The seconds passed quickly, and silence spread between the four present. Y/N just watched each of the boys carefully, paying closer attention to Wooyoung's features as time passed.
The boy was staring at Yunho with a frown. His pupils did not move from Jeong's, challenging him; they needed to leave.
"Yunho, I think-"
"Let's go." Wooyoung interrupted MG with all annoyance, looking at his watch. "The time is up. Three minutes."
Then, without waiting another second, he opened the car door and gave his partners an intense look. Mingi and Yunho kept their eyes on him. YH knew that he had instructions to wait for HM, however, the seriousness expressed by Wooyoung's pupils reminded him with the force of a blow, that what they were doing was not a game.
"We've wasted three minutes waiting for the rookie," he spoke again, looking at his friend roughly. "Three minutes that you'll have to catch up on the way, Jeong. Are you sure you want to spend more time here?"
At that moment, all eyes turned to Yunho, who had made his face serious and returned Wooyoung's defiant look.
"Let's go." He decided then, walking to the driver's door and entering the car.
Mingi and Wooyoung shared a look briefly, until Wooyoung nodded his head for him to take the seat next to the driver. It was not even objected to; there was no time or reason for it.
The boy opened the car door and looked at Y/N, who connected her eyes with his and entered the vehicle. Wooyoung waited until she was inside and took a seat next to her. Immediately, Yunho started the engine and began moving.
The girl, keeping a deep silence, kept her eyes moving, scanning the path through the window, the expressions on Yunho's and Mingi's faces, and noting the seriousness of the boy next to her.
She bit her lip nervously and turned back to the window, trying to clear her mind of any thoughts. Basically, that environment was not hers. While she was not afraid of the guys sitting across from her, she knew none of them were the kind of people she would ever like to mess with.
Gradually the streets became unknown to her and, as soon as the vehicle entered the highway, Yunho pressed the accelerator without thinking twice. He had to make up the lost minutes.
Y/N noted his unfriendly expression through the rearview mirror and swallowed heavily. Her muscles tensed as she recognized her ignorance as to what could happen and, above all, as she recalled her unwanted encounter with those men who came looking for Wooyoung. She knew there was a very good chance Chase was like them.
«Chase doesn't like delays», Jung's words came back to her mind, causing her breath to thicken a little; for Wooyoung to be the one to warn the others about it, and for the vehicle to go at such speed, Chase must be someone important. Not even close to being a joke.
Then, the girl gave a little jump when she felt a warmth on her thigh. Her eyes quickly dropped to her leg, instinctively, and she found Wooyoung's hand there. Unable to help it, she looked up to his face. When she did, she noticed that the boy already had his eyes on her, prompting immediate eye contact.
Y/N fell silent, concentrating solely on Jung's eyes, and she licked her lips. Wooyoung looked down at her lips for a few moments and then returned to her eyes. He knew her mind was elsewhere, possibly trying to answer her own questions to no avail, but she was trying hard to keep her face as serious as theirs were. That made him smirk slightly.
Y/N's eyes focused on his smile, and averted her gaze to the window once more. She could not let one of the most serious and professional in the business let his guard down because of her.
However, at that moment, Wooyoung leaned into her until his chin almost rested on her shoulder.
"You'll get used to it," he whispered close enough that she was the only one to hear. Y/N shuddered slightly, and the boy gave an almost imperceptible giggle. "I won't let anything happen to you."
Then, he lightly squeezed her thigh and moved away from her, noting how she reacted to his sudden actions. However, Y/N barely managed to process it before the vehicle stopped and caught everyone's attention.
Instinctively, she glanced over at Wooyoung and saw him check the time on his watch.
"Are we okay?" she dared to ask.
"Just in time." Mingi was the one who answered her question, but immediately his expression changed, frowning in bewilderment. "What the-?"
"HM?" Yunho intervened in the boy's words, turning off the engine and focusing on the boy that was watching them in the distance, with his arms crossed.
Wooyoung frowned at him as well upon hearing the words of his mates and got out of the van. Y/N followed him after seeing that the other two boys descended with him. She swallowed heavily and took a deep breath, her gaze darting around them.
They were on the outskirts of the city. She could not find the precise words to describe the place, but it seemed deserted, in spite of being a great factory in front of them; which, given the time in disuse, should only serve as a meeting point for clandestine activities.
Then her eyes focused on the figure in the distance, who was slowly beginning to grow larger. Willing to pretend on Jung's level, she stepped forward and stood by his side.
When the boy was only a few steps away, he stopped. He was almost as tall as Wooyoung and had one eyebrow raised in an almost mocking expression.
"Where the hell were you?" He said then. "I thought professionals of your level would arrive in plenty of time."
Jung frowned, annoyed, and fixed his gaze on him.
"This is not zone zero, HM." Yunho replied harshly. "We were waiting for you where you should have been"
"We've wasted enough time already." Wooyoung interjected, his voice deeper than normal. "We won't keep doing it."
Then, putting an end to the argument, the boy started walking directly towards the factory in front of them. Mingi, Yunho and Y/N soon followed him. However, it was at that moment that HM's eyes took in the singular presence in the place.
"What do we have here?" He murmured cheekily looking at Y/N up and down, raising his hand to his chin and slowly caressing it. "An offering to Chase for being late?" Wooyoung stopped walking instantly. "I didn't know you did that kind of work, WY."
The boy looked over his shoulder, noting the way HM scanned Y/N as he spoke gracefully.
"Now I understand why K has you so high." He scoffed and bit his lip, moving closer to the girl, who instinctively took a step back. "What's wrong, darling? Surely WY has tasted you before, hasn't he?"
"I don't-..."
"Did someone ask you to speak, precious?" HM cut her off with a smile. "I don't think so."
Then, he brought his hand to her body and quickly held her waist, drawing her to him. However, Y/N barely managed to make a sound before her body was free again. As soon as Wooyoung noticed HM's intentions he went up to him and slammed his knuckles into his cheekbone, knocking him down.
"YH." He grunted. Immediately, Yunho approached Y/N and sheltered her behind him. "What do you think this is, kid?" Wooyoung grabbed HM by his shirt collar and lifted him off the ground, hitting his back against the car they had arrived in. His eyes settled decisively on the boy's and his hand came around his neck, immobilizing him. "Listen, rookie," he spoke menacingly. "You made us lose valuable time; if Chase raises the value of the shipment, you'll regret it. Stop getting in the way." He narrowed his eyes. "Understood?"
HM swallowed as best he could and nodded awkwardly, trying to keep his breath up. Then, Wooyoung released him and took a step back, letting him catch his breath.
"Oh, and one more thing," he murmured then, catching his attention again. As soon as HM landed his eyes on him, Wooyoung hit his face hard, knocking him down once more. "Don't touch her again." He warned irritably, raising his foot to the boy's chest and exerting pressure. "Look at me." As he could, HM reconnected his eyes with Jung's. "She is mine."
Then, he kicked hard at his abdomen and moved away from him. The boy stayed on the ground, trying to recover from every blow and pressure exerted on him, while Wooyoung walked back to his teammates. When he was with them, Yunho stepped aside and Jung went to Y/N, holding her chin more gently than he had ever done.
"Are you okay?"
The girl, stunned by what had just happened in a matter of seconds, nodded. Wooyoung licked his lips and nodded once, straightening up again.
"Let's go." He told Yunho and Mingi, circling Y/N's hip and pulling her closer to him. "It's late."