Author's Note: This chapter is extremely long, and I got a little lazy towards the end.  I just wanted it to end! lolz. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 20

Two days had passed since the deletion of the Mr. Mr. footage, and every Chrome team member could feel the intensifying dread.  The Nine had lived an uneventful week as they practiced wholeheartedly for their comeback, but Crayon Pop couldn’t rest for even a moment.  Between monitoring The Nine and preparing for their own comeback, they were exhausted and full of worry.

            On this rather warm Sunday, the five guardians were at headquarters working on their new choreography.  Ah Ba had taught them as much as he could over the past 48 hours, but he couldn’t be with them today.  Every single team member, including the Captain, was in Macau, looking after The Nine during their Girls & Peace Tour.  Headquarters was quiet and peaceful, but tension was still thick in the air.

            The five members walked out of the practice room wearing their most comfortable orange jumpsuits.  Choreography for this dance was indeed as strenuous as the Captain warned it would be, and the girls felt the strain.  As everyone made their way into the small eating room, Soyul ran into the wardrobe room and brought out towels for everyone.

            “Here, Ellin unnie.  Wipe the sweat from your brow.”

            “I don’t sweat,” Ellin insisted angrily, taking a towel from Soyul.  “I glisten.”

            Soyul tried to laugh at Ellin’s comment, but she was instantly distracted by Gummi’s anxious demeanor.  “Unnie, would you like a towel?”

            When Gummi looked at the helpful maknae, she still appeared lost in thought.  She finally blinked her eyes and gave a small grin.  “Thank you, Soyul-ah.”

            “Unnie, you’ve been so worried lately,” Choa noted, attempting once more time to pull Gummi from her melancholy state.  “What’s wrong?”

            “What do you mean?”  Gummi’s forced smile emerged on her face yet again, and Soyul let out a long sigh.  “Nothing is wrong.”

            “Honestly, unnie, how can you say that?” Soyul snapped, throwing the rest of the towels on the ground.  “Of course something is wrong!  You never talk to us anymore.”

            Gummi looked down at Soyul with wide eyes and felt her heart drop into her stomach.  She slowly wrapped her arms around the maknae and rested her chin on the top of Soyul’s head.  “Soyul-ah, I’m sorry.  I know I’ve been distant.  But I don’t think I can help it.  I’m…I’m so sorry.”

            “Hey, let’s not be sad!” Ellin interrupted quickly, throwing her towel into the pile on the ground.  “Gummi unnie, we’re all together today.  Let’s take a break from practice and watch a movie.”

            “We can’t take a break from practice,” Choa scolded.  “We’re not just practicing.  We’re supposed to be on guard of headquarters.”

            “Choa is right,” Gummi told.  She grinned down at Soyul and patted her arms.  “But we can take a short break to eat, okay?  Unnie will make you all some spicy rice cakes?  How does that sound?”

            Before anyone could agree, two light tapping sounds came from down the hall.  The girls peered towards the entrance hall, not noticing any shadows or footsteps of any kind.  Gummi began to slowly walk down the hall as Choa crept into the wardrobe room.

            “Unnie, Soyul and I will go,” Way called quietly, coming up behind Gummi.  “Go back, unnie.”

            “Shh, Way-ah,” Gummi whispered, leaning lower as she walked.  Choa exited the wardrobe room with two small pouches and a bag of equipment.

            “I don’t think there’s anyone there, unnie,” Way suggested.

            Taking one last look at the hallway, Gummi noticed two small cylinders on the floor at the end of the hall.  She grabbed Way’s hand and looked back at her members.  “Girls, run!”

            A loud, hissing sound erupted in the hallway, and white smoke shot out of the small cylinders.  Choa threw down her bags, grabbed both Ellin and Soyul, and pulled them into the wardrobe room.  Failing to outrun the mysterious smoke, Way and Gummi tripped into the room and joined them.  But the room was already filled with the suffocating smoke.  Gummi, Ellin, and Soyul dropped to the floor and heaved in massive breaths of the white smoke while Choa and Way stood incredibly still, attempting to hold their breaths and save their energy.  The last thing Gummi saw as her vision blurred was the frightened eyes of her beloved members.  She could do nothing to help them.  She could do nothing to save them.

*          *          *

            Gummi awoke to a loud stomping on the wooden floor of the practice room.  With her vision adjusting to the bright light, she could notice Soyul and Ellin tied up in chairs on either side of her.  When she finally noticed their predicament, she realized that she too was restrained in a chair.  A painfully tight rope wrapped around her shoulders and waist.  Her hands were tied behind her back, and her feet were tied together as well.  There seemed to be no possible chance of breaking free.

            She looked to her left at Ellin, who was unconscious in her chair.  “Ellin.  Ellin!”

            “I’ve tried to wake her up, unnie,” Soyul whispered from the right of Gummi.  “I don’t know what’s wrong, but she’s not waking up.”

            “Ellin!” Gummi cried again, attempting to wrestle out of the rope.

            “Unnie, stop!  It’s no use!” Soyul urged.

            Tearing her gaze away from Ellin, Gummi looked past Soyul and saw the twins tied up in their chairs.  They were furiously wiggling their bodies, causing the chairs to rise and fall onto the wood floor.  Way began to look defeated as she slowed her movements, but Choa remained steadfast in her struggle.

            “Choa, stop it,” Gummi ordered swiftly.  “You’ll fall over in your chair.  Then you’ll be even more helpless than you already are.”

            “I’m not helpless,” Choa growled.  “Ah, how did this happen?”

            Gummi’s breathing was sharp and panicked as she looked around the room.  They were tied up in their own practice room without any memory of what happened.  The last thing Gummi remembered was those gas bombs that were thrown into the hallway.  What kind of gas did they breathe in?

            “Ellin,” Gummi called gently.  “Ellin, please wake up.”

            “Would you please stop that racket?”

            Choa and Way stopped fighting their restraints at the sound of this deep, cold voice.  Every member, except the unconscious Ellin, watched as a tall new visitor entered the room.  A long, dark coat with a fur collar covered his entire body, and a grey Russian ushanka rested tightly on his head.  He certainly wasn’t Korean, and Gummi couldn’t identify what country he looked like he could be from.  Though his Korean was fairly fluent, his accent was rough and unpleasant.

            “Who are you?” Gummi asked suddenly.

            He looked at her with an expression of frustration.  “Do you really think you’re in the position to be asking questions?”

            With one swift motion of his hand, he ushered in two men with similar attire.  They held somewhat outdated machine guns, but they weren’t any less intimidating.  Looking only straight ahead, they did not appear to have any emotions at all.

            “Tell me who you are!” Gummi shouted as her heart beat mercilessly in her chest.

            A faint smirk appeared under the man’s thick mustache.  “It seems you don’t know your place.”  He sauntered over to her and muttered some foreign words under his breath.  “You will have to be taught.”

            His hand flew up from his side and slapped her across the face.  Soyul’s shrill scream sounded distorted as blood rushed into Gummi’s throbbing cheek.  Her skin ached, her bones ached.  She tried to look up at the man, but her vision was blurry again.  The sound of Soyul’s frantic screaming slowly became clearer, but her sight wasn’t mending as quickly.

            “How dare you!” Soyul cried, her voice cracking with every word.  She wrestled hysterically in her chair.  “How dare you!”

            “Shut up!” the man boomed.  He grabbed Soyul and her chair and effortlessly tipped her over.  As Soyul’s head hit the floor, her angry shouts were replaced with a feeble shriek.

            “Soyul-ah!” Gummi called, looking down at a blurry Soyul.  “Soyul-ah!  Are you okay?”

            “I’m fine, unnie,” Soyul assured weakly.  “I’ll be fine.”

            “Why are you-”

            “One more question and I’ll finish off your sleeping friend here,” he interrupted, moving towards Ellin.  “Is that what you want?”

            Relief came over Gummi.  His threat had assured that Ellin was at least still alive.  She looked down at Soyul as her vision fully returned.  “Stay with me, Soyul-ah.”

            Soyul rested her head on the wood floor and looked up at Gummi with teary eyes.  “Okay, unnie…I’m scared.”

            “It’s going to be okay,” Gummi whispered, forcing a smile.

            After making sure Soyul was okay, Gummi stared up at the man with strained confidence.  She didn’t want to appear as terrified as she felt, and she definitely didn’t want to provoke him anymore.

            “It’s time for me to talk,” the man growled.  “What is the word you use to address older men?  Isn’t it ahjussi?  You may call me Ahjussi.”

            Gummi despised the thought of using such a friendly term with this monstrous man, but she nodded her head obediently.

            “And you,” he began with a sneer.  “You are Gummi from Crayon Pop, otherwise known as Baek Boram.”

            The fact that he knew her real name made her heart jump.  It was no secret.  Every fan knew her real name and used it in fan chants.  But for such a dangerous man to know that information meant that he might know where her family lived. 

            “And here is Park Hyekyeong,” he noted, looking down at Soyul.  “And there are the Heo twins.”  He took Ellin’s chin in his hand and faced her sleeping face towards him.  “And look at little Kim Minyoung.  Isn’t she a sleeping beauty?”

            “Don’t touch…”  Gummi’s voice trailed off as he gave a menacing look.  It seemed as if any word at all would cause him to hurt someone.

            “You look so worried, Gummi-ah,” he grinned innocently, letting go of Ellin’s chin.  “Don’t be so tense.”  He came up behind her and began to rub her shoulders.  “It’ll all be okay.”

            “Don’t touch her!” Soyul demanded.

            “Shh, Soyul-ah,” Gummi swiftly instructed, the Ahjussi’s large hands painfully twisting her muscles.  “It’s okay.”

            The Ahjussi patted Gummi’s shoulders and wandered back to the gun-wielding men.  “Ah, little maknae.  Aren’t you so caring?”

            With the Ahjussi’s back turned, Gummi took a quick look at the twins.  They were still and silent as they observed the two gun-wielding men on either side of the Ahjussi.  Gummi could tell that their minds were working furiously, but she wondered how any plan of escape could work in this situation.

            “Crayon Pop,” the Ahjussi snickered, turning back to face the members.  “It’s a very clever ruse, I must say.  We didn’t even know you were protecting Girls’ Generation until the Seoul Music Awards.”

            “You’re the ones who shot the neurotoxin?” Gummi exclaimed suddenly.  “You’re the ones after Girls’ Generation?”

            “I’m the one asking questions!” he yelled furiously, rushing towards her.

            “Then it isn’t a question!” Gummi insisted.  “You are the ones after Girls’ Generation.  And you must have been the ones who deleted the Mr. Mr. footage.”

            The Ahjussi raised his hand towards Gummi, but he slowly retracted it and smiled.  “You know, I was going to hit you again, but I don’t think you care so much if you’re the one getting hurt.  But if it’s the baby, on the other hand…”  He leaned down towards Soyul and laughed.  “I think you’d be a little more submissive then.”

            “No!  Please!”

            He spoke in his native language to his gun-wielding friends, and they quickly moved towards Soyul.  As they set her chair upright, the Ahjussi took a sharp, gleaming knife from his pocket.

            “Unnie!” Soyul cried, squirming helplessly in her chair.  “Unnie, help!”

            “Stop!  Please!”  The tight ropes dug into her skin as Gummi tried to escape her restraints.  “What are you going to do?  No!  Soyul-ah!”

            Just as the Ahjussi moved his knife towards Soyul’s face, a faint singing came from outside the room.

            “Look in my eyes.  Look in my eyes.  You can see heaven.  Let me show you what you’re missing.  Oh, Gummi-ah!  Where are you?”

            That voice.  Gummi couldn’t believe she heard it.  She couldn’t believe he was actually here, in this building.  He had never come to visit her at Chrome Headquarters.  What was he doing here?  Why did he come at this moment?

            The Ahjussi crept up to the doorway and hid behind the small piece of wall that wasn’t a window.  Just as Jaejoong appeared down the hall, the Ahjussi looked back at Gummi and gave a wicked smile.  With tears already in her eyes, Gummi blinked hard, hoping they’d fall away quickly.  She couldn’t let the Ahjussi know who Jaejoong was to her.

            Jaejoong stopped in the middle of the hallway and stared at Gummi through the practice room doorway.  His eyes were full of panic, and he immediately dropped the red rose he carried in his hand.

            “Gummi-ah!” he called frantically, running towards the practice room.  “Gummi-ah!  What happened?”

            As soon as Jaejoong entered the room, the Ahjussi jumped out of hiding and grabbed him.  He vigorously threw him to the ground and held him flat on his stomach.  Gummi winced at Jaejoong’s agonizing cry, but she forced herself to appear uninterested. 

In shock, Jaejoong relentlessly fought against the Ahjussi’s hold and looked up at Gummi.  “Gummi-ah!  What’s going on?  Let go of me!”

“Is this a friend of yours, Gummi-ah?” the Ahjussi asked happily.  “A special friend?”

            Gummi looked down at the ground, not certain of what she should say.  “That’s…That’s Kim Jaejoong, isn’t it?”

            Jaejoong looked up at her curiously, but he didn’t utter a word.  The Ahjussi placed his foot on him with his massive boot as he continued to smile.  “Well, I think you’re right about that.  He’s a very famous South Korean singer.  What is he doing here at Chrome Entertainment?”

            “Maybe he wants to collaborate with Crayon Pop.”  Gummi knew her excuses were pitiful.  She grimaced as Jaejoong’s breaths became sharper with the Ahjussi’s weight on his back.

            The Ahjussi laughed merrily.  “Wouldn’t that be a collaboration to see?”  He spoke to the gun-wielding men again, and they quickly moved over to Jaejoong and helped him up from the floor.  They held him still as the Ahjussi walked towards Gummi.

            “Why don’t you let him go?” Gummi pleaded as the Ahjussi came up behind her again.  “He’s not part of this.  He’s just a civilian.”

            “Ah, but he’s a guest,” the Ahjussi smirked.  “Shouldn’t he stick around for the show?”  She cringed as hands wrapped around her.  He carefully grabbed the zipper of her jacket and started to pull it down.  “I’ve always wanted to see what’s underneath these tracksuits.”

            “Don’t touch her!”  Jaejoong’s fuming voice boomed throughout the practice room as he tried to break free from his captors.  “Don’t you dare touch her!”

            “Don’t touch her?  Who do you think you are?”  The Ahjussi ripped open Gummi’s jacket, exposing her bulletproof vest underneath.  He suddenly retracted his hands and scoffed loudly.  “How disappointing.” 

            Without another word, the Ahjussi gripped Gummi’s ponytail and pulled it fiercely.  She gave a sharp cry as her head began to throb.  He held onto her hair so tightly, she knew one more tug would tip her and her chair over.

            “I’ll kill you!” Jaejoong cried, finally throwing one of his captors to the ground. 

            The Ahjussi uttered more foreign words, and the remaining gun-wielding man jabbed his gun into Jaejoong’s side.

            “Oppa!”  Gummi didn’t mean to say it.  A million other words including helpless pleas and profanities had swirled around in her head, but this one slipped out.  Kneeling on the ground and breathing heavily, Jaejoong looked up at her and gave a frail grin that filled her with regret.  This simple word had completely ruined her plan, and tears were streaming down her face.  Yet she couldn’t help saying it.  “Oppa…Oppa, I’m sorry.”

            “Gummi-ah…it’s okay,” he assured between sharp breaths.  “This isn’t your fault.”

            “But it is,” the Ahjussi chuckled, letting go of Gummi’s hair.  “Gummi is fighting dangerous forces and she still involves helpless citizens in her life.  Shameful.”

            “Unnie!”

            Everyone turned to Choa, who had remained silent for a long time.  She was glaring at Gummi with raging eyes.  Even was an angry frown that Gummi had never seen before.

            “Choa?”

            “How could you do this, unnie?” Choa exclaimed.  “How could you hide this relationship from us?  And why would you even begin it in the first place?  Do you know how dangerous this is?”

            “Choa, I-”

            “How unprofessional!”  Choa shook her head in frustration.  “You not only risked his life by dating him, but you risked our lives and the lives of The Nine!”

            “Unnie,” Way whispered reluctantly.  “You’re being a bit harsh.”

            “Do you want to die?” Choa asked Way suddenly.

            Way gasped and stared at her sister in shock.  “Unnie?”

            “Can’t you see how foolish Gummi was?” Choa continued.  “I’ve never heard of anything more reckless in my life!”

            “Well, I suppose you’re right, unnie,” Way agreed, irritation building in her voice.  “Gummi unnie, why would you do such a thing?”

            Gummi stared at Choa and Way in astonishment.  As tears fell down her cheeks, she found herself agreeing with the twins.  Everything they said was true and logical.  Her actions had brought all of them into this predicament.  She had even forgotten the safety of her own members.

            “Though Gummi is an idiot,” the Ahjussi interrupted.  “This isn’t about her.”

            “Shut up, Ahjussi,” Choa snapped.  “I have more to say.”

            “What?”  The Ahjussi stomped over to Choa and grabbed the collar of her jacket.  “What did you just say?”

            “I have more to say!”

            “I have more to say!” he roared.

            “Nothing you’ve said so far has been important,” Choa insisted with a dark laugh.  “Why would we want to hear you talk?”

            “How dare you say that!  Everything I say is important!”

            “Prove it!” Choa cried.  “Tell us something important!  If you plan to kill us anyway, tell us your pathetic plans, Ahjussi!”

            “Argh!”  Choa and her chair fell to the ground as the Ahjussi gave a forceful push.

“Stop.”  The fragile word fell from Jaejoong’s mouth so gently.  “Don’t hurt them.  Let them go.”

            “Shut up!”  The Ahjussi snatched a gun from his friend and smacked Jaejoong in the head with it.  Gummi gave a deafening scream as she watched Jaejoong fall unconsciously to the floor.  She couldn’t take her eyes off him as she sobbed hysterically.

  After a quick glance down at her fallen sister, Way looked up at her attacker.  “Well, Ahjussi.  Will you prove it?”

            “I have nothing to prove.”  Every breath the Ahjussi took was deep and livid.  He gazed down at Jaejoong as a threatening smirk appeared on his face.  “I’ll toss you into the Han River later.”  He turned and looked at Gummi.  “Your leader is experiencing a mental breakdown.  I ought to end her misery soon.”

            “First, tell us your brilliant plan, Ahjussi,” Way mocked.  “Honestly, Ahjussi, even if you killed all of us, I wouldn’t be worried.  You don’t seem like much of a threat.  Your country must be a pathetic little dot on the world map.”

            “Don’t you speak that way of Daghan!” the Ahjussi bellowed heatedly.  “We are going to destroy your pathetic country.”

            “You’re from Daghan?” Way questioned, raising her eyebrows curiously.  “I suppose that explains your ridiculous hat.”

            The Ahjussi dashed over to Way and smacked her across the face.  Though her cheeks burned red, Way gave a wicked grin.  Taking her face in his hands, the Ahjussi forced her to face him.  

            “I have half a mind to take you back to Daghan with me just so I can torture you for the rest of your life,” he whispered ominously.  “You really think you can speak to me that way?  Do I need to remind you of who you are?  You’re a high school drop out and an alcoholic.”

            Gummi gazed at the Ahjussi inquisitively.  Didn’t he know about The Comet Project?  Whatever background check he conducted on them didn’t uncover the confidential information about the twins’ past.  Suddenly Gummi realized that Way and Choa were manipulating the Ahjussi to find out about his plan and buy more time.

            “You’re right, Ahjussi,” Way grinned sinisterly.

            “How do you know so much about us?” Gummi questioned between quick, shaky breaths. 

            “As soon as we realized you were protecting Girls’ Generation, we learned everything we could about you,” the Ahjussi explained.  “I was expecting Captain Hwang to hire more experienced girls, but he hired high school drop outs, amateur dancers, and a wannabe street fighter.  Even after I kill you, I don’t think our mission will be made that much easier.  You don’t put up much of a fight.”

            “Why does Daghan want to destroy Girls’ Generation?” Way asked impatiently.  “What will you gain from such a terrible thing?”

            “You see, Daghan will not kill Girls’ Generation,” the Ahjussi smiled cleverly.  “In fact, the girls’ bodies will be found in Japan.  And once they’re found, Japan will be blamed for their deaths.  With Girls’ Generation out of the Asian market, South Korea won’t have any reason to delay its long-awaited war with Japan.  Regardless of the war’s outcome, though, whole countries will fail, and then Daghan will enter the picture.  We’ll easily take over your country, as well as all of the surrounding countries.  There will be no contest.”

            As the Ahjussi ended his explanation, a quiet giggle came from Choa.  Even fallen over onto the ground, Choa appeared amused by the Ahjussi’s plan, and she couldn’t hold in her laughter.

            “Unnie, stop,” Soyul begged.  “He’s going to hurt you.”

            “It’s just so ridiculous,” Choa snickered.  “Wow.”

            “Both of you,” the Ahjussi began furiously.  “Both of you will suffer beyond what any human can take.”

            Once again, the Ahjussi raised his hand to hit Way, but he was interrupted by the shocking sound of gunfire.  Everyone turned to the doorway and saw Wifi Jung standing with the two gunmen on the floor at his feet.  He held onto one of their outdated machine guns and pointed it at the Ahjussi.

            “It’s over, Ahjussi,” Jung informed calmly.

            The Ahjussi swiftly moved behind Way and pulled out his knife yet again.  He held it up to her neck and pressed it upon her skin gently.  “I get to say when it’s over.  If you don’t let me go, I’ll slit this little pain’s throat right now.”

            Suddenly, much to everyone’s surprise, Choa leapt up from the ground, free from her restraints, and grabbed the Ahjussi.  She quickly disarmed him and threw him to the ground.  Though he was a towering man, he was no use against Choa’s incredible force.  She held him face down and pressed her knee into the back of his neck.

            “If you ever threaten my sister again, I will break you.”

            Way swung her mysteriously free hands from behind her and untied the rope around her.  She and Wifi Jung moved swiftly to release all of the members.  As soon as Gummi was free, she rushed over to Soyul and cradled her in her arms.

            “Soyul-ah,” she wept.  “Are you okay?”

            “She may have a concussion,” Choa insisted, still holding down the Ahjussi.  “I think I may have one after that fall.”

            Gummi carefully wiped the tears from Soyul’s face and observed her helpless frown.  “Soyul-ah, I won’t let anything happen to you again.  I’m so sorry.  Are you okay?”

            “I’m okay, unnie,” Soyul sobbed.  “I’m fine.”

            As soon as the Ahjussi had been restrained by Choa, Ellin woke from her supposed sleep.  Upon being freed by Way, she kneeled down next to Soyul and checked her head for blood.  “Soyul-ah!  Are you really okay?”

            “Ellin,” Soyul began curiously.  “Why didn’t you wake up when we called to you?”

            “I was pretending to be unconscious,” Ellin informed bashfully.  “Honestly, I thought it was a good idea.  I was waiting for an opportunity to help, but it never came.”

            “That’s fine, Ellin,” Gummi laughed quietly.

            Soyul turned her head and looked over at the unconscious Jaejoong.  “Unnie, check on Jaejoong.  He must be really hurt.”

            With anxious eyes, Gummi peered over at Jaejoong.  She looked back at Soyul and squeezed her tighter.  “Are you really okay, Soyul-ah?”

            “Go, unnie.  I’m fine,” Soyul smiled.  “Hurry.”

            When Gummi reached Jaejoong, Way was already examining his injuries.  “Unnie, his head isn’t bleeding, but there’s a chance he has a concussion.  And he may have broken a rib or two.”

            Reluctantly, Gummi tore her gaze away from Jaejoong’s bruised face and looked at Way.  She reached out and put her hand on Way’s red cheek.  “Way-ah, are you okay?  Does it hurt much?”

            Way gave a grateful smile.  “Unnie,” she whispered.  “Wifi Jung won’t suspect anything if you’re concerned for Jaejoong.”

            Gummi slowly nodded her head and looked back at Jaejoong.  She sat on the floor beside him and scooped his upper body into her arms.  As she gently ran her fingers over his face, she could feel tears overwhelming her again.  She took a deep breath and covered her eyes with her hand.

            “I can’t believe this happened,” she sobbed quietly.  “I can’t believe what I’ve done.”

            “Unnie, this isn’t your fault,” Way insisted urgently.  “Choa and I didn’t mean anything we said.  We were tying to distract the Ahjussi.”

            “No, Way-ah, both of you were right.”  Gummi wiped her tears away and ran her fingers through Jaejoong’s messy hair.  “If I hadn’t been seeing Jaejoong, he wouldn’t be hurt right now.  And maybe this whole event wouldn’t have happened.”

            “Don’t think like that, unnie,” Way pleaded.

            After Wifi Jung finished tying the Ahjussi up, he walked over to Gummi, Way, and Jaejoong.  He dragged away the unconscious guards beside them and looked up at the bullet holes on the ceiling.

            “As soon as I grabbed the first one, he instantly began shooting,” Jung sighed.  “I’m glad he didn’t hit anyone, but this damage is pretty bad.  I suppose it doesn’t matter.  We’re moving to the secondary headquarters now.  Do you remember where it is?”

            “Yes,” Way replied gravely.  “I suppose it’s unavoidable.  Wifi Jung, how did you know to come and save us?”

            “I never went to Macau,” he explained.  “The Captain wanted me to keep an eye on SM Entertainment.  But when the scientists on the basement floor heard the commotion up here, they locked themselves down there and called me for help.”

            “So all of them are okay?” Gummi asked.

            “They are,” he assured.  “But Kim Jaejoong doesn’t look okay.  Why is he here, anyway?”

            “He came to ask about a collaboration project, I’m sure,” Way told casually.  “As soon as he arrived, the Ahjussi hit him over the head and knocked him out.”

            “If he didn’t hear any important information, we should take him home as soon as possible.”

            “Don’t you think he needs to go to a hospital?” Way suggested.

            “We can’t take the risk.  If he remembers that he was here when he was attacked, there will be an investigation.  But if he’s at home, that gives us more time to change buildings and cover our tracks.”

            “But, Wifi Jung, if his injuries are serious, he could possible…die.”  Way glanced at Gummi as she mentioned that fatal word.  Gummi held her breath as more tears fell from her eyes.

            “Well…”  Jung looked down at Jaejoong and tilted his head to the side.  “He does look sort of beat up.  If you can avoid taking him to the hospital by any means, please do it.  But I’ll trust you.”

            “You want us to take care of him?” Way inquired nervously.  “You want us to take him home?”

            “Gummi has medical training,” he reminded.  “I think it’ll be a good idea.  Be quick about it, and when you’re done, don’t come back here.  Go to the other building.”

            “Okay…Unnie, help me.”

            Gummi took hold of Jaejoong’s upper body while Way held up his legs.  They walked through the halls to the back entrance of the building that led directly to the Chrome Entertainment vans.  After opening the side door of a van, they carefully placed Jaejoong in one of the seats.  Way grabbed Gummi’s wrist as she headed to the driver’s seat.

            “Unnie, you sit with Jaejoong.  I’ll drive.”

            “Way-ah, you don’t know how to drive,” Gummi insisted with a faint laugh.  “You failed your driver’s test.”

            “That doesn’t matter.”  Way ignored Gummi’s objection and climbed into the driver’s seat.  “Stay with him.”

            Finally obeying Way’s orders, Gummi entered the passengers’ section of the van and kneeled down on the floor of the car next to Jaejoong’s seat.  Way started the car and slowly pulled out into the empty street.  She looked into the rearview mirror and sadly watched as Gummi continued to cry.

            “You’ll be okay, oppa” Gummi whispered, taking a shirt from the floor and using it to wipe some blood from Jaejoong’s forehead.  “Please be okay.  I’m so sorry.”

            Way stopped in the middle of the road when she realized she didn’t know where to go.  “Unnie, do you happen to know…”

            “Turn right up ahead,” Gummi replied gently.  “It’s not far from here.”

            As Way got the car moving again, she frequently glanced in her rearview mirror at Gummi.  Though she and Choa’s words in the practice room weren’t meant to be hurtful, they had definitely affected Gummi.  She wanted to say something comforting, but her mind was clouded with so many thoughts.

            “You know where he lives,” Way noted reluctantly.  “Did you seem him a lot?”

            “We spoke at least a few times a week.”  Gummi’s voice was cold and nostalgic.  “And we saw each other as often as we could.  I’ve only visited him at his house once, but I’ve been checking up on him frequently.  Because…I was worried…he would get hurt.”

            “Oh…”  Way cringed, knowing she hadn’t helped the situation at all.  “Well…um…Unnie, aren’t you at all interested in knowing how Choa and I got out of our restraints?”

            “I am a little curious,” Gummi admitted.  “How did you do it?”

            “Well, when unnie was knocked over by the Ahjussi, her hands reached mine from her new position.  We untied each other’s hands, and Choa freed herself while you and I distracted him.  She was all ready to jump up and surprise him when she started giggling the freakish way she did.  But Wifi Jung showed up out of nowhere.  That was pretty incredible.”

            “Way-ah, what made you change your mind about Choa’s harshness?” Gummi asked suddenly.  “It seemed like there was a moment when you knew what she was planning.”

            “It was what she said,” Way began shyly, memories reappearing in her mind.  “When we began The Comet Project, the general who trained us would work us till we were nearly dead.  And when we wanted to take any kind of break, he would ask us, ‘Do you want to die?’  I knew she was using the phrase as a code.”

            “I’m sorry you had to go through that,” Gummi said shakily.  “I’m so sorry, Way.”

            “Unnie…”  Way looked straight ahead at the road, not able to bear Gummi’s heartbreaking expression any longer.  “Are we almost there?”

            “Stop.  It’s right here.”

            Jaejoong stirred in his seat as his eyes began to open.  “Gummi-ah.”

            “Way-ah,” Gummi called quickly.  “There’s a security camera system for the villa.  Can you disconnect it as I take him in?”

            “Of course, unnie.”

            Way parked the van on the side of the street and got out.  She carefully observed the villa before making her tactical decisions.  Finally agreeing on her plan, she spotted a wall free of the security system’s view and climbed over it.  Making her way to the maintenance booth behind the villa, she made sure to remain unseen. 

            It took only a few minutes for her to disable the security system.  She quickly entered the apartment complex through a now unlocked gate and noticed Gummi helping Jaejoong into his apartment.  After catching up to them, she helped both of them into the apartment and swiftly closed the door.

            “Oppa,” Gummi said gently, leading Jaejoong to his bedroom.  “Please, you have to lie down.”

            “Gummi-ah, are you okay?  What else did that man do to you?  I wanted to protect you.  Ah, I just wanted to protect you.”

            Way helped Gummi put Jaejoong in his bed and make sure he was comfortable.  He feebly fought their care and reached for Gummi’s face.

            “Gummi-ah, please tell me what happened.  Are you okay?”

            “I’m fine, oppa,” she smiled, promptly wiping the rest of her tears from her face.  “You put up a very good fight, oppa.  Thank you.”

            He finally rested on his bed without a struggle, but he took Gummi’s hand and held it tightly.  “Gummi-ah, who were those men?  Why were they hurting you?”

            “Oppa…I can’t tell you.”  Gummi couldn’t keep from crying again.  She sat down on the floor beside Jaejoong’s bed and placed her free hand on his forehead.  “Oppa, do you feel pain anywhere?”

            “I’m fine,” he grinned.

            “Way said that the Ahjussi may have broken your ribs,” Gummi whimpered.  “Do they hurt at all?  Please tell me, oppa.  Don’t lie to me.”

            “I feel a little sore,” he admitted sheepishly.  “But nothing feels like it’s broken.  Gummi-ah, forget about me.  I need to know why those men were hurting you.”

            “It’s very complicated, oppa.  It’s impossible to explain.”

            “Gummi-”

            “Listen to me, oppa.”  Gummi rested her head on his arm as she began to cry harder. 

            “What’s wrong, Gummi-ah?”

            She lifted her head slowly and leaned towards him.  For just a moment, she looked deep into his anxious eyes and remembered every second she ever spent with him.  Finally she gave him their first kiss, trying to ignore the fact that it would also be their last.  She wished that it could stay this way forever, just the two of them connected in a single moment.  But it could never be that way.  When she leaned back, he smirked bashfully.

            “Gummi-ah…”

            “Oppa, you have to do what I say,” she started reluctantly.  “We can never see each other again.  We can’t even speak to one another.  Don’t call my phone.  It’ll probably be destroyed anyway.”

            His smile faded immediately as he looked up at her with panicked eyes.  “Why are you saying this?  Gummi-”

            “And you can’t visit me again,” she continued tearfully.  “When we see each other at award shows or even on the street, you have to act as if you never knew me.  Don’t even look at me.  Don’t even look…”

            Jaejoong forced himself to sit up in his bed and wrapped his arms around her suddenly.  “Don’t say this.  What are you saying?  What’s come over you?”

            “Oppa, there’s one more thing.”  She couldn’t force herself to wrestle out of his embrace.  “You have to join the military as soon as possible.  Go tomorrow if you can.”

            “What?”  He held her with even more force as tears filled his eyes.  “Gummi-ah, you were just begging me not to enlist.  Do you even know what you’re saying?”

            She gently pushed him away and jumped back from him.  Shock filled her body as she saw his hopeless eyes.  She had never seen him look so desperate before.  As a tear fell down his bruised cheek, she closed her eyes quickly.  She couldn’t see him like this.

            “I don’t understand why you’re acting like this,” he uttered dejectedly.  “Gummi-ah, tell me why you’re saying these things.”

            “Jaejoong-ssi,” Way interrupted, grabbing Gummi’s arm.  “Unnie is trying to protect you.  You won’t understand everything that’s happening.  Please, do everything unnie said.  Unnie, come on.  Let’s go.”

            “No!” Jaejoong exclaimed, a terrified expression on his face.  “Don’t leave!  Don’t go!”

            Way had to use all her force to pull Gummi out of the room.  They moved quickly as they heard Jaejoong stumble out of his bed.

            “Gummi-ah!  Gummi-ah, I love you!  I don’t understand!  I don’t understand!”

Leaning on the walls of his apartment, Jaejoong moved gradually through the halls.  His body ached and his head throbbed, but he couldn’t consider stopping for one moment.

            He exited his apartment and rushed out of the villa.  Staggering towards the street, he hailed for an incoming taxi.

            “Take me to Chrome Entertainment,” he pleaded breathlessly as he entered the taxi.  “It’s just that way.  Please hurry!”

            When they arrived at the Chrome Entertainment building, Jaejoong jumped out of the taxi.  The cab driver called after him angrily, demanding payment.  But Jaejoong was running into the building, unaware of anything else happening around him.

            Upon entering the first hall, he looked around in astonishment.  Every Chrome Entertainment sign was gone from the walls.  The front desk was completely empty, without even a single flyer or business card.  He ran towards the practice room and called for Gummi as loud as he could.  But every room was empty.  There was no sign of life anywhere.

            “Gummi-ah!”  He finally collapsed in the kitchen, exhausted from his searching.  He leaned back on a wall and threw his hands up to his face.  “Gummi-ah, where did you go?  Why did you go?  What is happening?”

            His eyes filled with tears again.  He felt a terrible pain in his chest, but it had nothing to do with the beating he experienced.  The thought of never seeing Gummi again was unbearable.  His quickening heartbeats were agonizing, and he wished that for even one moment, he could see her again.  But a moment seemed pathetic compared to the lifetime with her he had planned.

            He held his head in his hands as memories swirled around in his mind.  Every single moment he had ever experienced with her seemed so bittersweet.  Couldn’t he have just one more moment with her?  Just one more moment?