[Un-betaed]

*****

Yunho casted a look out of the glass window, staring at the wide-green field which facing his research laboratory room. For a short moment, it gave him a quiescent feeling.

It had been a week since he left the site where his current research about the new found herb in that isolated mountain ended. And since then, he had this subtle feeling of restless and worry for some odd reason since he left the deep forest; the place where he encountered the queer boy.

Yunho heaved a sigh as his thought was flee again to think about the strange boy, Kim Jaejoong. There was hardly a day where the boy never missed to cross his mind; even he had questioned himself why he couldn’t stop from thinking about the boy. Did he already bewitched by the fox?

“Is something wrong?” Yunho’s brief reverie broke by the sudden approach of someone that had just entered the room.

“Aish, you… how many times do I need to warn you don’t just barged in like that?”

Junsu smiled sheepishly upon heard his senior reprimand. “Sorry… actually I just wanted to pass by, but then I saw you seem deep in thought and look… troubled.”

Yunho frowned. “Do I… look troubled?”

Junsu nodded solemnly. Yunho sighed and shifted his look back towards the wide glass window.

“Is there something wrong, sunbaenim? Mind to tell me?” Junsu walked closer to the taller man.

“Junsu…” Yunho started, his eyes still staring at the view of deep forest outside. “Have you ever felt worry about someone so suddenly? And… for unknown reason, you feel disquieting whenever the person crossed your mind.”

Junsu’s brows furrowed as he looked at his senior, who looked seriously bothered at the moment. “Of course I had. I’ve felt the same thing last time when you were lost in that isolated mountain because of me.” Junsu blurted out.

“Oh, are you?” Yunho turned his attention to the shorter guy this time.

“Yes, I feel very worry and some time for unknown reason I can’t stop thinking about you. If you are in a safe place or not, since we lost your tracks.” Junsu added.

Yunho dropped his look and nodded slowly as his mind concluded something. “Then… there’s no particular meaning to this feeling, is it?” He mumbled to himself inaudibly. “It must be because of care… Yes, I just feel care for that poor being. That’s all.” He muttered assuredly.

“You care for whom?” Junsu asked as he caught the last words Yunho was rambling about.

“Huh, ah… I’m just worry about my younger cousin. We’ve been lost contact lately.” Yunho covered up immediately, still avoided from spilling out the truth.

“If that so… why don’t you just go visit him? Maybe he’s really in trouble. That probably what makes your heart feel disquieting right now.”

Junsu’s words seemed struck a realization to the other man as Yunho froze for a moment, before the possibilities came knocking him to break his slowness and obliterated all his hesitation this time.

“Junsu-ah, thank you!” Junsu stunned as Yunho suddenly pulled him over his chest, engulfing him in a tight embrace and patting his shoulders.

“You’re right, I should go find him. I shouldn’t ask him to wait for me. I should just take him with me last time.” Yunho mumbled which brought more confusion to Junsu.

Junsu was left in bewilderment after Yunho turned to grab all his belonging and leave the room in a rush.

“Hmm… he must really love his cousin.” Junsu mumbled perplexedly.

***

It was almost an hour of walking and a long hike to take Yunho to the place where he was sheltered by the strange boy last time. Now, he was back at the abandoned village. It was much easier to find his way in the woods this time compared to last time when he gone astray - he felt like he was in a total strange place. But now, it was different. The smell of blossoms and greenery even put him in pleasant feeling, with the nature chatter of the woods, seemingly welcoming him. Yunho felt familiar in finding his way as he had kept a right track by following some marks that he left on trees bark in the forest, and through some bushes area he had cleared last time; knowing that later he would return to the place as he promised to the other.

As he started walking into the uninhibited rural area, Yunho could tell something seemed gone amiss. His eyes widened as he spotted the old-cracked hanok, a sole place where the mythical creature used to isolate himself was destroyed.

Yunho’s breath hitched in his throat, his stomach churned as a terror feeling crept inside of him. The ground where the house stood previously was only left with thick remnants of ash. Seemingly, it was set on fire. Only the burnt timber of its roof structures still stood crackly.

“Fire…” Yunho muttered before something alarmed him and an instant, dread and worry settled over him.

If the house was set up on fire, then it must be an intruder’s deed. He knew well how Jaejoong scared of fire.

“Jae…Jaejoong!” Without any delay, Yunho started looking around and shouting the boy’s name with panic rising inside him. He was totally fret at the thought of the boy was already harmed. Was this the reason why he felt so restless since the past few days? Now, he really felt stupid to take so long to come back and look for the boy. Was he already late?

From the smell of acrid smoke that still filled the surrounding air, Yunho could tell the fire must occurred not more than days ago. He tried to remind himself the boy is still alive, or is he? But the method still failed to free him from the fretfulness.

Yunho hoped Jaejoong had made an escape. But… if he was safe, he would probably jump out of nowhere; showing himself in an instant the moment Yunho stepped into his territory: like he always did due to his strong ability to sense the other’s presence. Yunho dismissed all the destructive thoughts that played in his mind. He kept the belief of the boy must be stuck somewhere out there, hopefully already finding himself a new hidden place.

With many horrific thoughts were still running in his head, Yunho didn’t notice where he was heading to until the nature sounds of woods muted by the sounds of water streaming. That was when he realized he had already walked further into the woods and found himself wondering at the new calm surroundings.

There was shallow stream which came from the waterfall from the high hill. The stream water was so clear which allowing the view or fishes swam copiously.  Yunho could only dwelled himself in the serene of nature for a few moment, before his eyes caught a limb that seemingly laying breathlessly at the brink of stream across of him.

His eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat after he made out the figure of the person.

“Jaejoong!” Yunho rushed to cross the shallow stream and knelt down near the seemingly lifeless body. The boy looked so frail and in such a crushed disposition on the banks of river. The sight had enough to sending a terror feeling to Yunho. He checked the boy’s pulse and found the latter was still breathing shallowly.

“Jaejoong! Jaejoong! Hey, open your eyes… I’m so sorry, I’m late.” Yunho uttered with a big lump of guilt surged through him, and not less anger contorted his facial expression at the thought of who was so heartless to harm the innocent being. It was first time he saw the boy seemed utterly defenseless. There was severe mark of scalds and burns on Jaejoong’s right shoulder and his body was covered with bruises. From the dark color of bruises, Yunho could tell it must be more than a day the poor boy had laid there in such crippled state, looking helplessly, without anyone to rely upon.

“Jaejoong, please hold on… I will take you out from here.” Yunho said resolutely, heart weighted by guilt and contempt at himself. He lifted the boy up slowly, and carried the weak latter on his back as he walking by the stream to find the way out of the woods.

***

It’s been an hour already as Yunho stood outside of examination room, watching through the glass wall as the only man who he can trust, was examining and treating the wounded Jaejoong.

“God, it’s been ten years I’ve been working in this field! This is first time I found such a strange heartbeat and his blood type is unidentifiable. Even his temperature is so high, but it’s not like he has fever. What’s that?” The man who just finished examined Jaejoong exclaimed, as he walked out from the room and pulled off the mask from his face. He looked completely baffled.

“I’d told you so... that’s the same result I got after checked him.” Yunho muttered, his eyes still watching the frail and weak boy on the white bed in the room. Jaejoong was in completely unconscious state after he was injected with sedative, in order to put him in rest when his severe wounds and injury was being inspected and treated.

“Why don’t you just take him to see the doctor? I mean… the real doctor. Even you can do it yourself as a physician.”

Yunho diverted his look at his friend. “I’d examined him previously. Now, I just wanted to know his other side condition. It’s not easy as you thought, Heechul. Even you’re also still in shock after checked him. Let alone if I let some unknown doctors had their hand on him? I just couldn’t imagine what horrible things they will put him through, or worst caged him in their lab as their experimental material.” Yunho said with a look of horror.

“But Yunho, I’m not a doctor… I mean ‘human’ physician. I’m a veterinarian, Yunho. I don’t think the treatment I gave him is enough. And what do you mean by his other side condition? I don’t get it.”

“Heechul, do you have any idea why I brought him to you?”

Heechul stared confusedly at his friend which he had known since high school years. They had kept their close friendship from then on, until they entered the same university but different faculty. “Not probably, since you just told me he is just not like a normal huma