"I can't protect you from him once he finds out. Just know that, before you continue down this frivolous path." The man stood and shoved his way through the four new arrivals.

Insoo sigh deeply as that man, who had been sent by his father, left the five of them alone. He refused to meet any of the other's gazes. This had been a secret he'd kept from them, all of them even Chaejin whom he'd been friends with for years, and as he stood there silently he could feel the shame spreading through his body. It was all encompassing, except it couldn't penetrate his heart. There was where the fear dwelt, and the dread of what his father would do to him once he got home.

"Hey, where were you Insoo-hyung? We were waiting?!" Seyong's angry voice pierced the fog in his brain, and yet he refused to answer.

"Hyung," Chaejin pulled Seyong back from advancing too far in the unneeded confrontation. "Insoo-hyung, why didn't you come? And who was that?"

Still Insoo stayed silent.

Gunwoo stepped forward slightly. In honesty, he didn't know how to react in this situation. Throughout the short time he'd known Insoo, the elder had always held his own and had never seemed as submissive as he did right now. "Hyung, what was that about?" He placed his hand on the other's arm.

Insoo pulled back with a start and his eyes briefly found Gunwoo's before once again retreating downward. "I...I can't be in the group."

"What! We agreed!" Seyong's voice once again cut through the air.

"Since when? Hyung, we were talking about it this morning." the hurt in Chaejin's caused Insoo to shift away.

Gunwoo remained quiet.

JunQ, who had silently watched until now, spoke up "You're saying this because the guy that left told you something right? Who can't he protect you from Hyung?"

Insoo clenched his fists and eyes simultaneously for a moment, before releasing another deep breath and composed himself slightly. "He was referring to my father..."

Something clicked then in Chaejin, "Hyung...you've never mentioned your father before...why would that man need to protect you from him? Does he hurt you?" his voice became tight with tension by the end, already berating himself for never noticing this.

"Hyung."

"Just stop. I can't be in your group." Insoo let out aggravated sound, "Trust me. It's better this way. For me and for you..."

"Why?" all the anger Seyong once had left at the mention of Insoo's father. To see his hyung so reluctant to share any information about this potentially dangerous man, put Seyong on edge. "Will he hurt you if you don't?" he added somewhat timidly.

The question hung in the air for a minute or two, the silence only interrupted by the passing train a few blocks away. 

Insoo averted his eyes upward slowly, before surrendering to the others. He lowered himself to the couch rather dejectedly and waited until they followed suit before speaking. "Yes." He answered the second question plainly, he could feel four sets of eyes attacking him from every angle; it was suffocating.

The others were at a loss; shocked, silenced, worried. They had no words.

"He...that man that was here works for my father. He was warning me. There have been rumors going around that I was joining a pop group..." Insoo ran a hand through his hair, as the air conditioner kicked on in the background.

"So, that guy came here to tell you that you're dad knows? Or was angry? Insoo-hyung..." Gunwoo's words ran out.

"Yes, I guess. Listen, my father, he could ruin all our lives. Ok? It's just better if you four go on without me." He gave one last pass at convincing them.

"He'll hurt you if you stay..." Seyong looked at the other then, "he hurts you anyway doesn't he? That's why this threat actually scares you. It doesn't matter if he's your father or not, he has no right to do so. So what makes this different? He can't hurt us. We would, just, you know…turn him in to the police."

"You don't get it!" The fear and pain bubbled to the surface, erupting in a frustrated wave as Insoo once again stood up. "He's a yakuza! Alright! Trust me he can do anything he wants to you! Don't you get it? Who care what he does to me! He can do whatever he wants to me! But if I stay...there is a chance there won't even be a MYNAME to debut. Don't you get it!?" and with the steam cooled, the frustration receded, and once again the shame and dread took over. Insoo collapsed back onto the couch as the energy left him. Placing his head in his hands he mumbled it once more, "my father is a yakuza..."

Yet again the room was void of human voices, the air-conditioner drowned on, the seconds clicked by.

"So."

Insoo's head snapped up, wide eyes finding Gunwoo's.

"Seyong's right. It doesn't matter who he is, he has no right to hurt you. You are a member of MYNAME. The five of us will think of something."

"Gunwoo-hyung is right."

The fear lingered, but the shame faded.