"I want to know why you do it."
"Why I do what." he asked, stripping off his overcoat.
He flung it over the back of the couch without much thought as he began unbuttoning his shirt.
"Why you always save me. Every time I'm in trouble you always come...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Faster than I could comprehend, Seonghwa tossed me out of the building. My brain short-circuited as the feeling of weightlessness surrounded me and I was falling. If I could have screamed, I would have, but the wind whipping past my face robbed me of my voice as I plummeted towards the ground quickly. I squeezed my eyes shut bracing for impact, but it never came. Instead, my body collided with a much firmer one as Jongho's arms came around me, cradling me into his chest. He grunted with the force of the impact, holding me tightly so he didn't drop me.
I opened my eyes just in time to a pair of boots hit the dirt ground hard kicking up dust followed by another pair just behind him. I looked up meeting Yeosang's somewhat gentle gaze before a small smile hiked up one corner of his mouth.
"See? I told you he'd catch you."
I turned my head, clashing eyes with Jongho as he raised one eyebrow at me. My hands were clutching at his shirt tightly, knuckles white. I quickly let go embarrassed as he, thankfully, set me down on my shaky legs. That was something I never wanted to experience again, and I wouldn't have ever experienced it in the first place if it wasn't thanks to someone in particular. I shot a hateful glare at Seonghwa who didn't even notice. He ignored me, strolling past us towards the nearby alley.
I could still hear the fight ensuing behind the walls of the tavern, but they were muffled by the commotion of the main road on the other side of the building. My mother made her way to my side again, taking my hand before the rest of us followed Seonghwa. Despite the danger of our own situation, I couldn't help but wonder about the other four men. While Yunho and Hongjoong weren't exactly the nicest men I've had the pleasure of knowing, they still put their lives on the line for the sake of my mother and me. That, at the very least, earned them a degree of respect.
I seemed to be the only one concerned about their safety however as everyone else moved through the back alleys quietly. The fact that none of us encountered any other thugs must have meant that Wooyoung and Mingi had taken care of anyone left outside when the fight broke out. The sun lit the sky above brightly, blinding me every so often when it peaked through the gaps between buildings. I was starting to sweat under my cloak. All the running coupled with the sun's heat was exhausting and I wasn't sure how much longer I could go. Luckily, we rounded a corner to see Wooyoung and Mingi before us leaning casually against a stable door as they bickered about who took out the most enemies. Yeosang rolled his eyes while Seonghwa ignored the two of them to enter the stables.
"No problems I'm assuming?" Yeosang asked.
"Piece of cake." Wooyoung grinned shooting me a wink.
I scrunched my nose, looking away. I scanned our surroundings recognizing this side of town to be close to the border if the stables and merchant checkpoints were anything to go by. It was oddly devoid of people, but I assumed it had more to do with the celebration than anything else. A hand thrust in front of me catching me off guard. I looked up at Mingi holding out a canteen.
