When Tae Min woke up, he was greeted cheerfully by the mother of all headaches. Apparently Min Ha had decided that it would be easier to take care of the boy than send him away, since he already bore suspicion against him. The cloth he had pressed over Tae Min’s mouth and nose was prepared especially with alcohol that knocked him out – it worked out well, as only a moment before he had done the same to render Jan Di unconscious.

“I was thinking about how I could lure Goo Joon Pyo,” Min Ha was speaking to the girl when Tae Min lifted his gaze, assessing his surroundings. It was dark and his head hurt. He hadn’t the slightest idea where they might be.

“So I thought it was an offer of killing two birds with one stone.”

“Who put you up to this?” Jan Di demanded, sounding braver than Tae Min felt. They were tied tightly, each to their own chair. If Tae Min had been able to move, he would have been a bit more enthusiastic about the situation. But even he knew that tied, in the dark, and with a major headache – he would be unable to fight two… three… six men, all larger than him, if he was to judge by the shadows.

“Isn’t it funny even thinking about it?”

“I fail to see the humour in this,” Tae Min muttered from his side, and was kicked for interrupting. He tuned out after that, rather focusing on the ropes that binded his wrists together, allowing himself the slightest indication of hope that he would be able to slip them off if he turned and twisted just right.

It was Goo Joon Pyo, of all people, who made his appearance first. That fool had come alone, but seemed genuinely worried about Jan Di and took quite a beating, so Tae Min decided to forgive him. He wasn’t particularly amused by the “Let the girl go” demand though, since he, too, was tied to a damned chair. But yeah, he would forgive him – if they all lived through the ordeal.

He was just about done with the ropes around his wrists and leapt up along with the chair – Joon Pyo was on the floor, half-dead, which is an exaggeration and completely beside the point – and Jan Di had stupidly done the same, throwing herself forward, ending up getting hit badly with a chair Min Ha had swung, when Ji Hoo, Yi Jung and Woo Bin burst in.

About bloody time, too.

Tae Min stepped to the side, still in the process of ridding himself of the chair and the ropes tied around his torso, but was pulled back and thrown to the opposite wall. A loud crack echoed against the cold stone – Tae Min felt a sharp pain, but did not pause when pushing himself up. The loud crack had been the chair that broke, so thankfully Tae Min was no longer restrained by it. The crack he felt, though, left him certain that he’d broken a rib or two.

The F4, with the exception of Joon Pyo, made their way further in. It was a first Tae Min saw them fight – Woo Bin, he noticed, was quite a fighter. Not that Ji Hoo or Yi Jung were lacking, but Woo Bin seemed to have a certain elegance to his style, even though his punches were strong and forceful and – oh, that one looked like it hurt.

“Are you guys okay?” Yi Jung reached Joon Pyo and Jan Di, while Woo Bin rushed past them and over to the dazed Tae Min first.

“Tae Min-ah… are you hurt?”

“Keh…” Tae Min chuckled, clutching at his ribs immediately after, and earning nothing less than a perplexed look from Woo Bin. Then there was darkness.

*

“Are you conscious?”

Tae Min blinked against the light invading his eyes – it took him a moment to see clearly and recognize the figure of Woo Bin, seated on a chair near the bed Tae Min lay upon.

“Sunbae?”

“Yah, babo,” Woo Bin’s tone was oddly mellow to be calling Tae Min an idiot. “I thought I was going to die of shock because of you.”

Tae Min’s breath hitched – he could feel his cheeks growing crimson in colour and glanced away in an attempt to hide his embarrassment. It’s not like Woo Bin meant anything by that, he told himself. It was just the natural concern of a friend… right?

“Just what were you trying to do earlier?”

“Woo Bin sunbae,” Tae Min spoke softly; interrupting the other whose voice had risen slightly. The dancer had no special desire to be yelled at or scolded at that moment. “Mianhaeyo.”

If Woo Bin wanted to say more he stopped himself – or rather, paused before continuing quietly again.

“You. Why are you apologising now?”

“Woo Bin sunbae... you were probably never in a situation like that before.”

“What?”

Tae Min bit his lip, trying his best to keep the tears that had gathered in the corners of his eyes from spilling over. 

“I… wasn’t able to do anything. Joon Pyo… and Jan Di-ah… they both got hurt.”

“Tae Min,” Woo Bin sighed. “You got hurt, too…”

“This? This is nothing,” Tae Min snorted, shifting slightly in his position. The pain that came from his ribcage told him that was not the smartest of ideas.

“Three of your ribs are broken and you’re covered in bruises. Seriously… Goo Joon Pyo got beat up, but he’s big and strong. You’re in a worse shape than him.”

Tae Min bit back a retort, urging himself to calm, “What about Jan Di? Were is – wait, where am I?”

“Joon Pyo took her back to his place. Yi Jung and Ji Hoo stayed behind to take care of Min Ha and the others. You… you’re at my house.”

“Wae- wae- how come you didn’t stay behind – weren’t your men going to take care of it?”

“That is…” a frown crossed over Woo Bin’s lips. “Yi Jung was worried I might seriously injure the person who did this to you.”

Again, Tae Min felt his cheeks growing warm and had to look away.

“Yah, listen to yourself speak…”

He meant all of you Tae Min. Jan Di and Goo Joon Pyo, and then yourself.

He meant all of you.

Hello there! Just a quick thanks to nehakpoplover4ever,thank you so, so much for commenting! First comment made me ridiculously happy. JS.