Yeonmi woke up on Saturday morning, in pain and agony. She rolled out of bed and headed to the bathroom to treat her wounds. To her luck, she ran out of medical supplies. She brushed her teeth and left the bathroom.
"Do I even have money to buy more?"Yeonmi went back to her.
She checked her wallet and checked the amount she had. It was barely enough for the supplies, but it was something. Getting dressed in a hoodie and jeans, she began getting ready for the day.
Once finished, she left the house with a hood over her head and avoided all eye contact. Yeonmi could feel eyes burning on her, after every painful night she felt as though everyone knew her embarrassment; a constant judgement from strangers. The weather matched the mood, another dark gloomy day in Seoul. She arrived at her local corner store to pick up medical supplies.
She finished paying, using the rest of her money, and quickly hurries out of the store. Her lightweight body and converse on her feet made practically no sound as she walked. Making her way home she picks up her pace, and suddenly she hears footsteps behind her. The footsteps follow behind her.
It's just a coincidence, there's a lot of people that live here.
Yeonmi didn't believe her own mind and began turning corners and into alleyways to prove her point, but she was right; someone was following her. Her breathing quickened and she reached for her phone.
The first call she made was to Jaemin, but it went straight to voicemail. Haechan was next but it went straight to voicemail as well. Renjun and Jeno's phones rang but they didn't pick up. Chenle's phone went to voicemail as well. Jisung's rang for a second before being cut to voicemail. Her mind goes to Lucas, but he didn't pick up either.
Call him. He's all you've got left. You know you need him.
Yeonmi then goes to a contact she hasn't gone to in almost a year. Mark. She's almost shaking with fear, from the stalkers and calling him. Ring! Ring! Ri-.
"Yeonmi?"He answers confused as to why she called him.
"Mark, please help me."
Her voice said it all, the way she said his name; a switch went off in Mark's brain. It wasn't the phrase, or peas for help, that made him know something was wrong; it was how she said his name.
"Why? What's wrong? Are you okay?"Panic went through his head.
Please don't be what I think it is.
"Someone is following me. Everywhere I went they've followed me; every corner every twist and turn. The others didn't pick up, I didn't know- I didn't know who else to call."
"Where are you now?"Mark asks as he already starts getting ready to get her. He runs to get extra help while keeping his phone on him.
"I'm in the alley route, the one close to the park we went to on your graduation."
"Get to the park, be surrounded by people, they can't get you there."Mark instructs with even more panic coursing through his veins. He quickly pulls the phone away from his face. "Hyung, I need some back up! Emergency!"
As a member from the younger spectrum, of the main group, the message was vague and applied to many. It was a matter of who cared enough to show up or who wasn't already busy. Mark never asked for help, so it wasn't a surprise when footsteps began to rush around the house.
"Please, come quickly."Yeonmi pleads as Mark put his phone close to his face again.
"I will, I will, I promise. I promise I'll get there, Yeonie, just get to the park."The line cut.
Yeonie, guess he remembered after all.
That nickname stung her heart for a second. She shook off the small pang of emotions and continued her path to the park. The nickname brought her back, to the joyful but painful memories. The revealing smile but tears behind them.
Yeonmi continued her way towards the park. The footsteps behind her seemed to multiply, but they never got closer. She had nothing to defend herself, and her training with the Dreamies was only the beginning.
Yeonmi reached the final ally and hurried her way to the end. She made it halfway down the alley before men in black came marching down the same direction. Their hands were clenched in fists and mouths blocked by masks.
"Excuse me," she says, "I need to get through here."Yeonmi explains trying her best to be natural.
"No can do, sweetheart."
Her heart sinks to the bottom of her stomach. Cold sweat dripped down her forehead and she made a break for it. She squeezed through them and began to sprint. Her second of glory came crashing as one of them grabbed her hood and shoved her against the wall.
"No running either."
The bag of medical supplies was ripped from her hand and thrown to the ground. A hand wrapped around her throat and strained her breathing.
"HELP!" She tried to scream, but a hand came and covered her mouth.
The muffled scream rang through the alley and reached her superheroes; well one of them more than the others. They ran towards the direction of the muffled scream, and on Mark's instinct.
Yeonmi reached for her phone but one of the men saw it. He snatched the phone and threw it against the wall, destroying it. The lack of air was getting to her head, and she was sure she was going to die in that alley way. The man let go of her throat and she fell on her knees gasping for air.
Another man came around and kicked her till she fell onto her side. Yeonmi groaned in pain before she was picked up off the ground and shoved to the wall again.
"Let's move out!" One of them shouted.
"Not if I can help it!" Mark shouts as he attacks the men around him.
Lucas and two other men with him attack the men behind the ambush. In the process, Yeonmi gets shoved to the ground once more, getting coated in dirt. A minute or two passes, and soon the sound of police sirens appear in the distance.
All the men stopped at the sounds. The men in black scrambled away, but one decided to take a final kick at Yeonmi. Unfortunately for him, Mark fire a bullet into his side. He went running away, and Mark came running to Yeonmi's side.
She wasn't as frightened as she was the first time, but the tears were still the same. Mark picked her off the ground and carried her on his back. The members ran towards their getaway car together. He places her his first, then hops right it after.
"Yeonie, are you okay?"Mark asks.
A response didn't come, only staggered breathing and panicked eyes. He could feel her body shaking in his arms. This only creates more conflicting emotions as Mark pulls her closer. An amount of sanity returned to both of them, but at what cost.
"Mimi, just breath."Lucas says, trying to help calm her down.
"Yeonmi, I think it's time."Jaehyun tells her.
"Jaehyun, not now."
"I wasn't talking to you, Kun."
*In Mandarin "I just don't want her to ruin her life. Sicheng, why doesn't he understand that our job is dangerous?"Kun says, but of course Jaehyun and Mark don't understand.
*In Mandarin "You're Chinese?"Yeonmi asks, and suddenly all eyes are on her again.
*In Mandarin "You're a smart girl."The one supposedly named Sicheng says.
*In Mandarin "When were you going to tell me you could speak Mandarin?"Lucas questions.
"Never, it was my way of eavesdropping on your conversations with Injun and Lele."
"Even more of a reason for her to join us. We can use her intelligence around the house of idiots."Jaehyun chimes in.
"Seriously, hyung?"Mark asks in disbelief that he isn't finding reasons for her not to join.
"Sign me up."
"Mimi, you don't have to."Lucas desperately tells her.
"I'm a target, I have to; they would've kidnapped me if you guys didn't show up."She reasons.
"Don't say that."Mark closed his eyes, holding her even closer. He lost her once, metaphorically, he doesn't need it physically.
"Let's wait till we get to Taeyong, he'll sort something out."Sicheng says.
They drove for another minute or two before reaching a secluded part of town. The car came to a stop at the end of the street, where the street rounded in a circle to turn back around. A seven foot stone wall surrounded the house, well more like a mansion, and a large gate stood at the front.
"Where-where are we?"
"Our home, the outside looks more intimidating than inside."Kun says while getting out of the car.
Jaehyun opens the gate door with a key, and holds it open for everyone. As soon as they walked in they were greeted by four security guards standing at each side of the gate; you wouldn't have seen them unless you walked in. Security cameras on each side of the gate, connected to the stone wall.
The group walked the stone runway to the house. When they were four feet away from the door Mark pulled Yeonmi into his chest, stopping her motion.
"That grey stone shaped like a heart, next to the red one, with weeds growing in between them, never step on it."The sudden tone twitch from earlier to now made her realize how serious this meant.
Yeonmi looked back and up at him, and nodded, signaling to him that she knew what he meant. Lucas smirked at what he saw, but continued walking as if he saw nothing.
When will he realize?
At the door Jaehyun typed in a long code and a second later something scanned his face, and he opened the door. Yeonmi stared at the door in shock, she saw it with Taeyong, but it wasn't that extreme.
Walking into the house Yeonmi instantly saw Taeyong in the kitchen with the Dreamies. The Dreamies were on their phones and Taeyong was cooking. Taeyong didn't even bother to look up when he heard the door open.
"Mark, Lucas, Kun, Winwin, Jaehyun, what have I said about leaving without telling me?"
So Sicheng is Winwin?
"Taeyong, there's a good reason for that."Jaehyun says, catching Taeyong's attention' making him look up.
He looked to see a beat up Yeonmi, bruised and covered in dirt. The Dreamies looked up and saw their best friend in Mark's arms.
"My sweet child, what happened?"Taeyong asks turning off the stove and rushing over to her.
She didn't even get a chance to open her mouth before Mark spoke for her.
"She was being followed and called me, she tried to call the other Dreamies but they were in a meeting with you so they couldn't answer. It was probably because of the hit on her."
"That's why she called all of us."Jeno says while repeatedly hitting himself in the head.
Jaemin rushes over to her, pulling her out of Mark's arms, and gives her a tight hug' almost as an apology. Yeonmi finally loosened, and melted into her best friend's arms.
"She said she'd join."Jaehyun chimes in.
"Didn't I say not to bring that up yet?"Kun says before going upstairs.
"What?"Jisung shouts out of pure shock
"Who were the attackers?"Renjun asks Lucas, who made his way to the Dreamies.
"No clue."
"No, she can't. No way, I won't allow it."Haechan argues, protecting his only innocent friend.
"I have no choice, Haechan, I could've died today if Mark didn't pick up his phone."Yeonmi responds in her soft voice.
"I'm taking you to Johnny for injuries."Jaemin tells her, finally letting go of the hug.
"I'm fine,"she argues back, but it's no use.
"Your neck and the dirt says otherwise."
"Don't argue Yeonmi, you're beat up."Taeyong says as he helps Jaemin lead her to Johnny's office.