Woohyun feels Sunggyu tensing up as the men alight from the cars but when the male starts to quiver uncontrollably, he has to suppress the urge to jump out of the car and wipe out the reason for Sunggyu’s fears. As if sensing Sunggyu’s emotions, Kitty begins purring in a bid to get its owner attention but sadly to no avail, as the trembling male seems lost in his own horror world. Although yearning to hug Sunggyu in his arms, Woohyun only gently covers the cold hands with his own, not wanting to startle the already alarmed male.

“Sunggyu, you are safe now. I’m here. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

The soft words break Sunggyu out of his thoughts and he slowly turns towards the source, the uncontrollable shivering gradually eases as he looks at the man holding his hands. He desperately wants to believe Woohyun, he feels illogically safe after hearing Woohyun’s promise. The warm from Woohyun’s hands seems to radiate to his whole body, thawing his frozen self. He wants to indulge in the warm but there is always a cost for indulgence and he knows the price is not something he can afford. If Woohyun is here to capture him, Sunggyu will spend the rest of his life in captive. But if Woohyun is not here for him, he will only bring harm to the male. And frankly, he does not know which ending is worse; him being hurt or Woohyun being hurt. Sunggyu only knows he can no longer pretend that he is able to hide from his captors forever. They will never cease their hunt, the possibility of immense power and abundant wealth too great a stake to give up. Retreating his hand from Woohyun’s warm grasp, Sunggyu return his attention to the men on the opposite side of the street, now bearing the furious temper of the one in command.

It’s not long before all the men speed off in their cars and the street once again regains its peacefulness, as if the men were just figments of his own imagination. Of course it is just his pure wishful thinking but still, Sunggyu’s breathing eases with their leaving. It would seem that Woohyun, Sungjong and their group are not with his captors but that does not mean he is safe. If his secret is out, these people he is sharing the car with might very well be his next nightmare. They had wanted to take him in. The mentioned of Woohyun scoring a treasure has wedged in his mind, no matter how much he wants to pretend he did not hear it. Although they have not done anything to hurt him yet except knocking him out earlier but they are holding him prisoned. Sunggyu dreads what is in store for him, his fate once again in others’ hands. He thought he had make it out but sadly in reality, he is still snared in the nightmare that refused to let him wake up.

After the vehicles move off, Myungsoo keeps the tiny device he has been pointing to the opposite street. He has gotten all the faces from the opposite convoy, all is left to do is run them through his computer mainframe to identify the men. But the reception signal in the remote town has been intermittent, probably due to service degradation caused by the storm, which means he does not have a stable connection to run his program. There is only one option left. He turns to Sungyeol and signals the male to drive off. The car moves out from its hidden spot in the dark alley, quickly gaining momentum, leaving the tranquil little seaside town behind.

As the car moves along the winding road that leads out of the town, Sunggyu’s mind starts working. He is expecting a long ride because of the remoteness of his hiding place. No matter where they are taking him, he will have time and hopefully, a chance to stage an escape. But as if the devil has heard his thoughts, it is not long before the car turns into a long stretch of road which ends before a hanger. Everyone alights except Sunggyu, who feels the need to glue himself to his seat. There will be no escape for him if he boards the helicopter standing in the hanger, his fate will be sealed. He sees Woohyun smilingly holding the car door, waiting for him to alight but someone else is not that patient. Sungyeol opens the door from the other side and pops his head in.

“You need help?”

It is quite obvious the kind of help being offered. Sunggyu jolts away from the voice, reluctantly moving his body towards Woohyun and out of the car, ignoring the chuckles from the lanky male who has moved ahead. Every step he takes towards the helicopter seems to burn his soles but how he wishes the walk will be never ending. Kitty stretches in his embrace and once again, Sunggyu wonders did he also destroy Kitty’s freedom by bringing her with him, if he will even be allowed to keep Kitty at whatever place they are bringing him. What if they use Kitty as a lab subject? He needs to do something for both of them since this could literally be their last moment of freedom. Woohyun has been walking behind him after he has refused the male’s helping hand when alighting from the car. The male has looked hurt at his refusal but Sunggyu has ignored the sad puppy eyes. The others are some distance ahead. Spying the dense greenery not far from the hanger, Sunggyu makes a dash for it. He may stand a chance if he enters the bushes. It seems that he has been running forever but the bushes remain out of his reach.

It may seem forever to Sunggyu but the male is actually knocked out just a short distance away, this time by Woohyun himself. Woohyun manages to catch Kitty also after Sunggyu loses consciousness. He hands Kitty over to Sungjong who has jogged over, before gently lifting Sunggyu and heads towards the helicopter where the others are waiting. Feeling the younger’s slightly blaming eyes, Woohyun turns to Sungjong after Sunggyu is safely buckled for the flight.

“I just don’t want him to hurt himself. It will be dangerous if he tries to escape during the flight. I thought he will believe us after seeing we are not the people after him but …”

The hanging silence accompanies the roaring rotor as the helicopter lifts into the air.

Sorry for the very long absence.

I sincerely thank anyone who still remember this story.

As usual, please leave comments which really will be deeply appreciated.

I missed many things. Infinite’s comeback, solos, military entries and even Sunggyu’s birthday. Missed as in I did not have time to follow closely to their activities but I do update myself through Instagram on happenings just before I knockout for the night whenever I can. Should I be proud that I'm not late for their anniversary :p

Happy 9th Anniversary Infinite!!! Thanks for the many happy memories and the many more to come!!!

@RoseSmile: Thanks for leaving encouraging comments and always show your love for the story. Your actions make me want to become a better writer, well as least hopefully, a more prompt writer ^^

p.s.: I have finished the first paragraph of the next chapter. Hopefully the next chapter will be out much sooner than this one.