A particularly nasty thought enters his mind as he walks out of the police station. The night has fallen and street lights illuminate the pathway to his car. The station seemed busier than usual and he internally smiles knowing the reason why.

             He is momentarily distracted when two officers tug a shouting, red-faced man into the building. If he were to ever be caught, would he go in like that? Of course not. That wouldn’t even be an option.

             He could never be caught.

             Reaching the car, he observes the reflection that the windows has caught. The man staring back has a sharp jawline, groomed eyebrows and thin lips. He wears minimal jewellery except for earrings that dangle and catch the light of the hanging lamp. Playing with the muscles on his face, he contracts and relaxes them.

             A frown. A smile. A squint. A surprised gasp.

             He knows exactly what each means, yet he does not feel anything inside.

             The initial thought returns into his mind and it makes him pause before entering the car. The girl that had bumped into him. Some strange reason, he couldn’t get her shocked appearance out of his mind. He liked the angles of her face and how fragile she felt when he caught her. Her skin was soft and warm. Most importantly, he loved her eyes. They were brown and large – full of expression.

             How would she look cloaked in red?

             He had to shake his head. She seemed to know Detective Tuan. At this moment, he has to refrain from her as a prey. He needs to befriend Detective Tuan. He will save her for the end.

             Finally getting into the car and starting the engine, he is interrupted with another thought. He slightly grinds his teeth in ponder and then grabs his phone.

             She picks up at the fifth ring.

             “Hello?” her voice tries hard not to betray any emotions but he detects the small hostility laced into it.

             “Hi, Krystal,” he says.

             “What do you need?”

             “I just want to say sorry.”

             “Right.”

             “I read your note and I’m sorry I acted that way to you. I’m also sorry that I couldn’t give you a call earlier.”

             He hears her sigh. There is hesitance in her voice when she speaks again, “What excuse are you going to give me this time, Im Jaebum?”

             “I don’t have one.”

             Another sigh. Through the receiver, a small clicking enters his ears and he knows she is biting her nail; a habit she did when she was nervous and wavering in accepting his apology.

             “When are you coming home then?”

             “I don’t think I’m coming home any time soon.”

             “What?” this time her question is obvious in her frustration.

             “I got called into the police station.”

             “What?” the previous word quickly being overtaken by concern. “What happened? Are you alright?”

             He taps his fingers on the steering wheel. The way he answers this would cement his fate for the next few days.

             “There was a murder at the hotel across from where we were living. They called me in to ask a few questions.”

             “Oh my god…”

             “I’m fine. I’m not hurt. They do want me to visit again so I’m not sure when I’ll be able to come back. They’re interrogating everyone around the vicinity.”

             “Babe, do you want me to come back? I’ll stay with you – ”

             “Don’t worry about it. They said it shouldn’t take long so I may be back in a couple of days.”

             He paused.

             “Pumpkin, can I ask a question?” He uses her nickname and practically coos the question through the phone.

             The nervous clicking returns.

             “Have you forgiven me?”

             The clicking continues until a final snap could be heard. She had finally given in.

             “Promise me you’ll stay safe, alright? And keep me updated. I’ll miss you.”

             He smiles.

             “Okay.”

<< >>

             Krystal hangs up after his simple response and sighs. It was always like that with him. He knew exactly how to manipulate her and no matter how hard she tried to resist, she would always play right into his hands. She cursed herself for being so weak in front of him.

             “Let me guess, you’ve forgiven him again,” the voice beside her drawls.

             Krystal scowls and says, “Don’t say it like that.”

             “Like what? You mean the fact that I called it before you picked up? That he’d phone and say something cheesy to make you accept his apology and then you’d accept? The simple way he’d say “pumpkin” and you’d fall head over heels to his words? ‘Cuz I did. I called it,” her friend says. The gum she is chewing pops in .

             Her foot kicks forward and creates a yelp from her best friend, Luna.

             The two were sitting inside Krystal’s shared apartment with Jaebum. Two glasses of wine were set out in front of them and they had been sipping on it while letting The Office run in the background. Krystal wasn’t a big fan of the show – she felt like Michael Scott was too mean and despicable – but Luna loved it and so every time they had a girl’s night out, the two would sit in front of Netflix while drinking wine.

             “Seriously, I don’t get why you’re still with him. He’s sort of weird,” Luna continues to speak, “I mean, you’re pretty, successful and smart. Any of the guys in your office is better than Im Jaebum.”

             Another swift kick and Luna scoots away further, shooting an evil eye.

             Krystal takes her glass and brings it to her lips. “You know I can’t,” her words are mumbled.

             Luna leans forward and peers at her friend. “Why not?” she whines.

             She sips on the wine before answering. “We’ve been dating for so long. I can’t imagine my life without him. He supported me through school, through when Mom was in the hospital for her pancreatitis and just… He’s been with me through everything! I can’t abandon him now. How am I supposed to ever repay him for everything he’s done for me?”

             Luna scoffs. “So you’re staying with him because he gave you money? You’re speaking like he’s bought you with his money.”

             “Luna, don’t say that. I admit, he’s not like other guys – ” A snigger. “ – but, he’s genuinely a nice person. He’s caring and in those rare moment, loving. He’s just bad at expressing his feelings, although you remember last year? He surprised me with tickets to join him in Paris at his book convention!”

             “Yeah, but what was he doing in Paris anyways? Each time you guys go on a trip, you tell me about how he comes back smelling like another woman.”

             This made Krystal start to chew on the inside of her cheek. Even the mention of the fact made her stomach turn in an uncomfortable way.

             “It’s probably the same this time. He’s in San Francisco hitting it up with another woman, sliding his hands all over her. Think about it – when’s the last time you guys went out on a date? When’s the last time he even kissed you?”

             She stopped chewing on her cheek and now uneasily started fumbling with the corner of her shirt. “A relationship isn’t all about being physical with each other. It’s the thought of each other and the emotions you express.”

             “When’s the last time he said he loved you?”

             The question made Krystal explode. She shouldn’t have but the irritation at the constant stream of questions kept pricking at her. “Why do you have to be like this? Why can’t you just be happy that there’s a guy out there who likes me? Why are you always attacking him? Jaebum saw through my unattractive exterior and said he fell in love with my innocent soul. And I love him back for accepting me as me.”

             Luna froze on her spot after hearing Krystal yell. “I-I’m sorry,” she stammers.

             Krystal angrily brushes away at her watery eyes.

             Luna shifts so that she sits close to her best friend again. Placing a hand around her shoulder, Luna rests her head on Krystal’s shoulder. She whispers in a soft voice, “You know if I don’t question your every decision, nobody else will. I only want what’s the best for you.”

             Krystal huffs  and tries to turn her head away.

             “I love you, my best friend.”

             She feels Luna’s soft lips press against her cheek.

<< >>

             How strange the brain is. We retrieve information from our environment, process it and then combine