Sickness - Seventeen's Vernon Feat. Pledis Girlz

Okay so this story isn’t going as well as I hoped. It’s partially, if not completely, my fault for abandoning this fic for a year. But I sincerely hope I can make this work out.

Jongin never really got to mention the bracelet, which was now used as evidence from the crime scene. There was no way to bring the situation up to Ae Sook without giving his profession away. It would be far more dangerous to reveal his identity rather than figuring out why her bracelet appeared at the location of the chief’s death, although that was pretty important, too.

Ae Sook, on the other hand, wasn’t completely sure about Jongin’s intentions. He came off as careless and ignorant but there was this vibe that told her it was so much more.

Ae Sook huffed, shoving her hands in her coat pocket to avoid the freezing wind. It had snowed yet again last night; Jongin was the one to notice it through the window in the warehouse, which they didn’t get out of till early morning. Apparently the worker that Ae Sook had told to receive the package pushed the job to another worker, who completely forgot about the task and went home. The man who found the two in the warehouse when he was opening up had apologized profusely, insisting that they would be more careful next time.

Ae Sook barely got a wink of sleep when she got home, but it was more from restlessness rather than from returning home before sunrise. She couldn’t shake off this feeling that something major was about to happen.

She brought her hand up to rub her eye when she noticed the bracelet was missing from her wrist. Shocked, she double-checked her pockets only to find a piece of gum wrapper and her keys. Now that she thought about it, she wondered how long it’s actually been since she lost her bracelet. Being around Jongin so much made her mind hazy and less alert. After all, it was hard to be so conscious of your surroundings when you had an annoying bug following you everywhere.

Though she was disappointed, there was nothing else she could do; it was already lost.

Ae Sook let out a sigh. She was happy her boss let her take the day off since they were stuck in the warehouse all night, but now she had nothing to do. She didn’t have any friends to hang out with; she never got the chance to befriend anyone since she never attended a university. There was no one she could talk to from work either since they all took turns taking shifts, leaving after they were done.

Deciding that today would be her rest day, Ae Sook bought a couple packs of ramen and started to walk home. Why can’t there be anything exciting in my life?

It was like someone answered her prayers. Only they mistook “exciting” for Jongin. Next thing she knew, Ae Sook heard someone calling her name. It was the annoying bug.

It was scary how quickly Ae Sook could recognize his voice. She kept walking and refused to turn around.

“Ae Sook!” Jongin called again. There were quick steps behind her before he grabbed her shoulder gently to stop her. He hunched over, taking deep breaths to calm his heart. When he regained his breath, he stood up with a bright smile. “I knew it was you!”

Ae Sook’s face flattened and she turned around, walking again. Jongin frowned at her unwavering coldness. Nonetheless, he walked next to her and no other words were said.

It was an awkward silence between the two. Jongin noticeably fidgeted once in awhile but Ae Sook tried her best to ignore it. It annoyed her that he still kept trying to befriend her after she told him off but his unwavering determination both amazed yet scared her. She didn’t know if he was always that happy or if he was just putting up a front, and it scared her.

Jongin, as always, started to talk first. “So what are you planning on doing today?”

Ae Sook frowned and casted him a sideways glance but otherwise remained quiet. Jongin didn’t seem to mind though. He continued talking, “I know you probably don’t like me that much, but do you wanna come with me to get some ddeokbokki? I know a really good place.”

Ae Sook abruptly stopped walking; Jongin didn’t n