Haknyeon peeked out from an alley before moving along the streets, blending in with the crowd. He felt bad for leaving without saying anything, but he didn't think he could handle seeing the girl's tear stained face. He had no choice but to find a precinct on his own. It was obvious Hyunjoon wasn't looking for him. He was only pretending to be nice to get himself a ride to Seoul or worse, use him as a human shield. Though, he'd never learn his true intentions now that they were apart.

Haknyeon bumped shoulders with someone and quickly apologized before hurrying on ahead. He froze as someone had called out to him.

"So it is you! Where have you been?" they said, jogging over to Haknyeon.

"Um, hello..." he whispered, not remembering who the guy in front of him was.

"Why are you looking at me like that? I'm still waiting for you to return my grater to me. When will I get it back huh?" the man fussed, pulling Haknyeon off to the side.

"I'm sorry... but who are you...?" he asked, very confused.

"So that's how it is? You love my grater that much that you're going to act like you don't know me? I knew I shouldn't have lent it to you." said the guy with an irritated look.

"No, you don't understand... I don't know anything other than my name and my address..." confessed Haknyeon, seeing the situation taking a bad turn.

"Likely story. Anyone can say that. If you really don't remember anything, prove it." he responded, trying to avoid being tricked.

"I'm not sure how I can prove that... Look, I'm sure my place has been trashed beyond recognition and the door busted down as well. You're free to go get your grater whenever you wish." said Haknyeon before trudging forward.

The man looked at him weirdly. He never acted like this. It was completely out of character. The guy he knew would wordlessly hand things over before going back to his own business. Something was wrong.

"Hey, are you serious...? You don't remember anything?" he asked, having caught up to him.

"I have no reason to lie right now. I'm completely harmless without memories..." Haknyeon responded.

"Follow me." the guy said before turning to face him again. "Name's Taesob. We've been neighbors for half a decade."

Haknyeon wasn't entirely sure if he could trust the man he was following, but if he had bad intentions, he would've taken less populated routes.

୨୧⑅︎*‬‪*⑅︎୨୧︎

Hyunjoon sat in the car, the gears in his head turning endlessly. The officer looked at him then back at the road. They weren't sure whether or not to strike up conversation. Hyunjoon had been extremely quiet ever since they had joined back together. It worried them slightly.

"So, any ideas?" they settled with, seeing it as a safe starting point.

"Either they found him or he's on the run." replied Hyunjoon in a flat tone.

"Should we check alleys again?" they asked.

Hyunjoon sighed and turned his attention back out the window. His eyes scanned the streets, hoping that Haknyeon would just wander past and the goose chase would end. He closed his eyes, his mind imagining how much Haknyeon could be suffering, especially with a lack of nutrients.

"Hey, isn't that Haknyeon?" the officer piped up, unbuckling their seatbelt.

Hyunjoon's eyes snapped open and he was quick to jump out of the car. He headed in the direction he had last seen where they thought they had seen Haknyeon.

"Hak!" Hyunjoon shouted, gaining the attention of passerby. They didn't turn around. Hyunjoon jogged over to them and placed his hand on their shoulder. "Hak, listen-"

"I'm sorry officer, is there something you need?" the man asked, now facing him.

Hyunjoon backed up, seeing a glaring difference in the facial structure. He was mistaken. He apologized to the man before getting on the officer's case. He didn't like getting his hopes up just to be disappointed.

"Really, I thought it was him! They looked similar from behind..." the officer explained for the nth time.

"Shut up and drive. Sitting here isn't going to find him." Hyunjoon mumbled, keeping his eyes out towards the seats.

Haknyeon and Taesob rounded the corner just as Hyunjoon's cop car took off. Haknyeon looked at his small note then sighed heavily. He was almost home. At least, he hoped so.

"Let's cross. It's the building on the corner. The next next corner." said Taesob, making sure Haknyeon memorized the route.

"Taesob, what do you know about me?" he asked, seeing this as an opportunity.

"You weren't a social guy, that's for sure. You weren't the type to apologize unless you saw it necessary. You're definitely reliable and always punctual, but too serious for my liking. Oh yeah, whatever happened to your little sidekick?" said Taesob, giving him a curious look.

"My sidekick...?" he asked in confusion.

"Yeah, you know. Oh wait, no memories... See, there was this guy in your force that was constantly by your side. He always listened to you, asked many questions, assisting you in every way possible. His name was Hyunjoon I think? He's also the only person who's actually made you laugh and smile besides Kevin." explained Taesob as they entered the building.

"Who's Kevin...?" Haknyeon questioned, remembering Hyunjoon's note mentioned someone named Kevin Moon. "Do you or I know Kevin personally?"

"Hm, I don't know him. Just from stories you've told while drunk. Apparently mentioning him around the police is taboo." Taesob commented, stepping out of the elevator. "Well, here we are. Your apartment."

Haknyeon took out his note and checked over the details. This was the place. His only problem was how was he going to get the door open?

"I think you gave me a spare. Let me go check." Taesob said, hurrying off to his apartment. He soon came back holding keys. "Here."

Haknyeon unlocked the door then pushed onwards. His place was spotless. He looked at Taesob who waited for him to go in. Was this really his apartment? Why wasn't it destroyed like he expected?

"Do I really live here...?" he asked, double checking everything.

"Yes. Why would I lie to an officer?" questioned Taesob, placing his hands on his hips.

"It's just... it's too neat..." muttered Haknyeon, wandering further in.

He ran his fingers over things, hoping to spark some kind of memory. Taesob waited by the now closed front door as Haknyeon explored. It all felt so foreign. His body froze as he reached for the doorknob of a room. Why was he hesitating? Was there something in there his mind didn't want him to see? That only gave him a better reason to open it.

Haknyeon turned the knob then slowly pushed the door open. His mouth fell open as his eyes took in the sight. One could hardly call it a bedroom at this point with how badly mangled it looked. Pillows were defluffed, bedsheets were ripped, and many other things were broken or torn. It made no sense. Why was his room the only area destroyed?

"Taes-" Haknyeon called out as he jogged back only to freeze in place. "Oh my..."

"Aniki was right. Now empty your pockets and slowly walk over here with your hands up." a gruff sounding man said, holding a gun to Taesob's temple.

Haknyeon quickly emptied his pockets then slowly approached the man. How did he get in with Taesob by the door? Was he inside the entire time? Was the front door unlocked? Did he come in through a window? Or the unthinkable thought: was Taesob working with them?

Haknyeon looked up at the man who held Taesob hostage. He bit his lip before voicing his thoughts.

"Is Taesob working with you? It won't matter if you tell me since I'll be dead soon anyway, right?" Haknyeon asked, keeping his hands up.

"True. No, he's not with us. He's just an innocent caught up in the crossfire." the man chuckled before shooting Taesob in the shoulder then tossing him aside.

He grabbed Haknyeon and quickly made his exit. Taesob whimpered in pain, tightly clutching his wounded shoulder. He lifted his head at the sound of shoes running down the hall.

"This is the apartment... And we have someone injured." a voice said before a person came into sight.

"Hey, can you talk? Tell us what happened." the officer said while calling for paramedics. "Hyunjoon, he might be in here."

"They... some guy took him... and shot me in the shoulder..." Taesob whispered, the pain becoming worse.

"Took who?" the officer asked.

"My neighbor... Haknyeon..." he answered, slowly becoming tired.

"Hey, don't fall asleep on me! Hyun-" the officer said then noticed Hyunjoon was no longer behind him. "Of all times for him to disappear..."

Haknyeon sat tied up in the back seat as the man turned on the car engine. This was it. They weren't going to give him a chance to breathe like before, especially after killing two of their men. He quietly said prayers as he could feel the car moving. Suddenly the car shook.

"Hey, get off my car, you crazy!" the man shouted.

Haknyeon sat up then felt his eyes widen as big as they could. Hyunjoon. That was Hyunjoon on the windshield. He sat up more, hoping to get a better glimpse of what was going on. He scooted closer to the door and did his best to loosen his restraints enough that he could open the car door.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" the man snarled, reaching back to grab Haknyeon.

Haknyeon felt the door open and his body slipping out and into arms.

"I finally found you..." Hyunjoon whispered as he made quick work of Haknyeon's restraints.

The man had gotten out of the car and started to chase them down the street. Passerby looked on in confusion and ensorcel. Haknyeon quietly stared at Hyunjoon as he tightly held his hand while running away. His heart hammered wildly in his chest. He felt like a damsel in distress being rescued from the evil entity. Hyunjoon briefly looked back at him, making sure that he was okay.

They had finally given the man the slip and were now hiding out to catch their breath. Haknyeon swallowed before meeting Hyunjoon's eyes.

"Thank you..." he whispered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I couldn't just sit there and let you die. I... We need each other." responded Hyunjoon, taking a seat next to Haknyeon.

Haknyeon placed his hand over Hyunjoon's then gave him a soft smile. Hyunjoon returned his smile, knowing that Haknyeon was more likely than not tied to his memories.