love bath|seochangbin

-ten-

-ChangBin's POV-

I groan softly as every inch of my body screams out in agony. My head throbs as I slowly sit up. I open my eyes and take in my surroundings. I'm clearly not at home—but I do know where I am. I'm in her bedroom. The last thing I remember is the helping JiWoo get away. After that—everything else is a little fuzzy. I know the others showed up, but I can't remember what any of them said. I clearly don't remember how I got here.

"Did you check on him recently? He's been out for a few hours." Her voice makes my heart race. She's worried. She's worried about me despite how mean u was to her before everything happened.

"I checked a little bit ago. It can't hurt to check again." Chan speaks up and the sound of footsteps approaching fills the room.

I take a shaky breath as they both slip into the room. They can't see me right away. They have to turn the corner, but part of me feels like they know I'm awake the moment they step in. They don't seem hesitant. I'd imagine they've been tiptoeing around me every time they've come to check on me.

"Binnie." JiWoo's voice is the first thing I hear. I turn toward her and hold back my smile. I'm thrilled to see she's fine. I really am, but she can't know that. I can't let her in anymore than I already have. It's too dangerous. After today though—I might not have much of a choice. They clearly know she means something to me—to us—now. They won't leave her alone.

"How's it feel taking a good eight guys on at once?" Chan chuckles as he sits down next to me. He grabs ahold of my chin lightly and turns my head to check the cuts on my cheek.

"Not good." I mumble as I stare down at my lap. It's not a lie. It doesn't feel good, but it's not all bad. It feels good knowing I saved her. I'd do it all over again if I had to.

"I'm sorry." JiWoo whispers as she lowers her head. She clasps her hands in front of her. The very sight of her feeling so down makes my stomach uneasy. She did nothing wrong. She has no reason to blame herself.

"For what? Being associated with a big asshole? If anyone should be sorry it's me. I'm the reason they went after you. It's only right that I'm the one that got my ass kicked." I shut her down immediately. I refuse to let her feel bad. If anything—her being there helped knock some sense into me. I know I can't keep her on the outside anymore. I have to pull her into the circle, but I don't have to let down my shield to do that.

"She shouldn't be alone anymore, ChangBin. Someone will have to make sure she gets home every day after school. They know she's with us and they just got their asses kicked. They aren't going to back down." Chan sighs as he gently pats my back.

"I know. I'll do it. It's my fault—so I'll do it. She's ours now. She's not going anywhere—even at school. No one lays hands on her. No one says a word about her without one of us giving approval." I state firmly as I prepare myself for the reality of things. No matter how much I want to keep her out, she's going to get in. It's just a matter of time. The longer I can protect myself the better—but it won't last forever.

I thought I would get her out of my system by forcing her to hang out with us last night, but I didn't. I forced her further into my head. The feeling of her skin beneath mine. The taste of her. Her attitude. Her body. Everything about her is etched into my mind and it won't budge.

"You can't claim me. I'm a human being. I'm not some inanimate object you can carry around in your backpack." She objects—as expected.

When it comes to us—to me—she'll fight and argue, but with Seok—she didn't. She was scared. She's scared of me, but not in the same way. With me—she knows I won't physically hurt her on purpose. Verbally—I'll do it without hesitation, but never physically. My mom taught me better than that. She taught me better than verbally attacking people as well, but I need something to help numb my pain. Words can hurt, but someone like her has enough self love to be able to ignore them. She has the support system to help her overcome them.