{THIRTY-SEVEN}

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Minjae kept her eyes anxiously glued on the road in front. The headlights of taxi guided them through the dark road slowly, since it was a little narrow. She could hear the faint voice of the radio serenading the listeners to slow ballad songs, but right now, she was anything but calm. The crackling sound the wheels of the taxi made when the car moved made it all more nerve-wrecking for some reason. 

At first, she'd been chilling comfortably at home on her sofa with the television playing one of her favourite variety shows. A call interrupted her, and from the line she remembered hearing Sehun's exhausted voice through the line. What he told her next was news her mind couldn't comprehend. She could still remember what the younger boy had told him vividly through his frantic breaths.

"N-Noona, k-keep calm a-a-and listen to me... Right now, we're at Sokcho Pier, and we're in a really bad situation. K-Kyungsoo hyung   h-he's going to jump. Don't act rashly and call the police before you come! Minjae noona, you hear me? Call the police, and tell them that Kim Namshik is about to murder someone!"

"W-What?" Minjae widened her eyes. "S-Sehun ah, what are you trying to  "

In the background of the call, she could hear aggressive shouting before the boy hung up. 

That was how she ended up following Sehun's instructions exactly. She made sure to call the police straightaway after the call, and she gave them information about the whole situation she thought was possibly happening at Sokcho Pier. Then, after frantically running to get her coat at the entrance of her apartment while sloppily putting on her shoes, she stormed off to haul a taxi.

Minjae was worried. She knew Do Kyungsoo long enough to predict what he was going to; she knew his actions weren't going to end on a good note. Whatever was happening at the pier currently didn't sound like rainbows and sunshine at all. The way Sehun sounded as if he was on the verge of tears was a sign that something was terribly wrong. 

"Miss, we've already reached our destination." The driver peered from the rear-view mirror at Minjae who was spacing out. "Miss?"

"A-Ah, thank you!" Minjae shook her head to snap herself out of it. She passed the driver the taxi fare and got out. 

Nearby, she could hear the sound of police sirens, along with the familair flashing lights. The beach was empty, but she could see a crowd of people at the pier. Her feet hesitantly dragged themselves towards the scene, sliding against the gravel road. However, her lazy steps had begun to turn in to sprints; before Minjae knew it, she was standing behind police lines.

The scene looked so chaotic, so she had no idea where to focus on. So many things were happening at once. Her eyes first focused on a bunch of men being hancuffed by the policemen. One of the men, who looked like the oldest, was screaming the hell out of himself. Minjae didn't know what the old man was talking about, but it had to do with his company. 

Minjae felt her heart beating rapidly against her chest. Her eyes traveled around the scene and she unknowingly bent under the police tape to get through. No one had bothered to stop her, as there was so much going on. The paramedics and policemen were too occupied to stop her anyway. 

Minjae was searching. She was searching for her friends, because she couldn't spot any single one of them while her legs aimlessly guided her through the place. Just where in the world were they? Perhaps, did something bad happen to them? 

"G-Go Minjae!" 

A pair of arms pulled Minjae in for an embrace before she had any time to react. She widened her eyes, and lifted her head up to be greeted by a sobbing giant   Park Chanyeol. Why is he crying? Since she didn't know what to say at the moment, she could only reach her hands up to pat his back comfortingly. After a while, the giant finally released her, but he wouldn't cease his crying. 

"Chanyeol, tell me. What's wrong?"

"Kyungsoo... the sea... jumped..." Chanyeol pointed to one spot of the pier where there were a few policemen inspecting. She could also see a few familiar faces.

"What do you mean by that?" Minjae felt a lump form in . She ran over to the area where Chanyeol had pointed her to, and Baekhyun was there on the ground. His forehead was covered with dried blood, and he looked like he had been tortured to a great extent.

"DO KYUNGSOO! YAH, DO KYUNGSOO! WHERE THE HECK ARE YOU?" Baekhyun hands were tightly gripped on the edge of the concrete as he looked down at the darkness of the sea below him. Then, he turned his head swiftly to the police officers who were trying to pull him back. "WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU GUYS DOING? BRING MY FRIEND BACK UP HERE! BRING HIM BACK UP!"

"Byun Baekhyun!" Minjae didn't hesitate to cup her friend's face so he could snap out of it. She was met by Baekhyun's eyes glistening with tears which were rolling down his cheeks. When they'd met eyes, Baekhyun just couldn't control himself anymore. The boy closed his eyes, letting more tears roll down his cheeks. 

"Minjae ah, tell these idiots to go save K-Kyungsoo... T-Tell them..." Baekhyun reached his hands to grip her wrists. 

Minjae knew she shouldnt've asked this question in the first place. She had quite a good idea of what was going on, but she didn't want to belie