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26. Priorities

"Wait!" Her voice was strained as she caught her arms around his waist from behind and struggled to keep him in place. "He's already gone. You don't have to do this, it's ok. I'm ok."

His resistance stopped when realized he was about to pull her off her feet and drag her across the pavement. He looked down at her hands, small and frail, but tense with the tight grip around his abdomen. Her short fingers knotted into the fabric of his shirt and the pale outline of her blue-green veins sprouted from the ridges of her knuckles that turned white from the rigidity of her hold. His gaze swept further down her hand to her wrists that were encircled with faint horizontal marks and patches of angry red. He pried her fingers from his body and spun around to face her, holding her hand in the air.

"How is this ok, Yuna?!" He nearly shouted.

"He didn't hurt me. He wanted me to give you a message."

"I don't give a shit what he wanted to give me, kidnapping you and tying you up will never be ok!" He seethed.

"I really think he's trying to help. Yes, putting a bag over my head, tying my hands and throwing me into a car was incredibly stupid and way over the top, but the rest of the time really didn't go anything like that."

"Bag? Threw you into a car??" He said with horror splashed across his face. "I'm going to fucking kill him." His voice dropped and he muttered to himself.

"He told me about Kyung Chul." She said cautiously. His eyes met hers and the crease between his eyebrows softened.

"Yuna, I-"

"Is Mark really that much of a priority right now?"

"Don't say that bastard's name so casually." He scoffed. "But you're right, I guess." He let out a sigh and closed his eyes, trying to compose himself.

"Then please take me home. We can talk about the rest later, but I really just want to go home now." She reached out and tugged at the hem of his shirt, looking lost and innocent like a child in need of comfort.

He stood in front of her and pivoted his body so he faced her directly. He brought his hands up to cup her cheeks and caressed her skin with the pads of his thumbs. Her lips were slightly pale and the area under her eyes gave off a faint dark hue. It was clear on her face that the ever present threat of imminent danger was a dark cloud that surrounded her. It had begun to creep itself into her body and physically manifest as an ill and exhausted aura. It made his heart ache. He leaned close and pressed his forehead against hers and closed his eyes.

"Let's go home." He said softly.

***

"Noona!" Da Reum jumped up and quickly went to her as she entered the house. He hugged her and she winced from the pressure that squeezed her shoulders. He pulled away and then flicked her forehead.

"Ow! What the hell?"

"Don't ever do that again."

"It's not like I arranged my own kidnapping, Da Reum. It's not exactly something I can plan for." She rubbed her forehead and glanced up at him, noticing the glossiness of his eyes. "But I'll be more careful from now on." She pat his shoulder and raised the corner of her lip.

Taeyong waited until they finished talking before he took her hand and led her to the couch to sit down. He sat next to her, glued to her side with his fingers still intertwined with hers. Everyone else sat across from them, waiting quietly.

"What happened?" Taeyong asked, wasting no time. "Tell me everything from the time you got into the school."

They listened attentively as she told them everything she could remember. Details about who and how many were there, how they managed to take her, where they went and everything they said and did. She left out the part where she cried but did tell them about Mark's injury. She could see Taeyong's jaw tighten and his back go rigid when she explained how she offered to treat it for him as an offer of good will for the information he gave.