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System Failure
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I haven't lived a perfect life. I have regrets. But that's from a lifetime of taking chances, making decisions, and trying not to be frozen. The only thing that I can do with my regrets is understand them.

 

The door slamming was a good indication of something wrong. Sehun's face was pale after his new job, and Luhan was at the ready, enveloping the poor man with a warm hug. No one was ready just yet to ask what had him spooked, but, when they did, Yunjin had broken out the cookie jar as encouragement.

"What's wrong?" Luhan softly asks as Sehun nibbles on a cookie in content. He looks up and wipes the crumbs off his lips and swallows.

"I saw Seung today." He announces. Chanyeol pauses the game he was playing with Jongin to look up in surprise, Yoora ceasing her piano playing to give the same look.

"Where?" Chanyeol asks. Sehun runs a hand through his hair in thought.

"I knew Minseok had a husband, but I didn't... At work. She came with my boss's husband. He's an FBI agent." Sehun replies, thinking to himself more.

"What, is she under parole?" Yoora asks, swiveling outwards in her chair to join the conversation.

"I don't think FBI agents do that kind of stuff." Yunjin comments warily, holding the cookie jar close to her body in thought.

"You didn't get scared because you saw Seung. There's something else." Kai insists, narrowing his eyes. He sets the Xbox controller down and spins to face the group from on the floor. Sehun looks at the other and sighs.

"The agent questioned me about why I know her, and kept asking me why she hid things. I didn't know what to do, and you know I get nervous around the police!" He exclaims.

"Wait, he wanted to know why Seung hid things? Like what?" Yoora asks and Sehun shrugs.

"What did you say?" Chanyeol asks.

"I've been questioned enough, guys." Sehun objects and places the rest of the cookie in his mouth in resistance. The group stares at him long enough for him to swallow and crack again, "Fine! I said she was having issues with you, Chanyeol. That's all I care to know."

"I...I don't know what to think." Yoora mumbles and leans backwards, looking at the floor.

"What do you think the man will do with this information?" Yunjin asks, eating a cookie herself now. The others shrug and Chanyeol remains quiet. What will he do?

"I know what I'd do." Yoora comments and leans her elbows on her knees. They look at her.

"What?"

"I'd lock you two in a room and make you figure things out, that's what I'd do. I'm so tired of this chasing and leading to dead ends. Seung was right in her letter, because the wind did blow and take her away, but, next time, we're making sure she can't get away. She's going to kill herself if she keeps this up, and I'm not letting my baby sister ruin her life." She stands to her feet in her determination. Chanyeol blinks.

"But we don't know where she is." He reminds her.

"Oh, please. With all the secrecy we've had in our lives, do you really think I don't have something up my sleeves? Besides, Sehun works with someone who does. We ask him."

 

"I don't want to talk about it." Seung grumbles when Jongdae appears in the doorway of the guest room. The man leans on the frame and sighs, crossing his arms.

"You don't have to. I'm just coming to say that you'll be taking the day off tomorrow for further studying." He casually mentions, avoiding eye contact as he inspects the wood frame for anything wrong. Seung closes the booklet she had open on her bed and stares at him.

"But I'm already done." She insists and Jongdae looks at her again.

"Well, I know that. Don't you know what playing hookey means?" He asks, stepping into the room.

"Oh, so I'd already be starting my new career off with a lie?" Seung retaliates and Jongdae smirks, getting closer.

"Better get it out sooner than later. Due to circumstances with Minseok's upcoming party, I was going to enlist your help planning it out." He replies. Seung watches his carefully.

"But the party is in two weeks. If you need to plan it out, you can do it alone." She insists.

"Ah, but you're my partner, and only a rookie, sunshine. You need me to be there." He counteracts easily.

"I can find another." Seung assures and shifts to the side of the mattress, sliding off and walking to her dresser. Jongdae places a hand over his heart and feigns hurt.

"And to think I saved you from jail, only for you to replace me so easily." He gasps. Seung rolls her eyes.

"I was okay with going to jail." She reminds him, her back facing him as she digs through the dresser drawers for the red pajamas they bought her. Her hands brush against the yellow fabric of the Pikachu outfit she received and she freezes.

"You had your entire life to live still, sunshine. Don't waste it with silly issues like prison." Jongdae waves a hand with his indifference, and Seung pulls the Pikachu pajamas out of the drawer.

"Why are these here?" She asks, eyes locking onto his.

"Well, they're yours. I thought you might want them back." He shrugs.

"No. I don't." She mutters, lips pursing. Jongdae sees through the facade she was trying to pull up, so he puts his hands up in surrender and slowly walks out of the room.

"Fine, fine. Do what you want with them. So, I'm guessing playing hookey is off, then?" He asks, popping his head in for one last moment, and Seung shakes her head firmly.

He disappears down the hall and Seung grips the yellow fabric in her hands tightly, wanting to throw it out, wanting to put it back on. The white noise lifts and she can't control it again, feeing the wall threaten to break again when the image of Chanyeol's smiling face flashes behind her eyelids. He was always so happy.

But, Baekhyun said he wasn't, and it was her fault. She broke him, and he broke her as well. It was a cause and effect of the whole love thing, and she's experienced it before. This pain was a familiar sensation, but, the last time she felt it, it was much easier to control. She was young enough to ignore it, and fresh enough to let it fade. Unfortunately, breaking twice usually means it's harder to be put back together again.

Except, she wasn't broken again. She broke because her mother died, but Chanyeol was very much alive. It was a pain of having to stay away from the thing she wanted to

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Comments

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Wooyaboya
#1
Chapter 2: I knew I was going to enjoy this the moment I saw your chapter titles in Binary!!!
Nutellachanyeollah_
#2
Chapter 5: i can't stop reading this, wow
mel04091984
#3
Chapter 7: i cant put down my phone..im so hookd coz this is soo good!
JadeKKeyLoveYOU
#4
Chapter 44: Alright. This story is really good! And interesting and intriguing, original and written well!
The idea of coding and hacker is really cool, i learned something new Hahaha.
Chanyeol is such a sweet (a little bit stalkerish) potato aww. He like, fell in love at first sight. Rhe way be never stopped to hope and fight for her. M endearing.
I admit, i became a little frustrated with seung i mean.. A great guy like chan loves you and you reject him more than once.. Come on girl ><
Anyway. It was good and fun, especially with the action scenes.
Loved the ending hahaha. Chan you dork.
And is this the story mentioned in day-dream? Loved that one too by the way.
Great job! ^^
mrflamethunder #5
I'm coming back to upvote this story since I was not able to do so the last time I read this.
This deserves more views and upvote!
lee-chelle #6
Absolutely loved this!!!!!
mrflamethunder #7
Chapter 45: This is one of the best writings I've seen so far. Very engaging. So much details were written I thought I am watching a drama. Great job, author-nim!
anudeep #8
Chapter 45: I just pulled an all nighter for reading it without break authornim and it was incredible!!!! Waaaa!!!!! Totally hooked to the story and yeollieee is sooooo fluffy cute squishy i cud dieee!!!!♡♡♡♡♡ hatsoff for the story though!!! Mind=BLOWN
JaeKnight
#9
Hiii~ I'm a software engineering student. And I look forward on reading this story. It seems so cool. And I looooooove, seriously LOOOOOVE how you named your chapters! btw, did you make your trailer on iMovie? Or weVideo (i just saw the embedded logo) I like the concept.

I don't usually read, hopefully i won't get lazy reading your story. And if i did finish reading your story, it'll be the first one here at aff. wahahaha
aeru
#10
Chapter 45: Loved this! It was riveting from the very beginning and I simply could not put it down. Way to go :)