𝐎𝐓𝐀𝐀𝐓 [𝟏] 𝐃𝐞𝐣𝐚 𝐯𝐮 || 𝐋𝐞𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟏

POV Shizuka

I panic as a dozen negative thoughts flood my mind, one after another. Daiyu isn't even of legal age, and she's always had trouble handling crowds. What if she got swept away by fans? What if something serious happened to her?

- "We'll form groups of two," Chan suggests. "Hae, since you're still underage, you stay here with Yeou to rest your ankle and let us know if Daiyu comes back. Malee, you're with Hyunjin, Yeou with Felix, Shizuka with Minho, Jiu with Changbin, Seungmin with Jeongin, and me with Jisung."

He looks at us, analyzing the groups, before I announce:

- "We need to check her place, JYP, and Big Hit first."

" "We're going to her place," Sumalee declares.

We all split up, and I instruct Lee Know to head to Big Hit.

- "We'll have to search the whole building; it might take a while," I warn.

- "I've got all the time in the world," he declares, and I feel an unexplained pang of jealousy.

We run in silence to the agency, as no taxis are available at this hour, and we finally arrive. I enter and explain the different places where we'll have to search.

Forty minutes later, and still no sign of Daiyu. Chan and Jisung have finished searching JYP with Jiu and Changbin, and announced that they'll look in nearby parks. I've tried calling the Chinese girl over fifty times since we finished searching the agency, but no answer.

- "We'll find her," Lee Know murmurs, placing his hand on her shoulder as I try calling Daiyu again. Normally, I'd be surprised by this contact, but I don't have the head for it right now.

All because of an eighteen-year-old idiot who can't be reasonable.

- "Why are you so worried?" he asks.

I look at him, shocked, and answer without hiding my disdain:

- "She's my friend, it's normal."

- "Yes... But you've never called me for Malee."

I sigh and run a hand through my hair. How can he say this now, when I confided in him about my relationship with the Thai girl an hour ago?

- "We're not friends. I looked for her the first week, but I realized then."

She didn't want me to look for her.

- "Listen, I don't understand your point of view. Daiyu is your friend, how can you ask me that? You hardly ever talk to Sumalee."

- "We're not friends, Daiyu and I."

I roll my eyes before pressing the call button again when I reach Daiyu's voicemail.

- "I'm serious. I'm not blaming you for not looking for Malee, Shizuka. I'm just pointing out that it's the first time you've called me asking for help," he says calmly, and I envy his composure.

Which is understandable, considering it's not one of his members who just improvised a runaway.

- "There's a first time for everything."

I sigh and toss my phone onto a chair. He comes closer and puts his hand back on my shoulder.

- "What do you do when you're stressed?"

- "Huh?"

- "Answer."

I blink several times before exhaling :

- "I write songs."

- "What kind?"

- "I don't know!" I snap, rubbing my arm. "Love, betrayal, joy, all those things."

- "What happens in your sad songs?"

I roll my eyes. I appreciate his presence a lot, but right now, his little game is seriously getting on my nerves.

- "It depends, lots of things."

He sighs before explaining : 

- "Maybe she just felt bad and went somewhere to hide. I'm trying to help you figure out where."

I start to think when my phone rings.

- "Sumalee?"

- "We found her, at her apartment."

▪︎▫︎▫︎▫︎▫︎

When I arrive in the hallway where her apartment is, the door is already open, with Hyunjin in the doorway.

- "Sumalee is upset, hang in there," he warns me with a sympathetic smile.

He's the only friend I have in common with Sumalee, and even though he's never said anything, I'm sure he knows we don't get along.

I enter the apartment, but the smell of alcohol makes me want to vomit immediately. In the living room, I see Sumalee sitting on the coffee table, and Daiyu asleep on the couch.

- "Oh, damn."

- "You said it," confirms the Thai girl. "She reeks of alcohol. I tried to wake her up, and she started spouting incomprehensible gibberish about doors."

I sigh and pull out my phone to inform and thank the others that we found her, and tell them they can go home. Still at the entrance, I hear Hyunjin and Lee know talking. I'll apologize later for my behavior and thank him for helping me calm down.

- "We're staying here, I guess," Sumalee guesses as she gets up from the table.

I nod, and she informs the boys that they can go home.

▪︎▫︎▫︎▫︎▫︎

I open the door to Ji-yu, Ha-yoon, Mi-cha, and Hae-ji, while the yelling in the living room has been going on for ten minutes.

- "Happy birthday, Mi-cha," I wish her as I give her a hug. "Sorry, the vibe isn't cool."

- "It's okay, it's not your fault. Is she okay?"

I sigh, and we head to the living room.

- "She's been arguing with Sumalee since she woke up."

As if she heard me, the Chinese girl gets up and points an accusing finger at me.

- "Why did you think it was necessary to let everyone know about my disappearance?"

- "Because you were gone!" Ha-yoon exclaims, standing beside me. "You're not even legal yet, you have no right to leave without telling anyone, let alone getting wasted!"

- "Imagine if someone had recognized you?" Ji-yu adds in a more sympathetic tone, which I don't understand.

- "It would've tarnished the group's image," Mi-cha continues.

- "Tarnish the group's image?" Daiyu exclaims, outraged by who knows what. "When we already have an ugly visual?"

We all gasp, and Hae-ji steps forward, slapping her one-year-older sister, who immediately brings her hand to her cheek.

- "How can you say that?" Sumalee demands. "You really have no respect?"

- "I hope it's still the alcohol talking," Ji-yu adds.

I look at her strangely, annoyed that she could think the alcohol is still affecting her when it's clear that it's not, and take Mi-cha's hand.

- "Let's get out of here, we have a birthday to celebrate."