A/N: I made the mistake of writing this in past-tense when I started it, so please excuse me if the tense switches randomly. This is actually the second draft of the first chapter. I kind of like the first version better, but I think this version fits better with the story. Maybe. Hopefully this (vague) chapter is interesting enough to make you want to read the next one. (It gets more interesting, I swear.)

"What did I miss?" Woohyun took in the sight in front of him. Dongwoo, cursing and thrashing about, was being restrained by Myungsoo and Hoya. On the other side of the empty dancefloor, Sunggyu and Sungjong were crouched beside a barely conscious body. Logically, Woohyun chose to approach the calmer side of the room. He repeated his question to Sunggyu and Sungjong once he reached them.

Sunggyu glanced at him. "Just Dongwoo beating the crap out of this idiot."

Woohyun tilted his head to the side as he surveyed the man on the floor. Under all the blood and bruises his face did look a bit familiar. "Are we assuming he deserved it?" Judging by the struggle on the other side of the room, he didn't think that was the case.

"I think he was just following orders," Sungjong answered.

"But he probably still deserved it," Sunggyu added. He smacked the guy's face a couple times, but got no response. Heaving a sigh, he stood up to stretch his legs. "Can you go try to talk some sense into him?" He lifted his chin in Dongwoo's direction.

"Isn't that more your area of expertise?" At Sunggyu's deathly glare, Woohyun held his hands up in surrender. "I didn't say I wouldn't," he argued as he backed away. He had been serious, though. Sunggyu was the one who knew how to connect with Dongwoo. Although Hoya knew Dongwoo the longest and was technically closer to him, Sunggyu was the one they (mostly teasingly) called the Dongwoo Whisperer. He knew how to reach the other when no one else could. All he had to do was speak softly in Dongwoo's ear to get him to calm down.

Woohyun didn't see how he was supposed to reason with Dongwoo. But with Sunggyu's attention on the poor sap on the floor, he had to give it a shot. With a short nod to signal Myungsoo and Hoya to let Dongwoo go, Woohyun stepped closer to the shorter man until they were face-to-face.

"Move," Dongwoo spat.

"No." Woohyun returned the other's hard stare as he took another step closer. "Not until you calm down."

"I am calm." The way he bit out the words belied the truth.

Woohyun scoffed. "So why were you so calmly trying to rearrange that guy's face," he asks sarcastically.

"He's a thief."

"That's not usually how we handle thieves." They weren't thugs. They didn't go around beating up on people whether they deserved it or not. And considering they were technically thieves themselves, it would be hypocritical of them to punish someone for doing the same thing. "How do you know it was him and not Jungyeob who stole from you?" The man on the floor was a lackey for the second biggest crime boss in the city. There was no way he would have the nerve to go after Dongwoo. But his boss, Lee Jungyeob, had no qualms about getting on anyone's bad side. And with good reason; he didn't get to where he was by being considerate.

"That's what I was trying to figure out," Dongwoo replied with a touch of irritation, "until you guys interrupted me."

"What did he take anyway?" The question came from Hoya. His face had become grave at the mention of Jungyeob. They all knew the lengths the man would go to; the things he could do (or have others do for him). "He didn't..." Hoya's eyes narrowed as he wondered to himself. Dongwoo stayed quiet, his face not giving away anything. That seemed to tell Hoya everything he wanted to know. His gaze hardened as realization set in. "That bastard," he seethed. He looked as murderous as Dongwoo had moments before.

Woohyun glanced at Myungsoo who shrugged, equally as lost. "So what did he take?" His answer came in the form of a smack to the back of his head. Rubbing the sore spot, he cursed under his breath and turned to glare at Sunggyu.

"Don't ask stupid questions," the older man chided. He promptly ignored whatever smart- response Woohyun was readying to focus on Dongwoo. His hands smoothed down the shorter man's arms. "We'll get it back," Sunggyu assured him. But more than reassurance, it was a promise. The five of them would do all that they could to retrieve the stolen item and get Dongwoo his own revenge.