09

      It was quiet, so quiet. Minwoo could not remember the last time he was able to listen to such quietness. The world around him seemed to stop, the noises to vanish; like in a movie when the character was by the most shocking and terrifying news he ever heard.

It was exactly how Minwoo felt when he understood the man who had tormented him, hurt him; was the one responsible of Dongwan's accident.

It was horrible to know someone you loved had been hurt and almost killed because of you.

Minwoo wanted to scream and cry and kill this bastard who had dared hurt his friend.

Dongwan could have die, or be seriously injured. What kind of bastard this man was ? The main dancer already had the answer. After the video and now Dongwan's accident; he did not need anymore proof of his stalker's insanity.

      Letting his numbed arm drop, Minwoo did not know what to do or think. What was he supposed to do if this man was now targeting his love ones ? What had he done to trigger such reaction from his stalker ?

He did not know.

"Hey Minwoo… you okay ?" Recognizing the voice, the main dancer looked up and stared at Hyesung standing beside him.

He did not know why he stared like this for a spreading moment, and the discomfort on the taller man's face was the only reason Minwoo snapped out of it before looking away.

"Huh, yeah… sorry." Why was he apologizing, he was not sure.

"Well, you're coming inside ?" Asked Hyesung when he noticed the shorter man was not moving from an inch.

Startled out of his reverie, Minwoo looked over at his friend, stared then nodded before following him inside the hospital.

"Dongwan really scared me on this one." Began the main singer on their way back to their friend's room. "I thought he was…" He shut up, glanced at Minwoo and cleared his throat. "Well, he's okay now. That's all that matter." Hyesung smiled and Minwoo found himself responding to it distantly.

He could not bring himself back to his senses and was still preoccupied by the all situation. It was his fault after all, and there was no way he could live peacefully with that.

"You know…" Resumed the taller man once out of the elevator, as if he could not keep quiet in Minwoo's presence. "I talked to Eric…"

The main dancer was not sure why he tensed at the information, but his reaction seemed visible enough for Hyesung to worry about him.

"Is everything okay ? I mean…" He quickly added, as if uncomfortable. "You didn't have anymore troubles with this person stalking you ? I know you said it was over, but… I don't know." Hyesung chuckled nervously and glanced at Dongwan's room now in sight. "I'm certainly worrying too much."

Minwoo could not help smile softly at his younger's concern and discomfort. It was always making him feel good to know people were here for him; even if they were of no help. It still felt good to not be that alone in such situation.

"You don't have to worry about me." Smiled back the main dancer before grabbing the room's handle. "I'm fine, just a bit tired."

Hyesung observed him then smiled slightly, as if not totally convinced but wanting to trust his friend at the same time.

Opening the door, Minwoo entered the room and felt Hyesung follow behind him. In the room, Junjin and Eric were still sitting at the same spot with now snacks and drinks in hands; thanks to Andy enjoying a sandwich on his side.

***

      Dongwan was out of the hospital a week later with a plaster cast on his arm, bandages here and there on his body and painful ribs he was easing with painkillers.

Minwoo wanted to be there for his friend, but he was afraid to get too close to him. He was scared this man would hurt Dongwan again if he was showing too much concern towards him. Hence, he only drove the singer back to his house and left him with Junjin.

None of the men asked question, because Minwoo excused himself with some important matters he had to take care of and promised to come over later.

Junjin and Dongwan just smiled to him, waved and let him go without any kind of suspicion.

      Minwoo had to stop at the river on his way back; only to clear his mind and relax a bit.

His stalker had been overly active for the past week and had exhausted him mentally and physically. The calls in the middle of the night were not the worst. The taunting painful words were, as this visit at three in the morning scaring the life out of him.

He should be used to such things by now, but it was still as frightening as before to be startled awake by someone pinning you on the bed to inject you whatever drug he had in store. Minwoo barely had time to struggle or come back to his senses that the needle was piercing his skin.

He was always feeling awfully bad the next day; and if there was one thing he really despised and fear about all this madness, it was these attacks in his apartment. He did not know how to defend himself against it; and was even scared to try to defend himself.

Minwoo knew too well what this man was capable of, and he did not want to be the reason of another tragedy.

***

      With weeks passing, Minwoo's condition worsened. At first he wanted to get over it and be stronger to not give the satisfaction of breaking him to this man; but he could not. It was too hard to keep living as if nothing was wrong, as if his love ones were not being threatened and targeted by a dangerous man.

Mainly when it was all because of him.

Minwoo had thought if he was staying away from the others then his stalker would not hurt them anymore, but the phone calls were saying otherwise. The man had threatened to hurt one of his close friend but had refused to tell him who nor why.

In the end, one of Shinhwa's dancer Minwoo was pretty close with ended up at the hospital with a broken leg. Police said it was just a hit and run, but the main dancer knew better and could not help hate himself and feel sick in his stomach.

Fortunately, each attacks had done nothing irreversible, but for how long ? Minwoo could not stop wonder if next time would be the one everything would take a turn for the worse. He would not be able to handle the loss of one of his friends; not when it would be his fault.

Therefore, Minwoo was pretty much preoccupied by the all situation he had no control over. It was like this man just wanted to torture him in any way possible until he was not sure what. What was his stalker expecting from him ? What was he supposed to do to stop all this madness ?

Minwoo just wanted answers to finally get over with all this.

He could not endure it anymore. It was barely if he could sleep at night; too worried about his love ones this man could target at any moment. Each time the phone was ringing, Minwoo's heart was jumping in his throat, the possibility it was the police or hospital calling to announce him one of his friend was dead something so terrifying that it hurts physically.

At this point, the main dancer was slowly but surely becoming a wreck.

Too less sleep, too much worry, too few food and a total abandon of everything he usually loved to do having a great effect on him. It was barely if he was getting out now, too scared of what would happen if he was stepping outside on his own.

To keep his friends safe, Minwoo did not want to see them. Hence, if he wanted to enjoy a day out it was on his own; but last time had been an horrible experience.

It had happened only a couple days ago, and he was still scared it could happen again.

He had thought he was safe outside, in broad daylight despite the weather was not that great. But he had the fear of his life when jogging along the river where he was used to run.

He had not noticed anything at first, and even managed to relax with the music bursting in his ears. But suddenly an uncomfortable feeling had started to crawl on him. He was not sure what it was, but then he had this horrible sensation to be followed.

Therefore, still running, he stopped the music and listened. No much noise was heard at first, excepted the harmonious melody of the river and world around him; but then he had heard footsteps crushing the gravel behind him.

He did not want to be paranoid and just kept listening while running, thinking it was just another jogger maybe. But no one passed by him, and when he glanced over his shoulder there was absolutely nobody behind him.

At this point, Minwoo started to freak out.

Perhaps he was too stressed and thinking irrationally, but he could not control the way his respiration sped up nor how his heart hammered against his ribcage; the fear knotting his stomach one he could not ignore.

Wanting to stay calm, he did not manage to and just picked up his pace in hope to quickly reach a more crowded area where he would be safe.

The road he was actually on was deserted, even from joggers; and knowing a park was not that far anymore he just prayed to reach it before anything could happen to him.

He had thought he was panicking over nothing, but he did not care and felt it would not hurt to be safe instead of sorry.

If people had crossed his way they would have thought he was in a hurry, or crazy. Because he was suddenly running as if someone was after him.

He only calmed down when he eventually arrived at the park and saw people walking or playing around. The sound of children laughing and yelling had never felt so appeasing before in his life, and walking inside the park he headed to a bent where he sat and rest a bit.

He was breathless and sweating profusely, his sleeveless sweat jacket making him feel too hot even in the rather cold weather.

Taking off the thin hood on his head, he emptied half of his water bottle and leaned in the bent with closed eyes.

He could not help shake his head and chuckle lowly at his own stupidity, a hand passing in his sweaty hair before ruffling them.

"Idiot." He breathed to himself with a small smile on his lips.

      After catching his breath, Minwoo had spotted a bathroom and realized he needed to pee. Hence, he headed towards it where he did his business before washing his hands.

It was here everything took a turn for the worst.

He was not expecting the attack, and when the arm wrapped around his throat and started to strangle him; he could not call out for help anymore.

He tried to kick out, but his tibia met the sink and made him cry out in pain silently.

His attacker took advantage of his pain and injected something in his neck.

Minwoo knew too well what would happen now, and was too familiar with this situation. But never he would have think it could happen in a public bathroom in the middle of a park where dozens of people were.

He had woke up in a bathroom stall, half leaning against a wall and half laying on the floor. He had never felt more humiliated before in his life, mostly when a young boy and his father had found him in such position when he was trying to gather his senses and move.

Fortunately for him, the man did not seem to recognize him, and if he did he did not say anything and just helped him on his feet.

Minwoo had lied and said he had certainly faint, and after being sure the dancer did not want to go to the hospital, the boy and his father had followed him outside the bathroom and greeted him goodbye.

The way back to his house had been strenuous, and he had even thought at some point he would not be able to go home. Therefore, he had sat on a bench alongside the road he was used to run and called a taxi.

Since this assault, he did not want to go out anymore and rather stay at home to work.

The other Shinhwa members had individual schedules, so they did not have time to worry about him; and the only contact Minwoo had with them was over the phone. Which was mostly with Eric and Hyesung who was working on his new album.

It was easy to find excuses for his other friends, and they were not questioning this always "I'm busy" answer to their "You want to go clubbing with me ?".

Minwoo had never been that alone before in his life; and since the hit and run, even his stalker had not showed up anymore at his place. He did not know what the man was planning nor why he had stopped those horrible and sickening attacks; but he could not say he was not glad for the interruption.

***

      Over the following days, Minwoo had to admit there was absolutely no camera in his apartment as he had thought in the first place. What else this man could use to know everything about his doings ? Minwoo did not know anymore.

He could maybe ask to a professional to check his place, but he was not sure to who ask such thing. His friends would think he was crazy if he was suddenly requesting for some professional's number who could look over his place to be sure there was no bugs.

There was a couple of plausible lies, but the main dancer could not deny he was too scared of the consequences if he was doing such thing. How his stalker would react if whatever he was using to watch him was suddenly gone ? In the dancer's opinion, the consequences were too dear to try it.

Therefore, he just kept eyeing every corners of his apartment in hope to find something on his own while fearing doing so at the same time.

Because he did not want to know what the man would do as retaliation; even if Minwoo had not heard from him for a while.

He rather not provoke the man and avoid getting his love ones hurt.

***

      The shakings, the need, the cold sweat, the mood switch. It was symptoms Minwoo had tried to ignore when it first started; but today it was just too much. He did not want to believe all this was due to withdrawal; but he could not deny it when his body seemed to crave for something he did not even know himself.

He had no idea what he wanted, but he knew he needed it. Because it hurts too much.

"What the hell…" He breathed, crouching on the bathroom's floor against the door.

He was trembling and hurting like hell, and nothing could appease his suffers. He had tried to take several cold or hot showers; but it had not worked. The food he had tried to eat was gone in the toilet in the end; and his attempts to sleep were useless.

He needed this something his ing stalker had gave him over the past three days and he could not believe it was happening to him.

He should have know when he had woke up in a worse state than ever; but even when he had threw up and felt sick all day long he did not want to think or believe some stronger drug had been injected into him.

Thinking he was wondering what his harasser was planning before the attacks started again three days ago; he could only feel bitter now he had drug withdrawal symptoms.

What the hell was he supposed to do ? He did not even know what this man had gave him, and he could not even imagine go and buy drug. It was something he had never thought of doing; but suffering as he was in his bathroom made his mind perpetually drift back on this possibility he had to buy drugs.

Minwoo had no idea where he could go to do so, but at this point he could not even care about this little detail.

He just needed the pain to stop.

" !" He shouted out at no one in particular; but hoping deep down his stalker would hear him and help him.

Such thought was maddening, but the main dancer had to admit nobody else could give him what he needed so badly.

He did not want to be a drug addicted, he had never wanted to try drugs; but he could not fight the pain anymore and he could have kill himself at such fact.

He was feeling so pathetic and weak and disgusting; and when someone rang the doorbell he swallowed a sob.

Because he did not want to be seen like this.

"Go away…" He croaked out lowly with his head pressed against his knees and his hands clawing at his skull. "Go away…"

His voice was filled with painful sobs he tried to restrain; but his throat was so tight and hurting so much that he could not stop them all.

"Please…" The plea was barely audible and either for the person at his door or the man torturing him for months.

Minwoo did not know himself.

He just wanted it to stop; but he could not do anything and the tears were humiliating and hot on his cheeks.

"Please…" He sobbed once more, feeling so desperate to make the pain stop and the person at his door go away.

The thought someone could see him in such state, could find out about the all situation; it was too frightening and sickening for the main dancer.

He ended up crying silently and waiting for whoever was here to see him to leave. It seemed to last forever before the person was gone. Minwoo did not dare to move for another moment, but when he was sure he was alone; he balanced his head backward and knocked it against the door.

Hot tears still streaming down his face.

He was so desperate and powerless. He had never felt like this before and the lack of possibilities he had was making his stomach twist horribly.

"Please !" His voice was hoarse and painful, but he did not care.

He just wanted the pain to stop.

"Please !" He said louder, anger slowly crawling on him to be forced to beg like this a man he hated with his all being. "Please !"

Minwoo's body was shook by another sob, then he added in exhaustion. "Help me…"

So, I don't know if it's because I'm not in the mood lately, but I'm still not satisfied xD

I think it's just my mood talking, so I rather not try anything on the chapter and just post it ^^

I hope you'll like it.

Things moved quite quickly here, but it's wanted. I hope it doesn't feel weird or anything.

Well, thank you for reading and commenting, it's so nice of you =)

To next time !