“Soo Yun ah, give us a minute please, jagiya,” Hyun Joong said to me. I saw a flash of hurt and regret flash across Daesung’s face when he heard Hyun Joong call me jagiya. It felt good that he called me that, but seeing that look on Daesung’s face felt like a punch in the stomach.

I hesitated, still looking between their faces. Hyun Joong looked very angry; Daesung was holding his annoyed look like a champ.

“Please,” Hyun Joong pleaded softly. It sounded odd with the way he looked, but I knew he wouldn’t get harsh with me because of Daesung. At least not in this situation. I turned and went to the kitchen, sinking into a chair.

Joon came over and sat down next to me. “Is everything okay? What’s going on?” He looked at me with a concerned expression.

“I think Daesung hates me now,” I whispered, feeling hot tears spill out of my eyes.

Joon put his hand over mine. “I don’t think he hates you. He’s angry at himself and hurt to see you and Hyun Joong together. I’m sorry that he’s taking it out on you. He shouldn’t do that. It’s his own damn fault. Don’t worry though. Everything will be okay.” He gave me a smile. He looked so happy and dorky I couldn’t help but smile back. He was being so sweet. “Hey. We have a theater here. Wanna go watch a scary movie with us? Bum and I were going to watch a movie with the rest of the guys but since you’re not busy anymore, you can come too.” He winked at me and stood up. I blushed, hiding my face.

“Well, are you coming, Soo Yun ah?” Seungri asked, pulling on my arm. “Don’t make me carry you.”

I stood up immediately and let him drag me along with the rest of them. All of them except TOP.

“Oppa, why are you dragging me this way?” I whined. I was trying to sound playful but really, I felt sad and didn’t want to be dragged around. I didn’t want them to make me feel better. I wanted Hyun Joong to do it. That was very childish, but that’s what I wanted.

“Because you need to cheer up, baby!” he said enthusiastically. I felt a smile in my cheeks, but it didn’t really come. All I could think about was Daesung pushing me and what was happening now.

I sat next to Bum. He gave off a comforting vibe. I looked around the big, theater-like room for a moment before Joon turned out the lights and sat down on the other side of Bum. He flashed me a smile and sat back so I couldn’t see him anymore. We started the movie, but I wasn’t really paying attention. Bum put his arm around my shoulders, making me jump. He smiled sweetly at me and looked back at the screen. His arm lifted off of me and I looked at him. He was looking up over my head and took his arm out of someone’s hand.

“Keep your hands off my girl, Bum,” Hyun Joong whispered, laughing. I looked over at him and snuggled against his side. He seemed happy and relaxed. He intertwined our fingers, brushing his thumb across the back of my hand.

“What happened?” I whispered to him.

He hesitated for a moment before answering. “We just talked, baby. There’s nothing to worry about.” He kissed the top of my head. “Just relax.”

I did exactly that, even though I was still worried about what happened between him and Daesung. I nestled against him anyway, my head resting against his chest. His heart beat was steady and strong. Listening to it reminded me of a scene from a movie I saw; the girl was telling the guy that his heart was saying hello to her and that it missed him. That part always got me. I got a little choked up. I’m just a sap. This time it was making me cry more than usual, especially since I wasn’t even watching the movie.

“Can we go?” Hyun Joong asked, laughing quietly. It made me laugh a little too and I nodded.

He took me outside, holding my hand and leading me down to the water. The sun was setting which surprised me. We must have been upstairs longer than I realized. Thinking about it made me blush.

We walked down the sand, away from the house, the waves coming up to touch our feet. It felt nice, relaxing. Hyun Joong pulled me close and held me from behind to watch the sunset. I’d never gotten to see a sunset over the ocean like this before. I tangled our fingers together and I felt him smile against my shoulder. This day had been so romantic.

“Are you happy here, Soo Yun ah?” Hyun Joong asked me quietly.

I nodded. “The only thing that would make me happier would be if my Eomma and Appa could be here. But I think they’re happy too.”

I felt him hug me tightly. He took his chin off my shoulder and kissed the back of my head. “You were really close with your parents, huh?”

“Yeah. Especially Appa because we had so much time together. If she hadn’t died so early…” My words got caught in my throat, and tears drowned out my voice.

“Don’t worry, beautiful girl. They’re always with you,” Hyun Joong whispered in my ear. He turned me around and held me against him. “Just like me.”

I wound my arms around his waist tightly and thought, I hope so.

*          *          *          *          *

Hyun Joong let me tell the rest of the guys about the contents of the envelope in my own time, in the order I wanted to. I didn’t want to tell them all at once because they would all have strong reactions and I just couldn’t handle it all at the same time. I told them over a course of a few days, and I didn’t tell them until about a month after I told him. Luckily, there’d been no incidents. If there had been, I’d have told them sooner.

Joon was the only one who got upset, surprisingly.

“What?! How can you not know where it is? Didn’t he leave you anything? Didn’t he tell you where all of his stuff was? He should’ve known something would happen to him—”

“Hey. This isn’t her fault. Calm down, okay?” Hyun Joong said, standing up and putting himself between Joon and me. Joon took a deep breath and looked at me.

“I’m sorry. I just want this to be over with so we can all go home and we don’t have to worry anymore.”

I looked down. That hurt, but I knew what he meant and I understood that they were all stressed out and worried and homesick. I didn’t really have anything to be homesick for, considering everything I loved was here with me.

“You don’t have to stay,” I said quietly.

Joon sat down in a chair in front of me and took my hands. “I want to stay. We all want to stay. We have to make sure you’re okay. I’m not upset with you, okay? I’m sorry.” I wiped my tears quickly, angrily. Why was I crying so much? “Really, Soo Yun ah. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I just… I feel like I’m a burden to all of  you and I hate it. I hate it so much. I wish I knew where they’d put that damn book so we could return it and go on with our lives and—” An image crossed my mind. A chest we had in our old house. A big, blocky, ugly thing that mom and I both hated but dad insisted we keep it because it had a certain charm to it. I remembered seeing them put a lock on the thing after he tossed the book inside.

“Soo Yun ah? What’s wrong?” Hyun Joong asked, kneeling in front of me and shaking my arm gently.

“I know where it is,” I replied. I looked down at him. “I know where the book is. We have to go. Now.”

“Right now?” Joon asked, standing up. They both ran after me as I went to get in the car.

“Yes, right now!”

They loaded up the cars and we headed out—all of us but Seungri and Min  Ho. Seungri offered to stay behind to make sure he was okay and nothing happened while we were gone. I told the rest of them I’d be fine with Hyun Joong, but they were afraid someone would be waiting for me so they wouldn’t let me go without them. I felt better with them going, safer, and after it was over they would be home and not have to worry about it anymore.

The car ride and plane trip seemed excruciatingly long. I was fidgety the entire time, even when Hyun Joong would reach over and take my hand. They all reassured me, excluding Daesung, and told me everything would be okay.

On the ride over to my house, I finally spoke up.

“You know, maybe we should take the book to the police.”

Hyun Joong, Bum, Jiyong, and Youngbae looked at me. Daesung and TOP rode with Joon. I understand why Daesung was avoiding me, but now TOP was too. I didn’t quite understand it, and it was hurting my feelings.

“What? Why would you think that?” Bum asked, his tone and face implying that I’d lost my mind.

“My dad was saving people. Who knows what the book has in it, and obviously the people who want it back aren’t so great. Maybe we should—”

“Look, Soo Yun ah, usually all they have in those books is either financial information or their contacts and frankly, that isn’t worth any of our lives, especially yours. Taking that to the police wouldn’t change anything for you, unless it made things worse,” Jiyong said. How on earth would he know that?

Hyun Joong stopped in front of our old house. It was painful to look at. I hadn’t been here since before he died.

“Stay here,” Hyun Joong told the others as we got out of the car. He followed me into the house. Everything was exactly like it was the day of the accident, only dusty. All of his belongings were still there. This house was ours, so nobody would move in unless I sold it. I probably should sell it. I probably wouldn’t or couldn’t live there. What would I do with all of his things?

I shook all of those thoughts out of my head and went straight up to Appa’s room. I opened up his closet. Sitting there at the bottom, covered in dust, was the chest. Hyun Joong cut the lock open and lifted the lid. I grabbed the book out and looked at all of the other things in the chest; letters between my mom and him, pictures of them and the three of us, and some of just Appa and me, awards I’d gotten as a kid.

“Can we take this, please?” I whispered to Hyun Joong, tears spilling down my face very rapidly. He said nothing as he bent and picked up the chest.

I locked the house up tight when we left, holding the book against my chest. If I decided to give it back, how would we get it to them? Did they know where Appa and I had lived once we moved back here? Had I missed something in the envelope? Should I even give it back to them?

I opened the book and looked inside. The pages were all filled with names, addresses, phone numbers, some with lines through them and some without. I looked at all of the boys in the car who had risked their lives, even gotten injured to protect me. I couldn’t risk their lives any longer.

“We’re being followed,” Youngbae said from the back seat, snapping me back to the present.

“Stop the car,” I breathed.

“Are you crazy?” Hyun Joong hissed in response.

“Goddamnit, Hyun Joong, stop the car.” I looked at him sternly. He growled and slammed on the brakes, almost causing Joon to rear end us.

I got out and watched a black car park on a corner a good ways from us. I felt the blood drain from my face. What would happen when they got this back? Would people die?

Someone got out of their car, a woman. A very tall, well-dressed woman. We started toward each other, my steps slow and short, hers long and quick. She stopped half way and waited for me. Her face was blank, and she didn’t look particularly threatening, but I was afraid. I was alone and afraid.

I swallowed hard and asked, “Will people die if I give this back to you?”

She smiled at me, almost warmly but it didn’t touch her eyes. “Even if they would, do you think I would tell you?”

“I hope so, because I could destroy this much more easily than you think.”

We stared each other down for a moment before she spoke again. “That book is important, girl, but not one soul will be harmed or spared because you give it back. You have my word on it.”

“Give me your name on it.”

She took a step back is shock, but recovered quickly. She was quiet for a long time, whether thinking about killing me or something else I’m not sure.

“My name is Lee Ju Hee.”

I held the book out and she took it from my hands cautiously. We bowed to each other and I turned to walk away. She put her hand on my arm.

“I promise no lives will be lost because of this, Yoon Soo Yun. I knew your father well and he will not have died in vain.”

I gasped and turned back to her, but she was walking away with her long, fast strides. I nearly ran back to the car.

“What happened?” all of the boys asked at the same time.

I shook my head. “I can’t talk about it right now. Hyun Joong, will you take them home please?”

He looked at me for a minute, then put the car in gear and pulled away.

I could hear the rest of them chattering in the back seat, but I didn’t care what they were saying. I was thinking about my Appa and who that woman was and how she knew him and why she told me. The thing I thought most about was what was going to happen now.