Yunho barely slept that night.

Jaejoong had brought out blankets and mattresses from the closet. Hours passed by with nothing but talking and catching up with each other. Yunho enjoyed every second, even if Jaejoong had brought out one more mattress than was needed, further emphasising the fact that Changmin was missing. Yunho had a strange feeling he’d done that on purpose.

Yunho was pestered with questions about what had happened to Changmin. He did his best to explain everything, though his story was filled with holes as he didn’t know all of the details.

“And I thought Jaejoong would’ve been the one kidnapped by a sasaeng,” Yoochun joked, receiving a rather violent beating with the elder’s pillow.

It was midnight when Yunho thought about calling Changmin. In the end, he chose not to bother the maknae’s sleep, promising himself he would call him in the morning.

The night passed with just as much sadness as it did with laughter. Over time, the ache in Yunho’s chest grew enough that he could no longer laugh, or even cry. He laid his head down on his pillow and closed his eyes, wishing nothing more than to have Changmin here with them. He didn’t even flinch when Jaejoong messed up his hair as he got up the next morning to slap together an improvised breakfast. Even though his eyes were still closed, Yunho knew it had been him because Jaejoong was the only one who ever had the nerve to touch his hair.

...

He had to get that key.

Changmin paced back and forth across the carpeted floor of his room. He wondered why it had taken so long for claustrophobia to set in. Maybe it was the sudden realization he hadn’t had a breath of fresh air or felt the kiss of sunlight in days. He might’ve been getting paranoid, but he could swear he could feel his muscles becoming flabby. Not to mention he may or may not have gained a couple of pounds. Hyeonjin had a nasty habit of making sure he was never hungry. But she also made sure he had no room to run around and burn the resulting calories off. He would’ve done a few workouts in his cramped room, but he refused to do such things when the sasaeng could walk in at any moment.

Changmin had to get that key.

His pacing abruptly ended when the door clicked open, announcing the arrival of Hyeonjin. It came as little surprise to him that she was already holding breakfast in her hands.

“Morning, Changmin,” she said, cheerfully. “How did you sleep?”

Terribly, he wanted to say. He wanted to go home and sleep in his own bed.

“I brought you breakfast,”

Changmin said nothing. He just stared silently at her, wishing she would just vanish. She stepped towards him, holding the tray out to him. When he finally gave in and reached over to take the food, she pulled it back with a cheeky smile.

“Sing a song for me?” She said.

Changmin wondered when she’d become so bold.

She pouted when he didn’t respond. “You can have your breakfast when you sing, okay?”

“No,” he said, barely needing to think about it.

Her pout only grew.

Changmin stared back defiantly. He didn’t care if he died of starvation. He wasn’t going to give into this madness.

Hyeonjin set the food aside and approached him, not taking her eyes off his face. Changmin stepped back uncomfortably, trying to keep the distance between them. When she kept approaching, Changmin backed into the wall behind him. Startled, he tried to move away from her again, but she slid her arms around his chest and hugged him, burying her face in his chest.

“Fine, you don’t have to sing,” she said quietly. “But it would be nice,”

Changmin clenched his teeth together, trying to ignore the way her body was pressed tightly against his, her hands pulling him even closer. The key, he tried to think. The key was his only chance of escape. Was there any way he could get it from her?

Yes, a voice in his head told him. With her like this, all he had to do was slide his hands into her pockets and grab the damn thing. He felt his stomach twist at the thought. It would be a rather intimate thing to do, considering the positioning of the pockets. He’d seen her sliding the key into her back pocket, so at the very least it would be easier to get at there, but no less awkward. Changmin felt his heartbeat pick up.

She nuzzled closer if it was possible, her ear pressed firmly to his chest. So she was listening to his heartbeat; Changmin’s stomach twisted again, making him want to throw up. One of her hands slid under the back of his shirt, her fingers sliding across the skin of his lower back. He flinched, his elbow slamming into the wall behind him. Grimacing, he put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her away. She caught his wrist before she was out of arms reach. She pouted again.

“Do you hate me that much?” She asked.

“‘Hate’ isn’t a strong enough word I have for someone who’s holding me prisoner against my will,” Changmin replied tonelessly.

Her pouting expression turned into one of hurt. She let go of his wrist and backed away, turning towards the door. Changmin watched her remove the key. For the briefest of moments, he thought about jumping at her and throwing her to the floor to take the key by force. His leg twitched, and he very nearly charged her, but he held himself back.

“Enjoy your breakfast, Changmin,” she said, smiling weakly at him.

The door clicked shut behind her.

“Idiot!” Changmin snarled to himself, dragging his fingers through his hair. Even when imprisoned, he was still a gentleman. People had told him more than once that being nice would only get him so far. Changmin was starting to regret not listening.

...

Yunho’s phone rang in the middle of the morning, just as he’d been about to give calling Changmin a shot. The eyes of JYJ snapped towards him, their mildly frightened gazes darting to the phone in his hand. Yunho understood their fear. If it was SM, or his agent calling, and they found out where he was...he couldn’t imagine the trouble there would be.

He looked down at the caller ID and felt his heart leap.

“Changmin?” He answered.

Hi Yunho-hyung, the maknae’s voice was dull, quiet and strangely broken.

At the sound of the maknae’s name, Jaejoong surged forward with Yoochun and Junsu by his side. They pressed themselves as close to Yunho as they dared, trying to hear what Changmin was saying. Yunho flashed them a warning glance the moment he heard the maknae’s distress. They backed away immediately, exchanging worried glances.

“Are you alright?”

No,

“What happened?” Yunho began to feel sick to his stomach. Had the sasaeng hurt him?

I can’t do this, Yunho-hyung, I can’t, his voice cracked. Yunho never thought he’d hear anything more horrible than the sound of Changmin’s voice breaking.

“Just hang in there, we’re all looking for you, we will find you, okay?”

I don’t think I can do this anymore. I wanted to throw her on the floor earlier. What am I even doing? Who am I anymore?

“You’re Changmin, and you will always be Changmin,” Yunho said. “We’ll get you out of there, okay? Just stay strong, and hang tight,”

For how much longer, hyung? How much longer do I have to wait?

Yunho felt his stomach clench. He didn’t have the answer to that. He wished he could tell him the police were on their way. He wished he could tell him that today was the last day he’d have to spend with that sasaeng. There were so many things he wished he could tell Changmin and knew he never could, because then, he’d be lying.

“I don’t know, Changmin,”

That’s not an answer!

“It’s all I have,”

Changmin fell silent. Yunho heard him sniff, and knew he was crying silently. At that moment, he would’ve given anything to be beside Changmin right now. He wouldn’t have cared if he was trapped with the sasaeng as well.

“I promise, Changmin,” Yunho said quietly. “We’re looking for you. I’m not kidding when I say ‘we’ either,”

What’s that supposed to mean?

“Jaejoong, Yoochun and Junsu are here for you too,”

...Really...? How are they?

“Ask them yourself,”

...Can I?

Yunho held the phone towards Jaejoong, putting it on speaker. “They’re here now, Changmin,”

H-Hyung...?

“Hi Changmin,” Jaejoong said, taking the phone from Yunho.

“Hang in there,” Yoochun added. “We’re all here,”

“We’ve been worried since we found out what happened,” Junsu said. “I’m praying for you,”

You guys... Changmin’s voice cracked again. Barely seconds later, the quiet sobs Yunho had learned to associate with Changmin slipped through the phone. I miss you...thank you...

“And when you get out of there,” Jaejoong was trying to smile, though it was a sad one. “We’re going to give you the biggest hug you’ve ever had,”

“It won’t be from some creepy girl either,” Yoochun tried a joke, though Yunho wasn’t sure how effective it would be.

Changmin let out a faint chuckle. No, but it would be from three creepy men,

“Four creepy men,” Yunho threw in for good measure.

Yunho-hyung isn’t creepy. Everyone else is,

The laughter that tore through the group at that moment was long awaited and precious. Junsu fell against the wall, clutching it for support as he broke down in breathless laughter. Jaejoong and Yoochun found themselves doubling over, clutching their guts as Yunho sat down on the coffee table, trying not to fall over.

“That’s our Changmin,” Yoochun laughed, getting himself under control before everyone else. “I forgot how much I missed you,”

I gotta go, a second later, the phone cut off, not giving anyone time to say goodbye. The ex TVXQ members looked up at Yunho, frowns marring their features.

“I expect the sasaeng came back,” Yunho explained. “He prefers to call when he’s alone,”

Jaejoong nodded, handing the phone back to Yunho.

“I’m even more worried about him now,” Junsu said, pinching his nose. “They’d better find him soon,”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Yoochun mumbled.

...

The phone was stuffed back under his pillow by the time Hyeonjin had even stepped into the room. Changmin couldn’t even look at her, leaning against the wall at the head of his bed. His stomach was twisting in a thousand unpleasant ways, and his mind was spinning faster than a top.

She knelt down beside him and ran her fingers through his hair. Changmin flinched at her touch, pushing her hand away. Her fingers wrapped around his hand instead, her thumb softly his palm. He tried to tug his hand back, but she held fast, not letting go. Changmin shot her a sharp stare, feeling his anger starting to flare. He had an overwhelming urge to hit her.

“I wish you would stop running from me, Changmin,” she said softly, pulling his hand up to her lips and kissing his knuckles softly. “You really will be happy here,”

He tried to yank his hand away once more. “No, I won’t,”

She pouted up at him, and then tugged his hand back towards her. Changmin pulled again, and instead of tugging back on his wrist, she climbed into his lap and straddled him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Changmin froze, too surprised to even move.

“Why don’t you believe me?” She whispered, her breath tickling his ear. “I’ll give you anything you want,”

“G-Get off me,” he tried to push her away, but her arms wrapped tighter around his neck.

“We’ll be happy,” she went on, one of her hands tangling in his hair. “Everything I do will be for you, and you can relax, free of SM and all those responsibilities that made you worried. You’ll never have to be afraid again,”

She was getting desperate, Changmin realized. It had taken a lot longer than she expected to get him to fall in love with her. For the first time since being kidnapped, Changmin truly felt afraid. Up until this point, all he’d ever felt was discomfort. He felt his skin grow cold and his heart twisted in his chest. His hands shook as he once again tried to push her off him. This time, he broke her hold, but the moment he managed to get to his feet, she was on top of him again, dragging him back onto the bed and pinning him there with surprisingly strong hands. She straddled his waist before he even had the chance to try to fight back.

“I’ve tried to be nice, Changmin,” the warm smile she always had on her face was gone now.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Changmin tried to fight back once again, but she dug her nails into his wrists. He grimaced, feeling them break the skin.

“You belong to me now. I’ve won you. The police will never find you. You’ll stay here with me forever,”

Changmin stared up at the sasaeng, finding it difficult to believe this crazy girl was the same one who’d fed him fish from her chopsticks and undid his handcuffs days before. What had all that been? Up until now was she just being nice trying to gain his trust? Was that what all of that was about?

“You can’t run, Changmin,” she pressed her forehead against his, nuzzling him slightly. “I’ll always catch you,”

His heart raced as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to think through the thousands of emotions running through his head. He struggled again, but she dug her fingernails into his wrist even deeper. He gritted his teeth, hissing under his breath.

“Go ahead,” she whispered, her lips ghosting across his. “Fight. I’ll just win again,”

Changmin gritted his teeth through the pain in his wrist and pushed up against her flipping them over so he was the one on top. She gasped, immediately grabbing onto his hair and tugging on it rather roughly. She leaned up and caught his lips with hers. Changmin tried to pull away, but her hands pulled him closer. He raised his fist and without thinking about it, punched her heavily in the side of the face. She cried out, clutching her cheek. A moment later, Changmin rolled her over and shoved his hand in her pocket, wrapping his fingers around the key. He leapt back, clutching it tight in his fist as he dashed for the door.

She sat up, her hand going to her pocket, realizing what Changmin had just grabbed. Her eyes widened slightly and she leapt to her feet, lunging towards him, reaching for his fist. He twisted the key in the lock and yanked the door open, making a final bid for freedom. She latched onto his shirt and dragged him back to the ground, leaping on top of him. Her hands closed around his throat, surprising him.

“Don’t worry,” she hissed. “I won’t kill you. If I do, at least nobody else will have you,”

Changmin gritted his teeth, unable to draw breath. The hallway he’d tried to escape into was large and ornate; he knew it could only belong to a mansion.

He clutched at Hyeonjin’s hands, scratching and clawing, trying to get them off. They only held tighter. Changmin saw stars; the world began to spin and turn black. He gave one final, futile attempt to claw her hands off him before he fainted.

...

Though he would’ve liked to stay with Jaejoong, Yoochun and Junsu longer, he was forced back to SM with a phone call from his agent. He didn’t have his car, so Jaejoong drove him three blocks away from the facility and bid him save travels. Yunho gave him his phone number, telling him to call any time and promising to contact him and the others if anything new about Changmin turned up. Jaejoong had given his in return.

Then they parted ways once more. Yunho didn’t look back towards Jaejoong’s car, though he’d barely gone three steps and was already missing him. He never thought he’d think those words again.

“Where have you been, Jung-seonsaeng?” his agent asked when he finally stepped through the front doors.

Yunho hesitated for the briefest of moments. He didn’t want to say anything that would arouse suspicion.

“I was visiting my mother,” Yunho said quickly. He always was a bad liar, but he hoped that this time, it would pass.

His agent frowned in suspicion but seemed to decide he didn’t want to press for answers. He simply allowed Yunho to pass into the back hallways and return to the training rooms. He wanted to ask about the police but decided against it.

He focused on dancing, moving to the music and trying to keep his mind off JYJ and Changmin. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been dancing when the practice room door slid open. Yunho immediately stopped dancing, bowing to the CEO as he stepped inside, tailed by his agent.

“Yunho, where were you last night?” the CEO questioned.

“I already said, I was with my mother,” Yunho replied.

“Your car was left in the parking lot overnight, so unless your mother came to pick you up, I find that highly unlikely,”

“I took public transit,”

The CEO raised an eyebrow. “And you weren’t spotted?”

“I’m good at hiding,”

“So it seems,”

Yunho swallowed, having nothing more to say to the CEO. No matter what, regardless of how many times Yunho had to repeat the lie, he would never tell him he’d been with JYJ.

“Very well,” the CEO sighed, folding his hands behind his back. “Next time, tell your agent where you’re going. We worry for your safety,”

“Worry about Changmin, not me,” Yunho just said.

“Speaking of,” the CEO looked up at the ceiling, as though little of it mattered to him. Yunho felt his temper rising once more. “The police chief stopped by this morning. Shim-seonsaeng’s case is cold. No new leads have been found. Until new information appears, they’re reducing staff on the search party,”

“NO!” Yunho shouted. “They can’t do that!”

“I know it’s hard,” the CEO said, “but you may have to accept the fact that Shim-seonsaeng might never be found. I suggest beginning to consider a solo career. That would be best,”

“NO!” Yunho bellowed. “I will NEVER go on stage without Changmin! NEVER! IT WON’T HAPPEN!”

The CEO opened his mouth to retaliate, but Yunho didn’t give him a chance.

“I will terminate my contract!” He shouted. “If Changmin’s never found, I will leave SM. I will not perform without him!” He pushed past the CEO and his agent, storming down the halls once more. It wasn’t until he was in his car that he let himself go. He slumped over the steering wheel, ragged sobs tearing from his throat.