[edited]

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⬅ REVERSE

HyaeJin burst inside Jaeyoung's house, her breathing fast and irregular due to the running.

Jaeyoung's mother, looked at her through her teary eyes and pulled her into a hug.

"He's gone, HyaeJin-ah, he's gone." The mother sobbed in her her arms as HyaeJin still stood frozen with the shock.

She looked around. Jaeyoung's father stood in a corner crying softly and silently.

3 to 5 other people she didn't know, too, were looking at them with empathetic eyes.

"No." She whispered. She wasn't ready to accept the fact that her best friend was now gone. The boy who was best friends with her since they were in diapers, would no longer be there around her, with her.

"No." She said it a little louder this time, breaking down completely.
She sobbed in Jaeyoung's mother's arms, not being able to control her feelings.

"He was...murdered on his way back home from the university." His father sobbed softly and then continued.
"His...throat...It was cut open, a-and...cuts all over h-his body."
He broke down completely.

HyaeJin was shocked hearing this.
Why would anyone murder him? Everyone who knew him, loved him. There was no one who was against him, or hated him.

But this was what she thought.

-

He smirked at the scene in front of him.
'He deserved it anyway.' He thought.
'No one can take a chance on my girl, that too in front of me.'

Sitting on the terrace of a building and, with the help of a pair of binoculars, he watched what all was happening inside Jaeyoung's house.

He watched as HyaeJin cried in a lady's arms.

He scoffed.
"That'll teach you to not go to any man other than me."

-

As she walked on the roads covered in snow, HyaeJin's phone rang.
It was Jungkook.
She sighed and picked it up.

"HyaeJin-ah! Where are you?! I woke up and couldn't find you anywhere in the house. Are you alright?"

She felt her heart flutter a little, listening to his words which clearly told that he was worried for her and cared for her.

"I-I'm alright Kook. Don't worry." She whispered into the phone, as her throat was still sore after all the sobbing.

"Are you alright? HyaeJin, your... voice. Did you cry?" He asked quietly.

Tears ran down her face, as all the events ran through her mind. Jungkook noticed her uneven breathing.
"Hey, don't cry HyaeJin-ah, just tell me where you are."

She inhaled deeply and told him her location.

After a few minutes, a car pulled over in front of her. The window slid down revealing none other than Jungkook. She sighed in relief.

Jungkook came out of his car and jogged over to her.
"HyaeJin-ah, you worried me so much. What happened?" He asked, cupping both of her cheeks and wiping away her tears with his thumb.

HyaeJin immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and cried into his chest.
Jungkook hugged her tightly and rubbed her back with his palms, trying to comfort her.

"Shh...Don't cry please. I don't like it when you cry."
She clenched onto his shirt tighter.

"He's gone Jungkook. He's...gone." She cried painfully.

Jungkook's chest tightened with pain but he had to do something.

He walked her to the car, opened the door for her, and sat her inside. He jogged to the other side of the car and got in, and drove them back to her house.

During the car ride, HyaeJin was unusually quiet. She had calmed down but was mentally very much disturbed due to the recent events, from being stalked and followed, to her best friend's murder. It was just too much for her handling.

Jungkook kept glancing at her, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

-

After reaching home, Jungkook made HyaeJin wash her face and made her sit on the couch. He moved to the kitchen to make her a mug of hot chocolate.

He brought the mug with steaming hot contents to her and handed it to her.

She thanked him before taking small sips from the beverage.

Jungkook notice how pale she looked. He knew she was disturbed. He wanted to distract her from the worries and make her his.

He cleared his throat, and said,
"You know we can go on that date we agreed on yesterday. It will get you to take your mind off of things, and help you rel-"

"I can't." HyaeJin quietly interrupted.

"What?"

"I can't." She replied a little louder this time and avoided eye contact. "I have to be at his funeral today. His parents, they need me too."

"Oh...so maybe we can go out after that?" He asked hopefully.

She sighed.
"I-I don't think so. I need...time."

His eyes darkened. He had never liked when people would break their promises.

"What do you mean? You had promised yesterday that you would."

HyaeJin stood up abruptly, her hands going through her hair.
"Y-you don't understand! I can't right now! It's all just...too much for me and I don't have time for all this!"

She sighed again and said, "I'm sorry Jungkook. It's just that these recent events have really stressed me out. I just want to be alone. I need time to think."

He sighed and nodded.
"Okay, call me if you need anything."

He controlled his fury, and left her.

-

HyaeJin stood by Jaeyoung's parents' side during the funeral. All three of them were a crying mess.

Dressed in black from head to toe, all mourned for the loss of a precious soul and prayed for him to find peace and contentment where ever he was.

-

HyaeJin walked towards her home. All she could think of was about Jaeyoung. Who could have been so merciless to brutally kill a person as sweet as Jaeyoung?
He never had had enemies. He never gave people a chance to question him.

He was nothing but a sweetheart. He was her best friend for as long as she could remember. He used to comfort her, be there for her. He used to make her feel happy and less lonely.

She sighed sadly and wiped away a few tears that had escaped her eyes.

Suddenly she felt a cloth being pressed harshly on her nose. She tried to break free but soon felt like her conscience was fading away. She soon realised that she had been forced to take in the chloroform, before she lost it.

-

HyaeJin's eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the brightness. She quickly sat up and scanned her surroundings. She was on a bed. In some room which was unfamiliar to her. She stood up and a wave of dizziness hit her. She staggered towards the window and looked outside. All she could see was trees.

She turned around and ran towards the door when she realised that she was indeed kidnapped.

She tried opening it but it was locked. She banged it, kicked it, pushed it, but in vain.

Tired, she moved to the centre of the room and pulled at her hair in fear and despair. She sobbed and prayed for anyone to help her.

After a while, the door opened creaking lowly, to reveal a man dressed in black, and his face well hidden behind a black mask.
He walked towards her like a predator as she stepped back from him.

"W-who are you?"

He kept walking towards her, ignoring her questions.

"S-stay away."

Knowing that he won't stop, HyaeJin tried to turn and run away from him, but he reacted quickly and grabbing her upper arm, he dragged her to the bed and pushed her on it.

She struggled against his hold but as if she was a puppet with no strength, he tied both her arms to the bed post.
She sat up against the pillow quickly and pulled on the restraints. After a while, tired of the failed attempts, she sighed, tears running down her cheeks in despair. She was afraid.

He noticed that HyaeJin gave up on escaping, and pulled a chair on front of the bed and sat down on it.

"Who are you?! Why did you bring me here?!"

He was about to answer, when suddenly a crash was heard from what like downstairs.

He stood up and rushed downstairs.
HyaeJin's eyes widened when she saw a faint possibility of being saved from the clutches of this unknown man, and prayed for it.
After a good fifteen to twenty minutes of fear and suspense for HyaeJin, the door was slammed open, which made HyaeJin flinch and let out a tiny squeal.

There stood who she had been wanting to see.
Jungkook.

She sighed in relief and happy tears rolled down her face.

Jungkook made his way to her and cupped her cheeks.
"HyaeJin-ah! Are you okay? Are you hurt somewhere? Did he hurt you?!"

She shook her head.
Jungkook sighed in relief and pulled her into a tight embrace.
"I was...so worried." He mumbled.

He pulled away slightly and pecked her lips.
"Let's get you out of this place."

He untangled and freed her from the restraints, and holding her hand, he lead her downstairs.

There, in the centre of the room layed a body with blood surrounding his head. He had a mask on the face.

"Don't worry. He won't wake up any time soon." Jungkook said.

He walked towards the body and crouched down in front of it. He glanced at HyaeJin who watched his each step intently, and then then put his hand on the mask to pull it away.

HyaeJin gasped. It was none other than Yoonsik.

Jungkook stood up and walked to her.
"It's okay. Let's get out of this place."

HyaeJin nodded and walked out through the main door. Jungkook started following her out, but abruptly stopped in the way, and pulled out a handkerchief from his jacket pocket.

Holding it in front of his eyes, he smirked. He took out a lighter and then set it on fire. He then left it there to burn.

Afterall, he wouldn't want her to know that Yoonsik was just a diversion.

He wouldn't want her to know that it was him who did it all anyway.

-

➡THE END⬅

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