Chapter Text
Sunoo’s eyes fluttered open, but the darkness around him remained unmoving. His head pounded, the faint, stale scent of damp concrete filling his lungs with every shallow breath. A soft, incessant dripping echoed somewhere beyond his line of sight. Each droplet sent a ripple through the eerie silence, grounding him in the cold reality of his imprisonment.
The rope binding his wrists burned against his skin, fraying the edges of his composure. He squinted, trying to make out the shape of the room around him. The faint flicker of a dying bulb overhead painted weak shadows along the cracked walls, revealing nothing but emptiness.
His captor had been gone for hours, or so it seemed. Time stretched endlessly in isolation. The weight of silence pressed down on him, feeding the dread that coiled tighter in his stomach.
Sunoo leaned his head back against the wall, steadying his breath. He had to keep calm. The members would notice his absence. They had to. They always looked out for him.
A creak from the far end of the room shattered the silence. Sunoo’s body tensed. The door eased open, casting a sliver of light across the floor. Footsteps followed—measured, deliberate.
“Awake already?” The voice slithered into the room like a cold draft.
Sunoo’s breath hitched. It was him.
The man stepped closer, his eyes glinting with something far too dark to be simple amusement. His hair was slicked back, and his sharp features looked exaggerated in the low light. He crouched down in front of Sunoo, head tilting slightly as if studying a rare artifact.
“You really are beautiful up close.” His voice dropped to a near whisper. “Even more than I imagined.”
Sunoo felt the bile rise in his throat but swallowed it down. He wouldn’t give this man the satisfaction of seeing fear so easily. “Why are you doing this?” His voice trembled despite his effort to remain firm.
The man’s lips twitched, forming something that resembled a smile but twisted at the edges. “Because I’ve watched you… Every day. You shine so brightly, Sunoo. But out there, they don’t appreciate it like I do.” His hand brushed a stray lock of Sunoo’s hair from his forehead, lingering just a second too long.
Sunoo jerked his head away, heart hammering in his chest. “Don’t touch me.”
“Oh, but I can’t help it,” the man whispered. “You’re so delicate, so… perfect. I’ve been waiting for this. You and I—”
“Let me go.” Sunoo’s voice hardened, masking the panic slowly unraveling within him.
The man chuckled softly, as if entertained by Sunoo’s defiance. “No, I don’t think so. Not yet.” He rose slowly, his shadow stretching across the floor. “But don’t worry… I’ll take good care of you.”
The door creaked shut, and the lock clicked into place.
Sunoo’s knees curled closer to his chest. The room seemed to shrink with every passing second, suffocating him beneath layers of fear and isolation. His breath trembled as he exhaled slowly, trying to hold onto the flicker of hope still faint within him.
**
Back at the dorm, the atmosphere had shifted. What started as playful banter now hung heavy in the air. Jungwon paced near the kitchen counter, his eyes flicking toward the door every few minutes. Sunghoon sat silently, gripping his phone with white knuckles.
Jay’s voice finally broke the tension. “Is there any update from the police?”
“No,” Jungwon replied tightly. “Nothing at all.”
Ni-ki stopped fiddling with his hoodie drawstrings. “Maybe they are still searching around the cafe. Maybe the—”
A sudden chime interrupted him. All eyes snapped toward Jungwon’s phone as it vibrated on the counter. A single message flashed across the screen.
From: Unknown Number
Don’t look for him.
Jungwon’s fingers hesitated before swiping the notification open. The others crowded closer, peering over his shoulder.
Jay’s face darkened. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Jake’s throat tightened. “It has to be a prank… right?”
Sunghoon’s grip on the counter tightened until his knuckles turned pale. “That’s not funny.”
Jungwon’s heart pounded as he stared at the message, dread pooling deep in his gut. “I don’t think it is.” His eyes met Jay’s, and an unspoken understanding passed between them.
Something was wrong.
“I’m calling the company,” Jay said, already dialing. His voice shook slightly, betraying the worry he tried to suppress.
Jungwon turned the phone screen toward Sunghoon and Ni-ki. “We need to find out where this came from.”
Sunghoon nodded. “I’ll check with the café. Maybe someone saw him.”
Ni-ki’s eyes flickered nervously to the door. “What if he’s… already in trouble?”
Jungwon’s gaze hardened. “Then we find him. No matter what it takes.”
**
The night felt darker than usual. And the silence that followed the unknown number’s message spoke louder than any words could.
Inside the cold room, Sunoo traced his fingers along the uneven cracks in the wall, his heart clinging to the smallest sliver of hope.
They would come for him.
He just had to hold on.
**
Jay slammed his hand on the desk. “It’s been three days! We gave you his phone, the messages, everything! What more do you need?”
The officer sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “We’re doing all we can, but with limited evidence, it’s difficult to track down suspects. These things take time.”
“Sunoo doesn’t have time,” Jungwon snapped, his voice tight with frustration.
The officer hesitated, then leaned in slightly. “If you find anything—anything at all—bring it to us immediately.”
Heeseung’s eyes narrowed. “So, what? We’re supposed to solve this ourselves?”
The officer didn’t answer.