coming out of his mouth. He wanted to have a plan, to be able to tell his unit that everything was going to be okay and give them something to keep them busy and get their minds off of the tragedy of their situation. Give them a sense of security. But that was impossible.

The room remained silent for hours, no one knowing what to say or do. It was a matter of time before someone snapped from the tension. Leeteuk coughed.

“WILL YOU STOP THAT?!” Kyuhyun shouted, making everyone jumped three feet out of their skin. “DO YOU HAVE TO COUGH EVERY FIVE SECONDS?!” Leeteuk looked like he’d just been slapped across the face.

“Hey! Watch it, Tomboy!” Kangin stood up from his spot next to his older brother.

“You watch how you talk to her!” Sungmin stood up. He was barely eye level with the larger man but his voice was twice as poisonous.

“Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it, Pinky?”

Sungmin chuckled darkly.

“All brawn; no brain. You haven’t changed a bit, have you?”

Kangin was livid as he pulled his fist back, ready to send it flying into the smaller man’s face. Instead, it was caught by Hangeng’s hand wrapping around his wrist.

“Sit down, Sungmin.” Hangeng’s voice was quiet but stern. His fingers tightened around Kangin’s wrist until the man was wriggling uncomfortably. “You too.” Both men obeyed and did not say another word.

“We can’t just sit here.” Eunhyuk said once things calmed down slightly.

“Well, what do you suggest we do?” Shindong spoke up. The tension had gotten to be too much for him. Leeteuk took a deep breath. An idea had come to mind but he hadn’t wanted to say it. His unit had already been put through enough. Still, this was the only way he knew that the rest of his friends and family would remain out of harm’s way.

“You all are going into hiding again.” It wasn’t Leeteuk that spoke. It was Hangeng. “We’ll make sure you’re relocated to an area away from any suspected target zone. We have an idea of what exactly these people are after. It involves the three of us.” He motioned to himself, Leeteuk, and Heechul. “The rest of you shouldn’t have even been involved in the first place.”

“What are you talking about, Hangeng?” Heechul finally spoke up.

“I mean, I know what these people are doing. I was part of the cover unit when I first started working. They’d be satisfied if they had us.”

“Hangeng’s right.” Leeteuk finally said. All eyes turned towards him, questioning his response. “Everyone is to be relocated. That’s final. You are to remain out of sight and out of range. We will contact you when all of this is over and you can return to whatever life you so choose.” The dark expression that shadowed his face silenced any protests.

Time continued to go by the way it had all day. There was silence except for an occasional cough from Leeteuk that made Heechul tense up with each noise. Having had enough, she got up from her spot and walked to the kitchen, disappearing behind the swinging door, grey cat in tow. The sound of clinking glass mixed with the rustle and coughs coming from the living room. Hangeng and Leeteuk exchanged knowing glances.

Leeteuk stood up from his spot and walked into the kitchen. The door opened to reveal Heechul throwing a glass of something stronger than Leeteuk cared to smell down . He sat beside her and took the glass and the bottle from her hands. She didn’t bother looking at him.

“You have got to stop this.”

“That was my second glass and it wasn’t even full. No need to get your in a wad.” The wall was apparently more interesting than this conversation to Heechul. She knew where it was headed and it was not a place she wanted to go.

“You of all people know what needs to happen next.” Leeteuk said. Heechul sighed, taking the bottle back from the older man, not even bothering to use a glass before tipping it back down .

“It’s not going to work.” She said once was clear of the potent liquid. “It didn’t work last time. What makes us think it’ll work again?”

“Because we’re going to try a new approach.” Leeteuk explained. Heechul looked at him curiously.

“There’s one approach to going undercover, Leeteuk. We’ve already twisted it every which way it can go.”

“There’s one way we haven’t tried.”

“NO! Absolutely not!” Heechul slammed her hand onto the table, emphasizing her refusal. “I will not have anything to do with that!” Leeteuk covered Heechul’s fist with his fingers, loosening hers so that they were easily grasped.

“I know you’re scared. We all are.”

The two sat in silence for a moment. They avoided each other’s eyes, neither wanting to say what they knew the other already knew.

“I can’t lose you.” Leeteuk finally spoke. The words seemed to hang over them like a cloud in the thick air of the kitchen. “I almost lost you once. I don’t think I could live through that again.”

“Then don’t make me do it.”

“You know we don’t have a choice.” Leeteuk let go of her hand. “And all of this aside, Heechul. There is something you have a choice in. You need to make up your mind. I’m not saying now. But at some point, it does need to be done.” He turned and walked out of the room, knowing the younger woman understood the meaning behind that final statement. He also knew that it would be a hard decision for her to make. But now was not the time to feel torn between two people that she loved. Instability in one area in life could spill over into work and, in their line of business, that was not a risk that should be taken.

Heechul stared at the bottle in front of her, too sick to her stomach to even think about taking another drink of the potent liquid. She knew she wasn’t being fair to either man, in a relationship with Hangeng while emotionally involved with Leeteuk. But at the same time, it wasn’t fair for Leeteuk to make her choose at that moment. There was too much going on and she didn’t need another bout of added stress. Besides, weren’t personal matter supposed to stay out of business affairs? It was all too confusing for the young woman.

When she finally walked out of the kitchen, the living room was cleared off all its previous occupants. They had gone home to pack everything and prepare for their new locations and identities. Hangeng, RongRong and Heebum were the only other living beings in the room. The cat, as usual, was staying as far away from the man and his dog as possible. She jumped off of her perch on the windowsill and ran to her owner, weaving between her legs until Heechul picked her up, allowing her to nestle into the crook of her neck. As always, Heebum’s purring calmed her. She sat down on the other end of the couch from Hangeng. He looked up from the book he was reading. Heechul opened to start talking but was cut off.

“You don’t need to say anything, Heechul. I heard the whole conversation.” The woman’s mouth snapped closed and she looked away, seriously considering returning to the kitchen. Hangeng seemed to notice this. “Don’t even think about it. You know Leeteuk will kill you if he catches you with that stuff again.” He paused for a moment until he was sure Heechul would remain seated. “So what’s your decision?” There was the thump of Heebum, who had moved to sit around her owner’s shoulders, slapping her tail on her arm.

“I’ll do it.”