Hi! We definitely won't be wrapping up this story by the end of the year but we are nearing the end. This chapter is kinda sad and dark so be prepared. We have another SKZ member appearance...it's pretty obvious who it is at this point. With that said, please enjoy!!!

Then: Busan

A man grits his teeth as he pulls a young blue haired boy close to his chest. He presses his back against a tree trunk and places a hand over the boy's mouth, who shivers against his father's body. The boy has tears in his eyes and he clutches his father's arm tightly. They are in the middle woods and the sky is pitch black. The moon provides the only light and even then the large orb in the sky is partially covered by some dark clouds. The only sound is the blowing of the wind and the thuds of footsteps as they hit sticks and crunch on leaves. "Where are you?" A voice questions in a loud tone. His words vertebrate around the empty woods and it causes the boy to whimper nervously. "Shhhh," The man hushes, trying his best to keep the child silent and calm him. The two stay still as the woods become quiet once again. The footsteps have stopped and there is no sign of the owner of the voice. The man looks at the shaking boy and bends to whisper in his ear, "I want you to run."

"A-appa," The boy stutters.

"Hey, hey, Jeongin-ah," The boy's father says, "You need to be strong. Okay?"

"B-but, hyung...and eomma," Jeongin whimpers. The man purses his lips together, not knowing what to say. The four had run as far as they could the second they saw the dead bodies of the friends. They avoided the person after them by hiding until they could make a mad dash towards their car. They returned home in hopes of the hunter leaving them be, but he followed them back. They knew that it was only a matter of time before the crazy guy got them. If a hunter is this determined, he wouldn't let any of them go, but it still didn't make the death of his wife and oldest son any easier. The only thing fueling the man right now is the fact that he needs to protect Jeongin. He needs to protect the only family he has left. "Go to that little cave you and your brother used to play in when you were younger," The man states, "Can you do that?"

"What about you?" Jeongin asks, "You can't fit in there..."

"I'm going to make sure you're safe and then I'll come get you," His father says, "We'll go to one of those bunkers and stay there until it's safe. It's going to be okay."

"Is it though?" The voice says suddenly appearing in front of them. Jeongin's eyes widen and he lets out a scream. A shadowy figure garbed in black stands right in front of them with a large knife clenched in his fist. The large hood of his sweatshirt covers his face and the shadows make him appear more menacing. "I don't think this story has a happy ending, monsters...." The figure growls. He rushes towards them with a murderous glint in his eyes. Jeongin's father looks down at his son and grits his teeth. He acts as quickly as he can. He tosses the boy to the side just before the hunter comes onto him, shoving the knife into his heart and twisting it. The man's eyes flare amber as he growls in pain. "No!" Jeongin exclaims as he rolls through a pile of wet leaves. He watches in horror his father's body become limp. He lets out shaky breaths as he stares at his dad. "A-appa!" Jeongin whines.

"R-r-run," His father chokes out falling to the floor and his eyes becoming devoid of life. Tears stream down Jeongin's cheeks, but he does his best to push his emotions to the side. The hunter quickly yanks the knife from his father's dead body and starts to approach Jeongin. The young boy scrambles back, trying to get to his feet as quickly as he can. His efforts are for naught though as the hunter grabs him by the collar of his shirt and slams him into a nearby tree. He presses the weapon to his chest as Jeongin begins to breathe heavily. "P-please!" Jeongin gasps out in fear, "I-I d-didn't d-do a-anything!"

"But, you did," The voice states. Tears flood from his eyes at a rapid pace as his heart thumps in his chest. His face contorts in fear as he stares at the hunter holding him with pleading eyes. Just then, the hood covering the hunter's head blows off, revealing his face. Jeongin's mouth falls open and he makes a strangled sound as he sees the face of his family's killer. "W-Wonpil," Jeongin stutters.

"Well, shit," Wonpil mutters, not having expected for his identity to be reviled."

"Y-you k-killed my f-family," Jeongin says.

"They deserved it," Wonpil states, matter of factly."

"What?" Jeongin says in a horrified tone, "How could you say that? Y-you're my f-friend..."

"I am not friend with monsters," Wonpil says.

"Y-you're gonna k-kill me," Jeongin whispers in disbelief.

"Yes," Wonpil states. Jeongin whimpers and shakes his head. "Please, please, please," The young boy begs, hoping to change the hunter's mind. Wonpil eyes narrow at the boy squirming in his grasp. His knife is still hovering right above Jeongin's heart, but he has yet to press it in any deeper. The hunter scans the boy's face which is splotchy and a mess of tears and snot. He sighs and releases Jeongin. The boy hits the floor in a thud and he quickly scoots back a bit to put some distance in between the two. Jeongin looks up at Wonpil with a look of betrayal and fear, wondering why he is doing this or why he chose to let him go. "I'm not letting you go," Wonpil states, "I'm giving you a couple more days to live. Guess I'm just a tad bit sentimental when it comes to you..."

"T-thank you," Jeongin murmurs, not knowing what else to say.

Wonpil scoffs, "Don't say thank you. I'm still going to kill you. I'm going to enjoy doing it too..." With that said, the hunter turns around and walks away from the boy, who is frozen in place still completely shaken up about what he just went through.

──────●◎●──────

Now

"Last entry," Felix says, "We're almost done."

"Yeah," Chan says as he makes a turn. He frowns when he sees the sign that says welcome to as they make their way down the road and into the town. "Somewhat successful," Felix comments, "We haven't figured out a hundred percent what Wonpil was doing or what got him killed, but I'm sure we can piece it together soon."

"Yeah," Chan murmurs.

Felix sighs, "Okay, again, what is up with you?"

"Nothing," Chan says.

"Really?" Felix asks, "Cause everytime I say something, you answer with yeah."

"I just want to let you know I'm listening," Chan says.

"Are you really listening though?" Felix asks, "You've been pretty silent ever since I read Wonpil's last journal entry."

Chan sighs, "It's just that...this town...I know it."

"You do?" Felix questions.

Chan nods, "This is where one of my friends lives. My gumiho friend." Felix's eyes widen and he purses his lips together, thinking about what Wonpil wrote in his journal. He said he went after a family of gumiho's, creatures that take after foxes, who went after live humans for their pituitary glands, a gumiho's main source of food. He said he killed them all except one boy. He didn't explain why. He just said that he left one behind. "You don't think..." Felix says.

"I don't know what to think," Chan says, "He went after Hyunjin. Should I be surprised if he also went after Jeongin?"

"But, if his family actually did..." Felix says.

Chan frowns, "They wouldn't. They're good people. Jeongin's father works at the morgue and it gives them a constant supply of food. They don't need to kill. They wouldn't kill."

"I'll take your word for it," Felix says, "You know it may not be his family..."

"I don't know any other gumiho families in this town," Chan says, "But, I know you're trying to think positively here. I'll try to as well." The blonde falls silent after that, still wary that Wonpil did come to this town and go after another group of innocent people. As he makes his way down the main road, he changes lanes so that he can make a turn towards the right. He knows where he and his cousin need to go. Even though there is a chance it might not be him and his family, Chan needs to make sure. He needs to know whether Wonpil hurt another one of their friends. That's why Jeongin's house is their first stop.

──────●◎●──────

Chan rushes towards the front door of the medium sized home the second that the car is parked. He knocks on the door rapidly and purses his lips together when there isn't an immediate answer. Felix watches his cousins in surprise before jogging over to him. "Why isn't he answering?" Chan murmurs.

"Give him a second," Felix says, "You need to calm down."

"What if he killed him?" Chan questions.

Felix shakes his head, "I'm sure that he didn't..."

"Really?" Chan asks in disbelief. Felix sighs and crosses his arms over his chest, not knowing what to say to his worrying cousin. Just then, the front door cracks a tiny bit open and a figure peeks out. "Who is it?" A quiet voice asks.

Chan's eyes widen, "Jeongin-ah, it's me. Chan hyung."

"Chan hyung?" Jeongin questions. The boy starts to open the door, but thinks better of it. He proceeds to slam it shut causing the cousins to jump in surprise. "Why are you here?" Jeongin asks, "And who is with you?" Felix raises an eyebrow in confusion, wondering why Chan's friend would be acting in such a way. The freckled boy looks over at his cousin, who appears just as puzzled as he is. "I'm with my cousin, Felix," Chan answers, "We wanted to talk to you about Wonpil."

"D-don't say t-that name," Jeongin stutters, "P-please..."

"Okay, I won't," Chan says in a concerned tone, "Jeongin, did something happen?" The gumiho doesn't answer right away, but after a couple of minutes have passed the door opens. "Come in," Jeongin says in a quiet tone. The cousins enter the dimly lit home which has boxes scattered all over the place. Jeongin closes the door behind them before gravitating to the far side wall. He tilts his head down to look at the floor, "Can you guys stay near the door?" Chan frowns, but nods his head, heeding his friend's request. He pulls Felix back a bit so that there is a lot of space between them and the young man. "Jeongin..." Chan murmurs, eyeing his friend with worry. The gumiho won't look at the two hunters. His shoulders are curled in on themselves and his hands clench into tight shaking fists. "W-Wonpil is dead," Jeongin says in a quavering voice, "You know that. Don't you?"

Chan nods, "Yes. That's why I came back to Korea."

"You shouldn't have come here," Jeongin mutters, "I...I can't be near you guys anymore."

"What do you mean?" Chan asks. Felix keeps his mouth shut, knowing better than to give his opinion in this conversation. "After what he did..." Jeongin whispers, his voice cracking a bit, "Do you know what he did?"

"He killed your family," Chan states. Jeongin nods his head and lets out a strangled noise. He whimpers a bit and tears start to drop from his eyes and onto the ground. Chan grits his teeth, annoyed and angry that his suspicions are true. "He was going to kill me," Jeongin mutters, "But, he died before he could come back and get me..."

"Good," Chan says. The word coming from him without even a second of hesitation. Wonpil was his friend and for most of this journey he hated when anyone said anything that could've soiled his name. But, now. Now, things have changed. Wonpil tried to kill two of his friends. Two of their friends. Chan refuses to defend his old friend anymore. He won't. Not now. Not again. Jeongin shakes his head, "You didn't come here to finish what he started....are you? That isn't what you meant when you said you came to talk about him...right?"

"No!" Chan says quickly, "I came cause I was worried about you. I would never hurt you, Jeongin-ah. You know that. Don't you?" Jeongin lifts his head up to meet Chan's for just a second before lowering it again. He purses his lips together and wipes at the corners of his eyes. "I know it's hard for you, but can you tell me what happened?" Chan asks, "If you can't...that's fine...I just want to know what really happened."

"I got sick," Jeongin says, "It's happened before to other young gumiho's who don't eat fresh pituitary glands. The only way for me to get better if I eat some fresh ones. My parents don't kill. They refused to, but they needed to get me food. So, they reached out to some old friends, who do kill, for help. We went to their place and stayed there for a bit. With the fresh glands, I was able to build my strength up and get back to full health. I don't know how, but a hunter found my parent's friends. The hunter killed them and then he turned to us. We ran as fast as we could, but it was useless. He killed my mom and my brother. Then, my dad and he was going to kill me, but I recognized him right before he was about to do it. I don't know if that's what made him have mercy on me, but he allowed me to live a little longer and left me. I know that there are rules, but my family never killed any human. They only reached out to those other gumiho's cause I was sick and I could've died! They were just worried about me! They didn't do anything wrong! They didn't!"

"I know, Jeongin-ah," Chan says, "What Won...what he did...I never would have done that. I know what they did was a onetime thing and I knew your family. They wouldn't hurt a fly..."

Jeongin nods his head and starts to ramble in an almost hysterical manner, "He shoved me into a tree. He had my collar in his fist! He held a knife to my chest! He said he was going to enjoy killing me! Me! He was my friend...he was my hyung! He was going to kill me! He promised to kill me!!!" The young gumiho slams a fist into his chest and lets out a sob. He slowly sinks to the floor and starts to breathe rapidly. His eyes dart back and forth nervously. He runs a hand through his hair and squeezes his eyes shut, trying his best to keep his emotions in check. Tears leak from the corners of his closed eyes, his face becoming red as he makes whimpered sounds. Chan takes a step closer to the boy, wanting to comfort him, but Felix grabs his cousin's arm to hold him back. The freckled boy shakes his head and tugs him towards the door. Chan sighs and shoots a pitying glance at Jeongin, "We're going to go. You have my number if you need anything or want to talk..."

Jeongin meets Chan's eye for just one second and nods his head, "Thank you...bye h-hyung." Chan flashes the boy a small smile before turning around and opening the door. The cousins quietly slip out of the house, leaving behind the young distraught gumiho to pull himself together without their presence to stress him out any more.

──────●◎●──────

Chan shakes his head as climbs into the car. Felix slides in besides him and looks at his cousin, "You okay?"

"I'm pissed," Chan huffs, "Wonpil really did go after Jeognin."

"Yeah," Felix says, "The kid doesn't look like he's doing so well."

"That's an understatement," Chan scoffs, "I know him. He's a sweet boy. He would always joke around with us and treat us like we were the younger ones. He would tease us all the time without a care in the world. He would never cower at the sight of me. Wonpil messed with his head. He traumatized him."

Felix sighs, "I felt bad just being there. I mean I didn't hurt him or his family, but a fellow hunter did...."

"Imagine how I felt," Chan says, "I've known him for so long and the second he saw me he slammed the door on me. He told me to stay like ten feet away from him. He asked me if I came here to kill him. To kill him?! My dongseong thought that I was going to hurt him. The fact Jeongin is that scared of me means that Wonpil really messed with his head. Wonpil broke all the trust that boy had for his hyungs. He ruined that kid. He could be scarred for life..."

Felix nods, "Wonpil really screwed up this time. Didn't he?"

"He screwed up too many times," Chan says with gritted teeth, "I was just too blind to see that it was too many. I just let it go on. Even after Hyunjin....I still couldn't stop myself from searching for the truth."

"You can't blame yourself for that," Felix states, "He was your friend. Even if he isn't anymore, he was once and you cared for him then. That's what kept you going."

"Well, not anymore," Chan says, "Whatever care I had for Wonpil is gone now...long gone."

"Does that mean what I think it means?" Felix asks.

Chan nods, "I'm done. We're done. Hyunjin told us to quit when we couldn't stomach it any longer. Well, I can't. It makes me sick to think what he has done to innocent people. To innocent friends. This is over."

"Okay," Felix says, not that affected or bothered by his cousin's decision.

"You're alright with this?" Chan questions, "I dragged you all around Korea just for this only to give up on it."

Felix shrugs, "I did it for you, hyung. We're in this together. If you wanted to see something through, I would be by your side. If you don't, then you don't. Either way, I'm with you."

"Thanks, Lix," Chan says, a soft smile growing on his lips. Felix nods and pats his cousin on the shoulder. "C'mon," Felix says, "We have a long drive back to Seoul."

"Right," Chan says, "I can't believe we're going back home..."

"Me either," Felix sighs, "I started getting used to being in Korea."

"Really?" Chan questions.

Felix nods, "I kinda like it here. Minus the whole Wonpil fiasco, I had fun. I fought new monsters. Met different people. Became friends with the most unlikely beings. If I had stayed at home, I never would have gotten those experiences."

"Would you come back then?" Chan asks.

"Yeah, I would," Felix says, "As long as it isn't to retrace the steps of another one of your hunter friends..." Chan chuckles at that and nods his head. He starts up the car and reverses the vehicle so that he can pull out and head back to Seoul.

Our poor maknae. He deserves better. Also, Chan has decided to call it quits, but this story is far from over. You'll just need to wait and see what happens next. Until then, please vote, comment, follow me, add this story to your library, and check out my other SKZ stories here on Wattpad! Have a great rest of your day and I will see you all in 2025!