13; Information digging

What the hell?

Did he just walk away from her like she was some sort of wall decoration? Jihye’s eye twitched as she watched Van Choi turn; his eyes making brief contact with the other girl’s; and in the next few seconds, he disappeared entirely.

She’d excused herself from class under the pretence of powdering her nose with the usual accompaniment of the school security, and genuinely stumbled upon the two by chance… when in actuality, the trivial excuse was a façade for needing to escape the stifling gossip floating about the entire school of this morning’s shenanigans with her boyfriend. Jihye had no idea what possessed the boy to act that boldly, but then again, she barely knew him anyway. Everyone was under some sort of spell that the two were madly in love and the ‘number one’ couple in the school, when in fact it was the complete opposite.

The more she discovered about Byun Baekhyun – the supposedly richest, most handsome of boys on campus – the more she found herself appalled by him. How on earth did they ever become such a prominent item, she’d never know. Perhaps they drifted towards one another like magnets from the first day because of their outstanding appearances, and that was as basic as their entire relationship.

The idea at first however was thrilling. She couldn’t deny the sense of triumph and accomplishment that came with simply standing beside him, but she only regretted such naïve beliefs with the longer she spent in his company. All he seemingly cared about was his father’s very vague courier business, his car, designer items, and that God awful broach. Even the thought made her cringe as she wrapped her fingers around the tender skin of his earlier grasp on her wrist.

She didn’t even know why he persisted in staying together when in fact – if given the chance – Jihye would end things with him in a heartbeat. It was too bad he managed to escape her clutches earlier when the prized moment arrived…

And all thanks to the very students she stared at with an enthusiastic smile.

The moment she rounded the corner, she could instantly see the rays of sun radiating from the red-haired new student delectably. In fact, everything about him at this point was nothing short of delectable. Every girl on the campus was practically swooning over him and all the boys were wondering who on earth he was, but that wouldn’t be for long.

If her own boyfriend was going to be such a spoilt brat to her, she was going to show him just how feral she could be. She was going to win Van Choi Jimin over… or at least that was her plan until noting he was with the other new student, and that he completely blew off her winning charms with as little as a smile and a bow. Just who was this girl and what sort of relationship did she have with Jimin? The question had been eating at her ever since she took notice of the increasing time they spent together in school, and biting her nail as she dwelled hard on this, she’d completely forgotten the foe in question standing beside her.

‘Moon,’ the hard voice pulled her out of her nail-biting reverie with a start. ‘Can I help you with something.’

The tone implied didn’t even make it seem like she asked a question. And startled by her presence that Jihye quickly forgot about with Jimin’s departure, the irritable look on her face transformed into one more pleasant.

‘Song-nim…!’ she started, smiling widely at the girl who didn’t even so as flinch at the sudden change in her expression. ‘Well, I… um…’

In all honesty, she wanted nothing to do with the new female student. Apart from itching to throw the questions she had prepared and were dying to know about Van Choi, she knew she couldn’t blurt them out yet. It was far too soon… but the more she found herself staring at the girl while plotting her next move, Moon Jihye couldn’t help but take in finer details of Song Kyungja.

What on earth possessed Jimin to actually hang around a girl like her? Apart from the striking white of her skin and her coral-black hair, she was so visually lacking that Jihye could only compare a newspaper clipping to the woman. Everything about her was just so bland. In fact, the way she stood with her shoulders squared and arms folded across her chest somehow gave off a more masculine air about her. Jihye wondered if perhaps she had any remotely feminine qualities about her considering her straight posture and overall lack of femininity, save for the milky white pair of legs from under her conservative skirt… maybe he has a leg ?

‘If you’ll excuse me…,’ her level voice interrupted her stray thoughts once more, and Jihye’s eyes quickly snapped to Kyungja’s face, which was directed at the bulky wrist watch on her left hand.

‘I have class to attend, Moon. Have a good day.’

And what was with the incredibly formal and detached way she addressed people? Jihye found herself going crazy with questions of how someone like Van Choi could have been so attracted to the girl to the point where he was constantly around her, and the next thing she found herself doing was completely unexpected.

‘Wait, Kyungja-ssi…!’ she called, reaching out for the girl’s elbow but stopped when Kyungja came to a halt with surprising swiftness.

‘Yes?’

‘I just wanted to…’

She needed answers. And she needed them desperately. Driven by spite and the strong desire to nab something she eyed for a long while, a smile the equivalent to a perfect summer’s day found refuge on the younger girl’s face and she brought her hands together with a small clap.

‘I just wanted to… invite you to my annual sleepover!’

The officer hadn’t anticipated a reaction so worrying before in his entire life.

Not even when it came to evacuating a large group of people out a bomb-wired building, or convincing a psychopath to set free his hostage from a stationary vehicle. Because walking to each class – the bag’s weight drooping off a single, muscled shoulder – and having to deal with heavy, curious, heated stares was something he hadn’t anticipated of the big plan he forged.

He actually felt like some sort of criminal undergoing a visual analysis by his surroundings. Even a certain familiar group of texting students he was positive he recalled didn’t even offer him the time of day now stared at him like he was some sort of extra-terrestrial. And thus, Jimin began to regret ever choosing a bright, rust red of all colours to have dyed his hair. It was only two days into the renewed mission and he couldn’t help but languish in his poor choice disgruntledly.

Now that I think about it, Woon didn’t even tell me if it looked good or not… he mused, unknowingly pouting as he fiddled with a stray scarlet bang. Jimin immediately stopped in his tracks at the thought and blinked in surprise at the door he arrived at. Wait, why’s that even important right now?

He sighed, clearly frazzled with his preposterous thoughts, and twisted open the round knob on the classroom door. The cool metallic surface sunk into the warmth of his large palms, which stirred a pleasant sensation against his skin considering the otherwise sun-stricken day. Apart from the spring heat that was gradually escalating into a summery swelter by the end of the day, the nerves he had to put up with made wearing his school blazer all the more unbearable.

Officer Woon Kyungja sat against the very left side of the classroom; the text and notebooks sprawled open neatly over the desk in front of her, glowing brilliantly in the afternoon sun. It was the end of the school day. And despite the incredibly studious image she assumed poised behind the tall desk and equally tall chair in the chemistry lab, Kyungja was in fact carrying out a vital part of her mission: waiting.

Ever since being caught red-handed by the principal infiltrating the restrooms without proper clearance – as headmaster Kim put it – the officer had taken alternate steps to carrying out what was required of the mission. And what better way was there than spending the afternoons in the chemistry lab, which was the closest possible room to the bathrooms? If anything happened, she was certain they’d be the first to know. And considering there was no way they could get near the bathrooms without stirring more suspicion, it was the next best thing for the time being anyway.

Kyungja stared at the interesting collection of glass test tubes and a bizarre steel contraption made of common objects oddly presented against the windowsill. Her mind reeled with all sorts of things; one of the most pressing being why on earth they hadn’t as yet wrapped up this case.

She couldn’t deny that she had at first underestimated the details of the mission. Upon receiving the task, she imagined it perhaps only required some extra attention to be solved… yet the more she and Jimin snooped around, the more she found herself doubting the mystery ever being explained. They’d visited the restrooms under relatively covert conditions, and yet they were still somehow seen. So how was it possible that – not even one, but – two students had been kidnapped under that sort of surveillance? And was it truly the janitor? Somehow none of the intel she gathered made sense, and Kyungja found herself unconsciously jabbing the nail of her thumb between her teeth in deep thought.

Well, considering what taboo it would be to dwell on the finer speculations of the case by herself, the officer decided to wait for her partner. Wherever her partner was, that is.

She glanced at her wristwatch, noting he was a few minutes later than expected, and leaned back in her chair. Her eyes wandered from the glinting teaspoons and tomato cans of the bizarre contraption towards the window, staring at the small group of workers –