A/N: (The first part of this chapter will be in third person narration, okay? Starting.. now!)

 

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“NO!” a loud scream could be heard from inside a bedroom. “STOP IT!”

 

Daehyun woke with a start. He lifted his head from the pillow and looked around wildly. What was going on?! He jumped out of the chair and discovered that he was in Himchan’s room. He heard another scream, and his groggy mind instantly cleared. Who the hell was that?!

 

“Daehyun! What’s going on?!” Himchan said, his own eyes fluttering open. “Is that Yongguk? I think it is!” He struggled to sit up, though he was unable to move in his current condition. He slowly forced his back up, and he managed to pull himself into a semi-sitting position, but he could move no further.  He fell back onto the bed with a loud thump followed by an agonized cry. From the corner of his eyes, Himchan saw Youngjae stir. Youngjae opened his eyes sleepily and stretched his arms.

 

“Mm… What’s up?” he yawned. “I thought I heard a scream or something…”

 

“Please go check it out immediately, guys!” Himchan groaned. “I can’t get up!” Another scream echoed throughout the house, making the boys flinch. The voice was definitely coming from Yongguk’s room. Was he in pain? Was someone torturing him?

 

Daehyun put on a brave face, nodded, and pulled Youngjae up. “Come on,” he said urgently. “Let’s go check it out!” The two boys ran out of the room. “We’ll be back soon!” Youngjae shouted behind him.

 

“What do I do?” Daehyun asked nervously. “What if there’s a robber in the house? I can’t fight.. and my parents aren’t home! Oh, where is Ria? Is she not here today? And Grandpa Xi spends most of his time in his head, too! He wouldn’t have heard that! It’s just us! Oh, what do I do? And.. Hana! Is Hana okay?!”

 

“Calm down, it’ll be fine, hyung,” Youngjae said confidently. “We can handle it.” The two reached Yongguk’s room.  Youngjae grabbed the doorknob, twisted it, and flung the door open.

 

“No! Stop!” Yongguk cried again. Tears were streaming down his face. Hana stood by the bed, holding a pair of turquoise scissors. There were bits of fabric stuck between the blades. Two boys stood next to Hana, Jongup and Zelo. They were grinning.

 

“What’s going on?!” Youngjae shouted. “We heard screaming!”

 

“Save me, Youngjae!” Yongguk shrieked. “Jongup and Zelo! They’re—ah!” Yongguk let out another squeal  when Zelo leaned over and began to tickle him. Jongup joined the sixteen year old, and the two of them tickled Yongguk mercilessly. Hana just stood there, watching and laughing along with her partners in crime.

 

“… Oh my god,” Daehyun facepalmed himself. Of course.. he should have known. Daehyun cleared his throat loudly. He hated to be a party pooper, but… Yongguk actually looked like he might be in some pain. After all, his body was completely sore, and getting tickled caused him to slightly thrash around.

 

Youngjae noticed that no one had listened to Daehyun, so he decided to shout to get their attention. “Hey guys! Stop tickling him! You might be hurting him!”

 

The boys stopped, though reluctantly.

 

“Oh.. Thank you.. My hero!” Yongguk gasped for air. “My stomach hurts everywhere.. oh my god.” He raised his eyebrows at Hana. “Why didn’t you save me?!”

 

“Well, I can’t exactly take on two boys by myself,” she blinked innocently and smiled sweetly at Yongguk.

 

Yongguk grumbled in response, though nobody could understand what he was saying.

 

Hana laughed, and was about to say something when the doorbell rang.

 

“I’ll get it!” Hana called. “Hello?” she said as she opened the front door. A tall, handsome young man stood at the door. “Hello,” he replied. “I’m the doctor. I apologize for the delay, I had to attend to some business. I was called by another family shortly after Ms. Lee Chaerin called me, and they insisted that it was an emergency. I had no choice but to attend their matters first, as it was apparently a life or death situation. But it turned out to be nothing more than a bug bite. Anyhow, I am here now, and for being late I will not be accepting initial compensation. Now, please take me to the patient.”

 

 

(end of third person narration, back to Hana’s POV)

 

 

 

You nodded, and opened the door wider. “Come in. He’s over here,” You led the doctor over to Himchan’s room first, as it was closer. The boys appeared from Yongguk’s room, and all followed the two of you. Everyone excluding Yongguk, of course.

 

The doctor stepped into the room, took one glance at Himchan, and noted, “This one will be bedridden for a few days. It looks like overexertion, perhaps. May I?” He pointed to the chair next to Himchan’s bed. Himchan nodded, and the doctor sat down.

 

He opened his jacket and took various pieces of equipment.

 

“Should we go?” you asked, gesturing to yourself and the boys.   

 

“It doesn’t matter. You can go, or you can stay.”

 

“I’ll stay then,” you replied. The boys all nodded in agreement. As the doctor examined Himchan, the five of you stood next to him, explaining what had been going on with Yongguk. Himchan sighed in relief when he heard that it had only been Zelo and Jongup tickling him.

 

After a few minutes, the doctor stood up. “It’s nothing too dangerous,” he announced. “Although if he had continued running like that for another day, it would be an entirely different story. It’s overexertion, as I had predicted earlier. Let him rest of a few days, and everything will be normal again. Do not let him run for the next five days under any circumstances. Also, do not let him leave the bed, unless it’s to use the restroom. In that case, make sure that someone is watching over him. After two days, it should be fine if he attempts to move around, but make sure he doesn’t stand too long. Oh, and make sure to wrap his wounds. I noticed that someone has already cleaned them, but make sure to wrap it as well, otherwise they may become infected.”

 

“Thank you, doctor,” You said gratefully.

 

“Not at all,” he replied. “Now, where is the other boy?”

 

“Over here,” Youngjae replied. He led the doctor to Yongguk’s room. From the corner of your eye, you saw Himchan attempt to sit up.

 

“Hey!” you shouted, running back to Himchan’s bed. “What did the doctor just say? You’re not supposed to leave the bed!”

 

Himchan groaned in protest, but reluctantly lied back down. You smiled in relief. “Don’t worry, you’ll be able to move again soon… Sorry...”

 

“No, it’s not your fault,” Himchan said, lifting his arm to pat your head. “Don’t worry about me. Go check up on hyung.” You nodded, and went to Yongguk’s room.

 

The doctor was sitting in the chair, shaking his head as he poked and prodded at Yongguk with his equipment. Minutes later, he stood up and sighed. “Do not let him leave the bed for at the rest of this week. His condition is much worse than the other boy. Much worse. The wounds on his chest are already infected, as well. Make sure to clean his injuries at least twice a day, and bandage them well. Change his bandages at least once a day at minimum. I’ll call someone to bring over crutches.”

 

“Crutches?!” Yongguk moaned. “Whaat..”

 

“Yep,” the doctor said, shaking his head. “Your ankle is twisted. And the muscles in your leg have all but been reduced to jelly. You won’t be able to walk for at least a week, and running is out of the question for two weeks.”

 

“Alright..” Yongguk sighed. “Man, how boring. I’ll be bedridden for a week.”

 

“At least Hana will be your servant until then,” Zelo reminded.

 

“Yup,” you sighed. “I’ll bring you whatever you want, Your Highness.”

 

Yongguk’s mouth twitched upwards. “Oh, right! That should make things more interesting~”
 

“Well, if that is all, then I will be taking my leave. Someone should deliver the crutches within the next twenty four hours, although he won’t need them until next week.” The doctor nodded his head slightly at the six of you. “Make sure to check up on the boys regularly, to see if they need anything.”

 

“Thank you,” you returned the bow. “I’ll show you the way out.”

 

“Okay,” he agreed, and let himself be led to the door.

 

“If you don’t mind me asking,” he began. “What is your relationship with those boys?”

 

“Oh.. it’s complicated…” you said, not knowing how to reply to that. “Why?”

 

“Just wondering… it’s not safe for a girl to be alone with six boys.”

 

“They won’t hurt me,” you laughed. “More like, they can’t.”

 

He raised his eyebrows. “Whatever do you mean?”

 

“Oh, it’s nothing,” you replied. You smiled at the doctor. “Again, thank you for coming here to check on Himchan and Yongguk.”

 

“It’s no problem,” he answered.

 

“How much will it cost, then?” you asked. You didn’t have any money at the moment… but Daehyun probably did, right? After all, it was his house. You could just pay him back later, though you didn’t have a job at the moment.

 

“No charge,” he replied. “I told you earlier, I won’t be charging because I was late, remember? And no medication was prescribed, so there is no cost.”

 

“Oh,” you nodded. “Thank you.”

 

“It’s no problem,” he repeated, and smiled. “Well, I’ll be going now, goodbye!”

 

You bid goodbye to the doctor and shut the door. Then, you returned to Yongguk’s bedroom.

 

“Alright, you all heard the doctor, we have to clean their wounds and bandage them,” you spoke with authority. “Zelo, Jongup, and I will continue cleaning Yongguk. Daehyun and Youngjae, did you two finish with Himchan?”

 

“Yep,” Daehyun replied. “But I suppose I should go bandage Himchan and keep him company. I bet he’s bored. Youngjae, you want to come with me?”

“Sure,” Youngjae replied, smiling slightly. “We’ll go to Himchan then, Hana.” You nodded, and the two boys left. You, Jongup, Zelo, and Yongguk were left in the room.

 

“Well, I suppose we’ve got to wash your chest now,” you said, eyeing his well defined body. He seriously had the most perfect abs ever. You shook your head, trying to remove the inappropriate thoughts that were slowly creeping into your head.  You cleared your throat and sat down. “Um, are you two gonna sit?” you gestured to Zelo and Jongup.

 

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” Zelo replied. He and Jongup dragged over two chairs, and sat down next to you. You picked up one of the dry towels and soaked it in the clean water that you had brought in earlier. You brought your hand over to his chest, but stopped.

 

“Hey, aren’t we supposed to wash it with disinfectants or something first?” You asked the boys.

 

“Yeah, I think we are..” Jongup replied softly. 

 

“Why didn’t you say anything?” you frowned. “Does anyone know where they are?” You tossed the towel back into the water bowl.

 

“I can go look for them,” Zelo offered. He stood up and left.

 

Jongup fidgeted in his seat.

 

Yonguk raised his eyebrows. “Hm? What’s the matter? You need to pee or something?”

 

“No!” Jongup’s face grew pink. “I-It’s nothing..”

 

Yongguk suddenly began to laugh, while you stared at the two boys in confusion. Did you miss something? You didn’t know what was so funny.

 

“Oh! I get it!” Yongguk laughed. “You’re nervous to be in the same room as Hana! What’ s the matter, you like her?” he grinned.

 

Jongup turned a darker shade of pink. You stared at Jongup, watching him protest adorably. You suddenly snorted and began to laugh with Yongguk.

 

“Oh my god, you are SO cute!” You smiled.

 

He looked at you and pouted slightly. “Don’t laugh… it’s embarrassing. I‘ve just never been alone with a girl before.. I can’t control the blood in my body, okay? It just goes to my face whenever I’m alone with you. It’s instinct.”

 

“Hey, you’re not alone, I’m here,” Yongguk reminded.

 

“But.. You don’t count! You’re stuck in bed!” Jongup insisted.

 

This time, you and Jongup laughed together as Yongguk pretended to be offended.

 

Zelo returned at that moment, proudly holding a white bottle. “I’ve got it!” he shouted.

 

“Great,” you replied. “Do you want to do it?”

 

“Sure,” Zelo replied. He took one of the towels and towered over Yongguk’s body. Gently he poured some of the liquid onto the wound, and soaked up stray droplets using the towel. Yongguk tried to be as still as possible, though he was unable to prevent his body from flinching. He let out a pained gasp as the alcohol fell onto his flesh.

 

“Sorry!” Zelo squeaked.

 

“It’s fine,” Yongguk groaned. “Just get it over with, please!”

 

Zelo nodded and continued to disinfect his wounds. When he was done, he straightened his back and turned around. “I’m done,” he announced. He sat back down next to Jongup, who was looking normal again, now that there was another male in the room.

 

You and Jongup picked up your towels and took turns cleaning Yongguk’s body, carefully avoiding his disinfected wounds. After you two finished, you left the room to look for bandages. You found a roll of gauze in the restroom, and brought it back to Yongguk’s bedroom. “Got it,” you announced. Jongup gingerly wrapped it around Yongguk’s body, and soon he was finished.

 

You brought the gauze over to Daehyun, but you realized that he had already used it once you saw Himchan’s bandaged body.

 

“Uh, nevermind,” you said, closing the door. The doorbell suddenly rang, and you ran over to open it.

 

Ria was there. “I’m so sorry!” she squeaked. “Oh, please don’t fire me! I was on the phone with my sister.. my mother just died.”

 

“Oh.. I’m so sorry.. No it’s fine,” you replied. “How are you holding up?”

 

“I’m fine,” Ria replied. “We were never really that close. I have to plan and go to the funeral, though.. and it’s all the way in California.” Daehyun and Zelo appeared behind you.

 

“Oh! Ria!” Daehyun smiled. “Welcome back. I was wondering where you were earlier. The doctor already came and left.”

 

Ria nodded. “I’m sorry. I was on the phone with my sister.” She repeated her earlier words, and Daehyun’s smile disappeared. “I’m sorry for your loss,” he murmured.

 

“It’s quite alright. Oh, by the way, your parents left earlier. They called me to tell you that there’s an envelope for you on the table.”

 

“Okay,” he replied. He ran over to the kitchen and tore the top off the envelope. He returned a minute later, his face unreadable.

 

“What’s wrong?” you asked him. Zelo peered behind Daehyun’s shoulder, trying to read the letter.

 

Daehyun handed you the letter, and Zelo moved to stand behind you instead. Your eyes widened as you read the letter.

 

To Daehyun, Hana, Zelo, Jongup, Youngjae, Himchan, and Yongguk:

          Sorry, but you guys are on your own for a bit. We’ll be rallying up the others, since Hana has been found and the prophecy is beginning to play out. We have to group up and prepare, in case anything happens. I have a feeling that the Nightmare won’t give up without a fight. We’ll be gone for a while.. anywhere from three weeks to two months. Grandpa Xi is coming with us too, to convince the others. Not to worry though, Ria will still provide you with your meals. She’ll take care of you. In case of emergency, there’s money in the top drawer, where we keep the baking sheets.

                                                                                    Love,

                                                                            Chaerin and Yesung ♥

 

 

“Wow,” Zelo breathed. “That’s an intense letter.”

 

“The Nightmare won’t give up without a fight?” you wondered to yourself. You’d have to fight.. to save Mato?

 

Daehyun noticed your worried expression and squeezed your shoulder. “Don’t worry, Mom’s just dramatic like that. I bet they’re just trying to cover the fact that they’re really vacationing. Don’t think too hard on it. ”

 

You nodded, but couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad would happen in the future. You were prone to accidents, after all. You knew that you would most likely do something that would end up screwing up the whole operation.

 

“Plus,” Daehyun reminded. “Ria will be here. There’ll be plenty of food and stuff. It’ll basically be exactly how it was before, except my parents aren’t home,” he grinned. “How awesome is that?! That means we can do whatever we want for the next few weeks!”

 

“Actually…” Ria began. “That’s the thing… My mother just died. I have to go attend the funeral and make arrangements… But Mrs. Lee and Mr. Jung just said that I need to stay here and watch over you guys..”

 

“Oh,” Daehyun said. “That’s alright, you should go to the funeral. Don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine.”

 

“Are you sure?” Ria asked uncertainly.

 

“Sure! We’re all adults, anyway. Well, everyone except for Zelo. We can take care of ourselves.”

 

“Hey!” Zelo protested, earning a chuckle and a pat on the head from Daehyun. It was a strange sight to witness, as Daehyun had to reach up to pat his dongsaeng on the head.

 

“But Mr. Jung and Mrs. Lee..” Ria’s voice wavered.

 

Daehyun smiled at Ria. “Hey, don’t worry about it. I won’t tell them. It’s not like we’ll die, anyway. There’s plenty of money and food. Mom has an extra car in the garage. We can just take that into town. It’s been a while since I was there, anyway. Ever since I was chosen, I’ve been leaving the house less and less. It just felt… weird to leave, like my mind wasn’t really with me at times. It would’ve been kind of dangerous to go out in that state.”

 

Ria looked relieved. “Thank you so much, Daehyun,” she beamed. “I’ll make sure to come back as soon as I can.”

 

“No worries,” he replied. “Take as much time as you need.”

 

“Yeah,” you agreed. “We can take care of ourselves. Go see your family, Ria.”

 

“Thank you,” she bowed. “I’m glad that you are all so understanding.”

 

“How long do you think it will take, though?” Zelo asked.  

 

“Oh.. I don’t know.. maybe a month or so? Give or take a week?”

 

“Yeah, we’ll definitely be fine,” Daehyun said confidently. “Mom’s paranoid, anyway. I bet she left us like a billion dollars in that drawer. We’ll live.”

 

Ria nodded and bowed again. “Again, thank you so much!”

 

“No problem,” Daehyun replied. “When is your flight?”

 

“Ah, I haven’t booked a flight yet,” Ria responded. “I wasn’t sure if you’d let me go.”

 

“Of course we would!” he replied. “It’s your family. You should go to the airport and get a plane ticket as soon as possible.”

 

“Thank you, I will go now then,” Ria smiled. She bowed yet another time, and stepped out of the house. She looked back and waved to the three of you. You, Daehyun, and Zelo waved back at Ria, and then she was off.

 

 

A month alone. With only the boys for company. You raised your eyebrows and breathed out slowly at that thought. This experience was definitely going to be… new.

 

 

 

 

 

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Sorry I haven't updated in a week :O I really wanted to continue writing, but I couldn't find the time! :( 

 

Forgive me~ 

 

 

 

 

 

And if I have any mistakes, please comment/message me ^^ and I'll fix it asap.

 

Oh. I made a new poster, though. LOL. It looks much better than this old one. Much better.