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S E V E N T E E N

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“NO!”

Jong Up let out a fierce cry at the sight, nearly falling out his seat as he let out an agonizing sound of pain. “Please,” He said, all strength having drained from him at the sight. “Don’t hurt him,” He added weakly, as Yong Guk let in a sharp breath and Himchan shook his head. I pulled Jong Up back, wanting to make sure that he couldn’t see he screen, but JR lowered the lighter, making Jong Up expel a wrenched cry. “You might not want to do that, rookie,” He said, as shook the small flame back and forth. “Or else I may just slip – hwack! - and drop this.” I glared at him, fury coursing through my veins, and wanting to let all hell run loose even though I knew that wouldn’t help the situation at all. Placing one hand on Jong Up’s back, I faced JR coldly and spat my next words at him. “You wouldn’t do this unless you had something you wanted from us. What is it?’ I asked, growling furiously at him.  

“What do we want? What do we want?” JR smirked, laughing coldly. “It’s not as simple as that,” He sniped, baring a garish smile.

“Well then, make it simple,” Yong Guk cut in.

“We don’t give away things that are ours, but we don’t mind exchanges. We’ll give this-” He grabbed at Zelo’s curls, shaking them roughly, “If you give us your rights.”

Rights?

I turned to Himchan, whispering through clenched teeth. “What the hell does he mean by rights, Himchan?” I asked, feeling a sense of dread sit in my stomach as the question left my lips. He crossed his arms coolly before answering. “He wants our land. He wants our hideout and the place we called for ourselves – this underground neighbourhood that we have exclusive rights to. Yong Guk’s area is almost twice as large as everyone else’s, which means that if they take his, they’ll have the largest plots in all of Seoul.” My brow furrowed as I thought of the implications, and as I understood the meaning of it, a spark of fury lit inside of me. “He wants to drive us out,” I hissed, glaring at the screen in disdain, wishing that I could glare them away from us. “He means to exterminate us. He wants BAP to be gone – for good,” I added, as Yong Guk let out a low, menacing snarl. His hands were taut with tension, while his body was leaning towards Jong Up in hopes that he wouldn’t have another breakdown.

“We won’t give you our land,” Yong Guk replied coolly.

“Zelo joined you under his own conditions – we’ve cut all ties with him. Like I said, he is no longer one of us.” The cold words, which broke the hearts of our gang, had JR grinning animatedly from ear to ear. “Really, then?” He said, walking around Zelo in a slow circle with amusement. He was treating the whole scenario as a game, knowing that he had the upper hand, and yet he was treading slowly, as if attempting to coax a beast from its lair. “Then why is that one,” he said, as he motioned to Jong Up, “looking rather sick? Perhaps you may want to put a tighter rein on your members, Yong Guk. It seems as if he didn’t inform you of his idea to plant a spy in our ranks. And why’s that?”

“You little er!” Himchan growled. I wanted to spit in his face, to strip away their dignity - they were accusing Jong Up of betraying us!

“Don’t be so brash, Kim Himchan. Remember exactly who has your precious member’s life in their hands,” Ren snickered, taking the lighter from JR’s hands and pulling out a cigarette from the pocket of his worn jeans. My eyes widened as he cupped his hands and began to light it, waving it in the air gently as the sparks floated to the ground. Sticking it in his mouth, he let out a long, exuberant drag, one that seemed to chain endlessly around him before he spoke again. With only that threat, we’d instantly become tight-lipped, feeling as if any sound we made could become the death of Zelo. “Stop your theatrics, Choi Minki,” Yong Guk said. “We’ll makea  deal. If you can prove to us that you’re worthy of our land, we’ll give it to you. If you can’t, then we get to keep the land – and we get Zelo as well.” All of the BAP members, stunned that Yong Guk would gamble so rashly, immediately looked at him in awe. Our leader, who had so much faith in us, was willing to risk everything for Zelo.

“And why should I agree to this?”  JR asked calmly, even though I noticed that his eyebrow had crinkled in anticipation. He wanted this fight.

“Are you scared you won’t win against us?” Daehyun taunted, his lips forming into a tight smirk.

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” A NU’EST suddenly quipped from the shadows.

Why was the voice so familiar?

“We’re just worried you’ll end up not only losing a member, but your dignity as well,” the masculine voice said, and I felt a shock zing through me at the sight of him. Dark blond hair piled above his head, while he was graced with a strong face and sculpted jawline. He was pure muscle and prowress, although I the memory I conjured from the past was that of a scrawny, gangly child. He used to be fearful of everything, but he was kind, with a just heart, and I remembered how he used to fend off the bullies that tormented me. Until he moved away from our little neighbourhood in the countryside of Seoul, along with my brother, we’d spent endless summer days staring at the sky, counting the stars, and swimming in the lakes. As he emerged from the darkness of the NU’EST hideout, I saw the tattoo etched on his neck – two characters in Chinese that spelled “Bravery.” It was a mark that we’d gotten together, along with Kwang Su, and I absentmindedly touched mine which sat on the side of my hip.  He tapped on it twice, staring at me, before grinning lazily at Yong Guk.

Oh, Kang Dong Ho, what the hell are you doing in NU’EST?