- - - - -

Memories swept pass her as she charged down the roads, cars coming toward her. As the evening drew in close the headlights slowly blinded her but she didn’t stop. Her legs couldn’t stop from running.

“No! Don’t!!! Leave her alone!” Yoona cried, becoming horribly hoarse as she jumped toward the men.

“Yoona!! Yoona!” Victoria screamed trying to pull out of their grasp.

Her tiny arms felt like sticks wedged between the smallest crack in a wall and now she was barely able to pull them out.

Yoona jumped at a man but her stomach met with his fist and she dropped to the ground curling up into a ball. She cried, moaned, and struggled to get up. She sobbed on the ground where she lay.

“Yoona! Yoona!! Help me!!” Victoria’s screams were relentless as she kicked and screamed but only ended up being dragged with her legs drawing in two lines on the dry dirt.

“Vic…Vic…” she started weakly. “Victoria!!!” the last energy she was able to draw out of her before dried up and she was left coughing like a sick person.

The wind rushed at her leaving her defenseless to the cold. She couldn’t think straight. Her hair half blocked her sight as it covered her face. Her legs were out of control, they were in their own mindset. Finally losing control of them and unable to come to a stop she fell forward onto the cement heaving deeply for the air she’d been deprived of during her run. Her hands turned into a fist.

“Yoona…” the name escaped once more.

It was only a short time before she’d go crazy…again.

- - - - -

“Why Gapyeong?” Taecyeon asked as Yoona drove onto the highway accelerating fearlessly.

“Gapyeong is where my friend went missing.” Yoona told glancing down the highway in case there were any incoming cars, no cars.

“Sorry.” Taecyeon apologized.

“It’s ok,” Yoona assured. “I don’t like it when people say that to me when they’ve done nothing wrong.”

“It’s just showing my sympathy,” Taecyeon declared.

“I understand, but I still don’t like it.” Yoona replied.

“Then should I not say it?” he asked.

“Yes.” she replied with a small smile. “What do you do at the company?”

“Just a small time guard. In case anyone suspicious enters the company and harms anyone, that kind of stuff, you know?”

Yoona nodded, “Then you’re sort of like a cop.”

“I wouldn’t say that. I don’t really do anything.”

Yoona glanced at him, “But I bet there are times where your job is interesting.”

“Sure,” he nodded.

They were silent with the radio DJ only speaking.

“Can I ask you something?” he broke the silence.

She nodded lowering the volume.

“That story about your friend. Why haven’t you told your fiancé about it?”

“I think of that sometimes too,” she explained, “I don’t know why either. Sometimes we seem like we’re on close terms and at other times we seem like we barely know each other at all.”

“Oh…”

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Any significant other? Married? Or single?”

Taecyeon uttered an embarrassed laugh but was glad she’d asked. He could feel his heart beating fast.

“No one. I live apart from my parents who are back in England.”

“And you’re all the way here in Korea?”

“Yes, I guess it’s kind of lonely sometimes.” Taecyeon shrugged. “It’s still alright. Once we grow up we have to be independent.”

“Hmm…I guess so…” Yoona reluctantly agreed. “But some of us don’t have a choice between growing up and becoming independent.”

“What do you mean?” he glanced at her.

“Just a thought.” she added.

“Has your fiancé ever done these kind of things with you?” Taecyeon asked.

“What things? Oh…you mean like going out on observations and all?” Yoona began. “No, he’s never asked but even if he did I wouldn’t bring him along. He’s a business man carrying the world with him. If business falls everyone becomes homeless.”

Taecyeon agreed.  

“But you, you’re a cop. You seem like you’ll be able to take care of yourself if anything happens.” she finished.

“You sound like you’ve always taken care of yourself.” Taecyeon noted.

“Not really. I grew up with that mindset because of that friend.” Yoona replied.

The rest of the ride seemed short to Taecyeon as Yoona pulled onto the empty lot. During fall no one camped. It was too cold to try to survive in the area set with the wilderness.

He climbed out of the car and followed Yoona toward the large campground. Picnic tables were set between the trees with the dirt crumbling under it. Outside grills stood empty and rusted at each end of the campground that was as big as a football field. The faded yellow grass waved back and forth ceaselessly without choice and they did it weakly.

As Taecyeon glanced around, Yoona recalled memories of the school teachers setting up tents along with the help of students while other students fooled around. Yoona and Victoria were among the ones that had been playing with water guns running back and forth among the grass that seemed so alive back in time.

“Yoona?” Taecyeon called.

Yoona snapped out of her thoughts, her memories snapping shut. Taecyeon looked worried and maybe he should be worried. Yoona was feeling it in her veins to do something out of her bounds, violating her rights as an officer.

“Over there,” Yoona motioned walking toward the tall trees down a hill falling down steeply unlike a steady ramp.

Halfway she jumped the rest of the way down and landed on both feet. Taecyeon landed smoothly beside her. She walked into the dark trees awaiting, bearing the memory of that night 14 years ago. Inside her brain two little girls were running wildly toward the woods excitedly.

There were no clearings between the trees. Wild shrubs stood to one side with branches inching off to the side. Yoona could imagine deep, dark green leaves that were fat covering the pathway behind it. Pushing the branch aside she inched her way through the shrubs. Still no road as she’d suspected that had been hidden out of sight that night.

“Then where did they run to?” Yoona found herself asking exasperated.

It had to be somewhere. She turned and tried another path desperate. There had to be a way those man had entered and left. Maybe they hadn’t gone on one trail but used multiple. No matter how long it would take that evening Yoona was determined to discover all those trails those men had escaped through that summer.

- - - - -

“You scum!” his mother screamed at him from the gathering room.  

Donghae stood in front of the staircase without a word. He wasn’t planning on getting into an argument with his mother. Fighting back with her was something she wanted. And fighting would get the truth out of him. And there was no way he was planning on giving in to his mother.

“I’ll talk with you later,” he explained and headed up the stairs.

Once in his room he plopped down on his bed and made the call. Yoona didn’t answer. On the fourth, fifth, and sixth try she didn’t answer either.

- - - - -

“Yoona!” he shouted after her. “Yoona!”

His voice was muted to her ears. She ran from place to place continuously. No clearing. No paved dirt path. No hidden road.

“Yoona!” Taecyeon shouted following her reluctant to stop unless she stopped.

The moon had taken over and he was getting cold. He questioned how Yoona was able to keep going under the thin blue collared shirt she was wearing.

“Yoona!” he tried again.

The moon glowed above them as if it were some kind of heavenly item holding power over them.

“Yoona!”

Yoona continued.

“It’s not here.” she muttered.

They’ve gone around in circles three times and Taecyeon believed them to be lost now. Owls hooted and crickets crowed lonesome cries to each other.

“Yoona!” he told watching her run desperately from one end to the other.

He admitted that he hadn’t really taken her story to heart but seeing her in this state was making him worry. Yoona was desperate to find her friend who’d gone missing 14 years ago. And when she’d returned alone to camp she’d taken it as it was her fault and had lived guiltily. Did Donghae know how she felt?

“No, no.” he heard her mutter.

Even under the moonlight he could see creases of tiredness on her face but this woman before him wasn’t willing to give up. He felt immensely sorry for her loss.

“Yoona,” he grabbed her shoulders. “Do you know what time it is? Your parents are worried. You have to go back.”

“No. You go back.” Yoona shot back.

She did look strained. Yoona turned away but Taecyeon grabbed her arm twisting her to turn back to him.

“It’s late. Everybody will be worried. We should be off campgrounds by now. Do you understand what you’re doing?” he questioned.

She pushed him off strongly and he felt amazed with the strength she had in her skinny twig-like arms.

“Then you leave. I’m a sheriff. I’ll explain my reason and get out of trouble later.”

“You can’t do that,” he reasoned. “Don’t use your authority to get yourself out of everything. That’s cowardly.”

“Leave!” she shouted.

Taecyeon felt utter shock and watched as she walked away from him. Charging for her he grabbed her arm.

“We’re going back. I’m not leaving you here by yourself.” he told.

“Yah!” Yoona screamed pulling herself back but to no avail.

Yoona went quiet and he only found out a few seconds later why. Taking his arm she twisted it to his back, turned him around, and knocked him to the ground landing on top with one knee on his back.

“That…that…hh…hhurts!” he uttered.

“I told you to leave,” Yoona warned.

“Get off.” Taecyeon told and Yoona stepped off him a moment later.

Yoona began walking away and he silently charged after her. If she wouldn’t go back nicely he’d carry her over the shoulder and force her back home. However, as he ran back at her Yoona grabbed his arm and flipped him over her shoulder. He landed flat on his back and Yoona walked on.

“Is she crazy?” he muttered.

He got back to his feet in no time and went after her.

“Yoona! Yoona!” he screamed.

She went around in circles, picked up the same dead shrub from earlier, and tossed it aside.

“You’re not going anywhere, do you know that?! You won’t be able to find her like this.” he told loudly. “You know what’ll make those who love you sadder? That you’re being reckless like this! Get your mind straight! Think, Yoona! Your friend will definitely find her way back to you! Can’t you believe that?!”

Yoona froze where she stood. Her back to him. She didn’t make any move nor sound, which made him cautious of himself in case she attacked.

“But you, you’re a cop. You seem like you’ll be able to take care of yourself if anything happens.” Yoona had said earlier. Taecyeon believed he knew the reason why she’d said it.

“You said your fiancé is carrying the world under him but in fact you’re carrying it on top of you. The strength you need is right there inside of you. You just need to believe in it and find it. If you don’t return to being the sheriff the citizens of Seoul need you to be, another little girl may lose her little friend to those jerks.” Taecyeon found himself talking.

And before him she fell to the ground on her knees. He rushed forward to find her shaking.

“But it’s my fault…I wasn’t strong enough…” Yoona sobbed. “I couldn’t stop them…and she’s been hurt. What do I do? I can’t track them down. I will never be able to find her.”

Taecyeon watched the tears fall relentlessly down her face and immediately pulled her head to his chest.

“I can never do anything! She’ll never come back! What if it’s too late to save her now? What do I do? What do I do?” she continued with loud wracking sobs escaping her. “I lost her forever. I lost her, I lost her. What do I do?”  

And there they sat under the moonlight.