Joong stepped back outside to find that the strawberry had been completely devoured and was now sleeping soundly on the "rack". Half the tray of pastries was gone.. just as expected, his boys had eaten them and disappeared somewhere.

[Where the hell are you guys?]- He grabbed his phone and barked into it, clearly annoyed.

[We're right outside, boss... You and that guy were kinda loud, so we got shy...]

[For f—... Just get in here.]

They weren't supposed to hear anything because this room was soundproof...but of course, the guy hadn't bothered to close the door properly. Too eager to eat strawberries, he'd just pushed it shut with his foot, leaving it slightly ajar.

The boys shuffled in, each one staring guiltily at the floor...

"Talk. I told you guys to check it out...what did you find?"

"The house was wrecked. No one was inside."

"But does it look like they went missing, or were they...?"

"We're not sure. Their clothes were still there, but the people were gone."

/This isn't Ally's usual way of operating... Don't tell me... someone else is involved./ — Joong frowned.

"Boss, should we go back and check again?"

"No. Tomorrow. It's not safe right now."

BOOM!

"What the hell was that?!"

A loud explosion shook the entire base.

"BOSS! YOUR CAR—IT BLEW UP!"

One of the boys came running in, panic all over his face.

"Who did it?!"

"I don't know! I just went to throw out the trash and it exploded!"

"Damn it... Who the hell had the guts to come here..."

"Joong... hic..."

Joong's hand clenched into a fist, ready to slam down on the table.. But then Dunk stepped out, wrapped in nothing but a thin blanket, hair a tousled mess, eyes glistening with tears. Joong had no choice but to swallow his rage and scoop him up, carrying him gently back into the room.

"Check who did it. And make sure to examine the locks on the house carefully."

"Yes, boss! We're on it!"

He gave his orders before closing the door. The boys split up to get to work, while Joong focused on the one thing that mattered most right now... calming his precious strawberry.

"What's wrong? Why'd you come out here with no clothes on?"

"I couldn't find... my clothes... hic..."

"Oh... right, I forgot."

How could he have found them anyway? They'd been shredded and tossed into the trash just earlier.

"Let me get something for you to wear"

"No... don't go, please..."

"What is it?"

Dunk clung to Joong's arm, trembling.

"I'm scared... hic... the house shook earlier... it was really scary..."

"It's okay, baby. I'm right here. But you have to get dressed first, alright?"

Seeing that Dunk wouldn't let go of his arm, Joong had no choice but to piggyback him.. blanket and all—while fetching some clothes. He grabbed an oversized T-shirt and a pair of shorts; once Dunk put them on, he looked like a tiny little kid drowning in fabric.

"Do I look... weird in this?"

"Nope. Not wearing anything would be weird."

"I couldn't find anything else..."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Are you hungry?"

"Yeah... I want tiramisu."

"Well, lucky you. I left some in the fridge."

The reason Dunk asked for it was because he had seen it sitting in the fridge earlier. He'd been hinting about it for days, so Joong had someone track it down immediately. It wasn't easy, though ..some of his colleagues had already caught wind of the presence of an S+ bloodline.

"Hey Dunk... I might have to go out for a day or two soon. You'll stay home with the boys, alright? I'll try to be back as soon as I can."

"Nooo, I wanna go with you..."

"You can't, it's too dangerous. I promised to keep you safe, remember?"

"But..."

"Shh, be good. I love you. I'll be back soon, okay?"

Dunk's face clearly fell, but he didn't argue anymore. Deep down, he knew Joong had to get to the bottom of who was behind his parents' disappearance.

The day came faster than expected. Joong waited until Dunk was fast asleep to slip out—afraid that if he saw those teary eyes again, he wouldn't be able to bring himself to leave.

Before leaving, Joong gave the boys a strict rundown of everything they needed to do and of course, they adored Dunk just as much as he did, so they nodded without complaint. He left with a large backpack, an old car pulled from storage, and only the essentials for emergencies.

The trip was supposed to last two days. Accompanying Joong was Oat- his most loyal subordinate. To Oat, Joong was more than a boss; he was like a brother, a father...the one who had saved his life from total ruin.

Halfway through the first day, Joong still made time to call and check in on Dunk. Things seemed fine, so he could relax a little. But by the end of the day, it sounded like Dunk had been crying and refused to let anyone into the room. It broke Joong's heart, but he was too far away to do anything but wait.

By midday on the second day, he called again. Just a few gentle words were enough to soothe Dunk and get him to eat a little.

But by the end of that second day....Oat returned home in a state that could only be described as half-alive... half-dead.
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Sapo🇻🇳 (21:57/ 270525)