√ 𝐸𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 // 𝐻𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝐻𝑦𝑢𝑛𝑗𝑖𝑛

eleven.

     As she stared at the papers in front of her, Nari felt a sense of heaviness, assurance. This was it. This was really happening.

     Chan pushed a pen towards her with a grim face, sitting back in his chair. "You know that once you do this, there's no going back," he reminded her, tracing his fingers on his desk. Nari nodded - and she wasn't just doing it for show, she really did understand.

     "Now, the agreement is thirty pages long - formalities and all that, you know. So I'll break it down for you. This gang is your family now. You fight for them, you bleed for them, you die for them. No one's priorities go before our own, it's all or nothing. You will be under all of our protection - no one can touch you and get away with it. You are ours and no one else's. Never forget, we have each other."

     After he finished briefing her, Nari grasped the silver pen and let the tip hover over the crisp surface of the paper. A million doubts went through her mind, but so did a million reassurances.

     She signed. Letting the ink swoop across the paper until her name stared back at her.

     As proud as a father, Chan beamed, his dimples popping out, and slid the papers away. "Welcome to Stray Kids."

°   °   °

     The boys were leaving.

     Chan stood in the foyer, decked out in a sharp suit, his hair combed back neatly and every detail about him pristine. Minho, Jisung, and Hyunjin were similarly dressed, and all three looked devastatingly handsome.

     Their leader glanced over the group, eyes lingering on Nari. "Don't worry, we're going to get this straightened out. With luck we'll be back before dark." With that, Chan stepped out of the house. Jisung gave the group an uncharacteristically terse nod before following him. Minho stepped over to Nari.

     "How's my patient doing?"

     She let out a laugh, and probably sounded hysterical due to her nervousness. "I feel fine, thank you." He gave her a small smile and to her surprise, drew her into a side hug.

     "We'll be back soon, okay?" He stopped at the front door to wait for Hyunjin.

     The boy held his arms out and made a funny face. "How do I look?"

     "You look great," Nari chuckled, swallowing back her fear. But Hyunjin could see through her brave face, and he sighed through his nose before leaning down to her level.

     "I've done things like this before. We aren't fighting, just talking. It'll be all right."

     She raked a hand through her hair distractedly. "You're right, why am I even worrying?" she asked shakily.

     He squinted and stood up again. "Exactly. See you soon," he said, sending a wave at her and his members. As he walked further away, Nari's breathing began to speed up, her anxiety catching up with her. She started to panic, her arms trembling, until she couldn't hold back anymore.

     She sprinted towards him and flung her arms around his waist, shaking violently. Taken aback, he twisted around before returning her embrace, rubbing his hand across her shoulder blades. She pressed her face into his chest, trying to steady her breathing, her hands tightening on his jacket. Finally, she exhaled and pulled away, not meeting Hyunjin's eyes.

     "Please be safe," she said quietly. Her deep concern was obvious, and he smiled softly.

     "I always am."