As fit and healthy as a lot of us can be, climbing up the stairs was tiresome just after three flights. As soon as we reached the fifth floor, we stopped to take a breather.
"Who am I kidding?" said Zoey as she leaned upon the stair rail. "I'm so tired."
"Tell me about it," I said, taking in deep breaths.
"Do we really have to go all the way to the manager's office?" Jisoo asked. "Wasn't Lee making her way down when we called her?"
"She was," I answered. "If you ask me, we can start looking on this floor, or we can split."
"I say we stick together," said Seunghoon. "I've a feeling taking Johnny down will need some team effort."
"Spoken like you're leading the SWAT team," Mino teased. "Splitting up might be easier, but we're only a few of us, so we need to stick together."
"That's fine," I said. "I really wish we knew where she could be."
We heard footsteps coming from upstairs. We looked at each other before darting down the hall, to hide round a corner. Seunghoon who was close, took a peek. The footsteps grew louder.
"Can it be Johnny?" Zoey asked.
"I doubt it," Mino whispered who leaned against the wall next to her. "That sounds like a lot of steps."
"Ssh," Seunghoon whispered. "They're almost here."
We all became silent, and a lot of us held our breaths. The sound of footsteps became heavier. We could tell it's the security guards. We were lucky they didn't stop on the floor we are on as they continued down the stairs. As the sound of their footsteps grew fainter, we slowly started to relax.
"That was close," said Jisoo. "For a moment there, I thought they would come to this floor."
"Now the harder part begins," I said. "Finding Lee."
"Maybe you can call her again," Seunghoon suggested.
"Even if we do, and Johnny does have her, he'll know we're coming for him," said Mino.
"Are you saying we should look for her the old-fashioned way?"
"I think we call anyway," said Zoey. "He obviously knows that the only way to draw us out is if he has Lee."
"Or he might call us instead," said Jisoo.
"Well, he would've called first if he wanted to draw us out," I said as I held my phone in my hand.
"So what should we do?" Mino asked.
I put my phone back in the pocket. "We just have to look for her the old-fashioned way," I answered. "If we do call, he'll be expecting us and who knows what he might do."
"So you want to catch him off guard?" Jisoo asked. "Will that even work?"
"It will be bad for us if we call. That way he will know we're agitated."
"I like your thinking," said Zoey. "But then that means, we've to work quickly and find them."
"Let's start here, then," said Seunghoon.
"What's on this floor anyway?" I couldn't help but ask as I felt like the place is pretty much empty.
"There are rooms that were once used for practice till they moved them downstairs. They plan to renovate and make offices here," said Mino.
"Is this the only floor where renovations are taking place?" I stood in the middle of the hall to take a good look beyond.
"As far as I know, yes."
"This feels like the perfect place for Johnny to keep Lee. The place is quiet, and it's the only place where there's nobody around."
"Well, the bodyguards should've thought of that before bypassing this floor," said Zoey.
"Maybe they did, and they couldn't find anything to convince them that someone could be hiding here," said Jisoo.
"Well, let's see if we can find something," said Seunghoon. "But the rooms should be empty."
As we were about to make our way down the hall, I stopped. I hear something. Mino who went ahead of me, noticed and stopped also.
"Hey, are you okay?" he asked.
"Everyone, hide," I said quietly.
"What? Why?" Zoey asked, turning to look at me.
"Someone's coming," I answered.
We all paused. We could hear footsteps coming up the stairs. Likewise, we tiptoed quietly down to the first door down the hall. Seunghoon who is the first to reach it, opened the door and in a line, we all entered the dark room. The place smelt of dust and the air is stuffy. The windows haven't been open for a while.
Seunghoon is the last to enter and closes the door behind him. We're almost in the dark, but light came in through the translucent glass window on the door.
"Can we turn on the lights?" Jisoo asked in a whisper. "It's dark in here."
"We can't," said Seunghoon. "There's a translucent glass window on the door. If we turn on the lights, the person down the hall will tell someone is in here."
"Ssh," said Mino. "Do you hear that? The person is coming."
We all kept quiet. Who could it be? Could it be Johnny? What if it's one of the guards? If it's the latter, we'll be in big trouble and will be escorted back to the studio. If it's Johnny, we need to be careful.
Seunghoon slowly opened the door so as not to make a sound. The rest of us stood there, waiting for confirmation if the person out there is a threat.
We hear footsteps come closer, and I see the person through the glass, bypassing the door. I turn to look at Seunghoon to see any reaction on his face. Before I ask, he already made a move by drawing the door wide open and stepping into the hall.
"Hyung?" Seunghoon called out.
"Goodness, Seunghoon get back here!" Zoey whispered to him.
"Seunghoon?" came a familiar voice. "What are you doing here?"
"Don't worry, guys, it's GD," Seunghoon came back into the room to address us.
"Uh?" Zoey and I can't believe it.
"Oh, oppa," said Jennie stepping out of the room to join Seunghoon in the hall. "How did you find yourself here?"
Mino, Zoey and I also stepped out of the room. G-Dragon stood there in a red fresh paint jacket with a black jumpsuit and a white shirt on. He's just as surprised to see us.
"What are you all doing here?" GD asked. "Aren't you supposed to be recording in the studio?"
"Well, to answer your first question, we're out here trying to look for Johnny," said Zoey, folding her arms. "For the second one, we finished recording the song."
"Oh, that's good to hear. But I thought you were kept under guard."
"We were," said Mino. "But we had to sneak out to find Johnny."
"We think Johnny has Lee," I added. "She never came back to the studio. When we called, she said she ran into him, and she sounded like she was running away."
"That's not good," said GD. "I also came up here to try and find him."
"Really?" Zoey asked, raising an eyebrow. "How can we be so sure that you're looking for him?"
G-Dragon and so did the rest of us turn to look at her, wondering why she could ask such a question.
"Don't get me wrong, guys," said Zoey as she noticed the looks, "but didn't GD bring Johnny here in the first place? So how can we tell you aren't just going to lead us into a trap?"
"And why would I do that?" GD asked, not believing the words coming out of Zoey's mouth.
"Aren't the two of you best friends?"
"Not after what he has done."
"Yeah, right. We warned you about him, but you didn't listen to us, did you?"
"Zoey, enough," I intervened. "Telling him that we told him so right now isn't going to help us find Lee."
"If you ask me, he's to blame."
"I didn't know he was going to pull off something like this," G-Dragon defended himself.
"Wasn't the crowd he drew towards us last night evident enough that Johnny is crazy? Yet you brought him here on the grounds that you two are friends."
"Zoey, calm down," said Mino as he came and held her shoulders. "GD never knew Johnny would take things too far. We should listen to Sam and find Lee first."
"Fine," said Zoey. "But after we find Lee and Johnny should at least be arrested, I'll make sure to claw your face out, GD."
"Won't that also get you arrested?" Jisoo asked.
"I accept," said G-Dragon.
"With that on stand-by, what are you doing here GD?" I asked, turning to look at him. "Did Johnny communicate with you?"
"No, he hasn't," he answered. "I tried calling him a few times, and he hasn't replied. I thought of looking for him, but it's been difficult since the guards don't want anyone wandering around. I managed to get away as I was held in the lobby. Likewise, I thought of coming to this floor, since the rooms aren't being used."
"Well, you found us at the right time," said Seunghoon.
"Let's start looking in every room," I said. "And hope we get lucky."
"Well, they're definitely not in this one," said Zoey as she looked at the door of the room we were hiding in. She started her way down the hall, bypassing G-Dragon. I noticed the look she gave him.
"Someone will undoubtedly claw your face off when this is over," I said as I stood next to him. The others had gone ahead, following Zoey.
"Can't argue with her. I should've listened to you guys when you said he might not have changed after all these years."
"Oh, we know because he always gets to troll us all the time online."
"I'm sorry for not believing you at first."
"Don't apologize to me. You've to apologize to the rest of The Toxins, especially Zoey."
"No doubt."
"Come on, we better get moving."
GD and I join the search. Seunghoon and Jisoo had already entered one room. We approached the open door, and the lights were on. There isn't much in the room. There were a few things lying around and furniture that had been covered with white cloths to prevent the dust settling on it.
GD went ahead, and I followed him to the next room where there's Mino and Zoey. There were boxes and furniture covered in cloths all around.
"It seems they are about to set this place up," I said as I went back into the hall.
"Should we enter the next room?" GD asked.
"Sure."
GD went on ahead, opened the door and turned the lights on. He stood there as he looked, and I joined him. There's nothing much to see with only two carton boxes and pieces of paper on the floor.
"Nothing, here," he said as he slowly started to close the door. Then I caught a glimpse of something through the corner of my eye.
"Hey, wait," I said as I also held the door to stop GD from closing it. I draw it wide open and look inside the room. My attention is drawn towards the two large carton boxes.
"Sam, there's nothing here," said G-Dragon.
"I thought I saw the box move just now."
"Move? Aren't you just seeing things?"
The box did move. My eyes widened, and I turn to look at GD, whose mouth is agape. He saw it too.
"I'm going to see what's in there," I say as I enter the room.
Before I could go any further, I felt G-Dragon take hold of my hand. I stop and turn to look at him.
"I'm coming with you," he said.
I nodded. I turn towards the box in the room and the both of us slowly approach it. We pause at the same time when the box moved again. We continue our approach and as soon as we're close, I lean forward and find that the top of the box is covered. The box gently shook again. I draw out my hand to uncover the box but G-Dragon is quick to grab it to stop me from doing so.
"What are you doing?" he whispered. "What if there's something dangerous in there?"
"Well, whatever it is," I said, "it's pretty small."
"So? It might be a snake left there by Johnny."
"What makes you think there's a snake? Did you see him carry one?"
G-Dragon shook his head. "It could be anything in there."
A soft little 'meow' came from inside the box. I gave a mocking look at G-Dragon, and he scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. I went on to open the box and inside it is a small, black, furry kitten. It looked up at us with its cute, sparkling green eyes and meowed again.
"If I know Johnny, he wouldn't leave a cat in here to try and scare us," I said.
I bent over to get it out of the box. At first, it backed away into a corner and I knew I had to let it trust me first. I gently let my palm touch the top of its head and started to pet it. Soon enough, it purred and rubbed its ears around my hand. I soon brought in my other hand and lifted it out of the box.
"Wow, you're good with animals, aren't you?" GD asked as he continues to look on.
"Kittens aren't so bad," I said as I still held the cat in my arms.
"Hey, guys, have you found….?" Jisoo appeared through the door and as soon as she saw the kitten in my hands, she got excited and quickly came towards us. Mino also came in and had a confused look, wondering why Jisoo reacted that way.
"What a cute little kitty," Jisoo said with so much excitement as she gently scratched the kitten's head. "Where did you find it?"
"In the box," GD answered. "Looks like a stray to me."
"Yep, it doesn't have a name tag," I said as I checked the cat's neck.
"What's going on in here?" Zoey asked as she appeared behind Mino. "Ah, a kitty!"
She ran past Mino, almost knocking him over for someone who is smaller than he. Seunghoon also appeared at the door, chuckling.
"So cute," said Zoey as she came to stand beside Jisoo. "May I hold it?"
I gave Zoey the kitten, and it didn't resist. Zoey and Jisoo continued to admire it as the kitten looked back at them, unaware of the attention it's gained.
"What are we going to do with it?" Seunghoon asked as he still stood at the door with Mino.
"We can't just leave it here," I said. "It's best to take it with us."
"I agree," said Zoey, as she lifted it to take a better look at it like it's a precious gem. "Just look at it. It's so cute. It will be a crime to leave it here all alone."
"Okay, we better get moving," said Mino. "Let's not forget why we're here."
"Aww, just look at it," said Jisoo as she smiled at the kitten. "It's so adorable."
"Boy, that cat is going to be a hell of a distraction," said G-Dragon.
"Jisoo, Zoey, focus," I said, snapping my fingers at them. "Let me hold it. You two are too centred on it."
"Aww, okay," said Zoey, looking disappointed. She gently gave it back to me.
"When all this is over, I'm holding it next," said Jisoo.
The four of us with the kitten in my arms left the room and continued our search. We looked in every room and no luck so far. We are left to search on the other side of the floor.
We made a turn going to the left and Seunghoon who led the way, stopped in his tracks. Even when I'm not close to him, I could tell his body has grown tense.
"Hey, Seunghoon," I said, coming to stand close to him. "Are you....?"
I paused. I could tell there's someone down the hall. Everyone else who came behind me, stopped and stood still.
"Who is it?" Zoey asked in a whisper.
"I don't know," I said as I couldn't see clearly with Seunghoon in the way. "Seunghoon, who is it?"
"Isn't that the guard?" Seunghoon asked. He quickly made his way towards him and the rest of us followed.
As we approached, the guard looked up at us. He was just about to enter one of the rooms down the hall.
"What are you all doing here?" the guard asked.
"We came looking for you and Lee," Seunghoon answered.
"We called Lee. She sounded like she was in trouble, and we decided to come out to look for her," I said.
"Goodness," said the guard as he scratched his head. "I was coming down the stairs with her. I told her to go back to the studio on her own since the other guards had called for me. As I was climbing up, Johnny appeared on one of the floors and ran past me. I tried to stop him, but then I lost my footing and fell a couple of stairs. I'm afraid I might have twisted my ankle. Likewise, I told Lee to run as soon as Johnny showed up."
"He has gone too far this time," said Zoey.
"All the more reason to find him," said G-Dragon.
"But he needs medical attention," said Jisoo, looking at the guard.
"True," I said. "This means we might have to split."
"What are you talking about?" the guard asked, looking at us. "Don't tell me you still plan on looking for Lee on your own?"
"Yes," we answered simultaneously.
"Don't worry," said Mino. "As soon as we find him, we'll make sure to alert the other guards."
The guard looks at us and I could tell he doesn't like the idea. "Well, you better," he said.
"I'll take him downstairs to the infirmary," said Seunghoon. "The rest of you can go on ahead."
"Wait," said Zoey. "Before you go, did you see where Lee went when you saw Johnny?"
"We found Johnny above the stairs on our way down," said the guard. "He might have chased her up to this floor, I'm not so sure. But I couldn't move quickly because of my twisted ankle."
"They might not be on this floor at all," said Mino. "This sucks."
"Well, at least we found the guard," I said. "Now all we need to do is figure out where they are."
"Or you can just follow us back downstairs and keep yourselves safe," said the guard. "You can't deal with him alone.
"That's why we're in a group," said Zoey. Jisoo agreed with her. "And besides, Sam and I have dealt with him before."
The guard shook his head, realizing that talking us out of it is pointless. "Fine." He dug into his pocket and removed a black walkie-talkie. "Does anyone know how to use this?"
"I do," said G-Dragon. The guard gave it to him.
"If you find him, make sure you tell the guards on channel two. Don't take him on your own. Request for immediate back-up, okay?"
"Got it," I said.
Seunghoon helped the guard by placing his arm on his shoulder for support. They were all set to go.
"Before you go, I suggest you go downstairs using the emergency stairway," said the guard.
"Did you see them go that way?" Jisoo asked.
"No, but if someone like Johnny wants to go around unnoticed between floors, that stairway is the best way. They are usually locked and only opened during emergencies. There's a storeroom in the underground basement. He might be hiding there."
"Great, now we don't have to waste any more time," said Zoey.
"Just be careful."
"We will," I said. I handed the cat over to the guard who had one free arm with the other around Seunghoon's neck. "The kitty will be better off with you."
"Well, someone won't be happy to see pets around here," said the guard as he looked at the tiny black cat.
"Be careful, Sam," said Seunghoon. "Mino, look after her, will you?"
Mino scoffed. "Whatever. Just go, already."
Seunghoon and the guard turned around and headed for the main staircase. The rest of us turned for the emergency exit, which is just behind us.
"Johnny is so going to get it," said Zoey as she approached the door to the emergency exit.
"Hold your horses, Zoey," said GD. "Let's keep a cool head. We don't want to be hasty."
Zoey turned to look at GD. "I know that."
As soon as Zoey opened the door, GD's phone soon started to ring. We all paused to look at him. He took his phone out of his pocket, and his eyes widened with surprise when he looked at it.
"What is it?" Mino asked.
"It's Johnny," GD answered.
"Let me answer that," Zoey now approached GD with her hand outstretched to get his phone. But I'm quick to stop her, stretching out my arm.
"Sam, remove your arm," Zoey insisted. "I'm going to give that guy a piece of my mind."
"Not now," I told her. "No one makes a sound."
Zoey looked confused, but the others didn't.
"Why?" Zoey asked.
"He shouldn't know that we're out here looking for him." I answered. "GD, quick, answer it."
GD slid the call button to the right and put the phone to his ear. "Johnny, hey? Where are you?" he asked. "I've been waiting in the lobby."
We could Johnny loud and clear as he responded: "I'm in the underground basement. I thought I would join you in the car park outside."
"You're in the basement? How did you get there? The whole place is on lockdown. They say someone cut the power and the guards are looking for whoever is responsible."
"I was in the men's room. When I got out, I found myself in the basement. I have no idea the whole place is on lockdown."
Zoey rolled her eyes and I prayed she wasn't going to mutter out something stupid, but she didn't. I wish I could blow out a sigh of relief, but that will only draw Johnny's attention.
"Are you still down there?" GD asked. "I can come join you, and we can walk to the car park outside. That's if the guards will allow us to pass through."
"Mm, yeah, that will be great."
"Okay, will come join you soon."
GD cut the call and looked at each one of us. "There you have it," he said.
"Good, now we have him cornered," said Mino.
"It's not that simple," I said. "Why give GD a call all of a sudden and plans on leaving? He must be up to something."
"We just have to be careful on how we're going to do this," said Mino. "Do you think we should also inform the guards?"
"Not right now," said G-Dragon. "We don't know how the situation is, and I bet he'll do something silly."
"Before the guards come, I really want to land a punch on him first," said Zoey.
Mino nervously chuckled. "No doubt that you do," he said.
"Shall we? Let's not waste any more time."
Zoey turned towards the emergency exit door and drew it open. She made her way first down the stairs with Jisoo and me following behind her. Mino and G-Dragon were last, with G-Dragon closing the door behind him.
We make our way down the stairs, and we were much quicker this time. Before we reached the ground floor, I stopped everyone.
"Wait," I said. "Before we reach the basement, we need a plan. How are we going to handle Johnny?"
"I should go and confront him first," said G-Dragon who stood a few stairs behind me.
"I've been down there a lot, so we can try to move around while G-Dragon keeps Johnny distracted," said Mino. "If we do find Lee, we can help her."
"Then how do we deal with Johnny ourselves?" Zoey asked.
"Maybe we don't have to," said Jisoo. "Once we have Lee, then we can call the guards to come to the basement."
"Then that will mean someone will have to hold on to the walkie-talkie," said GD as he held it up.
"I'll do it," I said as I took it.
"You know how to use it?"
"My dad taught me that one night I went out camping with him."
"Okay, so are we all ready to go?" Mino asked.
"No," said Zoey.
We all turned to look at her, and she had her arms folded with her nose high up in the air. Oh, boy. I think I know what this is about.
"What is it?" Jisoo asked.
If I were Jisoo, I wouldn't have asked that question. But she doesn't know Zoey like I do, so she better prepare to get her mind blown.
"What about Johnny?" Zoey asked. "We need to teach him a lesson."
Jisoo looked at Zoey, dumbfounded. I turned to look at Mino and GD who like me, didn't seem the least bit surprised.
"That doesn't sound like a good idea," said Jisoo.
"I know we said if Johnny does annoy us, especially with the album, we would then teach him a lesson," I said. "But right now, we need to find Lee. Dealing with Johnny will have to come later."
Zoey pouted and looked the other way. "I really wanted a go at him."
"You'll get your chance. Right now, let's find Lee."
Zoey sucked on her teeth and continued to lead the way down the stairs. I really need to keep an eye on her. She might have agreed not to do anything, but that's Zoey. A moment later, she'll find herself doing what she intended to do, and I'll be left to deal with her mess.
We are now in the basement and before Zoey could open the door. GD stepped forward.
"Let me be the first to go," he said. "Just in case, he's wondering around the basement car park."
Zoey gave him a nod of her head showing that she understood. She stood aside and GD went to open the door. He did it slowly to look around before fully stepping out. He turned to us standing by the door.
"Don't come out until the coast is clear," he whispered to us. He looked over at Mino. "You come over by the door and keep a look-out. You know where the storeroom is."
Mino gave a nod and went to stand by the door. G-Dagon soon walked away, leaving the door slightly ajar. Mino closed it for a bit so as not to be seen, but left a good amount of space for him to take a peek.
Narrator's P.O.V:
GD walked away from the door and made his way towards the cars packed on the other side. He looked around and there seems to be no sign of Johnny. He thought of going round to the exit when he heard Johnny's voice behind him.
"GD, am over here!"
G-Dragon turned and found Johnny coming from behind one of the pillars. He had a smile on his face like nothing is going on and GD felt his insides turn. What did he get himself into?
"Hey, have you been down here the whole time?" GD asked as Johnny approached.
"No, I was in the men's room," Johnny answered. "Drinking too much last night did a number on me."
"Okay, let's get out of here," said GD. "The basement sometimes gives me the creeps when I stay too long."
"You say the place is on lockdown," said Johnny, before GD could turn around. "Will we even be allowed out of here?"
"Well, they've to," said GD. "I can't waste my time here since we aren't even allowed to go upstairs to see the others."
"Wow, things must be hectic, huh? You're right, we better get going. I also wanted to see The Toxins, but looks like we'll have to do that at another time."
"Sure, let's go." GD turned to lead the way and Johnny followed alongside him.
Mino had seen Johnny as soon as he called out to GD. With the pillars and the cars in his sight of vision, it was hard to see them clearly, but he could tell they were walking towards the exit.
"They are heading towards the exit," he informed the others.
"Pfft," Zoey muttered. "Where the heck is he going when the guards have this place on lockdown?"
"Something tells me he has something up his sleeve," said Sam as she stood behind Zoey.
"Okay, they're almost gone," said Mino as he slowly opened the door fully. "The basement storeroom is on our left. Follow me quietly."
Mino looked around first. He signalled with his hand to the others to follow. He walked out. Zoey and Sam followed, then Jisoo. Good thing about the place is that they could easily use the parked cars for cover. They walked up the curb with the cars facing them and bending over so as not to be seen. They were just about to reach the door of the basement when Jisoo suddenly fell on her knees. The rest stopped advancing and looked at their fallen comrade. GD and Johnny on the other side stopped walking too.
"What was that?" Johnny asked, looking behind him.
"Probably a rat," GD answered, knowing fully well that one of his friends made the noise.
"I feel someone is in here," said Johnny. He started to walk backwards a little.
"Goodness," Sam muttered as she quietly but quickly came back for Jisoo. She squatted next to her.
"I'm sorry," Jisoo whispered. "Now he'll know where we are."
"That's if he finds us," said Sam. "Let's go, we can still make it."
With Sam helping her up, but careful enough not to stand upright, she and Jisoo started to make their way to the others.
"I think I'll go check it out," said Johnny as he fully turned around to make his way back.
Shoot, GD said to himself. He has to stop Johnny before he spots the others.
"Come on, it's probably nothing," said GD as he turned to watch Johnny slowly walk away. "What? Do you think there's someone ready to jump us?"
"Well, you can't be too careful, right?" Johnny asked as he continued walking.
Sam and Jisoo managed to get to the others, and they quickly made their way to the door. Johnny was close and almost got to the storeroom, but he stopped. GD came up right behind him and prayed that Johnny won't spot them.
"Yeah, you're right," said Johnny. "There's no one here. Let's go."
"See, I told you," said GD as he felt relieved. He really thought Johnny was going to catch them.
Just before the storeroom is a parked blue Sedan. That's where Mino and the rest hid, hoping that Johnny wasn't going to reach the car. If he did, he was definitely going to find them.
Mino bent his head to look round the corner of the car's rear. GD and Johnny were going for the exit now. And he thought it best that they leave for good.
"How far are they?" Zoey who sat next to him whispered.
"They are almost out, just be patient," said Mino.
They continued to sit there on the gravel while Mino bent his head now and then to check. Finally, he saw GD and Johnny walk through the exit.
"Okay, they are gone," said Mino.
"That was close," said Jisoo, feeling relieved as she leaned her head against the car with her eyes closed.
"Tell me about it," said Sam. She removed the walkie-talkie she had in her pocket and went to the second channel.
"Hello," she said. "This is Sam, over."
It didn't take a minute for them to hear static and someone answering Sam's call: "This is Kim, over."
"I've news on the person who cut the power, over."
"Report, over."
"He's walking out of the underground car park, over."
"Roger that, over and out." The static soon died down.
"You took that really well," said Zoey. "Though this was the best time to have jumped him."
Mino and Jisoo threw annoyed looks at her. Zoey looked at the ground, embarrassed.
"Let's not wait any longer," said Sam as she stood up from the ground. "Let's go in."
The others also followed suit and Mino approached the door to the storeroom first. As soon as he opened it, they were in for a surprise.
Wooden chairs, carton boxes and plastic props came sliding out of the door like an avalanche. Mino and Zoey who stood closest moved away just in time. More props came pouring out that they reached the blue Sedan.
"What the heck?" Jisoo can't believe her eyes at all the props on the floor.
"Strange," said Sam. "They look like they were all pressed onto the door."
"Sam, is that you?" came Lee's voice inside the room.
"Lee!" the four exclaimed, relieved to hear her voice.
A huge pile of props blocked the door, but Mino who stood closet could see Lee behind them inside the storeroom.
"Thank goodness, are you okay?" Mino asked.
"Ya, I'm fine," Lee answered. "I was running away from Johnny as he chased me down the stairs. I thought it was okay to put these props to block him for a while as I hide."
"Well, I'm glad you're alright," said Sam as she came to stand with Jisoo in the pool to look at Lee. "Let's get you out of there."