"Do you want a sandwich or should I just order pizza?" Hani asked, peering inside the Heo family's refrigerator. Mirae sat on a chair by the dining room. She was sitting with her legs on the chair, her knees supporting her face. She didn't hear Hani's question because she was completely zoned out. That is, until Hani snapped her fingers in Mirae's face. 

"Earth to Mirae, I need some help here.". Mirae blinked, looking up at Hani. "Hmm?"

Hani sighed, "Sandwiches or Pizza?" she asked. 

Mirae pursed her lips. To be honest, Mirae wasn't feeling that hungry at all. Actually, scratch that, she wasn't in any mood to eat for the last couple of days. Hongbin had tried calling her several times, but she had ignored his calls. As for Ken, well, she didn't know what to think. She was too scared to face him. 

"Sandwiches." Mirae answered, closing her eyes. She didn't want to waste money on pizza she wasn't planning on eating anyway. She wiggled her toes as to stop them from falling asleep.

"Seriously, Heo Mirae, are you on another diet?" Hani observed her friend's quiet manner, "You've been looking thinner than usual."

Mirae shook her head, not wanting to open her eyes. "I'm just tired, that's all." she said in a meek voice. It was night outside, so to say that she was tired was suspicious at all, it was a little past 11.

Hani nodded, resuming to take out the contents of the fridge to prepare sandwiches. "How would you manage to live without me? With your mom gone out of town for two weeks with your brother, you could have starved to death."

Mirae's mother was out of town with her brother for some time because of a class field trip to Jeju Island. That resulted in Hani coming to crash in at Mirae's house for the past four days after her mom and brother had left. Hani knew very well that Mirae was a horrible cook and would never be able to take care of herself. 

Mirae's phone rang, once again. Mirae decided to ignore it. Hani looked back at Mirae, her eyebrows arched. "You going to get that?" she asked. Mirae shook her head no. She assumed who it was. 

The phone eventually stopped ringing, but a moment later it rang again. Mirae peeked at the Caller ID through heavily lidded eyes, to see it was the company that was calling. Oh crap.

Mirae fumbled to pick up her phone, pressing it to hear. "Yeobeoseyo?" she said. 

"Hello Mirae? This is N.". Mirae's eyes widened. "Oh, yes, hello, N oppa." Mirae couldn't help but notice he sounded quite worried on the other end. "Is Ken with you by chance?" he asked. Ken? Mirae's heart lurched, what had happened that he was calling?

"Ken?" Mirae questioned, "No, he isn't. What's the matter?" she asked. N sighed heavily through the phone. "We haven’t been able to contact Ken for a couple of days, we thought he may have crashed at your place."

"No, he didn't." Mirae's heart had dropped. Ken. Where could he be?

"Oh, okay, well thank you, Mirae." N was about to cut the phone before Mirae exclaimed, "Wait! Wait! I can help you look for him if you like?" she offered. 

N hesitated, "Is that okay? Would it be too much of a hassle?". 

"No, no, its fine," she reassured him, "Thank you for letting me know, N oppa." she ended the call. Hani had been watching her all this time. "So I guess you're going out?"

Mirae sheepishly looked at her friend, tossing her the home phone, "I'll call you every hour to let you know I'm okay." Hani seemed uncertain, "You sure? I can come look with you if you like, you know, whoever you're looking for."

"Ken." Mirae stated simply. Hani furrowed her eyebrows, "Ken's missing?" she was stunned, "For how long?" she asked. Mirae picked up her jacket, hastily buttoning it up. She paced over to the drawer where she hid her mom's ID in case of emergencies, Mirae would use it. "Its been a couple of days. I'll call you every hour, promise." Mirae ran out of the kitchen. Hani heard a door bang shut a few seconds later. Hani sighed, looking at the jam spread pieces of bread on the plates, "Guess, I'll just have to eat alone, then." she murmured, continuing to make the sandwich. 

*     *     *

Mirae had taken the bus to the Jellyfish building, where she saw two people sitting on the entrance stairs at the building. She recognized one as being Hyuk and the other one...she couldn't recognize him by a bush covering his face from her angle. She ran over to them, finally noticing the other person to be Hongbin. Her hair was messy, and her pants were ripped. She didn't care. 

"Noona!" Hyuk exclaimed, noticing Mirae jog up to them. Hongbin's head jerked and he stood straight up. Mirae was out of breath, her heaves of breath forming little puffs of condensation in the cold air. "Where's the rest of you guys?" she asked, focusing her attention on Hyuk on purpose. Hyuk noticed this, and shifted uncomfortably between his two legs. "N and Leo Hyung have gone to look at places where Ken could be. Like his favourite restaurants and amusement parks. Some company officials have gone to file a missing person report at the police station. Ravi hyung has gone to  see if Ken hyung is living with his parents and Hongbin hyung and I were told to stay here just in case he returns." Hyuk said.

Mirae's head was swarming with dangerous situations that Ken could have gotten himself into. She pursed her lips. "I'm going to go look for him as well." she was going to turn around before Hongbin grabbed hold of her arm."Wait, I'll go with you.". Mirae looked at his hand grabbing her arm. She shook her head, "No, I'm fine alone, thank you." she stated simply. Before turning around and walking away. She didn't want to face either of them, being so ashamed of herself. 

Mirae managed to catch a bus that was about to leave. She sat down near the back, pulling out her phone to call Hani. Only a slight idea popped in her head that made her stop. Maybe, it might work. 

She dialled Ken's number, letting the phone ring. Her hand gripped her phone tightly as she bit her lip. come on pick up, please pick up

"Hmm, yeobeoseyo?" a voice droned on the other end. It sounded really weird. "Ken?" Mirae's eyes widened. She heard a little giggle on the other end "Jagiya! Why are you calling do you miss me?" his speech seemed slurred. Mirae was shocked. Ken wasn't the type to drink...but then again, she barely knew anything about him. The tone of his voice seemed to upset her greatly. There was something about the way he talked that brought up negative emotions....something like anger.
"Where are you?" she asked desperately, earning a few stared from the people who were riding the bus. Sh didn't care. She was just relieved that he was fine at this point and not hurt. hough she wasn't sure. Ken laughed through the phone, "Is jagiya worried about me?" he hiccuped, laughing a little. "Ken, where are you?" she asked once again. 

"Me? I don't know." he stated simply. Great. Like that was any help. Suddenly, he cut the phone. Mirae stared at the screen in disbelief. She was so close. Should she call the others? She decided against this. She blamed herself for his state. She couldn't call the others. She would, after she had found him. Mirae looked at the caller notification on the phone, suddenly looking at it. The location display settings were on, so that means she could easily track down where the call had come from. Her heart picked up pace, as she dialled his number again, hoping for a response, but there was none. That was good enough for Mirae. She noticed the call was receiving not to far from here. She got ff the nearest stop and began to run in the direction from where the GPS had picked up his call...

*     *     *

Mirae asked a few people for directions as she tried to find the place known as the "Rev". that's where the call had been coming from. Some women who were walking down the street, told her some directions, them being a little tipsy themselves, Mirae assumed the Rev was just a bar. She peeked across an empty street. She saw a big red neon sign that was labelled "THE REV". Looking both ways, she crossed the streets, to where she found the doors were heavily guarded. Two men stood outside, looking quite bulky. Mirae gulped. 

She walked up to them, where one held out his hand. "Identification please.". Mirae shoved her hand inside her pocket. She pulled out her mom's identification. The two bodyguards looked at her with evident suspicion. "What's your name?"

"Nam So Jung." Mirae stated simply, her mother's name. The two bodyguards peered at her I.D. trying to see if there was anything on it that could have indicated that it was fake, but since it was a real I.D. they didn't find anything on it. 

"You may enter." Mirae nodded, scurrying through the door before they could change their minds. She took out her cell phone again, calling Ken's number, praying that she could hear his ringtone over the music and chatting people in that bar. When she walked inside the bar, she had earned a few stares. She didn't blame them, she didn't quite look her age, let alone twenty one. Even though she was seventeen, she could easily pass for a fifteen year old. She rang the phone again, walking past a slumped man sitting on a chair by a bar tending counter. She saw from the corner of her eye that his phone was ringing. She walked over to the slumped figure who was clearly sleeping. She turned his body slightly, her heart racing, seeing Ken sleeping. His lip was cut a little, and he seemed in such a miserable state. The negative emotion elevated, as certain flashback from her childhood seemed to ring out. For some reason, seeing Ken in this state was like deja vu to her. She shook his shoulder to wake him up, "Ken, wake up.". Ken's eyes stirred until his hazy vision landed on Mirae. He smiled. Even in this state, she still managed to make his heart thump a mile a minute. "Jagiyaaa" he said in a weak tone. Mirae looked worried. "What has gotten into you? Let's go.". He tried getting up, but falling back down on his chair. He giggled a bit. Mirae had no other choice, but to drape his arm over shoulder, heaving his tall frame up, supporting on her small, tiny one.

She staggered, trying to adjust his weight on her body, cursing under breath when she felt a pang of pain on her back.

*      *      *

Hongbin sat on the porch, his head in his lap. Hyuk stared at him while eating a bowl of ramen. Hongbin had not said a word since Mirae had left and from what Hyuk had seen, Mirae seemed more awkward around Hongbin than usual. He peered over at Hongbin, who remained in the same position. Though it was cold outside, Hongbin hadn't worn a jacket and only a woollen sweater. Hyuk shoved his ramen bowl at hongbin, who raised his head to look at the bowl of Ramen. "No thanks." he grumbled, before putting his head down, restoring his previous position. Hyuk shrugged his shoulder. Well, more ramen for Hyuk, then. 

"Hyung, why are you like this?" Hyuk rang out of the blue. Hongbin rolled his eyes. Annoying maknae. 

"Like what?" Hongbin asked, looking at Hyuk.

Hyuk pointed a chopstick at Hongbin's face, while Hongbin stared at the end of the chopstick, cross eyed by how close it was to his face. "Like this." Hyuk said, "You're acting like a bum." Hongbin turned his head away towards the gates of the building. "I'm just tired." 

Maknae Hyuk was smarter than that and Hongbin knew it. But for now, he didn't want to explain himself so Hyuk could judge him. Hyuk stared at the back of Hongbin's head before shrugging and continued to eat his ramen before it went cold. 

Suddenly, Hyuk's phone rang. "Hey Noona." Hyuk greeted, he observed how Hongbin's neck had almost snapped from the speed at which he turned his head. Hyuk snickered. Way to be obvious. 

"Hyuk, I found Ken." Mirae sounded relieved through the other end. "He's drunk right now, so I'm heading over ot my house right now. Can you tell the other members not to worry. He's fine. He'll recover in a day." she told them not to worry. Hongbin gestured Hyuk to give him the phone. "Mirae?" Hongbin asked. 

"Oh, hello, Hongbin." she said. He couldn't really tell what she was feeling by her monotoned voice, but he needed to talk to her, "Is ken there?"

"Yes, he is, he's just a little bit...out of it." Hongbin could hear Ken's drunk murmurs in the background, which reassured Hongbin that his hyung was fine. After that day he had caught Mirae and Hongbin, he didn't seem like himself at all. 

Mirae peered over at Ken who was sleeping heavily on her shoulder. "He's fine right now, I'll just let him crash over at my place since the your dormitories are far from here."

"Okay." Hongbin hesitated, before shutting the phone. Mirae turned her phone off. She stared at Ken's face. Hi body reeked of alcohol, making Mirae's stomach flip from the stench. She hated that particular smell, and for a very good reason.

Mirae's dad, who was an alcoholic, would always smell like this. The scent seemed to make ugly memories flash inside her brain. Of her dad yelling at her as a kid while he was drunk. She remembered his eyes were bloodshot on those late nights when he would return home from drinking. Mirae's mom would yell at him to stop, and he would yell back at her calling her obscene names that would sting Mirae. Mirae would often watch from her bedroom door, peeking slightly at her parents quarrelling. Miwook was an infant during that time, and the loud screams from his parents would make him cry at the top of his lungs, while her parents bickered. She would sneak into Miwook's room, holding the little baby. She would cradle him, and after he was done crying, she would tiptoe back to her room.

Six year old Mirae would crawl under her covers, taking out her antique walkman that her parents had given to her on her fifth birthday. Mirae would nestle herself into the blankets, laying in a fetal position, while hugging her knees. She would play a Park Hyoshin album, while murmuring to herself to fall sleep. her pillows and cheeks were drenched with tears. 

Mirae sighed, looking towards the window where she saw the glimpses of the city, trying to not let the same tears escape while looking at Ken in this drunken state. Even though he was nothing like her dad, it still seemed to upset her greatly. 

When the Taxi had dropped Mirae to her house, she staggered with Ken inside. He mumbling incoherent words, obviously exhausted. Mirae guided him to her room, where she laid him down. She took off his shoes, and patted the pillows to see if they were comfortable. Mirae draped a blanket over Ken, who was now in deep sleep, mumbling things in his sleep. Mirae sighed, before walking out. She closed the lights and walked out, closing the bedroom door slightly, to not let the hallway light disturb him. 

Mirae shuffled towards the kitchen. It was evident that Hani had left, she had texted Mirae before, and Mirae had replied back to her, apologizing for causing trouble. Mirae yawned. She hadn't realized how tired she was, as well. She stretched, hearing her back crack a bit. She slumped a little. She walked over to a drawer, where she pulled out her iPod and earphones. 

Mirae pulled out some blankets from a hallway closet. She laid down on the couch, pulling the blankets over her. She plugged in her earphones. She closed her eyes as she let Park Hyoshin's voice calm her senses down. She breathed heavily, trying to erase her mind of anything before falling asleep. 

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A/N: Long chapter update :D phew! 2784 words 

Not that much action in this chapter, but expect some possibly in the next chapters (fingers crossed.)

Anyways, bye for now, lovelies ♡