Before

Chanyeol pushed himself up off the floor and took off after Baekhyun. He reached the elevator and smashed the call button.

I can’t let myself end our friendship!

It seemed to take an interminable time, but finally the elevator chugged back up to Chanyeol’s level. The doors squeaked open and Chanyeol heaved himself inside. He slammed his hand down on the first level button and cursed as the doors slowly closed.

I’m taking the stairs next time.

When the doors opened on the first level, Chanyeol burst through and rushed out of the foyer. The street outside was empty. Baekhyun probably found his way to the main street. Chanyeol set off at a quick jog, looking left and right to make sure he didn’t miss Baekhyun.

As he approached the street, he looked ahead and saw a strange mass of bodies clustered on the sidewalk. He quickly ducked behind a bush and watched as three people struggled together.

What’s going on?

He could make out a tall man with a slightly shorter man clutched in an embrace. A child stood nearby. If he didn’t know better, Chanyeol would think they were drunks. But something felt off. He narrowed his eyes. Wasn’t there something familiar about the way the smaller man stood? The narrow set of his hips, the slender legs—that was Baekhyun!

Chanyeol felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead. It looked like Baekhyun was in trouble. The bigger guy had him in a headlock with his hand over his mouth. Chanyeol bit his lip. Should he rush out and try to help him or wait and see what happened? But the decision was made for him as the heavyset man started dragging Baekhyun down the street toward where Chanyeol was hiding.

Chanyeol shrank back and edged toward the side road. He quickly turned and ran to hide behind a pair of trash cans just as the group of people rounded the corner. The man still had Baekhyun in a headlock, with Baekhyun thrashing weakly. Chanyeol watched as the child, a girl, clicked a car remote in her hand. A black van parked on the side of the street beeped and the sliding door automatically opened.

I need to get him out of here before they take him!

Chanyeol ducked and scurried closer, using the shadows as refuge. The man lifted Baekhyun and put him in the back of the van before opening the front door. The girl pulled Baekhyun’s legs into the van and started closing the door. Chanyeol grit his teeth and ran full tilt from his hiding spot.

“Yahhhhh!”

With a resounding smash, Chanyeol punched through the window of the car door. The glass shattered all over the girl who was bending and placing a rag over Baekhun’s nose. She screamed and Chanyeol roughly pushed her out of the way as he reached in through the window and grabbed Baekhyun’s legs.

“What the hell is this?” the man furiously asked from the front seat.

But Chanyeol used his strength to bodily yank Baekhyun through the broken window and into his arms. He tossed Baekhyun over his shoulder in a fireman’s lift and sprinted away. N