The Last Call (Yunho)
content warning: kidnapping; drugging; slight gore
Masterlist
word count: 6320
The final notes of the song faded through the studio speakers as you leaned back in your chair and stretched. Five hours on air had a way of making your shoulders ache, though it was a small price to pay for getting to spend your afternoons talking about music and local gossip for a living.
Across the hall, movement caught your eye...familiar, clockwork-like movement.
Yunho stepped off the elevator with a cardboard drink carrier balanced in one hand and his backpack slung over the other shoulder.
A smile immediately tugged at your lips. The man couldn't be late if his life depended on it.
Every weekday, he arrived nearly 20 minutes before his own show started. Every weekday, he walked through those doors carrying the exact same two drinks. And every weekday, he paused outside the studio window to hold one of them up for you to see.
You laughed softly as he lifted the cup in question.
Your decaf latte.
The station paid neither of you enough for this habit, yet somehow he'd maintained it for almost a year. When he noticed you watching, he offered a small wave. You returned it before pointing toward the microphone still positioned in front of your face.
"Thirty more seconds," you mouthed.
His grin widened, and he settled into the chair outside the booth to wait. The sight was oddly comforting... maybe because so much of radio relied on routine.
The same jingles.
The same commercials.
The same listeners calling in every Tuesday to complain about traffic.
Yunho had somehow become part of that routine too, as dependable as the promise of air to breathe.
You finished introducing your final song of the day and pulled your headphones off as soon as the microphone light switched off. By the time you stepped out of the studio, your coffee was already waiting on the desk.
"Your devotion to caffeine should be studied," you teased him as you picked up the cup. The cold plastic was already damp with condensation against your fingers.
Yunho shrugged as though arriving every afternoon with your coffee wasn't a habit he'd built into his schedule "You say that every day."
"Because every day you show up with proof that you're single-handedly keeping that coffee shop in business."
"Single-handed?" he joked, eyeing your grip on the cup and lips on the straw.
"That's not the point," you retorted.
He laughed as you took an appreciative sip. The decaf wasn't technically necessary anymore. You'd cut back on caffeine months ago after one too many nights staring at your ceiling at three in the morning, but Yunho still continued to bring you a treat anyway.
"How was today?" he asked.
You groaned dramatically. "Mrs. Patterson called...again."
His expression immediately lit up with recognition. "The woman who thinks the city is spying on her through parking meters?"
"The very same."
"What was it this time?" he asked with a playful grin.
"She says they're communicating through Morse code now. She thinks the lights that flash to indicate the time has expired are actually flashing to other meters' cameras to share intel on her."
Yunho bit back a smile. "You're making that up."
"I wish I were."
The two of you drifted down the hallway together toward the larger evening studio. Producers moved around you carrying papers and coffee cups while someone from sales hurried past talking loudly into a headset. The station was at its busiest during a shift change...when one show ended and another began.
"Any exciting wishes lately?" you asked, as if you hadn't listened every night. That earned an immediate smile on Yunho's lips.
The 11:11 Wish Line was Yunho's baby. Management had originally expected it to last a month before listeners got bored, yet two years later it had become the station's most popular segment.
"Actually," he said, "remember the little girl who wanted a puppy for her birthday?"
"The one who cried on air?"
He nodded with an eager grin. "She got one."
You stopped walking, eyeing him suspiciously. "No way."
"Yes way."
"Yunho..." you shook your head in disbelief.
"What?" he shrugged. "The poor little guy needed a home."
"You're ridiculously sweet," you told him, your heart fluttering at the sight of his cheeks blushing.
"You should've seen the pictures her mom sent me."
Your heart squeezed despite yourself. The puppy wish had happened nearly three weeks ago. A nervous eight-year-old had called into the station with less than thirty seconds remaining before 11:12. She told him that she wished for a dog more than anything in the whole world. Half the city had fallen in love with her immediately.
Apparently, Yunho had been one of them.
"You know," you said thoughtfully, "this is exactly why people like your show better than mine."
"That is not true."
"Someone calls my show and asks if birds are government drones."
He snorted.
"Someone calls your show and gets a puppy."
"That's not every day."
You rolled your eyes and nudged him playfully. He'd never admit to caring as much as you knew he did. You were about to ask what other wishes he'd granted lately when the producer waiting outside the evening booth gestured toward Yunho's microphone.
Showtime.
You took another sip of your latte and stepped backward toward the exit. "Try not to accidentally improve too many lives tonight, genie."
"No promises," he winked as he settled into his chair. His smile followed you all the way down the hall as you listened to him introducing himself.
Just like every night, you made the drive home while Yunho's show played quietly through your car speakers. Sometimes you listened closely. Sometimes it became background noise while traffic crawled around you. Either way, hearing his voice had become as familiar as the route itself.
By the time you pulled into your apartment complex, he was interviewing the owner of a local bookstore about an upcoming charity event. You left the radio playing while carrying your bag upstairs and only switched over to a speaker once you got inside.
Your neighbors probably thought you were insane.
You cooked dinner while listening. Folded laundry while listening. Completed half your skincare routine while listening.
By eleven o'clock, you were curled sideways on your couch scrolling mindlessly through your phone while waiting for your favorite part of the show...The Wish Line.
It was ridiculous, honestly. Most of the wishes never amounted to anything. A teenager would call wanting concert tickets; someone would wish that their ex would text them back; a man once spent an entire minute wishing for mozzarella sticks.
Yet every now and then there was something genuine enough to stick with you...something that lingered.
The little girl with the puppy; the elderly woman who wished to hear her late husband's favorite song one last time; the college student who'd called back months later to announce that she'd passed the nursing exam she'd wished for.
Maybe that was why people loved it so much...not because the wishes always came true, but because for sixty seconds every night, someone got to believe they might.
At exactly 11:11, the familiar intro music played.
You smiled automatically. At the studio, in his little room, Yunho was settling into the segment that had made him famous. And somewhere across the city, someone was preparing to make a wish.
Yunho greeted the first caller cheerfully, a familiar voice sounding out on the other end.
"You know what I want," he began, knowing that Yunho would recognize his voice right away.
"Mozzarella sticks? Again?" he chuckled.
The man hummed in agreement.
"You know some people wish for life-changing things like a million dollars or to find love," Yunho joked.
"There's nothing more like changing than that perfect cheese pull, man," he answered before hanging up.
Yunho laughed and greeted the next caller with the same attentiveness. "And what would you like to wish for?"
"I wish for my son to get into college," a worried woman replied. "He just submitted his applications today."
"I'm sure he will," Yunho assured her. "He's got a mother behind him who supports and loves him and that's already a winning system for success."
"Thank you," she told him, her voice cracking as she hung up.
"And for our last wish of the night..." Yunho began to hype up the final caller, but they simply breathed heavily on the other end.
With furrowed brows you sat up, wondering why they weren't speaking.
"Hello?" Yunho asked. "You're on air with You Know Yunho. Did you have a wish?"
They sighed again, even heavier this time before mumbling a breathy, "Yes."
"You've got ten more seconds if you'd like to share," Yunho encouraged. "If not, we can all just make our wishes together."
Yunho did a quiet countdown for the man, starting with ten and getting all the way to 2 before he finally whispered, "Her. I want her," and hung up. The phone beeped on the other end and all of the hair on your body stood up as goosebumps covered your skin. You recognized that voice...you knew he was supposed to be in jail and had somehow accessed a phone at exactly the right time.
Right away you called the studio to find out what number he had dialed from, praying it was from the prison. When they gave the first three digits you threw up.
He'd gotten out.
————————————————————————————
You barely slept as those three words replayed in your brain over and over again. You called your lawyer to find out why you hadn't been notified that your stalker had gotten out on good behavior, but even he was stumped. He promised to follow up, so you dressed for work hoping the show would take your mind off things.
When Yunho rolled in at his usual precisely early time, he noticed your weird demeanor right away. Despite still being On Air, he opened the door to your studio and turned off your mic, setting up an extra song or two to cover for you.
"What's wrong?"
You gave the fakest smile possible and lied, "Nothing."
"I know you too well for that. Just tell me," he urged.
"Fine," you conceded. You didn't want to keep it from him anyways. After all, he'd testified at the trial since he'd witnessed a lot of the behaviors of your stalker...including the way he showed up to the studio pretending to be part of the cleaning crew. Yunho helped get him put away...he also needed to know he was out. "You know the weird wish you got last night?"
"I assume you're not talking about mozzarella man," Yunho teased, trying to lighten the mood as he pulled up a chair to sit across from you, eyes glued to your expression. He reached for your hand, hoping to comfort you, but it only helped him sense your fear.
"It was Colin. He got out."
Yunho was quiet for a long moment. The silence stretched long enough that you finally looked up from your intertwined hands, immediately wishing you hadn't. His jaw was locked so tightly that you could see the muscle ticking beneath his skin, and the concern that usually softened his features had been replaced by something far more unsettling. Anger. Not at you...never at you. At the situation. At the fact that he'd sat in a courtroom and testified against Colin only to find out months later that somehow he'd been released without anyone bothering to warn the woman he'd spent a year terrorizing. The longer Yunho sat there processing what you'd told him, the more obvious it became that he was struggling to keep his emotions under control.
"What do you mean he got out?" he finally asked.
You leaned forward into Yunho's chest to let him hold you. You both needed it. "I called the lawyer this morning, Yu. It was him."
Yunho held you tight and immediately jumped into fix-it mode. "Okay. Umm, why don't you stay with me for now? He doesn't know where I live and it'll be safer than staying alone. I can even take a few days off of work if you want me to help you move, or..."
"I can't," you breathed, heart racing nervously even though your decision had been made. "I can't let him keep controlling how I live my life."
"But (Y/N)," he began, but you interjected with a masked smile.
"Thanks for the coffee Yunho. I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"
"But..."
"And maybe we can get lunch on Saturday? I know you suck at cooking and haven't had real food in a while," you interrupted, trying to stick to comfortable conversations that didn't make your skin crawl.
"But..."
"Bye. See you tomorrow," you repeated, but as you tried to leave the studio, Yunho squeezed your hand.
"Stay safe, okay?" he pleaded, eyes fearful. You nodded, promising to do your best, and retreated before he could convince you to stay.
You were on high alert the entire walk to your car. Your keys were fixed between your fingers, ready to strike, and your heart thudded in your ears, drowning out any footsteps around you. Your gaze shifted across the pavement in fear of every shadow until you finally reached your car.
You jumped in eagerly, sighing in relief and letting the keys fall to your lap. "I made it," you told yourself, trying to settle before driving home.
"Yes you did," a voice rang out from behind you, clasping their palm over your mouth to silence your screams.
————————————————————————————
Yunho texted you a dozen times that night to make sure you got home safely. He told himself he'd head over right after his show ended, but the minute he made it to his car, you finally answered.
Sorry, fell asleep. Being afraid for your life really takes a lot out of a girl
Yunho smiled at the message...not only because it meant you were safe, but because you were making a joke. Things seemed sort of normal despite everything going on.
So you missed my show? Wowwwwww, he teased.
Promise to catch it tomorrow <3
Yunho slipped his phone into his pocket and headed home. He was glad you were safe, even happier knowing that you seemed to be in good spirits. He decided he'd bring you an extra-large decaf coffee tomorrow try to bring a little smile to your face in the midst of the mess going on in your life, so when his shift rolled around the following day, he stopped by his usual coffee shop on his usual route. The barista looked like she had a question, yet she never brought herself to ask it.
In fact, everyone looked like they wanted to say something to him. They averted their gaze when he walked by instead of returning his smile, and they were overly polite in a way that made him feel strange.
When he got to the studio, he headed to the window to surprise you with your larger-than-normal treat, but stopped in his tracks when he saw Lucy behind the mic.
"And if anyone has any info on the whereabouts of (Y/N) please call in or call the police. And if you're listening (Y/N), we miss you. And we won't stop until we find you."
The drink slipped out of his hand and crashed to the ground. A decaf puddle melted into the carpet but he didn't care. He didn't care when a producer rushed to check on him or when Lucy offered to take his shift too. He couldn't care about anything except finding you.
Yunho strode past Lucy and took the seat at the mic. His voice was shaky when he introduced himself and his show, and he held back tears as he promised to do everything in his power to find you.
————————————————————————————
Cold. Everything felt cold.
Your eyes fluttered open to find that you were on a concrete floor in a dark room made up of cinderblock walls and metal tool boxes. The only source of light was a low-hanging bulb that swung when the air conditioner clicked on. You shivered and pulled your legs to your chest, trying to preserve some warmth, only to realize your entire body was soaked.
"Ahh ahh ahh, what did I say about moving?" Colin taunted before spraying you again with the hose.
A lot of the water went into your nose, and you coughed it up while trembling even more from the cold air hitting your wet skin. Colin crouched down in front of you with an evil smirk. You tried to back away, but he grabbed your face in his hand, squeezing tight so that your cheeks puffed out.
"I was trying to be nice by not tying you up. Don't make me regret that," he warned.
You clutched your bruised jaw with a wince, wondering what you did to deserve any of this. All you'd done was try to live a normal life with a normal job. You found out in the trial that it was an interview with a wrestler that first made Colin interested in you. He had only heard your voice at that point but when he saw your face a few weeks later at a charity event, he knew he wanted you.
And now he had you.
"What do you want from me?" you asked. He clearly didn't want you dead or he would've done that already.
"Revenge," he answered simply as he slipped on a glove. "I want you to feel the pain I felt being locked up for four months. I'm going to keep you here for 132 days...the same amount of time I was jailed...and I'm going to make every day a new level of hell," he threatened, his jaw tight as he reached for the shears.
"What...what are you going to do with those?" you panicked, standing to try to run, only to find that there was only one door, and he was standing in the way.
"You can't wear your own clothes in jail, silly," he informed you as he stepped closer. "So take them off or I'll cut you out of them."
"Colin, I..." you tried to argue, protectively crossing your arms over yourself, but he wasn't in the mood to listen.
He opened the shears and snapped them shut, making it very clear the options were strip or risk an accidentally fatal cutting injury. You tore off your shirt and pants and handed them over with a soaked plop to the ground.
You covered yourself as much as you could and Colin turned around to retrieve a gray sweatpants and hoodie set that he'd apparently stolen from the high school a town over as it had a bulldog on it. "There, was that so hard?" he asked as he threw the new clothes at you.
You shook your head as tears welled in your eyes and dressed in the new clothes. Colin watched as you covered your skin and finally put the shears down to hold your cheek again.
"What do we say when we're given a gift?" he muttered, his lips dangerously close to yours.
"Th-Thank you," you whispered, too afraid to look into his eyes.
"Good," he praised as he brushed your bruised skin. "I'll be back tomorrow with breakfast."
He turned to head out, but pressed a button on the old, dusty radio by the door before he did so. Just as Colin left, Yunho's voice echoed in the room.
"I know I usually let everyone out there have a chance to make a wish, but I really need to use the time to make one for myself tonight," he began as he choked back tears. "(Y/N) is missing. She's missing and I'm pretty sure her stalker has her. I'm posting a photo of him now, but if anyone sees Colin Rutherford, call the police immediately."
"Yunho..." you cried as you held the radio to your chest. You should've known he'd realize right away what happened.
"And as for my wish? I wish to see my best friend again...alive and happy."
You sobbed and clutched the device like a lifeline. If Yunho was out there searching, you knew he wouldn't stop until you were found.
————————————————————————————
"Rise and shine!" Colin shouted as he banged a spoon against a pot before dropping it to the ground in front of you. In it was oatmeal...plain and gross-looking oatmeal.
"Careful, it's cold," he joked as he sat in the chair across from you to watch you grimace through every bite. Outside the train clattered by, making the lightbulb swing from its closeness.
"How'd you sleep?" he asked as he kicked his feet up onto one of the tool cabinets.
"Like you care," you retorted.
"I resent that," he scoffed. "I gave you fresh clothes and made you breakfast, didn't I? I even let you listen to your boy wonder last night."
You took another disgusting bite and fought the bile rising in your throat. You'd need strength if you had any chance of getting out of this alive.
"He's kind of pathetic though, isn't he? Crying on air?" he sneered. "Yikes. Not hot at all."
"He's not pathetic. He's hurt," you argued. "What's pathetic is kidnapping someone because you suck at making friends and getting women the legal way. Tell me, is this going the way you planned?"
Colin stood and walked forward to tower over you. He could do anything and nobody was there to stop it, so you braced yourself for pain...a kick or a slap...but instead he clenched his teeth and fist. "You're a real bitch, aren't you?"
"No I'm..." you began, but you felt so dizzy you couldn't finish your thought. "What's happening to me?"
Colin helped guide you to lie on the floor, a devious smile dancing on his lips. "Didn't your mother ever teach you not to take food from strangers?"
————————————————————————————
You woke up feeling groggy. You were still in the same room in the same clothes with the same radio on the same station. Colin wasn't there anymore but he'd left a bag on the table.
You stood to examine it and nearly fell over from the dizziness. Instead, you crawled, hand and knees shaking through every inch until you finally reached the bag and tugged it to the floor.
Inside were a few toiletry items and a receipt from Lou's Drug Store. He must've knocked you out so you wouldn't try to escape while he wasn't there. You tore through the bag and changed your underwear and brushed your teeth. He'd had a bucket in the corner for you to use for days but with toilet paper in hand, you finally permitted yourself to pee.
You felt dehumanized but you had enough hope to hold onto when Yunho's show began again. Maybe the hope was the worst part... without it maybe you'd be strong enough to take the bag over your face until you couldn't breathe anymore...but the hope made you sip some water and listen to the songs that felt too happy play in the little room.
You had to turn up the volume when the train passed by again, but a loud Yunho was better than no Yunho.
"For those just tuning in, this is You Know Yunho. We received a few calls about a man matching the description of Colin Rutherford leaving a convenience store earlier today. We're still tracking any whereabouts of (Y/N)'s green Honda Civic or Colin's last known address. If you have any tips for me, please call in, or call the police," Yunho pleaded, asking the public for help instead of the other way around.
"You'd better make that toothpaste last," Colin said from the doorway, his voice slicing through the air and sending chills down your spine. "Your boy wonder has everyone looking for me."
"Of course he does," you answered, imagining Yunho worried for you at all hours of the night. "He won't stop until I'm found because he's a good person."
"So he can send hundreds of people to stalk me but I'm the one who gets arrested? What a fucked up system," he complained with an annoyed shake of his head.
"Looking for me isn't stalking, Colin. It's saving."
"Saving? Fine, you save him then. Convince him you're okay or I'll kill him," he threatened.
"What?" you asked, eyes wide and heart stuttering as more fear ran through you than ever before.
"We're calling the Wish Line and you're going to convince him that you're fine, got it?"
"I can't...he'll see right through me, Colin. Just let him keep looking. He won't find us, I swear," you begged.
"Then put on a good show," he taunted. "We go live in 7."
Colin left for a little bit but returned with a cracked prepaid phone. It looked like it had been run over by a car, but somehow he was still able to make it dial. You listened for the familiar sound of Yunho's voice, but Colin pulled the phone away right when he answered to warn you again, "Don't try anything, got it?"
You gulped nervously but nodded just as he returned the phone to your ear.
"Hello?" Yunho said as if he'd repeated it a few times.
"Hi, Yu. It's me," you began, tears streaming down your cheeks. You missed him more than anything, and honestly hadn't thought you'd get to talk to him ever again.
"(Y/N)," he breathed, voice shaking already. "Are you okay? Where are you?"
"I'm okay," you lied, the words falling from your lips just as a train passed by. You had to plug your other ear just to hear him.
"Where are you? I'll come get you," he offered. It was clear he hadn't believed you but knew better than to argue.
"Sorry, can you repeat that? The train is really loud," you said, hoping he'd take the hint. You were by a railroad...or beneath one from the sounds of it.
Colin didn't catch onto your comment, and instead urged you to hang up.
"I have to go," you whispered, obeying orders since it was what would keep you both safe. "But stop looking for me, Yu. Okay?"
"I can't," he begged. "I need to see you again (Y/N). I can't just let him take you away from us."
"I wish nothing more than to do another Friday Night Lights special at Bulldog field with you, but we can't," you cried. "You have to let me go."
Yunho sucked back a sob and replied, "Your wish is my command," before hanging up.
"Great!" Colin clapped his hands together cheerfully. "Now we see if boy wonder can take a hint...and leave us alone."
You prayed he could...because Yunho knew better than anyone how much you hated that football segment. But that school was by the train tracks, and Lou's was right nearby. It gave him a starting point that he and the cops would work their way out from. The train was the biggest clue, though. You just wished there was a window or something you could use to see even the slightest sliver of outside to help guide him should you get another chance to call.
————————————————————————————
For three seconds after the call, Yunho said nothing. He played the next song without a segment sign-off and crossed the room where his producer was sitting by the soundboard with his hand over his mouth in shock.
"She hates Friday Night Lights," he mumbled to himself as he paced back and forth trying to figure out why you'd mentioned it.
"What?"
"She hates that segment. She thinks the students are obnoxious and the parents are pushy since they're always trying to get their kid spotlighted. She even hates the way the train drowns out her voice so she has to hold the mic super close to her mouth..." Yunho paused his walking and glanced up with wide eyes. "The train. There's a train by Eastridge. And a Lou's."
"You don't think..."
"I've gotta go!" Yunho shouted, already dialing the police as his producer shouted behind him.
"What about the show?"
"You do it!" Yunho called back as he ran out the door and jumped into his car. He told the police what he knew and went against their orders to stand down. He was going to find you if it was the last thing he did.
————————————————————————————
The train drove overhead again, and Colin watched as you perked your ears to listen. He squinted at you as if assessing why your behavior had suddenly changed before he grunted and tossed the radio to the ground, plastic pieces flying everywhere.
You gasped and tried to run away, shoving him off once he straddled you to the ground. "What did you do?" he fought as you tried to get free before finally sealing his hand over your throat. "You mentioned the school...why?"
"I was just...thinking about work," you lied as you gagged for air. "I didn't know what else to say."
"Liar!" he screamed. "Why the fuck did you mention the school?"
The train's roar faded into the distance. With it came the anxious sound of Yunho's voice cutting through the night. "(Y/N)!" he called. "(Y/N)! Where are you?"
Colin slammed your head against the concrete. Blood began to pool and your eyes fluttered shut as you tried to hold on to Yunho's voice. "I'm here," you called out, voice weak from the lack of oxygen you were still recovering from.
————————————————————————————
Warm. Everything was warm when you woke up.
The room was lit by a bright fluorescent bulb and the bed beneath you was covered in blankets. You sank into them with a contented hum, the sound drawing a snoring Yunho from his chair.
"Hey," he cried as he looked into your eyes for the first time in days. "How do you feel?"
"I never thought I'd rather be at a football game," you complained with a wince. Your head hurt like hell and everywhere felt limp.
"How did I get out?" you asked. It was then that you noticed the gash in Yunho's cheek that had clearly been stitched up recently.
"I found you," he said. "Don't worry," he began upon seeing the worry in your features. "The police showed up before he could mess me up too bad."
"Yunho..." you whimpered, holding in all of the crying you'd kept in for days. "Thank you."
"You wished to be saved. I couldn't leave you down there," he smiled softly, careful not to touch anywhere that you were hurt, though he still held your hand. You were about to ask how he knew where you were when his expression shifted from relief to anger. In one instant he was looking at you so softly you felt like a cloud and in another, he was crying with darkened eyes. “You promised me you’d stay safe, (Y/N). Do you have any idea how terrifying it was to know he had you? To know there was nothing I could do?”
“I know,” you replied through tears. “I was afraid, too. I was so careful, Yu. I walked to the car with my keys in my fist. I checked between every car and listened for every footstep, but I couldn’t have planned for him to be in my car.”
Yunho fell to his knees and kissed your hand, letting all of the emotions he’d held back come spilling out. He’d been so strong for you, just as you had for him. You urged him to stand and pulled him into bed with you to hold him, to let his familiar frame encompass you after such a horrible few days.
“I got the call this morning that he is pleading guilty,” Yunho said with a kiss to your forehead. “I’ll go with you to the deposition, but he’s going to be put away for a long time.”
“Unless he gets out again,” you frowned, fearing that the system would let you down again.
Yunho exhaled and held you closer before resting his cheek on your head to tuck you beneath his chin. “They got him on murder (Y/N). He’s not getting out.”
You froze. Your blood ran cold and you were sure you’d forgotten to breathe. The heart rate monitor behind you was going crazy, but Yunho reminded you to inhale, walking through the motions with you until you could listen.
“M-Murder?” you stuttered.
“He killed the owner of the house,” Yunho explained. “I’m so glad you didn’t know, baby. It was horrifying. You’ve been through enough.”
You tried to process everything that was just said. Your brain jumped from image to image of gruesome, gory deaths, but one word stuck out among them all. “Baby?”
Even Yunho couldn’t hold back the little laugh that left his lips. “That’s what you got from all that?”
You shrugged and nuzzled closer, deciding that all of the bad stuff could be dissected another time. “Say it again.”
Yunho kissed the top of your head and stroked his hand down your back as you drifted back to sleep. “I’ve got you, baby. You’re safe now.”
————————————————————————————
It had been 5 days.
5 days since Yunho rescued you.
5 days of being afraid to be alone and forcing him to stay in your studio apartment with you.
5 days of having food delivered and refusing to open the door until they were halfway down the hall.
Yunho watched with pity and pride at the way you had adapted to these new fears. Pity for the woman who couldn’t just live anymore…and pride that despite all the horrible things you were still there and still trying.
You settled into the couch beside him, offering him his caffeine fix just as he clicked on the news. The story about your kidnapping replayed every few minutes and you quickly changed channels to watch some stupid, brainless reality show instead.
“I wonder if Chad and Michayla will end up together,” you wondered as Yunho observed the shakiness of your hand thanks to the neighbor’s dog that had begun barking in the hallway. It was the newest perk of your post-Colin life. Panic at every little sound.
“I thought we wanted her to be with Cooper,” he reminded you.
“No,” you said with a mouthful of decaf. “Cooper was caught kissing Tiffany H on the last episode, remember?”
“Oh right,” he mumbled, clearly uninterested in the drama on the island.
You set your takeout down and turned to him, trying to figure out what was wrong. “Are you mad at me?”
“No, of course not,” he answered immediately, which meant he was being honest. “I just…you haven’t really talked about what happened,” he said in a quiet voice as if he were afraid to scare you off.
You turned the tv down, allowing the neon swimsuits to flash silently onto the screen. “Colin happened, Yunho. He reminded me that I wasn’t safe no matter how much I tried and I just don’t want to pop the bubble we’re in yet. I know I can’t stay forever in this little 440 square foot box, but I’m not ready to be beyond it yet.”
“I understand, (Y/N),” he answered gently. “But I just want to make sure you’re not ignoring your feelings and hoping they’ll go away.”
“I wish they would,” you whispered, hoping beyond hope that Yunho could genie your way out of having to remember what it was like to be on edge and scared for your life every second of every day.
He reached for you and pulled you to sit against his chest. His hand snaked around your waist, and you let yourself be held by him. In his arms was where you felt the safest.
“If I could take it all away, I would,” he sighed. “You deserve so much more than what you went through.”
“Maybe one day I’ll be able to grant your wish,” you said in a quiet voice. “Maybe one day I’ll be happy…alive and happy.”
“You will,” he promised. “And until then, I’ll be here to remind you that your life didn’t end in that basement.”
“It feels like it did,” you reminded him, the image of snapping shears making you on edge.
“I know it does,” he muttered. “But it didn’t. And you’ll realize that soon enough.”
You felt so lucky to have Yunho to support you. He wouldn’t give up until you came back emotionally just as you had physically. Until then, you could at least pretend things were better by resting against his chest and letting his heart steady yours. You were grateful it was softer than the roar of the train…and yet it was so much stronger.
You’d only just shut your eyes when Yunho’s whisper broke through the silence.
“It’s 11:11,” he informed you with a kiss. “Want to make a wish?”
You stirred and turned into his neck with a kiss, realizing that he’d somehow carried you to bed without waking you. “I wish I could erase the past,” you said, exhaling in contentment when he kissed your forehead.
“I wish for healing. I wish that the past could stay in the past so you could move on and be happy.”
Yunho was always selfless with his wishes.
“I wish I could be happy, too,” you yawned. It was the first time you’d wished for something new, and you could feel his heart flutter at the words.
“See,” he hummed as he squeezed you tighter. “You’re making progress already.”
