A/N: Thank you all for your comments ;; And most of all, thank you for enjoying the story! I've taken a bit of a turn, but don't worry, the other characters will definitely make an appearance again soon ^^ Enjoy!

Byunghun crashed through the apartment building, ignoring the sharp pain in his left leg. He was never one for running. In gym, he always used to be the near-last finisher whenever they ran around the track, because of his lack of stamina. But his adrenaline and fear drove him. His legs didn't seem to be carrying him fast enough, though. A picture etched itself into his mind, one that wouldn't ever go away. 

Chanhee, his stare boring into his eyes. Chanhee, his Chanhee. Holding a pocket knife. Ignoring Byunghun's countless pleas. The pure look of amusement, that evil grin as he relentlessly slashed Byunghun's leg. 

This had to be dream. 

This was a nightmare, and he was going to wake up soon. He had to. This couldn't be real. This wasn't real. There was no way this was happening. 

He furiously passed the button, praying to God that the elevator would come quickly. He didn't know if he was still being followed; he was too busy running to pay much attention. What was really thirty seconds felt like ten minutes to Byunghun. He threw his head over his shoulder, looking through the see-through glass doors all the while rushing into the elevator. There seemed to be no movements, but the black sky wasn't doing much to help his vision. When he was inside the brightly lit elevator, he must have pressed the 'close' button a hundred times before there was a ding, and the doors shut. 

A sigh of relief escaped his lips. He pressed Woohyun's floor. Number 33. 

He couldn't quite register what was happening. He felt something wet drip onto his hand, which were hanging limp on his sides. It was…water? He brought his hands to his face, and found tears. 

He was crying. 

The elevator echoed another ding, the numbers 33 flashing on the digital board above the doors. The doors opened, and he half expected the three to be standing there. The same sadistic grins. 

But they weren't. To his relief. He ran down the hall, and skidded to a halt to 33 E. Lifting the lid, he punched in the security numbers and nearly tore the door off it's hinges with how fast he wanted to get inside. Slamming the door shut, he rested his back against it, panting hard. 

The tears wouldn't stop. 

God, what was wrong with everything? What was going on? 

"Byunghun-ah? Is that you?" He heard Woohyun's familiar voice. 

His body went stiff. What if it was them. What if they could make themselves sound like Woohyun. What if they were here, forcing Woohyun to saying something against his will? 

"Leave me alone. P-please, j-just leave me a-alone." Byunghun coarsely whispered. He wasn't able to catch his breath, his chest burned with lack of oxygen. It seemed like there wasn't enough air in the world. He tried to breathe in and out, but could only manage short gasps of air. 

"What the happened to you?" 

It was Woohyun. He rounded the corner, eyes widening to the sight of Byunghun. His arm had multiple bruises, there was a slash on his cheek that was coated with dried blood. His blue shirt had a suspiciously large, red stain in the middle. And his pants…the left leg was nearly covered in red. 

Woohyun walked over to Byunghun, taking his wrist and dragging him to the living room. He sat Byunghun down on the couch. "Sit here. I'm going to get you some clothes, and then some bandaids. Ointment, too. Maybe some gauze. And ice." Woohyun said, half to himself and half to Byunghun. 

Byunghun sat on the couch, dazing. He couldn't believe what just happened. 

How did Chanhee move so quickly…Byunghun swore that the last time he saw him, he was in the bed, sleeping.

Why…how…

Woohyun lightly shook Byunghun's shoulder. "Byunghun. Here." He handed him a pile of clothes. "Go take a shower, and we'll treat those cuts after, okay?" Woohyun gently said.

Byunghun just numbly nodded. Woohyun stayed still until he heard the bath room door closing, and the running water. He shook his head in disbelief and rubbed his forehead. What happened to that kid? Why was he bloody? Woohyun shuffled to Niel's bedroom, and flicked the lights on.

"Get up." 

Niel groaned, burying himself under the covers. "What do you want?!" He asked, irritably. 

Woohyun leaned one shoulder against the doorway, his arms over his chest. His brows were furrowed, his upper lip being chewed on. "Something's wrong with Byunghun. He's hurt." 

It took half an hour for Byunghun to get out of the shower. And when he did, one could say that he looked even worse than when he first came inside the apartment. There was this dazed look in his eyes. He looked scarily expressionless. Looking at the ground, he walked lifelessly towards the couch. "Hyung! What the--who did this to you?!" Niel started shouting. "Look at you! You're--you're covered in bruises! Your cheek! Your arm! Everywhere! Look at the blood on the clothes you wore! How did this happen?!" Niel would have continued if Woohyun hadn't slapped his hand on Niel's mouth. 

"You know what, you annoying loud mouthed idiot? Go make yourself useful, and get some ice." Woohyun snapped, pushing Niel towards the kitchen. Niel's eyes were glued to Byunghun's state, almost all the way to the kitchen. 

Woohyun sat Byunghun down again, and kneeled in fronton him. He had gathered handfuls of treatment supplies that were scattered around the table. He started rubbing ointment against Byunghun's cuts and bruises, bandaging them carefully. 

"I'm gonna have to look at your leg, Byunghun-ah. Can you roll the leg up?" Woohyun asked, careful to keep his voice calm. Byunghun looked like anything could trigger him into completely breaking. He looked so frail and vulnerable, it was a side that Woohyun had never seen before. 

Doing as he was told, he rolled up the left leg, wincing and shutting his eyes when he saw the cut on his thigh. Woohyun had to admit, it wasn't as bad as he had thought. It was still terrible, and it looked as if it hurt. He wondered how Byunghun could shower with all these cuts…it must have hurt like hell.

"This is going to hurt a little. But bear with it for a while, okay? It's better than getting your leg amputated because you caught an infection." Woohyun gave Byunghun a pat on his shoulder, before picking up a cotton swab, and drenching it in the ointment. Without warning, he pressed it against the wound, causing a hiss to come out from Byunghun's mouth. 

The pain was almost unbearable. Almost. Byunghun willed himself to stay still, and gripped the couch until his knuckles turned a pasty white. He squeezed his eyes shut, and took a few deep breaths. 

Niel had returned from retrieving the bagged ice, and took a seat next to Byunghun on the couch. Niel took Byunghun's hand reassuringly. Byunghun gripped onto Niel's hand like his life depended on it, and turned his head away, resting it against Niel's shoulder. 

Woohyun dabbed the cut quickly, making sure he thoroughly reached every spot before wrapping his thigh in a thick layer of gauze. He fastened it with a metal clip before rolling down the leg. "There, all done." Woohyun gathered all the used swabs and bandage covers, getting up to throw them into the garbage. 

"Do you want me to call Chanhee?" Niel asked. Byunghun's body went rigid, and he immediately jerked himself away from Niel. Niel couldn't ignore the look of pure fear that was in his eyes. 

"No. Please. Don't call him. Don't tell him anything. Please." Byunghun pleaded, his eyes wide with alarm. 

Usually, Niel wouldn't regard this as odd behaviour. Byunghun never wanted Chanhee to know of injuries, because Chanhee would always freak out. But there was fear in Byunghun's eyes. He was afraid of him. That was new. "Why not? He can help with this, he's good at keeping you calm. Byunghun hyung, consider it a good thing that you have someone who cares for you as much as Chanhee hung does. You shouldn't run away fro--" 

"Niel, drop it. Seriously. Don't contact him. Just leave him alone." Byunghun interrupted, annoyance in his voice. Like he didn't know. He was lucky to have Chanhee. 

Chanhee.

That image of him wouldn't erase itself from his head. It was haunting him. It terrified him. The look in his eyes…

If looks could kill, Byunghun would already be dead. 

He didn't understand how that was possible. He hadn't done anything to anger Chanhee; before he left Changhyun's house, they were on good terms. 

So why the was he acting all crazy? 

"Come on, Byunghun. Get your things. I'll drive you back to Changhyunnie's house." 

****

Woohyun pulled up on the curb, in front of Changhyun's house. He put the car in park, but didn't kill the engine. Byunghun hadn't spoken a single word the entire ride. He clutched his books tightly against his chest. His lower lip was slightly quivering, his brows knitted together. But not in anger. In worry. He looked scared. Terrified. 

"Byunghun-ah." 

Byunghun made a noise of acknowledgement. 

"I know you're not going to tell me what happened. But if you need anything, if you ever need anything, you can always call me or come over. Anytime. Alright?" 

Byunghun nodded, undoing his seat belt. He wasn't quite hearing what Woohyun was saying. Part of him was screaming at himself. Why would he go back into that house when he had witnessed Chanhee acting all…murderous like that. 

But the other part of him wanted to see if that had really been Chanhee. If that was really his Chanhee. He couldn't believe it. He had to be hallucinating. 

"I'll see you later, hyung. Thanks." 

Byunghun took a deep breath and got out of the car, shutting the door behind him. Even if he was scared of Chanhee, even if he didn't want to know the answer to his question, he still had to go back in there. For Changhyun. 

Woohyun drove away, making him feel more vulnerable. He felt more afraid without someone there. 

His heart was pounding, mind racing. Slowly, he opened the door. He was visibly shaking. After making sure that no one was there with a ing knife, he closed the door without tearing his eyes away from the dark living room. He took off his shoes, and nearly ran up the stairs. 

To get to his room, he had to pass Changhyun's. To his utter relief, Changhyun was sleeping in his bed. Byunghun could see a steady rise and fall movement from underneath the blanket, so at least Changhyun was breathing. Byunghun didn't notice anything off, and sighed. 

"What are you doing?" 

He jumped, yelping in surprise, having a near heart attack. 

It was Chanhee.

Byunghun wanted to scream. He wanted to run. He wanted to run so badly. But he felt paralyzed. He glued his back to the wall, biting his upper lip hard. 

His voice caught in his throat. Instead of answering, his open mouth produced no sounds. So he just closed it.

Byunghun couldn't look Chanhee in the eye. He looked anywhere but there. His heart heated louder in fear. He didn't want to get hurt. He didn't want trouble. 

Why couldn't he just be left alone? 

"Byung? You okay? Why are you shaking like that?" Chanhee asked, slightly pouting as he saw Byunghun in front of him. 

Byunghun's mind raced. This was all just a game. Chanhee was going to act all innocent, like nothing happened. And for all he knew, he might have plans to murder him in his sleep. He guessed that he should be feeling hurt that Chanhee would do this to him. Byunghun hadn't done anything to deserve this. Had he? But he couldn't. He was so numb to anything, except being scared. Mortified. 

Please, just leave me alone. 

Chanhee reached for Byunghun, and the other boy winced, his head rolling to the side as his eyes closed. He was bracing himself for pain. He waited. Any time now…

Instead, he felt arms go around him. 

This might be worse than being hit.

Byunghun gasped quietly, his body freezing in place. What was Chanhee doing? Was this another way to kill him? 

He waited for something. Pain. Blood. But nothing. 

"What's wrong with you, Byung? Hey…what happened to your cheek?" Chanhee asked, leaning closer to observe the cut on Byunghun's cheek. 

"If you're going to kill me, just do it. You don't have to pretend. Please, don't pretend." Byunghun whispered, trying, but failing, to lean farther away from him. 

"Kill you? Byunghun, what are you saying? Are you feeling okay?" Chanhee pressed his palm against Byunghun's forehead, and didn't ignore the vicious flinch. His eyes trailed down Byunghun's body, and widened when they saw his arms.

"Why are you covered in bruises? Who did this to you?" Chanhee asked, a look of worry crossing his face. 

Tears uncontrollably fell down Byunghun's face. He didn't know what was going on. He didn't know what was happening. Why was Chanhee being like this? Just a few hours ago, Chanhee was ready to kill him--

"Shh. Don't cry, it's going to be okay. Do you hear me? It's going to be okay. Don't cry." Chanhee cupped Byunghun's face in his hands, and pecked his lips. 

When Chanhee pulled away, he saw the look in Byunghun's eyes. He looked so afraid it made Chanhee's heart hurt. He then gathered Byunghun in his arms, a hand slowly rubbing his back to soothe him. Chanhee felt a little better when Byunghun started to relax in his hold. "Who did this to you?" He asked again. But he wasn't really expecting a reply, Byunghun looked far too shaken for that.

He was surprised at what he heard.

It was so quiet, so faint, that just one movement, one rustle of clothing, could have made Byunghun's answer impossible to hear.

"You did." 

****

Byunghun refused to sleep all night. No matter how many times Chanhee pleaded, begged…Byunghun wasn't stepping anywhere close to Chanhee or the bed. And he sure as hell wasn't closing his eyes. Not with him around. 

The commotion was enough to get Changhyun awake. "What's going on?" He asked, sleepily rubbing his eye as he stood on the doorway. 

"Is Jonghyun sleeping with you?" That was the first real sentence Chanhee heard from Byunghun. 

"No, Jonghyun is sleeping on the couch. It was kind of awkward." Changhyun blushed, rubbing the back of his neck. 

"Then I'll sleep with you." Byunghun quietly decided, getting up and walking towards Changhyun. Chanhee gaped in shock, his voice filled with ridicule. "Byung." 

Byunghun noticeably flinched, and exited the room along with Changhyun. Chanhee noticed that he was walking with a slight limp. Byunghun was limping, there were bruises on his arms and a cut on his cheek…exactly what did he miss?

****

"So. The huge elephant in the room." Woohyun cleared his throat. The boys had gathered together in Changhyun's living room. Minus Byunghun, who was sleeping, and Changhyun, whom Byunghun refused to sleep without. 

He waited for Niel, who shortly entered the room. "Both of them are sleeping." Niel was sent out to make sure that the two boys were fast asleep. 

"What the hell happened to Byunghun?" 

Everyone was silent. Chanhee especially, who had done nothing but stare at his folded hands. Byunghun refused to talk much to anyone. The other boys didn't even know if he was still hurt; it was as if Byunghun was trying to completely forget that it had happened. Or maybe he was in so much shock still. 

Of course his injuries worried Chanhee. He was always worried about Byunghun. But the thing that bugged him almost more than that was the fact that Byunghun had chosen Changhyun over him. And when Chanhee had asked Byunghun who had hurt him, Byunghun said that Chanhee had done it. That was ridiculous. So exactly what was going on with him? 

And what made him more worried was that Byunghun wouldn't even let Chanhee touch him. Slight skin contact made Byunghun jump, and quickly retreat. Chanhee resorted to not touching Byunghun, and not speaking to him, either. He always tried, but it wasn't as if Byunghun answered. 

This was considerably worse than when Byunghun was angry at him in New York. At least then, Chanhee knew he had done something wrong. He knew he deserved the treatment he was receiving. But this…Byunghun wasn't angry at Chanhee. Byunghun was afraid of him. Chanhee didn't know why, or what had happened. The only person that knew anything was Byunghun, and it didn't seem as if he was going to share any information. 

"Hey, I have an idea." Jonghyun cleared his throat. 

Everyone turned their stares to him.

"You know how's he's asleep, right? What if we talk to him. What if he'll sleep talk or something?" 

Woohyun rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "That's never going to work."

"We never know. It might. He won't ing talk while he's awake. I mean, I know it sounds stupid but it might work. I read it in a book once." Jonghyun nodded, filled with determination. 

There was a mutual agreement between the boys, and Woohyun sighed. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to try. But we're not all going there and crowd the bed like a stampede. Jonghyun and Chanhee. You two will go." 

The said boys got up, and quietly made their way to Changhyun's room. Inside, Changhyun and Byunghun were soundly sleeping, Changhyun's back pressed against Byunghun's chest, and an arm thrown over Changhyun's waist. 

Jonghyun crept up behind Byunghun. "Hyung?" 

Byunghun stirred. Jonghyun looked up to Chanhee, who gestured Jonghyun to continue. Jonghyun shrugged, and kneeled next to Byunghun on the floor. Chanhee was a good distance away. 

"Who hurt you, hyung? Do you know?" Jonghyun gently asked. Byunghun furrowed his brows, biting his lower lip. His adam's apple moved as Byunghun swallowed. 

At first, Chanhee thought that this was stupid. Byunghun never sleep-talked before, so why would he start now? And Jonghyun actually thought this was going to work. Tch. "I-it…Chanhee…" Byunghun muttered. Jonghyun and Chanhee exchanged glances again, with wide eyes. "Chanhee? Was it Chanhee who did this?" There was a hint of confusion in Jonghyun's voice. Chanhee tensed. There he went again, saying that it was him that did it! 

"H-he…three other people…knife and two guns…" Byunghun continued. Jonghyun leaned over, and shook his hand in front of Byunghun's, to make sure he was really sleeping. "So it was Chanhee? Is that what you're saying, hyung?" 

There was a momentary pause. "Yes..." 

Jonghyun looked up at Chanhee with a frown. "Jonghyun, I didn't do it. I swear, I didn't. He told me the same thing the night he came back--I still don't know what he's talking about." Chanhee held his hands up in surrender. 

****

"Well, that was a bust." 

Jonghyun and Chanhee returned to the living room with nothing that came out of talking to Byunghun. Nothing much. Jonghyun and Chanhee decided to forget everything that Byunghun had said. It didn't make any sense, and it was probably bull , anyways. That's what Jonghyun hoped. Chanhee said he didn't do it but…Byunghun wouldn't spit out any random name, would he? And if he did, why would he put his boyfriend on the spot like that if it wasn't true? 

"I told you. Don't manipulate him into telling you, just let him tell us when he's ready to talk about it. Have you even seen him lately? He looks like he's gonna faint when he's with us." Woohyun scolded.

"When he's ready to tell us? No, hyung. That's gonna take too long, and we don't have that kind of time right now. If you haven't noticed, Byunhun got hurt. He got stabbed, hyung. We're just gonna wait around until he's ready to tell us? He can get hurt again!" Niel nearly shouted. Woohyun immediately retorted back. "Well, Mr. Smarty Pants, what do you suggest we do?" 

Niel gave us all a look before clearing his throat. "This may be a long shot, but if we can lure those people back, then we can see them. Who knows, maybe it's a one time thing. If we're going to press charges or do anything, we need a visual on them. We go to some shady alleyway, wait for some thugs to appear and go from there." 

"Niel, that's worse than Jonghyun's idea. We're not putting him in danger again." Woohyun shot it down immediately, looking royally pissed that Niel would even suggest such an idea.

Chanhee voiced his agreements to Woohyun's statement. He didn't want Byunghun to get hurt, not again. And there was no way he was letting Byunghun anywhere near sketchy areas where he could get injured again. He never knew Seoul to be such a dangerous place; he had never encountered this before, with anyone. This still didn't seem real to him. It was as if he was in a daze, and things were happening too quickly for him to properly grasp the entire picture. 

"Let's just sleep on it, okay? Keep Byunghun inside. All of us will stay inside until we figure out what to do with this." Woohyun waved his hands dismissively. Chanhee scratched the back of his neck, frowning slightly as the group began to disperse. He got up as well, and sighed. Things would be better in the morning. He walked past Changhyun's room, and bit his lower lip, stopping at the doorway. He couldn't help but feel a bit hurt at this situation--that Byunghun had so quickly chosen Changhyun over him. Byunghun was clinging onto Changhyun for dear life, and looked more peaceful than he had these past few days. 

Why do all the bad things happen at such horrible times…

****

"Keep quiet, alright? They'll kill me if they find us doing this." Niel whispered, poking his head out of the room and looking right and left. Byunghun fiddled nervously with the hem of his shirt, rubbing his lips together slowly as he looked at his feet. He wasn't comfortable with this, not at all. When he thought about what had happened, he often scolded himself for being such a…girl. He was a man, he had to handle these situations as such. Truthfully speaking, it wasn't the fact that he got hurt that frightened him. It was the fact that the person who did it was Chanhee. The same hair, the same face, the same voice. Everything was the ing same, so what was he supposed to believe? Byunghun wasn't sure why Chanhee acted so…concerned for him that time, when Byunghun had no choice but to speak with him. He looked like a vicious monster before, so why change his demeanour? 

Byunghun took in a deep breath. "So, remind me what we're doing again?" 

Niel turned around, looking his friend right in the eyes. "We're gonna use you as bait. They just need to be lured, and then I'll handle things from there. Don't worry, you're not going to get hurt again, alright? I just need to see who's doing this to you, so we can do something, instead of sitting around a table debating on pathetic methods to use to deal with this. Just trust me." 

Byunghun had heard those words more than once before, and things hadn't turned out well. "I don't want to do this." 

Niel groaned, grabbing Byunghun by the shoulders and shaking him slightly. "Don't you want some answers? I promised you; you aren't gonna get hurt." 

"This is stupid, Niel…Can't I just go back to sleep? This plan isn't going to work--Chanhee and the two other guys aren't idiots, they're gonna know something's up when I make myself vulnerable again. Why would anyone just decide to walk into an alley at two in the morning?" Byunghun asked.

Niel just rolled his eyes and grabbed Byunghun's arm, dragging him out into the hallway. "I told you, I got this. They aren't gonna know a thing. Now, stop talking, you'll wake someone up." 

****

It turned out that Niel never intended for Byunghun to walk down an alley. No, Byunghun was just going to walk past the alleys, with his hood up and his hands in his pocket. He expected to hear footsteps, the clashing of keys, something to let him know that Niel was around. But, he heard absolutely nothing. It was just like how it was that night. He felt the nervousness rip against his chest, as he dug his nails into his palms inside his sweater pocket. Just look down and keep walking. That was Niel's instruction. Byunghun had already been traumatized once, he couldn't believe he was doing this again. 

With a deep breath, he kept his eyes focused on the ground, on the spots of orange light that were illuminated by the street lamps. 

"Oh, look what we have here. You came back again? Even after what happened last time?" A voice asked. Byunghun froze, immediately tensing. It was the same voice. Lifting his eyes a little, he spotted black shoes, just a few feet away from him. . . 

"Just leave me alone, I need to get somewhere." Byunghun mumbled, in a breath and attempting to walk past the other. But, the white haired boy grabbed a fistful of his sweater. "You need to get somewhere? And where's that?" 

With the reassurance that Niel was somewhere nearby, the fact that he wasn't completely alone, Byunghun found a new found confidence. "Why didn't you just kill me? At Changhyun's house?" Byunghun looked the boy dead in the eye, and was marvelled at how strikingly similar they were to Chanhee's. Although, this boy had to be Chanhee, so of course they would be the same…

He saw something flash before the other's eyes. Confusion maybe? But the other quickly masked that with the same cold stare. "That's not how to play the game, Byunghun. I have to keep you alive." The boy dragged his index finger along Byunghun's cheek, down his neck. With a grin, he pushed Byunghun away. 

"What do you want from me…And what game? Can you please just stay away from me, and stop pretending that you didn't do anything? Just stay away; why are you even staying at Woohyun's apartment anyways?" Byunghun asked, eyebrows furrowing. 

The boy laughed, a dry laugh, that echoed off into the night. "Oh, baby. Everything is for a purpose, a greater purpose. I must say though, you look adorable when you're frightened. Almost tempts me into doing it again." But then, the boy gave an exaggerated sigh. "Unfortunately, I have no time to play, as of the moment. I must be getting somewhere." The boy leaned close to Byunghun, his lips close to his ear. "Keep being y, beautiful. I'll be back." And with that, he disappeared.

****

Somewhere significantly far away, the same white haired boy sat in a lounge, his cell phone in his hands, as he awaited a call. Looking up, he took a glimpse at the digital clock mounted against the beige walls. 11:59. One more minute. 

He leaned his head back, his foot tapping in anticipation. There was nothing like the thrill of receiving a new mission, especially if the target was someone as good looking as Lee Byunghun. The white haired boy smirked, looking down at his phone just in time. The screen lit up. BOSS CALLING, the screen read. He pressed the green button after one ring, and held the phone to his ear.

"Status report," The voice on the other end asked, calmly. 

The boy couldn't help but grin.

"Phase One, complete. On standby." 

"Excellent. Now, here's what you have to do next."