The sun painted the horizon with warm hues as Hae-jin's frantic footsteps echoed through the morning stillness. Racing towards Ji-hoon's house, she skidded to a stop at the door, her pounding fists demanding urgent attention. "Leader Kim!" she cried out, her eyes brimming with tears. The door swung open just in time to prevent her knuckles from meeting the wood.
"Hae-jin?" Min-ji's voice carried genuine concern as he stood before her. The trembling young girl, overcome with emotion, was guided inside where she found solace on the sofa. Eunwoo, perceptive to the distress, offered comforting pats on her knee. Ji-hoon descended the stairs, witnessing the scene unfolding.
"Hae-jin? What's wrong?" Ji-hoon inquired, his gaze fixed on the distraught girl. With teary eyes, Hae-jin managed to convey the heart-wrenching news. "Leader Kim! Joon-ki, Joon-ki," she stammered between sobs, "Joon-ki's missing!!" Her words hung heavy in the air, and the shock rippled through the room. Ji-hoon and Min-ji shared a moment of wide-eyed realization.
Min-ji's eyes, tinged with a subtle darkness, betrayed a flicker of frustration. 'The Poison, the poison didn't work?' he mused internally, a pang of anger coloring his thoughts. Determination settled in. 'I need to make a stronger one.' Meanwhile, Ji-hoon's mind echoed with concern for Joon-ki. 'Joon-ki...' he shook his head, steeling himself. "Call for a meeting," Ji-hoon declared, a firm directive to address the pressing issue of Joon-ki's disappearance.
The orchestrated efforts of the search party spanned across the islands, weeks passing in suspense and uncertainty. To their collective surprise, Joon-ki was eventually located. However, as the group reconvened, relief was tinged with an unspoken tension.
As Min-ji studied Joon-ki, a discerning gaze lingered on him. 'He feels different,' Min-ji pondered, a subtle scrutiny veiled behind his outward composure. Their eyes locked in a moment of silent exchange, and as Joon-ki's gaze flickered with a golden gleam, Min-ji concealed a careful glare, wary not to betray his suspicions.
Joon-ki's attention shifted towards Eunwoo, who was engrossed in play with Haneul. A growing smile graced Joon-ki's features. 'Found you... my prince,' he mused internally, the recesses of his memory stirred by flashes of a young man guiding him through moonflower-filled fields. The enigma surrounding Joon-ki deepened, leaving a lingering sense of unease among the assembled group. Unbeknownst to them, a clandestine thread of connection wove through the fabric of their shared experiences, threading the unknowns of the past with the uncertainties of the present.