It was said that Woojin returned to the office after having lunch with Eejun. s.h.i.+n also got a text message from Woojin that day about meeting up after work. But when the workhour was over, Woojin was nowhere to be seen. s.h.i.+n waited in the bas.e.m.e.nt parking lot, and when Woojin didn't show up, he went back up to Woojin's department.

The office was empty and s.h.i.+n still couldn't get ahold of Woojin. That night, Woojin never returned home. s.h.i.+n didn't get any sleep at all, waiting in their home.

s.h.i.+n believed Woojin would return, and he kept calling, but there was no answer from Woojin. s.h.i.+n sent a text every hour, but they all remained unread. It was a living h.e.l.l for s.h.i.+n.

Woojin had disappeared. He didn't go to work. He didn't return home. It was as if he never existed.

s.h.i.+n asked Siwoo, "How are you?"

"…"

"Did you hear from Jihoon Kang yet?"

That day when Woojin disappeared, Jihoon had business meetings all afternoon outside of the office. The next morning, s.h.i.+n received a call from Siwoo. Siwoo's voice was trembling when he said to s.h.i.+n, "Jihoon Kang hasn't returned home. He isn't answering my calls either."

s.h.i.+n inhaled deeply. Both Woojin and Jihoon disappeared suddenly. Something was obviously going on.

Siwoo replied, "No."

"Did you eat anything?"

"No."

"Wait for me. I will be there."

Siwoo didn't know much about Jihoon. All he knew were that he was Woojin's cousin and that his mother had been sick for a long time. So when Jihoon disappeared, Siwoo panicked, and s.h.i.+n realized something.

"Siwoo, are you dating Jihoon Kang?"

When Siwoo didn't answer, s.h.i.+n didn't prod. Their priority now was to find Woojin and Jihoon. After they were found, s.h.i.+n knew Siwoo would explain everything to him.

s.h.i.+n told Siwoo a summary of what he knew about Woojin and his situation.

How Woojin's father was murdered. How it was initially suspected that Jihoon's mother was the one behind this crime. How Joowan Kim was relevant in this complicated family situation.

Siwoo didn't say much. s.h.i.+n asked, "Did Jihoon Kang really not tell you anything?"

"He didn't."

"…"

"That idiot never mentioned Joowan Kim's name in front of me."

Siwoo didn't even know that Joowan was one of the heirs to Hana Pharmaceuticals. His voice trembled as he asked s.h.i.+n, "If… they were kidnapped…"

"… Siwoo…"

"Then what should we do, s.h.i.+n?"

s.h.i.+n didn't want to think about it. Right now, what he needed to do was focus on finding where Woojin was. s.h.i.+n hastily picked up his coat on the bed and looked around the room. Except for missing Woojin, it looked the same. It looked normal, but for some reason, everything looked dimmer.

He whispered, "Where are you Woojin…"

s.h.i.+n thought perhaps his dream was telling him something. Woojin Choi waited for s.h.i.+n for a long time, and now, it was s.h.i.+n's turn to wait. Love appeared in disguise sometimes. At first, it would look like a coincidence, but in time, it often became clear that it was fate.

***

Woojin felt like his head was going to explode. He lifted his hand to touch it, then suddenly noticed the old scar on his wrist. It was an ugly injury, and although it was sutured well, the cuts were deep and the scars were ugly. The strange thing was that Woojin didn't mind the scars as much as he used to.

Woojin wondered where his bracelet was. He sat up, trying to look for it when he realized that he was in a strange room. The smell of lavender was overwhelming.

"…"

Woojin sighed and looked around. He was certain he had never been here before. Where did Eejun bring him? Woojin felt weak and when he tried to stand up, his feet hurt. His body felt disconnected from his brain. This was the second time he felt this strange sensation.

The first time was when he was found in that swimming pool in high school. He remembered that time like he was watching an old movie.

The day he returned home… He remembered Jihoon's white dog. His aunt was there too. Then suddenly from behind, someone gently touched his neck.

It was a cold big hand, and…. a knife? This was the first time Woojin remembered this part of his past. He was deep in his thoughts, trying to remember more when someone said to him from behind, "Are you finally awake?"

It was Eejun Bae. Unlike his usual light outfits, Eejun was wearing a pair of black jeans and a pullover. He looked so unfamiliar to Woojin that it gave him gooseb.u.mps. The room was warm, but Woojin felt cold.

Eejun walked in with a small bottle of water. Woojin asked, "How long was I unconscious?"

"Two days. I miscalculated the dosage. You almost died."

"Well, you plan on killing me anyway, aren't you?"

"Bingo."

Eejun shook the bottle in front of Woojin teasingly. Woojin felt a sudden thirst, but when he tried to swallow, his mouth was so dry that it felt painful. Woojin tasted blood in his mouth.

Eejun announced, "A large well-known company's heir died from overdosing on his prescription pills."

"… And when will this headline be released?"

"About two days from now?"

Eejun opened the bottle, and as he did it, Woojin noticed the faint pulse on his wrist. Was Eejun nervous?

But Woojin had no time to worry about Eejun. He needed to figure out how to get out of this situation. Even though this was the second time he was going through a kidnapping, it still felt devastating and unfamiliar.

S… second time?

A forgotten memory suddenly popped in his head, making Woojin frown.

Ignoring Woojin's expression, Eejun said to him, "You remember the training we got together, right? The three of us."

"…"

"If and when we get kidnapped, what is the most important thing we need to remember?"

"… Do not take any food the kidnapper offers you."

Woojin reached out for the bottle that now sat on the side table. His hands felt weak, and it was obvious they didn't even give him any IVs when he was unconscious.

b.a.s.t.a.r.ds.

Eejun asked, "You must be hungry."

"No."

"… You are lying."

"I don't get hungry that easily."

"What?"

"The last time when I was kidnapped, I think I was imprisoned for a week."

"…"

"I had to starve for the whole time."

Woojin was remembering slowly and Eejun's eyes widened.

"…What?"

"I had to survive on just water."

Woojin's father tried to stop the kidnappers, but he ended up being stabbed. Woojin didn't remember seeing Jihoon or his aunt in the room at the time. His father was bleeding, and the men dragged Woojin away. Woojin was crying and fighting back, but it was useless.

Woojin remembered the tattoos now. On the men's wrists, there were tattoos that looked the same as the one on Joowan's wrist. Woojin could finally remember everything.

He continued, "At the time, the kidnappers made sure I drank their water three times a day."

"…"

"And strangely, every time I drank it, it would make me forget what happened. It erased my memories."

"…"

"And at some point, I couldn't tell where I was and what was happening."

One thing Woojin could remember clearly was how he ran to his school with his wrist cut and bleeding. He remembered the pain as his wrist throbbed. He ended up falling on the ground. He remembered the painful thirst and how hard it was to breathe.

And when he managed to jump into the swimming pool… He remembered the boy who jumped after him. That single memory was one of the few things that never left Woojin.

Eejun gave him an ugly grin and whispered, "It would've been perfect if you had just died that time."