Jonghyun was staring at the school as they approached it, his stomach turning over and over. He didn’t see any immediate signs of Sangho, but that only added to his anxiety. He had tried over and over to tell Jinki what had been taking place, rehearsing the words he would say, but when he opened his mouth, nothing would come out. He looked seriously stressed out as Jinki put the car in park in front of the school. Jonghyun turned to him, shaking his head.

“I can’t do it.” He said. Jinki smiled softly, reaching out to pet Jonghyun’s hair.

“Yes you can. You already got through half of it. After this it’s all over.” Jinki said, his tone reassuring. Jonghyun squeezed his eyes shut.

“Appa...will you promise me something?” Jonghyun asked slowly. Jinki’s eyes widened a bit. Jonghyun never made promises, nor did ask others to make them. He believed that a person’s word was enough, but this time he really needed Jinki to know how important it was that he kept his word.

“What is it?” Jinki asked. Jonghyun swallowed.

“Promise me you won’t be late. Not even a second.” Jonghyun said, his eyes opening to reveal an intense gaze. “Not because of Roo, or traffic, or anything.”

“Jonghyun, I can’t control traffic.” Jinki said.

“Then leave early.” Jonghyun said, his voice pleading. Jinki nodded, reaching across the seat to pull his son into a hug. “I’ll be waiting right here, ok? So please..don’t be late.”

“I promise, Jonghyun. I’ll be here.” Jinki said. Jonghyun nodded, still looking upset even as he handed his cell phone over and accepted the single bills Jinki slid into his palm.

“I love you, appa.” Jonghyun said softly, and Jinki’s eyebrows pulled together.

“I love you too.” He said, and Jonghyun stepped out of the car.

Just like last time, he watched Jinki drive away, then headed into the school to get his juice and nuts before the exam. He kept his eyes peeled for any signs of Sangho, but he found none. He tried to convince himself that asking Jinki to come early, making him promise, was unneeded. That everything was going to be fine, because Sangho was going to leave him alone today. He still wasn’t even sure how Sangho had figure out his school schedule, but he was glad that it would be over after this. He would never leave the house again, and hopefully he would be able to tell them what had been happening.

He stepped into his classroom without a word, taking his seat in the back and mentally preparing himself for his exam. The other kids piled in, and before he knew it the test booklet was open on the desk in front of him, and he was filling in the answer bubbles. He knew everything on the test - everything. Between the three boys he had once shared a room with, and his always encouraging appa, he didn’t just think he was prepared. He knew it. Even the essay at the end flew by, and when he was done he glanced up at the clock, and a feeling of panic set it.

He had finished early, again. He shook his head, deciding to go over the work again, then again, and yet again. It was boring, but he prefered it to the fear he was going to be facing stepping into the hall by himself. Eventually, there was only fifteen minutes left in the exam schedule, and the teacher asked if anyone was still working. Unfortunately, no one was. She went around, collecting the exams one at a time, and releasing the students. Jonghyun stood on shaking legs, heading toward the door with a tight knot in his stomach.

He looked around the hall, a small amount of relief washing over him when he saw only students his own age. He stepped out into the hall, moving quickly to go outside. There was no sign of his appa, but he had gotten out early anyway. He just had to hope Jinki would show up early, too. As the minutes ticked by, Jonghyun was feeling more and more confident that he wouldn’t have a run in with the man from his nightmares. He closed his eyes to take a breath, only to open them a second later when he felt strong arms wrap around his body.

He was the skinship king in their house, and he loved touching people, and being touched, but there was something different about the way these arms held him. The touch was wrong and he struggled to get a look at the owner of said arms, even though he didn’t have a single doubt in his mind that it was the very man he had been trying to avoid. When the person spoke, his fears were confirmed, and he felt nauseous.

“You seem pretty tense. Was the test too hard for you?” Sangho asked softly. Jonghyun swallowed, not responding. “They’ll let you retake it if you fail, you know.”

“I won’t fail.” Jonghyun said, his voice low. Sangho laughed.

“Of course not. Daddy’s little boy, right? He probably spent all his time preparing you for this worthless exam.” He said with a sigh. Jonghyun struggled against Sangho’s grip again, but it was useless. He wasn’t strong enough.

“He’s going to be here any minute. If you don’t want to get in trouble, you better let go and go away.” Jonghyun said, immediately frustrated by the shake in his own voice.

“I only want one thing, anyway. Give it to me, and I’ll be on my way.” Sangho said, his voice sickeningly sweet.

“I don’t have it.” Jonghyun said, struggling again.

“What do you mean you don’t have it?” Sangho asked, his voice dropping. “I thought we came to an understanding when we last spoke.”

“No, you just yelled at me.” Jonghyun said, still trying to squirm away.

“So you didn’t write to her?” Sangho asked. Jonghyun stilled for a moment, slightly out of breath.

“Aniyo.” He said firmly. Sangho’s grip tightened, knocking the wind out of Jonghyun.

“Then you really only have yourself to blame.” Sangho said, giving another sharp squeeze. Jonghyun was starting to feel lightheaded, and darkness was coming to play on the edges of his vision.

“Let me go.” He gasped out, even as he felt himself falling. Sangho squeezed again, and Jonghyun felt like he was suffocating. No air was coming in to replace what Sangho was forcing out, and it really didn’t take long for his body to stop trying to fight.

Sangho looked more than a little satisfied as Jonghyun went limp in his arms. He lifted the boy carefully and carried him into the student lot around the edge of the building where he had first begun watching Jonghyun. His small, dark blue sedan was sitting, already unlocked, and waiting for him. He tugged the back door open, then rested Jonghyun on the seat. He checked to be sure Jonghyun was breathing, then nodded to himself, stepping back to set the child locks.

He almost couldn’t believe how small Jonghyun really was. He fit comfortably on the back seat, curled up on his side like he was just taking a nap. Sangho shook his head, deciding it was time to go before someone saw him - assuming no one had already. He got into the drivers seat of his car and turned it on, putting the car in reverse and backing out. He hit the brakes gently, and put the car in drive before taking off out of the lot, barely paying attention to the car that was coming toward the school.

Even if it was Jonghyun’s precious appa, there was nothing he could do now. It would take him at least a few minutes to realize Jonghyun wasn’t anywhere in the school, and then the cops would be called, and that would take even more time. In fact, Sangho was certain that by the time they figured out he was gone, he would already be back at home, sitting on his couch, and waiting for Jonghyun to wake up.

He almost felt guilty, having taken Jonghyun away from the place he thought he was comfortable in, but he reminded himself that he was more family than those people Jonghyun had been living with up to that point, and the guilt faded away. After all, he was just helping Jonghyun be reunited with his mother. Jonghyun was probably afraid to write back to her. Well, now he was cutting out the middleman. Jonghyun had nothing to fear anymore. Sangho would take care of him.

He didn’t really pay attention to the unconscious form in his back seat. He knew Jonghyun wouldn’t wake up until they were already inside Sangho’s apartment, and that was perfect for Sangho. He even had a room set up for Jonghyun - he knew that eventually, Jonghyun would come to stay with him. The conditions under which this visitation was taking place were admittedly less than favorable...but he would make do.

--------

Jinki pulled up to the school with three minutes to spare. Roo was sitting in the passenger seat, her little wet nose pressed eagerly against the glass. Jinki had his phone pressed to his ear, talking to Luna about the previous night, and reassuring her that it had been a success. As the minutes ticked by, however, and no one come out of the building Jinki began to feel that same pit of worry in his gut. He carefully got out of the car, phone still in hand, and he began looking around. Finally, he saw someone coming out of the building, but it was the last person he expected to see.

“Luna, I have to go.” Jinki said suddenly. “I think something’s wrong.”

He snapped the phone shut, stuffing it in his pocket as he quickly approached the teacher who had been overseeing the exam. As they spoke, she informed him that the exam had ended nearly twenty minutes prior, and suddenly the entire world seemed to go silent around them.

Where the hell was Jonghyun?