[Trigger warning: Attempted . I know, it’s surprising, but plot is necessary. There is also a violence and language warning... I don’t think it’s enough to warrant an M rating, but if you feel that this chapter should be marked for more mature audiences, please do not hesitate to comment and tell me. I wouldn’t want someone to read something that they aren’t expecting. Thank you.]

                Mi Young shoved her hands into her pockets, her breath visible in the cold, frosty morning air. The instant coffee dangled from the grocery bag hanging on her arm, pinching uncomfortably at her wrist.

                Despite the fact that the group had said that the coffee was unnecessary, after Eric had snapped at Jun Jin and Andy for fooling around Mi Young knew that they needed some fuel before they started ripping out each other’s throats.

                She sighed, feeling the exhaustion of the past several weeks nagging at the back of her mind. Shinhwa was in the middle of an aggressive promotion period. Their hard work paid off—they won their first Daesang on December 10^th—and they were nominated for a second award later in the week.

                Mi Young felt a smile tug at the corner of her lips as she continued walking, remembering how the six men had reacted to their first huge award. In her time, she had seen the videos and fan blog accounts, but seeing their faces light up in realization and actually being a part of the process that led to their success was something that could never compare to just viewing the recordings online.

                “Shinhwa!”

                Of course, they hadn’t believed it at first. Or maybe over all of the screaming they didn’t hear their name called. They had been clapping politely and it wasn’t until their name was repeated that Eric, Minwoo, and Jun Jin froze. It certainly didn’t register for all of them until the third time they had been announced.

                They huddled together, hugging each other as they slowly began to realize that they had, in fact, won. Eric, naturally, was handed the microphone to speak for the rest. His voice shook as he spoke.

                “Thank you!” He gave his gratitude to everyone who had made it possible for them to be on that stage.

                During their encore performance, they weren’t focused at all, each of them glancing at the trophy clutched in Eric’s hands as they danced. Was it real? Hyesung didn’t even make it through the song, stopping halfway through and turning away from the audience, with Minwoo pulling him into a rough hug, both completely overcome with emotion.

                The group barely managed to hold in their tears as they greeted the fans who had supported them through their struggles—the ones who had commiserated and celebrated with them. Andy hadn’t been able to stop himself from crying, remembering when he had almost abandoned all hope. He knew that coming back to his five older brothers had been the right decision. Mi Young had met his gaze once they had gotten off the stage and he quietly thanked her for the words and reassurances she had given him when they first met.

                Once Shinhwa had piled into the van to go home—with Mi Young in the driver’s seat—she had turned back to face them, waiting for the vehicle to warm up.

                They were staring at nothing, each overwhelmed by the adrenaline rush that came with their first big success. They had been nominated for years before, but had never been able to snag a win, learning to swallow their disappointment and accept that they needed improvement.

                “Hey, you finally did it.” Mi Young smiled at them. “Good work.”

                That was the trigger; Hyesung burst into tears, a euphoric smile on his face. Andy began sobbing again and leaned into Dongwan, who was smiling from ear to ear. Jun Jin looked as if he couldn’t decide whether he wanted to laugh or cry and Eric chuckled, letting out a slow breath that he didn’t know he had been holding. Minwoo fiercely wiped away the tears on his cheeks and lifted his hands up, touching the roof of the van and letting out a boisterous yell. The rest of the group joined in, filling the vehicle with a cacophony of joyful screams and cheers.

                The taste of their first win had been wonderful and since then they had pushed themselves to work harder during the rehearsals, to improve more so they could continue earning victories.

                Mi Young shivered, forcing her feet to move faster. She knew that the group was waiting for her; despite their determination, they were having trouble keeping up their strength for the performance later that evening and were in desperate need of fuel. Even Minwoo—with his energizing power—was looking worn down from the constant string of concerts, shows, and rehearsals. Though they all knew that rest was the actual remedy to their problem, with their busy schedule the caffeine would have to work as a substitute for now.

                She huddled into her hood farther, eager to get back into the warmth of the rehearsal studio.

                “Just a few more blocks…” She muttered, stopping at the crosswalk and waiting for the light to turn green. She watched the cars passing sluggishly, preparing to cross.

                However, she didn’t notice the three men standing behind her.

                Dongwan was lying on the floor, staring up at the ceiling with Andy’s head was resting on his stomach. The group wasn’t getting much work done and Minwoo had long since given up on holding the dance rehearsal, knowing that the others weren’t focused.

                Dongwan closed his eyes, ready to take a nap when a shout startled him. He jolted upright, turning around to look at Hyesung, who had leapt to his feet.

                “Hyesungie-ah?”

                The main vocalist was trembling, his eyes wild. The others were at his side at once, realizing that the singer was having a moment of clairvoyance.

                “Hyesung-ah,” Dongwan grasped his shoulders, activating his own ability and forcing him back into reality. Luckily for them, none of the managers of other staff was around, or they would have had huge problems. “What is it?”

                “Mi Young-ah…” Hyesung muttered. “She’s…”

                Andy—who had already seen the images in Hyesung’s mind with his ability—sprinted out of the room. The others—confused but worried—followed after, with Hyesung in the lead. He explained as they ran, his eyes dilated in fear and they caught up to Andy, who was frantically mashing the elevator button to get back down to the first floor.

                “W-we don’t have a lot of time…”

                The door opened, painfully slowly.

                “I know, go!!”

                Mi Young had been grabbed from behind, a hand covering as she was jerked backwards. The grocery bag slipped off her wrist, landing with a soft thud as she struggled.

                “Mmph!” She tripped over it, her feet slipping from under her was she was pulled away from the street.

                By the time she was able to get her footing, she had been dragged into the nearby alleyway, trapped between a dead end and her assailants.

                She spit into the hand of her attacker and felt him release his grasp on , instead yanking violently on her jacket hood and hair. One of the men made the mistake of moving in front of her, trying to grab her legs, so she kicked out as hard as she could, feeling a crunch under her foot as she connected with his face. He fell back immediately, stunned by the blow.

                Mi Young gagged as her hood was jerked back again, the collar digging painfully into . She clawed at the zipper and slid out of the coat, ignoring the chill of the winter air and freeing herself so she could face her other assaulters.

                Both men were taller and bulkier than she was and the man who had grabbed her in the first place pitched the coat back towards her, trying to cover her face.

                Mi Young swatted it away and the second man lunged the instant the jacket blocked her vision. She screamed as he rammed into her, shoving her farther into the alley and trapping her against a wall.

                He pulled a razor blade from his coat, brandishing it. Mi Young felt her blood run cold. “You better shut your mouth.” He growled.

                Mi Young brought her leg up again, this time kicking her knee up as hard as she could and hitting the man right where it counted—between the legs. He cursed and went down, dropping his weapon to clutch at his injury. Mi Young leapt over the prone body, trying to flee the alleyway, but she gasped as he reached out and grabbed her ankle, tripping her.

                She scrambled forward on her stomach, doing everything she could to put distance between the three men attacking her but without warning, the third man was on top of her, the discarded razor in his hands. She cried out as she was roughly flipped over, the blade digging into her arms.

                “No!” She struggled fiercely as the man tugged at her pants and she managed to kick him backwards before he could get them down. Mi Young winced—the man hadn’t let go of the razor blades in his hands and she could feel new cuts on her abdomen and legs.

                “Urk! Stupid little...!” He growled, pinning her legs completely under his. He jerked her collar forward, pulling her face close to his before slamming her head back against the concrete with a loud crack.

                Mi Young’s vision immediately blurred and she found that—to her horror—that all the strength in her body had left her. She could feel the man’s hands tear mercilessly at her shirt and as a frigid breeze assaulted her torso she realized she was exposed. She lifted her arms weakly, attempting to cover herself.

                She could hear laughing and her vision focused just long enough to see the man was hovering over her, a sick grin on his face.

                “Weak little . You’re gonna die after I’m finished with you.” His foul breath sent a jolt of fear through her.

                Mi Young closed her eyes, gathering all her remaining energy for a last-ditch attempt at saving herself. She took a deep breath and released in all in one terrified, desperate screech.

                The man reacted immediately, cutting her shriek off with a punch that left her tasting blood. He began spewing more profanities at her as he wrenched her arms away from her body.

                Mi Young couldn’t struggle anymore and was slowly losing consciousness. Her vision was too fuzzy and everything sounded muffled and hollow.

                “I’m gonna ing enjoy this.” She felt dull pain resounding throughout her whole body and was vaguely aware of the heavy mass crushing her legs, but she couldn’t fight it. She could only feel tears as they ran slowly down the side of her face. She was just about given up when suddenly a rush of noise filled her ears and the weight on top of her body vanished.

                “Like HELL you are!!”

                “You ing bastards!”

                “You’re gonna die!”

                “Son of a !”

                “I’m going to kill you!”

                “Little s! DIE!”

                Mi Young blinked, trying to clear her vision. The alleyway was suddenly full of shouts and confusing noises. She felt something grabbing her shoulders and she struggled weakly against it, terrified.

                “It’s okay!” A muffled, distorted voice was very close to her ear. That was when Mi Young realized that the hands touching her weren’t rough—they were gentle; they weren’t trying to expose her body—they were pulling her torn shirt together and covering it.

                Andy’s pale expression swam into clarity above her. “Mi Young-ssi! Mi Young-ssi, it’s okay!” He repeated, his face framed by the dark hood pulled over it. He gingerly pulled her into his arms, being careful not to disrupt her neck or head. “Oh my god…” His eyes were smoldering with an anger that quickly melted into anxiety as he took in her incapacitated form.

                Mi Young’s vision was still blurry, but as his hand hovered over her face and wiped away the blood trailing from her forehead and mouth she saw one thing plainly in front of her. “Andy-ssi… Your hand…” wasn’t working properly and she had to carefully form the words, noticing his bruised and bleeding knuckles.

                “Aish, you care about that?” Andy gave her an exasperated smile that didn’t reach his troubled eyes. “I didn’t punch correctly, but you need to worry about yourself.”

                She could see Hyesung’s shadow dragging back a figure who was shouting in earnest. Andy turned, concerned by the wrath-filled aura that flooded the alleyway.

                “Eric-hyung…” Hyesung struggled to hold back his infuriated leader. “He’s down already…”

                Eric was beyond hearing him and just continued to spit curses in the direction of what Mi Young assumed to be the comatose forms of her three assailants. He was clutching at his right arm and blood was seeping between his fingers from a cut he had sustained. He clenched his other hand into a fist and tried shoving Hyesung off, fury blinding him.

                Suddenly, Hyesung’s knees buckled and he fell back, Eric toppling over on top of him.

                Hyesung was crying out in pain, his arms still locked around Eric’s chest and his body spasming uncontrollably. “E-Eric-ah!! You’re h-hurting me…” He managed to choke out.

                Dongwan was there in an instant, grabbing Eric’s shoulders to deaden the electrical currents and wrenching him off Hyesung. “Hyung! Get ahold of yourself!”

                Eric’s face changed immediately, his face draining of all its color as he realized he had lost control of his powers. He swiftly brushed Dongwan’s hands aside, turning back to Hyesung in horror.

                “H-Hyesung-ah…”

                The main vocalist had collapsed backwards, rolling over onto his side and wheezing in relief at being freed from the potent shocks.

                “A-are you okay?” Eric was trembling.

                “I-I’ll be all right.” Hyesung coughed out shakily, waving a hand towards Mi Young and signaling that they should worry about her before him.

                The alleyway was abruptly silent, minus the sounds of the group’s heavy breathing and Hyesung’s gasps.

                Jun Jin kneeled by Mi Young’s side, placing a tender hand on her head. She immediately felt a warm calm spread over her and she closed her eyes, letting her fear subside.

                “Minwoo-hyung,” Jun Jin’s voice was strained. “I can’t…”

                Minwoo—who had been glaring in the direction of the unconscious thugs and making sure they didn’t move or get up again—stepped forward and lent some of his energy to the younger member. “We should get her to a hospital.”

                The other five murmured in general agreement, but Mi Young forced her eyes open. She could feel Jun Jin’s healing powers starting to take effect, slowly mending her agonizing cuts and bruises. “W-wait, you can’t…”

                Andy—who was still supporting her in his arms—shook his head. “Mi Young-ssi, you’re really hurt. You might have a head injury.”

                “It’ll be okay,” Minwoo added. “You don’t have to be afraid.”

                “No, I mean it!” Mi Young’s voice was stronger, startling them. “There’s no record of me ever being born in the family registry! I don’t exist in this world!!” She gasped for breath, a sudden wave of dizziness briefly overcoming her. “I-If they try to look me up… They’ll become suspicious, and what will happen then?”

                The group was very quiet. They couldn’t come up with a reply.

                “But your wounds…” Andy protested weakly.

                “I’ll… I’m fine...” Contradicting her words, she winced and was overwhelmed by vertigo again.

                “Mi Young-ssi!” Andy’s voice pitched in anxiety.

                “N-no hospitals…” The words sounded jumbled, but she kept the thought stubbornly clear in her mind, knowing the maknae would be able to hear it with his ability. Andy’s voice faded and she couldn’t hold on any longer, letting the pull of unconsciousness take over as she out.

[A much darker episode this time around... Again, like I said at the start of the chapter, if you think that this should have an M rating, PLEASE TELL ME. I don’t write rated work very often, so I don’t really know the criteria for judging this kind of thing, but I do know that few things are as irksome as expecting a fanfiction to be a certain way and then reading it only to find that it goes far beyond what that rating is.

This is the first time Shinhwa’s used their abilities for things other than convenience or example, especially in Eric, Hyesung, and Jun Jin’s cases. There will definitely be more of that—after all, it is a story about their powers.

Anyways, thank you for keeping up and here’s to the next chapter going well! I hope Mi Young will be okay... :3]