Six

No. No, please no, not HIM.

It took quite some effort to truly scare Jeong Inseong. And this time, he was terrified. Among all the potential victims possible, he hadn’t expected someone so close to him to end up dead, much less his best friend. It felt like someone had poured icy cold water on him, freezing him to the spot instantly. He could not move, could not talk or hear, he had almost stopped breathing.

Someone was touching his shoulder. He felt some vibrations. That someone was shaking him, violently so. He began to hear faint voices, although it seemed like the source was somewhere far, far away.

“-nseong-hyung... just listen to us-”

A particularly hard shove proved to be what brought him back to the real world, away from his thoughts.

“For God’s sake, Inseong, snap out of it!”

His head turned towards the source of the loud, uncharacteristically harsh voice. Seungjun had given him a push, and was now staring at him urgently, half annoyed, half scared. Upon realising that he had successfully grabbed the younger’s attention, the anger on his face softened ever so slightly, and he beckoned to Inseong with a nod of his head.

“Come on, help us get him inside.”

The police detective’s breath caught in his throat, his eyes suddenly welling up with unexpected tears. “B-but hyung, Jihun is...” he began, trailing off as he looked down at the black bag that the other two had managed to drag a few feet towards the café. The bag had opened up wider due to being pulled, and he could see the blond’s face. Inseong took a small, hesitating step ahead, gaze being drawn towards Jihun’s neck and...

There was no blood.

The realisation hit him instantly, along with a sense of immense relief, and Inseong sank to the floor on his knees, the breath that he had been holding leaving as a long, deep sigh. His body gave a slight shiver, and placing a hand on the asphalt road, he slowly, shakily lifted himself off the ground. “Oh, thank God,” he muttered, words that Park Seungjun’s ears caught easily. The chef rolled his eyes, before grabbing Inseong gently by the arm to support the younger.

“You’re the last person I would have expected to jump to conclusions,” he said softly, then cleared his throat, the next words coming out a lot louder and more firm. “Now hurry up, let’s all carry him inside the café.”

The detective gave an urgent nod before exchanging a quick glance with the youngest, and wordlessly, the three of them lifted their blond friend, Inseong’s hand firmly holding Jihun’s head. It took them a few seconds to reach the café, and with a little difficulty, they managed to open the door before setting Jihun down on one of the sofa seats. As quickly as possible, they yanked the black bag away, Heejun tossing it behind him without wasting another second. That’s when they got a good look at the dancer, Seungjun taking a sharp intake of breath before turning around on his heels, hurrying to the changing room to grab the first aid kit.

In the brightly lit café, their friend’s wounds were visible all too clearly, and the youngest absently took a few steps towards the other, Inseong feeling Heejun’s body shake as he lightly placed an arm round the younger’s shoulder. While he was relieved that his best friend hadn’t ended up being one of the serial killer’s victims, it still worried him greatly that the scoundrel had got to the blond, probably as a way of getting back at Inseong for snooping around. On one hand, it excited him that his suspicions about the copycat killer had been correct, but on the other, it was slightly panicking that the murderer was targeting those close to him.

Hearing footsteps approaching them, the two looked over their shoulders to see the café owner walking towards them with long strides, and hand outstretched, Inseong took the first aid kit from Seungjun, setting it down on the table next to them before beginning to treat Jihun’s wounds. His hands shook as he focused his gaze on the younger’s face, trying hard not to grimace.

The blond had a split, bleeding lip, a huge gash above his right eyebrow, a light purple bruise surrounding his left eye that Inseong knew was going to look worse the next day, and several little cuts on his cheeks and forehead. He was still passed out judging by the lack of reaction to the stinging disinfectant that was currently being applied on his wounds, and there was an unfamiliar look of vulnerability on his face. The detective gingerly lifted Jihun’s head, his suspicion getting confirmed as his fingers brushed over a lump at the back of the other’s head, that he had felt while they had been carrying Jihun inside. He just hoped it wasn’t a concussion.

So engrossed he was in treating his best friend, that he hadn’t noticed the disappearance of the youngest, until the boy held out a glass of water right in front of Inseong’s eyes. With a grateful look, he grabbed the glass, and after a few sprinkles of the cool liquid on the unconscious guy’s face, Jihun finally stirred. His eyes fluttered open with obvious effort, and he blinked a few times, looking at the three in confusion.

“What... happened..?” Heejun visibly winced at how weak the guy’s voice sounded, it was extremely rare to see Jihun in such a fragile state, and he would be lying if he said he wasn’t scared. A few seconds later, the blond shut his eyes tightly, groaning in pain. “Ugh, God, my head feels like... it’s about to explode,” he said, trying to move his left hand towards his head, only to let out a shout as his arm fell back limply next to his side.

“We need to get you checked up by a doctor, right now,” the detective said, gently placing his hand on the other’s right shoulder, hoping that he wasn’t hurt there. “If you have any broken bones, you will need immediate treatment.”

“Y-you mean,” the youngest stuttered, staring down at Inseong in shock, “there could be fractures?” He gave a shudder when the other nodded, averting his gaze to the floor. He was unable to understand what was going on. Why would someone ever think of harming his beloved Jihun-hyung? The man had never hurt a fly in his life, let alone another human, so what could he have possibly done that had made someone hurt him this badly?

Seungjun noticed the dread on Heejun’s face, stepping closer to slightly embrace the boy as he dug out his phone with the other hand, calling for an ambulance.

It was almost eleven when the latch of the front door clicked open, and Youjin hurried out of his study towards the entrance of their apartment, shoulders sagging in slight relief as his gaze fell on Inseong. “Finally,” he sighed, but straightened up right away. “Where are the others?”

Inseong rubbed the nape of his neck with a hand, sheepishly casting his sight downward. “Um,” he began, biting his lower lip as he looked back up at the older, “they took Jihun to the hospital.”

“I have no idea who the guy was,” Jihun said, shaking his head slightly. He had begun talking after the three others had helped him sit up and drink some water. He was gingerly clutching his left arm as he fixed his gaze on the table in front of him. “It was already dark after I left the dance academy, and suddenly out of nowhere, I felt this intense pain at the back of my head.” He gave a shaky sigh, closing his eyes as he breathed in softly but cautiously, almost as if it hurt him to even breathe.

“Did you ever come to once when he was with you?” Inseong inquired from his seat next to the injured guy, gazing intently at his best friend. His eyes narrowed as Jihun shrugged.

“Not really, and even if I did, I didn’t get to see his face,” he sighing again, hand reaching out for the glass of water kept on the table. Heejun, who was seated on the dancer’s other side, grabbed the glass, holding it to Jihun’s lips as the latter drank the water. Seungjun, sitting in front of the three youngest, was silently listening to the entire conversation, his face set in an uncharacteristic grimace. His usual soft and warm features had vanished, and he looked at the three with a frown, disappointed in himself in a way for not being able to protect one of his younger brothers.

The blond suddenly gasped as he remembered something, eyes widening as his hand went to the pocket of his jeans. “I think he put something in my pocket right before I passed out from the pain the second time,” he said as his hand pulled out a piece of paper. The detective was quick to grab the paper from Jihun, afraid of letting anyone else read it. Gritting his teeth, he crumpled it into a ball seconds after reading it, his face set in a grimace as he tightly clutched the paper in his fist till the knuckles turned white. He refused to answer the three as they asked him about the contents of the slip of paper, thankful for the siren of the ambulance as it reached the café.

“Seungjun-hyung made me come home, he thought I needed to rest more than he did,” Inseong said, hands in the pockets of his jacket as he leaned against a wall, facing Youjin. His tone of voice indicated that he didn’t really believe in that statement, but was still obliged to obey.

The older guy frowned in thought, shaking his head. “This makes no sense,” he exclaimed in exasperation, “do any of you have any idea why this happened?”

The other just sighed loudly, and from the look on his face, Youjin could tell that he didn’t want to talk about it. He couldn’t blame Inseong, though, it was completely understandable. If something had happened to Seungjun – the one he was closest to, and could even call his best friend – he would have been worried sick himself. He respected Inseong’s decision to not talk, and walked to his room, patting the younger on the shoulder wordlessly as he passed him.

Inseong’s head tipped back, resting on the wall as he blankly stared at the ceiling. With another deep sigh, he pushed himself off the wall, making his way to his and Jihun’s room. He closed the door behind him, taking his hands out of the pockets. His right palm was still fisted around the piece of paper, and it shivered slightly as he loosened the fist, opening the slip back up with shaky fingers. The next moment, the paper was being torn into shreds and thrown in the nearby rubbish bin as Inseong changed his clothes, lying down on his bed right after. He doubted he would be able to sleep well that night, his thoughts still hovering back to the message on the paper.

‘Quit meddling, Jeong Inseong.’

A soft sound awoke Inseong, and he groaned as he recognised it as that of the front door. He pushed himself up and out of the bed, checking the time in his phone before walking out of the room. 1:47 AM. He stopped just outside his door, watching as Park Seungjun moved about lightly so as to not wake anyone up. The taller guy turned around, spotting Inseong staring at him.

“Why are you still awake?” The chef asked, frowning as the other shrugged. “It was the door, wasn’t it?” He questioned further, gaze turning sheepish as Inseong nodded.

“How’s Jihun?”

Seungjun tried not to wince at the obvious worry in the detective’s voice, sighing briefly.

“He’s not too badly hurt,” he answered, meeting Inseong’s eyes. “There aren’t any fractures, but his left arm is sprained; it is painful enough to temporarily stop him from dancing. There are no internal injuries, thankfully. Although I’d say it will take a few days for the poor boy’s face to recover completely. The doctor said he hasn’t suffered from any concussion, but they’ll be keeping him in the hospital for an overnight observation,” the man concluded, watching as Inseong bit his lip, harshly enough to almost draw blood.

Guess it was just an attempt to scare me, Inseong thought, staring down at his feet as he forgot that he was not alone. It gave him a moment of satisfaction as he realised that he was, after all, on the right track, but he also knew that he would have to tread very, extremely carefully. He had seen what the guy could do to his victims, he didn’t doubt the copycat murderer at all when it came to violence now.

“Where’s Heejun?” He asked, realising the absence of the youngest as he looked back up at Seungjun.

“One of us was allowed to stay with Jihun, and I didn’t want to let the kid come home alone at this time.”

Inseong raised an eyebrow, staring at the other incredulously. “But... you came home alone too...” he trailed off as Seungjun smiled while walking over to him. The guy patted the younger on his head and ruffled his dark hair fondly, chuckling softly before turning to his own room.

“Go back to sleep, Inseong.”

It was close to five in the morning when the detective woke up, rubbing at his eyes as he yawned. Despite the events of the previous night, and the lack of proper sleep, his mind felt fresh. He was suddenly aware of one thing regarding the case that he hadn’t realised previously. He rolled his eyes with a faint groan, sighing exasperatedly as he got out of bed. How could he have missed something so important? He was pretty sure that the senior detectives had already realised it by now. You’re an idiot, Jeong Inseong, he chided himself mentally as he hunched over the case files on his desk, skimming through the papers scattered haphazardly all over the surface. Inseong sighed again, closing his eyes with a shake of his head.

He headed to the bathroom for a quick shower, deep in thought. After he was done getting ready, he grabbed his phone, sending a quick message to his partner.

‘Won’t be at the café. Meet me directly at the station.’

Tossing his phone on his bed, he gathered his things, packing them in his bag. His pace slowed down ever so slightly as his gaze fell on the empty bed on the other side of the room. Inseong bit his lower lip, taking a deep breath before turning his attention back to what he was doing. Jihun would be back by the time he reached home, and he was sure that his best friend would not be left alone for even a second by his flatmates. He allowed himself to feel some relief about that for a moment, a small smile tugging at his lips. His phone gave a faint ding, and he leaned over to grab it, reading the message from Jiho.

‘Okay. Is everything alright?’

The junior detective paused for a few seconds, his thumbs hovering over the keyboard. He pondered whether he should inform the other guy about what had occurred the previous night. The edge of the phone was pressed to his lips as his eyes wandered, before he made his mind.

‘Yes, don’t worry. Just need to get some things done.’

There was one thing Inseong was confident about: the murderer wasn’t going to be able to scare him that easily. If he had thought that it would be a simple, effortless task to get Inseong off his back, he could not be more wrong. Hurting his best friend was the worst thing the guy could have ever done, and Inseong was going to get back at him by getting him arrested for all his crimes.

He wrote a quick note to Seungjun and Youjin about taking care of themselves and the other two, leaving it on the dining table before heading out, making his way to the police station with assertive, purposeful steps.

Author’s Note:

I’m so sorry you had to wait so long! The last chapter came out in, what, October last year? It’s been almost a year, gosh. But a lot of things kept coming up, I was suffering from severe mood swings, and then I had my exams in late December and the first week of June, so I could only write now. I don’t think I have rid myself of the writer’s block yet, but I can definitely write a lot more than I could at the beginning of the year.

Although I’m pretty positive everyone must have given up on this story, right? I think the only reason I’m writing this now is for myself, because I want to end what I started, and in a way that will satisfy myself: by writing it as well as I can.

To those who are still interested in this, and have read up till here, thank you so much. I hope you liked this chapter, I had started writing it in October itself, but couldn’t finish it up until now. I think I’m pretty satisfied with the way it turned out, being more slow-paced than the other chapters, while including some moments that show the characters’ emotions.

Thank you for reading~