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Donghyuck has had to deal with a lot of obsessive fans over the years; it comes with his line of work. No one in their group is a stranger to getting random calls to their personal phones —even when they change the number— or to the hoard of people that awaits them whenever they go out. It sucks, but that’s the way it is. No matter how many times they call them out, nothing changes.
So when Donghyuck receives a message from a phone number he doesn’t recognize during one of their V Lives, he simply closes the screen.
His phone remains blissfully silent for the remainder of the hour as the Dreamies joke around and spoil vague concepts about their upcoming album.
“Hm, I like that song the best.”
“Which one?”
“You know…”
Chenle is singing a line from one of the unreleased songs when Donghyuck suddenly feels a stream of buzzes coming from his phone for the second time that day. He glances at the screen, and actively has to prevent his face from turning sour at the sight. It’s not until he actually reads the messages that his expression hardens.
‘You betrayed them.’
‘I’ll make you pay.’
‘And they’ll thank me.’
‘They’ll be better off without you.’
‘Just you wait.’
‘— J’
His eyebrows furrow at the threats. It’s not unusual for sasaengs to be so direct, nor is it strange for them to put the blame on one of the members for no reason at all. By all means, he’s used to it. And yet, something in his stomach twists at the words, even though he knows they’re just empty threats meant to scare him.
Renjun catches his eye, and Donghyuck can see the silent question in his gaze. Donghyuck just shakes his head, dismissing the other’s concern and mirroring the relaxed facial expression he’d worn before. The phone now sits in his back pocket, muted, and he makes a mental note to block the number later.
Donghyuck puts his hands together then, turning to the camera with a cheeky grin, “You’ve missed us, right?” And the incident is quickly forgotten.
It’s one of those nights where no matter how much he tosses and turns, his brain refuses to allow him a wink of sleep. He can hear Johnny’s steady breathing from the bed beside him, and he decides it’s safe to pull up his phone. The brightness almost blinds him, and it’s then that he decides he will not be getting any sleep tonight.
He plays mobile games and watches fancams until his eyes burn. He’s monitoring his dancing from one of their concerts, looking for imperfections and ways to improve —not to mention, scrolling through the heaps of praising comments— when a notification pops up at the top of the screen.
‘Can’t sleep?’
He immediately straightens up in his bed, eyes widening.
‘It’s okay.’
‘I’ll help you.’
‘Soon, you’ll do nothing but sleep.’
‘— J’
He feels dread pool in his stomach as he stares at the messages, at the number different from the one he’d blocked but signed with the same name. How did they know he’d be awake? Was it a coincidence or—
His breath hitches as he looks at the top of his screen, the green light next to the camera staring at him innocently. His camera is on. They’re watching him— they must be. Who knows for how long.
How had he not noticed?
He frantically shuts his phone off, resisting the urge to throw it at the wall. He quickly puts it as far away from him as possible, anxiously clutching the covers after climbing back into bed.
This can’t be happening. He’d heard the stories before —stories of hidden cameras in teddy bears, of sneaking into dorm rooms and stealing clothes— and had even experienced several with his group. But no one had ever specifically targeted him before, had tried to spy on him, threaten him and single him out.
His heart rate doesn’t slow down for the rest of the night, jumping at every sound he hears or movement he sees from the corner of his eye.
When it’s time to go to practice, he’s practically dead on his feet. He’s used to sleepless nights, but combine that with the mental exhaustion and you’ve got yourself a recipe for disaster.
His first schedule is with Dream, and he manages to get through it without too much trouble, even if he finds himself to be more on edge than usual, though not oblivious to the scrutinizing gazes the members give him whenever he messes up.
When they’re eating lunch and everyone is engaged in conversation, Donghyuck decides to turn to the person beside him who is simply enjoying the food.
“Jaemin-ah, come with me to the electronics store today.”
He looks up from his bowl to furrow his eyebrows at him, “Why?”
“I broke my phone,” Donghyuck explains. “I need a new one.”
Jaemin returns his attention to the food in front of him and talks with his mouth full, “Why do you need me there?”
“Just because~” Donghyuck pouts, “Why, don’t you like me?”
Jaemin shakes his head as he chews his food, continuing after a moment. “Make me ramyeon and I’ll consider.”
Donghyuck snorts. “I knew you’d cave,” he teases, leaning his head on Jaemin’s shoulder.
One thing he hadn’t accounted for was his overlapping schedules— though Dream had spare time in the afternoon, Donghyuck had to attend vocal lessons with 127. It meant his date with Jaemin would have to be moved to the evening, and he can’t help but feel uneasy in the cold night air.
“You should’ve just ordered it online,” Jaemin says, teeth clattering slightly as he shoves his hands in his coat.
“But then I’d have to wait ‘til tomorrow,” Donghyuck whines.
Truthfully, he feels uncomfortable at the idea of not having access to the one thing allowing him to contact his members when they’re not with him. It’s stupid, and he knows he’s overreacting, but having the phone makes him feel much safer when he’s alone.
It’s a fresh start— a new model, a new color, a new number, and most importantly, a device unknown to sasaengs. He absentmindedly looks at the notch on the screen and feels his heart ease at the sight of the light next to the camera being off.
They’re making their way back to the dorm when Donghyuck feels a shiver run up his spine, one that can’t just be explained by the cold.
He can’t justify it, but he feels uneasy, like he’s being watched. One glance at Jaemin tells him he’s not the only one.
The building to their dorm is so close —he can see it right in front of him— and he finds himself subconsciously quickening his steps.
It’s not until he spots a figure under the streetlights that his heart really starts to race. He momentarily freezes, before he’s grabbing Jaemin’s wrist.
“Run!” he tells him.
“What?”
Donghyuck doesn’t explain; instead, he drags the other along as he dashes towards the door, fumbling with the keys in his hands. It takes longer than it should, but eventually the door clicks, and he’s shoving Jaemin inside before he gets to protest. Only once Donghyuck is inside as well, the door forcefully shut behind him, does he breathe properly again.
“What was that?”
Donghyuck closes his eyes with a heavy exhale.
“I don’t know. I think someone was following us.”
Jaemin’s eyebrows are pinched, and he looks as distressed as Donghyuck feels.
“I didn’t see anyone,” he says, seemingly trying to make sense of the situation.
Donghyuck thinks back on what happened, and the image of the still figure that stood out in the dark flashes across his eyes. He’d just been standing there— he hadn’t done anything, didn’t even try to go after them, and yet, Donghyuck’s first instinct was to bolt.
“Me neither,” he breathes out, deciding not to address the fact that simply seeing someone had triggered his fight or flight. “Sorry for scaring you, Nana. I think I overreacted.”
Jaemin narrows his eyes at him in a mix of confusion and concern. “No… you—”
“It’s nothing,” Donghyuck snaps, promptly shutting the other up.
“Come on,” he says after a moment, taking a step away from the door and in the direction of the elevator, “Let’s get you your ramyeon.”
Jaemin seems torn, and the unsettled expression remains on his face. He follows Donghyuck hesitantly, though without question, and Donghyuck can feel his eyes linger on his back.
Later that night, Donghyuck finds himself curled up in bed again, as restless as ever. He’s playing on his phone, and every so often, his eyes automatically drift toward the camera. It’s a relief every time he sees that the notch is pitch black, no sign of it being on, but he can’t help but keep checking.
It’s when he’s adjusting his position, going to lie down on his other side, that he feels something dig into his shoulder. His eyes narrow as he sits up to inspect under his pillow. After turning on his phone’s flashlight, his eyes widen. There’s a letter on his bed.
He knows it could simply be one of their members trying to do a kind deed —however unrealistic it may be— but his throat immediately constricts at the sight of it.
Lee Donghyuck~ is written on the envelope, and he knows none of the members have such neat handwriting.
He tears it at the opening with shaky hands, and he feels his breath quicken as he lays eyes upon the text. It’s written in red ink, and it confirms everything he’s been fearing.
There’s no way this is from one of his friends, which means a stranger had snuck into their dorm, into his and Johnny’s room, without anyone noticing. He’s slightly relieved everything else seems to be intact, but it’s completely drowned out by the terror that seeps into him at the thought of the intruder.
He reads the text through blurry vision.
‘Donghyuckie,
I’m sad I wasn’t able to catch you sleeping today. It would’ve been such a nice photo to remember you by. Instead, all I got was boring old Johnny. He doesn’t interest me.
You haven’t used your phone lately. I wonder what’s wrong? I suppose it doesn’t matter. Reaching you this way is so much more fun, although wish I could see your priceless face.
I hope you’ll anticipate my next letter. If not, maybe I’ll spice it up a little. I wonder which of your hyungs would make for the best ink? Pig’s blood doesn’t work very well.
We’ll meet soon. In the meantime, think of all the things I could’ve done to your friends but didn’t. Aren’t I kind for keeping this between us?
— J’
He’s hyperventilating, and he has to resist the urge to wake Johnny up, although his breathing is so loud he might not even have to. It takes him a while to process all of the words, scanning each sentence several times before his brain can really wrap itself around the horror of the situation.
They’re watching him, stalking him, planning to do god knows what, all while threatening to harm his friends if he doesn’t— doesn’t do what exactly? Tell them? Appreciate the intruder’s ‘kindness?’
It makes his skin crawl, and he feels tears slowly roll down his cheeks. He really wants to call someone, ask them for a hug, have them tell him it’s all going to be okay, and actually believe them. But the words haunt him. Did they— did they threaten to use his members’ blood as ink?
The only solution his mind can come up with is to go to the police, but even then, he knows this person is watching his every move. And he’s scared of what they’ll do when they find out he’s trying to call for help. He’d rather put himself at risk than his members.
A naive thought crosses his mind. Maybe they’re just bluffing? Trying to scare him? Or perhaps it’s a cruel prank.
Whatever it is, he hopes it isn’t real.
Someone’s shaking him awake, and he blearily opens his eyes to Johnny calling out his name. He hadn’t even realized he’d fallen asleep.
Donghyuck mumbles something about getting up in a second, and he’s quickly left alone in the room. After a second of blinking the tiredness from his eyes, he’s reminded of the envelope that kept him awake for most of the night. He searches for it and finds it on the floor next to his bed. He’s glad Johnny hadn’t noticed it.
He stares at it, contemplating on what to do, before he’s tearing the paper to shreds and throwing it in the trashcan next to his desk. He doesn’t want to think about it again, nor does he ever want anyone to find out about it.
Something ugly twists in his stomach when he thinks about how his hyungs would react if they knew about it. He can’t stand the thought of them fretting over him like that, treating him like something fragile that needs to be protected. Even though deep down he knows that even if it happened to someone like Johnny, or Jaehyun, or Taeyong, or anyone else that isn’t him, they would worry themselves all the same.
He tries to push the incident —and all that came before it— to the back of his mind, before he joins the rest of 127 now that he’s gotten dressed.
He sleeps in the van for the entire ride, which isn’t something unusual for him. Though he can hear his hyungs comment how cute he looks through his sleepy haze.
Every once in a while, he startles awake, his heart beating out of his chest after his dreams have taken a dark turn. He blearily opens his eyes to some of the members chatting, others on their phone or staring out the window, but none taking notice of the tense expression on his face.
They arrive at the concert hall in no time, and Donghyuck doesn’t know if he should feel grateful for the distraction or disappointed at the disruption of his rest. The group is guided inside, and they quickly find themselves on top of the stage, discussing positions and testing equipment. They rehearse the line up of songs and Donghyuck finds himself absentmindedly staring at one of the crew members as they’re going through the choreo. He doesn’t know why, but the sight of his silhouette sends shivers down his spine and he can’t help but breathe a little more raggedly.
They’re halfway through rehearsals when they get called for a break. Donghyuck shares a water bottle with Taeil as he feels himself sweating more than usual.
“How do you do the fall in Cherry Bomb so well?” he hears Taeil ask from beside him. “You always look so in control.”
Donghyuck swallows the gulp of water before he turns to look at him. “It’s not that difficult,” he dismisses. “Just watch your—“ A tap on his shoulder abruptly interrupts his sentence.
He turns around to meet the cold gaze of one of the crew, who tells him, “The stylists need you in the back.”
He furrows his eyebrows, but Taeil beats him to asking the question. “Why? We’re not in our outfits.”
The man doesn’t spare him a glance. He’s already holding out a hand to Donghyuck as he half-heartedly explains, “They want to prepare for tomorrow.”
Donghyuck takes his hand before he’s being hoisted up, while Taeil still tries to clear up his confusion. “What about the rest of us?”
The man looks down at him, “Just Haechan, for now.”
Donghyuck doesn’t get the chance to catch Taeil’s facial expression because the man is already guiding him out of the room. Donghyuck tries to take deep breaths in through his nose as he anxiously follows his directions. He knows— he knows something isn’t right. Perhaps it’s the odd route they take —Donghyuck knows the dressing room is in the opposite direction— or it could be due to the cold demeanor the man wears, not exchanging a word with Donghyuck the entire time.
Or maybe it’s the fact that Donghyuck can picture him standing under the street lights, staring at him and Jaemin as they run towards their dorm.
But it’s not until he hears a click behind him that the panic really sets in.
He spins around, only to be met with the glint of a knife under the light of the ceiling lamps, and a malicious smile lining the man’s face.
“At last, we meet.”
In his other hand, he’s holding the knob that locks the door from the inside.
There’s no way out. He’s blocking the only exit to the room, and now no one else will be able to come in either. Donghyuck is on his own, well and truly, and he finds himself instinctively taking a step backwards.
“What do you want from me?”
His voice breaks pathetically as he tries his best to hold his head high, hoping to not show the terrible fear bubbling inside of him.
The grin on the man’s face widens, “I finally have you all to myself~ Oh, what should I do?”
Donghyuck feels his heart race as he watches the man slowly creep towards him. His eyes flash toward the door, and he hopes he’s able to avoid the man long enough until he can make a run for it.
“You’re so much prettier up close, Donghyuckie.”
Donghyuck’s resolve in his plan fades when the man starts moving more quickly, and all Donghyuck can focus on is to get away.
His breathing stops once he feels his back hit something solid, and he realizes he’s been driven into a corner, quite literally.
“AB,” the man says as he fiercely stares into Donghyuck’s eyes, “right?”
It takes Donghyuck a second to realize he’s talking about his blood, and it only dawns on him now to scream.
“HEL—“
He’s cut off by a hand clamping over his mouth as the man shushes him patronizingly.
“None of that, now.” He leans in closer and whispers into his ear, “We’ll have plenty of time for that later.”
Donghyuck’s eyes widen, and he feels the terror course through his veins. He tries to struggle, to wriggle out of the man’s hold, but his grip only tightens.
It’s getting harder to breathe with the hand over his mouth. He doesn’t know how he suddenly musters up the courage to do so, but he bites down on the man’s fingers and uses the distraction as an opportunity to kick his knees.
It’s then that Donghyuck is reminded of how weak he is compared to the other members, how little of a chance he stands against a man almost twice his weight.
He barely reacts, only slightly faltering before he looks at Donghyuck with such rage that it freezes him on the spot. The moment barely lasts a second, and before Donghyuck knows it, there’s a hand on him again.
He feels his head collide with the wall behind him —once, twice— and stars quickly cross his vision. He loses all fight in him, the already small amount seeping out of him as he loses control over his limbs.
“Haechan-ah! Are you in here?”
The man whips around at the sound, and Donghyuck tries to scream against the hand muffling his cries, hoping to alert the members on the other side of the door.
He doesn’t know if they heard him, but the door handle is now frantically being turned as the man looks around the room for ways to escape. He’s standing in front of Donghyuck when the sound of a key turning a lock comes through, and the man is quickly grabbing hold of him again.
Donghyuck can feel the edge of the knife against his throat, and he’s afraid to even breathe.
“Hyuck—“
Through blurry vision he can discern the movement of the door opening to several figures. He can barely make out their faces, but even he can see the shock that flashes across them. He sees each of their eyes widen and their bodies still. Jaehyun stands closest, his hand stretched out in front of him as if he could stop the assault from five meters away. No one moves before the man speaks up.
“I thought we’d have more alone time,” he coos, and Donghyuck can feel his eyes leer over him, “but you lot just had to interrupt our fun.”
“Let him go,” he hears Jaehyun say, but the wobble in his voice reveals the true helplessness of the situation.
“Now why would I do that? We were just getting started.”
Donghyuck looks at each of their faces. Jaehyun is trying his best to conceal the fear in his eyes and replace it with something intimidating. Yuta is behind him, his eyes are wide and his jaw is clenched, but it’s nothing compared to the absolute horror that crosses Mark’s face next to him, tears already brooming. Taeil’s eyes flick from the object on Donghyuck’s throat to the man’s face, and he takes a step forward.
“Take— take us instead,” he stammers.
The man tilts his head, tightening his grip on Donghyuck. “I don’t want any of you. I want this one.”
It’s then that Donghyuck realizes there’s only four of them standing in the doorway, and it slightly relieves him to know that he’s not putting everyone in danger.
“But you want him alive, don’t you?”
It’s Yuta who challenges him, and his resolve almost gives Donghyuck hope.
The man’s grin simply widens, “Do I?” and suddenly he feels something prick at the skin on his throat, and a hot liquid slowly seeps out from the small cut.
“Stop!” they’re all yelling at once, their bodies immediately reaching out for him in alarm.
He feels the pressure relieve slightly, but the knife remains on his skin threateningly.
“Don’t try to play smart with me. I have your dongsaeng’s life in my hands.”
They’re all looking at him with wide eyes, and no one dares to move.
“Let’s just… talk about this, okay?” Taeil tries once more, the desperation evident in his voice.
Donghyuck watches them through blurred vision— whether it’s from the fog in his head or the tear tracks on his cheeks. Everything hurts, and he’s starting to grow tired, his hand on the man’s arm slowly loosening.
“What is there to talk about?”
Yuta swallows, “How are you planning to escape? What are you gonna do when the police arrive?”
The man stalls for a moment. Donghyuck feels his head move from one side to the other before fixating on something. “You’re going to hand me those keys over there, and I’ll quietly slip out the back door with our precious little maknae here.”
He’s slightly adjusting his position so that the knife presses against Donghyuck’s throat more uncomfortably, and he closes his eyes as he silently sobs.
“Okay,” Jaehyun says hesitantly after a minute, and the man actually laughs.
Donghyuck feels his heart clench at the word. He opens his eyes to see Jaehyun carefully approaching the two, keys wrapped in his hands. When he’s only standing a meter or so away from them, he says, “Drop the knife.”
It’s said with such conviction that Donghyuck almost forgets it’s Jaehyun who says it— Jaehyun who wouldn’t hurt a fly if it were any other situation.
“Give me the keys,” the man retorts.
Jaehyun glares at him, and if looks could kill, they would’ve been out of this situation as soon as it started.
“Drop. the. knife.”
The man smirks at him, but he eventually complies. Suddenly, the edge is removed from his throat and he feels like he can breathe again. It’s quickly replaced by the man’s left arm, though, which had previously been wrapped around Donghyuck’s torso. He’s now being held by his throat, the man’s elbow around it and his other hand free, held out in front of him to receive the keys.
Jaehyun takes another step forward. He clenches the objects in his hand, before he’s suddenly swinging an arm at the man’s face.
Donghyuck hears a frustrated grunt, and suddenly he’s falling to the ground. He hits the floor in a daze, and he feels arms quickly pulling him away from the scene. He’s slumping against the wall, and a pair of eyes find his own. Taeil looks at him with concern, and relief, and he’s grabbing Donghyuck by his arm with urgency. From the corner of his eye, he can see two figures wrestling another to the ground. He recognizes Jaehyun, and it takes him a moment to realize the person who’s joined him in fighting the man is Johnny.
He doesn’t know how far they’ve walked —or how far he’s been dragged along— but he’s quickly being swamped by all of their members, save for two.
“Oh my god, Donghyuck.”
“I can’t believe—“
“What the fuck just happened!”
“Oh, thank god you’re okay.”
He feels arms around him. Taeil is still tightly clutching him, but he can tell they all want a turn. He looks up at them, and the ones who’d been present during the attack stand closest. Yuta is staring intently at the line on his neck, and Mark’s eyes are practically bulging out of his head. The rest of them look down at him in concern, and pity.
“Did he— is he gone?” the words feel like cotton in his mouth, and he can see all their expressions turn more alarmed.
“They’re working on it,” Taeyong says gently, and Donghyuck can hear sirens in the distance.
He leans his head against Taeil, and he feels his eyes droop.
“Don’t go to sleep,” someone says pointedly. It takes him a second to realize it’s Doyoung who says it.
“Won’t,” he mumbles against his chest.
“I’m serious, Hyuck-ah.”
He blinks his eyes open and lifts his head toward the people crowding him. Somewhere close by he hears a loud noise, and everyone’s heads whip in the corresponding direction. It’s not long until a figure in handcuffs comes into view, alongside a couple of policemen, and more importantly, the two heroes of the day running in their direction.
Hands cup his cheeks, and Jaehyun’s voice is filled with emotion, “God, I really thought we’d never see you again.”
Donghyuck gives him a weak smile, “You saved me. That was really cool of you, hyung.”
Jaehyun just ruffles his hair with a teary smile. Johnny is standing beside him, head turned towards the other members and the staff. “How did he even get in? How did we not…” he ponders out loud, running a hand through his hair.
It’s not long until the ambulance staff flood the room as well, and they’re quickly looking him over. Donghyuck doesn’t miss the way Jaehyun and Johnny are examined too, but it seems their injuries aren’t deemed concerning because they’re quickly let go.
The paramedics reassure everyone that he’s okay, but they still want to take him to the hospital —Donghyuck can’t figure out why, nor does he like the idea because all he wants to do is sleep— and they’re quickly arguing over who gets to ride with him in the ambulance. They end up deciding on Taeyong, though Taeil was a close second, and all of them look torn with having to say goodbye to him so quickly after just getting him back.
He reassures them —he’ll be okay, really. It probably won’t even scar— before the door closes and all their faces disappear from view. He’s being pushed down onto the stretcher as they start hooking him up to all kinds of things, and his eyes find Taeyong’s, who’s running his fingers through Donghyuck’s hair comfortably.
His eyelids feel heavy, but the bright light that suddenly pops into one of his eyes, and then the other, promptly wakes him up. The paramedic is saying something to her coworker, but Donghyuck can’t be bothered to try and listen in.
“You’re okay,” Taeyong whispers, and Donghyuck wants to tell him he knows, but the words seem like more of a way of comforting himself, so Donghyuck just listens to his quiet reassurances.
There’s a certain tension in the room. Jaehyun is pacing back and forth, clenching and unclenching the knuckles that now wear bruises on them. Taeyong sits beside the bed, staring at the floor, hands gripped so tightly Donghyuck almost worries they’ll snap in half. Yuta is watching the machinery that surrounds Donghyuck —the IV drip, the clip attached to his finger, the wires poking in each direction— as if looking away will cause them to malfunction. And Taeil, he’s been glued to Donghyuck’s side ever since the incident, always touching him in some way— holding his hand, playing with his hair, adjusting the blanket.
Only four people are allowed in the hospital room, they said, and Donghyuck wishes it weren’t the case. Maybe if more people crowded his bedside, it wouldn’t be so quiet.
The silence is broken by Jaehyun a moment later. “I can’t believe he just—“ He’s still pacing, and Donghyuck doubts the words are said with much thought. “In our own building.”
Everyone looks up at him regardless. He can practically sense the anger that’s been bubbling inside the room reach its boiling point.
“I’m gonna fucking kill him.”
Donghyuck whips his head around to look at Yuta. It’s the first time he’s heard him say anything since it happened. He hadn’t expected his first words to be so visceral.
“I can’t stop thinking about what could have happened if we didn’t—“
Donghyuck feels Taeil’s hand tighten around his own, and his eyes find the elder’s.
He wants to reassure them, tell them everything’s okay, but the words never leave his throat. No matter how much he swallows, he can’t move past the lump that has settled there. He can’t bear to look at all their tear struck faces. He could have prevented this, this whole situation, if he had just reached out, but he hadn’t. And now they’re all suffering for it.
The door bursts open, then, and for a second, Donghyuck feels his heart rate quicken and the panic rise. He clutches Taeil like a lifeline. When he catches sight of the people that enter, though, he quickly relaxes.
He sees Renjun’s face first, eyes darting around before finally settling on Donghyuck. A sigh of relief seems to escape him before he’s rushing towards the hospital bed, four other people following him.
Donghyuck manages to plaster a bit of a smile on his face as he scolds them. “The nurse is gonna have a heart attack when she sees all of you.”
They don’t pay his words, or the four people rule, any mind. “We heard what happened,” Renjun says, out of breath and hands reaching up to cup Donghyuck’s cheeks. “Are you okay?”
Donghyuck nods, brushing off the contact. “I’m breathing, aren’t I?”
It’s different with the Dreamies. For some reason he feels the need to save face around them.
Taeyong butts in, then, looking up from the chair he’s sitting in and at the younger. “He has a minor concussion, and there’s a cut on his throat,” he explains, pointing at the bandage below Donghyuck’s Adam’s apple. “He had to get stitches.”
“But he’s okay,” he reassures them, voice gentle. “He should be discharged later today.”
Donghyuck sees relief flash across their features, Jeno putting a hand up to his mouth and Jisung’s eyes brimming with unshed tears. Chenle envelopes him in a tight hug which Donghyuck gladly returns, some of the uneasiness dissipating at the contact.
“It could’ve been a lot worse,” Taeil says from beside him.
“But it wasn’t,” Donghyuck argues, glaring at him for making Chenle’s head perk up in worry. “I’m fine— still in one piece, see?“
Donghyuck feels Jisung’s gaze linger on his throat, before he seems to divert his attention to Taeyong. “What did he— what did he want?”
His voice is small, breaking in the middle. Donghyuck’s heart clenches at making the younger go through this because of him.
“They haven’t told us much,” Renjun adds. “Just that someone tried to attack Donghyuck.”
Taeyong’s face turns grim, and he makes eye contact with the other 127 members in the room. “Someone broke into the concert hall,” he starts, voice steady. “We don’t know how he got past security, but he did. He pretended to be staff and locked Donghyuck in a room. He tried to…“ He trails off, looking up at the other members to help him find the right words.
“He was trying to kidnap him,” Yuta cuts in, voice detached.
Their eyes widen, and Jisung’s tears finally start to spill.
“Fuck,” Renjun whispers, turning away and bringing a fist up to his mouth.
Chenle is still holding him, burying his head into Donghyuck’s shoulder, carefully avoiding all the wires. Donghyuck puts his chin on top of Chenle’s hair, whispering, “It’s okay, Lele. I’m okay.”
Donghyuck hates seeing them like this.
“How did… Did he get caught?” Jeno looks between the older members, eyes hopeful.
Taeyong nods, “Johnny and Jaehyun managed to take him down. He’s been arrested.”
He hears them breathe out in relief again, mumbling different iterations of ‘Thank god’ and ‘Serves him right.’
They don’t take their eyes off him, even in the several moments that pass after the revelation. He’d normally bask in all the attention, but right now, each of their worry-filled gazes feels like a burn to his skin.
He cracks a smile at them, somewhat crooked. “If I knew I’d get this much attention, I would’ve gotten a stalker sooner.”
It was an attempt to lighten the atmosphere— but it only ends up widening their eyes further, everyone freezing.
“Stalker?” Jaehyun parrots.
Donghyuck only just now realizes what he’d said. He forces a chuckle, “Stalker, attacker. Same thing.”
Jaemin has been watching him ever since entering the room, though not saying a word, but his scrutinizing gaze now reaches its maximum.
“Donghyuck,” Taeyong starts hesitantly, as if afraid of the words to follow. “Is there something you want to tell us?”
He swallows, trying to think of a way to brush off the concern. He’s too late, though, because Jaemin speaks up then.
“Last night,” he says, clearing his throat. “Hyuck and I went out, and I think we were being followed.”
All eyes are on him again, and Donghyuck almost curls in on himself in shame. They’re waiting for an explanation. He doesn’t have one.
At Jisung’s heart-breaking, “Hyung,” the dam breaks.
He scrunches his eyes shut, and prepares himself with a sigh.
“He texted me, a couple times,” he starts, refusing to make eye contact. “And I guess he hacked into my phone because my camera was on. He, uh, also left me a letter —very sweet of him— under my pillow. And yeah, I think he was the one who followed us that time.” He looks up at them hesitantly. “Pretty sure that’s it?”
They all look horrified.
“What the fuck,” Renjun whispers.
“So that’s why you needed a new phone,” Jaemin mutters, slightly dazed.
Jisung swallows. “Under your pillow…”
“He was in our dorm,” Taeyong says with horror. “—When?”
Donghyuck looks away, staring down at the white sheets. “Yesterday.”
Taeyong looks like he’s going to be sick.
“Why didn’t you come to us?” Jaehyun says from across the room, the hurt evident in his voice.
“He was scared,” Jeno argues.
Donghyuck shakes his head. He’d been trying to suppress all the emotions that came with the event, but he can’t help the wobble in his voice. “I thought he’d… hurt you guys. He threatened it.”
He feels Taeil’s grip tighten around his hand, a reassuring look in his eyes.
“And instead he hurt you,” Taeyong argues. “That’s not better.”
Donghyuck closes his eyes, leaning against Chenle who’s still wrapped around his side. “I know.” His voice is barely above a whisper. “I just didn’t know what else to do.”
Any frustrations with him seem to dissipate in that moment, all of them looking at him with sympathy.
“It’s okay, Hyuckie,” Taeil tells him. “You’re here with us and that’s all that matters.”
He knows it’s not true, that the damage has already been done and that he’ll never be able to take it back, but a part of him still relaxes at the words, releasing a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.
That night is spent on the floor of 127’s living room, the one on the tenth floor rather than the fifth simply because there’s more space for mattresses. Donghyuck sleeps on the couch, all eight other members sprawled across several other areas of the room surrounding him. There wouldn’t be enough room for the Dreamies, so they’d decided they would lend him to their dorm the following night, but for now he’s left with his hyungs.
“Hyuck? Wake up.”
He simply groans in reply.
“I know. It’s not fun, but I need to see your eyes.”
When he complies, he’s greeted by the sight of Johnny hovering over him.
“Ah, there you are.”
The doctor had recommended they wake Donghyuck every four hours, simply to test if he actually could be woken up. It was all due to that pesky concussion. It was proving to be quite the pain in the ass. He didn’t expect to still be feeling nauseous even twelve hours after the incident, but here he was.
Donghyuck sighs, turning and pulling the covers up higher. He mumbles, “I’m going back to sleep.”
Johnny laughs, “Okay, Hyuckie.”
When he’d retold the dramatic tale of his stalking to half of their group earlier, it hadn’t dawned on him that he’d done just that— tell only half his group. The others had been patiently sitting in the waiting room, not hearing a word of what Donghyuck said.
Though he appreciates the survival of his dignity, he can’t help the feeling of guilt that settles in his gut every time he looks at Johnny— at Mark, Jungwoo, Doyoung.
He knows he’ll have to tell them eventually —or else someone will do it for him— but for now, he’ll allow himself to wallow in the comfort they bring, without having to twist their faces into worry again.
“Sleep well, Hyuckie,” he hears Johnny whisper. “You’re safe. We’re here with you, and we’re never leaving your side again.”
It sounds like a nuisance, to constantly have them hovering around him like mosquitoes. The words bring a smile to his face nonetheless.
“I know, hyung. Thanks.”
He closes his eyes, and for once, his sleep isn’t disrupted by the nightmares that have been plaguing him the past couple days. Instead, he dreams of being surrounded by warmth and care, because, in that moment, he is. And he’s never letting it go.