The coldness of the floor was the first thing Beomgyu felt as he slowly regained consciousness. His arms were tied behind his back, head pounding, mouth dry.
A groan came from beside him.
"Kai?" he rasped, eyes adjusting to the weak, flickering light above them. "Kai, wake up."
Kai stirred with a soft whimper, panic instantly flashing across his face as memories came rushing back—the street, the shadows, them. His breath hitched. "Beomgyu—it's them. Mingyu. Junhui. Vernon."
Beomgyu's expression froze in horror. "I know."
The sound of metal footsteps echoed in the distance.
A door creaked open.
"Well, well…" a familiar voice said, venomous and mocking. Mingyu stepped into the light with a slow, cruel smirk. "Still as soft as ever, aren't you, Beomgyu?"
Beomgyu tensed, jaw clenched. "What do you want from us?"
Junhui leaned lazily against the doorway. "Revenge. You thought you could ruin us six years ago and just walk away?"
"Too bad you didn't succeed," Vernon sneered, walking around Kai, who shrank back in visible fear.
Beomgyu struggled against the ropes, voice shaking but furious. "Don't touch him."
Mingyu crouched down to Beomgyu's level, gripping his chin harshly. "Don't worry. We have plans for both of you. And screaming won't help. No one's coming."
Kai shut his eyes tightly, trembling.
+×+
Yeonjun opened the door, surprised to find Soobin and Taehyun standing there, out of breath and wild-eyed.
"Soobin? Taehyun?"
"They're missing," Soobin said immediately. "Beomgyu and Kai. Gone. We found Kai's phone, some scattered groceries. No sign of them."
Yeonjun's expression twisted. "What?"
"Please," Taehyun said firmly. "We need your help. You know the area. You know Beomgyu."
Yeonjun didn't even pause. "Give me five minutes."
+×+
Beomgyu and Kai sat in silence, lit only by a single flickering bulb. Beomgyu tried not to panic, but Kai's soft sobs were too much.
"I'm sorry," Kai whispered. "I should've run when I saw them. I froze—"
"No," Beomgyu said firmly. "This is not your fault. We'll get out of here. Someone will find us."
But even as he said it, he wasn't sure if he believed it.
+×+
Inside Yeonjun's car, the three of them poured over any security footage they could access—gas stations, ATMs, storefronts near where the phone was found.
Taehyun suddenly sat upright. "Stop. There—pause that."
A blurry figure dragging someone into a black van.
Yeonjun's voice went cold. "Zoom in."
Soobin leaned forward. "That's them. That's Kai and Beomgyu."
Yeonjun's grip tightened on the steering wheel. "Let's find that van."
+×+
The air stank of rust, oil, and decay. Dim yellow light flickered from a cracked bulb above. Beomgyu's body was slumped against a metal chair, ropes cutting into his wrists, his lip split, one eye barely opening from the swelling.
Across from him, Kai screamed.
"STOP!" Beomgyu cried, struggling violently against his binds. "PLEASE, JUST STOP—!"
But Junhui didn't listen. He kept going—slapping, striking, using words like blades. Mingyu stood in the corner, arms folded, wearing a look of cruel satisfaction. Vernon laughed every time Kai whimpered.
"You should've died instead of putting us through hell," Vernon hissed in Kai's ear. "But this is better. Watching you beg."
Blood stained Kai's shirt. His chest heaved with panicked breaths.
Beomgyu shouted again, voice raw. "Hurt me instead! Leave him alone!"
Junhui turned, walked slowly toward him. "Don't worry, you're next."
And he was.
Minutes passed. Hours maybe. The pain blurred together. The only clarity Beomgyu had was the sound of Kai crying, apologizing under his breath for dragging him into this—even though it was never his fault.
+×+
The whiteboard was full of names, photos, blurry stills from camera feeds, pinned with red yarn and notes.
But still… no exact location. No clue where they were taken.
Yeonjun was pacing. His eyes were red from sleeplessness. His hands shook every time he picked up his phone. "They could be dead," he muttered under his breath.
"Don't say that," Soobin snapped, his voice strained. "We can't think like that."
"They've been missing for 36 hours," Taehyun said softly, sitting at the table, holding Kai's abandoned phone in his hands. "No ransom call. No message. Nothing."
Yeonjun slammed his fist into the wall.
"I should've protected him," he breathed. "I should've made things right sooner. Now they're gone, and it's all—"
"It's not over," Soobin cut in. "We're not giving up."
But even as he said it, his voice trembled. The silence afterward was unbearable.
+×+
The room was dark now. Both Beomgyu and Kai were too weak to sit upright. Their breaths were shallow. The floor was smeared with blood. It was quiet, too quiet, except for the occasional rat skittering by.
Beomgyu turned his head slowly. "Kai…"
Kai could barely answer. "Mm…"
"I'm sorry I couldn't… protect you."
Kai didn't answer with words, just the faintest shake of his head, as tears silently fell down his cheeks.
Beomgyu closed his eyes.
He didn't know how much longer they could last.