CHAPTER 44

WHERE IS HAECHAN?

In a span of five minutes, the heads of NCT Corp, together with their husbands left the party and headed for the conference room. Mark and Lucas followed. 

Taeyong held his husband’s hand so tight as if his life was depending on it. It was true though, if Jaehyun decided to let go of him, he will surely fall. His legs felt like jelly, and his mind was occupied of what Mark just asked them, looking for a possible answer, but failed to find one.

Jaehyun looked at his husband worriedly as he guided him to sit at one of the chairs at the conference room. It was a huge room but only Taeyong was the only one seated aside from Mark who had no choice. The others chose to just stand, including Winwin who was so stiff and looked so worried. Yuta stayed by his side as always.

All throughout the time, Mark never left Taeil’s line of vision. The eldest also sported a worried and guilty looked. He silently blamed himself that he got so sidetracked that he totally forgot about their youngest. 

By the look of Mark’s legs, it was far from getting better. Totally contradicting to what his doctor told them before. Mark was supposed to be walking already after all the therapy he had received, but he was still stuck in a wheelchair.

Jaehyun was thinking the same thing, and he was the one who voiced out his older brother’s thoughts.

“How are your legs?” he asked, careful with his tone. Mark looked like a ticking time bomb, ready to explode with one wrong move.

The question was left unanswered. Mark didn’t even bother to look at him. His eyes stared directly at Taeyong and Winwin. He was calmed and yet judging.

“I need an answer. Where is Haechan?”

Taeyong’s lips quivered as he looked at Winwin and hoped the younger one knew something.

No words were spoken, and that pulled Mark’s trigger.

“You are all pieces of !”

“Mark!” Jaehyun said, shocked that he just said that to Taeyong and Winwin. Even Yuta was shocked.

Fortunately, Kun wasn’t there with them. Doyoung decided not to come with them inside and took the young one out for some fresh air. He could feel the tension and Taeil thought it was a smart decision. 

Johnny and Ten just stood there, listening.

“Why?” Mark finally looked at his brother. “I just asked a simple question. A question they all should know the answer,” he said, pointing at the two brothers.

“Watch your words. You are talking to Taeyong.”

Mark chuckled, it was a mocking one.

“Of course! Everyone should respect Taeyong. Everyone should treat Taeyong with the utmost care when it was you who forced him into the marriage that ruined his family!”

Jaehyun looked at him, ready to put his brother in his place, but he chose to calm down. He couldn’t afford to anger Mark more, and Taeyong was on the verge of tears already.

“It has nothing to do with Haechan,” he said. It was calmly said, but it was not the answer Mark was waiting for.

“It has everything to do with Haechan!” Mark started to yell and if he could stand, he already did to throw a punch to his brother. “You used us to get his hyung! It was my fight, and it was my fault why that stupid accident happened. It was my fault why I’m in this condition,” he continued as he punched his own legs as he said those words. “None of these is Haechan’s fault.”
No one said a word, so Mark continued.

“It was all my fault and yet you took the matter into your hands and decided to blackmail Taeyong. And you know what? Winwin was so mad at you for taking his brother away from them that he blamed Haechan for everything!”

Winwin took a deep breath as if a bullet hit him. Guilt burnt his heart. Tears flow uncontrollably not even Yuta can stop them. And if it wasn’t enough pain for Winwin, Mark continued as he looked at him with great hatred.

“You couldn’t accept that Taeyong agreed to the marriage that’s why you decided to marry Yuta hyung so you can make Jaehyun pay for ruining your family.”

Another bomb was dropped, and it was Yuta’s turn to stiffened still, he remained on Winwin’s side.

“Mark,” Jaehyun finally begged. “Please stop. Let’s talk about this.”

“We are already talking about it! Are you even listening? I just said that Winwin used his husband so he can make you pay. Did you even notice that he was so happy when his hyung decided to divorce you? Did you see his reaction when you announced your relationship to the public just a while ago? He despised Haechan when Taeyong gave you a second chance. Haechan believed that he really ruined your family that he decided to take his life and he almost succeeded.” Mark’s voiced cracked at those words. Even Winwin and Taeyong were shocked when they heard it. 

Taeyong had no clue that Haechan felt that way. Winwin didn’t intend to push Haechan to his limit.

The thought of Haechan jumping off that building always made Mark tear up. It was traumatic.

“You blamed him for ruining your family when it was you who ruined it,” Mark pointed at  Winwin. “If you only accept the things that happened, then none of this will happen. If only you,” he then looked at his brother Jaehyun, “If you only left us alone then everything is okay.”

“Mark,”

“Once I found Haechan, I will never let you see him again.”

With that, Mark motioned the still quiet Lucas to pushed him out of that room. The latter obliged, wanting to leave the room and the suffocating atmosphere immediately.

***

“You okay?” Lucas asked Mark as he saw his friend wiped a stray tear for the umpteenth time. They were on their way back to Haechan's, and Lucas was the one driving.

Mark nodded, his eyes never left the road in front of him.

“You don’t want Haechan to see you that way. He will surely worry.”

Those words worried Mark.

“Please stop the car.”

Lucas did. Mark then covered his face with his hands and started to cry. He decided to cry his heart out, all the tears he tried to stop for so long just went out. He just cried there silently while Lucas let him.

He went one for a good ten minutes of crying before he decided to look up and wipe the last tear.

Lucas understood. Mark had acted so strong for the past days and he saw how hard he tried to uplift Haechan’s spirit up even when he was going down himself. Lucas understood that Mark needed to release all the emotions so he could pretend to be strong in front of Haechan once again. None of them could afford to make the latter even more worried. Haechan just recovered and none of them was going to allow him to get back to what he became once, especially Mark.

“You okay now, Man?” Mark nodded though Lucas knew that he was lying. Mark will never be okay until Haechan was back to his old self.

“Stay here.” Lucas then went out of the car and went to the convenience store near them to get something. He handed the ice pack that he bought to Mark when he got back.

“You don't want Haechan to see your swollen eyes.”

Mark was grateful for the action.

“Thanks, man.”

***

Winwin was standing in the middle of the living room of the apartment that Jaehyun gave them after he got married to his brother. He was staring at its walls as if waiting for them to speak and tell him where Haechan was.

Yuta just stood by the door, looking at his husband. Worry still plastered on his face and yet, he allowed him to do what he wanted.

They were in that situation when Taeyong and Jaehyun arrived. The two husbands decided to leave the brothers alone so they could talk and decided to get some food for them.

Taeyong walked to Winwin’s side and took his hand.

“Everything that Mark said was true,” Winwin started. Voice devoid of energy. All Taeyong could feel was devastation. “I couldn’t accept that you decided to marry that man. I blamed Haechan because I thought he was the reason why you were forced to marry.”

“It was my decision. Haechan knew nothing about it. I didn’t tell the both of you because I was afraid of what Jaehyun would do to him, but please don’t blame Haechan for it. He knew nothing about it and I will do it again if have to just to save him, to save you.”

“None of my plans worked,” Winwin continued. “I married Yuta not because I love him. I married him just to despise you and use his friendship with Jaehyun so I can take revenge for ruining our family.”

“Winwin, I love Jaehyun.”

“I know.” Winwin looked at his brother and for the first time since he entered that room. Taeyong saw Winwin’s tear-stained face and guilt-ridden eyes. “Everything backfired on me, and now Haechan is nowhere to be found.” 

“Shhh…” Taeyong hushed as he gave his brother a tight hug, the first one since he got married. Winwin accepted the much-needed hug wholeheartedly. “Everything will be alright.” It was the time for the eldest to find the strength he used to have before everything happened. He knew he had to step up like he used to.  

“We are going to find Haechan.”

“How?” Winwin asked in tears. “Where are we going to start? Are we even sure he wants to be found? After everything that happened, the last persons he wants to see is us. I’m worried, and I’m afraid that what Mark said were all true. I will not forgive myself if something bad happened to him.”

Taeyong looked at his broken brother. He was also worried but mostly afraid because of what he heard from Mark. Haechan was strong, and if something pushed him to kill himself, then he must have hurt a lot.

***

“You’re not talking since we left,” Jaehyun told Yuta without taking his eyes off the road. He was the one driving. His friend also heard an unexpected revelation, and Jaehyun knew the feeling so well.

Yuta rested his head on his arm on the window of the car. What happened gave him a headache, aside from the massive heartbreak from what he heard.

“Winwin is my karma.” Yuta chuckled at himself. It lacked amusement. “Of all the miserable things I did to make those people who came into my life, karma finally got me.”

“Yuta.”

“But you know what? My husband, Winwin, is my sweetest karma and I will do everything again if that would bring him to me.”

“You heard Mark. I married Taeyong because I love him.”

Yuta looked at his friend whose eyes were still on the road. “Same thing. I married Winwin because I love him. You’re just luckier because Taeyong finally fell in love with you, while I’m still working on that to happen,” he sighed. “I’m not even sure if that’s going to happen.”

“How long are you going to wait?”

“As long as I’m alive.”

Jaehyun looked at his friend for a while, unpleased with his answer. “Yuta.”

Yuta smiled at him. “Why? I love him, boss, and I’m happy just as long as he’s with me. I don’t care if he doesn’t love me back. Just as long as he’s by my side, then I’m going to be alright.”

Jaehyun shook his head. The old Yuta was truly gone.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m going to be alright. We should worry about Haechan and Mark. Haechan is nowhere to find and Mark’s legs are getting worse. He should be able to run already, but he’s still stuck in a wheelchair.”

“I know my brother well enough to know that he knew where Haechan is, and he's definitely with him,” Jaehyun spoke after a long pause.

“Huh?”

“He just wanted to torment us, to remind us that we're are forgetting something.”

“How are sure are you about this?”

“A hundred percent. Mark won’t go in a battle without strong weapons. He just won the first, and I know you know that the war is far from over. He’s determined to make us all pay. I’m also sure that he won’t let us see Haechan until Winwin and Taeyong, including me, has suffered enough.”

“Taeyong can charge him for kidnapping.”

“Not if Haechan is a willing victim and you know Taeyong and your husband are broken enough to even think of that.”

Yuta sighed. Jaehyun was right. Haechan may or may not be with Mark. 

“So do you have a plan in mind then?” he asked.
Yuta was expecting a positive response from Jaehyun, but he was disappointed.

“No. Mark hates me enough. I don’t want to risk anything that will make him hate me more.”

***
 

The next day, a fuming Johnny asked an emotionless Ten.

“Why is your café for sale?”

aejae22

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Writer's block finally gone.

Someone asked me to post this on AO3. Should I?