Our Little Dorm Mother

Chapter 19- In Denial

Suho jumped up the sound of the front door opening. "They're back!" he shouted. Kai and Sehun jolted up from their napping positions on the sofa.

Suho watched expectantly as Chanyeol and D.O sauntered into the common area, their heads hanging low. He looked behind Chanyeol who had come in last. "Where's Nami-ah?" he asked, half-expecting her to jump out from her hiding place.

D.O shook his head. "We didn't find her."

Chanyeol sat down on the sofa and covered his face with his hands. "We looked for her everywhere. We even asked Suji's driver to ask around for her but, no one said they'd seen her."

Suho watched as D.O sat down gloomily on the sofa. His brows were knitted so tightly together that it made deep creases on his forehead. "Nami-ah could be anywhere. I just hope that she's okay."

"Did you manage to get hold of Xiumin-hyung?" Chanyeol asked, his hopes lifting for a minute.

Suho shook his head. "It went straight to voicemail again."

Chanyeol sighed.

"They'll be back home soon though, hyung," Sehun said, trying to stay optimistic. "Maybe Little Umma might have contacted him? Or maybe she's with them right now?"

"Yeah, that could be a possibility," Kai said, supporting Sehun.

Suho was unsure. "But in case she hadn't, I think that we should file a missing person's report."

All the members in the room turned to Suho. Hearing him say those words made the fear in their gut feel more real.

"We can't file one of those unless Little Umma's been missing for at least twenty-four hours" Sehun informed him.

"How long has it been since she was missing?" Suho asked Chanyeol.

Chanyeol murmured, "Almost five hours."

D.O looked at the clock. It was turning ten in the evening. He stood up abruptly and started pacing around to calm his nerves. With each step he took, he prayed that Nami was safe somewhere as if by engaging in this strange ritual, he would be able to conjure her back safely to the dorm.

Unable to sit still, Chanyeol got up and joined D.O in his pacing.

"Will you two quit it?" Kai complained to them both. "Seeing you two do that is making me anxious."

"I just can't keep still and do nothing" D.O replied, his pace quickening.

Suho looked at the pair sympathetically. "Look. It's already late. Pacing around here isn't going to bring her back. We should all get some rest now and maybe she will turn up in the morning."

"How can you go to sleep knowing Nami-ah is still missing?" D.O retorted.

Suho was startled at D.O's sudden outburst. "I know you're upset D.O-ah but we have to stay calm. All of us have had a long day and we all need to get some rest for tomorrow."

D.O glanced at the others and saw that Sehun and Kai had worn expressions on their faces. "You guys can go to sleep. I'll wait up for Xiumin-hyung and the others."

"I'll wait for them too" Chanyeol added.

Suho sighed at them both. "Okay, then. Suit yourselves."

Chanyeol watched as Suho made his way upstairs along with Sehun and Kai. He glanced at D.O who continued to pace around the common room like a possessed monk as he was muttering something under his breath with each step. He turned his attention to the window and glanced at the pitch-black sky outside.