He couldn't count how many times he tried to reach her even if he knew that it was always the operator that's welcoming his calls. Anxiety and over thinking had him juddering his hands as he looked within the vicinity of their apartment and still no sign of her. He wandered around the nearby streets, asked several people if they've seen her but no one did.


And his thoughts that she was tripped along the menacing alley had him worried. Running fast as he could, jet black hair swayed with the breeze together with his sweater's laces. His heart felt wounded when he saw the peach mango cake smashed on the ground with some rainbow wrapped popper broken, deflated balloons, and other party paraphernalia.


He heard some weak yelp through the thin dim passage as he did not have second thought and immediately traversed through it. To his surprised, he saw three to four adults encircling his muse. She was scared, pleading and bawling, tears endlessly showered her cheeks.


"Yah! Don't you ever dare touch her!" His voice echoed the empty dead end street. Stray cats begun running in different direction with variety of purrs following his scream.


"Look who we have here. The Saranguel haetda boy. You want your face to be unrecognisable just for this rude girl?" The tallest man in black leather jacket loudly asked as two of them went behind him. They pushed Hanbin that his body bumped into her as he gradually held her hand. Squeezing it tight to make her feel secure and safe, she leaned closer to him.


"Let's run." He heedlessly mumbled as she rolled her eyes and quietly scolded him. "Are you imbecile we have nowhere to go!"


While the two were having hushed argument, Jisoo was snatched from his grapple as a kick from behind made him fall in four. Jisoo wildly wiggled both her arms as a failed attempt to escape. Her cries were more audible, forehead wrinkling as she felt sorry for Hanbin that she couldn't do anything to help him.


Another lash out was made, hitting the side of his rib as he wept in pain. The evil laughter of the group was silenced when they heard a shrill meters away from them. "Hanbin-ah!"


She directly recognized the voice as she yelled croaking, "Bobby oppa! Help us!"


"Woah," Jiwon's running legs stopped midway as he almost choked with the bubblegum he was chewing.


"Here's another uriga manna boy." The rest were chuckling maniacally as one of them started attacking him. Hanbin gained his strength and stood up, punched the jaw of the person coming for him. The duo stood back to back as all of them raged in unison, the one holding Jisoo pushed her as she fell on the rough cement ground, scrapping her palms.


Exchange of punches and kicks were strong, leaving marks on their bodies. Just then, they realized Hanbin has legs that can throw high kicks while Jiwon's blow punches can possibly knock out a person. However, even if they tried hard enough, they were outnumbered.


Jiwon was already lying on the ground with a person above him, hitting him left and right. On the other side, Hanbin was strangled as it was almost hard for him to breathe. They might end up unconscious if the ruthless fight continued. Siren coming from police mobile impeded these thugs as they ran off like scared kids, without looking back, leaving the three in mess.


"Oppa you're alright?" Jisoo kneeled before Jiwon as she helped him to sit up. The other guy sauntered towards the two as he wiped the blood oozing the side of his lips. The siren started to become faint as she panicked and shouted. "Help-" Jiwon covered immediately. "Shhhh... they might hear us."


His hand was still sealing her and waited until the patrolling police were gone. She pulled herself from him with quizzical eyes. "But, we need to report them and bring you two to hospital."


"We can't. The media might blow this up and make stupid rumors." The leader stretched his hand and pulled Jisoo up. Together, they helped Jiwon to stand. "Let's just head home, we have first aid there."


*


With the help of Jisoo, Jiwon was able to take off his shirt. Revealing his well toned torso with mouth-watering six pack abs as she blushed with the sight. She could only imagine absurd things but was really good at hiding with her desires to avoid any awkwardness with him.


She prepared the ice cubes wrapped in face towel and carefully thawed the side of his eyes down to his jaws. Jiwon just smiled with how gentle Jisoo's touch was. He held her small hand and guided her to his aching shoulder down to the side of his ribs with their eyes seemed like having their own conversation.


Hanbin twitched his lips with the view and pulled her off him. "Put some ice on me too." He requested with cuteness that he never did to anyone before.


"Here, do it yourself." She cringed and coldly handed him bucket of ice then continued taking care of Jiwon. "The audacity of this girl." He followed with strings of curses but made sure that it was not that loud for them to hear.


"By the way, what did those guys do to you? I mean, how did you end up there?" Jiwon asked.


"They followed me and were trying to get my bag." She put down the ice pack and dampened the cloth, wiped some blood off his face. She then poured povidone-iodine on a cotton ball and glided against the cuts in his face.


Hanbin sat beside Jisoo and had taken care of himself, putting whatever was available to his bruises. He thought he was a strong, independent man who can do all things on his own. While doing so, he stated nonchalantly, "You should have given it to them instead and run off. You can always buy new bag, phone and money is replaceable. But not your life."


"Well, I also called them monkeys because they are ugly." She answered, still facing Jiwon.<