"Where are we going?" Lily asked, realizing they weren't going to Seonghwa's house.

The three boys smirked a little bit. "We moved." Is all Mingi said.

"Moved?" She was confused. She hoped they didn't move just for her... that was too much.

She stared as the houses they passed got nicer and nicer. When they finally stopped in front of one, she felt her jaw drop.

It was absolutely gorgeous. And it was a mansion to boot. There wasn't a large yard with it, but if she had to guess, every boy had a room to themselves and there were probably some to spare.

When everyone got out of the car, Yunho chuckled and said, "Just wait until you see the inside." He started walking forward, Mingi by his side.

Lily went to follow, but then stopped. What if the others don't want me back... They probably hate me... She had visions of her friends' angry faces. Of San yelling at her, furious that he had been shot because of her. Of Seonghwa yelling at her to get out of the house, saying he never wanted to see her again. Of Yeosang, also yelling at her for getting San shot. Hongjoong yelling at her for taking advantage of them. Wooyoung...

Her legs started shaking. She couldn't face him. She took a step back, only to stand against Jongho.

He placed his hands comfortingly on her shoulders. As if reading her thoughts, he said, "Don't keep them waiting. We have all been waiting for you to come back to us." He took her hand and pulled her forward, letting her set the pace.

Her feet hurt, throbbing against the hard ground. She could feel her heart beating, her entire head pulsed in time with it.

They stopped outside the front door. She looked up at each of their faces. Mingi smiled and nodded once. Jongho squeezed her hand. Yunho leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead.

The inside of the house had to have been even more beautiful than the outside. Lily marveled at the intricate artwork and moldings on the walls and banisters for the stairs in the center of the entrance room. She paused, wanting to take it all in, but Jongho pulled her to one of the rooms of the side. The doors were closed.

As soon as Mingi closed the front door, the door in front of her burst open and Seonghwa hugged her so hard they almost fell over. He sobbed into the top of her head, running both hands through her hair. He then started planting kisses all over her, in her hair, her forehead, her cheeks, everything he could reach while standing there.

"Hwa, Hwa, Honey let her breathe." Mingi said pulling at his shoulder. Seonghwa just pulled her into a hug again, refusing to let go.

They were soon joined by San and Yeosang and Lily felt all three bodies pressing into her. They sank to their knees, unable to support themselves anymore. Lily rotated herself so she could wrap her arms around San, muttering infinite apologies to him. He buried his face in her neck, a motion she had missed so much.

It freed up her face to see Hongjoong smiling at the mess on the floor. He mouthed 'Welcome home' to her and she tried to say something back, but all that came out was an embarrassing sob.

Then she saw him, standing in the doorway, tears running down his cheeks. He looked at her longingly, and she returned the gaze. As if understanding what she wanted, he shook his head once and mouthed 'Later'.

Lily nodded and hugged San tighter.

She didn't know how long they stayed there. Time didn't matter anymore. The tears were endless. The love was infinite.

---

When things had finally calmed down, Seonghwa showed Lily to one of the guest rooms while Hongjoong checked Mingi and Yunho over for any injuries.

"I brought some of your things from the old place." He said, a hint of shyness in his voice.

Lily was speechless. They never gave up hope that she would come back to them. "Thank you, Seonghwa. I..."

"It's ok, you don't need to say anything. I'm just so thankful you're home." He kissed the top of her head once, then glanced at the door. "Are you ready?" He asked, looking into her eyes, searching for any sign of doubt.

She knew what he meant. A simple nod was all he needed, even if he hesitated for a moment, before kissing her one more time and walking out of the room.

Lily walked over to the dresser in the room and opened one of the drawers. She saw her familiar clothes folded neatly, as if she had just put them away yesterday.

Her skin prickled when the door swung open again. She could see him moving from the corner of her eye, but she was too scared to look up. He stood there for a long moment, then slowly came forward.

She felt him before he even touched her. Shivers ran down her spine and they both turned to each other. She flung her arms around his neck and he squeezed her waist, pulling her to him.

"Wooyoung, I'm so sorry." She said, starting to cry again.

"Shhh," He said, unable to speak himself.

"P-please forgive m-me. I-I didn't..." He didn't let her finish. Instead he placed a hand gently over her mouth and looked at her.

Her body screamed at her to back away from the touch, but her heart told her to stay.

Words couldn't describe the look he gave her. So many emotions flashed by too quickly.

"I forgive you." He said, knowing she needed to hear the words.

She buried her face into his chest. "H-how. How c-can you forgive m-me so easily? After w-what I did. I just w-wanted to p-protect you."

"I know." Wooyoung said, kissing her head. "I know."

He had forgiven her a long time ago. He knew she was terrified of what her father would do to her friends. She had lost one at his hands, she had almost lost a second one. Fear could drive people to do awful things.

When she finally calmed down again, Wooyoung let his hands drop to her shoulders. He noticed for the first time that she was wearing Jongho's jacket. Not really thinking, he helped her take it off. His gut twisted when he saw what she was wearing. He bit his tongue, trying not to show any emotion, but also trying not to let himself get turned on at the sight. God, she's beautiful...

After gaining control, he turned her around and started undoing the back of her bra. Lily didn't question it. She loved the comforting feeling his fingers brought as he worked the clasps. Every brush oozed nothing but safety. There was no longing, no lust, no neediness like she was used to.

As the last clasp came undone, he notices some of her makeup wearing off. She was so heavily coated; he hadn't even noticed she had been painted like a canvas.

Lily flinched slightly when he pulled her into the bathroom. He started running some water in the bathtub, motioned for her to shed her stockings and underwear, and then guided her to sit on the edge, her feet in the water and back to him.

He was careful not to let his eyes wander as he dipped a towel into the running water and started slowly running it across her back.

Lily closed her eyes, loving and hating the motion. She knew what he was looking for, and she knew he would find it.

Layer after layer of makeup was rubbed from her skin. He even had to leave to grab more towels. Soon, scars and bruises revealed themselves.

Wooyoung closed his eyes, swallowing the bile that threatened to come up.

It was obvious she had been beaten more than once. The faint imprint from a collar was present around her neck too. Judging by some of the markings on her back, she had even been whipped. And they hid it behind makeup. They made her perfect so others would desire her.

"I tried to fight them..." She said softly, bowing her head. "I didn't want to go back to him. He picked me up the day I tried to leave the store."

"You don't have to tell me." He said, continuing to clean her skin.

"I want to. I... I need you to know."

When Wooyoung didn't answer, she continued.

"I was there, the day you came in. Behind the back door. I had seen everyone go into the pub. I wanted to go to you, but when I saw San limping, the fear took over again. I saw you run across the street and hid in the back." The pain in her voice was evident. It was hard for her to hide from him. "Then you kept coming back. You almost caught me one day, when I was helping a customer. I knew I had to leave..."

"I met her." He said, staring at Lily's back. "The woman who helped you. She's nice. She was glad someone was looking for you."

Lily fought back her tears.

"The day I left is the day they found me. I don't know how they knew; he must have been watching me. I was pulled into a car and taken to the club. He was waiting for me..."

"Stop."

"He beat me. I thought he was going to kill me. It turns out the men who interviewed us at the hospital worked for him. He was never going to be arrested, it was all fake. For the longest time, he kept me locked up, chained to a wall. I was given stale bread and water for a week. And every day he came in and..." Lily closed her eyes. "He raped me." It felt strange to say the word. She had never said it out loud before. She knew the others had figured out what her silence meant, though, so she never felt the need to say it.

"If it wasn't him, it was one of the guards. Or both."

Wooyoung had stopped cleaning her. Instead, his eyes focused on every single scar and bruise on her back.

"When I finally begged enough, he unchained me. But then he told me what my new job would be. He started training me to be the perfect performer. He had other girls come in to show me how to act when he had meetings with his business partners. That's why he had been out of town that one weekend, he was getting that place set up. He was meeting..."

"My father." Wooyoung whispered.

"Yes. As soon as he said the name, I made the connection. I don't know if he knew about you. But he probably did, and that's why he chose your father. All to humiliate me more. But I tried to fight him every step of the way. Every act would earn me a beating, each time worse than the rest. Until he broke me... That's when I was ready for the stage. Sometimes, it was the only thing that kept me going. I would pretend I was on stage with everyone. With you."

She still didn't look at him. She felt disgusting, worthless, unworthy.

"When I proved I wouldn't disobey anymore, that's when he started selling me. Both men and women came. They... They all took advantage of me. And I let them. I knew that if I tried to fight them, I would be punished. Not that what they did to me wasn't punishment enough. He put a high price on my head, but the people willing to pay that price had no restrictions on what they could do. He... He had never wanted to share me before. And that is still true... Every night, after I was done, he would visit me. He flaunted all the money I had made him. He made me kiss it, he'd rub it all over me, then he'd use me for his own needs. All while... all while singing to him. His little Songbird."

Wooyoung couldn't take it anymore. He pushed himself off the ground and wrapped his arms around her waist again, pulling her back into his chest. Her voice had become so cold, so lifeless. It ripped him apart inside.

"Lily, you listen to me now," he said. "I will never let him touch you again. You are not his property. You are not."

Lily took a long time to respond. "Yes I am. I will always be his." She turned slowly, not caring she had no clothes on.

Her hazel eyes looked at him, but not really seeing anything. The Lily he knew had retreated into herself so far, he didn't recognize the person sitting in front of him. But the worst part was what he saw on the inside of her right thigh.

The word Songbird... Branded into her skin.