First of all, guys, 25 days of not updating? So many things have happened in between and I am super sorry for not updating. BUT! As a long-overdue reminder of how I am always thankful for your support, please take these next four chapters as your reward for hanging in there and for giving me so much love.
Secondly, Entranced has reached a very important milestone, and it's at 1.4K reads as of now. Thank you all for reading my story, and for putting it in your reading lists, your library, for commenting, for voting...really, all I ever wanted is to put my story out there because I absolutely love writing, and I love my three main groups LABOUM, SPEED and Block B.
I love you all, and never forget that! :x
On to the update!
Hyejeong watched their retreating figures disappear among the trailers, a disturbed expression on her face as she hugged herself.
It wasn't cold out, but one of those days when you just feel like it was a good day. The sky was clear, with no sign of imminent rain, and it was filled with fluffy cotton candy clouds that floated weightlessly. Orange and pink streaks decorated the western side of the sky, like little creeping tendrils of the night trying to hold onto day.
There was also a slight breeze, cool and refreshing, and it was relatively sunny nonetheless. But why was she covered in goosebumps?
She turned back, deep in thought, and heard the crackle as her sturdy pumps stepped on rocky gravel. Her surroundings were as quiet as ever but her thoughts ricocheting off the four walls of her mind like atoms willing to be set free. Hyejeong tried to breathe, but it was exceedingly hard to, given a sudden dry throat and the furious pounding of her heart against her ribs, as if punishing her for the turn in events. Her body was both fire and ice, burning wherever Taewoon's arms had branded her skin, and frozen at the same time while he fiercely proclaimed his desire for her and her only.
She shivered, feeling the overwhelming feelings of shock still lingering in her system.
What happens now?
Even she herself couldn't answer. For now, Taewoon had made his intentions and feelings for her clear. And he had a witness to watch the whole dramatic spectacle of holding her in his arms so fiercely like he had done.
A part of her was exhilarated. He finally reciprocated her feelings, though he may not know it, and she was extremely glad. He had not minded her stuffing her face earlier, he had probably been the one to capture her as she swooned, and he had been almost possessive when Kyung offered to take her to the trailer. Of course one side of her loved the feeling of being loved to such a point. Who wouldn't, when someone like Taewoon practically swept her off her feet like he swept the cards into his hand?
But then.
But then the bigger part of her was afraid. Completely delirious with his attentions, with the change in demeanor – first punching his own brother with such a vicious expression and now being so curt with Kyung – Hyejeong was not sure if she was supposed to enjoy the tough guy image of his that sprung out of almost nowhere. So, what to do about that?
Spotting her trailer in front of her, she quickened her steps, wanting to change out of her dress into something less formal, something more her. She had lots to ponder about. Especially about Taewoon. Should she even let him know what she felt?
Hyejeong was still frowning as she headed to her own office trailer, opening the door and stepping inside the dark room. It was dim as she closed the door shut and bolted it, crossing to her wardrobe in the dark so she could change.
Body image wasn't something that she was proud of, hence why the darkness. The Laboum girls possessed such wonderful proportions due to their physically exhausting work, but she would never be that lucky. She wondered why Jiho was unaccepting of Jinye, even with her innocent beauty, and was reaching to the back of her dress when someone coughed, grabbing her hand to stop her.
Hyejeong let out what was probably the most bloodcurdling scream before whoever it was clamped a hand over her mouth, muffling her cries. She screamed even louder when she saw who was attached to it, her hands flailing in his grip.
Said person was completely annoyed. "What is wrong with you?!" Jiho hissed. "Do you want the whole place to hear?"
Hyejeong almost fainted as she scrabbled away from him and falling against her desk in fright, clutching her chest as though her life depended on it. "What are you doing in my trailer?" she gasped, looking like she was going to have a panic attack.
Jiho rolled his eyes, crossing the room to switch on the light. "Is he gone?" he asked, ignoring her, "Or is he still looking for me?"
She blinked in confusion, still calming her gasping. "Who?" she asked breathlessly.
"My brother, obviously!" he replied with another of his eye rolling.
Hyejeong gave a look of disbelief, her eyes landing on her stack of equipment catalogs that she had been reading through earlier. With one sweep of her hand, she took one and threw it against his frame, catching him by surprise.
"You..." thwack. "Moron!" thwack.
Jiho yelped, dodging the shower of "What is wrong with you, woman?!"
"Your brother's gone to work already, you dolt!"
"Well, you don't have to throw fucking books at me!"
"Get out of my trailer then, you creep!"
***
The truck left the gates of the cirque behind as the sun set beyond the horizon, bringing with it a hint of indigo sky yet to come. Kyung rolled down the windows, feeling the cool breeze blow on his cheeks. It gave something for him to feel other than an irritable sense of self as he avoided direct contact with his best friend.
Correction. His best friend who apparently didn't want him near a girl who hadn't even confirmed his infatuation on her yet.
"Send the rest first," Taewoon said, as the truck reached town, just as the sky turned a darker blue.
Kyung glanced at him. It was a bit of an understatement to say he still wasn't peeved by whatever he had seen earlier, and this sudden request bugged him a little too much. It meant that Taewoon wanted to have a Talk with him. And the Talk is never a good sign of happy conversation.
Naturally he tried to steer away from the subject altogether. "Your garage is the closest, hyung. I don't see why-"
But Taewoon was having none of that tonight. "Send the rest first," he said in that irritatingly neutral tone.
Kyung's hands tightened on the steering wheel as the moment of silence hung tensely in the air. "Of course, hyung," he said in the same tone, "Your wish is my command."
Yujeong shifted in her seat, glancing at the two people in front. She jabbed Jaehyo, who unplugged his earphones while shooting her an irritated look. What? He mouthed, as she jerked her head to the front.
"Is it just me or is there a surplus of testosterone in the truck today?" she asked, her voice but steely, "Kyung, did you do something stupid again?"
Kyung turned right at the junction, opposite of the route he was to go to get to the garage. "What?" he echoed, "Why is it always me who gets blamed first? Ask him. He's the one who's been a sourpuss all day. I had absolutely nothing to do with it."
Yujeong turned to Taewoon. "Anything you wanna say?"
Taewoon didn't answer. "It's not something I want to share as of yet," he merely replied, "There's nothing wrong."
Jaehyo scoffed. "That's never anything good," he said with a roll of his eyes.
Taewoon sighed. "This is really nothing important," he insisted calmly.
Yujeong frowned. "That's what you said about the foreclosure too," she reminded him, "You said we weren't going to be kicked off the property but the letter came and you had no choice." She folded her arms over her chest. "You're not supposed to keep secrets from us, remember? Don't we have a right to it too?"
Taewoon's jaw tensed. "This isn't about the cirque this time," he said levelly, "It's my own matter."
Kyung remained quiet this whole time, not his usual self, Yujeong noted. She was dying of curiosity to know why, but it was evident that neither wanted to talk about it. Well, she thought, leaning back in her seat, it wouldn't be the first time Taewoon got annoyed at Kyung.
But it would be the first time Kyung got annoyed at him.
Jaehyo plugged in his earphones. "Well, since no one's gonna talk about this further, I'll just change the subject," he said with such certainty that the trio paused and turned to him with surprised looks. He leaned back and grinned in satisfaction. "I figure this topic would interest you. Kyung, especially."
Kyung met his eyes through the rearview mirror, the unspoken question hidden in his gaze. Jaehyo knew he had the upper hand, but it looked as if the others were not going to let him indulge in it, because they were not asking him any questions. He rolled his eyes, sighed, and crossed his leg over the other.
"Mi-seol and I were talking about ideal types when I dyed her hair this morning," he explained, "You know, salon ahjummas have nothing better to do than talk about romance-"
Kyung let out a short-lived laugh. "So you identify as a salon ahjumma now?" he interrupted, but Yujeong hushed him.
Jaehyo sent a scowl at the driver. "Anyway I asked her if there was any of the guys that she thought were ideal types, so she answered."
The truck suddenly swerved, and they let out a cry, glaring at Kyung who had been listening too intently and forgotten to look at the road. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he said, "What did she say?"
Jaehyo smiled smugly. "Oh, can I just say how much fun I'm having right now?" he asked.
Yujeong frowned, shoving him. "Well?" she asked, "Are you gonna say it or not?"
"Well, it's..." he drawled out.
"Yeah?" Kyung prompted.
"It's..." he paused, looking out the window when he spotted where they were. "Oh, look, we're here!"
"JAEHYO!"
"Alright, fine, it's Taewoon!" he exclaimed, "Sheesh."
***
Hyejeong sat at the table, scribbling notes on the calculation of circus equipment while planning on how best to go to town without attracting attention. Her reading glasses hung low on her nose, giving her a teacherly feel as she peered down at catalog after catalog, flipping through items such as new popcorn machines and different colored tents.
The cirque was due to open next week Monday, and she had planned on having the final addition to the cirque: a whole host of new and updated equipment. With everyone highly anticipating opening night in just seven days, they were practicing hard and gathering their wits for the days the cirque opened its gates to the public again.
Hyejeong had gone around again, with Sejoon of all people, and inspected the different structures of the place thoroughly. Together they came up with a list of things to replace, and she had wasted no time in scouring the catalogs for contact numbers. Taewoon had called the distributors last week, and all she needed to do was order the ones she wanted and pay for them.
She sighed, pushing up her glasses for the millionth time. She had to visit the bank, and was wondering how in the world she could do that without alerting to the management – and in extension, her parents – that she was going to transfer a million won for circus equipment, of all things. There was still no word about her disappearance; it seemed like her parents were keeping it hush hush. Whatever it was, she still had to keep an eye out and be careful when she went to town soon.
She scribbled down candy floss machine on her notepad, and let out a tired sigh.
Jiho, on the other hand, was in the sofa opposite her, legs swinging over the side of the armchair as he slurped on some ramyun that he had gotten from the mess hall. He had gotten a huge bowl of it and a smaller bowl, insisting that it was all for him. Whenever he finished the small bowl, he refilled it and ate some more. So far, it had been three helpings, and it clearly loooked like he could chug some more.
Seriously, everyone here ate like a horse. Even, she noted, herself. And watching him eat wasn't helping at all. The debilitating fragrance of seasoning and the slurping sounds coming from his way proved to be extremely distracting, and when she looked up she found him already looking at her with a smug smile on his face.
She glared back and went back to her work, and tried to hide the sound of her stomach growling by flipping a page loudly. But her eyes peered at the delicious bowl of ramyun, tucked neatly on Jiho's lap as he ate from it like a king.
"Hungry, Princess?" he asked, raising the noodles as high as he could go before stuffing everything into his mouth, "You could ask for some."
Hyejeong rolled her eyes. "I'd rather take the long walk to the mess hall and boil my own, thanks very much."
Jiho placed the huge bowl on the table, right on top of her catalog and she drew back in surprise.
"Sharing is caring," he said, somewhat sarcastically, "I can't refill it anymore."
"I don't want your food," she said curtly.
Jiho gave her a bored look, as though saying, Yes you do. He was daring her to take it.
They had a staring match over the bowl of ramyun until she couldn't take it anymore. Reaching out, she took it closer to herself, inhaling the spicy fragrance. As she opened her drawer, finding her utensils set, his hand appeared in front of her holding a pair of disposable chopsticks.
She paused, glancing at his offering. "Um," she murmured, already holding her own pair and therefore rejecting his, "Why are you being nice to me?"
Jiho scoffed, dropping his par of chopsticks on her table as though to pretend he had never wanted to give it to her. He leaned back against the armchair and crossed his legs. "I don't care about you," he muttered, "But if big brother dearest wants me to, I have no choice, don't I?"
Hyejeong's breath hitched at the mention of Taewoon and her chopsticks clattered against the side of her bowl noisily. She hastily took it in her hands. "I know. You keep telling me that all the time," she said, winding the noodles around her chopsticks and placing it delicately in her mouth. A burst of curry flavor exploded in her mouth and she murmured in approval, much to Jiho's secret amusement. She looked at him as she swallowed, wiping the edges of her mouth as a smile formed on her lips. "Your apology is accepted."
Jiho frowned. "What apology?" he asked, before turning flustered, "This is not – I mean, I'm not apologizing for anything!" He pouted when he saw that she was not buying it, and knew it himself that he wanted to sort of compensate his guilt for whatever that had happened earlier. If she thought it was meant as an apology, well, he didn't care. As long as he didn't have to say it was.
Hyejeong shook her head as she laughed to herself. "It's okay," she said, "Oh, wait, I have something for you." She reached under some papers and took out a battered red journal, handing it to him.
He snatched it hurriedly, flipping through. "Where did you find this?" he asked, looking up at her.
"Was clearing the trailer," she told him, going back to her ramyun, "Kyung and I found a box of them and he's given the rest theirs or something. He said I could hold onto it for awhile."
Jiho leaned forwards, placing his hands on either side of her ramyung bowl. "And? Did you read it?" he asked.
Hyejeong glanced up, realizing he was too close for comfort. "I..." she began, her cheeks burning. "I won't speak of it if you don't want me to."
His face fell. "Great. Just great," he muttered.
She bit her lip. "It's just lyrics, if anything," she murmured, "And...and they're pretty good."
Jiho glanced at her, his eyebrows raised.
"You...you think so?"
***
"She really did say Taewoon!" Jaehyo insisted.
"That could be anything!" Kyung exclaimed, "Doesn't mean she likes him."
Jaehyo agreed. "That's what I thought too...until I watched her during rehearsal," he gave a self-satisfied grin, "You should have seen her eyes. They were on him the whole time."
Kyung gritted his teeth when Taewoon let out a subtle cough. "I see," he only said.
Jaehyo cleared his throat. "She wasn't the only one I observed," he said, as Kyung pulled up next to the fire station. Yujeong laughed.
"Well, this has proven to be a most entertaining ride," she said, slapping him on the back, "I'll see you guys tomorrow. And Kyung-ah, I'm sorry for your loss. Better luck next time."
She opened the door, getting out to take her things from the back, and Taewoon exited the truck to help her.
Kyung was simmering inside. "Hyung," he said, as Jaehyo perked up.
"Did you just called me hyung, Kyungie?" he asked innocently.
Kyung turned around. "What were you gonna say? Before I stopped."
Jaehyo's eyebrows raised as he glanced at the two outside the truck. "Huh? Oh, that. I was looking at Taewoon too, just to see if they're compatible, you know, cause I love doing sneaky things like this," he said, lowering his voice, "And he was subtle about it, but he does seem to be interested in her too. When she left, he slipped out so quietly. I think...no wait. I conclude that our leader-nim has finally fallen in love. It's so obvious, the both of them might as well wear couple tees."
Kyung felt his jaw tense as he turned back to the front. "Well then. You could be wrong."
Jaehyo narrowed his eyes. "Why does it matter to you anyways? You keep saying you're just joking about the flirting. Why so much curiosity?" he asked suspiciously.
Kyung tsked. "Because he was salty when I was sitting with her on the bed and he practically crushed her in his arms when he confessed his love."
Jaehyo choked. "Wait, WHAT?" he shrieked, "What did you say?!"
"Don't tell him. He'll deny it for sure," Kyung muttered back.
Jaehyo leaned forwards in his seat. "You saw it? When? Tell me!" he yelled, grabbing onto the driver's seat and the driver himself, "Details, Kyung. Now! Oh god, this is so exciting, I swear!"
"Hyung, calm yourself, you're choking me!" Kyung cried, before relaying what he saw as fast as he could. "He looked like he wanted to kill me for being near her or something."
"Kyungie, do you know what this means for us all?" Jaehyo squealed, clapping his hands excitedly.
"Uh...no?"
Jaehyo squealed. "I can finally make my first wedding dress!"
"Jaehyo-hyung, what the heck!" Kyung yelled, "There's gonna be no wedding. No, no, no. I won't allow it."
"Aw, come on. You gotta admit, they look perfect together, like the parents of the cirque."
"Yujeong is the mom. Not Mi-seol. She's only twenty-"
Jaehyo shook his shoulders. "Oh god, he's coming, he's coming, be calm, Kyungie. Will you stop shouting?"
"But I didn't-"
The truck door opened and Taewoon entered, noticing how suddenly quiet it was. "What is it?" he asked them, looking between both their faces. "What were you guys talking about?"
Jaehyo and Kyung shook their heads. "Nothing," they chorused innocently.
Taewoon frowned slightly, pulling the faulty seatbelt over himself, and Kyung shifted into gear, driving on.
***
Finally after dropping off Jaehyo at one of the chaebol neighbourhoods for him to go do a fitting, the truck slowed down outside the garage, and Taewoon unlocked the door. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said.
Kyung shrugged. "Okay."
Taewoon struggled to pull out the seatbelt, and chuckled softly, remembering the little incident from that afternoon. He pointed to the faulty seatbelt
"Did you know, I was helping Mi-seol unbuckle it and we were practically breathing in the same air." He shivered a little, remembering how the brush of her lips had set his cheek on fire. "She almost kissed me too."
Kyung's intake of breath was all he needed to confirm his suspicion.
"You what?" Kyung sputtered, "What, when?"
Taewoon returned a look of pure innocence, followed by a hardening of his gaze. "I've always allowed you special liberties, Kyungie," he said, ignoring the other's pelting questions, "I don't expect you to take advantage of the position as the cirque's leader as well."
"If this is about what happened just now-"
"It is," Taewoon butted in, and when Kyung shut up immediately, he felt an unexplainable pain watching his friend's face become stone. He sighed tiredly. "Sort out your feelings of Minyoung and stop transferring them to Mi-seol. It's not healthy."
"'Transferring them to Minyoung'," Kyung scoffed. "Why do you always keep saying that?" he demanded, punctuating each word with a whack on the steering wheel, "Would you please stop saying that!"
Taewoon, unfazed by the latter's indignation, merely stared back calmly. "Because you are," he replied coolly, "You've been saying her name in your sleep, you know."
"That's only when I'm drunk," Kyung argued.
"Still the same."
"It doesn't mean anything to Mi-seol," he insisted, "I've always been that way."
"Kyungie, it's been so long."
"Nine years isn't a long time, hyung," he said, "And I'm trying! I don't get nightmares anymore, thanks to Mi-seol. She helps me go through it."
Taewoon reeled back in disbelief. "What do you mean?" he asked calmly.
"Nothing that you should know," Kyung said pointedly, "It's my own matter."
Irritation flashed in Taewoon's eyes, before it was gone. "I understand, Kyungie."
Kyung blinked. "You do?"
Taewoon let out a sigh. "Of course. Since she has medical training, she should know how to help patients with trauma," he murmured, before smiling slightly, "I'm glad that she's trying to help."
Kyung gritted his teeth. Oh, he knew all of Taewoon's subtle hints, and upon hearing the discreet statement, he scoffed. "I didn't know you'd use my relapses against me, hyung. I feel insulted."
"I'd rather you feel insulted than having history rewritten."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Kyung asked. His voice had gone low and there was a dangerous undertone to it. Like he was almost daring him to say what had mostly been unspoken ever since Mi-seol's appearance.
Taewoon took a deep breath.
If I say this, he's going to hate me.
But if I don't, I might risk him ruining her life. Especially since he has no idea who he's dealing with.
He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. "Mi-seol," he began, "Mi-seol didn't do anything to deserve this. To have her reputation..." his stopped, his lips not moving. "I don't want you to hurt her, Kyung. And I don't mean this the same way as I do my own brother. I mean, as a man. I can't let you ruin her."
Across him, Kyung's eyes became slits, his gaze fiery but his lips a thin line of calm. He was, after all, the brother Taewoon wished to have. But not tonight.
A venomous smile spread over his lips. "You think I'm going to seduce her, don't you?" he asked mirthlessly, "That's why you're being so alpha all of a sudden, because you want to say that you've gotten her first, just so I can't."
"That's not what I meant-"
"No, it is. It is, hyung!" he pointed out excitedly, although there was nothing good-natured about his laughter, "You're going to be just like Jiho when Minyoung broke up with me. You keep saying you're nothing like Jiho, but we can't deny it, can we? You're just as alpha as him."
Kyung shook his head, his laughter dying into silence as he fixed his stony stare at his passenger. "I'm not going to do anything I'll regret, so you don't have to worry about Mi-seol's," he raised his fingers in quotation marks, "'reputation' if it's all you care about."
Taewoon sighed quietly. "We both know how you can succumb to love in the darkest possible ways," he reminded, "I know you mean well, Kyung. But I have to look out not just for you. I have to protect her too."
He raised a hand to stop Kyung from interrupting. "I wanted to ignore it before because she genuinely seems to enjoy your company these days," he said quietly, "But I don't want her to get hurt because she's too naïve to see what's going on. Even if it is in the form of my own family."
Kyung was breathing faster now, incredulous but maintaining his calm. "You once said that I was the most trustworthy, hyung," he asked, his voice cracking, "Why are you against me now?"
"I'm not against you, Kyung. I'm trying to stop you before it's too late. You're not stable enough for a proper relationship and we both know that."
"Stop!" he cried, leaning forward and poking his finger into his shoulder. "You and everyone pretend everything's fine when all of you treat me like some kind of mental patient!" He slammed his hand on the steering wheel again. "Only Mi-seol treats me like I'm normal...and that's all I want, hyung," his voice became measured once again, "I live everyday regretting my past. Why would I want to be in a relationship when it's the very thing that kills me?"
"Then why are you acting like you want to?" Taewoon challenged him, "Half the time you act as if you want the girl!"
Great. Now he was raising his voice.
"Are you serious right now?" Kyung shot back, "At least I don't pretend to be her confidante just to make her fall in love with me like you!"
"I know my limits, Kyung!" Taewoon argued, "I know when I am supposed to stop!"
"And I know mine!" Kyung yelled back, "What you saw just now was nothing! I wasn't trying to do anything her!" He paused, breathing heavily, "We were just talking and fooling around!"
"Good, because the last thing I want is to tell her parents why their daughter is pregnant!"
Kyung gaped at him, and Taewoon knew he had gone too far. He watched as emotions clouded Kyung's face: shock, anger, hurt, and pain, before he turned away, obscuring his face.
"Get out."
"Look, wait, Kyung, I'm sorry-"
"Hyung," he muttered, his voice devoid of emotions, "Get. Out."
Reluctantly, Taewoon opened his door and stepped out. "Stay away from Mi-" he began, but Kyung slammed his foot on the accelerator and drove off, with the unclosed door flapping against the truck like a broken wing.
Taewoon let out a frustrated sigh, before coughing at the smoke the truck left behind. "Why did you have to say that," he muttered to himself, mentally kicking himself.
***
"You think my lyrics are...good?" Jiho asked, scoffing, "What is this, a storybook review?"
Hyejeong nodded hesitantly. "No, it's just...I can relate to it, some of them," she said timidly, before noticing the smirk on his face, "Hey, it's not as if it's some kind of inappropriate reading material!"
"Oh, I don't know," he said, flipping through the pages, "Here's one you can probably relate to." He leaned back, finding a page and reading in a somewhat lower voice tone, "I take the layers off of someone without order. It gets hotter when the fire goes out. We're in the middle of a conversation deeper than one we've ever had before-" he paused and pretended to shiver. "I wonder how deep the conversation is." His eyes glinted.
Hyejeong fidgeted in her seat. "Um," she began.
Jiho hushed her. "This is the best part!" he said excitedly, wiggling his eyebrows, "But we can't get any closer than this. An unfamiliar scent has to fill the air while we're in each other's arms...you relate to this? I'm genuinely surprised."
Hyejeong by now was flushing fifty shades of scarlet. "I don't think I was referring to that particular verse," she said in a slightly higher pitch.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Mi-seol, but you did say you related to it," he said smugly, shutting the book. "I shall be keeping this, thanks very much."
They were interrupted by a series of frantic knocks on the door.
Jiho shot up to his feet and dived right over the table as Hyejeong gasped. "Don't let anyone know I'm here!" he hissed, hiding in the space where her feet went under the wooden desk.
"Why?" she hissed back.
"Just go get the door!"
She got up, crossed the carpeted floor, and opened the door to see a very stricken duo made up of Taeha and Sungmin.
She beamed. "Hi guys!" she exclaimed, before noticing the anxious expressions on their faces, "Taeha? Sungmin? What's going on?"
"It's Kyung," Taeha made out, before she turned on him with a frightened expression, "He didn't come and pick us up."
"What?" she asked in dread, "But...he was going to! He left with Taewoon," She shook her head. "That's not possible. I saw him leave."
"Well, he didn't show up at school," Sungmin said in frustration, "We waited for hours for him but he didn't appear." He was pacing nervously, and Taeha glanced at her, a worried look on his face.
"Did he mention anything to you, anything at all?" he asked.
"Believe me, Taeha, I'm as clueless as you," she murmured, "Well, maybe he went on an errand and, I don't know, forgot? Although that'd be weird because it's his purpose to bring you guys back home."
Sungmin shook his head vehemently. "He's never bailed on us before," he said, "He'd never do that."
"Well there has to be something," she insisted.
The red-haired boy sucked in a breath. "There is something..." he shared a look with Taeha, "But he won't do it, would he?"
Something ominous settled in the pit of her stomach. "Uh-huh?" she prompted.
Taeha gulped. "There was this one time," he said nervously, "When someone found him half-conscious in the Han River. He had a relapse and...sort of attempted suicide." He winced as he said it, like it was something he didn't wish to remember, "But he didn't seem upset or anything today, did he?"
"None that I noticed," she replied, hugging herself.
He wouldn't, she thought in panic.He wouldn't do anything stupid like this?
Sungmin exhaled tiredly. "Now Kyung-hyung's gone and no one knows where he is."
Suddenly Hyejeong heard something behind her and in a second, Jiho was at the door. "Did you say Kyung's missing?" he asked in disbelief, grabbing onto Taeha's shoulders and slightly terrifying him, "Now?"
Taeha seemed to reel back at the sight of Jiho, his gaze darting to Hyejeong, and then back to Jiho. "Y-y-yes," he made out, "He didn't show up.at their school or studio."
"Woo Jiho!" Hyejeong cried, pulling his hands back, "You're not helping!" She pulled Taeha slightly closer to her. "We have to contact him. Does he have a phone?"
"No reception here, remember, Princess?" Jiho muttered.
"Then what do we do?" she asked, "We don't know where he is!"
Jiho walked down the trailer steps. "We have two options right now. One, we can travel on foot and find the little fucker. Or two, we wait for him to show up. I am definitely not going to do the first option, because best friend or no, I am not gonna fucking find him in the dark like this. Who does he think he is?" he blustered, walking away from the trailer, muttering to himself as he left the three staring dumbfoundedly at his retreating back.
Hyejeong slapped her forehead. She noticed that Sungmin was still in his school clothes. "Here," she suggested, going over to him and placing an arm around his shoulders, "How about you clean up and have dinner? We'll just have to wait for him like Jiho says." She turned to Taeha and mustered a smile. "He'll have to come back," she said encouragingly as she walked them to the mess hall, "You'll see."
But she was extremely worried.
***
Taewoon took off the cotton gloves from his hands as he closed the bonnet of the luxury automobile in front of him, a black Rolls Royce convertible that was literally reflecting every ray of light shining from the interior of the garage. "There was a little defect with the electrical component," he murmured to the man standing next to him, a chauffeur wearing an exquisitely tailored suit, who nodded. Taewoon wiped the sweat off his brow. "Test to see if it works," he told him.
The chauffeur went to the driver's seat and entered, turning the key in the ignition and bringing the failed car to life. He gave a thumbs up as Taewoon nodded at him before going over to the little air-conditioned room at the far end of the garage. It was where car owners usually waited for the repairs or servicing to finish. Taewoon paused outside the slightly-ajar door.
"-a little issue that I have to settle at the police station. Must have overexerted the car."
Taewoon frowned. What issue? he thought. Hyejeong was right. Her parents were on the shady side.
"Ah, I see. We'll try to fix it up to the best of our ability."
Taewoon wondered if the issue had anything to do with Hyejeong. So far as he knew, the news carried no front page news, and the chaebol had been conversational since he arrived, which was worrying.
He knocked once and entered.
Inside the room, his boss was chatting with their guest. "Well, Mr. Shin, I hope you-" his boss paused as he entered, "Oh, Taewoon-ah! How is it?"
Taewoon closed the door behind him. "Sorry for interrupting," he said formally, bowing as low as he could, "Sir, the repair is complete."
The owner of the car, an elderly man wearing a dark coat and holding a gold cane, slowly got to his feet, peering through the tinted windows to see the Rolls Royce reversing out the garage. "Well, young man, that was exceptionally fast!" he exclaimed good-naturedly, coming over to clap him on the back. He gestured to the car. "She never breaks down, but then again, I'm supposed to take it for servicing so it was a matter of time. Thank you, son," he said with a weathered smile.
Taewoon's insides curled and he tried his best to not flinch as the elderly man clapped him on the back again.
His boss laughed heartily. "Ah, well, Taewoon here is a magician with the cars, Mr. Shin! Give him any problem and he'll fix it for you. It was a good thing your car decided to break down around the corner," he said proudly, "Although I admit, my garage is too humble for your presence."
The sentiment was brushed away politely by the elderly man, who shook his head. "Nonsense," Mr. Shin said dismissively, "Rather, I'm thankful to you for your kind help."
The door opened, revealing the chauffeur. "Well," Mr. Shin continued, "Bang and I will make our leave now. Here-" he took out a thick wad of notes, "Take this as my payment."
Taewoon's lips parted as he exchanged a look with his boss.
"Aigoo, Mr. Shin, you don't have to!"
He gave the money anyway. "Oh, I insist. Your mechanic has been most helpful," he turned to Taewoon, "That's how you're paid when you work with luxury cars, and I see no reason why I shouldn't pay my due." He took out a couple of hundred dollar bills. "Here's a little tip, son. For the fast service."
Taewoon stepped back. "I-I can't," he stammered, shaking his head.
He was taking money from the enemy. He would never do that. Especially since his own daughter was hiding from him. How very messed up, he thought wryly.
Mr. Shin chuckled. "Young man like you, I'm sure you have a girlfriend to take out on a date."
He couldn't resist smirking. "I don't have a girlfriend."
"Well, now you can," Mr. Shin said, stuffing the bills into Taewoon's pocket, "I'm sorry, but I'm late as it is. Just take it as a gift, son."
Taewoon bowed, sighing under his breath. "Thank you sir."
They walked out of the room and to his car, where the chauffeur helped the chaebol into his seat before heading to the driver's seat.
Beside Taewoon, his boss was positively beaming as he waved after the car. "Thank you again, Mr. Shin! Bless you!" he called, before jabbing him in the ribs, "He just gave me seven grand for an electric fault."
"I hear they pay official Rolls Royce mechanics fifteen for servicing," Taewoon murmured back, unimpressed.
His boss slapped him playfully. "Well, for a moment he looked like he was going to hire you or something. He had such an admiring look in his eye."
"He's probably got his own team of mechanics taking care of his cars."
"Ah, well. That is true," the latter said, turning to leave.
Taewoon stopped him. "Hyung."
"Hmm?"
"He said something about a police station. Did his, uh, car, got into trouble or something?"
"Oh, no. He mentioned something about reporting something missing." His boss shoved him. "But between you and me, he could easily replace whatever he lost with new things. I mean, look at how much he gave!" He walked away towards the office, laughing to himself.
Taewoon pursed his lips together. "I don't think he can replace this missing item," he murmured to himself.
He had to visit an old friend at the police station.
Kyungie noooooooooo!!!! Don't put me in an uncomfortable position of either killing you off or keeping you here!