I felt as though all the girls here had an intense bonding experience after we saw what my dear boys did. After the conference was over and the boys left to go get ready for their next concert, we all gathered into a huge group hug and just sat like that for God knows how long. I couldn’t believe it. I knew that they were all freaking out about Alex and I but seeing how truly hurt they were literally ripped my heart in half! I need to get back to them!

“S-so, you’re the real Uki?” that girl that I’d call the twig asked me, wiping at the corner of her eyes.

I laughed. “The one and only.”

“Uki, why don’t you leave?! Go back to your brother! Look at how sad he was! You, too, Alex! Your brothers and parents are freaking out right now! Leave!” Eun Jo insisted.

I looked at her. “I bet that our families aren’t the only ones worrying about us. What about you guys? I’m sure that your family is just as worried.”

“It’s been years since any of us have seen our families,” the twig—her name was So Jin I believe?—said sadly, her chin resting on her drawn up knees. “I don’t think it’ll make any difference whether or not they see us again.”

I looked around the room.

All of them.

All of them had one expression on their faces: Hopeless.

It broke my heart to see that every single one of these girls sitting here in front of me have all lost their hope. Hopes of ever seeing their mothers again. Hopes of ever seeing their brothers again. Hopes of ever seeing their sisters again. Hopes of ever seeing their fathers again. I’m glad that I have that luxury. To hope I mean. I still have that freedom. But all these girls have lost the will to hope for anything. It was absolutely heartbreaking.

“Who’s talking about leaving?!” we heard someone ask.

We looked up to see Troy standing there.

“Troy!” I yelled, jumping up and running toward him, stumbling over the girls. I was just about to fall when he caught me in his arms.

“Uki, what’s this all about?” he asked, picking me up and looking me in the face.

“Troy, please. All this time that I’ve been here, I have never once asked you for anything. But I am begging you to please let me call my family,” I pleaded with him, holding onto his arms tightly.

He bit his lip and shook his head, letting go of me. “I’m sorry, Uki, but I can’t do that.”

“Troy, please! I’ll get on my knees and beg if I have to! Please, Troy, they don’t even know if we’re alive or not! Please, Troy, please,” I begged him, looking into his eyes.

“I can’t do that, Uki! I’m sorry! Oh c’mon, don’t look at me like that! It’s a cheap shot when you give me that look!” he yelled, trying his best not to look into my round, puppy dog eyes. I did learn from Sungmin after all(x

“Troy, please,” I said, gripping his arms tightly, forcing him to look at me. “I need to at least let them know that Alex and I are okay. They deserve to know that much.”

He sighed heavily and hung his head low. “I’m really sorry, Uki. But I just can’t allow you to do that.”

“Did you not see my family on TV?! How hard my mother was crying?! She was on her knees begging for me to come back! And if you don’t let me call them to at least let them know that I’m okay, then just kill me tonight and get it over with already because I’ll just leave!”

It felt as though all the air had been from the room. I’m supposing that none of them had the guts to flat out say that they were gonna try to escape? Pfsht. It’s Troy, dude. C’mon now.

“Uki, don’t be stupid!” he yelled at me.

I let out a shaky breath and looked up at him again, fresh tears pooling in my eyes. “Troy, please?”

He sighed and pulled his cell out of his pocket, handing it to me, eyes cast toward the floor. My face busted into a grin as I jumped into his arms, my arms wrapped tightly around his neck. I kissed him on the cheek.

“Thank you!” I yelled, running and grabbing Alex by the wrist, dragging her with me to the room so we could make the call.

“Wait!” Troy yelled, coming in after us.

He shut the door and sat on the chair that was by the door as Alex and I sat on the edge of the bed.

“Not a word about where you are, got it?” he said.

Alex and I swallowed, looking at each other.

“Uki, if you don’t listen to me, I won’t let you call them!” he yelled.

“Troy, even if you sit here and monitor the call, you wouldn’t be able to understand what we were saying. We’d be speaking in Korean, not English,” I said.

“Oh yeah.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked me straight in the eye. “Can I trust you that you won’t tell them anything? Please, Uki, it’s already risky enough letting you call them, but if you let it slip that you’re here, Tony and the rest of them will kill you.”

I sighed and nodded. “I promise. You have my word.”

Kekeke. Oh my goodness, I love you guys sooooo much! Thanks for all the comments! I loved reading them!<3

And for some reason, it made me happy to see your guys' reaction to what I wrote. It shows that I obviously did a good job in writing it if you guys started crying?!(x Bahaha. Thanks for all the support! Love you guys!<3