???? ???? ???? (EN- REVERSE HAREM)

The late afternoon sun casted golden hues over Victoria Memorial, but the beauty of the place was lost on them. What was supposed to be a peaceful day had turned into something else entirely. The group stood near one of the grand marble staircases, panic seeping into their expressions as they exchanged uneasy glances.

"He's not answering," Jay muttered, lowering his phone. His fingers curled tightly around it, his jaw clenched in frustration. "I've called him two times already."

"Same here," Heeseung added, rubbing his temple. He looked around, scanning the crowd as if expecting Jungwon to just appear out of nowhere. "Where the hell did he go?"

"He wouldn't just leave like that," Sunghoon said, his voice tight. "Not without telling anyone." He was regretting to leave him back there.

But they had the same problem—Jungwon was missing, and no one had any clue where he was.

Jake stood a little apart, keeping Sunoo and Ni-ki close. Both younger members were visibly worried, their expressions shifting between concern and confusion. Ni-ki kept glancing towards the bustling crowd, as if contemplating running off to look for Jungwon himself, but Jake put a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Don't," he warned quietly. "We can't afford to split up even more."

Sunoo bit his lip. "But what if something happened to him?"

A tense silence settled between them at the thought. Anything could happen in an unfamiliar city, even with security nearby. They had taken precautions to keep a low profile, wearing masks and caps to avoid drawing attention, but Jungwon was alone. And that was what worried them the most.

Heeseung exhaled sharply. "Okay. We need to think. When was the last time anyone saw him?"

"He was with us near the main hall, right before we went to the fountain area," Sunghoon recalled. "And then... I don't know, I didn't see him after that."

Jay ran a hand through his hair, pacing in frustration. "Damn it, we should have kept an eye on each one of us."

Jake quickly pulled out his phone. "Wait... I should try to track his location again. I hope it works this time."

Everyone crowded around as Jake zoomed in on the map. A small blinking dot marked Jungwon's position. Everyone heaved a sigh as the dot was active but the next thing made their worry increase.

"He's... not even close to here," Jake said in disbelief. "He's all the way in Esplanade?"

Sunghoon let out an incredulous scoff. "Are you kidding me?"

"Why the hell would he go that far?!" Jay exclaimed. His voice was rising, his worry spilling over into frustration. "What was he thinking?!"

Heeseung was already dialing Jungwon's number again. They all stood in tense silence as the call rang. Once. Twice. Then—

A click.

Finally, Jungwon picked up.

"What the hell are you doing in the Esplanade area?!" Jay's voice came out in a sharp yell as he snatched the phone before anyone else could say anything.

There was a pause on the other end. Then, Jungwon's voice, calm as ever, came through the receiver.

Jungwon exhaled slowly, holding the phone away from his ear for a second before bringing it back. He had expected this.

"Hyung, just come pick me up from here."

"Pick you up?!" Jay practically screeched. "Are you—Are you kidding me? You LEFT the Victoria Memorial without telling anyone and ended up halfway across the city! Do you even know how dangerous that is?!"