There was a commotion when he walked in through the doors. On the kitchen table were untouched breakfast food; the rest of the household in what seemed like a chaotic party. Walking through the hall toward the lounge room he saw that no one was sitting as they were earlier.

Choonhee’s father was on his phone, his expression anxious and worried. Clearly the light coming in through the window sadly focused on him. Switching attention Sehun saw Kai and Hayoung standing together with his parents nearby looking puzzled and lost, each one of them carrying the same anxious expression as Lee Kwan.

With bag still dangling in hand Sehun started toward them, “What’s going on?”

“Choonhee’s missing,” Kai answered in a heartbeat.

Sehun’s brow immediately rose up. “Missing? How?”

“Can you reach her?” he heard Eungi ask her husband, hands clutching his arm for the answer they wished they had.

“She turned her phone off.” The tall man brushed his hand through his hair, as if he’d come back from some exhausting journey.

“Why would she?” Eungi questioned then turned to them, “Don’t you know where she went? You’re her only friends.”

Sehun wanted to scoff upon hearing that but successfully held onto his blank face.

“She hasn’t said anything to me,” Hayoung answered, sounding just as worried.

Sehun glanced at her through the corner of his eye, curious if she really meant it. He turned, surprised when Kai spoke to him.

“Choonhee trusts you, doesn’t she?” he asked, pinning the attention on him.

An uncomfortable sense of becoming the center of attention eased through him as Kai put him on the spot. Sehun silently wondered what Kai was doing, whether intentionally or not. The man appeared sincerely concerned, yet that didn’t mean that he couldn’t at the same time, have the ability to have other thoughts.

He shortly glanced at Hayoung, suddenly curious if the two had been sharing plans he didn’t know of. Then Kai spoke again, calling for his attention.

“I don’t know,” Sehun replied.

And it was the truth. Choonhee had been a bit off these days and even he didn’t know what was going on.

“Maybe I should have waited longer to bring up the engagement,” Kai said guiltily.

Sehun thought he was just purposely trying to make everyone else feel sorry for him. Besides, what other way did he have to get them on his side than with this sorry act?

“Do you think Choonhee left, because she felt pressured?” Kai worried.

Sehun stared at the upset Kai.

“Of course it’s not like that,” his mother touched his arm. “We all know how Choonhee feels about you. Why wouldn’t she want the engagement?”

Again, Sehun was urged to rudely raise his brow.

“Can you look for her, Sehun?” Kai’s mother, Nari, turned to him. She was no small frail woman but a tall woman with an edgy masculine face, her eyes being her prettiest feature.

“Yes, why don’t you do that?” his father chimed in, joining the party. “Kai will have a lot to do starting from tomorrow. You’ve been good friends with Choonhee, you will find her, won’t you?”

All their eyes sat on him, each person carrying their own very different motive. The pressure was intense.

To keep his chair in the company there was really no choice but to do what they requested of him, even if he knew they were using him to drag out Choonhee from wherever she’d gone to. Right now he was their slave, who went running to and fro at their bidding. He woud have to keep at it if he wanted to stay in Kai’s father’s favor. If he wanted their power and money to make them his own, it was impossible to act on his personal emotions.

Biting his tongue he nodded, “Yes.”

\\\\

Leaving the room with Hayoung, Kai followed her down a secluded hallway.

“You said you would talk to Choonhee. That you would convince her, so what is this?” Kai hissed. “Where is she?”

“Don’t push your assumptions on me,” Hayoung hissed in return, glaring up at him. “I did what you ask. The rest is up to her, but don’t worry. Your engagement will work out. Think of this as her lesson.”

Kai narrowed his eyes, confused for a slight moment. “What do you mean?”

“She hasn’t gone far. You can believe me on that,” Hayoung confidently told him. “Choonhee loves you, doesn’t she?”

He firmly pressed his lips together. He wasn’t quite sure about that. She had never said those three words, but he didn’t want Hayoung to know about it.

At this moment, he was both really worried and desperate to have Choonhee here in order to get the engagement going and have her safe. He needed to have her secured to his side, anything before Sehun could move. Kai was glad his parents had paralyzed Sehun into helping him. That way, even if Sehun wanted to move with other intentions he wouldn’t be able to because his parents were watching.

Pushing Sehun into a corner was quite satisfying.

“Isn’t that why she and Sehun broke up?” Hayoung asked with a mischievous smirk.

Kai was actually surprised to hear it. His eyes slightly widened on their own before he caught himself from expressing it. The time when he confessed to Choonhee had been when she’d been talking to him about her uncertainties with Sehun. Not once had he thought she would fall for it. Hardheaded and loyal Choonhee had then actually changed her heart.

That had been the most shocking turn in his life he had experienced.

“Rest assured,” Hayoung told. “She will return. After all, Choonhee is a responsible person. Why would she ever leave you?”

\\\\\

Dumb Namjoo had actually tried running. The anger when she realized that girl wasn’t really in her room that morning had made her blood rush to her head. For a moment she was more than sure she had the girl under her control. Then after a moment more while watching everyone despair of her disappearance, Hayoung felt a calm wash over her.

Namjoo didn’t have anywhere to go. She didn’t have her own money, which would force her to turn to Choonhee’s bank account. Sehun would no doubt trace her credit card and find her. When she returned Hayoung would teach her that no matter how many times she wanted to run away, nothing would change.

\\\\\

Sehun was curious about where Choonhee would go. There was not a place in the world that he’d gone to that Choonhee hadn’t. He was utterly surprised that she would decide to disappear on them like this. The bigger question was, why?

The very second he got home he first jumped into the shower then made a call to her bank to keep him updated about any activity on her card. After dealing with some more paperwork he went downstairs for lunch to find his father seated at the table, his mother at the stove pouring their lunch into a platter.

“You’re here?” she turned when he walked in. “Take a seat.”

Without even looking at him, his father’s eyes remained glued to the paper. Pulling out the seat across from him Sehun sat down. Miscellaneous noises of pots landing in the sink rose into the air before his mother finally placed the platter into the center of the table.

“How was the trip to Choonhee’s?” his mother wondered sitting down.

“Nothing happened,” he answered, tasting the curry. It was hot to the tongue but not as hot as his father’s eyes on him.

“You didn’t do anything to interrupt them?” his father coldly questioned.

“Honey,” his mother whispered.

Sehun glanced up at him quietly.

“I heard Choonhee and Kai will be getting engaged.” His father continued. “You’re not planning to sabotage it?”

“Why?” his mother jumped up in her seat. “Our son was with Choonhee first. Any way you look at it she should still be with Sehun regardless of the mistake he made. I don’t like the sound of the engagement. It just can’t happen. Choonhee needs to be with our Sehun.”

“What are you going on about? Are you crazy?” his father his mother. “How can you talk about the President’s son that way? Our lives depend on them. Who do you think our son is working for?”  

“I know,” his mother breathed with a nod, “but that’s not what I’m saying. Choonhee was first with our son. And it should be that way.”

“This woman…” his father hissed, “are you so brainless?”

Sehun rolled his eyes, tired over how his parents stood on opposite ends of the spectrum. They were the endless voices in his head, battling each other. To get Choonhee back because he wanted her or get her back for self-satisfaction?

“Choonhee disappeared.” He broke their quarrel. His parents quickly silenced.

“What are you talking about?” his father demanded.

“She wasn’t in the house this morning,” Sehun explained. “And she’s not answering her phone.”

“Are they going to find her?” his father asked.

“Why, where could she have gone? See, this is what I mean by the engagement can’t happen. She obviously still can’t forget you,” his mother adamantly went on.

“What are they going to do?” his father inquired with utmost concern. “You know that if you mess up, you will ruin everything for both your mother and I.”

“I’ll find her.” he stated then grabbing his plate of food walked out of the kitchen to be alone.

\\\\\

With nowhere to go Namjoo sought shelter at a homeless corner she knew on the outskirts of the river. It was a fenced area, abandoned and where some street people homed on warm nights. It consisted of grime and old boxes.

After using up the last of her cash on dinner at some grill and bar restaurant she went there to sleep for the night. A large garbage tin had been pushed into the corner obviously used some nights before to keep a fire going. Namjoo was interested in keeping a fire going for the night to keep the herself warm and the wind at bay, but she had no supply on her but a pocket stuffed with Choonhee’s phone and credit card.

Throwing some boxes onto the ground she lay down for a few minutes, busying herself with star gazing. When the breeze from the river got too cold she got up to search for a larger box and arranging it slept inside it to keep herself warm. The night grew colder by the hour forcing her to sleep in the popular fetal position. Before she knew it the sun was out and seagulls were crying in the sky.

Namjoo drowsily awoke when she heard voices outside. Stretching and groaning she tiredly rubbed her eyes awake. Proceeding to push her way out of the box she looked around to find three men in raggedly clothes, their faces dark and hair tangled. Each one of them reeked from not bathing for days.

Their eyes laid on each other and Namjoo managed to awkwardly greet them with a nervous smile. Standing to her feet she continued to nod at them, as if acknowledging that this might have been their territory she’d stepped on. Then quickly sidestepping toward the door quickly ran away.

\\\\\

“You have a meeting at ten o’ clock. Right after that you’re scheduled to meet with some contractors. Then you have a half hour lunch break before consulting with the editors about a new copyright policy…” Hayoung’s monotonous voice droned over the phone.

Sehun half-heartedly listened, having already memorized today’s planned schedule since last night but still let her go on for the heck of it. At the right light up ahead he braked and watched a crowd cross the street in front of him. Out of all the young men and women he saw he wondered whether Choonhee would today be disguised as one of them.

If not for her disappearance yesterday he knew he’d be expecting to see her at the company today as Kai’s fiancée. He didn’t quite dig the idea of that.

“Why would you do it?Do you really love him?”

“What does it have to do with you?”

Gripping the wheel with greater strength he tilted his head to the side, no longer able to hear Hayoung’s voice going through his ear. He didn’t want her to, for she had no idea what she was getting herself into. Dumb, foolish, and naïve Choonhee didn’t know that Kai was really after her money and not her heart. Even if Kai did possibly have a little thing for her, Sehun still had to oppose the engagement.

She couldn’t go through with it. She just couldn’t.

His heart wouldn’t allow him to witness the event unfold.

A beep sounded through his Bluetooth and dismissing Hayoung, pressed a button his phone to connect to the other line. It was a woman from Choonhee’s bank, telling him that there had been an activity on her card.

“Where?” he asked.

Disconnecting from the call he heard Hayoung’s voice again, “Sehun? Sehun? What happened? Are you still there?”

“Oh…what is it?”

“Your line suddenly went quiet. Did something happen?”

“Something came up,” he told, stepping on the accelerator. “I’ll call you later.”

Ending the call he pulled the Bluetooth out of his ear and tossed it into the passenger’s seat.    

Minutes later he drove up to a tiny 7-Eleven, staring at it with utmost surprise. Even the simplest of places he didn’t think Choonhee would come to. He’d never known of her to visit such small stores.

Heading inside he peered around to find the counter inside empty, the store filled with few customers all out on their own business. Sehun walked around gazing at each person, none of which whom was Choonhee. He almost walked out before stopping to ask the clerk.

“She’s about this tall and has long reddish hair,” he explained, holding his hand up near his shoulder.

The clerk, a young part-time student drowned in his thoughts before nodding with mouth gaped open. “Ah…yea, she did come by. I think she left that way.”

Stepping out of the convenience store Sehun peered down the direction the man had directed him to. Up ahead he spotted another large mart. Getting into his vehicle he joined the large lot of parked cars and began on his way to the store. He couldn’t in his mind understand what Choonhee was up to. This wasn’t her place or style. She went to malls, brand name stores, or had people come visit her to customize her outfits.

What in the world was she doing right now?

The store was buzzing with customers. The very second he stepped inside he was bombarded by the continuous beeping of items being scanned and voices rising up into the air. Unsure where to first start he randomly walked around, gazing at all the products on sale. After a minute he began backtracking when he spotted who he thought was a familiar face in the women’s clothing section.

Narrowing his eyes and slowly stepping forward he stopped in his tracks, absorbing the sight before him. He couldn’t tell whether he was more shocked or astounded to see Choonhee going through a rack of casual clothing – something she would never touch in her entire life. This woman felt so foreign to him, so out of the world, as if she was some alien who looked just like the Lee Choonhee he’d known for years.

But she was Choonhee. The Choonhee he knew.

“Choonhee?” he called out, watched her freeze, and then look his way.

The buzzing of customers around him ceased and all he could concentrate on was the woman before him, whose eyes suddenly bulged out at having sighted him. Very abruptly dropping what she was doing, she turned to run. Without thinking he followed suit.

In the mere moment of a few seconds customers screamed around them, the snacks, the drinks, the foods, and the people became blurs around him. Disregarding all facts he knew about his Choonhee, he chased her, determined to bring her back home to his world.

She could not want to get engaged with Kai. She could want to disappear from him. Sehun was alright with that, but he wasn’t ok with her disappearing from his world.