Zero by One: Take Me Home

29. Serendipitous

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Chapter 29
'ACTION' Arc
EP: THREE ‹pt.3›

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Just a minute had passed since Taehyun arrived at the door of his own house following the covert meeting when he got caught in the cross fire between his brother and his closest friend.

　"Speak clearly, Jung Wooyoung! What do you mean Jiu is gone?!"

With his long shadow constantly changing under the blinking, yellowish streetlight, Wooyoung paced up and down the asphalt path in front of the Kang's residence, holding onto the dark roots of his hair.

　"I just-I swear-I looked away for a moment! There were a hell lotta kids at the playground!"

Taehyun instinctively assumed his customary role as mediator before his overwrought brother threatened to break his decade-long bond with the loud male.

　"Hyung, could you please clarify exactly how long that 'moment' took before you realised she was gone?"

　"I dunno!" Wooyoung let out a whine before his eyes lit up with the memory of something. "Wait, I think I can check."

The loud male then tapped his phone several times with frantic thumbs.

　"Hold up, you were on a call when that happened?"

When Yeosang's expression became accusatory, Taehyun felt compelled to step in again.

　"What is it, Wooyoungie hyung?"

　"4 minutes, 13 seconds." Wooyoung read aloud before looking up from the screen. "That's all it took."

　"And when did it happen?"

Taehyun felt like an attorney questioning his client in the hopes of securing the lowest possible charges.

　"Around three."

But he was not skilled enough to handle the case.

　"Since three? Fucking hell, it was an entire evening, and you decide to tell me now?!"

　"Well, I didn't want to disturb you at work! And you think I'd sit around after realising that?!" Wooyoung continued to pace back and forth. "I went around asking every person I saw, even going to other neighbourhoods! Fuck! There hasn't even been a rumour of active kidnappers. What else could I do?!"

Resting his hand on his hips, Yeosang caught his bottom lip between his teeth and breathed, loudly and deeply, to calm himself and prevent him from projecting his guilt onto his friend.

　"Have you been to the station for a CCTV check at least?"

Wooyoung's dismissive tone towards the district's law enforcement cut through his frustration.

　"Yeosang, we all know how the scumbags here operate. We must wait at least 24 hours to get their asses moving unless we have twice their salary stashed away in our safe. God, I wish all of them were replaced with the picture-perfect ones from dramas!"

Taehyun heaved a sigh of defeat. Provided they waited that long to take legal action, his brother could pass out, if not perish, from the agony of losing his child. Ironically, despite being in the face of a huge crisis, he was the only one who hadn't lost his shit yet; At this point, even the alarm bells in his head were too tired from an already long and eventful day.

　"We'll figure something out. It's still early to think of the worst possibilities. Let's take some deep breaths."

None of the three noticed the exhale that matched theirs from the darkness in a distant corner behind them, or the quiet gasp as long shadows loomed at the bottom of the ascending lane.