“Dae Jung, Sir, The Commander has requested that you meet him in his office, stat!” A fellow co-worker of Dae Jung reported, beams of perspirations appearing on his shiny forehead. He nodded and scraped away the paper work that covered every inch of his desk into his hideaway bin.  The picture frame that held the memory of him and Hei Ryung on her sixth birthday fell into the trash can beneath his desk. Everything had to be supremely confidential and kept locked away from inquisitive eyes and he was a tad frustrated too due to lack of feeds on his new target. He groggily got up from his chair and prodded out of his messy office. As the slam of the door signalled his departure his cell phone buried under the pile of his target’s file erupted into 5 minutes of nonstop ringing.

***

            “Are you getting through?” a teary-eyed Sulli asked through her sniffles.

Dong Sun, removed the phone from his ear and looked at he worried teenage girl before him. “He’s not answering.” He replied, his voice subtle. “Set your tears aside now, Sulli-sshi. We need to go out there and look for here. She couldn’t have gotten far.” Sulli nodded and wiped away the tears with the back of her hand.

“Have you guys found her?” Taemin asked, when he got a hold of Sulli as she made her way towards the door in search of Hei Ryung.

Sulli drew back her hand and glared at him through the tears that clouded her eyes. “Why do you care?” she hissed. Taemin took a step back. He’d never seen her so angry and sad. “How could you let her get away? You’re just like the rest of them, falling for these rumours.”

“Sulli” he said. “It wasn’t like that. “she just ran and-

“You let her get away. You could’ve supported her or defended her !” she screamed at the top of her voice and stormed out of building. He leaned against the wall for some support and rubbed his palm over his face. What had he done wrong? Those rumours were so intense. The way how her face looked, her cheeks were blanched with fear and her eyes darkened to the colour of the ripest tomato he could think of. ‘But if it wasn’t true, why would she run away?’ He thought.

***

 I ran as fast as I could to get away from all the chaos but no matter how far or how fast I put one foot in front of the other, I could still hear his voice in my head screaming ‘Murderer.’ Nothing changed and it never would. I tried to put my past behind me and try to live in the present but somehow, someway it always popped up whenever I felt like I was finally settling in.

The night air grew cold and bit against my skin. My eyes felt swollen like the size of a football and my chest was tightening each time I puffed when I was running. I wasn’t worthy of being alive. I should’ve died. Why didn’t I die? I know mom would be here on earth to enjoy its wonders and dad would still have the love of his life by his side.

The dark sea water glistened under the bright lights of the street lights over head. Everyone had retired in the boats for the night. The air grew colder and I became thirstier and there was nothing to drink because I had thrown away my school bag pack. What use would it be to me anyway?  The tears resurfaced and the emptiness found itself in me again. Why was I running? To be found and relive the nightmare again? Why did I care? Nothing , nobody cared about me, so why did I? I was only a burden and maybe if I was gone maybe a lot of lives would be better off. I crawled into a dark secluded corner and cried and watched as the dark water rippled over the rocks. The sounds of the rushing were quite relaxing. Too bad I wouldn’t be able to hear it for long.

***

“Guys! Come on We can’t give up. She’s out there somewhere. I know it!” Sulli shouted out her lungs. “Hei Ryung! Hei Ryung!” her voice echoing in the night air. The interminable crying and worrying had drained her but she staggered on. “Hei Ryung!”

“Taemin!” Luna shirked and skipped toward him.  “Hey.”

“Hey.” he said, dryly and continued walking, shouting out Hei Ryung’s name. He felt terrible, the bitter feeling churning in the pity of his empty stomach. He couldn’t even swallow a mouth full of his dinner because he was too worried to console himself. He regret the very moment when he allowed Hei Ryung to run away. But what could he do? He didn’t know that she’ll run off, that’ll she’d runaway. She could be lying in a dark alley or sleeping at the bottom of a lake. The negative thoughts infiltrated his mind, exacerbating his guilt. ‘But she couldn’t have gotten far’ he thought. She hardly went out and she didn’t know her way well around the area but that could be to her great disadvantage.

“Are you ok? You don’t look so good.” Luna said, striking up a conversation.

Taemin shifted and brushed his palm across his cool face when a gust of wind slammed against his slender framed as he trekked. “I’m fine. I’m not in the mood to talk. Hei Ryung’s missing.” His sentences were short and clipped, which indicated that he was in no way interested in participating in a conversation. Not when he couldn’t think straight when the girl he was falling for may be falling off the edge of a hill.

Luna’s jaws tightened and she fumed. Taemin just ignored and walked away when she was trying to talk to him. Never in her entire life had she ever been humiliated as she was a while ago. It hurt. The tears didn’t fall but she refused to let them . Every day when she saw him, she thanked God and prayed maybe she would have a chance with him. He was everything she wanted in a male companion. He was generous, tall, slim, caring and beautiful. Boy, was he beautiful. At times she even wondered if the magnitude of his beauty surpassed her own. Her fist hands balled into fist, her sharp finger nails dug into her palms as she casted her gaze on his departing figure, just practically watching him walk out of her life.

“I had a chance before she showed up. We were getting close. Now, I drive her far away but you still yearn for her. Why can’t you just appreciate what’s staring you in the eyes?” she whispered to herself, the wind that blew through her hair was the only listener to her monologue.

***

Onew stooped in his tracks when he saw a leg protruding from a dark corner of a dilapidated fishing restaurant nearby the lake. The odd image frightened him but nonetheless he made his way towards it. As he advanced closer to the seemingly strange leg, he heard low sniffle like someone was crying. The sounds grew louder and louder until he finally rounded the corner. His heart nearly hammered through the barrier of his chest.

Your POV

I looked up at Onew who was looking back at me with sorrowful eyes. “You found me.” I said, not making at effort to wipe away the tears that stung my ears or the fluids that drained from my nose. I didn’t care. I hated running away. Look where it got me. Crouching on the one of the dirtiest places in Seoul. Why did I keep on running away only to be found again and again and again? “Sorry, but there’s no reward for minding so you can go back.”

“Hei Ryung” he softened. “We’ve been worried sick. We are all looking around for you.” He said as he bent down to get a clearer look at her tired face. “Don’t be ridiculous. We are searching because we care about you, not because of some lofty reward.”

 I scoffed and looked away. It hurt. I’d crumbled; my ego was thwarted and thrashed. “Those rumours.” I paused, unable to swallow the lump at the back of my throat. “They’re not true, Onew.”

“Shh, shh, Hei Ryung.” He said and took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped my face. “I don’t believe them. Now come on, they others may be worrying their hearts out.”

“Leave me. Nobody cares about me.”

“No! Don’t say that Hei Ryung, we all do.” Onew retorted. “Now, come on, it’s freezing out here.” He shuddered.

I stifled a sniffle. “I can’t move; my legs are numb. Go on without me.” Before I realized what was happening , I was being elevated. Onew took me in his arms and began walking.

“What are you doing? Put me down, I don’t want you to get hurt.” I protested but no avail. So I allowed him to carry me and I kept on falling in and out of slumber the whole way.

“I didn’t come all the way here just to leave you.”

***

“HEI RYUNG!!!!!!!!!!” Sulli screamed at the top of her lungs when Onew emerged from the door, with Hei Ryung in his arms, her eyes partially closed and her hands wrapped around his neck.

Her scream alerted Taemin who was about to wash his face in the bathroom. He followed and halted to a sudden stop when he saw her. A broad smile broke out on his face then lessened to a frown. Her clothes were ripped, her hair was filled with dirt, and all over she was smothered in dirt. His heart quickened and he wondered whether he was upset or not to see her in such a pitiful state or just the fact that she was lying in Onew’s arms. His eyes jumped when he saw her head move and she looked in his direction. They eyes made contact for a brief moment and he smiled again but then she simply turned away and wrap her hands even tighter around his best friend’s neck.

“Omo, I’m so glad you’re safe!” Sulli shrieked as she followed Onew up the stairs, leaving behind a confused Taemin.

Taemin’s  POV

What’s wrong with me? Why am I even mad? Am I mad? I should be glad that she’s safe! Onew as just carrying her! Right? Why am I being like this? I’m being selfish! I bet she hates me but I don’t hate her. Ughh!  She didn’t even look like she was happy to see me. But why should she be happy when I didn’t even answer her back at school?

“I like you, Hei Ryung.”

***********************

Taemin has a lot of questions

but who's going to answer them?

Yep, so chapter 9... and I'm talking to no one.

Sigh, bet i ! well, goodnight Love Eya