It was a beautiful day outside, the bright sunlight casting the city in its warm glow, the light breeze running through and practically begging Baekho to come outside and play. It was only halfway through the winter but it was one of those rare days of sunshine, a day in which nothing bad should have happened.

Baekho ate breakfast quickly before heading off for school, the bus on schedule and full of friendly smiles for the athletic star. He was surprised to not see his next door neighbor and one-time best friend Minhyun there; the tall boy was always at the bus stop before Baekho, though ever since their falling out back in September, they hadn't spoken. With a shrug, Baekho took a seat near the window and put his ipod on, letting the music drown out any negative thoughts as he tried to focus on the day. He had his homework done and in his folder inside of his backpack, and it seemed as if the day would go smoothly.

School came easily to him, something like a natural talent of his. He admitted that he was pretty good at anything he tried his hand at, to be honest; sports were like second nature, music was his passion, schoolwork was simple. He fit in well with pretty much any crowd and was quite popular due to that and his easygoing nature. Any crowd, that is, except the one that Minhyun had been hanging out with as of late. It had been the source of their falling out, actually; Baekho and Minhyun had been close since they were pre-schoolers, all the way into their senior year of high school here. Music had been the glue that held them together, and even when Baekho was deeply involved in sports he would find the time to spend with Minhyun making music. 

But then the tall boy had gone away for the summer, right after junior year, visiting his older cousin down in Jeju. It had been a trip that Baekho had desperately wanted to go on, too, but his soccer camp was in the middle of summer, too, and if he wanted to play in senior year, he had to attend. And so he'd waved goodbye to his best friend on the bus, not realizing that the boy who came back from Jeju would be a completely different person.

He truly was, from the way he dressed and spoke to his sudden uncaring attitude. The Minhyun that Baekho had grown up with had always been the type to laugh quickly when he was happy and drown his sorrows into songs when he was sad, but the one who came back was sullen, never happy, pale and angry. It didn't take Baekho long to find out that he'd picked up a habit in Jeju, one that couldn't easily be beaten. His older cousin apparently dabbled in there and Minhyun had brought the habit back with him. Unsure of how to respond to Minhyun sharing his new secret, Baekho had distanced himself, unwilling to be caught up in the mess when Minhyun's addiction was brought into the open. His new distance had led to a fight, though, and only two months after his best friend had come home, the two of them were no longer on speaking terms.

It was sad, something that tore Baekho up inside every time he saw Minhyun, but the tall boy had moved on quickly. Found new friends who shared his vices, friends who could augment his addictions and move him into something darker. The first time Baekho saw him hanging around with the no-good crowd, he'd wanted to go over and grab Minhyun's arm, drag him away from those people, say he was sorry and that he'd help Minhyun get straight. He didn't, though, only watched from afar as his best friend slipped further and further away from him.

It was now February and Baekho hadn't spoken to Minhyun in over five months.The bus pulled to a stop, and after pushing the other boy out of his thoughts, Baekho grabbed his bag and stood, shouldering it and heading into the school with a smile plastered on his face. It would do no good to have people thinking he was angry, and so he put on the mask and went through his day.

It all went smoothly, easily, no classes offering any real challenge for him, and so when he returned home it was with a light heart. He hadn't seen Minhyun on the bus home, either, but he rarely did; the other boy preferred to spend his time after school hanging out with that pretty loser, Ren. That is, if they didn't ditch class before it even began. 

Pushing open his front door, Baekho called a greeting to his mom as he kicked off his shoes. He moved to head up the stairs to go start on his homework, but a voice called him into the family room instead. He obediently followed, his smile back on his face, but it faltered when he saw who sat opposite his mother on the couch. 

"Hi, Baekho," Mrs. Hwang said softly, her eyes red rimmed as she scooted to one side to make room for him to sit. It had been a while since he'd seen her, the months of not hanging around with Minhyun keeping him from visiting their house. He offered her a smile as he sat down beside her, his gaze flickering to his own mother in question as to what was going on.

"Have you seen Minhyun today?" his mom jumped straight to the point, and a small hiccup escaped Mrs. Hwang at the other woman's words. Baekho glanced between them, confusion knitting his brow, and slowly replied that he had not. Mrs. Kang proceeded to explain that the tall teen hadn't come home the previous night, and when they searched his room this morning they'd found traces of drugs. Baekho felt guilty as he wondered if he should have told someone all those months ago, and when Mrs. Hwang turned to look at him, he almost spilled the truth then and there.

Her cheeks were tear-streaked and she was hiccuping, trying to keep her emotions under control. "I had no idea he was into that," she said, fresh tears slipping from her eyes, and she dabbed at them with a tissue clutched tightly in her hand. "Please, Baekho, if you know anything. I know you've been... away... from him, but if you know where he might be, can you please find him? And bring him home. He's my baby," her voice hitched at the last word and Baekho felt a lump form in his own throat as he wrestled with how much he should or could say and do. He glanced at his mother, and with a kind look at Mrs. Hwang, Mrs. Kang stood and motioned for her son to follow her.

He did so, with one more look at the woman falling to pieces on their couch, then entered the kitchen with his mother. She opened the pantry door and stepped into the small room, him right behind her, and once it was closed she turned to him with a soft expression. 

"I know the two of you had a... falling out last fall. I don't know nor care if it was over this stupidity of the Hwang boy's. But Baekho, if you know where he could be, please do find him and tell him to come home."

He shifted uncomfortably, his mother's bluntness a little too close for comfort, then met her eyes hesitantly. "But what about the police? Surely they're on this, he's a minor for crying out loud."

His mom was shaking her head even before Baekho finished speaking, her lips tight in a line of disgust. "No, those s came to the Hwang's house and simply told them that teens do this all the time, he'll be back. If he isn't home in 24 hours they will begin the search, but..." she trailed off, her eyes boring into Baekho, and he could finish her sentence in his mind.

24 hours could very well be too late for Minhyun.

He found himself agreeing, and that in turn found him standing outside of the half falling down house in which he knew that Minhyun spent a lot of his time these days. Baekho had his hands shoved into the pockets of his puffy coat, the winter air already changing the day drastically from the nice warmth it had promised and into the biting cold of the night. The sun was nearly set, casting the whole area into an almost supernatural glow, and Baekho fought back the shiver of misgiving that threatened to come over him. He could do this. He had to, not only for Minhyun but for his mother.

Stepping up to the door, he placed his hand firmly on the center and pushed; it was warped and no longer held closed by the handle, and the force of his shove opened it enough for him to slip through, having to duck to avoid knocking his head on the sagging frame. He could smell the scent of freshly melted wax in the air, a sign that candles had been burning here not too long ago, but the front room was junk-filled and dirty with no place for anyone to sit. He moved through it carefully, wary of stepping on a hidden nail, and entered the other room in time to see the back end of a foot slipping out the door.

"Minhyun!" he called, moving quickly across the room, his foot catching