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Stomach churning and eyes leaking salty, bitter tears, Nayeon fell to her knees in front of the now smashed in window. She felt as though her heart was being ripped out of her through her throat. Somewhere behind her she could hear Taehyung frantically speaking to someone on the phone, and Jimin's footsteps thumping in time with her own heartbeat as he ran down the hallway. But everything was distant.

Jeongyeon was gone.

Truly crumpling at the confession of the truth, she let out a chilling wail that sailed across the velvety night sky. The silver stars above seemed to mock her as they twinkled brightly in spite of this moment of panic.

Despite everything they'd done, it hadn't been enough. Nayeon wrapped her arms around herself and curled up in the broken shards of glass and continued to cry uncontrollably. Bitter, heavy sobs that echoed around the apartment complex. Her best friend was gone. The one person she loved more than anything had well and truly vanished.

It was far more painful to deal with than the glass and crystal now embedded in her heavy, spent limbs.

All that time and effort spent monitoring her had gone to waste. The arguments about curfew meant nothing. Failures. That's what she, Taehyung and Jimin were. They'd failed to protect Jeongyeon when she needed it most. If only they'd done things differently, maybe this wouldn't have happened. If only Jeongyeon had let them go to the police. If only she'd let them tell the companies.

Jeongyeon is gone.

Still in her own little world, Nayeon hardly noticed a pair of strong arms wrap around her and lift her out of the shimmering dust and fragments that were left of the window. As gently as possible, the person deposited her on the bed she  was sharing with Jeongyeon. Once shared... 

Muttering something about finding a first aid kit, the person retreated.

Heart aching, she opened her eyes and stared blankly out at the shining lights of the city. Her friend was somewhere out there. Alone, possibly injured.

Hurt.

In that moment, Nayeon steeled herself and sat up, wincing at the deep cuts and scratches all over her body. She needed to be strong. For Jeongyeon. The girl paused for a moment before making a vow to herself. From now on, no more tears. Not until we find Jeongyeon, whether it be dead or alive.

Running her fingers over her face to collect her tears, Nayeon also made a promise to Jeongyeon mentally that she would make this awful person pay. The thought alone brought her a little hope and slowed her breathing. If nothing else came of this, she would make the abductor's life living hell. Almost a form of therapeutic revenge.

Jeongyeon always enjoyed the taste of revenge...

A cough from the doorway shook her out of her reverie, and she looked up. There stood Taehyung, expression etched with concern, worry and anger. First aid kit in one hand, he strolled over to Nayeon and collected her hands in his, squeezing firmly.

"I'm so sorry." His deep voice was gravelly and hoarse from all the shouting earlier.

Sniffing, she tugged him into a hug. "I'm sorry too."

"We'll find her." Voice determined and face contorted in fury, Nayeon was inclined to believe him. Opening the green bag and pulling out some tweezers, bandages, and alcohol scrub, he continued. "We have to."

As he got to work on the glass spread across her skin in small, glittery freckles and moles, the woman from the front desk entered the room, closely followed by an unreadable Jimin. "Oh darling, you poor thing. You're lucky you weren't in the room when it happened."

Lips quivering with the threat of more tears spilling, Nayeon shook her head miserably. "But if I were here, maybe it wouldn't have happened or together. Or I could have fought this horrible person off."

"Right." The woman, Sohee if Nayeon remembered correctly, put her hands on her hips. "No more 'maybes' or 'ifs' or 'could haves'. This has happened, and we need to deal with it. The emergency services are on the way, and they'll help us out properly. But there is absolutely no point in reveling in the possibilities of what else might have happened. We need to work with what we've got."

A droplet leaked out of the corner of Nayeon's right  eye, and she choked back a whimper and nodded pathetically. "We didn't do enough to save her."

Wrapping her arms around the shaken girl, Sohee comforted her, rocking her back and forth and whispering soothing thoughts into her ear. A few minutes later, Jimin left the room before returning with a bottle of water. "Here. Drink this. Jeongyeon wouldn't want for your health to suffer over this."

Sohee and Taehyung nodded in agreement, and the gesture brought Nayeon a soft sense of tranquility for a moment. They would bring her back. With the help of the police, their own respective groups and the hotels staff, they'd solve this mystery. They'd find her and rescue her.

Almost timidly, Jimin slowly shifted towards her, lowering himself onto the bed on Nayeon's other side. "I know how much you love her. And I promise you, we will find her. She's alive. I'm sure."

"How do you know? We're on the top floor. The fall alone might have..." She trailed off, hardly able to bring herself to say the horrible words aloud. "...killed her."

For an odd reason, the man let a small smile slip. Nayeon was perplexed. "You see, we found a mattress at the bottom of the complex, along with a harness, carabiners and ropes. Plus, there was no blood. Not a single drop."

This thought comforted the girl, and she sighed a little in relief. Perhaps Jeongyeon really was physically okay. "Thanks for checking, Jimin. That gives me a little more hope."

"Anytime. You guys are growing on me. It was the least I could do. Especially after being such an asshole." He paused a little, gathering his thoughts and closing his eyes.

"I know this isn't the right time. But I'm sorry. I've been a dick this last month. I've been prejudiced, rude and inconsiderate. I let my temper and false predilections affect how I treated you both. I'm sorry that this has happened, and that I didn't do enough to protect you both. And I'm sorry that it's taken such a terrible event to stir me to make this apology." He grimaced before standing up to leave, nodding curtly. "I'll go and meet the police at the base of the building."

Gears turning in Nayeon's head, she dealt with her little internal conflict as quickly as possible. On one hand she knew that Jeongyeon would immediately turn down his apology and make him work for just an ounce of her forgiveness. But on the other, Jimin sounded so genuinely remorseful that it made her chest ache.

"Wait."

The man turned around.

"We forgive you." She smiled weakly. "All of us."

Chuckling to herself, she watched Jimin stand a little taller and seem to relax as much as one could in this situation.

"Thank you, Nayeon."