The girl kept sobbing onto the lifeless dead body of her pet, then she wandered her gaze towards him directly in hostility.
He gulped and stood numbly on the spot, whereas the paramedics had placed them inside the vehicle. Once the doors closed, he felt contrition as he watched them drive away from the scene.
The police, however, were searching inside the burnt house that had turned into a pile of ashes. The wood creaked and fell onto the ground, causing the others to recoil.
...
"That was the last time I saw her. If only I listened to myself instead of my friends, then I would have done something about it. I was so stupid for putting her in trouble and... I chose to become so self-centered into thinking that if I become more popular, I would be the happiest man alive. But now that I think about it, it made me feel even more dreadful and ashamed of myself. I hurt her so much that I wish I could've been a better friend to her. It's my fault..." Jiyoo massaged his eyelids and sniveled, clenching his fists in remorse.
"I see..." Bryan murmured, frowning.
"Did you remember her at any point?" Sally asked.
"No, I... I don't know who she is anymore... All I could remember was her eyes..." Jiyoo whimpered and went on sullenly. "They were full of pain and sorrow, then she glowered at me as if I deserved to be punished because of what I did to her. After graduation, I ended up drinking a lot, getting hangovers, and partying hard with my friends. Once summer was over, she was nowhere to be seen or heard from the others... She left without even telling anyone, I was absolutely in despair. I was a huge mess, until I was constantly put back in reality to remind myself that I have a career to uphold. But there's a part of me that felt empty... And I've always had. I keep having flashbacks on those days that happened with her, as well as with your friend."
Sally blinked at him sadly, saying. "I didn't know, but hey, that's okay."
"Yeah, I mean it's not something that you could change," Ava said.
"We all have to move forward and I know it's hard when it comes to losing someone you cared for," Min-Jun stated.
"Maybe, it doesn't have to be that way. What if she's still out there somewhere?" Sally pondered.
"I thought the same, but there's a problem..." Bryan said.
"What?" Ava asked.
"Did you guys hear about the news? You know... A certain vendetta that is on the loose?"
"The Narrow?" Hwan described.
"Hmm, now that you mentioned it. They do sound like they're ominous," Jaesang commented.
"Some of the netizens say that they'll be visiting Seoul to rescue the victims," Taeyun stated.
"From what exactly?" Jaesang furrowed his eyebrows.
"Well, it could be anything," he shrugged.
"I find them mirthful. They are trying to be the real version of superheroes," Ryung muttered.
"You don't seem too fond of them. I guess we just don't know what they're up to," Min-Jun said.
"Those guys could probably be terrorists that are full of bombs and lethal weapons," Hwan pointed out.
"Beats me. We have to be careful outside," Ava walked up to one of the cabinets and took a glass of water before drinking it.
"Look, one thing that I've learned from our late friend is that 'no matter what happens, we have to take the risks, even if it means putting our life on the line,'" Sally recalled.
"So you're saying...?"
"We're not going to stop until we find my other friend and that suspect."
"I'm in," Jiyoo said melancholy as he continued to gaze off on the floor.
"You sure?" Sally glanced at him softly.
"Yes... Cause I don't want you to ever experience or go through what I've been through," Jiyoo looked up at her determinedly, which made her smile from ear to ear.
Joon-woo observed him texting someone on his phone at the corner of his eyes. He started to become a little curious as to who he was communicating with and if ever, he will kindly tell them. But it didn't seem like he was in the presence of mind.
"So, we must get going because the more we delay our move, the more they will skirmish," Bryan uttered.
"In what way?" Sally curled an eyebrow bemusedly.
"They will come in mutiny."
"I feel like those guys might be stronger," Hwan said.
"They have what it takes to hurt anyone, even if it's a very innocent person," Min-Jun said.
"Don't tell me you feel threatened by them. We shouldn't worry too much. It's going to be fine," Jaesang chirped.
"Easy for you to say. The last time we had a physical battle was with the two boy group members from DZ entertainment. We almost didn't stand a chance against them," Taeyun mumbled and uncrossed his arms, then he turned to look at his best friend, who's still in dismal. "Whatever the case may be, we'll keep this levelheaded."
Jiyoo nodded vacantly as he stares at the mug on the coffee table.
"We'll do it early in the morning at 5:30," Sally directed.
"Very well," Bryan agreed.
"Yeah, I guess we don't mind that, since we are not super busy with our schedule and promotions," Hwan said.
"I wouldn't inform our staff because they will intervene if we do tell them our plans," Min-Jun said.
"Then, let's just keep quiet and keep this thing between all of us," Jaesang yawned.
"Okay, sounds like we have come to an agreement," Taeyun said.
"Yeah, but what if one of us gets hurt physically and emotionally?" Sally bit her bottom lip.
"She's right, ya know. We don't want to get injured severely," Ava chirped.
"That's what you're scared of? Look, nobody is going to get in our way. I promise you that," Bryan assured.
Moreover, Jin didn't stop to keep on leering over what Ryung was doing as he narrowed his eyes.
Five minutes later, he saw him walking out the hallway and entered the washroom, then followed.
Ryung was still holding on to his phone and closing the door shut, but before that, a hand was placed onto it steadily and met his displeasing gaze. He asked him offhandedly. "What, what's wrong?"
"You... What are you planning?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I saw that. I saw what you were doing with him," Joon-wo pointed sternly.
"I don't understand what you're on about-"
"Cut that shit out. You know who I'm referring to," he stepped in and glared icily at him.
Ryung held his phone down below him and scoffed. "Like that's any of your business. I wouldn't be too nosy if I were you. This is nothing austere."
"Then, what exactly is it that you're planning with the big boss? Care to share?" Joon-wo grilled on as he moved in closer to face him with a deep tone of his voice.
Ryung glistened back and forth and didn't know that someone else was listening outside the men's washroom. 232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYBtQNTx5Dv
