"Why are they looking at us like that?" Heechul mutters.

He's in the car with Donghae. They're waiting. Parked near Hyukjae's building. They went up before. To speak to Hyukjae. But the door wasn't answered. The old lady eyed them suspiciously. The same one Donghae had seen before.

"I don't think we should stay here..." Donghae says.

Three men stand at the front of the building now. They are leaning on the side walls. Two are smoking. Eyes on their car. Donghae's chewing his lip.

The old woman had question them. When they kept waiting. At Hyukjae's door. She asked why Donghae was here again. What he wanted from this man. Donghae had lied. Said they were friends of Hyukjae's.

They got scanned with glaring eyes. Up and down.

"Get out of here."

It sounded menacing. Donghae and Heechul soon left the building. Heechul suggested waiting in the car. In case Hyukjae wasn't home. Then they might catch him coming.

"Do you think he told them?" Heechul says. "To send you away?"

Donghae's upset. Anxious.

"I don't know..." he grumbles. He looks up the building. Spots the old lady again. She's stepped out into a balcony. Taken a seat. "It might be her..." Donghae jerks his chin up. "She could be the landlord."

"Oh, very perceptive, aren't you?"

But if Hyukjae asked the lady. Or the men. He wouldn't be wrong to do that. They should be watchful. Heechul and Donghae do seem like creeps. Up to some . Those people live here. They don't have a proper security system. Donghae's already shown up a couple times now. They could've seen him that day. When Hyukjae was crying.

"Heechul," Donghae says. "I... I don't want to scare him again. I just wanted to understand so... maybe I could help him. If he doesn't want us here, I don't want to hang around and scare him further..."

"Scare him? But we don't want anything from him," Heechul says. "I don't want anything from him or them. What the hell would I want from here?" He waves around at the street. Old. Broken. Cramped. "I need to see this Hyukjae. With my own eyes."

"I told you," Donghae says. "If he's in there, he's not going to come out, and if he's not in there... well, if he sees us parked here, he wouldn't want to go in. Let's just leave..."

"But you so desperately wanted to know about him."

"I do, but from you!" Donghae says. "Not by... hurting him. I just... wanted to figure out why Jaeho was being an ..."

"Oh, so you think he was being an ..." Heechul says. A strange smile shows up on his face.

"W-What? I-I don't know," Donghae mutters. "He just... felt mean. Whatever happened... I feel like Hyukjae didn't deserve to lose his jobs over it... I don't know -- that's why I came to you guys! But now you're doing that could scare Hyukjae even more!"

"Oh, come on," Heechul says. "We're not hurting him. I've never wanted to hurt him -- I've been curious about him since I first laid eyes on him. I just have to confirm it again before I say anything -- it might unlock more memories, you know?"

He chuckles. But Donghae's turned to him. in a breath.

"Okay, see this is what I need to know. When did you first lay eyes on him? Where? How?"

"Well, I used my eyes and like, looked at him--"

"Heechul!"

"I'm answering your question!" Heechul says. Laughs.

"You're not taking this seriously." Donghae grabs the door handle. "I'm walking home--"

"Stop."

Heechul's held his arm. Hard. His voice is lowered. He's crouched. Donghae turns to look.

It's Hyukjae.

He's walking. Hunched. Wrapped in a coat too large. Too long.

"Is that your Hyukjae?" Heechul whispers.

Donghae gulps. His heart's gotten crazy. "Yeah..."

"Well, damn..." Heechul says. "It is the same one."

Donghae glances at him. Heechul's eyes are wide. Expression grim. Donghae looks at Hyukjae again. The man's walk is s