Carat Cafe huh... Jihoon thought as he got out his phone. Typing in the address, it looked as though it was only a 6 minute walk away from the inn which would explain why it was Seungcheol's favorite cafe. I guess I should update Jeonghan and Jisoo where I am. As if the two had read his mind his phone lit up with Jisoo's name. He answered it quickly. 

"Hey Jihoon, how's your roommate?" Jisoo asked kindly. 

"I don't know yet," Jihoon sighed. "I haven't found him." 

"You haven't found him?" Jisoo asked, prompting Jeonghan next to him to let out a loud "What?!" clear enough for Jihoon to hear. 

"Yeah. I went to the inn and waited for him but he never showed. After a while I found another notebook scrap telling me to go to the Carat Cafe, so I'm walking there now." Jihoon then put the call on speaker so he could follow the map to the cafe. "It's pretty close so I hope I catch him." 

"I don't understand why you just can't meet him at your home. I mean, he lives there too and is bound to come back eventually." Jeonghan said blatantly, now on the line. Jihoon groaned at his statement. That would have been so much easier, why didn't he think of it? 

"Don't give him a hard time!" Jisoo scolded. "This is just a fun adventure. I bet Seungcheol is just a really interesting guy." Jisoo always had a way of making everything positive and good. 

"You're right Jisoo. He definitely seems interesting to say the least." Jihoon fiddled with the notes in his pocket, particularly interested in the scrap that wasn't written for him. Was that a diary entry? Why was it there? And what was that weird guy he saw? He thought about bringing it up to the couple but then realized he was about to be at the cafe. They probably wouldn't believe him anyway. "Hey, guys? I got to go. I'll call you back in a few." The couple cheerily said bye as he hung up the phone. He was there. 

Carat Cafe was old, to be nice about it. It was a small building with weeds growing up the walls. This wasn't for aesthetic but purely due to overgrowth. The letters were hung all crooked above the door, making Jihoon slightly afraid to go in. He peered through a window but unfortunately due to dust couldn't see anything. You sure like run-down places, Seungcheol. 

Jihoon pushed the door open, surprised to hear slow piano music and see real-live people drinking coffee. "Hello!" a thin boy from behind the counter greeted him. Jihoon walked up to him, checking out all the other people in the shop. There were three other boys besides the one behind the counter and any of them could be Seungcheol. "How can I help you?" the boy asked politely. 

"I'm looking for a, uh, friend actually," Jihoon started. The boy, who's name tag said "Minghao", cocked his head to the side. "Do you know of a boy name Seungcheol?" 

Minghao's face instantly lit up with a smile. "Seungcheollie! Of course, I know him!" Upon saying that, the other three boys in the shop slowly gravitated towards the counter. 

"He was a regular here," A cheeky boy said, hopping up onto a barstool next to Jihoon. "Literally came in every single day! Sometimes not even to buy anything, but to just chat with us." 

"Are you a friend of his?" A taller boy asked quietly.

Jihoon nodded. Finally, he was getting somewhere in this search. "I just came from the inn a block away. He told me to meet him there, but when I arrived he was gone. He then told me to come here, so now I'm here." 

"Wait, you talked to him?" the final boy asked sassily. Jihoon nodded and the boy scoffed. "Well, it's good to know he's alive at least, that jerk." 

"Seungkwan, stop being bitter." the boy from the stool said. "Sorry, as much as we love Seungcheol, he's kind of a sensitive topic around here." 

"Oh, why?" Jihoon asked looking around at the frowning faces. 

"You might as well take a seat and get a drink," The boy named Seungkwan said sassily. He sauntered over to the espresso maker and flipped it on. "I'll make you a strong cup." 

Soon enough, everyone was settled at a table in the corner of the shop. Jihoon wondered what customers would think if they walked in but then again he doubted many people would want to get coffee from such a run-down little shop to begin with. 

"So for starters, I'm Seokmin. I'm the owner of this shop along with my younger brother, Seungkwan." the boy from the stool started. "Minghao, who was behind the counter, and Junhui, our quiet friend here, are our only two employees. If you can't tell, this place isn't doing too well. In fact, this is the last week we'll be open," Seokmin sighed. "We're all here today to discuss the logistics of closing and the preparations that need to be done." 

"I'm so sorry to hear that," Jihoon said frowning. 

"No need to pretend to be sad," Seungkwan said rolling his eyes. "The only person that should feel upset is Seungcheol, he loved this place more than anyone. So save your fake sympathy." 

"What my brother means is, Seungcheol really believed in this cafe more than the average customer," Seokmin said, apologizing for his brother's aggressive sassy nature. Jihoon almost felt bad for Seungcheol for pissing that guy off. 

 "Seungcheol didn't just believe in the cafe, he believed in us," Junhui said. "He was the only person that kept coming back, kept being encouraging, and kept us positive when things weren't doing too great." 

"He was our number one support group, not just our number one customer," Minghao added in. Seungcheol sounded...nice. Jihoon was beginning to doubt him due to this massive goose chase he was on, but it seemed like he was a pretty standup guy. 

"He also ended up putting a lot of money in the cafe to help us out. He told us we didn't need to pay him back as long as we promised to stay open as long as he lived. And now here we are, having to close due to lack of business and we can't even apologize to the guy who supported us the most." Seokmin put a fist on the table. "So you... You have to tell us where he is!" 

Jihoon leaned back in his seat. Another dead end. "I am incredibly sorry but I don't know. He told me in a letter that he'd be here." 

"In a letter? Let us see," Seungkwan demanded. Jihoon sighed and placed the notebook scrap on the table. Seungkwan picked it up, "What is this trash?" 

"The letter," Jihoon stated. Seungkwan must have read it at least 10 times before setting it back down. "Well?" 

"It's his handwriting for sure. I know that perfect script anywhere." 

Junhui picked up then gasped. "So does that mean he's coming by here?" 

Jihoon fidgeted in his seat. "He should be here by now from my understanding..." 

Seungkwan sighed and Minghao said what they all were thinking. "So he's not coming?" 

Jihoon knew he needed to get these boys spirits up immediately no matter how frustrated he personally was by this situation. They were already upset about closing, thinking about Seungcheol who was so special to them would only make it worse. "Hey, is there anything I could do to help you guys out?" The boys looked confused. "I know this week is probably hard on you guys, so do you need anything done? I'm an excellent duster!" 

Seokmin burst out in laughter. "We can't make you clean for us! Plus this place is tiny, it's barely enough work for the four of us. Thank you for the offer though." His smile became wide while speaking. For this first time since being in the cafe, Jihoon felt welcomed. Even though Seungcheol wasn't here, he didn't just want to dip. He wanted to see why Seungcheol made him come here, what he liked about it.

"Well, could I get another cup of coffee?" Jihoon asked, Minghao already getting up and walking over to the counter. "Just an iced Americano with a double shot of espresso." 

"That was Seungcheol's drink of choice too." Seungkwan murmured under his breath before getting up from the table and heading outside to cool off. 

"You'll have to excuse his behavior, it's nothing personal," Seokmin frowned. "He really admired Seungcheol a lot. I wasn't always the best older brother when the cafe first started and Seungcheol could see that so he stepped up and filled in that role. He has a younger brother of his own so it was only natural for him."

Jihoon's attention was caught. "He has a younger brother?" 

Seokmin nodded and looked confused. "Aren't you one of his friends? Why don't you know that? He talks about him constantly," 

Jihoon rubbed the back of his neck. "We're actually just newly roommates. I haven't even met him yet if I'm being honest."  

Seokmin laughed loudly. "So you haven't met him, but you're following him through scraps of paper he's leaving behind for you?" Jihoon nodded, just now realizing how absurd it sounded. Seokmin only smiled, shaking his head. "Yeah, that really does sound like Seungcheol. Feel free to look around here, maybe he did somehow manage to leave you a clue." 

Getting up from his table, Jihoon looked around the cafe. It was very rustic looking, or it could just be worn down, he couldn't quite tell. The lights were soft making him feel as though it was night time, and the piano music didn't help but add to the sleepy vibe. As the staff began to work on coffee and cleaning, the atmosphere began to change. From tired and empty to charming and unique, the shop suddenly felt completely different. This must have been a reason Seungcheol liked it so much. 

Jihoon looked around each table but didn't find anything. Then he thought of something. "Did Seungcheol have a favorite spot to sit?" Jihoon asked no one in particular. 

"Over at the end of the bar," Junhui pointed.

The spot was definitely dusty. The red barstool was worn down and coffee rings marked the countertop up. Some miscellaneous writing was carved into the top as well as little doodles of suns and moons. Jihoon sat down in the stool that let out a puff air resembling a fart. Embarrassed, he immediately stood back up. He looked at the stool and realized it did that due to a tiny rip in the seam. 

There's no way... Jihoon thought as he peered at the seam. He ran a finger along it and then slid it in carefully at the widest tear. He felt something wrinkled at his touch. He pulled out a small slip of paper. 

This _____ will go nowhere. I've donated time and money all for it to ________

Like everything in my ______. Nothing is worth it. Maybe I should _______ 

 & they'll have to close. That is the deal.  

Random words throughout the note were cut off but Jihoon knew. This was from Seungcheol and it definitely wasn't speaking highly of his beloved cafe. Jihoon quietly pocketed the note before the staff could see. It probably was for the best they didn't know he had left such an angry-sounding note. But why was it in his stool? Jihoon wanted to think that maybe he left it there a long time ago, but it didn't make sense for it to be physically inside the stool. He decided he'd go to the bathroom to read over it again, just to make sure it was really from Seungcheol. 

The bathroom was the cleanest part of the cafe by far. It was small, the locked didn't work, and the lights were still dim, but there was no trace of the rustic vibe from the main area here. It was almost modern looking. Jihoon leaned on the sink, placing every note he had gotten out on the counter in front of him. He gathered what he knew. They were all on scraps of paper, all written by hand in blue ink, and all by the same person- hopefully, Seungcheol. Something however nagged at Jihoon's thoughts. His tone of voice. Some of the notes, the ones that were written for him, were friendly. They were inviting and seemingly happy. The ones not written for him, however, were different. They were sad sounding. As if the notes came from two very different Seungcheol's. Maybe they were from a long time ago? They probably weren't for Jihoon to ever find, but that's on Seungcheol for losing scraps of paper everywhere. 

Jihoon glanced over the paper scraps one more time, before gathering them back up and sticking them in his pocket. As he turned around the leave, the sink suddenly . Huh, I must have bumped it. Jihoon thought, turning to switch it off. The sink, however, wasn't running. Pouring out of the sink was a dark red liquid, so thick it began to clog and overflow. Jihoon stepped back in fear as the liquid started to drip onto the clean tile flooring. A metallic scent filled the tiny room as Jihoon backed up against the door. It was blood. Galloons of blood. Gushing out onto the floor, flooding the room he was in. He reached for the doorknob but to his horror, couldn't find it. He faced the door, praying to find the handle when he froze. 

There wasn't one. The door was the same but the rustic metal handle was missing. Completely gone. As if it never existed. Jihoon fell to his knees, hands clawing at the spot where the doorknob used to be, feeling his eyes begin to water. The blood was already covering the entire bathroom tile, soaking his pants as he kneeled on the floor, the metallic scent becoming overwhelming. Jihoon jumped up and rushed over to the toilet, slipping through the blood that coated the floor. He lifted the seat cover and instantly began puking due to the scent. As he puked he heard the creaking of a door open and then a slam close. 

"Ha...ha...ha..." The lights turned off. Jihoon stared down at his own vomit, too afraid to turn around as the familiar laughter continued. It was the same as at the inn. Jihoon knew instantly who it was. The deformed man. He was here. 

"Ha...ha...ha..."  a hand gently placed itself on his shoulder, its long fingers curling into his skin. The fingernail, rugged and long, dug through his shirt piercing his skin. Jihoon cried out, wanting to vomit more from the pain he felt. "Ha. Ha. Ha," the man laughed harder and louder, digging deeper down. Jihoon closed his eyes, screaming louder from the pain, as the blood continued to rise higher and higher. 

"Please stop!" He yelled, trying to pull away from the man who only held on tighter. The more he struggled the faster the blood poured in. 

"Hey!" Jihoon was pulled swiftly away from the toilet and thrown down onto the floor of the bathroom, blood coating his body. With his eyes still closed, he curled up into a ball, holding his knees to his chest. 

"Hey!" the voice said again, tapping his shoulder aggressively. It wasn't the man this time. Jihoon opened one eye, seeing no red blood but only water surrounding his body. Slowly, he sat up to see Seungkwan looking at him with a concerned expression. "What the hell was happening in here?" 

Jihoon glanced around the room. He was in the bathroom still, but there wasn't any trace of blood. The door was flung open thanks to the unlockable handle which was suddenly back. Most importantly the man was completely gone. He touched his shoulder but felt not marks or scratches. Nothing made sense. 

"I asked you a question," Seungkwan said annoyed. "And don't say 'nothing'. You left the sink running, we could hear you puking from the outside of the cafe, as well as crying. So what happened?" By this time the other staff members, who had been watching from afar, had gathered up close.  

"I-I think I'm just tired. I thought I saw a, um, roach and it really scared me. I have a serious fear because they're so, uh, gross. So that's why I screamed and threw up." Jihoon lied terribly through his teeth. There was no way in hell he could tell them about the deformed man, the disappearing doorknob, or the blood. They would think he was completely insane. Though he may as well be.

Seungkwan stood up and walked away. "You're an idiot." He yelled over his shoulder.

"Hey, don't, uh, feel bad or embarrassed. We all have phobias. And the water is an easy cleanup."  Seokmin said awkwardly. "Just, are you sure you're okay?" 

"Yeah, I promise!" Jihoon said, standing up off the ground. "I just got really startled." Startled. That wasn't even half of what he was feeling right now. His heart was still beating a mile a minute. What the hell did he just experience? Was he delusional? 

"Come with me and I'll get you some fresh clothes," Minghao said, gently guiding Jihoon to the backroom since his were soaking wet. "I hope you don't mind dressing like an employee though." Minghao handed him a fresh, but dusty, uniform shirt and pants as well as a pair of black shoes. "Sorry if it doesn't fit, it's all that we have. You can change in here, I'll go back out front." 

Jihoon quickly slipped on the uniform, which was probably two sizes too big, and looked at himself in the workroom mirror. He felt like an idiot, just like Seungkwan had said, and now he looked like one too. He rubbed his hands on his face, trying to erase the memory of blood filling the bathroom. That was not normal and no sane person would have experienced that.. he thought, looking at himself again in the mirror. As he stared at himself, he noticed something on the bulletin board behind him. 

"It can't be," he murmured out loud. He turned around and sure enough, a note with his name written in blue ink was hung on the board. He grabbed it almost furious to find it. He was getting sick of the game. 

Jihoonie~ 

Did you like the cafe? I had to run, but I hoped my friends treated you nicely. 

Please come meet me at Pledis Hospital. Call the number below for a free cab ride. 

See you soon!! 

Seungcheollie 

 "You have got to be kidding me right now." Jihoon groaned. Another freaking place to go to. Jihoon wanted to scream. This boy was testing his patience to the extreme. But it did say hospital, so maybe something happened? Why couldn't they just exchange numbers and talk like regular people?  

He walked out into the cafe, being greeted with anxious looks. He knew they were worried about him. He would be too if a random person screamed and threw up all over his bathroom too. He forced a smile and pulled out his wallet. He grimaced as he grabbed the last of his money out of it. "Please take this." He said, offering it to Seokmin who looked confused. "You all have been so nice to me, welcoming me in here even though you're busy, and telling me about Seungcheol even though it was difficult. I know I've been a pain, so please take this." 

"We can't take your money." Seokmin laughed, pushing Jihoon's hand away.  

Jihoon pushed his hand back forward. "Please, I insist. Take it," He put the money on the counter, pleading Seokmin with his eyes. Seokmin finally smiled, realizing Jihoon would probably just leave his money there if he refused again, and gathered it up. 

"Thank you. We really appreciate it," Jihoon smiled at this then pulled out his phone and started towards the door.

"Wait!" Seungkwan said quickly grabbing Jihoon's shoulder. Jihoon turned around and faced the usually sassy boy to see him looking down, not making eye contact. "When you find Seungcheol could you tell him that we miss him? That I miss him?" Jihoon gently pushed the boy's hand off his shoulder and smiled. 

"Of course I will." 

After leaving the cafe, Jihoon typed in the number that Seungcheol had written on the note. It didn't take long for the call to connect. 

"Hoshi Rides, how can I help you?" the man on the other line answered. 

"Hi, um, my friend said that I could get a free cab ride by calling this number?" Jihoon asked awkwardly. The man on the other line sighed. 

"Really? What is your friend's name?" he asked sounding annoyed. 

"Seungcheol," Jihoon said almost nervous at what the man would say. 

The response wasn't what Jihoon expected at all. "Seungcheollie! That really said I'd give you a free ride?! What a ! How could he use me like this? Well, you know what, sure. I'll give you a ride. But Seungcheol better pay me back double. No! He better pay me back triple! That ing jerk!" Jihoon had to hold the phone away from his ear due to the screaming. Whoever this man was he really hated Seungcheol. Jihoon did too a little now due to this interaction. "What's your location?" 

"Carat Cafe-" 

"Of ing course it is! Is that jerk there? Well, doesn't matter. I'm on my way, see you in five." 

Jihoon almost felt regret at calling the number, but it's not like he had any money left anyway.     

Hi readers! 

Almost 4 years later, here is the next chapter. Haha. That sentence was pretty embarrassing to write not gonna lie.

Thank you for taking the time to read and let me know what you think in the comments! & look out for the next chapter that I promise is actually coming(:

Have such an amazing day~!! Much love!!