Day 28

“K.. Kyu? Are you okay?”

Kyuhyun shook his head. Because what else was how else was he supposed to respond? His boyfriend, his lover, had been missing. And it wasn’t just for a few hours. It had already been twenty-eight days. In another two more days, SM was going to call off the search party. How was Kyuhyun supposed to hope for anything else when he had waited and waited and waited all these time? Each time he received a call from the police, he prayed that it’d be good news but there never was. And there never was going to be.

“He’s gone, isn’t he, hyung?” Kyuhyun whispered. “Ryeowook’s never coming back isn’t he, hyung?”

Sungmin couldn’t say anything else. He smiled apologetically and rubbed Kyuhyun’s back to give him a silent support. Seeing Kyuhyun so sad like this…. Sungmin wanted to do everything and anything just to get that smile or even annoying smirk back.

“There’s still two more days, Kyu.” Sungmin urged. “Don’t give up hoping.”

Kyuhyun stared out of the window for a long time. His face was stoic, expresioneless. But Sungmin knew… Sungmin knew that Kyuhyun was beyond heartbroken, Kyuhyun was beyond sad. Kyuhyun was depressed. Kyuhyun was desperate.

Kyuhyun shook his head, his hands. “He’s not coming back, hyung.”

“He wouldn’t survive it out there, hyung! You don’t know him! NO ONE DOES!” Kyuhyun suddenly shouted. “He can’t survive out there alone!”

“Kyu! Have some faith in Ryeowook!’

Kyuhyun shook his head, sliding down against the wall. “He needs me, hyung. And I’m not there with him.”

“He can’t survive out there alone, hyung.”

Reaching out, Sungmin hugged the magnae who was sobbing now. Sungmin gently his hair and whispered encouraging words to Kyuhyun. Sungmin wasn’t dumb. He knew that Ryeowook couldn’t make it alone too. But… He didn’t think that Ryeowook would be gone forever. Ryeowook was going to come back. Right now, what was important first was cheering Kyuhyun up. That was what mattered for now.

“Hyung,” Kyuhyun whispered.

Kyuhyun suddenly pulled Sungmin close to him, their lips inches apart. Feeling like his heart had been pulled out of his chest, Sungmin’s breath hitched. Should he push Kyuhyun away? But… Kyuhyun was so close, Sungmin could feel his warmth. They used to love doing this. Loved being so close like this.

“Sungmin hyung,” Kyuhyun’s lips slowly brushed against Sungmin’s. “Please, please make me forget about everything.”

***

“So, you’re the little er huh?”

Struggling out from the guard’s grip on him, Ryeowook leaped forward and winched when he felt his stomach being kicked. Ryeowook fell down to the ground, feeling his mouth full of blood. Spatting the blood out, Ryeowook wiped them with the back of his hands.

“Don’t hurt him!” Ryeowook panted. “Please! He’s only sixteen!”

A large man covered in tattoos, cupped Ryeowook’s face. “Age don’t matter around here, sweetheart.”

Ryeowook could hear the men grabbing Jae behind him. Trying to struggle out from the tattooed man’s grip, Ryeowook screamed in frustration when he couldn’