Chapter 13: The Search Begins

You know for once, mind your own business. 

And Dahae did. 

With Luhan's words still running through Dahae's head, she did as he said and minded her own business. It has already been an entire month since the time Dahae planned to visit Luhan, only to be greeted by an empty apartment and the fact that he moved away. Ever since Baekhyun broke the news to her about Luhan not having parents all this time, she decided that he was right and she knew nothing about the situation. In fact, her being around him probably only made things worse. 

--

"I don't like the guy Dahae has been hanging out with lately." Mijoo scrunched her nose as she took a seat and stared across the cafeteria.

Baekhyun followed Mijoo's eyes to Dahae laughing with some guy. "She looks like she's having fun?"

Mijoo rolled her eyes, "Haven't you heard that Jun is a player? I always see him with other girls and when I tell Dahae, she doesn't want to hear what I have to say."

"That doesn't sound like something Dahae would do. This is about....him, huh?"

Mijoo slammed her hand on the table, causing a few eyes to fall on her but she didn't care, "Of course this is about Luhan. Obviously she's just trying to fill the void."

"But Dahae said she doesn't want to know anything that's going on with him anymore," Baekhyun reminded Mijoo. 

"Well yeah, she's lying. Don't you remember how much she cared for him? And not just him, Haru too." 

"Wait you're confusing me. Do you want Dahae to be with Luhan or not? You're always changing your mind."

Mijoo huffed. She didn't like the fact that Baekhyun had a point. "Well I'm pretty sure Luhan is better than that guy." She looked across the cafeteria again and saw Jun trying to kiss Dahae on the cheek. Mijoo knows that Dahae was the kind of girl who doesn't like public displays of affection, but that didn't stop Jun from kissing her. 

--

After classes ended for the day, Mijoo headed to the library. "Alright where's the section for English Literature?" Mijoo went through the back aisles of the library which no one went to because it was old and dimly lit. A few rows ahead of her, she followed the sounds of whispering, turns out she wasn't all alone after all. When she turned the corner, she saw a girl with her arms wrapped around Dahae's supposedly new "boyfriend" or whatever she called him. Mijoo scoffed as she walked up to the couple. She reached her hand right in the middle of their faces to grab a book, causing Jun and that girl to break apart. Mijoo finished with a "hmph" and glare in Jun's direction before leaving the library. 

"Dahae I got the book we need for class," Mijoo came to the dorm and threw the book on her bed. Dahae came out of the bathroom in a light pink dress and her hair done in a braid. "Where are you going?"

"Jun said he was going to take me out tonight," Dahae smiled as she grabbed her purse. 

"Dahae," Mijoo sighed, "I know you said you don't want to hear this anymore, but I saw him again. With another girl. I don't know if you guys are just flirting with eachother of if he's acually your boyfriend now, but wouldn't you want someone to stay committed to one girl?" 

Dahae smiled as if she didn't hear what Mijoo said. "Well he's nice to me...and...he's...." Dahae placed her finger on her cheek to think of other things to say about Jun. 

"...here's around?" Mijoo filled in the blank. 

"What is that supposed to mean?" Dahae crossed her arms, frowning at her friend.

"Well it's just that if Luhan was here, you wouldn't give that Jun guy the time of day."

Suddenly Dahae's phone beeped with an incoming text from Jun. "Well Luhan told me to mind my own business, and I am. Maybe you should mind your own business too. I'll hang out with whomever I want." And with that, Dahae left the dorm to meet with Jun who was waiting outside. 

--

"I'm excited for our date," Dahae beamed, trying to link arms with Jun. "Where did you plan to go?"

"It's just this new place I've heard about," Jun placed his hand on Dahae's lower back. Dahae quickly grabbed Jun's hand from behind and placed it in a higher, more appropriate position on her back. 

Dahae made a disappointed face when she saw that Jun was leading her to a bar. Although she was already old enough to drink, she had never tried alcohal before. This was also her first time stepping into a bar. Alot of the people in the crowd looked about her age and they seemed to be really enjoying themselves. 

"What do you wanna get?" Jun asked Dahae, taking their seats on the stools. 

Dahae looked at the menu and gave a weak shrug, "I don't know. I haven't tried anything before."

"You haven't had it before?" Jun asked incredulously. "Alright I'll just order something for you." Once Jun said their orders, the bartender placed to drinks infron of the couple. Dahae watched as her date already picked up the glass and started drinking. She picked up her glass as well and began inspecting it before finally placing the cup to her lips. Dahae scrunched her face and started shaking her head. 

"I'm sorry. I don't like it," Dahae admitted regretfully. 

"Really?" Jun started laughing. "I should've just brought someone else with me then."

Dahae boredly rested her head on her hand after spending 30 minutes at the bar. She stared down at the several drinks Jun had on the bar counter. Spending most of her time on her phone, Dahae didn't even realize that Jun was no longer in the stool next to her. She looked around the room and saw Jun socializing with a small group of girls. They looked like they were getting along well and he even had his arm around one of them. As Jun clumsily tried to walk back to Dahae, he stumbled along the way. They haven't been there an hour and he was already drunk. 

"Hey Dahae, those people are from one of my classes. They said they're heading to a club after this and they invited us."

Dahae looked over to the girls. They looked like they just wanted Jun to go along with them. "Umm," Dahae said hesitantly. "It's already kind of late, and I wanted to go back to the dorms soon."

"Alright well you can go back by yourself." Jun said bluntly. 

"Jun-oppaaa. C'mon let's go," The girl with the tight dress slurred as she came up to the counter and gripped her hands around Jun's arm. Soon the two other girls came and surrounded him too. 

Dahae slung her bag over her shoulder and hopped off the stool, "Yeah go ahead, Jun. Have fun," Dahae waved before leaving the bar. 

"It's pretty late." Mijoo commented once Dahae entered the dorm, "Did Jun walk you back?"

"No," Dahae sighed as she sat on her bed. "He went to some club with these girls and I just headed back by myself.

Mijoo sat up in her bed and huffed angrily. "What?? It's dark outside, something could have happened to you while walking alone! And he just left you to hang out with some other girls?? You know what, when I see him tomorrow I'll--"

"No it's ok Mijoo," Dahae tried calming down her friend. "You were right about him and his reputation but that was kind of the reason why I was with him in the first place."

"I..uh...wait what?" Mijoo asked confused. 

"I didn't want a serious relationship. I just wanted to take my mind off of....and I knew that Jun was available." Dahae crossed her arms. "I feel bad for using him."

"No, don't feel bad. I don't think that guy would care in the least," Mijoo sat down next to Dahae. "But did you just say you wanted to take your mind off of who?...Luhan?" 

Dahae nodded shyly. "I kind of miss him being around--but I don't want to annoy him and think of me badly." She hugged a pillow and was comforted by Mijoo. 

--

"So you said you've been in contact with Luhan right?" Mijoo asked Baekhyun the next day. Mijoo and Dahae met Baekhyun in his dorm to discuss how to convince Luhan to come back to Seoul University. 

"Yeah I texted him a couple of times," Baekhyun answered. 

"Have you seen him lately?" Dahae asked. 

Baekhyun shook his head, "He hasn't told me exactly where he's staying, so even if I did want to visit him, I wouldn't know where to go."

"Why doesn't he tell you?" MIjoo questioned. 

"Probably because he doesn't want me finding out and sticking my nose into his business." Dahae mentioned drearily. 

"No I'm sure that's not the reason."

"Hey!," a light flickered in Baekhyun's head, "Well we know that he's 3 hours away and moved near a child care center. There's only a few of those nearby so if we go to each one of them, we'll eventually find him." 

Mijoo agreed that that was a good idea and started looking up child care centers on her laptop. "Oh this is good! There's only 3 of them on the outskirts of Seoul. We can try all of them and ask around."

"Alright! I'll drive there tomorrow morning!" Baekhyun offered. 

"Oh good, then we don't have to take the bus." Mijoo commented. The two were both really excited on their mini roadtrip, but Dahae kept to herself, still not sure if this was the right plan to go along with. 

--

"SHOTGUN!" Mijoo called out as the group walked towards Baekhyun's car. Once everyone got settled into the car, Baekhyun saw Dahae from his rear view mirror. "Why so glum Dahae?"

"Just a little nervous I guess."

~~ 

"Hey Dahae, wake up." Baekhyun whispered and shook Dahae's leg. 

"Hm?"

"We're here." Baekhyun and Dahae stepped out of the car and looked up at the tall hospital-like building. They decided to let Mijoo sleep in the car as they went inside to the front desk. 

"Hello, what may I help you with today?" the man asked. 

"Um hi...um..."

"We're here to visit a patient, Haru. She's 3 years old, probably admitted in a month ago?" Baekhyun said for Dahae. 

The man scrolled on his computer, "Sorry there is no one here with that name."

"It's alright Dahae, there's still 2 more places to check," Baekhyun assured Dahae as they left the first place empty handed. 

--

"Sorry there is no one here by that name."

"Alright, so now there's just one more place to check. She has to be there." Mijoo said, finally awake from her nap. 

Dahae had to admit, although the first two places were flops, she did feel more encouraged, knowing that there was only one place left to check. The drive to the final child care center was 30 minutes away. On the way there, Mijoo fell asleep again and Baekhyun and Dahae got out of the car to check. 

"Hello, I'm here to visit a patient, Haru." Dahae said confidently to the woman. 

"Haru...Haru..."The woman repeated as she went through a book. "There is one patient the age of 4 and another the age of 6."

Dahae frowned, "A-are you sure those are all the Haru's that were admitted into this center?"

"Yes. I am sure. But let me double check for you."

Baekhyun placed his hand on Dahae's shoulder as they awaited the woman's response. 

"I am sorry. These are our only patients named Haru."

Dahae sighed then smiled, "Alright, thank you so much for you help anyway.''

"Hey Dahae, I'm sure we'll find them. Maybe we can check the first two spots again and--"

"No it's fine Baekhyun. We've already been out for a long time. I don't want to bother you anymore. Let's head back."

"It doesn't matter to me how long it takes us. What matters is--"

"Baek. We've already tried. It's useless going back to the places we've already checked. We're not going to find Haru and Luhan." Dahae gave one final look to Baekhyun and started walking to the exit. 

"I'm sorry to overhear. But did you say you were looking for someone named Haru and Luhan?" Dahae quickly turned around to see an older nurse nearby. 

"Yes we are. Do you know them?" Baekhyun asked. 

"Haru was actually admitted here a month ago, I took care of her."

Dahae widened her eyes, "So she was here?"

The nurse nodded, "Yes, for a week only. Then she was transferred to a more specialized center and her guardian moved with her too."

"Do you happen to have the address? We would really like to visit our friend," Baekhyun asked. 

"Of course, here it is," The nurse handed Baekhyun a card and he and Dahae thanked the nurse before heading back to the car. 

Once Dahae got to the car, she held the business card in her hands. It had the address of where she would be able to find Haru. 

"Dahae...Dahae," Baekhyun waved his hand infront of Dahae's eyes. 

"Huh?" Dahae blinked several times. 

"I asked if you're ready to go."

"Uh...I..." Dahae looked down at her hands, "I don't know. Maybe we shouldn't go."

"What? But we came all this way and you finally know where Haru is." Mijoo shot up from her nap. 

"I-I know. I'm really sorry for wasting your time. But I don't think I can go anymore." Dahae stuttered. 

Baekhyun pouted sympathetically, "What's there to be afraid of?"

"It's just that, the last time I saw him, we didn't end on a good note. I'm sure that he wouldn't want to see me." Dahae stared hopelessly out the car window and sighed, "OW!" She grabbed the back of her head and turned to face her friend who moved from shotgun to the backseat. "Why did you hit me?"

"Because you needed to snap out of it. Suck it up and let's go find Haru and Luhan." Mijoo exclaimed. 

Baekhyun rolled his eyes, "I don't think threatening her would do any good."

"No. You're right." Dahae nodded. 

"She is??"

"I mean, I do really want to see Haru and Luhan and we've come all this way. I should just suck it up," Dahae took a deep breath, "Ok let's go."

So the three friends embarked on their journey to find the missing Haru and Luhan. The sun has already gone down and Baekhyun was getting tired from driving all day. Dahae rubbed her eyes as she woke up to someone muttering beside her. "Is something wrong Baekhyun?"

Baekhyun was looking out his window, then at Dahae. "I-it's just that...I don't think this is the right place."

"This is the address on the card right?"

"Yeah...but I was expecting a hospital or something. Look," Baekhyun pointed, "That's just someone's house."

"That's weird. Why would the nurse lead us to the wrong place?" Mijoo poked her head out the window. 

"We should check it out, just in case." Baekhyun unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. The two girls followed suit. 

The three were standing on the doorstep of a modest looking two story house. None of the lights inside the house were on, the only light came from the porch. They looked back and forth at eachother, mentally deciding who was going to be the one to ring the doorbell. 

Dahae sighed and lifted her finger to the button. Almost immediately, a light came on in the house and they could hear footsteps. 

"Hello. Who is it?" An elderly woman, about the age of 80, answered the door. 

Baekhyun cleared his throat, "Hi um. We're sorry if we got the wrong place, but we have this business card and--"

"Oh yes, you've come to the right place. Come in, come in." The woman swung the door open, inviting the group in. "Please have a seat. So what are your names?"

"I'm Mijoo and this is Dahae and Baekhyun."

"Nice to meet you. I am Mrs. Shin, but you all can just call me 'auntie.' So which one of you needs treatment?"

Mijoo raised her eyebrow, "Sorry, we're not here for any treatment...we came to look for someone."

"I only have one patient at the moment." the woman replied. 

"Is it Haru??" Baekhyun widened his eyes. 

"Yes in fact it is. Are you her visitors?"

"Yes we are!" Dahae said excitedely. "May we go see her?"

Mrs. Shin nodded and lead the three down the hall and quietly opened a bedroom door. The bedroom was lit by a small table lamp but the room itself looked fit for a little girl with pictures on the wall and toys on the floor. 

"Haru," Dahae whispered as she ran to the side of the bed. Haru was sleeping with wires still attatched to her. She knelt beside her and lightly patted the top of her head. 

"Did you kids travel far?" Mrs. Shin asked.

"We've been driving all day," Baekhyun said with a tired laugh. 

"Well why don't all of you stay the night? I have extra bedrooms."

"Oh thank you so much but we don't--"

"YES! That'd be perfect. Thank you so much!" Baekhyun quickly cut off Mijoo. He did not want to have to drive back to Seoul half asleep. 

"Alright, I can lead you to your rooms."

Dahae was left in the room with Haru. She moved her hand from Haru's head to her fingers and held them. 

Slowly, Haru's eyes fluttered open and Dahae let out a breath. "Bunny," she whispered. 

"Hi Haru," Dahae smiled. "You should go back to sleep."

Haru rubbed her eyes and sat up so get a better look at Dahae. 

"It's been so long right? Did you miss me?" 

Haru nodded and wrapped her arms around Dahae. 

Dahae laughed as she hugged Haru back. 

"Who was at the door?"

Dahae immediately stood up and faced the door. 

"Why are you here?" Luhan narrowed his eyes. 

*A/N Hello everyone! WOW I feel like it's been so long! I've just been soooo busy with school and clubs, like I never thought I'd be too busy for Wattpad! Ugh but I've also been too busy for Instagram lol. But I'm back with this chapter~ I wanted to continue the story but I felt like it was already getting too long. Sorry for any grammatical errors and whatnot.