Featuring: Infinite
Genre: angst, violence, happy
Title: Come Back Home

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“Seolhwa! We’re home!”

No one answered. Sungjong looked at his older brother, who stood beside him with grocery bags in both hands. Sungyeol put the bags down and rummaged in his pockets. “Seolhwa, come help us! It’s starting to rain out here!” he called as he inserted the key into the doorknob.

The door opened without a hitch, but the lights were all out. Sungjong helped Sungyeol with the grocery bags before running upstairs to check their younger sister’s room. “She’s not here,” he hollered before going back down.

“She’s probably over at the Kims’ house again. Try calling Myungsoo,” said Sungyeol nonchalantly as he put away the things they bought. Sungjong whipped out his phone and dialed their friend.

“Hey, Myungsoo? Are you home?”

“Yup.”

“Listen, is Seolhwa there?”

“What, Seolhwa? No, she isn’t. Why?”

“Did she go out with Sunggyu?”

“You know that girl; there’s no way she’d agree to go out with Sunggyu,” said Myungsoo with a chuckle. “Besides, Sunggyu’s here with me.”

Sungjong bit his lip. “Where could she be….”

“Why? What’s up, Sungjong?” asked Myungsoo.

“She’s not here, Myung—”

Sungyeol suddenly called out loudly, so Sungjong had to cut his call. “I’ll call you back later,” he said and went to the living room. Sungyeol was standing there with a piece of crumpled paper in his hands. Sungjong peered at it and his stomach gave a lurch.

If you want to see the girl again,
make sure to bring your friends,
same building,3:00 sharp.

“’Same building’?” said Sungjong, and then remembered the run-in they had on a gang a few weeks back. The gang’s leader challenged Sunggyu to a match, but lost. This set-up is all about their revenge. He looked up at the wall clock, and it read 2:45.

“They’re smart to take Seolhwa for bribery purposes, I have to give them that,” said Sungyeol, who was obviously trying to keep his cool. He tore the paper and threw it away. “But they messed with the wrong guy.”

Sungjong put a firm hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Let’s go get the others.”

Five minutes to 3 o’clock, seven bikes pulled over in front of an abandoned apartment. Almost in unison, the bikers removed their helmets and dismounted. Among them were Sungyeol and Sungjong.

“Are they seriously looking for a fight?” said a hooded guy, whom they call Woohyun. “He knows he’s got no chance against you, right?” With that he cast a look at his best friend, Sunggyu. Sunggyu removed his leather gloves and said,

“Apparently, he doesn’t. You’d think him losing weeks ago would have proven that.”

A guy with reddish-brown hair pulled it back in a ponytail. “But he’s got guts, and he did his research. He knew exactly what would bring us all out here.”

“Damn right he does, Dongwoo,” said Sungyeol, curling his fingers into fists. “But he sure doesn’t know what he’s asking for.”

With a march, the seven boys walked into the building. What was waiting for them, however, was something they didn’t expect.

A crowd of guys in red hoodies stood waiting in the lobby. The boys stopped in astonishment and surprise, because the last time they encountered this gang, there were only a handful of members. Now it seemed that they have doubled in number.

“We’re screwed,” muttered one of the seven, one they call Hoya.

But the stoic expressions on the boys’ faces gave nothing away. Sunggyu stepped up and said, “We’re here at the time your boss allotted. Give us Seolhwa.”

One of the red-hooded guys smirked and started walking slowly towards their visitors. “Unfortunately, he also said you had to go through all of us to get her, or didn’t you get that memo?”

In anger, Sunggyu kicked the guy straight in the gut, which threw him a few meters away. And thus the fighting started. The boys were easily outnumbered, but they were strong and skilled. Before long Sunggyu managed to cross the lobby and stopped right at the foot of the stairs to wait for the others.

“Go on, Gyu! We’ll hold them off!” yelled Woohyun as he dodged a punch.

Sunggyu nodded and ran upstairs. He met a few more gangsters on his way up, and soon he was badly bruised and wounded in several places. The other six caught up, but it seemed like their enemies weren’t getting any fewer. Pretty soon all of them had blood running down their faces. Their enemies were armed wooden planks and bats, and Sungyeol was unfortunate to be hit by one behind his leg, causing him to have a slight limp. Some of the gangsters caught Sungjong by the collar and threw him against the wall, knocking his breath out. Hoya and Woohyun were beat up so bad that they started coughing out blood. But the boys didn’t stop fighting.

Soon, Sunggyu arrived at the top floor where he saw Seolhwa tied up and kneeling on the floor. Her eyes were wide with fear and plea, but just as Sunggyu tried to run and untie her, two buff guys caught him by the arms and threw him back. In the corner of his eye he saw the gang leader hoist Seolhwa up, and he could hear her cries ringing in his ears. He quickly got up and engaged the gangsters in a fight, and knocked them down. But just as he was about to run out after Seolhwa, one of the gangsters hit his back with a wooden plank. The blow rendered him breathless, and was enough to knock him down for a while. He helplessly stared as the gang leader dragged Seolhwa out of the room before his lids fell over his eyes.

Myungsoo was the first to get away from his enemies and catch up with Sunggyu, who was lying immobile on the top floor. Myungsoo ran and knelt beside his older brother, and shook him awake.

“Hyung, hey! Get up! Where’s Seolhwa?” demanded Myungsoo.

Sunggyu shook the daze off and blinked to refocus. “Th-they dragged her outside, onto the rooftop—” but then he gasp in pain and bent over. “Agh, my back… Something’s probably broken there…”

Seeing that his brother needed a quick breather, Myungsoo said, “You catch your breath. I’ll go out first.” Without waiting for a reply, Myungsoo dashed out.

A slight drizzle was pouring outside, and across the rooftop stood the gang leader and three of his strongest thugs. Seolhwa yelled his name, but the gang leader pulled at her wrist and she gasped in pain. Myungsoo’s hands curled into fists so tight that his knuckles turned white.

“Let her go now!” said Myungsoo. “We’re here, don’t drag her into this.”

All at once the thugs attacked Myungsoo, but he dodged and beat them up one by one. When he straightened up to breathe a little, one of the thugs got a rough wooden plank and swung it right across Myungsoo’s back. His breath was knocked out of his lungs and he collapsed on the ground.

“Myungsoo!!” Seolhwa yelled and cried and fought against the grip of the gang leader, but his hands were tight on her wrists like steel.

“Where is ‘we’ now?” mocked the gang leader and his thugs laughed. “I only see an injured boy who is fighting in vain. Where are your friends? Don’t tell me their bodies are littering my apartment.”

“We’re right here.”

Looking utterly bedraggled and injured, the six remaining boys strode right onto the rooftop. Hoya had an arm over Dongwoo’s shoulders for support, while Sungjong went and helped Myungsoo up. Their faces were cut and bleeding in places, but their eyes were wild with fury and their gazes meant murder.

“There’s not much you can do, can you?” jeered the gang leader. “Look at all of you; tired, worn-out, beat up. These men beside me are my strongest gangsters, and they haven’t fought much yet. You don’t stand a chance.”

Sunggyu stepped up and said, “Let her go now. We’re here; isn’t this what you want? Don’t drag her into this.”

“But this angel makes the game so much more fun,” said the leader with a sneer. He grabbed Seolhwa’s chin and pulled it to face him. “I can see how much she means to you; to you particularly, Sunggyu. You took away my dignity. How about I take something of yours, hm?”

“Let go of me,” said Seolhwa and spat at the leader’s face. The leader’s expression turned dangerous and he struck her across her face, sending her kneeling on the ground.

“SEOLHWA!”

A chorus of voices yelled all at once, and six of the boys ran and attacked. Myungsoo fell on one knee to catch his breath, but soon was up and ignoring the sprain on his ankle. The three thugs—all armed with baseball bats—charged to meet the boys, and a vicious fight began. Worn out from their previous ordeals, the boys took heavy blows. But their determination ruled out and their fought back fiercely. It was all in vain for they were soon overpowered and one by one they fell onto the ground. Reinforcements came and each boy has one gangster holding him from behind.

The gang leader laughed in triumph, and his men laughed along. Seolhwa gazed at her friends’ and brothers’ broken forms in shock and was frozen stiff.

“You see, little girl? They are no match for me,” said the gang leader as he pulled her up on her feet. He motioned one of his thugs to pull Sunggyu up in front of him. The squinty-eyed boy, who could barely keep his eyes open, was pushed to a kneeling position.

“So, Sunggyu, does this mean I win?” said the gang leader.

Sunggyu lifted his head with difficulty and wordlessly glared at him. The leader scowled and said, “Until now you are defiant?” He lifted an arm and heavily struck Sunggyu across the face. Unable to withstand another blow, Sunggyu fell onto his side.

Seolhwa bravely grabbed the leader’s hand. “Please, stop it! You’ve got what you want, haven’t you? You’ve beaten them all. What more is it that you want?”

The gang leader paused, then gave Seolhwa a look that meant no good. “You’ll do anything for them, won’t you?”

Tears streamed down Seolhwa’s face and she lowered her head. “Anything; just let them go.”

“Well then, since dignity can’t be returned, I shall take you as compensation.”

His statement sent a jolt through the seven boys and they tried to break free from their oppressors, but it was no good. All they could do was stare at the gang leader with eyes fil with hatred.

“Seolhwa, don’t you dare do anything that bastard tells you,” said Sungyeol with gritted teeth.

“Do you really want to see until where your brothers and friends could hold out? Blood will pour out on the streets, dearie. It would be such an inconvenience to clean up.”

Sunggyu stood up with great effort and began limping towards Seolhwa and the gang leader. “You are taking no one with you.”

With one last surge of power, Sunggyu ran and struck an uppercut on the leader, sending him flying. Sungjong used this distraction to stand up and hit the gangster behind him with his head then followed it up with a heavy blow that knocked the gangster out cold. The other gangsters were helpless, because if they let go of their charges to help their leader, they’d be screwed.

Sungjong jumped up and yelled, “Seolhwa!!”

His younger sister ran into his arms and clutched at his waist. Sungjong glanced at Sunggyu, and the older boy nodded. Lifting Seolhwa onto his arms, Sungjong leapt over the low fence surrounding the rooftop, slid down the shingles of the roof beside it, and landed safely on the street.

“Get on my bike and put on my helmet,” he told Seolhwa, then he looked up and yelled, “You all better come home in time for dinner!” With that, he mounted his bike and sped off with his sister.

Meanwhile, the leader recovered from the blow and stood up, his eyes blazing with fury. Sunggyu coughed and spit out the blood, then pointed at the leader.

“Let’s settle this the way it should be: you and me, a one on one. Isn’t that what you want?” he said.

The leader lifted a mocking eyebrow and said, “Do you really think you can beat me in that state you’re in? You’re bluffing.”

“I beat you once; I can do it again. Don’t hold yourself back,” said Sunggyu, and shifted his stance.

“Stop it, hyung! You won’t live through this!” The other boys pleaded with Sunggyu to back down, but Sunggyu glared at all of them.

“Shut up! Have a little faith in me, you bastards!” This quieted the other boys, who instead grinded their teeth and bit their lips in anxiety.

The gang leader scoffed and smirked. “If that’s what you want, Sunggyu. You wish for death, then consider your wish granted.”

“We’ll see who gets the last laugh.”

Back at the Lee household, Seolhwa was helping Sungjong clean out his wounds. Sungjong winced once in a while, but his gaze was always directed towards the windows.

“W-will they be okay?” asked Seolhwa quietly.

Sungjong managed a small smile and patted his sister’s head. “They’ll be fine. Those dudes are strong, you know that—Ow, that hurt.”

“Sorry,” said Seolhwa and applied a bandage on another one of his cuts. “And I don’t just mean that. I mean I’m sorry I let myself get caught.”

“What are you saying, Seolhwa? You could’ve hardly helped that.”

Seolhwa finished dressing the last of Sungjong’s wounds and tidied up the first aid kit. “I could, you know. I could have fought back. I mean, I did, but it wasn’t enough. I wish I were as strong as you.”

“Hey, look at me,” said Sungjong, and gently lifted Seolhwa’s chin. “You are strong, in your own way. You fought enough. You wouldn’t be Sungyeol’s and my sister if you weren’t strong. Our Seolhwa just as strong as her brothers,” he explained and smiled. “Don’t worry about them, they’ll be home soon.”

Seolhwa smiled along and stood up. “You’re right. I’ll prepare dinner, oppa. I’m sure everyone will be hungry when they get here and will want a huge meal.”

Sungjong nodded and cast another longing look towards the door. You bastards better come home, or I’ll never forgive you.

It was nearing midnight, the food Seolhwa prepared has gone cold, and the other six boys were still nowhere in sight. Sungjong was beside himself trying to decide what to do, while Seolhwa had fallen asleep on the couch. The boy paced back and forth across the living room, fidgeting with his fingers and trying every little thing to keep his mind off the others. He tried reading, but soon he realized that he’s been reading the same sentence over and over. He tried cleaning around the house until there wasn’t a dust in sight. He even tried to take a shower way longer than his usual time, and still he couldn’t keep himself distracted.

Five minutes to 12 o’clock, Sungjong decided to go back to the apartment. He tucked Seolhwa under a blanket and took a thick coat. Before leaving, he knelt beside his little sister and kissed her tenderly on the forehead.

“I can’t promise anything from now on, Seolhwa,” he whispered. “I may come back, or I may not. But I can’t rest till I find out what happened to my friends.” Then he stood up, swung the front door open, and almost gave himself a heart attack.

On the front porch stood the six boys, all injured and bleeding and soaked in the rain. The one standing in front of the door, rummaging through his pockets for his keys, was none other than his older brother Sungyeol. Seeing Sungjong, Sungyeol grinned widely.

“Hey, Jong. I didn’t know you were still awake, so we didn’t bother knock,” the older boy said sheepishly.

Sungjong’s fingers curled in fists and he struggled to keep his voice low. “I’d punch you straight in the face right now if I didn’t want to pick your sorry off the porch, you bastard. Where have you guys been? What happened when I left? Huh??”

Sungyeol laughed nervously and clamped a hand on Sungjong’s shoulder. “Relax, li’l bro. We’re all here, and we’re all still breathing. Admittedly, we’re not our best forms, but we’ll recover soon enough. And about that gang, my guess is that they won’t be bothering us anytime soon.”

Sungjong looked past Sungyeol and took a glance at the rest of his friends. Woohyun and Dongwoo were supporting an unconscious Sunggyu, while Hoya held Myungsoo up because of his bad leg. Sungjong looked back at Sungyeol.

“Seolhwa is worried sick about you, and I was about to come back to get you,” said Sungjong through gritted teeth, still not letting the matter drop.

“Let us in, Sungjong,” said Woohyun with a playful eye roll. “Princess Sunggyu needs to be laid down.”

Sungjong sighed and opened the door wider, and then he went over to where Seolhwa was sleeping and lifted her into his arms. The rest of the boys piled into the living room, and Woohyun and Dongwoo put Sunggyu on the couch Seolhwa vacated.

“I’ll bring her to her room. There is dinner to be heated up in the kitchen. You know where the first aid kit is, Sungyeol hyung,” said Sungjong and disappeared upstairs.

And a long night of first aid and healing began.

The next morning, Seolhwa woke up and found herself mysteriously teleported back to her bedroom. She checked both her brothers’ rooms and started to get worried when she found their beds empty. Pulling a robe over her sleep clothes, she ran down the stairs to check if anyone dropped by last night and heaved a sigh of relief at what she saw in the living room.

The coffee table was moved away to make room, and futons were laid out all over the floor. On them, in their own unique sleeping positions, were Dongwoo, Myungsoo, Hoya, and Woohyun. Sungjong was knocked out on one of the solo sofas with a bandage dangling from his fingers, and Sungyeol occupied another while cuddling a bottle of ethyl alcohol. And last of all, to her utmost relief, was Sunggyu covered to his chin in a blanket, and his chest rose and fell rhythmically as if he were in a deep, dreamless sleep.

Seolhwa’s knees buckled in relief and tear of happiness escaped from her eyes.

Thank you. Thank you all so much for coming back home.

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A/N: Hi guys! Long-time-no-update hahaha. Sorryyyy! I got held up by so many things and got writer's block during those times when I really wanna write huhu. But of course, my bias group makes a comeback with SUCH AN AWESOME MV lol so I just had to write about them again. But sadly, the events weren't my specialties (action scenes, happy ending), so sorry if it's a little... Yeah. Haha. But I missed all of you sooo much!