Jooheon watched as one by one the older members all arrived home. Apparently Shownu had still been at Starship and Wonho had treated Kihyun, Minhyuk and Hyungwon to a meal at their favorite BBQ restaurant.

All their faces showed how upset they all felt. Kihyun's face showed tear tracks which made Jooheon feel like bursting into tears again. He bit his lips, hard, and sniffed, trying to stay calm.

Kihyun ran over to him and pulled him close into a hug. "Jooheon! What happened? Where did Changkyun go?" It seemed that in their worry over Changkyun, they had forgotten that they were disgusted by him. 

Jooheon wrapped his arms tightly around Kihyun. "I don't know, Hyung. I came back and didn't hear anyone, so I searched the dorm and that's when I found-" his voice broke and he started to sob again. "That's when...that's when I found the note he left," he finally managed through his tears.

Kihyun looked over Jooheon's shoulder at Wonho, Minhyuk and Hyungwon who still stood by the door in a worried group. "We need to wait till Shownu-hyung gets here and then start a search party," he said, meeting Wonho's eyes. Wonho nodded.

"That's what I was thinking, too."

"A search party?" Jooheon asked. "B-but, how will we know where to look? He didn't say where he was going to go."

Kihyun patted his back, trying to keep the next-to-youngest member calm. "I know he didn't," he said soothing. "We'll start with all of his favorite spots. That's something you can help with. Where are the places Changkyun goes to the most? You are the best person to ask since often you're with him."

Jooheon shivered, thinking of how dark it now was outside and to think that Changkyun was out there by himself! Anything could happen to him. "Ummm," he said, trying to think. "Well, he likes going to the park where I was earlier. He-he has that favorite Western restaurant. You know. The one where their burgers are six inches high..." Kihyun hummed in response. "And...those two cafes where we all like to go and hang out at..." He rubbed his face back and forth against Kihyun's jacket. "That's all...that I can think of."

"Well, it's a start, anyway." 

Twenty minutes later, Kihyun was in the kitchen trying to put a light meal together for all the members. Everyone was hungry. They had been in the middle of eating when Shownu had called Wonho, so they had quickly paid and then hopped into a taxi. 

He used pot holders to carry the pot of ramyun over to the table. After setting it down, he raised his voice to be sure they all would hear. "The food is ready! Come on in here and eat!"

Hyungwon and Minhyuk wandered in followed by Wonho. Kihyun looked around. "Where's Jooheon?"

"He said he wasn't hungry," Minhyuk informed him. "I tried to get him to come in here, but he wouldn't budge from the couch." 

Kihyun nodded. "I'll get him." He entered the living room and saw Jooheon on the couch, hunched over and legs pulled to his chest. "Jooheon," he called softly. The younger looked up. "You need to eat." Jooheon immediately shook his head, a defeated look on his face. "Yes," Kihyun insisted. He grabbed one of his hands and pulled. Jooheon resisted his efforts and stayed put. Kihyun let go and sat beside him. "Jooheon," he kept his voice low. "Do you want to find Changkyun?" 

"Yes, of course I do!" He nodded rapidly.

"Well, then you have to eat. Shownu-hyung will not allow you to go and look for him if you're not taking care of yourself properly. You must eat."

Jooheon finally nodded. "Okay," he said softly, standing and making his way to the kitchen.

The food began disappearing quickly and Kihyun decided to set a bowl of ramyun aside for Shownu. The bowls were nearly empty when they heard the door click and a few moments later the leader appeared in the doorway.

His face was drawn and white and he seemed to have aged since that morning. 

"What did the CEO say?" Wonho asked quietly.

Shownu turned to look at him. "He's giving us tonight to find Changkyun. After that, he'll go to the police. And..." He paused and looked around at each face. "He'll hold a press conference and tell everyone that Changkyun has officially left the group."

There were shouts of ' What!' and ' He can't do that!'. 

Shownu nodded sadly. "Actually he can. The CEO can't risk the bad publicity trying to convince Changkyun to return would cause. It will be very bad for the company. Even though it doesn't seem like it, he's thinking of everyone. He really doesn't want to let Changkyun leave, though. That's why he's not going to the police immediately. He's giving us a chance to find him and bring him back ourselves."

 The others minus Jooheon slowly nodded.

Jooheon stood. "Then we have to find him!" 

Shownu's mouth curved up just a little on one side. "Then let's go." He turned and started from the room.

"Ahem!" Kihyun said.

The leader looked over his shoulder. "What is it, Kihyun?" He asked impatiently.

"I want to find Changkyun as much as anyone, but you are eating some food first." He locked eyes with Shownu until the eldest finally nodded and went and sat down.

Light chuckles filled the room. "Shownu-hyung just got bossed around by Kihyun," Wonho said, grinning slightly.

Shownu reddened. "Oh, knock it off, guys. We have more important things to do."

Jooheon was standing by the doorway, fidgeting. "Yes, we do. Please hurry and eat, Hyung."

We have to find my friend. Changkyun, where did you go?