Having a stare down with a door was simply not something you ever envisioned yourself doing. You’d showered, dressed, and now were considerably hungry and yet you couldn’t quite make yourself turn the knob and leave your room.

After being left alone for several hours the night before, the handler – who you would soon learn was called Baekhyun – came back, ordering you to the living room and away from the place you were starting to consider your sanctuary.

Gathered there and watching the obnoxiously large flat screen mounted to the wall were eight other men, including the three that you’d already somewhat met. On your arrival, the blonde switched the TV off and the audience became quiet, keeping their eyes on you.

Junmyeon soon joined the group and you were once again forced down into one of the chairs that looked more like an art piece in a museum than something that was meant for relaxing.

Like a teacher going over their syllabus on the first day of class, Junmyeon first introduced you to his men. While he had over a hundred working in his organization, these eight were his subleaders and closest advisers. They would also be taking shifts “guarding” you, so you might as well actually try to learn their names.

You nearly scoffed at the description. Several of the men wore scowls at the assignment, no more pleased at having to babysit you than you were. Why would you need to be watched like a child when there wasn’t anywhere for you to go? Leaving the penthouse without Junmyeon was strictly prohibited, disintegrating your freedom into even smaller pieces. At least you had free reign of all the rooms, save his office and his bedroom. Not that you would want to go anywhere near those places.

There were other rules such as no communication with the outside world – aka no phones and no computers – no trying to escape and no ual relations with any of his men. While the others were under the guise of your own safety (you saw through that in a New York minute), that last one almost made you throw up then and there.

“If you follow the rules,” Junmyeon mused, “you might not find living here to be so bad.”

His comment made you release a short, humorless laugh. Never would you ever be anything but livid about being here.

When he was done, he allowed you write down the items you wanted brought here from your old home to “make you more comfortable”. After listing the essentials such as remaining clothes and shoes, you added your books, underlining it several times, and describing in detail where they could find your album. When that was done, you stood up and marched back to your room without a word, having enough of Junmyeon’s presence. Someone let out a low whistle, but you didn’t dare look back to find the perpetrator.

As defiant you had been in the last twenty-four hours, the reality of your situation was hitting you head on and suddenly you wasn’t quite as brave as you had been the previous night. You just wanted to make yourself a nice breakfast to quiet your gurgling stomach, but you dreaded what would be waiting for you in the rest of the house.

From what Junmyeon had made it sound like, he conducted most of his business in a separate location, meaning he would be gone most of the day. Running into him was the least of your worries as he was most likely already gone. It was his men that was making your palms sweat.

You looked down at your clothes, triple checking that none of it was too revealing or eye catching. It was too hot for jeans - not that it mattered since you wouldn’t be stepping outside - but you still settled for shorts that definitely came down past you fingertips. The blouse was loose and the sleeves were rolled up to your elbows. Nothing y about it.

“Okay, (y/n),” I breathed. “Just open the door so you don’t starve to death.” Junmyeon had made it clear that no one would be waiting on you and that you basically had to fend for yourself.

The TV was on when you passed the living room. Sitting on the couch was Kai, the blonde from before. He barely glanced your way as you walked through, eyes glued to the screen hanging on the wall.

Guard dog one: located.

Outside the kitchen, you paused. Laughter was echoing off the walls. You hadn’t even seen these men crack a smile and the so sound was almost foreign to you. Only your growling stomach made you push through, your hopes of the kitchen being deserted dashed.

The other two babysitters were the occupiers, one sitting at the island while the other washed dishes at the kitchen sink. The driver from yesterday, Chen, was the source of the laughter. Kyungsoo, the computer specialist, was still just as expressionless as ever.

You hung out in the entrance, not sure of how to proceed from there. If only you had been born with the power of invisibility, then you might have been to sneak in and out without being seen. It was all of about two seconds before you were spotted.

“Well, good morning there, sweet cheeks,” Chen smirked. “Glad to see you’ve finally emerged.”

You sneered at him, resisting the urge to walk over and kick him. “I’m not ‘sweet cheeks’. My name is (y/n). You can either call me that or not speak to me at all.”

He just whistled. “Fiery. Nice. I think this thing is going to be fun.”

Kyungsoo shot his friend a frightening look before turning to me. “Are you hungry?”

Chewing on my bottom lip, you nodded. “But I can make it myself.”

“Its fine,” he shrugged, getting ingredients out of the fridge. “I don’t mind.”

“D.O. is our little chef,” Chen teased, using Kyungsoo’s nickname outside the inner circle.

When Junmyeon had introduce the tech geek by those initials, he was the only one who’d spoken, correcting his leader and asking you to call him by his real name.

“Don’t keep standing,” Chen pulled on your wrist, making you sit down at the island at the end near him. You let out an involuntary whimper at his grip that had tightened on the bruises left from Baekhyun the day before.

At the noise Chen quickly dropped his hand. By instinct you rubbed your wrist, trying to make the sting go away. The smirk was now gone from his face, replaced by an apologetic look.

“Let me see that.” He held out his hand towards you.

You shook your head, clutching your arm to your chest. “I’m fine.”

“Now.”

Sighing, and knowing that he wouldn’t let it go, you held out your wrist for him. The dark purple marks were striking against your skin. Though they were fading already, they very clearly were left by four long fingers.

Chen was gentle as he examined the bruises, cursing under his breath. “We should call Yixing, see if he can do something to clear these up fast,” he said to Kyungsoo.

While still cooking, Kyungsoo pulled out his phone and began whispering after putting it up against his ear, waiting for whoever was on the other line to pick up.

Chen turned back to you. “Was this Baekhyun?”

You tried to tug your hand away, but he wouldn’t let go. “It doesn’t matter. I’m fine.”

“The hell it doesn’t matter!” Chen spat, making you flinch. “Look, I get it. Junmyeon isn’t some ing–”

“Language!” Kyungsoo snapped. He glanced at you as he put his phone back in his pocket. The protective scold made you feel like a child, although you did appreciate the thought behind it.

Chen rolled his eyes. “Excuse me. Anyway, Junmyeon’s not some knight in shining armor, but he doesn’t want to hurt you. Baekhyun doesn’t always realize that his grip is rough. If Junmyeon sees these bruises, he’ll kick our butts thinking it was us and then I’ll spill that it was Baekhyun who will then get a new shiner on his eye. Do you want Baekhyun to get punched?” he raised an eyebrow. “Cause if you do, I’ll call Junmyeon right now.”

You shook your head.

Kyungsoo sighed. “Yixing said he’s just down the street so he should be here any minute.” Gently setting down little plates and bowls in front of me, he filled them all with steaming, mouth watering food. “Go ahead. Chen, give her hand back.”

Chen let go and you picked up the chopsticks, hesitant to start eating. The food was amazing, even better than Hyunmin’s, but you couldn’t bring yourself to eat much.

It put you on edge, the way that Chen went from one personality to the other. One second he was oozing flirtation and then the next he was concerned about your wellbeing. All you could concentrate on now was if everyone was putting on an act around you. If that was the case, you’d rather everyone just be who they were instead of pretending or feigning interest.

You’d barely made a dent in your rice when Yixing arrived.

Last night he’d been quiet, not even looking at you while Junmyeon went over everything. Today was different, though. Today he smiled, showing off a little dimple in his right cheek. You couldn’t help but smile back.

“Good morning,” he greeted with a small bow of his head.

“Good morning,” you bowed back, letting the chopsticks fall from your hand with a clatter. Yixing sat down on the stool beside you.

“May I?” he asked, pointing to your wrist.

You nodded and tried not to laugh at the little pout Chen was sporting. Was he upset because of how easily you trusted the newcomer?

Turning your wrist over, Yixing examined the bruises from every angle, the smile on his lips shifting into a deep frown. With his eyebrows pulled together, a harsh line appeared between them on his otherwise flawless face. “D.O., can you pull one of the ice bags from the freezer?”

Kyungsoo took out a cold compress from the bottom drawer freezer. Goosebumps ran up your arm when Yixing laid frost covered press over your wrist. He turned to his medical bag and started digging around.

“So, you’re a doctor?” you asked.

The smile was back on his face. “Yes, I am. Well, more like a private consultant. I don’t work at a hospital. Instead, I make house calls for those who might not want their injuries to go on record.”

A small laugh escaped. “I guess that comes in handy.”

“The guys thinks so,” Yixing agreed. He pulled out a small tube and unscrewed the lid. The label on it said “Arnica”. Carefully, he removed the cold press and squeezed a small amount of the gel onto your skin. He was gentle as he rubbed it in, meticulous to cover every bruise. “Apply this at least twice a day until the bruises go away. They’ll still take some time to heal, but this should speed up the process and help with the pain. Until then, I’d suggest you wear long sleeves or a thick bracelet to cover it up. Wouldn’t want the boss to get an eyeful of them.”

You pursed your lips at his last comment. “I still don’t see how Junmyeon would even care.”

“We may be a mafia, but we don’t injury woman or children.”

All four heads turned to find Kai leaning against the frame of the entrance. The corner of his lips were turned down, his eyes on the contact between Yixing and you.

“Isn’t that noble of you,” you said sarcastically.

“I just got a call from Chanyeol,” he continued with a smirk. “They’ll have your stuff here tonight. If you need any help unpacking–”

You put up a hand to stop him. “Thanks, but no thanks. I can do it myself.”

“Suit yourself.” He turned around and went back to the living room.

Yixing looked at you with sad eyes as he put the cap back on the tube. “(y/n), I know that this situation isn’t easy, but I hope you can ease up on everyone. Having you here is going to be an adjustment for all of us. I know the news and the movies paint us as soulless, but we are still human beings.”

“I didn’t exactly get a warm welcome yesterday,” you mumbled, although a small once of guilt beginning to grow.

He reached out and patted your head. “I know. So, of course your instinct is to fight back, but if you give us all some time, you’ll see they’re not that bad. In fact, I’m sure everyone will come to like you.”

Urgh.

Looking up at those soft cassiterite eyes melted all the fight you had built up. You knew he was right. The only way to make your time here bearable would to be to treat everyone else here with kindness and maybe they would show you the same. Already the three who stood in the kitchen with you have proven that to be true. Maybe their softness towards you wasn’t an act, but genuine concern.

So, you nodded, resigned to maybe try to be friends with the men that would be your watchers. The one calling the shots you would keep your distance from, however. He was the one you would never warm up to.

“(y/n), are you done eating?”

Kyungsoo’s sudden voice made you jump. He looked confused at your reaction, but then just started putting the extra food away in containers after you confirmed that you were full for now. Yixing’s phone rang and he frowned at the message before him.

“I have to go. If you need anything else, just have one of the boys call me.”

Nodding, you waved goodbye, sad to see him leave.

“So,” Chen said, slapping the counter, “what do you want to do today?”

Biting your tongue, you just threw him a look. “Is there anything to do around here? It’s not like I can leave and go outside.”

“We have a pool table,” Kyungsoo suggested.

“Seriously?” you giggled. It was almost too cliché. You wondered if they’d offer to teach you how to play poker next.

Hopping up, Chen grabbed your hand, careful not grip too tight, and dragged you through the penthouse. When you passed Kai in the living room, he stood up, possibly curious about what had made Chen so excited. In a room just off to the side was what you would thought was every man’s dream.

A small bar occupied the far wall, fully stocked with wine, beer, and other alcohols. In the middle was a pool table and several stools scattered around. There was even a dart board and an arcade basketball hoop. Chen handed everyone a stick, not even surprised that Kai had joined the crowd.

“How should we break up the teams?” Kyungsoo inquired.

They all looked to you, but you threw your hands up. “I barely know how to play this game. What are your usual teams?”

“Typically D.O. and Kai team up,” Chen answered, “but I think it’s time to break them up and ruin their winning streak. Kai, why don’t you pair up with (y/n)?”

Not even protesting, Kai just shrugged and moved over to stand by you.

After gathering all the balls into the triangular rack, Chen gestured to you. “Ladies first.”

You cringed. “I honestly meant it when I said I’m not good at this game. I don’t think I have the skill to break the group.”

“I’ll do it,” Kai volunteered. Like a professional, he broke the triangle with ease, sending the balls in all directions. He even managed to pocket the solid two. A smile grew on his face as Chen just looked annoyed.

It was the “thousand watt” kind of smile, no trace of his earlier tough guy look. Slowly, but surely, you allowed yourself to relax around the boys, just enjoying the game and watching them interact with each other like normal, everyday people.

During one of Kyungsoo’s shots, you shuffled over to Kai, feeling bad about your previous behavior.

“Hey,” you whispered awkwardly. He turned to you, waiting. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry for my attitude earlier. You were just offering to help.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he reassured with a pat on your shoulder. “You’re actually not as bad as I thought you would be.”

You snorted. “What did you expect? Loud wails, flying objects, and constant pounding on the door?”

He shrugged teasingly. “More or less.”

The game continued on in a cheery fashion. Kai made a majority of the pockets for your team while you just hit the cue ball to get your turn over with. Frustrated at your terrible form, Chen started to show you how to shoot correctly until Kyungsoo hit him upside the head. Your best guess was that he was getting too close for comfort.

In the end, the other team won. When you said that you weren’t really in the mood for a second round, the guys tried to talk you into darts or blackjack. Not exactly poker, but close enough.

“Actually,” you said sheepishly, “I’d rather just unwind. Maybe watch a movie?” Would they want to do something so… normal?

“That sounds good to me,” Kai approved, glaring at Chen when he opened his mouth to protest.

Practically pouting, Chen put up the pool sticks and followed everyone out. You sat down on the edge of the couch with Kai to your left while Kyungsoo disappeared into the kitchen. Chen landed in the recliner with an exasperated sigh, picking up the remote.

“What do you want to watch?”

“I don’t care,” you replied truthfully. “Just something new.”

Chen started clicking through titles. The smell of buttered popcorn filled your nose, making your mouth water in anticipation. Kyungsoo reentered the living room with a tray of bowls. The largest was placed on your lap while he split up the smaller ones. You tried not to blush at the obvious special treatment. Was it because you “belonged” to their leader? Or because you were here against your will?

Settling on some plotless action movie, you shifted in your seat until you were comfortable. Kai swiped a forgotten blanket off the floor and placed it over your lap. Before you knew it, you’d finished off your bowl before the opening credits were finished. Now out of popcorn, you placed the unneeded container on the coffee table, out of the way.

As much as you loved action movies, when there was nothing too extravagant going on with the characters you tended to lose focus and doze off.

Sometime during the first car chase, you closed your eyes, pulling the blanket closer to your chest. At first you fought hard to stay sitting up, letting your head rest on your own shoulder, but the muscles in your neck were starting to ache. A pair of hands grasped your shoulders and slowly lowered you down into a lap. Barely conscious, you didn’t think of what you were doing as you snuggled in deeper to the warmth, drifting off to sleep.

**

Junmyeon learned a long time ago how to differentiate between real gunshots and ones that were coming through the television. If he hadn’t, he might have started panicking as soon as he walked through the door. The loud speakers were stinging his eardrums, but he ignored it as he followed the cursing and gunfire to the living room.

All three men that he had left there were gathered around the flat screen. He was just going to bypass them and go back to the office to finish up some last minute paperwork while they finished their movie. That is, until he saw you fast asleep on Jongin’s lap.

Junmyeon tried to will his feet to move, to ignore the fact that his fiancé was currently resting her head on the legs of one of the biggest womanizers in his organization. His men knew the rule fairly well: no one touched you. He might not have wanted you himself, but he still had appearances to maintain. The biggest flirt or not, Jongin was loyal to a fault and would never break the most crucial rule. You were simply sleeping and that reassurance let Junmyeon take a step into the direction of his office. Until you moved.

Adjusting your position in your sleep, the blanket you were wrapped up in fell away from your arms, revealing purple lines wrapped around the skin of your wrist that certainly hadn’t been there yesterday. Junmyeon’s nostrils flared as he pulled out his phone, connecting to the TV and shutting it off.

“Ya!” Chen stood up, looking around for the perpetrator. When he saw that it was Junmyeon, his demeanor changed on a dime. “Oh, Junmyeon. I didn’t realize you were home.”

A groan escaped from you and you sat up, rubbing your eyes. “What’s going on?” You spotted Junmyeon and snarled, “Oh. It’s you.”

Shaking his head, he scoffed, “Getting comfortable, I see?”

As if just realizing the lack of room between the two of you, Kai quickly stood up, shuffling away at least two feet from you. On the other hand, you just crossed your arms, seemingly annoyed at the interruption of your nap.

Looking at each of his men, Junmyeon ordered them to wait in his office. Once alone with you, he pointed to your wrist. “Who did that?”

Like a child trying to hide a stolen cookie, you moved your arms behind your back. Your expression was hard, a defiance in your eyes that Junmyeon wasn’t used to. When he’d watched you at the café and the bookstore, you’d been so timid and quiet, he’d expected the same from you once you got here. How quickly he was being proven wrong.

You feigned ignorance, grating on his nerves. “Did what?”

Letting out a low growl, Junmyeon marched up to you, yanking you hand out in front of you. He held your wrist up to eye level, careful to not avoid the bruises in order not to make them worse. “Who. Did. This.”

You tried to fight him, but you were no match for his well-disciplined strength.

“It doesn’t matter,” you grunted between pulls. “Yixing already looked at it and said it would be fine. Why do you care anyway?”

Junmyeon clenched his jaw at the new information. One of them had called the doctor to look at your wrist, but never followed up with him. None of his men were going to tell him about the bruises. So where did they come from?

He knew your adoptive father hadn’t left them. He’d watched your family for weeks since the signing of the contract and you were nothing but a close, loving unit. The bruises weren’t on your wrist at the café, so it had to be from one of his men within the last twenty-four hours. But as much as that infuriated him, it was your last question that really set him on edge.

“I care because you’re my fiancé,” he clarified. “Just a piece of paper or not, I promised your parents when they signed the contract that no harm would come to you while under my roof. I am a man of my word. So, who was it? It couldn’t have been Kai, you were quick to get close to him.”

You laughed at his underhanded accusation. “I just fell asleep. Why? Are you jealous?”

“I would actually have to care to be jealous.” He leaned in close so his lips were almost touching your ear. “You’re not my type at all, sweetheart.”

With a hard shove, you pushed him away. “And you’re not mine. I prefer gentlemen over gangsters.”

Junmyeon bit back a growl. You didn’t know him. Who were you to define who or what he was? “All right, I’m done playing. Tell me who it was.”

You set your jaw. “No.”

“NOW!” Junmyeon hated raising his voice to anyone. It signaled a loss of control, but your insolence was sending him over the edge.

“Fine! It was Baekhyun!” you yelled back. “It was Baekhyun when he dragged me against my will here on your orders!” Your chest heaved up and down, your breath leaving your mouth in a raggedy manner. The next sentence out of your mouth was calmer but stung even more. “If you want to look at it another way, you did it. It all leads back to you.”

You didn’t let him reply. With a spin of your heels, you stomped down the hallway to your room.

Taking a small vase off of one of the side tables, he threw it against the wall and watched it shatter in dozens of pieces. He hated how right you were. He had ordered his men to make sure you didn’t run and they’d followed his orders. If those damn files weren’t so important to his ultimate plan then he would just give you back to your family and be done with you. Twenty-four hours in and you were already driving him crazy. This was why he’d never settled down before.

Sighing, Junmyeon walked back to his office, rubbing the back of his neck. The three men were waiting for him, solemn expressions on their faces. There was no question that they’d heard the whole thing.

Chen cleared his throat. “Um, hyung?”

“Save it,” Junmyeon snapped. The last thing he needed was a lecture about losing his temper. It was a rare occurrence and he hated it. He dropped down in his chair, completely exhausted.

This was going to be a long road to his final victory.