SungMin sat at the table, ignoring the sharp pains shooting up his spine every time he moved. Listlessly, he raised one hand and grasped the spoon, shovelling some rice into his mouth. Outside he could hear hushed whispers and random thumping. His jaw hurt as he chewed, just as his entire body did. What he had done was still sinking in. all around him, voices inside his head were whispering ‘traitor’.

He swallowed tentatively. Was it him, or did the plain white rice taste strange? There was a slight bitter aftertaste. He once again munched on a mouthful, this time sure as he swallowed that his tongue tasted funny afterwards. Almost as an instinct, his stomach contracted, forcing the food back up as he fought to swallow.

Seconds later, his brain began to shut down as his eyesight went fuzzy around the edges. Opening his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. His fingers scraped at the edges of the table as he fell off the table with a loud thump onto the wooden floor below, his spoon clattering next to him.  The last thing he registered was the sound of the door opening before his eyesight went completely black, and he passed out.

RyeoWook rushed in, KiBum and Zhoumi behind him. Hurriedly, they lifted the deadweight that was SungMin’s body off the ground, YeSung on the lookout for anyone who might be strolling down the corridors.

“Come on,” YeSung ordered them in a hushed whisper and they rushed out the room, heading straight for the cellars below the basement. By the will of some magic, they reached there without encountering anyone. As they rested the unconscious SungMin on a mattress they had put there, RyeoWook sighed in relief.

“Are you sure about this?” YeSung asked as he secured the lock and bolt on the door.

“No, but I’m sure about saving Kyu,” RyeoWook replied, looking at the unconscious figure.

“Are you sure this is the way to do it?” YeSung questioned.

“I don’t know! All I know, is that the effect this man has on KyuHyun… is dangerous,” RyeoWook said, and with that he walked away from the cell. YeSung followed him, mind still uneasy.

As they trooped up the stairs together to the control room, all of them stopped short at the sight of a messy KyuHyun in pyjamas, cradling a steaming cup in his hand.

“Have you guys seen Sung-” Kyu cut himself off before shaking his head roughly and turning away from them. They watched as he went back into his room.

“That was close,” Zhoumi whispered and the rest nodded furiously in agreement.