Hanbin closed his eyes against the cold night. His feet dangled off the edge of the cliff as his front side turned towards the sea. Behind him the trees wavered and the branches rustled, whispering secrets to each other. Below him, the waves crashed against the rocks and sea gulls occasionally flew by. He leaned forward, letting the wind prick his skin and roar in his ears. It was music to his eardrums: dark and angry.

Hanbyul. Is Hanbyul okay? Are my parents okay? Do they need me right now like I need them? Thoughts flittered through his mind. His hands weakly ran down his face.

“Honey, where’d you get all this money?” Hanbin’s mother asked with a glance back at Hanbin’s father. The iPad was held idly in her hands. Mr. Kim quickly turned his attention towards his wife as his eyes landed on the electronic. Their bank account balance flashed back at him.

“I got a raise,” Mr. Kim explained. He didn’t elaborate further. Hanbin stood in the doorway with Hanbyul in his arms, asleep. Hanbin studied the way his father suspiciously turned away from Mrs. Kim and continued reading the newspaper.

“You’ve been getting a lot of raises the past few months. You must be working very diligently,” Mrs. Kim noted. Hanbin’s father looked at her and simply smiled.

He’s been lying this whole time, that bastard, Hanbin cursed. His hands moved away from his face as he let out a frustrated sigh. His eyelids reluctantly flittered open and the vast black sea welcomed him. What did he think was going to happen? Did he give even a second thought to what his family will go through when he’s caught?

“Why…?” His eyes searched the sea as if it would give him the answers he was seeking. “Why?” He searched the horizon, but only stars glittered back at him. “He did it because he loved us, right?” His eyes looked longingly at the sky, expecting an answer. But only the wind sang. Images of Hanbyul’s smiling face crossed his mind. Her angelic personality and her innocence. The world would surely taint her. Hanbin’s fingers ran through his hair and he tugged at his hair, his face looking down at his lap. “Hanbyul, Hanbyul, Hanbyul,” he murmured.

*

“Any luck?” Iseul asked when the girls except Rhine and Eiseu met up with the boys, excluding Bobby.

“Would we be here if we had any luck?” Junhwe retorted in annoyance.

“Dude, seriously,” Yunhyeong whispered as he nudged the younger one.

“She was just asking, jeez,” Jae scoffed. Iseul flashed Jae a disapproving look. Junhwe rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the side.

“Should we split up into pairs then?” Jinhwan asked.

“That’d be the best option right now,” Hei agreed. The groups turned and started choosing partners. “Should we meet up here in ten minutes?”

The others agreed and the pairs started heading in different directions. “What’s down there? Why is it so dar-,” Jae questioned. “Ahhh!” She screamed when the land beneath her right feet gave way.

Before all of her body went down, she reached out frantically and grabbed Junhwe’s arm. Everyone quickly turned to stare in horror as the two disappeared into nothingness. They rushed to the edge to see blackness below as Junhwe and Jae’s screams echoed through the night. Owls hooted and birds flew away from the disturbance. The others yelled out Junhwe and Jae’s names, asking if they were okay simultaneously.

“G-guys, we should step back. I doubt this is safe,” Donghyuk cautioned as he slowly took a few steps away from the edge. The others instantly followed suit. After they were a few feet away, they uncertainly looked at each other.

“W-what do we do?” Hei asked.

“Does anyone have a flashlight?” Yunhyeong asked, glancing at them. The screams suddenly stopped and Hei whimpered. Iseul shook her head to shake the shock from her system.

“I do.” Jinhwan answered and handed his flashlight to Yunhyeong. Yunhyeong switched it on.

Yunhyeong said, “We don’t know if it’s stable. Someone light should go see if they’re okay.”

All eyes turned to Hei and she started to shake her head, but something inside of her snapped. She had always been the bystander; it was her time to be the heroine. She grabbed the flashlight from Yunhyeong and mustered the courage to accomplish the task. She took a deep breath and Donghyuk stared at her with concern.

“Will you be okay?” he asked. Nodding, she started walked to the edge.

“Don’t go too close!” Iseul warned. Hei got closer to the edge and she hesitantly moved her feet. With left leg stamped in place, her right leg reached out and gently tapped the land by the edge. After seeing that it was stable, she carefully stood on top of it and flashed the flashlight down. She gasped as she saw what was below.

“Do you see anything?” Jinhwan yelled from behind. His cry sounded so distant, making Hei feel alone and isolated as she stood all by herself.

She pointed the flashlight in different directions, trying to see if there’s anything else, but all she saw was pitch black. “I-I… Th-there’s nothing,” she stuttered.

“You can’t see them?” Iseul asked. Hei slowly shook her head. Her palms were sweaty and her eyes started to blur. “Can you see how far below it is?”

Hei slowly moved the light down. Dark slopes looked up at her five, ten, fifteen yards below. She was expecting to see nothing but darkness. The light trickled down and it landed on a dark silhouette. A mud-stricken face peered up at her from around twenty-five yards down. Hei screamed and stumbled back, the flashlight almost out of her grasp. The others started asking if she was okay and what she saw. Hei’s blood raced through her system and her hands shook. She wanted to run back and never come back.

“It’s just me,” a voice yelled from the darkness.

“Sun-sunbaenim!” Hei exclaimed as she rushed back to the edge. She pointed the light in the direction of the silhouette to see Junhwe and Jae at the bottom of the ditch. Junhwe was standing and Jae was sitting down with her pant leg rolled up as she massaged her calf. Junhwe kept muttering things to Jae and Jae stared at him with a glare.

“Are you guys okay?” Hei yelled.

Junhwe looked up and cupped his hands around his mouth. “Do we look okay?” Jae glowered at him but he didn’t notice.

“Are you okay, Jae? Why are you sitting down?” Hei questioned with worry.

Behind her, Jinhwan asked, “Do you see them?”

Hei glanced back. “Yeah.”

Jae looked up at Hei. “I’m fine. How do we get out of here?”

“Is there water?” Junhwe asked.

“Y-yeah. I’ll ask Jinhwan. I’m going to throw the flashlight down, be careful.” Hei gently tossed the flashlight down and it rolled down the slope. Junhwe lunged for it when it got closer to them. Hei turned back to the others. “Jinhwan-sunbaenim, is there any other way they can get out of there?”

“There’s an intersection somewhere North,” he mumbled. “Oh! Tell them to go straight, there’s an intersection a little farther away where the upper land meets with the lower land. We’ll meet them there.”

“Have you been there?” Yunhyeong asked.

Jinhwan shook his head. “I’ve heard about it… I’ve never seen it.”

The others looked at him with doubt and Hei interjected. “Does anyone have water?” Donghyuk reached in his bag and tossed one to her. Hei turned back to see Junhwe pointing the light up at her. “I’m tossing the water now!” She gently rolled the bottle down. “There’s an intersection where the upper land meets with the lower land a little up North. Keep walking straight and we’ll meet you guys there.”

*

“Do you think he’ll be here?” Rhine scanned the street. The town was quiet and only the buzzing of the streetlamps were heard. Bobby and Rhine walked side by side, searching the area for any sign of Hanbin.

“He likes silence; somewhere he can walk for a long time and then sit to think. It’s either this or the forest.”

“Does he do this often? Run away, I mean.”

“A few times.” He noticed her expression. “It’s not what you think. It’s only during really stressful situations that he leaves. He’ll always come back though.”

They crossed the street. “Do you run away?”

“I don’t have the courage like Hanbin does. I let my problems devour me.”

“That’s courage, isn’t it?” A silence came between them. “You confronting your problems instead of running away, that’s courage.”

He slightly smiled. “If that’s what you say.”

“Do you think maybe one day… he’ll leave and never come back?”

Bobby gave her an uncertain look. “Hanbin? Nah, he’ll always come back. It’s just not in his nature to throw everything away.”

“Would you throw everything away?”

“Depends on what it is.”

“All this: the fame, the fortune, the music.”

“Nah, I’m living for my family. This,” he motioned to the space around him. “Everything is for them.”

“I wouldn’t.”

“Why not?”

“I’m living for myself, not them.”

Bobby swallowed, nodding his head. “Is there any…,” he gulped, “anyone that would make you throw your life away for?”

“Will there be any one that’s worth it?”

“You’re saying there’s no one?” She didn’t answer. “What about that guy that made you pursue music? Is he worth it?”

Her eyes immediately met his. Bobby stared at her, trying to get a glimpse of her thoughts, to get a peek into her world, but suddenly she was closed off. She looked away and fidgeted with her fingers.

“If Hanbin always comes back, why are we searching for him?”

Bobby turned his attention elsewhere and swung his hands by his sides. “We know he’ll always come back, but that doesn’t stop us from worrying about him.”

“He wants to be alone. Doesn’t that mean we should’ve just stayed at the house and wait for him? He’ll return when he wants to, no?”

“Should we head back then?” His head cocked to the side.

She nodded. “Does it mean I’m not worried about him if I say we should head back?”

“Of course not, you made a point.”

They turned back around and started heading back the way they came. A car drove by, its front lights pasting their shadows on the sidewalk. A comfortable silence passed between them. Rhine’s shoulders slumped back and she felt oddly comfortable. The strangeness made her uneasy.

“When are you guys debuting?” She looked at him.

“Soon.” She raised an eyebrow. “In a few months, I’ll be on my debut stage.”

“You’re preparing for your debut album, right?” He nodded. “How’s it coming along?”

“We produced and composed a bunch of songs President Yang needs to look over and approve. We already got our title track ready to record. Before you know it, I’ll be out of the dungeon and you won’t see me anymore.” A cheeky grin graced his lips and Rhine chuckled.

“Whew, that’s a relief.”

*

“Why’d you even pull me down here?” Junhwe grumbled. He led the way as he pointed the flashlight forward.

Jae limped, trying to not put pressure on her injured calf. She followed close behind him. “If I got to choose, it wouldn’t be you. Besides, I already apologized. You’re not the one hurt either so you shouldn’t be complaining.”

He glanced back at her with a scowl. “You’re going to dismiss the fact that I’m all muddy because of you?”

“I apologized, what more do you want?”

“Another apology would be nice.”

“Sheesh.” Behind his back, she made a move as if to hit him.

He looked back at her. “A sincere one this time, thank you.”

“Me kneeling isn’t sincere enough for you?”

He rolled his eyes. “You were hurt so you sat down. That’s not kneeling.”

“Give me a break, I’m injured.”

“Where do you get your excuses? It seems like you never run out.”

A bird crowed and the branches rustled, startling Junhwe. He let out a yelp as an owl hooted somewhere above them and he jumped. Jae rolled her eyes and grabbed the flashlight from him as she walked past him.

“And I thought you were tough,” Jae muttered.

*

“Do you think they’ll make it?” Hei asked, pushing close against Iseul.

The group trudged along the narrow trail with Jinhwan in the lead, his flashlight pointing the way. Their footsteps sounded like an untrained and disorganized army marching to war: loud and sloppy.

“With Jae, they’ll be fine. June’s nothing but good looks,” Donghyuk piped in causally from behind the girls.

Yunhyeong snickered beside Jinhwan and muttered under his breath, “Already dragging June’s name through the dirt in front of impressionable girls. No chill at all.” Jinhwan chuckled.

“Sunbaenim, you look like you know where you’re going. Are you all about good looks and knowledge?” Hei asked, leaning towards Jinhwan. He glanced back and was immediately startled by how close she was as he quickly turned his head.

Yunhyeong smirked as Jinhwan cleared his throat. “A-am I good looking?” He turned to Yunhyeong to seek confirmation and the younger one smiled slyly, nodding his head slowly.

Hei leaned back and pursed her lips. “It’s going to rain soon,” Iseul noted, looking at the sky.

“It is?” Hei asked.

“I hope not,” Yunhyeong groaned.

Overhead, the sky croaked.

*

“Ugh,” Jae whined. “Not now.”

Thunder sounded and lightning flashed as the sky rumbled. The two trudged on in the mud, lost and cold and hungry. A drop of rain pelted on Junhwe’s forehead and he screamed, paranoid that it is some kind of insect. His scream startled Jae, causing her to jump and almost kicked him in the leg.

“What is it?!” Jae yelled.

He reached up and felt the drop. Noticing that it is just a raindrop, he quickly thought of something to cover up. “I killed it!” He his palm in her line of vision and startled, she jumped back. “It’s fine, I killed it.” She stepped closer and peered at his palm. He quickly retrieved his hand and wiped it on his pants.

She frowned. “What was it?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Whatever it was, it’s dead.”

Jae raised an eyebrow and said in disbelief, “Right…” She turned back around and started walking again as Junhwe rolled his eyes, puckered his lips and followed her.

“Is this the right way?” Jae mumbled, shining the light on the path, which looked like it hadn’t been used in centuries.

“Oh!” A sudden thought crossed his mind as he fetched for his phone. “We live in the twenty-first century, why don’t we use Siri? Duh.”

Jae looked back at him and rolled her eyes. “Are you being serious right now? We’re in a forest. There is no connection-.”

He didn’t hear a word she said. “Oh! I’m gonna go to the navigation icon… And-and!” He frowned, his voice lowered. “And there is no connection. Woo-eee.” He glared at his phone and shoved it back into his pockets then stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets with shoulders hunched forward. “My parents pay sixty dollars a month and this is what I get, aish.”

“Did you get good marks in school?”

He arched an eyebrow. “Why’s that suddenly an interest?” A light suddenly flickered in his brain. His mouth formed an oval and he looked offended. “You!” His lips bunched up in anger. “I’m your sunbaenim, how could you insult me?” A lighthearted sigh escaped his lips. “But my good looks make up for it, eh?” He smirked as he combed his hand through his hair and arched a brow at her. She sighed in exasperation.

It was going to be a long night. 

Hey y'all! I'm back again, you thought I'd abandon this story, didn't you? Muhaha well I did not! And it's a relief I finally got back to continuing again. This chapter is basically a filler, introducing the other characters to all of you beautiful people. This chapter isn't the longest and it's probably not very entertaining either but it'll allow me to continue the story without constantly getting writer's block so I'll settle with this. 

Thanks a ton to all the new subscribers! I appreciate every single one of you! Comments, feedback, clicks, votes, and the time you take to read this will be greatly appreciated ♥ Until next time!