He woke up sore and stiff, wondering if everything was just an extraordinary nightmare, being reunited with Sungmin only to have those dark eyes look straight through him without recognition. Jongwoon hissed with pain as he gingerly tested his swollen lip and tender jaw. He was always waking up with mysterious bumps and bruises due to his own clumsy nature, but the pain he was experiencing was far too severe to be some sort of minor accident, which meant that confrontation with Siwon had been real and that he had found Sungmin!

Jongwoon let out a startled yelp and leapt to his feet only to trip over a pair of legs sprawled across the floor. He groaned miserably before finally taking in his surroundings and his eyes welled with tears brought on by a sudden wave of relief coupled with paralyzing fear. Sungmin was there with him, but he was lying eerily still. Jongwoon ran a trembling hand through platinum white locks and exhaled when he felt the lingering warmth radiate from Sungmin's skin.

“I thought of separating the two of you,” a deep voice spoke out. “But Geng suggested that keeping you together would make you more cooperative.”

Jongwoon glared over his shoulder and was greeted with Siwon's smug smirk. He wasn't one to resort to violence, but considering all the events that had led up to that point Jongwoon was surprised at himself for not snapping sooner. He bolted across the room with a vicious growl, trying to punch and claw at Siwon's face. The larger man merely laughed it off until Jongwoon landed a succession of kicks: a few jabs to the shin, and one well placed knee to the groin.

Jongwoon finally witnessed that perfect visage crumble and a small part of him exalted with victory at the sight of Siwon doubling over in pain, but it wasn't enough, he wasn't sure if it would ever be enough. He pulled his left leg back, about to deliver another blow, but it was caught mid-air.

“Don't get cocky,” Siwon warned with a growl. “Sungmin won't be able to save you this time.”

Jongwoon cast an anxious glance down at his lover, “What did you do to him?”

“I'm no fool, I gave him enough tranquilizers to knock out a horse.”

Jongwoon stumbled away from Siwon and checked on Sungmin's pulse.

“It's not like he'd remember you if he were to wake up anyway.”

Jongwoon shot him a look full of daggers.

“Geng told me.” A slow, measured smile spread across Siwon's face. “What would you do if I said I could help him? That I could get his memory back?”

Jongwoon chewed on his nails nervously, even knowing what he did about Siwon, he still decided to make a deal with the devil.

“I agreed, because I just want you back,” he whispered to the sleeping form beside him. “I just want my Sungmin back.”

Jongwoon watched the even rise and fall of Sungmin's chest, fearing that his lover would disappear if he took his eyes off of him for a single moment. A brief knock rapped against the door before it opened, flooding the dark room with light and revealing the ashen countenance of Han Geng. The Chinese man switched on the overhead lights, ignored Jongwoon's pointed glare, and approached the bed with a measured gait that favored his injured left side. Jongwoon smiled with grim satisfaction at the signs of Geng's discomfort, but he still couldn't bring himself to hate the man, especially not when he offered Jongwoon a glimmer of hope.

“It's time,” Geng said with a thin voice and set a briefcase up on a side table. “This is the antidote to the formula they drugged him with.”

Jongwoon watched Geng apprehensively from Sungmin's bedside, hyper-vigilant in case something unexpected were to happen while always expecting the worst. There was no legitimate reason for him to trust either Siwon or Geng, but he was an optimist at heart, and he still clung onto the hope and belief that most people were basically good.

“You're sure that this can help him?” Jongwoon asked, mulling over his decisions – should he or shouldn't he?

They had the chance to kill both Jongwoon and Sungmin, but here he was, still alive and kicking. He may not have a good reason to trust his captors, but their main objective was his cooperation, not his death; they still wanted those negatives. It was his only bargaining chip, so Jongwoon grit his teeth and decided to roll the dice. He needed to let Geng help Sungmin and hopefully undo any damage that the organization had done.

Geng flicked a syringe while Jongwoon watched with clenched fists. The photographer bit down the urge to swat Geng's hands off of Sungmi