26 | A Silent Goodbye

***

At 10 p.m., Yuri, Taeyeon, and Yoona found themselves comfortably situated in the new apartment Yoona had purchased. Broad smiles graced their faces as they sank into the sofa, sharing a collective chuckle. They had enjoyed a delightful time at a karaoke venue, and their hearts were contented.

"Bro, I have a question." Yoona suddenly broke his silence after a while.

"Is it the same thing you've been asking earlier?" Taeyeon wanted to make sure. The doe-eyed had been nagging them to help him with Seohyun. 

"No, it's different this time." 

"Spill it while I'm still awake." said Yuri as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes. 

"Do you think I should re-sell the apartment?" asked Yoona which made both of his friends look at him simultaneously. 

"Seohyun hasn't even answered you, why are you thinking like that now?" Taeyeon chuckled in disbelief.

"Right, be patient dude." Yuri agrees and he closes his eyes back. "I'm sure she will accept this warm and cozy apartment." he softly added. 

"I... I'm just thinking a plan b if ever... she won't accept my offer." 

"How much did you buy this?" Taeyeon curiously asked.

"5 million dollars."

"Damn, you're going to have a hard time re-selling this."

"And why is that? There are a lot of single young kids out there." Yoona is confident he won't have a tough time offering the place to someone.

"Not everyone is inclined to shell out such a sum, Yoong," Yuri commented, drawing from his experience as a businessman. "Unless it's for a very special person. I mean, like in your case, you're gifting it to your girlfriend. But I have to admit, you might be the only person with such an extravagant idea for a loved one. It's rather remarkable, to be honest," he added with a soft chuckle.

"That ain't a compliment." Yoona feels like he was offended.

"In simpler terms, selling a place as luxurious as this remains a challenge. Perhaps, during the upcoming holidays, it could be more feasible, but for the time being, it seems quite improbable," Taeyeon remarked while offering a comforting pat on his friend's back. "Therefore, if I were in your shoes, I'd recommend waiting until Seohyun provides her response."

Yoona let out a heavy sigh. "As if I have a choice." 

Suddenly hearing his phone ring under his pocket, Yuri casually took it out and his eyes sparkled when he read Jessica's name. "I should go to bed now. I'm taking the right room." he announced as he answered the phone call and ran upstairs.

Taeyeon and Yoona looked into each other's eyes nonchalantly.

"Do you think he's going to bed early?" asked Yoona.

"Not. He's going to talk with his girlfriend until dawn. But speaking of my girlfriend, I should call my girlfriend too. I'll take the left room, Yoong." Taeyeon excitedly fetched his phone out and dialed Tiffany's number while making his way upstairs.

Another heavy sigh escaped Yoona's lips as he lay on the sofa. It's his place but he's sleeping in the living room because of his crazy friends. "When am I going to talk to you again, my Seohyun?" he softly mumbles while staring at the ceiling lifelessly. As if the heavens heard him, he heard his phone buzzed and his heart skipped a beat when he read Seohyun's number flashing on the screen. He sat up immediately and was about to answer it when it ended. "What?" he was astonished.

However, the screen on his phone again showed Seohyun's contact ID but this time, it was a video call. He excitedly answered it and his eyes couldn't believe it was his girlfriend, waving her hand at the camera. "SEEEEOBABY!" He cried in front of her. "I MISS YOU SOOO MUUUCHH!!!" and whined childishly. "I feel like I haven't seen you for a decade!" He kissed the screen on his phone and continued his cries.

"Yah, it was a couple of days only, what the heck are you talking about?" Seohyun laughs on the next line. "Stop it." 

"I just miss you so much. What are you up to these days?" asked Yoona, wiping his tears off.

"Just living. How about you? I've heard you've been asking Taeyeon Oppa?"

"He sees you when he meets his girlfriend, of course, I will ask him about you. Aigoo, have you been sleeping late?" He noticed the younger girl's eyes were dark as if she had been stressed these past days. 

"You know I've been working hard too to earn money. I go to sleep at around 2 a.m. recently." Seohyun explained as she smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry if I'm taking a while." she apologized as she remembered the proposal. 

"It's okay. You're doing good, take your time." Yoona felt bad for his girlfriend. 

"This Friday, you're coming too in our place, right?"

"Of course. But how about right now?" He grinned as he suggested a better idea to meet his girlfriend instantly.

Seohyun shakes her head. "No, it's too late. I'm just making sure you'll see me in 2 days." She warmly smiled. 

"I won't ever miss it. It's the day I'll see you every day again." Yoona replied with a warm smile as well. "I love you, Seohyun."

"You know I do too." She replied genuinely and sent kisses with her hand. "You should go to sleep now."

"What? It's still-"

"I still have early stuff to do tomorrow, Mianhe."

Yoona nodded as he smiled assuringly. "Okay. See you in 2 days." He also sent kisses and giggled. 

"Yes, see you, Yoongie." Seohyun waved her hand a little before she finally hung up.

"!" Yoona cursed out so loud. He's so happy that he gets up and jumps up and down on the sofa. "I'M SEEING SEO JOOHYUN! LETS GOOOO!!! LET'S GO! LET'S GO! LET'S ING GOOOOO!!!" 

Both Yuri and Taeyeon in their respective rooms smile while hearing all the shouts from their dongseng. 

***

In the early morning within Yoona's recently acquired apartment, each of the boys is engrossed in their activities. Yoona is preparing breakfast, Taeyeon is engaged in a phone conversation with his secretary, and Yuri is exploring potential restaurants for his upcoming lunch date with Jessica. 

"I'm sorry Yoong, I have to go." Taeyeon abruptly declared as he gathered his belongings.

"Hey, Hyung! Grab a sandwich, at least!" Yoona shouted, swiftly picking up the small plate of sandwiches from the dining table and hurrying to offer it to the older one.

"Thanks, Yoong. See you guys later." He told him before finally leaving them.

"Drive safe, Hyung!" said Yoona as he watched the latter leave.

Yuri smiled and refocused on the laptop screen. Yoona walked up to him and promptly booked a table in no time.

"Yah, what did you do?" Yuri slapped his arm away. 

"Why make it so elaborate when you're just going to eat?" Yoona chuckled, then walked back to the kitchen. 

"I'm making sure everything is perfect for our first date since I got out of the hospital," explained Yuri in frustration as he realized they were in a local Chinese restaurant.

"Just cancel it." Yoona said playfully.

Yuri opened the photos of the restaurant and realized that it was a beautiful and highly-rated Chinese restaurant with almost perfect reviews from customers. "Well, it seems like a well-known place with a comfortable ambiance," he thought to himself. "I don't need to cancel it."

"Chincha? Thanked me later." Says Yoona, feeling proud of himself. "But before that, come and have breakfast, Hyung." he reminds him.

"Likewise." Getting up, Yuri excitedly skipped to the dining table and almost immediately grabbed his chopsticks.

"Whoa, I think the hospital just made you so sick." Yoona thinks his friend has more strength outside than in the hospital.

"I know right? I got this feeling I will have more time with Jessica while I'm still on a break." A big grin plastered Yuri's face. He's somewhat excited for the upcoming days. He had a lot of plans with Jessica including the taekwondo session with her. He's going to make every day worth spending with her.

"But we still have to be careful, your father is out there, looking for you." Yoona took his seat across from his friend and ate his sandwich. 

"I know. But how about you though, how's your life now that your father was sentenced?"

"Oh come on, you know how happy I was when finally he's going to spend so many years behind bars. I feel like I got my freedom. Deserving freedom I had been longing." 

Yuri smiled happily for his friend. "I'm so happy to hear that too, Yoong. Hopefully, my father will stop soon so that I can have my freedom too." he is positive despite not knowing what's ahead of them.

"You're a good person, hyung. Good things will come when you're." Yoona smiled warmly before he took another bite of his food.

"Aigoo, I need that kind of cheer-up message." A giddy smile formed on Yuri's face. He casually feeds his younger friend and they both giggle at the same time. 

"Wait. Let's take a photo, Hyung." Yoona hurriedly rushed to the living room and grabbed his phone on top of the coffee table. He returned to Yuri and they took a selfie together with wide grins on their faces.

Click.

"Who are you sending it to?" 

"My girlfriend. I want her to see how comfortable this place is and that there's no need for her to worry about living here." replied Yoona as he took his seat back while typing a message for his girlfriend along with the photo.

Yuri softly chuckled. "Yah, you're head over heels for Seohyun, aren't you?" He can't believe the doe-eyed can say such a thing. Yoong had plenty of girlfriends before but none of them had ever received such an offer from his friend.

"I told you hyung, Seohyun is special and he deserves such treatment." Yoona explained genuinely. 

"Tsk, I couldn't agree more. She's as precious as Jessica too. Actually, all of them." Yuri softly uttered.

"I know right?" The doe-eyed replied delightfully.  Just then, he received a response from Seohyun.

Seohyunnie: Good morning to you too, Yoong. ^^ Have a great day!

He unconsciously smiled and responded to her message with a heart emoji. Yuri quietly chuckled while continuing with his breakfast.

***

Sooyoung and Jo Yuri have been driving around the city of Seoul and nearby cities for four hours now, hoping to find their targets. However, they haven't seen them since the tracking app on Yihyun's phone was lost, which had a huge impact on their mission. The search is becoming increasingly difficult and exhausting.

As soon as they discovered an overpass bridge in the mall, they got out of the car and made their way toward it, hoping to get a better view of the crowded mall. They used their binoculars occasionally as they continued their mission over the next few hours.

When their stomachs grumbled, they exchanged a laugh.

"Unnie, would you like me to get us lunch?" Yuri asked.

"Sure. I'll wait here."Sure, Sooyoung readily agreed to take a break.

"I'll be right back," said Jo Yuri as she left to find fast food.

Sooyoung sighed and sat down on a nearby bench, opening her backpack to retrieve a bottle of water. She took a few large swallows and let out a deep breath, wiping with the back of her arm. Her eyes scanned the area, making sure none of the fugitives were missed.

'Damn, where are they hiding?' She was feeling frustrated, trying to locate them. The boss had instructed her to catch them before the weekend, and she was eager to comply. 'Did I overestimate them?' She remembered their last encounter and the way Seohyun moved with lightning speed was impossible for an ordinary thief. They also seemed to be trained in fighting skills, not just stealing. "This is probably the first time fugitives are as dangerous as killers." 

With a sip of her bottle of water, she got up and started walking slowly while her eyes were on each person who passed through her. She got annoyed and returned to the bench to finally rest for a while until Yuri returned with their lunch.

—  

Seohyun is having a shopping spree in the same mall when she receives a message from Tiffany and Yihyun.

Fany Unnie: Don't forget to buy salads from the grocery. Also, buy some goggles. I think we'll be able to swim more once we're on the island.

Yihyun: Unnie, I changed my mind, just buy me a new rash guard. keke. Thanks, I'll pay you later.

She scoffed and just replied 'okay' to them and proceeded to leave the clothing store and look for Yihyun's request first. When she was done with it, she decided to bring the bags back to her car first before she returned and went straight to the grocery where she bought not just salad but a bag of chips, meat, fish, bread, and veggies they could bring to the island and some are for their last hang out with the boys.

While she was casually strolling the mall, she was passing by the overpass when she noticed Sooyoung was up there, talking with her friend. She hurriedly runs to a store and hides behind their standee. She peeked behind it and watched as those two kept looking around, using their binoculars and even asking some of the passersby. She thinks those are photos of them on their phones, asking them probably if they have encountered them.

She waited for fifteen minutes before she decided to put on her hoodie and leave on the opposite side of the store and hurriedly ran to the parking lot. 

She takes her time to breathe inside the car before she calls Tiffany. 

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