Miso barks, which is not an uncommon thing for him to do. However, he keeps barking, which makes him a source of annoyance.

“Miso,” says Brian with a prominent scowl. “We are trying to find Jae. No need to get all excited now, okay?”

The Shiba Inu growls at Brian before running over to Dowoon to repeat his barking.

“Miso, shh, what are trying to get us to do?” says the drummer slowly, hoping that the dog will quieten a little.

They are feeling troubled by the oldest one’s disappearance. Plus, Sungjin found his cell phone charging in the room so they could not have called him. The dog attempts to drag Dowoon out to the door.

“Oh,” says Wonpil, wide-eyed. “Don’t we lock the doors every night? It’s unlocked.”

The leader rummages through the basket and notes that every key is present. It looks like the boy did not intend to go out for a long time. A pair of shoes is missing, nevertheless, and so he should be somewhere.

“He might be close by,” murmurs Sungjin. “Let’s go out and find him.”

“I woke up early to catch the sunrise, so maybe he left at odd hours…” mumbles Dowoon with a deep frown.

They exit the apartment unit, locking it behind them. Brian snatches one of Jae’s thick jackets by reflex. Once out, Miso runs off to a set of stairs, causing the members to run after him. The sesame Shiba Inu leads them to the rooftop. This is how they find the sleeping Jae.

“Jae, wake up,” says Sungjin with a gentle push on the shoulder, and so he does, despite wearing a glazed look.

“Is it morning?” he asks, rubbing his eyes. “I didn’t mean to stay out like this, I was just looking at the stars and then–”

His speech is interrupted by a heavy sneeze, and a jacket is thrown over him.

“Make your speech after breakfast,” comments Brian, and to this the oldest nods meekly.

[click here to continue]