No one really knew where to start or what to plan. They were all trained for missions, for danger, for strategy- but not for this. Not for a missing family member.
Every second that passed without a lead felt like a blade twisting deepere into Jaehyun's chest.
Jaehyun sat quietly at the end of the long table, his hands clenched so tightly togethere that his knuckles were white. His jaw was set, eyes fixed on the surface of the table- but he wasn't seeing it. He was staring through it, through the room, through everthing, lost somewhere between memory and fear. Every heartbeat was a countdown.
"And what do we do now?" Jeno's voice cracked, his hands gripping the edge of the table. "Ho are we suppose to find her? He could be anywhere- and we still don't even know who he's working with!" His voice echoed in the tense silence, frustration trembling through the air like static.
"We need to think. Where could he had brought her?"
"YangYang, show me the location where you found Chenle," Kun ordered calmly, though the strain in his voice betrayed the pressure he was under.
"Do you already have a theory, Kun?" The oldest asked quietly from across the table. Kun nodded once, focused, already a step ahead.
YangYang flipped open his laptop, fingers flying across the keyboard until a digital map of the city appeared. "Mark the point where you found him," Kun said. The younger boy zoomed in and a red dot where Chenle had been discovered.
"Now, where's the school you went to earlier?" Kun turned to the Dreamies, his tone still collected but his jaw tense.
Jeno leaned over the table, his eyes scanning the screen. YangYang angled the laptop toward him.
"There!" Jeno said, tapping on the map. His hand shook slightly.
"Should I mark that as well, hyung?" YangYang asked, Kun nodded. He did as told.
"Chenle, think carefeully," Kun urged. "What was the last thing you saw before you lost them?"
Chenle frowned, eyes darting across the map. YangYang turned the laptop again for him too. "They turned left- right here!"
"YangYang, project it on the wall," Kun ordered. The lights dimmed as the map appeared, glowing on the large screen before them. The tension in the room was thick enough to choke on.
Kun stepped closer to the glowing map, studying it in silence, his shadow long and sharp against the projection. "Ten," he said finally without looking back, "what do you think?"
The named boys head shot up in surprise. "Me? Why me?"
"You're the strategist, especially for escape routes. Use that brain now." Taeyongs tone was hard, but not cruel- it was desperation disguised as authority.
"Should I release you from that spot if you don't take it seriously?"
"Ahh- ani, hyung! I wasn't focused! I'm sorry!" Ten raised both hands, guilt spreading across his face.
Taeyong's jaw clenched. "Don't apologize to me, apologize to her whn we find her- if we're not too late.. and to Sungchan and Jaehyun if we are..."
The room fell dead silent.
Jaehyun didn’t move. His breathing was shallow, barely noticeable. His mind replayed the last time he’d seen his sister properly — her laughter, her teasing tone, the way she’d waved when leaving the house.
Hendery tried to ease the tension with a smirk. "He was too busy texting his soon-to-be girlfriend!" he teased.
The others laughed weakly, but the sound died the moment Taeyong's fist slammed against the table.
