°:. *₊ ° . ° .•
"Hyung, what's the plan with her?" Vernon queried, nodding subtly towards Dami.
Seungcheol glanced at Dami, then back at Vernon. "We'll let her sleep it off for now. Keep an eye on her," he instructed, his tone firm.
Their attention snapped back to her as she slowly lifted her head from the table. The members anticipated her remaining conscious in her current state.
"I'm still awake," she murmured, struggling to muster strength in her hands as they remained fixed on the table to keep her stable.
"She's really something else," Jun chuckled, shaking his head.
Seungcheol approached her to get a better view. "You're pushing yourself too hard. Just let go," he said as she looked up to meet his gaze.
Dami scoffed. "Isn't this what I'm supposed to do?" she asked defiantly.
"You've proven yourself to some extent. But there's still much more you need to demonstrate before I consider allowing you into my group. However, we're done for now," he stated, his tone carrying a hint of authority.
Dami met his gaze with unwavering determination, refusing to show any signs of weakness despite the pain throbbing through her body.
"Dokyeom, take her and tend to her wounds," he instructed, his gaze lingering on Dami for a moment longer before he turned away.
She looked at him, scoffing again. The effects of the drugs already made her high, high enough to have a blind bravery. "You're the weak one here," she mumbled, making him stop in his tracks.
He raised a brow, his cold gaze fixed on her. "Is that so?" he asked, his demeanor remaining composed.
Despite the unexpected defiance from Dami, he maintained his composed demeanor, but underneath, there was a subtle hint of intrigue.
Deep down, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of admiration for her boldness, even in her vulnerable state.
However, he masked any sign of emotion, keeping his expression stoic and unreadable.
"Yes," she answered. Dami was suddenly reminded of her purpose for being there. She was more than willing to murder each one of them. Now at that very moment.
"We'll see about that," Seungcheol replied coolly. "Remember, you still have much more to prove. And I'll be the final judge of your worth. We'll find out then who truly holds the power," he added, his penetrating stare locking onto hers as she fought to keep her eyes open.
As he turned to leave, he instructed again, "Dokyeom, I want her wounds to be treated quickly." His gaze remained fixed ahead, showing no sign of wavering.
Dokyeom shifted his attention from his phone to Dami, noting her barely conscious state with a neutral expression.
He sighed and approached her.
Meanwhile, Vernon, perched on the table next to Dami, who was struggling to breathe due to the wounds on her back, smoked his cigarette calmly while humming along to a song.
"Get up," Dokyeom ordered tersely, offering Dami no sympathy as he gestured for her to rise from the chair.
She struggled to rise from the chair, her hands clutching the table tightly for support.
Dokyeom ran a hand through his hair in frustration, observing her lack of strength.
Well, considering she had just endured a full MMA fight with Jun and suffered three severe stab wounds, it wasn't surprising.
She started to limp towards Dokyeom, her movements strained and unsteady.
As he caught sight of her, he shifted his attention to the door, adjusting his walking speed so she could keep up despite her limp.
Dami felt like the world was spinning around her, the effects of the meth taking their toll.
Numbness spread through her body, dulling the pain to a throbbing intensity, especially where the wounds were, particularly on her neck.
Dokyeom cast subtle glances at her from time to time, making sure she was still following him.
When they reached a white door, he opened it and gestured for Dami to enter first.
She let out a heavy sigh as her gaze met Mingyu's. He was also being tended to, his wound on the neck receiving attention from Joshua—the very wound she had inflicted on him earlier.
Mingyu's lips curled into a derisive sneer as his eyes fell upon her, a scoff escaping his throat.
"Aren't you supposed to be dead?" he blurted out, his gaze fixed on her figure lingering by the doorway, with Dokyeom looming just behind her.
"If your boss hadn't stepped in, they'd be planning your funeral by now," she retorted, though her legs threatened to buckle beneath her.
Mingyu chuckled at her audacity, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.
"Look at you, bitch. I've got one stab wound, while you're bleeding from everywhere," he replied, his tone edged with a mix of derision and superiority.
Just as Dami prepared to retort to Mingyu, Dokyeom's hand shoved into her back, forcing her forward.
She winced as his touch inadvertently pressed against one of her stab wounds, sending a sharp jolt of pain through her body.
"Sorry," Dokyeom mumbled to her, a fleeting moment of empathy crossing his features before he signaled for her to take a seat opposite Mingyu, who appeared ready to jump on her once more.
She lowered herself onto the grimy bed, its surface painted with the remnants of old blood.
Dokyeom turned to gather the necessary supplies to treat her wounds, while Joshua focused on tending to Mingyu's injury. However, his attention kept flickering back to Dami intermittently ever since she entered the room.
When Dokyeom had everything he needed, he gestured towards her with a nod. "Take off your bra," he instructed, causing her to furrow her brows in confusion.
"I won't do that," she replied firmly, her hands clutching the edge of the bed for support as her consciousness began to fade slowly.
Dokyeom sighed, his frustration evident. "Listen, you're wearing a sports bra with no clasps at the back. The wounds are even underneath it, and I need to clean and bandage them properly," he explained.
Dokyeom had no intention of seeing her naked. However, the tension in the room hinted that someone else might have such intentions.
"Then I'll manage on my own," she asserted, attempting to rise. However, Dokyeom's firm hand halted her, gripping her shoulder to keep her from getting up.
"Stop with this bullshit. In our line of work, you'll need to be ready for anything, including being paraded naked in certain missions," Dokyeom stated firmly. "So do us both a favor and remove that bra quickly. You're bleeding a lot," he added, his tone commanding yet tinged with a hint of urgency.
She gazed at him, a realization dawning upon her like a cold wave crashing over her. They were all the same—void of mercy, devoid of empathy. In their world, compassion was a luxury they couldn't afford.
She gulped, acutely aware of all eyes on her, especially Mingyu's piercing gaze.
Sensing the tension, Dokyeom turned away, pretending to get something just to give her a moment of privacy to remove her bra.
As Joshua attended to Mingyu's wound, Mingyu's eyes fixated on her with a smirk, anticipation evident in his gaze.
He couldn't wait for the moment when she would comply with Dokyeom's request, relishing the idea of seeing her vulnerable state.
With a gulp and trembling hands, she began to comply, feeling her breath catch in her throat. Every movement felt like a battle against her own instincts, and she wished for another wound rather than this.
Unfortunately, the door swung open, admitting another member—none other than Minghao, who had entered the room merely to retrieve something.
His eyes briefly met hers before shifting to acknowledge Mingyu and Joshua with a small nod of greeting.
"Dokyeom-ah, I need some valium. Can I find some here?" he inquired, approaching Dokyeom with deliberate steps.
"Yeah, I saw the pill bottle here a few moments ago," he replied, turning to meet Dami's eyes, only to sigh heavily when he noticed she was still wearing her bra.
"Take it off now, or I'll do it for you," he threatened, his patience wearing thin as he grew tired of waiting.
"Fuck," she cursed under her breath, realizing she had no choice but to remove it right there in front of their eyes.
With no cover or bathroom in sight, she had to act quickly. Her vision began to blur, and the world around her started to fade away, adding urgency to her actions.
With a deep breath, her fingers gently worked their way to her bra. Despite the discomfort of the situation, she swiftly removed it, the fabric falling away from her skin.
The sudden rush of cold air against her sensitive skin caused her nipples to harden visibly, accentuating their presence for all to see.
Mingyu, wearing a smirk, couldn't help but gaze at her form, his eyes lingering on her exposed breasts, taking in the sight of her half naked.
She instinctively covered her breasts with her hands, but it was too late. Each of them had already stolen a glance, some accidentally and others with clear intent.
"Don't lean down. I need to tend to your neck before I can address your back," Dokyeom instructed, drawing closer to her.
She sighed in frustration. "Couldn't you have told me this before I took off my bra?" she hissed as Dokyeom applied a cotton swab soaked in antiseptic to her wound.
"Be quiet," he instructed sharply, shutting her down with a firm tone.
"You know, I think if you had taken off your bra while we were fighting, it would've been quite the distraction," Mingyu mocked, noticing the way her small, trembling hands clutched her breasts even tighter.
She decided to ignore him; otherwise, she would start what she wanted to finish.
"Oh, look at you. Your bloody hands painted your pretty breasts all red," he continued to mock her cruelly, while Minghao diverted his attention from the various medications to focus on Mingyu.
"Mingyu, keep your dick in your pants. You're not even funny," he admonished before turning away, not even sparing a glance at Dami.
"Fucker," Mingyu spat before rising to his feet once Joshua had finished.
"No sudden moves, Mingyu. The wound might reopen if you don't take care of it," Joshua cautioned.
Mingyu hummed as he searched for his shirt, realizing he was shirtless.
Meanwhile, Dokyeom continued to treat Dami's wound, her struggle to stay awake becoming increasingly apparent.
Unable to lean back due to her wounds and unable to support herself on her hands as she needed to cover herself, Dami found herself in a fragile position, struggling to find a comfortable stance.
"I can't...bear it anymore," she whispered weakly as Dokyeom lifted his face from her neck to meet her gaze.
"Use your hands, Dami. No one is looking at your breasts," Dokyeom instructed calmly, urging her to support herself with her hands while he continued his work.
But she didn't even hear him. Lost in a haze of drugs and agony, the pain felt like it intensified, the numbness giving way to a renewed wave of agony.
As Dami's eyelids drooped heavily, her consciousness slipping away, her body began to slump towards the mattress.
The room seemed to spin around her, the voices of the others fading into a distant murmur as darkness encroached upon her senses.
With a soft thud, her hands fell limply at her sides, no longer able to maintain their grip. Her back arched slightly as she began to descend towards the bed, her movements slow and unsteady.
Just as her back was about to meet the mattress, Dokyeom's hands gripped her arms in time, preventing her from collapsing completely.
For a moment, there was silence in the room, broken only by the sound of her uneven breathing. Dami's chest rose and fell in shallow, irregular breaths, her features drawn tight with pain even in unconsciousness.
Dokyeom felt a pang of embarrassment as he found her breasts pressing against his well-built chest.
"Somebody help me. I still have to bandage her neck," he called out, his voice stained with urgency as he became acutely aware of all eyes in the room fixed on them.
Mingyu took a step forward, but Minghao swiftly intervened, recognizing that Mingyu harbored no good intentions.
"Let me help you," Minghao offered, taking a seat behind Dami.
With a thoughtful expression, he devised a plan to ensure she remained in a stable position, preventing her wounds from being pressed against the dirty bed.
Gently, Minghao leaned Dami's head against his shoulder, ensuring there was a good distance between their bodies.
He tried to positioned her in a way that prevented her back from touching anything, minimizing any further discomfort or risk of infection.
As Dokyeom began to bandage her neck, Mingyu inched closer, his hands nonchalantly tucked into his pockets.
"Come on, Dokyeom-ah. They're right in front of your face, yet you didn't even taste 'em," Mingyu teased, eliciting a light chuckle from Dokyeom.
"They're kind of distracting me from my work," Dokyeom replied with a grin, earning a smirk from Mingyu in response.
"What are you waiting for?" Mingyu inquired, while Minghao simply observed the exchange in silence.
"I need to treat what you did," Dokyeom replied, resuming his work without missing a beat.
"After you're done here, head down to the basement. There's been an incident with the ketamine shipment that arrived last night," Joshua informed them, his expression grave as he glanced at his phone before he swiftly exited the room.
"Seungcheol hyung is definitely mad," Dokyeom remarked as he finished bandaging Dami's neck. The other two members simply nodded in agreement.
"Alright, help me get her onto her stomach in the bed so I can treat the wounds on her back," Dokyeom instructed.
"It's my time to shine," Mingyu declared, wasting no time in gently maneuvering Dami away from Minghao's shoulder.
As Mingyu took charge, a subtle sneer curled his lips. Instead of assisting with Dami's positioning as instructed, he deliberately pressed his fingers into her wounds, making her furrow her brows in pain.
From her back, one of Mingyu's hands crept closer to Dami's bare breasts, his eyes fixed on them.
As the other members were preoccupied with discussing the sudden problem with the shipment, Mingyu took advantage of the moment to assert his dominance over Dami, relishing in the opportunity to degrade her further.
His finger traced the contours of her breast, a cruel smirk twisting his lips as he slowly cupped one with a rough grip. His thumb pressed harshly on her nipple, causing her to scrunch up in pain even in her unconscious state.
"Mingyu, come on. We need to hurry," Minghao's voice cut through the atmosphere, pulling Mingyu's attention away from chest.
Reluctantly, he complied with Minghao's instruction, tearing his gaze away from Dami's form.
With her unconscious body firmly within his grasp, his touch was deliberate yet devoid of any tenderness.
He tightened his grip around her shoulders, ensuring she was stable in his hold. Slowly and methodically, he began to manipulate her position, shifting her weight to lie face down.
Despite her limp state, Mingyu handled her with a controlled grip, making sure to support her body as he adjusted her onto her stomach.
Once satisfied with her placement, Mingyu released his grip, stepping back with a detached demeanor, leaving Dami lying prone on the bed.
"Dokyeom, hurry up. She lost too much blood," Minghao stated firmly.
Mingyu's attention was drawn to Dami's back, where three sizable wounds continued to ooze blood unabatedly.
"This is what you get for even thinking you can be part of our group," Mingyu muttered under his breath before he exited the room.
Minghao exchanged a glance with Dokyeom as the door closed behind Mingyu.
"I think hyung will accept her in our group," Dokyeom remarked as he began to wipe away the blood from her back.
"Yeah... But she won't last long here. Mingyu's bound to finish her off."
°:. *₊ ° . ° .•
to be continued...
A/N
Perhaps it's the first book in history where Dokyeom is portrayed as the bad boy? :) I wanted to try something different, and I wasn't kidding when I said they can be really cruel.