Jaera waited for an answer, but Jungkook remained silent, staring at her with empty eyes. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking. And she didn’t exactly blame him for being a little reluctant. She was embarrassed herself for being caught in his room. Her mom had talked to her earlier, insisting that she find out what’s wrong with Jungkook. She didn’t know how she was going to do that seeing that they weren’t on speaking terms, but luckily for her he wasn’t home when she finished school, so she was free to snoop around his room for any answers. Instead of finding out why he was acting like a complete , she found a picture hidden between the pages of a notebook. At first she was just admiring Jungkook’s skills; he was admittedly a very talented artist, but after staring at it a while longer the subject of this particular piece started to look familiar. She couldn’t understand or comprehend why he would draw her. If he hated her so much, why did he feel the need to sketch her face out on paper? It both confused and creeped the hell out of her.

She dropped the paper by her side, her patience deflating. “Can you just tell me? I don’t care, okay? I don’t care that you drew me, I just want to know why…”

Jungkook’s gaze landed on the picture and all he wanted to do was rip it out of her hands and erase it from existence. But that wasn’t possible. He dragged his right hand through his hair and sighed.

“Look, Jaera. I don’t know why I drew it. That’s the truth. I just don’t know.”

She stared at him intently, wondering if there was more he wasn’t telling her. “Are you sure that’s it?”

Jungkook nodded. “I was stressed when I drew it. And I was mad. You know how drawing helps me when I get like that. I didn’t even realize it was you until I’d finished.”

“Why didn’t you just throw it away then?”

He shrugged. “I didn’t want to.”

Jaera mulled over his answer for a moment. It was only then, when her confusion had started to clear up, that she realized how awkward the situation was. Jungkook stood frozen, wondering if he’d accept her answer and leave. After a while, Jaera glanced back down at the picture.

“Can I keep it?” She looked up at him with hopeful eyes, surprising Jungkook.

“Yeah.”

“Thanks.”

With that, she quickly left his room, the sketch safely clutched in her hands. When she reached her own room she sunk onto her bed, spreading the paper out against her duvet. Her fingers lightly traced every line and curve of the drawing. For the next few hours she avoided him, but her mind kept drifting to the scene in Jungkook’s room. She’d gone from wondering why he was so temperamental lately to wondering what else he was keeping from her. Snippets of her hair sealed in bags? The only thing she could do to keep her mind at ease was trust that Jungkook really had no reason for drawing her. It happened, and that’s that. 

After dinner, all she wanted to do was hide away in her room. She quickly cleared the dishes away and bid her mom an early goodnight, running up the stairs before anybody could stop her. Sometimes she wished she had a lock on her door. Sighing heavily, she changed into her pajamas and slid into the comfort of her duvet covers. She was idly playing on her phone when the door slowly opened, revealing Jungkook on the other side.

“Hey.”

“Hi.” She placed her phone on her lap, twirling it in her fingers mindlessly. This was the most civil greeting the two had ever shared. She didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing.

“Can I come in?”

“Seeing as you’re technically already inside, I guess so.” Her tone wasn’t as harsh as usual.

He shut her door and quietly made his way over to the bed, casually sitting on the edge of it.

“What do you want?” she asked bluntly, trying to ignore the fact that her voice trembled a little.

“I need to talk to you.”

“That’s a first.”

He bit his lip, searching for the right words. “I just wanna know… You’re not mad, are you?”

“Why would I be mad? Mad because you treated me like I was nothing but a piece of trash stuck to your foot yesterday? Even after I tried to help you? Or mad because I found a creepy picture of me in your room?”

“I…” He didn’t realize she would be so angry that he ignored her yesterday. He’s been telling her to get lost for years, so why was that time any different. “I’m talking about the picture.”

“Why would I be mad, Jungkook?” she repeated. “I don’t care about it. If anything, I’m confused, but there’s no point in wondering why you do anything anymore. You’re like a walking, talking hurricane.”

Jungkook peered down at his fingers. “Okay. Good.”

He got up to leave but she pulled him back. “I have to ask you something too.”

“Okay,” he said, sitting down.

“You’ve been acting weird since yesterday. My mom wants me to find out why because she’s worried about you, as usual, and I kinda wanna know too.” Her face was unintentionally etched with concern. “What’s wrong?”

His expression softened. “I’m sorry.”

Jaera froze. That was the first time she’d ever heard him say those two words to her without being forced by his mom. Before she could fully comprehend what was going on, he spoke again.

“I know your mom cares about me a lot, probably more than I deserve, but I don’t want her to know what’s happening. It’ll only make it worse to get her involved.”

Jaera was still sitting there, stunned. “Okay,” she said. “Can you tell me then?”

He tilted his head, looking at her like he was figuring out a puzzle. Finally, he sighed and pushed himself off her bed. “It’s nothing to worry about, Jaera. I’ll tell you when it matters.”

She frowned and that familiar urge to throw something at him started to rise inside of her. She hated secrets more than she hated lies. “Fine.”

“You’re the one who said we weren’t friends anyways, so I don’t really have to tell you anything,” he pointed out.

“But I still wanna know,” she insisted.

“And I’m telling you, you don’t need to know. It’s irrelevant.”

“Okay, whatever.” She pointed one finger at him. “But I swear if you ever ignore me like that again, I’ll beat you so bad your own mother wouldn’t recognize you.”

“Yeah, yeah.” There was a hint of a smile on his face as he strolled towards the door. “Good night, Jaera.”

“Bye, loser.”

***

“It’s almost eight pm. We should wait another ten minutes, just to be sure everybody’s gone.”

Hyesoon played with her watch, tracing circles around its face. She was crouched behind a large bush, Jimin and Taehyung only inches away from her. They kept their eyes on the school’s gym. The lights inside the school had turned out long ago and the sun had set, leaving behind an empty black sky. The three had been waiting for two hours, keeping a constant eye on the school in case any janitors or teachers were lingering around the area on the quiet Saturday evening. Taehyung’s laptop was in its case, strapped to his shoulder, and Jimin had a few bits and pieces in his backpack – rope, duct tape, flashlights and some other necessities. He was always prepared in this kind of situation.

Hyesoon kept her notebook clutched close to her chest. She was also wearing a necklace her grandmother gave her, a silver chain with a key pendant. Anticipation filled every cell in her body. Finally, she was going to find out the truth.

“It’s time,” she whispered, getting to her feet. She shook her legs about a little to get the circulation going again and her and Taehyung followed Jimin around the side of the gym.

Jimin gestured towards a water pipe that ran along the wall. It was about twenty feet high. “We’ll have to climb up using this.”

“Is it stable enough?” Taehyung asked.

Jimin yanked on it a couple of times. It didn’t budge. “Seems like it. Hyesoon, you should go first, then Taehyung and me.”

“Okay.” She stuffed her book inside her jacket and held onto the thin plastic pipe to lift herself off the ground. She grabbed the pipe with the soles of her feet and quickly shuffled to the top like a spider. A chilly wind weaved its way through her hair as she scrambled onto the metallic roof. Her fingers were aching but she shook the pain away, perching herself safely in the grooves of the curved tiles. She waved out to the boys and one by one, they climbed the wall of the gym slightly out of breath, but excited overall.

“Where to next?”

“There’s a window over here. I’ll find something to tie the rope to.”

Taehyung and Hyesoon waited by the screen of glass that was mounted to a slanted part of the roof. Hyesoon peeked through to see the dark and empty gym below her. Jimin came back to their sides, having secured the rope to an air shaft, and unlocked the window with a soft click. They stood back and the window slid open. Jimin threw the rope down and pulled it a few times to make sure it could hold his weight.

“Same order again?” Hyesoon asked, eyeing the rope warily.

Jimin nodded. She gripped the rope as tight as she could and sat on the edge of the opening, watching her feet hang. It was a long way up and she was praying to God none of them would fall. Intertwining her legs around the rope, she finally slid herself off the window. A rush of air seemed to fill her lungs, making her stomach turn. She swallowed hard, ignoring the sweat coating her palms and the tremble in her legs, and slowly eased her way down. At one point, her grip wavered, making her slide down faster. She winced quietly, feeling the burn against her hands. Wanting it to be over, she skipped the rest of the trip and jumped off, landing on her hip with a heavy thud.

“Are you alright?” Jimin asked, shining his flashlight on her.

She rubbed her side and seeing that the initial pain was gone, stuck her thumb up.

Taehyung and Jimin made their way down much easier than her and it wasn’t long before they each had a flashlight in their hands. Hyesoon held hers between her teeth and pulled out her notebook to look over the map she had of the school.

“So we’re here,” Jimin said, pointing to the square that read GYM. “There are only two cameras on the way to the office. We’ll have to stick close to the walls then and leave our flashlights off. You guys ready?”

“Yep.” Hyesoon mumbled, wiping her hands against her jacket. She was beyond nervous and even though she couldn’t tell, so were the boys. A lot was on the line for them if they were caught. Hyesoon might get off with a warning, but the boys on the other hand would face much worse.

“Let’s go. Just keep your eyes on me and don’t make a sound.”

Jimin tip-toed across the polished floor of the gym, the halo of light shooting from his flashlight his only guide. When they reached the door, he pushed it open and quickly peeked out into the hallway before switching his flashlight off. Darkness and silence swallowed them.

“Hold on to my backpack so you don’t get lost,” Jimin whispered to Hyesoon.

She obediently listened and Taehyung took the initiative to hold onto Hyesoon’s jacket. Forming a rigid chain they began to move along the wall of the corridors. Jimin would occasionally pause to check their surroundings or make sure they were out of sight of the surveillance cameras. Hyesoon could feel her heart pounding in her ears and her grip on Jimin’s bag tightened with each shaky step she took.

Maybe she shouldn’t have come. Why did she come up with this stupid idea anyways? Was it all really worth it if they were caught?

“Wait.” Hyesoon stopped suddenly and tried to catch her breath. She was starting to panic.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m not sure about this.”

Jimin leaned against the wall beside her and held a hand in front of Taehyung who was still trying to move past her. “Hyesoon, now is really not the time to start freaking out. We’re halfway there.”

“But what if we get caught?” She raised her head and tried taking slow breaths through her nose.

“We won’t.” Jimin turned her to face him. She couldn’t quite make out his features but she assumed he was frowning. “Look, this was all your idea anyways. You wanted to find out what Mr. Kim was up to and you will. You just have to calm down, okay?”

He held her shoulders firmly, breathing deeply. She closed her eyes and listened to the rhythm of Jimin’s breaths. Soon enough, her heart began to steady. She opened her eyes, determination filling them.

“I’m okay now. Let’s do this.”

Jimin hesitated, unsure, but her posture had relaxed and she seemed calmer. He took the opportunity to gently ruffle her hair; not long enough to be suggestive in any way but soft enough to make her blush. Ignoring it, she pushed him ahead and they continued scaling the hallway.

Even with the absence of light they could immediately spot the office area in the distance.

“This is  your cue, Taehyung,” Hyesoon said.

Nodding, he knelt down and opened his laptop. Hyesoon watched as the screen filled with neon green numbers that seemed to zoom across the page. To her it was all a meaningless blur, but to Taehyung these were important codes for disabling the camera outside the security room. His fingers hammered against the keyboard, trying to keep up with the different combinations coming up on the screen.

“I need to get closer. The camera I’m disabling has to be at least fifteen feet away,” he said, keeping his eyes on the laptop.

“But you’ll be seen. How are we gonna get you close enough?”

He stopped typing and massaged his wrist. “Can you get me to that blind spot you were talking about?”

“I’ll try,” Hyesoon said. “The blind spot isn’t very big so you’ll have to go alone. Once you’ve disabled the camera, whistle out and Jimin and I will meet you there.”

“Alright.” Taehyung tucked his laptop under his arm.

They stood up and Hyesoon crept as close to the office as she could, the boys close behind her. Any wrong move and they’d be in the spotlight of any of the cameras. She could see a tiny red light blinking in the far corner on the opposite side of the office area and, realizing it was a camera, took it as a sign to stop.

“Taehyung. You’ve only got ten second intervals between the camera changes, so you’re going to have to listen to me very carefully.”

He nodded nervously.

“Okay.” Hyesoon took a moment to collect her thoughts. “When I count to three, run to the other side of the hallway and stay very close to the wall. After five seconds pass, slip around the corner into the office area. There should be a pot plant about two feet away. Hide behind that and exactly seven seconds later run to the opposite side of the area, near the receptionist’s desk. If you’re fast enough the cameras shouldn’t be able to catch you. Once you’re there, you’ll see the staff room down the hallway. Wait eight seconds and run to the furthest door on the left of the corridor, just before the staff room. That’s Mr. Park’s office. That’s the blind spot. Hopefully it’s close enough.”

Taehyung ran a hand through his hair, trying to focus. “Alright so three, five, seven, eight. Furthest door on the left.” He frowned to himself before nodding. “I think I’ve got it.”

“Good. Remember to whistle out when you’re done.”

“I will. Wish me luck.”

Jimin and Hyesoon nodded anxiously. Hyesoon watched the red light blinking in the distance, taking slow breaths. “Okay. Three, two… one.”

Taehyung hurriedly dashed across the hall, pressing himself against the wall. He counted to five in his head and disappeared around the corner.

“God, I hope he doesn’t screw it up,” Hyesoon whispered.

“He’s good with numbers. He won’t, don’t worry.” Jimin patted Hyesoon’s shoulder in reassurance.

An agonizing ten minutes passed. The two stood in baited silence. Suddenly, a high pitched whistle cut through the air and they breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank God,” Hyesoon said. “Alright, your turn. I’ll count you down.”

Jimin nodded and following Hyesoon’s instructions, he managed to reach Taehyung without a problem. While they waited for Hyesoon, Jimin asked Taehyung about the camera.

“My laptop emitted an electrical pulse strong enough to disable it, so I’m positive it’s out. Now all I’ve gotta do is override the code and we’re in.”

“You’re a genius, Taehyung.”

Hurried footsteps travelled down the hall and Hyesoon was at their side, out of breath, “,” she whispered shakily.

“What is it?”

“Nothing. I was almost seen, but it’s okay now.”

“Alright,” Jimin said, a little concerned. “The camera’s been taken care of, so let’s go.”

Jimin waited for Hyesoon’s signal and the three burst through the door to the staff room. It smelt of disinfectant and ramen noodles. Stumbling into a few stray chairs they managed to get across the room. Jimin switched on his flashlight. Hyesoon could swear she heard a choir singing ‘Hallelujah’ when she spotted the silver door only inches in front of her. A sign reading ‘No Students Allowed’ in bright red letters hung next to it. Hyesoon laughed to herself, an overwhelming excitement filling her body.

“One minute, guys.” Taehyung shone his flashlight, taking out what looked like a calculator with different colored wires attached to it.

Jimin passed him a screwdriver, making sure to keep his flashlight on the keypad of the door. Taehyung unscrewed the metal casing, revealing the electrical veins underneath before connecting the wires of his device to it. The screen lit up and numbers flickered across it.

Hyesoon gaped in astonishment. “Is that thing gonna give us the code?”

“Yep,” Taehyung said with a grin. “This way we don’t have to leave a mess by breaking through the door.”

Hyesoon nodded, waiting patiently for the numbers to stop ticking by. They held their breaths. Finally, the figures began to slow down and one by one the code was formed.

“13960.”

Hyesoon could barely hold in her excitement as Taehyung carefully screwed the cover back onto the keypad. Not only was she going to discover information that would help her build a story against Mr. Kim she was also embarking on new territory. No student had ever seen the inside of the security room. Gaining access was deemed impossible, but here they were achieving what had never been done before.

Securing the keypad back in place, Taehyung stood back, beaming with pride. “You wanna do the honors?”

With trembling hands, Hyesoon felt each metal button pressed beneath her fingers. There was an almost silent hiss followed by a light thud. She held her breath and turned the doorknob.

“Woah,” the three said in unison.

The boys used their flashlights to examine the room while Hyesoon stared around in awe. The room was bigger than they expected. One wall was lined with shelves, documents and colored files spilling over the edges; another wall was covered in LED screens with direct feeds to all the cameras around the school. There were only about eight of them – one showing the front entrance of the school, another of the AV room, and the rest were of the places the group had just passed through. Taehyung sighed in relief when he noticed one of the screens were blank, meaning his plan had worked.

“So what are we looking for exactly?” Jimin asked, keeping his eye on the eerie green-tinted pictures displayed on the screens. It was creepy seeing the school at night.

“We need to look for the tapes from a few weeks ago. May 22^nd to be exact.”

She glanced around, looking for a drawer or something that they would probably be stored in, when she spotted a cardboard box stuffed next to one of the shelves. She didn’t know why it caught her attention so much, but she scurried over to it and tore it open.

“Bingo,” she whispered, a triumphant smile spread across her face.

She rummaged through the stacks of cassettes, looking for the correct label. Meanwhile, Jimin and Taehyung snooped around for anything else that could be of use. All they could see were old student files, exam papers that hadn’t been marked and blank tapes.

Jimin sighed and glimpsed back at the screens when something caught his eye. He felt his whole body flush with fear.

“…” he managed to croak out before an ear-splitting siren wailed in the air.

Hyesoon and Taehyung froze instantly, confused and bewildered. Hyesoon was the first to notice what Jimin had seen on the screen. The shadow of a figure trying to slip through the front gates of school.

“, , ,” Jimin repeated, running a hand through his already sweating hair. “Someone else is here. They must’ve tripped the entrance alarm.”

His head shot in Hyesoon’s direction. “Grab whatever you can, we’ve gotta get out of here… now!”

---

 A/N: bonus points to whoever can figure out the meaning behind the code number 13960 (hint: it’s something to do with BTS, of course hehe).