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“Honestly? I don’t know.” Troy set the bowl back on the computer desk and looked at me, a slight frown on his face. “They don’t trust me enough to tell me these things anymore. Ever since that day you ran away on my watch, they stopped telling me anything important. But I do know that it’s not far from here.”

I sighed. “That doesn’t help me at all.”

It was quiet for a few seconds before he said, “Uki, have you been keeping contact with them all this time? If you needa talk to them, talk to them now. Tony and his goons are out another hunt to bring in more girls so you don’t have to fear getting caught.”

Hearing him say that made me clench my fists and grind my teeth in anger. God, I hate that guy. I reached up and rubbed the surface of the diamond with my finger and instantly my head was filled with persistent voices.

“Yah! I can only answer one at a time!” I said, irritated.

“Why did you shut off on us last night?! DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED WE WERE?!” I heard Siwon yelling.

“I’m sorry! But something came up and I really didn’t want you guys hearing any of it,” I said.

“What happened?! Did one of them try anything?!”

“Siwon oppa, don’t worry! It’s okay.”

“SO HE DID TRY SOMETHING?! WHAT HAPPENED?! TELL ME RIGHT NOW AND I’LL GO THERE AND FINISH OFF WHAT I STARTED!”

“IF YOU DON’T QUIT YELLNIG AT ME, I’M GONNA SHUT IT OFF AGAIN!”

“SIWON, SHUT UP!” I heard about five guys yell.

Aish, these guys.

“Uki, can you hear me?” I heard Agent Yi’s voice say.

“Loud and clear,” I responded patiently.

“Okay, what’s your current situation? Find anything out about Alex yet?”

“Right now, I’m fine. He hasn’t hit me, he hasn’t touched me, everything’s fine. And no. I was hoping Troy would be able to tell me, but they don’t tell him anything anymore. All he knows is that she’s not too far from here, which doesn’t help a bit. However, this means you needa start sending out some people to look for her. Tear Hanoi apart if you have to. I’m gonna work on getting some information from Tony.”

“Alright. And can you at least give us a little bit of a warning before you just randomly shut off on us?”

“If I needa randomly shut off on you, I’m sure that there was a reason why I didn’t give you any warning,” I said, rolling his eyes at his ridiculous request to which he just sighed in response.

“Uki, how are you holding up?” I heard Donghae’s voice ask.

“I’ve been better, but I’m not complaining. At least I’m alive, that’s the important thing. I’m doing my part, now you guys needa do yours, understood? Make sure that Agent Yi sends those people out. We needa do anything and everything we possibly can to get Alex back sooner so I can leave this hell.”

“Arasso, Uki. Just don’t do anything stupid, okay? Don’t be stubborn, don’t get yourself beaten every day, and don’t be a rebel.”

“I’ll try, Donghae.”

“Uki, do you have an idea of when you want us to raid?” I heard Agent Yi’s voice ask me again.

“I told you to at least give me a week. After that week is up, we’ll see what happens from there. Oh yeah, and when you raid, try not to attract any fan girls. They’re gonna make life whole lot harder for me when things actually start going down. Chances are, one of them is gonna try to be a hero and get themselves hurt and that’s just more stuff for me to worry about.”

“Arasso, Uki. Keep in touch, alright? Don’t suddenly turn off on us.”

“Arasso.”

Then I turned my attention back to Troy, who had been patiently waiting for me to be done speaking. He smiled slightly at me.

“I’m starting to pick up Korean!” he exclaimed excitedly.

“Oh really? And what have you picked up already?” I asked with a laugh, amused by his childish excitement.

“Let’s see…Annyeong, arasso, mianhe, begopa, and…Oh, my favorite. Saranghae.” He said that last one with his killer smile directed at me and his blue eyes holding a more intense light than usual.

I felt my cheeks heat up as I smiled shyly back at him. What was this?! What was this feeling?! This was absolutely unacceptable!

“Yah, Uki! Don’t let him mess with your emotions like that!” I heard Donghae exclaim suddenly.

I jumped a bit, forgetting that they could still hear everything that was being said. Troy looked at me.

“What’s wrong? Did I scare you?” he asked.

“Oh, no…Donghae, spoke—scared me—ear—screamed…”

What?! What was that incomprehensible nonsense?! The last time I ever fumbled over my words like this was when I was a freshman in college and Troy first said hello to me. Ahh, so that was why. This was the same way he got to me last time, too. Aish, that sly little boy. All these years and he still couldn’t come up with a new pickup line? And all these years and I still let myself fall for the same stupid pickup line? Aish. We’re both pathetic.

“You’re ridiculous,” I said with a laugh, my cheeks burning.

“Yeah, I know,” he replied with a smile.

“Uki! Uki, what’s going on?!” I heard Donghae yelling persistently in my ear.

“Aish, fishy, calm down! Nothing’s going on! Troy’s just being a dork,” I said with a laugh. “And if you don’t quit yelling at me, I’m gonna shut it off.”

“Mianhe,” he said instantly.

“You know, if Tony were to walk in here right now, I don’t think he’d think you were talking to the outside world. I think that he’d think you were insane,” Troy said with a laugh.

I laughed. “Partially, my friend, partially.”

~~~~

The next few days, I managed to get nothing out of Tony. He let nothing slip, but I did notice he treat me a lot better. He’d speak nicely to me, he didn’t hit me, and he didn’t try anything gross. Best of all, he allowed me to sleep in Troy’s room instead of his, in which case, I forced Troy on the couch while I took the bed. It was almost as if he wasn’t even Tony anymore, that he truly changed.

And then I remembered the bribe and my thoughts changed of him once again.

Close to the end of my one week deadline, I decided to ask Tony something that I hadn’t thought about since I’d first gotten there.

“Um, Tony?” I said cautiously while we were at the table eating one night.

“Hmm?”  he answered, looking up at me.

“Can I go see the girls? I miss them and I wanna see how they’re doing.”

He chewed his food thoughtfully. Troy gave me a warning look but I brushed it off. I needed to see what information the girls knew that I didn’t.

“Oh, I suppose,” Tony finally said after he swallowed. “Since you’ve been such a good girl and all, behaving yourself and whatnot. Go ‘head. You can go tomorrow morning since curfew’s already in effect.”

I mentally let out a breath of relief and smiled. “Thank you.”

He gave me a little nod and I quickly finished eating, excusing myself from the table.

“Why’d you ask to go see the girls?” a voice asked.

“Oh my shisus! Agent Yi, I am going to kill you for continuously scaring me like that!” I threatened, going to the bathroom and shutting and locking the door.

“Mianhe. Now what do you have in mind?”

“I’m thinking two more days is all I can handle before I start going insane. I’m gonna go to the girls tomorrow and see what information they know that I don’t. They’re bound to know something about Alex. Any word on the streets?”

As I was pinning my hair up into a loose bun, he said, “Nope, none whatsoever. It’s literally almost as if Alex disappeared off the face of the earth. We can’t find her anywhere!”

“Aish, Alex, where are you?” I whispered to myself. I let out a sigh and said, “How are my boys? Are they okay?”

“They’re all passed out right now.”

“From doing what?! They haven’t had any more concerts, have they?! I’m gonna kill their manager if he’s still been making them perform in the midst of all of this!”

“They said they’ve been worried about their fans. They think that if they suddenly just stop performing that their fans are gonna start thinking that something’s up. They’re already worried enough about you and Alex since they still think that you’d never been saved in the first place, so they’re gonna be even more worried if the guys don’t perform.”

I let out a breath. “Aish, these guys. They’re gonna kill themselves before I do. Okay, I’m going to bed. Update me with any news if somethin’ pops up.”

“Arasso.”

I swiped my finger across the surface of the earring and was gifted with beautiful silence. I sighed contentedly, splashing water on my face to clear my thoughts. I looked up in the mirror. Okay, Uki, it’s go time. Swallow any last bit of fear because you can’t leave any room for that while fighting your way out of here. You’re leaving with Alex or you’re not leaving at all. Time’s up.

It’s now or never.

~~~~

I woke up the next morning and immediately ran to the bathroom, brushing my teeth, washing my face, and making myself look presentable. Okay girls, don’t fail me now. I need you more than ever. After I made sure I looked presentable enough, I opened the door and walked outside to see Tony eating breakfast at the table with Troy, Kevin, and Vince. Tony looked up at me and I looked back at him, eyes wide with anticipation.

“Troy, take the girl over there. I think she’s about to keel over dead with excitement,” Tony said.

I smiled happily as Troy nodded, standing up and grabbing me by the elbow. He led me to the room next door and gave me a meaningful look. I just nodded at him, swiping a finger over the earring, and walking inside. The girls were all gathered around the TV, watching something. I didn’t know what it was until the words, “Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry…” filled my ears. Aish. My dear girls. I’ve missed you<3

They looked up at me and a chorus of twelve voices exclaimed, “UKI! YOU’RE BACK!”

They all ran up and plowed into me, making me laugh as I hugged each and every one of them. “I’ve missed you guys! Aish, how have you guys been?! Are you all okay?!”

“What are you doing back here?!” So Jin asked me, giving me a wide-eyed look. “You escaped! Why are you back here?!”

“I, um…Got re-kidnapped,” I said, shrugging my shoulders with a little laugh.

“What?! How could you do that?! Aish, at least you’re still alive!”

I laughed again, hugging her tightly. “Where’s Eun Jo?! Is she okay?!”

She frowned slightly, motioning to a figure lying on the couch that I hadn’t noticed before. I immediately ran over to her, kneeling down and examining her broken and battered body. Aish, Tony, wtff did you do to her?! Her body was black and blue, her features were barely recognizable, and she looked…Well, she looked dead to be honest. I reached out a shaky hand, moving the hair out of her face. She opened her eyes, turning to look at me. She smiled instantly, but I could see that it hurt her tremendously to make the effort.

“Uki, you’re back!” she managed to exclaim in a broken voice.

“Oh, honey, don’t sit up,” I said, pushing her back down gently. “Aish, what happened?!”

She sighed and just looked at me. “After you left, Tony was going around causing hell for all the other girls. I finally spoke up, telling him that it wasn’t our fault that you had the guts to do what we all feared. He took it out on me, but I was okay with that, because I knew what it felt like to be you, even if it was just for one moment. I just it up, knowing that I was able to protect all the other girls from suffering. I felt just like you, Uki.”

“Aish, you stupid girl!” I exclaimed through my tears. “Why would you wanna be like me for?! I did that stuff on purpose to prove a point to him! I didn’t expect any of you to follow my lead!”

She smiled at me as all the other girls came to kneel around me as well. “It’s okay, Uki. I promise you, it looks a lot worse than it feels.”

I flinched. So this is what everybody else felt like every time I said that? Aish, why was she so much like me?! I didn’t like it! I shook my head and asked someone to get her some ice and bandages.

“It’s okay, Eun Jo, I’ll take care of you from now. I promise I won’t let him lay another hand on you.” I looked at her and all the girls with a determined light shining in my eyes. “I promise you, this nightmare is almost over for all of us.”

As we tended to Eun Jo, Agent Yi scared the crap out of me again when he suddenly said, “Uki, don’t forget why you’re there.”

I sighed. I’d almost forgotten the real task at hand here. I cleared my throat, causing all the girls to turn their attention to me. “I need to ask you all something important and I really need you to answer me truthfully if you know the answer, arasso?”

“Arasso,” they all answered in unison.

“Do any of you have any idea where Alex is?”

Aish, I know, I know, this is the second time I've left you guys with false hope about Alex. Lol. Sorry, but I just seem to be attracting these cliffhangers like crazy! ><"

Oh yes, and about this sequel. Lol. I'm having trouble coming up with a title...And a plot(x Kekeke. So I really wanna stick with the emotinal concept so I was thinking "I'm Emotionally Unstable and I Thank Super Junior For It" Lol. Long titles ftw win, man~

Whatta you guys think? Do you have a better idea? Input would be nice!<3

Love you guys!<3

PSSSS. Pic totally has nothing to do with the chapter, but he looked good. What was I supposed to do? ;D