“Yah, why does she keep winning?” Min Ho whispered, huffing and sitting back in his seat. Bum and I giggled. We’d played over fifty rounds and I’d won almost all of them. Bum didn’t seem to care, he was just excited that he had something to do besides sleep. But Min Ho on the other hand… He was getting rather pissy about it. The madder he got, the more Bum and I laughed at him.

“I can read your mind, Min Ho. That’s why,” I said, waggling my eyebrows at him. He scoffed and looked out the window, crossing his arms. That only made us laugh harder. I could see that he was trying to hide his smile so I about it until he finally started laughing too. Then we all looked at Joon. He was cluelessly looking out the window behind Hyun Joong’s. The three of us smiled at each other and were about to scare him when Hyun Joong pulled me back against him and told us to leave Joon alone. Bum and Min Ho complained at him but I didn’t say anything. I thought he was really mad until he looked down at me and winked, making me giggle.

I was happy to have finally relaxed, but then I started thinking about the boys and the fact that they didn’t know I was leaving. I should tell them what’s going on. They’ll be worried. Then I started to realize how much I missed them. Another thought hit me that really upset me—What if I never got to see them again? What if something happened to them because of me? I’d never forgive myself.

“Soo Yun ah, are you okay?” Bum asked, touching my arm. Min Ho and Hyun Joong looked at me too.

“Mm,” I breathed, nodding my head and forcing a small smile. “Just tired.” I faked a yawn and turned my face away from everyone but Hyun Joong. He was still looking at me. I was feeling panic gripping my heart again. Restlessness was also starting to settle in. We’d been in the air too long.

Thank goodness we were starting to descend.

“So what’s really wrong?” Hyun Joong breathed into my ear.

I stared at the window, making sure I had my emotions under control before I answered. I didn’t want to cry and draw attention to us.

I took a deep breath and said, “I don’t know what I’ll do if something happens to them.”

He rubbed my arm softly. “They’ll be okay. I promise. We’ll find out what’s going on.”

Usually, his words comforted me. He always had a way to make me feel better. This time was different. I just felt it. I couldn’t explain it, not to Hyun Joong or anybody else. Not even to myself. I knew that whatever was happening was my fault. It had to do with me.

As we all got off the plane, they got phone calls. All of them almost at the same time. My phone was long gone, and I assumed they had new ones now. Why were they going through so much for me?

Joon looked at Hyun Joong, opened his mouth to talk, glanced at me, and looked back at Hyun Joong. Hyun Joong turned to me. “Stay here,” he said. I watched them all walk a few feet away. I looked around, trying to figure out where we were. It was warm and nice and smelled like the ocean. An island, maybe. I hoped so. I felt Hyun Joong’s hand go around mine and followed him to the car we were taking. Nobody said anything to me. My stomach started to hurt. I didn’t let go of Hyun Joong’s hand. His thumb started to smooth over the skin on the back of my hand in small circles. I looked down and watched, noticing how it seemed he was doing it absentmindedly. His hands were a lot bigger than mine and exceptionally beautiful to be just hands.

I felt Hyun Joong take a breath. “We’re here, Soo Yun ah.” I looked up at him and into his eyes. He leaned closer to me, making my heart beat faster. He undid my seatbelt and pulled me out of the car, cradling me to his chest. He started to carry me into a really large house, surrounded by beautiful palm trees swaying in the warm breeze coming off what I hoped was the ocean at the back of the house.

“Hyun Joong ah, I can walk…” I said quietly.

He only smiled and carried me upstairs to a bedroom fit for a queen. Everything was so colorful and bright, done in soft sunset colors. The bed was hanging from the ceiling. I’d always wanted a bed like that. The furniture was over the top, the closet was too big, and you could race cars in the bathroom. The Jacuzzi was going to get a lot of use, though. Food, a bath and some sleep was all I wanted at that moment.

Hyun Joong was standing at the open window in the bedroom with his hands in his back pockets, the sunset lighting his hair and skin the most beautiful way. He was the only person in the world that had gone to such lengths to protect me, and we’d only known each other a little over a week. He was my savior, my protector, my friend. He was everything I had ever needed in a man.

I walked up to him and touched his arm. He put his hand over mine and looked down at me. My heart beat sped up again as he put his arms around me.

“I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to you, Soo Yun ah,” he breathed into my hair. I closed my eyes and buried my face in his chest, trying my best not to think about the boys. He started rubbing my back gently and swaying back and forth. “I like you.”

I froze and looked up at him. He stepped away and turned back to the window, shaking his head. I was stunned into silence. His hands balled into fists. He was obviously angry, but was it at me?

“I’m sorry, Soo Yun ah.” He turned and started to walk out swiftly.

“No! Hyun Joong ah!” I nearly screamed and reached for him. He stopped but didn’t turn to look at me. “Don’t go. Please.”

I watched his shoulders heave with his sigh. I put my arms around him from behind.

“I don’t want to be alone,” I whispered, closing my eyes against the tears I felt coming. He gently spun me around and hugged me again. “Please don’t go.”

He clutched me to him. “How can we get past this, though, Soo Yun ah?” he whispered, resting his head on my shoulder. “You’re my favorite. What to do? I don’t want to lose you.”

I kissed his shoulder. “Why do you think I’m going somewhere?” I asked, keeping my arms tight around him.

“I don’t want to scare you away. Everything that’s happening with people trying to find us, with what happened with Daesung, not being able to talk to the only family you have… I know this isn’t what you need on you right now. I want you to be mine. I just couldn’t not say anything.”

My heart was hammering against my chest and I thought it would leap out and wrap itself around Hyun Joong.

“I am then,” I said, tightening my arms around him.

He pulled back and looked at me, a little confused. “You are what, then?”

I smiled a little and looked down. “Yours.”

I felt and heard his breath hitch. His hands slid down to my waist, making me shiver. I put my hands on his chest and looked up into his ridiculously gorgeous face. I felt like this was right. I didn’t hurt when I was with Hyun Joong. I wasn’t sad or scared when he was near me. I felt like I could trust him and that he would protect me. I was losing myself in his eyes and in my feelings for him. I watched his eyes focus on my lips and felt in his body when he made the decision to kiss me. Just before his lips met mine, we heard a loud noise from downstairs causing us both to jump. He pushed me into the closet, kissed my forehead, and said, “Stay here.” He turned the light off and ran downstairs.

I could hear yelling and struggling from downstairs. It was also the first time I ever heard a gunshot.