The room is dim, the only light coming from the glow of monitors and the sterile beam from the hallway when the door creaks open. Yu doesn't even flinch. His body feels like lead, too wrung out to be startled anymore. He just lifts his red-rimmed eyes, cheeks streaked with dried tears, when Joy's familiar silhouette slips inside.
"Yu…"
Her voice is soft, tentative, as if afraid he might break just from hearing it.
"The hospital called me. You… you listed me as your emergency contact."
She tries to smile but her eyes glisten, betraying her worry.
"I came as fast as I could. And—I brought Izan."
Behind her, Izan steps into the room, quieter but steady, his usual composed air dimmed by concern. His gaze lingers on Yu for a moment, then dips toward the monitors as if silently counting each flicker of heartbeat.
Yu wipes at his cheeks with a shaky hand, though it does nothing to erase the stains of exhaustion.
"You… came here…?"
His voice is hoarse, confused.
"Why?"
Joy moves closer, setting her purse down at the foot of the bed.
"Because you're my best friend, stupid."
Her tone softens immediately after the teasing word.
"Because they called me, and I couldn't just sit at home. Can I… sit with you?"
It takes Yu a long breath before he nods, slow and tired.
"...Yeah."
Joy pulls a chair close, and Izan takes the one beside it. The two flank his bed like anchors, steadying him in the swirl of sterile hospital air.
Joy leans forward, reaching for his hand but waiting until he doesn't pull away.
"Are you and the babies okay?"
Yu swallows, throat thick. The words lodge like thorns, so he doesn't risk speaking. He just nods once, small and fragile, afraid the sound of his own voice will unravel him into another flood of tears.
The machines hum, marking the rhythm of his heartbeat. Joy squeezes his hand gently, and Izan's quiet presence fills the silence beside her.
Inside his head, DK01 hums like a cold shadow.
{Stability detected.}
[You've found what's keeping you grounded. Hold on to it. Stay steady—don't let yourself fall apart again.]
But Yu can't answer it. Not when Joy's warmth brushes his knuckles, not when Izan's steady eyes linger on him without judgment.
He just nods again, his tears shimmering like they never really stopped.
Joy shifts closer, her chair scraping softly against the sterile floor as she reaches for Yu's hand again, rubbing slow circles over his knuckles.
"Yu…"
She whispers, her voice trembling but insistent.
"You don't have to hold this all by yourself. Please, tell me what happened. You've been carrying too much."
Across from them, Izan sits tall, his expression grave but not invasive. He doesn't push, doesn't pry—just leans forward with his elbows on his knees, a steady presence radiating calm, the kind of grounding weight Yu feels like he might crumble without. His eyes track Yu's face, silently urging him on.
Yu trembles, his lips parting, then pressing tight again. His chest rises and falls too fast, the monitor at his side beginning to pick up on his building stress. Joy squeezes his hand firmer, her voice cutting through his spiral.
"It's okay. You're safe now. The babies are safe. Just breathe, Yu. Tell me."
And finally, the words spill, broken and halting.
"When you and Theo… dropped me off, after the runway…"
Yu starts, his voice hoarse,
"I just… I collapsed into tears. I couldn't stop. Callen and Adrian tried to comfort me but… Adrian—I don't know how… he found out I was pregnant."
Yu's hand clenches over the blanket, knuckles whitening.
"He asked who the father was, and I—I panicked. I passed out."
The memory flickers like a nightmare across his face. His voice grows shakier, softer.
"When I woke up… Adrian had a gun. He was pointing it at Callen."
His body shudders, tears pricking his eyes as his hand instinctively moves over his belly. The monitor beside him spikes with frantic beeps.
"I hate violence… I was so scared. I thought—"
His words choke, breaking into a sob.
"—I thought something was wrong with the babies. I felt this sharp pain and then I… I passed out again. I begged them to bring me here."
The last words leave him like a final breath, his body curling inward with remembered terror. He trembles, but then lifts his eyes, wet and rimmed with red.
"But they're safe now. That's… that's all that matters."
Joy gasps, her face pale, her own hands trembling as she clutches his.
"Oh, Yu…"
Her eyes glisten with unshed tears.
"I never should have left you there with those idiotic wolves! I should have stayed, I should've—"
She bites her lip hard, holding back a sob.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I should have been there."
Her other hand cups his cheek gently, brushing away the tears that trail endlessly down.
"I swear, I'll never let them hurt you again."
Izan shifts, his voice low, steady, and cutting through the raw air like steel.
"You don't need to go back there if you don't want to."
His gaze is unwavering on Yu.
"That place sounds like a powder keg. Stay somewhere safer. Somewhere they can't pull a stunt like this again."
Joy nods, her voice firm despite the tears spilling freely now.
"Yes, exactly. There's still a month before the semester ends and you leave for France, right? I have a secret penthouse under Izan's name you can stay at. So what's your plan, Yu? Are you going to stay in that house with them… or do you want to stay at the penthouse?"
Her thumb strokes his cheek, her eyes searching his with desperate earnestness.
"You don't have to go back there, Yu. Not after this."
Yu's lips part, then close again. His chest rises and falls, shallow, trembling breaths that make the heart monitor at his side beep a nervous rhythm. He stares down at his lap, at his pale fingers knotted together, trying to anchor himself in the sterile white sheets.
Inside, his thoughts splinter like glass.
'I can't go back there… not after the gun, not after the look on their faces, the questions I can't answer. But if I disappear, what about the mission? DK01 will say I'm running away. And what if Theo finds out? What if…'
His hand drifts to his belly, trembling as he presses against the slight swell, the three lives inside him fluttering like ghosts.
'It's not just me anymore… It's them. If I'm not safe, they're not safe.'
DK01's voice flickers at the edges of his mind, clinical but almost gentle this time.
{System Host's stress levels remain elevated. Relocation may reduce risk factors.}
[Maybe it's time to step away for a bit. This environment isn't steady, and you need emotional calm right now—for your own sake, and for the baby's.]
Yu closes his eyes, the tears welling again.
'A stress-free month… with no men clawing at me, no lies to juggle, no Theo breathing down my neck. Just… breathing. Just quiet. Just me and them.'
His heart gives a hard, aching thump. It's too tempting.
When he finally looks up, his eyes are glassy but steadier, his voice fragile but clear.
"I… I don't want to go back there. Not after everything."
His throat tightens, but he forces the words out.
"I'll… I'll take your offer, Joy. If it's really okay, I'll stay in your penthouse. Just for this last month. I think… I think I need it. Thank you."
Joy doesn't hesitate—she squeezes his hand, eyes lighting with relief and fierce determination.
"Of course it's okay. It's yours. You don't even have to thank me—it's just… what you deserve, Yu. A safe place."
Izan gives a slow nod, approving but silent, his quiet strength grounding the decision.
Yu exhales shakily, the smallest weight lifting off his shoulders. For the first time in what feels like forever, he dares to imagine a month without being cornered, questioned, or used—just peace.
He slumps back into the stiff hospital pillows, every muscle slack with the strange, trembling relief that follows a decision made after too much anguish. His chest no longer feels so tight, though his hand never leaves the gentle swell of his belly.
DK01 hums to life in his head, voice low, stripped of its usual sharpness.
{Acknowledged. Relocation chosen.}
[For now, you're safe. This isn't ideal—but it'll do.]
There's a pause—clinical, almost awkward, before it adds.
[…Maintain low stress levels. Your vessel body is fragile. Prioritize yourself and the fetuses.]
Yu snorts weakly at that, clicking his tongue.
"Finally… some decent advice."
Joy and Izan exchange a glance but say nothing, sensing that Yu's somewhere else inside his head again.
---
The doctor discharges him with a calm reminder.
"Rest, hydrate, follow the nutritional plan, and come back in a week for your follow-up. We'll track you and the babies closely."
Yu nods numbly, pamphlets tucked in his bag.
Outside, Joy leads them to her car. Her bright energy is now tempered with steely purpose—her hands clenched on the steering wheel as they park across from Yu's shared house. Izan sits silently in the back, gaze sharp, scanning the street as though on watch.
Minutes stretch taut.
Then, the front door opens. Callen, in sweats and headphones slung around his neck, jogs down the steps and heads toward the gym. Not long after, Adrian emerges in slacks, his stride purposeful as he gets into his car and drives off—heading toward campus or the law firm.
"Now!"
Joy whispers, almost conspiratorial.
The three slip out of the car and hurry inside. Yu's heart slams in his throat as he steps into the place he'd once called home but now feels foreign, unsafe. He avoids looking at the couch, the laundry room door, the kitchen, all the places that carry too much memory. Instead, he grabs only what matters—sketchbooks, clothes, his laptop, toiletries, the few comforts that are truly his.
Joy works fast, hauling boxes out like a woman on a mission, while Izan handles the heavier loads without complaint, his silence steadying Yu's shaking hands.
It takes less than twenty minutes. The last box clicks shut, and they hustle back to the car just as a neighbor walks past, offering only a curious glance.
---
The penthouse feels like a different world entirely. High ceilings, polished floors, clean white walls with sunlight spilling across them. Yu's breath catches as he sets down a small box. It feels too quiet. Too big. Too safe.
Joy hands her set of keys into his palms.
"Yours now. Don't backsies."
Yu stares at them, small and shining against his skin, then at the boxes stacked neatly by the wall. The knot in his chest loosens another fraction as he exhales, whispering.
"I… really did it. I left."
Yu hadn't meant to cry. He wanted to be strong, to treat this like a clean slate—but the moment he looked at the keys in his hands, the floodgates burst. Relief, grief, the ache of cutting ties, all tangled with his volatile hormones. He sank to his knees among the boxes, clutching the keys in his hand like a lifeline as tears streamed hot and unrelenting.
Joy was on him in an instant, wrapping her arms around his shaking frame and rocking him gently.
"Aww, Yu… you've really turned into such a crybaby since getting pregnant."
She teased softly, brushing his bangs back and kissing his damp temple.
"But that's okay. You've got every right."
Yu hiccupped, pressing his face to her shoulder, both mortified and comforted.
It was Izan who finally broke the heaviness with his calm, matter-of-fact voice.
"Come on. Explore the place. Make it yours."
He nudged one of Yu's boxes with his foot.
"Claim it. Otherwise it'll just feel like another strange cage."
The words pierced right through Yu's trembling haze. Slowly, shakily, he got back on his feet. With Joy and Izan trailing behind, he wandered the penthouse—peeking into the wide kitchen, the bright bedroom with its balcony, the gleaming bathroom with far too much counter space. By the time he tossed his sketchbook onto the table and arranged his pencils in a neat row, something inside him shifted. It really could be a new beginning.
---
That evening, across town, Adrian and Callen finally returned home. They'd planned to gather some of Yu's things to bring them into the hospital. Callen, humming to himself, swung open Yu's bedroom door first.
The hum cut off.
The room was bare—shelves empty, drawers half-open but hollow, the bed stripped except for a folded blanket left behind.
"What the hell…"
Callen breathed, stepping inside.
Adrian shouldered past him, his gut twisting. He didn't even speak, just turned on his heel and strode to his own room. Callen frowned, trailing after him.
"Hey, where are you—?"
Then he froze at the doorway.
Adrian had dropped into his desk chair, powered up his laptop, and opened a hidden program with a series of live feeds—the front door, the kitchen, the living room. Security cameras.
"You—"
Callen's voice cracked, green eyes wide with disbelief before narrowing with sharp disgust.
"You fucking pervert! Were you spying on us this whole time?!"
Adrian didn't flinch, his face hard, all business as he clicked through timestamps.
But Callen's horror only grew as his mind connected dots. He went pale, then flushed crimson.
"Wait—WAIT! You… you saw us on the couch?!"
His voice pitched higher, mortified now, hands tugging at his hair.
"Oh my god, you did! You saw everything—ME AND YU—on the couch—"
Adrian's jaw tightened, eyes still glued to the feed.
"Shut up, Callen. I'm not interested in your performance. I need to see where Yu went."
The disgust on Callen's face twisted with something else—embarrassment tangled with defensiveness and, underneath it, the raw sting of betrayal.
The tension boiled sharp and ugly.
"Don't you fucking tell me to shut up!"
Callen barked, storming across the room. He shoved Adrian's chair so hard it spun halfway around.
"You've been WATCHING us? Watching him? Me? Christ, no wonder Yu doesn't trust you!"
Adrian snapped the laptop shut, rising to his feet in one smooth motion, the temperature in the room plummeting.
"Don't twist this, Wright. At least I was paying attention. At least I knew something was wrong. While you—"
He jabbed a finger into Callen's chest.
"—were too busy treating Yu like your personal plaything to notice he was breaking."
Callen slapped the hand away, emerald eyes blazing.
"Don't you dare. You think you're any better? You pulled a gun in front of him! You scared him half to death!"
That struck deep, but Adrian didn't flinch. His shoulders rose, his voice lowering into a lethal growl.
"And you're so smug you didn't even realize he was pregnant. You laughed it off like it was a joke. Do you know how easily that could've cost us all?"
The two stood nose-to-nose, Callen's fists clenching, Adrian's hands twitching toward his waistband like muscle memory. A heartbeat more and it would've broken into blows—
Until Adrian exhaled sharply, turned back to the desk, and reopened his laptop.
"Enough. I'm wasting time."
Callen, still bristling, hovered over his shoulder despite himself.
"What the hell are you—"
The feed flickered. Rewind. Play.
The front of Yu's room, daylight. The door opening. Joy slipping inside with Izan right behind. The three of them hauling out boxes, Yu's sketchbooks, his laptop bag, his clothes. Moving fast, efficient, careful.
Adrian's eyes narrowed to knives.
Callen blinked, his anger temporarily eclipsed by shock.
"What the hell is she doing—"
"Stealing him."
Adrian cut in, voice flat and cold. He replayed the moment Joy looped her arm around Yu, guiding him out with a protective hand on his back.
"They didn't just move his things. They took him."
He snapped the laptop closed again, gaze cutting to Callen like a blade.
"She's… Theo's sister, right? You're close to Theo, aren't you?"
Callen shifted uneasily, but his pride wouldn't let him back down.
"My family's had contracts with the Kingsleys. That's it. Why?"
Adrian's mouth curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. It was darker, sharper.
"Because you're going to contact him. Now. Tell him his sister and her boyfriend just stole Yu out from under us."
The weight of his words hung heavy between them.
Callen's chest heaved, his fists opening and closing like he was crushing glass in his palms. His instincts screamed to protect Yu, to leave him be if he wanted distance, to let him breathe. But then the gnawing thought came back—
'What if the babies were mine? What if Yu really is carrying my children? And now he's gone.'
Adrian didn't blink. He just stood there, still as stone, waiting. Watching.
The silence stretched until Callen finally swore under his breath.
"...Fuck."
He yanked his phone from his pocket, thumb hovering over the screen, heart hammering.
'I just want him safe. Back here. With me.'
That selfish thought was what made the decision for him. With shaking fingers, he dialed the Kingsley line.
---
Theo's land-line rang where it sat on the corner of his desk. He was hunched over paperwork, exhaustion pulling at his posture, his eyes still lingering on the velvet box hidden in his drawer. The ring. For Yu.
He saw the name flash across the screen—Callen Wright. His brow furrowed.
'Why the hell would he be calling?'
He picked up, guarded.
"...Wright?"
On the other end, Callen's voice was tight, clipped, almost guilty.
"Theo… you need to know something. Your sister. And her boyfriend. They just took Yu. Out of the house. Packed his things. He's gone."
Theo sat up so sharply his chair scraped across the hardwood.
"What?"
Adrian's low voice cut faintly through the background.
"Tell him everything."
Callen swallowed hard.
"I don't know where they went. But Joy and her boyfriend—they're hiding him. And if you don't move fast, you might not see him again. He's leaving for France at the end of the semester."
Theo's knuckles whitened around the phone. His pulse thundered. Joy. His sister.
His heart dropped, then ignited.
Theo didn't even say goodbye to Callen. The phone clattered onto his desk, his chest rising and falling with the fury storming through his veins. He ran a hand through his light brown hair, gripping the strands so tightly it hurt.
'Joy. Izan. They dared—'
He snatched his personal phone that lay beside his papers, stabbing at Joy's number. It rang once. Twice. Then—
"Hello?"
Joy's voice was bright, too bright, like she'd been laughing.
"Where the fuck are you?"
Theo's voice roared down the line. The sheer volume made Joy flinch, her laughter dying immediately.
"...Theo?"
She asked, her voice shaking.
"What—"
"Don't 'what' me! Don't play stupid! You think I don't know?!"
He slammed a fist against his desk, the thud vibrating through the phone.
"You took him. You stole Yu out of that house like some criminal, and normally I'd be proud but you made an awful mistake, Joy Kingsley. You didn't bring him here! To me! Do you think you can hide him from me too? From me, Joy?!"
Joy's throat went dry. Her hand clenched around her phone as her eyes darted to Yu, who was in the kitchen unboxing some plates with Izan. He was smiling faintly, soft, fragile—oblivious to the storm raging on the other end of the call.
"I—Theo, listen, it's not—"
"Bring him to me. Now."
Theo's voice cracked, the raw edge of desperation bleeding through the fury.
"Do you hear me? Right now! Or I swear—"
His voice strangled itself, too wild, too dangerous. He pressed his palm against his eyes, trying to hold the rage in.
"Theo, please—"
Joy tried to cut in, her own eyes brimming now, heart pounding.
"NO. Don't you dare 'please' me, Joy! You don't get to decide what's best for him. You don't get to keep him from me. He's mine. Mine!"
The Love-o-meter ticked down:
48 - 45
The word echoed so loud, Joy ripped the phone from her ear, staring at it in horror. She heard his ragged breathing, the violent shuddering of his restraint unraveling.
Theo's voice dropped to a trembling growl, almost a whisper but no less terrifying.
"Bring him to me. Or I'll come get him myself."
The line went dead.
Yu's smile falters the moment he hears the notification of the Love-o-Meter dropping, then feels like something was wrong when Joy's bright laughter dies on her lips. It's a small thing—the way her shoulders have tightened, the way her fingers curl too long around her phone—but it's enough. Disregarding the decreased numbers, he crosses the kitchen in three quick steps and drops to one knee in front of her like it's a reflex he can't control, eyes searching her face.
"Joy?"
His voice is soft, careful.
"You… you seem… off. Are you okay?"
She forces a laugh that comes out thin. For a second she almost cringes at herself. She wants, with every frantic beat of her heart, to tell him everything—that her brother's tone on the phone was raw and dangerous, that Theo had used the word mine and her stomach had gone cold, that she'd promised him she'd help and then—then had watched as Theo turned something small and silly into a demand. She wants to tell Yu that she's terrified. Instead she smooths her face and lowers her voice to a practiced casualness.
"Everything's fine. Just… school stuff. And you! Your dress looked amazing yesterday."
Her fingers flutter over the sketchbook on the table; she pats it, as if the motion can land the lie.
"Come sit. Tell me again what you changed on that sleeve."
[Congratulations Host, you've just become "friends who lie" with Joy. This bypasses the original Yuvin's character profile and allows you to lie more easily to the heroine.]
Yu ignores the updated role and studies her for a beat longer. He sees the tremor in her thumb. He sees the sheen at the corners of her eyes that is too deliberate to be from reminiscing about the runway. He sees the way she's holding herself, as if she's bracing for a shove. He reaches and covers her hand with both of his.
"You can tell me…"
He says very low.
"You can tell me anything, Joy. We're best friends, aren't we?"
Joy's breath hitches. For a second the lie cracks—the truth flashes hot and honest behind her eyes—but the space of it is small, and fear is a louder thing. She squeezes his fingers back as if answering, and the motion is all the steadiness she allows herself.
"It's just Theo…"
She says, and the name is an anchor and a trap.
"He… he sounded stressed. He wanted to talk. I told him I'd call him later. Nothing for you to worry about."
Her mouth is the picture of nonchalance, but the rest of her is a different language. Her heartbeat is loud in her own ears; a cold ribbon of dread slides down her spine. She's never heard Theo speak like the way he did on that call—so furious, so possessive that it sounded like the air had been sucked out of the room. All through their childhood he was the protector, the unflinching older brother who'd barricaded doors and shouldered away the world so Joy could be small and absurd and safe. After their parents died he'd promised to keep her like a thing in glass. That promise had been comfort, then habit. Tonight she recognizes it for what it is:
A lock.
She tells herself, clinging to the lie she'd feed Yu, that she can handle him. That she'll take him on. That she'll make Yu safe. The words feel brittle in her mouth. Theo's warning—the threat buried in his last breathy command—sits like a stone in her gut.
"Bring him to me. Or I'll come get him myself."
Joy glances past Yu's shoulder toward the window, where the street is washed in the late blue of evening. She pictures Theo's car like a predator, halting at the curb, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. She imagines the way his jaw dials down into that unforgiving line when he's been crossed. The image makes her hands go clammy.
She shifts back and watches Yu's face, all open concern and earnestness, and her resolve hardens for a beat.
Protect him—that's the only right thing. If Theo comes here and finds out Yu left, what will he do? If she brings Yu in herself, she's helping him step into Theo's web. If she hides the truth, she becomes a conspirator—and between the two, she picks what will keep Yu safe now.
"Promise me something?"
She says, suddenly, surprising herself with the steadiness in her tone. She leans forward, tilts her head so her eyes meet his.
"If I ask you to trust me for a bit—if I say take the rest of the day easy and let me handle this… will you? Please. Don't go gallivanting into anything today. Just—stay put. Let me do the talking with my brother."
Yu studies her, the warm light of the kitchen catching in his lashes. He wants to pry. To stand up and insist he won't be hidden like some secret. To tell her he'd rather face whatever Theo brings than sit behind a door while she negotiates. But he sees the tremor in her voice, the angle of her shoulders, the fear she refuses to let show. He can feel the dangerous tilt of the world around them and, despite the bile in his throat at the thought of being protected like a fragile thing again, he nods.
"Okay."
He says finally, and the word feels like surrender and safety at once.
"I trust you."
Joy lets out a breath she's been holding so long it stings. She hugs him—a quick, fierce press against his ribs—then straightens and forces a smile that cracks only once at the edge.
"I'll call you in an hour."
She says.
"I'll tell you everything. And if anything looks off, promise me you run straight to Izan's place. Okay?"
"Okay."
Yu repeats, and his hand lingers at the small curve of her waist before he releases her. He notices then, as if for the first time, the set of betrayal in her expression, the way she's already composing words she won't say, plotting a route through a storm whose map he doesn't have.
Joy turns away first, moving to the window as if to check lanes and headlights. Beneath the refuge of a laugh, a promise, a sketchbook and routine, terror blooms bright and private. She has never been so scared of her brother. She closes her eyes for a heartbeat, forcing herself to breathe, to breathe steady enough to go meet the danger. Then she steps back to open the front door, her fingers digging into her pockets for her car keys as she settles in to drive, and keeps the secret burning like a coal in her mouth—heavy, hot, and utterly necessary.