Smiles -Seongjoong

28

Seonghwa was at work, after the meeting ended, he checked his phone to see five missed calls from Wooyoung, San, Yeosang and Jongho.
What happened? Seonghwa thought to himself.
He called Yeosang back, but Wooyoung answered.
"Hyung!"
"What happened?"
"Hongjoong hyung-" Wooyoung's voice broke.
"What happened to him?"
"He isn't home yet, he usually comes back around one, but he still isn't here. And I tried calling him, his phone is off."
Seonghwa looked at the clock, it was 3 p.m.
"You're literally telling me this after two freaking hours?!"
"You weren't answering!"
"Sorry. Did y'all ask the guards to look for him? Go to his school and ask there probably?"
"San and Jongho went there, guards are out too, but I am just- I am just worried, what if someone attacked him and-"
"No, it's okay, he is a strong boy, don't worry, I am coming home."
"Okay, come fast."
Seonghwa had told Wooyoung not to worry, but he couldn't stop himself from worrying. Hongjoong never went anywhere without informing anyone. Where did he go? Seonghwa tried calling Hongjoong, but as he was informed, his phone was off. He hurried home.

San and Jongho were back when he reached home. "What happened?" Seonghwa asked as soon as he came.
"They say Hongjoong left at time, he didn't stay at school." San replied.
"And he literally has no friends, no one knows if he stopped somewhere on his way home." Jongho added.
"So we literally know nothing right now?" Seonghwa asked.
"Yeah."
"What about the guards? Did they find anything?"
"They are still out searching."
"Did y'all inform the police?"
"We did inform, but we can't file a report unless he's missing for twenty four hours."
"Oh."
The guards came in just that moment.
"We found Hongjoong's phone, master."
He handed him the phone, "Where?" Seonghwa asked.
"The xxxx street."
"That's not at all near his school, what was he doing there?"
"Yeah, and this bracelet."
He gave him the chain bracelet, Seonghwa knew it very well, Hongjoong always wore it. Seonghwa put it on his hand.
"Charge the phone." he said, handing the guard Hongjoong's phone.
He turned around, everyone was looking at him.
"Are you okay?" San asked.
"Yeah."
"Don't worry, we'll find him, for now, we can't do anything but wait."
That's what Seonghwa didn't want to do, how could he just wait knowing Hongjoong probably wasn't in the best of state.
He thought of all the possibilities that could happen to Hongjoong, what if someone among his enemies had done something to him, just to revenge him? What if someone had kidnapped him? What if he had an accident? There were too many what-ifs. "Yeah." Seonghwa said. "Let's wait."

Three days went by fast, still no trace of Hongjoong. They had searched for him in the whole town, themselves, with the guards, with the police. They did everything they could to find him. There were no cameras on the street they had found his phone, or it would have been easier. They found clips of him leaving school, not that it helped. There was nothing on his phone that would hint about his location. They contacted all of the business rivals and mafias who would have tried to attack him, they had to. It turned out none of them had knew or thought of harming Hongjoong. No one had an appetite those days, they didn't go to work either. They woke up early and slept late, spending whole of days helping the guards and police search for him.

A week passed, no hints on where Hongjoong was.

The next day, Seonghwa and Mingi went out with the police, now searching on the outskirts of the town, contacting every restaurant or store that might have set up cameras around the place. They were making their way back to the car, after getting no hints there either, when a weak hand grabbed Seonghwa by the arm. Seonghwa turned, "Hongjoong!"
Hongjoong's face was bruised, his lips were bleeding. His hair was messy and his eyes were heavy. His clothes were dirty and scratched, teared at some places. He looked up at Seonghwa, gave him a smile and then realised that smiling was hurting him. "I escaped." he said so quietly that Seonghwa had to strain his ears to hear him.
Seonghwa lifted up his chin, studied him.
"Who did this to you?"
"I don't know." he said in a feeble voice before collapsing in Seonghwa's arms.
Seonghwa held him up and started making his way towards the car. "Mingi, call everyone and tell them."
"Yeah."