Jinki pulled up to the curb, then double checked the address. It was burned into his brain, but he couldn’t waste any time if this wasn’t the right place. He shut the car off, then got out, heading up to the door. He didn’t see a car in the driveway, and that lessened his hope more than just a little. He pushed the button for the doorbell, but he didn’t hear anything inside, so he raised his hand to knock just as a neighbor stepped out of their door.

“He’s not home.” She said. “He left a few hours ago.”

“Do you live here?” He asked softly, and she nodded. “Then...do you mind if I ask you something?”

“I’m actually leaving to go pick up my son from his friends house.” She said, looking apologetic.

“You have a son?” Jinki asked, his heart squeezing. She nodded, beginning to look uncomfortable.

“Then please...just answer my one question.” Jinki said, tears coming to his eyes. “My oldest son went missing from school on Wednesday. I’m trying to find him.”

“O-oh. Alright, then.” She agreed. Jinki nodded gratefully.

“Have you seen a boy with blond-tipped hair around here?” He asked. She tilted her head, looking thoughtful for a moment before shaking her head.

“Ani, I haven’t.” She said. “But...my son told me a few days ago that he saw someone like that. I think he just saw the image on the news. He’s only seven, and he’s got a really vivid imagination.”

“Have you seen or heard anything unusual?” He asked, and again, she looked like she was thinking hard about it.

“I...thought I heard something when I was putting my son down for bed last night. Almost like...I don’t know...a puppy?” She said. “But there’s a no pet rule here, so I know it wasn’t that. I thought it was just the television, but my son says he’s heard it the past two nights.”

“The man that lives here, do you know his name?” Jinki asked. She nodded, opening to respond when flashing blue lights and loud sirens came within their notice. She looked alarmed, suddenly, and looked back at Jinki as a police officer came running toward them.

“What are you doing here?” He asked Jinki, his tone a bit harsh.

“You know exactly what I’m doing here.” Jinki said sharply, then looked back at the woman. “Please, is his name Sangho? Lee Sangho?”

“D-de...” She said, nodding with wide eyes. Jinki turned around and looked at the cop.

“We need to get in there.” He said. The officer shook his head.

“We need a warrant.” He said. “Unless something happens where we’re forced to enter the building, we can’t go in without a warrant.”

“And what happens if I go in?” Jinki asked, his eyes narrowing.

“I would have to arrest you immediately.” The officer said. “You wouldn’t even have a chance to look.”

“But what if he is in there?” Jinki demanded. The cop squeezed his eyes shut.

“Listen to me. I can call a judge and get a warrant, but you’ll have to give me some time. I don’t want to see you get in trouble and lose your kids.” He said. Jinki clenched his teeth.

“How much time?” He demanded. The officer sighed.

“An hour.” He said. “Maybe more, but no more than two.”

“Hurry up.” Jinki said.

The officer nodded, heading back to his car to make the necessary calls. Jinki sat on the stoop, listening to the sirens and seriously considering screaming his ever-loving head off. His adrenaline rush was dying off, and he just wanted someone to open the damned door so he could look for his son. He had silent tears slipping down his cheeks, even as the woman wished him well and left to collect her son.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out to check the text. It was from Key, asking where he was. He wasn’t sure what to tell him. He hadn’t even really explained to Luna where he was going. He had just left, knowing he needed to get there and find Jonghyun. His phone vibrated again, and he looked down to see that Taemin had texted him now, too. He was apologizing for making such a fuss, asking Jinki when he was going to come home.

The separation anxiety this whole event was causing them all to experience was not going to help things at all. He shook his head, thoroughly annoyed at the sirens that still hadn’t been shut off. He was amazed he could hear himself think, and even more impressed that he could hear his own heart thumping against his chest.

He shut his phone off, stuffing it in his pocket and shaking his head. Was his heart really beating so fast? He pressed his fingers to his pulse point, and realized the thumping he was hearing didn’t match the beat of his chest. He stood up quickly, running over to the police car with a panicked expression.

“Shut off the sirens!” He shouted, and the officer jumped about a foot in the air before doing just that.

Silence fell, echoing louder than any sound he had ever heard. He couldn’t hear the thumping anymore, and he was starting to think he had imagined it when he heard a muffled scream, nearly inaudible. The cop looked at him, and Jinki knew he heard heard it too. They ran back to the door, listening intently for any sign that it may have come from inside. It was quiet for a long moment, but then there was a thump from within, and the cop looked at Jinki again.

“Is that enough to get you in without a warrant?” Jinki asked, his adrenaline pumping. The cop looked around, confirming that no one else was around.

“No. But if we find him, I’ll say I could confirm the screaming came from inside.” He said.

“If not?” Jinki asked. The cop glanced at the door again.

“I’ll say that we heard a scream inside, then claim he left the television on.” He said, nodding.

That was all Jinki needed. He grabbed the handle, trying to turn it, and when it wouldn’t go, he got angry. He lifted his leg, then kicked the door. Hard. Even he was surprised, though, when the door actually broke open. He shoved it out of the way, going into the house with an anxious expression. He started pulling open doors at random, and each time he was met with an empty room his heart sank further and further into his gut.

“Anything?” The cop asked, and JInki shook his head. He felt like he was choking. “There’s a few places left to check. Just keep looking.”

“De.” Jinki said, approaching another door. It was a bathroom, and it was completely empty of any life.

He wanted to scream, and he wrenched himself away from the doorframe before going to another door and pulling on the handle automatically. It stopped short, though, and he looked up to see what had prevented it from opening. A chain lock? On an inside door? He closed it, sliding the chain off the door and pulling it open again. At first, he didn’t see anything. It was too dark inside to see anything, but as his eyes adjusted he made out a lump in the farthest corner, where the light didn’t reach.

He stepped inside the closet, his body shaking as he bent down and touched the dark form. He reacted instantly when he heard a soft groan, his arms sliding under the body and lifting it, and in that short moment he knew exactly who he had found. He nearly dropped him under the weight of his relief, but the relief was short lived when he realized Jonghyun was all tied up, and his eyes weren’t opening. He swallowed hard, sinking down onto his knees and holding Jonghyun in his lap as he his sons hair.

“I-I found him!” Jinki called out, his voice shaking. He reached down, gently tugging at the knot in the cloth over his mouth. It fell off silently, and Jonghyun’s eyes squeezed tighter, before slowly opening. He had been so convinced he was dreaming, but it was far too real.

“A...appa?” Jonghyun whispered, his voice sounding rough form the screaming. Jinki looked down at him immediately, and he pulled Jonghyun into a tight embrace, not bothering to wipe at the fresh flow of tears on his face.

“I’m here, Jjongie. I’m here, I’ve got you.” He said softly, his entire body shaking. He couldn’t even believe he had found him. He looked up, expecting to see the cop standing there, but he was met with an empty door frame.

“Appa, I want to go home.” Jonghyun pleaded softly, and Jinki returned his gaze to the boy in his arms.

He nodded, getting up and carrying Jonghyun out to the living room. It only took him a moment to realize what had prevented the officer from coming to see him. He was busy arresting Sangho. Jinki moved into the kitchen, deciding to focus on his son as opposed to being arrested himself for murder. Premeditated murder, at that. He could see Jonghyun’s eyes squeezing shut again, and Jinki knew he was trying to block out the sight of the man who had taken him.

He set Jonghyun’s feet on the floor, then reached for a pair of scissors. He didn’t get a chance to grab them, though, because Jonghyun swayed dangerously, and he had to catch him before he fell. He guided him into a sitting position on the floor, then grabbed the scissors. He made quick work of the ties around his hands, barely pausing before moving to the ones on his ankles. He set the scissors back on the counter, then turned back to Jonghyun.

The boy had his legs bent up as close to his body as he could get, and his arms wrapped tightly around his torso. Jinki crouched down beside him, one hand on his shoulder, the other gently prying Jonghyun’s hands away from his abdomen. He lifted the boy's shirt, expecting to find some kind of injury or wound, but it was just his stomach. Maybe a bit more sunken in, but mostly...he looked the same.

“What hurts?” Jinki asked, and Jonghyun looked up at him with watery eyes.

“My stomach.” He practically whined out.

“When’s the last time you ate?” Jinki asked, knowing the boy had a history of painful hunger cramps.

“At school.” Jonghyun said, and Jinki’s eyes widened. By that point, he could hear more sirens, and he pulled Jonghyun into his arms again, waiting for the boys arms to go around his neck before he stood, one arm under the boy’s bottom. “Appa? Is...is Minho home yet?”

“He came home last night.” Jinki said, walking toward the door. Jonghyun sniffled, gripping Jinki’s shirt tightly and squeezing his eyes shut. Jinki paused a few steps from the door. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t want to go out there.” Jonghyun said. He had caught one look at the outside, and fear had shot through him. Jinki rubbed his back slowly, his heart crumbling.

“It’s only for a few minutes, then we’ll be in the car.” Jinki said, his voice low and soothing. Jonghyun nodded, pressing his face into his appa’s shoulder without a word.

As it turned out, the sirens Jinki had heard were from an ambulance. The paramedics wanted to bring Jonghyun in, but after some bickering Jinki managed to convince them to just check him over, explaining that the hospital was the worst place for him in his state of mind. The agreed, and made quick work of the exam. Aside from some red marks, sore muscles, and a desperate need for food, nothing really seemed wrong, and Jinki brought him to the car.

“Appa...” Jonghyun whined as Jinki pried Jonghyun’s fingers loose from his shirt and went around to his side. It took Jonghyun all of a second to re-establish his grip on the appa’s shirt, then scoot closer. Jinki pet his hair softly, not bothering to reprimand Jonghyun for not wearing his seatbelt.

He was just happy to have him back.