Youngbae started driving towards his own house once they were all in the car - or more specifically, the woods behind his house.

"Would he really go in there?" Daesung sounded anxious. "After what happened to Youngbae?"

"Did you ever figure out why they did that to me?" Youngbae demanded, taking a turn onto his own street. "Or how Kwon whipped out that fire extinguisher in like two seconds?"

Seungri didn't know how to answer any of those questions. He didn't even know how to speak words anymore. Seeing his crush breath a pillar of fire and chuck fireballs at his face kind of took a lot out of him.

"So you're...in love with Kwon Jiyong?" Youngbae said conversationally.

"Ah, cute, cute," Daesung chimed in, slapping the side of Seungri's car seat from behind.

Seungri ground his teeth together to calm himself before opening his mouth. "I'm not in love with him. I just kind of like him a little."

"Bull ," Youngbae scoffed, parking in his driveway and hopping out of the car. "Why don't you just call him?"

"I did, he didn't answer --"

"No, I mean to tell him how you feel. If you're too afraid to tell him in person."

Seungri threw his hands up in the air. "I'm not talking to you right now, Dong Youngbae."

"We should split up," Daesung suggested. "Look in different places. He could be anywhere."

They agreed that would be best. Ten minutes later Seungri was riding Youngbae's bike around town, weaving along streets, scanning the crowds for Jiyong's hood or wild hair. Daesung searched his own and Seungri's neighborhood, while Youngbae looked around the school. None of them wanted to go in the woods, so none of them did. It was as simple as that.

In the past couple of weeks, looking for people hadn't been too difficult. Seungri found Jiyong in the woods without too much of a struggle and he found Youngbae on a doorstep knocked out.

So he didn't expect not to find Jiyong.

He didn't expect not to find Jiyong for two days.

Three days.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Seven.

Seungri stopped his mom from calling the police for six days. On the seventh it didn't work out as well.

"He'll get in trouble, Mom," Seungri tried to plead with her as she pulled out her phone for the eight hundredth time. "The police will find out that he isn't living at home and--"

"Honey." Mrs. Lee looked at her son steadily. "Fix your priorities. Do you want him dead? Or do you want him in trouble?"

"He isn't dead, he can fend for himself," Seungri said impatiently. "Please, Mom..."

She ignored him and dialed the number.

Boy Missing. If found, call (XXX)-XXX-XXXX

The fliers were posted everywhere. The black letters and phone number were positioned right above an older picture of an unsmiling Jiyong, staring blankly at the camera with his hood up. Not the smiling Jiyong Seungri knew - but then again, nobody seemed to know that side of him.

Eleven days after the incident in the empty field, Seungri curled up in bed alone with his eyes squeezed shut. He tried his hardest to catch a wink of sleep, but it never came.

At one o'clock in the morning, his phone lit up and vibrated, causing Seungri to jerk back a little bit in fright. He peered at the glowing screen:

1:03 - I'm sorry, Seungri. I didn't think this would happen. This is all my fault. -Youngbae

Seungri sighed and tapped the reply button.

1:03 - You had a point. You're the normal one in this case -Seungri

There was a short pause as Seungri swiped absently back and forth on his screen, waiting for his cousin to respond.

1:06 - Maybe normal isn't always right, eh? -Youngbae

Seungri smiled to himself.

1:07 - I just hope he's ok -Seungri

1:07 - Is there a chance he's with Seunghyun? -Youngbae

Seungri frowned. He hadn't thought of that, but it wasn't likely. Seunghyun was too busy being famous and loved to shelter his runaway nephew.

1:08 - I don't think so. Seunghyun is too busy. -Seungri

Another short pause later, Youngbae replied.

1:11 - Go to sleep, little cousin. It's past your bedtime :P -Youngbae

Seungri chuckled slightly.

1:12 - Kbye -Seungri

He turned off his phone after that and reached over to place it on his bedside table, when suddenly a soft tap sounded on his window.

Slightly freaked out, Seungri swiveled around and stared. A dark figure was crouched like a ninja on the tiny ledge outside the window, staring at Seungri with a completely masked face other than two almond-shaped eyes...intelligent and wise looking...

"Holy ," Seungri whispered, shaking noticeably as he approached the window and pulled it open. A cool wind blew in as the figure hopped onto the floor next to Seungri's bed, landing without causing as much as a creak in the floorboards.

Seungri reached behind himself and switched on the bedside lamp, not looking away from the new occupant of his bedroom.

The figure got to his feet, pulled down his hood, and pulled off his ski mask, revealing a dirt-caked and exhausted looking Kwon Jiyong.

Seungri didn't say anything. He just stood there in his white t-shirt and boxers with his fists clenched at his sides.

"I need your help," Jiyong said flatly.

Seungri continued to stare. Jiyong looked different somehow - tougher, angier, and sadder all at the same time. He looked like he did in the fliers. "What is it?"

"Can I...stay here just for the night? Seunghyun can pick me up in the morning."

He was being distant. That was it. Terrifyingly distant. Seungri realized he wouldn't even look the maknae straight in the eyes

"You can stay her