The stale chill of the room and the hum of the AC was the first thing Youngjae noticed when he opened his eyes. Everything was dim and nothing was familiar around him.

               Where am I again?...Amer..no... Japan..

               B.A.P was still on tour, and this stop was Tokyo. They had just arrived a while ago and the team was kind enough to let the boys nap in the hotel for a little while.

               Groggily, he tossed around the bed until he decided it was ready to start the day. He arched up, rustled his brown hair and lazily reached for his phone on the end table.

               9:50 AM. 10 minutes before his alarm was set to go off. He peered over to his left. Empty bed. The sheets on it looked half-heartedly made.   
               Out already? Youngjae mentally noted how intentional the absent member left his traces. The singer stretched out his arms but was returned with a terrible sensation at the back of his head. He hissed and clutched the source of the pain.      

               Ugh! Damn! It must be jet lag. It felt like someone was banging a hammer against his skull. I could use some coffee. He remembered there was a vending machine outside of the room down the hall. Yes, coffee is good. 

               Briskly he got himself out of bed, dressed in his white t-shirt, denim jacket and jeans and sought out the machine with his remedy. It didn’t take him long to find it. Coins already in hand he eagerly scanned the cans on display. When he found what he wanted he inserted the money and hastily pushed the button. But nothing came. He took another glance at the case and noticed a pair of Japanese characters he couldn’t recognize under his choice.

                ...Sold out??

                Youngjae groaned and bumped his head against the machine in disappointment. As if that would make his headache go away. He remained there for some time, bitterly cursing his own luck, until he heard a voice nearby call out his name.

                “Youngjae! What are you doing? We have to go down soon.” Youngjae peered over his shoulder to see none other than Daehyun, looking at him with a confused stare.

               “I was trying to get a drink,” the younger replied against the fabric of his jacket. Daehyun was dressed in mostly black today, with the exception of his shirt which was striped in black and white with a big skull in the center. He looked alert.

                “Coffee?” The older inquired. “Oh, haha, sorry about that. I drank the last one.”

                 “Are you kidding me?” Youngjae blurted out. Daehyun blinked at the other’s harsh tone. He wasn’t expecting the sudden snarkiness from him; 3:00 was usually when Youngjae was his most fickle.

                “..There’s probably another vending machine on another floor if we look.”

               “No, let’s just go already, we have to meet the others.”

               “Ok then, suit yourself.” The older turned around and headed to the elevator. Youngjae followed after him once he received his money back, thoughts in a state of disarray.

                What a lovely way to start my day here.

                Yongguk, Himchan, Jongup and Zelo were already at the lobby and greeted the two singers warmly. Everyone left the hotel and crowded into a white van. Despite their tight schedule, they were going sight-seeing for the day since it was their first time in the country. Youngjae couldn’t match the level of excitement of the other members, but he was hoping that would improve later. After what seemed like ages of driving and chatter, the van stopped at a random street. Everyone spilled outside and gathered in the middle of the sidewalk.    

               “So, is everyone good with that plan?” Yongguk asked the others. “I take Jongup to that corner of the block, Himchan takes Zelo clothes shopping-”

               “And Youngjae and I will look around the other side,” Daehyun said, wrapping his arm around the other mischievously.

                “What!?” Apparently Youngjae wasn’t paying any attention to their so called plan. “Shouldn’t we stick as a group?” He could get by with the little Japanese he knew, but he wasn’t fond of being separated from the others.

                “Come on, it’ll be ok, I have you,” Daehyun  laughed, patting his shoulder.

                “We’ll all meet up back here ok?” Himchan pointed to the green lamppost next to them, adorned with a large clock on it.

               Before Youngjae could protest further, Zelo was already running off, anxious to explore the city, with Himchan chasing after him. Yongguk and Jongup waved to the singers and left as well. In the midst of the small crowd Youngjae was stuck with Daehyun. Again.

               “I’m going to kill you when we get back to the hotel,” he murmured, forcing the older’s arm off of his body carelessly.

               “That’s all fine,” Daehyun replied smugly. “But I want to see the city first, ok?” Impatient, he began walking into the denser part of the crowd.

                “Wait! Don’t leave me here!” Daehyun hid a satisfactory smile as he heard the footsteps approaching behind him.

                “I knew you’d tag along as I planned.”

               “Excuse me? You’re the one dragging me around here. And what’s this plan you keep talking about?”

               Daehyun continued to walk forward. “Jongup, Zelo and I made a bet earlier on the plane,” he said matter-of-factly. “Whoever can find the coolest thing here gets to be free from chores for a week. You have to take me to all the cool places ok?” he pleaded.

                Figures, Youngjae thought.  They would do something like that.

                “Find something cool? That’s so childish.”

                 “I knew you’d say that. Which is why we didn’t tell you.”

                 “So I’m just a pawn in your little game then?” The statement made Daehyun slow down.

                 “Don’t say that, it’ll be fun alright? It’ll make you forget about earlier. Now come on,” He gently took the younger’s hand and led him into a lively street. Youngjae instantly froze up.

                 Wait-

               “So we don’t lose each other.”

                With each step everything seemed to slow down. Youngjae held onto his breath for what felt like an eternity as the warmth spread through his body. He laxed in the hold, battling his new conflicting feelings.

                Stupid Daehyun...

                It was always like this. Whenever things went awry, Youngjae would just wish the day would end so he could start over in the morning. And it was days like this where Daehyun would bother him with his obsessive conversing and his foolish games and his obnoxious laughter. What did it matter to him anyway how he felt? Did he feel better about himself by cheering him up? Youngjae admitted, his sulking was immature, but he would always be alright once he had time to think things over. Daehyun was just wasting his energy.

               “We should find someplace with electronics!”

                 “I think we’re too far to find anything like that in this part of town..”

               Sometimes, however he was afraid that he did care. He was afraid that behind his idiotic bickering, and insatious appetite was a person looking out for him. A person who was more than just his fellow band member  and friend. That by some chance, Jung Daehyun was actually this selfless being that genuinely wanted him to be happy. And maybe, secretly, that did make Youngjae happy.

                 “What if we see the Yakuza!?”

               “We’re not going to see any Yakuza!”

                “Well, we’re not gonna win the bet with that attitude.”

               But no matter what he felt, Youngjae was unwilling to show it to the other. Because that would mean defeat. And he didn’t want to lose.

                The pair continued dodging through the bustling crowd, passing several tourist kiosks, market hubs, franchise restaurants and fancy little storefronts. But nothing caught Daehyun’s attention yet. Youngjae was slowly losing his patience, but there wasn’t much else he could do at this point. As the area became less occupied by people, they realized how exhausted they were. They slipped into an empty alleyway to pace themselves, releasing each other’s hands, giving Youngjae some relief.

                “Do you even know where you’re going?” Youngjae huffed out sharply.

                “I told you, I’ll know when I see it,” the elder responded firmly. That answer didn’t provoke Youngjae any less. Quietly, the two made their way through the narrow alley, keeping their mission in mind despite their weariness. Something however made Youngjae pause.

               “What is it?” Daehyun paced backwards to see what the other had discovered. A few feet in front of them was a petite store tiled in white. The only building in that lane.

               “Looks like a convenience store. Do you want a snack or something?” Daehyun’s words faded into the background of the city. Youngjae couldn’t put his finger on it, but something felt peculiar here. Ignoring the other, his feet bravely led him to the entrance.

                An elderly man reading a newspaper behind the counter greeted the two brightly as they cautiously entered the store. They both smiled back and took a moment to look around. Daehyun was right; it was a convenience store of sorts. Neat and tidy, everything from chocolates to drinks and junk foods were lined up on the white shelves. Looked normal for the most part.

               “Ha! Look at this,” Daehyun nudged the other with his elbow, pointing at a candy bar. “They have this in so many weird flavors. We don’t have this at home.”  Youngjae absent-mindedly agreed as he wandered through the aisle. For a tiny place it felt bigger on the inside. He eventually drifted to the back of the store where things took an immediate 180.  

               The entire back wall was covered in hanging masks. Masks from Japanese theater.  Each and every one staring blankly at him. He recognized a few like the fox and demon ones. But there were a few that were a bit unorthodox. Are these on sale? Youngjae brushed his thumb across a pale-faced mask in front of him. They feel authentic. He shuddered a bit.

               Daehyun, who was now carrying a mountain of food in his arms rushed over to Youngjae’s side.

                 “What are you doing?!”

                 “I want to try them all!” the younger made a disapproving noise. How is he the older one again?

                “Here, hold these,” Daehyun passed Youngjae the generous pile into his arms, nearly making him stumble over. Hands free, the older swiftly took out his wallet but immediately frowned as he inspected the insides.

               “Don’t tell me, you only brought a big bill?” The elder nodded apologetically.

                 “My wallet’s in my back pocket. Just give it back when you’re done.” Daehyun complied and quickly took the other’s wallet. Suddenly, a sharp ringing broke into the air. It was Daehyun’s cellphone. The company’s phone to be exact. The elderly man at the counter took a leery glare at them.

                “, it’s probably Yongguk or Manager Kang. I’ll take this outside.”

               “W-wait!” Youngjae, who was struggling with the food, opted to lay everything on an empty shelf next to him. Daehyun silently slipped the wallet back into Youngjae’s pants pocket and left to take the call.

                As the older singer attended to his phone, Youngjae spent some time sorting out the items in front of him. Good grief there’s too many things here. What happened to the whole “we have to win this bet” thing? With no response to the dialogue in his head, he realized how eerily quiet the store was without his blabbermouth of a partner. Even the catchy pop song playing from the speakers didn’t sway him otherwise. Youngjae nervously waited for a heavy minute. The man at the counter continued to read his paper. The song from the radio faded out and a new one began. Another minute passed. Then, from out of nowhere, a loud shout was made which made the singer jump.

                Daehyun???

               Heart racing, Youngjae dashed out of the store when he heard a second shout. He did find Daehyun. But Daehyun was being gagged with white rags and tied up in ropes by two large men.  They carried him into a black van parked right outside of the store. The last thing the frightened singer remembered before they sped off was the driver, who turned back to look at him, face clad in a white mask. And just as quickly as they took him, they were gone. They were gone with Daehyun. With Daehyun. 

A/N: Here's the first part! This will be a weird story, just to warn you guys ;o;
Also in case anyone is curious, this fic was purely inspired by this photo: link
My imagination got to the better of me that day xD