The clocked showed 0400 as it shrieked and vibrated on top of the bed. The young man growled as he took it into his hands and flung it across the room. Slowly, he sat up and clawed into his scalp, shoving his long hair away from his half-opened eyes. Then, he stumbled to the bathroom, slipping off the white cotton shirt while he walked and leaned onto the sink as he glared into the mirror. “.” Changhyun cursed, he looked like . The raggy, dry skin, his ‘obvious’ eye bags and his frizzy, wild hair made him look homeless. But the scratch on his skin had faded, just a streak of red marks. After scrubbing his face and brushing his teeth, the young man opened the tap and as the freezing water hits his bare skin, he sighed. It was about to be another long day.

♦

“Morning” the young man nodded and bowed low as he made his way into the office. Arriving to a burgundy colored chair, the boy carelessly threw his leather jackets on his table and picked up the yellow placard, swiftly throwing it around his neck. Then as he stood straight, a thick, hard document file banged on the back of his head. The sound of the plastic crashing against his scalp roared, distracting the other detectives and gaining their attention. Changhyun exhaled, as he bowed and spoke “Morning Yoon leader.” Completely unfazed.

“Yaahhhh. I like this kid really, he takes a beating like eating cupcakes.” The older, dashing man laughed as he narrowed his eyes to meet with Changhyun’s emotionless gaze, which had looked so daring despite the young man’s passive response. “Haisssh stop hurting him would you, Doojoon hyung?!” a younger looking man came, wearing a red sweater on top of a carefully ironed button-up shirt. “He’s our treasure” the latter smiled warmly as he lightly ran his hands over Changhyun’s thick, brunette hair. “Get a haircut okay” the latter exclaimed as he pulled Doojoon into his arm and dragged the eldest away. “Uh! The document you asked for is on my table okay, you can go and pick it up now.”

“Thank you, Hyunsik sunbae.” 

Carefully, he pulled open Hyunsik’s drawer and looked through the collection of files. It was a file he had risked his life for, taking freelance jobs of doing investigation for mafias and catching criminals that no one had the guts to get close to. He did everything just to get access to this file and finally, it was within his grasp. His hands trembled slightly as his eyes flickered. 

‘Choi Jong Hyun : Closed-[unsolved]’

With heavy breaths, he flipped it open and slowly scanned the documents inside. The veins on his forehead bulged slightly as his hands shook and his lips gapped, it was impossible to maintain his emotions as he read through the report, which was telling a story on how the boy he had loved with all his heart went missing and declared dead. His eyes slowly turn to a shade of red and as he bit his lips desperately, a drop of tear fell down the table and he gasped as the file slipped from his hands.

Choi Jong Hyun, 17 years old. 

Missing.

Case Closed – Parents’ consent.

Parents’ consent. Slowly, as much as he tried to contain this wave of devastation, a grunt slipped from his lips and his face crumpled into a picture of agony. Where was the concern, where was the protection that Changjo had from a mother, a family that Changhyun had never got the chance to experience? His mind worked in a million ways, lunging endless question at the sight of the two words, were they too disappointed that they refused to find him? What, why, he couldn’t figure it out. No matter how he tried to rationalize this matter, it all came back to blaming his own guts and how he had dragged Changjo into destruction. “I’m sorry Changjo. I am.” He stood the frozen, as his limbs drained of strength and his heart bear the unexplainable sore.

“Come on… walk!.”

“Haish for someone who beat up twelve grown man… I’m actually speechless. You’re in a lot of trouble, so better speak up now so I can call your guardian.” Doojoon blabbered as he dragged a young criminal inside, his hands securely around the latter’s shoulder and the other subconsciously keeping hold of his gun. Hyunsik was following behind, with the same folder that had collided with ChangHyun head that morning in his hands, muttering as he walked a faster pace. 

“Street fight, gangsterism, vandalism, etc…” the man shook his head, disapprovingly as he looked straight to the minor. His face spelled aggravation and disappointment as he slammed the file on the table and roughly sat down. “I let you off a few times and still, Yah aren’t you even scared huh?!! This time, no mercy, I’m sending you to juvi”

All while the ruckus happened, Changhyun managed to collect his composure and look calm again. He had the file behind his back as he avoided his seniors’ gaze, letting his long brown hair hovering over his two almond eyes. He was not in the mood to talk, let alone interact with lousy, smelly officers that had nothing to do except make his day miserable. It was patrol day and for once, he loved it. He needed air. 

So with his hair covering his sight, barely allowing him to have a clear view of the office, he walked past the lockup mindlessly. “YAH I SAID SPEAK YOU LITTLE BASTARD” Doojoon was gradually losing his patience and the sight of that annoying leader, actually getting annoyed was too good to be true. So he slowed his pace and stole a peek at the elder, smirking at the redness of the Leader’s face. But through the streaky view, something ticked him off, he couldn’t move.

He had already turned away; ready to take the next step when the walls and floor had felt like they collapsed. His heart was erratically beating and all that was audible was the sound of his breath, increasingly faster and heavier. A sudden, very familiar throb had exploded inside his chest, making his guts curl while sweat ran down his forehead. 

“YARGHHHH!!!!!” 

The sound of Doojoon’s loud scream had managed to wake him from the sudden trance, letting him breathe properly, letting him to think. He knew what he saw, though it was unclear, he saw it and he knew, because out of all the things he was good at, recognizing that boy was something that had become one with his flesh and senses. Yet, he didn’t have the courage to turn around; he was gripping the file desperately as he searches for a hidden strength inside his own twisted guts. His foot barely flinched and it dragged across the floor slowly, very carefully. 

His eyes were on the floor. He was afraid beyond beliefs, because at that moment, his heart felt as if they might explode.  He couldn’t handle anymore disappointment, so he kept his gaze strictly on his two black leather sneakers. “I had enough. You can rot i….”

Doojoon’s voice was gradually fading into silence as he lifted his eyes, finally brave enough to face his fears, his devastation.

The moment he did, his brown eyes widened while the veins on his hands suddenly bulged and pulsed as the world pauses for a moment. The thinned out air failed to reach his lungs as he slightly chokes and gradually, his grasp on the file and his jacket loosened, crashing them to the ground. And while they fell, scattered papers filled the ground as he stood there frozen, wordless. Somehow, after so long, within his wearied sight, it was undeniable that Choi Jong Hyun was there, leaning against the wall and staring into the sky.   Quietly ignoring the raged detectives, as his hair pulled back exposing his glossy skin perfectly beautiful under the sunlight, breath-taking in fact for Changhyun as he stood there watching. A smile surfaced as the smaller’s cheeks started to dampen at the sight, he was drowning in a mix of incomprehensible emotions, sweeping him off the reality and silencing him for the longest time. 

And though his pace were slow, step-by-step he was close enough to touch the bars of the lock-up and at the cold sensation of the metal bars, he sighed in relief. He was not dreaming and it was definitely not an illusion, he saw the man he had thought had vanished 

“Yah, what are you doing rookie?!” Doojoon stood close beside him as the elder roughly nudges Changhyun, hoping for a proper explanation for his bizarre behavior. But Changhyun never noticed, he stood there speechless for a few minutes before coming back to reality and looking as if he had seen a ghost. But ironically, he did. “Hyung, you can go ahead and do other works, I’ll take care of this one.” He spoke, but his eyes were never leaving the sight of Changjo, who strangely never noticed his presence. 

“No. You have patrol right? Go for patrol then go home okay” Doojoon retorted as the elder kindly picked up the scattered documents, placing them mindlessly into Changhyun’s arms and shoving the younger out. “I’ll take night shift, please, let me have him” the young man pleaded as he resisted Doojoon’s sheer strength, turning back at times to have another peak at his boyfriend. “Yoon leader please!” 

“Fine, do your patrol quickly and finish him. But you’re on night duty, seems like that kid ain’t talking any sooner, so might as well..”

“CALL!” Changhyun shrieked as he bowed enthusiastically at the warm hearted leader, even when there were times he hated Doojoon’s guts for being such a half-assed bully. “He won’t be able to go anywhere in there, he won’t disappear right. No way” Changhyun mumbled his way to the patrol car as he took on the driver’s seat and naturally started driving, unconsciously ignoring his partner Hyunsik who was already sulking at the offense. 

“Yah, I’m asking you one last time Choi Jong. Where are your guardians?” Doojoon asked again, this time in a calmer, colder manner. As if the elder had given up, he leaned back on his comfy chair and closed his eyes. He was expecting his question to be neglected again when; 

“None. I don’t have one.”