HYUNJIN'S POV

"So are you gonna tell me what's been bothering you or am I right in assuming it's a lover's quarrel?"

Seonghwa avoids my eyes playing with the paperweight. He says nothing, and thus I recline back in my chair. "So it is a lover's quarrel, huh?"

"Well you are the one bothering me right now."

"You know what I mean, sweetie." I touch my fingertips to each other as my elbows rest on the armrests on the either side. Well, his sad pug face is enough tell me it's not just a lover's quarrel. It's something more. "What is it?"

He lowers his head in his arms, continuing to sulk. I guess he isn't in the mood to talk. So I take the cue and turn back to my computer screen where a Wikipedia page about 'The Begonia' lays open. Can't help him if he doesn't want me to.

« The Begonia (Korean: 베고니아 ) is a mafia group based in South Korea. The leader, as rumoured in the group, was Choi Jihan, a powerful elite who is also the founder of the group. Although in 2015, Jihan was pronounced dead after a police shootout in a wheat mill near Busan, but it was never confirmed. After 2015, the group dissolved but rumoured to have been resurfaced in June 2019. According to a repor- »

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Do you think someone can fall out of love?" That grasps my attention as I snap my head to Seonghwa. He now sits straighter with almost an expectant expression etched upon his face, his brows sticking together.

I open my mouth but close it as I Marvel over the question. A few moments pass.

"It can be very much possible, yes."

"Oh..." Seonghwa looks down, scratching the table. I think I now understand what is going on. I sigh and turn in my chair until I'm right across from him.

"Hwa, mate...I mean, there must be a reason for you to be suspecting such a thing but, honestly, if you'd ask me, I don't think Soobin has fallen out of love. If anything, he is madly and utterly in love. Trust me, I've seen him."

"...but he always seems so lost in his own thoughts. He never eats the stuff I make and he...well, I don't know. He just feels so distant these days. And he comes home late."

Okay, that is understandable. I don't know what to say. I close my eyes and think it out. Soobin has been showing a different personality of himself altogether. He doesn't talk as often, he doesn't smile so often and, after that night he came back with an injured hand, he doesn't seem like himself. Maybe the murder of Kwon Gaeul left a lasting impact on him. After all, he did mention to me once that he has a phobia of blood, which is quite concerning because this line of work does contain bloodshed, more so as you climb to a higher rank. Or... "Maybe he needs a break. Everyone does at some point. You can't love something or someone constantly because love, in itself, is quite tiring. Breaks are needed, and maybe you should relax and focus on something else as well. I am sure that once all of this is over, he will come right back to you."

He slowly looks back up. "Are you sure?"

I smile. "Obviously. I do not want my ship to sink, now do I?"

"Whatever is that?"

"Nothing your pea-sized brain is gonna understand."

The room is pretty much silent aside from the distant din of the world outside and the scratching of pen against the paper. I raise the pen to my mouth, biting at its end as I try to figure out the next word of the crossword puzzle.

It is that hour of the day in which I visit Taehyun and check over his condition, which is considerably better as he no longer needs the oxygen support. However, the boy just refrains to have any and all conversations with me, just silently staring at some corner of the ward room. And I let it that way. At least I am in his company.

"Repeating the beginning of a sentence..." I wonder aloud. This one is rather hard. "Not repetition. That's ten spaces. Here's only eight."

Taehyun, slowly turns to look at me struggling, although I do not notice. "Ugh, too hard-"

"It's...anaphora." I hear Taehyun saying, and I snap my gaze at him.

"Anaphora..." I look down at the last of eight spaces left vacant. "Oh yes! It is anaphora!" I scratch the word down, satisfied with the completion. A smile makes its way up to my lips and I not to Taehyun. "Thank you."

He chooses to be silent, however now his eyes are at me. My smile lowers by a fraction, but never leaves. "We will find him, do not worry. Ya know, Yubin-ssi did go out today to investigate the old Huening household once again. Surely she'll find something."

His eyes travel to his hand which he slowly raises and stares at. Then he looks back. "Why d-do you c-come here e-everyday?" The question catches me off-guard and  I almost choke on thin air.

"Uh...I...-It's my job? I do need to keep check on your condition and report it...back to the team. Yeah." Not exactly a lie. I do need to keep check on him for the sake of my job, but that barely takes fifteen minutes. I give Taehyun a whole hour. Not suspicious at all.

The one thing bad about Taehyun right now is that he is utterly good in hiding his emotions, and his blank stare is not helping me at all. Dear God.

"Don't b-believe you."

Of course he doesn't. That was a very stupid excuse, anyway. "Well it is the truth."

And I love those immense brown eyes of his, oh please, I really do. But right now I want anything but those eyes to stare at me like that. What even is that? Suspicion? Probably. I am not a creep, am I?

I stand up from my place on the couch, clearing my throat. "I'll come back in...in a few minutes. If you need something, just know that I am right outside."

And I walk out of the room in a hurry. Before letting a out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. Wasn't I the detective here? Why is he asking me question?

I look at my watch. 7:23 PM. Okay I have half an hour to spend here. Should take as much breath as I can here. It's not a guarantee that he is not gonna ask any more questions. He seemed like he is in a mood confront. Damn.

I sigh and turn to look at the ward door just in time to see a nurse walk in, must be for the vitals check. What has this crush done to me?

I find my seat at the waiting area. I won't be allowed in during the check anyway, might as well wait outside. And so I slip out my phone and look through my messages. The last one is from Seonghwa. Obviously it is a 'thank you'. This man, I swear. He is the sweetest one I know.

I smile to myself. At least someone will be happy after this. I hope everything go-

A loud scream drags me out of my thoughts and I stand up at an instant on instinct. What was that?

My eyes go to the ward door behind which is Taehyun. Did I imagine it?

"Hyung!"

I did not. I run to the door at that very moment, turning knob and pushing at the door. It isn't opening. That nurse...she wasn't a nurse.

I try to break open the door, hitting it repeatedly with my shoulder but it just won't open. However, hearing the commotion, the guards did come over. I am too busy to consider them. My eyes falls on the fire extinguisher on the opposite wall and a idea came into my mind. I rush to it, take it off the hook and throw it at the large window covered with curtain of teal. It shatters loudly, falling apart.

I climb over it, although the small glass pieces still stuck to the panel sink into my skin, burning incessantly. But it is the least of my problems as I see the nurse holding a scalpel a bit too near to Taehyun's throat.

I see red.

"You bitch!" I, at once, pull her away from Taehyun and throw towards the floor. From her place, she looks up with pure rage in her eyes before scrambling to her feet again. However this time, fortunately, the guards make it into the room just in time to take hold of her arms, immobilising her. She thrashed in their grip, shouting and flailing her legs but of course it is of no use.

I look at Taehyun; curled into himself, trembling with his eyes trained upon the woman, his fingers are gripping tightly at the duvet. The sight is painful for me.

I trudge over to him, taking hold of his face on the either side. "Hey, shhh. Are you okay? Did she hurt you?"

He shakes his head, not letting his eyes veer away. He is panting, almost like he is going through a panic attack.

"Calm down. Don't look at her. She won't do anything." He tears his gaze away from her, but his condition doesn't get any better.

"S-she- she will-"

"Shh. I am here okay? No one can do anything to you. Calm down. Breathe. Relax." I bring him closer until he is in my embrace, his arms holding me tightly by the waist  as he buries his face into my chest. I caress his head. "It's okay. Everything is fine. No one can hurt you."

He only clutches me tighter, although his breathing slows down by a fraction.

The guards have taken away and both of us are alone in to the room. I notice my palms bleeding, some of the blood smudges left behind on Taehyun's bandages and hospital gown. That's fine. Nothing that severe.

"She w-will come b-back." He whispers, his voice muffled by my shirt. I pull away from him, bending down to come to his level. His eyes look at me searchingly, all the while smothered with a glaze of fear. I bring my hands to his cheek.

"Then I will take you to my house. I will protect you."

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A/N ¡! " Hyunjin my bby :((✨ "