Blaze

Inferiority

~_____~

"I told you to go to the fourth shop at 7, didn't I?"

"There's a rendezvous at the fourth shop. There's a window with a hole at the back. If you want to know more, you go hide there and listen to them. I only know that much. Now let me go!"

Fourth shop. At 7. To go or not to go?

They resumed to searching around again after lunch and split up. There were no more sudden attacks. People shook their heads and resumed to their daily lives after she asked about Hyukjae. Either they were in the crew of the gang, or they really had no clue. Victoria couldn't continue to press on without more information.

She called Chorong and Lay back around six and they searched for a place to stay overnight. Chorong seemed surprised by the suggestion, but Lay, as expected, was very calm about it.

"We're going to need more time to look around," Victoria reasoned, "I'm not going back empty handed."

Chorong seemed kind of disappointed that she wasn't heading back to Seoul, but voiced no complaint. While they searched for a place to sleep, Victoria locked her eyes on her watch. She couldn't be late, but she couldn't be too early too. And she had to be prepared for the worst. But problem was, how would she go out without Lay and Chorong?

It wasn't too big of an inn they found and the room didn't look all that magnificent, but it didn't quite matter. After paying for it Chorong immediately sat on the ground and leaned against the wall. After walking and running around majority of the day Victoria hoped she was tired.

"You look tired," Victoria commented, "why don't you stay here with Lay while I go out and patrol some more?"

"I'm fine," Lay shook his head. "I can come along with you."

"You should rest up. Maybe sleep early or find something to eat after relaxing some," Victoria suggested. "I won't be long."

Lay seemed conflicted, but nodded at last. A sigh of relief quietly escaped her.

"Then, I'll be back in a moment," Victoria told before leaving.

Fourth shop. Fourth shop.

Victoria retraced a map of the city in her mind and immediately started down the street.

~_____~

After they stepped down from the taxi Namjoo walked toward the sidewalk and immediately dragged out her phone to call Suho. She was worried. Why had she been threatened to call Donghae? Why had they wanted him to come? Was Eunhyuk...Hyukjae really here?

"Pick up, pick up," Namjoo quietly pleaded while she listened to the tone ring continuously.

~_____~

After Donghae walked away Suho found himself standing in the lounge staring out the long window that served as a wall. A door sat on his left leading out to the yard outside. A few circular handmade wooden tables and a bench had been set outside to help add to the scenery of long grasses and wild flowers donated there by Lee Suk Jin's son. Donghae had told him that it was to help promote the natural environment. The calm Donghae then had now transformed into a frantic person who would do anything at all costs to get his friend back. But he wasn't thinking of himself and it felt like he wasn't thinking of them either. It felt more like they were excuses he could use rather than his comrades or assistants.

Suho was conflicted. What was he to do? Namjoo trusted him and he didn't want to break that trust this time. But Donghae was really going to go out there without him and Suho didn't want to let that happen either. The ringing of his phone intercepted is thoughts and he stared at the screen for a long time when he saw that it was Namjoo. What should he tell her?