Final.
Hide & Seek“You needed to see me?” Kris asks, waltzing into Junmyeon's office.
“Yes,” he looks up from his paperwork. “I have a case, and I'm sure you're gonna want to take a look at this.”
Kris takes the offered case file, and opens it. He listens as Junmyeon elaborates.
“These boys: Kim Jongin, Oh Sehun, Huang Zitao, and Zhang Yixing…” Junmyeon is quiet for some time before continuing, “have gone missing. No one knows how or why, but so far we have one connection: their browser histories all showed a blog dedicated to this japanese game called ‘one man hide and seek’.”
Kris finishes reading the case. “They're so young...twelve, thirteen, fourteen...who would do something like this?” Kris’ nostrils are flaring in anger.
“That's why I'm putting you on the case; find out who and why and how, and-” Junmyeon's speech is cut short by Kris’ partner walking in. “Oh, Seunghyun, glad you could make it. Read the case, and Kris will catch you up later. Kris...find those kids.” The two are dismissed to go get started on their case.
“Okay, so fill me in,” Choi Seunghyun says, speed walking next to Kris.
“Those four boys have been abducted, and we're on this case to find them, and stop the son of a who's behind this.”
“Sounds thrilling; let's get to it,” Seunghyun states, a determined tint to his words. “We've gotta catch whoever this is...I feel for the families.”
“Me, too, if that happened to my boys, I'd be more than upset, I'll tell you that.”
“I see you guys are excited,” Minho, an officer, says as he walks up to Kris’ desk.
“Huge case, Minho...we're gonna have it cracked in no time,” Seunghyun replies, pulling on his coat, and grabbing his keys. “We're wastin’ daylight, Wu. Let's get this show on the road.”
They walk out of the building to get to the car, so they can go interview the parents.
**
“This is it,” Seunghyun says, standing on the doormat with Oh written on it. “The Oh residence.” He gives the door a few firm knocks before stepping back and waiting for the door to be opened.
A woman, who looks to be in her early thirties, opens the door with a tissue in hand. She looks like she hasn't slept in weeks, the bags under her eyes looking like they could hold luggage. She also looks like she hasn't stopped crying in days, which is true considering what has happened to her son.
“Hello, ma'am, we are Detective Wu and Choi from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. May we come in to ask you a few questions?” Kris asks, holding up his badge to show the woman.
“P-Please...Come in,” the woman sniffles, stepping aside to let them into her home. They go to the living room, and sit down, wasting no time in the questioning.
“When was the last time you saw Sehun, Mrs. Oh?” Seunghyun asks, looking at her tear filled eyes.
“Four days ago. I told him the night before that he'd be home alone since I had to leave for a meeting around seven, and that I'd call him around ten to check in on him. He seemed excited to stay home alone because I usually call a friend over to watch him since he's only twelve, but I wanted to give him a chance to be responsible...I should've hired a sitter...this is all my fault.” Mrs. Oh begins sobbing at the thought that she caused her son’s disappearance. Seunghyun grabs her hand in his own, and looks deep into her eyes.
“This is not your fault; we are going to find who did this. Please try your best to answer our questions, okay?” Seunghyun waits for a nod before motioning to Kris to ask another question.
“Did he answer when you called that night?”
“No; I knew something was up because he always answers his phone.”
Kris then pulls out pictures from the file. “Do you recognize any of these boys?” Mrs. Oh studies the pictures before pointing at one.
“Yeah...this boy, um, Jongin. He's in Sehun’s class at school...why?”
“Jongin is...missing as well. What about these other two boys?” Kris asks, furrowing his brow in an attempt to make a connection.
“Um...no, sorry. I don't think I know them...maybe a name would help…?” Mrs. Oh is trying her best to try and make a connection between these boys and her son.
“This,” Kris points at a tanned boy with jet black hair, “is Huang Zitao. And this,” he points to the other boy, who is pale with long hair and kind eyes, “is Zhang Yixing. Do their names sound familiar?”
Mrs. Oh thinks for a while before her face lights up.
“Yes! Um...Sehun talks about ‘Yixing-hyung from the dance team’ all the time! And Zitao...I don't know him personally, but his mother works with me...I've heard a ton of stories about him!” Mrs. Oh is more alert, and she seems ready to give information.
“That's great,” Seunghyun says, writing down the new information. “What school does your son go to?”
“He goes this school for performing arts. It's called ‘Lee Sooman's School for Gifted Performers’.”
“What does Sehun like to do?”
“He likes to dance, play with his Star Wars merch, and skateboard at the park not too far from here.”
“Okay, thank you, Mrs. Oh. If we have any more questions we'll give you a call,” Kris says with a small smile, gathering the pictures and the rest of the papers from the file and putting them back inside.
Kris and Seunghyun walk back outside to their car, and get in to go to the next house: the Kim household.
**
“Do you recognize any of these boys?” Seunghyun asks, placing the pictures from the file on the small coffee table separating him and Kris from Mr. and Mrs. Kim.
“Yes, all of them. Sehun and Jonginnie are best friends. Yixing is on Jongin's dance team. Zitao and his mother often frequent our shop,” Mrs. Kim answers clearly.
“When was the last time you saw Jongin?” Kris asks this time, looking up from his notepad.
“Four days ago before he left to play with Sehun,” Mr. Kim replies. Kris is confused by this statement because from what Mrs. Oh told them, Sehun was supposed to be home alone.
“What time did he leave?” Kris questions.
“Around...five, I think. I told him to be back home before ten Saturday morning,” Mr. Kim says.
“Okay. What does Jongin like to do?”
“He enjoys dancing, playing with his dogs, sleeping, and sketching. He also likes to ride his bike at the park a few blocks away,” Mrs. Kim recalls, using hand gestures to visualize.
“Alright, that's all we need for now. If we have any more questions we'll be sure to contact you,” Seunghyun bows to the couple before leaving himself and his partner out to their car.
“Something weird is going on,” Kris wonders out loud.
“What do you mean?” Seunghyun asks, buckling his seat belt.
“Well, if Jongin was at Sehun's house the day they went missing, why wouldn't Mrs. Oh tell us? But if Jongin was going straight there, why did he leave so early?”
“What if Jongin was supposed to be there, but he never showed, and Mrs. Oh didn't know he was coming over?”
“This is confusing...let's go check out that park before we go to Yixing's house,” Kris suggests, pointing to the park that is barely visible from their location.
**
“You know either of these boys?” Kris asks, holding up Sehun and Jongin's photos.
“Yeah, they go to my school,” another young boy says, stopping his bike to talk to Kris.
“Really, what do you know about them?”
“They're really-” the boy is cut off before he can give any useful information.
“Baekhyun, how many times do I have to tell you not to talk to strangers?!” A middle-aged woman--most likely the boy's mother--yells across the park, causing the aforementioned boy to bow his head in guilt.
“Sorry, Mom,” Baekhyun mutters, “but this dude asked me a question about those kids who went missing, and I wanted to help out.”
“I'm Head Detective, Kris Wu, from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, and I would like to--”
“We don't talk to cops. C'mon Baekhyun, we're going home,” the woman grumbles, grabbing Baekhyun's ear and pulling him away.
“Ow--but Mom--ow! Stop for a sec--ow!” Baekhyun shouts, pulling his ear out of his mother's grasp. He runs back to Kris. “I really wanna help you out...but--”
“It's okay, Baekhyun. I'm pretty sure we'll meet again,” Kris smiles, and pats the boy on the head. Baekhyun smiles at the detective, and goes back to his mother.
Seunghyun is on the other side of the park talking to two boys. Their names are Park Chanyeol and Kim Jongdae.
“Yeah, there was this creepy guy at the park last week watching the kids and stuff, but I can't really describe him...I didn't get too close to him,” Jongdae says, talking so fast Seunghyun is wondering if he's taken a breath.
“Do you remember what the guy was wearing?” Seunghyun inquires, still writing down what Jongdae was saying.
“All black...which was kinda what made him seem creepy,” Chanyeol states, shuddering at the memory.
“He kept trying to talk to Sehun, but he just freaked the kid out and he ran home,” Jongdae adds.
“Jongin, too...maybe it was because they looked like little kids?” Chanyeol guesses.
“Did the man come here before last week?”
“Yeah, he was here a few weeks before, too. It's almost like he came around the same time as the hide and seek craze,” Jongdae chuckles. Seunghyun abruptly looks up.
“Hide and seek…?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah the game that Sehunnie said he was gonna play with Jongin on Friday since he'd be home alone. It's basically this game where you-” Chanyeol’s phone cuts him off. “Sorry, it's my mom. Gotta take this.” He talks on the phone for a bit before grabbing Jongdae's hand and whispering in his ear.
“Sorry, mister, but we gotta get home before our moms yell at us. Hope we helped you out!” Jongdae calls as he's pulled away by Chanyeol to the bike stands.
“Hey, you find anything?” Kris asks, jogging over to his partner.
“Yeah...some creep shows up at the park a few weeks ago and starts stalking Jongin and Sehun when that hide and seek game becomes popular among the kids, and Sehun and Jongin were planning on playing it the day they disappeared...weird…” Seunghyun explains, going back to the car to head to Yixing's house.
**
“Had Yixing ever mentioned a hide and seek game to you?” Kris asks. Mr. Zhang laughs.
“Yixing is the quietest kid in the world; he barely told me what he wanted for dinner, let alone some game he wanted to play,” Mr. Zhang says sadly. He looks regretful and a bit guilty.
“Is...something bothering you, sir?” Seunghyun questions.
“It's just that he was so quiet around me that I didn't even bother to try and get closer to him. I wish he would've spoken up about this, and maybe I could've prevented this from even happening.” Mr. Zhang is shaking with the regret of his actions. Kris feels bad for him.
“Mr. Zhang, I know what it feels like to be this way. It's not your fault-”
“How would you know how I'm feeling? You're just some cop who's been trained to say that to make people feel better, but it ain't workin’ on me!” Mr. Zhang is crying now, body shaking violently with each sob he holds in.
“I do understand, sir. My own son tried to take his life, but I would've never guessed he was suicidal because I didn't try talking to him since he was normally quiet. I didn't push him to speak up when I should have, and I feel guilty about it to this day. Unfortunately, I can't relate to you entirely because my son hasn't been taken from me, but that doesn't mean I can't understand at all. Trust me when I say this, Mr. Zhang: this is not your fault,” Kris confesses as calmly as he can.
“I-I’m sorry...this whole thing has taken a toll on me,” Mr. Zhang apologizes, feeling extremely guilty.
“Do you recognize any of these boys?” Seunghyun carefully asks, sliding the pictures towards Mr. Zhang.
“Yes...all of them. Sehun and Jongin are on his dance team, and Zitao is in his Korean Language Understanding class at school. I heard from Sehun's mother that he's gone missing, too...is that the same for Jongin and Zitao?”
“Unfortunately, they have also been taken. Can you tell us when you last saw Yixing?” Seunghyun picks up his notepad.
“It was Saturday morning; I dropped him off to his mother, but she wasn't home. He had a key so he could get in, but she told me that when she got there he was gone.”
“What time did you drop him off?” Kris interrogates.
“Around nine-thirty. She called me around five that same day.”
“Thank you, Mr. Zhang. We will contact you if we have any more questions,” Kris says, bowing as he follows Seunghyun back to the car.
“We should question the ex-wife, too. Their stories might be different,” Seunghyun says as he starts the car.
“You just read my mind,” Kris smirks, pulling up the ex-wife's address on the navigation system.
**
“Yixing called me around ten that morning asking where I was. I told him I was at work, and that I would return around five. All I know is that he was here that morning, but when I got home he wasn't,” Mrs. Zhang says, tears sliding down her cheeks.
“Do you think he would've left while you were gone?” Kris questions.
“I don't know what his father's rules are, but the rules in this house are to never open the door for anyone while he's by himself, or open the door at all. He knows that he's not supposed to leave the house, and he isn't one to break the rules. Someone had to have broken in,” Mrs. Zhang states, sure that her son would never disobey her.
“There were no signs of breaking and entering, ma'am. I don't disagree with you, though. I wouldn't rule out a break-in just yet,” Seunghyun states, writing down her previous statement.
“Okay. If he did leave, though...he could've gone to Zitao's house. Zitao lives in the next subdivision over. That's the only place I can think of that he would go to.”
“Do you know Zitao?”
“Yes, of course! Zitao is over here all the time, and Yixing goes to his house all the time. You can see they are very close since they are always together.”
Seunghyun makes another connection between the kids in his head, so he asks another question. “What school does Yixing go to?”
“Some performing arts school. He plays several instruments and dances.”
“Thank you. We will be sure to calm if we have more questions.”
Back at the car Seunghyun starts chuckling. Kris is confused as to why his partner is laughing at a time like this. Seunghyun seems to make another connection before deciding to speak.
“Sick bastard has to work at the school. How else would he have access to where they live?” Kris’ eyes widen at his partner’s discovery.
“I don't know what I'd do without you, Seunghyun. I would have never made that connection on my own. Let's question the Huang family, and hit up the school after that,” Kris suggests as he slips into the passenger's seat of the car.
**
“Does Zitao ever go anywhere without your supervision?” Seunghyun asks the parents of Zitao.
“He goes to Yixing's house, and, occasionally, the park. The park is a little far, but he usually goes with Yixing,” Mr. Huang answers. He looks calm and collected, but there are traces of crying left behind on his features.
“When was the last time Zitao went to the park?”
“The last time we allowed him to go was on Friday. He told us that there was some creepy guy there watching him, so we told him not to go anymore for a while.” Kris jots this down.
“Does he have any after school activities?”
“He does martial arts, and stays behind Tuesdays and Thursdays for drum lessons.” As Mr. Huang spoke, Kris and Seunghyun notice the many medals and trophies around the room along with the massive drum kit in the corner.
“I see; when was the last time you saw him?” Kris asks the question this time, finished admiring the room.
“Saturday evening...close to six; my wife and I went out to eat for our anniversary, and left him home alone. When we got home around midnight, he was nowhere to be found.”
“Thank you. We will inform you if we have anymore questions.”
Kris and Seunghyun are back in the car, this time driving to the kids’ school. Kris is mumbling to himself as Seunghyun drives. Kris gasps and nearly chokes with the abrupt inhalation. He coughs a few times before he's able to explain what shocked him.
“They all go to the same school, play at the same park, and they all know each other. They were all left home alone when the were taken, and they all live pretty close to one another. The only difference is the time windows,” Kris says. The whole situation is like a one thousand piece puzzle, and the duo are trying to complete it.
“Sehun was taken between seven and ten p.m. on Friday. Jongin was taken between five p.m. on Friday and ten a.m. on Saturday. Yixing was taken between ten a.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday. Zitao was taken between six p.m. and midnight on Saturday,” Seunghyun thinks aloud. “These kidnappings had to have been planned with these time windows.”
They've reached the school, and it seems to be empty save for a few administrators and janitors. The duo walk up the short flight of stairs to the large doors at the school's entrance. As they are entering, a small man with dark hair and wide eyes is leaving.
“Excuse us…” Kris starts to grab the man's attention. “We're Detectives Wu and Choi from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, and we'd like to ask you a few questions.” The man complies, reentering the building to lead Kris and Seunghyun to the office.
“How may I help you?” The man starts with a small smile. “My name is Do Kyungsoo; I'm the assistant principal.”
“Well, Mr. Do, I'm sure you heard some of the buzz about the disappearances of Yixing, Zitao, Sehun, and Jongin,” Kris starts; Kyungsoo nods, “and we were wondering if you had any information to give.”
“Well, I can tell you about the boys’ behavior. They were all very kind and respectful; I’d never seen them in my office for anything bad. I did have a talk with Zitao and Yixing a week or so ago…” Kyungsoo trails off to gain the detectives’ interest.
“What about?” Seunghyun asks, hoping whatever information they're given will link the kidnappings in some way.
“This game they were spreading around the school...a version of hide and seek, I believe. I was getting complaints from parents about their kids having nightmares after attempting it, and was asked to stop the spread of the game immediately,” Kyungsoo pauses, thinking back. “Zitao told me he stumbled upon a website all about the game, and then he told Yixing, who told the dance team, and so on and so forth. To keep it short and simple: I had to hold an assembly to talk to the students about the game, how fake it was, and to stop talking about it. They stopped spreading it around a day or two after that assembly.”
“When was the assembly held?” Kris asks, pen gliding across the paper with ease as he takes notes.
“Well, let's see...today's Tuesday, so the assembly was...last Monday,” Kyungsoo says.
“The rumors stopped, but that didn't keep some of the students from being interested, correct?” Seunghyun asks.
“Right; I had to pull Sehun into my office for searching the game on one of the library’s computers...Jongin, too, but he was on his phone, I think. The kids don't think we can track what they do on the wifi, but we do, even if we hate it,” Kyungsoo sighs, tapping away on his keyboard and pulling up a computer program. The program shows a list of the students’ names, i.p. addresses, device serial numbers, and so much more.
“What else does this program track?” Kris is genuinely curious.
“Um...other than device history, the school can see the location of the device, what app is currently being used, and I believe that's it. I don't run the app, though; I only have access to certain aspects of the program. Kibum and Jinki are in charge of the program; I believe they're still here if you'd like to talk with them.”
**
Seunghyun and Kris leave the school after having a conversation with the two men in charge of the computer program. They get information about how the program works, and how to utilize all of the key points. They are disappointed that today they're returning to the station without any major leads, but keep high hopes for tomorrow's work day.
**
Kris returns home to the sound of video games and excited chatter. He chuckles at how his boys are so immersed in the game, they don't even realize he's home. He stands in the doorway of the game room, and waits for one of them to notice him. It's when Minseok loses that his presence is brought to attention.
“Dad!” Minseok shouts, jumping up and sprinting into Kris’ waiting arms. His other son, Luhan, jumps up as well at the sound of the familiar name.
“You're back!” Luhan cries, circling his short arms around his twin brother and his father. The boys shake with Kris’ body as he laughs.
“I've been back for about five minutes,” he chuckles, petting their heads. “Did you guys eat yet?”
“No…” Minseok cowers a bit under his father's scolding gaze. “We wanted to wait for you.”
“Yeah, Minnie begged me to wait,” Luhan tells him.
“Really? You waited for me to eat dinner?” Kris is pleasantly surprised to hear this.
“Yeah…” Minseok's voice grows small. “Are you mad?”
“No, I’m not mad. I am very touched that you guys would do that for me.”
“Well, we never eat together these days, so we thought it was good to wait for you, Dad,” Luhan says with a pout, looking way too cute for a fourteen-year-old.
“My boys are way too cute,” Kris sighs dramatically, pinching their cheeks simultaneously. Luhan groans at the cheesiness, and Minseok's cheeks grow pink.
“Ew, Dad, stop. Let's just eat,” Luhan proceeds to gag before slipping out of their group hug, and heading to the kitchen. Minseok stays behind just staring at his father.
“What is it, Baozi?” Kris uses the nickname to tease his son because he thinks it's cute (Minseok thinks it's embarrassing, but smiles anyway).
“Can I get a piggyback ride?” He pleads, puffing out his cheeks and sticking out his bottom lip. It takes all of three seconds before Kris caves, walking toward the kitchen with his son perched on his back.
“What's for dinner?” Minseok asks as they round the corner into the hallway that leads to the kitchen. Kris can hear something sizzling on the stovetop.
“I don't know, let's ask Lu.”
Luhan is standing in front of the stove, tongs in one hand and scissors in the other, as the pork belly cooks in the pan. He turns briefly to acknowledge them as they enter, but his eyes are then trained on the meat crisping up before him. He also has the rice cooker going, and various accompaniments to the dish placed on the counters.
“Mmm, samgyeopsal,” Minseok moans in approval, eyeing the foods on the counter.
“Yep, it'll be done soon, so go set the table and check on the rice after that,” Luhan directs as Minseok hops off of Kris’ back and onto the floor. Minseok salutes before stalking into the dining room to get the table ready as his brother asked.
Kris silently goes to the refrigerator and grabs the kimchi. He gets the other sides, and places them in small bowls and plates before Minseok takes them and puts them on the table. He admires his kids for a moment, and they almost seem like adults as they cook and taste and give each other feedback. Minseok even gets everyone their own two bowls of gireumjang and ssamjang (dipping sauces) because he knows how Luhan hates sharing and how messy his dad eats. The next thing he knows, they're all seated at the dinner table, Minseok and Luhan across from him, and they're piling different foods in their sangchu (lettuce) and kkaennip (perilla leaf) or just dipping the pork into either of the sauces.
“Are you okay, Dad?” Luhan asks, concern causing little wrinkles to form on his forehead. The food is gone, so he's just now noticing how spaced out his father looks.
“Hm? Oh, yes, I was just thinking.”
“What were you thinking about?” Minseok asks, tilting his head like a confused puppy.
“About you guys, and how grown up you are. I mean, you guys practically made this yourselves…” he trails off looking at his boys’ proud expressions. “And since you guys are so grown up, you can clean up, too!” Their faces fall to different degrees of shock.
“Okay…” Luhan groans, standing from his seat and grabbing a few plates to take to the kitchen. Minseok reluctantly follows his brother's actions, pouting as he passes Kris to enter the kitchen. Kris follows a couple minutes later when he hears the water running and the boys bickering over who has to wash and who has to rinse.
“I'll take it from here,” Kris startles them with his voice, deep and unexpected.
“But you said-”
“I was teasing,” he ruffles their hair affectionately. “Now, go wash up and get ready for bed.”
“Magic word?” Minseok says, almost subconsciously.
“Please go wash up and get ready for bed,” Kris answers with a small smile, and the boys are stomping up the steps to go take their showers. Kris finishes washing the dishes while the sound of running water filters through the house.
When he's done, Kris goes back to the game room and turns off the game system and the television. He shuts off the light, and turns to leave the room. The hallway is dark as he makes sure all the lights are turned out, and he goes up the stairs to get himself ready for bed.
He leaves his bathroom with a clean towel around his waist. He rummages through the drawers of his dresser to find clean boxers before slipping them on. He sees a pair of sweats on the floor, and assumes they're clean as he pulls them on. On the way to his bed he swears he can hear muffled giggles coming from his closet, and stands there a few seconds. When he opens the door to the wardrobe, he finds two boys looking up at him.
“Before you get upset,” Luhan starts, springing up and out of the closet, “you didn't tell us ‘goodnight' yet.” Well, Luhan isn't wrong, so he can't get mad.
“You didn't say, ‘I love you,’ either,” Minseok complains as he climbs out after his twin. He's not wrong either, so Kris lets it slide that they've stayed up an hour past lights out.
“Alright, c’mere,” Kris opens his arms, and the boys walk into them. He lifts them up, and carries them to his bed where he deposits them, a bedtime tradition they've kept since they were four.
“Goodnight, my pantless prince,” he says to Luhan, who isn't wearing any pants (he never really has worn any to bed), and kisses him on both cheeks.
“Goodnight, Dad,” Luhan replies with a sleepy smile.
“Goodnight, my shirtless sovereign,” he says to Minseok, who isn't wearing a shirt (he doesn't normally wear a shirt to bed), and kisses him on both cheeks.
“Goodnight, Daddy,” Minseok says, drowsiness causing him to use the childish term.
“I love you both,” he pauses to kiss Luhan on the nose, “so much.” He kisses Minseok on the nose, too.
“I love you, too,” the twins say in unison, reaching for a final hug.
“Alright, it's time for bed.” Minseok doesn't make a move to get out of the bed, so Kris sighs. “What is it, Minnie?”
Luhan is already gone, having left the room for his own as soon as Kris dismissed them. Minseok hesitates, staring at the doorway, apprehensive, as if looking to see is Luhan was still there. Kris gets the hint and goes to close the door.
“You can tell me; he won't hear you,” Kris reassures. Minseok only gets shy like this when he wants to talk with his dad about something private, like a fear or worry, without Luhan being there to for it.
“Um…” Minseok says intelligently, suddenly feeling nervous. “A-Are ghosts real?”
“What? No, of course not, Minnie. Why do you ask?” Kris answers, slightly shocked by the question.
“Well, um...nevermind,” Minseok mumbles, gaze fixed on the floor, ashamed.
“Hey, hey, look at me,” Kris waits for Minseok's eyes to meet his; it takes some time, but it happens. “There's no need to be embarrassed, I won't laugh at you, I promise.” Minseok smiles softly at that.
“Well...earlier, Lu was telling me about this game where you play hide and seek with spirits, and if you don't end the game correctly, the spirit kills you...and I was scared, so can I sleep in here with you tonight?” Minseok confesses, lowering his head again. Kris sighs, and lifts Minseok's head by the chin with two fingers.
“I promise you, no spirits are going to kill you because that game isn't even real, and don't you ever play it, understood?” Minseok nods rapidly at the instructions, and Kris makes a mental note to have a talk with Luhan in the morning. “And, yes, you are welcome to sleep in my bed with me.” As Kris says this, Minseok climbs under the covers eagerly, and he chuckles at how cute his son is. Kris turns the light off, climbs into bed, and drifts into a dream about finding those missing boys. He sleeps peacefully, unaware of the special visitor taking the spare key from underneath the mat to make copies in the morning.
**
Kris wakes up to a sharp kick in his gut, and he groans as he sits up. He blinks sleepily, looking at the digital clock on his bedside table; it reads six fifty-six a.m.. He sees Minseok is still sleeping, and quietly slips out of bed to use the restroom and get ready for the day.
After relieving himself, Kris puts on his cleansing mask, and leaves the bathroom. He looks for a collared button-up and some slacks before going to his dresser and finding a pair of black socks. He returns to the bathroom and washes the face mask off, changing out of his sweats as well. He exits the bathroom a second time, dressed and ready to wake up the twins.
He wakes Minseok first, calling out to him and smoothing down his hair before lifting him out of bed, and sending him to his own room to change with an affectionate pat on the . He then goes the opposite direction of Minseok to Luhan's room, waking the boy with long fingers wiggling against his sides. Luhan giggles out a ‘stop', and Kris lets up, allowing his son to get prepared for school.
Kris goes downstairs next, and looks through the cupboards to find something to make for breakfast. He looks at the time displayed on the microwave (seven-twenty-eight), and decides that they don't have time for anything big. Kris gathers three boxes of cereal and the milk, and places them on the table along with bowls and spoons.
The boys appear at the table almost as soon as Kris turns to call for them. He chuckles a little as his sons scoop large spoonfuls of sugary cereal into their mouths hurriedly.
“Woah, slow down,” Kris says. “What's the rush?”
“Gotta catch the bus,” Luhan says around a mouthful of Lucky Charms, milk dropping from his lips. He wipes his chin with a napkin.
“The bus? I can drive you today,” Kris tries, but his boys look at him blankly.
“Dad, we can tell this is a tough case. You have to get to work to get the job done, and save some lives,” Minseok smiles as he finishes speaking.
Kris feels his chest full with warmth, then clench with the fear of not being able to help those boys.
**
“Alright, let's make some progress today,” Seunghyun exclaims when Kris shows up at his desk.
“Um, Officer Wu...Officer Choi...you're gonna want to see this…” Minho states, throwing a file and a flash drive onto Seunghyun’s desk.
Seunghyun takes the flash drive, and plugs it into his laptop, and Kris opens the file.
Inside the file, there is a note written in handwriting so terrible that it's hardly legible. Kris squints his eyes to read the message better, and as he concludes his reading, his eyes are wide.
let's play a game
of hide and seek
find four boys
you have one week
tick...tock
clock’s ticking down
will you find them
can you figure out how
As Kris is trying to decipher the poem, Seunghyun lets out a sharp gasp. The flash drive is just a single file--a video. Seunghyun opens the file, and footage (seemingly in the dark, as the footage is green) of a boy starts rolling. Kris goes around the desk to see the laptop.
The boy’s back is to the camera, but from the description and picture the station provided them with, it seems like Zhang Yixing. Once the boy turns around to face the camera, both detectives are certain that it is Yixing. Yixing has several scratches and bruises on his face. He doesn't seem to be aware of the camera as he looks around in the darkness. The pale boy is almost like a lamb thrown to the wolves as he jumps at every sound in the darkness.
Yixing seems to be yelling for help, though they aren't sure because there is no audio. Then a small beam of light is fixed on his abdomen. Yixing notices this, and drops to the ground. It seems as though someone, perhaps his captor, is attempting to shoot him with what appears to be a dart. A dart-like object impaled the ground where Yixing stood, mere centimeters from where the boy is cowering on the ground. Yixing stands abruptly, arms pressed to his side, almost as if he's being commanded.
Yixing shakes his head, and flinches like he's been scolded as he protests weakly. He shakes his head again, and tears begin to fall down his cheeks as he says something else inaudible. A dart is shot into his leg, and Yixing falls to the ground, writhing in pain. Suddenly, there is audio, and they can clearly hear Yixing screaming and crying, “--MAMA!! SOMEONE HELP ME PLEASE!! IT HURTS!! STOP IT PLEASE, MISTER--” the audio is cut again. The screen goes black.
“What the hell is that sick bastard doing to that boy?” Seunghyun mutters, his fist clenched at his side. Kris shakes his head.
“We have to go,” Kris states. Seunghyun just stands there, and Kris looks at him. “Now! We have to go now!”
**
They're at the school again. Yixing started to call out someone's name at the end of the video, and based off of the ‘mister,’ Seunghyun and Kris are ninety percent sure their suspect is working around the school.
They wait in the office for twenty minutes, since that's how much is left in the school day. Do Kyungsoo walks into his office, and is startled to see the detectives.
“Oh, good afternoon,” Kyungsoo says as he offers his hand. Kris and Seunghyun shake his hand.
“What brings you here?” Kyungsoo questions, taking a seat.
“We need to speak to all of the male teachers and staff,” Seunghyun says curtly.
“Oh...of course. Let me gather them for you.”
**
Two hours later, the detectives are about three-quarters of the way through all of the male staff, and not one bit closer to getting a suspect. Then, when talking to one of the various vocal instructors, Lee Donghae, they've got a suspect--Choi Siwon.
“...said he was going to talk to Sehun’s mother about his behavior in class--”
“What day was he scheduled to meet with her?” Kris interrupts.
“Uh…” Donghae starts, “Friday evening...around 7:00.”
**
“Mr. Choi, did you schedule an appointment with Mrs. Oh for Friday evening?” Kris interrogates.
“Yes. We were supposed to meet at 6:45.”
“Did you ever meet with her?”
“Yes, we met at a coffee shop,” Siwon answers.
“When did you leave the shop?”
“She left before I did, but I left at...8:25, I think.”
“Did you go anywhere after your meeting with Mrs. Oh?” Seunghyun asks.
“I went straight home after that.”
“Okay, we'll be right back. Just stay here for a moment, please.” Kris and Seunghyun leave the interrogation room.
“We can rule him out,” Kris states.
“How do you know?” Seunghyun inquires.
“He's answering all the questions directly, he looks sure of his answers, and his hands are bare.”
“His hands?”
“Yes, in the video, Yixing had bruises and scratches on his face. If Mr. Choi here had taken the boys, his knuckles would be bruised, or his palms would be calloused from holding a bat or something,” Kris answers. Seunghyun makes a sound of realization, and they turn to enter the room again.
“Alright, Mr. Choi, you're free to go.”
“I hope I helped with the investigation,” Siwon states, eyes relieved.
“Of course you did. Now get out before we find a reason to arrest you,” Seunghyun jokes, and Siwon scrambles out of the room. The detectives laugh, and make their way out of the room leisurely.
“Anyone else that could have access to the kids without parental supervision?”
“Didn't the parents say that their kids danced together? And Zitao played drums after school, so we should talk with them as well,” Kris states.
**
“Mrs. Oh, where did you go after your meeting with Choi Siwon Friday evening?” The detectives decided to stop by before the day was over to clear things up concerning Sehun and Mrs. Oh.
“I went to get a drink with my friends. I hadn't told Sehun about that because he doesn't like when I drink.”
“Do you tend to get violent?” Seunghyun asks her.
“Oh of course not! I'd never forgive myself if I ever hurt my baby; he just worries about my health,” Mrs. Oh responds. “When his father passed, I drank...a lot, so he's scared that I'll fall back into that.”
“Did you give Sehun a time you'd get back home?” Seunghyun continues.
“I planned on telling him when I called around ten, but he never picked up,” Mrs. Oh’s eyes begin to water. “I knew something was wrong, so I rushed home...and-and when I got back at ten-forty-five, he was gone without a trace.”
“Was the door unlocked when you got home?”
“The door...um...I don't remember, sorry. I was in such a panic that I didn't pay any attention to that.”
“Can you recall if any windows were open?”
“Not that I can--oh my gosh! I remember leaving my bedroom window open to let some fresh air in, but my room is upstairs...I don't see how anyone could get up there, though.”
“Can we take a look at that window?”
Mrs. Oh takes the detectives upstairs to her bedroom, and directs them to the window. They look at it, but see no damage to the glass or screen.
“Hey, Kris? Take a look at this…” Kris looks to where Seunghyun is pointing, and notices dirt on the windowsill. “Do you see what I’m seeing?”
“Yeah…” Kris trails off to look at Mrs. Oh. “We might have an entry or exit point at this window. We're gonna take a sample of this dirt, so we can get a location of the suspect, okay?”
“Yes, of course! Anything that helps you find my son.” They take a sample, and they're on their way back to the school.
**
“Back again, detectives?” Kyungsoo says, putting a few things into his briefcase.
“Yeah...is there any way we could get ahold of the dance and drum class instructors?”
“Of course; Eunhyuk and Taemin’s dance class is about to end actually, and I believe Henry is here, too.”
“If you could direct us to where they would be, that would be great,” Seunghyun states, and Kyungsoo leads them through the halls.
**
“Hi,” Kris offers his hand to shake. “Detective Wu of Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency; may I ask you a few questions?”
“Of course!” Taemin returns the handshake. “Um, Eunhyuk will be here shortly--he's waiting to make sure all the kids get home.”
“That's fine,” Kris gives Taemin a quick look up and down. “Would you mind me asking how old you are?”
“Oh! I get that a lot actually,” Taemin giggles, “I'm nineteen.”
“Wow...aren't you a little young to be teaching?” Kris asks in astonishment.
“I get that a lot, too, but I'm just here to kind of follow Eunhyuk-hyung to get a little training for when I start teaching for real next year.”
“Oh, wow. That must be--” A man walks into the dance room, cutting Kris off.
“Oh, you must be Detective Wu; I'm Eunhyuk,” he pauses, “Kyungsoo told me.”
“Indeed,” Kris offers a smile, “Please, take a seat.” Eunhyuk does.
“Is this about the missing kids?” Taemin asks. Kris nods curtly.
“When was the last time you had seen any of them?”
“I last saw Yixing on Friday in class, but Jongin and Sehun hadn't shown up,” Eunhyuk answers. “I believe the last time I saw them, though, was during the previous class on Wednesday.”
“Oh, I saw Jongin and Sehun on my way to the room on Friday, but I hadn't really noticed they weren't here,” Taemin says.
“Do you have any clue where they could have been headed?” Kris pulls out his notepad to take some notes.
“Well...um, they were headed the opposite way, so...wait, that would be the woods behind the school. I don't know how they would've gotten in there, though...the place is blocked off by a big fence,” Taemin replies.
“Okay. Anything else? How about heir behavior in the past two weeks?”
“Jongin was pretty chatty, but he's always been more talkative...Even Sehun was talking more during class. And every time they spoke with Yixing, he blushed a lot…like they were teasing him for something. I didn't pay much attention to it...you know, boys will be boys, but I did tell them to knock it off a few times and focus. Other than that, they were very well behaved,” Eunhyuk answers.
“Yeah...but after class sometimes, they'd come up to me--the three of them--and ask if I'd heard about this hide and seek game, and that Yixing was too scared to play it and stuff. I thought it was just childish stuff, so I played along with them...they seemed serious about it, though. I was a little worried about them, but by the time I had made a move to tell someone, they were gone,” Taemin says.
“Interesting...anything else you noticed about them?”
“Jongin...seemed a little off...like twitchy and stuff. He didn't go home with his parents like usual...he went home with Sehun. I thought it was a best friend thing, but he didn't like talking about his parents; each time I brought it up, he would change the topic,” Eunhyuk stated worriedly.
“That would explain a few things…” Kris mumbles to himself, “Thank you.”
“If we can be of any help, please, don't be afraid to stop by.”
**
“Mr. Detective!” A boy exclaims as he comes out of a classroom. Seunghyun looks over and sees a tall boy with large ears.
“Chanyeol?” He asks. “What are you doing here?”
“I just had drum lessons! What are you doing here?” Chanyeol says excitedly.
“I'm here to talk to your teacher. Is he still in there?”
“Yeah, but he's talking to Jongdae.” Chanyeol looks at his watch. “Hey, I have a little time...do you have any questions for me?”
Seunghyun is a little shocked by the boy’s enthusiasm, bit smiles at him. “Sorry, Chanyeol, I don't--” he's cut off by a text from Kris. He reads the message, and looks towards Chanyeol again. “Well, actually, I do. Is there a way to get into the woods behind the school?”
“Yeah! You just have to hop the fence. The cameras are on back there, though, so you would have to go when they turn them off at 5:30,” Chanyeol answers.
“What time do the dance classes start?”
“Well they have some during the school day, but the dance team practices are after school around 5:30, I think. Only the best dancers are picked to be on the team.”
“Are you on the team?” Seunghyun asks, trying to keep the conversation going a little longer.
Chanyeol's ears color an embarrassed pink. “Um, no, but my dance teacher says I'm getting better!”
“Well, you keep working hard, kiddo.” Seunghyun ruffles Chanyeol's hair, and walks towards the classroom.
“Thank you, Mr. Detective!” Chanyeol shouts, dashing out of the hall with a bright smile on his face.
Seunghyun enters the classroom chuckling softly, and upon opening the door, he hears a loud sound, like when someone gets slapped. He hurried around the corner, as he remembers that Jongdae is inside with the teacher. When he comes around the corner, he sees Jongdae holding his cheek and an angry man looming over him.
“Woah, what is going on here?” Seunghyun questions using his authoritative voice, much deeper than how he spoke with Chanyeol.
Henry, the teacher, startles as Seunghyun’s voice is carried through the large room. Jongdae turns around, and when he sees Detective Choi, he brightens up a bit.
“Before you start making false accusations,” Henry begins, “this boy here deserved that smack.”
“What could he have possibly done to deserve to be smacked across the face?”
“Well,” Henry seethes, “Jongdae decided to throw the drumsticks, and one happened to pierce the wall behind me...the other hit me...someplace sensitive.”
Jongdae snickers at the wording, but stops when Henry’s hand is gripping his ear. “Ow, hyung, stop it!”
“...Hyung?”
“Yeah, you heard correctly; he said ‘hyung’. I was his babysitter a while ago, but now I’m almost like a father to the brat.”
“Mr. Seunghyun, he's cool. My mom knows about this kind of stuff; she gave him permission to discipline me if I got out of hand,” Jongdae explains with a small smile. Seunghyun isn't too convinced, but he came for slightly more important matters.
“Okay...Jongdae, can you step out of the room for a second? We have some very important things to discuss here,” Seunghyun suggests. Jongdae nods, and skips out of the room. Once the door closes, Henry becomes serious.
“I'm assuming this has something to do with Zitao?”
“You guessed it; now, can you tell me when you last say him?”
“Last Thursday for his lesson. He was here early, which was a bit surprising,” Henry responds.
“Why is that?” Seunghyun questions.
“He gets here on time normally, but he was here about ten minutes early on Thursday. He looked like he wanted to talk to me, but I didn't want to push him to speak. It was like he wanted to warn me about something, but I didn't pay too much attention to him.”
“Had he been acting abnormally before Thursday?”
“Well, now that you mention it, he was a little distracted in class. He was just a little more spaced out than usual. He didn't say too much.”
“Anything else that you noticed? Could there have been anything bothering him?”
“Um,” Henry pauses to think, “not really, no. I guess you could say that game, but all the kids were talking about it.”
**
Kris and Seunghyun are sitting at the office trying to piece together their information, when Junmyeon comes in. He seems stressed out, and seeing the detectives there doesn't help his mood.
“Please tell me you're making progress,” he says, eyebrows creasing with slight worry.
“Slowly but surely, Chief,” Kris answers with a sigh.
“I just watched that video with the boys over at analysis, and they pointed out some stuff that could help you guys out,” Junmyeon supplies, tossing a thing file onto the table the detectives are sitting at.
Seunghyun takes it, and opens it eagerly, like a child getting a gift on Christmas Day. There are a few notes about the video and message in the file. The detectives read the file several times, then look at each other.
“They say that it looks like a heavily wooded area, like the woods behind the school. When there is no audio, Yixing is saying ‘no, I don't want to,’ and ‘please don't make me do it’. Judging by the pattern of the bruises and scratches, he had been hit with fists. And, finally, the note is handwritten, so if we find similar handwriting, we got our guy,” Kris summarizes. Seunghyun and Junmyeon let that sink in for a bit.
“Before we head out into those woods, though, we have to speak with Mrs. Oh and the Kim’s first,” Seunghyun adds in.
“Of course.” Kris hesitates for a moment. “Did you invite the Zhang’s in to see the video? It may be hurtful, but it's better to know that he's alive rather than knowing nothing at all.”
“I haven't thought of that…” Junmyeon says. “I'll call them in for this evening.”
**
“Though this video may hurt to watch, we believe it is best for you to be involved in the investigation,” Seunghyun says.
“Thank you,” Mrs. Zhang states, “as long as we know he's still out there…” Mr. Zhang nods in agreement.
Kris plays the video, and it's just as bad as before. Yixing’s back is to the camera as he calls out, his screams silenced by the muted footage. Kris gauges Mr. and Mrs. Zhang’s reactions so far--blank and tearful respectively. Yixing turns around and his wounds are seen; that causes Mrs. Zhang to let out a small whimper and Mr. Zhang squeezes her hand on the table. The dart, Yixing's tears--his parents’ reactions are tense and angry, as if wanting to climb through the screen and protect their child. When Yixing is hit with the second dart, the silence in the room is heavy until his screams of pain cut through it as his voice blasts through the speakers. Mrs. Zhang's tears fall in a flurry, as if trying to construct a river to carry her to Yixing. Mr. Zhang allows for a few tears to escape as he watches his son writhe in pain--then the screen goes black, and the shock of the abrupt ending sends them back into the familiar quiet.
“I know it was hard seeing that video...but would you have any clue where he could have been?”
“The only place I can think of is…”
“Is what, Mrs. Zhang?” Seunghyun presses. She takes a shuddering breath.
“...the woods...behind the school…”
**
Kris goes home that night with a manila folder filled with information about the boys. When he opens the door, he hears a shriek, and drops everything to run into the house.
“Minseok! Luhan!” He calls, looking down every hallway to find a trace of his children.
“Dad!” Minseok shouts, running down the stairs.
“What's wrong? What happened?” Kris scans his son’s body for any injuries.
“I was playing with Lu and--” Minseok is cut off by Luhan coming down the stairs.
“Hey, Dad!”
“What is going on here?” Kris asks, a little confused. Luhan looks clueless as to what he's asking about, tilting his head with widened eyes.
“What do you mean? If you're talking about the screaming, it was because I was tickling Minnie. Nothing happened, though…”
“Oh...okay then,” Kris releases Minseok’s shoulders. He glances back towards the open front door. “Well, I'm going to go get my things...Did you eat yet?”
“Yep! We ordered a pizza,” Minseok answers, following as Luhan turns to go back upstairs.
Kris goes back to the front door where he had previously dropped his bags, when he notices something stuck under the doormat.
Luhan and Minseok I see
Both are very pretty
Don't leave too long
Or they'll both be gone
Wanna play hide & seek?
Kris hurriedly gathers his things from the doorway, and closes and locks the door. He stands, back to the door, chest rising and falling as if he had just finished a marathon. He glances to the slightly crumpled note in his hand, and his heart begins to beat out of control. He closes his eyes and takes several deep breaths to calm his breathing and erratic heart rate.
“...Dad?” Minseok questions, voice conveying concern.
“Minseok!” Kris gasps, startled. “What do you need, kiddo?”
“Um...are you okay?” Minseok looks at him as if Kris had gone insane.
“Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. What's up?” Kris regains his composure. He stands straighter and fixes his frightened gaze to a kinder one.
“Oh...a man came by earlier with a package. It's a little bloody, but he said that's because they sent it with meat and stuff…” Minseok takes the bloodied package from behind his back. Kris walks up to his son and takes the small package.
“Okay...go wash your hands...twice.” Kris sends him off. He examines the small brown envelope; there's no address on it--neither his nor the sender’s.
He takes all of his things upstairs so he can open the package in private. He sits on his bed after closing the bedroom door, and eyes the envelope again. It looks very suspicious, but he ignores the bad feeling in his gut to open it. He realizes that he shouldn't have ignored that feeling when he sees the contents of the package--two bloody eyes. He feels as though he's seen these eyes before, but can't place where--hell he doesn't want to place where. He really hopes that this is some stupid prank to through off the investigation, but with the small slip of paper pinned to one of the eyes, he knows that their culprit was behind this.
Guess who!
Here's a hint:
BH
**
“Before we do anything today, we have to figure out whose eyes these are,” Kris tells Seunghyun as they're standing over the eyes. They want to know who they belonged to because the eyes hold an innocent gaze, as if belonging to a child, but for that very reason the detectives don't want to know.
“Hm…‘BH’...who could that be?” Seunghyun inquires.
“...missing person’s report...gone 2 days now...son...Baekhyun…”
“Oh my God...this can't be...oh my God…” Kris’ mouth drops open and he looks sick. “Baekhyun...the kid from the park--that's why these looked so familiar!”
“Please! You have to help me find my baby! Oh, God, please! He never came home! I don't know what happened to him!” The same woman from the park shouts.
“Ma'am, please, just please calm down. We'll help find your son,” Minho states calmly. Instructing the woman to breathe.
“I’m sorry...it’s just that...he went to the park a couple days ago, and he never came home. I called before, but I was told to wait at least twenty-four hours...He just didn't come home…” The woman begins to cry, then sob as she attempts to tell the officers what happened.
“You think we should investigate this?” Seunghyun asks, looking quite unsure.
“Absolutely. It has to be that bastard that took those four kids,” Kris says sternly. Seunghyun agrees, and they head out to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Kim.
**
When the detectives arrive, the door is ajar. They take that as a bad sign, and grip their guns as they take slow steps through the door. Kris lead the way. When they fully step into the living room, Mr. Kim is hanging from the ceiling with a severely broken neck.
“Seunghyun get backup...I’m going to see if Mrs. Kim is here…”
Seunghyun begins muttering into his radio as Kris carefully steps around the dead body. Kris goes into the kitchen, and no one is there. He goes into the next room--no one. Each room he enters, there is no sign of life. He returns to the living room when he hears the sirens of police cars and an ambulance.
They all take a good look at the body. The murder seems to have been thoroughly planned out. Mr. Kim’s body is filleted to display bone, which is disturbingly clean, and the interior of his body. His organs have been thrown about the floor; like a piece of abstract art, the organs are tossed around, yet placed neatly. His body is almost entirely drained of blood (excluding the blood dripping from his neck in the noose). It's certainly a sight to see, and whoever did this wanted it to be. Then there are screams.
“Oh my God! What happened?! Who did this to my husband?! First my son! Now my husband?!” Mrs. Kim screams weakly. She seems to be in disbelief and shock, so she's not screaming as loud as she could be. Her sobs fill the room, and one of the officers drags her out of the house.
“Sir?” Minho asks. Kris looks at him. “There's another flash drive and note.” Kris takes the bloody items, and shows them to Seunghyun.
“Will you guys be alright on your own?” Kris questions, already on his way out of the door.
“Of course. I'll give you a full report once we're finished,” Minho replies, and the detectives are off.
**
They come back to the station to watch the video. They insert the flash drive, and wait for the file to load. It's Jongin this time.
Jongin is directly facing the camera, and is strapped down to a chair in the same location as Yixing’s video. He has tears already on his cheeks, and looks terrified. Like the last time, there is no audio, but if you are good at lip reading, you would still be able to make out what he's saying. By the sudden glow of light on Jongin’s face, it seems that a TV has been . His eyes widen in shock and fear, and he shakes his head vigorously with closed eyes. There is sound now, and Jongin doesn't say anything at first. Then, when a ‘squelch’ and a ‘splat’ are heard, he says:
“Appa...You killed my Appa...Why would you--”
“Shut up!” The captor’s voice is heard, but it's so distorted that you can't tell who it is.
“But...you…” Jongin sheds fresh tears, and harsh sobs wrack his small frame. The video is ended.
They take a look at the note, and are shocked at what they see:
Tick Tock
One down
Each day you take
Someone dies…
6 days left
“That's odd...this couldn't have been done this morning...could it?” Seunghyun asks.
“I'm not sure, but judging by the package and note he left at my house, I think he's watching us,” Kris answers, pondering.
“So the real question is...how does he know to do this stuff...is this all preplanned?”
“That's what I’d like to find out, Choi.”
“Um...sorry to interrupt, but...we have the dirt sample matched up to something,” a forensic scientist says.
“Oh, really? Where?” Seunghyun wonders.
“Those woods...behind that school…”
“Well, we know where our culprit takes his victims. Now we have to go investigate that--”
“Detectives! We found that boy! He's alive, but barely. Hurry, he's in the hospital! He wants to talk to you!”
**
“Hi, Baekhyun...How are you feeling?” Kris asks carefully, not wanting to upset the boy.
“I feel better...I’m just really weak from all the blood loss, Mr. Detective Wu.”
“You can call me ‘Kris,’ Baekhyun.”
“Okay...Kris...that sounds like a perfect name for you,” Baekhyun says as he smiles weakly.
“I heard you had some information for me?”
“Oh yeah...I know who took the boys. It was Mr. Do. He was the one who took my eyes...he left me for dead, and as he watched me bleed out, he was saying how he planned on killing the kids in a few days. He kept talking about that…”
“You saw him? Before he...you know…”
“Yeah, I did. I was walking around the woods behind the school, and I saw him carrying a bloody bag...He looked at me, and dropped the bag, and ran at me. I started running too, but he caught me and carried me to this place in the woods. I saw the other boys there--they were sleeping--and he threw me on the ground and started to take out my eyes. I was wondering if the boys could hear me screaming and calling for help, but they didn't even move...He didn't even stab my eyes out...He just took them with his bare hands…”
“It's okay, Baekhyun...we're gonna go get him...we're gonna catch him for you.”
**
“Get to that school immediately. We have to catch him before he makes a run for it,” Kris demands, and Seunghyun starts the engine.
“We're gonna catch this son of a , and get those kids back to their parents,” Seunghyun growls, the revelation lighting a fire in his belly.
“Sirens, Seunghyun, sirens! You're going 75 in a 55 speed limit!” Kris shouts, turning the sirens on himself.
They arrive at the school in no time, and rush inside the building. They run to the office, but Do Kyungsoo isn't there. They check around several times, but they don't see him.
“Looking for someone?” Kyungsoo says, making his presence known. The detectives turn around, and raise their guns.
“Just put your hands up, and this process will be easier,” Seunghyun states. Kyungsoo lifts his hands above his head.
“Of course--”
“Mr. Do, I--” Chanyeol interrupts, but quickly stops talking. He turns to run out of the office, but is grabbed by Kyungsoo.
“Look at that...luck must be on my side.” Kyungsoo holds the boy against his chest, and pulls a blade from his pocket.
“Kyungsoo...put the blade down...he didn't do anything wrong,” Seunghyun says as he inches closer.
Kyungsoo presses the knife to Chanyeol’s throat, and the boy winces. “I haven't done anything wrong either,” he reasons, glaring at the detectives.
“Kyungsoo, we know what you did...if you just let him go, and come with us...no one has to get hurt,” Kris says calmly, watching for Kyungsoo’s next move.
“What proof do you have? How do you know I took those boys?” Kyungsoo seethes, taking small steps backward.
“We have a witness...He saw everything, Kyungsoo.”
“What are you talking about?! I didn't do anything!”
“Kyungsoo, relax; just come with us and--”
“No! I'm not getting arrested for a crime I didn't commit!” With that said, Kyungsoo presses the knife into Chanyeol's neck, swiping it quickly. He drops the boy and runs.
“Go after him! I'll help Chanyeol,” Seunghyun says, rushing over to the boy, who is bleeding out rapidly. Kris quickly understands what needs to be done, and runs after Kyungsoo.
Seunghyun holds Chanyeol close to his chest, ripping off his sleeve to try and stop the bleeding. The boy’s breathing is harsh and shallow, and he keeps drifting in and out of consciousness.
“Mr. Detective?” Chanyeol starts weakly. “Am I gonna die?”
“I honestly don't know, Chanyeol, but it's best for you not to talk,” Seunghyun replies. He hopes the ambulance he called for comes soon.
“Mr. Detective...Mr. Do is gonna go hurt more people…your friend has to stop him...he's gonna kill innocent people...and...and--”
“Chanyeol, enough...please, don't speak. You're gonna kill yourself if you keep talking.”
“I'm sorry...I'll stop now,” Chanyeol speaks quietly, trying not to aggravate the wound. He's in pain, it's very apparent in his expression--furrowed brow, lips pressed tightly together, eyes squeezed shut--yet he holds himself together very well.
After a few more blood-soaked moments, paramedics arrive to give Chanyeol medical attention. The paramedic is shocked that the boy is still alive with the amount of blood surrounding him on the floor. Chanyeol opens his eyes when he hears footsteps, but when the paramedic crouches down to check his neck, he starts coughing violently. He coughs and coughs, grasping onto Seunghyun for dear life; hoping that if he holds on tight, he will have a better chance at living. He begins to choke on the blood pooling around his trachea; the red liquid settled at the back of his mouth, causing him to inhale it and to drown in his own blood. His eyes are wide, and he's clutching his throat now, the pain too unbearable. Then, he lets go; Chanyeol stops moving, giving up on the fight for his life, and his body, unmoving, still cradled against Seunghyun’s chest.
**
Kris is chasing Kyungsoo out of the school building, and into the woods behind the school. He tries to keep up as best he can, but with the lumpy terrain, it's difficult for him to maintain his footing. Kris steps in a hole, feeling the bones in his ankle snap, but gets up again to continue the chase. He's thankful for the adrenaline flowing through his veins because he can't feel the pain as he runs and runs. Then, Kyungsoo makes a sharp turn, and as Kris tries to follow, his ankle gives out under the pressure and change of direction. Kris cries out in pain, and Kyungsoo stops.
“I told you...I didn't do anything...but I will admit that's a lie. I snuck into those houses, and took those boys. I threatened to kill their parents if they didn't come, so they wouldn't put up a fight...I killed Jongin’s father, and took Baekhyun's eyes,” Kyungsoo pauses as he tries to catch his breath, “There is one more thing I have to do…” Kyungsoo walks over to Kris. “I'm gonna need this, though.”
Kyungsoo steps on Kris’ ankle, causing the taller male to scream, and grabs his gun from its holster. He smirks and checks how many bullets the weapon has, and points the gun at Kris. He aims the gun to the left of Kris, and fires--barely missing the detective. Kyungsoo smirks again, and saunders off and out of Kris’ line of sight. Just like that...Kyungsoo is gone.
**
Kyungsoo exits the woods, and checks to make sure it's safe to make a run for it. He sees the various vehicles, but no people, deciding that the coast is clear and taking off. He runs off of the campus, and down the street, gun in hand. He goes towards the house he had been waiting to break into, pulling out the key he had copied days prior.
He runs for a while, though it takes longer because he's not as athletic as he wants to be, but he arrives at his destination nonetheless. He decides to mess with the residents a little bit by shooting one of the windows. The bullet shatters the glass, and he hears screams. This causes him to smirk, and he opens the door with the key and invites himself in.
“Minseok...Luhan...Where are you?” Kyungsoo calls, but he gets no response. He takes slow steps around the downstairs area, hoping to build the suspense for when he finds the boys. He looks up the stairs and sees nothing but the natural light being let in from the outdoors. He continues on the first floor, despite how tempting it is to go upstairs, and walks down the last hallway. There are two doors at the end of the hall; one on the left and the other on the right. he goes into the one on the left, and finds an empty bathroom. He goes into the room on the right to find a guest room void of any decorations or color. He turns back and goes up the stairs.
**
Minseok and Luhan are both hiding in separate rooms. Luhan had conned his twin into playing the hide and seek game he was told not to, but what his dad didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Minseok didn't want to admit it, but he was terrified because /what if they died or worse...what if innocent people died/? Luhan, however, was excited to be risking his life playing this game.
Minseok is folded up in the back of his father’s wardrobe, and he can hear footsteps coming from downstairs. He’s holding onto his cup of salt water for dear life because it can be the deciding factor of if he lives or dies. He remembers what his brother told him before they played the game: “As long as you keep the door locked and stay in your hiding spot, nothing will happen to you. Trust me, Minseok...Have I ever lied to you?”
Luhan isn't hiding as well as Minseok is--he's in his room ‘hiding’ under his bed. He can hear the footsteps too, and the sound makes his heart race in excitement and fear. He can't believe that it actually worked, but what if it went wrong?” He clutches his cup of salt water, and closes his eyes as he hears the footsteps grow closer to his room.
“Luhan...Minseok…” a voice calls, causing both boys to shudder in response.
**
Kyungsoo goes into the first room he encounters when he finishes with the staircase. He opens the door, and judging by the sign in the door, it's Minseok's room. He looks everywhere and throws stuff about, but there's no one there. He leaves the room to go to the next. This one is Luhan’s.
He opens the door, and takes a step or two inside. He looks around the room, he almost misses it, and he sees two feet coming from under the bed. He smirks and walks around the bed. He grabs the boy's ankles, and pulls him from underneath his bed.
“Peek-a-boo~ Look who I found,” Kyungsoo coos, and smiles (quite creepily) at the boy.
Luhan’s mouth drops open, and he lets out a small whimper. He freezes and doesn't know what to do as Kyungsoo grabs him by his arms and lifts him off the ground until they are face to face. Luhan's eyes widen and he tries to kick his legs, but Kyungsoo predicted this, and readjusts to hold him bridal style.
“Put me down! Minseok! Help me! Minseok!” Luhan cries as he thrashes in his captor’s arms.
Kyungsoo carries the boy out of the room and towards the staircase. All the while, Luhan is screaming for help from his brother or anyone that can hear him. When they get to the wall at the top of the staircase, Kyungsoo grabs Luhan by the throats and holds him to the wall, his feet dangling just above the ground. He inches his face closer to the boy's and places a kiss on his cheek.
“Such a pretty boy...it's a shame you'll have to die after this,” Kyungsoo says, reaching his free hand to Luhan's pants zipper.
“Please! Stop it! Help me! Minseok! Plea--” Luhan tries his best to scream, but Kyungsoo tightens his grip and continues his sinful ministrations.
Suddenly, a shout is heard, and Minseok comes and tackles Kyungsoo down the stairs, knocking the man unconscious.
**
Minseok had heard his brother’s screams from the back of the wardrobe, and had contemplated leaving the safety of his hiding spot. He stayed longer than he should have, creating a list of pros and cons in his mind before he left the room. He was worried that if he left to help his brother, he would be killed alongside him, but he figured that would be a better plan than to let his brother die alone. He gathered the very little courage he had, and opened the bedroom door, charging toward the sound of Luhan's screams. He ran, and though he didn't have a plan, he jumped and tackled the man to the bottom of the staircase.
**
After Minseok dashes back upstairs to lead his twin out of the house, the boys run to a neighbor’s house to call the police. Within minutes, the entire street is illuminated by reds and whites and blues of cop cars. They see the intruder get shoved into the back of a police car, and it's like a weight has been lifted from their shoulders.
“Oh my God, boys! Are you okay? I'm so sorry I didn't stop him! Are you alright?!” Kris runs, or hobbles with his crutches, over to his sons and looks them up and down. He notices the uncomfortable aura around Luhan, and already knows what happened.
“Baba...he--”
“I know, Lu...You're gonna have to give a statement to the police...Here, go with Officer Choi, and we'll be right behind you,” Kris says and points Luhan towards Minho. “Are you okay, Minseok? I heard about you tackling him down the steps.”
“Yeah, I'm fine. I already got checked for injuries. That guy’s body crashed my fall,” Minseok looks at the empty space where the car with the criminal was. He feels relieved that the man is gone. Kris does too as he leads his son to his car and they head to the station.
**
“Thank you, Detective! You saved my life,” Jongin says, gripping his mother’s hand tightly. Mrs. Kim wipes her tears, though the fall anyway, and she smiles gratefully at Kris. (Earlier that day, when Kris was in the woods, he crawled his way to where the boys were kept, and notified backup of their location.)
“Thank you so much for finding my son,” Mrs. Oh, cries, holding her son in a bone-crushing hug. Sehun smiles and hugs her back.
“Thank you, Detective!” Zitao and Yixing say in unison. Their parents offer grateful smiles as well.
One family, however, wasn't celebrating, as their son’s life had been lost during the investigation. Chanyeol’s parents and sister were devastated to find out that he had in fact been killed, but were proud that he didn't even shed a tear. The entire station held a small memorial for the boy, and the family was grateful for that.
“Hey, we never did talk to the Kim’s about the abuse thing,” Seunghyun says to his partner.
“Oh, well I can tell you that it wasn't the mom. Jongin told me about how his father used to beat him, but we can't do much about that since...you know…”
“Oh...so does this mean that the case is closed? Everyone's reunited with their families?”
“Yep; we've done all we can do...now we just have to believe in the judge and the jury in court. Luhan might have to testify in court, but as long as he's up to do it, it's okay."
**
Unfortunately, there's no extravagant ending to this tale. The culprit is sentenced, the town rejoices, the boys are scarred for life...you get the gist. Kris Wu and Choi Seunghyun, however, are now known as town heroes, saving the day yet again. Those children have become legends at school, but refuse to speak of their hardships (which is probably best for everyone). Oh, and Park Chanyeol and Byun Baekhyun, too, they're heroes as well. Let the trend live on as whispers in the shadows...til the next time you play hide and seek.
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WOW I REALLY HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE THIS even tho i think it a little BUT THANK YOU FOR READING THIS WHOLE THING!!!!! HUGS AND KISSES AND ALSO THIS IS AN ACCOMPLISHMENT BECAUSE THIS IS THE LONGEST THING I HAVE EVERY WRITTEN!!!!!!!
Stay poachy, my Chanyolks
-Byun Baconboy
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