The night's late, skies a pitch black but streets lit brightly in the surrounding colors of the multiple street and building lights, as Taeyong exits the SM company building. The luminescent lights lining the outside walls of the building shine down upon Taeyong as he turns out from the building's entrance to the snow-covered sidewalk ahead, darkened phone in one hand and bag in the other. He glances down at his phone, expecting to see a new text from Jaehyun or Doyoung present but when none show up, Taeyong tucks it in his coat's pocket and zips it shut.

Light snow flurries fall around him and cover the sidewalks, grass, roads, and more in it's glowing white sheet. Any other time Taeyong would have already commented on how beautiful it makes the mundane city look. He feels the flurries lightly landing down on top of his head and reaches up to brush them off. He feels more present on his head than he was expecting and ultimately decides to pull his hood up. He's in no place to suddenly catch a cold from one of his dumb decisions, not wanting to disappoint neither his fellow members or any management more than he already has.

He's in zero position to cause any more disruption in the group, especially after what happened at the group's last activity only a mere day ago. It was a variety show filming for a particular show that is known for their constant teasing and games with the many idols that visit. Of course that morning Taeyong was waking the members up and had walked in on a shivering and shaking Mark laying curled up into a ball under his blankets and Haechan standing beside him holding a bottle of medication and a cold towel.

Taeyong was quick to go into full 'mother hen' mode, taking over Haechan's position as he told the younger to go get one of the older members to call one of their managers to cancel all of Mark's schedules. At those words, however, Mark was quick to try and change Taeyong's mind, saying he was healthy enough to do that day's schedule then take some time to rest and that the group needed the recognition this variety show would provide. After a few minutes of convincing, Taeyong finally agreed; his first mistake of the day.

His second had come from when all the members arrived at the shoot and met up with their managers. During the car ride, Taeyong had decided he would keep Mark's sickness on a down low from everyone but the members, since Haechan and Jaehyun already knew,  fully believing telling anyone else would resort in Mark's immediate removal from the set and possible cancellation of the shooting altogether. Taeyong didn't want to be the cause of the member's grief if that did happen so from then on his mind was made up.

Entering the building was okay, just the occasional glance from a staff member or manager whenever he and Mark passed by hand in hand, solely for the fact Mark needed the support to walk. The dressing room was fine, Mark had been hiding in the corner of the room surrounded by other members who snuck medicines and other things he needed to survive the next few hours. Taeyong took the position of guard and the first person anyone encountered when trying to reach something near Mark or even Mark himself. That had to of been his third mistake; he should've just stayed beside Mark the entire time.

Taeyong was clueless of Mark's growing fever, being too far away from him or any other members watching over him to be informed. And when it came time to begin shooting, the director rushed into the room and practically pulled Taeyong out to be able to go over last minute topics for the show and how the whole thing would play out. He didn't get the chance to see how Mark was until right before they were set to walk onto the set. The moment he set eyes on the younger, Taeyong was quick to reach over and pull him towards him, close enough to whisper to him but not enough to make it seem like anything was wrong.

Mark tried telling Taeyong he'd be fine but the moment Taeyong lifted his hands towards Mark's forehead and felt the radiating heat before they even touched, he knew Mark wasn't fine. He was about to walk back to the managers with Mark in tow to explain the problem but before he could make the move, Taeyong felt hands on his arm and turned to see a crew member from the show pushing him to walk out onto the set to lead the other members out.

Because that's his job, to be the group's leader. Without Taeyong, without a leader, the group would go through problem after problem every day. They needed him at that moment, and just like every other day, to act his position. Not only for the members but also for all of the staff who are practically staring daggers towards him as he slowly walks onto the set with the others all trailing behind. But he was also the leader for s in more ways than taking the lead for interviews and shows. He aids all the members when they are feeling sick or down in any way, momentarily pushing aside his personal problems for s. He glances back to look at Mark who walks directly behind him sluggishly and with zero enthusiasm that he usually possesses. The moment they all get out there and the filming starts and hosts begin talking, people are going to begin noticing the problem. He needed to do something fast, and that's where his fourth mistake came in.

Instead of continuing his lead onto the set, Taeyong suddenly turned around back towards where he just walked on from and grabbed ahold of Mark's wrist, dragging him off back towards the dressing rooms. Everyone else on the set abruptly stopped what they were doing, including the hosts and members, to turn towards the two retreating forms. Mark was wearily tugging against Taeyong's grip, not fully comprehending what's happening thanks to his pounding headache, but Taeyong is persistent and would not allow for Mark to slip away. Taeyong felt the daggering eyes of every single person on that set on the back of his head but didn't allow that to affect his decision, pushing on towards the door that leads out of the set and to the dressing rooms and exit.

Taeyong's sudden leave angered many of those running the shoot and it only took a few moments for a swarm of producers, directors, and other higher staff to enter the dressing room he brought Mark to. The first thing Taeyong did was take care Mark, laying him on one of the couches inside and grabbing a bottle of painkillers for his headache, before turning to face those standing scattered around the room behind him. He was hit with a wave of insults and curses, the worst being from the main director who was making his way closer towards Taeyong and readying himself to about punch Taeyong across the face if it wasn't for one of their managers who managed to fight through the crowd and grab ahold of the man's arm.

It took some time to calm everyone down but the managers were able to get a majority of the crowd out of the dressing room so it was only Mark, Taeyong, the managers, and the director remaining. The other members weren't allowed to enter the room while this was going on, something Taeyong was thankful for. He didn't need any of them to witness what was happening. They all only need to see Taeyong as their strong leader and weakness isn't an option in his mind.

There was lots of curse words and yelling that was thrown at Taeyong for his described 'insubordinate and harmful actions that greatly affected every staff member on set and ruined the entire week's production of the show's episode'. Taeyong had felt like that was a little far-fetched but he wasn't in any kind of position to argue. He was only a mere idol, overshadowed by every other person older than him on that set. Any of their words could jeopardize his position at the company in an instant, and that was the only thing that terrified Taeyong through the entire ordeal.

The director had finally given up on all of the yelling and walked out of the room in a fuss, but not before promising Taeyong and every single manager in the room he would be sure to speak to the company about this. Taeyong was expecting the managers to scream at him just like all of the other staff had but instead, they simply told Taeyong to take Mark and head to the cars where all of the others were waiting. The words surprised Taeyong but he couldn't argue when he was just given time, no matter the size, away from the punishments. Taeyong knew his actions that night weren't as bad as they were made out to be and everyone was just taking advantage of the ordeal only because Taeyong and the rest of NCT were a newer group, not rookies but also not seniors so they weren't experienced enough to be given full respect from every director, host, or photographer they encountered.

The car ride was quiet, the sounds of the van moving along the highway and Mark's hushed coughing the only things breaking the awkward silence between the members and Taeyong. Jaehyun was placed in the other car which meant he couldn't comfort Taeyong and talk about what happened, but that didn't stopped him from continuously texting him about everything that went on. None of the members were upset with what Taeyong had done, but to Taeyong he felt they were angry at him for ruining the shoot and also for jeopardizing a great chance for better recognition.

That night was quiet, only the occasional member confronted Taeyong but other than that nothing. Taeyong immediately placed Mark in bed with close to a dozen different cold medicines and painkillers coursing through his body. Taeyong didn't end up going to bed until around midnight, and he would have stayed up later if it wasn't for Johnny having walked into the kitchen to find him sitting at the table. The two talked for about half an hour but Taeyong ended up ending the conversation, ironically saying the both of them needed to get to bed.

When Taeyong woke the next day, early that morning, the first thing that registered in his mind was the fact all of the other members in the dorm were up. Usually, all of the other 127 members sleep in as much as they can on days off and it's always Taeyong who wakes first, gets all the others up, and makes them breakfast. When he left his room and walked into the kitchen, the last thing he was expecting to find was everyone else all sitting around the room in their own ways: Jaehyun, Johnny, and Doyoung sitting at the kitchen table, Haechan and Yuta standing together in the kitchen seemingly cooking something on the stove, and Taeil and Winwin sitting in the living room alongside, to Taeyong's surprise, Mark.

He tried asking what was wrong because that was the only thing going through his mind when he walked in, but Jaehyun beat him to it. The younger stood and walked over to Taeyong, phone in hand and an expression Taeyong couldn't really describe. Even though he couldn't recognize the expression, he could definitely tell there was some worry present in it. He looked up at Jaehyun's face when they reached each other but glanced down seconds later when he noticed Jaehyun's eyes turned downwards. He glanced downwards and quickly took notice of what Jaehyun must be looking at: the cell phone laying out in his palm that's currently on a call with their manager but muted to prevent him from hearing anything.

Jaehyun's voice filled the quiet kitchen right when Taeyong realized what's going on, but Taeyong's mind only having registered the few phrases of 'the manager won't say what it's about', 'all the members were already up when I got the call', and 'don't worry about it nothing bad will happen'. Taeyong's change of expression, from simple recognition but still present confusion to a hard set expression with no visible emotion, is enough to shut Jaehyun up as he reached down to take the phone from his hand, touched the unmute button, and slowly raised the phone to his ear as he turns to leave the kitchen and out of view or hearing from the others. If this call was going to involve any form of cursing or screaming directed towards Taeyong, he didn't want the members to hear.

The call wasn't as bad as Taeyong was expecting. There was an amount of cursing and yelling but directed more towards the company and the director from the show yesterday rather than Taeyong himself. It was a great relief on his part to know his manager didn't call to tell him he's kicked out but his heart was still racing, thoughts jumbled, and palms slightly sweaty when he hung up with the words: "However, the CEO would like to speak with you so be sure to be at the company building by 9. I'll be sending a car for transport."

The morning was more hectic than usual, which was a big surprise considering what the dorm looks like on any normal schedule day, with all 127 freaking out in their own ways over why the CEO would want to see Taeyong. The older members of the bunch, for the most part, kept their cool around Taeyong that morning when he was getting dressed to leave,  with the exception of Yuta and Johnny who were both physically displaying their worry for everyone to see. It didn't go over well with Jaehyun who knew that sort of behave wouldn't solve Taeyong's nerves because, to be frank, he was a nervous wreck on the inside. All the different possible scenarios were racing through his mind the entire morning and if it weren't for Jaehyun and Doyoung's constant contact and reassurance, he would of most likely had a panic attack.

He had quickly left the dorm after getting dressed and eating a light breakfast, only due to Doyoung's nagging. The car was already waiting outside for him, which checked one of Taeyong's worries off his list. He preferred not having to stand out in the cold waiting for the car, not wanting or needing to catch any type of sickness within the coming days. This discovery of the car already waiting helped take away some worry but also added a bit. If the car was early, then the CEO must be anxious to meet.

After that, it was mostly straight forward. Taeyong arrived and entered the large intimidating SM building before meeting with his manager outside the CEO's office. The manager led the way as Taeyong silently followed behind at a slower pace than the manager, dreading the incoming meeting. The back of his mind was still filled with the thoughts of you're about to be released, the company just can't deal with you and your behavior any longer but he pushed those all aside as he entered the room where his future would be decided.

Now hours later,  the sun had already set and streetlights brightly illuminated all around him as he walks, Taeyong can say he's okay. His life and career aren't ruined, there was little to zero yelling from the CEO during the meeting, and Taeyong can even say that intimidating factor of the CEO washed away throughout the day due to them having spent close to an entire day together. 

When the meeting started, the CEO was quick to get straight to the point about this sudden gathering and had expressed to Taeyong everything the director had said to him yesterday night. It was all bad of course and once the CEO was finished speaking, Taeyong was all but ready to hear those two dreadful words leave the man's mouth. But much to Taeyong's surprise, the exact opposite occurred.

Instead of the CEO being angry, he had begun laughing. Taeyong had froze in his seat due to complete and utter shock over the situation, completely confused as to why the CEO was currently laughing when he should be discussing the arrangements for Taeyong's leave. But instead of continuing to look like an idiot, he lightly laughed along but stopped once the CEO controlled himself and his laughs subsided.

The CEO wasn't angry over what happened yesterday afternoon but actually entertained in a way. He found humor in what the director had to say about Taeyong and expressed to Taeyong that he was in no way in trouble because, like any other idol group leader would have done, he put s first. After the brief discussion on the matter Taeyong was called in for in the first place, the discussion switched gears and the rest of the meeting was occupied by talk with NCT's next projects and Taeyong's personal opinion and thoughts on everything.

All Taeyong can think to himself as he continues to walk down the snow-covered sidewalk is that he was lucky to of made it out of that meeting as he did. The members would surely be ecstatic over the news and Taeyong couldn't wait to get back to the dorm.  The vision of a warm drink and some time alone with Jaehyun, something he never was able to get very often due to schedules, was hot in his mind. His calm walking pace quicken to more of a semi- speed walk and hands dig deeper into his hoodie pocket for protection from the cold as he makes another turn towards the dorm. In only a few more blocks, the familiar building would pop up in front of him, welcoming him home to s and with good news to share.

The street he has to is the only one Taeyong hates to pass on when walking either to the dorms or to the company. It's not that it's narrow, dark, or dank like a normal chilling and uninviting street or alley. Taeyong gets this nervous feeling due to the eerie feeling it gives off everytime he passes along. Either day or night, himself alone or all the members together, Taeyong gets this feeling in the back of his mind every time that there's someone there watching him. Just the thought of it chills him to the bone, let alone actually walking on it.

Other than this street, there's no other way to get back to the dorms quickly. If he'd go around, that would add close to twenty minutes to his travel time, forcing him to not get home till around eleven. He'd rather get home as soon as possible for his and 's sakes, considering the fact he hasn't really been able to talk to them all day.

The street's the same as always, buildings on both sides the color of a night sky and zero signs of life inside and outside of them,  the actual road itself cracked and crumbled throughout, and sidewalk even worse. As Taeyong walks along the narrow crumbling path, he's always having to look down at his feet for any large holes or pieces of rock or concrete that could cause him to fall over. The only shed of light on the street comes from the two respective streetlights positioned on both ends and also the glistening snow under the moonlight.

His walk home goes on as normal, but its a small noise behind him that gains his attention.

The noise resembles that of a small stone being kicked or some sort of heavy object being dropped, but it's enough to heighten Taeyong's awareness. His steps quicken and heart begins to hammer in his chest as he continues along the cracked sidewalk, now not paying the slightest attention on where he steps, too focused on just moving forward. He was almost certain that there was no one else around or on the street when he , but that could be from him not paying enough attention. If he had seen someone else present in the first place, he would've just avoided the street all together. Anyone present on this street aside from Taeyong is in no way a safe person to be near, whoever it be most likely looking for a quiet place for drugs, alcohol, or even assault.

The sound comes again, but this time it's louder and closer. Too scared to turn around and find out what's behind him, Taeyong speeds into a subtle run, not quite a full run because some part of his body is still somehow making sure he doesn't fall, and can hear whoever is behind him speed up as well. The final warning bells go off in Taeyong's mind when he hears the person speak for the first time.

"Heyy... 'swo down boy... I-I'm not gunna hurt ya..." 

Ya, definitely drunk Taeyong realizes after the man slurred out his words and barely managed to complete one sentence. Taeyong can't even imagine how intoxicated this man must be to of started chasing Taeyong, but he does know if this man does manage to reach Taeyong then everything will go to in an instant. Whether the drunk just wants to mess around with the young man or mug him for the ten dollars currnetly in his bag, Taeyong knows this man won't be easy to escape if they eventually reach each other.

The mere thought is enough to keep Taeyong pressing forward in his run, now fumbling with his coat pocket's zipper where his phone is still placed. He hopes he can get a quick text or call to either Jaehyun or the manager and only pray afterwards that they'll show up quickly enough. The zipper gets caught though, and the moment Taeyong takes his eyes away from the sidewalk ahead to look downwards towards his pocket, he can feel his foot get caught in one of the largest holes along the sidewalk and he quickly finds himself falling forward into the cracked cement below.

He hisses in pain when both his ankle and arm explode in pain, Taeyong having twisted the ankle slightly and landed awkwardly on his arm due to the fall. His head feels fuzzy, yet another factor of the fall, and he can barely focus on two things at a time. The only thing his head seems to be picking up is the approaching steps of someone behind Taeyong.

Before he even has a chance to catch his breath and get his mind thinking straight again, a large hand roughly grabs ahold of Taeyong's shoulder and rolls the young man over, disturbing his throbbing arm in the process. A sharp pain shoots through the length of his arm and Taeyong yells out in protest, because the damn thing hurts. 

The only benefit from having been turned over is that Taeyong can finally see the face of his attacker. He's shocked when he looks up to see a young, and maybe handsome if it weren't for the current situation, and flushed man standing over him, strong hand still grasped tightly around Taeyong's shoulder. The signs of intoxication are obvious: the pungent smell radiating off the man's body, the glossy and blood shot eyes, and just overall disheveled appearence. For someone who definitely had way to many drinks this evening, he's still strong as hell. Taeyong tries to push the man off but this only leads to the man maneuvering himself on top of Taeyong so that he's now pressing down on both shoulders and his face only inches away from Taeyong's.

The two meet eyes for the first time that evening and Taeyong can't help but have tears begin to whell up in his eyes as the atacker smiles wickedly at Taeyong.