[ 14: HANSEL AND GRETEL ]
[ CA-23 ][16.03.2015]
"Took you fast enough." Sejoon said, the biting sarcasm not gone from Wooyoung's ears.
"Everything needs progress." Wooyoung sighed, looking at Seoul's morning traffic jam. He usually tried to ignore Sejoon's remarks, but he's not feeling better, and so does Sejoon, most likely. Closing the team's scars were much likely to make him exhausted.
"Where are we going?" Jookyung asked, turning to Wooyoung. The former's face looked unreadable, but there was a tinge of impatience. He didn't blame the younger for it.
"Gyeon Kinam's residence." Wooyoung said, not batting an eye on him. He'd hoped that Hyosung had talked to him the address, but he didn't hope much.
After a few minutes, he felt the car started moving again, and sighed deeply. He needed sleep.
"Say," Jisung said, nervously looking at the annoyed Sejoon and sleepy Wooyoung. "who did you call, Wooyoung-hyung?"
"The woman is Kim Jaekyung, Hani's longtime friend, and Hyun Sihyang, one of Johak's field instuctors here. I think he's Kyung's coach too. Star student, even. Both of them can manipulate water." Sejoon shrugged.
"Mhm." Wooyoung raised his eyebrows. He's not in the mood to argue with Sejoon, but he didn't feel a little bit good about the situation. Sejoon just loved to put in more unnecessary comments sometimes.
"Say, I heard he talked with you again?" Sejoon asked, staring at Wooyoung. It wasn't bad, but still not something he'd say important.
"Yes," Wooyoung said. "he said he might have encountered something like—Jookyung, watch out!"
Just a moment later, Jisung found himself being launched forward hard, and he heard the thud of Sejoon's body against Jookyung's seat. He'd known another car would swerve to their lane, but he'd expect Jookyung to have at least slowed down.
He now had second thoughts on getting a driving lessons from Jookyung.
"Ελα, ρε, Sun Jookyung!" Wooyoung yelled.
"I'm sorry, the car just came in front of me! You should've known how these things work too! Also, what's with the Greek?" Jookyung shouted back.
Sejoon, after rubbing his chest, moved back, slowly pushing Jisung to his seat and putting his index finger on his mouth. The older boy had a mischevious smile, with his eyes pointing towards the front seats.
Wooyoung in all the sharp, cold air. "Sounded like a good substitute to the ears, instead of the usual vulgarity."
"Greek makes people look sophisticated, but I hardly think Hyosung would've spat on you at any given time. Even if it is, Jisung's been cursing since day one. Don't even bother hiding it from him." Jookyung said, turning back to the road. Sejoon quietly chuckled, seeing Wooyoung's astounded face just became too priceless to him.
"Listen," Wooyoung said, speechless. "just... focus on the road."
The younger didn't respond except to increase the speed, leading the older to turn his back. Sejoon went back to his phone, and Jisung stared back at the now clear road.
"Man, the girls are lucky." Jisung whispered to Sejoon, earning the latter's smirk.
"You were whining about being unemployed because of Hyosung, now you're saying you don't want the job?"
"Hey!" Jisung harshly whispered. It wasn't far from wrong, but it still felt weird. "at least they don't fight minutes after being together."
Sejoon closed his phone, and stared at Jisung in disbelief. He gently leaned back on Jisung's shoulder, and whispered, "they fight pico—no, instant after being together."
♦
"Hey, actual question, is this place filled with criminals?" Jisung asked, hesitant. He stood behind Sejoon, who sat at the edge of the residence.
"Pickpocketers were pretty much everywhere, but low-class mafia members may have been here or there," Sejoon said. "it's almost 12 in the afternoon. It's going to be fine."
Wooyoung raised his hand, so Sejoon and Jisung walked out with him too, to a nearby building. It's an old apartment, its peach walls fading away. There's multiple unpleasant smell that started making Sejoon cover his nose.
"Hey, where should we be going now?" Sejoon said, shaking his head.
"Turn around this building and run to the 20th floor." Wooyoung said, still looking on the outside environment.
"Run?" Sejoon asked, voice aghast.
"Run." Wooyoung said, now impatient.
"Run 20 floors or run to the elevator?"
"Run 20 floors before anyone caught you! The elevator's dead." Wooyoung pushed the two out towards a small brown door. The door was heavy, and Sejoon took no heed before he closed the door again.
Once they're inside, Jisung realized something that just made his stomach churn.
"Hyung? Sejoon-hyung?"
"Yes?"
"That's the emergency exit, right?"
"Right." Sejoon nodded, blankly staring at the white stairs in front of him.
Then, he stared again at Jisung.
He never wanted to scream so bad.
♦
"Hyung."
"Sejoon-hyung."
"Yes?" Sejoon stopped walking. He'd been so used to the whole walking thing, but he felt like he'd been crushed with so much weight his legs would gave out in a few minutes.
"How many floor have we went up?"
"I don't know, I stopped counting. Twenty?"
Jisung stood silent, his face in disbelief. He looked around, and noticed the white door, and the face that was staring back at the two. He was wearing the exact same cap as Jookyung.
In fact, he looked exactly like Jookyung.
"Oi, Kyung, you better open the door this instant or else." Sejoon breathed in heavily, leaning against the door, a wonder for Jisung if the older could even hear him. The door gently clicked, revealing the tall figure.
"H... how did you even get here?" Jisung said, agape. Jookyung had went first, standing only metres away from Wooyoung—who was supposed to be on guard—before disappearing. He looked completely clean, spotless, watching the two with a glint of mischief.
"Climb."
"Climb?"
"Climb—whatever, where's the family?" Sejoon said, frowning.
Jookyung walked to a door that looked slightly opened, allowing a burst of light to go out, even on the dark hallway. Jisung breathed in, anxious. It's his first time actually being in the mission itself, so it made him anxious.
He gently opened it, revealing a young man, laying weakly on a mattress. When he saw them, he had a weak smile. His expression looked almost exactly like Kinam—chubby cheeks and wide smile.
"Are you Gyeon Sihoon?"
♦
"Yes, I'm Gyeon Sihoon." the young man said, weakly standing up. He stumbled, and almost fell if it wasn't for Jookyung keeping a tight grip on his arm.
"It's... okay. You don't have to stand." Sejoon said. Jookyung and Jisung helped him to sit down on the mattress again.
"I... I'm fine. You guys are searching for my brother, right?" Sihoon said, staring at them. He looked cold, apprehensive, but too weak to move.
"How'd you know that?" Jisung asked, curious.
"That guy opened my window, so." Sihoon pointed to Jookyung, who gave a sheepish smile at the rest. Sejoon just rolled his eyes. He'll never realize that he'd be the acutal sane man for the day.
"Well, it didn't seem too obvious, doesn't it? But we're not from the police." Sejoon awkwardly laugh, much to Jisung and Jookyung's glares.
"I don't want you here. Please get out." Sihoon said, and then coughed. At the corner of Sejoon's eye, the hand that had covered it smeared red.
"Well, if you could afford to do so, sure. We are still going to find him." Sejoon shrugged. The lack of other people seemed to be a little bit different compared to the description of other agents, but he could be wrong.
"Uhm, hyung, I don't think you should give up that easily?" Jisung whispered, exasperated.
"Does that mean you're not going to leave?" Sihoon asked, coughing again.
"I don't think you'll survive just alone here. Say, do you even live alone?" Sejoon said. He seemed to be concentrating on his own questions.
Jookyung had walked around the small room, noting the infinite amount of dust that had culminated around the room. Food was put on the trashbin had culminated to multiple flies wandering around it. He didn't even want to know the bathroom, noticing a very unpleasant smell from there.
"Some of my relatives came here to see me sometimes. They're probably the one who'd been stopping your colleagues. Not today, though."
"Say," Sejoon said, approaching Sihoon. "what if we pay for your medical fees to get a treatment... if you're willing to cooperate?"
"I don't need it," Sihoon said, crossing his arms. "the doctors told me I'm not going to live longer anyways. Said it looked like some stage four leukemia."
"Well, doctors are wrong sometimes," Sejoon shrugged. "hope does come in the worst times."
"That's only something an optimist would have said." Sihoon laughed bitterly. Sejoon noticed that he'd wiped some parts of the stain to his loose blue shirt, which looked like it hasn't been washed for days.
"Not even the chances to see your brother again?" Jookyung said, looking with curiosity.
Sihoon paused for a while, staring intently to Jookyung. Sejoon noticed something different in his eyes, something that longed for a thing in his life.
"Ever had a brother?" Sihoon asked.
"Somewhat." Jookyung shrugged.
Sihoon paused for a while, but then locked his eyes with Sejoon, steeling himself. "You say about that medical treatment, right?"
"Yeah." Sejoon raised his eyebrows.
"Well, I got to this state before the last time I saw Kinam." Sihoon said, chuckling bitterly.
"What happened?"
"We got into a big fight because of money, so he ran away, just two days before he disappeared. I followed him, and saw that he was talking to a woman."
That sentence piqued Sejoon's curiosity. "How did she look like?"
"Probably in the mid 30s, and she had red lips," Sihoon said. "most likely pregnant as well?"
Sejoon turned to the two members, each mirroring his alarmed look. Sejoon turned back to the pale young man, trying to give a reassuring smile.
"Where did you go?"
"Where did you go?"
"Kinam's old primary school, not far from here."
"What did they talk about?" Sejoon asked.
"Money, and also about a girl." Sihoon said.
"A girl? Did you hear anything clear about it?"
"Yeah," Sihoon said. "her name is Rohee."
♦
"So... basically, you saw Rohee there?" Sejoon asked.
"Pretty sure it's her. She worked with a mind of her own." Hani said.
The team had came back to hear about Hani's testimony. Accompanied by tea and food Hyerin had cooked, they heard everything, including the victim's story. There was a mix of skepticism and disbelief all around, but no one had asked until their profiler did.
"Okay," Jisung said. "the 'cheater' was most likely Han Seulhee, whom we heard actually talking relatable things to Yoo Eunchang, making them an accomplice to each other, so... is Yishik innocent?"
"If we're to believe it's really Rohee, yeah." Sejoon shrugged.
"Are you saying I'm faking it all, Sejoon?" Hani said, voice spiteful.
"Hey, I didn't say you faked being possessed, alright," Sejoon raised his hands, trying to avoid the annoyed glares most gave to him.
"I'm saying, whatever the thing that get you crazy, might have created that figure of Rohee instead of it being her. If it's really her, then I really don't want to count whether that something—we're calling it Something, yes—might have been stupid enough to put her in you, and now Kim Rohee is in a big trouble."
Hyosung spoke up. "I'm pretty sure it's Kim Rohee, Sejoon. Imagination from the manipulator would not make it actively resist them."
"Well, what if they wanted to make her resist?" Sejoon asked. He still looked less convinced than the rest.
"Then I'm pretty sure they're more willing to harm her rather than waste their energy using their imagination. Either way, makes little difference. If they wanted to lie, we still got solid evidence." Wooyoung said.
"Alright, I guess that could be." Sejoon shrugged, avoiding Hani's disappointed glance.
"Found it!" Iseul shouted at that moment. The rest stared at her with confusion, especially when she'd been busy with her computer.
"Found what, Iseul?" Hyosung said.
"The IP address," Iseul said, beaming, pointing at a red dot on her screen. "is at an abandoned school."
"Huh," Sejoon wondered. "isn't that where Gyeon Sihoon pointed us too?"
"Then I suppose it's safe to say that it's where Gyeon Kinam should be?" Hyosung said.
"Well," Wooyoung said. "it wouldn't hurt for us to investigate now."
♦
Iseul wondered a little. The six members had went away to the old school building, and Hyosung just went to retrieve cakes from the boys' fridge (seriously, how did she know?). Fixing her earpiece, she'd need to wait until they all arrived, which would take 30 minutes maximum.
After pulling up another lollipop wrapper, she stared at the two papers left in front of her. Hongbin's face just came across her mind, one that she almost threw her slippers at. So handsome, yet so reckless and so, so careless (seriously, it's her 15th time fixing his earpiece).
Remembering his face made her flush, but the first notes' numbers made her curious.
UN: 5P5
PW
218253
297253
237243
229233
270213
227203
210183
219183
earlyuoyong.taem
Iseul gulped. She knew the code resembled something the deep web had been sharing about, but the code wasn't something she'd seen at all. In fact, while it made her curious, the last words at the last sentence was suspicious.
She knew it would lead them to a website, but she knew well that looking through shady places would get all of them into trouble. Yet again, she's been through the deep web multiple times before being on Johak, and she'd came out fine.
She looked again at the clock. It's not even two minutes since they'd gone, and Hyosung wouldn't be back in at least 10 minutes. She had eight minutes to make it count.
So hesitantly, she typed out the url, still on private mode. Once she did, she was met with the user interface, requiring username and password. She looked again at the paper. Curiosity got the betterment of her, and she nervously typed them down.
When she pressed on enter, what it came with made her nearly dropped her laptop. She might have also let out a yelp, since Hyosung had practically ran up from the kitchen, meeting eye-to-eye with Iseul.
"Iseul, what happened?" Hyosung had very much wished her troubles would amount to this morning, but it felt like it didn't happen to be that way.
"Miss..." Iseul said, staring in shock.
When Hyosung glanced at her laptop, Wooyoung's full data were there, including his latest activities.
"They got us."
notes: try not to lose your tracks on their clues while reading. but try not to think too much of it either, or else you're going to go crazy. apparently, the boys do fight as much as the girls. this may be the longest chapter.
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