___

You and Jacob went straight to the basketball arcade game. Kevin, Younghoon and Changmin went to ski ball. Eric, Sangyeon and Chanhee went to the claw machines. Hyunjae, Haknyeon, Sunwoo and Juyeon went to air hockey.

The twelve of you were pretty much the only ones there, so being quiet was completely off the table. You were so immersed in trying to win against Jacob, that whenever one of the guys walked by you, they'd poke your sides to scare you.

It got you every time.

"Minji, Minji, Minji!"

You turned to Sangyeon as the game you were playing was over. "Yeah?"

"Let's go play that boxing game."

"Boxing game?"

You furrowed your eyebrows as he dragged you to it, confused as to what he was talking about. When you saw it, your eyes lit up. It was the machine that had the small punching bag attached, and it gave you a score based on how hard you hit the punching bag.

"Why me?" You laughed.

He shrugged. "I figured you would have a chance at beating me."

Haknyeon came out of nowhere with the most appalled look on his face. "I ate chicken today, Sangyeon. You better be careful."

Sangyeon punched the younger playfully and turned to you. You took your leather jacket off and handed it to Younghoon. You played Rock Paper Scissors to see who would go first, and Sangyeon lost.

He stretched his arms and it made you giggle a little bit. He wanted to win very badly. He hit the bag with all of his strength and scored a whopping nine-eighty-seven.

"Nice, Sangyeon."

You high-fived him, then it was your turn. Jacob watched your small, but beautifully defined muscles flex as you curled your hand into a fist. Rumor had it that in America, you were a good fighter.

It wasn't a rumor.

You hit the bag and the score rose to nine-ninety, three points higher than your opponent. He didn't look mad, but rather proud.

"Did you use to fight or what, Minji?"

You smiled sheepishly. "Only a few times."

"Wait what?"

You ran off with Jacob and laughed. He slung your jacket over his shoulders and ran to Kevin. They started play fighting, and it make you happy to see Jacob so lively. His laugh put your mind at ease, and that was something you really adored about him.

You were having a very good day, you realized, and you swore that nothing could ruin it.

Then you turned around and bumped into a firm chest. You thought it was one of the guys, so you looked up to tease them, but you were met with a scary pair of familiar eyes.

You let out a small shriek that caught everyone's attention, especially Jacob's. You started backing up, and Jacob instinctively put you behind him. Your friends circled around the guy, already not very fond of him.

"Minji, come back and say hi." The boy smiled.

You thought your knees would give out. "No."

He pouted innocently. "Why?"

Your grip on Jacob's shirt was becoming tighter. "Because I said no."

"This is awkward." He mumbled and met everyone's eyes for a moment. "I'm Jaesang, Minji's-"

"Nothing. You're my nothing."

"Friend." He finished.

Everyone knew something was wrong. You never hid behind one of them just because someone started talking to you.

"You should leave." Jacob spoke up with an icy tone.

"I can't play games?" Jaesang asked.

"Sure," Chanhee bit. "On the other side of the arcade."

Jaesang rolled his eyes and craned his neck to get a peek at you. "New boyfriend?"

"Get out of my business."

He held his hand up in defense. "Start texting me back."

With that, he walked away cooly. Juyeon, on the other hand, was texting your brother.

Juyeon
- do you know a jaesang?

Hyunjoon texted back almost immediately.

Hyunjoon😼
- get him away from minji. where are you guys?

Juyeon
- arcade, but we'll leave and go to a restaurant. minji didn't want to be alone.

Hyunjoon😼
- and now she really won't want to be alone. stay with her, okay? please. i'll be back to the penthouse at around eleven.

Juyeon
- yeah, of course we'll stay with her.

Hyunjoon
- thank you so much.

Juyeon's panic was setting in and he was searching for Jaesang, but didn't see him. He leaned into Changmin and whispered what your brother just told him, and Changmin's expression dropped.

"Maybe we should go grab a bite to eat?" Changmin suggested.

You came out from behind Jacob, your hold still tight on his shirt. "Yeah, let's do that."

You were trying not to be bothered, but you were extremely bothered. How did he find you? Probably social media. You completely forgot about him when the circus was going.

You brought your clasped hands to your forehead. You were getting a headache, so Jacob started playing with your hair.

"Minji?" Chanhee said quietly, as if you were a jack in the box about to open at any decibel. "Who was that guy?"

The only person that knew about him was your brother. Not even your parents. You trusted them, so much, but Hyunjoon probably wouldn't even know if he hadn't witnessed what happened.

"You don't have to say anything." Chanhee added, waving his hands in small side to side motions. "It's not our business."

"We'll be here if he comes again, though, okay?" Younghoon whispered.

You nodded, the feeling of fingers running through your hair very relaxing. "I'm sorry. I hate feeling like this, but he just-"

Intimidates you? Gave you nightmares? You couldn't bring yourself to say it.

"It's okay." Kevin patted the table. "Let's just have our meal, and we'll head back to your house."

"Yeah." You smiled weakly.

You wished you could be angry and fearless with Jaesang, as much as you were with Emiko. You hated that he, of all people, made you shrink and become weak. It made you angry, just not at the right person.

You felt eyes on you, and your chest felt like it tightened. Were you being dramatic, or did he really get under your skin that badly? You looked over and made eye contact with him.

You leaned back into the booth so that Jacob was covering you and bit your cheek. Sangyeon looked at you, then to where you were looking. The look on his face was one of a protective brother, that certain angry stare that anyone could read, even if the expression didn't seem mad.

"Minji, it's okay. He can't get to you, you've grown since then. He can't get to you anymore."

You were really trying to not seem dramatic, so you leaned forward and made direct eye contact with him. You tilted your head as his eyes burnt into you. Staring problem? For a moment, your fear dissipated and anger replaced it.

It didn't last long.

Jacob grabbed your hand underneath the table and leaned into your ear. "Just focus on me. He'll have to get through all of us to get to you."

You looked at him, inches apart. "Thank you."

His fingers traced your jaw as he smiled warmly at you. He made it better.

Your knees were to your chest as you sat on the couch. Your chin was resting on your knees, and you thought everyone but you was asleep, but Jacob and Chanhee were still awake. They wanted to make sure Hyunjoon got to the house before they went to sleep, or left, whichever option happened first.

You observed the boys on the floor of your living room. Happy to have them didn't quite describe it. As cheesy as it may seem, they really did make everything better for you. You didn't like being alone, and they rarely ever left you alone. Jacob was tender and caring, as they all were. They made you laugh. You couldn't remember the last time you had true friends like them.

Hyunjoon was always the only one who understood you and the way you worked.

The front door opened and you froze for a moment, but Hyunjoon popped around the corner and you got off of the couch. You met him at the doorway of the living room.

"I'm sorry, Minji."

Your lip quivered. "I thought he was done."

Your brother brought you into a gentle hug. Your quiet sobs echoed somehow, or maybe it was just Chanhee and Jacob. Hearing you cry was a sound that made their hearts ache.

Sometimes, even the toughest, most independent flower needed the rain. Sometimes, the sun didn't shine on flowers like you.

___