~Tao~

"Min-hee?" He asked, seeing the look on her face. The tension in the room was obvious, even as she calmly stroked Suri's back.

She had been upset since he came in the room, her expression sad and upset and... Tao was upset himself, Haneul had just forced herself on him, and she had tried to more or less take his clothes off.

Then she demanded that it was her right or some sh*t, before slapping him and threatening to leave. Tao wanted her to leave, he didn't have the nerve to break up with her, but he'd thought of it as she slammed the door.

He just couldn't break it off just yet. He liked what he had with Min-hee more then anything, but he wasn't ready for the yelling, or all the lies she would spread, not now, not after what he knew what his decision was. They were sure to come after him as soon as he told them.

He wondered if he should hide Min-hee somewhere, that creep would be the first to try and grab her...

"...Was that Haneul?" Min-hee asked.

Tao had started to put his arm around her, but stopped when she mentioned Haneul. "Yeah..."

"Your girlfriend Haneul?" Min-hee asked, fixing her glasses, looking straight at him.

Tao got a feeling where this was going. "Min-hee, it's not like that. I promise, I wouldn't do that, I know you don't believe that, but please believe that..." Tao paused running a hand through his hair. "Don't go, Min-hee, don't go."

"You kissed her..."

"Min-hee, she kissed me, I swear to god, I didn't..." He took her hand and brought it up to his lips. He looked up at her, trying to read her expression behind those ridiculous glasses.

She looked at him, he hated how upset she still looked, but there was nothing he could do about it, what could he tell her?

He nudged his face up to hers, putting his nose against hers. Her eyes were so pretty, though her glasses kind of got in the way. "I've never said the words to anyone, Haneul never cared, but Min-hee..."

Min-hee's phone buzzed. Tao groaned. Couldn't it wait five seconds? He only needed five damn seconds.

Min-hee frowned when she saw the message, then turned her phone so Tao could see.

NO KISSING MIN-HEE! She's my sexy bunny, Tao! Don't make me watch all this again, you cheating good for nothing mother --

Tao stopped reading. Since he was so intent on watching, he kissed her. "Don't listen to him, he's not going to touch you, okay? And I know you're scared, but he can't possibly hurt you, he's probably miles away."

"You don't know that..." Min-hee said, brushing her hair behind her ear.

"I don't. But he's only watching you through this goddamn phone." He said, taking the device and tossing it aside. He'd admit, he was still upset about Haneul, very upset actually, which was probably why he threw the phone.

Min-hee looked surprised, but probably before she could register what that meant, Tao pulled her up off the bed, pulling her out of the room and into the hallway.

"Where are you...?"

Tao shrugged. "Where I go, you go, and I'd like to check on Baekhyun."

She sighed. "Tao, what about what those gangs want? What about coming up with some kind of way to--."

"I've already thought of something." Tao interrupted her, giving her a smile he didn't really feel. He hated this choice, it was the best one, but that didn't change the consequences that came with it.

~~~

"Well, it hurts a lot, even with all the painkillers, and to top it off, I can't feel my leg, strangely enough." Baekhyun said from the hospital bed.

"Which is why I'm claiming bullsh*t." Kris said, not looking up from his phone as he sat with one leg crossed over the other in the visitor's chair. "That makes no sense, either it hurts, or it doesn't, Bacon."

"It's Baekhyun, dammit!" Baekhyun said, glaring at Kris.

When Tao had decided to see Baekhyun, to check on how he was doing, see how bad it was, he hadn't expected him to be so vocal, already his normal, diva self, demanding eyeliner even.

Tao glanced at the clipboard at the foot of the hospital bed. Baekhyun was on Morphine, he shouldn't be able to feel a thing, he was just whining so Min-hee would keep hugging him and apologizing, the sly bastard.

"I'm so sorry, Baekhyun, it's my fault...It's all my fault." Min-hee said, leaning over and hugging him for the millionth time.

Baekhyun patted her back. "It's not your fault, I'm the idiot who walked around like nothing was going to happen when you told me about it, you didn't tell that stalker to throw a knife at me, you didn't ask him to stalk you, not your fault, never your fault, it's partly my fault."

Tao took a step forward. He knew the tone Baekhyun was using well. "How'd you screw yourself?"

Baekhyun blinked, then looked to Min-hee, who had backed out of the hug, "Well...Check your sent messages, I might have sent something kind of... provoking when you handed me your phone..."

Tao rolled his eyes. "Did you have to be that stupid?"

Baekhyun frowned, his hands clenching into fists. "You probably would have done something just as stupid if you read those messages, okay, Tao? Probably something even more stupid, considering."

"They were nasty, Tao." Kris added, looking up from his phone to make eye contact with Tao. "You would have flipped your sh*t."

He shrugged. He had only seen that one, but he imagined they were enough to scare Min-hee. Then he went over to the window and closed the curtains, it was already starting to get dark. It was already nearing the time he'd have to meet Lu Han and tell him what he chose. He was ready for it, he kept telling himself that he was absolutely ready for whatever might happen, but he wasn't ready to meet that angelic face again.

That angelic mask that hid the devilish thoughts that brewed behind it.

"But you still got hurt, and I'm sorry...it probably should have been me, that's who the threats were meant for, weren't they?"

Tao swallowed. Why'd she have to say that? He couldn't live with the thought that everything he'd gotten himself into over money would put her in a hospital bed.

Maybe with this choice, he could fix it.

~~~

They had stayed at the Hospital until visiting hours were over, listening to Baekhyun's b*tching, which was about 10 o'clock , so Tao hailed another damn cab, since he had yet to go get the Bugatti. He hoped he could somehow get it tonight, that thing was expensive, he couldn't ever even dream of replacing it, no matter how much dirty work he did, if he couldn't get it back, he'd probably be in debt for the rest of his life.

As he and Min-hee climbed into the cab, she grabbed his hand. Her soft hand felt nice in his, made him feel a little better. After paying the driver and telling him the address to his house, Tao sat back in the seat, thinking over what he was going to say again.

"It's almost midnight..." Min-hee said quietly.

Tao closed his eyes. "Yeah. I know."

Min-hee pushed up her glasses. "So why aren't we heading to the meeting place?"

Tao's shot open and he gaped at her. "You are not going, Min-hee, not in a million years are you going to this meeting."

She looked down at her lap. "Oh...Okay...I just...I'm scared I guess..."

Tao reached over to her and ran a hand through her hair. "You'll be safer as far away from Lu Han as you can get, okay?"

She nodded, but Tao knew how she thought, she was still scared, she still wanted to go. And she was more then terrified. Her hand was shaking in his, her lip quivering. The fear in her voice was apparent too.

He gently squeezed her hand all the rest of the ride. When they arrived at 'his' house, he kept his hand in hers, walking with her inside. Suri came running up barking happily at Tao's feet, and he shooed the dog away, taking Min-hee upstairs.

He, himself, was seldom upstairs, it was were all the owner's personal items were, he only ever came up there to sell his lie to Haneul or anyone else who asked. Upstairs was at least three times as grand as downstairs, the trim on the walls being a shining gold paint against the white walls, vases at every window, crystal doorknobs on every door, pristine waxed oak hardwood floors all through the hallways and the rooms.

Tao ignored the majority of this and led Min-hee into the lounge, which was filled with books almost like a miniature library, with a few comfortable, cushy red couches and chairs around, and a mini-bar in the corner. He set her down in a lounge chair, and she watched him very closely.

Tao reached into his pocket and handed her a phone--Baekhyun's. He'd taken it from him after a bit of arguing about the importance of getting past 10 points in Flappy Bird. "I'm going to leave you here, but if you get scared, or something happens--anything, call me. And I want you to stay away from windows, the front door, the back door--."

"I understand, Tao." Min-hee said, running her finger over the side of the phone's case.

He pulled her into a hug, squeezing her tight in his arms. Her hair smelled nice, she felt so warm. He didn't want to leave her alone. "I'll be back by one, I promise, if I'm not here fifteen minutes early, call repeatedly, okay? Call until I answer. And Min-hee?"

"What?"

I made his stomach flip to think of saying it, made him nervous, but maybe that was a good thing, because he only ever felt that around Min-hee. "I love you." He said, letting her out of the hug.

Min-hee blushed, and Tao smirked, he'd leave her blushing again.

~~~

Tao changed into a suit quick before leaving to meet Lu Han. He didn't really want to show up wearing a white hoodie and jeans. Then He hailed another cab. All this going back and forth was getting expensive, taxies were not cheap. And he couldn't even ride it directly to Lu Han's house, he had the driver drop him off a block away.

So Tao did a bit of walking. He wondered how this meeting would go in comparison with the last 'meeting' he had with Lu Han. He hoped he didn't get drugged again, that they didn't assault him again. Yi Xing was already through the roof with health warnings and lectures when he'd seen him at the hospital.

In fact, it didn't take long at all for Tao to feel someone grab his arm and poke something sharp in his back. He swore under his breath. Lu Han obviously didn't believe in non-violent meetings.

"I told you not to kiss her!" The person behind him hissed. "And then you go and tell her where the bug was, you're no fun! But, I'll tell you what, I'll have a new bug set up before you know it, in someplace even better."

This must be her stalker. "Don't you dare, I'll break your damn fingers." Tao retorted, his voice low.

"Says the guy who's cheating on my sexy Min-hee." He said, pushing the sharp object at Tao's back a little deeper. "You made her cry, you made her feel alone, she deserves so much better."

Tao couldn't argue, it was true for the most part.

The guy behind him gave him a shove when they reached Lu Han's house, and who else was standing there but Lu Han, an innocent looking smile on his face and done up in a suit. Just standing there, alone, the only thing illuminating him was a yellow streetlight.

Min-hee's stalker made his way out from behind him to stand next to Lu Han, flipping his knife back and forth in his hands.

Lu Han smiled, his face looked ever innocent, his hands just idle by his sides, nothing in them, "Wow, you came, I thought you'd for sure try to pull something." He shook his head. "I hit the right nerve? Min-hee was the key, right? Knew I'd like her."

Tao just stared. He didn't know what to say in the least.

"Okay, well, let's hear it then, I want to get this over with." Lu Han yawned, "I have other things to do tonight."

Tao took a breath then looked Lu Han right in the eye. "I..." He stopped to swallow. "I'll work for you."

Lu Han surprised him with a giggle. "That's funny!" Then his face lost all mirth it had previously had and he looked at Tao absolutely straight faced. "Now, seriously, what is your--?"

"That is my decision." Tao said simply. "I'll work for you."

"You're kidding! You can't! You just can't!" Min-hee's stalker said, his eyes wide and the flipping of the knife stopping. He looked like he wanted to strangle Tao. He must have been looking forward to fulfilling that promise he left on that note.

"Xiumin, calm down..." Lu Han said, looking at Tao sideways. "Get down on your knees then."

Tao's eyes widened. "What?!"

Lu Han chuckled. "You heard me, down on your knees, beg me to let you work for me, beg me for the job, swear loyalty to me, do it, or Xiumin gets Min-hee."

Tao sucked in a shaky breath, along with probably every ounce of his pride, then he got on his knees. "Please, let me work for you, I'll do whatever you ask." He was completely aware of the hole he was digging for himself, but if it was Min-hee...

Lu Han was quiet for a second, looking shocked and very much like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck, then he grinned.

"Goddamn it...!" Xiumin swore under his breath.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N This chapter has to have to most scene changes in one chapter that I've ever written xD

But! It's long, isn't it? HAHA~!

I don't really know what to say~

~Neri just realized that Xiumin is casually in the gif xD