"So what are we doing after this?" I had given into Soobin's policy. The guy knew what he was doing, unlike me. Maybe he is infact correct.

"I'd like to discuss a few things before we decide what to do next. Please come along with me." He pulled off his bear costume and brushed his wrinkled cotton fabric. He took his cell phone out and tried to navigate the directions. I realised he has never been here and knew not which sides to take. An unintentional giggle escaped my lips, gaining his attention. I quickly covered myself up, suppressing the tickles inside me and faked a slight clearing of my throat.

"You don't have to suppress your cachinnation. It's your fault that I lost track of which directions I came from. Now enlighten me and show me the way out." He rolled his bunny like eyes and nagged about getting lost when I was right there, like a good guide.

"Okay!" I took the lead and started walking towards the north. That was the closest way out of the forest. It was only a few minutes away from the bus stop and I needed to take the bus. I didn't own a car and there was only one four wheeler, that my brother took to work.

I lifted my face, letting the light and shadow dance across my skin. Bees hummed in and out of the pennyroyal. I inhaled its fresh smell and continued on, delighting in the sound of my feet sliding through the dried leaves.

The taller guy's feet followed my steps in synch and all that I could see him doing was looking at his phone screen once in a while to have a good glance of the direction.

A thing felt like he didn't trust me and that maybe all our interactions till now had only been me aggressively exploiting his innocence.

Yet we meet again.

His dress colours were pretty flamboyant to be considered his choice. Being the valedictorian, he has had several roles in the Incheon campus and I have had several small encounters with him as a fellow student. He is famous for always wearing matt and light colours. Hardly ever has he worn red.

His outfit reassembled the down town Pizza shop workers. They also wore these red and black outfits like this and that cap made it so realistic that if I hadn't known him, I would have thought of him as a delivery boy.

"We're on the metalled road now. Did you come by car? I'll take the bus." I voiced.

"Hmm... Nah!" He looked up from his screen. "I came on a motorbike. We'll be going to my place. You can ride with me."

"You own a bike? I always loved bikes!" I responded enthusiastically.

"I don't own a bike. It's my neighbour's. But I do know how to ride it." He replied and took out his wallet from his back pocket of his crisped black denims, and pulled out his driver's license.

I flashed a sly curve on my chapped lips and pulled a chain on the sleeve of my jacket, taking out my driver's license. I was a trained bike rider and upon revealing that I couldn't help but make the curve on my lips wider. The gasp on his face was almost invisible but those raised eyebrows and semi balled out eyes made it evident to anyone who has studied physiognomy.

"Great then. Come on. I'll ride it now." He said and I finally laughed.

"Egoistic,huh?"

"Egoistic? Nah. You're not the first woman who rides a bike. There are many. Not surprised because of your gender but because I never expected a secret pocket on your sleeves." The smile on my face dropped down to faint white as he now, reciprocated the smirk I once held.

"Whatever!" I turned away. I had made myself look like a fool and it would be worse if I look into his eyes again.

He laughed and I puffed my face in embarrassment. I hate it when guys find me cute because I don't like being cute. But honestly, this guy whispered that I'm cute and I heard it! I felt more embarrassed as we walked to where he had parked.

"Y/n, walk away from the road." Saying so, he clutched my wrist and pulled towards the sidewalk. A car was rushing towards our way and out of my childish stupidity, I completely overlooked the fact that we were now on the main road and not just the housing streets.

"Oh! Sorry. And thanks." I slightly bent over my waist, bowing to him as a symbol of gratitude.

"Mention not. Yeonjun always does this. Sit back." He kick started the bike and I was surprised to see that he actually had a delivery basket.

"You're... A delivery boy?" I asked curiously.

"I'm not. This was my disguise today, my fake identity, Kang Seungwan." I nodded to his identity card and barely fit between his slender body and the huge basket. Adjusting really hard, he stopped outside the pizza shop and pulled out the basket, finally making me comfortable.

I waited for him to come out again and a certain voice laughing at him, felt really familiar. Nudging the thought off, I spotted Soobin running out of the store.

He gestured me to escape. The store probably was mad at him for they found out that he wasn't the actual delivery boy they were waiting for.

"Sit back!" I started the bike. It would take him longer to ride and take me, and again speed up.

"O-Okay!" As soon as I could feel his torso behind me, I changed the gear and sped through the traffic clogged high way. I had no idea of where he stayed but my priority was to vanish from the sight of the store. I raced up the street and turned towards the tunnel.

"Dongchun. 6/8 B, Bongjaesan-Ro." He whispered and I accelerated towards the west. It was a ten minutes drive and I stopped outside the tall but old nurse quarter.

"Welcome to my home." He said and removed his helmet, setting it aside in the garage. I parked the bike inside the temporary shed of the rafter and walked behind him. The stiff flight of stairs and the the diminishing plaster on the walls, that was cascading at places; defined how bad the condition of the almost abandoned quarter was.

The dull passageway had no shines of light even in the day, like a body that lacked soul. I brushed my tender hands on the railing of the stairs to support myself in the narrow space and felt a strong presence of a spiritual connection, like the one I had with my dead mother's office.

"I'm sorry for the poor condition. We couldn't afford any better living." He apologized and breathed heavily, and I understood that a great amount of time and memory was still cascading like an outpouring waterfall, attached with these almost vandalized walls and windows.

We slowly walked our steps up to the fifth floor. Soobin knocked on a door and a man with long and curly hair, and a messy attire, opened it. A thin line on the bridge of his nose had formed a faint pressure scar, indicating the usage of thick and comparatively tight glasses.

"Thank you." Soobin bowed and passed him the keys of the bike. The man smiled back and accepted the keys.

"My block is the last one on this floor." He said.

"Was that man a writer?" I asked.

"Hmm. What did you notice for you come to this conclusion?" He asked back.

"The line on his nose, the messy ink on his fingers and the number of papers on the floor. Typical cliché story writer who meets his girlfriend and then achieves success only for her to abandon him by cheating, breaking up or dying. And at the end, he's depressed again." I replied. He burst out with a chortle and I shrugged my shoulders, being completely uninterested. I can be considered a bibliophile although I might not have read several authors, but this was such a common storyline that I've stereotyped all writers to be like that.

I am wrong, I know that. My own sister in law is a writer by profession who loves to make mystery stories and never has ever not included a sudden attack. My typical, Park Yu Dami. But seeing writers and mess together, brings up this thought in my head in almost a jiffy.

"Quite a beautiful observation. And he actually was once this, except for the fact that his love didn't leave him and instead married him." I balled my eyes a little. The man's features showed him to not be much older than us and I haven't seen people getting married so early. "Yes, ma'am. They're married. True, he's not as old. Just 28 but legally permitted to marry."

"Yeah... That's true. Jimin also married young. How long have they been married? Around 7 years." I spoke on my own.

"Come in, please." He opened a well polished door and I was surprised to see a small penthouse like apartment. No wonder the two sophisticated Chois have got taste.

"The out and in look like two poles." I commented.

"Thank you. It's hyung's work, not mine. I'd have easily blended within the ruins but he has his respect in the town and won't fit in." Laughing a little, he knocked on another door. I suspected it to be their bedroom.

The walls of their house had a good plaster and was painted shades of beige and brown. The kitchen sink was still loaded with dishes but most of the house was clean-check.

"Come along." He opened the door. Yeonjun was still sleeping like a baby. Soobin gently ruffled his hair and took me through the small passage to his cupboard. Opening it, I spotted another door.

We walked behind that and my eyes scurried the whole setting. It was much more camouflaged than my work room and felt like walking through a real life war movie hideout.

"This quater is ours because his mother was a nurse. After her death, two years ago, we've been living here all alone. This was a war refuge building and that's why we have this secret place. I study here." He introduced me to the history of the room and I wasn't really wrong when I said it felt like a war movie.

My black orbs roamed in the room and fell on a photo of a woman with two boys, one of which was Yeonjun and easily recognisable. There was another frame of a different woman and I couldn't recognise her.

Cut outs of news paper and photos of the three dead were stuck on a bulletin board. He took out a set of photographs and pinned them on the board and tied his red thread around them.

"We have some information with ourselves that the other doesn't know. Before we start anything, tell me all those you suspect." He said.

"Before the case ends, everyone is a suspect. That may include myself as well. But at moment, my suspects are Ku Changmin, Lee Jaechan, Jung Seokmin and Min Soonhee." I testified my verdict.

His deep eyes looked straight into my soul, as if he had been seeing through my mind and shamelessly reading me all open. He moved and shifted on his chair and layed back his body pressure on the back rest, and breathed in again.

"Y/n-ah... Give me a definite answer. Are you willing to work with me? Yes or no." He stated.

"Yes, ofcourse." I said with a hesitation.

"You have one more suspect and you haven't told that." He voiced with a straight face.

"Umm..." His eyes waited for my reply. "Yeah. It's..."

"My suspects are Cha Junghoon, Ku Changmin, Lee Jaechan, Jung Seokmin, Min Soonhee and..."

"Song Taeju."

♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♡¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

Rosairises, I know that I had promised more consistent updates but exams...
I haven't even completed my syllabus!

But...

Without writing, I feel partly dead.

I also have the 10th chapter prepared but I think it feels a little too boring to be published. I will do some altering and publish it on Monday?
Maybe?

Will you want that?

And today's chapter is dedicated to inky_jin because, I love you(?)
Or maybe because I think you're angry with me...
Whatever, I still do love you so yeah!

Kay Bye

*Yeets out*