Vibrant Colours. ☁

Chapter 17 #lemon

Choco was an abandoned dog Donghae found in the streets. Initally, Donghae did not plan to save the starving dog since he wasn't that fond of dogs and furthermore, it was absolutely none of his business. However, the small pomeranian dog bite his trouser leg and refused to let go no matter what Donghae did to get rid of it. In the end, Donghae had no choice but to drag it home and give it some food, water and shelter. 

Fortunately, Choco turned out to be a very obedient and intelligent dog, and it could perform many tricks that other dogs couldn't, so Donghae gave up on the idea of sending Choco to the animal relief center.

Donghae gradually grew fond of the little dog and frequently took Choco together on his morning run, so Choco became extremely familiar with their neighbourhood.

When Donghae and Hyukjae got together and went on dates, Donghae noticed that Hyukjae seemed to yearn for a cute little pet, and Donghae immediately thought of giving Choco to Hyukjae, even though he had already developed strong ties with his loyal pet.    

Then he'd discovered the true identity of Hyukjae. That had taken a huge blow on Donghae and made him hungry for revenge.

That night, after he'd intentionally fed Hyukjae red wine mixed with the drug that could easily make anyone delirious, Donghae had crept out right after Hyukjae left his house and entered the elevator. He took the stairs and reached the ground floor faster than Hyukjae since the apartment was only three storeys high. Blowing the whistle he'd often use for Choco's training, he controlled Choco to go to wherever he wanted without Hyukjae's knowledge as the whistle was specially designed such that it only produced high frequency sounds which are difficult to detect with human ears. Besides, the drug was already taking effect on Hyukjae then. Using Choco, he led Hyukjae into the dark alley, and kidnapped Hyukjae effortlessly, without anyone suspecting him.  

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Plain white ceiling, curtains and walls was what came to Hyukjae's view when he opened his eyes. Hyukjae blinked again, taking some time to register where he was and why he was here. When his numb limbs regained their senses, Hyukjae released a loud groan as pain racked his body. The swell on the back of his head throbbed, and there was a bad bruise on his side that hurt everytime he took a breath. His swollen ankle was not any better too. 

A warm hand came to rest on Hyukjae's forehead. "Son, how are you feeling?"

"Hey, mom, " Hyukjae greeted in a raspy voice, "I'm feeling much better already." Hyukjae did not want his mother to worry.

"I'm glad you're safely back with us, son." Hyukjae's mother smiled gently as she her son's hair. "Here, have some water, " She passed Hyukjae a cup. "You must be feeling thirsty after a long nap."

Hyukjae took the cup gratefully since his throat was indeed feeling very sore. After taking a couple of sips, Hyukjae set it down on his bedside table.

"...mom," Hyukjae hesitated as he bit his lips and shifted his position on the bed nervously. "Has he...I mean Donghae woken up?"

Both Donghae and him were sent to the same hospital after they were rescued by the police, but while Hyukjae was admitted to the private ward, Donghae remained in the Intensive Care Unit because of his serious knife injury. Although Hyukjae's injuries were not as life-threatening as Donghae's, they were serious enough to keep Hyukjae bedridden for the past few days. Aside from the treatment on his physical injuries, Hyukjae was also arranged to go for regular psychological counselling sessions since he was suffering from nightmares due to the mental trauma of the kidnap. It wasn't until today, that his psychologist finally deemed his condition stable and suitable to get up from bed.

His mother shook her head regrettedly, "He was still unconscious when I went to visit him earlier." Upon seeing Hyukjae sink back onto bed in disappointment, she continued, "But don't worry, son. The doctors mentioned that he is no longer in critical condition and they have already moved him out of the ICU to the room next to yours."

"Really!" Hyukjae gripped his bedsheets, anxious. "Mom! Can I go see him now? Please?"

Hyukjae's mother nodded in approval, she heard from the police that Donghae not only volunteered to bring the ransom to the kidnappers, but also shielded her son from a knife, so she was filled with gratitude towards him. "Sure, but do take care of yourself, Hyukjae."

"Thanks mom!" Hyukjae gave his mother a quick peck on her cheek, climbed down his bed excitedly, and headed for the next room as quick as his current condition allowed. He can't wait to see Donghae, god knows how much he'd missed him when the doctors forbade him to visit Donghae. He wanted to see his boyfriend so badly that it doesn't matter if the latter was still in coma.

Pushing open the door quietly, Hyukjae popped his head in. "Hey, Donghae? Can I come in?"

Of course, there was no response. Rubbing his nose sheepishly for his foolishness, Hyukjae invited himself in and closed the door behind him. In front of him, there was a white curtain blocking his view of the bed. Hyukjae used his hand to push the curtain aside, and gasped.

The bed was empty. Donghae was nowhere to be found.

"Donghae?" Hyukjae started to panic. He yanked up the bedsheets as well as the pillows, hands trembling for fear that something terrible happened to Donghae.

"Lee Donghae!" Hyukjae threw the pillows back, turning around to stumble out into the corridor. "Donghae! Where are