[ BEGONIA ] + p.jm

LOVE MAZE ( 사랑의 미로 )

" You can run away from yourself so often, and so much, just because the broken pieces of you cut your feet too deeply if you stay around for too long. But then what if someone were to come along and pick up those pieces for you? Then you wouldn't have to run away from yourself anymore. You could stop running. If someone sees you as something worth staying with— maybe you'll stay with yourself, too. "

-C. JoyBell C.

A week had passed since Kim Nana had escaped the hospital, and Park Jinyoung was still looking for her. A day after the police had come to his hospital interrogating his staff, he held a heavy feeling in his heart. The man noticed that not only his patient had been missing, but his nephew was also gone.

" I should have never accepted to let him take care of Nana in the first place. " He sighed.

He quickly realized what had happened.

The missing footage and his nephew's rebellion, everything made sense to him now. Though he couldn't let anyone discover his nephew's mistake.

Nevertheless, he had no choice but to find them both. That man had let her in his hands, and her condition was his responsibility. Park Jinyoung had to find them.

Should he call that person to ask for help?

As he laid his eyes outside, he observed the patients of his hospital walking around the garden. He then reached out for his phone and started looking for that person's number. When he found it, he clicked on the ID caller and put his phone near his ear.

One ring, two rings, three rings, four rings-

As the man thought that no one would pick up and hang up, a familiar voice startled him.

" Hello? Park Jinyoung? "

The man cleared his throat before he replied, " Ah, yes, it's me, sir. I uh...I'm meeting some kind of problem right now, and I was wondering if I would ask for your help? "

There was a long silence.

" Talk. "

He tried to explain as he walked around his office, " One of my patients has gone missing, and I'm asking for your help to find her- "

" Jinyoung, " Calmly called out the man's name. " Is this why you are disturbing me right now? It's your hospital, why do I have to help you find an escaped patient? It's not even the first time. "

" Ah, yes, I understand. However, Nana is no simple patient. She is that person's daughter. Kim Hana. "

" Kim Hana? " Repeated the man.

Park Jinyoung nodded his head as he nervously paced around. " Yes, her name must ring you a bell, right? " He heard the man humming. " Well, that patient is her daughter. You are aware of that child's condition, aren't you? Which makes her my responsibility. I have to find that child. Not only for her but for Jimin too. "

" Jimin? You nephew? "

" Yes. " Affirmed Park Jinyoung. " That kid has been missing at the same time as Nana. I'm afraid he is the one who took her. "

Silence.

The man from the other end of the line wondered if it was worth his time to intervene in this affair. Yet, he knew that if he didn't, it could turn wrong for the director of the mental hospital. He couldn't leave the man alone after all, he was still an essential pawn in his game.

" Very well, I will ask a few people to keep an eye around. I will keep you update. "

Content to get the response he hoped for, the man sincerely thanked the other man and invited him for 'a cup of tea' whenever he was free before he hunged up.

He sighed in relief as he stared at his phone screen.

" What are you doing, Jimin? "

Suddenly, the director got cut off his thought when he heard a knock on his office door. When he heard it was Dr. Jin, he allowed him to enter.

" You called for me, sir? "

The man nodded before he mentioned to the brown-haired male to sit across him.

" How is it going? Have things calmed down between the staff and the patients? "

The young man nodded his head before he replied, " Somehow, yes. Rumors are still going around, but they are slowly dying out. "

" How about Jimin? Does anyone know he had also gone missing? "

Dr. Jin shook his head, " No, everyone believes you sent him to Seoul for a medical conference to represent our hospital. Thankfully, no one noticed both disappeared at the same time. "

The man lowered his head, deep in thoughts while Dr. Jin was silently watching him, trying to decipher what the black-haired man was thinking. Then, suddenly, his eyes met with his.

" I'm sorry to have asked you to lie to our staff, Seokjin, and thank you. "

A warm feeling warped the young man's heart as he heard the director thanking him. " No, I'm simply doing my job as a member of this hospital. "

The old man nodded. " Has... " He trialed. " Has Jimin called? "

Dr. Jin fell silent before he carefully replied, " No, sir. I have not received any calls from him. "

The man sighed, " He isn't even answering your calls to? "

" No..."

" Okay. You can go, Seokjin. "

The young man respectfully bowed to his elder before he left his office. For a moment, he laid his back against the door as a sigh escaped his plump lips. He then started to walk away before he grabbed his phone from his pocket to look at his phone contact list.

In his vast mind, Seokjin recalled his enigmatic relationship with Jimin. The two men had never really gotten along together, they even lived on by ignoring each other existence. At least, that's what Park Jinyoung had thought so far.

In reality, Seokjin didn't have any hard feelings against the young man, but somehow Jimin seemed to believe so. It might have been because of Seokjin's peculiar personality, or maybe of his lack of attention toward the man. Either way, he seemed to pay the price for it now.

The brown-haired male scrolled through his contact until landed at Jimin's ID caller. He clicked, and as usual, he fell on Jimin's message call.

" What are you, you dummy? "

x