"Soeun? Soeun? Aish, why do I always lose you? Even when I have you- you disappear from me." Kai was pacing outside the convenience store, where she had told him she would wait but once he had reached the outside Soeun was nowhere to be seen. He sat in one of the outside chairs and began tapping his foot repeatedly in agitation, his fingers slide and automatically dial her numbers and his breath halters at the ringing of the phone. Voicemail. 

"Where are you? Call me back, I'll be waiting here." Abrupt and blunt, a heavy sigh rushes out of the tired teenager before getting fully comfortable in the chair. He was going to wait all day if he had to, maybe she would eventually come back. His fingers hovered over the send button, to send or not to send? He feared to act too clingy and overprotective but Jongin's days with her would eventually be limited; he was going to tell her about his father's request and was planning on telling her today, but she was gone.

-

Soeun was on the verge of tears, her eyes were bubbling with wetness and she didn't even know why. He had hardly told her anything through the phone but her heart still ached at the thought of Hayoung being hurt; although they stopped being friends a while ago it didn't mean the memories could easily be forgotten, it had always been them from the start of middle school. Hayoung and Soeun, the two of them against the world and then they met Minhee during seventh grade and then it was the three of them. Things changed in high school, people changed. And then there was one. Kim Soeun became the loner who ate her lunch in the library alongside the old assistant. 

"Hayoung is hurt. We're at Hwang Cafe." Those were all of Sehun's words, and then he ended the call. 

She didn't second think to leave Jongin at the convenience store, this was Hayoung they were talking about and friendship seemed much more important at that time. Soeun's mind began to buzz with ideas, Hayoung is hurt. That was all she needed to begin spinning ideas; Soeun began to imagine Hayoung with some rare terminal illness eating at her, but she quickly gave up on that idea. Soeun decided that it was some minor injury, something like a sprained ankle. That stopped the tears from running down, but the reason why she was like this was because deep down she knew it was something serious and it was eating at her heart. 

Brring, brring, brring.  

Soeun pulled out her phone, in hope that it would be Sehun giving some news about Hayoung, instead it was Jongin. Her body froze, she had left him. Hwang Cafe was only a few metres ahead of her and Jongin was all the way back at the convenience store, her mind raced. 

"I'll call him once I know what's wrong with Hayoung, he can wait for a few minutes. Aish- mianhe." She closed her eyes and whispered into the phone, almost trying to telekinetically send him the message but, of course, this was the reality. Her eyes opened one by one and saw the cafe just ahead of her, a few more footsteps and she'd be inside. A few more footsteps and she'd be with Hayoung. 

"Soeun." She easily recognised the monotone hint in the voice that was calling out, her head turned. Oh Sehun. Her eyes glanced around, in search of Hayoung. She was nowhere to be seen, and instead, she had a pair of eyes latched onto hers. Soeun steadily made her way towards the seat, he had chosen a table next to the window and already had a cup of water ready for her. She sat down and averted eye contact with him. 

"Hayoung is hurt." Her eyes automatically rolled at this statement, was this all just a plan to lure her here?

"If she's hurt, where is she?" Unlike usual her tone of voice became cutting and sharp, something Sehun wasn't used to. 

"It's hard to explain, I don't even know if anybody else knows. You're the only one I could think of to call, she always used to talk about you when we were at kids- and Minhee. And then she stopped, stuff happened between us and- it doesn't matter. Hayoung is in trouble...?" He had no idea how he was mean to phrase 'she's dying' out loud, and wasn't sure whether he wanted to tell her or not. 

"If she's hurt, I'm going to go find her." Soeun sighed once more before heading out the cafe, but she was stopped. Her wrist was firmly gripped onto by Sehun, his hands were unusual and felt weird on her skin. She was used to Jongin. The thought of him waiting patiently outside the convenience store triggered something inside of her and before she knew it, Soeun had pulled his grip off of her and sent him a cold look before heading out the door. 

She pulled out her phone and scrolled through the contacts, bingo. Her fingers shakily tapped the call button and waited for a response. One ring, now two, three, four, five rings- 

"Soeun?" Her breathing faltered and a sharp intake gave away her silence. 

"It's me." She had only stopped for a few seconds and people had already started to bump her sides, her breathing returned and