Wren draped his own coat over Atlas to shield him from the prying eyes of the neighbors as they carried him through the back entrance of the flat. He sharply commanded his parents' personnel, "Bring my personal doctor here. And get Jae. Now."
Once inside, Wren brought out a basin of water and wet towels as he washed Atlas. He scrubbed the filth and the lingering scents of that basement off Atlas's skin. Every fiber of his being was filled with a rage that was only suppressed by his overwhelming fear for Atlas's life.
Wren knew Atlas and knew this wasn't his doing.
After Atlas was washed up, Wren dressed him in a loose shirt and pants, and then waited for the doctor and Jae to arrive.
Jae was the first to appear, his expression one of pure confusion. He had been given strict orders by Wren never to visit this flat, yet he was summoned here. The moment his eyes landed on Atlas, his face became grim. "Anything you need, Master Baek," he whispered. "I'm here."
The family doctor, a man who had known Wren since he was a child, arrived shortly after. His face turned pallid when he saw the state of the young man on the bed. He performed a thorough physical examination and drew blood for testing.
"He's stable, but in a dangerously deep sleep, likely from heavy drug usage," the doctor explained. "I'll be back tomorrow with more answers. For tonight, you must watch him carefully. Make sure he's breathing and make sure he doesn't choke in his sleep." He paused, looking at Wren with pity. "He is very lucky you found him when you did. Who knows what might have happened otherwise."
Wren took the first watch, staring at Atlas until his eyes burned. Later, he switched with Jae, eventually collapsing into a light sleep on the edge of the bed. He kept a deliberate distance, terrified that in his sleep, he might accidentally suffocate Atlas.
The next morning, the doctor returned with a grave face. "There were several different drugs in his system. I had to use the hospital facilities to run the tests. It was the only way to get answers this quickly."
"What drugs?" Wren asked in anger.
"We haven't received the full toxicology report yet," the doctor replied. "But so far, we've identified aphrodisiacs,stimulants, painkillers, and drugs meant to trigger aggression."
The sound of Wren's hand slamming against the wooden table startled the doctor and Jae.
"Master Baek, please, you'll injure yourself," Jae said, stepping forward.
Wren turned to Jae with eyes full of rage. "Jae, did you know about this? Did you have any part in this?"
"I swear on my life, I did not," Jae said. "If I am lying, you can cut off all my fingers. I would never partake in something so..." He stopped when he saw the first tears finally well up in Wren's eyes.
The doctor spoke up, trying to diffuse the tension. "Wren, you did the right thing by calling me. I've brought IV drips and ointments for his skin. Once his system detoxes, he will wake up. I'll set the drip now and check back this evening. Don't touch the drip. You haven't been taught how to work these in school yet, have you?"
Wren simply shook his head, unable to find his voice.
"I am so sorry this happened to your friend," the doctor added softly. "We will do everything we can."
"He's not my friend," Wren choked out. "He's my partner."
The doctor gave a small, sad smile. "He's lucky to have you. I'll be back tonight. If anything changes, send Jae for me immediately."
After the doctor left, Wren collapsed onto the floor and began to sob violently. It was the sound of someone being broken from the inside out. Jae sat beside him silently, unsure of what to say—there was nothing he could say. He simply reached out and patted Wren's back. Wren leaned into him as his sobs grew louder.
Over the next few days, the flat was quiet. Jae prepared meals that Wren barely touched. They took turns watching over Atlas. Every evening, the doctor returned to check the IV and monitor Atlas's recovery.
On the fifth day, Atlas finally stirred. He was disoriented. "Wren? Is that you?" he mumbled, his eyes half-closed. "I'm scared." He reached out blindly, searching for Wren's hands.
Wren caught Atlas's hands and held them with a desperate tightness. He pressed kiss after kiss on Atlas's knuckles. "I'm here, Atlas. I'm right here."
As the days passed, Atlas recovered slowly, but only bits and pieces of his memories remained. He could only recall that it was dark and cold, and that he was terrified.
When Atlas asked what had happened, Wren couldn't tell him the truth. He couldn't bear to see Atlas's reaction. He knew Atlas would find a way to blame himself. Instead, Wren told him that there had been an accident, and Jae had helped settle everything.
Jae went along with it. It wasn't his place to intervene, and he understood that Wren was only trying to protect Atlas.
Wren and Atlas missed two weeks of school. Jae had spoken to the school and brought back notes and assignments. They spent their time studying and making up for the missed classes. It seemed life had gone back to normal. But the flat, which was once their safe haven, now felt haunted.
Every time Wren looked at Atlas, he saw the basement. He saw the naked, limp bodies on the floor, the bruises on Atlas's body, and the woman laughing in her drug-induced haze.
As a consequence, Wren discovered that for the time being, he could not be intimate with Atlas. When Atlas touched him, he remembered how fragile and broken Atlas had looked on that mattress. He was terrified that any touch from him would somehow break him.
"I'll let you be on top," Atlas begged one evening. "Or I'll be on top. Whatever you want, Wren. Just... please."
In their relationship, the concepts of top and bottom didn't really exist. It had never mattered. They simply went with the flow, moving in sync with one another.
"I just don't feel well, Atlas," Wren lied, looking away.
"I can tell when you're lying," Atlas protested. "Is it about my accident? The doctor said I'm fine. I am fine." He grew quiet. "Or... do you not love me anymore?"
"No! No, Atlas, it's not that," Wren replied immediately. "I'm just stressed. I'm tired."
Wren wasn't entirely lying. He was living in a constant state of paranoia and was always on high-alert. He was wary of his parents, wondering when they'd strike again. They hadn't reached out to him and that silence was even more terrifying.
"I'm sorry," Atlas whispered, hugging Wren tightly as if he could close the invisible distance growing between them. "You've been different since my accident. You're more… withdrawn. And you jump at every sound… It's all my fault. If I had just been more careful, none of this would have happened."
"Nonsense," Wren snapped, his heart breaking. "None of this is your fault. It's all in my head, Atlas. Only in my head."
Eventually, they returned to their classes. Weeks passed, and while Atlas had recovered, Wren remained closed off. He loved Atlas, he knew he did. But Wren felt as if something inside himself had changed.
After a particularly challenging exam, there was a celebration planned for the medical students who had passed the exam. Wren and Atlas had agreed to meet at the flat before heading out together. But when Wren arrived home, the flat was empty.
At first, Wren's heart skipped a beat. This was a common occurrence since the kidnapping. It was only when Atlas returned that Wren could breathe again.
But, now, as two hours turned into three, Wren began to panic. His vision blurred and made the room feel as though it were closing in on him. He tried to think of all the possible reasons why Atlas had not returned.
Perhaps he's studying at the library. Maybe he already went to the celebration. Maybe… he got tired of me… Wren got up and frantically rummaged through the house to check if Atlas things were all still there. They were.
Wren waited until past midnight before he began pounding on neighbors' doors. He looked like a madman, his eyes wild as he asked them if they had seen his partner. Seeing the terror and desperation on his face, they didn't turn him away. They simply told him they had not seen him and quietly shut the door behind them.