Left Out Friend

36

"...Eunwoo..." He whispered, his voice cracking as hot tears uncontrollably fell from his eyes.

Jay swallowed, composing himself to remain still.

Sunoo's eyes, on the other hand, widened. "What... what about him?" His chest rose and fell as he waited for an answer.

"I... I asked him for help. H-he helped me..." Jay slowly lifted his head, locking eyes with Sunoo. "When you ran away yesterday, I called you several times, but you didn't answer... I was confused as to why you would run away like that, as if y-you were scared of something. I couldn't stay put. Until Jake said you might have misunderstood something..."

Sunoo's heart stopped for a moment. What misunderstanding? He remembered that moment; he was shocked and felt betrayed, losing hope. His chest tightened as he lowered his head slightly.

Jay continued, "That's when I realized. I tried catching up to you, but you were gone. I went to the building because I thought you might have turned back. I searched the whole building and even asked some staff, but there was no trace of you..."

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**Flashbacks**

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Jay ran all over the building like a madman. The staff gave him strange looks, and some of them started whispering. His chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. Panic overwhelmed him as he knelt, hands on his knees, eyes squeezed shut.

"Jay, why won't you just call and text him?" Jake suggested. He gritted his teeth, hands on his stomach, catching his breath.

He'd been running with Jay, but it was pointless. Jay was too quick and efficient searching rooms and asking staff; he could only follow.

"Did you really think he would answer the call or read my messages after what he heard from us?" Jay said, raising an eyebrow.

Jake shrugged. "At least, try." He said, "We should probably go back, Jay. I can't stand these people watching us."

It was true. The staff had been giving them strange looks ever since Jay started running around. They looked a mess—shirts soaked in sweat, hair sticking to their foreheads.

"You should go first. I just... just want to get some fresh air."

Jake hesitated but nodded and left.

Jay took out his phone as he made his way to the elevator. He found Sunoo's number and name, quickly tapped it, and called.

His phone rang several times, but Sunoo didn't answer. The elevator doors opened, and the staff looked him up and down. He ignored them and stepped inside.

He called the same number several times; it rang, but Sunoo wouldn't answer. Left with no choice, he texted him.