The previous two chapters were rated M as a precaution.  As with chapter 5, if you have been unable to read them, please click here to be directed to an un-rated version of chapter 40, or here to be directed to an un-rated version of chapter 41.  At the end of chapter 41, you will be directed back here.

Plagiarism issue solved (marker for the November incidents).  Thanks for your patience, and here's a present to cheer up somebody who needs a little boost right now.

Poster is by Nusmus :)

Semi eventually used Minseok’s phone to call Jongin, something which the man didn’t object to, and she went out to meet him for lunch.  Jongin had been watching the cameras that morning and so didn’t need an explanation, just spent several minutes in their private booth in the restaurant hugging her because he said she looked like she needed it.  A few hours later, as they were walking down by the Han river, Chanyeol joined them.

“I rang him before I met up with you,” Jongin told Semi softly when she threw him a questioning look.

Chanyeol gave her a hug too.  Jongin had apparently explained the entire situation, because he didn’t ask any questions, but he just seemed to know.

“You’ve always got us to lean on when you don’t feel strong,” he told her.  “We’re not going to turn you away.”

It was another ten minutes of wandering in silence, their arms around her shoulders, before Semi spoke up.

“I kind of did it on purpose,” she admitted in a small voice.  “I knew doing that in front of him was going to hurt him, but I wanted him to feel how much I was hurting and how much he was hurting me.”

Jongin took her hand with his free one.

“It’s understandable,” said Chanyeol.

“It’s really not fair,” she protested brokenly.  “I know whose side he’s on and I know what he’s doing, but when he’s being Minseok he’s just so likeable and I can’t help responding to that.”

“When he’s being Minseok?”

“When he’s not being a and acting like a mafia boss.”

Chanyeol gazed ahead, eyes unfocussed as he contemplated.

“I don’t even want to like him.”  Semi took a huge gulp of air.  “But he just makes it so hard not to.  He just makes himself so attractive that I can’t help it, and then Sehun….”

Jongin stopped walking and pulled Semi away from Chanyeol so that he could hug her properly again.

“We’re working on it.  We’re working on it,” he assured her.  Chanyeol remained silent.

“I want my brother,” she sobbed.  “He wouldn’t even let me talk to him.”

“You would have had to talk to Luhan first,” Jongin reminded her.  “He would have taken advantage of that.”

“I know.”

“I’ve dealt with hostage negotiations before.  You want to know what he would have said?  ‘Semi, you can speak to your brother if you agree to meet me at this place.  Bring no one, and tell no one, and if you do, I’ll kill him.’  He would have known the police would probably be tapping the call, and then he would have set an enormous trap.  It might have been for the wrong reasons, but Xiumin did you a favour by refusing.”

“That just makes it worse.”

“Jongin, you’re not making it better,” murmured Chanyeol.

“Sorry,” Jongin apologised.  He attempted to let go of Semi, but she just clung tightly to him.

They ended up back at the police station.  Chanyeol excused himself because he had a client to see, but Jongin fixed Semi up with coffee and introduced her to Song Qian, who was watching the cameras with Kyungsoo.  The sheer number of cameras in her apartment disturbed and amazed Semi in equal measure and managed to take her mind off Sehun for a little.

“Whoa,” she breathed.  “You have literally everything covered.”

“Well, it’s my job,” Kyungsoo pointed out, somewhat abashed.

“Don’t you ever get bored of watching?”

Kyungsoo shrugged.  “There have been a few entertaining moments.”

“Like when Taeyong came to stay,” said Jongin.  “Oh, wait.  Want to see something funny?”  He didn’t give her a chance to respond before Semi found herself sitting in his office chair while he searched through a folder on his computer to find a saved file.  Song Qian was giggling to herself, and Semi reckoned she must know what it was that Jongin was planning to show her.

“Behold the wondrous six-year-old menace,” announced Jongin as he pressed play, “who can bring even the most hardened criminal to his knees.”

The introduction was enough to make Semi laugh without Taeyong’s voice piping up with: “Why won’t you and Semi Noona make babies?”

“Not this again,” Kyungsoo sighed.

“Shut up, hyung.  It’s hilarious and you know it.”

“Not when you’ve heard it over a hundred and fifty times.”  But Kyungsoo relented somewhat at the sight of Semi giggling over how awkward Xiumin was in response to Taeyong’s questions.

“He likes Taeyong,” she observed when the clip ended.  “I think he’s one of the few people Minseok’s actually himself around.”

“I will make note of that for future blackmail use,” Jongin joked.

“You might not need to,” said Kyungsoo