Entangled in a Spider's Web

Chapter 7

          "What do you mean he didn't show up?" Donghae asked, starting to get worried.

          "He had the morning shift, but never showed up which is not like him. I tried calling him, figuring he was sick or had an appointment somewhere, but he hasn't answered or returned any of my calls," the café manager explained. "And with you being his roommate and cousin, I thought you might know."

          "No, but I'll find out and have him call you," Donghae replied.

          "Alright thanks Donghae," the manager said before hanging up.

          "You okay man?" Changmin asked, looking at Donghae's expression.

          "Sungmin didn't show up at work this morning, which is not normal," Donghae informed as he called Sungmin's number. It rang several times before going to voicemail. "He's not answering, something's not right here."       

          "Are you sure he didn't have some kind of appointment?" Siwon questioned.

          "Yeah, or what if his phone is on vibrate or turned off?" Seunghyun added.

          "No, he always keeps the ringer on in case of an emergency, and there's no way he'd turn it off without letting someone know," Donghae replied. "I'm gonna go over to the café and check around there and see if anybody has any idea. Siwon, will you tell the Captain?"

          "Sure," Siwon agreed as the others watched Donghae exit the police station in a rush.

          Donghae continued dialing Sungmin's number as he walked over to one of the patrol cars. "C'mon Sungmin pick up, c'mon dude, pick up the fucking phone," he muttered to himself.

          Sungmin opened his eyes slowly and blinked as he looked and saw that he was sitting on a bed, with his wrists tied to the headrail. He tugged against the restraints for a few moments before hearing crying near him. Looking around, Sungmin's eyes landed on Ryeowook, who was currently sitting against a support beam, with his wrists handcuffed behind his back. "Hey," Sungmin quietly called over to Ryeowook. "What happened? What are we doing here?"

          "I don't know," Ryeowook responded through tears. "I'm so scared though."

          "We'll be okay, we'll be fine," Sungmin said, hoping to calm Ryeowook down. Truthfully, Sungmin didn't believe his own words, but he wanted to help. "What's your name?"

          "Ryeowook," the brunette introduced.

          "I'm Sungmin," the blonde replied. "So Ryeowook, what is the last thing you do remember?"

          "I was at my apartment with my boyfriend and then Yesung came in and –" Ryeowook started.

          "Did you say Yesung?" Sungmin inquired.

          "Yeah, why, do you know him?" Ryeowook wondered.

          "My cousin works with a Yesung," Sungmin informed. "But it can't be the same one."

          Before either of them could say anything else, the two heard footsteps coming closer to them. Ryeowook closed his eyes and started crying harder as Yesung approached him and knelt down in front of him. He gently shushed the trembling brunette and reached out to lightly stroke his hair with his fingertips, before whispering "It's okay, you're okay."

          "Yesung?" Sungmin asked in a shocked tone. "No, no, no this isn't happening. What are we doing here?"

          "Look it's difficult to explain, but the reason will become clearer with time," Yesung replied.