~*~

“Leaving dad?” Junhong asked as he walked down the stairs. His father was arranging files unto a black suitcase. He watched as his father presses in the code he knew all too well.

“Your password is getting old. No plans on changing it?” he joked.

“If my password is getting old, then so are you,” he smiled warmly at his son.

The two sat for breakfast in silence. But not like the silence that Junhong hated so much. Something about the way his father called him Zelo last night just kept a tingly feeling inside of him. But even so, the things he heard last night was bugging him too.

“Hey dad,” he called and his father looked at him.

“About that new case you’re handling…” he started. But the way his father looked at him made him conscious on asking.

“What about it?” his dad got impatient.

“Are you gonna be busy?” he asked bluntly. ‘Maybe I can ask him some other time,’

Woosik took a while to answer. He shifted uncomfortably on his seat as he finds the right words to say.

“Kinda. But you’ll be fine,” he smiled warmly. ‘I’ll make sure you’ll be alright,’

“Don’t go home late alright?” he reminded as Zelo got out of the car. Zelo had asked his dad to drive him over to Youngjae and Daehyun’s dorm to say good bye to Youngjae and to meet up with Jongup too. Daehyun also offered to give the boys a heads up on studying for the exam. But of course, that’s just an excuse for another few hours to play Starcraft.

“Sure dad. Will I see you at dinner?” Zelo asked, sounding a bit more excited than what he expected.

His father sighed heavily and smiled sadly. “No son. I’m sorry,”

“Nah, it’s okay dad. See you… whenever you’re coming home, hehe…” Zelo smiled cheerfully then closed the door.

Woosik sighed. The way his son smiled despite being rejected by his own dad made Woosik a bit guilty.

‘When this case is over, there’s more dinner to share with you, son,’ he reminded himself until his phone vibrated.

“Hello?”

“Sir, come over to Chumsamdong street. There’s been a murder,” his officer reported.

“I’ll be there in 5 minutes,” he turned down his phone and sped off.

~*~

“Hyung, who’s gonna review us for the exam if you’ll be back on Sunday night?” Jongup asked as he eyes Youngjae while packing.

“Daehyun can,” Youngjae assured.

“I don’t trust Daehyun hyung when it comes to studying. He doesn’t talk,” Zelo said as he came in to the room.

In a flash, a leather bag was on Zelo’s face. “Ouch!”

“Not talking doesn’t make me stupid!” Daehyun barged in to the room, grabbing the bag from Zelo and passing it to Youngjae.

“Your niece already called. She sounded like she just woke up but she wants you there now,” Daehyun helped Youngjae pack.

“Noona probably left early,” Youngjae muttered.

As the boys help Youngjae pack, the doorbell rang.

“I’ll go get it,” Zelo rushed to the door.

As he opened the door, a man wearing a black hoody and pants with a baseball cap on was standing in front of him.

“Mail…” the man handed him a black envelop. His head looked forward, but still not meeting Zelo’s eyes.

“Oh, for who?” Zelo asked.

“For Daehyun,” the man said then walked on. Zelo nodded but then called after the man.

“Hey! Isn’t there a paper to sign?”

“No. Enjoy your day…” the man waved as he turned to the right hallway to the elevator out of the building. Zelo tilted his head but then headed inside.

As he reached the living room, Youngjae was all packed and talking on the phone.

“Oppa will be there in a jiffy. My friends just came over to say good bye,” then he hung up. “Who’s that for?”

Youngjae pointed to the black envelop Zelo was holding. “For Daehyun hyung. Maybe a love letter haha,”

“Tss. That ain’t gonna happen in a million years,” Youngjae kid as the two got off the room.

“What’s not gonna happen in a million years?” Jongup asked.

“Nothing,” they chorused. “Hyung, a letter for you,” Zelo handed him.

Daehyun stared at it first before taking it, “Thanks,”

~*~

Sunhwa turns around for the nth time. Anxiety is slowly creeping up her mind as she feels a pair of eyes simply staring at her from afar.

The crowd surrounding the small café she’s in was pretty big. It makes it harder for her to see who’s watching her. She keeps her stare at the outside of the café, kinda eyeing each person who comes by.

“Are you okay?” Sunhwa jumps at the sudden attention.

“Y-yeah…” she smiles at him shyly, slightly embarrassed about how she was acting strangely.

“Are you sure?” the stranger asks again. Worry completely obvious on his tone. “You seem kinda jumpy,”

“I’m fine. Thank you anyway…” she smiled again and bowed slightly. The man returns the gesture, making his baseball cap cover the half of his face by doing so.

She stood up and bowed once more to the man who was kind enough to notice her uneasy state. She makes her way to the door, not making any signs of turning back as she realizes her embarrassing action.

She pushes herself through the sea of crowd in the busy street of Seoul.

‘Aish there’s so many people. I have to go meet up with Hyosung,’ she remembered the appointment. She takes a glance at her watch and slightly sighs. ‘I’m already 17 minutes late,’

As the people around decrease in number, her anxiety again takes over. She continues to walk in a fast pace, eventually looking back in hopes of noticing who could be following her. If there are any.

Their meeting place is just a straight walk from the same alley she was walking on. But her nerves tell her to take a turn at the next street. It won’t be that hard to find her way back since she knows this place at the back of her hand.

‘This will get that freak out of my trail,’ she thought as she makes a turn and speed walk her way in.

The alley that she enters ended up very crowded. A bunch of bystanders looking up at an old basement floor.

‘How pitiful,’

‘No it it’s not,’

‘That man was horrible,’

She takes a second to look at what they were looking at. Unfortunately, the strap of Police Line was covering the entrance and blocks the view of what looks like a crime scene.

“Excuse me, bystanders aren’t allowed here,” a girl about Sunhwa’s age pushes the crowd away.

“Miss—“ Sunhwa again jumps as the young officer takes a hold of her arm.

“S-sorry…” she bowed then continued her way out of the crowded area.

Her anxiety was slowly disappearing as she reaches their meeting place.

‘Must be the coffee,’ she joked to herself as she comes in to another café. Unfortunately, Hyosung wasn’t there at their usual spot.

“Excuse me,” she takes the attention of one of the staffs.

“Have you seen a short girl with short brown hair sit here earlier?” she asks and the staff immediately nods.

“She went out after sitting here for about 30 minutes,” she informed.

Sunhwa huffs and hisses.

“Leaves after waiting for just 30 minutes!? What a ,” she made her way out of the café and on to her apartment.

“It was just 30 minutes! Can’t she wait!?” she said mostly to herself as she reaches her flat.

“I’ve waited way longer than that—“ she stopped as she  stood in front of her open door.

That feeling of being anxious comes crashing down on her again as she comes inside her own apartment flat. Her eyes wide open and all her senses perk up as she readies herself for the worst.

She steps in to the living room, eyeing the whole place as she takes in the neat living space she has always admired.

‘Huh? Nothing looks wrong here…’ she tilts her head as she thought. ‘But I remember locking the door…’

Just as she was about to approach her kitchen, a quick thud from her room makes her shift her attention back to the room.

‘Someone’s here…’ she carefully walks to her room, careful not to make any sound as she grabs an umbrella from the stack.

She tightens her grip on the umbrella, ready to smack the head off of the intruder as she peeks through the slightly open door of her room. A silhouette of a person can be seen standing in front of her desk.

Sunhwa opens the door slowly but it makes a screeching sound, in which the intruder in a dark blue hoodie look back at her and backs off. She takes advantage and tries to hit the hooded intruder with the umbrella.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!? WHO ARE—“

“SUNHWA STOP!” Sunhwa’s eyes widened. ‘That voice,’

“Hyosung!?” she dropped the umbrella as Hyosung took off the hood on her head.

She sighed in relief, knowing it was just her friend. But her eyebrows knitted together as she realizes something.

Sunhwa suddenly pulls Hyosung’s hair. “What are you doing in my room!?”

“O-ouch! Let go Sunhwa!” Hyosung groaned as Sunhwa gripped her hair. “I thought you were still sleeping so I came in!”

“How did you open the door!?” Sunhwa asked anxiously.

“It wasn’t locked!” Hyosung defended. Sunhwa finally releases her hair and as a thought scared her.

‘Someone was already here!?’

Sunhwa sent Hyosung home after scolding her of not coming inside her apartment when she isn’t there. Hyosung would eventually roll her eyes when she isn’t looking and glare at Sunhwa.

‘Like you know any better,’ she muttered once she was out of the door. ‘We’ll see,’

Sunhwa turned back to her room. After scolding Hyosung, she knows she’ll be doing her class record all on her own. ‘Being a professor . How did I ever end up like this!?’ she muttered to herself as she organizes everything on her record.

After all, that’s what Hyosung’s use is for her. Her own personal slave.

But Sunhwa isn’t all that cruel. She pays Hyosung at a reasonable amount and even gives her gifts and also for her sister Hyomin. But still, nothing could compare to the insults Hyosung receives from her every time they meet.

Sunhwa keeps her mind full of the activity until her pen falls from the desk. She reached for it and as she was getting back, a small envelop catches her attention.

“Hello, what’s this!?” she took it and scanned it first. “I don’t remember receiving something like this,”

She held up the black envelop and turned it against the light. ‘Is this even mine!?’

She couldn’t keep her curiosity tucked in, so she opens it willingly. Not even caring how creepy the color of the envelop is.

“You have eyes but failed to see…”

“You have ears but failed to hear…”

“You have lips but failed to speak…”

 “You were strong but failed to protect…”

“You have hearts but failed to spare…”

“What the hell!?” she stared at the words, clearly well written and creepily arranged. The anxiety came back again and slapped her across the face.

‘This isn’t supposed to happen…’

---

Sorry for being late. The part about Sunhwa got deleted when my laptop shut down unexpectedly. Kinda creepy y’know. I started thinking maybe writing a mean Sunhwa isn’t good xDD

Anyways, hope you like it :)) Have a great day guys~

Oh, I forgot. About that Coming Of Age Day, it was yesterday wasn’t it? I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT IT. God, I would’ve gave Daehyun a kiss xDD kidding~