Mi Young’s eyes snapped open. She inhaled sharply, overwhelmed by a dizzy spell.

                  “Ah, are you awake, Mi Young-ssi?”

                  It took a moment for her vision to clear, and she blinked. Where was she?

                  “You’re at Minwoo-hyung’s place.” Andy came into focus, answering her unasked question. “How are you doing?” His voice was gentle and his eyes were red, showing that he had been crying recently.

                  She looked around, her head throbbing in protest. “Aish,” She muttered, closing her eyes and waiting for the room to stop spinning.

                  “Jin-ah,” Andy called out.

                  “That’s ‘Hyung’ to you, Andy-ah.” Jun Jin walked in, frowning at the maknae’s lack of formality.

                  “Mi Young-ssi doesn’t have a severe head injury, does she?” Andy completely ignored the older member’s request to be addressed differently, more worried about the girl on the bed in front of him.

                  Jun Jin reached out towards her and she flinched back reflexively. He pursed his lips apologetically and waited until she nodded before grasped her hand, his power activating. With his help, her vision settled down so she could see properly. She was in a small room with a bed and a nightstand; it was plain, but comfy.

                  “I don’t think she’s hurt too badly… Maybe a small concussion and a headache that’ll last for a few days, but not much more than that…” Jun Jin replied. “Yah, didn’t Hyung say to call him when Mi Young-ssi woke up?”

                  “Oh yeah.” Andy gave Mi Young a small smile before heading out, and she could hear his voice as he shouted for Minwoo.

                  She winced, the yell making her head pound. “D-don’t you all have a performance in a few hours?” She mumbled, dipping her head at Jun Jin as he helped her into a sitting position.

                  Jun Jin nodded. “We’ve got some time. Don’t worry about it.”

                  Andy came back in with Minwoo, whose fatigued expression vanished as he saw Mi Young up. “Hey, are you all right?”

                  She made a face. “I’ve been better.”

                  Mi Young gave a start as Lee Youngmi--Minwoo’s sister—came in as well. What was she doing here?

                  “She already knows what’s happened, Mi Young-ssi.” Minwoo explained and gave the injured girl a significant look as his sister sat beside the bed, taking Andy’s seat.

                  “I don’t see why being an American citizen with no paperwork would stop you from going to a Korean hospital… But I guess there’s not much we can do about it now.” Youngmi gave Mi Young a sympathetic look. “It’s not like reporting it will get anything done, either. I’ve heard the stories about other women who were attacked… The police just laughed and made them leave…”

                  Mi Young couldn’t reply. She cast a helpless glance around the room and found Andy, whose eyes were clouded with sorrow.

                   “Oppa asked me to watch over you while they go perform. Are you okay?”

                  “I… Uh,” Mi Young averted her gaze from Andy’s, blinking at Youngmi. She was getting tired of being asked that question. “I-I’m all right.”

                  “Luckily with Hyesungie-ah’s vision, we were able to get to you before anything worse happened…” Minwoo pushed his bottom lip out. “But he still feels bad that you still ended up getting hurt.”

                  Mi Young remembered the paralyzing horror and the terrible inability to resist. “I…I didn’t think anyone would come at all.” She confessed, recalling the certainty of death.

                  She shuddered violently, all of the dread coming back to her. The air rushed out of her lungs and it was suddenly hard to breathe. “I thought… I…”

                  Youngmi—seeing the panic in Mi Young’s eyes—was beside her in an instant, lightly her hand. “Shh, it’s all right,” she murmured. “You’re safe now.” On Mi Young’s other side, Jun Jin also gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

                  Mi Young took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. Over Youngmi’s shoulder, she could see Andy’s tormented expression as the memories replayed themselves in her mind. “I… I’ll be okay. I was just surprised, that’s all.” She stammered, swallowing the terror and willing the flashbacks away.

                  “I’ll be here to take care of you.” Youngmi comforted. “You don’t have to be afraid.”

                  “Thank you, Youngmi-ssi.” Mi Young mumbled. Even though she loved the six members like family, she was grateful for the company of another woman. She raised her voice, letting go of Jun Jin’s hand so she wouldn’t have to rely on his power and ignoring the dizziness that clouded her vision. “H-hey, don’t you all have a performance to worry about?”

                  Minwoo nodded, a little wistfully. “We should get going.”

                  Jun Jin sighed, wanting to do more for the manager. “I wish I had more strength to lend to you, Mi Young-ssi.”

                  She shook her head, unable to meet his gaze. “You’ve already done so much. Just have a good performance, okay?”  

                  They were about to head out when Minwoo turned back and saw that Andy was still standing in the doorway, a sad expression on his face.

                  “Andy-ah…”

                  “Can’t I stay here?” He pleaded.

                  Minwoo bit his lip, tempted to let the maknae stay to help his sister. They would be able to cover for one performance, wouldn’t they? Maybe this one time…

                  “No.”

                  Minwoo looked up, surprised when Mi Young answered.

                  “You need to go and perform with them.” She said firmly.

                  “But--”

                  “Andy-ssi, get out. If you don’t put on a good performance tonight, once I’m recovered I’m going to beat you with that stupid kiwi hat.” Mi Young pointed at the door, her eyes unfocused as she attempted to glare at him.

                  Andy opened his mouth, trying to come up with a suitable reply. He pulled a funny face, looking both distressed and amused at her attempt at joking.

Jun Jin tugged on the maknae’s sleeve, knowing he had lost. “C’mon, Andy-ah.”

                  “And make sure to tell Hyesung-ssi, Eric-ssi, and Dongwan-ssi the same thing. All of you perform well, okay? I’ll be watching the recording when it comes out.” Mi Young threatened in the strongest voice she could manage.

                  “Aish,” Minwoo laughed in spite of himself. For an injured woman, she sure did have a lot of spunk. “Yes, Mom. We’ll do our best…”

                  “Damn straight you will.”

                  Once the group had left for their performance, Youngmi came back and sat at Mi Young’s bedside, casting a sideways glance at her.

                  “You really care a lot for them, don’t you?”

                  “Huh?” Mi Young blinked.

                  “Even though you’ve been through something terrible, you were more worried about the group getting to their show on time… You have a lot of dedication.” Minwoo’s sister gave her a small bow, and Mi Young felt her face heat up.

                  “I… I guess focusing on them is a way to kind-of,” Mi Young shrugged. “…Distract myself, y’know…?”

                  Youngmi nodded in understanding. “When Oppa called me and said he needed my help, I didn’t know what was going on… But then all six of them ran in, with Choonjae-ssi carrying you and trying to heal your injuries. It was really startling.”

                  “Is that what happened?” Mi Young murmured, remembering how she had passed out in Andy and Jun Jin’s arms, unable to stay awake any longer.

                  “Oppa was already giving me instructions, so I cleaned your injuries and changed you out of your torn clothes and gave you one of his old sets of pajamas. They were all really worried about you.” Youngmi smiled. “I had to kick Sunho-ssi out of the room a few times because he was so frantic.”

                  Mi Young felt a little guilty. “I really scared Andy-ssi, didn’t I?”

                  Youngmi raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think it was that… His concern was different from the others…” When Mi Young looked confused, she raised her hands, waving them dismissively. “Nevermind, Sunho-ssi was always a little strange anyways. I’m probably just imagining things.”

                  Mi Young shrugged, still not understanding what the little sister was suggesting.

                  Youngmi hid a smile. What a typical female protagonist, clueless as always… Then again, Andy wasn’t the smartest tool in the shed when it came to things like that either, which automatically made the two a great match.

                  Minwoo would always be the king of fan service and as his younger sister, it looks like some of his matchmaker tendencies had rubbed off on Youngmi as well. Even though it had been her first time meeting Mi Young, she saw the chemistry between the maknae and the manager and she wanted to make something out of it.

                  “Are you tired, Mi Young-ssi?”

                  “Uh… No, I’m wide-awake now…” The injured girl scratched the back of her head.

                  “Well, that’s good.” Youngmi nodded. “Do you want to talk or something?”

                  “Talk? What is there to talk about…?”

                  “Hmm…” Youngmi smiled, her eyes glinting mischievously. Perfect. “So… what do you think about all the Shinhwa members?”

                  Andy sat in the preparation room, staring down at his hands. Around him, the make-up artists and outfit coordinators were moving in a rush, trying to prepare Shinhwa for their time on stage. For this performance, Minwoo had handed Eric, Hyesung, and him a set of gloves, concealing the fact that their hands and knuckles were bruised from beating Mi Young’s would-be rapists. Minwoo had donned a pair of gloves as well, and gave Jun Jin one to wear on his right hand, making it look more like a fashion choice rather than a disguise.

                  Beside him, Eric was carefully adjusting the bandanna tied around his arm. He had worn it in previous performances so none of the outfit coordinators questioned him when he slipped it on, but he used it to hide the shallow razor blade cut he had gotten and was loosening it so the wound—which was also covered in make-up to make it less visible—wouldn’t  open up again on stage.

                  “Andy-ssi, Eric-ssi, Hyesung-ssi…” Eric’s manager gave them each a look, reprimanding. “All of your eyes are red… Have you been drinking in the morning again?”

                  “Well, you know us… We were up pretty early this morning.” Minwoo slipped on a pair of sunglasses to deter attention away from his own eyes, which were also clouded and troubled. He laughed, a little too loud to be real, but Jong Hyun didn’t seem to notice. “We’re sorry, we won’t do it again.” Minwoo made a formal bow, and the other three followed suit.

                  “Aish… Just put these on too, so the fans won’t see it.” Jong Hyun sighed, handing them each a pair of glasses to wear. There wasn’t much the manager could do about it anyways. “I hope you all sober up fast.”

                  Andy threw his on gratefully, knowing he wouldn’t have been able to keep the trauma out of his expression any other way. The entire group was distracted, quiet as the make-up coordinators adjusted their hair and clothes. Andy could feel the guilt, unease, and worry permeating from each of their auras and affecting him two-fold. He shut his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose and rubbing his temples.

                  Would Mi Young really be all right? Her physical wounds would recover with time and rest, but Andy knew that she was distressed and in shock.

                  He didn’t really understand why he felt so strongly. He had trusted the young woman since the first day they had met. Mi Young’s unwavering honesty and enduring personality permeated from every aspect of her unique aura and struck him deeply. He wasn’t sure what it was about her, but there was something that made him want to protect her at all costs.

                  “Yah, Andy-ah,” Minwoo clapped him on the shoulder, making him jump. “Let’s get going…”

                  “Uh, okay.” Andy nodded.

                  Minwoo’s thoughts suddenly intruded in his mind, relaying a direct message to him.

                  ‘Remember what Mi Young-ssi said. Let’s do this, all right?’ Behind the dark shades, Minwoo’s gaze was blazing with resolve. Beside them, Dongwan was whispering the same thing to Eric and Hyesung, and Jun Jin was muttering to himself, each of their faces glowing with determination to make this a good performance. Their thoughts forced away the depression and the anxiety, all six members focusing on the next couple of hours ahead of them.

                  For her. We’ll do it for her.

                  Andy took a deep breath, meeting Minwoo’s eyes and nodding. “I got it, Hyung.” He put on a forced smile. “Let’s try our best.”

                  Backstage there were cameras milling around, recording them as they waited for their name to be announced and the music to start. Eric and Jun Jin immediately began messing around, making them all chuckle and easing the tension in the atmosphere. Andy pushed himself to be happy, pretending to be annoyed as Eric wrapped his arms around him from behind in a hug and laughing along with the rest.

                  “Let’s give it up for Shinhwa’s song, Oh!” The MC announced. Immediately all the cameras were turned towards the stage and the six had a moment to gather their strength and head to their performance.

                  There was a pause as the fog machines and they took their places. Jun Jin moved to the front, preparing for his dance solo and adjusting the microphone near his cheek.

                  The familiar music blared in their ears. Eric, Minwoo, Dongwan, Hyesung, and Andy all shuffled along to the beat in the background, watching as Jun Jin danced his heart out with the other background dancers. As Jun Jin moved back and Minwoo’s vocal line began, the shortest member stepped up, his mind focused on the performance and looking almost completely normal as he wooed the fan girls and sang along to the track with his female partner.

                  Once Minwoo had sung his part, Dongwan leapt up to his mark. His expression was intensely focused and his moves were much crisper and cleaner than they normally were, showing the amount of effort he was exerting. He slid back at the end of his line, swinging his arms out and almost hitting Hyesung, who was also giving his all. Andy could feel the sheer willpower radiating off the main vocalist and saw Hyesung glance back at him at the start of the chorus, nearly bumping into Minwoo who was trying to get to the center.

                  ‘Andy-ah, she’ll be okay. Don’t worry about that right now.’ Hyesung reassured.

                  Andy dipped his head, turning so he could dance the chorus. Hyesung was right; now was not the time to worry. He curled his lips into an ‘O’ shape, parroting the recording of the chorus as he shifted his body to the beat. In front of him, he could see Dongwan dancing as hard as he could, and on his left he saw Eric also making his moves smoother and more precise. Andy adjusted his glasses, seeing Hyesung throw his hands awkwardly into the air to clap and Eric messing with his arm band, which was slipping down his elbow.

                  Minwoo then took center stage again, commanding the attention of the audience as they all spun to face the back. Andy felt all the other five’s auras move in sync, each eager to perform well. He was vaguely aware of the girls dancing around him and gave a start as Eric’s rap solo began and Hyesung followed behind the leader.

                  Where was the main vocalist going?

                  Hyesung had a resolute expression on his face as he stood behind Eric and danced along with the background dancers. Andy felt his lips curl up in a smile as the dancer on Eric’s right turned and noticed the main vocalist keeping up with them, his expression both incredulous and amused.

                  Minwoo laughed out loud at the spectacle, the sound unheard over the recording of the track and Andy blinked at Eric, wondering if the leader knew what was going on behind him. He activated his ability and noticed that Eric’s thoughts were more concerned with the bandanna tied around his arm, which was now dangling around his wrist. He had no idea Hyesung was behind him at all.

                  Andy shook his head and counted the beats down to his rap solo, leaping around Hyesung and moving to center stage, ready to shine. Jun Jin danced just as fiercely beside him and they switched places smoothly when it was Jun Jin’s turn to rap.

                  The maknae watched the baby bird from the corner of his eye. ‘Oh, to hell with it.’ When the time came for Jun Jin to yank up his shirt briefly as fan-service, Andy also reached down and pulled his top upwards, the fabric catching in his vest and making it impossible for him to lift it any higher during that beat. He suppressed a grin as he dropped his arm and the fans screamed, responding joyfully to their tease.

                  The rest of the group gathered around for the last part of the dance, with Eric subtly dropping the bandanna on the ground beside him, obviously tired with trying to readjust it and not wanting it to fly off when he lifted his arms. Andy smirked and pushed up his sunglasses again, putting his heart and soul into the final minute of the song with the rest of his group.

                  As the background dancers strutted off the stage and he mouthed the last line alongside the other five, he felt a tug of pride in his heart. The others stood around him, taking deep, exhausted breaths as the lights faded and the on-stage fog concealed them from view, but despite being so drained their eyes all shone with pride.

                  This was a performance Mi Young would be happy with, he was sure of it.

                  It would be another couple of hours before Minwoo, Jun Jin, and Andy arrived back at the apartment. With Mi Young being so frail, Andy refused to return home, instead calling his aunt and uncle and telling him he would be staying over the night at his friend’s place. Jun Jin—wanting to help heal Mi Young as much as he could—also contacted his family to tell them he wouldn’t be returning.

                  “Hyung, I’ll call you back a little later, okay?” Jun Jin was on his cell phone as they walked in the door, but looked alarmed when Youngmi waved at him, signaling to lower his voice. “Take care of Hyesung-hyung, bye.”

                  “How is she?” Andy asked immediately.

                  “She’s resting, so don’t speak too loudly or you’ll disturb her.” Youngmi replied in a low voice. “Where’s Eric-ssi? Isn’t he staying here with you, Oppa?”

                  Minwoo stretched his shoulders. “Yeah, he is, but he’ll be staying at Pilgyo’s place tonight to make sure he’s okay after being shocked earlier.” He couldn’t help but smile. “Hyesungie-ah was mad about it, but hey, it’s for his own good, right?”

                  “I see…” Youngmi rolled her eyes.

                  “Yah, I’m going to go get some clothes to change into.” Minwoo sighed.

                  “All right, just don’t wake Mi Young-ssi, okay?”

                  “Of course not.”

                  Minwoo tiptoed down the hall and slowly opened the door to his room, squinting into the darkness. He could see Mi Young’s sleeping form from the door and he stepped inside, carefully shutting the door behind him so the light from the hall wouldn’t disturb her. He crept over to his closet, sliding the door open carefully and reaching around, trying to find a pair of gym shorts or pajamas to wear.

                  ‘Which drawer was it again…?’ He thought, sticking his head into the open space. ‘Oh, the left one.’

                  He grabbed around blindly, not making too much noise and grinned triumphantly as his hand finally came in contact with what he was looking for. He straightened out, ready to close the closet and leave, but flinched as his head smacked loudly against the shelf above his head, toppling its contents in an avalanche on top of him.

                  “.” He hissed, whipping around as his shoes and spare metal hangers crashed to the ground in a discord of thuds and screeches that wasn’t really loud, but sounded deafening to his ears.

                  Mi Young sat up abruptly, dazed and afraid as she stared into the darkness as a series of strange noises startled her out of her uneasy sleep. She gazed around and saw a male figure hunched over by the closet, cursing up a storm.

                  Immediately she was seized by fear and she screamed, terrified that her nightmares had come to life.

                  The door flew open instantly and another figure pressed his hand against the wall, trying to find the light switch and flicking it on roughly.

                  Mi Young winced, throwing her arms up to block out the blinding light as she turned to face the intruder in Minwoo’s room. It was…

                  “Ah,” She wavered. “M-Minwoo-ssi…?”

                  A colorful and unique combination of swears and apologies was spewing out of the shortest member’s mouth and he was cringing over the mess that was now his closet, looking as if he had just run over a stray puppy. “Dammit, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean… I’m such a stupid idiot… Argh!” He was so flustered that he switched into dialect, his words almost incoherent.

                  “What…” Andy blinked, confused as he stood in the doorway.

                  The poor young woman was curled up near the head board of Minwoo’s bed, the blankets wrapped protectively around her body. Her arms were pulled up on either side of her head, covering most of her face, and Andy could see the bandages wrapped around her forearms where she had been cut. Just the sight of her looking so fragile and petrified made him angry.

                  “What happened?!” Andy barked out. “Why did you wake up Mi Young-ssi?”

                  “It was an accident! I didn’t turn on the light since that might’ve woken her up, and I knocked down the shelf in my closet trying to get my change of clothes!” Minwoo bowed to Mi Young in apology. “I’m sorry to have scared you…”

                  Youngmi moved past Andy, sitting beside Mi Young and gently wrapping her arms around the trembling young woman. “It’s okay… My brother’s just an idiot. There’s nothing here to hurt you.”

                  “Pabo!” Andy whirled, his eyes flashing. He grabbed Minwoo’s shoulders and shook him roughly. “Who doesn’t know how to get around his own room in the dark?! How could you do that to her?”

                  Minwoo’s eyes widened and he grew defensive. “Yah, I already apologized! Don’t talk to your hyung like that!”

                  “A-Andy-ssi, stop…”

                  Andy froze, turning back to Mi Young. She was watching him with wide, fearful eyes. He took a step back. When had he gotten so angry? When had his voice gotten so loud? Had he just shouted at Minwoo?

                  Jun Jin grasped his shoulder. “Andy-ah, are you okay?”

                  “I…” Andy blinked down at the floor, his heart pounding from the sudden rush of adrenaline. Why had he gotten so mad? It was just an accident, after all… “H-hyung, I’m sorry…” He stammered. “I don’t know what happened.”

                  Minwoo huffed, his glare softening. “It’s all right.” He ruffled the maknae’s hair, a little rougher than normal but no less affectionate. “Aigoo… I think we all need some sleep.”

                  Andy nodded, taking a deep breath to steady himself and shaking his head vigorously. The stress of the long day had finally caught up with him, and even his temper was out of check. It had been a long time since he had snapped like that.

                  “Sorry again for scaring you like that, Mi Young-ssi.” Minwoo said softly.

                  Mi Young shook her head, more relieved that it was just him being a klutz than what her mind had conjured up in the darkness.

                  “Get some rest, all right?”

                  “I will…”

                  Jun Jin gave her a small wave from the door and also turned to depart, with Youngmi trailing close behind.

                  It was just Andy and Mi Young left in Minwoo’s room. Andy scratched the back of his head, sheepish.

                  “Well,” Andy shuffled his feet. “You should rest.”

                  “Y-yeah, you too.” Mi Young stared at the blankets. “And, uh, Andy-ssi?”

                  “Yes?”

                  “Thank you for helping me today…” The answer came out almost in a whisper.

                  Andy looked up from his shoes. Her eyes were round, sorrowful. He hesitated for a moment before reaching over his hand and gently patting her on the head. It was an awkward gesture, but he couldn’t think of anything else to do before retreating into the hall and closing the door behind him.

                  “Good night, Mi Young-ssi.”

                  “Good night…”

                  In the hallway, Minwoo prodded Andy affectionately with his shoulder.

                  “What?” Andy frowned, annoyed by the playful nudge.

                  “You’ve got it pretty bad, huh?” Minwoo had a kittenish grin on his face, all signs of resentment from the maknae’s admonition gone.

                  “Got what?” Andy headed back into the living room with the older member.

                  Minwoo gave him a look, but Andy didn’t notice it. “Aish, nevermind.”

[Hi, hi!! We’ve passed the 100 page mark (for 1.5 spacing, that is)! So, lots to say about this chapter… Firstly, I did some research on how the police viewed assault in certain countries—Korea obviously included—and was astounded and disturbed to find that in previous years, yes, police often turned away women and did not consider what their attackers had done to them as any sort of crime. Before, if the woman was dressed or acted in any way that caught a man’s gaze, she technically “deserved” what she had gotten for appealing to a man’s desires. Thankfully, this ludicrous belief is slowly being changed. Whoo, there’s your modern history lesson for the day.

On a much lighter note, I realized after this chapter had been written that Andy’s infamous Kiwi Prince commercial (which I briefly mentioned XD) hadn’t been released until a few months later (I believe it was April of 2005). I guess we can just say he did filming for it early, or something… Plus I’m not sure of the time that Eric had to live with Minwoo, but I think it was around this period… That and poor Lee Youngmi! I feel bad trying to write her personality. How do I write a girl I’ve never seen or watched anything of? Aish…

Anyways, inspiration for Oh! in this chapter was actually taken from one of their live performances (true to the date it was broadcasted, which I’m using as the date it was filmed for convenience’s sake), where Hyesung randomly joined the background dancers, Andy pulled up his shirt (NOT HIGH ENOUGH), and Eric’s arm band wouldn’t stay in place! It took me a about a ten times watching the video— it’s one of my favorite performances—to even notice some of those things, but I just thought I’d share it with you all because hey, why not? Here’s the YouTube link if you want to check it out for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgJn9Ija8ZY

Threw in a little implied Ricsyung, laughed like a maniac while writing Special Stupid (Shipper) Minwoo, and enjoyed writing angry Andy more than I probably should have… I think I covered everything, so I hope you enjoyed it! :D]