# ⁞ won family

@? Christopherᵸ Hearing Rose's words sparked a different idea in Keonhee's mind, although he was a bit hesitant to voice it at first. "Understandably, he would be wary of a new face... would it be better then if we instructed him to stay out of sight as much as possible? That's one of his strong suits," he finally speaks up, glancing at Yeonjun who gave him a nod in return, seemingly on board with the idea. "We'll follow your lead since you know Christopher better than we do, and even more so because we don't have Soobin here with us to give us direction either," Keonhee adds with a soft sigh. There's concern still weighing in his tone and it's still echoed in Yeonjun's eyes. They're both at a loss with the way things have spiraled out of control lately. With Soobin gone, they're on the edges of their seats in the worst way possible.

"We'll send him," Yeonjun finally speaks up when Keonhee has gone completely quiet and spaced out. He gave his fellow elite a pat on the shoulder, with as reassuring a grip as he could manage.

Soon enough their phone call was over, both of the boys giving Rose their thanks and well wishes. They sat there in silence for what felt like a much longer stretch of eternity than just five minutes. Keonhee sent the message to Hyunjin that they'd worked things out for him to go meet Rose first while Yeonjun waited to be given a good meeting spot and then sent it to Rose. Stretching out on the sofa, Yeonjun sighed and stretched, just trying to think of what to do now. Keonhee got up and headed to make them something to eat in the meantime.

"Is our only option to wait," Yeonjun ends up calling to the kitchen. He's met with silence at first before all he hears back is "What other choice do we have?"

---

Soobin was still sitting inside Yuto's hideaway home. He stared off into space thinking about how, even though he'd been there multiple times before, although years ago, it was still surprising that this was Yuto's home. More than that, it was the fact that Yuto had been able to even buy one. Now, he was sure the other had connections and could do many things that would most likely just be under the radar but this felt different. Each and every time he'd come to Switzerland for Yuto, it felt as though the other was a different person altogether. This was Yuto's safe space and, in turn, Soobin felt safe, even now. Despite everything they'd had been through, that Yuto specifically had put him through even to the point of trying to kill him, he felt safe here.

He kind of hated it.

He wanted to hate Yuto but it was hard. It had only grown harder since he'd spent time talking to him. He knew there wasn't a person that would approve of this, not any that he could think of anyway. Soobin wanted this though. Maybe some part of him was scared of really losing Yuto, even though he was much more aware now that the older was not entirely there. It seemed that he never had been mentally there. Even now, he could recall all of the fighting Yuto had done growing up, how he was always fighting with someone or running away. Yuto loved this life though and had only fallen into it much more now that his father was dead. Soobin wanted to be as understanding as many had been toward him. He couldn't help thinking that he would have gone completely off the rails had he not had some form of hands stretched out to him.

Maybe it was wishful thinking that he wanted to be something that kept Yuto grounded, especially after everything he'd done. At the same time, there were so many times when he'd felt alone and had truly been alone but Yuto was there. This back and forth, to the brink of life and death, had given Soobin a full-on whirlwind. Nothing but emotional whiplash to be honest.

So, he ended up here. A place that he'd gone to pretty often growing up. Soobin knew it probably wasn't the safest space to be but he also couldn't think of any other place he'd rather be at the moment, especially with Christopher having locked himself away from the world. What else was there for him to do? Anywhere else for him to go?

@⚡ Soobinᵸ Keonhee and Yeonjun. Those names did sound familiar, but she can't quite remember if she actually met them in person or not. Had it been Nicole or Soobin who mentioned them? "Keonhee, Yeonjun -- it's a pleasure to meet you, I hope you two have been faring well. How can I help you this evening?" Rose inquired curiously, brows pinching together. She looked up upon noticing a guard lingering by, dismissing him with a polite dip of her head. She waits until the man is out of sight before putting all of her focus on the call.

Her stomach drops at Keonhee's next words, falling silent for another moment before heaving a sigh, running a hand over his face. "I do appreciate the sentiment and offer," she finally says, voice low and quiet. She definitely didn't sound like her normal self. "I've been trying to talk to him since... Well, I'm sure you already know how well that's going. He completely shut everyone out, I think he's even shut Soobin out... I don't know how Chris will react to an unfamiliar face amongst his guards, though. He isn't in the very, uh, trusting mood so he might not react well if he sees someone he doesn't know."

The more she thought it, though, the more she realized this was probably their only real shot to keep a proper eye on him. There was something in the pit of her stomach that hasn't settled well. It's kept her awake at night, kept her paranoia on end and phone clutched in hand at all times. She's found herself continuously checking her notifications just to make sure nothing has happened, just to she can be assured that her son is okay -- for now, at least.

Rose closes her eyes and takes slow breath in. "I don't know where Soobin is, but thank him for me, for keeping Chris in his thoughts... If only he was here, maybe he'd be able to get to him, but -- ah, nevermind that. Uh, you can send the guard down whenever it is convenient, just send me a message so that I can meet up with him and we'll discuss what the best path would be."

@? Christopherᵸ [] My apologies. I've been a bit foggy lately. ;w;

Both of the guards were talking at the same time now as they got an answer over the phone before looking at each other and silenced. Yeonjun gestured for Keonhee to go ahead and talk and so he did, keeping the phone on speaker though, "This is Keonhee and Yeonjun, Soobin's personal detail."

They figured she'd know them to some degree, albeit not many of them knew them by their names, which they were entirely fine with. They hoped that in this case, she remembered them. Having to figure out how to word the idea aloud, it felt far-fetched and quite possibly in bad taste but it would be better to ask and get their answer rather than beating around the bush.

"Because of what happened at the last meeting," Keonhee begins uneasily, although his voice remains incredibly clear and unwavering, "We spoke with Soobin to see about possibly sending one of our men who can keep an eye on Christopher. Nothing more than standing in with his guards, mainly to monitor the guards for any suspicious behavior that he might miss. We can introduce you to who we have in mind for the job."

When Keonhee pauses, Yeonjun speaks up, "Soobin was really worried about him and he's... Soobin's tied up and it leaves us with little movement unless we have his command. After the stunt pulled during the meeting, Soobin is figuring things out but we all just want to make sure that someone doesn't try to make another spectacle using Christopher."

"It might sound a bit weird but we're just concerned that there may still be some moles that haven't yet been cleared out," Keonhee adds, "We have no problem with him meeting you but we just want to make sure that no one else around Christopher does so that he won't be spotted easily."

@⚡ Soobinᵸ ( nevermind i'll just wing it ^^;; )

Rose was conflicted, watching the only person she viewed as genuine family walk away from her. Not in the sense that he'd never return and she'd never see his face ever again but in the sense that... there was something heavier, something weighing on his shoulders and on his mind. Something that he clearly just couldn't talk about, didn't have it in him anymore /to/ talk. Rose will never forgive herself for playing a part in his reluctance to open up. He used to lean on her for support all the time, running to her for aid and advice anytime he hit a rut and couldn't get out. She used to smile so patiently and sit with him hours just talking, helping him figure things out -- the conversations they'd have were... deep, emotional. She never should've taken them for granted, thinking that Chris' trust and patience was endless.

Oh, how wrong she was...

What she didn't realize is that once Christopher's trust is broken, there's very little one can do to mend it. It's takes /a lot/ to get someone like him to close off completely from someone. He was always such an open person, towards everyone. However, Rose knew the distinct difference; Chris still treated her the same, like she was his birth mother, but there was something clearly missing now... and she truly didn't know what to do, so all she /did/ do was stand there and watch wordlessly.

Chris gives her one final wave -- it used to be a hug... -- before clambering into the van and shutting the door. Just like that, he was out of her vision. Just like that, she watched the van pull away from the curb and drive off. For a moment, Rose just sort of stands there staring, even as the vehicle is no longer in sight.

"Ma'am?" A voice delicately called from behind. She jumps a little and turns around, blinking slowly as one of the fellow guards approaches, bowing politely then straightening up. "Pardon me, I didn't mean to startle you. You have an incoming phone-call from one of Soobin's friends." Rather perplexed, Rose follows him inside and eventually reaches her phone, placing it against her ear.

"This is Rose," she stated, "may I ask who this is?"

@⚡ Soobinᵸ ( wait so before i reply to this, should i include rose answering the call with chris present, have them meet there or have chris leave and her answer the phone then?? )

@? Christopherᵸ "What if we get Hyunjin," Yeonjun suggests and Keonhee looks hesitant at first but open to the idea.

"That might work. I don't think anyone outside of the family has ever seen him without his mask on. With his mask and cap on, he could pass for almost anyone, I think," Keonhee sighs and furrows his brows, "Is he someone Christopher has met before?"

"I don't know but I don't think so. Would it be bad if he recognized him?"

"Not necessarily. We just want to make sure he's not someone his men will recognize," Keonhee emphasizes, "Other than that, I think that we should be fine. He's a sharp-shooter, his reflexes are quite quick and he knows how to relay information."

"I'll call him up then," Yeonjun answers, moving to step a bit closer to the kitchen so that Keonhee could make his necessary call.

Keonhee stared at his phone, tempted to call and speak to Nicole but wondering if it was a good thing to do so. He did give her a quick call though, to at least relay that he'd spoken to her son. She was relieved, of course, and just prayed for Keonhee to remember to give her updates where he could. They both knew that he wasn't the type to go against Soobin's wishes unless he knew it was detrimental to the heir's health or safety. They at least now had an idea of where he might be. The only person he could have been working on getting answers from was Yuto. Where exactly he was doing such left a lot of question marks behind.

After speaking with Nicole and calming her nerves, he tries calling Rose, wondering if she would be open to meeting up with them after hearing their idea over the phone.

@⚡ Soobinᵸ (2/? the glitch ed up my reply so i had rewrite it... )

"You came out to me that night." Rose regards him fondly, giving his hands a gentle squeeze. Christopher quiets, setting his jaw. "I remember being angry. So angry at first."

"...You tried setting me up in an arrange marriage then."

Rose nods and looks away, guilty. "Yeah, well... Not my finest moment, I'm sure. There was much I regret then but that's not the point of what I'm trying to say. The night you came out to me was the night everything changed, honestly." She doesn't seem to be making any sense to Christopher because he looks confused. She clarifies further, "At the time, I wanted to expand my status and power so that's all I was focused on. Not in a violent type of way but I had my goals, and I completely disregarded the fact that you were your own person, with your own goals. It didn't take long for that anger to quiet down and before I knew it, I was doing research on what it was like to have a gay son." Her smile broadens watching him laugh. "And it was like my horizons just opened up, honestly. I began seeing everything in a different light. I know I didn't understand then but I do now, Chris... I'm sorry. For everything. You didn't deserve an ounce of it. I don't get why everyone, including me, was always so hard on you since beginning..."

"Nevermind that, mom. None of it matters anymore."

She looks him in the eye, like she was seeing straight through him. "It doesn't?"

He doesn't answer immediately. Just kind of "looks at her quietly before sighing softly, giving her hands a final squeeze. "I'm gonna head back now, alright?"

Rose looks like she wants to protest but gets interrupted by Changbin, who steps forward after standing off at the side the whole time. "Shall I ready the car for us?" He offered, to which Christopher nods. Changbin regards Rose with a small smile before heading back to the car.

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@⚡ Soobinᵸ He doesn't know how long they stand there just holding each other. Rose, despite her nurturing persona, was never one to show much affection. She hugged him from time to time, yes, but it was always that quite squeeze or even the one-armed embrace. Christopher never paid too much attention to it and simply chose to favor the moments where she did choose to hold on a little tighter, a little longer. Place a kiss on his cheek or on his forehead. Give his arm or shoulder a gentle yet reassuring squeeze. The simplest, smallest things from her were always the most comforting.

"Do you remember when you were about to turn 18?" Rose recalls with a light laugh. Christoper huffs out a soft one of his own and shakes his head in amusement before they finally release each other, Rose's hands slipping into his own. "You seems to anxious about something all day long. No matter how many times I pried, you never said a peep. It took me hours to finally get a word out of you."

Christopher chuckles and lowers his gaze. "Yeah, I... wasn't the easiest person to talk to sometimes when I was younger."

She gives him a look like that was an understatement. "Wasn't until I found you crying in the courtyard that I finally found out what got your in a twist."

"/Mom/--"

(1/? glitch again,, )

@? Christopherᵸ [] Really? I'm glad it works then. ;;

Taehyun worked quickly, always had. Keonhee and Yeonjun were just irritated, and admittedly kind of embarrassed, with how long it took for them to find a way to get in touch with him. It made sense that he kept under the radar but they had felt like they were on a wild goose chase. They had mixed feelings about asking him to try and track down Soobin, something they'd never attempted before. The two were used to things like this and could usually do it on their own but things were different this time. Soobin clearly knew what he could do to block them out, at least for a short time. If time weren't so of the essence now with everything going on, they would have worked on doing it themselves but they needed someone that could be quick and accurate. They agreed to pay him whatever he asked for and he agreed to assist.

Breakfast was over and they had cleaned up the entire kitchen. The two guards were a little anxious but, within a couple of hours, they had finally gotten a call. To their surprise, it was actually a call from Soobin. Keonhee was quicker with answering the phone, putting it on speaker though so they both could hear.

"Did you really have Taehyun hunt me down," Soobin speaks softly into the receiver, not sounding upset but more exhausted than anything else.

"What the hell do you expect? We've been worried sick about you! How the hell do you just up and leave us without saying a single wor--"

Keonhee glares at Yeonjun, which thankfully gets the other to quiet down before he speaks up himself, "We couldn't reach you and we panicked. We have to make sure you're all right, especially after finding out what happened before you ran off."

Soobin is silent for a long moment before they can hear him sigh through the phone, "I'm... trying to sort things out... How's Geonhak?"

"He's fine," Yeonjun chimes in, "We followed him home yesterday and watched him head inside. You scared him. You pull stunts like this with our newbies and I have a feeling they'll be hard to keep around."

"I'm just glad he got home safely. Thank you, guys," Soobin pauses again, "How is... he doing?"

The two look at each other and then at the phone, Keonhee answering this time, "Things have been kind of quiet... Yeonjun and I were talking though while waiting to hear from Taehyun, or you... We were going to suggest to Miss Rose that we have one of our own help keep a close eye on her son. Make sure there's no one with connections to Yuto hanging around or anything."

Their heir hums in response, a somewhat warm sound, "I like the idea. I trust you guys to pick someone. I can't stay on the phone long but just make sure I stay informed, okay? I should be back soon enough once I have more answers."

"What are you-" Yeonjun starts but gets interrupted by Soobin.

"Don't worry, okay? I'll check in with you guys so you know I'm okay. If I go too long without answering, try a couple more times. If I don't answer at all in maybe a 12- or 24-hour period, Taehyun will send you guys right to me."

They exchange a look but harmoniously reply with a "yes, sir." The call doesn't last much longer after that and neither of them is sure that they feel any more relieved than they did before the call. Deciding not to linger on it though, Keonhee decides to dial up Rose and let her know of their idea while Yeonjun works on going through who they could put in place if she agrees with the plan.

@⚡ Soobinᵸ ( i think that's a good idea, let's do it c: )

@? Christopherᵸ [] Just an idea but with Soobin out of the country, how do you think Rose would react to Keonhee and Yeonjun maybe asking to place a guard with Christopher, like someone to just help keep an eye on things? And that's more so how Soobin finds out something's wrong. Like maybe Keonhee and Yeonjun finally hear back from Soobin and they talk about their idea to have someone help keep an eye on Christopher and the guard reports something strange is going on to the three of them and he's really worried and that's what brings Soobin back sooner than he intended and in time to find and save Christopher. Does that make sense? ><

@⚡ Soobinᵸ ( i had the feeling that we were missing something and then i realized it was our main thread here osjdosdj )

@⚡ Soobinᵸ ( understandable lmfao rpr has been having a ton of glitches lately so that's understandable hh i hate having to tone done most of my replies just for it to send even tho the replies are relatively short to begin with e 3 e )

"Don't /ever/ do something like that again!" Rose wailed, grip unrelenting. Anytime Christopher had attempted to wriggle away, she grasped him tighter; tears seemingly never-ending. After a second, he stopped struggling so much and just let her hold him, letting her get it all out of her system. "I was so worried! You can't just drop off the face of the earth for that long and not expect someone to notice!" Well... she got him there, honestly. Rose finally gives him some mercy and releases him from her c̶h̶o̶k̶e̶-h̶o̶l̶d̶ loving embrace, pushing him back by the shoulders to get a clear look at him, frantically searching head to toe. Christopher gives her a disgruntled look but says nothing, letting her fret about him while... seemingly having little to nothing to say for himself. He just kind of stared at her and watched with what looked like an empty look in his eye, expression void of any real emotion despite occasionally twisting a little here and there in reaction to anything she said or did.

In reality: Christopher felt too numb to give a proper response, so he pretended. He pretended so that she could stop worrying so much. He pretended, hoping that maybe it would actually end up feeling real.

"You should come insi--"

"No," he quickly cut in, breaking his unspoken oath of silence. His voice sounded rougher than he liked. She gave him a kicked puppy look and Christopher knew she was immediately going to try to convince him to go in anyways. The other heirs wanted to see him, they were worried too, or perhaps Soobin was in the lobby waiting for him -- whatever she could use to get him to go inside and be monitored. He wasn't falling for it. He knew the other heirs didn't care. And he knew Soobin wasn't in the lobby, or anywhere in that building waiting for him.

So the young heir simply shook his head with a small, tight-lipped smile and reaches up to gently touch her shoulders. "I'm sorry, mother. I don't wish to be in anyone's company right now. Please don't try to convince me to go in, because it won't work. Can you respect my need for privacy, please?"

Rose frowns and her shoulders sag under his palms. It breaks his heart a little, but he had to draw this boundary; she came from a place of love however it was overbeating/overstimulating at the current moment. "I... I will, Chris. I'm sorry, I'm just..."

"Worried, I know," he heaves a sigh and gathers her in his arms, hugging her tightly. She sinks right into his chest. "I just... need to be alone for a little while. I don't want to, and can't, face anyone in this condition nor am I fit for my role as heir right now. I need to take a step back for a bit, I have... gone through much and I need to sort out all of these thoughts and feelings. And I can't do that if I'm being forced into the environment that's not promoting or encourage me to relax or feel safe for that matter."

"...I understand." It was clear that it broke Rose to hear him talking like this though she wanted to respect his wishes and not overstep the boundary he was drawing. She gives him another squeeze before slowly pulling away to frame his face between her hands, looking deeply into his eyes. "I'm sorry... You have been through so much, and you've never been given the proper time and space to process any of it. You deserve a peace of mind, my son, so I will respect your wishes. Just... please check-in once in a while, okay? Don't go complete MIA, not in a life like this, okay?"

Christopher nodded and promised softly, "I will check-in every day, mom, you have my word."

This seemed to be enough for now, because she relaxed almost instantly. Rose gathers him up a second time and this time, Christopher is okay with being squeezed half to death.

@? Christopherᵸ [] I'm so sorry, love. It makes me panic when I've written a lot and it just doesn't seem like it will send or it somehow erases everything. I can't imagine the drain when it just refuses to let you post at all. ><

Soobin's phone is quiet. It makes him both relieved and anxious. No more text messages had come through from the unknown number. On the other hand, he also hadn't gotten a call from his mother, Yeonjun or Keonhee. He did feel guilty for having told Geonhak not to say a word to anyone. It was a strike of misfortunate that the new elite was assigned to him on such a day. Hands-on training that he would eventually get used to. Soobin didn't enjoy running off, maybe once in a while but, those times were when he had his two usual elites with him. Moving in secret like this could be incredibly tiring. He was left making sure he was covering his tracks the entire way and trying to do everything on his own to make sure there were no casualties and no liabilities. He was the type to usually have a plan but when he ventured like this, in secret, he couldn't make plans. He couldn't chance his plans being thwarted or having to come up with backups in times like these. It just felt like time was crucial and maybe it was. He still wasn't sure what Yuto's plan had been with showing the video. Although, the more he thought about it, the more he could feel that it was specifically to draw him in. Yuto has always seemed to know him better than he knows himself sometimes, maybe from all the observing. Part of Soobin was sure that Yuto knew he would come looking for him.

When he arrives at the address, it hits home that's exactly what Yuto was hoping for. Soobin arrives at the older male's home and Yuto is standing right in front of him, waiting at the door for him before ushering him inside.

"You've got my attention, just like you wanted... What do you want from me," Soobin asks, having stepped just inside and now facing the man he once considered a brother, or at least wanted to.

---

Keonhee and Yeonjun have taken Geonhak home, driving behind him to make sure the other got home safely. They just had a feeling they couldn't let him go alone, although neither really understood why. It just felt like they had to watch out for the men now. The way the meeting had gone down, more specifically the way Geonhak told them Soobin had responded to everyone, made their hearts sit in their stomachs. Even after speaking to Nicole, the two were completely out of sorts. She knew that her son was up to something but hadn't had a clue where he was going. News had traveled fast and here they were, trying to decide on whether or not to head back to the airport. There wasn't too much that they felt like they could do though so they decided to head back to Soobin's place for the night and just await their next orders.

As morning time rolled around, Yeonjun was waking up to the smell of Keonhee cooking breakfast, something that felt so familiar and somewhat soothing. It lasted until he'd gone to the bathroom and washed up for the day that he was reminded of their predicament. Walking toward the kitchen, he made eye contact with Keonhee.

"No news," Yeonjun asks quietly, leaning against one of the counters.

Keonhee shook his head, "Nothing... I hate to do it but we may have to get one of the hackers working on at least finding out where he went. We can't put out too many orders since we don't want to alert anyone but that might be the only move that we have right now."

"If we figure that out, we can just meet up with him ourselves... keep things quiet, right?"

"We don't have another option right now..." Keonhee answers, handing him over a plate, "We eat and then we get to work. I don't know how much time we have to figure things out."

"What about Christopher," Yeonjun asks before getting a mouthful of food, "I feel like we should watch out for him, too..."

Keonhee shakes his head and sighs, sipping his tea, "That's not our place but I don't think it would hurt if we could help it..."

@⚡ Soobinᵸ ( this glitch makes me genuinely so made everytime because it instantly kills my muse but i'm sorry for the short reply )

@⚡ Soobinᵸ Christopher was quiet the entire ride there. Even when Changbin, or one of the other guards, prompted him with questions, he'd either silently nod, shake his head, shrug, or not respond period. It was worrisome behavior for the normally responsive, friendly and warm heir. The guards kept exchanging worried looks while heading down the road, all telepathically trying to form a plan to lift his spirits up or to at least get some words out of him. Nothing seemed to work, though. The man barely reacted to anything they tried to grab his attention with and eventually, they gave up and the rest of the ride was silent, uneventful, still.

The first thing he saw was a visibly distressed Rose pacing outside the entrance, paying no need to the pissing rain around them or even the guard struggling to keep the umbrella over her. He didn't see anyone else but those two. Christopher tried to swallow the disappointment the best he could as Changbin pulled the car up in front of her. He had one second to take off his seatbelt and another second to turn in his seat before nearly getting knocked backwards. Rose barreled herself into him, hugging him so tightly he swears he feels his collarbones starting to crack under pressure.

"M-Mom--" he wheezed painfully while lightly tapping her back.

@⚡ Soobinᵸ ( it isnt letting me post my ing reply at all,,,,, )

@? Christopherᵸ [] Sorry for the long reply-- But also I got nervous because it wouldn't let me post it from my computer. I had to send it to myself and thankfully I could post it on my phone. orz

@? Christopherᵸ Yeonjun feels some hint of relief at the fact that Soobin's personal elites were growing. Both he and Keonhee were in dire need of people that could stress over Soobin with them. It was tiring doing it alone. It was like the two of them were raising a kid together, a rebellious teen that would run away at times without a word and they had to come up with excuses as to why their child couldn't attend an important event or meeting. They also had to make sure he would take his medication and attend his therapy sessions without setting off anyone else because that would be the only leverage they really had over him. They also had to often drag him out of the house for the sake of fresh air because they both have had numerous incidents when they were sure Soobin had forgotten what it felt like to be in the sunlight or even what a breeze felt like. Hell, what nature itself just felt like in general. It would seem like an exaggeration to anyone but Yeonjun and Keonhee. It would probably stay that way for a while though since the other elites hadn't been let in that closely; Neither of them was sure the others would be either, but at least there was some burden off of their shoulders. Like now, their son was currently M.I.A. and had been since the incident that had happened in the heirs' meeting. To top it all off, they had yet to hear back from Geonhak.

"Yeonjun, sit down. You're going to wear a groove into the floor if you keep pacing."

Keonhee had moved from the kitchen to the living room, setting the tea tray down. He'd brewed a lavender and chamomile tea, hoping that it would help calm Yeonjun's nerves. If he could get him to sit down and drink it. He pours himself a cup and then pours the other a cup. He gets visibly agitated when Yeonjun just keeps rambling to himself. He gets through a few sips before getting up and dragging the other over to finally sit down. He holds the mug in front of him and Yeonjun stares at it for quite some time before finally accepting it. Now, he's forced to sit still. The drink is hot and any sudden movements will definitely have it spilling. Keonhee sighs in relief and, after blowing a bit into his mug, he's taking a long sip before setting the glass back down.

"What are we going to do...? Do you think he's at least said something to his mom?"

Keonhee raises a brow at the questions, folding his hands in his lap. He isn't sure how to answer them either. This isn't like Soobin, not to this extent. He usually will let them know. This time was very different and neither of them liked it.

"I think a lot of questions would be answered if we just knew what happened in that meeting. He's only been around Soobin as an elite a few times, and this is his first time alone. He's not going to think twice about blindly obeying whatever Soobin asks him to do. All Soobin has to say is to not call or even message anyone and he's going to listen..."

They sigh in unison. They're silent for a long while and, as the tea goes down, so does the tenseness in their bodies. It makes them realize just how on edge they've been for the past eight hours or so. Once the entire teapot has been emptied, Yeonjun takes their tray to the kitchen to wash everything. Keonhee decides to distract himself by cleaning up some more around Soobin's apartment. The quiet draws on and is suddenly shattered by the sound of a phone ringing. It doesn't sound like a ring they recognize at first.

They're right.

It's not a ring per se but it's more of a notification. Both of their phones have gone off at the same time. Keonhee was in Soobin's bedroom cleaning while Yeonjun was still straightening things up in the kitchen and making a list of the groceries that needed to be picked up on their next trip to the store. They run into the living room at the same time, taking the same route and almost colliding into one another. They don't have to say anything as they find their earpieces and then hurry to get in the car. Yeonjun's setting up the navigation while Keonhee gets them into the car. Once the destination has been secured, they're unsettled again.

"Why the // is Soobin at the airport," Yeonjun exclaims in irritation.

As Keonhee starts driving, their phones are pinging with more notifications. It's as though Soobin's phone had gone from no signal to having one and everything was coming through at once. There was a list of stops that Soobin's phone had picked up before but, thanks to him having turned off his data, it hadn't accurately pinpointed a location at any of the stops. This was one time Yeonjun and Keonhee were thankful for airport wi-fi.

"It's still saying that he's at the airport but I don't know how much time we have to catch him," Yeonjun groans, just staring at his phone, hoping for something to come through again. Soon enough, he's seeing Geonhak's name come up on his screen. He's prepared to yell at him but he can't. He just wants to know what's going on. He puts the phone on speaker so that Keonhee can hear, too.

"He said I wasn't allowed to call until he'd gone inside," Geonhak sounds stressed and concerned, a typical cocktail of emotions Soobin leaves with his elites on a regular basis. None of them have yet to understand how someone that doesn't seem to go anywhere or do much aside from attend meetings and just handle business could be such an unruly child half the time, and on a whim at that.

"He wouldn't tell me where he was going," Geonhak continues from his end, where he's sitting in the car in the drop-off lane just watching people go into the airport. He eventually pulls off and into the nearby parking lot to get out of the way of the other cars.

"We're on our way," Keonhee speaks calmly to him, although he's weaving through lanes and speeding like he's in an action film, "What happened at the meeting?"

"There was..." It's clear he's trying to figure out how to answer, "There was a video played and it had one of the other heirs... I forget his name but his guard came up to Master Soobin and blamed him for it all. Then the other heirs in the room started blaming him, too."

"Blaming him? Geonhak, what was going on in that video?" Yeonjun interjects.

"I remember his name. Yuto was... violating one of the other heirs. The one in the video ran out of the room and almost knocked us down on our way in. When we left, he asked me to take him to Incheon instead of to his apartment and he was gathering things, rushing around. He said he wanted to leave before his mom got there. It's like she knew because she called him not too long after we left."

"And our child has run off again," Keonhee mumbles to Yeonjun's amusement, despite his continuing internal panic at the moment.

"That other heir, they said that he's been missing for a while, too. He wasn't answering calls and no one could find him either. I don't know if Master Soobin knows where he is or is going to meet him, maybe," Geonhak offers, hoping anything will help.

"You've done all that you can. Thank you. We'll be there in a bit," Keonhee answers again and, as Yeonjun hangs up, they make eye contact for a brief moment.

"Do you think his mother knows something? She would usually call us if she was worried," Yeonjun frowns and, just as he says that, her name comes up on his phone next.

—

Soobin's on his flight, shades on and in completely dark clothing. He's gotten a few looks already but he also hears the whispering about he must be a chaebol.

Close but also so very wrong.

He doesn't make eye contact with anyone and stays silent when the stewardesses come by to check on them. He's polite though with bows and shakes of his head. He's got a long flight ahead of him and keeping his head clear seems to be the last thing he's able to do. He has a strong feeling that Yuto won't even be there when he gets there. Soobin had given him so many chances and was fine with them still considering each other brothers, even though they had gradually grown very distant over the years. Everything that had been coming out lately had messed with Soobin's head on another level though. Yuto had been watching him and his mom and there had been a number of incidents where he'd tried to kill him yet Yuto could so easily act like he didn't have anything to do with it. Yuto not being present when everything was gradually coming to light wasn't surprising either. He'd gone away multiple times, not telling anyone where he was or why he'd even left.

So, what had been the purpose of the video? Would it have been played if they didn't know or think he was going to be there to see it? Would they have just sent it to him personally?

He manages to be awake for the entire flight, landing in Italy, just outside of Switzerland. Had he gone straight to Switzerland, he knows for sure that there would be eyes everywhere, keeping a lookout for him. At least now, he could rest up a little in a hotel before heading into the neighboring country, and he does just that.

He's up at his usual time, despite being in a different country, different time zone. It's the crack of dawn, before the sun has even begun to peek over the horizon. Just that quickly, after a small meal, a shower, and some small grooming to clean himself up, he's heading over. The train ride is long, just short of two hours, but he's getting things done along the ride. He's still working on figuring out just where Yuto is exactly. He knows the other has a home in Switzerland, he himself has visited it on more than one occasion. He knows the country is where Yuto really feels at home. It's the only place he's ever referred to as home. As soon as he gets off the train, he gets a call. When he answers, he's given an address. It isn't far from Yuto's home and, he's tempted to put the address into his phone but opts for a paper map from the stand at the train station and makes his way that way instead.

@⚡ Soobinᵸ Whatever happens next is... a blur, honestly. Christopher remember running out of the room after being rooted to the spot, horrified and blood-running cold at the video playing before /everyone/ to see. He didn't exactly know /where/ he was running... He just knew he wanted to get out of there and to keep going, to not stop until the building was /well/ behind his view of sight. Christopher, shamefully, couldn't find it in himself to look them in the eye after this. Not after /this/. Not after they saw... It wasn't something he ever wanted to bring up. It was a secret he planned on carrying with him to the grave. The shame, guilt, embarrassment -- it was all too much. Too heavy. Too loud.

The next thing he knew, he was curled up in a fetal position in the furthest corner of his bathroom. No lights were on, it was pitch darkness all around him and it took him forever to stumble around and flick the lights on. One look in the mirror told him that a considerable amount of time had passed. His eyes were bloodshot, sore, gently puffed and slightly reddened. It was obvious that he's spent a god-awful amount of time crying his eyes out. His clothes were all wrinkly. The thought of changing must not have crossed his mind when he came barreling in earlier. His mouth was dry, lips almost painfully chapped, feeling both numb and in so much pain as he stripped himself bare piece by piece before dragging himself into the shower.

Needless to say, it took less than five minutes for fog to fill the room completely...

It was dark outside. Still and quiet. Christopher wandered over to where his phone lay currently charging on his nightstand. It had died somewhere in this mess so any call went straight to voicemail and any message had yet to be seen. Until now, that is. Now fully charged, the heir unplugs the device and starts combing through the missed notifications. 15 missed calls from Rose. 4 missed calls from Nicole. 25 missed calls from Changbin. Several text messages from all of them as well as various members from other families. Every single message was asking about the video, asking if it was real and if that actually happened to him, or that they were told from someone about what had happened and were checking in to make sure he was doing okay. He frowns. This was spreading like wildfire. Tears flowed in his eyes and they stung, moreso than usual. Christopher desperately rubbed them away and began working on responses to Nicole, Changbin, and Rose before finding himself hovering over the text box, trying to figure out what to say to Soobin. The other heir was checking up on him. And while Christopher a little touched, he quickly realized that Soobin had either heard about it or had seen it as well.

Who knows how long it took to get the video taken down. Who knows just /who/ saw it.

Christopher doesn't want to think about that... It makes him want to throw up.

Countless hours passed after that. He attempted to sleep but... sleep never came. He just laid there, wide-awake, staring up at the ceiling in the pitch darkness until the sun finally rose above the horizon. He heard his phone going off with more calls and text messages but their heir made no move to answer any of them. There was no motivation to even talk to them. Or anyone, for that matter. There was... nothing. Just a void. A vacancy left in his chest, taking what was left of his heart and smattering it all to fine dust. Now... there was only one thing on his mind. And that thing was a one-way street. A permanent decision. He knew what it meant, what the cravings would end up leading to. Christopher, now, was trying to figure to shuffle through every reason to go to try to find the single reason to stay.

This day was one of his rare free days, and he had every intention of not answering or touching his phone at all. The only response anyone ever got out of him was the message hours previous. Nothing more. The only answer Soobin got was a short 'I'm fine'. He had stopped chasing after that man, stopped trying to feed into... whatever this was. The other heir had barely spoken to him barely this even happened, and now Christopher doesn't even know what to say to him anymore. He used to have so much to want to talk about, so many desperate words clinging to his tongue like a ing /vice/ but-- ... nothing. In the end, he learned what his place was with the other man, and he was most certainly not even on his priority list.

So Christopher stopped... That's all he did. He stopped messaging. He stopped calling. He stopped waiting for him after meetings, pretending to care about the conversations with other heirs just to get a few spare moments with Soobin. The signs were all there, he was just... purposefully blind to them. Truthfully, Christopher saw them. Even in the beginning he knew, and felt, that it was one-sided. He should have just accepted that. He should have just ing accepted that because now look at them; stagnant, avoiding each other's gaze, sitting miles apart, grabbing the phone only to get a robotic voice guiding them through the voicemail process. God, Christopher wanted to /cry/. He /hated/ this. He hated /himself/. He's a ing /fool/. Such a ing /fool/.

Inhaling shakily, not even bothering to fight the tears at this point, Christopher turns to look over at his phone. It was ringing again. He stared blankly at it, unable to see who was calling from this angle but waiting, nonetheless, until it finally stopped. Only then did he finally grab the phone... then promptly turn it off. If he was going to do this... he was going to cut off all communication first. The second step was to block off any entrance. However, just as Christopher went to lock his door, three of his bodyguards had wandered in and were looking around thoroughly. Apparently, he had went MIA for 17 whole hours. No one knew where he was because apparently, during whatever panic attack that caused him to black out completely, Christopher had turned off the location tracker on his phone most likely right after he ran out of the building. No one one about his wellbeing until he had sent a single message to a select few people 6 hours in then disappeared for the remaining 11 hours. It was a /wellfare check/. Rose was the one who called it in, requesting to bring him in so that she could physically see that he was alright. Christopher -- hair still wet from the shower, dressed in only sweats, slippers and a loose tee -- had to be bargained with in order to get into the car. If he went, he just wanted to be left alone afterwards. If he went, this will be his sign that he is fine but that he wants some space and some time away. They begrudgingly agreed then off they went.

"They're in a meeting," Changbin informed while driving the vehicle down the road. Christopher's heart plummeted to his gut. "But I sent Rose a message before we left. She will be stepping out to come see you so you don't need to go inside." With that, the heir relaxes and turns his focus to gaze out of the window.

@? Christopherᵸ Stepping off of the elevator, Soobin had a new elite with him that day. Geonhak was visibly somewhat awkward and the heir could understand why. Not many people were allowed to go to the floors where more private matters of the different families were held. Not to mention, they weren't in their own family hub at the moment either. They periodically changed the meeting place among the members of the families, especially if they were all involved. He'd been away for quite some time, probably not as long as it felt, but he was sure there were things for him to catch up on.

The heir tried to call out to the familiar face at the other end of the hallway but it was clear that he wasn't heard. Geonhak's entire gaze changed as a figure came running past them, almost taking Soobin down to the ground in the process. The guard caught Soobin's arm and the heir just gave him a nod to say that it was okay. Soobin glanced over his shoulder as Christopher disappeared from sight before he was moving to enter the room. Standing in the doorway, he heard a familiar voice playing from inside and he didn't have to go much further in to be able to see the screen. His expression remained blank. His eyes weren't even on Christopher's body but focused on the one speaking, the one that seemed proud of this heinous act. Soobin couldn't figure out what word could be used to describe what he was feeling at the moment but he didn't have the chance to process it as Changbin decided to step to him.

He was quiet, gaze focused on the guard as he listened to him speak. Soobin could admit there was some truth to what Changbin had said but it was also clear there was something else laced in his words. He raised a brow at the final words the other had to say before the guard was bolting out of the room. It was clear that he hadn't been the only one to have caught onto that specific comment. Turning to walk out of the room, he heard one of the other heirs clear their throat and he turned back to face them, wondering what it was that needed to be said.

"This is your fault, you know," one said, soft-spoken but apparently determined to get the words out.

Soobin scanned the room and tilted his head, his gloved hands in his pockets, "What exactly is my fault?"

"All this mess that's been happening lately," another speaks up, clearly much more comfortable with getting their point across, "You're the heir, Soobin. You need to step up and take credit for the mess your family has been putting everyone else through. The world doesn't revolve around your family, you know?"

"I've never made it seem like it does," he answers coolly, unamused, "Are you done?"

"You're a ing embarrassment to everything we run here. You really do act all high and mighty, thinking you're so much better than us."

"You all have never had anything to say to me before today. Nothing. Now, all of a sudden, something /happens/ to my family, and I'm intentionally ruining all your lives. Someone that sat back through all of these meetings for all of these years in silence while you all played around with your titles like they're toys. None of you paid me any attention," he rolls his shoulders, giving one of the coldest and emptiest smiles he's ever given, "Enjoy the rest of your meeting."

"We're really leaving? Already," Geonhak whispers the questions to his boss as he follows him out of the room.

"There's business to attend to," he boards the elevator with his guard.

He doesn't say anything else until they're in the car and Geonhak is driving them to Soobin's apartment for now, "Let your team know that I was eyes on Christopher and I want eyes on Changbin. I don't know what Changbin is up to but he's not going to let this go."

"Yes, sir," Geonhak answers, glancing back in the rearview mirror.

"And we can take a detour. I need to go to Incheon for a bit."

The two make eye contact and Geonhak simply nods, knowing exactly where he's to be heading at this point. Soobin takes the time during he drive to send a quick message to Christopher just to check on him and one to Rose as well to make sure that she's okay. He'd heard her voice in the room at some point but he hadn't even gotten the chance to actually see her. Hands down, he knows his mom will hear about the whole ordeal before he even gets to Incheon. Knowing his mother the way that he does, he wouldn't be surprised if she was there waiting for him.

@⚡ Soobinᵸ ( i'm gonna start a new thread for the plot we were discussing in kkt!! i noticed we were still doing it in the arcade lmfao but i hope this is an okay starter! hopefully,, no glitch happens )

Christopher couldn't stop his leg from bouncing. He knew it was annoying the people sitting around him, though he couldn't help it -- it was the anxiety. At least he wasn't chewing his nails anymore. That was a rather rough period of time. But sitting here, in yet another boring meeting that could've easily been an email, the heir was unable to keep still. His anxiety has been all its all time high as of lately, and it was clear that something's been bothering him; Christopher wasn't acting like himself. Not ever since he woke up. The man was stubborn, though, and kept tight-lipped about what had happened when he was dragged out of the hospital. He didn't seem to want to talk to anyone about it, immediately going rigid anytime Yuto's name was dropped.

Soobin wasn't speaking to him either, strangely. He wasn't sure what happened there or what went wrong. When Christopher first woke up, Rose had filled him in on the details and let him know what had happened. Apparently, it really was Soobin who rescued him, and it really was him who carried the heir out to get help, to get to safety. However, the other barely even looked at him much less say more than five words to him. What happened? Had he ultimately changed his mind about them? Did things fall through already before they could even fall together? There were so many questions running through his head... So many unanswered questions...

Suddenly, all of the lights went out. Christopher immediately straightened in his chair as the room filled with chatter of confusion and alarm. The large TV mounted on the wall blares to life and is now playing a video of some sort. Everyone immediately quiets and now all attention is on the screen, trying to figure out the scene that was playing and Christopher feels as if a bucket of ice water was dumped over his head. Not only were they being hacked right now, but there were two distinct figures in view... and one was clearly Christopher. The heir was bound with the barbed wire tightly coiled around both bloodied forearms. However, the wire wasn't attached to the mechanism on the ceiling it seemed and simply stayed as a bundled mess that helped immobilize him. His arms were stretched above his head as he was laid out across an old cot and were instead tied to the rusted bedframe. And yet... that didn't seem to be the thing that shocked everyone into silence. It was what Yuto was doing to Christopher. His laughter was easily drowning out the heir's muffled cries because, unfortunately, Christopher was completely conscious.

"Turn it off..." Changbin croaked, wide-eyed.

"I-I can't," someone shakily says, doing their best to try to reverse the hack and put their walls back up. Christopher slowly raises from his seat, unable to look away from the screen; horrified and humiliated at the revelation that Yuto actually recorded his torment for sheer entertainment. His ears fill with nothing but a loud, high-pitched ringing. His heart hammers so hard and fast that he could feel it in his temples. Trembling hands are now clammy and clumsy as they fumble around the doorknob, desperately trying to open it and run, run, run away. As far as he could get, as far as his feet could carry him. If anyone is calling for him, it goes unheard. Blinded by distraught, humiliation, and a rush of other intense emotions on top of the reminder of what happened -- something he had no intention of telling another living soul, something that was now /everyone's/ knowledge -- he was on auto-pilot; running through the corridors, nearly barreling into people along the way in a desperate attempt to escape. It seemed as if Soobin had finally rejoined them, only catching the sight of Christopher fleeing the scene. When the raven-haired heir would enter the same room, he'd be able to witness the tailend of the tape.

/"I always told him that I'd take everything that was his," Yuto's grin was wicked, almost animalistic. His hands are gripping Christopher's throat after removing the tape off his mouth, strangling him while keeping up the momentum of his hips. The sounds of Christopher gasping for air was harrowing. "And I will do the same with you. Willingly or unwillingly, you now belong to /me/."/

The TV screen goes black. The lights start flickering back on. And the silence stays. No one dares move, too stunned to be able to utter a single word. Someone hacked their system just to show an incriminating video of a fellow heir that will most /definitely/ be used as blackmail. No one could seem to wrap their heads around what they just witnessed. Rose wanted to get up and go after her son, however her legs refused to move. Changbin, on the other hand, was now facing Soobin with an expression that was scorched with fury and hatred.

"This is all your fault," he snarls venomously. "/You/ dragged him into Yuto's radar! His blood is on your hands and you were never there for him when needed you-- how much more obvious did it need to be that Christopher was in danger, huh?! How negligent can you be?! Walking around like you're all that and -- it's bull. Nothing but a wanna-be claiming he cares for someone when he completely abandons him and only decides to show up when it's convenient. Take some ing responsibility because if Christopher wasn't going to end up dead by Yuto's hands, it would be by mine!" At this point, Changbin had been screaming his head off, unleashing a wave of anger on to the other heir and had to be physically strained so that he didn't lunge at Soobin. Though, it was the very last few words that he shouted that made everyone pause and now look at him.

"What did you just say?" Rose prompts while her expression slowly grows more serious. Changbin gives no further explanation, bolting out of the room before anyone do anything.