─────── 𝐂 𝐇 𝐀 𝐏 𝐓 𝐄 𝐑    𝟏𝟑 ───────

[3:13pm]

"Let's go get some food first," Ahyeun suggested, walking out of the Dior store with Aera behind her.

"Food?" Aera questioned, fidgeting with her fingers.

Ahyeun frowned and turned around, nodding. "Yeah."

"I'm not hungry though."

"What do you mean?" Ahyeun's face scrunched up further. "We've been out since peak of morning and it's almost 4 now, and you're not hungry?"

Aera firmly shook her head, "Nope, I'm totally fine."

"Not even thirsty?"

"Not really."

Ahyeun looked around, confused as to what to do next. She thought about it for a second, why wouldn't she be hungry or thirsty?

"Ahh, fine. Let's go then," she sighed.

"Yeah," Aera smiled as though nothing was wrong.

But in her mind she felt a pang of guilt.

[3:17pm]

"You mom said food's gonna be ready real soon," Yeram said into the room she was just outside of. She walked in with a cup of water and placed it beside Sunghoon.

He took it in his hands, bringing it up to his mouth and swallowing all the contents inside. "Don't remind me."

She rolled her eyes, "Be grateful I made up an excuse for you. Your meeting with her is delayed thanks to me."

"Mph," he scoffed. "Yeah, thanks a bunch. What did you even say to her?"

"That you were taking a shit," Yeram flatly responded.

Sunghoon's eyes widened. He looked mortified. "You did what?!"

The girl burst out laughing, "I'm just kidding. I told her you were taking a shower."

He shot her a glare, "Thank God. Don't ever say such things. I will fucking murder you."

Yeram held her hand up in defense. "Christ, calm down. I won't."

"Good."

"Actually, you know what I wanted to show you?" Yeram suddenly remembered what she had specially bought for him on her visit.

"What?"

"Wait-" she held out her index finger, stretching out her arm to grab her bag that was resting on a nearby table. She dug her hand inside, rummaging around for a bit before pulling out a book. "This," she showed him, "is Dana's diary."

Sunghoon's mouth parted to an 'o' shape, his eyes clouded, becoming more intrigued. "What- how do you have it?"

Yeram smirked proudly, "Me and a couple of the others broke into her dorm room and took it."

"You're smiling like they wouldn't kick your ass out of the school permanently if anyone found out?" Sunghoon raised his eyebrow.

Her smile dropped. "Don't. Say. That."

This time he was the one to poke fun at her. "Hah, oh yeah because... what was it again? Aunt and uncle are going to take you out of the country if they catch you lacking in school again?"

"Shut up, it's not funny," Yeram gritted her teeth.

Flicking her hair away from her face, she opened the diary- flicking through the pages until she was somewhere in the last third of the book. "Anyways, I found something really interesting."

"Let's hear it then," Sunghoon encouraged her to continue.

She moved closer to him, holding out the book in between them. "Well, you see, Dana happened to write some interesting stuff down here just less than a week before her killing."

Pointing at some words she highlighted, Yeram continued, "On the 21st last month, she was at Doyoung's house party. You know, the same one that we all went to?"

"The one where the cops pulled up?" Sunghoon asked.

Yeram nodded, "Yeah, that one."

"And basically, it reads repeatedly in different variations things along the lines of 'I can't believe he would do such a thing', 'Doyoung would never', 'Why would she lie though?' and 'I can't tell her about this'."

"About what?"

Yeram shrugged, "That's the whole fucking point, I don't know. I don't even know if this has to do with anything to do with her death but it sure is weird. Don't you think so?"

"I mean, I guess. And also what's up with Doyoung being the common denominator in everything. I swear you suspected him?"

"Hmm," Yeram tapped the smooth skin on her chin with her finger. "It sounds like Dana found out some 'secret' of his. Maybe he did kill her- to make sure what she knew never gets out."

"No, that doesn't make sense," Sunghoon declined. "This isn't about Doyoung, It doesn't explicitly say he knows that she knows. It's just some girl that told her about it and Dana doesn't want to believe her. I think you have to find out who this mystery girl is first."

"That's actually not a bad idea, maybe this girl knows more than us," Yeram agreed, but her slight optimism was met at a dead end when she realised they had another problem. "But how do we find out who the girl is? This is the last entry and it doesn't say any names except Doyoung's."

"Pass me the book," Sunghoon ushered to which Yeram gently placed the diary in his palm.

He examined the page, face furrowing in concentration. His eyes seemed to focus on the random scribbled on the left right corner. "Here," he jabbed his finger on the black inked whirls, "it looks like she wrote something on it and then scribbled it."

"Give," Yeram quickly took the diary from him, bringing it closer to her face. "It looks like.. Uhm, numbers?"

"It is. 11 digits exactly."

Something inside her brain clicked, "A phone number."

"Exactly."

Yeram's face turned to her cousin, both of them letting what they just figured sink in.

[4:39pm]

"I can never catch a break these days," Jungwon complained.

Him and Jongseong were walking together to their respective training sites, which happened to be a couple of minutes away from each other.

As they crossed Harbour's Bridge, Jungwon's stop was closing near. And he was not looking forward to it.

"You and me both Jungwon. Season's coming and coach is really getting into it. The other day Beomgyu was a couple of minutes late to practice and Mr. Han made him stay back a full hour for 1v1 practice," Jongseon explained, reminiscing the gruesome training he saw Choi Beomgyu go through just the other day.

"Yeah but it's different for me, my dad's the one pressuring me for this year's taekwondo nationals and I don't even know if I have enough energy for it," Jungwon explained.

Jongseong was cornered for his friend, because he did in fact catch on how Jungwon seemed to always doze off in the middle of maths or put his head down for a second in Biology and fall asleep the next. He seemed to also have lost his academic participation too, since he rarely ever put his hand up to answer questions.

"You don't even have time for sleep or schoolwork, do you?"

"No. But it's fine, I'll find a way to compromise," the shorter friend replied.

What a Jungwon type of response, Jongseong thought to himself chuckling.

[5:01pm]

The 'dinner's ready!' call was what Sunghoon dreaded the most today. And that was the call he surely heard loud and clear just now.

Yeram took in a deep breath, "Well, it's now or never."

Sunghoon remained still for a second, having a meltdown on the inside. "Yeah let's go," he deterred all the what ifs from his mind. The duo walked out together, moving in sync through the corridor, down the bifurcated staircase of the Park household, and into the dining room.

Sunghoon's entire body froze stiff, because as if she knew he was about to walk in, the side of her face turned and their eyes met. After three long years, they were in the same room again.

The victim and the perpetrator.

Sunghoon and Iseul.

Ill fate they ever had to cross paths again.

"Sunghoon-ah," she cheerfully called out, getting up to greet him.

He flinched at her words.

Iseul walked up to him, wrapping her slender arms around his still frame. "How are you? You've grown up so much!"

Sunghoon didn't hug her back, he didn't even bother.

She pulled away, hands firmly grasped on his shoulders, "You were so tiny last time I remember seeing you."

Yeah, tiny, vulnerable and an easy prey for you, he couldn't help but realise.

"Aunt Iseul," he smiled through clamped teeth. "I'm good, how are you?"

"Awh, I'm fine Sunghoon dear," she laughed.

Sunghoon almost repulsed at her high pitched giggles.

Thankfully, she turned away from her, going back to her seat. "Come now, join us. You too, Yeram."

The two teens shared brief glances before they sat down in their assigned seats.

The stem of Sunghoon and Yeram's family line wasn't at all that big and dinner tonight consisted of only the Parks, Kims, Iseul, Iseul's brother and his two sons, and Yeram's mum's nephew and his wife and son.

Everyone settled down, tucking into the food Sunghoon's mom had participated in making.

"Someone, pass me the sauce please," Yeji asked, struggling to reach for the small pot of ssamjang.

Sunghoon went for it, so did Iseul and their hands met in a sizzling contact. Sunghoon pulled away immediately, "Sorry."

"No problem," Iseul smiled, but was ever so slightly confused.

"Kamsahamnida," Yeji smiled widely when the sauce was passed to her.

"No problem," her aunt replied with equal enthusiasm.

"Oh, Ise?" Mrs. Park suddenly diverted her attention. "What was that news you wanted to tell us, hmm?"

Iseul's smile grew again, "Ahh yes, thank you for reminding me Dea. The thing is..."

The family all set their cutlery down, and turned their attention to her.

"I'm moving to Seoul!"

Mrs. Park's hand flew to her mouth. "Really Ise?"

Tears began to form her eyes from the emotional announcement. Her husband put a arm around her shoulders, rubbing her arm.

"Don't cry in front of them all Dea," he teased her, causing everyone to laugh.

"I'm not," Mrs. Park retorted. "I'm just so happy, after so long we can be close to each other again."

"The house I bought is near here too, 7 Bowing Avenue," Iseul explained further.

"Is that the big mansion with the massive garden?" Yeram asked.

"Yeah."

"Whoa, how much did that cost?"

"Only $6.4 million," Iseul answered.

"That is so cool. Invite me over when you move in, ok?" Yeram joked.

"Of course, I'll be inviting everyone."

Sunghoon's face soured, his mouth stopped chewing briefly. Looking up he was already met with the face of Yeram giving him a knowing look.

———

a bit of a boring chapter i think😪