June 16th, 2017. 19:00 KST

This is bad. This is really really bad. No. It’s the worst.

The two adult paced around the dining hall. Their food were left untouched. The kids were still having their dinner in silence but worried were all over their face and even more when they saw the adults were in chaos, running here and there while screaming their brother’s name. Even though they were still young, they could sense something serious was happening and nobody dared to make a noise.

Kris and Junmyeon were searching for the little kid all around the house, from the front to the backyard, up and down the house to the garage that the family had, thinking this was just one of the pranks that the kids always pulled out and Jongdae was just messing with them but no, they still did not find him. Junmyeon even went to his house next door to find the little kid but there was no sign of him.

It was starting to rain outside and it was dark. Sooner, it would become heavy downpour. Where could have a little kid been in this weather?

“I’ll search him--”

“I’ll search him--”

Both of them stopped pacing at the same time and stared at each other. “No. You stay here with kids and put them to bed.” Kris said. Looking at his cloth, still wearing his black hoodie from the camping trip, he thought he already had a decent cloth to go out. He went to the front door, crouched down to put on his sneakers. Junmyeon was trailing him from behind. Straighten himself up, he looked at his friend “I’ll find him.” That young adult was fidgeting on his spot, face laced with worry.

Kris put his hand on his friend’s shoulder to calm the said adult. “I will find him. Don’t worry. I will. Trust me this time.” He smiled, squeezing his friend’s shoulder to soothe him. He did not know whether he was trying to calm his friend or himself, but someone needed to be optimist now.

“Be careful.” Junmyeon uttered.

“I will. I’ll call you.” By that, Kris jogged out of the house to start searching for the little kid. He thought it was better to start at nearby places first.

Junmyeon stared at the closed door. Please let him find Chanyeol. Please.

20:15 KST

It was raining heavily but Kris still could not find the missing kid. He already thoroughly checked the neighborhood, from the smallest allies to the nearby town. He went to the houses of the kids’ close friends and neighbors that Junmyeon told him earlier at home but no one knew where the kid’s whereabout.

The storm had come with heavy rain, harsh wind, lightning and thunders. He was wet from head to toe due to heavy rain. People was staring weirdly at him. While others were running to get shelter from the rain and busy unclipping their umbrella, he was running here and there in just hoodie in the middle of heavy downpour, the hoodie that stuck on his skin, giving him unending coldness. He was exhausted but thinking about Chanyeol, he could not stop running. Every worst possibility was running in his head and thinking that he was this wet and cold, what even could Chanyeol feel now. By that, Kris was running again.

20:45 KST

Junmyeon sat on the couch at the living room. He was alone in the dark with the television on. The kids were already sleeping, he put them to sleep early as they could not even switched on the television earlier to watch their daily cartoon due to harsh lightning and thunder. Now, it was just a drizzle rain. The storm had subsided. There was no howling sound of the wind. Everything was calm again but not Junmyeon. There was still no news about Chanyeol and even Kris. His friend said he would call him for update but it was just turned hopeless when Junmyeon found Kris’ phone on the edge of coffee table at the living room. He must left it when he was sleeping earlier. That clumsy friend of his.

Junmyeon stared at the television, some sort of comedy show was showing but it never got his attention. He just turned it on to calm his nerve and avoid thinking all worst possibilities that might happen. With the phone lying on the table, there was no way to contact with Kris.That left Junmyeon to just silently wait and hope for them to come home.

21:00 KST

It was already nine. It had been hours. Kris lean on a wall of a bakery shop to catch his breath. There were a lot of people inside, he could see it through the glass wall, people who having hot coffee and fresh bread while waiting for the rain to subside. Looking at the food, it made his stomach growled and he was drooling. He just realized that he still did not have his dinner. But his mind was back thinking about the little kid. If he did not have his dinner, that kid too did not have his dinner.

Kris still did not find Chanyeol. He had gone to everywhere. From the heavy rain till this drizzle, he looked for him but there was still no sight of the little kid. He opted to go to the police station already to make a missing report but still he needed to tell Junmyeon first. They might had been charged for negligence and the kids’ parent might sue them. Kris felt like crying at that thought.

Kris mentally slapped himself. He shook out that thought. Chanyeol’s safety was more important than everything. It was not the time to selfishly think about that. He had to go home and tell Junmyeon and head back to town to make a missing report. He wondered whether it will valid as it was still less than 24 hours. But he was a little kid tho.

Kris unattached himself from the wall and looked around, looking for a familiar figure. Maybe Chanyeol would magically appear in front of him. Kris sighed. No even one kid was walking around. Only a few adults were walking at the roadside with their umbrella, rushing to get wherever they wanted to go and avoided the rain. Of course. Who let a kid wonder outside at this time, at this weather but us? Taking a deep breath, he walked home.

He took a different route to the family house, eyes were wild looking for the missing kid. Nearly home, he stopped at the entrance of the neighbourhood park. Did he or did he not enter this park before? Damn his short term memory.

Kris walked into the park. There were rumble of thunder behind him, signalling the storm was coming back. It started to drizzle again. He had to be quick. He searched at every corner of the park, every bench, looked behind the brushes, searching high and low but found nothing. He walked to the playground. It was dark but the light from the street helped him. The swing moved by the wind, letting out eerie sound of creaking. The adult shivered a little. It was cold. And he admitted it was a little bit scary. He looked under the many slides and every corner of them that could hid a kid when he heard a faint sound from a dome-shaped structure few feets from where he stood. He walked to it, carefully and anxiously.

The sound had became clearer, a sound from toy. There was a shadow under the dome. Kris heightened his alertness. It maybe who he thought he was or maybe he was not who he thought he was. It could be a robber, a thief, a criminal hiding from cops, who knew. “Chanyeol!” he shrieked when he saw the familiar curly black hair under the dome, who eyes widened from the sudden appearance behind him.

21:30 KST

It had been a while since Kris left. Junmyeon was fidgeting on the couch, sitting cross-legged trying to calm himself down. With his phone in his hand, he kept switching every single social medias that he had, turning it on and off, nothing catch his attention. He wondered whether somehow Kris would call him but nothing appeared.

He was on his umptenth time scrolling down his instagram. Not in the mood to be jealous with his college friends who seems like all of them were enjoying their vacation travelling, he scrolled down his posted pictures. It seemed like his recent pictures were all filled with the kids. Their silly faces were occupying his account. Luhan and Minseok recently found a filter app and kept taking their little brothers pictures, as well as him and Kris. There were hundreds of picture, his phone memory nearly busted. Junmyeon had to spend nearly an hour to delete but he kept some which were funny and cute. Of course. The kids were so adorable.

He laughed at a picture of his friend’s silly face, sitting at the dining table with Chanyeol on the table facing him. Kris was choking with pancakes full in his mouth and Chanyeol’s both hands smeared honey on his face. It was taken when Kris demanded the kid to feed him some of his pancakes and being a generous kid Chanyeol was, the little kid stuffed two whole pancakes into Kris’ mouth. Luhan managed to snap at the right moment and Junmyeon thought it was shame to let this picture gone just like that. It was epic. And of course he tagged Kris.

He immersed in looking at the picture when he heard a faint sound of stair creaking. “Hyung.” Baekhyun was peeking from the stairs. His eyes were wide considering he was supposed to be sleeping.

“Hey. What are you doing there? Why don’t you sleep?” Junmyeon put down his phone on the coffee table in front of him and demanded the kid to come down to him. With hurry steps, the little kid rushed down the stairs. He immediately threw himself on Junmyeon’s lap, hiding his face away.

“Missing someone?” Junmyeon patted the kid’s hair. No answer was heard but he could feel him nodded. “Did Chanyeol ran because of me?” Baekhyun mumbled. A sigh escaped from Junmyeon’s mouth. “I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not. You can ask him when he’s home later.”

“He’ll come home? Kris hyung will bring him home?”

“Of course he will.” Junmyeon was so certain about this. “Don’t fight ever again. You are brothers. You’re bonded forever.”

The kid rustled on his lap, finally showing his teary eyes but Junmyeon was fast to wipe them out. The kid rested his cheek on Junmyeon’s shoulder.

“Chanyeollie gave me that,” he muttered.

“Hmm?”

“That Iron Man. He got that for me.”

The kid rustled again, trying to find more comfortable position on the adult’s lap. “He got me that from the biggest claw crane machine at town when we went there with dad. Only just two of us.”

“Dad usually does not allow us to play that.” He pouted. “But he did because it just only two of us.”

Junmyeon smiled. He knew the man and his strict and charismatic manner. Having 10 kids was not easy. Someone need to be the mean one and it seemed like he got the role while his wife became a lovely mom. The kids usually spent most of the time with the mother and rarely with the busy man. He was busy kept their company which Junmyeon opted to applied after he graduated, alive, travelling here and there. Rarely home but still he loved his kids. It seemed like that moment was the rare moment, and it seemed like he still had soft spot for his kids.

Baekhyun told him about how his dad gave them only one chance each to win the prize, he was so careful, aiming it right but he failed. Seeing his brother was so in distress, Chanyeol gave up his chance for him. But still the kid had failed. Baekhyun was on verge of tears when Chanyeol begged their father for one more chance. It would be the only time Chanyeol was having the most of his focus about something. Baekhyun screamed out of joy when the toy caught on the slot. He quickly took and hugged it tightly. That day, Chanyeol earned a peck on his cheek and full burst of proudness. Both of the kids walked home hand in hand with full grin on their faces and a secret which they did pinky promise with their dad to tell their other brothers that the toy was bought from the store instead of from an arcade game.

Junmyeon chuckled. That was why this little kid on his lap treasured the toy so much. It held such a story. He never allowed the other kids to play with it without his presence and he put it on the highest shelf which he had to tiptoe to get it. That was why he was angry with Chanyeol when the kid took it without his permission.

“But Chanyeol got it for you?” He felt the kid stiffened. He mumbled but it was mine. He could see the kid’s pout even when he could not see his whole face properly.

“Who do you love more? Iron Man or Chanyeollie?”

Baekhyun sniffled. Why he had to make this hard decision? Iron Man was his first love. He was so certain he chose it since he was baby. “Okay fine. Hear this.” Junmyeon laughed when he saw the kid’s face scrunching like he had to make an important life decision. “If Iron Man is lost we can get it back from the store. If you lose your brother, can we get him back from the store?”

There was a pregnant silence before the kid mumbled an I’m sorry.“Tell him that when he get back,” Junmyeon smiled, the kid’s silky hair. He glanced at his phone on the table, nothing.

He sighed. “For now, we wait.”