“Stop pushing me”

“Sorry. Whoops, don’t trip”

“Guys! Shut it!”

“Yes, hyung!”

“Thank you for finally getting them to shut up. Seriously. Wait here, I’ve got this” I whispered to Bang and ignoring his protests, I quietly snuck out of our hiding spot and followed our suspect to the dark alleyway that he had disappeared down. The man whipped around suddenly and I scrambled behind the commercial bins, my breath catching in my throat. Had he seen me? After a few seconds of painstaking silence, I heard his footsteps die slowly. I peered over the edge of the bin and just caught the back of his shirt disappearing into a doorway, marked with an orange nuclear warning sign. Tiptoeing back to the boys, I quickly told them about what I had seen.

“Please don’t ever just go off again! I could’ve come with you! Scared the wits out of me, you did” Bang suddenly exploded, leaving the boys and me staring at him in bewilderment.

“He would’ve caught us if there were two people watching him. I’m smaller, lighter and quieter than you. I did that for all of your safety” I shushed him and he sighed, leaning against the dirty wall behind him.

“He cares about you, you know” Youngjae nodded at me and I rolled my eyes, shaking my head, hardly surprised that he had finally spoken English.

“Yeah. But maybe he worries too much” I answered, standing up and brushing myself off. Youngjae raised his eyebrows at me and shrugged, glancing over at the slumped figure of Bang.

“He should be worrying about Himchan as well. For all we know, he could be held captive in that building” I nodded at the crumbling structure of the building that the man had disappeared into and the boys gulped. I glanced at Bang and bit my lip, a plan forming in my head, knowing that he would not approve of it and might cause a scene.

“Guys, I’m going in myself. I’ll be quicker, quieter and I’ll find Himchan. I’ll get the details of his whereabouts and how to get him out” I tensed, waiting for Bang’s reaction. He looked up at me with sad eyes and slowly translated for the boys. Jongup shook his head worriedly but did not try to stop me and Zelo gave me a nod of encouragement. Youngjae and Daehyun both glanced at Bang, silently asking him what he thought of my proposition but he just stared straight ahead, refusing to meet anyone’s eye. Kneeling down in front of him, I forced his head up so we were eye to eye.

“I’ll be fine, you hear? I’m not everything that you think I am. I know how to deal with these situations” I spoke firmly and he nodded. I leaned in and kissed his forehead softly before standing back up again. He touched the spot where my lips had made contact with his skin and kept his hand there. The boys, knowing that it was serious situation, did not make any snide remarks or comments and folding me in a group hug, they wished for my safe return.

“Guys, it’s not like I’m going to die or anything. Geez, calm down” I laughed and strolled away confidently but with the sneaking suspicion that my last comment had made them even more worried.

Too late now shrugging my shoulders I scooted into the doorway that I had observed earlier. Checking that it was the right door, I pushed it slowly open and slipped inside. Immediately noticing the dark dankness of what I guessed what a passageway, I regretted not bringing at torch with me. Then again, I might be caught easily with a flashing light guiding my way. Letting my eyes adjust for a second, I started walking straight ahead, using my hands to guide me along. After about five minutes of walking, I came to a curve in the tunnel and keeping my hand on one side of the wall, I decided to turn left, figuring that I would eventually get out of the tunnel either way. Suddenly, a bright white light shined through from the end of the corridor and fighting fits of laughter at this comic scene, I followed it slowly and cautiously. Stepping through the walkway, my feet landed with an echo and I froze, my eyes darting around the circular room, taking in the prison cells spread all around the outer walls. Checking for guards, security cameras and rays, I quickly darted around from cell to cell, checking for any signs of life. Recoiling at the sight of a skeleton of some sort of animal in a cell on the far side of the circular room, which was lit by a ray of sunlight from the hole in the high ceiling above, I whipped around at a consistent beeping sound. Locating the source, I picked up a loose rock and threw it with all my might at the security camera, aiming carefully. The rock made contact with the lens of the camera and with a few more half-hearted beeping sounds, it died down. in my breath, I waited for any sign of movement from the guards. Starting to suspect the eerie stillness, I made my way around to the remaining cells, glancing in quickly, and then moving on.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” freezing at a weak voice seeming to come out of nowhere, I shivered. This place almost seemed…haunted. Haunted by the hundreds of tortured souls that probably never managed to get out. What type of sick people were these kidnappers?

“Himchan? Himchan oppa?” I called out, my voice wavering slightly.

“Here! Who is that? I haven’t heard anyone call me oppa in such a long time!” not understanding a word he was saying, I moved toward his voice familiar to me through watching endless interviews back when I was a Baby.

Finally locating him in a cell that I had not noticed before, I saw that it was the most luxurious. It was equipped with a bed, carpeting and if I peered closely enough, I swear he even had an ensuite. Himchan was pressed against the bars that held him captive and his eyes were wide with fear. If it was possible, his eyes popped open wider when he saw me.

“Himchan oppa! I’m sorry, I don’t speak Korean, but I’m here with the boys. Do you understand me?” nodding, he kept his eyes on me as I checked the metal door for locks or anything that could open the cage to set Himchan free.

“I’ve tried picking the locks, but it doesn’t work” Himchan said softly and I glanced up at him, shaking my head.

“You give up too easily, oppa” muttering to myself, I fumbled around the inside of the door, working fast.

“Jackpot” I whispered and smirked. So I still had some “criminal skills” in me then. I had learned how to defend myself, pick locks and steal at an early age with my mother’s side of the family. They were gypsies and we travelled all over Europe. By the time I was seven, I had seen more places than an average grown adult would ever see in their whole lifetime. When I turned thirteen however, I finally decided that I had had enough of this lifestyle, so I sneaked into schools to get the best education I could. Leaving behind my gypsy lifestyle, I had studied hard and received many scholarships from different universities. I had not stolen or broken into anywhere since I was fourteen.

“Himchan, I’m going to have to get more equipment to unpick this lock. It should be quite easy to once I have the right things. Now, tell me about the security system in this place” talking to myself most of the time, I directed my last sentence at him and he cocked his head, processing what I had said in his head. Finally nodding in understanding, he explained the security system.

“The guards are probably in the back playing cards. They do that all day. Once a day, someone will bring a meal to me. Once a week, someone will go out to get updates. Other than that, they take no notice of me” explaining quickly and quietly, Himchan spoke as if there were eyes everywhere watching us. Paranoia from spending too much time here, I guessed. Doing a quick calculation in my head, I figured that he had been in here for more than two weeks. That amount of time would drive anyone crazy.

“Alright. I’ll be back in two days at the most. Till then, keep strong and I will tell the boys you are doing well” I turned to leave but he grabbed my hand through the bar. Slowly, I turned toward him again.

“Are you alright?” I asked, concern masking my voice. Maybe it wasn’t smart to leave him here with the fact that he had to stay for another two days.

“Thank you. I don’t even know your name, but thank you” he smiled at me gratefully and released my hand. Smiling back, I nodded.

“My name’s Jane. I met Bang in university” waving a farewell, I made my way quickly out of the creepy lair, back through the dark tunnel and out into the real world. Looking around for the boys, I found them huddled where I had left them.

Seeing the relief flood over their faces, I glanced at my watch in confusion. Realizing that I had been one for over an hour, I ran over to them and quickly apologized. They all stared at me in bewilderment then Zelo started to laugh. Raising my eyebrows, I glanced around, looking for an explanation. Bang laughed and without thinking, he wrapped me up in his arms and squeezed tightly.

“Woah. Glad to see you too. But what’s so funny?” I asked, still completely oblivious to whatever made them laugh so hard.