When Monday did finally come around, the couples met up with each other in their classes, except for Ryeowook and Yesung. Yesung sat down at his desk and noticed that Ryeowook wasn’t there. This was highly unusual because the brunette was so dedicated to his schoolwork that he rarely missed a class. After their math class had ended, Yesung approached Donghae and Eunhyuk and asked “Have you guys seen Ryeowook today?”

          “No, we thought he was in class with you,” Donghae replied.

          “Well I’m worried about him because he didn’t text me that he was going to miss class today, and it’s so unlike him to not show up,” Yesung stated.

          “Maybe you should go check on him after school,” Eunhyuk suggested.

          “Yeah, do you guys know where he lives? I’ve never been to his house before,” Yesung wondered.

          “Yeah I do, he lives over near my parents’ house. I’ll drive you over there after school if you want,” Eunhyuk offered.

          “Thanks, that’d be good,” Yesung agreed.

          After school had ended, Yesung tried to text Ryeowook, but the brunette didn’t respond. Now he was getting really worried; he hadn’t talked to him all day long, not even just to check in and say he was okay. Eunhyuk drove Yesung over there on his motorcycle. “You want me to wait out here?” Eunhyuk asked.

          “If you want, I shouldn’t be long; I just wanna see if he’s okay,” Yesung said.

          “Alright,” Eunhyuk replied as Yesung headed up to Ryeowook’s house.

          He knocked on the front door a few times, before hearing footsteps approach. Yesung saw the door open slowly as Ryeowook peeked out discreetly. “Hey,” Yesung said.

          “Hi,” Ryeowook whispered.

          “Why weren’t you at school today?” Yesung wondered. “I tried to text you all day to make sure you were okay.”

          “I wasn’t allowed to go,” Ryeowook quietly replied.

          “What, why not, and why won’t you look at me?” Yesung gently asked, noticing Ryeowook wouldn’t make eye contact with him.   

          “Just please leave, you shouldn’t have come here,” Ryeowook requested as he tried to shut the door.

          Yesung pushed the door open and walked inside. He dropped his jaw when saw that Ryeowook had a black eye. “What happened to you?” he inquired as he took Ryeowook’s face in his hands.

          Ryeowook started to cry as he whispered “Please, please just go, I don’t want him to see you.”

          “Who’s he?” Yesung asked.

          “Ryeowook!” a man’s voice yelled from another room of the house. Yesung saw his boyfriend jump in fear when he heard his name be called.

          “What’s going on?” Yesung whispered as he looked in Ryeowook’s eyes and saw how scared he was.

          “Just go, please just go,” Ryeowook pleaded as tears fell from his eyes and he pulled away from Yesung before rushing into the other room.

          Yesung didn’t move. He knew that something wrong and that he should stick around to make sure Ryeowook was okay. “When I say get in here, I mean get in here now, understood?!” Yesung heard someone scream.

          “Yes,” Ryeowook muttered.

          Yesung heard a slap, followed by a yelp, before he ran into the next room. He saw Ryeowook leaning against the counter, holding his cheek and a man standing next to him. “You don’t ever step out of line with me you little , understand?! I own you now and you will do what I say, when I say!” he yelled at the trembling brunette as he pushed him back into the wall.

          “Who the do you think you are, yelling at my boyfriend like that?” Yesung demanded.

          The man turned faced Yesung. “Who the hell are you?” he questioned as he took another drink from a beer bottle and set it on the table next to about ten others.

          “I’m the person who’s gonna kick your if you don’t back away from him,” Yesung threatened.

          The man smirked and laughed before stating “And just what do you plan to do?”

          “I plan to knock your to the ground and then leave with Ryeowook,” Yesung replied, not intimidated at all by the man.

          “You won’t be taking him anywhere. I own that little just like I own his mother,” the man growled as he pointed at Ryeowook, who was crying against the wall.

          “What makes you think you own him? He’s a human being, not a ing dog,” Yesung responded.

          “I helped create him, therefore I own him,” he stated. “And since he’s my property, I can do with him what I see fit.”

          Yesung had had enough of this guy, so he grabbed an empty bottle from the table and quickly smashed it over the man’s head. Ryeowook let out a quick scream as he watched him fall to the ground. Yesung huffed as he dropped the bottle neck on the floor before heading over to Ryeowook, taking his hand, and leading him out of the house.

          Once they were outside, Eunhyuk saw how distraught they both were and asked “Is everything okay?”

          “Start the vehicle,” Yesung stated.

          “What happened to Ryeowook?” Eunhyuk wondered.

          “Start the damn vehicle!” Yesung repeated as he and Ryeowook climbed onto the motorcycle.

          This time, Eunhyuk listened and started up the motorcycle. They drove off in silence and the minute they reached home, Yesung took Ryeowook inside and up to his room. “You shouldn’t have done that, he’s gonna get even madder at me when I go home,” Ryeowook whispered as tears streamed down his face.

          “If I have anything to say about it, you won’t be going back there,” Yesung promised as he touched Ryeowook’s face gently. “Did he do this to you?” he asked, carefully running his fingers over Ryeowook’s swollen black eye.

          Ryeowook nodded as he closed his eyes and leaned his head against Yesung’s shoulders. “He didn’t mean it; he was just drunk,” Ryeowook replied.

          “Tell me what happened Ryeowook,” Yesung requested.

          “This weekend my father got released from prison. Then he came home and went back to his old habits,” Ryeowook informed.

          “What did he go to prison for?” Yesung asked.

          “Domestic violence and public drunkenness; he was drunk when he came home one night, dragged me and my mom outside into the yard and began to beat us. If the neighbors hadn’t called the police, he would’ve killed us,” Ryeowook cried. “He was put away for five years, and my mom and I finally felt safe for a while. Now that he’s out, my mom is scared he’s going to finally kill us.”

          Yesung pulled Ryeowook closer and kissed his face. “I won’t let him hurt you. Stay here with me until we can get him put back in prison,” Yesung replied.

          “We can’t get him put back in prison, there’s no proof,” Ryeowook answered.

          “Ryeowook, he gave you a black eye, I saw him drink, hit you, yell at you, and that’s not something I will tolerate,” Yesung muttered as he tried to wrap his arms around Ryeowook’s shoulders. The brunette winced, causing Yesung to pull his hands off. “What’s wrong?”

          “Nothing, I’m okay,” Ryeowook lied.

          “Then let me see your back and shoulders,” Yesung requested.

          He lifted up Ryeowook’s shirt and saw bruises on his shoulders, upper back, and arms. “They’re nothing Yesung, it’s okay,” Ryeowook whispered.

          “Nothing? Ryeowook he beat the crap out of you,” Yesung said.

          “He didn’t mean to, he was just drunk,” Ryeowook repeated.

          “That’s no excuse,” Yesung responded before gently placing his lips on each individual bruise on Ryeowook’s body. “I can’t let you go back there; you’re not safe there. My parents and I will take you to the doctor and tell them what happened so we can get him put back in jail.” He kissed Ryeowook’s mouth and added “I don’t want you to live in fear.”

          “No one has ever protected me like this before,” Ryeowook whispered as he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend.

          “I’ll keep you safe, and won’t let your dad hurt you anymore,” Yesung promised. “Why don’t you stay the night with me?”

          “Okay,” Ryeowook replied as a blush formed on his cheeks.

          That night, after Kangin got home from work, Yesung showed Leeteuk and Kangin Ryeowook’s black eye and bruises. “Oh my god, sweetheart who did this to you?” Leeteuk asked.

          “His son of a dad did this. He got out of prison for domestic violence and public drunkenness and beat the crap out of Ryeowook,” Yesung explained. “Can you please get this bastard put back in prison so Ryeowook and his mom don’t have to live in fear?”

          “We will go to the police first thing in the morning. You two can skip school and come with us,” Kangin stated. “For tonight, Ryeowook you’ll stay here where we know your dad can’t hurt you.”

          “I already told him he could stay and he agreed,” Yesung replied.

          “Good, why don’t you guys head to bed, so Leeteuk and I can talk,” Kangin suggested.

          After Yesung and Ryeowook went upstairs, Leeteuk muttered “First Eunhyuk’s parents, and now Ryeowook’s? I’m starting to think we’re the only parents who aren’t messed up in the head.”

          “Ryeowook’s mother sounds normal, I feel like as long as his dad is sent away, he and his mom will feel better and not afraid,” Kangin responded.

          “I love our boys and I love their boyfriends, and I want to keep them all safe. If I could, I’d let all of them live here,” Leeteuk said.

          “I know,” Kangin replied as he gripped Leeteuk’s shoulder.

          Upstairs, Ryeowook lie asleep in Yesung’s bed, with his arms wrapped around him and his head on his boyfriend’s chest. Yesung lie there awake, Ryeowook’s hair and looking at the ceiling, thinking. He looked down at Ryeowook and kissed the top of his head. “Yesung?” Sungmin called quietly from the other side of the room.

          “Yeah, what’s wrong Minnie?” Yesung whispered.

          “Is Ryeowook okay? His eye is all swollen and black,” Sungmin wondered.

          “Yeah Minnie, he’s okay, I’m going to help him,” Yesung promised as he ran his hands gently up and down the sleeping brunette’s back. “And no one, not even his dad, is going to stop me.”