9 She’s Gone

Minhyun woke up with a smile on his face.

After getting ready, he made his way to the breakfast table. Yoona always met him around 8:00 for breakfast.

He sat in his regular spot and tapped his fingers against the table. After their night adventure, Minhyun was in a better mood than before. The sadness of his heart was released. He was free from his chains of unhappiness.

Finally, someone understood the struggles he had. Of course, she didn't go through the exact experiences as him. But they both felt pain at a young age. They also relied on each other.

To him, Yoona was not just company. She was more than that. The light who brought him out of the darkness.

Five minutes passed. Then twenty. Before he knew it, an hour passed by and there was no sign of the young girl. Minhyun began to worry. Yoona was never late to eat. The little girl loved food so much that she wouldn't let it get cold. Sirens began to wail in his mind. Where was she?

When Minhyun looked at the workers, he noticed all of them tense. Their pale skin was ghastly, stripped of all color. He could feel the tension within the room. Something was wrong.

Without a second thought, Minhyun ran to the worker's residence. In his mind, he tried to have hope, thinking about different excuses to why she wasn't there. Perhaps, Yoona caught a cold and was too sick? After all, the late night wind was quite cold. Or maybe she had some sudden family emergency she needed to tend?

Once he reached the entrance of the building, he ran up the creaky stairs. The workers in the halls all jumped to the side, surprised by the heir's sudden appearance.

His eyes continuously searched for the room number 85.

When he found the number engrained in silver on a wooden door, he didn't hesitate to swing it open.

The door was unlocked. That was a bad sign.

To his horror, the room was perfectly tidied up. The blankets on the floor, where the two slept, were neatly placed in a pile on top of the drawer. The wood tiles were dust-free and glistening, as if nobody has stepped foot on them. Minhyun stumbled into the room and opened the closet doors. There were no clothes. It was completely empty.

As if nobody lived there.

Tears began to well up in his eyes. No. No. No. This could not be true. He found it hard to breath as realization dawned him. He grabbed the sides of his head. He won't believe it. Yoona had to be somewhere in the house.

For hours, Minhyun made his way through the labyrinth, searching every corner. The workers who followed him, began to lessen, as they couldn't catch up to his speed and energy. He didn't care about them. All he could think about was the girl with the beautiful smile.

But no matter how desperately he looked. Despite the amount of times he called out for her. There was no answer.

She was gone.

Minhyun's whole world froze as he gripped his heart. The pain spread all over, hurting every fiber of his being. Tears streamed down his face, blurring his vision. He continuously ran down the halls, yelling out her name.

"Yoona!"

Silence. That deafening silence was back.

But still, Father was not in the house. He couldn't lose all hope yet. He needed to stay strong.

Maybe he was exaggerating. Yoona could be out somewhere, ready to come back for lunch. She could've forgotten to tell him about her morning plans. Maybe he'll see her beautiful smile again.

He laughed bitterly.

In the bottom his heart, he knew he was making excuses for himself. From the worker's reaction and the status of the room, it was clear that they were gone. No trace of them left, as if they never existed. All his past memories seemed like a dream.

How could this have come to be? There was no news of father returning. After his safety measures, father couldn't have found out.

Oh how he was stupid.

His fears became real when he walked back into his room. Standing near the windows, looking at the blue sky was a tall man. He was wearing a grey suit, a dark red tie, and his black hair in a pompadour. On his wrist was a golden watch which he glanced at time to time. Authority radiated from his being. The other adult man by his side paled in comparison.

Minhyun and the man made eye-contact.

His insides curled in terror as the cold eyes peered deep into his soul.

He took a deep breath. The tears continuously streaming down his face.

"Welcome back Father."