Forget-me-not

Seungmin

Seungmin hated that he was right. The cops didn't do shit to help Cynthia. He called them the day after the wellness check. The officer he spoke to told him that Hyunjin and him misread the situation. Cynthia was fine and being well taken care of. 

Seungmin wasn't sure what that meant. The snippets of Cynthia that Hyunjin had seen and heard, she was miserable. He knew that whatever the case, it was bad. It had been nearly a week since Hyunjin last heard from Cynthia. 

Hyunjin kept going down to the river whenever he could, hoping to find Cynthia. Even the rest of the guys had started to go when they could. Even Seungmin went a few times. They snuck there between practices. Before their schedules in the early morning and even afterwards in the late evening. No matter what time they went, Cynthia never showed up. 

Seungmin even went to the flower shop to talk to Cynthia's boss. He gave him his personal cell phone number, so he could contact him in case she came around. It was almost like Cynthia had disappeared without a trace. 

The only thing that was giving him a little hope was Flora's car in the parking lot of the apartment complex. As long as it was there, it meant that Cynthia was there too. They had no idea what was happening, but, at least, she was there. 

"Any updates?" Changbin asked. 

Seungmin was sitting with Changbin and Lee Know at the JYP canteen area. The three of them had scoped out a table between dance practice and a recording session. A bowl of Tteokbokki sat in front of him. He kept picking up the pieces of rice cake with chopsticks before letting them fall back into the white bowl. 

"Nope. Cynthia is still missing. She won't respond to Hyunjin's messages or my messages or I.N's messages and not Felix's or Chan's either. Nobody has seen her and by the time we're off work, Flora is there. I tried to get up early to rescue her with Hyunjin, but by the time Flora leaves for work, we're already here." 

"So why don't you take a day off and then go find her?" Lee Know offered. 

"Tried that. Flora has been hanging out there. I'm not sure what she's doing, but I don't like it. I took off one day and Hyunjin took off another day. Flora has been there twenty-four-seven as far as we know." 

Changbin's lips pressed together in a scowl. Even Lee Know looked stumped. If the guys tried to invade Flora's apartment, if she looked through the peephole, she'd never open up the door. Even if she did talk to them, it'd lead to a fight. 

The last thing they needed was Flora drawing attention to them in the complex hallway. People had a knack for not minding their own business. If they were filmed, it might end up online. It was a disaster and a scandal waiting to happen. 

Things were already tense at the company. A comeback date was just settled upon. The guys had three months to finalize everything before a tour was going to be announced. Over the next three months, they'd be traveling to film interviews for their promotions. That only made it harder to find time to rescue Cynthia. 

"I don't know what to do," Seungmin finally admitted. "It feels like a lost cause at this point. I just..." He trailed off and shrugged. "I don't know." 

"Well, this fucking sucks," Lee Know mumbled. 

"I want to tell her everything. All I have to do now is find her. It shouldn't be that hard, but it is. It makes me feel like a piece of shit. I have no idea what Flora's up to now. If she's been home all the time constantly, it can't be good." 

Changbin's head perked up. "Hey! What if you tried to find her at the hospital during her doctor appointments? That'd work, right?" 

Seungmin stayed quiet for a moment considering it. 

"Hypothetically, it would, but I doubt he knows when her appointments are. Besides, the hospital has hospital security. You probably won't be able to find out due to patient privacy and everything." Lee Know slumped back in his seat. "It was a good idea though." 

Seungmin shoved his bowl to the center of the table. He crossed his arms over each other and placed his head down on them. "I shouldn't have left her alone at the hospital. I should have sucked it up and told Flora to fuck off." 

His cheek pressed into his outer arm. He frowned as he stared out along the canteen. A few other people were eating in the area. For the most part, the three of them were isolated from everyone else. The newest trainee group had opted to eat over on the other side of the room. 

Lee Know reached over and gently rubbed Seungmin's back. "You didn't know it was going to turn into this. You were mourning too. You can't beat yourself up over something like that. It's only going to make you feel worse." 

"I feel like the world's worst boyfriend." 

"The world's worst boyfriend?" Changbin scoffed, not realizing how loud his voice was getting. "That's Hwang Hyunjin. He's been ignoring me and giving Felix all his love and attention instead. What am I? I'm Seo Changbin! Am I that forgettable?" 

"Changbin, I think yo-" 

Changbin continued and cut Lee Know off. "I'll just have to go out and get him flowers. I'll have to buy fancy art supplies and win his love back. I have to compete with Felix's brownies somehow. I'll buy him his favorite food." 

Realizing how silent the area was, Seungmin finally sat back up. Over in the distance, the trainee group looked somewhat shocked as they stared at the trio. His face went red at the sudden attention. Changbin finally realized his loud voice carried across the way. He grimaced at the realization. 

"What are you looking at? Do you have a problem with love?" Lee Know's voice raised. "There's nothing wrong with loving who you love." 

The group of trainees looked like they had seen a ghost. Being addressed by an older member from such a prestigious group was something they hadn't expected to happen. The boys all shared equally fearful looks until someone nodded like they were agreeing with him. 

A blonde haired boy cleared his throat and apologized. Lee Know chuckled remembering how terrifying and anxiety-inducing his own trainee days were. "No need. Someone over here just can't control his big mouth. Is training going well?" 

"Yeah, it's tough, but we can do it." 

"That's the spirit. Enjoy the rest of your meal. If you need any advice or anything, just let us know." 

The boy thanked him and the group went back to eating. Seungmin stared at them for a few more moments until his eyes went back to Lee Know. He was eating his food without a care in the world. "What was that about?" He asked. 

"What? There's nothing wrong with giving trainees good advice. Do you have a problem with that, Kim Seungmin? Don't make me come over there and give you some affection." 

"Keep your paws to yourself." 

"Want some added kisses, Seungminnie?" Changbin cooed as he puckered his lips. 

"I have a girlfriend!" 

"I'm sure Cynthia won't mind sharing." 

"You two are impossible to deal with." 

Changbin and Lee Know glanced at each other and all they could do was laugh.