to nct;

Seongwha smiled at your comment as he continued, "they're not too old, just around the same ages as the rest of us since the eldest is 23 and the youngest is 18. They're known to be disgustingly flirtatious and are often swayed by females of other groups manipulating them."

"But if women are always tricking them then wouldn't they have caught on by now? How would I be any better if others already tried before me..."

"The youngest hasn't been approached by many women yet," he chuckled darkly, "he just turned 18 a year ago and according to our sources, tomorrow will be the first time he'll attend one of the Sevren's many clubs. All you have to do is approach him first and then get him to take you to the diamonds."

"And how will I just do that? I'm pretty sure any sane person wouldn't just guide someone to their stock of stolen diamonds," you questioned sarcastically, making an annoyed expression fall over Seonghwa's face.

"Well, that's your test (Y/n). Our clients want the diamonds back in a week and tomorrow is the only time we have a good chance of getting them but that's only if you can pull it off."

Nerves struck your body as you breath caught in your throat. You did wish to start participating in missions and being a part of the group again but you felt unconfident being given such a difficult task so early.

You stared nervously at your reflection in the clear door of the grand building; one of the Sevren family's most famous clubs. Yeosang had suggested you wore an eye-catching glittery dress which wasn't too promiscuous for your age. It was a full sleeve body-con dress fitting right above your knees with glitter around the entire dress (AN: I wanna let you guys think of the colour and actual look). Although you knew it was more a mission, you still couldn't help but feel insecure in the dress which sparkled with every step you took.

It was definitely eye-catching but you didn't know if you enjoyed the attention.

Suddenly, an arm was wrapped around your own as you were lead towards the entrance of the club.

"Wooyoung!" you whispered.

"I don't know why you keep looking at the dress as if we dressed you up like a prostitute, (Y/n)," he laughed obnoxiously, "you look fine. You look your age and Yeosang made sure to get something you'd be comfortable in. If you feel awkward in this then you won't believe what Hongjoong wanted to put you in."

"Wooyoung quit joking around and be serious for once!" a sharp voice called through your earpiece.

Startled, Wooyoung groaned as he showed our fake ID's to the bouncer. "I hear you loud and clear, boss," he spoke once entering the building.

You were left awestruck as you noticed the sheer size of the club; the ceilings themself were higher than anything you'd ever seen. The sounds of laughter engulfed the entire room as you could barely hear anything else around you over the music blasting through the speakers at the large, grand staircase in the centre of the room.

"Alright (Y/n), the youngest son should be on the second floor of the building. You should try avoiding the front staircase since there are guards there but there should be elevators in one of the halls on the sides," you heard Swonghwa speak.

Wooyoung looked towards you as if asking if you heard the given instructions to which you nodded in response. "Let's go then," he smiled, guiding you through the crowds of people.

"So what's the plan?" you questioned, loud enough for him to hear.

Guiding you through the crowd, Wooyoung made it to the side hall as Seongwha instructed. "Shit... there's security."

"What do we-"

"Just follow my lead and don't ruin this."

In an instant, Wooyoung grabbed your arm walking towards the security in haste. Before he could press any button to go up, however, a tall man grabbed a hold of his arm, "sir the rest of the floors are for authorized personnel only."

"Please!" Wooyoung cried, shocking you in the process, "my wife is pregnant and she really needs to use the bathroom but all of them are full at the moment. If she doesn't use the bathroom now I'm afraid something would harm the baby," he continued, putting a hand on your stomach as if a baby was actually growing inside you. 

"I'm really gonna kill him later..."

You sighed, pushing down any embarrassment as you followed in Wooyoung's act, "yes sir, please just let me through it will only take a couple of minutes!"

The man glared at you as you tried to hold a sincere expression until he let go of Wooyoung's arm.

"Thank you!" Wooyoung spoke as engulfed you in a hug, "remember the plan, find the son and find the diamonds," he whispered into your ears before he pushed you through the doors of the elevator.

You breathed deeply as you saw Wooyoung's face become smaller through the closing doors. Your heart was beating too loudly for you to hear anything else as you tried to regain your composure. Your mind was blank of all thoughts or ideas of finding the son. How many rooms would there be? Was he even on the second floor? How would you get him to take you to the diamonds?

With all the questions fogging your mind, you hadn't even noticed yourself getting out of the elevator and walking aimlessly through the halls until you felt a sudden smack against the side of your head.

"Oh my! I'm so sorry!" a voice spoke in haste. "Are you hurt? Can you hear me?"

You groaned as you rubbed your head, the voice making your sudden headache worse. "I'm fine... I think," you chuckled causing the person to let out an airy laugh as well.

"I'm Rei Sevren," the voice spoke.

"I'm-"

Before you could finish your introduction, your eyes widened as you realized who the person was. Looking up, your mouth was agape as you took notice of the very handsome boy smiling in front of you.

"You... you're-"

"Yes..." the boy smiled, "I'm the youngest son of the Sevren's... are you surprised to see me?"

You quickly stood up straight as you smoothed out your dress, "no... my name is (Y/n)..."

"That's a lovely name... but again, I'm so sorry for hitting your head with the door. I didn't know guests were allowed on the second floor."

"They aren't!" you quickly spoke, "I just really... needed to get away from all the chaos downstairs!"

If you said you needed to use the bathroom like Wooyoung said, you knew that he would've left you alone.

"I see... so you don't like all that partying either, huh?"

His words took you by surprise as you stuttered with your reply, "um, yeah I guess. I've never really been used to that kind of environment."

A sincere and kind expression danced along Rei's face as he held a hand out towards you, "then would you like to stay with me up here? I never really meet people my own age... so I don't have friends... but of course, you don't have to!" he splurted.

You chuckled at his actions, "I'd love to, Rei."

"(Y/n) I really hope you're saying all this for the plan... you seem to be slipping up there," Hongjoong's mocking voice said through the earpiece.

You looked to the side in annoyance until you looked up towards the back of the boy's head who was currently leading you somewhere on the floor. Although you didn't want to believe it, you were speaking to him out of genuine kindness, completely forgetting that you were on a mission to betray him in the first place. The boy in front of you, although you didn't know him, seemed too innocent to be set up like this.

Not paying attention to where you were walking, you stood shocked when a breeze of cold air hit your bare skin. Your eyes widened, however, as you noticed the sight in front of you.

"It's beautiful isn't it..."

The two of you stood at a massive balcony overlooking the bottom entrance of the club as you saw the lights and people shining like stars.

"It's breathtaking..." you breathed in awe.

"This is where I often come to be by myself when things feel overwhelming here..."

Hongjoong growled as he took notice of how naive you were being. "Jongho, get down there. She's clearly incompetent for this."

"Hongjoong, give her a chance... who knows, maybe this is all a part of her plan," Seonghwa coaxed the leader.

You looked out at the scene in front of you' bright lights, bodies dancing and laughing all over. But you snapped out of the trance as you recognized the black van parked in the far distance.

"I let him down Akio... I failed everyone, didn't I?"

In an instant, your eyes watered as a pounding headache caused you to grasp your head in pain.

"(Y/n)! Are you okay?" A worried Rei called out.

His voice was hazy as your eyes became blurred. All you could see in your mind was a young boy with choppy black hair smiling down at you. And the fact that you couldn't recognize him caused chills down your spine.

Who the hell is Akio?

•:•.•:•:•:•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•☾☼☽•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•.•:•.•:•:•:

➳ eight | ten

➳ masterlist

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"Amber, why can't we just ask The Decim? They're close with Ateez too so-"

Slamming her hands on the desk, the leader stood up in frustration, "that's exactly why we can't ask them. They're closer to Ateez than they are to us."

"How can you be sure?" Akio scoffed.

"I've asked them to spill some information about Ateez before and the leader warned me at that moment. We may be on good terms with them but their loyalty is to Ateez."

Akio pulled his hair in frustration. They had spent days trying to get any lead on what could've happened to you but there were no ways to do so. No one knows where Ateez's hideout is and no one can ever track down where they're going to be.

"Can't you track them down like we did for the mission, Amber?" Aiko once asked the older woman during dinner.

"No. That mission, although small, was something I tracked for a year. If their small missions are that unpredictable what chance do we have now especially since they're most likely going to be extra careful now?"

"Akio," Amber sighed, "I know you and (Y/n) had a close relation-"

"Don't finish that sentence."

Ever since you had gone missing, Akio fell under a dark spell. He felt as if he was the only one who cared and the only one who actually wanted to find you. He knew you had to be alive even though Amber and Aiko insisted that you weren't. Akio knew you weren't as weak as everyone thought you were.

"This isn't about my relationship with her, this is about you not caring about your members! You're just going to leave (Y/n) out to die and even if she is dead then you don't even want to know what happened to her? You let my mom die and my dad... and now her."

"Akio hang on-"

"No!" he cried, pain and hurt written all over his face, "I lost everyone... and every single time you were the only one that lived. You made (Y/n) feel ashamed of herself before we lost her... she wasn't even happy and you're just leaving her like that?"

Amber was stunned at the boys' words as she couldn't find the courage in her to look at his pleading eyes. She knew everything he said was right but didn't want to admit it. Perhaps, it was all the karma from when they first lost Akira. She knew it was her fault but suppressed the thoughts until now; it was all she was able to do after all.

Akio knew he wasn't going to get any reply from their leader but turned to look at her before he left, "Amber, I'm not asking you to be some kind of Superman. Just don't play the victim and fix one of your mistakes...just once."

"(Y/n), I thought Seonghwa told you not to touch anything."

Your eyes widened at the sound of your leader's voice as you felt the picture being ripped out of your hands. Hongjoong, now in front of you, looked dark as his body was tensed with anger.

"I'm sorry," you stuttered, words barely being able to exit your mouth in fear.

Hongjoong let out a deep breath as he placed the picture frame back on the table and grabbed your hand, pulling you up the stairs. You yelped in pain which caused him to tighten his hold on you until he nudged you into the living room where all the members were sitting.

"And here's our secret weapon now," Seonghwa smiled, looking at his members as he walked up to you.

The one who you remembered as San stood up instantly, "there's no way you're planning on taking her with us."

"The Sevren have a known soft spot for women. We can get someone we know working in their building to let her in," the older male continued.

"So what is she even supposed to do?" Yeosang questioned.

"When I heard there was a new mission, I remember Yeosang told me I would just be observing," you tried to add but seemingly went unnoticed by everyone.

"I can act as her husband if she needs someone to go with her."

"Wooyoung, please," Seongwha scolded.

Your mind was flooded with questions as you listened to what the boys were saying in confusion. Looking towards Hongjoong for any kind of help, he simply gave you an annoyed glare as he leaned on the door frame, watching everyone from the side.

"So it's decided then," the leader suddenly spoke up, walking towards the center, "(Y/n) will be assisting us tomorrow and will redeem herself on her first mission since the accident."

Worried, Jongho spoke up, "she barely remembers anything, Hongjoong. Don't you think this is going to be too dangerous for her?"

"Jongho..." the leader replied, venom lacing his tone, "how is it your place to talk about dangerous missions. Don't forget that this is your first 'big' mission too. Don't overstep your boundaries."

The room instantly went quiet as Hongjoong looked towards Seongwha, the two of them exiting together until Seonghwa took hold of your wrist, dragging you along as well. The six boys sat quietly in the room as they replayed the plan in their heads.

"How could Hongjoong already decide to let her go on a mission with us?" Mingi spoke, "she hasn't shown us any of her 'skills', remember?"

Sighing, San stood up, "I'd agree if we weren't talking about our leader. He's smart and he always knows what he's doing."

"She could get hurt!" Mingi retorted.

"And? We barely even know her so it wouldn't affect us at all," Wooyoung commented as he laughed, grabbing a beer from the cupboard beside him.

Jongho had been quiet throughout most of the meeting as only one thought ran through his mind.

Would you even be okay?

He didn't feel anything towards you, but the young member was slightly worried and guilty. He knew you didn't deserve all the lies, especially because of how kind you had been. Jongho never did have a proper childhood after joining Ateez but after meeting you, even if he would never admit it, he felt like a schoolboy again.

"Jongho?"

In an instant, Jongho's eyes widened as he felt his shoulders being shaken.

"God, I thought we lost you," Wooyoung obnoxiously chuckled, "we were asking what you think of all this. You're especially close to the girl, aren't you?"

Jongho's breath caught in his throat as his cheeks flushed with tints of red, "I'm not that close to her..."

"You're literally always around her," San added.

"She's always around me!"

"No, it seems like you follow her around-"

"Enough!" Yunho exclaimed, fed up with the group's childish antics. "(Y/n) will be fine and I can say that with confidence because unlike you idiots, I didn't forget how she's here in the first place." Looking around, Yunho groaned as all he saw were blank faces, "the blast from the bomb should've killed her especially since it was under the car she was in. Yeah, Jongho got scarred a bit too but he was further away so he had minor injuries but that girl should've been dead. She's clearly someone strong if she was able to withstand that."

The boys around him nodded in understanding as they remembered how surprised they all were when they saw that you were breathing after the blast. Amber's group was always known to have a black sheep in the group; someone stronger, faster, and more skilled than most, but Ateez were still unsure if that was you.

Wooyoung scoffed at his friend's words, "I mean, none of that matters. Even if she is or isn't their 'amazing member', people always do best in fight or flight situations," he grinned wickedly.

"Hongjoong I just want answers!"

After Seonghwa dragged you along with him and Hongjoong, you became furious as your mind was scrambled with questions. Ever since you had woken up, you felt as if you didn't truly know anything and it didn't help that none of Ateez were giving you any information.

"What do you want to know?" Hongjoong questioned abruptly, turning towards you as you froze at his expression.

"I just..." your leader seemed furiously upset and you were too scared to continue until you felt a warm hand upon your shoulder.

"It's okay, (Y/n)" Seongwha whispered.

Taking a deep breath, your eyes sharpened as you confronted the man in front of you, "ever since I woke up, no one's been giving me actual answers. Who are these people in this group; who am I in this group and how the hell do you know my mother?"

The last question had taken Hongjoong by surprise as Seonghwa visibly stiffened as well, taking his hand off of your shoulder. He never thought you would end up confronting him; he thought the rest of the boys were doing their part in making his lies seem believable.

"Look," he sighed, "you went through a really bad accident which made you lose your memories. You know that, right?" You glared at him, causing him to stumble as he realized you didn't appreciate his joke. "The boys all have their own personalities and stories. If you forgot all of them then I can't sum any of that for you in a couple of minutes, not even an hour or a day.

As for who you are in this group... we'll have to reassess that. And finally, I barely know who you're talking about; if it's that woman in the picture you were looking at then that was a friend of my mom's, I'd guess."

"You'd guess?"

"Would you keep tabs on and know everything about your mom's friend?"

"Well I wouldn't know because she's dead..." you laughed dryly.

However, Hongjoong wasn't laughing; nor did he hold any pity towards you. Instead, your leader held a face of anger as he walked up to you, making you stumble back into Seonghwa's chest. "Look, I know you lost your memories but at this point, I don't even know who you are anymore. We all know your mom's dead, alright? That doesn't give you the right to use that to talk back to me because guess what? My mom is dead too! And so is Wooyoung's! And Yeosangs! So don't use your dead parents against anyone in this group."

As he pushed passed you, Hongjoong looked towards Seonghwa to which he nodded as he ultimately left the room.

"(Y/n)..." Seonghwa breathed out, obviously in disappointment.

"I know... you shouldn't talk back to him..."

"(Y/n) what we tell you isn't for his sake and for his ego. It's for your safety."

"I just felt so upset when he said that... it was as if he doesn't know..."

"He does. Trust me he knows the story of everyone in this group. It's you who doesn't and that's why he lashed out like he did... You used to be the one who knew and understood all of us; you were like a rock for the whole group.

Ever since you woke up, I know that you feel like you don't know anyone but that's how everyone feels towards you.

You don't know who we are but we don't know who you are."

•:•.•:•:•:•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•☾☼☽•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•.•:•.•:•:•:

➳ seven | nine

➳ masterlist

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"Are you serious? Finally!" you exclaimed, jumping out of your seat while almost making the chair fall back.

Hongjoong laughed as you heard Seonghwa kiss his teeth from his desk, who you kept forgetting was even in the room. You were interested to know more about the older male as he seemed like he could be the leader aside from Hongjoong in every aspect - but he wasn't.

"That's all I really wanted to discuss with you so you can go."

You nodded as you made your way towards the door until you froze as you placed your hand on the doorknob, "Actually Hongjoong, I've been confused about what I'm supposed to do here... Jongho and Yeosang always seem to need to get back to their 'post' or 'work' but since I'm not in bed anymore is there anything I should be doing?"

Hongjoong's eyebrow slightly shifted as his lips turned at the corners of his mouth.

"Well, you used to help San and Yunho with their work but since you seem to have forgotten them maybe you should just take a day off!"

"San and Yunho? Who are they? What do they do?" you questioned.

Standing from his area, Seonghwa gathered his papers as he lead you back to the door, "Yunho is our designated hacker while San is our dealer. You used to help Yunho with some codes, counted the money that San would make, and tracked how much product we had."

Your mind spun with the new information as you heard about all the work you used to do and how much you helped in the group. Yet it irritated you that even though the members told you all this information, you couldn't remember any of it.

For some reason, it made you feel useless.

"I don't think you're going to get your memories back that easily, (Y/n)."

"I mean, it's what happens in movies! When they see familiar faces or places they get some memories or something!"

"So you can remember movies but not your members."

After you left Hongjoong's office, Jongho guided you to the kitchen as he said he needed some help cutting the vegetables. You felt happy that you could still laugh and have a nice conversation with someone like him despite everything in your mind feeling chaotic and restless.

"I'm excited to meet everyone... what are they like?"

"Well, who've you met so far?"

Your eyebrows furrowed as you tried to recollect all the members you'd actually talked to, "well there's you, Yeosang, Hongjoong, Seongwha, Mingi... and I guess that's it."

"Then you only need to get introduced to three more of our members. There's San, Yunho, and Wooyoung."

"Wooyoung?" you asked curiously, "I only heard Seonngwha mention San and Yunho."

"Wooyoung is an interesting guy," Jongho laughed, "he's our weapon holder and occasional 'designated gambler' too."

As the two of you walked down the hallway, you thought about all the different roles everyone has in the group and it made you wonder what your role was.

"Jongho, it's time I take her off your hands." Your thoughts were cut off as you looked to see Seonghwa walking towards you, "Hongjoong instructed me to show you around the house an 'official' guide. If we see any of the members you haven't met then you can meet them as well."

Jongho simply nodded his head and glanced slightly towards you, walking past Seongwha and leaving you behind.

"Well then, how about we start at the gardens outside, then make our way indoors?" the older male asked as he raised his arm in the direction of the nearest door.

His sudden stoicism made you smile a bit as you remembered how much more casual he was when he was in Hongjoong's office. You followed Seonghwa in silence as you felt the sunlight hit your figure the moment he opened the door. "So, this is our garden. Hongjoong's mother always had a fascination for flowers since she was a botanist. None of us particularly enjoy caring for this garden anymore but Hongjoong insists we keep it lively in honour of her."

You walked with Seongwha around the quaint garden you had seen a couple of times since you had awoken but it piqued your interest to hear more history and meaning behind things in the house.

"In honour of her? Is she... never mind," you quickly caught on to your mistake as you scratched the back of your neck.

Seongwha took a deep breath, "she's since passed due to an accident on the road. It wasn't anything involving this lifestyle but..." You looked in pity towards the older male as he recollected himself and looked at you with a slight smile, "let's just continue."

Making your way back into the house, you couldn't help but become more curious about Hongjoong and his past. You probably knew more about him but it frustrated you that you lost all the memories you had about them.

It felt like you were around complete strangers.

"You've seen the main floor already so I'll just explain things quickly," Seonwgha began as he stopped in his tracks, "the kitchen is where we all eat together. All of us always eat together unless something comes up. And the living room is where we mostly hold meetings since the empty room which we planned to turn into a group office, turned into your bedroom. And of course, your bedroom was made to be on the first floor so that the boys wouldn't bother you upstairs."

You chuckled, "so if that room was empty, where did I use to sleep?"

Seonghwa's eyes widened as he coughed and began to stutter, "that was always your room. It was never empty."

"But you said-"

Letting out a loud cough, Seonghwa brushed off his shirt, "let's continue. Shall we?"

You nodded, deciding to let go of the subject as you followed him up the stairs to the bedrooms.

"I assume this is going to be the most boring part so," he sighed before he continued, "me, Hongjoong, and Wooyoung share the room on the left. It's mainly for us to keep an eye on him."

"Why would you need to keep an eye on him? Is he-"

"Yeosang and Jongho share the middle room while Yunho, Mingi, and San share this one, on the right," Seongwha finished as he cut you off. "Next, we should make our way down to the basement since that's where-"

He was suddenly cut off by an unfamiliar figure coming out of the room on the right. Your eyes widened at the man's handsome features from his sharp jawline to his intimidatingly inviting eyes. You weren't the only one shocked, however, as the man in front of you and Seongwha stopped in his tracks with a towel around his neck and the water from his hair trickling down his neck.

"(Y/n), this is San." Seonghwa introduced. "San, this is-"

"(Y/n)!" the man named San exclaimed, catching you by surprise and throwing his arms around you, spinning you so he was beside Seongwha rather than you. "Wow, I can't believe I'm seeing you again! I seriously thought you died," he laughed until the older male elbowed his side.

San's enthusiasm made a smile appear on your face until it slowly disappeared again. "I'm sorry I don't really remember you... maybe we can become as close as we were before! Hongjoong told me I used to help you with your deals-"

"He said what?" San questioned in surprise.

"He said she used to help count the money you made after your excursions," Seonghwa cut in and spoke through a seemingly forced smile.

"Right!" San stuttered, "you were just out for so long that I forgot we used to do that together!"

You looked at the two men, confused about their awkward and strange composure.

"Jongho told me I was only out for like a night..."

Seongwha's eyes widened as he instinctively grabbed a hold of your wrist, dragging you away, "okay! I think that's enough from San. What a jester," he laughed as he looked back and glared at the younger boy.

"He seemed like he was acting weird."

"He's always that that," Seonghwa stopped as he tried to catch his breath before continuing to lead you into the basement. "Our basement is actually the largest part of the house since it's where everything is; the practice rooms; weapons; drugs-"

Your mind seemed to become blank as you heard the things Seonghwa said. Weapons? Drugs? Was this really the life you lived?

"Here we are." Your eyes widened at the large space in front of you. In the middle was a small open space, similar to a living room as it had three couches with a small table. On both sides of it, however, were two long hallways with several doors. Noticing your entranced state, Seonghwa smiled to himself before continuing, "in the left hall we have all the training rooms from physical combat to weaponry. On the opposite side are all the materialistic things like weapons and supplies. It's a pretty simple system, you just have to get used to where specific things are."

"Would you look at that! It's (Y/n)."

You suddenly snapped out of your trance by a new voice, only to see a man with tan skin and equally gorgeous hair.

Seonghwa sighed in what seemed like a disappointment. "(Y/n), this is Wooyoung-"

"It's a pleasure to see you again," Wooyoung cooed as he walked towards you, taking your hand in his and leaving a kiss on the back of it.

"Seongwha! Wooyoung!" you heard a voice similar to Jongho's call from the top of the stairs, "Hongjoong called an emergency meeting, we need you two up here now!"

Looking towards Seongwha, Wooyoung made his way up as the older male turned back towards you.

"I'm guessing 'you two' meant that I shouldn't come..."

Seonghwa's eyes furrowed in pity as he put his hands on your shoulders, "just stay here for the time being. Sit on the couches, don't touch anything, and just don't go into any of the rooms," he smiled as he quickly followed Wooyoung upstairs.

You sighed in slight disappointment and sadness but you knew the boys couldn't yet bombard you with missions since you had just woken up. You made your way to one of the couches as you looked around only to see a picture frame. You looked behind you to be sure no one was around; Seongwha told you not to touch anything but curiosity got the better of you.

You examined the image as you noticed a child who seemed to be Hongjoong when he was younger due to some similar features. The young boy in the picture was stood in between two women, one in a lab coat and one in a plain white dress. However, your eyes widened as you noticed a familiar-looking pendant around the neck of the woman in the white dress. Quickly going through your pocket, you pulled out the pendant that you remembered belonged to your mother.

It was the only thing you could actually remember.

You frantically looked back and forth at both the pendants as your mind was filled with never-ending questions.

The woman in the picture had to have been your mother.

But how did Hongjoong know her?

"(Y/n)...

I thought Seonghwa told you not to touch anything."

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I haven't updated in so long :(( my mental health hadn't been the best so i needed to take some time off! i'm hoping to start updating this again soon though!

happy new years my loves. may 2022 bring you all so much joy, happiness, and many blessings ♡

- g

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➳ six | eight

➳ masterlist

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"huang renjun?"

i stood up in haste. "yes sir, that's me."

he looked at me with a saddened expression. "i apologize, but her results are not looking too good."

"no."

"sir?"

"smile and tell me that she's fine." a pause followed as the air around us was heavy. "didn't you hear me? i said tell me she's fine."

the doctor was silent, and it infuriated me. you were able to smile even in the saddest of moments, telling me that you were happy even when you shouldn't have been.

"I'm sorry sir. i'll return to tell you the rest of our policy. she doesn't have much time left."

i sat back down and you were still smiling. though your chest was still moving, it had slowed since the last time i saw it.

"how are you so happy about this? i'd be in tears if i was you."

"hm, I'm not sure. i mean, yeah i failed an important exam but it's not like my life is over. as long as I'm here with the people i love, i really don't have a reason to be sad.

everything will be okay!"

i tried... i tried so hard, but i couldn't hold back the large sob that was growing in my throat. tears ran down my cheeks.

"renjun, i got- renjun?" my sister walked into the room until she stopped, confused at my expression. "why are you smiling?"

"i don't know."

"why are you crying then?"

"i don't know."

in an instant, the bag of groceries left my sister's hands.

the sound of the heart monitor was so loud - so overbearing. rather than the single beating sounds, it was one static noise.

dropping to her knees, my sister buried her face into her hands.

suddenly, a loud sob escaped my lips. i couldn't smile. i couldn't sit there and lie to myself.

is that how you felt that day, (y/n)? the first time i ever saw a frown adorn your face. we sat on the edge of the roof as the sprinklers in the greenhouse behind us filled the air. you weren't happy that day but i ignored it.

though i wish i hadn't.

that day, were you finally tired of lying to yourself? of lying to everyone?

He smiled in return and looked around the room awkwardly as if he wasn't sure what to do next which prompted you to break the silence. You weren't sure who he was at all; you weren't even sure if he was a part of 'your' gang called Ateez.

"Yeosang, wait!" you exclaimed before he could leave, "do I know you too? Are you a part of Ateez as well?"

His eyes shifted in response to your question as he tried to look everywhere but at you, "yeah," he stuttered, "you and I were close..."

You smiled in curiosity. After meeting three of the members you felt eager to meet the rest, if there were more, that is. You wanted to learn about your relationship with each of them, especially since Hongjoong told you that you had been with them since you were a child.

The more you thought about the things they told you, the more your mind wandered. They looked to be around your age so they must have been in the group as children too unless they joined later. And if you were taken in as a kid, who took care of you? Those were the questions you truly wanted to learn. You wished to ask them everything as you realized that you no longer felt anxious and worried like you did the day before; you now felt eager and ready to learn more.

You just wanted your life back.

"Yeosang," you spoke in haste which seemed to startle him, "are there more people? I want to actually meet everyone! Unless it's just you, Jongho, and Hongjoong."

He laughed slightly, "there are more of us; 5 more actually. But Hongjoong or Jongho should be the ones to decide when you meet them."

"Why? It's morning so... are they eating breakfast together?"

"They are but Hongjoong is the leader of our group while Jongho is the doctor. I'm just the assassin or sniper..."

You huffed as he began to make his way to the door until another thought quickly popped into your mind. "Wait, Yeosang! Who teaches hand-to-hand combat?"

The question seemed to stun and confuse Yeosang as his eyebrows wavered, "I mean, Mingi specializes in it but he's never really taught-"

"I want to meet him."

"Why?"

"I want to meet him," you repeated sternly.

Yeosang was left dumbfounded and almost frightened. Jongho had told him that you were shy and afraid but in front of him you were fascinated and more than awake and well. Then again, Yeosang wasn't the doctor and held the mere position of the group's assassin and designated shooter.

"I guess..." Yeosang wanted to help but he knew it wasn't his place, "Jongho will come later and I'll let him know. He'll decide."

And with that, he made his way quickly out the door before you were able to stop him.

"Hongjoong, you might want to take a look at the girl with Jongho," Yeosang instructed with a serious face as he made his way to the dining table.

The boys sitting around each other stared at him blankly as they were caught off guard from their meal made by the leader's very own right-hand man. Hongjoong stood up as he wiped his mouth and passed his plate to Seongwha who was promptly waiting for everyone else to finish. "What's the problem now, Yeosang? She's a scared girl who lost all her memories-"

"No. She's acting weird... you guys told me she was shy like a puppy but she's so... forward and happy. And she said she wants to meet Mingi! That girl, out of nowhere, started asking who was in charge of hand to hand."

Jongho felt a wave of confusion fall over him at Yeosang's words. When he checked up on you last night while you were sleeping you were shaking from anxiety and fear; now hearing his member say you were more than happy seemed out of character. Finishing up his food in haste, he stood up as he made his way to your room, wanting to see your actions himself.

"(Y/n), hey. It's Jongho," he spoke as he was sure to knock on your door before entering. Before Jongho could turn the knob, he was hit in the face with the door. "I guess you found the clothes we left for you," he chuckled while rubbing his head.

You smiled at his words, "yeah and they fit really well, thanks! But I need to meet Mingi."

Jongho's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He knew Yeosang told them that you were asking for someone who taught hand-to-hand combat but the reason for why you did had him on edge. "What happened, (Y/n)? Did you wanna learn everything this quick, I mean you should probably rest a bit more."

"I'm tired of waiting! I've been laying in that bed long enough and I keep getting these 'flashes' of moments in my mind which seem like memories. I saw someone showing me how to defend with hand-to-hand and I really want to meet them... maybe it'll trigger more memories."

The boy stood saddened and stunned at your words. For the first time since he joined Ateez, he felt as if his leader was wrong. He didn't like that his leader was keeping you here with people you didn't know and he hated that he had to be the one to create each lie. But maybe, he thought he didn't have to be.

"Look, (Y/n), I know I told you that you were close to all of us but in reality-"

"You were only close to some of us. Boohoo Jongho, we know you two didn't talk as much before but it's not a big deal!"

You panicked as you felt cold, rough hands suddenly fall on top of your shoulders only for you to look back to see a tall, muscular man with small scars and scratches littering his body. The man smiled which triggered your lips to turn upwards as his eyes smiled with him, giving him a cute appearance; despite the rest of his body.

"I'm Mingi," the man stated as he leaned on the wall, "Yeosang told us you were looking for me and I wish I could've seen you sooner, but I'm glad you remembered me, (Y/n)!"

Your eyes widened. So he's the combatant that you must've heard in your 'memory'.

"Hey... Mingi? I feel bad that I don't remember you but I saw something like a memory and it was you! You were talking about showing me defensive methods!"

Jongho stood unsteadily as you and Mingi continued to make conversation. He knew, based on his group member's sudden appearance and blatant lies, Hongjoong had probably told him what to say and do. The boy sighed until he looked up and realized his suspicions were true; Hongjoong was peeking through the corner and Jongho shuddered as he noticed his leader moving his finger, alerting Jongho to meet him.

"What do you plan to do if she has a distinct memory of the faces of her old members, Hongjoong?"

While Seongwha was in the middle of contacting new clients and tasks, Hongjoong sat at his desk and sat in deep thought.

"Well, I assume the best plan would be to say her memories are wrong... it's the worst-case scenario of what she could remember but I suppose we deal with it when the time comes. After all," Hongjoong spoke as he stood up, "this girl isn't going to distract us from our real business. At the end of the day, we are a gang with other means to make money; she's simply someone we are trying to recruit."

Seongwha smirked at his leader's words until his thoughts were cut off by a loud knock at the door.

"Ah, Jongho!" Hongjoong cooed, "come in."

"I don't want to continue telling lies to the girl." Jongho looked rugged and panicked as he was breathing heavier than normal, which Hongjoong, of course, took curiosity in.

Smiling to himself, Hongjoong began circling the younger boy, "have you taken a liking to this girl?"

"No, I just-"

"Are you really going to go against your leader for this girl?"

"No Hongjoong if you just let me-"

"She, Jongho, is a recruit." Hongjoong spoke with venom gracing his words as he held the young boy's hair in a tight grip, "we are doing this for a good cause. And she's going to be better off with us... we would never take her on a mission as foolishly as her old group did," he laughed.

"So, that's the dream or 'memory' that you had of me, huh?"

Mingi had brought you outside the house into what looked to be a backyard garden. There were bushes of flowers and stoned tiles beautifully lining the ground which questioned how this was a house of gang members.

You shuffled a little on the bench Mingi had led you to as you sighed in response, "I just saw myself practicing with someone and if you're the one that does combat then please, tell me about my past... I'm just scared and I want to remember everything as fast as possible."

"I get it," he breathed as he stretched his arms atop the bench, "but don't worry. You and I were close and if anything, you were close with all of us..."

Your eyebrows furrowed as you became frustrated with his answer. You knew that you were probably close with everyone but you wanted everyone to explain your unique relationships with them. You forgot your memories sure, but you hadn't forgotten basic human relationships and how different people you meet have a different kind of 'connection' to you.

"Sure we were close but tell me about us."

Mingi's breath hitched as he gave you a confused look, "what do you mean by that?"

Groaning, you began to try to provide a better explanation, "You know, some people are the ones you can trust, some are the ones who you simple laugh and fool around with and some are the ones that give you butterflies and stuff. What type of person were you to me?"

You noticed Mingi looking off at the flowers around him as he seemed to be thinking of an answer. You chuckled as he turned to you and squinted as he looked at you which prompted a small laugh out of him too. "Well, I think we had a really calm relationship. I was the one you could come to relax with if you were stressed and get some advice if you needed it. After all, sometimes hitting something is known to calm people down."

You laughed at his jokes as the two of you sat in silence for a couple of minutes until you spotted Yeosang walking towards you two, "hey Mingi, Hongjoong needed to see you about the next mission."

"But I'm with-"

"I'll keep (Y/n) company. You know Hongjoong doesn't like to wait," Yeosang prompted as he sat on the other side of you.

Mingi groaned as he stood, giving you a glance before he made his way back into the house. Yeosang sat quietly beside you as you began to feel slightly uncomfortable by the silence around you.

"There's a mission coming up?" you asked the boy beside you.

Yeosang sat up, "yeah, Hongjoong wants you to observe for this one..."

Your eyes widened in response to his words, "he wants me to observe? Does that mean I'm coming with all of you?"

"Well not all of us," Yeosang spoke as his voice raised slightly, "it'll be you and someone else. It's a small but complex mission so we have to split up. For a lot of our missions, we actually don't all stick together since going in groups can make it easier to be caught."

You nodded your head in understanding, eager to learn and hopefully remember more about your missions and how to properly conduct them. You frowned, however, as you remember you still had little to no memories of the missions which would probably make you bothersome to everyone else.

Noticing your sorrowed expression, Yeosang cleared his throat, "in case you're worried, you won't be really involved in it. Hongjoong wants to bring you along so it hopefully triggers some sort of memories."

You smiled in response until you were cut off from a voice calling from the house, "hey you two, Hongjoong wants you both inside!"

"Thanks, San, we'll be right there," Yeosang yelled back.

"San?"

Standing and taking your hand to guide you up as well, Yeosang chuckled a little, "yeah, he's one of our members. Hopefully, you'll meet them all soon; Hongjoong's a bit busy dealing with stuff so he hasn't found a time to introduce you to everyone."

Your eyebrows furrowed as a thought entered your mind, "why is Hongjoong in charge of every little thing. Since the second I woke up all I've heard about is how Hongjoong's the one to decide everything around here. Does no one else get any say?"

Yeosang looked at you in surprise and slight anger until he looked away to collect himself. "Don't let Hongjoong hear that," he laughed, "his father is the one who built all this from the ground up so he has all authority while we can't say anything against him. He saved all of us. All of us."

As the two of you entered the house you were surprised to see Jongho waiting for you, "they're waiting in the living room," he prompted Yeosang, to which he nodded in response. Jongho smiled as he turned to you, "I hope you've been having a good day so far."

"I have, I think," you chuckled, "Mingi was really nice and I felt calm around him."

"Yeah, he's like that. Mingi's the calm and collected one in the group even though he's in charge of fighting. By the way," he added as he cleared his throat, "Hongjoong wants you in your room while we have the meeting... it's a bit important about how we should go by training and preparing you since you don't really have your memories..."

You sighed, slightly disappointed at his instructions but you obliged anyway, making your way to your bedroom.

"I don't get why I have to sit at a meeting to talk about a girl that I haven't even met yet," San sighed as he rested his head atop his hand.

Taking his seat beside the leader, Seonghwa scoffed at his member's lazy antics, "you'll meet her soon enough but this is a bigger situation than all of you realize. If we tell one lie out of place then it could mess everything up."

"So, what are you getting at?" Wooyoung questioned.

"Well, Mingi reported to us that (Y/n) had begun to ask about his 'relationship' with her. In this case, we should all make up our own identities and past with her as if we actually spent time with her so that we each know what to say."

Standing up, Hongjoong straightened out his leather jacket, "Mingi already said he had a 'chill' friendship with her... I mean those were his words - not mine."

The rest of the boys chuckled at the leader's uncomfortable use of words until Seongwha slammed his fist on the table beside him, quickly making everyone go silent. "This is serious stuff. Like I mentioned before, if one lie goes out of place this could all fall apart. We all need to know what to discuss and what not to discuss as well in case people say things that don't exactly correspond with each other," Seonghwa lectured.

"So how is this going down? Do we all just say what make-up relationship we have with her or...?" Yeosang added out of curiosity.

As a grim smile formed on his face, Hongjoongs mind filled with lies upon lies to form your backstory.

To create a new you.

"That's exactly what we'll do... and let's have some fun with it too," he laughed dryly as he prompted Seongwha to begin writing on the large whiteboard in the room.

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HI EVERYONE! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! This story will 100% get intense I'm literally so many chapters ahead and let me tell yall-

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➳ five | seven

➳ masterlist

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Darting your eyes around the room, your heart sped up as you didn't remember where you were. You couldn't remember anything. The covers flew off the bed as you got up, rushing around the room to inspect exactly where you were. Digging through the drawers and looking through pictures, your mind became dizzy as it overflowed with confusing information.

Your head suddenly snapped towards the door as you heard the moving handle, only to see a young man standing there with a cup in his hands. "Looks like you're awake," he smiled lightly.

"Who are you?" you stuttered, your voice getting stuck in your throat, "And where am I?"

Placing the cup of what looked like tea on the table, the man adjusted his shirt as if readying himself for a formal interview, "my name's Jongho and you're at my house."

"I don't know you... do I? I don't remember anything I-" you began to stutter

The boy named Jongho began to approach you slowly as he placed his arms in front of himself, "Woah, woah..." he calmed, "don't worry, you'll be okay."

"I don't even know what to say to you or what to ask! Was I hurt or something?"

"Why would you assume that?" He stopped moving.

"I don't know..." you shrugged, calming down a bit as the atmosphere became less tense, "in the books a character always wakes up confused when they get injured."

Scratching the back of his neck, Jongho chuckled as he pointed his hand towards your bed, indicating for you to take a seat. "Well I mean, you're not wrong about you being injured-"

"You got really hurt in one of our missions!" a new voice called from the door.

Turning your head, you noticed a tall man with red hair. His face was quite long and structured which gave him a very handsome look.

"Our... mission?" you questioned.

The man quickly walked up to Jongho before he could say anything and immediately began talking over him, "yes, you don't remember? Ah... you must've forgotten that too. You're a member of our gang, Ateez. Some group named the Crystal Knives tried to attack us and bombed the area you were patrolling!"

You stared blankly at the red-haired male leaning on Jongho. Your mind was running all over the place as you tried to take in his words as you attempted to recall any memories... anything at all. Thinking long and hard, you managed to remember the general situation... being a part of a gang and being in a mission.

"How long have I been part of this group? you asked curiously.

The male answered with a sly smile, "Ever since you were a little girl."

Pushing the male off his shoulder, Jongho voiced his annoyance at the moment, "leave her alone, Hongjoong. We shouldn't be telling her so much information right now since she just woke up. And I think I need to have a talk with you outside... alone."

Before the man. Hongjoong, was able to reply he was pulled out by Jongho. After following their movements you looked down at your bedsheets, trying to figure out what was going on. According to Hongjoong, you were a member of their group which means you knew them. Other than that, you had no knowledge about anything other than your name, (F/n) (L/n).

Looking around, your eyes focused on a gold necklace sitting on the dresser with a matching pendant. "Is this mine?" you spoke to yourself, caressing the pendant and opening it only to see an image of a young child, "who is this?"

"Why are you making up all those lies?" Jongho seethed as he shoved his leader in front of him, outside of your room

Sighing, Hongjoong straightened his shirt and stood tall, "don't forget who you're talking to, Jongho. If I'm the leader wouldn't you think I had a plan?"

The younger male froze in his place, "I'm sorry..."

"I excuse your actions but don't forget that I know what I'm doing," Hongjoong sternly finished as he made his way down the hall, "by the way, make your way to the living room in 20 minutes. I'll be explaining the situation then."

Jongho watched as his leader exited. He always admired the older male for how he never backed down and always held strength over others even if he didn't have it. In a fight, Jongho knew he could easily overpower Hongjoong but his leader's strength lies in the fact that he finds his rival's weak spot.

"Jongho, don't give up! Kick his ass, come on already!"

The young boy was crouched on the ground, heaving as he tried to regain every breath that was previously knocked out of him. He tried looking up at his opponent but he couldn't.

"What's wrong kid? I thought you were uber-strong," Jongho remembers the sneering, mocking tone that Hongjoong held as he looked down at him.

Jongho was always stronger but Hongjoong was menacing. He simply looked frightening to the boy. It was the type of fear that's not directly horrifying but still manages to crawl under your skin due to its creepy nature.

He remembers his leader instantly beginning to laugh which undoubtedly shocked him as Hongjoon stuck out his hand, "I hope I didn't scare you too much, kid."

Hongjoong was able to do that with everyone and it's how he knew he would always win. It's how he knew he was always superior.

"Hey, Jongho! What took you so long?" he heard San question as the older boy made room for him to sit.

"San. That's enough," Seonghwa instructed.

"So, as you all know the girl who we assume is from the Crystal Knives group is in our care at this moment. When Jongho was in there with her, I told her that previous to her accident, she was actually a member of our group. Because of this, she thinks that Crystal Knives are the enemy group."

After hearing what Hongjoong had done, the rest of Ateez were left confused. None were opposed but uncertainty was prominent in every person.

"Why do that though?" Yeosang commented.

"I wasn't really sure... I mean I figured we could just kill her but I heard that the Crystal Knives had an amazing female member and who knows, this one could be her."

Wooyoung chuckled at his leader's answer, "she better be because the other two girls who raided our dock mission were weak and flat."

"Does chest size really matter?"

"I actually thought the red-haired girl was fairly curvy-"

Seongwha, becoming annoyed with the younger members' actions slammed his hands on the table beside him as he stood in the center of the living room. "We need to focus. As Hongjoong said, this girl is a member of the Crystal Knives. The car had pictures of some of the old, recognizable members in it..."

"So, Jongho!" Hongjoong exclaimed, standing up as he was ready to take his leave, "from now on you will be the one to watch the girl around the clock and find out more from her. Tell her to think long and hard about what she remembers but keep in mind that she still has to believe she's a member of Ateez."

As he finished his commands, the leader soon left wish Seongwha following suit. Every remaining member continued back to their previous rooms except for Wooyoung who stayed with Jongho. Tossing his arm around the younger boy's shoulder, Wooyung chuckled, "is she hot?"

"Who?"

"The girl! I never got to see her since we brought her here and I only got a glimpse of her when Hongjoong carried her into the truck."

Jongho sighed in annoyance while he shoved the older male's arm off of him. "She's admittedly pretty but you seriously need to leave her alone, Wooyung. And I mean it."

Wooyoung scoffed, "I'm the most gentle gentleman there is in our group. I'm the only one who'd treat her right!"

"That's exactly my point," Jongho finished as he stood with his back facing your door, "you only look at girls as mannequins to be in a short relationship with until you move onto the next one."

"That's not-"

Slamming the door shut behind him, you were startled out of your short-lived nap. Blinking your eyes to adjust and focus on the bright environment, you recognized Jongho standing beside your bed. "I brought you some water," he smiled with a glass outstretched towards you.

You sat up in your bed as you gladly took the glass gently from his calloused hands, "thank you."

"No worries... By the way," the boy spoke quietly as he looked around your room, "this seems stupid but I forgot to ask if you remembered your name-"

"(F/n) (L/n)."

"What?" Jongho asked with wide eyes.

You laughed slightly as you placed your water on the dresser beside you, "my name, it's (Y/n). I'm sorry for startling you, I just got really excited since it's the only thing I could really remember."

Sitting on the edge of your bed, Jongho held out his hand towards you, "well, it's nice to meet you (Y/n)... meet you again I mean!"

You shook his hand wearily in response as his awkward laugh left you confused as if he didn't believe his own words. After his small mistake, the atmosphere became quiet as the two of you lost all conversation which caused him to leave you to 'rest'. However, you wish he hadn't.

The second you were left alone you began to crumble under confusion and pain. The fact that you couldn't remember anything left you feeling crazy as you desperately tried searching for something in your blank mind. You hadn't even noticed that tears were falling from your eyes until your light blue blanket had a splotch of dark blue on it. Reaching for the pendant that you had put around your neck before falling asleep, you wrapped your hand around its cool metal.

"I'm so confused, mom..." you spoke quietly.

And in an instant, your eyes shot open towards your own words.

"Mom! I remember my mom!"

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I'M SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING IN SO LONG :(( I wasn't doing too well mentally and needed some time off!! But now I'm feeling better and am excited to update more!

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➳ four | six

➳ masterlist

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Snapping out from her thoughts, Amber looked around hastily as if trying to recall her surroundings, "what- oh... I'm okay," she laughed dryly, "we'll move an hour after they get settled so they'll be least suspecting and probably tired; if we're lucky.

(Y/n), remember that you're staying in this car no matter what, do you hear me?" Amber questioned sternly to which you nodded with confidence and understanding, "we're not sure how they act in terms of panic."

After Amber's directions, no one was able to speak a single word in sheer worry and adrenaline. Although Amber and Akio were only thinking of revenge, seeking the same bloodshed that their loved ones faced, Aiko was shivering in fear.

You quickly noticed her frightened composure and wrapped your arms around her in hopes of comforting your closest friend, "Aiko you have nothing to worry about," you spoke quietly, "you've been on so many missions, and if anything you're doing better than me at this point."

Aiko smiled in response, thankful for your attempts at calming her down. As every minute passed, however, the three of them became less anxious as the boys of Ateez standing outside seemed to be getting tired and unsuspecting. The members who were previously at the lower level began to make their way up to the ones at the main level to chat.

"Now's the time," Amber whispered strictly as Aiko nodded, understanding that the mission was beginning.

The older boy carefully opened the door as he crouched out of it and continued to crawl towards the bushes closest to the docks.

"Akio what do you see, are any of them looking in your direction?" Amber whispered to him through her earpiece.

"They're all just... talking."

"What about the ones on the boat?" she questioned further.

Akio looked closer towards the said people. "They're the only ones who I'd say are a problem. They're not looking a lot in this general area but they are on the lookout."

As she heard her member's words, Amber prompted Aiko to proceed with their positions. Aiko followed her brother's actions and made her way to the side of the forest opposite Akio. Aiko was always perfect in stealth, and thus, putting her position closer to the docks.

"(Y/n), before I go," Amber began, turning in her seat before clipping her necklace from herself, only to put it around you, "I don't know how this is going to go, to be honest. The last time our group confronted Ateez, Akira died so... Just keep that with you."

Her words left you stunned as the seriousness of the mission finally hit you. Ateez made your group realize the sheer difference between life or death but you didn't want the same fate to happen to Amber.

As she hopped out of the car, she spoke quietly to you, "I'm proud of you, (Y/n). I always have been."

She closed the door and you were left staring where she once was. Wiping a tear from your eyes you hastily looked out the window making sure to keep an eye on every member's postilion at every second. From the corner of your eye, you spotted Aiko making her way towards the docks as she crouched to stay hidden.

"Isn't she going too early?" you thought to yourself. Following Aiko, you saw Amber walking towards the docks as well which made you panic as you noticed the Ateez members that were standing atop of the boats had begun to turn and look in her area. "Amber, not yet!" you exclaimed in fear, "can any of you hear me? They're looking in your area!"

Taking off your earpiece in haste, you noticed that Amber had probably disconnected it from everyone else.

"They're going to get themselves killed!" you anxiously yelled out, pressing your hands against the window as you looked ahead in fear.

You always hated when your gut feelings were right and you hated this situation the most. As if on cue, you noticed the member that had been standing on the boat jump off of it and walk around, almost confused as he turned his head around to inspect his surroundings. Although he jumped off the vehicle, which would've made a lot of noise, it was as if Amber never heard it and continued to walk straight towards him.

Your tears wouldn't stop falling as you scratched at the window, trying so hard to get out as you knew you couldn't just sit and watch but you remembered seeing the car keys hanging off of Amber's shorts.

"(Y/n)?"

Your head snapped as you heard your earpiece suddenly get connected to that of another member, which sounded like Akio.

"Akio! Akio, what's going on? Amber's going to get hurt! She's walking right towards him!" you exclaimed hastily, your voice still hoarse as you had been sobbing from the situation in front of your eyes.

"Calm down, I know but there's nothing we can do... He heard the keys on her shorts which gave her away and I guess she was too focused to notice," the older boy replied calmly.

"Where are you right now? Are you okay?" you added, unable to balance your thoughts.

"I'm fine... I'm on the opposite side of the forest since Amber said that she and Akio should go first," he sighed, "look she's going to get caught but I want you to take a deep breath and remember that this is Amber. She was trained by Adrien and my mom who were the founding members of our group. She's strong, okay?"

Your head snapped in an instant, ignoring Akio's words as you heard screams and Amber's body in the hands of an unfamiliar person.

"Leave her alone!" you sobbed, banging your hands against the window of the car.

"(Y/n), I can hear them talking!" you heard Akio speak through the earpiece, "can you hear them by any chance?"

"Who do we have here?"

Your throat hitched in shock and panic.

"Whoa, Wooyoung don't get too excited. Before we do anything we need to question her and you're not even the one new to this group." you heard a more stern member say through Akio's earpiece.

"That's dumb, she came on our site and we need to blow her up!" the man who was said to be Wooyoung, hastily replied.

"Akio they're going to kill her!" you panicked as tears flowed down your eyes as the situation unfolded.

You heard the older boy sigh on his side of the earpiece, "(Y/n), you need to calm down, seriously, Aiko and I aren't even as panicked as you are."

Hearing his words, you realized you were too anxious about what was happening and tried to regain a steady breathing pattern.

"I'm sick of this! She's not telling us anything!"

Your breath hitched at the words of Wooyoung as you familiarized yourself with his manic voice by hearing him scream through Aiko's mic.

"Akio, what's the situation? That guy's worrying me every second."

After not hearing any reply, you continuously called for him until he replied, his voice emotionless yet filled with fear, "he said... he sees our car..."

Your heart stopped and your eyes widened. You noticed the crazy-minded man was looking right at you, or more specifically, right at your car which was previously hidden out of their sight.

"Wooyoung, do not do anything hasty. Do you hear me?" you heard a stern voice attempt to control him.

"(Y/n). You need to get out of that car. He's holding a small bomb," Aiko cautiously instructed.

Panic took over your entire being in an instant as you began punching the windows, trying every method to leave the damned car that Amber had locked you in. You screamed and called for Aiko but you knew you were trapped.

"Please, please I'm begging you don't do anything to that car."

You sobbed as you finally heard Amber's voice from Aiko's mic.

"If you won't tell us anything, dear, then I'm afraid it has to go bye-bye," Wooyoung laughed.

Following the crazy male, a serious voice was heard, "tell us who you work under and nothing happens."

"I will never."

You always admired Amber but you wished she would sometimes just give up. Tears were pouring from your eyes as you saw your mother figure on the ground with her head held up by a member of Ateez: the member of a group she hated.

"I'm sick of this bitch!"

"Wooyoung no! Jongho is in those trees!"

"(Y/N)!"

In an instant, you felt your body go weightless as the hot temperature of fire engulfed you. A final tear slipped from your eye as the weight of the car crushed your ribs. Your eyes wavered as you tried to find Amber, and you smiled when your eyes locked with hers. She was in a state of panic as you could see her screaming your name but you couldn't hear her.

"Run... Amber..." you whispered, closing your eyes.

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[A/N]: HI I'm so sorry this took so long to come out I literally graduated college after the third chapter came out so that was fun!!

also i'm so excited the story's finally kicking off!!

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➳ three | five

➳ masterlist

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[tag list] : @yeosangmystar @pandabur666 @harry-the-pottypus