t w o

Evanescence

How do you start a search with no lead?

 

The sky begins to darken above his head and as he tilts his head back to look up, huge droplets of rain blind him. Everyone around him scurries for cover from the sudden change in weather but Jongdae stands in silence, trying to figure out where to go next. His stomach in churning so many ways and the pounding sensation in his head is refusing to cease. Ignoring the rain, Jongdae pulls out his phone and heads straight to his photos. Just like the photos from earlier, she’s gone. It’s like she never existed.

 

But the thing is, she did and he knows she still does. He can still taste the cherry chapstick from her lips and the trails her fingertips travel through his head of thick hair are still present. Even now, he can feel her.

 

People begin to stare so Jongdae forces himself to get into his car. Liyin taught Mandarin at a tutoring center nearby, maybe she would be there. He doesn’t have much hope left but Jongdae still holds onto the little he has left.

 

Exiting his car out into the pouring rain, Jongdae dashes into the tutoring center, attracting lots of unwanted attention as he glances around for any sign of Liyin. He prances up to the desk and the lady behind it is startled by his pale and drenched appearance.

“Is Professor Zhang here?” He asks with a sudden knot in his throat.

The lady gives him a uncertain look. “Are you here for lessons sir?”

“I’m Jongdae, Professor Zhang Liyin’s boyfriend,” he says as if she should already know because it’s not like it’s his first time here either.

“I’m sorry sir but you have the wrong place,” she says and the last of color drains from his face.

“You really have no Zhang Liyin in your system?” He asks and shakes her head. Sighing in defeat, he bows before turning to leave.

 

His feet are heavy and his head feels as if it’s about to explode. Jongdae raises a hand up to his head and the moment after that, everything goes black.

 

He awakes to the sound of beeping machines and it doesn’t take a genius to know he’s landed himself in the hospital. He feels the presence of people but takes his time waking up. Surrounding his bed are his closest friends who are worriedly whispering to each other.

 

“Oppa.”

Jongdae turns to Soojung first who is seated right next to him. Everyone else turns to him the following second.

“Dude you alright?” Baekhyun asks and Jongdae nods.

“What happened?” Jongdae pulls himself up to a sitting position with the help of Baekhyun and Soojung.

“You fainted at the tutoring center near the studio,” Chanyeol explains. “What were you doing there? You scared everyone.”

“Liyin,” he mumbles, “I was looking for Liyin.”

“Who?” Everyone asks and Jongdae takes a moment to observe their expressions. Either they’re all really good at acting for they really don’t have an absolute clue.

 

“Not again,” Chanyeol sighs, taking a seat at the foot of the bed. “Seriously who is this chick you’re talking about?”

“Zhang Liyin,” Jongdae repeats. “My girlfriend. Seriously, just stop with the games already!”

The room goes silent with everyone exchanging odd gazes.

“I’ll go grab Dr. Oh,” Sulli whispers to Zitao before excusing herself quietly.

 

A moment later and a male around his early thirties enter the room with Sulli following right behind. His gaze is stoic as he steps up to Jongdae.

“I see you have awaken, Jongdae-shi,” He says and Jongdae gives the man an uncertain look. “May I request that everyone leave the room please?”

Jongdae’s large group of friends nod simultaneously, all heading towards the door at the same time. It comes to a soft close before Dr. Oh speaks up.

 

“How are you feeling?” He asks and Jongdae scoffs.

“You asked everyone to leave to just ask me that?” Jongdae plops into the fluffy hospital pillows and regrets it a moment later when a sharp sensation shoots through his head.

Dr. Oh sighs and ignores the pinch of annoyance Jongdae’s voice. “Your friends have told me you’ve been searching for this imaginary person.”

Jongdae scoffs. He’s never rude but this banging headache and weird disappearance of his girlfriend gives him almost every right. “She’s not imaginary, she’s a real person.”

Dr. Oh’s brows wrinkle like the ones growing in his forehead. “Jongdae-shi,” he calls very calmly but Jongdae refuses to let him speak.

“I refuse your help of sending me to a psychiatrist.” His eyes match the sharpness in his voice and Dr. Oh can’t do anything else but sigh at his difficult patient. “I apologize for being rude but I would like to be discharged as soon as possible.”

 

No one dares to speak during the car ride to Jongdae’s place. His eyes remain on the world passing by outside with Baekhyun driving silently in the other side. There’s a bag of prescribed drugs for his headache that Jongdae doesn’t intend on taking, set between the two of them. In the back seat sit Jongin and Soojung who are staring out their windows and earphones in their ears. They glance at their phone every other second, one after the other, communicating through text messages instead of talking.

 

“Are you going to be okay tonight?” Baekhyun asks first with a nervous glance.

Jongdae raises his arm to set his elbow against the window, holding his cheek in his palm. “Why wouldn’t I be? Because I’m searching for a “nonexistence” person?” He snaps the hospital wristband off his wrist and the car goes silence once more.

“Jongdae-ah,” Baekhyun sighs quietly. “We’re all just worried about you.”

“Well you don’t need to,” he snaps. “I’m not sick or anything.”

 

Baekhyun runs his tongue across his lips before sighing and deciding to just keep his eye on the road instead.

“Who is the person you’re looking for, Hyung?” Jongjin asks and Soojung shoots him a nervous look.

“Zhang Liyin,” Jongdae answers slowly, letting her name slowly roll off his tongue.

“How did you meet her?” The younger one continues.

The memory flashes across his eyes as if it had literally just happened. “I met her through Yix—.” Jongdae pauses and remembers they don’t know Yixing either. “A friend. She’s his cousin. She came from Changsha, China to visit her cousin and he introduced me to her.”

“Who’s the friend?” Soojung chirps quietly.

Jongdae’s brows wrinkle. There’s so much that just doesn’t make sense here and he doesn’t know what to say or tell so instead he just sighs. “He’s not really a friend,” Jongdae lies. “More like a person I met in Chinatown.”

Baekhyun throws him another glance. “Enough for today,” he says. “Just rest dude.”

 

They offer to stay with him but Jongdae refuses and dashes out of the car with his bag of medicine. He waves them off as he enters the apartment complex. He starts towards the elevator and another man joins the wait with him. It dings open a few seconds later and the both of them enter silently, each of them sticking to opposite sides of the wall.

“What floor?” Jongdae asks the man. A nervous gut wrenching feeling hits Jongdae in the stomach when he turns to the stranger. His face is hidden behind a cap with puffs of black hair sticking out here and there. He’s about half a head taller than Jongdae and dressed in all black with a leather jacket thrown on top.

 

“Same,” he answers.

Jongdae gives him a small nod then turns to face the front with his jaws tense. The white paper bag crimples in his hand with his foot nervously tapping, hoping the ninth floor will come faster. The door dings open and Jongdae almost runs out, turning towards his place. The stranger follows behind quietly so he changes his direction. He approaches a random door, slowly sliding up the keypad but with his full attention on the tall man. Blurred memories of Zitao teaching him self defense come to mind and Jongdae wishes he would’ve taken them more seriously then.

 

The man passes by silently and Jongdae waits until he turns the corner before going the opposite way. His heart relaxes when he spots his door but something else tells him to not enter. Instead he exits out into the staircase, eyeing his doorway from the small window. The capped man emerges from the corner and he comes to a stop in front of Jongdae’s door. He glances around for a moment before pulling a white envelope out of his pocket. Jongdae watches him tuck the envelope into the crack of the door, tug his cap down some more then turn to leave. His heart races and as the man passes him, Jongdae pushes the door open, grabbing the man by his shirt and pushes him up against the concrete walls.

 

“Who are you and what do you want from me?” Jongdae demands through gritted teeth and a hand around the stranger’s neck. They shuffle in silence with one trying to run and the other trying to hold. Jongdae ends up kneeing him in the stomach before tossing him onto the ground with his foot now set on the stranger’s neck. He tries to swing and Jongdae presses down, making him gargle and gasp for air. “Answer me now!”

 

He continues to press down while bending down to rip off the cap. He doesn’t recognize the man but from first glance, you can tell he is not Korean.

“I don’t mean harm,” the stranger speaks in Mandarin and Jongdae’s brows crease at once.

“Then why are you following me?” Jongdae returns in the same tongue though he ceases to release pressure against the man’s neck. “Did someone send you?”

The stairwell falls silent with both men staring down the other. The man on the ground’s heaving breathing comes to a stop when he opens his lips to speak.

 

 

 

 

 

“I know where Liyin is.”


 

 

 





 


Anyeong you! I know it has been a very long time since I've updated! You guys are probably wondering who the guy is but he'll be revealed in the next chapter, I promise lol.

 

Anyways, please do me a HUGE favor and check out my friend's blog. I would love you guys so much and if it makes you feel better, she's a HUGE GD fan. She has a post called "You Should Fall In Love" and it was basically written about me. It might make you cry. You guys will love it so PLEASE help me out and check it out.

 

LIFEASKA

 


 

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Comments

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thelonemarauder #1
Am I the only one reading this in 2016? I read this in another account and I decided to read it in this account too. This is an awesome story, I wonder how you come up with ideas like this :)
korean_but_abc
#2
Chapter 1: Lol I see my username for some reason? Maybe because I'm the biggest Chenyin shipper? Jk; although I am a pretty big shipper. They are practically 99.9% close to dating. Come on...
Steffylee
#3
Chapter 2: SO MANY FEELS GIRL. SO MANY FEELS.
Also, tell your friend her blog is so good! Such a great writer.
You guys should collab lol
EdXing
#4
Chapter 3: OMG! You really have something here!
God this is one of the best fanfics i've EVER read.
I swear! i don´t now why, but i was crying at the end!
Oh my feels, girl please! write more about this couple... you're absolutely great!
oppaismyhusband
#5
Chapter 3: We connected on a spiritual level. You ship Chenyin, so do I~ You like TVXQ, so do I~!
It's a really good story. I got hooked right away!
iwantyoubaek #6
Chapter 3: Stop rewind rewind lol that's the only thing I can think of XD this was so nice!! Loved it ♡
blackandredxiumin
#7
Chapter 1: woah! It's a little creepy it already had my username at the end. blackandredxiumin is my username and this is the first time I read this
iamangeline
#8
Chapter 1: I know I commented like a million times but the wrecking ball thing...no just no. ^^
iamangeline
#9
Chapter 1: And I totally agree, the old SM was the best. Now EXO is falling apart :'( and OMO OMO OMO OMO OMO, did you just say anyeong to me? I thought I was invisible!!!! >_< and you so remind me of my friend. XD
iamangeline
#10
Chapter 3: Whaaaaa this is soooooo goooooooddddddddd~~~~~~~~