𝑯𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝑰𝒔 𝑶𝒖𝒓𝒔 ✓

Chapter 28

HE ran towards his friends to hug them as tightly as he could, and they didn't hesitate to wrap him in a tight group hug. He burst into tears as soon as he realized the situation, taking a small glance over his wife to see her standing at a fair distance, her eyes locked onto her friends who began tearing up as well.

"We missed you!" They yelled, already engulfing each other in a hug. "We miss you a lot, Jinnie!"

He allowed tears to stream down his face as he sniffed the scent of his friends' expensive perfumes.

"I-I missed you too..." His voice trailed off as soon as he closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of being close to his best friends once again. "I miss you all so much."

The group let each other go and that was when he heard the clinking sound of her high heels getting closer to them. Her arm was wrapped around his waist and Changbin's waist a few seconds later. He inhaled and turned to his wife with a small smile, a smile that told her that everything was okay.

She engulfed her husband in a tight hug, rubbing his clothed back before gently shoving him away.

"I'll leave you to catch up, and I'll come back soon." She assured, her soft fingers reaching up to caress his cheek. She turned to wave at the other members.

And as soon as they waved back, she sent them a wide smile and turned to hurry out of the practice room.

"I'll see you guys in fifteen minutes, probably!" She yelled before disappearing out of their sight. Hyunjin sadly waved at her, and while she closed the swinging door behind her, he turned to his friends and was surprised when they wrapped him in another tight hug.

❆

"So what happened..?" Chan asked after the eight members sat down on the smooth, polished wooden floor. Hyunjin sat in between the members and adjusted his seating position. "On the day of the ransom, I mean?"

The boy gulped as he struggled to remember the events. Despite the fact that it only happened a few days before, he assumed that the trauma had affected his brain so much that he struggled to remember life-changing events like that one.

"I..." He began. "They... They raped me again, then drugged me."

The other members frowned and some gulped away fear.

"And when j-jagiya came they were already planning to leave," he explained, closing his eyes at the flooding memories, "they said something about going to Russia and..."

He didn't want to continue that sentence. Both he and his wife knew that if he was taken to another country, he would've kissed the already slim chances of returning home goodbye.

"I thought I was going to die," he added through his now streaming tears, "I never thought I would see you all again..."

Felix and Jisung, who were sitting on each side of the boy, cuddled themselves closer to him, their lower lips already quivering.

"We're really sorry, Jinnie," Lino whispered, reaching to pat the boy's back in a gentle yet reassuring manner, "we wanted to help you. I swear."

The boy shook his head and broke into more tears, soft sobs escaping his mouth as he did.

"There was nothing you could do," he replied. "They were holding me hostage and... And..."

He trailed off after that, closing his eyes tightly at the memories. That was all he could do after all. Now that he was out and away from the nightmare he was in for the past month, he had to find a way to get over what he experienced. With his wife and his friends' help, he might as well learn to move on and forget what had happened.

Despite it being a terrible, unbearable thing to go through whatsoever.

"I-I'm glad I'm here now." He spoke quietly, seemingly assuring himself. The members glanced at him, then at each other. Then, Chan was the first to inch closer to the younger friends and engulf them in a tight hug while tearing up himself.

"It's okay. We'll be here with you, every step of the way."

Soon enough, they were all holding each other in a reassuring group hug.

"Thank you," he whispered, holding his friends closer, "I love you all so much."

They muttered the same words, this time allowing tears to finally hit them.

"You're going to be okay, Hyunjin."

Mal stood from afar watching her husband being hugged by the seven members and sadly smiled, her eyes resting on Hyunjin's tear-stained cheeks. The unbearable urge to go hold him in her arms until he has had enough was deafening, and all she could do was think about how much she loved him with all her heart.

"We're right here, okay?" He nodded at that. "We'll protect you as much as we can."

He nodded once again, still returning the hug with clinging arms. "I'm so glad we're friends," he whispered in an almost inaudible tone, "you guys mean the world to me."

She teared up at that, heat rushing to her cheeks and tears eventually found their way down her beautiful face.

"It's okay," Chan whispered. "Go home and get some rest. You need it. Don't worry, we'll cover for you."

The younger boy nodded his head while the other members gave him one final hug, followed by a soft, gentle push from a few of his friends to urge him to stand up. He reluctantly obeyed and stood up, his eyes slowly turning towards the double-sided door. He eventually met his wife's figure standing by the long, metal doorknob.

She sent him a weak, sympathetic smile, then slowly stretched her arms out, waiting for him to return the hug.

He allowed small, hot tears to stream down his face before he ran across the room toward her. She opened her arms wider and waited for his body to crash into hers.

And it did a few seconds later.

She returned the hug almost immediately and continued to hold him between her arms while their friends smiled at the sight.

Hyunjin let out a soft sob, whispering something that was almost inaudible but could be heard nonetheless.

"I love you so much," he whispered, another tear streaming down his face.

She faintly smiled at the words, then squeezed him tighter, causing his body to carve into hers, much to their delight.

"I love you too, pretty."

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