CHAPTER TWENTY
food could only serve as a good enough distraction for hoseok until he felt like a fat piece of shit. so, after about three days of comfort eating and maybe shedding a tear or two (more like sobbing for a full hour over hyungwon, but then it changed into crying about anything and everything for the next few hours after that.) hoseok decided to go out in search of the missing male.
it was thursday around five in the afternoon, the twilight hour just begun as hoseok packed his bag with the essentials; his phone, portable charger,
some food (of course, he is still emotional), some water and also a flashlight. after that, hoseok slipped on an extra jacket and his shoes and made his way outside. he bid his parents goodbye, promising to be back before nine.
they tried to stop him with a short yell of protest, only to realise the house was now occupied by themselves and silence.
hoseok's parents heaved a sigh, hoping their son will be safe as they realised nothing would stop him anyways.
halfway up the road and hoseok realised he didn't have a plan set in place for his quest. he quickly dismissed it and just decided to wander through the streets. hopefully something will come to him as he walks aimlessly around.
thinking of places hyungwon knows and possibly finds comfort in, hoseok shifted through his memories. the only place he's been to with hyungwon is the river and the warehouse.
the silver-haired male decided to check the river first. although, something about the memory of being yelled at the first time made him feel a little hesitant. but, he concluded, if it meant having a chance of finding the missing person, it was worth a shot.
so he made his way to the destination in mind, trying to remember correctly how he got there the first time. after all; it wasn't like he paid any attention to his surroundings as he tried to keep up with the mystical being, flying through the trees with kihyun.
the walk took a while but hoseok didn't mind, as long as he was trying to find hyungwon, he'd walk forever.
wow, that was sappy as fuck, chill hoseok.
the silver-haired boy finally passed through all the trees, the grassy clearing coming into view, the flowers coving patches of the ground made hoseok feel peaceful but as he looked around he realised the view was missing something important.
hyungwon.
shaking his head and heaving a sad sigh, hoseok scanned the area one, maybe five, more times before he backed up into the forest and turned around to make his way over to the next destination in mind; the warehouse.
backtracking through the leaves and branches, hoseok thought about what he might do if he did find the male taking up his thoughts.
would he be angry and go off at him for leaving and not giving anyone notice of his whereabouts? would he hug him? would hgungwon even allow that? what if he got all emotional and cried? that'd be super awkward.
the silver-haired boy looked up to the sky, as if it held answers. and maybe if he looked close enough he'd find a clue drifting through the colourful sky. but, he didn't find anything, just the end of the track as he finally made it out of the winding, towering trees.
okay, he thought to himself, hyungwon, please be at the warehouse.
his pace started slow at first but the fast churning thoughts lacing his mind made his feet pick up the pace and he soon found himself running towards the warehouse he first met the brunette.
please, please, please.
another forest came into view and he ran faster towards the entrance that'd hopefully lead him towards the missing person. dirt flicked up, covering his shoes and pants and even a stick managed to also flick up and thwack him in the thigh as he tread hurriedly through the dense foliage.
finally, a rusty, run down building came into view and he almost sighed happily at the sight but his goal wasn't completed yet so he held back his emotions as he stepped over a fallen tree, making his last few steps towards the rusty doors holding, what he hoped to be, the missing hyungwon.
almost hesitantly, he grasped the handles of both doors. with one last intake of air, he pulled them open.
eyes shut, hoseok was afraid to look.
a sound was made, one that sounded like an empty can of paint fell over, and that made his eyes shoot open. a wide smile falling on his features. but, he looked around and saw nothing but a forest creature, staring back at him with beady eyes and if hoseok was honest, the creature almost looked smug. as if they knew the disappointment residing in the boy's body.
a sigh of fading hope, the boy shook his head but made his way through the entrance. the last shimmer of hope of actually finding anything other than forest animals was guiding him through the broken down building.
"hyungwon?" he called out, his voice echoing around the empty room. nothing replied. no sounds of breathing, no sounds of even the faintest scurry of feet. absolutely nothing.
feeling defeated and frustrated, but more prominently, sad, the silver-haired boy made his way back out of the empty building with his shoulders slumped.
"oh, hyungwon. where could you be?" the words sounded broken and full of desperation. his last ounce of hope slowly died as he shut the two, metal doors behind him. the sound echoing through the forest.
without any clue of where to go or what to follow, he sat down on the dense, earthy floor and let his head hang.
he felt so frustrated with himself.
it shouldn't be this hard to find someone.
but, he internally spoke, it's this hard to find someone who doesn't want to be found.
a few more tortuous moments of dead silence, the dejected male lifted his heavy body off the ground, dusting dirt off his clothes as he did so.
walking a few steps away, he looked back just to make sure he didn't miss anything when a sound startled him.
a voice. a signing voice.
it sounded so familiar yet so unrecognisable as he listened to the sweet sound for a few fleeting seconds.
it's coming from behind the warehouse.
his steps were slow but so rushed. he had to see who was singing, it could be hyungwon.
but what if it's not?
few more steps later and the singing stopped just as he reached the clearing behind the building.
no, no, no! come on, sing again.
a few leaves and branches moved as a breeze swept across the forest and then; it started again. the sweet voice filled the silent forest once again but this time it sounded much closer but the direction was hard to pinpoint.
looking to his left then his right. up, down. he turned in circles as the melodies flowed, the song became softer and soon drifted off once hoseok looked up to his left.
a ladder?
a fucking ladder!
a smile broke out on his face as he finally found a clue of where to go and as he made his way to the base of the tree that harboured the man made ladder, the singing started again. louder.
it made him jump for joy but as he started to climb he grew hesitant. yes, the voice sounded familiar but could it really be who he's searching for? what if it's some random batshit wild person who'd harm him?
hoseok didn't want to take any chances so as quietly and quickly as he could he grabbed the flashlight from his back pack, thinking it'd make a great weapon but also a good excuse in case it was hyungwon.
slowly yet riddled with nerves enough to make his hands shake, he climbed up the ladder. thanking god that whoever made it, bolted it to the tree.
almost there.
he kept his eyes up, too afraid to look down and finally, he was at the top.
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a/n
happy birthday to me!! this is my gift to you ((:
I really am sorry for not uploading in soooo long but I think I'm back! aha, I have another fanfic in the works and I hope to be able to publish it soon for you guys ((:
thank you guys so much for sticking around! we're at 18k now !!! omf I love you guys so much 💖💖