The members of DBSK were getting ready to eat when Jaejoong declared that supper was pretty much done cooking. While Yoochun and Yunho set the table, bickering softly to each other about how to put things, Junsu glanced at the clock casually, wondering what was taking Changmin so long.

Usually as soon as the smell of Jaejoong’s delicious cooking hit his nose, the youngest member would be out in a blur, seated and ready to go. Then he would be the first to dig in and eat more than a skinny, tall young man like him should be able to consume. Over time Jaejoong had learned to make a little extra, considering there were four other men living in the house as well.

At the moment Changmin had been taking a nap, completely exhausted from the non-stop rehearsing and promotions they’ve been doing both in Korea and Japan. It didn’t help that everything had been strained greatly due to the lawsuit between Jaejoong, Yoochun, Junsu and SM Entertainment. Everyone was suffering from anxiety and stress, plus the sudden drop in promotions and music production had put their lives on hold. While it was true that Jaejoong and Yoochun still sang together, and Yunho and Changmin had their dramas to focus on, and they were still doing some activities, Junsu felt that life in the DBSK house was all the more tense. Yunho still loved Jaejoong, Yoochun still loved Junsu, but slowly things were falling apart. The house was a lot quieter, conversations were brief, and mostly everyone drifted off to do their own things. It was never intended for that to happen, but the lawsuit really did put a damper on things. And Changmin seemed to be dealing with it the hardest.

He was constantly tired, locking himself in his room, his diet became poor. At practices he used to be the quiet one, but now his silence was more predominant. The youngest member was always easily emotionally moved, so it was no surprise that he would take the lawsuit the hardest. Junsu did his best to keep Changmin happy—as did everyone else—but it was hard when even they were struggling keeping their optimism.

“Supper’s ready!” Jaejoong smiled, and the other two hurried to grab their portions. Junsu cast one look towards the hall and concern filled him. There was no way Changmin couldn’t have heard that. Even in his deepest sleep food was the thing that woke him up.

“I’m going to check on Minnie,” Junsu muttered, and Jaejoong glanced at him with the motherly concern he was so well known for. Junsu shrugged and slipped off into the darkened hallway.

Hesitantly he held his fist up to the door and then closed his eyes. Maybe Changmin really was that tired and needed to get some sleep. Then again, it was Changmin, and after going through everything, what if something happened? The last thought pushed Junsu to knock on the door and muttered that he was letting himself in.

A cool breeze brushed his skin, sending goose-bumps up and down his arms. The pages of the books flapped in the wind, the curtains billowing like a ghostly form. But it wasn’t the stillness of the room that disturbed Junsu, it was the fact that the lamp on the desk had been broken and a smear of something red on the wall and window frame. As he turned to examine the rest of the room, he noticed that scribbled across the wall above the bed was a symbol scribbled in black ink. It was a cross with a serpent coiled around it, and it hadn’t been there before. A picture of Changmin walking his dog was thumb tacked to the wall in the middle of the cross.

Fear consumed Junsu and he stumbled back out of the room, nauseous and pale. He hit the hall wall and slid to the ground, eyes fixated on the room in front of him. Suddenly he was aware of someone kneeling next to him, but everything was blurred and sounded so distant.

“Junsu? What’s wrong? Answer me!” Jaejoong snapped, shaking the other slightly. Yunho and Yoochun stepped into the bedroom, glancing around and gasped when they saw the symbol and the blood.

“Call the police,” Yunho said, to no one in particular, “I think Changmin’s been kidnapped.”

Jaejoong’s hands dropped and he stared blankly at the wall above Junsu’s shoulders. Tears welled up in Junsu’s eyes and his hands curled into fists.

~*~*~*~

It was impossible to think of 2 PM as ever being whole again, not when their leader had voluntarily left due to cruel rumours that had spread rapidly over the internet. Not for the first time, that form of technology had proven to be a cruel, yet necessary part of civilization.

JYP had gone back to Seattle to talk to Jay, and so far there had been no word. All the while 2 PM had wanted to hold off any performing but they still had a few concerts and other promotions to finish up, even if it was without their precious leader.

As of that moment, they had decided to take a break on their own and just relax. They decided to get in simple—as in none at all—disguises and head out to get some air. They decided to go out to eat, since it was a nice night and being at home without the pink grandpa was really starting to get boring and depressing. So they got ready in record time—again barely any use of disguise—and slipped out before their manager had the chance to notice.

It turned out to be not so nice of a night, as the wind was chilly and persistent. Junsu and Nickhun stuck together for warmth, as Taecyeon and Wooyoung huddled together, leaving Junho and Chansung to do the same. They were quiet and civilized unlike all the other times where they can be as beastly as humanly possible. They chose a restaurant quickly, not caring what it was they were going to eat, it was just to get out of the suddenly freezing wind. When they had all seated themselves and got comfortable, a waitress came and handed out the menus before scurrying off, raving about 2 PM would be served by her.

Being accustomed to the constant stares and whispers about them, each member picked something from the menu, easily ignoring the fact that they were Korean idols. Chansung was the first to decide and he closed his menu.

“I’ll be right back,” he said, sliding out of the booth.

“Hyung do you think Jay will come back?” Taecyeon asked Junsu a little while later. The other three looked at them both, hoping for a positive answer. Instead Junsu shrugged and sipped his water.

“No clue…it’s Jay and you know how he is. I hope he’ll come back but this whole scandal just totally broke him, and he’s tough. We’ll have to wait and see what JYP hyung says when he comes back.”

Nodding the other four fell silent, drinking their drinks quietly and waiting for their food. They all had ordered, including Chansung, who gave his decision to Taecyeon. But as the minutes passed, the remaining members of 2 PM began to wonder what was taking Chansung so long. Surely he didn’t need to take ten minutes to go to the bathroom. Then again, who knew? Finally Taecyeon decided to go check on him, and Junho volunteered to go in case something was wrong.

As they entered the bathroom they noticed several things. First of all, it was empty, and chilly. There was a window at the furthest wall of the bathroom which stood ajar. The next thing they noticed was that it appeared as though there was a struggle; paper towel was tossed casually to the ground but there was a blood stain across the edge of the counter. The thing that held Junho’s and Taecyeon’s gaze was the cross with a serpent around it etched onto the wall with wet, black ink. Taped to its center was a picture of Chansung walking down the street behind the rest of 2 PM. Instantly they staggered out of the bathroom, knowing that Chansung was missing.

They hurried back to the booth, fears making them fumble with their words and they shook so bad that for a moment they looked completely helpless and vulnerable. After Junsu and Wooyoung were able to figure out what they were getting too, they ordered that the police be called, dreading the worse.

First Jay left for Seattle and now Chansung was missing. What else could go wrong?

~*~*~*~

SHINee turned in early due to relentless schedules they had. Rehearsal one day, a concert the next, a flight to Taiwan to catch, or some homework to catch up on. There just wasn’t enough time during the day to get it all done and still have time for rest. So when the opportunity sprang up they took advantage of it to the fullest.

Taemin and Minho fell asleep instantly, followed shortly by Jonghyun. Which left Onew and Key awake, staring up at the ceiling and contemplating their thoughts. Slowly Onew’s eyes grew heavy and his breathing slowed into a deep slumbering rhythm. Eventually the silence overpowered Key and he drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

Later that night, when everyone was sleeping comfortably in bed, something stirred in the shadows of the living room. With panther stealth and motions, it glided silently across the floor, moving towards the boys’ room with expert precision. It was as if it had known all along which room was the right one for on the first chance it guessed correctly and slipped inside the dark room. Slowly and carefully it took another step in, knowing the exact location of the target. The bottom bed of the bunk closest to the door. Fortunately it was by the door to ensure a quick and easy escape. Creeping closer and closer to the bed a hand came up and loomed over the sleeping boy. Taemin’s eyes were closed and looked so peaceful and innocent that for a normal person it would be difficult to commit such an act to someone like that. But this person had no remorse nor care for their victims, including children.

However they didn’t count on the boy being a light sleeper. As soon as the hand came down over his mouth, Taemin’s eyes shot open and widened in fright. He lashed out, purely on instinct, missing his assailant by inches. A muffled scream came from under the hand which still was firmly placed over the mouth, and the lithe captor had size and strength on his side. The boy was still just that—a boy. Provided that he was a dancer it still didn’t match for brute strength. So he squirmed and kicked, making as much noise as possible, until his foot came in contact with another boy sleeping next to him.

By then on the right hand bed, on the top bunk, someone was stirring, and complaining about the noise. The person Taemin kicked grunted and rolled over, eyes open and whimpering.

“Taemin,” he moaned, “what’d you do that for?”

The captor had silenced Taemin by then, and still under the cover of dark, slipped out of the room, but not before Onew and Key caught a glimpse of a bulky shadow covers the doorway, which meant that the door had been opened. And even in their groggy states Key and Onew knew that that wasn’t Taemin or the other members. The size was too big and too great to be one of them. Hurriedly Key hopped off the top bunk while Onew fumbled with his twisted blankets.

“Jonghyun, Minho wake up!” Key snapped, flicking on the light. Taemin’s bed was a mess of tangled, tousled blankets and the pillow had been thrown to the ground. From the living room came the sound of the front door closing and in a flash Onew and Key were out of the room, Jonghyun following close behind. Since Minho was difficult to wake up there was no point in letting him worry at the moment either, besides they had to know what was going on. It’s true that they could have imagined the size of the person due to still being half asleep, but the emptiness of the kitchen, living room and bathroom told them that that was not the case.

Upon entering the living room again, they noticed an ugly black mark across the wall. It was a cross with a serpent coiling around it. There was a picture of Taemin, showing him leaving school for the day over the cross. For once there was no smile on Onew’s face, just pure worry, and Key’s drama queen attitude had been replaced with a serious one. Jonghyun was silent, and could only stare at the scene. Their precious makanae was gone.

~*~*~*~

The calls all came within one hour of each other. The young men on the phone were frantic and scared, reporting a possible kidnapping and that it was the youngest of the group who was the victim. There were three calls in total; three missing persons. And Detectives Lee and Kwon could only guess as to whom it was that was behind it, and it wasn’t a good sign.

For about one month they have been tracking a serial killer whose trade mark is taking the youngest male of a family, and torture them to death. And it’s not like the killer doesn’t hide what he’s doing; in fact he all but makes it public. To the police and family members of the victims anyway. So far the police had collected seven videos, which meant seven victims in total. At first they had all been individual, singled out one at a time. And then this three missing reports coming in all at once confirmed that this killer was looking for more fun, more play. To top it all off the three victims had to be members of celebrity status. Shim Changmin from DBSK. Hwang Chansung from 2 PM. And Lee Taemin from Shinee. They were all from famous bands, ones that thousands of fans cheering for them daily. So if they were to hear about this incident there would surely be a huge commotion from all three fan groups.

Sitting across from Detective Lee, was his partner Detective Kwon, who was speaking quickly on the phone. Her black hair was pinned out of her tired, pale and worn face as she addressed the situation with the two music company owners. They sounded just as upset as DBSK, 2 PM and Shinee did. As of yet, they had not reported that it was in fact the Maknae Killer who had done this, not until they have hard proof. And if they’re correct, they should be receiving a video soon….

Detective Kwon hung up the phone and ran a hand over her face, sighing as well. “So I warned the potential threat that this could mean and that if they receive any kind of mail within the next few hours to call us and report it immediately. I did tell them also that it may be the killer we’ve been tracking down for a month and that didn’t sit too well with them. They demand us to find those boys A.S.A.P. or they plan to sue.”

“Isn’t SM Entertainment in enough court issues to be dealing another lawsuit,” Detective Lee sighed, shaking his head. “We’re doing all that we can to find this killer, but she’s managed to elude this far, I’m sure she’s not just going to walk into our arms this time around either.”

“I know, but we should at least do our best…Lee Taemin’s the youngest child she’s taken this time, an innocent boy, just like all the others. If we can save him and the other two then it’ll be saving a whole bunch of other children’s lives in the future. She’s already taken three boys, what if she takes more the next time? Then what will happen to Korea’s trust in our security and judicial system. If we can’t save them then—”

“Alright, alright I get it,” Detective Lee blurted, rubbing his temples. “Look we’ll start a search, but let’s keep this investigation on a low profile okay? If the media gets wind of this then who knows what’ll happen.”

“Yes sir,” his partner nodded, before leaving quickly. Slowly he looked down at the picture that sat on his desk. It was the picture of a boy no older than eight years old, with a goofy grin that revealed two missing teeth. Tears formed briefly in the detective’s eyes before he set the picture back down, the back to him so he couldn’t see. That alone made him all the more determined to find the boys.

~*~*~*~

When Changmin woke up, he found that his head was pounding, vision was blurry, and ears ringing. It didn’t help that the room was dimly lit and chilly. He made to get more comfortable but found that his arms were firmly bound behind him against the chair. It didn’t feel like rope was holding him, but those plastic flex cuffs. Difficult to get out of, perfect.

He struggled a little more, hoping to maybe get some loosening but found that it only cut into his wrists deeper and deeper, and the chair had been screwed to the floor, making it impossible to move period. Head throbbing and stomach in hunger pains, he forced himself to look around, and saw to his immense surprise that there were two others in the room with him. Instantly he knew who they were and he blanched at the thought of where they are.

“Changmin hyung?” a quiet, trembling voice asked, and Changmin looked to his left.

Taemin sat with his hands resting on the arms of the chair, each bound by the flex cuffs as Changmin had assumed previously. His hair was all tousled as if he had been dragged out of bed, and he was in pyjamas, his feet bare. He trembled with fear as he looked at Changmin with wide eyes. At that moment he looked like the child that he was that it was hard to remember that he was a Korean idol. Instantly Changmin knew he had to take control of the situation, comfort the boy in any way he could considering their situation. Slowly he stretched his cracked lips into what he hoped was an assuring smile and looked at Taemin with a steady gaze.

“It’s me Taemin. Listen to me okay? It’s going to be alright, I’ll get you out of this don’t worry. Just do as they say and we’ll get through this.”

“What do they want?” came another voice, making Taemin jump and shoot his gaze to the other side of Changmin.

Chansung was awake now as well, hands bound like Changmin’s and looked as though he had put up at fight. Bruises were forming on the corner of his mouth and eyebrow and there was a nasty looking head wound near his temple, a place where the throbbing in Changmin’s head was coming from. Other than looking terrified, Taemin looked alright.

“I don’t know,” Changmin admitted softly, “they could want anything, be anyone, I don’t know.”

“It’s not your fault,” Chansung said, “we’ll just have to figure out a way to get out of here.”

“I don’t think anyone’s going anywhere Hwang Chansung,” a woman’s voice said.

There was a moment of silence before there was the sound of a lock unlocking and a door opening with protest. A flood of light poured into the room, causing the three to slam their eyes shut and shy away from it. However, once Changmin’s eyesight became accustomed to the light, he noticed that the dim light from before came from a lamp at the opposite side of a crude diamond from Changmin. But it wasn’t just the lamp but a video camera that was recording them. The woman noticed him staring and smiled a cold, cruel expression. Well he could only imagine the cruel expression because the top half of her face was covered by a mask that resembled the Phantom of the Opera—only it was complete. Her two bodyguards wore the same masks, and since they were so large that when they entered the room they blocked a majority of the doorway.

“Ah so you’ve noticed. Smile for the camera boys, you’re on TV!” she smiled, stepping in front of the camera. “Lucky for you this baby isn’t on just yet so you can rest easy for another few minutes anyway.” She examined them each carefully, as if picking the best meat. Changmin shivered under her gaze, it was terrifying and empty of any sympathy or care. Taemin bit his lip and looked at the ground, and Chansung did his best to glare intently at her, refusing to back down.

“A woman? A woman is our captor?” he scoffed, the tiniest trace of fear trickling into his voice. “Are you an anti-fan or something? What the hell do you want with us?”

She turned to him and crossed her arms. “No I’m not an anti-fan, nor a fan for that matter. I don’t really give a rat’s who are to be frank. I’m just using you as an example in my little ‘cleanse and conditioning’.” She turned to her guards and motioned for one to do something with a quick flick of her chin. He lumbered out without any questions, and the three captives sat in nervous anticipation, unsure of what to expect. The woman seemed to be quite ruthless, and her minions were intimidating. Then again, if they were there then she probably would have been in less control considering she kidnapped three strong, young men, who danced for a living.

Moments later the burly man returned, pulling in a surgical table. It clattered and vibrated over the uneven floor and he pushed it to a stop beside the woman. She didn’t acknowledge him, just picked up a long, heavy looking stick with one end flattened in some weird shape. Then she pressed the play button on the camera. Changmin’s blood ran cold when he realized what it was that she was holding, and knew that Chansung was thinking the same thing. Taemin still couldn’t figure it out but he stared at the woman with wide eyes and trembled visibly.

“Now, who should go first? Everything owned by me has my name written on it so that’s what I do to my new toys as well.” She took a step towards Chansung who managed to keep his angry stare in place even as she bent in front of him. The only thing Changmin could think of—the most inappropriate for that moment—was that he was glad that woman was fully clothed otherwise Chansung’s composure would have been broken the moment she leaned forward.

“How about you beasty?” she smiled, and Chansung could feel the intense glowing heat from where he sat.

“Screw you ,” he spat.

And his foot came out and managed to get her in the shin. Surprised she collapsed to the ground, and when the rod hit the floor it sent sparks flying. From beside him, Changmin heard Taemin gasp and knew that at last he figured it out. Whether that was a good thing or not he wasn’t sure, but didn’t have time to think about it, because the woman’s bodyguards surged forward and one helped her up as the other lashed out at Chansung. Grunting, Chansung keeled over the fist to his stomach and pain flared across his face. Once the woman was standing, she adjusted her clothing and fixed her hair before addressing him.

“Maybe it’d be best if we got something to tie his feet as well,” she snapped, “now where was I? Ah yes, no I think I’ll leave you for later.” She stepped in front of Changmin, who mustered the calmest stare he could manage, but couldn’t avoid the evident fear in his eyes. Without a word she whirled on her heel and her ruthless gaze fell on Taemin.

The boy looked shook as she stopped in front of him, crouched down and put a slender finger under his chin. Forcefully she lifted it so his eyes were on her and she pouted. “Are you okay little one? You’re so quiet, unlike the other brats I’ve played with. These two are a little older, sadly, but that’s okay I can make them cry easily enough too. Would you like to see that, or should I show them just how much you can scream? Don’t forget you want your precious family to hear you so be as loud as you want.” And with that she grabbed his shoulder with a surprising, steel-like grip and forced him to bend forward, revealing his back. Hooking his collar over her finger, she pulled it back and that’s when Changmin and Chansung lost their composure.

“Don’t you dare touch him!” Chansung snarled, as Changmin cried out. “Not him, he’s just a boy!”

“You hear that? Your hyungs want to protect you…how very noble of them,” she muttered, and shook her head. “Unfortunately they can’t save you now.” And the burning brand pressed against Taemin’s shoulder blade.

His screams of pain pierced the two others ears as all they could do was watch helplessly as their little maknae was branded. The woman kept a tight grip on Taemin as he squirmed and shook from shock, and when she was done he fell limply back against the chair, tears streaming down his deathly pale face and as she walked over to Chansung, he leaned over to the side and vomited.

“Taemin,” Changmin muttered, but shock and anger prevented him from saying any more.

Chansung stared at Taemin with wide, desperate eyes, and he barely had time to register the fact that the woman was standing behind him, a body guard looming close and ready in case he fought back. That time she didn’t hesitate, and as soon as the hot brand pierced his skin, Chansung jerked up and bit his lip from voicing any pain. His hands curled into white knuckled fists and he bit his lip so hard his teeth punctured the skin, drawing blood. He shook like Taemin did, and the horrible stench of burning skin suddenly filled the cramped room.

Last was Changmin. She looked at him again with a calculating gaze before gesturing for one of the guards to come stand behind him. Changmin’s stare never wavered as she looked down at him, and she grabbed his neck, pulled it forward and with quick movements pressed the brand under his neck. His eyes popped open and he gasped, the intense, white hot pain shooting up and down his body excruciatingly. He could feel the shock threatening to take hold but he forced it away, not when the other two needed him. After what seemed like an eternity she released her hold on his neck and he stayed in the same position for a moment, wondering if he should risk moving and have the wound rub. It was a pretty big brand, about the size of three fingers width-wise and a hands length.

An insane laughter hit his fuzzy hearing and he could hear the woman speak.

“And let the games begin!” she exclaimed, with the voice of such insanity that Changmin knew they weren’t leaving alive.