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Hall 17 appears huge even from the outside. The big roll-gate is down. We pause for a moment in front of it.

“Should we just open it?” I ask, feeling vulnerable.

“Let’s stand aside while opening it, just in case they’re trying to attack us,” Minho suggests.

Kibum returns: “Attack us? Like how? Do you expect them to be using guns or something?”

“Well, I have no idea who we’re dealing with here. So we should be as careful as possible, don’t you think.”

We look at each other once again, as if it might be the last time.

There is tall Minho, tough in spite of his concussion and trying not to lean too much on Taemin. Taem is his usual pretty self but his expression is determined and his tousled blond hair gives him an almost daredevil look.

Jjongie on the other hand makes me worry. His condition is alarming and I really don’t like to involve him in whatever is waiting for us behind the gate. He looks as if he couldn’t even stand without Kibum holding him up and tries not to put any weight on his injured foot.  

And Kibum ... if he wasn’t Kibum he’d look downright ridiculous right now in the girly overcoat, the paisly shorts with leggings that he has been wearing since we picked him up at Incheon airport and the unspeakable uggs. But his face is fierce, almost demonic so much so that I’m glad he’s on OUR side.

And I’m taking too long for his patience so he just shifts Jonghyun over to my shoulder grabs the bottom of the gate and swings it open powerfully making it roll up all the way.

The depot hall is dimly lit but it’s indeed the room we saw in the last video. There are lots of big crates piled up in rows. I’m painfully aware that we’re in the disadvantage. Whoever is lurking in the dark already knows we’re here and is probably watching us.

Usually Jjong is the one who gets frustrated first but Kibum’s patience has worn so thin that he doesn’t even care about his own health anymore. He’s in one foul mood, stomping down the corridor between the piles and shouting:

“We’re here, now hand over Yoogeun, take the ing money and leave us alone.”

Jjong weakly says:

“Tune it down, Bummie, we shouldn’t make them angry.”

“I AM angry already. I’m sick and tired of this . My best friends, pretty much the closest thing to family I have, are hurt and could have died tonight in a freaking car-crash. I’ve travelled here from ing New York City via L.A. and Tokyo and what not and don’t even know what day we have anymore. I’m tired to the bone, hungry and hurt and I’m wearing UGGS for Christ’s sake. I’ve really had it now.” His eyes almost throw sparks.

Before Jjong can reply a crate crashes down from a high pile in front of us and breaks open. There’s a curled up body in it and for a second I believe it’s Yoogeun but then I notice the skirt of a school uniform. It’s a girl.

Taemin hastily gets down letting Minho stand on his own and pulls the teenager out of the remains. She is tied up and gagged with duct-tape but alive and conscious.

“What’s going on here”, Minho asks nobody in particular while Taemin carefully frees the crying girl from the restraints. Kibum is still fuming but he waits to hear what she has to say.

She immediately begins to apologize when Taemin removes the tape.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt anyone, I ... it was ... I didn’t ... “

“Calm down”, Taemin says with his best soothing smile. The girl grabs his arm and says:

“I was just baby-sitting Yoogeun and it was just a joke at first. We were playing around after watching a movie. I tied him to the chair and made a vine of it. And just for fun I sent it to a friend. It was really just a game, but they suggested we’d take it further. I know it was wrong, I’m so sorry, I just ... I only agreed to help because I wanted to meet you ... so badly. I didn’t mean ... I really love Yoogeun ...”

She breaks off when suddenly there is the noise of speakers switched on and the acoustic feedback of a misused microphone makes us cringe and then someone shouts into the intro of “Clue and Note”:

“SHINee’s back!” and laughs like a lunatic.