He had been so preoccupied with thoughts of Hak-yeon and the other's worries of being a burden that he had completely forgotten about going a different route to his classes. It wasn't until he felt two pairs of hands clamp down painfully on his arms that he snapped out of his stupor, though he wasn't quick enough as he felt himself dragged away. They didn't go far before the hands loosened and he was allowed to stand on his own two feet again, yanking his arms back and turning to glare back at his captors. He immediately recognized Baek-hyun, though he had no idea who the other was. Baek-hyun caught his glare and glared back with a look filled with annoyance, a sneer on his lips.

"Don't give me that. You're too heavy to drag around and I'm not about to carry you." He didn't wait for him to respond, motioning with his head to follow and walking off, only to realize belatedly that neither of them were following him, and he sent them a scathing glare. "I'm not going to repeat myself!"  

At that, the other guy nudged him in the back, and he reluctantly started to follow the shorter male. They walked for what seemed like forever, and the guy decided to start talking to fill the silence.

"Sorry about this," he said with very little sincerity in his voice. "We weren't originally intending to kidnap you." He didn't respond, staring straight ahead, and the other got the message and stopped talking.

Eventually a small antique shop came into view, the place located in a rather closed off area of Seoul where there were mostly little shops in the forefront with scaling skyscrapers behind. The boxed in feel gave the area a nostalgic aura, and the light coating of snow over the place made it seem almost surreal. A man stood outside the building sweeping away the dusting of snow in front of the door, glancing up in time to catch a flailing Baek-hyun who jumped gracefully into his arms.

"Baek-hyun? What are you doing back so early?" he asked in surprise, the bright smile on his lips vanishing the moment he saw Taek-woon. Taek-woon blinked at how quickly the other's mood changed, though with these people he shouldn't be surprised. He hadn't forgotten what Saet-byul had told him. "You finally managed to find him?"

"He was so annoying,” Baek-hyun whined, turning to glare at him again. "He wouldn't go through the front gate and we couldn't go in and find him. Such a pain in the ." He gave Taek-woon a triumphant smirk that had the thin line on Taek-woon's lips pull down into a deeper frown.

"Might as well get inside first," the one holding Baek-hyun muttered, still watching Taek-woon carefully. "It's cold out here." He opened the door to quietly lead Baek-hyun inside, one hand cupped around the shorter male's head and the other holding the door open. Baek-hyun initially pushed the other off as he marched inside, though the moment they were all inside he immediately latched onto the taller man's arm.

The inside of the shop was a stark contrast from the simple, plain look of the outside, shelves packed together with various knickknacks piled high on top. The cramped arrangement made it hard to walk around, leaving him no room to run away as he was sandwiched between the two in front and the guy walking uncomfortably close behind him. They made their way to the back, passing a shelf full of old watches and doilies, where they had somehow managed to set up a full table with four chairs placed around it. Baek-hyun pushed himself away as he wiggled himself around one chair to go behind the register counter, calling out excitedly when he bent down and took out a steaming tea kettle, holding it out for them to see.

"Just in time, tea's ready." Taek-woon felt himself shoved into the seat against the wall, the seat next to him hurriedly taken and boxing him in. Baek-hyun took his time coming back over, putting the tea kettle down and nudging the taller man and gesturing impatiently at the back. The man surprisingly just smiled at the other's antics, going back and retrieving teacups, pouring them all a cup.

"I know Baek-hyun here can get pissy," he started, purposefully ignoring Baek-hyun's indignant shout, "but we're not actually planning on doing anything bad to you. So you can calm down." He handed Taek-woon a teacup which he reluctantly took. "I'm Chan-yeol by the way, and that over there is Jong-in." He hummed in response.

"We just want to know how Hak-yeon and Binnie are doing," Chan-yeol continued, sitting down and swatting at Baek-hyun when the latter tried to drink the still hot tea. "We never were able to visit, and one day you just moved and didn't tell us where you went."

"I wasn't aware I had to inform you."

Baek-hyun immediately moved to respond, face twisting as he opened his mouth to snap something at him, when Chan-yeol put a hand over his. Surprisingly, Baek-hyun snapped his mouth shut, only glowering as he sulkingly sipped his tea. "No, but they're just as important to us as they are to you. Even if they chose to live with you, we should still be able to check on them."

Taek-woon paused, teacup halfway to his mouth. He was right, he realized bitterly. Despite what Hak-yeon insisted, these people deserved to at least know how they were doing. They had all gone through the same thing, and probably felt a close bond because of it. However, "Hak-yeon doesn't want to meet you. I can tell you they're well but nothing else."

"That's bull!" Jong-in shouted, beating Baek-hyun who had also made a move to protest. "There's no way Hak-yeon would say that!"

"Jong-in-" Chan-yeol started, but Taek-woon cut in, calmly replying,

"Hak-yeon made the decision himself and I am only upholding it. When he decides he wants to see you again, I will let you come." Chan-yeol pursed his lips in disagreement, but nodded nonetheless.

"Are...they doing well though?"

"...yes."

Jong-in, despite still glaring at him through the giant parka he was wearing, muttered, "Even Bin?"

"Hong-bin's doing alright, though he can't do much without Hak-yeon."

"Does Bin not want to see us either?" Baek-hyun asked, his previous sharpness gone and replaced with an almost downtrodden expression. He could feel them all watching him intently, and he shifted away as best he could in the cramped area.

"He won't do anything Hak-yeon tells him not to do. If Hak-yeon doesn't want to meet you, then Hong-bin won't either." None of them said anything, Chan-yeol taking the silence to take their empty teacups and put them away in the back. It wasn't until he came back that Jong-in finally spoke again, this time much softer.

"Are they happy?"

Taek-woon hesitated answering, knowing full well that 'happy' was the last word he would use to describe the two. Hak-yeon was getting better, slowly but surely, but he was in no way recovered. There were still times when he wasn't sure his friend was there at all, and that didn't account for Hong-bin who would grow just as quiet and lifeless when with him. There was nothing happy about them, but there was no way he was telling them that. He had an idea they wouldn't leave him alone until they forced him to bring them to the two, which would be chaos.

Not to mention what Hak-yeon would do at the betrayal of his trust.

"They're not happy, but they're not unhappy either. They're managing."

Chan-yeol sighed deeply, though there was nothing dramatic or exaggerated about it. "We all are. There's no way to fully recover; we're going to forever be haunted by what happened." Baek-hyun silently put a hand on the other's, leaning his head on his shoulder, Chan-yeol shooting him a soft smile. "This shop is enough to sustain us, even a little. It's the best...the best I can do."

"At least you're able to see people..." Jong-in muttered next to him, though Taek-woon wasn't able to figure out what he meant before the back door opened again and a small head poked out, large eyes roaming around the room until they landed on the four of them. His eyes widened at the sight of Taek-woon, and Jong-in shot out of his seat as he ran over, whispering silently as he shielded him from view. Chan-yeol noticed him staring and clicked his tongue sadly.

"Not all of us adjusted well," he said quietly so the other two wouldn't be able to hear him.

Taek-woon watched as the smaller boy kept glancing at him fearfully, gripping onto Jong-in's front and mouthing something. It reminded him so much of Hong-bin, and he purposefully looked away. "Are you all still living together?"

"No," Baek-hyun muttered, head still on Chan-yeol's shoulder and looking visibly tired. "Lu Han and Zitao moved back to China and Min-seok left with them. Se-hun and Jong-dae moved out too." Taek-woon had no idea who they were, though he wondered if he told Hak-yeon if he would react. Chan-yeol patted the other's head.

"Only those of us who can't find a job anywhere else have stayed."

"It's okay," Jong-in whispered gently, and they all turned to see Jong-in leading the smaller boy towards them, both hands placed firmly on his shoulders so he wouldn't be able to run away. The boy looked terrified out of his mind, eyes locked on Taek-woon as he fidgeted and made every attempt to run away. Chan-yeol straightened in his seat, eyes wide and mouth slack in shock.

"What are you doing, Jong-in?" he demanded, reaching out and taking the boy's hand in his own.

"Kyung-soo hyung should greet him," Jong-in hissed, slapping his hand away from the boy. "Maybe he would let us meet them if he does." They stopped right in front of Taek-woon, Kyung-soo freezing when he was a hair's length away from touching him, his hands pulled into clenched fists. "Say hello," Jong-in said gently, his thumb caressing his shoulder.

"Jong-innie," Kyung-soo whimpered, his voice surprisingly steady despite his scared appearance, "he won't let us see him. I don't want to greet him."

"Kyung-soo ya," Baek-hyun said in an astonishingly tender voice, reaching out to try and comfort him as well, "you don't have to do this. Go back upstairs."

"N-no," he said, eyes fixed on Taek-woon, swallowing before his eyes hardened. "Did Hak-yeon say that he won't let us see Bin?"

"He doesn't want to see you, so Hong-bin doesn't either. Neither is stopping the other."

"Is he hurting him?"

Taek-woon blinked in surprise, not having expected that question when he had only ever seen the two hanging over each other. The others seemed to be just as surprised, all nudging him and whispering exasperatedly at him, though Kyung-soo seemed determined to get an answer as he waited with his unwavering eyes. Seeing he wouldn't move until he got an answer, Taek-woon shook his head. "No, Hak-yeon loves him very much. He would never hurt him."

Kyung-soo didn't move for the longest time, and everyone waited with baited breath to see what he would do, when he finally nodded his head. "That's good enough for me."

Jong-in gaped, hurriedly pulling Kyung-soo away. "What do you mean? Don't you want to see them?" But the other boy wasn't in the mood to talk, wasting no time breaking away and rushing out of the room, the back door slamming behind him. Jong-in wasn’t far behind him.

Chan-yeol sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. “Sorry about that. Kyung-soo has a hard time with people and I’m not sure why Jong-in thought it was a good idea to bring him out here.”

“Though Kyung-soo spoke with you,” Baek-hyun added spitefully, lip upturned, “so that must mean you’re not a total deadweight.”

Taek-woon decided to take that as a compliment.

“Hey, did you guys do something to Kyung-so- woah, who’s this?” They all turned to the new voice to see another man pop out from behind the door, and Taek-woon was suddenly reminded of how many of them there actually were. When he thought of how they were all people that Saet-byul’s mother had captured and tortured in her basement, he felt his stomach sink in guilt.

“Ah, Joon-myeon hyung,” Baek-hyun called out, waving him over lazily, “this is the guy that won’t let us see Hak-yeon and Bin.” Taek-woon sighed, ready to be hit with another barrage of questions or unnecessary accusations, when Joon-myeon just smiled, waving.

“Well hello there. I hope these idiots here aren’t harassing you too much.”

“Hyung!”

“No, you guys are being absolutely ridiculous and you know it.” Joon-myeon shook his head at the two before limping over, his right leg dragging behind his left, each step looking like a struggle. Chan-yeol shot out of his seat exasperatedly.

“Hyung, what are you doing out without your crutch? You-”

“Oh hush now,” Joon-myeon muttered as he grabbed a bag of biscuits from under the counter and threw them into Taek-woon’s hands. “Here, take these for your troubles. I don’t know what they’ve been doing when I clearly told them not to do anything,” he sent a pointed glare towards Baek-hyun who only made a face back, “but I apologize on their behalf.”

“Hey, those are mine!” Chan-yeol whined.

“Stop being so childish. If you want to see them, you have to show them that you’re serious about meeting them, and because you miss them. Kidnapping their friend isn’t going to make either of them want to come see you.” He limped over to the table where Chan-yeol slumped back down in his seat and the two hung their heads, pouting as they refused to meet his eye. Taek-woon felt uncomfortable sitting under the looming gaze of the older man, so he quickly stood up as well. Joon-myeon smiled as he clapped a hand on his shoulder, Taek-woon instinctively jerking away. Joon-myeon didn’t seem to notice.

“I know you really care for Hak-yeon, and I’m thankful that you’re continuing to take care of him, even now. Bin too. Despite what you might think, we’re not going to take either of them away from you."

“Thank you-”

“Just keep him away from Saet-byul.” At the sudden viciousness in his voice, Taek-woon snapped his mouth shut, and he blinked in surprise at how quickly the mood changed in the room. “Keep them both away from her.”

He thought of how tenderly Hak-yeon had held Saet-byul in his arms, the way she looked at him as she had leaned against his chest while he cradled her in his arms, how Hak-yeon had looked at her. He thought of how she had cried at just the sight of him, how every time they met she only asked for him and how he was. She clearly loved him. However, it seemed that the people here didn’t know that, nor did they know that Taek-woon had already let the two meet. He had to make sure they continued not to know. Taking a deep breath, he said slowly, his voice low,

“Has Saet-byul done anything?”

Joon-myeon faltered, closing his eyes briefly as if in pain. “No, but none of us trust her. While we were one of Eun-ji’s last dolls, we’ve heard from the others. Eun-ji didn’t start off as terrible as she is, she grew worse the more she played with the dolls. While Saet-byul is harmless now, the day will come when she’ll make her first doll, and that will be the end of it.”

“How do you know she’ll make a doll?”

“They can’t help it. It’s in their blood,” Chan-yeol added darkly, biting his lower lip harshly to the point it turned white.

“You don’t know-”

“We just don’t want to take that chance. From what we heard from Seok-jin,” Taek-woon tensed at the name, remembering how Hak-yeon had broken down at the mention of Seok-jin’s name, “she’s very possessive of him. It’s a wonder she lasted this long, though who knows when she’ll try to take him back again.”

“She only asks about him,” he said defensively, and jumped when Baek-hyun shot out of his seat, knocking the chair hard into one of the shelves as he leapt behind the counter. They all stared at him in shock as he glared their way, his lips pulled down into a snarl as he ducked down until only his eyes were visible.

“You’ve met her, haven’t you?" he shouted accusingly.

“Baek-hyun,” Joon-myeon started exasperatedly, though Baek-hyun cut him off.

“Don’t you see? He’s going to let her take them away! Just watch!”

“No he won’t,” Joon-myeon said with a long sigh, shaking his head, “Hak-yeon's friend wouldn't do that, right?" Joon-myeon turned back to Taek-woon with a wide smile, his eyes watching him carefully despite his cheerful and laid-back appearance, the way he stared showing that there was only one correct answer. They all watched him, waited with a chilling silence, their eyes honing in on the tiny nod he gave, their lips pursing at the small reassurance that he would never let them meet.

He left quickly after, not allowing them to say another word as he headed straight back home. His mind was too muddled at this point to even attempt to go to class.

It was also when he grew afraid of Joon-myeon, much more intimidated by the kind smiles and caring way he spoke that hid the harsh intent underneath than the empty threats Baek-hyun threw at him. 

Hello!

Sorry that it took me so long with this update; had to finish up on all the work that piled up while I was at home, not to mention fighting a bad case of writers block. But I'm back and should be updating regularly again! To thank all of you for patiently waiting for this, I'm doing a double update, and the next part will be uploaded sometime tomorrow. Thank you all for being so understanding, your comments definitely helped.