His phone buzzes again with its ringtone in his pocket. Chanyeol ignores it for the hundredth time; not having the desire to talk to anyone at the moment. The cold creeps up to his bones and he shivers slightly in his long coat. His breath is visible when he tries to warm his numb hands. Chanyeol checks his watch out of curiousity---to his surprise, he had been gone for almost three hours already. He had been aimlessly wandering off without any direction to have some time alone from work; from everyone, and giving Soo Yun some space. He figured they both need some space to breathe; to figure things out. And, Chanyeol remembers all of a sudden, he has someplace to go. 

The wait isn't that long and thankfully there aren't many people to begin with. He steps into the bus and the doors close behind him in a slow motion. Chanyeol chooses a seat by the window as the bus jerks forward. The scene feels too familiar for him; as if the incident with the fans happened only yesterday. He slips his hand into his pocket and takes out a crumpled piece of photo that's brown and yellowed at the edges. He had stumbled upon the picture earlier this morning when he inadvertantly kicked a box containing his belongings from back home that he didn't have the chance to unpack. Or maybe he decided to leave it unpacked. He doesn't remember.

The photo laid in a corner of the box; beneath the treasures of his posessions, crumpled and wrinkled. Chanyeol smoothens the picture on his thigh using the palm of his hand. The sunlight that's pouring from the bus window beside him gleams on the picture of a little girl running happily on a vast field dotted with flowers; the wind blowing her hair across her face and toothy smile when she turns around to beam at the camera. He the photo softly with his long fingers.

Chanyeol gazes out of the window; a sort of emptiness engulfing him again. The melancholy is indescribable, even after all these years. The bus pulls to a stop and Chanyeol sees the familiar outline of trees lining the streets. He folds the photo neatly and slips it into his pocket again. After thanking the driver, he gets off the bus and starts to walk; his hands bury deep in his trenchcoat pockets. The yellow leaves scattering on the ground crunches below his steps as he trudges slowly in the cold weather. Slowly, a vast field of an abandoned park emerges in front of him like a wide open of land. He smiles to himself when he spots the big tree; it's branches curling like fingers in the sky but the leaves had fallen; causing it to look and bare. Chanyeol sits under the canopy of branches and sighs in relief.

Finally. I'm sorry it took me so long to visit you again. 

This used to be his haven, a secret hiding place, a place where he pours out his feelings to the wind. A place where they both shared; a long time ago. Chanyeol closes his eyes and he can hear a distant calling; someone calling out his name. Chanyeol. Channie.

"Channie!" 

Chanyeol looked up from his empty lunchbox. He was sitting cross-legged at his usual spot under a tree in the play area. 

He frowned in confusion when she took a spot in front of him and takes out her own pink lunchbox from a paperbag. She smiled in delight. Her omma had made her favourite food today; kimbap with baked purple sweet potato and spicy sweet chicken. 

She picked up a kimbap using her chopsticks but then noticed Chanyeol was staring at her. "Why aren't you eating? You've been staring at your lunchbox for a while. Recess will be over soon, Channie" she pointed out; her long black hair secured with a hairband at the front. She was wearing a dress with a cherry pattern that suited her. 

Chanyeol looked down in embarassment. He couldn't tell her that Sang-chul ate all his lunch and thrown his lunchbox into the sand play area. She would think he was a pathetic loser and stopped being friends with him. 

She looked at him with sad eyes. "Did Sang-chul stole your lunch again, Channie?" she asked. Chanyeol was startled for a moment. How did she know? 

Without realizing it, he bit his lips miserably and nodded. His mouth watered at the sight of the variations of food in her lunchbox. 

"Here!" She offered him a kimbap that was shaped like a triangle and smiled a toothy grin. Chanyeol reached out with hesitant hands. In a matter of seconds, he had already finished the steamed rice. She chuckled in delight and offered him yet another one which he had taken without a second thought. 

"You can share with me from now on. I don't mind. I'll ask my omma to cook for you, Channie" Her eyes were almost closed when she smiled but there was a dimple at the corner of her lips. 

"Go..mawo" Chanyeol thanked her slowly, his voice sounded small compared to her bubbly tone.

She shakes her head, refusing to be thanked for something so simple. "Kenchana. I hope we can be friends forever, Channie!" 

His lips twitches into a smile. That was the starting point of their friendship. He lays himself down on the ground covered with yellow leaves that crunch under his every move and tucks his right hand under his head. The scenery is calming. More calming than he could ever remember. It's freezing; but Chanyeol doesn't mind. His haven was and is the most beautiful place he'd ever laid his eyes on. Everywhere he looks, there's shades of green and yellow and red that haven't been engulf by the weather. The ground is now blanketed with shriveled and fallen leaves. Above him, a wide stretch of azure blue sky with clouds floating lazily like huge cotton balls hanging in mid air. Chanyeol closes his eyes again and let himself drift away in his memories. He feels like a leaf; happily swirling in the wind. 

"Hey, I think that one looks like a smiling octopus!" She pointed to a cloud at her far right and Chanyeol squinted to see behind his glasses. 

"How in the world does that resemble a smiling octopus?" He questioned her; his eyebrows deep in a frown. They were laying on the grass side by side under the tree; their bodies almost touching. 

"Yes it does!" She pouted at him. "Can't you see the tentacles squirming out of the formation? Oh no Channie I don't think it's smiling now." 

"Oh really now?" He gasped in exaggeration and pretended to be shocked. "Then what's it doing?" 

"Glaring at you." She retorted and stuck out her tongue to him. Chanyeol chuckled at her childishness. 

"Araso. Mian-ne. I think that one looks like you though." This time it was him pointing to the far left with his finger and she got up in a sitting position as her head swerved to the direction where he pointed. She noticed a huge cumulus cloud that's floating solo in the sky and she racked her brain to figure out what the shape of the cloud represented.

"That looks like an elephant" she mumbled, and turned to him with her eyebrows furrowed. 

"Exactly." Chanyeol agreed, a smirk playing on the corner of his lips. 

She gasped when the realization hit her. "BOYA! Are you saying that I'm fat?" She shrieked and punched him hard on the arm. Chanyeol felt the impact of her punch and simultaneously fell on the ground laughing. She huffed in irritation and continuously hit him. He sat back up again and held up his hands as a sign of surrender. She started to sulk and Chanyeol poked her cheek softly with his finger."Ani. You're not fat. You're the most beautiful girl I know." He admitted sheepishly. 

Her lips curled into a smile and she pretended she didn't hear what he just said and laid down again. Chanyeol's eyes widen up in shock. Did he just get turned down?  

"What do you wanna be when you grow up, Channie?" she murmured softly; not looking at him but she stared straight up to the sky, her eyes sparkled in fascination. 

Chanyeol looked up at the same sky, as if the answer would be written there for him to read. "Probably a musician. Or a singer. I want to be able to entertain people with my music and share my passion with them. But I don't think that's possible." He lets out a sigh of resignation. 

"Why not? You should go for it. You can play the guitar, drums and even bass. And you have a great voice." She grinned at him. 

"A voice that's embarassingly haven't cracked yet if that's what you mean." He joked and earned a soft laughter from her. "It'll happen Channie. We're still in middle school anyway." she assured him. 

"Just you wait, my voice will be deeper than the sea. I bet on it." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" She laughed again in amusement and Chanyeol simple stared at her for a while. Then he asked: "What about you? What do you wanna be when you grow up?" 

"Hmm....I want to be....", She contemplated for a while before finishing the sentence. "Happy. Does that make any sense? Just, happy." She gave him a soft smile and Chanyeol could feel the butterflies dancing in his stomach again. How did he even became friends with this beautiful girl in front of him that made the sun looked down in shame when she smiled because she was brighter than any light; any moonbeam. While he, on the other hand, looked like Nobita with elf ears sticking out. 

"Chanyeol-ah" She called out suddenly and Chanyeol looked up at her in surprise. 

"Joahaeyo." She said; her eyelids fluttered nervously and Chanyeol's heart stopped beating. Then she leaned in and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. "I like you. I've always liked you."  She giggled into his ear after pulling away and Chanyeol blushed a deep shade of red. 

The memory floats away and sinks back into his chamber of mind. But then another one came; without his consent. A dark memory that pulls Chanyeol back into his past. 

Chanyeol could barely get up now. His back ached from where he was kicked numerous times and his legs felt numb; he couldn't feel his legs at all. He felt the urge to puke and covered his mouth with his hand. Bright red blood oozed from his hand and the smell made him feel dizzy. Sang-chul was about to kick him again when suddenly a silhouette dashed in front of him and blocked his fuzzy view. 

"STOP IT!" She screamed, her hands held wide open at both of her sides to shield him from the next blow. "Stop hurting him, please." Her voice shook, but she restrained herself from looking vulnerable. So she did the most unacceptable thing. She looked Sang-chul in the eyes. 

Sang-chul laughed in amusement that sent shivers down Chanyeol's spine. "You really think you can stop me?" 

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" She warned and stood her ground; refusing to look away from his demonic eyes. Chanyeol tried to reach out for her but the movements sent him shrieking in pain. 

"Get out of my way." he hissed. 

"Never." She spitted back at him.

Sang-chul lost his patience and interest in her. "I said, GET OUT OF MY WAY YOU LITTLE !" His hand went flying across her face and she stumbled back; losing her balance. She fell in front of Chanyeol and the side of her face throbbed in pain. She tried to get back up again but he slapped her harder this time and she fell to the ground with a loud thud. 

"NOOOOOOO!" Chanyeol screamed before his world turned into nothingness. 

"I can't get hold of him. Damn it. I've called a hundred times already." Suho sighs in frustration as he puts down his phone on the table. Chanyeol has been missing for half a day now without any notes or reminders to the other members. And he wouldn't pick up his damn phone. 

"Try again, hyung. Maybe he fell asleep somewhere. You know how he is when he sleeps. Like a freaking corpse. I'm not saying he's dead or anything-" Baek says, trying to lighten up the mood but ends up getting a glare from Suho.

"Sorry." Baek mumbles, scratching the back of his neck and looks away. 

"This is bad" Jongin interrupts, his eyes look tired and puffy. "He's never disappeared like this before." Their schedule will be tight in a few hours and if Chanyeol doesn't get back before that, they'll be in big trouble.

"I think we should ask Soo Yun first before telling Sunghwan hyung. I mean, Chanyeol and her are basically inseparable." Kyungsoo suggests. 

"Yeah, but I think she's been acting weird lately. Like she's avoiding us or something." Baek can't help but put that in since it's kinda true. 

"Alright, I'll call her." Suho agrees and massages his forehead slowly before dialling Soo Yun's number and puts it on speed dial.

"Call who?" A female voice suddenly pipes up from behind them. 

All of them turn their heads in unison and Suho's jaw almost hits the ground.

"Yoora-ssi!" 

"Is he back yet?"

Soo Yun holds the door for support; panting for air and her legs threaten to collapse. She had to run a few blocks to arrive here when Suho texted her about what happened. Her day off from work isn't actually a day off of problems. While on her way there, she can't dismiss the feeling of guilt that forms a lump in . 

"Not yet. We're still trying to reach him." Jongin is sitting on the couch with the others; his shoulders slouch as if he's on the verge of giving up. "Oh by the way--" He is about to tell Soo Yun about their guest but Yoora already walks up to her. 

"Soo Yun-ah," Yoora smiles softly and embraces her in a hug. Soo Yun is speechless; gapes in surprise. But then she returns her hug and squeezes Yoora tightly before pulling away. "Unnie," she croaks out, her eyes b with tears. She's not sure whether it's Yoora's presence and the fact that she had missed her so much or if the guilt had finally caught up to her and she's blaming Chanyeol's disappearance on herself.

Yoora holds her shoulder and looks at her worriedly. "Shhh, it's okay. I'm sure he'll be back soon." Yoora hugs her again and Soo Yun nods slowly against her soft pullover. After pulling away, they both walk to the sitting area and takes the seats beside Suho and Baekhyun. Suho can feel his cheeks getting warm again when Yoora sits just a few inches from him. 

"Suho hyung, stop blushing for one second. It's so embarassing." Jongin drops his face into his hand and the other members snicker; even Soo Yun chuckles lightly. 

"YA!" Suho exclaims, his cheeks flush a deeper shade of red as he throws a pillow towards Jongin who's snorting in laughter and it hits him right on his stomach. Suho steals yet another peak at Yoora who's looking down at her hands; smiling sheepishly. Suho tries to relax but it's so hard when she's sitting right beside him. His crush. His drop dead gorgeous crush. 

"You know what, maybe we should go search for Chanyeol and leave you two lovebirds here to....discuss further, about your future plans together. " Baekhyun teases and wiggles his eyebrows. 

You. Are. So. Dead. Suho mouthes while glaring at Baekhyun as he puts up a fist at him behind Yoora's back. Yoora shakes her head in amusement. 

"How about all of you go search for my brother while Soo Yun and I stay back and wait for him if he gets back?" Yoora suggests easily and the others look at her in surprise. 

"You sure you don't want any of us to stay and be your slave? I'm sure hyung would be glad to volunteer." Baekhyun swings his arm around Suho and Suho shoves Baek's face away to shut him up. 

"No, we'll be fine." Yoora decides and looks at Suho who instantly blushes like crazy but covers it up with a cough. 

"Come on hyung." Jongin pulls Suho's hand and tugs him towards the door. "The faster we find Chanyeol, the faster you can get back to your job at staring at Yoora noona." 

They leave in a haste and close the door behind them. Soo Yun watches the clock anxiously while praying that Chanyeol will be back soon. Every minute the clock ticks away makes her wish that she could turn back time and take back everything that she said to him yesterday. 

Please be okay. I'm so sorry. 

A few hours pass and the members haven't gotten back yet. Night has fallen and Soo Yun and Yoora waits with patience that's slowly slipping away. The only calls they get is either from Suho, Jongin, or Baekhyun to inform them that they still haven't found Chanyeol yet. 

All of their calls to him are left unaswered. 

And Chanyeol is nowhere to be found. 

{ A/N }

A long update wooohooo! Actually I had to perk up the ending since I had a different cliffhanger in mind but you'll never know what that is hehehe ;) What do you guys think happened to Chanyeol??! You'll have to wait for the next chapter if you want to find out *winks* *evil laugh*

The next chapter will reveal more secrets pfftttt so stay tune okay I'm doing my best to make this story a good read for you :)) 

Oh btw the scene where Suho calls Chanyeol, it doesn't overlap with Chanyeol's scene when he refuses to pick up his phone. It's actually a few hours after that :) just stating that here so that you guys won't be confused. 

Anddddd I think I'll be suggesting songs in here(where i rant) in some chapters(not all) from now on so that you guys can listen to them while imagining the scene and story! *drum roll* The song for this chapterrrrrrrrrr is:

And One by Taeyeon for Chanyeol's scene and memories. 

Until next time! :)

-Z