The star is mine (completed)

XXVII: promise

It's a shorter chapter again... 

Wooyoung's POV

'I'd die for him', San says, and it sounds more sincere than anything he's ever said.

I'd die for him.

I'd die for him.

The words repeat in my head, and it scares me. What if he actually means it? I can't live without him.

I don't want to go back to my old life, now I've tasted what love is, what joy is, and that there's more to life than being locked in a room, numb, just trying to survive. And most of all, I don't want to lose San.

I'd have nothing to live for if it weren't for him.

Jongho grins, putting the gun against San's head and my heart stops again.

'Kill me, but leave him alone'

'It's easy enough to kill you, brother, but I wouldn't have done all of this if I wanted to make it easy'

It scares me, but it's better than thinking he's going to kill San.

'At least tell me why you're doing this'

'I already told you, revenge. You really don't know everything that happened that day, do you?', he says, 'I killed him out of self-defence, he would've murdered me if I didn't shoot first'

'He was a monster, but he wouldn't kill his own son'

I know they're talking about their father.

'She believed that too, drove away without me, and I never saw her again'

'Is that why you're holding us here? Because your girlfriend left?'

'You said you'd die for Wooyoung, I would've died for her'

'Except you didn't. Even if he was planning to kill you, you chose to be the coward and shot him to save your ass'

Jongho goes quiet for a second, until San asks his next question: 'And why would you lure us here? While we're looking for Wooyoung's sister'

'Because it's so ironic. I lost Lily because of you, and now you'll travel the world trying to find her for someone else'

San's eyes go wide, and he doesn't say a thing. I figured Jongho's ex-girlfriend was Lily, but San still didn't know a thing. He told me he never knew her name, so how could he have known?

I suddenly hear a loud thud coming from outside of the room, followed by a crack, then a bang. Footsteps running into the hallway, of multiple people.

'Sir?', one of the people yells, 'Mr. Choi?'

I look at San, trying to figure out what is happening.

'Jay!', he shouts back.

Another door gets kicked down, the one of the room we're in right now.

Four masked men with guns run into the room, one of them immediately running towards me, trying to cut me loose. I feel the knife slightly nick me while it's cutting the ropes, but it feels good to finally be able to move again.

The other three are surrounding Jongho, who is panicking looking around. He tries to shoot once, and one of the masked men grabs for his own shoulder. The recoil of the gun throws Jongho off for a second, he's clearly not that used to handling a gun, to which the two others take the opportunity to push him to the ground.

I was too focused on the scene happening in front of me to notice that San has been cut loose too, but I'm so relieved when I see him suddenly standing up, the masked men taking a step back so he can walk up to the middle of the room.

Jongho tries to lift his arm again, but San steps on his arm so he can't move anymore, then turns to the others.

'What about the guys who grabbed us?'

'Took care of them already, they were outside', a familiar voice comes from behind one of the masks.

'All three?'

'Yes, sir'

'Great'

His foot is still locked to Jongho's wrist, who has finally given up fighting to escape. He's too weak and hurt from being thrown to the floor.

'Get him out of here', he nudges down.

'Yes, sir'

He turns to me, and I get reminded of how rough he looks, the blood that was streaming down his face now a dried, brown line and his face full of small cuts and bruises.

'Are you okay?', I ask him.

He seems surprised I asked him that question, stopping for a second with a startled look on his face.

'I don't have to be, as long as you are', he responds softly, 'Are you?'

'I'm fine'

'Come on, let's get out of here', he reaches his hand out to me.

I take it and he helps me up, then notices the cut on my wrist. '

'Oh, it was from the one cutting my ropes off, it's okay'

'Who did this?', he looks back at the men trying to get Jongho up off of the floor.

San's POV

I watch Wooyoung sleeping soundly, my eyes drifting off to the collar on the bedside table. I wonder if he'll even remember what happened last night, he was so drunk and jetlagged. I sure hope he does, because I'll be remembering this moment for the rest of my life.

I'm scared of what will happen today. Maybe it's all a trap.

What if it is a trap?

I reach into my pocket, taking out my phone and calling someone.

'Jay?'

'Yes, sir'

'You're in LA too, right?'

'Yes'

'When we make the trip tomorrow as planned, stay 30 minutes behind us, and if I don't text you before that, it's probably a trap'

'Yes, sir'

'And also', I look a Wooyoung again, 'If I don't make it out alive, rescue Woo, give him everything I have, and protect him'

'Sir I-'

'I'm serious.'

I hang up the phone without even saying anything. I've made up my mind and he knows what to do.