Not only Wonshik & Taekwoon, their managers are going around searching for him while they are free of schedules. Taekwoon asked their hyungs to keep a lookout for any news online just in case someone spots Hongbin outside.

Taekwoon met up with Gongchan.

"He didn't tell you anything?" he asked.

He shook his head. "Usually he would but this time, I didn't receive any news from him. Have you tried going to his hangout places?"

Taekwoon nodded. "Went there twice but nothing. We can't be asking around either in case this gets out to the media."

-----

"How hyung? What should we do next?" asked Wonshik as they went to nearby place for dinner.

"I've no idea, Wonshik-ah. This kid this time meant what he did. He thought he's being noble by leaving the mess behind without doing anything."

"He got too emotional after Hakyeon hyung remembered what he did to him. I guess he felt very guilty, hyung." said Wonshik, who's munching on his chicken ham sandwich.

"No, he's not. If that's the case, he should stand in front of Hakyeon like a man and apologise what he has done."

"Wellll, hyung, didn't you just do the same thing when you know you have hurt Hakyeon hyung?" Taekwoon's eyes darting at Wonshik suddenly. Wonshik quickly shifted away his gaze to his sandwich that doesn't seems he could finish.

"Oops, oooops." Wonshik mumbled to himself, still not looking at his hyung.

"Thanks for the reminder, Kim Wonshik." His eyes were still staring at his dongsaeng.

"My pleasure, hyung and please stop staring at me. I can't eat properly." Taekwoon paused for few seconds before he breaks away from the intense glare.

"I'm trying to make up for Hakyeon. Whatever it takes. Although he have forgiven me but I still feel partly responsible for his plight." Wonshik looked up slightly. Then, he sighed.

"I understand that feeling, hyung. That's also what I'm doing with him when I got to know at first but now I'm genuinely concern and care for his wellbeing. Hakyeon hyung is my family and I love him."

Taekwoon wondered since when Wonshik started to be such an open-minded person, declaring his love for the people around him.

"That's so "loving" of you, Kim Wonshik and I don't want to know why you've become like this." said Taekwoon, although in his heart, he too cares & loves Hakyeon.

"Do you want me to declare to you too?" Taekwoon quickly shoved his hand forward, covering his mouth while he's in the midst of chewing. Not putting down his sandwich, he muffledly begged his hyung to stop.

"I should have just take Hyuk along with me, if I knew such things would happen." Taekwoon snorted.

At that time, his phone vibrated.  His expression omniously changed, his eyes staring at the screen of his phone.

-------

"Ya, sit down. Pacing here and there makes me dizzy. Come here and sit beside me." Jaehwan was glancing over at his hyung awkwardly. Hyuk was out forgetting to bring Hakyeon's phone along when he went out earlier.

"Hyung, do you really need your phone?" Jaehwan asked.

"Of course. Why? You think I'll be worried over some news posted online?" his gaze deepens which made Jaehwan even more awkward. He shook his head slightly. Then, Hakyeon let out a tiny laughter.

"Jaehwannie, even sick people now need their phone by their side. Don't keep standing there, come here."

After much hesitation, he finally made a move slowly towards his hyung.

"Hyung..."

"Hmm?"

"Are you still angry at me?"

"For what?"

Jaehwan suddenly looked up. "I want you to be honest with me. Not to lie with me how you did to hongbin." His eyes were teary, lips pouting. His precious baby was indeed affected by all these events. 

Hakyeon cleared his throat and his hand then reached for Jaehwan's.

"I was driven by my unstable emotions. That's why I did all that. I was angry no one understood nor care for me. But on my part, I never try to tell all of you I'm suffering. It's not entirely your fault nor the rest. I have a part in this too. I was too hard on myself."

"That ring incident... you really don't believe me right?"

Hakyeon looked up, his eyes staring intensely at his precious dongsaeng, with guilt written all over his face. "Jaehwan-ah..actually..."

"Hmm?"

"Actually, I kept that ring all these while."

Jaehwan's expression changed slightly. "What do you mean?"

Hakyeon couldn't gather his words somehow. Jaehwan was still looking at him.

Then, he suddenly let out a sigh.

"It's okay hyung. Because it's hyung and because I know the whole story now, I kind of able to relate why you did that."

"I'm sorry, Jaehwan-ah."

He shook his head as his grip became tighter. 

"I realized that you are always my source of comfort whenever I'm feeling down. You let me sleep in your room and somehow your hug often calm me down from all the impending stress that I wish never exist in the first place. Your presence when I feel I'm battling a lonely fight with my career progression into a stage actor, your words were soothing yet were so impactful. You have done so much for me yet when I think of the things I've done for you, I've realized, actually there was... nothing. Nothing that I can be proud of to show to you I've done these for you. Never. All I felt was shame and regret that I've never once reciprocate that kindness you've given to me all these while. I took it for granted."

Hakyeon shook his head. He closed his eyes for a moment.

"I've never expect you to return the gratitude nor any kindness. Because you are my family, my precious dongsaeng, I care for you. All i wish in return that you care for me too. Whatever ways you wish to show it to me doesn't matter to me anyway as long as I feel it and I'm happy that my dongsaengs are caring for me in their own ways.

I wish to stop everything and just tell everyone how I'm feeling back then after that ring incident. I felt things were going off tangent, too much that guilt started to accumulate each day without fail but in the end, I just slipped into this mass of darkness. Everything felt disconnected.

But you know, I'm glad it was just for a while until Hyuk and Wonshik pulled me up gradually and eventually I started to see the light above the darkness."

It was something he never told anyone before and he finally able to relay to Jaehwan, who now able to understand better about his hyung.

"Yet now I feel I'm regaining each of my precious dongsaeng back in my life. I'm truly happy, Jaehwan-ah."

Even though smiling, Jaehwan did somehow think that the smile was more of a cover to hide his yearn for Hongbin to come back and eventually that smile he's now wearing on his face would depict a better meaning in him and to the rest of the members.