Even though Sungyeol pretended to be exasperated and not interested in Woohyun’s mission anymore, he reported to the hotel every morning just as Woohyun woke up. He had taken a week off from the patisserie and when Woohyun had looked scandalized by the information, he shrugged it off, saying that he had never taken a vacation so his boss had granted his request happily.

They would have breakfast together and then go out, in search of Sunggyu. Mostly, they wandered around as Sungyeol took him to places where he might be. They tried hotels, bars, clubs, shopping malls, even museums. Sungyeol of course did most of the talking and Woohyun wielded a picture of Sunggyu.

After three days of aimless wandering, Woohyun started to feel a suffocating sensation in his heart. He suspected that it was the burden of the task at hand – returning without Sunggyu. Every time the thought occurred to him, he would divert his attention to somewhere else, usually Sungyeol, who was always up to something. Just like now.

He was trying to persuade a security guard to let him inside a board meeting room to meet a friend of his. Woohyun tapped him on the shoulder.

“Why are trying to meet this friend again?”

Sungyeol made a face.

“Hanbyul was born here in Paris, he knows everything about the city.”

He then went back to nagging the guard in rapid French as Woohyun whistled inconspicuously. He wasn’t sure how knowledge of the city would help them look for Sunggyu. But just like most of Sungyeol’s other plans, this was more related to touring the city than looking for a lost person.

Not lost, hiding. Sunggyu’s hiding from me…

In these two days, Woohyun had seen a lot of the city, most of its attractions. They usually ate out and at night; when they parted, Woohyun started missing him. They had formed a sort of bond that was more than Sungyeol’s blind admiration for his paintings. Woohyun found himself recounting more and more of his memories to the younger, who would listen with a slight frown and would always say, when he ended the story, “Why did Sunggyu ever leave you?”

“I wish I knew,” Woohyun would say, while clutching at the letter in his pocket. He meant it completely. He had no idea why Sunggyu had left. The letter contained no detailed explanation – he didn’t even know if it was because of something he had done.

That question will remain unanswered until I find him.

“Done!” Sungyeol’s ecstatic voice brought Woohyun back to the present. Sungyeol was grinning victoriously at him. The guard had disappeared. “He went to get Hanbyul.”

Woohyun had barely opened his mouth to reply when a man appeared in front of them in a smart business suit. He was dressed and accessorized impeccably from head to toe and had an important air about him. When he saw Sungyeol, his stern features melted into a warm smile.

“Sungyeollie!” He embraced his tall friend while Woohyun watched the exchanges, wondering how the two had become friends in the first place. Hanbyul looked completely opposite to Sungyeol with his calm demeanor and sober eyes.

But then again, opposites attract.

The friend now turned towards him. But before Sungyeol could even introduce him, Hanbyul gripped his hand tightly, with a big smile on his face.

“I’m a fan,” he said before Woohyun could open his mouth.

“Oh, I see.”

Woohyun now realized why Sungyeol had forcefully brought him along to meet his friend. He was slightly flattered that a Parisian knew about his paintings, but he tried to be modest. “It’s really…well I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything because your paintings speak for you. They are so…alive and honest.” Hanbyul’s eyes were almost glowing with admiration and Woohyun couldn’t stop himself from blushing.

Hanbyul spoke about his paintings so passionately that he couldn’t help but feel embarrassed and delighted at the same time.

“Really stop now,” Woohyun insisted after Hanbyul had spoken for 15 minutes non-stop on his artwork, quoting the names of several of his paintings and even pointing out the exact year when they were completed and discussing the different techniques he had used. Even Woohyun didn’t remember that much. “Thank you so much. I’m very honored to know that my work has touched you so deeply.” 

Sungyeol now came forward, slapping Hanbyul on the shoulder. “Deeply?” he scoffed. “Hanbyul is practically in love with you.”

“Sungyeol,” Woohyun said, his voice lightly admonishing. Hanbyul however pinked. “Maybe we should go now. I’m sorry for disturbing you -”

“No!” Hanbyul cried, gripping his arm, causing him to look at him in alarm. “I mean – you have to have dinner with me.”

“Oh I -”

Woohyun looked at Sungyeol uncertainly who said, “Well, you can come to my place when your work is done. We’ll have dinner all together.”

Hanbyul agreed to this and shaking hands with Woohyun one last time, he hurried inside the office. When they were safely outside the office building, Woohyun asked the question he had been meaning to.

“Why is he working here if he loves art so much?”

Sungyeol scoffed.

“He doesn’t love art, he loves you.”

Woohyun glared at him. “I’m serious.”

Sungyeol threw up his hands in surrender.

“I’m not lying. Well, he admires you a lot, more than he loves art. His fascination for art led to you, but then you became a bigger fascination. As for the office, it’s his dad’s and he’s the only son. You can deduce the rest.”

Nodding, Woohyun flagged down a taxi. He realized that they had spent quite some time not looking for Sunggyu.

At this rate, I will never find him.

When he said so to Sungyeol, he shook his head and mumbled something like “You won’t find him anyways.” Nonetheless, he put more effort into selecting the places they went to next, calling in friends and contacts, but the chase was as fruitless as it had been the past few days.

They had dinner together, as promised, a Sungyeol’s place. Hanbyul had brought an expensive wine and after a long time, Woohyun indulged himself. In the end, he was so drunk that Sungyeol told him not to go back to his hotel. He was almost unconscious so he didn’t protest when Sungyeol tucked him into his bed and he took the couch in the living room. Hanbyul, before leaving, fussed over Woohyun with the covers and pillows. Eventually, Sungyeol had to almost force him out of his flat.

The next morning, Woohyun was too hung-over to go out and continue the search. Sungyeol assured him that he would go alone and it wouldn’t be a bother to him one bit.

“I might ask Hanbyul to come with me.” He winked at him, before leaving.

Woohyun was sitting at the kitchen table, cradling a glass of cool water. His head hurt and he felt dizzy. It had been a long time since he had been this hungover. Sunggyu hated over-drinking and never let Woohyun get carried away. But Sungyeol and Hanbyul both liked to drink heavily and they had influenced him last night.

As he thought about his two new friends, a shocking thought jerked him from his skeleton. He didn’t even remember when was the last time he had talked to his best friend.

Oh my God, I never called Kibum! He hates me by now!

Clutching his head in his hand, he ran to the other rooms, looking for his cellphone. He had borrowed a bathrobe from Sungyeol and had no idea where he had shed his clothes. When he found them in the bathroom, he frantically searched for his cellphone in his pant pocket. The cold metal touched his fingers and he yanked it out, only to find that the battery was dead.

Okay, Key will slaughter me for this. He asked me a thousand times to keep him updated.

Woohyun fell down on the floor as his head throbbed vigorously. He had promised to call Kibum every day. He tried hard to recall the last time he had talked to his friend and think up an excuse he could present to him.

He doesn’t even know I’m in Paris.

Breathing heavily, he tried to calm his nerves. He looked around for an alternate solution – he had to call Kibum right now - that much was clear. But he found no phones in Sungyeol’s flat and he had definitely taken his cellphone with him.

There’s got to be a computer in his flat right? Or a laptop?

He figured out that even if he could send Kibum an email, it would suffice for now. Or he might get him on Skype. He started looking in the bedroom, trying to remember if he had seen a laptop before. His head was still throbbing and every thought came to him in slow motion. He willed his body to move faster as he recalled something vaguely about Sungyeol’s laptop. He shook his head. He now did remember Sungyeol complaining about his laptop. He started looking with renewed vigor.

It’s here, somewhere.

He randomly opened drawers, hoping Sungyeol would understand. He reached the last drawer, muttered a quick prayer underneath his breath and yanked it open.

Who keeps their laptop in drawer?

The silver cover of a laptop stared back at him from the drawer. He pulled it out eagerly and at the same time, a paper fell out. When he picked it up, planning to return it to its place, he realised it was actually a photograph. It showed three teenagers sitting beside each other, their arms in tangles.

Woohyun could immediately recognize Sungyeol sitting on one end. His tall and lanky frame and the enthusiastic grin on his face were unmistakable. Woohyun surmised that the two other people beside him were his best friend and hid boyfriend.

They look happy.

Even though he had never seen them, or heard Sungyeol mention their names, shockingly enough, he recognized them as well.