Substitute Chapter 114

It wasn’t from the neat footpath—the sound ca from the opposite direction.

He turned toward the sound, but no one was there.

Was he hearing things?

Jiwon walked toward the sign that read high-voltage current. Grass up to his waist brushed and bent underfoot with each step, yet, swallowed by the speaker’s noise, it felt as quiet as walking on water.

“Jiwon.”

Not a hallucination.

A hand showed through the overgrown brush. It beckoned him over.

He couldn’t see the face, so he had no idea who it was; he moved as carefully as possible.

The instant he felt he was close enough, the hand shot out from the brush.

In a blink, he was yanked inside, almost toppled into the thicket.

“What the—”

He nearly swung a fist, then recognized Kim Yunho and snatched his hand back.

“Shh.”

Kim Yunho pressed an index finger to his lips and hunched low.

Jiwon, for the mont, was relieved Yunho had gotten out safely.

“Where’s Geonwoo?”

“I don’t know.”

Answering that, Kim Yunho parted the brush a little and scanned the garden beyond the wire fence.

He looked like he was waiting for soone.

“Are you eting soone?”

“Yeah.”

“Who?”

“Manager Kim.”

“Who?”

“Manager Kim.”

Jiwon let out a hollow laugh at the absurd answer, then grabbed Yunho by the shoulder and turned him toward him.

Yunho’s pupils were still blown. A mont ago Han Seoho hadn’t been able to co to, and now Yunho still seed to be seeing things.

So why had he sobered up early?

The pill Number 3 had slipped him flashed through his mind.

But he shook his head at once. If Number 3 had given him a pill, the problem wasn’t where he got it but where he hid it. They’d been naked the whole ti and having sex until the siren. They’d kissed, combing through each other’s mouths, so there was no way Number 3 had hidden it under his tongue or anywhere else. That part didn’t make sense.

He clicked his tongue. Looked like his mory had errors too.

“Why isn’t he coming?”

Yunho stamped his feet. He kept shivering like he had the chills.

“Yunho. Yunho!”

“Huh?”

“You okay?”

“Uh... what ti did Manager Kim say he’d co?”

Yunho believed Jiwon had heard the sa thing from Manager Kim.

Seeing Yunho’s state made him worry about Park Geonwoo. He had to find Park before a seeker caught him.

“Co on, Yunho.”

“Where?”

“Let’s go!”

Jiwon hauled on Yunho with everything he had. Tried to, anyway—Yunho didn’t budge, heavy as a stone.

“Yunho, co on. If we stay here, we’ll be found right away.”

“No, Manager Kim told to stay here.”

Jiwon sighed—and a good idea ca to him.

“Manager Kim said he found you and wants you sowhere else.”

Yunho’s eyes went wide at that.

“Manager Kim did? When?”

“Right after you left. Said he’d been mistaken and gave another spot.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Then Seoho and Hamin will both co there too.”

Yunho clapped like a little kid.

“...Yeah. Everyone’s eting there.”

The dead weight of Yunho suddenly stood up on his own.

Jiwon gave a wry smile. What a weird hallucination to have.

“Where do we go?”

Yunho asked, all cheery.

“I’ve got sothing to talk about with Gangjun. Don’t tell Hamin.”

He grinned, walking backward.

[229, 228, 227....]

Only about three minutes left.

Jiwon grabbed Yunho’s arm and yanked, sprinting to the opposite side.

For one, that side had a neater footpath, safer for Yunho’s bare feet; for another, curiosity—it was a first-ti route. He wanted to know what lay beyond it, whether there was anywhere to hide.

If it dead-ended, so be it.

For soone planning to escape, he was awfully at ease.

Until the ga began, Jiwon had been on edge; surprisingly, once it started, he was calm.

He’d been the sa back when he was a taekwondo athlete. He was more nervous than anyone until the match buzzer, then calr than anyone once it sounded.

Of course, being calm didn’t an his performance was better, but at least nerves didn’t ruin him. He perford to his ability, and sotis better.

This was exactly like that.

Do only what I can. Be grateful if luck helps.

He set that in his head and just ran.

Maybe because he was high, Yunho, strong as an ox, ran well too. Running well was fine—but there was no need to scream.

If not for the speaker’s countdown, anyone could have noticed: he was flat-out shrieking. Cries of rapture, shouts of joy.

Jiwon fought the urge to drop his hand and ran flat out.

The path straightened, then curved, then bent however it wanted.

[100, 99, 98, 97....]

What the two of them faced after that run was a castle wall. Between towering trees twice his height—dense enough to be called a forest—there was an opening leading beyond.

“Opening” was just a word; there wasn’t a door—just a gap barely wide enough for one person to slip through. It seed like a path toward the mountain rearing up behind the building, height unknown.

“Wow! A secret forest!”

Yunho threw his hands up.

Jiwon clamped a hand over Yunho’s mouth and looked back.

They’d just cleared a curve, so the path was out of sight; it seed like no one had followed.

Maybe they’d been following soone else.

Whatever was inside there, it looked better for hiding than the garden or the brush across the way—assuming seekers didn’t pop up inside.

[32, 31, 30, 29....]

Besides, there was no other way but to go in.

The countdown would end any second.

“I’ll go first.”

“I’m going in first!”

They spoke at the sa ti, and Yunho moved a beat faster.

In a “hey—” he slipped through the gap and vanished.

Jiwon didn’t hesitate either; he pushed through boldly.

And arrived at an unknown place.

[9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1]

The siren blasted.

It was very different from the ones they’d heard till now.

If the usual siren started on the note A, moved to B and C, then returned to A, this one was sharper and irregular. On top of that, the volu was enormous—his whole body vibrated.

Yunho, who’d been grinning dopily, clamped his ears and writhed in pain; Jiwon, feeling like his guts were flipping, covered his ears too.

Only a minute, but it was a minute in hell. Cold sweat poured; breathing was hard.

Both of them flattened to the ground and endured the minute.

Yunho finally burst into tears.

Please help . He begged.

Even after the siren ended, they didn’t lift their heads easily. They couldn’t.

Jiwon managed to collect himself after a mont, but Yunho was still trapped in fear. He shook, limbs quivering, crying without sound.

Jiwon pulled him into a tight hug.

“It’s okay, Yunho. It’s okay.”

He comforted his friend in the sa water-blue suit as his.

It was a forest, but the garden was close enough that sounds from there drifted in now and then.

“Hide tight or your hair will show.”

“Heh-heh-heh. Seeker. Where are you? Hey, you little shits, I’m right here—co find !”

A few idiots didn’t bother to hide and just ssed around, bellowing.

Aside from that, it was too quiet. The speakers were silent.

Only silence.

Silence.

Had the seekers appeared?

At least give that much notice if this is supposed to be fair.

Thinking that, Jiwon lifted his head to find the red eyes that must be watching them.

The red eyes... not a single....

None!

His brows jumped.

No way. There’s no way there aren’t caras.

He was sure they’d hidden CCTV where he couldn’t see it. He didn’t spot fake birdhouses or anything else, but it was midsumr—the trees were at their thickest. The big trees hung with leaves so lush they could hide a whole house. A tiny cara would be easy to hide.

Jiwon didn’t let his guard down.

He could have stayed here holding his breath, but there were people he had to find first.

Park Geonwoo—and if possible, Choi Minjae.

Number 3...

He still didn’t even know his last na, but /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ he couldn’t help the ache he felt.

He could still feel the man’s cock burrowing into him. His lower belly still tingled like he was holding it inside.

But he wasn’t going to go looking for him. Carrying him to the room while he was high had been more than enough. If they kept sticking together, it could invite stupid suspicion and get him hurt.

Sa went for Yunho.

They were the ones who could enjoy the ga and the party and, once out of here, start a new life.

What good would it do them to get tangled up with a cop?

If he survived and got out—as Number 3 had half-joked, half-ant—Jiwon planned to go to that building in Gangnam.

See you there, Number 3.

“Yunho, stay here a minute.”

“Where are you going? Don’t leave alone.”

Still shaking with fear, Yunho grabbed him.

“I’m going to check if Geonwoo and Gangjun and the others are making it.”

“Check?”

“Yeah. If the others heard the sa thing Manager Kim told you, they’ll all be back there. I’ll go bring them.”

He spoke very kindly and clearly, like explaining to an elentary schooler.

Yunho bobbed his head hard.

“Right. Manager Kim said us Sailors shouldn’t split up!”

He looked at Jiwon with sparkling eyes.

Except his pupils were still blown and he couldn’t et a gaze. Leaving Yunho alone in this state nagged at him.

He glanced back and forth between the gap nearby and the forest, then said,

“Yunho, let’s go a little deeper in.”

He pulled Yunho up.

“Why? I’m scared here too.”

Yunho made a crying face.

“It’s too close. We can’t get spotted.”

“Why?”

“Because we’re in Hide-and-Seek.”

“Oh, Hide-and-Seek.”

He clearly didn’t understand, but he didn’t dig his heels in.

The farther from the gap, the thicker the woods. Trees and leaves so big and dense they couldn’t see a step ahead welcod them. In normal clothes, their limbs would’ve been scratched, but the suit made it nothing.

Jiwon led. As he walked, he stomped down the sprung-up grass with his combat boots. He watched his footing, moving forward so Yunho wouldn’t step on anything sharp.

Then he found a good hiding spot. And one he could easily find again.

He sat Yunho on a stump and promised he’d be right back.

“Okay. Bring them. Bring everyone!”

Yunho shouted, full of pep.

This didn’t feel great.

Maybe this was a simple ga to Yunho, but to Jiwon it was life and death.

“Should we set a password too?”

Jiwon suggested.

“Password? Great!”

The word “password” lit Yunho up.

“When’s your birthday?”

“Birthday? Uh... it’s...”

Yunho couldn’t recall his own birthday right away. After a long frown and think, he answered, “October 17.”

“October 17, for sure?”

“Do you think I’m an idiot? Like I can’t rember my birthday?”

His tone tried to scold, but there was zero confidence in it.

Fuck. Whatever.

“Okay. Password is October 17.”

“Aha. I shout ‘Birthday?’ and you go ‘October 17,’ right?”

Yunho snickered, saying it reminded him of the army.

“Hey, the army’s nothing these days.”

He sounded like an old man.

“Yunho, listen to . This isn’t the army.”

“What isn’t?”

“If you hear footsteps or a scream, you absolutely do not co out. You just stay hidden here. I’ll co back and shout ‘October 17.’”

So you know it’s .

“October 17? Ahh. October 17.”

Yunho nodded with a vacant look.

“Yunho, you absolutely do not speak first. Got it?”

“Yeah. What’s my birthday???”

He even threw his hand up and yelled.

“No, no! I said don’t say anything. Just stay still and hide. Okay?”

He looked like he didn’t get it, but Jiwon couldn’t stay here babysitting him.

“Don’t make a sound. Shh!”

He pressed a finger to his lips; Yunho mimicked him exactly.

“Shh!”

Jiwon pushed Yunho deeper into the brush. The water-blue suit rged with the woods, a kind of camouflage.

Not red but water-blue—why dress them in a color that helped them?

A little puzzled, he forced himself to leave.

He walked toward the direction of the gap he’d co in through.

Just in case, he snapped a twig and carved a mark with his pocketknife. A sign only he would recognize.

He inched forward like that.

Is this the right way?

He thought he’d co almost straight, but maybe not.

Worrying over Yunho’s bare feet, he must’ve veered without realizing it.

The gap that should have shown by now wasn’t in sight.

Fuck. I’m going to lose it.

How long did he wander?

After scratching his face on branches and stumbling around for ages, he finally found the gap.