"I told you, I'm fine!" Shane snorted and Seiji shook his head. He continued treating the deep cut on her hand.
"Holy heavens! I almost got a heart attack!" Yi asked in a high tone. "I thought you were the next victim! I was so scared, you know."
She pooched her lips in guilt. "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to scarify all of you."
The others were looking at her with same expressions plastered on their faces. Her wound sure is deep and if Seiji didn't see her in the bathroom, things might have gotten worse.
"We really thought you were murdered, manager-nim," Zen pouted as he took glances at the two maids who were cleaning the pieces of the shattered mirror.
"I'm sorry, oppa," Shane mooed. "I just wanted to move the mirror near the couch but it slipped. I panicked and immediately picked the pieces up without thinking that it would hurt me. It was my sister's."
"Shesh! Just be careful next time, pabo. You almost croaked the hell out of me. Don't scare me like that again!"
Everyone's brows raised skywards when Eun snarled all of the sudden. His voice went too loud, but he doesn't seem to care though they were already looking at him. He's just looking at Shane seriously.
"I-I'm sorry, oppa. It won't happen again," Shane said and immediately looked down, trying to hide those red spots on her cheeks.
Seiji mentally sighed and continued wrapping her hands with those white bandages. Basically, they're inside Shane's sound-proofed room, the reason why they haven't heard the commotion.
"There!" Seiji carefully placed Shane's hand above her lap when she finished treating it.
"Thanks, oppa," she whispered and stood up to face the boys' worried faces. "Breathe now you, guys! I'm fine, all right?"
They nodded and headed back to their room but then, Eun stayed by so Shane's all stuttering again.
"I-Is there anything you want, op-oppa?" She nervously asked and Eun chuckled.
"Oh, God! Breathe, Shane. Breathe!" She thought when Eun slowly walked towards her direction and stopped in her front.
His hands were inside his side pockets which is just hell-cool. He leaned forward which almost led them nose to nose.
"I just want to say…" he paused and smiled. "Thank you so much, miss Shane Amber Irie."
Her eyes batted and started fidgeting. It's been the first time he called her by her full name. It's just manager-nim, Shane, manager, just as the usual… but this time, it's new to her.
"Come on, we can't rest well if you'll stay out of our sight tonight."
Shane's lips parted when Eun carefully held her uninjured hand and pulled her in their room. Everyone looked amazed to see them together, more likely, with their fingers intertwined.
"Manager-nim will sleep with us tonight since she doesn't feel well," Eun beamed.
"But I'm—"
"Not really feeling well," he cut her off and smirked. "The room's wide and you may use your king-sized bed."
"Jinjja?" Cheon gasped. "Get down there, Chan!" He then ran towards his gigantic friend and pulled him down the bed.
Chan fought back and even pulled Yi who's resting beside him, so they fell down the floor together.
"Aw! My backkk! What was that for?!" Yi groaned, rubbing his back.
Cheon shrugged and led Shane towards the empty bed.
The night was just fine. Nothing to worry about. Zen and Xyler were laughing in one corner. Yi stayed quiet and tried to look cool like he always do. Min and Ten were playing. Seiji and Yohanne were happily talking. Chan and Eun were teasing each other.
"Thank God I'm seeing their happy faces again," Shane mouthed. 'Twas a perfect view for a manager who cares for them a lot.
Shane secretly took a picture of them and sent it to the other managers.
"They're doing well," she was smiling when she sent the photo.
"Thank you, manager-nim," Mr. Armando replied with a smile emoticon. "I would have gone crazy if it wasn't for you."
"We'll soon get over this, manager-nim," one of the managers replied.
"We sure will."
The night passed by peacefully and today's plan is the boys to have their fan meet in Bucheon. Shane is against with it, obviously, since their security will surely be at risk but the boys insisted.
"We're going to be fine, Shane, don't worry," Zen smiled, tapping her shoulders.
"And we owe our fans a lot of attention, you know," Chan added. "We suddenly vanished into thin air and we can't just let it be like that. We love them so much."
The others nodded to agree, so Shane has been left with no choice but to just agree.
"Just be reminded that I can't accompany you," she snorted.
"Oh, please! We don't need a kid to protect us," Yi sarcastically said and a pillow came flying and hit his face.
"Call me a kid again and I'll murder you myself!" Her eyes narrowed at him and he only grinned.
"Geez! Just remember these..." She sat straight and eyed each of them. "First: never go anywhere especially when you're alone."
"What if we want to pee?" Cheon raised a hand.
"Then bring at least two guards with you. One on the inside and one on the outside."
"Right," Min grimaced, nodding his head in sarcasm.
"I'm serious. I can't risk your lives out there, so you have to abide on my terms," Shane marked. "And second, most probably the last: never ever look someone in the eye."
The boys cast her a questioning look.
"Why would that last one be included?" Seiji asked.
Shane looked at Xyler who sat stiffed at the moment.
"Xyler oppa has been hypnotized before he was kidnapped," she said almost in a whisper and Xyler's reactions ended their confusions.
"Those murderers might be one of your fans at that fan-meet and so as you know, they don't have plans on taking all of you at once," Shane added blandly and turned to look at Yi.
"Oppa, do your job as their leader, got that? And you two… Xyler oppa, Yohanne oppa. Since you, guys, are the eldest, please help Yi oppa in taming these kids."
The rest grimaced.
Everything was settled. The boys were accompanied by her trusted guards. The venue was flooded with true and obsessed fans and as early as five AM, they were already there, waiting for their precious boys to arrive.
"Send me an alarm in case something happened, got it? Take care."
Seiji leaned his back as he watch the screaming fans outside the tainted windshield. He don't feel like exposing himself outside since he's kind of scared that something might happen once he step out.
He tapped his watch. Everything seems fine tho. Even Shane's yellow light is also blinking.
"Take care of yourself, Shane," he whispered into thin air before stepping outside the car.
"The boys are fine," Shane whispered and turned the screen off. "Aren't we there yet, Sebastian?"
"I'm afraid not, my lady," Sebastian replied, making her push her lips and sulk in the corner.
"Ian, Clark? Did I hear your names right?"
The two guards at the back seat looked at her through the rear mirror and smiled.
"Yes, milady," they cheerfully answered.
"How old are you?"
The two batted their eyes by her sudden question.
"I'm 20 years old, milady," Clark beamed.
"We're of the same age, milady," Ian added.
"Oh, so, sou guys were only two years older than me, ah?" She muttered, crossing her arms. "I'm sorry if I didn't know that."
The two chuckled.
"It's okay, milady. No one cares about us tho," Ian said she bitterly smiled.
"I think I understand you," she agreed, digging her own feelings towards that person who doesn't care about her.
"We're about there, milady," Sebastian said and Shane immediately leaned forward, so she could focus her vision to what's before them.
Sebastian parked the car behind an oak tree just a meter away from an old, abandoned cabin. That cabin was the last one they could point after checking all the possible locations.
"You sure it's here?" Shane asked and Sebastian nodded. The car is fully bullet-proofed as well as the tires since it's been covered with titanium screen so they're somehow safe inside.
"Should we check inside, milady?" Clark and Ian asked in chorus.
A thin line curved on her lips. "Don't push your luck, lover boys. I can't loss two trusted guards at this rate."
"So, what's the plan?" Clark asked again.
"As crazy as it may sound, but I don't have any," Shane scoffed. "I'm just checking."
"Clark and I can do it," Ian said. "You should stay home where it's safe, milady, and watch them. You're the one they can lean onto right now."
Shane heaved a sigh and slacked down. "Maybe you're right."
On top of that, Sunho's grandfather asked her to not do anything unless she told him beforehand. The situation is too tight and one wrong move might only put Sunho's life in more danger.
"We should just go to Bucheon instead. I'll just let gramps Kim handle this."
Sebastian started the engine and traced their way back.
Sunho bit his lip behind the tape that's been stuck to his mouth and glanced at the woman beside him who's watching the black car outside. A devilish grin plastered on her face when the car left and placed her gun back on the table.
Sunho's eyes were already squinting. It is evident that he has not been sleeping nor had any proper meals. His eye circles had gotten dark indicating frustration and underneath those are healing bruises. The blood on the end of his right brow has dried out, but the wound is still fresh.
As much as he wanted to shout for help but no words will escape from his mouth at this rate. He's already too weak.
"Oh, your precious manager left you?" The woman jeered and her grin went even wider. She then leaned down to look at his face closely, her hands behind her back.
"You're lucky to have her as your manager tho. She's protecting the boys as great as fuck which gave us a hard time to hunt them down and I must admit, she's quite a catch or must be the riddle I gave her is too predictible," she beamed and Sunho winced in pain when she nudged the wound on his shoulder.
"I wonder what she can and do next? The woman's extremely interesting!" Her facial expressions showed no remorse.
Sunho was able to gasped for air when she stopped nudging his wound. He's already chasing his own breath when the door from the right opened and two people entered.
His eyes wobbled when he recognized one of them.
"Can't believe your eyes, don't you?" The woman taunted. "But you have to, Kim Jungmyeon," she plastered a sinister smile. "Anyone can become a devil."