----
The place where Wooin lived was worse than Jiwoo expected.
He had known the address.
Wooin had told him once, almost casually, after Jiwoo had asked if he ever needed help getting home.
At the time, Wooin had only said the location.
No explanation.
No complaint.
No details.
Jiwoo had imagined an apartment.
Small, maybe.
Quiet.
Somewhere lonely, perhaps, but still lived in.
This was not that.
The building stood near the old commercial block, half-swallowed by the dark. Its exterior looked abandoned at first glance, windows dusty, walls stained by rain and time, the signboard near the entrance so faded that most of the letters had become meaningless.
One of the streetlights nearby flickered.
On.
Off.
On again.
The air smelled like concrete, old dust, and something faintly metallic beneath it.
Jiwoo slowed.
"Wooin lives here?"
Jisuk stared up at the building.
His expression twisted.
"What the hell…"
Asuka stood beside them, bandaged face turned toward the entrance.
The place was quiet.
Too quiet.
Not the warm quiet of the Seo house at night, filled with cats and breathing and the low hum of appliances.
This was empty quiet.
Hollow quiet.
A place that did not expect anyone to come home.
Kayden sat in Jiwoo's arms again.
Not because he wanted to be carried.
Absolutely not.
Jiwoo had scooped him up when they crossed a road, saying there might be glass or sharp debris near the commercial block.
Kayden had been too focused on the faint traces in the air to properly protest.
Now he regretted that.
A little.
Not because Jiwoo's hold was uncomfortable.
It was annoyingly careful.
That was part of the problem.
Jisuk looked down at Kayden.
"Is the cat sensing something?"
Kayden's eyes narrowed.
Asuka said, "He seems alert."
Kayden slowly turned his head toward her.
He did not appreciate her phrasing.
Jiwoo tightened his hold slightly.
"Let's go in."
Jisuk frowned.
"You're just going to walk in?"
"He might be inside."
"And if someone else is?"
Jiwoo paused.
Asuka stepped forward.
"Then we will know."
Jisuk stared at her back.
"…You Seo siblings are insane."
Still, he followed.
The entrance door creaked when Jisuk pushed it open.
Inside, the building was dim and dusty. The hallway stretched ahead in a narrow line, old wallpaper peeling near the corners. There were doors on either side, most closed, some half-open into empty rooms.
No voices.
No footsteps.
No signs of ordinary life.
Jiwoo's shoes sounded too loud against the floor.
He winced at every step.
Asuka moved silently, quieter than Kayden's paws.
Jisuk noticed that.
Of course he did.
He glanced at her once, then twice, irritation giving way to unease.
"How are you walking quieter than the cat?"
Kayden's ears flattened.
Asuka answered calmly, "Practice."
"That doesn't answer anything."
"It answers enough."
"It really doesn't."
Jiwoo stopped in front of a door.
"This one."
The door was already open.
Not wide.
Just enough.
A thin gap showing darkness beyond.
Jiwoo's face tightened.
"Wooin?"
No answer.
He pushed the door slowly.
It opened with a soft, dry sound.
The room inside was small.
Too small.
A low bed sat near the wall, thin blanket folded with such precision it looked more like a habit than comfort. There was a desk pushed close to the opposite side, an old chair tucked under it. A few books. A small lamp. No decoration. No photos. No clutter. No sign of someone wanting the place to feel like theirs.
Jiwoo stepped inside.
His expression slowly fell.
The room looked less like a home and more like a place someone waited between departures.
Jisuk stood at the entrance, staring.
His mouth opened.
Closed.
Then he clicked his tongue, but the sound had no force.
"How can he live in a place like this?"
Wooin had sat in Jiwoo's living room two nights ago with a black cat beside his knee, drinking tea like warmth was something he had to learn how to hold.
He had said the apartment was warm.
Jiwoo understood that differently now.
Asuka's bandaged face turned slowly around the room.
Low bed.
Desk.
Chair.
No food out.
No jacket carelessly thrown over a corner.
No evidence of struggle here.
But there was a faint absence.
As if Wooin had left expecting to return and simply had not.
Jiwoo swallowed.
"Wooin…"
Jisuk looked away sharply.
"Tch. Don't make that face."
Jiwoo did not answer.
They were still standing there when footsteps sounded from the hallway.
Jisuk immediately turned.
Asuka shifted half a step in front of Jiwoo before anyone noticed.
Kayden felt it.
The movement was small.
Protective.
Not enough to reveal power.
But enough to annoy him.
Two men entered the hallway outside Wooin's room.
Union awakeners.
Asuka knew before they spoke from the restrained energy around them. Not particularly powerful, but trained enough to hide most traces from ordinary people.
Both stopped when they saw the open door.
Then saw the three teenagers.
Their eyes sharpened.
"What are you doing here?"
Jisuk's face immediately shifted into arrogance.
Not because he was calm.
Because arrogance was easier than worry.
One of the Union members looked at him longer.
Recognition flickered.
Jisuk Yoo.
Younger brother of Shinhwa's chairwoman.
Hard to miss.
Then the man's gaze moved to Jiwoo.
Newly awakened.
Recently involved in several problems.
Then to Asuka.
A younger girl standing too calmly in a blindfold.
That description had likely traveled as well.
Seo Jiwoo's little sister.
Strange.
Quiet.
Always near him.
The Union member's brows drew together.
Jiwoo stepped forward before Jisuk could say something rude.
"We were worried about Wooin."
His voice was earnest.
"He wasn't answering calls, so we came to check on him."
The two Union awakeners looked at each other.
Something passed between them.
Not surprise.
Confirmation.
That made Asuka's fingers curl once inside her sleeve.
One of them lifted a hand and pointed toward the hallway.
"Let us worry about Wooin. You three should head back."
Jiwoo blinked.
"But—"
"This is Union business."
Jisuk's eyes sharpened.
"And?"
The second man's gaze shifted toward him.
"Union is handling it. Do not interfere."
Jisuk's mouth twisted.
Asuka spoke before he could.
"Understood."
Jiwoo looked at her.
"Asuka…"
She turned her head slightly toward him.
Not agreement.
Not really.
Patience.
Jiwoo understood after a second.
His jaw tightened, but he nodded.
The Union members walked past them, then moved out of the room and down the hallway toward the exit.
Their footsteps echoed.
Jisuk waited until they were far enough away.
Then exhaled sharply.
"How annoying."
Jiwoo stared at Wooin's empty bed.
"Where did he go?"
Jisuk folded his arms.
"He's not a kid. He's probably fine."
Jiwoo did not look convinced.
Neither was Jisuk.
Asuka knew that too.
Then, from somewhere outside the building, a voice shouted.
"What the—!"
All three turned.
Kayden's ears shot up.
Another shout followed, sharper.
"There are traces of awakened abilities used here!"
Jisuk's expression changed.
Jiwoo's eyes widened.
Asuka was already moving.
They crossed the hallway quickly, not running, but close.
At the entrance, they stopped just inside the shadow of the doorway and peered out.
The two Union awakeners stood near the side of the building, half-crouched beside cracked concrete. One held his phone already, speaking in a low, urgent voice.
"Yes, Director. We found traces. There was definitely a fight here."
A pause.
"No, no sign of Wooin yet."
The other awakener scanned the ground.
"There's blood."
Jiwoo went still.
Jisuk's face hardened.
Asuka's breathing remained even.
Too even.
The Union member on the phone continued, "We'll search the area. Yes. We'll report immediately."
They left soon after, moving down the side street with urgency they had not shown inside.
For a second, nobody spoke.
Then Jiwoo stepped out.
Jisuk caught his sleeve.
"Hey—"
Jiwoo pulled free.
Not harshly.
Just urgently.
"We have to look."
Jisuk clicked his tongue and followed.
Asuka stepped after them.
The spot beside the building was narrow, half-hidden from the main street by a rusted fence and a stack of old crates. The concrete was scorched in several places. Not badly, but enough.
Dark streaks marked one wall.
A faint line of impact cracked the ground.
And there, near the edge of a shadow, was blood.
Not much.
Enough.
Jiwoo crouched.
His hand hovered near it but did not touch.
His face had gone pale.
"Was this why Wooin wasn't answering his phone?"
Jisuk stood behind him, fists tightening.
"Was he in a fight?"
Kayden lowered his head toward the ground.
His expression went still.
Not cat-still.
Awakener-still.
Asuka crouched beside Jiwoo.
Her bandaged face angled toward the bloodstain, but she did not need sight alone.
Energy lingered here.
Wooin's.
Familiar now.
Quiet, dense, controlled.
Mixed with something else.
Something hotter.
Rougher.
Fire.
The thread of the future burned faintly beneath the night.
Kayden sniffed once.
Then froze.
Asuka's head turned slightly toward him.
He smelled it too.
Blood.
Energy.
Wooin.
Jiwoo whispered, "Wooin…"
Jisuk pulled out his phone, jaw tight.
"Who the hell has enough nerve to mess with our turf?"
His thumb moved fast over the screen.
"Shinhwa's territory, no less."
He called Inhyuk.
The line connected almost immediately.
Jisuk did not wait for greeting.
"We're at Wooin's place."
A pause.
His expression darkened.
"There are traces of awakened abilities here."
Whatever Inhyuk shouted was loud enough that even Jiwoo heard the muffled sound through the phone.
Jisuk pulled the phone slightly away from his ear.
"Yes, I said traces."
Another pause.
Jisuk's voice sharpened.
"You weren't aware? How can you not know that trouble's brewing?"
Jiwoo looked down at the blood again.
Kayden stepped closer.
Asuka's hand hovered near the ground.
She could feel it.
The texture of the energy.
The direction of force.
The place Wooin must have stood.
A defensive movement.
A sudden impact.
Not enough time to properly prepare.
Ambush.
Kayden's voice came low enough that only Asuka and Jiwoo could hear it.
"That blood is his."
Jiwoo's eyes widened.
Asuka nodded once.
"It is Wooin's."
Jiwoo closed his hands into fists.
Not anger alone.
Fear.
Guilt.
That familiar, painful guilt that appeared whenever someone he cared about was hurt and he had not been there.
Asuka reached out and touched his sleeve.
"Oppa."
He inhaled shakily.
"I'm okay."
"You are not."
"I know."
Jisuk was still speaking into the phone.
"Yeah, we met a couple of Union agents. They're searching the area."
He listened.
His face twisted.
"Then hurry."
He hung up and turned back.
"I told Inhyuk. Shinhwa is sending backup."
His gaze shifted to Jiwoo, Asuka, and Kayden crouched near the bloodstain.
"What are you doing?"
Asuka lifted one hand and pointed toward the ground.
"That."
Jisuk looked.
"Looks like Wooin's blood."
The words landed heavily.
Jisuk's eyes widened slightly.
"What?"
His gaze snapped to the stain.
Then to Jiwoo.
Then back down.
For once, he had nothing rude ready.
Jiwoo stood.
"Let's look around."
Jisuk stared at him.
"What?"
"We need to find him."
"What do you think we can accomplish by wandering around?" Jisuk snapped, but there was fear under the sharpness now. "It would be better to leave this to Shinhwa and the Union."
Jiwoo turned toward him.
"No."
Jisuk went still.
Jiwoo's voice was soft.
But there was something in it that made even Kayden look up.
"I'm going to look around."
"Jiwoo—"
"If Wooin's in trouble, we can't just sit around."
Jisuk's jaw tightened.
"Wooin is tough. He can take care of himself."
"I know."
"And whoever kidnapped him must've been powerful."
"I know."
"Then what are you going to do if you find them?"
Jiwoo's hands trembled once.
Only once.
Then steadied.
"So we're just gonna stand by and do nothing to help?"
Jisuk stared at him.
The question cut deeper than it should have.
Because Jisuk knew what he should say.
Wait for backup.
Do not act recklessly.
Do not involve civilians, even awakened kids who had somehow become tangled in this mess.
Be reasonable.
Be smart.
Be Shinhwa.
But Jiwoo looked at him with those stupid, earnest eyes.
Wooin's blood was on the ground.
And Jisuk remembered Wooin sitting in the Seo living room, quiet and awkward, black cat curled near his knee.
He remembered Wooin saying, without embarrassment, that he had never had friends either.
He remembered Jiwoo saying, You can come over anytime.
He clicked his tongue.
Loudly.
Furiously.
Then looked down at Kayden.
"Wouldn't this cat be able to find him?"
Kayden, distracted by the blood and energy trace, shook his head automatically.
"Tsk, tsk."
His expression said it clearly.
That's ridiculous.
I'm not a dog.
How on earth could I—
Then he stopped.
His nose twitched.
Once.
Twice.
His eyes narrowed.
Blood had scent.
Energy left traces.
Wooin's force control had a specific rhythm.
The direction of the splatter, the fading heat, the disturbed air, the faint psychic residue along the alley—
Kayden went very, very still.
Asuka's mouth curved faintly.
Kayden slowly looked down at the blood.
Then toward the alley.
Then back at the blood.
A terrible realization dawned across his cat face.
He might.
He actually might.
He could find Wooin.
By scent.
And trace.
But still.
Scent.
Asuka turned her face away.
Kayden snapped his gaze to her.
Not one word.
"I said nothing."
"You are thinking loudly."
"I apologize."
"No, you do not."
"No."
Jiwoo crouched beside Kayden, eyes hopeful and worried.
"Casein Nitrate?"
Kayden's ears flattened at the name.
Jiwoo lowered his voice.
"Can you find him?"
Kayden stared at him.
He wanted to refuse on principle.
He wanted to say he was Kayden Break, not some neighborhood search dog.
He wanted to demand respect.
Dignity.
Recognition.
Unfortunately, Wooin's blood was on the concrete.
Jiwoo looked scared.
Asuka was quiet.
Jisuk was pretending not to look desperate.
And Kayden, for all his complaints, was not the kind of man who ignored a missing student when a trail sat beneath his nose.
He clicked his tongue.
Then turned.
His orange body moved toward the alley.
Jiwoo's face brightened.
"You can?"
Kayden did not answer.
He walked faster.
Jisuk stared after him.
"No way."
Asuka stood.
"It seems he can."
Jisuk looked at her.
"Your cat is tracking Wooin."
"Yes."
"That's not normal."
"No."
"Are you at least going to pretend it is?"
"No."
Jisuk dragged a hand through his hair.
"This house. This cat. You siblings. All of it. Insane."
Jiwoo was already following Kayden.
"Thank you, Casein Nitrate."
Kayden stumbled.
Just slightly.
The name hit him harder than enemy attacks.
Asuka followed, one hand tucked into her jacket pocket.
Jisuk hesitated only a second before chasing after them.
"Hey! Don't run ahead!"
"You said we should look," Jiwoo called back.
"I said the cat could look!"
Kayden's tail lashed.
Asuka's mouth softened despite the tension.
The trail led away from Wooin's building and deeper into the old commercial block.
The streets narrowed.
The lights grew worse.
Old shutters lined the storefronts, many rusted down, some dented by time or past violence. A faint warmth hung in the air, wrong for the cool night.
Kayden moved low to the ground, ears forward, body tense.
Every few steps, he stopped.
Sniffed.
Checked the ground.
Then continued.
Jisuk watched him with increasing disbelief.
"He really is doing it."
Jiwoo nodded, whispering like he was afraid to break Kayden's focus.
"He's amazing."
Kayden's ears twitched.
Asuka said quietly, "A very capable cat."
Kayden almost turned around.
Almost.
He did not.
Because the trail was getting stronger.
Wooin had been dragged or forced this way.
There were traces of his energy, but not steady ones. Bursts. Resistance. Impact. Then nothing for several meters, as if someone had suppressed him or carried him.
Kayden's eyes sharpened.
More than one attacker.
At least two.
Maybe more.
Fire residue again.
Asuka felt it too.
She kept her pace even.
The future was close now.
Not fully settled.
But close.
"Jisuk," she said softly.
He glanced at her.
"What?"
"Be ready."
He frowned.
"For what?"
She turned her bandaged face toward the darker street ahead.
"Fire."
Jisuk's expression shifted.
"You know something."
"Yes."
"You going to explain?"
"Not yet."
"Why not?"
"Because we are almost there."
Jisuk cursed under his breath.
"I hate how you talk."
"I know."
Jiwoo looked back.
"Asuka?"
Her voice softened immediately.
"Stay close, Oppa."
He nodded.
This time, he did not argue.
Kayden stopped at the mouth of a narrow alley.
His fur rose slightly.
Beyond it, the street opened into a wider back road between abandoned storefronts and storage buildings.
The air smelled faintly of smoke.
Not old.
Recent.
Kayden looked back once.
His eyes met Asuka's hidden gaze.
She nodded.
Yes.
This was it.
Jiwoo stepped forward.
Jisuk caught his shoulder.
"Wait."
Jiwoo froze.
Jisuk looked ahead, jaw tight.
"I'll go first."
Jiwoo blinked.
"You?"
Jisuk scowled.
"What, you got a problem?"
"No, I just—"
"You're injured."
Jiwoo's expression softened.
Jisuk immediately regretted saying it.
"Don't look at me like that."
"Thank you."
"I said don't."
Asuka stepped beside them.
"Together."
Kayden moved ahead again.
No one argued.
They entered the alley.
The darkness swallowed them for a moment.
Then, ahead, orange light flickered against concrete.
A voice laughed.
Low.
Male.
Cruel.
Jiwoo's breathing caught.
Jisuk's wind stirred.
Asuka felt heat curl through the air like a warning.
The future was no longer a possibility.
It was opening in front of them.
Kayden stopped at the edge of the alley, body low, eyes blazing.
Beyond the corner, somewhere in the firelit dark, Wooin was alive.
Hurt.
But alive.
Asuka's fingers loosened inside her sleeve.
No Infinity.
Not yet.
No Blue visible.
Not yet.
Speed.
Fire.
A mask.
A promise.
Jiwoo leaned forward, eyes wide with fear and determination.
Jisuk's jaw tightened.
Kayden's tail lowered.
Asuka listened to the flames breathe.
Then the four of them stepped toward the light.
----