HAOBIN | BOYS PLANET

18

Hanbin's POV

"Why are you doing this to me?" I yelled, but my frustration just made them laugh even more. I found myself seated in a tightened cloth bag, my hands locked in a rope, us three in the middle of a warehouse, glaring at each other. Besides arguing with Hao-hyung, having the tape harshly ripped off my mouth was probably the most painful experience I had in my life.

"Here, let me introduce him," Youngeun cackles, pushing the fierce man beside her forward, "This is Yeong Jiwoo, my boyfriend, and the father of Yeong Minjae."

"The father of..." I remembered Youngeun's lie earlier, "I knew it! I knew the child wasn't mine!"

"Of course, it wasn't yours," Youngeun rolled her eyes, "Only your little stupid, ignorant boyfriend would believe that. Did I break his heart for real, Hanbinnie? I hope the answer is yes."

"**** YOU!" Rage boiled within me like a relentless inferno. My nostrils flared, and every muscle in my body tensed, fighting against the restraints that held me captive.

"Let's not waste time doing this, we have a dinner appointment tonight," Jiwoo grumbled, "Aren't we supposed to be calling his precious little boyfriend and telling him to come over?"

I gasped, concerned at their mention of Hao-hyung. "What?! Wait, where am I, and why do you have to call Hao-hyung-"

"Shut up," Jiwoo rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time, "What's his number?"

"Do you think I'm going to give it to you? Do you think I will let you harm what's rightfully mine?" I spout, attempting to knock off the cloth bag.

"He's not yours anymore, get real, dumbass," Youngeun sneers at me, making my heart beat fast with rage, "Here's his number. Worth getting in Wakeone to spy on this couple, huh?"

My heart sank heavily, sensing my world crumbling away. The weight of despair settled upon my chest, its presence suffocating and unrelenting. With each beat, it echoed the shattered fragments of my once vibrant reality, amplifying the hollow ache that consumed me. "No! Don't call Hao-hyung, please! I beg you, just kill me, don't call him!" I sobbed as loud as I can, my mind floating with the fact Hao-hyung could get hurt because of me.

"Should I just leave him here or call his soppy ex-boyfriend?" Youngeun blinked surprisingly at me, "After all, he's willing to."

"What was the point of this, Eun-ah?!" Jiwoo pushed her contemptuously, "To break them both! Remember this!"

"Fine, fine," Youngeun kicks me all of a sudden with her boots, making me double up in pain, "Dial the number. And where is that tape?" She smacks the dreaded thing into my mouth, hitting the keypad wildly.

Hyung, please, please don't pick up...

"Hello, who is this?" Hao-hyung's husky voice (the aftermath of crying which made me feel even more like trash) came out of Youngeun's phone.

"Hi, is this Zhang Hao of ZB1, who used to have a relationship with a squeaky guy called Sung Hanbin?" Youngeun shouted into the phone loudly, then threw her head back to laugh like a psychopath.

"E...Excuse me?" Hao-hyung's tone was filled with confusion.

"Don't play the fool and waste all of our time," Jiwoo thundered, snatching the phone out of Youngeun's hands, "Either way, you have a relationship with Sung Hanbin, romantic or not. If you want to see his annoying face again, come to 66 Sinboruwood Lane."

"W...what do you mean?" Hao-hyung's voice began to waver, "What have you done to him?"

"Nothing," Youngeun shrugged even though it wasn't a video chat, "Just carried him all the way from Wakeone's bathroom to a warehouse. Don't worry, he looks completely comfortable in a cloth bag, especially when he's tied up and his mouth is stuck."

"How dare you?!" I hear Hao-hyung rustling as his voice booms loudly, "Where did you keep him? 66 Sinboruwood Lane, was it? I'm coming over. Prepare to see me in 10 minutes."

"Nxhfffoldghiii!" I tried to shout through the tape, but my voice was helplessly muffled.

"What was that, Binnie?" Hao-hyung cries, making me tear up. "Who cares," Jiwoo roared, "The ransom amount is ₩1,000,000. Get your ass over here immediately, or else we will r@pe and k!ll Sung Hanbin." With that, he hung off and threw the phone across the room.

Youngeun stared, her mouth hanging open, "That was my phone..."

"Okay, sorry," Jiwoo sneered.

8 mins later

"When the hell is he coming?" Jiwoo roared. I rolled my eyes at his incognizance.

"He said 10 minutes, Jiwoo-ah," Youngeun hangs on to his arm, making me sick, "Give him some time."

"Ugh," Jiwoo groaned, "I don't wanna wait!"

"Well, you don't have to wait," Hao-hyung appears by the door, "Untie Hanbin immediately."

"Not until you give us the amount."

"Sure," Hao-hyung looks at me thoughtfully, "It's in the suitcase I'm holding." Swerving my eyes, I see the case he uses to pack his violin. It looked large and I couldn't stand the thought of him wasting a huge amount of money to save me.

"Hand it over and we'll let him go," Youngeun eyes him with evil intentions, spreading her hand, "You heard it."

"Hao-hyung..." I start, "They're gonna do something to you, get out of here quickly-"

A large smash cut off my plead, leaving me stunned, "Hao-hyung, did you just-" He pressed his finger against my trembling lips, like he did in the bathroom, smiling at me in a way that made my heart melt into a puddle.

"Yeah, I smashed my violin and wasted it on two crappy @ssholes," Hao-hyung sighs, "At least Ricky doesn't have a threat anymore."

"You broke your precious violin, just because of me?" Tears started developing in my eyes. "Geez, don't cry, you're more important than anything! I've told Ricky to call the cops, come on let's go."

Wiping my tears, I stood up, puzzled. "Where are we going?"

"WAKEONE, of course. But... I need to talk to you." Hao-hyung looked down at the fooor, biting his lip cutely. "I want to apologize for what I said earlier. I was so caught up in pursuing my dreams and achieving my goals that I didn't fully consider our love and how important it is to me. I've done a lot of thinking, Hanbinnie. I can't imagine my life without you. You're the love of my life, and I don't want to let go. I want us to be each other's support system. We can find a way to balance my ambitions and our relationship. Let's communicate better, make compromises, and ensure we're both on this journey together. We can set goals, deadlines, and make time for our love amidst the chaos of our dreams."

Touched by his long speech, I gave him a quick peck on his lips. "But what about the rules?"

Hao-hyung laughs. "I love you. More than anything. I promise to prioritize our love and be there for you as much as I can. We'll navigate this together, one step at a time. So I have a plan. Let's talk to Mr Selfish Siwon, if you know what I mean."