Before I Knew

⚠️WARNING: Mention of violence is in this chapter that may upset a few readers.

Darkness.

For some people, it's a pleasure. When the abrupt random dreams film-scrolling in my head went to a halt, and as I started to realize I was waking up a bit, I had felt the same.

For the first few seconds.

Fear of premonition and quandary started to dispense as soon as I recalled the last clips of memories available. My head was all over the place.

Trying to peel open my eyes gave me the same dark when they were closed before. Some scant lights would start to splotch phosphenes at the corners, slowly, and the darkness blurred out in a blinking transition.

I saw silhouettes, four or five, moving, not aware of my regained consciousness yet.

I went to lift my head up in a jiffy, before knowing that I shouldn't have. The first shuffle of ultimate pain immediately crawled onto the back of my neck. The heartbeat seemed a rhythmic burn in my throat. I sensed a patch of a tingling sensation at my hairline, capturing the presence of a stiffening scab fixed over dried out blood. Firsthand, I winced in pain.

That took the attention of two of the strangers. Both of them pivoted on their feet and stared down at me, shadowing the light above behind with their statures so as to appear their adequate heights as a behemoth.

"Looks like she has woken up..." One mumbled.

I tried to get up by myself, gradually learning about the number of binds on my wrists twisted backward to one clump in the process. The gag rammed in my mouth restrained tongue movement, despite trying to swallow the dryness away there was no improvement. "So now, finally everyone's back in one piece." The stranger grotesquely eyed around the space, ending his line with a tsk, "Good." Tracing his eye pathway, I scurried mine around to take a view of my surroundings too. Initially, my lungs would halt an inhale.

BTS, the Bangtan Boys, all seven of them, tied up like small livestock in a slaughterhouse, a few minutes away from immolation. My mouth swooshed an inaudible exclaim at the scene.

"Ungag her. Not like it's gonna help her much even if she decides to scream," My hair was harshly pulled back next moment, a thick veiny hand alighted to pull out the woven dirt from my mouth. I worked my tongue futilely to eliminate the sour bad taste.

"Take a look Joon Shik." This time, a female voice arrived from somewhere on the right, "Does she seem familiar enough?" The subject was a haggard tan-skinned male. With burning orbs under focused dim light, he espied me from tip to toe. "Not sure," his nose almost tipped my nose, "That footage didn't have a clear view. But fifty bets, it's ought to be her."

"The figure incredibly matches up," the third man in the room stood nearby, whooshing a puff of smoke out from the cancer stick in his mouth. His eyes slurped at the view, "Same curves."

"Let's take that she's it. Now about these-" The only female now stomped out from the shadow into the flood of light, "What happened? Did you drug them too much? The effect should've worn out by now. Why isn't a single limb moving?" She pointed at the sessile creatures in front of her eyes.

Joon Shik's shoes screeched against the gravy tiles until the right was shot into Taehyung's stomach, "Bastard, get up!" The following grumbled in pain. When his eyes shot open, the nerves spoke in blood-red.

"Get them all up. Let's finish this first."

I leaned back in exhaustion, in try to interpret the bolting situation. My eyes felt dying from an unknown source of heat, that wanted to burn within. The main door and all the windows were closed, yet the smallest wisp of cold air from an unknown hole was sending shivers down my spine. My sweater hung down heavily with drenching drops of sweats. The back of my head was still ringing from the earlier effect of being hit, but none of these felt right to be of my concern right now.

Something bigger, worse, cripplingly dangerous was coming right in the spot.

These men...

From the prolonged experience having eyes on a hole and holes on the eyes in the field, these many demeanors were enough to make one realize their notoriety. One scar is attained from one vice, deeper with the level of cruelty. And countless and enormous scars later on splice up the heart of the man to pieces and broom the fleshes away to a barrel of further cosmotic lightlessness of barbarism. Their eyes spoke to be ruthless at the utmost gleam.

One thing that was, not from how they got me because I was unalarmed, but that they got all the seven of the boys bound up like this had me perplexed about their skill.

Satisfied, "So now? Spill." said the second man and stood at the center of the room, "Which one of you is Nefarious?" One name, my memories claimed in shock after a second of realization. Girl, you weren't wrong.

"You?" His index motioned around, targeting Jin, "or you?" fixing on Namjoon. None of them spoke a word.

"Speak, or-" He looked around for something hefty as deadly, later picking up a hammer which was inside the cupboard kit, "we shall go hard and see."

"C'mon Bang, they are idols!" The fourth man paced up to him and held his hand, straining his voice dramatically, "You can't distort their forms. These are so precious! Also, they look too innocent to even know anything."

"So do you, but are you?" Bang scoffed at his mate's sarcasm. Joon Shik was grinning from the side.

"Who are you guys? What do you want from us?" Jimin morphed in a crying tone. Joon Shik hissed, "What do we want- you piece of shit!" His hand thrashed hard against the male's cheek, leaving a red swell with three thin marks. "Stop acting when you can't even do it well!"

My heart triggered a small prick at the sight. Post-action, I saw Jimin's eyes glaze up in ominous black. I knew this side too well, if he hadn't been tied up right now, there would have been broken jaws and crippled limbs dappling the floor right now. The shine was there for one lighting second, soon leaving it to a barrel of the blankness.

"Che Geun Hye, get a zing of flashback in your heads?" Their eyes escorted from mine to the rest seven, awaiting a reaction. The third man took the hammer from Bang's hand and played with it, "Either you speak or not, none's leaving the house breathing anyway."

"I won't pester you with the murder," He knelt down before two of the older, eyeing both at a time, "Just tell us where the money is. Simple words. Give it back."

"What money are you talking about?" Namjoon's baritone voice never rose a pitch higher as he talked. "Oh, you don't know?" He threw the cigarette away to a corner and looked back at his fellow with the hammer, "Bang, please hold it for me before I do something."

"Now," He sat cross-legged before the member, "What were you saying? You don't know which money we are talking about, huh?"

"You broke into our house, the police will be here soon. Don't think you can escape."

The man broke into a peal of menacing laughter, "Say what? The police? Oh my God, I'm so scared!" His eyes froze to a block of ice, "Stop playing with us."

"I give you five counts. Make up your mind whether you wanna get it over coolly or take the wrong turn. I'm kind." He eyed with blankness, "One."

There was a little glint at the corner of Namjoon's eyes, of convoluted information. He eyed none, just stared at the man before him with an odd amusement and mocking expression splayed across.

"Two."

"If you are planning something inside your tiny head, know that it's not gonna be of any use. There are more men around." The man said. "Lie." Namjoon snickered, "Say that without blinking. It's just you five hunting for your boss's lost money."

"But you said you didn't know anything about any money?" He gave a wicked gaze. Namjoon shrugged, "I don't. But I can do tell if someone's lying."

"A human lie detector?" He narrowed his eyes serpentine crawling steel-cold peril within to the leader's eyes, but to no fear to have in return. "Enough. Bang," He decided to growl, "Untie his hands. And pass the thing."

The respective, almost excitedly, slid the hammer to the extended hand of his mate. His fingers clasped the grip. "I'll say last time. Remember anything yet?" He softly held Namjoon's hand and brought it towards him.

"Enlighten me, freak." He grinned a fake laugh. Deep-pitched clunk quaked the smooth tiles next second, crushing in muffles underneath. The six flinched without casting eyes, not one dared to showcase the fear they felt inside. Namjoon was hardcore still. Pain, nor anger, showed up on his facial screen. His eyes didn't blink a bit, only his lips bled bitten by his nibbling teeth.

"Less amnesic yet?" The man arched an eyebrow.

"Your tarot card says you'll soon be dead." His smile came out florid, waning, as a sinister erosive titter.

"Oh, really?" His hand went up brandishing the blunt weapon, the poll of the hammer was splashed with small drops of blood when he came down again. "So you're a lie detector, and a psychic now? Huh?" The room terrifically proclaimed the pain produced with a sound of loud thwack on behalf of the victim.

I stared transfixed at the member's posture. Blood bespeckled Namjoon's small face, as his lips crossed a cheerful smile within his own produced cuts turned to be too jester-like at the effort. He looked at me once, as if waving a delightful hi with that look. I was terrified at the look of flawless hiding the broken. He was enduring so much under a polished glittering velvet. The instant our eyes met, I could suddenly read him. It hit me straight.

"Tell me where you hid the money already, you son of a-" The man kept thrashing the blunt weapon twice more until the single tear suddenly trickled at one corner of the leader's eyes for a short moment then gone.

It wasn't for that drivel money asked for. It was for his friends. Namjoon needed to save them. Why? I knew of all that I learned staying close to them for this long. It was his pride. His pride was his responsibility. What makes him a leader. If not him, someone else would be the victim. And he did not want that.

When my throbbing mind already told me this, I was raised with a newer thought of emotion. My blood streamed undulating with non-stop screams.

They were hitting a man. My foe. But I was livid. I needed an answer to the fire. I didn't want to feel pity for my enemies, but for the idols who I was the manager of, the boys who I got to know more than I needed to. I protected the volcanic side of mine from other taunting self. I had the right to be mad. And now we all were on the same dead-end, brought forth a grave problem. Only I had the right to punish them, not the beasts who were striking another for their own pitying purpose- it was also a crime.

Namjoon wouldn't filter a single face of agony, his vision didn't even jitter from the gnawing pain his fingers had, the limping state of his hand. Hoseok was sizzling beside Yoongi. His eyes were on the verge of tearing up that he tried hard to conceal with a dull, gloomy stain, "All because of her!"

I was close enough to hear the rest of the whispers, "She came here so we had to move the arms! They could've never caught us like this if we were not unarmed!"

"Leave this. Let's see on the rest. Namjoon must have a plan." Yoongi blankly whispered back.

"You still won't just say anything, huh? Unfortunate. I wanted to end this here without further extension but you're not cooperating so..." The man spat on his face, "Consistent? Great." He jolted up to meet the rest of the boys, "Who likes to be next?"

His orbs fixated on the youngest in the room. A small malevolent twist of smirk attained his thin lips. "There's a kid!" He jumped forward with a manic expression. He was so a judge by a man's face, "Omo! There's a kid in the gang!"

He grabbed the transfixed youngest by his chin, "Sonya! Look! He's cute, right?" Sonya, the subject female, turned around with dull eyes.

"Let's pick him for you later."

"No. I need men. Not kids." She slowly tittered in dismay. "Haha! I get you. Now, how to do with this one? Hmm." He went with a bottle and thunked it against the wall, grabbing a bigger piece of a shard, "This should work." Jungkook's face wilted with fear. He was the body of the gang, but his mind feared most.

"Seungmin's definitely enjoying this." Bang looked laughing at Sonya, "Shall we stop him, Sonya?"

"That at least should work to get the info out. If not, we're killing them so who cares?" She clicked her tongue. "No one goes away messing with our gang. You know what our final order is."

I kept staring at Jungkook. His eyes glistened of a tear in such a way that I wondered if he saw the same eyes of the victims they persecuted until now. Even after, I was startled, when I felt my heart shrink.

My mind would only recall the night when he was weak and human. The soft corner I feared of found its right time to build up, inside somewhere of me it began to tremble. As I jerked my head, the more it intensified. The same was with the rest six. Anxiety arose on their face in a volatile instant. The man didn't go unnoticed of the reaction received, his lips curved up in an evil gesture, "Oh, this must be working."

"Let's start with this," He held Jungkook's head up, to get a clear view of his throat. The male gulped dryly.

"Don't hurt him," Yoongi spoke up.

"Then speak up. Will you?" No reply.

"See? No negotiation means-" The splinter was held right against his milky skin. His neck vein strained to pop outward when a drop of blood sprinkled from the produced narrow fissure. He didn't want to speak his pain. But he was weaker in expression than Namjoon. Seungmin waited in satisfaction seeing the crystal form of the youngest's eyes to give him the groan of agony he wanted.

"Don't hurt the boy."

He seemed to have deafened by his powerful concentration to his divine work. He pressed the piece tighter against.

"I said. Don't." His hazy eyes turned around. My voice was in a mind of its own. As I looked, there was someone I wanted to save, despite what the society had them to morally emblem.

"This bish's feisty. I almost forgot about her." the man exasperated as he brought the broken glass away, "When she was our main lead. Why did you need to ungag her?"

"Touch any of them and you're dead as Namjoon said."

"What?" Grimaced he, "What did you say? So darling, how are you gonna do that?" He seemed amused by my words. His tongue licked the bottom lip as he eyed me up and down for once, ending with a remark,

"Tasty."

He proceeded towards my immobile form.