Hyuk hurried home to put Amber back in his house, and then rushed back out wrapping an apron around his waist. His shift started at 5:30 and it was already a quarter past six. He kicked himself for taking so long at the vet, but the delay was necessary for Amber's sake. When he finally arrived at the cafe, he was an hour late.

"Hyukkie!" Krystal scolded him as he ran through the dining room towards the kitchen. "Where have you been?"

"I'm sorry," Hyuk said to the waitress as he passed by the table she was helping. "I had to take Amber to the vet, and I thought I had enough time."

"Well, it's only an hour and a half til closing time," the older waitress interjected from the counter. "You might as well just go on home. We aren't that busy tonight anyway."

"But-" Hyuk was going to argue, feeling guilty for being late and causing his sunbaes trouble.

"Don't worry about it," the waitress interrupted with a no-nonsense tone. "We can survive without an extra cook, now get!"

The young man bowed his head in apology, and was about to walk back out the door when Krystal stepped into his path.

"By the way," she said. "You know how yesterday I thought I saw the man on that missing persons poster that was up on the board?"

"Yeah." Hyuk replied, looking at the tackboard for said sheet but couldn't find it. "What about it?"

"Well, my grandma called the number on the poster, and the guy that answered actually came to this town to look for him. He stopped by the cafe today."

"Okay. And?" Hyuk asked, unsure of how he should respond to the story.

"That means that if it wasn't for me, he wouldn't be this close to finding him. It feels great that I got to help someone find a missing person." Krystal's eyes sparkled with excitement and a little bit of pride.

"Did he find him, then?" Hyuk questioned, and Krystal's enthusiasm deflated slightly, the sparkles in her eyes dying out.

"Actually, I don't know." She replied. "I haven't seen him since this afternoon."

"Then don't celebrate just yet." Hyuk said, and started walking to the door. "You should get back to work before Hae Sook yells at you again. See you later."

He gave Krystal a curt wave as he passed through the exit, and strode out into the evening to head home. The air was cooling down as the sun came closer to the horizon, and the gentle breeze felt refreshing against Hyuk's skin. Taking a deep breath, he revelled in the smell of pine that carried on the wind. Even though his house was a fifteen minute walk from the cafe, he enjoyed the trek for the fresh air he got every time he walked it. His route took him to the main street, where he would soon turn down an alley that led to his house. When Hyuk turned the corner into the said alley, he froze.

In the dimming light of the setting sun, he could make out the trash cans and garbage bags that had always crowded the small space. But lying in between the trash cans was the figure of a man with his back resting against the building to the right. Hyuk approached cautiously, his heart rate increasing in anxiety at the sight of the stranger.

"Excuse me, sir." Hyuk spoke softly, like he was afraid the man would get angry at him for disturbing his sleep. "Are you okay?"

He was standing in front of the man now, so he could see his face more clearly. Hyuk's breath caught in his throat when he noticed how handsome the man was, but the thought was instantly forgotten when he saw the red stain on the side of the man's white t-shirt. 

"Oh my god, you're hurt!" Hyuk knelt down and placed his hand on the red blotch. He was surprised when he didn't feel as much wetness under his palm as he thought he would, so he lifted the shirt to get a better look at the injury. The large gash on the man's side was already scabbing over, and had stopped bleeding long ago. For a moment, he thought he saw something shine within the wound, as if there was something metallic inside.

A bullet, maybe? Hyuk wondered, and tilted his head trying to see if it would shine again. When it didn't, he assumed he was just seeing things.

He noticed that the man's breathing was even and smooth, so Hyuk concluded that the man was just sleeping and not dying. Putting the shirt back in its place, he gently shook the man's shoulder.

"Sir, you shouldn't sleep here." The handsome man's head only rolled down to his chest, showing no signs of waking up. Hyuk shook his head and sighed. For a moment, he just looked the unconscious man up and down thinking about what he should do. Just leaving him was out of the question, and he felt awkward about searching the man's body for some sort of ID that would help him figure out who this person is.

Maybe I should take him to my house, and give him a proper bandage and bed to sleep in.

Hyuk decided that was the best option for now, so he took one of the man's arms and pulled him up off the ground. The taller man nearly collapsed under the extra weight at his side.

Christ of Jesus, this guy is heavy! 

After taking a few steps dragging the stranger along, Hyuk was already huffing and puffing like he was running a marathon.

"What does this guy eat?" He asked himself between pants.

His house was only five minutes away from the alley, but he had to stop multiple times to catch his breath which extended the time to twenty minutes. He rejoiced silently when his house came into view. With great determination, Hyuk hauled the body up the stairs of his front porch and plowed through the door stumbling into his house. Hyuk's legs felt shaky under him, exhausted from the effort. Shuffling into the living room, he saw the couch that was five feet away but that distance felt more like a mile.

"Come on, Hyukkie." He chanted to himself in a strangled voice, encouraging himself like a fan would to their favorite soccer player. "Almost there. Just a little more."

Finally, the couch was within reach and he let the man fall onto the soft cushions. Hyuk collapsed onto the floor next to the piece of furniture, panting and sweating heavily like he had just finished the marathon. He raised a closed fist to the air in victory.

"Goal~" he said in a long drawn out groan. Amber came running to him from down the hall, and his face happy to see her master home. "Hey sweetie. Go to your kennel, 'kay?" Instantly, the pomeranian ran back down the hall and disappeared down the stairs at the end.

When he caught his breath after a few minutes of lying in a pool of his own sweat, he remembered the reason why he brought the stranger into his house. He grimaced as he pushed himself up, and clumsily walked to the medicine cabinet in the bathroom where he kept the first aid supplies. After grabbing gauze and antibiotic ointment, he stopped into his bedroom to grab a clean t-shirt to replace the stained one the man was currently wearing.

As Hyuk entered the living room again, he jumped and cried out in shock, dropping the ointment and t-shirt. The man was sitting up on the couch and glaring daggers at him, fully conscious.

"Where am I?" the man grumbled.

"Um..." Hyuk's mind raced to find the answer, but his thoughts were jumbled in fear of the man's threatening aura. "M-my house." Hyuk managed to stutter out the words, his eyes never leaving the stranger's burning gaze. 

"Why?" asked the man as he eased himself off the couch, and even though it was a slow movement it scared Hyuk.

Taking frightened steps back, he replied, "Because, y-you were hurt. I-I... wanted to help." His heart pounded in his chest at an alarming speed, and he was preparing to run to the safety of his bathroom any second now.

The man's face remained emotionless as he took step after step towards Hyuk. Even though he didn't express any sort of emotion, his glowering eyes told him that he didn't believe a word he'd said. Realizing the danger he was in, Hyuk whirled around to lock himself in the bathroom that was only feet away. But before he could take a single step, a hand grabbed the back of his shirt and flung him backwards onto the floor of the living room. Panicking, Hyuk scramb