Fourteenth Chapter
Yet another Korean dramaMinwoo was so shocked he couldn’t move. He sat on the floor and held the ripped pieces of clothing. He was surprisingly strong though, as he wasn’t crying. He probably wanted to, but decided not to cry in front of so many people. Dongwan looked around the room, trying to find anything out of ordinary. Hyesung found his actions strange. How many times had he been in Minwoo’s atelier?
Andy walked around a little, and picked up things that had fallen from the table. “What are we going to do now?” Hyesung questioned. “We can never help Eric now, and I think he is even bigger trouble than we thought.” he pondered out loud, worry wrinkling his forehead.
Dongwan crouched next to Minwoo and looked at the tatters of clothing. What had been an amazing button-up shirt, resembled a rag. It was a pretty rag though. “She is a .” Minwoo mumbled. “How did she know…?” he interrogated rhetorically. “No one knows about my hiding place.” Hyesung shrugged. “I haven’t even told Eric.”
“Wow, don’t you trust him?” Andy snapped. “I thought he is your best friend.”
“Well, I didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.” Minwoo hissed back. “And now, look at him.”
“Let me guess,” Andy leaned. “You hid it in your box of threads?”
Minwoo’s eyes widened. “How—”
“That’s where my instructor in orphanage hid her secret notes,” Andy had revealed too much of himself. “Anyway, we better get back to Junjin…and Eric of course,” he walked out of the atelier and waited outside that Minwoo and Hyesung followed. Dongwan closed the door.
“Hey,” the artist spoke. The other men looked at him. “Eric is smart, right?”
“Relatively,” Andy responded, after Hyesung scoffed. “He wouldn’t be in the position he is in if he weren’t smart. Why?” the butler asked curiously.
Minwoo turned his gaze toward Dongwan who was deep in his thoughts. A smile appeared to the designer’s face while his cheeks reddened a bit. “Well, surely, if Eric is so smart,” Dongwan spoke. “He wouldn’t just…have one copy of that paper.” he said.
“I mean, I guess,” Andy scowled.
“Yes, you’re right. Eric would never just have a one copy.” Hyesung gasped. “He trusts Minwoo to hide one copy, but would have one for himself.” he deducted. Minwoo nodded eagerly and looked at Dongwan who nodded. “But…where would that copy be?”
“On a laptop?” The butler suggested.
Dongwan shook his head. Then he looked around. “We should get to the car. I don’t think we’re here alone.” The others agreed and decided to finish the talk in the car.
“What are you doing in here?” Junjin winced as he sat up in the bed.
Andy strode to him and helped him. Junjin shoved him gently and claimed he could do it on his own, failing miserably. “I came to see you,” the butler sat down on the bed as if that place had always belonged to him.
Junjin stared at him.
“Aren’t you supposed to be solving the mystery case of who did this to us?” he pointed at his head wound, ignoring the broken arm and leg in the cast. “You know, trying to catch Jimin in action?” he added before he let Andy talk.
“Well,” the younger man looked away and Junjin knew instantly what that meant, shocking the butler. He had never been that obvious to read. “I don’t know how but she got there first and found what we were looking for.” Andy explained. “It’s also that dumb designer’s fault that his hiding place was god awful.” he chuckled. Junjin looked at him, his expression weird. “B…b…But Hyesung and Minwoo are trying to find the actual copy of the paper from the house.” Andy stuttered.
He had never stuttered like that before. “A-ha,” Junjin commented. “So, there might not even be an original copy and she’s just off the hook, huh?” the chauffeur snapped. Andy looked at him now and smiled. Junjin frowned. “What?”
“I’m glad to have you back.” Andy spoke. “I missed my enemy.”
Junjin had never been that close to Andy before without thinking about kissing him. For the first time in his life, he had not thought about that. He was too worried about Eric (and himself) to think about that.
“Junjin,” Andy said.
Junjin felt shivers down his spine. Hearing Andy call him by his name was everything he had once asked for.
“I was really wo—” The tall man shushed him quickly.
They could hear talking in the corridor. Andy got up, glowering at Junjin, who also had to stand up. The younger man was trying to get him to sit down, but Junjin limped to the door before Andy could do anything. They listened, quietly, standing close to one another. Junjin could feel Andy’s puffs of air against his lips. Their ears were glued to the door.
“I have the paper.” a husky voice mumbled. “It was in the designer’s atelier.”
“Good. Give it to me,” Jimin muttered.
Junjin glanced at Andy, who was already looking at him, hand covering his mouth so he wouldn’t gasp too loudly. Silence filled the corridor, and the two assumed Jimin was reading the paper. Then she said, “This isn’t the right one!” Andy frowned. “He fooled us! He doesn’t trust his own friends. The real copy HAS to be in the mansion!” she screamed almost too loudly.
If Eric had been listening, he would have heard her himself.
“You can’t let them find that paper,” Jimin crooned. “Do whatever it takes to find that paper before they do.” then heavy steps faded and the stiletto heels as well.
“She probably went to Eric’s room…” Andy panicked, and opened the door.
“What are you doing!?” Junjin grabbed him by the wrist. “You can’t barge in there! She will know we heard her and that’s not gonna end well.” he whisper-yelled.
Andy looked at him, and yanked his arm free. “You cannot stop me.” he argued.
“I will!” Junjin followed the younger man to the hallway.
Andy was about to open the door to Eric’s room, when the door handle on the other side turned, and Andy took a step back. There was no way he and Junjin were going to make it to the other room together. One of them was about to get caught.
Junjin reacted fast, grabbed Andy by the upper arm, and hugged him. Andy widened his eyes, trying to push the man off, when he felt the resistance to be fruitless. For some reason, Andy closed his eyes and curled his arms around the back while angling his head comfortably against the chest.
Junjin tightened the hold around the younger man. He had imagined how hugging the butler would feel like and it felt better than he had ever thought it would feel like. The broken arm was pressing unto Andy’s stomach, but he didn’t seem to care. Andy was totally relaxed. He didn’t resist anymore. He didn’t shudder. He was relaxed. The arms on Junjin’s back felt warm. He had closed his eyes moments ago, inhaling the scent of the shampoo Andy used. A door opened and closed and then sound of high heels entered their ears. Junjin’s chin rested on the crown of the head now, the big hand glued to the upper back of the butler.
Junjin’s grip loosened, and the chin was no longer resting on the head. Andy’s eyes opened, but stopped halfway. He was warm. He was confused. And then Junjin let go of him properly and turned to look at Jimin. “Oh, hi!” he smiled widely at her. “Here to see Eric hyung?”
“Actually, I’m leaving,” she stated. “I didn’t know you two were together?”
Junjin ignored the comment and instead replied, “is hyung asleep?”
“Yes,” Jimin answered. “I’ll go now,” she mumbled and walked off, the clasping of her high heels fading away fast.
Junjin sighed and then turned to look at Andy, who had just regained his consciousness and realised what had happened. He looked at Junjin, cleared his throat and murmured, “Well thought,” Junjin nodded and then rubbed his neck.
“Thanks,” he harrumphed.
Hyesung’s worry about Eric had been so obvious that Minwoo had sent him back to the hospital. It was better so. Andy’s words repeated in his mind. Why was he still around? He could have left now since Eric didn’t remember him anymore. He was free. He didn’t have to pay his debts. But thinking about leaving made Hyesung feel empty. His stomach twirled uncomfortably just by the thought of it.
Hyesung had always been alone, but now he had a weird family. He had not been with Eric and the others long, but he didn’t want to leave. His heart was hurting.
As he entered the hosp
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