“Aww… having dinner? So sweet of you, girls!” he laughed scoffing them.

“What do you want now?” Ally rolled her eyes, slowly getting up.

Briana threw her eyes on the floor, refusing to look at him, but her heart started pumping faster which showed on her face through a slight opened mouth and trembling hands. SeungRi noticed this and kept an eye on her.

“You’re still mad on me?” Lee easily touched her head.

“No” she blankly answered, getting up too so she could get further from him.

“Guys, group hug, please!” he smiled and several quick flash lights placed them on the small camera screen. “How about a close-up?” he played as a paparazzo. “There we go!... You! why are you so…clean?” he caught SeungRi’s face into his hands. His powerful laughter filled the room when SengRi outfaced him, without even a blink. “I like this kid!” he said easily tapping Ri’s face.

“Download these!” he handed over the camera to Briana, then returned towards the boys. “I’m gonna need an email address” he talked while lighting a cigar. “Should I find it out on my own?”

He sat on the table’s corner analyzing them.

“Yanggoon Hotmail” came the answer from the silent DongBae.

“Thank you” Lee smiled. “If anything bad happens to you, it will be all his fault, so you know” he turned around to watch the computer screen. The pictures were already uploading inside a blank email.

“Allow me” he pushed Briana’s hands.

 “There you go, kids!" he said after a few long moments of deadly silence upheld only by the fast keyboard's noises.  "Now it all depends on this Yanggoon guy. If we’ll have no answer in 24 hours, we’ll start with the little one” he smiled to SeungRi before getting lost behind the iron doors lighting up a foul smelling cigar.

They al looked after him until he slammed the iron gate.

"I'm really regretting this!...” Briana whispered to Ally.

“Don’t worry” Ally said caressing her friend’s hair hiding her face in it, whispering something back, which the boys misunderstood as their ends being closer and closer.

Briana’s face lit up making them both smile. Without hurrying she looked for something under the table. In a couple of movements she grabbed a black traveling bag. 

JiYong quickly jumped in his knees when she slowly walked towards SeungHyun. 

"It's not 24 hours!..." he got to say until Ally's hand on his shoulder froze him. 

"Ssh", she said forcing him to sit back on his bottom. 

"I'm not gonna hurt him" Briana softly replied, but Ji's scoff  tuned her out again.

"That's right!" SeungRi interfered. "He said i'll be the first!" he was about to step on his knees.

"Sit!" Ally threw him just a stare and he instantly set back.

Briana stopped in front of SeungHyun. She knelt before him but he turned his face to the other direction. 

"I just want to help you with..." she mostly whispered.

"No, thanks. I'm ok!" he sharply spoke.

Her hand swayed a litle before with no other word she caught his chin forcing him to watch at her. Big mistake! She could not resist his look and quickly had to glue her eyes to the bag’s zipper; took a discreet breath then she took out a soft piece of cloth that she damped into a lot of sanitizer. 

He violently withdrew his face, refusing any help from her but she warmly smiled and put her hand on his cheek. Even though he would've want to chase her away, both because it stung but also because he didn't liked at all the fact that instead of despising her, his heart actually found her quite sunny and warm. 

“What’s this?” SeungHyun tried to incite his body to mutiny against her, “First she kills you then she says sorry…?!”... It didn't work since her sweet perfume played as a powerful anesthetic and her cold long fingers spread a strange warmth over his body. He looked at her but her eyes wouldn’t show from behind the big, brown glasses she was still wearing; all he could see was his tiny, squatted reflection. He never took his eyes off of her until a shining object caught the corner of his eye: Ally approached her friend holding a big kitchen knife. His eyes widened and quickly looked for his boys, fearing that while he was being stupid and mesmerized she could've actually... He met their equally big eyes and his breathing came back. He suddenly remembered he was facing a potential murderer so he quickly charged his glance towards Briana. His jaw dropped when his hands felt free. He simply blinked all the time while she carefully placed them in front of him, covering the bruises and the cord wounds with his pijama's sleeves then loosely tied them again, throwing in another soft "sorry". The rope was indeed sloppier  tightened but not loose enough for him to break free.

He muttered a not pleased "Yeah..." 

JiYong clenched his eyes tight when he witnessed his friend total lack of reaction, throwing Ally into a soft laughter. She grabbed his shoulder. 

Instead of feeling the sharp knife through his flesh, he also felt his hands free. But unexpectedly, instead of taking advantage of this moment, his body refused to move even though Ally wasn't taking any action whatsoever. 

“Don’t be too harsh on yourself…” she easily thrilled at his disappointment when she placed his hands in front and tied them again, but, such as her friend, much more loose... not enough for freedom though.

"There was literally nothing you could've done. You have no idea where you are, your legs are tied up so you cant really run and you could've only enraged us and end up with a bullet to the heart" she gently spoke as she untied the other three to tie their hands in front too.

They all had to agree with that, who'd knew what could've had happen if one of them really got the inspiration to confront them just then. They all rolled their joints and ankles to help winning over the numbness in their feet - even if they were still tied up they could take small baby steps.. or at least that's what SeungRi discovered when he jumped up. 

"Ouch! Ouch! It stings!..." he promptly had to sit back down.

"Well, your foot's asleep... you've been sitting on it for hours" Ally giggled.

The boys exchanged looks again, signaling SeungRi to also stay put. 

Briana checked her phone for the 10th time already. There was so much silence... she wouldn't play any music because that way they might've not be able to hear if Lee would come back... WHEN Lee would come back.

DaeSung and Taeyang seemed lost in meditation, SeungRi rested his head on his knees, SeungHyun stared at the floor, just JiYong laid on his back, nailing his eyes on the extremely tall ceiling. He started by counting all the neon lights, he continued with the storage of every box and every cement bag. Ally's steps broke his thoughts and he again found himself contemplating on her figure.  He eye followed her while she took out from a paper bag several small packages. She gently squeezed them in her arms, then she let them fall on a small table, in front of an electric stove plate. With a little fight that made him unknowingly smile, she managed to break one open and throw the noodles inside a boiling water. Six more noodles packages had the same faith. She oiled a frying pan with a little butter and she poured the rice all at once.

“Oh, no!” she yelled  and rushed over to the paper bag from where she took a plastic spatula to stir the noodles that looked like an compact mass right now. She desperately shook the pan to banish the thik, brown smoke that made a long column towards the ceiling.

JiYong chuckled but not for long: YoungBae rolled his eyes and easily got up, checking the connections between the legs and the rest of his body. He was able to stay up so he walked to her, sighing.

JiYong's eyes turned an inch smaller.

YoungBae caught her wrist with his both hands.

"What...?" she tried to fight back but he held onto her hand with circular moves, calmly stirring inside the noodles. Without the use of any word, he pointed her to catch the pan’s handle. He grabbed her hand again and they shook it so the rice won’t stick to it.

For an yet unknown reason, JiYong’s heart startled gathering all of his blood in small spots on his face. His eyes glued to the both of them. He couldn't take it anymore so he jumped up so explicit that SeungHyun had to stop him by grasping onto his pants.

“Where to?” he quietly whispered, without a hint of Ji’s real intentions.

“I... Me...'’ he tried to explain but realized it was best not to voice his real reason "I'm not gonna stand around for the 24 hours to pass by!” JiYong easily lied jumping back on the floor near his friends. “Tonight no body fall asleep!” he ordered grunting with his fist clenched, peeping from time to time to those two, who seemed to really enjoy each other's company.

“Wow! Now that’s what I call cooking!” Ally broke out without being able to take her eyes off from the nicely decorated plates.

“Now that’s something one could actually eat!” Briana brought her praise choosing one of them.

“Thanks!” YoungBae smiled for a short second until he faced Ji's glare. "You ok?" he whispered handing him one of the plates.

Ji couldn't answer because even for him the reason was unknown... mostly unacceptable.

“What’s up with him?” YoungBae whispered back to DaeSung who answered through his eyes, glancing towards Ally.

"What? I am not befriending her..."  

“Please, take this…” Briana held one of the plates for SeungHyun, on a sweet-tempered voice.

Because she wouldn’t leave from his face, he accepted it rolling his eyes.

It was the most quiet meal ever. They were all eating, except from Briana. After she had a few bites, she let the plate on the ground pretending to be completely absorbed by it. In fact she was studying everyone around, but every once in a while, her eyes kept on blocking on SeungHyun’s face. She was trying to conceive their future plans, but the words of what he read on every international forums stumbled in her head; she ended up agreeing with them – he was indeed irresistible, especially in this light and this vulnerable situation… they all were. She smiled without realizing. 

Suddenly SeungHyun raised his head and their eyes met, making her creep. She quickly searched for a firm spot on the ground and her fingers slowly squeezed the woolly sleeves.

JiYong noticed the discreet smile on his friend’s mouth; the same evil joy sprung in his eyes too - they just gained the first weakness.

After the quite long dinner, Briana gathered all the dirty dishes all in one place and SeungHyun decided to not lose any more of their precious time. She was about to throw the plastic plates into plastic bags when a stepping noise caught her ears. She froze getting a glimpse of  SeungHyun approaching her - she had to do her best not to shake like a dumb Chihuahua, continuously repeating to herself “Breath! Breath! Keep breathing… your the wolf here...”