Sea of Stars ∞ ATEEZ AU

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐

It was early noon when Mingi first received the news. Only a few hours into his shift, he had been planning to take a break from the heat of the chicken shop's cramped kitchen and had been thoroughly annoyed when his co-worker had called citing an emergency. His demeanour completely changed, however, when he received the urgent message: "Yunho's at the police station".

From then on, it had been a matter of convincing his sceptical manager that he had run into issues at home and was required immediately. After dropping the last delivery off with the fakest smile he could muster, he had sprinted back to the store, waved a quick goodbye and jumped onto his motorbike.

The ensuing journey took him to the other side of the town: uptown. On any other day, he would have spitefully watched the town flats — with their peeling paint and cracked windows — fall away to reveal large, grandiose manors studded with all manners of pointless decorations as he entered Seoul's uptown. Today, however, he was in too much of a hurry to care.

As he darted in between cars and various vehicles, his mind drifted to the root of his anxiousness: Yunho. Or rather, what Yunho had last told him before he had left for work that morning.

They had just finished eating breakfast — an underwhelming meal consisting of last night's leftovers — when Yunho had gotten up abruptly before blurting out:

"I know you won't approve of this, but I'm going to find Hongjoong."

Mingi had continued eating, seemingly unbothered, but his twitching eyebrow gave away the suppressed emotions.

"Yunho, there's no reason for us to worry," he had replied with his annoyance barely concealed, "he said he'd be back before midnight."

"But that's what he said last time! And you know how that went-

"Yunho."

His friend had turned to him, trepidation in his eyes, but they knew better than to argue when it came to Hongjoong. They had left the conversation at that before they prepared to leave their ways: Mingi to work his part-time at the local takeaway, and Yunho to help out at the animal rescue centre further uptown. Both had said nothing as they departed, something which left a sour taste in Mingi's mouth now that he thought about it. If he said he wasn't hurt by their encounter that morning, it would be a lie, but what could he do? Yunho was practically a caretaker to Hongjoong now that his affliction of strange dreams had increased in intensity. It was those very dreams that had resulted in countless restless nights for the three of them, and Yunho waking up at strange hours to comfort a shivering Hongjoong who had been whispering unintelligible sentences.

That had been their life until recently when Hongjoong had begun to disappear at random points during the day. The pair found him passed out in unusual locations throughout the city, which had even included the private restroom of Mingi's workplace once. The last time, as Yunho had mentioned, downcast, Hongjoong had left saying he'd be back before midnight, and they had exchanged worried glances in response before uneasily allowing him to stroll off. Later, they had found him unconscious at a sidewalk as speeding cars hurtled past, inches away from certain death.

And now, it seems, he had yet again left without a word, throwing Yunho into such a panic that he had somehow gotten himself dragged to a police station. What exactly had happened for him to behave like this?

In all honesty, Mingi knew how much Yunho cared for Hongjoong; the latter practically doted on Yunho as an older brother. And yet, it had taken all of Mingi's strength — physical and mental — to put aside his dislike for the blue-haired maniac that was Hongjoong. The distaste was mutual, yes, but Hongjoong seemed to hide it well when Yunho was around, and — although he loathed to admit it — as long as Yunho felt the need to engage with the outlandish daydreamer, he would try his best too.