Returning from Shenzhen to the dorm in Seoul, we felt a sense of relaxation after the holiday. Members arrived one after another, each bringing their own snacks and specialties from home, exchanging brief experiences and discoveries. The dorm finally had a rare, lively atmosphere.

Ouyangguang changed into his familiar practice clothes and prepared to start a new round of rehearsals. He glanced around the dormitory and casually asked Park Chanyeol, who was unpacking kimchi, "Has Brother Fan come back yet?"

Chanyeol stuffed his mouth with kimchi and shook his head vaguely: "No, he said the flight is tonight."

Brother Ouyang went to the set to film all day on the 14th.

As the evening wore on, a subtle restlessness began to spread silently among the members, like a water stain. Wu Yifan, who had originally promised to return to the group for the final practice that evening, remained nowhere to be seen until nightfall.

Manager Zhenxu's face looked a little gloomy since the evening. He kept calling one after another. At first, no one answered, and then the phone turned off and sounded.

"Maybe the plane is delayed?" Jin Junmyeon tried to ease the atmosphere, but his voice was filled with hesitation that he himself didn't quite believe.

"There should be a message later!" Zhenxu grabbed his hair in frustration, nearly crushing his phone. "Tomorrow is the Gwangju book signing event, with hundreds of fans waiting! He can't possibly not know the seriousness of the matter!"

The music in the practice room had long since stopped, and the air was stagnant and stagnant. The members were either sitting or standing, no one was talking, only the sound of Hyunwoo's pacing footsteps and the occasional busy tone of the phone, which was still unanswered.

Ouyangguang sat on the floor, leaning against the wall. Sweat dripped down his temples, bringing a chill to his face. He looked at Jinxu's anxious back, at the worry and vague suspicions that could not be concealed on the faces of the other members, and his heart felt like it was being slowly tightened by an invisible hand.

A familiar, cold premonition, like an undercurrent beneath the deep water, quietly engulfed him.

When was the last time you lost contact and had your phone turned off?

Memories flooded back uncontrollably. Same holiday, same unannounced loss of contact, then some gossip, an urgent company meeting, members shocked, bewildered, even with painful looks of betrayal... That one guess nearly crushed them, who were just starting out.

No.

Ouyang Guang closed his eyes tightly, trying to dispel the images in his mind.

The group is becoming popular now, isn't it?

They are all more mature and stable than before, and are more aware of the responsibilities on their shoulders.

But why can't the call go through? Why isn't there even a single message?

Time slipped away, slipping into the night. Hope, like a deflated balloon, gradually deflated. Jin-wook's face had turned dark enough to drip water. He walked to a corner and began speaking in a low, hurried, and solemn voice to a higher-up at the company.

"Kris hyung..." Do Kyungsoo spoke softly, breaking the suffocating silence, "Could...something unexpected have happened?" There was a barely perceptible tremor in his voice.

This sentence was like a needle that pierced the last layer of self-deception. Worry quickly turned to another, more terrifying direction.

"Let me check the flight information!" Ouyang Guang immediately took out his phone, his fingers swiping rapidly, his brows furrowed. "No... no news of any delays or accidents from Canada tonight..."

It's not an accident.

The remaining possibility, like a huge, cold stone, weighed heavily on everyone's heart.

Ouyangguang lowered his head. He recalled the brief words of advice his father gave him when he handed him the heavy pen in their study in Shenzhen: "Grow up. Be more responsible in the future."