A jam session was heard from the FNC practice room. Minhyuk hit his drums as hard as possible. Jonghyun and Jungshin plucked their guitar and bass intensely like a true rock star. 

   “Yeaaaaaa....aaaahhhhh!!” Yonghwa belted the highest note with a beautiful vibrato. At the same time, the other three continued playing with a slower tempo, reaching for the end of their practice session.

   They clapped and high five each other, satisfied with their performance.  

   “Well done everyone! We continue our practice tomorrow,” Yonghwa grabbed a water bottle and gulped down the liquid. 

   “What’s your plan for today hyung?” Minhyuk flexed his arms and stretched his fingers. The clock had just struck eleven when he heard his stomach growled loudly.

   “I'm going to buy some cooking ingredients and go home,” he pulled out a small towel from his bag and wiped his sweaty face. 

   “Ooh..a lunch date with hyungsoo-nim? Can we join?” asked Jungshin mischievously.  

   “Like you said, it is a lunch date. So go find yourself a girlfriend,” Yonghwa threw his towel to Jungshin’s face.

  “Argghh..hyung!” the maknae shrieked in annoyance.

   Since FNC had announced his enlistment date, he made a vow to himself to spend as much time as possible with his girlfriend. Having his dongsaeng during their lunch date was not part of his vow.

   He zipped up his bag and noticed his phone was vibrating. He quickly tapped to answer the incoming call. “Oh..jagiya.”

  “Op..pa..”

  Yonghwa frowned at her voice. She sounded breathless and strained.

   “Hyun?”

   “O-oppa..i c-can’t have lunch w-with you t-today..”

   Something was not right. Why was she stuttering? “Are you okay jagiya? What happened?”

   “I h-have to p-practice for a p-performance..”

    A performance? Seohyun had cleared her schedule for today. She was really looking forward to spending the day with him. This was so sudden. It didn't sit right with him. 

   “Where? I will go there to accompany you.”

   “I d-don’t know..they didn’t t-tell me..w-here we are g-going..” she whispered. 

    Now Yonghwa was getting worried. This was not normal anymore. “We? Is your manager with you?” 

   “Y-yes..”

   “Let me speak to your manager.”

   “I c-can’t op-pa..”

   "Let me speak to him. Please Seohyun,” he started losing his patience. 

   His plea was met with a deafening silence.

  “Op-pa..i'm really s-scared..”

   No no no. This didn’t sound right. This was not Seohyun.  

  “Seohyun!”

  “Op-pa..saranghae.. Nomu nomu saranghae..” he could hear her weeping.

  “Seohyun!”

  Then the line went dead.

“Hyung! Hyung! Are you okay?” Jonghyun patted Yonghwa’s shoulder. Yonghwa was so shocked that he didn't realize he had fallen on his knees. He tried to stand but his legs were shaky. His brothers hovered around him, clearly surprised with his condition.

“What happened hyung? You look like you have seen a ghost,” Minhyuk said.

“Se-seohyun..something has happened to her. I need to go home,” Yonghwa took a deep breath to calm his senses and snatched his bag. His brothers who were equally appalled as he was, simply followed him and ran out of the room.

---------------------------------------------------------

   Seohyun ended her phone call with a heavy heart. She tried to stay composed but failed miserably. Her heart throbbed loudly, she was really overwhelmed with so many emotions.

   With shaky hands, she turned off her phone and handed it to her manager. She was not allowed to use her phone anymore. They only allowed her to make one phone call to inform her absence.   

She pinched her skin repeatedly while riding the black car. She could not believe this was happening.

She looked at her manager who sat next to her. He looked tense, with a noticeable awkwardness. He was probably uncomfortable when he was instructed to sit in the passenger seat. He was a loyal manager and driver to her for so long, so being driven while working probably was not part of his job description.

A rumble of voices was heard from the front seats. It belonged to two men in black suits who were apparently in deep discussion. She hugged herself, trying to divert her attention to something else.

The car’s windows were heavily tinted, making her difficult to guess where they were heading to. She was given very limited information for this challenging task. An impossible one she would say.

But she just couldn't say no. She closed her eyes, made a silent prayer, and imagined her Yong oppa smiling, giving her words of comfort.

You can do this Seo Joo Hyun. Do this for oppa, for your fans, for those who believe in you.

---------------------------------------------------------

   It was February and the road was still slippery from the melting snow. Yonghwa had been calling Seohyun’s phone repeatedly but all the calls went to voicemail. He was getting more restless and drove like a madman, weaving in and out traffic carelessly. His three brothers cowered in their seats, tightly held to anything within their grasp, screamed endlessly.

“Oommmaaaaa!!!!”

“I’m too young to die hyuuunggg!!!”

“I want to get married before i die hyuuunggg!!!”

Yonghwa’s mind still chanted Seohyun’s name when he reached their apartment. Punching their passcode to unlock the door, he rushed to the living room, searching for her, but it was empty. He desperately called her name again and again while checking their bedroom and bathroom.

Hyun! Seohyunah! Seo Joo Hyun!

But he was only greeted by an eerie silence.

Their bed sheets were in a knot, several books were scattered on the couch, her tea was a half cup. A sickening testimony that she left their apartment in a hurry.

“Someone..has cap..captured hyungsoo-nim?” Jungshin stared at his hyung with a bewildered expression.

Yonghwa flopped down on the couch and ran his fingers through his hairs repeatedly. He could hear the sound of blood rushing in his ears. He took out his phone and scrolled through his contacts looking for Seohyun’s manager number. He tapped the number and to his relief, it was ringing. He tensed when the call was answered.

“Let me speak to Seohyun.” Greeting be damned.

A deep sigh was heard. “You can’t Yonghwa. She is not allowed to take any phone call.”

“DAMN IT! WHERE IS SEO JOO HYUN??”

“Calm down Yonghwa. She is safe. They said her performance is scheduled at 6 pm today. She will be home by tonight.”

“WHO ARE THEY?? WHAT PERFORMANCE??”

“I-I can’t tell you. I’m sorry Yonghwa.”

Yonghwa clenched his jaw in frustration. Performance? What kind of performance had to be done within a day? His mind flooded with terrifying possibilities. He had been in the business for some time and he knew not all performances were respectable and innocent. His stomach knotted up.

“Look Yonghwa. I know you are worried about her. I will call you again one hour before her performance.”

He had to bite his tongue from asking further. This was a deal he was willing to accept. Something was better than nothing right?

“But strictly no texting or calling me. My phone call is being monitored.”

“What?? But that’s a breach of privacy!” he exclaimed.

“I will hang up now. Bye Yonghwa.”

Yonghwa could only stare at his phone in utter disbelief.

---------------------------------------------------------

It was past lunch time, Yonghwa could do nothing but tapped his foot furiously. The three musketeers had ransacked his kitchen and made themselves at home. They had persuaded him to take some food, but he just simply shook his head. With his head buzzing with harmful possibilities that could happen to Seohyun, there was no way he could swallow a bite.

He had a heated argument with his dongsaeng when he insisted on making a police report. He even planned to barge into her agency and met with the CEO right there and then.

“You can’t do that hyung! You can still contact her through her manager.”

“Yeah, her manager said she will be home tonight.”

He screamed back at them, pointing ‘what if’ scenarios that could happen in the entertainment industry. But only Minhyuk’s reasoning had struck him hard.

“Do you think hyungsoo-nim will like it if you act impulsively like this?”

So he could only take a deep breath, repeatedly at that, while staring at the news update on his phone. Just in case something about Seohyun came up.

“Hyung! You have been chewing your nails. Stop doing that! Do something useful!” Jungshin scolded him and pulled his fingers away from his mouth.

“Arasseo.”

The three dongsaeng looked at each other. Then stared at their hyung who walked to the kitchen sink and started washing the dishes.

“Since when did he follow my order?” Jungshin whispered. The typical Jung Yonghwa would definitely scold him back.

“We are really in deep trouble. I hope Seohyun is okay,” Minhyuk replied while chewing an apple. Yes, they had long acknowledged Seohyun as their sister-in-law, but Seohyun was also their best friend.

“Yumm..this goguma cake is delicious. Hyung, can you make me a cup of coffee?” Jonghyun swallowed another slice of cake. The two maknae stared at Jonghyun incredulously.

Then they heard a reply from the kitchen.

“Arasseo.”

“What? It’s not everyday we get the chance to order him around like this,” Jonghyun defended himself, then grabbed a bag of goguma chips. The two maknae made a tsk sound and shook their heads.

So for the next hour, Yonghwa kept himself busy. He did the laundry, cleaned out the refrigerator, wiped the bookshelves and cupboards.

“Ouch, hyung!” Minhyuk groaned in pain.

“Move! I need to vacuum the floor,” he scowled and stepped on Minhyuk's long legs again. The drummer sprawled on the floor, munching some snacks while reading Seohyun’s self help book.

It was almost 5 pm and he eyed his phone with furious glances as if he could bully it into ringing and giving him news. Maybe, no news was good news, right? He kept grumbling and mumbling to himself, suddenly he jumped when the phone rang. Tapping his phone to accept the call, he held his breath and shot his first question.

“Where is Seohyun!?”

“Well, hello to you too Yonghwa. She is practising in another room.”

Yonghwa clenched his fist, trying to control his rising anger.

“Which music program that she is preparing now?”

“Sorry, I can’t tell you.”

“This is nonsense!” Yonghwa shouted and pounded the dining table with his fist, causing his brothers who were eavesdropping jumped in surprise.

“Is she practising alone?”

“Sorry, I can’t tell you.”

“Can you give me a different answer!?”

“I guess..not.”

“What else can you say?”

“I promise I will bring her home safe and sound.”

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