Chapter Seventy-one (1/1)
Jeonghan came down stairs and saw the kids eating breakfast like usual. He sipped on a cup of water and looked absentmindedly at the kids. He then noticed the vacant chair. "Where's Jun?" He asked. The kids look at each other. "I dropped him off at college," Minghao said, "the school wanted him." He continued. Jeonghan pouted and looked at Vernon stuffing Seungkwan's mouth with a piece of toast. "Seungkwan? What is he doing at school, do you think?" He asked. "I don't know much since I was in the bathroom all night while Minghao and Jun were looking for Dino." He said, chomping down on the toast. Minghao and Wonwoo slammed their foreheads on the table at the same time. Jeonghan looked at them angrily. "Do what now?" He asked, folding his arms. Wonwoo raised his head and looked at Jeonghan. "Well since it's in the open now, thanks Seungkwan.." He slowly looked at the boy who furrowed his eyebrows. "Last night, Jun and Minghao went out to see if they could find Dino on the campus." Wonwoo explained. Jeonghan nodded and still had his angry glare. "Uhuh.. and..?" Minghao put his spoon in his cereal. "Jun, Yeosang, and Yeji never came back to the van and stopped texting me." He said. "But I had to leave the campus." Jeonghan clenched his fists. "No one is leaving this house until Jun and Dino are back, do you hear me?!" He shouted at the table. "Now I have two kids missing!" He stomped his foot. Mingyu nonchalantly looked at the other empty seat. "Hoshi's gone." He pointed out. "Hoshi has a job," Jeonghan put a hand through his hair, "he's at work right now." "Hey," Wonwoo stood up, "I have a job too." He held his chest. "So I'm going to that job, Jeonghan." He said angrily. Joshua stood up and got between Wonwoo and Jeonghan. "Hold on," He saw Jeonghan's angry glare, "before you whack Wonwoo, let me speak." He said. Wonwoo sat down and Jeonghan made some space. "Jun has a job on campus, and so does Wonwoo." He said. "Jun is more serious than Wonwoo. What if Jun isn't missing but they're using Jun as an aid?" Joshua suggests. "Wonwoo, you have no students to tutor if they can't get on the campus."
Wonwoo bit his tongue and picked his bowl up to drink the milk. Meanwhile Jeonghan looked at the floor. "My Juni would say he would be offline. No way Jun's not in trouble.." He muttered. Joshua sighed. "I'll take a peek at the campus on my way to the cafe. But you're not going to look for Dino or Jun without backup." He said to the parent. "Tomorrow's Saturday, Seungcheol has off tomorrow, so look around with him then." Jeonghan nodded and breathed out, holding the sink behind him. "Fine.." He said. "But the rest of you, stay home." He pointed at them. Woozi furrowed his eyebrows. "But Yeosang's missing too.. He never ignores my messages. He even texts me back when he's supposed to be working or sleeping." He said, looking at his phone. Seokmin huffed and put his glass of orange juice down. "Maybe he finally got tired of you." He joked. Woozi nudged him with a scowl. Seokmin chuckled and shrugged.
Mingyu sighed. "I'll try to get access to the security cameras. Maybe there's something there that Jun didn't see." He said, going upstairs. Jeonghan nodded and looked around. "Alright, I need to calm down.." He went to his room too.
He took his phone out and hovered over Seungcheol's name. He shook his head, knowing the male must be in class. He then went over his mother's name. He shook his head, knowing the woman was working. He went over Suho’s name. He shook his head knowing him and his kids are probably having a party while washing someone's car. He picked Jaemin's number and laid back on the bed. Then he realized that the boy might be in school. "Darnet.." He was about to hang up, but the boy answered. "Hello? Mr. Yoon?" "Hi.. are you in class right now?" Jeonghan laid on his side. "Lucky you, I just finished a class. I have thirty minutes." Jaemin chuckled. "What's up? You still on for Switch tomorrow?" He asked. Jeonghan pouted. "No.. I can't make it." He said. "Oh.. Well, is it okay if I still come over? If not, I understand." Jaemin put a book in his bag. "It's not like that," Jeonghan sat up and put his knees to his chest, "Jun and Dino are missing, so I want to go out and try to find him with Seungcheol over the weekend." He informed. Jeonghan heard the other's breath hitch. "Missing? I heard about Haechan and Dahyun. I wonder if you'll find them too. If it's the same kidnapper, that is." He said. "Perhaps.. I just don't know where to start, honestly." Jeonghan sighed. "Jun was out last night trying to find Dino. But.. maybe the kidnapper knew? Maybe Jun was getting in the way?" Jaemin hummed and crossed his legs while looking at the students in the room with him. "I also got a text from Joshua while I was in class. He said that Yeosang and Yeji aren't picking up." He mentioned. Jeonghan furrowed his eyebrows. "Do you think it is the same person? Do you think we'll ever find Dino or Jun? Any of the others?" He asked. Jaemin was silent for a moment. All Jeonghan could hear were distant conversations in the classroom. "Well.. Haechan has been missing for a long time.. But then again, you have the power of technology on your side with Mingyu. Perhaps there's a chance, Mr. Yoon. Your kids are strong, they'll get themselves out of danger soon." He chuckled. Jeonghan smiled and laughed a little. "True.. they’re tough cookies, aren't they..?" "Josh isn't too strong, but he knows how to put me in my place." He chuckled and looked at a girl who entered the classroom. "What are you doing while you wait to search for them?" He asked, picking his bag up and exiting the classroom without making eye contact with the girl. "Nothing except bothering you." Jeonghan laughed. "Oh, that and I'm going to have to fix a cable for Mingyu's cameras. An animal must have snapped a wire on the west gate." He remembered. "OooOo cables, ay? I didn't know you were a mechanic." Jaemin said, walking out of the building and to a table nearby. "I'm not, but he gave me a couple manuals. He says I do nothing at home anyway, so I get stuck with the maintenance." Jeonghan said, standing up and exiting the bedroom.
He walks out of the house while the kids do their own thing. "How are classes going?" "They're pretty okay for now. Some of the things are tricky, mostly remembering the numbers to which laws. But if I'm speaking in court, I'll memorize what I want to say. I shouldn't have to state them on the fly." Jaemin complained. "But the teacher insists that I treat my role like in the dramas." Jeonghan huffed and went to the shed. "One would think that the teachers would be against that style." He said. "You'd think." Jaemin shrugged. "So.. I have a question." "Go ahead." Jeonghan permitted, picking up a toolbox and closing the door with his foot. "When the kids arrive on the doorstep, is it always when you're home? Or could it happen like if you were at the beach all day and you come home to that?" He asked. Jeonghan chuckled and took out a map of the property. "In my experience," He started, "as long as one of us was home, the baby would be dropped off. But the stork doesn't always knock or ring the doorbell." He informed. "I see.." He traced small circles on the table. "The stork will be nice to you at first. He'll give you all the information on your first baby and ring the doorbell. After that, you gotta figure things out on your own." Jeonghan said. "He's a serious bird, but he likes to tease." He laughed. "You're talking as if real birds come by and put the baskets on the doorstep." Jaemin commented. Jeonghan smirked and took out a soldering pen. "I saw the shadow once," Jeonghan said as he put the phone on speaker so he can work on the wire. "When Minghao came to us, he was alone on the mat and then the basket and letter fell in the front yard. Right where our extended driveway is now." He explained. "Woah.. that's.." Jaemin was speechless. Jeonghan hummed. "Juni ran out and got the basket without my permission. I think he might have seen the stork, actually." He said as he put a layer of shrink wrap on the wire. He then flicked his lighter and tightened the wrap there.
Jaemin looked at the time and pouted. "I have to go, Mr. Yoon. I'll see you tomorrow." He said. "Right.. Sorry for taking all of your break time." Jeonghan smiled pathetically. "No, don't be sorry. It was much better than just sitting here." Jaemin said. After another minute, the boys hang up. Jeonghan sighed and put the wire back under the metal bars he installed. He then put the dirt back in its place, covering up the metal layer. "That should be it." He looked around and nodded.
*** The next day, Jeonghan paced back and forth with his fists clenched. "Three days," Jeonghan said, "three days my Dino has been missing." He looked at Seungcheol. The male hummed, seeing Jaemin help Vernon out with some of his homework. "Dino is friends with Shownu, right?" He asked. "Maybe he can help us." Mingyu looked the parent's way and huffed. "Sunghyun's son? Hell no, Dad." He said. "Shownu always gives Dino crap for hanging around Nana's sister." He said. Seungcheol pouted. "Get me Shownu's address and then Nana's address. We'll go talk to both of them." He stood up and threw his paper plate away. Jeonghan folded his arms as he watched Mingyu waste no time going upstairs. "No students are allowed to leave the campus or go in," Minghao stated, "only Jun is allowed to search anywhere on the campus." He continued. "Well Jun's not here.." Jeonghan grumbled. "And where's Hoshi? He hasn't said anything since last night." He bit his lip. "So the kidnapper has Hoshi now?" Jaemin sits up properly. "What would the kidnapper do with him? He isn't even on the campus anymore." He pouted. Wonwoo sat back against the couch. "That means the kidnapper specifically went to dad's company to get Hoshi." He said. "Hoshi said that he'd gotten a weird text and Mingyu tried tracking it. But it was just a throw away phone in Seoul." Jeonghan saw the tallest kid come back down with a piece of paper. "Well no one better leave this house. Jaemin, you're in charge." He pointed at the surprised boy. "Me?" He asked once the parents were out of the house.
*** The couple arrives at a large estate. The house was even bigger than Taeyong's house! Jeonghan looked around and saw the vehicles with a surprised expression. Seungcheol studied the boy's expression with a pout. He folded his arms and huffed. "Our house is better." He said. "Of course it is," Jeonghan poked him, "I guess it's my turn to knock, right?"
Jeonghan raised his fist to knock on the door. However, he noticed a doorbell. It had alternating lights. He pressed on the doorbell and looked back at Seungcheol. "Remember, neutral emotion." Seungcheol raised his index finger. "We're not here to accuse Shownu of kidnapping. We're just here to ask how Dino was acting the days leading up." He stated. Jeonghan nodded and stepped behind Seungcheol. "Then you better do the talking. I don't wanna rip his head off." He said, folding his arms.
The door then opened with a taller male with a muscle shirt on. His lips are plump and his eyes look at them with an unamused vibe. "Can I help you?" He asked with an attitude. "I wonder what your father would say if he knew you greeted me this way, young man." Seungcheol said, seeing that Shownu didn't bow or give any form of respect to Seungcheol. The boy widened his eyes and bowed right away "I'm sorry, I didn't know you worked for my dad." He said right away. "My dad's out right now, you'll have to come by later." He said. Seungcheol had an amused smirk. "I don't work for your father." He said. "But we would like to come in and talk to you, if you don't mind." He said. Shownu looked back at Seungcheol. The parent could tell that the kid was fighting back yelling at him. "Right this way.." He made room for the two to walk inside.
Jeonghan looks around as he takes his shoes off. The two were then led to the sitting room where Shownu orders a maid to get them some coffee. Jeonghan sits down beside Seungcheol and clears his throat. "So I hear Dino and you are close friends?" He asked. Shownu sat down and nodded. "Yeah, we hang out often.." He said. "He's also close to his girl friend, isn't he?" Seungcheol asked. "She's my girlfriend. Not Dino's girlfriend." Shownu said defensively. Jeonghan looked at Seungcheol with a raised eyebrow. "Uhuh, she's Dino's girl friend. A friend that is a girl." He explained. Shownu folded his arms. "Anyway, what did you want to see me for?" He asked. "We were wondering if Dino was acting differently the days leading up to being kidnapped." Seungcheol said before sipping on some coffee. "Dino usually expresses himself very well, did he seem scared?" Jeonghan asked with concern. Shownu crossed his legs and shrugged. "He probably got stressed out, you know? He's been baking a lot I hear." He answered. "I'm sure it's just a phase. We all go through the phase of just wanting to escape it all for a week." He said. Jeonghan shook his head. "Dino's already gone through that phase. He wound up walking to his grandparent's house being scared out of his mind. He'd never go somewhere without someone." He said. Shownu shrugged. "Look, I don't know what to tell you. He seemed his cheery self, so I don't know what else to say." He said angrily. Seungcheol narrowed his eyes at the boy for a moment. "So you know nothing about his disappearance?" He asked. "No." Shownu answered. "And you didn't kidnap him?" Seungcheol raised an eyebrow. Shownu huffed "Of course not!" He shouted.
Seungcheol nodded and put the coffee down on a coaster. "Alright, thank you for your time, Shownu." He stood Jeonghan up. "Let's go talk to Dino's girl friend." "She's my girlfriend!" Shownu shouted at them. Jeonghan put his hand up. "Dude, chill." He said, walking out of the seating room with Seungcheol.
Once again, they're in the car. "That ate up some time.." Jeonghan said, looking at the clock. "So what did you think of Shownu?" He asked. "He was lying about not knowing about Dino. But he's not the kidnapper." Seungcheol said. "He lost his strength in his posture when we asked about Dino's behavior and if he knows anything." He said. Jeonghan nodded. "Next is Nana's sister.."
"Onward to adventure."
Seungkwan is still the gossip diva.
But who knows? That might actually help the ones who have been kidnapped.
<3
Also, please check out my new one-shot: Only We Understand: www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/1512463/only-we-understand
On Ao3 archiveofourown.org/works/39215838