45 Days Until the Auction House

Heechul stared at his haggard coworker. “You know...normally, I’d say something snarky, but you’re looking halfway to dead.” He sat down next to Ryeowook in the recording studio, offering the younger man a cup of coffee. It was clear which one of them needed the caffeine more.

“I’ve only gone home when necessary the past week and a half,” Ryeowook admitted quietly, rubbing his eyes and sipping the hot drink. The bitter taste managed to jolt his system to somewhere near alert.

“What counts as ‘necessary’?”

Ryeowook smiled wryly. “Uh...I go back to shower and change clothes during my lunch breaks and other than that, I’ve been sleeping in the company’s dorm.” He would’ve just stayed full time, but the shower at his own home was leagues better and no matter how terrified he was of a stalker, a good, hot shower was worth a little daytime risk. Walking around at night was a definite no-no, though. He had no interested in being grabbed or tricked again.

Furthermore… His eyes trailed over to Heechul. Much to his surprise, the incident a little over a week ago had had some good to it. The delivered food from Heechul had been legitimate, meaning Ryeowook hadn’t had to cook or order food himself.

What remained chilling was that note. Who had slipped it in? Was it that delivery boy? Was it someone else? Who or what was involved in this entire scheme?

A part of him really hoped it was just an elaborate prank. He knew how much Heechul liked to play games, so just maybe this was one of them.

He wanted to hold out hope.

“You know, my apartment is a lot more comfortable and I have two rooms,” he remarked, watching Ryeowook with a mixture of concern and amusement. “The dorms hardly let you relax.”

He chuckled. “Hyung, being alone with you in your apartment doesn’t exactly sound relaxing.”

Heechul barked a laugh. “Are you implying we’d do something?” He smirked, tapping Ryeowook’s chin. “We could. I wouldn’t say no.”

“And this is exactly what I’m talking about,” Ryeowook huffed, cracking a smile. He brushed Heechul’s hand away and stood up, stretching. “Speaking of stopping at home, it’s nearly noon. I’m going on lunch break.”

“And shower break and change of clothes break,” Heechul added, snorting. Standing up as well, he slung an arm around the younger man’s shoulders. “Let me treat you today. I’ll even wait for you to finish your chores first.”

Ryeowook bit back the immediate refusal that built up in his throat. Frowning slightly, he considered the offer. It wasn’t bad. Although he had been safe so far while wandering around his apartment during the daylight hours, he couldn’t be 100% sure things wouldn’t take a turn.

And so, they headed out.

It was mostly silent during the car ride--at least from Ryeowook’s side. Heechul chattered on and sang along with the radio hits without a car in the world. If Ryeowook was being honest, he preferred the noisiness to the quiet. At least then he could forget about his stalker for a little while.

“You know, you don’t have to break your back working.”

Ryeowook blinked, barely catching the words. Glancing at Heechul, he said, “What do you mean?”

“C’mon, Ryeo-ah,” he crossed his arms, “why else would you be sleeping at work? You’re clearly overdoing it. There’s no need for you to be going full force on a project. You should at least go home at the end of the day.”

And that’s when Ryeowook realized that in his dazed explanation, he hadn’t actually told Heechul anything. Sighing, he bit his tongue about the stalker. It wasn’t something he wanted to casually mention--especially if Heechul wasn’t the perpetrator. Rather than having a logical and calm reaction, the older man would probably lose his mind over the incident. Ryeowook definitely didn’t need anyone else’s panic on top of his own.

Taking a deep breath, Ryeowook shrugged. “I know. It’s just this is an important project. It’s the first movie score I’m composing almost completely alone.” He smiled. “It’s a good opportunity to showcase what I can do.”

“Still,” Heechul grimaced, “you need to take care of yourself too. Your face is getting skinnier as well. Are you eating well? Don’t tell me your last good meal was that take-out I ordered you last week.”

Ryeowook actually laughed then. “Of course not! That wasn’t even good food.” He grinned teasingly as they pulled into the parking garage.

They bantered all the way up to the apartment without concern. Ryeowook had nearly forgotten the dread which normally crept up his spine when he came home. Shutting and locking the door behind himself, he nodded at the living room, directing Heechul over there. The man went without much trouble, already pulling out his phone to play with while he waited.

Ryeowook silently thanked the other man and went to his bedroom.

Turning on the shower, he disrobed as the water heated up.

Bzzt….

Reflexively, he grabbed his phone, checking the message. It was rare for Ryeowook to go anywhere--bathroom, included, without his phone. Wasn’t that the case with most working people though?

Not to mention, he was always on standby for a certain someone’s call or text.

Detective Kang: Found something. Call me.

Ryeowook shut the water off and immediately called the detective. His heart was nearly in his throat as the dial tone beeped one too many times. Gripping the cold counter, he ground his teeth in anticipation. This was the first message of substance the detective had sent him since the case was opened.

Prior to this, he had either sent questions or vague assurances that he was on the right track.

“Hello?”

“Hello?” Ryeowook stammered back, releasing the counter and rocking back and forth on his bare feet. “I just got your text. What is it?”

“I can’t tell you over the phone,” Detective Kang responded immediately, voice tight. “I’ll meet you at your apartment. I’m on my way over now.”

He clenched his fist. “Okay. I’m here right now. I’ll stay until you arrive. Can you at least tell me what this is about? Did you find him?”

“...something like that.” The man sighed heavily, sounding eons older than the last time Ryeowook had spoken to him. “It’s complicated. I don’t have evidence, but you’ve also been followed recently right? Has it stopped?”

“No,” he shook his head, grimacing, “I’ve been avoiding my apartment in the evening though, so maybe that’s why I haven’t seen the person recently. Is that related to Kyuhyun?”

The detective cursed. “I only have a hunch. I’ll tell you more when we meet.” And then he hung up.

Ryeowook had never showered so fast.

He stumbled back into the living room, phone clutched in his hand. Heechul looked up, surprised and confused. “What’s up?”

“I’m sorry about this, but something came up and I have to wait for a friend to come by and drop something off.” Ryeowook tried to calm his racing heart and his definitely frantic demeanor. However, in that moment, it felt impossible.

Heechul raised a brow. “Alright. How long?”

“Not sure. He said he’s on his way now.”

Sighing, he stood up and walked toward the door. “Okay, I’m gonna call the restaurant to let them know we’re gonna be late. I originally told them to expect us in ten minutes.” Heechul pulled out his phone, already tapping away. “I’m going to borrow your hallway.”

“Sure thing.” Ryeowook nodded, unable to still his nearly shaking body. He watched Heechul wander out before turning back to his own phone in hopes of a message from the detective.

Nothing.

That’s okay. It’s only been five minutes.

Ten minutes passed.

Then, twenty.

Thirty.

Forty.

Fifty.

An hour.

By the hour and a half mark, Heechul was fed up. “Are you sure he’s on his way? It shouldn’t be taking this long.”

Ryeowook frowned. “I...don’t know.” Scrubbing his eyes, he looked at Heechul apologetically. “Why don’t you just go get food? I’ll call a cab for you. I really need to get the papers my friend is bringing, so I’m going to wait a bit longer.”

“What the hell is he bringing that’s so urgent?” Heechul complained, standing up again and making his way out. “I can get my own cab. It’s fine. I’ll see you back at the office.”

Ryeowook offered one more apology before the older man left.

Opening up his “Recent Calls” tab, he clicked on the detective’s name.

The dial tone barely lasted half a second.

“Hello? Detective Kang?” Ryeowook greeted, nervously.

“I’m sorry, sir. This is Officer Lee. Are you a friend of the victim?”

“Victim?” he repeated, choking slightly on the word.

“Mr. Kang was involved in a hit-and-run forty-five minutes ago. We’re currently investigating the situation and his personal belongings were collected for evidence.”

Ryeowook sank down to the couch. “Is...is he okay?”

“Once again, I’m sorry.”

He swallowed back the tears, digging nails into the palm of his hand. “Did he have any files on him? I...He was bringing me something important.” Ryeowook bit the inside of his cheek. “If there weren’t any documents, then this is much bigger than a hit-and-run.”

The police officer was quiet for a moment, but then said, “I can’t give you any specifics as this is an open case. However, the items brought in as evidence did not include any papers, documents, or files. Do you believe those documents were of value to someone other than yourself, sir?”

Ryeowook shut his eyes. “Yes.”