#pentagom

**TW: Mention of break-in/pet death (it was a fish.)**

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"And do you know anyone who might want to act maliciously against you?" the police officer asked, his gaze solely focused on you.

"I-I don't," you stuttered, completely overwhelmed. How did they expect you to answer all of their questions when your world was crashing down around you?

"Can we have a minute?" Hongseok asked, tucking you further into his side.

"We need to-" the officer began but immediately halted their words as Hongseok leveled them with a glare.

"I'm asking for a minute," he insisted. "Not the whole night. Let them calm down."

The officer sighed before flipping his notebook closed and motioning for the two of you to stand off to the side. You finally looked up from your shoes and to your apartment door that was now marked as a crime scene.

"Hongseok-" you croaked, shaking your head.

"Shhh," he hummed. You were positive that if he could pull you any closer he would. "I know. Let's have a sit."

Bringing you toward the staircase, he held the bulk of your weight as your slumped toward the carpet. Taking a deep breath as soon as you were seated, you allowed Hongseok to position you to lean against him. For a moment, you were frozen with dismay. Were you being dramatic? Was your reaction too over the top? You knew they were just things...but they were your things.

After Hongseok informed the production crew as to what was going on, you had gone numb. You wanted so badly to get into your apartment, but he was right. The best thing to do was to wait until the police arrived. Once they did, the area was secured and you were allowed to do a quick walk-through of the place you called your home.

It didn't feel like home anymore. What was left could only be described as a shell of what you once knew. Everything had been either destroyed or stolen. Every nook and corner were somehow haunted, the memories of your happiest moments cycling against one another in an attempt to cover up the reality of what was happening.

Whoever had broken in had stolen the most important things, your comfort and security. Aside from that, your furniture was trashed, stabbed, and sprayed down with paint. Vulgar messages were scrawled across the walls in English AND Korean. Your laptop was missing, as was your tablet and several other electronics. The staff had instantly begun tasking you in trying to recall anything that was taken and could be used as blackmail. Luckily, you didn't think you had any. Living in a day and age where things were so easy to be hacked, you tended to avoid keeping anything scandalous lying around. Plus, they employed excellent social media trainers when this whole thing started and you had done a grand deletion of anything questionable then.

The heaviest blow though, had to have been Jinki.

You knew he was just a goldfish, but he didn't deserve to be strung up in your living room as if his life never mattered.

And yes, you had named your goldfish after a member of Shinee, what of it?

"Drink," Hongseok said quietly, handing you a bottle of water that had seemingly materialized out of no where.

You looked at him moodily. "Jinki will never drink again."

"Jinki would want you to be hydrated," he encouraged, pressing the drink into your hands. "And he didn't drink water, he breathed it."

"This is just so messed up," you muttered, humoring him and doing as he said.

"Who would do this?" he whispered, rubbing his forehead. "I understand there are sasaengs, but to go to this level?"

Judging by the words written across your walls, it was definitely a "fan" that was responsible for the crime.

"The online hate was one thing," you said quietly. "I expected it to a certain degree, but I didn't think it would escalate."

"K-pop is such a global and attainable thing now," Hongseok nodded. "There are more fans than ever. I know it's silly not to think any of our supporters capable of this, but..."

"Has the lineup been announced publicly at all?" you asked, tilting your head. The dates were meant to be a surprise for you, but you knew details were commonly leaked online.

"Not that I know of," he sighed. "I mean, of course there's been rumors in the industry of what groups would be participating, but is that really enough to make someone snap?"

"I don't think it takes much to make any given person snap," you muttered. "We could try to reconcile it all day, but really, it's just senseless."

"We can't continue the show," Hongseok said slowly, side-eying you. "Your safety is more important than this."

You hadn't had time to give it much thought, but you figured he was right. The sensible part of you agreed that it was time to shut it all down, but the obstinate part of you pushed in the other direction. You didn't want to give up. You couldn't let the people who did this run you off, but how were you supposed to move forward?

First your apartment...what was next? When would a fan show up at filming and do something even more drastic?

How were you supposed to feel safe ever again?

.

Picking up the pieces of your broken life was one of the hardest things you had ever done.

After the police had finished up at your place, you salvaged what you could and packed it up in a few boxes before the My Idol crew whisked you away to the nearest hotel. To their credit, it was a very nice one that you could never have afforded yourself, but it didn't lessen the sting of the cause for your visit.

And for Hongseok's part, he didn't leave your side until the staff had forced him...into a hotel room down the hall.

To both your delight and horror, the entire show's operation was locking down. You would still be going off the premises for dates (with heavily increased security) but any time a contestant appeared, they would be shipped off to the safety of what had become the My Idol compound.

There was no shutting down production under any circumstances.

You had signed a contract after all, with no escape clauses for this type of situation.

Sighing to yourself, you pulled on an oversized sweatshirt and a pair of shorts. Grabbing the ice bucket, you shuffled to your door and gave three knocks. That was the "code" if you needed to leave.

Instantly, you heard the click of your lock (that you weren't allowed the key to) and the door swung toward you. Smiling in the hall was the security officer for the night shift, Insu. "Going somewhere?"

"Ice," you sighed, smiling sadly up at him. Although you had known this man for less than 24 hours, he was already a comforting presence. Standing at least a foot taller, and broad enough to take over half the door way, he was a force to be reckoned with.

And it may not have mattered, but it was worth mentioning...of course he was good looking.

"Optimal time for a late night stroll," he grinned, motioning at you to step into the hall. Walking past him, you tried not to look too long, but it was difficult. While his face was generally unmarred, a long scar was evident from the corner of his left eye, all the way to his jaw. It didn't make him any less handsome, obviously, but added a certain amount of character you weren't expecting. You weren't rude enough to stare or ask, but you were curious of the backstory.

"How's your day going?" you tried, ambling in the direction of the small room that held vending machines and the like.

"Great," he answered calmly, nodding at another security officer stationed by a different hotel room door. You wondered to yourself if Hongseok or Jungkook were locked inside. "I would ask how your day is, but I have a sneaking suspicion I already know the answer."

You felt your lips tug up at this. "It's going better than it was a few hours ago. I think I'm still in shock, honestly."

"That's understandable," he agreed. "Even before today, this world was new to you."

You hummed in response. He was right. Since this show had started, you were trying to navigate new ground, but today had completely upended everything you thought you knew. "How long have you been in security?"

"I did similar work in the military," he acknowledged. "Once I got out, this is what made sense."

"So that means..." you trailed.

"Seven years," he chuckled. "Including the two while I served."

"No way," you gasped, pausing to turn toward him. "How old are you then?"

This startled another laugh from him. "Twenty five."

"Oh," you said quietly before beginning to walk again. "So you joined right after high school then?"

"I did," he confirmed. "I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life and I thought it would be nice to have another two years to consider it."

"Sorry if I'm prying," you winced, worried that you were pestering him while he was just trying to do his job.

"That's not necessary," Insu said. You weren't going to look over your shoulder, but you were certain their was a smile hidden in his deep tone. "It's important that you know who is protecting you."

Turning into the room with the ice machine, you placed your container in the appropriate area and waited. After some loud crunching and getting ice nearly everywhere around your feet, it was time to head back.

"Let me," he insisted, taking the small bucket from your hands.

"It's not heavy," you laughed, glancing up at him.

"Did I say it was?" he hummed, a spark of something playful in his expression.

"Just being a gentleman then, got it," you hummed, allowing him to fall behind you again.

"It's quite literally my job to make this a little easier for you," he affirmed. "But I'll take the compliment."

Walking back down the hall, he turned the conversation your way. After answering a series of questions about schooling and your career, it wasn't long before you were at your door again.

You weren't expecting to feel so...disappointed.

"Get settled in for the night," Insu advised, handing the bucket back over to you. "Hyuk will be taking over in the morning."

"Right," you nodded. "Goodnight then."

"Sleep well."

Closing the door between you felt much louder than it should have. Shaking your head, you tried to clear your thoughts. It had been a long day. It was natural to try to find comfort in anyone that had crossed your path.

"Of course," you whispered to yourself. That's exactly what it was.

..

Hyuk was not nearly as graceful as Insu.

"Sorry," he grumbled, shouldering open the stairway door. He wasn't much taller than you and was likely old enough to be your father. "This building must be old."

"Right," you laughed nervously, stepping around him and toward the lobby area.

Being in one central location wasn't so bad, but you weren't sure how transportation would work.

"He's already at the destination," Hyuk said, as if reading your thoughts. You nodded absently at him as you saw the My Idol SUV already parked outside. Admittedly, you were exhausted. After the day and night you had, it was nearly impossible to fall asleep. The PD's you worked most closely with tried to push today's date out a few times, but scheduling simply wouldn't allow it.

Climbing into the vehicle, you plopped into the backseat, your eyes quickly catching on what was going on outside of the vehicle. Across the street, barricades had already been set up to contain the fans who had evidently found out what hotel you were staying in.

"What?" you hissed, angling yourself to look more closely.

"We've got the situation handled," Hyuk reassured. "They're being kept as far from the building as possible."

"Across the road is as far away as possible?" you whispered, your stomach dangerously close to vomiting what little contents you had in it. "How did they find out?"

"In this city, if you want to know something bad enough," he grumbled. "You can usually find someone willing to give it to you for the right price."

Turning toward him, you knew he saw shock plain on your face.

"Welcome to celebrity life, Mx. Y/N," he sighed.

After a quiet car ride that only took about ten minutes, you felt anxiety begin to crawl up your spine as your driver pulled into a large parking lot. Looking out of your window again, you saw the location for today, the Han River.

"Isn't this too open?" you asked, trying to tap down your panic. "So many people are around."

"We have a specific area cleared out," Hyuk said, his voice more gentle than it had been before. "We will keep you safe."

You swallowed hard and gave a curt nod. If you were going to do this, you had to trust the people around you no matter how difficult it was proving to be.

"Don't let them win," you whispered. Maybe if you repeated the mantra, it would make this whole thing easier.

Hyuk looked at you with a lifted brow. "Good call."

Easing out of the car behind him, you were disheartened. The usual rush of butterflies and anxiety that came before a date were a bit dampened. Of course, it was understandable given the situation, but it also wasn't fair to your date. Or yourself.

Taking a deep breath, you set your feet on the pavement and looked up at the grassy knoll beyond. Surrounded by security and the camera crew, a man stood before a small pop-up tent. Holding a slim box in front of his face, you only assumed it was a man by his build. Broad and muscular, he was dressed in dark, ripped jeans and a black t-shirt. As you drew closer, you narrowed your eyes at what he was holding.

"What's this?" you mused, shaking your head in disbelief.

Your date pulled the box away from his face and gave you a large smile. "Hi, I'm Ateez's San, and this, is a gift from me to you."

Pushing the item away from himself and into your hands, you looked down and chuckled softly. "A new laptop?"

"I heard you've had a rough few days," he hummed, securing his hands behind his back. You glanced up at him, his handsome face wearing an easy smile. "And lost a lot more than anyone deserves to."

"San-," you whispered, on the verge of crying. The gift was expensive, there was no way you could accept it, especially from someone you had only just met. "I can't-"

"Nope," he said, cutting you off immediately. "Getting back to normalcy in a time that's anything but normal is hard. You gotta start somewhere, right?"

"I swear if this starts a chain of dates bringing me household appliances," you teased, looking at him with gratitude.

"Then we'll all be taking our turns making life a little easier on you," he grinned. "One step at a time."

In Loving Memory: