Kim Joonmyun had never been more stressed in his life. And considering he had completed college in two years, hosted a tea party for the President of South Korea, and spent the last five years of his life nurturing a high-profile security company that was a key player in international politics, that was not a statement to be sniffed at.

Where in the world could Jongdae be?

His kid brother had thrown tantrums and disappeared before - Jongdae wasn’t the most mature person in the world - but usually, he’d just turn up at a bar somewhere, drunk out of his mind and cracking jokes to a bored-looking bartender. This time, however, Jongdae hadn’t been sighted in days, and the fact that he’d apparently disappeared straight out of his bed was even more concerning.

Joonmyun groaned. He really didn’t need this right now. The Defense Minister was still outraged, Chaeyoung was still missing, and so were those documents she had been keeping in her briefcase. Work life was busy enough without additional stress from family problems, but here Joonmyun was anyway, standing in front of his mother’s house.

“Mom, it’s Joonmyun! I’m at the gate, can you buzz me in please?” He pressed the intercom, waiting for his mother to figure out how to let him in. After Jongdae had gone missing, Joonmyun had insisted on installing all the newest surveillance and security products around his family’s house to prevent any more incidents. This intercom was just one of them, but unfortunately, it was the one his technologically challenged mother struggled the most with.

As he waited, something glistened in the dirt, catching his eye. People who litter are the worst, he thought, making a face. It’s not that hard to toss a can in the recycling bin, is it? Seriously! Bending to pick the object up, he did a double take.

Is that… Is that an X-0902 Raven drone? Lying in the dirt outside my mom’s house?

“You poor baby!” he cried, rushing to pick up the dented drone. “Who left you here? Who did this to you?”

Look at the extensions on this beauty, he marveled as he ran his hands over it. The grip strength it must have! And the real-time surveillance function! And look how streamlined it is, with the watchband hinge and the panels on the side!

Swooning, Joonmyun felt his knees weaken. Technology was his first love, which was why he had entered the surveillance system manufacturing field, and this drone was a thing of beauty.

“But why are you all scratched up, baby? And… and why are you here?”

Behind him, the gate finally swung open, and the crackle of his mother’s victorious “aha!” transmitted clearly. Taking off his coat and wrapping it tenderly around the drone, Joonmyun frowned and entered the property. How strange.

---

“Any more news on Jongdae, Joonmyun? The police won’t tell me anything; I’ve called the station at least a dozen times just this morning” His mother sipped at her tea, worry lines carved deep in her forehead.

“Afraid not, Mom.” Joonmyun grimaced and the coat-wrapped drone in his lap absent-mindedly. “They seem to think Dae was involved in Im Chaeyoung’s disappearance, and nothing I say will convince them otherwise.”

“Jongdae? Our Jongdae? He couldn’t hurt anybody, least of all his own brother’s friend! What are they talking about?”

“I know, but they’ve got it in their heads that Jongdae disappeared of his own will just because that briefcase he brought home disappeared at the same time as him. None of this makes any sense.”

“The… the briefcase?” His mother paused. “Jongdae was acting awfully protective over it when he brought it home. But that doesn’t mean anything. Our DaeDae wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

“I just don’t get it.” Setting down his tea, Joonmyun ran a hand through his hair. “Dae annoys people with his jokes sometimes, but he doesn’t have any real enemies. People love him! He goes out with his friends almost every night!”

“Well… I suppose he hasn't been going out much lately.” She fiddled with her hands. “His friends are getting busy with work and their families, you see.”

What was his mother saying? Joonmyun didn’t understand why she was talking about his brother like this. She had just said it herself; Jongdae wouldn’t, couldn’t have kidnapped Im Chaeyoung. So why was the look in her eyes so shifty?

“What are you talking about, Mom?”

Across the table, his mother winced. “Joonmyun… Don’t take this the wrong way, but Jongdae’s disappearance has been making me rethink some things about him that we haven’t addressed, and I think it’s time to talk about it.”

“What? There’s something we’ve been ignoring that’s contributed to his kidnapping? Mom, you have to tell the police! They -”

“No, it’s nothing like that. I would have told the police long ago if I had the slightest inkling why our Jongdae disappeared. This is just something we need to discuss as a family.”

“Then what is it?”

She sighed. “When the police came to question us and neither of us could answer any of their questions about Jongdae’s recent activities or friends, I realized that we’ve grown apart as a family, especially you and your brother. Come to think of it, I don’t think you’ve had a real conversation with Jongdae in a while.”

“With Jongdae?” He frowned. “Of course I have! I talked to him the day before he disappeared, when I brought him to work with me.”

She shook her head. “I mean really talking with him. I told you to take him out with you for some brotherly bonding time, but you brought him to your workplace instead. That’s not the same, Joonmyun.”

“But you’re always telling me to be a good influence on him so he’ll get a stable career!” Joonmyun protested. “Isn’t bringing him to work with me being a good influence? He seemed happy to be there, too; he was joking around and laughing all day.”

His mother frowned. “Jongdae’s not the little kid he used to be anymore, Joonmyun. He’s changed. Haven’t you noticed how much more closed-off he’s been in the last few months? Before, he only told jokes when the atmosphere was right, but these days, nothing that comes out of his mouth is serious. It’s concerning. No one else notices, but I’m his mother; I know.”

Now that he stopped to think about it, Joonmyun had to admit he didn’t remember the last time he and his brother had spoken seriously. They’d been best of friends as children, big brother Joonmyun and his little sidekick Jongdae, and Joonmyun had been somewhat of a father figure for his brother, considering their real father had died when both boys were young. In fact, Jongdae had been the one to suggest Joonmyun name his company Suho, meaning “guardian,” like the guardian Joonmyun had always been for him.

Yet as Joonmyun’s work life had gotten busier and busier while Jongdae’s had dried up entirely, the two brothers had drifted apart. Joonmyun didn’t have enough time for his brother anymore, considering he pretty much lived at Suho headquarters these days. But that was only natural, right? What else was Joonmyun supposed to do when his entire family was depending on his income?

Taking his silence as agreement, his mother continued on. “I’ve tried talking to him about it before, but all he does is turn it into a joke. It’s like a defense mechanism of some sort. I wanted him to get professional help for it, but he’s too proud for that.”

“But…” Joonmyun’s voice faltered. “Jongdae’s a comedian, a joker.” How can Jongdae, Jongdae who is brighter than the sun, be unhappy?

“You know, I read on the internet that comedians are often victims of mental illness and mood disorders,” his mother said, lips trembling. “I wouldn’t discount it so fast. Jongdae hasn’t been himself for a long time now.”

“Mom, it’s not your fault,” he said hastily, catching the telltale downturn of . “I know what you’re thinking, but you’re wrong.”

She sniffled and looked down. “My Joonmyun. You always understood me so well. But don’t mind me, I’m just lonely and overthinking things in this big, empty house.”

“I’ll come visit more often, okay Mom?” Joonmyun asks, grabbing her hand. “Call me anytime and I’ll come right over.”

She swatted him away. “Don’t. I know how important work is to you. I can handle myself.”

“Mom -”

“A mother is the strongest person in the world, didn’t you know that? Now stop. Don’t worry about me, alright? I just wanted to bring it to your attention.”

He sighed, knowing he wouldn’t win this battle. “Fine. But as soon as Jongdae comes back, I agree we need to have a family meeting.”

The two of them, mother and son, avoided each other’s eyes. The implicit if he comes back hung in the air, heavier than a prisoner’s chains.

---

A shake on the shoulder woke Chaeyoung from her fitful sleep.

“Go get me a coffee, no cream or sugar,” she m