“Now that we’re in private, talk.”

“I, um…” Hyoyeon fidgeted in her seat. Being in the confines of Taeyeon’s home made her feel uneasy.

Eunhyuk stood up. “I’ll just leave and wait in the other room. Hyoyeon doesn’t seem comfortable speaking if I’m around.”

Sooyoung pushed him back into his seat. “No. You stay.”

“But you want to talk with her, and I don’t think that she’ll talk if I’m around.” Eunhyuk got up again, but was promptly shoved down once more by Jessica. The second shove was much more aggressive.

“Listen, you,” Jessica said. She leaned in close and stared Eunhyuk in the eye. “Sit down and don’t do anything unless we tell you to.” Jessica slyly rested her hand on Eunhyuk’s arm. “And don’t try anything stupid, Hyoyeon. I don’t think you’d want your friend to get hurt.”

“Ah!” Eunhyuk shut his eyes tightly and let out a yelp of pain as Jessica squeezed his left arm hard. “Let go! Let go!” Jessica squeezed as hard as she could before letting go. Eunhyuk grabbed his sore arm. His skin had turned red where Jessica had squeezed, and little crescents were embedded where Jessica’s nails were. When Eunhyuk removed his own hand from his arm, he realized that Jessica actually pierced his skin in a few places and he was getting blood all over himself.

Tiffany noticed that Hyoyeon started to panic when Jessica tortured Eunhyuk’s arm, and even more so when she saw the blood. She whispered to Sunny and the two excused themselves form the room quickly. As they left, Yoona came back in after calling the police and telling them they didn’t need to worry any more.

“Now talk.” Jessica ordered.

“I just need money, okay?” Hyoyeon said. “I’m only getting paid a little bit. If I can get what I need then I swear I’ll stop.”

“Hyoyeon, if you needed money, you could have asked me.” Eunhyuk said. He was still clutching his sore arm. “I don’t have much, but I can always spare a bit.”

“No! I don’t want to take your money.”

Eunhyuk looked a bit hurt by Hyoyeon’s statement. Tiffany and Sunny returned to the room and took seats around the room. Tiffany gave Eunhyuk a towel to wrap his arm with, and another to wipe the blood off himself. Eunhyuk thanked Tiffany before tending to his wound.

Jessica was getting impatient. “Will you just tell me why you’re working with someone who is trying to ki- kyah!“

Hyoyeon jumped from her seat and covered Jessica’s mouth with her hands. “Please don’t say it! Not in front of Eunhyuk.” Hyoyeon whispered.

Taeyeon ripped Hyoyeon off of Taeyeon. “Why are you helping someone kill my girlfriend?”

“What?!” Eunhyuk looked up at Taeyeon. “What did you just say?”

“You heard me.”

There was a silent exchange between Eunhyuk and Hyoyeon. Hyoyeon bolted out of the room, but Jessica followed her. Eunhyuk was speechless. “Um…could I be excused for a moment?”

Tiffany, Sunny, Sooyoung and Yoona were all sitting off to the side. No one knew what to say, but given the circumstances, none of the girls felt comfortable allowing Eunhyuk to leave.

“You really don’t know a thing about Hyoyeon, do you?” Taeyeon asked.

Eunhyuk looked at Taeyeon. “I thought I did. We grew up together. But this is all…I just didn’t think she would be the sort of person to do this.”

“Well now you know.”

“But…” Sooyoung said in a calculating voice, “If you two are really as close as you say you are, I still don’t understand why she doesn’t just borrow money from you and pay you back. She could work a normal job like you.”

Tiffany stepped forward. “She likes him. You don’t ask someone you like for money. Not a large sum, at least, and I can only assume that she needs more than she is willing to ask of him.”

Like before, Eunhyuk looked up with disbelief. “No way, were like brother and sister. She couldn’t…”

“You don’t like her like that?” Tiffany asked.

“Well, I mean, I see her like my sister. I guess I never thought that she would see me as anything other than a brother…but why did she take such a dangerous job?”

Sunny spoke up. “It must pay better than whatever else was being offered. Do you know what sorts of jobs she used to do?”

“She worked part-time in a restaurant for a while. Then she stopped, but for whatever reason she still had money. She never did tell me what she was dong to get it all.”

“She’s old enough to hold a full-time job, though.” Yoona said, “She could just work as an office lady or something, couldn’t she?”

“It’s a little complicated. We both are part of a dance crew, and she’s been trying to make it as a dancer. We don’t get paid much from the performances we do which is why we work at least part-time. I asked her to just take a full time job, but she’s a little stubborn.” Eunhyuk buried his head in his hands. “I feel so pathetic…”

Yoona knelt down next to Eunhyuk and patted him on the shoulder. “It’s okay. But, could you please help us?” Eunhyuk looked up at Yoona. His eyes were a little watery. “We need to know what Hyoyeon is after, and why her boss wants Jessica dead. Please help us get her to talk.”

Eunhyuk nodded unconsciously. He was confused and hurt and utterly lost in everything that was going on. But he also knew that he wanted to understand Hyoyeon. Even if he couldn’t return her feelings, he wanted to be there for her as a friend.

And Jessica’s timing couldn’t have been more perfect. She shoved Hyoyeon back into the room and into the seat next to Eunhyuk. “Don’t worry, I made sure she heard everything that you were all saying.” Jessica said as she smacked Hyoyeon’s arm away.

“Will you stop being so physical?” Sooyoung asked. “There’s no way she’ll want to talk if you keep treating her like this.” Jessica backed off, but had a sour look on her face.

“Hyoyeon, can you please tell me why you are doing this?” Eunhyuk asked. “You know you’re like a little sister to me, so you should be able to tell me anything.”

“That’s just it. I don’t want to just be a little sister to you!” Hyoyeon refused to look at Eunhyuk. “I wanted to surprise you for your birthday. I know it’s not for a while, but I needed to save up.”

“But that’s no reason to be helping someone kill this girl.” Eunhyuk softly said in reply. “We can talk about the whole “us” thing later in private, but I need to know why you were doing these things.”

Sooyoung grabbed Yoona and left the room to do something. Tiffany and Sunny both sat to the side with Jessica sandwiched between them. It was the easiest way to restrain Jessica. Taeyeon sat across from Eunhyuk and Hyoyeon. She watched and carefully analyzed their actions to see if she could clue into something from their body language.

There was a lump in Hyoyeon’s throat. She tried to speak, but her words were caught somewhere between the tongue and lips. “She offered me money. A lot more than I was making anywhere else.”

“Who?” Eunhyuk asked. “Can you tell us her name?”

Hyoyeon shook her head. “She never told me a name. She always wore a cloak and never allowed me to see her face.” Hyoyeon looked at Taeyeon. “I really don’t know much. I was always told to check up on you and make sure you were doing your job. She wanted me to scare you into killing Jessica.”

“What about Krystal? Do you know what happened to her?” Taeyeon asked.

“Who’s Krystal?”

Taeyeon was momentarily shocked. “The girl she is holding hostage. My “sister”. What happened to her?”

Hyoyeon took a second to think. “I don’t know. Do you have a picture of her? I really don’t remember anyone with that name, but maybe I’ve seen her before.”

Taeyeon picked up a framed photo from a table. “This one is Krystal.” Taeyeon pointed to a girl with a bright smile. “Have you seen her before?”

“Oh! Her!” Hyoyeon seemed to have an epiphany. “I remember seeing her around before. The boss gave her a room near her own so that she could keep an eye on her. I don’t know much about her though. I don’t see her much, either. Boss lady used to escort her everywhere, but these days the girl just stayed in the room Boss lady have her.”

“I see.” Taeyeon sat down and took a break from playing detective.

Eunhyuk got Hyoyeon’s attention back. “But why did you need the money?”

“I told you, for your present.”

“Which is…?”

“…” Hyoyeon looked at Eunhyuk’s pocket. A small set of earbuds protruded form the opening. The wires were covered in electrical tape and the earbuds themselves were starting to come apart. The mp3 device the earbuds were plugged into was in equally bad condition – if not worse.

Eunhyuk noticed what Hyoyeon was looking at and pulled out his music devices. “You wanted to replace these?”

Hyoyeon nodded her head. “I know you’ve been wanting a new one, but you never had enough money after all your other expenses. I thought that I could get you new stuff and then maybe…”

Eunhyuk have Hyoyeon a shoulder hug. “Thanks. I appreciate it. But I don’t want a present that was gotten from such dirty methods. Promise me you’ll stop this all right now.”

“I wish I could, but I really need the money…”

“Hyoyeon, I don’t need new stuff. I can get new stuff later, but I don’t want you running around doing these dangerous things.”

“No, I really need the money. I don’t have any other job. I need to pay my bills and everything. It’s the only thing that’s keeping me from being broke.”

“And you still refuse to work full-time?”

Hyoyeon vigorously shook her head. “I don’t want to not have time to dance. If I work full-time, all the time I’ve dedicated to dancing would be gone.”

Sooyoung walked up behind Hyoyeon. “Suck it up.”

“Sooyoung!” Sunny gasped at Sooyoung’s bluntness.

“She’s being honest.” Yoona gave Hyoyeon a piece of paper. “Look here. These are the names of talent agencies that we’ve worked with in the past. Go audition for some of them. They have seasonal auditions that just about anyone can participate in.”

Hyoyeon cautiously took the paper. There was a list of five or six companies along with contact information. “Why are you giving this to me?”

“You said you wanted out, didn’t you?” Sooyoung said as she sat on a table. “Here’s your chance to get money. It might not be great at first, but it will get better if you work as hard as this one says you do.”

“Thank you!” Eunhyuk said with gratitude. “Hyoyeon, see, you can quit that job. If you need any help financially, I can try and help you.”

“But…”

“No buts. Please, take them up on this offer.”

Tiffany tapped Eunhyuk on the shoulder. “Could you go wait in the kitchen for a moment? Sunny and I made some snacks. Feel free to have some while waiting. I’ll get you a bandage for your arm.”

Eunhyuk nodded. He gave Hyoyeon a reassuring smile before leaving with Tiffany. Hyoyeon grabbed Eunhyuk’s uninjured hand as he got up. “Don’t worry,” he said. He released his hand from Hyoyeon’s grasp and gently patted her head. Tiffany escorted him to the kitchen before fetching Taeyeon’s first aid kit.

“Back to you, Krystal, and…”boss lady”. Do you know why she wants Jessica dead?” Taeyeon asked after Eunhyuk walked into the kitchen.

“No. But, from what I’ve seen and heard, the three bosses all have very different reasons for hating Jessica.”

“What the?! What do they have against me?” Jessica started to stress and thrash about in her seat. Tiffany and Sunny both tried to restrain her as well as keep her from hitting them with her elbows.

“You dealt with Seohyun, yes?” Hyoyeon asked.

Taeyeon nodded in reply. “She’s being held in jail right now. Not sure how long, though.”

“Boss lady already knows. But…she doesn’t know that I’ve come here to meet with you.” Hyoyeon looked at the paper that she received from Yoona. “I know I promised I’d stop being her right-hand girl, but maybe…”

“Uh, “maybe” what?” Taeyeon asked.

“Maybe I could be like you.”

Taeyeon did a bit of a double take. “Like me?”

“I didn’t mention this before, but, there is actually another reason why I can’t really stop working for Boss lady, and a reason why I came to meet you.” Hyoyeon pulled out the memory card from her pocket. “Do you have a card reader or something? There’s something I want to show you.”

“Wait right here.” Taeyeon slowly walked to her room to grab her laptop. She passed by the kitchen and saw Tiffany rummaging through her freezer in search for ice Eunhyuk was sitting at the table with his left arm resting on the table.

In her room, Taeyeon found her laptop sitting on the table. She grabbed it, along with the charger, and returned to the living room.

“Give me the card.” Taeyeon commanded. Hyoyeon handed it over while Taeyeon set up her stuff. After inserting the card into a slim slot, Taeyeon opened the folder. There were hundreds of pictures, yet Taeyeon immediately recognized the photos of herself and her friends.

“Go ahead and delete them. I don’t think I’ll need them anymore.”

Taeyeon gave Hyoyeon a suspicious look before hitting the delete key. Hyoyeon then took over the computer and selected a few of the remaining images. “Boss lady put an ad out and I looked into her job offer. It was much better than anything that I found in a normal business so I took the offer not knowing the full extent of my duties.”

Sooyoung questioned Hyoyeon. “Didn’t you ask what you had to do?”

“She said I would run errands. And give directions. And I’d be able to more or less set my own schedule. She said things in a way that seemed normal.” Hyoyeon stopped scrolling through pictures. She pointed at the screen. “See the guy in the background here?”

Taeyeon leaned in. It was not the best picture, but Taeyeon could clearly see the same man in the pictures. “What about him?” Taeyeon backed off and let the others look.

“He’s my brother. Like, my real brother – not the Eunhyuk kind of brother. He and Eunhyuk have been best friends since…forever. Boss lady is blackmailing me, too. But not in the same way.”

“This lady needs to get a life.” Sunny mumbled under her breath. There was a moment where everyone muttered their agreements. “How did she capture your brother?”

“She didn’t.”

“Huh? But…” Yoona said in surprise, “but you just said that she’s blackmailing you.”

“She is. She figured out that I have a brother and she threatened to ruin him again.”

“Again?”

Hyoyeon kept scrolling through the pictures. “This is the most resent photo I have of him.” The picture was from the side and was clearly taken candidly. “Before you ask how Boss lady knows my brother, I’ll tell you right now that I don’t even know.”

Taeyeon glanced to the side. “How can you even be sure that boss lady is able to do something to your brother.”

“Because she already did something to him after I defied her. My brother broke his leg.” Hyoyeon put her hands up and made little quotation marks with her fingers. “On accident.”

Everyone gave Hyoyeon an odd look.

“We were performing at a big stage about eight months ago. It was our first official performance in a few months so we were all really excited. During the performance, my brother and Eunhyuk had a duet of sorts.” Hyoyeon went to older pictures. “I wasn’t part of this number, so I took pictures from the audience.”

“Get on with the story, please.” Said Taeyeon. Everyone glared at her a bit. “What? Sorry if I’m impatient, but I’m pretty sure I have good reason to be.”

Hyoyeon continued her story. “Right. The place we performed at had a big area above stage for hanging props.” Hyoyeon pointed at the top edge of a photo. “It’s a little hard to see, but can you see the weird looking shadow here? That was Boss lady.”

Taeyeon barged her way to the screen. There was a shadow that she recognized all too well.

“I didn’t get any evidence of it, but I saw her cutting the rope that held one of our bigger props. When the prop fell, I screamed. My brother noticed quickly, but Eunhyuk didn’t. My brother…” Hyoyeon’s voice raised in pitch as she tried to hold in tears “He pushed Eunhyuk off stage...and then he, too, tried to get out of the way. But it was too late and the prop crushed his leg.”

Yoona and Sunny both gasped. “That’s horrid…They never found out she did it?”

“No. She fled the scene. I didn’t see her soon enough to be able to stop her or warn anyone, and I didn’t get any photo evidence. But I know what I saw.” Hyoyeon kept scrolling through the pictures. “When my brother finally got to the hospital, the doctors said he would be fine – just needs physical therapy. But even after, the doctors are certain that he wont be able to dance like he used to.

A loud bam ran in everyone’s ear. Taeyeon had punched the wall and anger and frustration. “She’s going to pay.”

Tiffany rushed out of the kitchen. “Tae! Jeez, you’re going to give me a heart attack. I thought you two started fighting.”

“Hyoyeon,” Eunhyuk said from behind Tiffany, “Is that really what happened that day?”

Hyoyeon nodded. Eunhyuk started at the floor. “I’m sorry, Jungsu might not have been hurt if I was more aware.”

“It wasn’t your fault. Don’t be sorry.” Hyoyeon said. He voice seemed dead after recounting the tragic events. “Taeyeon. I really need your help. If…if this whole talent audition thing goes well, then I wont need money.” Hyoyeon tightly gripped the paper. “You’re the only person who I can think of who isn’t afraid to defy Boss lady, and the only person who I think is strong enough to take her on.” Hyoyeon faced Taeyeon and got on her knees.

“What are you…?”

Hyoyeon bowed down. “Please, save me. Save my brother!”