I waved to the last customer of the day, letting out a sigh of relief when they were out the door. I could hear my friend and coworker Emma from the back. "Are they gone?" I yawned as I went to switch the "Open" sign to "Closed" before walking back to the register. "Yep, all clear."

She came out from the back and nudged my side. "Today was a great day for tips, huh?" I nodded and smiled. Our normally near-empty tip jar was filled to the brim today. "Sure was. Even split?" Emma nodded and started counting. The total tips came out to 200 and some random change.

When I tried to give Emma her split, she shook her head. "You need to get out of there, Y/N. Take a train and run away. Then, when you're safe, come see me again."

I could feel the tears well up in my eyes as Emma took my purse and placed the money in an envelope before putting it inside. "Thank you Em. Thank you so much." She nodded as she engulfed me in a very warm, much needed hug. "Anytime. I'm gonna miss that smile of yours around here, though."

I smiled softly at her. "I'll miss you too, Em. I'll write to you as soon as I'm okay."

With that, I put on my light blue cardigan and my black baseball hat before grabbing my purse and heading out the side door, walking out to the sidewalk near the main road.

What am I getting away from? It's simple.

My mother.

For the longest time, she has been nothing but cruel to me, letting her addiction and depression win over the woman I once held dear.

FLASHBACK (3rd Person POV)

"Eomma! How do I look?" Young y/n spun around in circles, showing her outfit to her mom while her backpack was bouncing when she moved. It was her first day of third grade and she couldn't have been more excited.

"You look beautiful, my star."

Just then, y/n's father came around the corner, picking up his daughter before placing a kiss on his wife's cheek. Her mother placed a gentle hand on her cheek. "Have a wonderful first day, little one."

**(TIME SKIP because I'm bad at car rides sometimes)**

The two cruised down the road towards y/n's school, approaching a stop light. It was red, so y/n's father turned around to her. "Have a wonderful first day, my little one." He said before turning around and stepping on the gas.

Suddenly, the car was up in the air, spinning. When they landed, y/n was able to crawl out of the broken window before going over to her father's side of the car.

"APPA!!!! APPA GET UP!!"

It wasn't long before the sirens had arrived.

**Time Skip to Y/N's Teen Years, back to her POV**

I had just walked in the door after getting home from school. Not even two steps inside the door before I have to dodge an empty soju bottle.

She was drinking again.

She called to me from the kitchen. "Is that you, you ungrateful little brat?" I tried to tiptoe past the door but not before she pulled my hair and pushed me down.

"Answer me next time! Why were you gone all day?" I sniffled. "I-I was at school Eomma." She slapped me. "Did I tell you you could go to school?" I nodded. "Yes..you signed the paperwork."

She sighed and went back into the kitchen, tearing things out of the refrigerator. She came back out of the kitchen empty handed then picked me up by my collar.

"I'm out. Where's the money?" I shook my head. "I said, WHERE'S MY MONEY?" I continued to shake my head as she picked the somehow unbroken bottle up from the floor. She shook it at me.

"You selfish, ungrateful girl! It's your fault your father died, not telling him about the light! Now look at me! This is all your fault! Now give me the money before I bash your head in!"

Quickly, I dug into my bag and pulled out a massive wad of cash, throwing it down at her feet, silently bawling at the monster my mother has become.

She nodded. "Good. Now go to your room. No dinner for you tonight."

END FLASHBACK

I came up on my least favorite part of the walk. I always had to pass by this creepy-looking alleyway on my way home from-

Without warning, I was pulled into the alley. When I broke free, it was a man I did not recognize. He held me up against the wall of a building with one arm while the other reached into his pocket, pulling out a small handgun.

I heard the safety click off as he raised the gun, pointing it in between my eyes. I tensed when I felt the pressure release from my chest, waiting for the gunshot that never came.

Slowly, I opened my eyes. The large tattooed man that was attacking me was now flat on his back next to a boy that looked around my age. His bright blue hair contrasted his kind, dark eyes as they scanned me up and down before he pulled out his phone and dialed into it.

"911? Yes I'd like to report a crime.."

When he hung up the phone, he came over to me, pulling down his mask that covered the second half of his face.

Woah, he's cute.

"You shouldn't be walking near this area this late at night." He said as he stuffed th man's wallet in his pocket. I noticed his hands had gloves on them, completely covering them. Hm..

"My name's Chan, but you can call me Chris if you'd like."

I looked him up and down, skeptically. Who's to say I could trust him? Who's to say I couldn't?

"My name's Y/N, thank you. I was on my way home from work, now if y-"

The sounds of sirens cut me off, their light quickly approaching as Chan grabbed my hand and ran with me to the end of the alley. He cupped his hands like he was going to boost me up and looked me in the eyes.

"Do you trust me?"

I looked back at the flashing blue lights and the sound of car doors slamming and nodded. He lifted me up onto the roof of a small building we were next to before climbing up himself and grabbing my hand again.

We ran for a little while until we came up to a vent-like thing. He took off the door and you placed your hand on his shoulder.

"Where does that go?" He looked at you and smiled softly. "Somewhere safe." I must have looked skeptical. "I promise, you'll be okay. Do you trust me?"

I think I do. And who knows why. Maybe it's because he saved me from that guy. Maybe it's because I won't have to go see my mother again. Or maybe it's because his eyes and his calming smile pricked my heart and I'm afraid to lose them.

Any of those ways, I nodded and jumped in, Chan right behind me after he closed the door. After stumbling out into a dark hallway I heard Chan land behind me, pulling out his flashlight before wading further into the hallway.

After a while, the two of us came across a door. He turned the knob and it wouldn't budge. He did it a few more times, but to no avail. Then, he kicked the door, and it sprung open.

We made our way into a small, dark room. I hate dark enclosed spaces so I hovered close to Chan, earning a giggle. I huffed and stayed where I was. He looked around a little bit before patting my shoulder and dialing something into his phone again.

"Changbin!" He whisper yelled. "What the hell did you use to cover the door?"

I wonder who Changbin is.

The man on the other end of the phone said something, Chan nodded and then hung up.

He then made his way over to an antique-looking book case. He tried over and over again to push it out of the way, all to no avail. He ran his hand through his hair and let out an annoyed sigh.

There was no denying this man was good looking, let alone when he was frustrated.

He pushed it again, this time successfully moving it out of the way, then signaled for me to follow him. He opened the door, and it led to a bright white room. It looked like a laboratory of some sort, with papers and test tubes scattered everywhere. Different graphs and charts covered the walls, and there were chairs along the tables.

Once you both made it through the lab, Chan led you to a much more comfortable-looking room. When the two of us walked in, there was an L shaped couch in the center of the room. Across from it, a wide fireplace with a rather large flat-screen TV mounted above it.

The coffee table that was in front of the couch had some books and a few rolled up blankets underneath it. I looked to my left and saw what appeared to be the entryway to a kitchen.

Chan came up next to me and put a hand on my shoulder. "You good, Y/N?"

I smiled and nodded. "Just a little sore is all. I think I got cut earlier when you were-"

Before I could finish my sentence, a boy that looked to be around my age came through the entryway carrying an empty bowl with a pout on his face.

"Chan hyung! Jisung ate all my chicken nuggies!!"

Chan smiled, ruffling the boy's hair and telling him he will make more in a bit. The younger boy was cute, in a child-like sense. He had short, fluffy black hair and was fairly taller then Chan.

It was endearing, to me, how Chan was able to do a complete 360 from when he knocked out the guy earlier. He looked at me and motioned for me to follow him into the kitchen.

When I walked in, I noticed two other young men sitting over on the island, puppy-guarding a bowl of chips. A little bit away, another boy was stirring a pot over the stove. When Chan saw what I was seeing, he rushed over and shooed him away.

"Uh, excuse me, but this is Chan's kitchen, thank you! Go on!" He said as he playfully waved the boy away. When he turned around, you could see his facial features clearly.

This other boy was quite handsome, with his pitch black hair brushed downwards and an old baseball cap backwards on his head. He had one green streak in his hair, a sharp chin and his eyes were harsh.

I noticed that he flinched when he saw me, before turning back around to whisper to Chris. The boy turned around after a minute or two and stepped toward me with his hand out.

"Hi, I'm Changbin."

Oh, so this is who Chan got annoyed with over the phone earlier, I thought to myself.

I shook his hand. "My name is Y/N, nice to meet you."

He smiled gently at me before he left the kitchen. The two boys hovering on the island looked over to me and smiled as well. I took a second to study their faces individually.

I noticed that the taller of the two had blonde-ish hair and big brown eyes. Freckles danced across his warm-toned skin under the light, and he had a worn but youthful look on his face.

Then, my gaze turned to the shorter of the two. He had dark hair, much like Changbin's, just without the streak. His cheeks were puffed out and he had the most adorable big brown eyes.

Chan noticed me looking at the two boys. "That taller one there is Felix, and the one next to him is Jisung." The two boys smiled and waved at me before making their way out of the kitchen, taking their bag of chips with them.

Chan smiled at you once more before setting out 9 bowls. "I know you must have several questions, but you should at least eat first. Why don't you go meet the others in the dining room?"

I smiled at him and nodded. "Thank you, Chris." He looked as though he stopped for a moment, but continued to prep everyone's food. I walked into the hallway, and then it hit me.

How am I supposed to know where the dining room is?

Just then, a boy with bright, firetruck red hair walked out of a room and started going down the hallway.

"Hi! Um, I'm sorry to bother you, but Chris told me to-" I started. "Oh, no it's okay! My name's Hyunjin!" He smiled brightly at me and walked me to a chair right to the head of the table.

Hyunjin was nice enough to tell me everyone else's names as they sat around the table. There was Changbin, Jisung, and Felix whom I'd met earlier; Minho, who sat across from me at Chan's left; Seungmin, who Hyunjin told me that despite his puppy-like features he was fierce and very intelligent; And lastly, Jeongin. The youngest, according to Hyunjin.

I watched their faces as Chan yelled from the kitchen "Come & Get it!" Soon enough, he emerged through the doorway into the large dining room carrying two hot trays with rice, chicken noodle soup and crackers. He set one down in front of me as he took his and sat at the head of the table.

Once everyone sat down, Chan held up his hands and the excitement lulled. "Boys, we have a guest with us tonight! This is Y/N!"

They all smiled and waved. "Hi Y/N," they said in unison.

I smiled back at them all. "Hello everyone!"

Chan poured some Sprite from a bottle into my glass and with that, everyone began eating.

He waited for me to take my first bite. As soon as the soup hit my lips, I couldn't stop my mouth from watering. "Chris, this is amazing!"

He smiled at me, an almost dream-like look in his eyes. "You really think so?"

I nodded furiously. "Of course!"

The meal went on without much tension, although every once in a while I could tell some of the guys were looking at me. They threw some lame jokes out and tried to make "appropriate" conversation (according to Chan's standards), but I didn't contribute much. I laughed every now and then, but I was mostly tired from the night I'd had so far. I was still confused as to why Chris brought me here instead of letting me go home.

It seemed as though Chris noticed my thoughtful expression as he excused both of us from the table while the others kept eating. The two of us walked back into the room with the black L shaped couch and took a seat.

"Listen, Y/N. I know you're confused as to why we aren't letting you go back to your apartment. The truth is.."

He paused and ran a hand over his face, taking a breath in and then sighed. "The truth is, those weren't just some street thugs. Those were a few of our rivals, and they were after you."

Rivals??? After me???

"Rival?? Wait, does this mean you all are a gang too?"

Chan nodded slowly. He looked at me, clearly reading my expressions and body language, trying to see why I wasn't running. But I found that I was unable to move.  How could they all be in a gang?  They're all just kids!

He sighed. "The guys all have their own reasons, so I'd rather not go talking to you about that yet. But, unfortunately, you will have to be staying with us until this blows over."

I stared at him in disbelief. Who does he think he is? If that thug was taken care of, why can't I go back? However, one look at his expression and I could tell right now was not the best time to ask them. He looked at me, then got up to go talk to one of the other boys, Felix was his name (I think). I couldn't exactly hear what they were saying, then again, eavesdropping isn't polite. When he came back over, the boy followed, and Chan was grinning.

"Great news! Tomorrow, Felix will take you out shopping so you can get what you need while you're staying here."

The blonde haired boy smiled at me, though it was a light smile it was warm.

I smiled back at Felix as he lead me down a hallway. There were plenty of doors on each side, but mine was the very last one on the right-hand side. I looked around at the wide room.

While the room itself was plain, it was a very subtle blue, one that I knew I would grow to love.

The balcony outlooking the ocean was the first thing to catch my eye. The bed was gorgeous, a small table next to the large arched windows. There was a fireplace, and a tv above it. There was a spacious walk in closet next to the bathroom.

The bathroom was also adorable.

A simple design, but the double vanity was nice.  The crab on the curtain was cute as well. Walking back into the main room, I sat on the bench at the end of the bed. I looked up at Felix and smiled. 

"I hope you like it. Other than the curtain, it hasn't really been decorated but we can take care of that tomorrow. We didn't really know that this was gonna happen."

"Thank you. Really. It means so much, and this is so much better than I had back home."

With a hint of concern in his light blue eyes, he laughed lightly and walked out of the room, shutting the door gently behind him.

Questions raced through my mind. If the thug was taken care of, why couldn't I go home? And who were these people anyways? Its not like they were cruel or anything, in fact everyone was very kind to me since my arrival. Everyone seemed to be around my age. Eventually, I crawled into bed and laid down under the covers, the sounds of the ocean lulling my mind into a peaceful sleep.

Word Count: 3,055

(AN: Hey everyone! I'm super sorry this has been put off for so long, but I'm finally writing again! Expect quite a few updates from me in the coming weeks. Also, I'm thinking of only writing this one and maybe 1 or 2 other kpop ffs because I'm running out of ideas. I may be switching over to some Disney type ffs, so if you have anything you'd like to see, then please let me know via dm or the chats on my profile!)