As soon as Jiho had left, Jiyong was sure he would somehow die today.

Jiho wouldn't make it back in time. How long would it take the other kidnappers to show up, looking for their hostages and their missing member?

Jiyong couldn't stop the tears streaming down his face as fear was crushing his chest. He tried to breathe calmly but kept wondering whether he should have tried and go with Jiho. He had declined Jiho's offer to hide outside because he felt like his presence could slow the kidnappers down, calm them, cosy them along... and he was sure that saying goodbye to Jiho would've been even harder if they had taken the step of seeing daylight again together.

He sighed. How much time had passed since Jiho's departure? An hour, at most. Maybe - he had lost the ability to track time accurately in the last few days.

When he heard the kidnapper two rooms over suddenly starting to yell and bang his door, Jiyong flinched and started wishing he would already be dead when they would come for him.

And they would, sooner or later.

Jiyong reached for the doorhandle, somehow associating it with Jiho and found the door still open. He pondered, weighing his options, then he pulled himself to his feet and limped into the next room. It was just an empty hallway between him and the door that led outside. He realized he still clutched to Zico's scarf. Probably, he would need both hands soon. He coiled it around his neck, as he didn't want to leave it behind.

The kidnapper started throwing a rampage over there, so Jiyong closed the door behind him. He stopped crying as his brain tried to work something out.

It was too early for dinner. Yet, a kidnapper had appeared, unarmed and alone, so he hadn't come to threaten them again or to make a new video of them.

Maybe he came to announce something to us?

“Handover”, crossed Jiyong's mind immediately. His heart leapt in his chest as he realized that if he had just guessed correct, everything was about to go wrong because Jiho had escaped. The kidnappers wouldn't be able to do the handover for Jiho, and they could easily guess when Jiho had escaped, the police would soon be here. Jiyong doubted they would still try to handover only him.

“They'll leave. And they'll either kill me or take me with them.”, Jiyong whispered and limped to the door that lead outside, praying that Jiho had left it unlocked as well.

He was lucky. Stopping at the foot of the stairs, he blinked into the sun and greedily took a deep breath. It felt good to be outside again. He had no time to loose, though.

When he dragged himself upstairs, he cursed himself for not going with Jiho who could've helped him. He had to pause halfway up and struggled for air. Although he cringed in pain that was emanating from his ribcage and had to lean heavily against the handrail, he was determined of his plan to hide somewhere in the factory premises. Before it had seemed senseless to him. But now...

He went on, even though he now had to halfway jump up the stairs on one foot, halfway drag himself upwards along the handrail.

If the kidnappers would flee before the police arrived, they could either leave without Jiyong – what would be very much to his liking – or they could decide to take him with them. Then they would have to search the whole premises, buying time for Jiho and the police.

them. If they want me, they'll first have to find me.

He hesitated briefly when he finally reached the top to catch his breath again, then turned to the left towards several small storehouses, some old containers and a huge tank. Yet undecided where to hide, he desperately scanned the locations. Climbing wasn't possible, so he dismissed the tank and the containers.

In front of one of the storehouses was a trapdoor, probably leading to its cellar. He knew he wasn't in the condition of strolling around the location for ever. He had to find a safe hiding place as soon as possible. Even though he hated the idea of going underground again, he knelt down and tried to open the hatch. It was closed. He got up with a moan again, not that disappointed, and froze on the spot, suddenly scared someone could've followed him. He glanced over his shoulder, verifying he was only being paranoid, then limped towards the large steel doors hanging open. The hinges were rusted and darkness greeted Jiyong when he entered. His heart cramped in his chest as he walked deeper into the dusty room. The windows, opaque with dirt, looked like dead eyes to him.

Tools were scattered on the ground and he almost ran into an anvil which suddenly popped up behind a broken shelf. He thought of Jiho and how angsty he had become in this single-cell. Now Jiyong could very much relate, as he found himself about to panic – the darkness, his injuries handicapping him, the scattered stuff that obscured his way, as well as the possibility to have the gangsters on his heels every second really strained his nerves. He would not be able to run away.

He shuddered and looked for anyplace to hide.

In the farthest corner was a bulky, cylindrical machine. Jiyong limped towards it, he guessed it could be a furnace. His breath was stinging painfully in his chest now and he decided that maybe indeed a rib was broken. A barrow without a tyre was propped against the wall next to the furnace, and as Jiyong didn't feel like he would be able to walk any further, he approached it and carefully moved it. He flinched as it made a scratching sound on the floor. Dirty cobwebs hung behind it, a huge spider scampered away as it felt its home moving.

Jiyong shuddered.

No. Just no.

He was about to prop the barrow back against the wall when he heard them: They were seemingly leaving the main building he had just escaped, cursing, yelling and fighting amongst each other.

His heart stopped for a second and he froze on the spot.

Then, as he heard them starting to run around the premises, he lifted the barrow with newly found strength, carried it away from the cobwebs and covered between it and the wall, pulling the tool as silently as possible close to him.

Maybe they wouldn't search for him at all. Maybe they'd just leave. Maybe the police would arrive soon.

He cowered there, waiting, almost ceased to breathe, eyes closed shut and tried to hear where they were. Someone passed outside the window above his head to the right.

“He has to be here! He can't run, I'm tellin' you! Made sure of it myself!”

Jiyong flinched when he heard the voice shouting out angrily to its companions.

Oh, how well he remembered that voice and that tone.

“Yeah, and that Zico- couldn't have carried him. That bastard only tries to play hide n' seek with us.” That was the slender guy Jiho had knocked out.

A rough laughter. “But that Zico is stronger than you.”

The guy that had seized him in this room back then. It seemed like an eternity ago. He had left Jiyong at the mercy of his crazy, knife-wielding brother.

“Now make sure you find him, idiots!”

The voices faded as the men walked by, Jiyong didn't understand the aggressive answer of the smaller guy anymore.

Yeah, go off into another direction, please. I'm not even here.

His relief was only for a short while, as the reassuring silence, telling him he was alone and therefore safe, seemed to get thicker and started disturbing him. Having his knees pulled up to his chest sent a burning pain through his body with every breath he took. But he didn't dare moving, so he breathed as shallowly as possible.

It was silent for several minutes.

Then someone entered the room.

“You want to play, ha?”

Jiyong almost choked on his own breath and felt panic raise inside him.

“When I find you, this will be the last game you played for a long time, I promise. But I might change my mind if you come out right now.”

It wasn't the crazy father of the two younger guys with his knife, but his brother.

Jiyong wondered why always this guy had to be the one to find him in places Jiyong couldn't escape from. Was it fate or some bull like that?

The man strolled across the room.

“I can see you right there! Come out, don't make me walk over to you!”

Jiyong felt his heartbeat race in his head. He couldn't breathe and felt like he would faint any second. He was sure the man couldn't know he was hiding in here. And it was impossible to see him unless the barrow was removed. The kidnapper said these words in every room he searched, to lure him out, for sure.

But the words worked, nevertheless. Jiyong heard his own blood rushing through his head so loud he almost couldn't hear he kidnapper's steps over the noise.

He heard the man toss against the shelf and thought of Jiho, wished for the younger to be with him right now. This situation could not be beared by a single human!

The steps were drawing closer and stopped in front of the barrow.

“Oh, I see. Clever, but not clever enough.”, the voice was soft, dripping with malice.

Jiyong wished to be dead.

Then, with a terrible screeching sound, the barrow was pulled aside and Jiyong squeezed his eyes shut. He felt fingers dig into his hair and jerkily got tugged to his feet. He groaned loudly in pain.

“Sooo, it's me and you again.”

Jiyong opened one eye. He hadn't seen any of their faces until now. They had taken off their masks, apparently they didn't care about their anonymity anymore. Jiyong knew this could be a death sentence to him.

“So sorry for what happened to your friend... You know, we caught him a few minutes ago a mile to the south, trying to run away. Took a bullet to the head.”

The man put two fingers to his head and made a gesture like shooting himself.

Jiyong stopped breathing for a second. But the guy was lying, for sure.

“It's a shame we won't get his ransom now. But better than risking anything, you know?”

The man dragged him towards the door, shaking his hand violently, making Jiyong's head jerk around. Jiyong grabbed the man's wrist, trying to stop him, but to no avail. He stumbled along, stifling his whimpers and blinded by tears. He felt dizzy and disoriented, pain and fear for Jiho were numbing his thoughts.

They hadn't shot Jiho, had they?

“Don't cry too much over him, however.”, the kidnapper said. “Better cry for yourself. Messing with us was the wrong decision...”

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A/N: Ha, I made it in time =D Thank you for reading! I really appreciate there are peoplo who like this story :3