The following morning, Byul woke up beside Sehun. He hadn’t left as he said.

It was almost ten in the morning. Being that it was Saturday, she felt good to have slept as long as she did. Judging by how fast asleep Sehun still was, he needed sleep much more than she did. He had a hand tucked underneath his pillow and slept on his side, facing her. Even in his sleep, it seemed like he was always positioned to protect her.

Byul got out of bed once hunger was forcing her to search for food.

“Good morning,” Jangmi greeted her as she stepped into the kitchen. Byul had heard her roommate come home very early in the morning.

“Good morning.” She took out some bread to put into the toaster. While the bread was toasting, she brought out mugs from the cupboard to make coffee for two.

Because Jangmi didn’t drink coffee, Jangmi knew that it must have been for someone else. “Is Sehun here?”

“Yeah, he’s asleep.”

The subject dropped at that.

That morning’s paper was left to lay on the table after Jangmi was done with it. Byul nibbled on her toast while she flipped through it. There was the usual article about the country’s upcoming plan for its education system. One about a charity and a hit-and-run. A particular picture of a man caught her eye, her hand freezing before she could flip to another page. Her eyes skimmed through the article.

A man named Choi Ilsang had been reported to be missing. His wife says that he never made it home. He’s been missing for over 48 hours. The last place he was seen was leaving work. His co-workers said there was no suspicious behavior from Mr. Choi that day. The man works for City Hall and has been accused of fraud during the last month. Police are suspecting foul play and are asking for help from the public because there are no leads.

Byul stared at the picture, wondering where she’s seen him before. He had an eyepatch over one eye… An eyepatch…

She gasped at a realization.

It was the man from the folder Sehun kept on the passenger seat of his car. Byul was sure it was the same man. But, it couldn’t be. This was the same as Kim Kyungmin’s case. His body was gone. He was simply missing. Again, Sehun had photographs of him. Did Sehun really—?

“Hey.”

Byul jumped in her seat. She didn’t even notice Sehun leave her room and approach her.

He snickered at her reaction. His eyes were still sleepy and his hair ruffled. “What were you so concentrated on that I got you scared like that, huh?”

She folded up the newspaper and disregarded it to the side quickly. “Nothing. I guess I spaced out. Maybe I didn’t get enough sleep,” Byul reasoned. She wondered where the folder even went. It practically vanished. Thinking through how Sehun might have gotten rid of it, she remembered him leaving the room for a bit to supposedly call Chanyeol. He must have stashed it away during then.

But Byul was sure; it was the same man with the eye patch.

“I made you coffee,” she said, pushing the mug to him as he sat across from her.

“Thanks.” Sehun wrapped his hands around it, feeding off its warmth. “Want some oatmeal?”

“Sure.”

Sehun stood from his seat but paused to acknowledge Jangmi who was across the kitchen putting away dishes. “Jangmi, do you want any?”

“No, thanks.” Finishing up with the chore, she left the kitchen to go to her room.

Sehun shrugged her attitude off. At that point, it was expected from her and he only asked out of courtesy.

Byul pushed her chair back from the table to stand. “Sehun, I’ll be back.”

Not waiting for his response, she slipped into her bedroom. She immediately began to scan the whole space with her eyes. If the folder was still around, where could Sehun have kept it? Byul checked between her books, behind her closet, and then under the bed. She even rummaged through her laundry. He could have stashed it anywhere. When Byul couldn’t find it, she paced the room while lost in her thoughts. Weren’t there other possible scenarios for the situation?

“Byul?”

Sehun standing underneath her door frame made her jump in surprise again. “You scared me.”

His brows scrunched together. “Are you okay? You seem... jittery.”

Byul gestured around her room and scrambled for an excuse. “I have all these assignments due soon. It’s crazy. I’m just worried,” she said, feeling a little breathless.

Sehun frowned. “Want some help?”

She blinked at him. “What?”

“For example... I don’t know,” he shrugged, “I can help you research or something. I’m good at researching. Or give you a massage.” Sehun wagged his eyebrows at her suggestively and she laughed.

Byul thought that she had no real evidence. What was she basing her theory on anyway? Could Sehun be really someone like that? Looking at him then—with his hair messy from sleep and the sweet smile he was giving her—it didn’t seem like he could hurt anyone to that degree. Byul loved him too much to assume the worst in him. There had to be some kind of explanation. He was perfect, wasn’t he?

“I think the oatmeal is almost done. We can eat first and you’ll worry about that stuff later. Come on.” Putting an arm around her shoulders, he dragged her to the kitchen and made her sit.

Maybe that was what Byul needed—actual evidence. “Sehun?” she called out to him as he turned off the stove. “Um, when are you working tomorrow?”

“In the morning. I have a meeting.” He looked up from his food. “How about you? What will you be doing?”

She shrugged. “I’ll just be hanging out.”

By “hanging out,” Byul really meant to follow him.

She was ducking in Jangmi’s Toyota Corolla a good distance from Sehun’s house. Large-framed sunglasses obscured her face. Byul had to borrow her roommate’s car because she knew the loud engine of her own car would immediately reveal her location. She was squinting into the distance while Chanyeol pulled up in front of the house around 9:45 in the morning. Sehun slipped inside the vehicle shortly after. As they rolled down the road, Byul switched gears and stepped on the accelerator to tail behind them.

The two were driving towards downtown. She allowed four cars between them to avoid being seen. Her hands were shaky on the wheel. She could only grip the wheel tighter to stop them from shaking so much. It felt so unusual and unlike herself to be spying on Sehun. The voice in the back of her head was guilting her to no end. There were situations where girls followed their boyfriends when they were suspected of cheating, though Byul must have been a new case because she was following Sehun in case he was kidnapping people or something sinister like that.

Seeing that Chanyeol parked beside the curb in a 2-hour parking spot, Byul copied and parked a few cars back in front of a yoga studio.

The two got out of the car and crossed the road towards a Starbucks. They immediately sat at one of the outdoor tables across from another man she’s never seen before. It must have been the meeting place. Byul imagined it to be more in an office or even someone’s house. Their meeting seemed so public.

They jumped right into business. It didn’t look like they even had small talk. Sehun was facing her direction and she could see how serious his facial expression had been. Byul had a camera in her hand, ready to record any evidence—if there were any. She hoped that there wasn’t going to be. Sehun didn’t actually wear formal clothes as she had also been expecting. He was dressed like himself—jeans and a varsity jacket. He never smiled or laughed. Byul wondered what kin