If You

Hard to Hide

Emily dozed fitfully against the wall, one hand resting on the bed where Youngbae slept. Dr. Jung had given him an IV and told them to call if there was any change. All of them had made themselves as comfortable as possible as they waited for Youngbae to come to again.

A groan came from the bed and Emily jolted awake, standing quickly. She bent over Youngbae, waiting breathlessly.

"Jiyong," she hissed. "Seunghyun! Wake up!"

The boys stumbled to their feet and gathered around the bed anxiously. Emily brushed back Youngbae's hair, noting that his skin felt cooler. "Youngbae? Can you hear me?"

"We're all here," Seungri said encouragingly.

Youngbae's eyes flew open and he sat up, his arms flailing. "Hold him down!" Jiyong yelled, trying to grab his arm. Youngbae swung wildly, clipping Jiyong in the jaw. Jiyong fell back, his lip bleeding. Emily lunged into the gap, trying to push Youngbae back down onto the bed. Youngbae threw his fist and Emily caught it square on the cheek, sending her flying. She crashed to the ground, the room spinning crazily.

"Emily!" she heard Seunghyun call, and a pair of strong arms picked her up. She stood shakily, trying to make her head stop spinning. Her vision cleared and she found herself staring into Jiyong's eyes. "Thanks," she said, finding her own balance again. He released her quickly and the moment ended when Daesung punched Youngbae in the face, knocking him out again.

"Well, so much for regaining consciousness," Emily said dryly. Her face throbbed and she winced, gingerly feeling her cheek.

"Your face!" Seungri exclaimed, coming over to her.

"That's going to be hard to hide," Seunghyun commented, examining her with a practiced eye.

Youngbae groaned again and Jiyong sighed. "Watch him. We'll be right back." He left the room, beckoning for Emily to follow. She was too surprised to refuse, trotting after him to the bathroom. "You're gonna need an ice pack," he said, opening her medicine cabinet, "and some aspirin. I'll show you how to cover it up later." He started going through her makeup, frowning. "This isn't very high quality. Is this all you have?" he asked, holding up her foundation.

Emily blinked, her mouth falling open. "Yeah," she said, disbelief coloring her voice. "Do you always go through other people's things?" she said, folding her arms.

Jiyong paused. "Sorry," he said, closing the cabinet. "I wasn't trying to pry."

Emily felt a tiny stab of remorse. "It's okay. It's not like I have anything to hide," she said, opening the cabinet again. "And yes, this is all I have. Not all of us have fancy products and trained stylists, you know."

Jiyong put the makeup back. "We can find something around the studio." He closed the cabinet again and examined himself in the mirror, touching his cut lip gingerly.

"Here," Emily said, grabbing a washcloth from the towel rack. She dampened it and put it to Jiyong's mouth. He winced, but held still. Emily dabbed most of the blood away, trying to be as gentle as possible.

"It doesn't look that big," she said, rinsing the cloth. "It should be pretty easy to conceal."

Jiyong leaned tiredly against the sink. "Thank you. For going to get Youngbae, I mean."

Emily hung the washcloth back onto the towel rack. "Like I said, he's my friend."

"We've been close since we were little," Jiyong said, looking at his reflection in the mirror. "You saved his life, and I won't forget that."

"Does that mean you surrender?" Emily teased.

Jiyong looked back at her. "Why are you so determined to be friends with us?" he asked.