A/N: Possible ****TRIGGER WARNING**** for this chapter. I originally just wanted to write a romcom, but what is Mystic Messenger with a little drama and trauma? ^^; (nothing as intense as seen in game, though!)

Jumin's POV

I am struggling not to scream at my father even as he walks out the door. Not only was he saying infuriating things about this wife situation I got myself into, but he repeatedly insulted Zen, and most importantly he… he interrupted us.

'So from now on, please don't hold back.' My mind reels with the memory of that flushed, nervous look on his face. The way his hand reached up and brushed back my hair, as if in slow motion. The tingling feeling that I felt straight down to my groin when he brushed my ear with his fingers…

I need to know what Zen's reply is. I can't dare to let myself hope until he says it plainly.

So before the door even clicks shut, I am already spinning on my heels, looking for him.

Not here. Perhaps he's in the bathroom. I check, and no, he's not. Walking back to the living room, Elizabeth the 3rd is sitting by the front door. When she sees me, she cries out a soft, pitiful mew.

"What's wrong Elizabeth? Did you want my father to say hello to you?" I stoop down and give her two quick pets. "I'm sorry. I can't comfort you right now. I need to speak with Zen."

But when I stand, surveying my condo again, I realize that he's not here. He's. Not. Here. Panic rises inside me, and I run to the back room. Did he slip past me?

"Zen?"

Is he hiding under the bed?

"Zen?!"

I double check the bathroom. The kitchen. Behind the couch.

"ZEN?!"

Everywhere but… My eyes fix on the front door, the mahogany slab looking larger, darker, and more ominous than a door ever should.

I rush over and swing it open.

"Did he leave?" I roar my question at the guard. He looks at me nervously, but doesn't speak. So I ask again, but with even greater malice. "Did you let him leave?"

The guard flinches, then answers timidly. "Sir… Zen left while you were speaking with the Chairman. Since the stalker has been arrested and detained, the containment order had been dropped. I recommended he stay, but he left in-"

"Find him." I bite out. "NOW."

I storm back inside and begin to pace wildly. What happened? Why did he leave? My eyes land on his suitcase. He left in such a hurry he didn't even grab his things…?

I pull out my phone and dial his number.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

God, what is this torture? Just let him answer. Let him be okay.

"Hi, Jumin," his soft voice murmurs through the phone.

"Zen," I sigh in exasperated relief. "Where are you? I'll send someone to get you."

"Don't," he answers quickly. "Thank you for letting me stay there the past few days, but I think now that the stalker is caught, there's really no reason for me to keep staying with you."

The swell of pressure and numb cold that overtakes me is what I imagine it would be like falling into a frozen lake.

In a hoarse voice, I say, "But Luciel said-"

"I know what Seven said," he interrupts. "I will be fine. So you can call off your dogs, okay? I need some space right now."

"Space?" I croak. "No, Zen, before my father came, you told me not to hold back, and I-"

"It was a mistake," he interrupts me again.

I swear my heart stops beating.

"I'll be gone now, and you can get back to focusing on your life. So don't worry about me. And," he pauses, then mutters, "I hope you find the happiness you are looking for."

The line clicks off.

No, NO, that can't be it. This doesn't make any sense.

I dial him again, but it goes straight to voicemail. No. I try again. Voicemail. He turned off his phone?!

Sorrow and pain and rage fill me until every molecule of my being feels as if it is shaking. I want to scream. Need to scream. But all that comes out of me are a few heartbroken tears.

Zen's POV

I walk through the roads of Seoul for what must be hours, judging by the setting of the sun. My first stop had been a convenience store, where I bought a pack of Black Angel cigarettes. I usually try not to smoke too many at once, but I've already burned through a quarter of the pack.

I can't help it. I need something to take the edge off. Something to make this aching pain go away, even if just for a minute.

When I finally near the complex my apartment is in, my steps slow to a dragging pace. I don't actually want to go home. I want to go back to Jumin's and have him hold me and tell me it was all a misunderstanding. But is that possible? What is the truth of his feelings?

He is seeking out a wife - that seems pretty clear. And if I just look at what he's said, then I have no real evidence of his feelings. He repeatedly called me a 'close friend.' Said he didn't want to lose our 'friendship.' His poetic words of admiration could mean something, but also might not. They are not that different from the fan letters I receive… right? But they made me feel different.

I press my hands to each side of my head and groan.

"Why is this so difficult? It's all because it's Jumin fucking Han!"

I kick a rock at my feet and watch as it rolls to the stoop of my basement apartment. I gaze at the door, but can't bring myself to get any closer. But as I stare, I notice a small, subdued red light blinking by an out of place brick. Squinting, I spot a security camera. Ah, this must be how Seven was monitoring things. I sigh.

"I suppose, despite my feelings, I should at least be very thankful to Jumin and Seven for their hard work protecting me."

I close my eyes and tilt my chin toward the sky. I need to forget my feelings. It was only a few days, after all. I should call Jumin tomorrow, after I calm down, and thank him properly.

With another heaving sigh, I put my hand to my hip.

"Well, if I'm not ready to go home, I should go enjoy myself on my bike," I mumble to myself. After being cooped up for days, having the wind on my face and going somewhere fast sounds nice.

I keep my motorcycle in a covered parking garage a few blocks away. It is not in the greatest part of town, but the rent is cheap, and they have security cameras to deter people causing trouble.

When I get close, I notice a couple of tents set up across the street in the abandoned ally. Seems like an odd place for homeless people to set up. I see some movement inside and look away, not wanting to stare.

"Ah, I'm so happy to see you!" I cheer when I see my bike.

I rush up to it and run my hands along the seat.

Something flashes out of the corner of my eye, and I move just in time to dodge out of the way of an arm flinging at my face.

"Woah!" I jump back, turning to look at whoever just tried to lay a hand on me.

To my surprise, it's a young woman. A fan? I question. But her disposition isn't bouncy and flirty like most of my fan girls. No, the first thing I notice as my eyes rake over her is her posture, wild and assertive, like a rabid animal. She is tall for a woman, but thin. Her clothes, what once was likely a cute date night outfit, are rumpled and dirty. And her face… Knotted hair falls over a deranged expression of manic glee. Huge, toothy smile. Wide, unblinking eyes with dilated pupils. As if that weren't enough, I finally notice her hand, the one that came flying at my face. It's holding something white - a cloth.

Oh, shit. Oh, SHIT. This is not good.

"Zen," she laughs, "come here, silly. We've been waiting for you."

We?!

I look past the girl now, and see more quickly approaching. Two, no, three more. A tingling heat rises up my back as my heart beats out of my chest. In no time at all, I'm surrounded. I spin on my heels, looking at each of them with rising panic. Thankfully, the other three have more timid posture. But their eyes… they all have those same feral eyes.

How am I going to get out of this? I think, my mind racing with desperation. They're fans, right? Maybe I can placate them.

"Hello, ladies," I say, trying to suppress some of my terror and maintain my usual charms. "Are you all here for autographs?"

"No, silly," the one to my left giggles.

"We're here to take you home," says another.

"We've missed you, husband."

What?! If the alarm bells weren't already going off in my mind, they were now. These women plan to take me away? And play house? With all of them?!

"You've been a very naughty husband," the first woman says, her voice sending chills down my spine. "You've been gone for so long. Is it not enough to have all of us? You need more?"

"Oh, don't mind her," one soothes, coming up and wrapping her arm around mine as if we're boyfriend-girlfriend. "Min may be angry, but the rest of us are just so happy to have you back."

"No fair, Sook, I want to hold him too!"

And before I know it, all four women are on me at all sides, pressing into me as their hands go wild. Elated giggles and groans surround me, and I suddenly feel the urge to vomit.

Shit. FUCK. What do I do? Can I fight them all off? My thoughts whirl. Where is the nearest police station? Can I outrun them? But what if I can't get away? If they get that cloth on my face… who knows what will happen. But then I remember the camera at my apartment. The one that Seven is monitoring, waiting for… someone like these girls to show up. Shit. If I can just get there… if they're with me, Seven will see and call the police. Right?

I force my eyes shut, ready to open them and put on the hardest performance of my life.

"Ladies, now now, I'm sorry I've been gone for a while. Shall we all head back home?"

"Eee!" they squeal in unison.

"But first, I need to stop back at my apartment and grab a few things." I try to move through them.

"Your apartment is off limits," the first girl snaps at me, her wide eyes narrowing.

"Yeah… Gyeong tried to get a few things from your place a few days ago, and they arrested her!" another adds.

"As if she was doing anything wrong…" mumbles another. "The world just isn't ready for our relationship, I guess."

"Ah, I see," I say, struggling to keep my voice from shaking, "but now that I'm here, there won't be any confusion. They can't possibly arrest you when I, myself, am letting you in, right?"

God, it's such a lie. But what else can I do? This is not going to end well for me.

"That's true! Oh boy, let's go!"

"I bet the whole place smells like you," the girl to my left says, then draws a long sniff up my body.

I try to turn my cringe into a smile as we all walk together like a gelatinous blob towards my apartment. Okay. So far so good.

"I'll go first," I say, stepping up to the door. I fiddle with my keys in the lock for longer than necessary as I stare pleadingly into the camera lens. HELP ME. I mouth the words in an exaggerated fashion over and over again.

"Do you need help, puddin'?" one of the girls offers.

"No, I got it."

My time seems to be up. I hope upon hope that Seven has seen me on his screens and is calling the cops. Unlatching the door, I swing it open, and welcome my stalkers inside.

Jumin's POV

Everything about me feels empty. I've been laying on the floor, staring at the ceiling, for at least an hour. And yet I don't feel bored. In fact, I'd rather feel empty than the pain that was surging through me earlier. When I tried to lay on my bed, the ache of his absence rung through me. When I tried to sit on the couch, even the memory of his annoyance at its discomfort filled me with longing.

No, this is better. To lay here on the floor like the empty shell that I am.

And to think that I felt so close. So close. Just before my father arrived, it felt like he was trying to tell me he liked me - that we were a possibility. But then he left. And said it was a mistake. What does it mean? What does it all mean?

The soft classical melody of my R.F.A. ringtone begins in my pocket, and I jolt up. Is it Zen? I open my phone only to see 707 flashing across the screen.

"What, Luciel?" I ask flatly.

"Jumin! Is Zen not with you?!"

"No," I answer, concern coming over me at Luciel's manic tone. "He left a few hours ago."

"What?! I told him not to leave yet! Damn it!"

"Luciel?" I shout. "What's going on?"

"Get your security to Zen's place right away. I already called the cops, but I didn't want to believe it. Zen just walked into his apartment with four women, begging for help into the camera. I think they're all stalkers."

"WHAT?" I scream, standing hastily as a cold sweat breaks out across my skin.

"I know the cops are on their way, but sometimes your security can be faster, so send them quickly, okay? I gotta go. I'm going to see if I can monitor the situation from here."

The line clicks off. I take two seconds to process as I stand wide eyed and panting. Then I set my jaw, fist my hands, and settle into business.

My feet pound as I hurry to my door and swing it wide.

"Get everyone you have to Zen's apartment, immediately," I command. "Four female stalkers have Zen inside."

The two security guards' eyes go wide. Then in a flash, the head officer is on his radio putting out a call with all of the details. Once he's done, he looks at me and adds, "I'm going to head things up. Mr. Han, please remain inside with your door locked until we settle this matter and can return."

"No. You're bringing me with you."

His brows furrow. "All do respect sir, it is safer if you remain here and let us do our jobs." He begins to head down the hallway.

I follow, and grab his arm, digging my fingers into his bicep without restraint. "I'm. Coming. With you."

He swallows and nods, staring at my hand laced around him. "Y-yes, sir."