The next few days are uneventful. Donghae spends the rest of the weekend not doing very much at home, then the next three days he collects Hyukjae’s strawberry frappuccinos and delivers them to him outside of his work at lunchtime.

Hyukjae doesn’t say anything to him. He just takes the drink and otherwise ignores Donghae. Donghae doesn’t try to initiate conversation either, too mindful of how badly it had gone last time.

Kyuhyun is there too, sometimes. He glares coldly.

Donghae glares back.

Another time Hyukjae is with his workmates. They look curiously at Donghae, with his wavy, collar-length hair and his workboots. Donghae hears them ask about him but Hyukjae just shrugs and frowns and sips on his drink.

Donghae feels a small victory.

It might have just been to evade the questions from his workmates, but Hyukjae had actually drank some of the frappuccino.

His victory is short-lived though, because the next day he doesn’t see Hyukjae at all. He sits on the wall outside the office building and waits until his own lunch break is well over, and then he heads back to work and despondently gives the melted frappuccino to Henry instead.

‘Thanks,’ Henry says, delighted. ‘You’re the best, hyung! But next time can you get me caramel instead?’

‘I didn’t get it for you at all,’ Donghae says, feeling grumpy. ‘Go away, I’m busy!’

Henry sits down next to him instead.

‘Aw,’ he says sympathetically. ‘Did you get rejected?’

Donghae’s manager has brought him a stack of blueprints.

‘Donghae got rejected?’ he asks. ‘That’s a ing first.’

‘He’s been going every lunch break,’ Henry says. ‘She must be really pretty.’

Shindong is immediately interested.

‘You’re seeing someone?’ he asks. ‘Got a picture?’

‘No,’ Donghae says, annoyed, holding his phone away them. ‘I’m not seeing anyone, go gossip somewhere else!’

‘If you’re not doing scandalous things on your lunch break then I expect you back on time,’ Shindong says. ‘And has anyone ordered a sports car for next week? If it’s not a convertible, the director is going to want someone’s head on a platter. And it’s not going to be mine.’

Henry’s eyes widen in excitement and he rushes off. Shindong follows, leaving Donghae with his phone.

Donghae stares at the blank screen. He’d already looked at the photos Siwon’s friends had posted from the bachelor parties and weekends. There had been no sign of Hyukjae, which backs up what Siwon said, that he didn’t know him. But although Donghae likes a good time, there are no other weekends when he literally can’t remember anything except fragments.

He’s really been trying.

There had been a limo. Donghae remembers marveling at the presidential suite Siwon had booked as their base for the weekend at the Lotte City Hotel. There had been a Jacuzzi, coloured lights, a balcony, and- Donghae thinks there had been a bar too.

He remembers he wasn’t alone that night, there had been a pretty girl whose name had been-

Ara?

Acha?

He remembers the excess, champagne cascading down a tower of overflowing glasses.

Things get blurry after that.

Had he gone off by himself and got in a fight?

He can’t ask Siwon, who is always busy, so he messages one of his friends. He’d met Junsu before at other events; a fun-loving guy with a contagious laugh and extremely rich parents.

-did I get in a fight with anyone at the bachelor party?

Donghae gets on with his work while waiting for a reply. He has to figure out the intricacies of a trapeze-like set where dancers will come in through the roof. It’s kind of a weird concept, and Donghae usually enjoys this sort of challenge. This time though, he pushes it aside gladly when his phone rings.

‘Donghae!’ Junsu’s voice is loud and overly-cheerful. ‘What’s up?’

‘Hey,’ Donghae says. ‘Sorry to bother you, but I’m having some trouble remembering-’

‘It’s never a bother!’ Junsu says. ‘When are you going to post your pictures?’

‘Pictures?’ Donghae asks. From the background music and atmosphere, it seems like Junsu is in a bar.

‘Yeah!’ Junsu says. ‘You and that camera, it’s like a one man paparazzi.’

Donghae frowns and rubs his head.

‘I had my camera?’

‘Careful what you post,’ Junsu says, laughing. ‘, can you imagine the lawsuits otherwise? Listen- Donghae, I’m a bit busy at the moment- if it’s nothing urgent I’ll call you later?’

‘Wait,’ Donghae says, ‘Do you know a guy called-’

Junsu has already hung up.

Donghae feels a headache building.

He… had his camera?

It makes sense that he would. It’s a hobby of his, documenting events, friends, places. He- did he have the camera in the limousine? He had done, right? He tries to remember that familiar feeling of the weight of it, the strap around his neck at the hotel, but he can't.

When it's finally time to go home, Donghae hurries to the train, then down the narrow, dingy streets to his apartment.

Mrs Yoon is sitting outside on the steps outside in her slippers, smoking.

‘You still haven’t got your mail,’ she says, and Donghae can hardly conceal his impatience as the woman shuffles off to get him a handful of envelopes.

‘Thanks,’ he says, then takes the rest of the stairs two at a time, dropping his jacket, keys and mail just inside the door and going to search for his camera. He will be so pissed off if he’s lost it? He doesn’t remember seeing it once in the last few weeks, what if he’s left it at the hotel or something-

It’s sitting in its case on the floor beside his bed.

Donghae checks it’s okay (thank goodness even drunk Donghae knows to put