Pieces | Heejake | Enhypen

chapter thirty

"Hello?"

"Sir, this is Woo-jin, assistant police officer. I called you to inform you that we found Mr. Jake Sim."

Heeseung's eyes widened a little and he felt something in his chest. He sighed, but his heart kept racing. "Where is he?" Urgency spilled out of his voice.

"Don't worry, we have him with us. Do you want us to take him to the police station?"

"No! Just stay where you are, I'll come pick him up," Heeseung instructed, and the police officers provided him the location.

It was a thirty-minute drive from where he was to the said location, but with his high-speed sports car, it only took him ten.

Heeseung stepped out of his car; it was still dark. His eyes immediately locked onto a figure standing at a distance, the man's back facing him. Two police officers stood beside him.

Relief washed over Heeseung like a tidal wave, his breath catching in his throat. Even in the dim light, he could recognize that silhouette anywhere. It was Jake. After a night of desperate searching, here he was, safe and sound.

"Jake!" Heeseung's voice broke the silence as he started to run, his heart pounding in his chest.

Jake turned around just in time to see Heeseung barreling toward him. Heeseung crashed into him, wrapping him in a tight hug, the kind that radiated fear, relief, and overwhelming love.

Heeseung pulled back slightly, his hands still gripping Jake's shoulders. "Thank you, officers. I appreciate your help, but I can take it from here," he said, his voice steady despite the rush of emotions.

The officers nodded, one of them tipping his hat slightly. "Glad we could help. Take care, sir."

As the officers walked away, Heeseung turned his full attention back to Jake, claiming him in another fierce hug. Upon seeing this, Layla, Jake's pet dog, barked continuously, her concern for her owner evident, but Heeseung was too absorbed in the moment to notice.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Heeseung whispered into Jake's ear, his voice breaking. "I thought I'd lost you."

Heeseung felt the body he enveloped trembling; Jake slowly started crying.

He buried his face in the taller man's chest, muffling his own cries. But each muffled sob pierced Heeseung's heart like a dagger. Heeseung felt defeated, unable to help Jake.

"I'm sorry," Jake sobbed out, his body continuing to shudder in the taller man's embrace. Layla, who was barking before, eventually stopped and with a little whine, she sat down. Her eyes never left Jake and Heeseung.

Heeseung just let Jake cry as much as he wanted; eventually, he calmed down. Jake gently freed himself from the hug, still sniffling. "I think you should go home," he said in a frail voice.

"Yeah, let's go home," Heeseung said and grabbed Jake's hand, but Jake used his other hand to softly remove the older man's grip. "No," he shook his head, tears starting to form again.

"Jake, whatever hyung said wasn't true. You know, it's all Sunghoon's doing-"

"But he didn't say anything wrong.

Exactly how long am I going to leech onto you? Today was like a slap of reality to my face, which I've been ignoring for a while, Hee. I-I don't want to be a burden to you anymore," he broke down into tears, unable to control the overflowing emotions.

Heeseung stepped closer to show just how serious and genuine his words were about to be. "You were never a burden," he said softly, cupping Jake's face.