Happy birthday to madeline_yee and happy early birthday to HiiChan!

Now that Semi was aware of them, she started seeing undercover police everywhere on campus.  Wendy kept asking why people seemed to be looking at her, too, and she ended up explaining in hushed undertones.

“Well, it’s good the police are keeping an eye out for you,” Wendy said matter-of-factly, keeping her voice low so that Seulgi and Tao wouldn’t hear.  “By the way, have you seen Junhong recently?  He just seems to have vanished off the face of the earth.”

“No, I haven’t.”  Semi bit her lip.

“There’s something weird with that kid, I swear.”  Wendy stuck her nose back in her textbook.

The offhand remark got Semi thinking, though, and it was enough to distract her through most of her meeting with her academic supervisor.

“Is something bothering you?” the woman asked eventually.  Semi thought her name was Sandara, but she wasn’t completely sure.

Semi debated internally for a few moments, but then caved.

“Er… yeah,” she said.  “Something really weird’s up with one of my friends.  He’s been acting strangely for a while, and not that long ago I overheard an argument he’d got into with a professor, something about the guy not owning him and he was deliberately dropping grades to avoid somebody.  Thing is, I think that person might be me or one of my friends, because he dropped out of my class and he’s been avoiding me ever since.”

Sandara surveyed her for a few moments.  “That sounds bizarre.  What’s his name?”

“Choi Junhong.”

“I’ll forward it to Lay.  Don’t you fret about it.”

Semi thanked her and left the room, wondering exactly what had been going on with Junhong.  That argument she’d overheard had definitely been on the weird side.

There was food out on the side in the kitchen when she got home, and Semi put it in the oven before pulling out one of her course books to wait while it cooked.  It was far too early to have dinner – only six in the evening – but the cafeteria lunch was always dubious at best on Thursdays and she was starving.

Just as she settled down to eat, her phone rang.  Pausing with her chopsticks in mid-air, Semi accepted the call and put her phone on speaker.

“Semi?”  It was Minseok.

“Oh, hey!  What time are we leaving for the theatre?  Do I need to wear something formal?”

“I can’t come with you anymore.”  He sounded deeply apologetic.  “I’m so sorry.  We have one of Suho’s men in custody and he’s just woken up from a coma and is willing to talk – Lay wants me here until questioning’s finished and he says that might not be before midnight.”

“Oh.”  Disappointed, Semi prodded her food with her chopsticks.  “That .”

“You can still go – the show starts at eight-thirty and I think I left the tickets on my bedside table.  Take a friend – or take your brother.  I don’t want you just sitting home alone and getting bored.  Or take Jongin.  God knows he could do with a pick-me-up.”

Semi shoved her food around some more.  But it wouldn’t be the same! part of her brain screamed at her.

“I might stay in, actually—”

“Jongin’s going to need it.  Kyungsoo thinks he might have managed to trace the assassin and an evening of calm will probably do him good.”

“Okay.  I’ll give him a ring.  See you later.  Is Lay likely to keep you past midnight?”

“No idea.  Don’t wait up – there’s no point exhausting yourself.”

Jongin perked up considerably at the prospect of going to a play and Semi spent a pleasant evening with him.  The show in question was a political satire that included nothing in the way of violence or romance, which suited both of them, and Semi spent a fair portion of the evening trying to make sure she didn’t drift off on Jongin’s shoulder because she was tired and the atmosphere was incredibly relaxing after the adrenaline she’d been on for much of the month.  Having the space to calm down and enjoy herself appeared to be increasingly rare.

Showing the faintest hints of a smile, Jongin dropped her home with a grateful thank you and a tight hug, and a very tired Semi hung her coat up in the cupboard, brushing a light dusting of frost off it, before turning in for the night.

It was about three in the morning when she shot awake, wide-eyed and breathing heavily, with the screech of failing brakes in her ears.  was absolutely parched but didn’t feel raw like it usually did if she had managed to scream herself awake.  Hugging herself, Semi took several deep breaths, and then reached out for her phone so that she had some light.

The glass she usually kept in the bathroom wasn’t there – she belatedly remembered that she’d put it in the dishwasher the previous day and hadn’t taken it out – and so she stumbled over to the kitchen to get herself a new one.  The kitchen lights were already on, making her hesitate in the doorway, blinking rapidly to try to assimilate to the brightness.  When she was able to stop squinting, she spotted Minseok putting something into the microwave.

He caught sight of her reflection in the microwave glass as he closed the door, and he turned around immediately.

“Hey.”  His smile faded as he took in her appearance, eyes widening, and he was across the room in several swift steps.  “Nightmare?” he asked.

Semi nodded.  No further explanation was needed.

“I thought they were getting better,” he murmured as he helped her into a chair.  “Tea?  Hot chocolate?”

“They are,” Semi managed in a cracked voice.  “Hot chocolate please – it’s just they’re not going to go away immediately.”  She hesitated.  “I woke up before the second car hit this time.  Normally it’s not until after the car’s basically been destroyed and flipped over.”

Minseok left milk to boil in a pan and came back to sit beside her.  “Would you like me to stay with you tonight for a little?”

Semi considered.  Both Minseok and Chanyeol had insisted that she needed to be able to get better on her own, but Chanyeol had also told her not to be ashamed or scared to ask for help when she needed it.  Open communication with friends and family is essential when you’re suffering from any kind of mental illness.  They can’t see what’s going on in your head, so they’re only going to know what you tell them, he’d said.

“Maybe… you could stay for a bit?” she suggested tentatively.  “Just until I fall asleep?”

He nodded.  The microwave pinged just as he opened his mouth to reply, and he went to get the food out.

“Want a bite?” he asked, putting the plate of pasta bake in between them.  “It’s a new recipe.  And sleeping on an empty stomach is bad for you.”

Semi contemplated the food for a moment before stealing his fork and digging in.  Minseok used the opportunity to take the milk off the hob and mix it with chocolate powder.  He seemed completely unconcerned that Semi had eaten half his dinner.

“Was the play good?” he asked her, nudging the hot chocolate into her hands and carefully extracting the fork.  Semi nodded and raised the cup to take a sip.

“They were great actors.  And it was really funny, too.  Though I was so exhausted I nearly fell asleep.”

“I’m sorry I missed it.”

“Your loss.”  Semi took another sip.  Chuckling, Minseok dug into the pasta bake.

They sat in silence for a while, Semi drinking her way through her hot chocolate and Minseok polishing off the pasta bake.  Once they were both done and everything was in the dishwasher, and once Semi had a new glass filled with water that