(Continued)

The couple ran back to the car and Junhyung drove off immediately, racing through the streets to get to the hospital. Jungmin had texted him which part of the hospital they were at, and Hyunseung was already running out of the car before Junhyung even parked. Cursing, the younger male quickly found a parking lot before dashing into the hospital.

He found his way to the east wing and spotted Jungmin, hurrying over to the latter. He gestured to the room he was guarding, and Junhyung couldn’t help but notice the bandage wrapped around his head, and the sling that his arm was in. He got hurt because of me, Junhyung thought, feeling the guilt wash over him like a wave, threatening to drown him. But this wasn’t the time to despair; no, Jaewon had Ilhoon, and Junhyung had to at least get him back. He had to.

“Sorry,” Junhyung murmured, feeling even guiltier as Jungmin offered an assuring smile. He stepped into the room, seeing Yoseob lying on the bed looking slightly pale and obviously unconscious. Junhyung felt his heart clench tightly at the sight – Yoseob was three months pregnant, and he’d been put in harm’s way because Junhyung had come back.

Doojoon looked up at Junhyung when he heard him enter the room, and Junhyung nearly flinched at the look of hatred in his eyes. Hyunseung was sitting on the other side of the bed, looking drained of energy and just hugging his knees to his chest. “You,” Doojoon growled. “This is your fault.”

“I…” Junhyung started, and realised he didn’t know what to say. It was his fault, and he couldn’t deny it. Had he not come back, had he stayed away from them, Yoseob wouldn’t be unconscious now. Instead of apologising, Junhyung looked at Hyunseung and asked, “The baby?”

Hyunseung nodded lifelessly. “It’s safe, but Seobie sustained some serious injuries to his head and they don’t know when he might wake up,” he replied, reciting what Doojoon had told him just moments ago. Then, in a smaller, broken voice, he added, “He might never wake up.”

Junhyung had to suppress a gasp. Seob might never wake up? He was horrified. What had he done?

“If Seobie doesn’t wake up, I will kill you, I swear,” Doojoon said in a low voice. “If my children have to live without their mother, and if I have to live without my husband, I will murder you.”

At this, Hyunseung snapped. “Do you think you’re the only one in pain? Our son is missing; god knows if he’s even alive. You don’t have the right to say anything, even if you’re hurting. I thought better of you, Doojoon. Junnie didn’t choose to be hunted down by Jaewon,” Hyunseung barked the last sentence defensively, and Junhyung felt his heart break into pieces. He knew what Ilhoon meant to Hyunseung. Hell, their son was the elder’s world, equally as important to Hyunseung as Junhyung was, maybe even more. He couldn’t even imagine the pain Hyunseung was in right now, with their son missing and possibly dead, and yet Hyunseung found the strength to defend Junhyung. He didn’t know what to feel, so he simply sat down in the couch and buried his face in his hands.

He realised, belatedly, that Kyujong was nowhere to be seen. Junhyung was worried about the guard, his friend of many years, but there were better things to worry about: when had Jaewon struck, how many men he sent, and if anyone had even the smallest idea where Ilhoon could be.

Doojoon sighed heavily. “I know, but I’m just so scared. When I woke up and saw Seobie bleeding… you have no idea how terrifying it was,” the eldest said. Then, suddenly, he frowned and looked at the time. “, Jihyun and Sohyun are still with Byunghee.”

Junhyung bit his lip and glanced at Hyunseung. “Doojoon, you stay here. I’ll bring them over.”

“No, I’ll call my parents to take them for the night,” Doojoon replied instantly, rejecting Junhyung’s offer without a second thought. The younger male closed his eyes, nodding, and stood up. He knew Doojoon was angry with him, and with good reason. He wasn’t going to stay in the hospital and antagonise Doojoon further.

“I have to go somewhere. Stay here Seungie, please,” Junhyung nearly pleaded, fearing for his fiancé’s life. Hyunseung hesitated, knowing that Junhyung was just scared for him. But didn’t Junhyung know that he felt the same way? After what just happened to Ilhoon, did Junhyung honestly think that Hyunseung would let him leave, alone?

Shaking his head, Hyunseung took a breath to steady himself before standing up. He was still distraught, that he wouldn’t deny, but who was to say that Junhyung was safe? If Hyunseung lost Junhyung too, then he didn’t know what he would do. “I’m going with you, and that’s final,” he said.

Junhyung nearly looked to Doojoon for help, before remembering that the elder was angry with him beyond belief. Giving in, Junhyung nodded and stood up, holding his hand out for Hyunseung’s. His fiancé told Doojoon to remain positive, that Yoseob would definitely wake up, before they left together. Once they exited the room, Jungmin came over to ask them where they were going.

“I’m heading downtown – I need BoA noona’s help, and you know it,” Junhyung explained.

Jungmin nodded, telling them where to find her at this time, and Hyunseung couldn’t help but notice that the bodyguard looked unusually tense. “Jungmin… where’s Kyujong?” he asked. At this, the other paled visibly, and Hyunseung didn’t feel like knowing the answer to that question anymore.

“He was stabbed in the stomach; Doojoon had been the one to call the ambulance, having woken up first. The twins weren’t hurt badly, but they’re probably traumatised. And, god, by the time I woke up it was three hours after the attack. Kyujong bled for nearly two hours, and he’s still in the ICU, and I don’t know what I would do if I lost him,” Jungmin let out a helpless whimper. Junhyung hadn’t given much thought to Kyujong’s whereabouts, and now that he knew what happened to the latter, he couldn’t help but feel as if he could’ve been a better friend.

The only thing Junhyung could muster up was a pathetic sorry that Jungmin could only shake his head to. Then Junhyung was pulling Hyunseung along with him, hurrying to the car park to make their way to wherever BoA was.

When they got in the car, Junhyung didn’t say anything, simply driving off as his world crumbled around him. He couldn’t bear to look as Hyunseung curled up in his seat, crying as silently as he could and whimpering for Ilhoon. Junhyung had thought that nothing could hurt more than leaving his family behind, all those years ago. He knew now a greater pain than that, and he despised it.

----------------------------

It was a ten-minute drive downtown, what with Junhyung speeding and breaking all sorts of road laws. Hyunseung had been crying throughout the entire journey, which broke Junhyung’s heart and made him wish that he’d never come back; heck, maybe it would’ve been better if he never met Hyunseung in the first place.

They got out of the car, going into the building and heading up to the floor that BoA was at. Junhyung spotted her almost immediately, and rushed over to her once the lift doors opened, with Hyunseung right behind him. She looked up, and Junhyung could tell from the look in her eyes that she knew exactly what had happened. “Oh, Junhyung…” she murmured, giving him a brief hug in an attempt to comfort him.

“Noona, I need to find Jaewon. He has Ilhoon – I can’t lose him,” Junhyung begged, feeling tears prick at his eyes. He was determined not to cry, because he had to be strong for Hyunseung, but he honestly had never been so afraid. Ilhoon was barely seven, and he had his whole life ahead of him. How could Jaewon even think of abducting such a young and innocent child?

BoA nodded. “I know. I’ve got some of my spies on him already. We’re monitoring his movements, but it could take a few days before we find some sort of clue as to where Ilhoon is. Trust me, he wouldn’t hurt your son; it’s all the leverage he’s got over you,” she told him, looking at Hyunseung sympathetically. She was talking about Ilhoon like he was just a chess piece, a small but important part of the sick game that Jaewon was playing.

“So all we can do now is wait?” Hyunseung asked incredulously. He couldn’t wait days for BoA to find out where Jaewon was keeping Ilhoon. This was his baby boy they were talking about, his miracle and the one that’s been with him ever since Junhyung left. He wasn’t blaming his fiancé, but it was so painful to not know where Ilhoon was, and that wherever he was, he would be scared and lonely and wanting Hyunseung. The thought itself made Hyunseung’s heart break – he wanted his baby with him here, and now.

Junhyung ached to reach out to Hyunseung, to tell him that BoA was going to do everything in her power to help them, but he knew how the elder was feeling. Ilhoon was all he had for the past seven years, and now he was missing. “Seungie, I know the situation seems terrible now, but we’re going to get through this together,” he said instead. He didn’t know if they would even be able to find Ilhoon, but there was no way Junhyung was going to let Hyunseung despair.

“I almost lost him twice before he was even born, and now I might really lose him,” Hyunseung’s voice broke halfway through his sentence, and Junhyung felt another piece of himself break as well. Hyunseung sounded so lost and broken, it made Junhyung want to kill Jaewon for doing this. Why couldn’t the man accept that Junhyung never had feelings for Hara, and that she had to move on?

“I’ll do my best,” BoA assured the couple. Junhyung nodded mutely at her, attempting a smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. To BoA it looked more like a grimace, and she stared after them as the two left the building. Sighing heavily, she looked out the window and wondered what exactly they had done to deserve all this.

-----------------------------

It was, again, a silent ride home. Junhyung had no words that could possibly comfort Hyunseung, and he knew that as well as his fiancé did. He wanted to think that his presence helped, yet it would only serve to delude him. The only thing that could help Hyunseung feel any better right now was for Ilhoon to come back to them, or for them to at least know that he was safe. God knew where their son was, and Junhyung itched with the urge to kill Jaewon for doing this.

Parking the car, Junhyung let out a long sigh. He felt so helpless, more than he did when his mother and brother were dying. Back then he had been six, and there wasn’t anything he could really do for them. It had been twenty-five years since then, and he still couldn’t do anything for his son. He hated the feeling of having to wait, knowing that Jaewon had the upper hand now. He just hoped that the man wouldn’t hurt Ilhoon, because if he did, all hell would break loose.

Junhyung groaned in frustration. He was a terrible father. “Let’s go,” he said, getting out of the car and opening the door for Hyunseung. The elder got out silently, allowing his fiancé to wrap an arm around his shoulder and leading him back to their apartment.

Hyunseung hadn’t felt such sadness and emptiness ever since Junhyung left. Ilhoon had always been there to brighten him up, even on the days when he felt that nothing was going right. His son had been the one who never failed to make his life worth living, and now they had no idea where to even start looking for him. If they made a wrong move, it could cost Ilhoon his life. Hyunseung wasn’t sure if he could survive even a few days without Ilhoon, not even with Junhyung by his side. Junhyung was the love of his life, but Ilhoon was his son, and when it came down to it, mothers always prioritised their children above anything else.

The couple made it home without any further exchange of words, and Hyunseung took a brief look at the calendar. It may still be his birthday, but he no longer felt the happiness during his date with Junhyung. It had long been replaced by a profound grief, even though he knew deep down that Ilhoon was alive. He would know if his son was dead – he would be able to feel it.

Nonetheless, Hyunseung’s heart ached. Had Jaewon fed his son? Did he at least give him a comfortable enough place to sleep? He doubted it, and it made him wonder if Ilhoon would even be able to sleep at all tonight. He made his way to the master bedroom, not even bothering to change out of his clothes. What was the point?

He felt a dip in the bed beside him, and arms wrapped around his stomach. Wordlessly, Hyunseung turned around and buried his face in Junhyung’s chest, inhaling the familiar scent and trying not to be desolate. He needed to have hope, and be positive just like he told Doojoon to be. However, no matter how hard he tried, Hyunseung couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of dread. Soon, the waterworks opened and he was sobbing into Junhyung’s shirt, wetting it with tears.

“I’m so scared for him. My poor baby,” he cried, clutching onto Junhyung’s shirt like a lifeline, as if he would drown if he let go. Junhyung’s heart clenched at Hyunseung’s pained sobs, and before he knew it tears were flowing down his cheeks as well.

“We’ll find him. You know we will,” Junhyung said in a shaky voice. He shut his eyes tightly, willing the tears to go away, and felt Hyunseung nod against his chest. They needed to have faith; in themselves, in BoA, and mostly importantly in Ilhoon. It was all they had right now.

They couldn’t give up.

This chapter hurt my heart so much while I was writing it I just... 3

It's not awfully long, but I think I'm satisfied with how it turned out (angsty as and majorly depressing)

One of you thought that maybe Jaewon just got to Ilhoon. No he literally GOT Ilhoon D:

Well I'm just uploading this before I leave the house so I hope you guys enjoyed (or hated) this and look forward to the next angsty chapter! (I think Ilhoon might make a reappearance then and I'm gonna make it angsty as too MUAHHAHAHAHA)

Alright that's all from me for now annyeong~! ^^

P.S. Wtf is with the ending