Everyone knew that Donghae was the sweetest person ever. The members had known it ever since he walked into the SM building as new trainee, eyes hopeful and bright. They'd known it as they'd watched him cry in the first few years out of homesickness. They'd known it as they listened, wishing they could help, as he locked himself in his room and cried for hours on end after the death of his beloved father. They'd known it as he grow up and mature right in front of their eyes. Donghae was always so heartbreakingly loving, so heartbreakingly Donghae that none of the members of ELFs could even imagine how anyone could not love him. It was simple- Donghae loved everyone, and everyone loved Donghae.

So of course it was normal when Donghae started saying the sappiest, cheesiest things to their fans. (“You are my everything!” "I love you!” “Xin ai de bao bei men!”)

Of course it was normal when Donghae started posting these things on Twitter, sounding more like an overenthusiastic little boy than a world-famous celebrity. But you know, that was why fans loved him… (“Thank u ELFs!!!! I love u!!! Good nite!!!! :D”)

It was still kind of normal when Donghae started writing sappy, poetic messages to his fanclubs.

But when he started quoting Shakespeare? That was where the SJM members drew the line.

One night, after the filming of his drama with Donghae, Siwon returned to the dorms SJM was staying at. Alone.

This was not unheard of, for Donghae and Siwon both enjoyed wandering the streets of Taiwan late at night, sampling strange foods at the night markets. So no one really paid any attention until it started getting late. Now, late for most people might mean midnight. For Super Junior, 'late' meant four in the morning. Usually the only ones still awake this 'late' at night were Kyuhyun, for gaming purposes; Henry, for studying purposes (Chinese!); and Zhou Mi, for… well actually, no one really knew what he did that late at night. Most of them suspect some late-night shopping sprees, if stores were even open that late. It probably helped him avoid the fans and press.

So it was Henry that finally noticed Donghae had been missing for a while.

“Hyung! Hyung!” He poked a gaming Kyuhyun in the back of the head. Kyuhyun ignored him. Henry decided to try another method.

“HYUNG I THINK SOMETHING HAPPENED TO DONGHAE.”

That got Kyuhyun’s attention. He quickly got up, leaving the controller on the ground where he had dropped it out of shock, his game now forgotten.

“Why? Where is he?”

Henry frowned with worry. “I don’t know, but he’s not back yet… Normally he would be asleep in his room by now.”

Kyuhyun picked up his cellphone from the kitchen table, dialing the familiar number. Henry shook his head.

“I already tried. He’s not picking up.”

Frustrated, Kyuhyun ran to each member’s room, banging on the door and yelling at them to wake up.

“YAH! WAKE UP! DONGHAE’S MISSING!”

When a groggy and slightly annoyed SJM was finally assembled in their small living room, Sungmin spoke up, his voice deep with menace.

“This had better not be another one of your pranks, Kyuhyun. Because if it is, I am going to kick your scrawny little all the way to Siberia. Really.“

“It’s not a joke. Donghae is really missing.” Henry appeared behind Kyuhyun, face solemn.

“He hasn’t been back the whole night, and won’t answer his phone.”

And cue the chaos.

The whole dorm took on a frenzied atmosphere as each member shouted out where they thought Donghae would be, trying to convince the other members to go look for Donghae there.

“I bet he’s at a nightclub or something. That flirt.” Eunhyuk grumbled.

Sungmin nodded in agreement. “I can’t believe he went without us, though!”

“Poor Donghae-hyung, he’s probably lost! Out there alone, cold and hungry, wandering the streets of Taiwan with his poor Mandarin skills,” Ryeowook worried.

Kyuhyun scoffed. “Yeah, right. If he ever got lost, he would probably just sweet-talk a couple of female policewomen, and they would giddily him home immediately. I think he got kidnapped. He’s definitely stupid enough for that.”

“Maybe he was suddenly overwhelmed by the spirit and felt the need to pray in a holy place. Maybe he’s at a church.” Siwon mused hopefully.

“… he could be um… shopping? Or sightseeing?” Zhou Mi added helpfully, joining in after finishing his phone call with the police.

“I don’t know where he could be,” cried Henry. “I just want to find him. Let’s go look for him instead of sitting around and pondering!”

It was an interesting change in things for Henry to be the voice of reason.

Oh, and speaking of voice of reason…

“HANGENG-HYUNG!” Siwon exclaimed suddenly. “He’ll know what to do! He always knows what to do!”

The other members nodded in agreement while Zhou Mi whipped out his cellphone, pressed a few buttons, and put the call on speakerphone, waiting for Hangeng to pick up. The members waited expectantly.

“Hello?” Hangeng spoke in a tired, yet unmistakable voice.

“HANGENG HYUNG!” the members all cried at the same time.

“What is it?” He groaned, wanting to go back to sleep. “Can I call you guys back later?”

“NO YOU CAN’T! DONGHAE’S MISSING AND WE NEED YOUR HELP!”

Hangeng was silent for a moment.

“You guys. Lost. Donghae.” He flatly stated.

The members gulped. Hangeng wasn’t normally scary, but Donghae was like his child, always clinging to him.

“Uh, well… not really. We just don’t where he is. He got lost by himself.” Henry clarified.

After some screaming and cursing in Mandarin, Hangeng calmed down enough to yell at them for not noticing sooner.

“Besides, why are you calling me?” he asked suspiciously.

The members stayed silent. Everyone knew that it was because they couldn’t call Teukie, who would probably start crying and freak out in general and tell Heechul (who would make their lives miserable for the rest of eternity for losing his favorite) and Kangin (who would return from the army and beat them all up). However, no one was going to openly admit this, which Hangeng realized after a few seconds passed and no one answered him. He sighed, advised them to check the Jilong River, and hung up. Which was futile though, because goodness knows, how is he supposed to get any sleep after this?

Meanwhile, the SJM members were feeling like idiots.

Eunhyuk started banging his head on the wall, and even Kyuhyun looked a bit subdued.

“We are complete morons,” Sungmin announced tactfully.

“Of COURSE he would be by the water! He’s a FISH.” Ryeowook groaned.

In the end, after much fuss, the members were all paired up and dispatched to search various places.

Sungmin and Zhou Mi would go look at the river.

Siwon and Henry would go check nearby areas for a lost fish wandering around.

Kyuhyun and Ryeowook would go check restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and the like. Sungmin thought this was unfair.

Eunhyuk would stay at home and wait, just in case Donghae came back while they were out searching. The reason for this was that each pair needed someone proficient at Mandarin, and everyone agreed that his Mandarin was probably the worst. Also, he was most likely to not fall asleep while waiting, since he went to bed earlier than anyone else. These assignments were accepted with less grumbling and complaints than usual, and they all set off on The Quest to Find Donghae. (Capitalized, because this would make an excellent story to talk about in future interviews/ variety shows)

The first call Eunhyuk received was from Siwon. They weren’t having any luck, and apparently an exhausted Henry had passed out while they searched. Siwon gave up trying to carry Henry everywhere after five blocks of searching, because even Mr. Perfect Abs needed a break sometimes, especially at five in the morning. Siwon was now in a taxi, on his way back to the dorm.

Half an hour later, Sungmin calls. Donghae is not at the Jilong River.

“And now we have to drive all the way back to the dorm! The early-morning traffic will start soon, too. Ughhhh.” Sungmin complained, grumpy from sleep deprivation.

Eunhyuk is now practically inhaling cups of black coffee to keep him awake. Donghae must be found at all costs. Without him, SJM’s future looked very uncertain and bleak. He was pretty much everyone’s ray of sunshine in their day. And personally, Eunhyuk could not even imagine a life without his best friend...