The huge black box sat in my backseat, unmoving (thankfully). I have no idea what I would have done if it started moving. Probably scream. Really loud. Because screaming loudly solves everything. I kind of had to wonder if my whole decision of leaving home was the smartest ever, sure sleeping with Ji was really nice, however, transporting a large black box for a gang was not.

I tried not to panic, but I failed. I drove, two motorcycles behind me, for a whole day, third day since they made me transport the box for them, and when night sneaked upon us yet again, we stopped in a another shady motel. I sat paralyzed in my car, wondering if something would happen to me in that motel, wondering how had everything spiraled out of control. I just wanted to go home, but I made my bed and now I had to lie in it. I just hoped nobody would join me there.

Getting the keys out of the ignition, I opened the doors and on shaky legs exited my Mustang. 2 guys that obviously wanted to fit the stereotype of gang members sleazily smiled. It was at moments like this that leaving Ji’s bed that morning seemed like the stupidest idea ever.

Here I was, barely 18, stuck with gangsters. And, no, I was not in a romance novel where I would fall in love with one of them and realize they were all just tortured souls. No, this was the ugly reality. And I had no one to blame but myself.

I got the room at the end of the hallway. It smelled of cleaned up puke and misery…and it fit my mood perfectly.

That night, I laid in the plain bed wide awake, wondering what the future held for me. I closed my eyes, feeling tears wet the pillow beneath my head. Fear and worry mixed into a knot in the pit of my stomach, and the only way I felt I could make it go away was to think of Ji. So in that ugly room, I lay awake wondering what Ji was doing yet again.

Ji’s POV

I have been in the studio for exactly 6 hours. It was good to be back, but couldn’t say I missed the ugly smell of the city. I did, however miss my second family, my brothers.

“This is really good, Hyung.” Daesung murmured as he read over the songs I had already written. It felt nice to sit in my chair again, and it seemed that after the short break everything just went more smoothly. We had already finished 2 songs, which was a miracle by itself.

“Soo...” Ri started, bringing me out of my thoughts.

I raised my chin, trying to make the jet lag leave my body. “Yes?”

“Who’s the girl?” The way the mood changed in the studio told me they all wondered but were too polite to ask. Ri of course was the epitome of the cat…you know, that cat that got killed by curiosity.

“She…she didn’t stay long, and I had known her for less than a day, but I guess she changed my perspective on everything. And she inspired me enough to write a whole album.”

“And what…she just left?” Tabi asked confused. I shrugged my shoulders, deciding that I couldn’t possibly tell them what I really thought- that I was a coward for not begging her to stay, that I worried where she was now. Strange that I worried about a girl I had known for 24 hours. But nevertheless, I hoped she knew she had at least one person to fall back on.

Libby’s POV

I wanted to ignore the knocking on my doors, and indeed I did…that is until the doors flew off their hinges, revealing a very angry looking Jeff (the guy who had a shark tattooed on his neck).

“What the do you think you are doing, ?” He growled and marched into the small stuffy room, not giving me time to even properly wake up.

I was roughly yanked out of bed and thrown on the floor. I heard the jingle of a belt, and wondered if he would use it on me. Luckily, Sam (the other one) chose that moment to appear at my door (or well what was left of them).

“Jeff.” He said, warning clearly in his voice.

“What?! She deserves it.” Jeff replied, but buckled his belt again. I didn’t raise my eyes until they were both gone, their angry voices moving farther away.

 I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry, but that would be what the old Libby would do. Instead I stood up, and bit my lower lip until it bled. I would get out of this. And like my mother always said, it is easier to pay for a lawyer than a funeral.

I could only imagine how my family felt, since they haven’t heard from me for days (they took away my phone, of course). But I couldn’t think about them…instead I had to think of myself and how I was going to get myself out of this situation. I could already feel I would do something incredibly stupid.

All the while as I drove, behind the fear and worry, behind the hopelessness, Ji’s face kept reappearing in my mind. What did he say…”You'll take care of yourself, right?“  His words echoed in my head.

Don't worry, Ji, I will.

Next chapter, the thing this whole story is based on will happen...

At one point I was actually planning to stop writing all fics and just put them in draft mode, until I had  enough time to start writing again...your opinion on the matter would help :)

LP