"Money." The man dressed in black said, holding out his hand.

Yunho handed over the stack of cash and watched as the man counted all the $20 bills. When he nodded, he led him to a room and closed the door, whispering, "Enjoy."

The boy cringed and looked around. It had a simple bed in it, a couch, and a table. There were no windows, just four walls all painted black. A chest stood off to the side. He didn't want to know what was in there. Another quick glance showed him that there were no cameras.

Good...

He didn't have to wait long before he heard the door behind him open again. His stomach lurched when he saw Lily walk in. Her head was bowed in submission and she kept her hands clasped in front of her. The lingerie she wore left very little to the imagination, barely covering her breasts and the v between her legs. Fishnet stockings clung to her legs and she was wearing another pair of stilettos. All of it was a ploy to up her sex appeal.

Yunho would be lying if he said he didn't feel his member twitch at the sight, but all that feeling was gone when she dropped to the floor. She stayed there on her hands and knees, her forehead pressed against the back of her hands, waiting for her orders.

Slowly, Yunho walked to her and knelt in front of her. He stretched out his hand and stroked her silky brown hair, missing the golden blonde locks he was so used to. She trembled under his touch. Then he let his hand move to her chin, lifting it up to look at him.

The empty look in her eyes stunned him. It was like there was no one left. She was just a shell...

"Lily?" He whispered, cupping her cheek in his hand. "Lily, it's me." She blinked, her lower lip shaking. "It's Yunho." He fought to hold back the tears.

Recognition flashed in her eyes and life slowly came back to her face. She blinked several times, studying him.

He ripped the hat off his head then pulled her into him. He pressed her head into the crook of his shoulder, trying to surround her in his arms.

She clung to him, savoring the feeling of his familiar body. She could feel his shoulders wavering as he sobbed into her hair.

Then reality hit and she pushed him away. "What are you doing here?" She looked back at the door as if she was expecting it to open any minute. "You can't be here. You need to leave."

"Lily, I'm here to take you home." He said, stunned that she was talking like this.

She crumpled under the words, wanting to go with him more than anything. But she shook her head slowly. "I can't, Yunho. I... I can't. He'll never stop looking for me. Plus, none of you would want me anymore. Especially..." She shook her head faster and buried her face in her hands.

"None of that matters." He said taking her hands in his. He looked at her, his face stern. "None of it matters Lily. We don't care about any of it. I don't care. You don't deserve any of this and that sorry excuse for a man deserves to rot in hell for doing this to you again. I came to take you home, and I'm not leaving without you."

She looked at Yunho, longing filling her. She wanted so desperately to go with him.

"I can't let him hurt you. He will. If I leave again, he will do so much worse that what happened to S... San..."

"San is fine. And he misses you. We all do."

"Even if I could go with you, there's no way you could get past the guards."

"Mingi and Jongho are waiting nearby, all they need is my signal. Leave the guards to me." He sounded so sure of himself.

They sat in silence for a long moment before he reached out and took a strand of hair in his hand. "You dyed your hair..."

"I didn't want to be recognized..."

"You didn't want to be found. Why... why did you leave like that."

She saw the hurt in his eyes. "I know it was wrong, but after what happened on campus... I couldn't risk anyone's life for mine. I'm not worth it..." She dipped her head in shame. "I'm nothing but a whore. The only thing I'm good for is to please others. Men, women, it doesn't matter. They've all had their way with me. My sole purpose in life is to provide for my father... If he knew I wanted to leave, I don't know that he'd let me see the light of day again. And if he knew you were here... he'd kill you on the spot. Or he'd make you serve him like I do... Please, Yunho, please just go. I couldn't live with myself if he hurt you."

Yunho watched as the girl fell to pieces in front of him. The man had brainwashed her into thinking she was an object, something to possess. And it disgusted him. She needed to know how much she meant to his friends, to him.

Knowing he still had a little time before the hour was up, Yunho reached for her one more time. His actions were slow and gentle. He stroked her arms, letting her know he was there, then brought both hands to pull her into him again. One hand stroked her hair while the other wrapped around her waist. After a moment, the hand stroking her hair went to her chin and lifted it up so he could look into her eyes.

Then he did the one thing he had been wanting to do since the day they were partnered in dance class. He bent forward and brought his lips to hers.

Lily was so lost in her pain and used to the feeling she didn't quite register what was happening at first. His kiss was so soft, so kind.

His lips melded to hers as he deepened the kiss. She tasted so good. He felt a warmth in his gut. He wanted more, he always had. But then he thought of...

Yunho pulled away, longing still in his eyes. "You're not worthless Lily. You will never be worthless to me."

Lily was confused for a moment. Yunho had just kissed her. She had always suspected he had feelings for her but... She placed a hand on his cheek. "Take me home. I want to go home."

That was all he needed to hear. He whipped out his phone and dialed Jongho.

"Now."

After a few moments, they could hear something happening outside the room. It sounded like several people were shouting and there was a lot of banging.

Yunho helped Lily off the floor then placed his hands on her shoulder. "Now I need you to stay behind me. I'm tall enough and the other two should be making enough ruckus that I'm hoping we can just slip out without them noticing you."

"Ok." Lily slipped off her heels so she could walk silently.

"Do you... have anything..." Yunho hesitated. When Lily shook her head, he just sighed then took her hand. "I'll give you my jacket as soon as I can."

They both took a deep breath. He opened the door and shouted, "What the bloody hell is going on out here? I did not pay to listen to such noise!"

Mingi was trying to force himself into the room, acting like he was completely wasted. "Kara? Kara are you in there? You better come out, I'm tired of playing these games." His voice was heavily slurred.

"I'm sorry, Sir. We are trying to take care of the problem. Please return to your room."

"Return to my room? I don't think so! I thought this was a respectable establishment." Yunho scoffed, placing his hands on his hips so his jacket flared out a little bit. He walked closer to the guards, Lily keeping a lookout behind her for any sign of movement.

"Sir, please."

"Kara! Kara!" Mingi yelled at the top of his lungs, pushing against one of the guards.

Everything happened so quickly. Yunho threw his arms out to the side just as Mingi and the second guard tumbled to the ground, leaving an opening.

She took it.

Lily sprinted through the open door and into Jongho's waiting arms. Their reunion was short-lived. He grabbed her hand and dragged her further down the alley, letting the darkness conceal their escape. When they had rounded a couple corners and even gone in a little bit of a circle, they finally stopped and he pulled her into his arms again, ignoring what she was wearing.

No words were needed to express how they were feeling. He just kept tightening his grip, never wanting to let her go again.

It wasn't until Lily started shivering that he released her. Even in the darkness, she could see how bright red he got when he finally looked at her fully. Turning around, he shed his jacket and handed it to her, reaching behind him. Thankfully it was long enough that it fell to her knees when she put it on.

"Thank you." She said quietly, then looked at the ground.

Jongho just pulled her into a hug again.

I don't deserve this. Not after what I did to them. But I'm so glad they came for me. She smiled into his shoulder.

They waited for several long minutes before making their way back to the car. They had decided to meet there at 11:30, hoping that would be enough time for them to lose the guards if they needed to take a detour.

When Lily saw Yunho supporting Mingi, she left Jongho's side to run to them.

"I'm ok," Mingi said immediately. "I think it's just a bruised rib." He said, patting her head lovingly.

Yunho pulled her into another hug and breathed her in. He had missed her soft, honey scent.

"Let's go home."