Startled by the voice from behind, Kim Doha jumped up from his chair. When he quickly turned around, Jung Jinhoo was leaning against the door of the drama club room, watching him.
“…This area is off-limits to non-members. If you understand, get out now.”
Despite being told to leave, Jung Jinhoo remained standing still. Kim Doha’s expression soured.
“Can’t you hear me telling you to get out? Or are you like Lee Jaeyoon, unable to understand simple words?”
The moment Jaeyoon’s name was mentioned, Jung Jinhoo’s eyes turned cold. He pushed himself off the door and strode toward Kim Doha. As he approached closer, Kim Doha’s face contorted and he shouted angrily.
“I told you to get ou—”
Before Kim Doha could finish his sentence, Jung Jinhoo pressed down firmly on his shoulders, forcing him back into the chair. Kim Doha blinked in confusion, then his face reddened as he tried to stand up, but the strong pressure on his shoulders left him only able to struggle.
“Have you seen this umbrella before?”
Kim Doha’s expression hardened at the familiar black umbrella in Jung Jinhoo’s hand.
“Why do you have that? Don’t tell me Jaeyoon was trying to pull something on Yeonwoo again—”
Kim Doha couldn’t finish his sentence. Jung Jinhoo’s hand had already moved to grip the back of his neck. Feeling Doha’s rapidly beating pulse, Jung Jinhoo stared into his eyes and placed his index finger over his lips.
“Stop making noise and just answer my questions briefly.”
Kim Doha’s expression darkened as he felt the gentle pressure on his Adam’s apple.
“What are you trying to do?”
Jung Jinhoo looked down indifferently at Kim Doha, who was glaring back at him with raised eyebrows, and held the umbrella in front of Doha’s face, asking once more.
“Have you seen this umbrella before?”
“What are you doing with that umbrella since earlie—”
“It was found next to Jaeyoon.”
“What…?”
As Kim Doha frowned, not understanding, Jung Jinhoo bent down to meet his eyes.
“This umbrella belongs to whoever pushed Jaeyoon down the stairs.”
“—!”
Seeing Kim Doha’s eyes widen, Jung Jinhoo took a step back.
“What are you talking about? Lee Jaeyoon fell down the stairs on his own—”
“The school just said that to avoid causing a commotion. So, have you seen this umbrella before?”
“…”
The image of Kim Yeonwoo flashed through Kim Doha’s mind. Noticing his pupils trembling anxiously, Jung Jinhoo narrowed his eyes.
‘Was this why he was acting so strange…!!’
Kim Doha finally understood Kim Yeonwoo’s behavior—why he had been desperately looking for him, why he had been extremely anxious. Kim Doha closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath. Then, slowly opening his eyes, he lifted his head to look directly at Jung Jinhoo. His previous panic had completely disappeared, replaced by an expressionless face, which made Jung Jinhoo chuckle. It seemed the title of drama club president wasn’t just for show.
“Isn’t it stupid to accuse someone of being the culprit just because an umbrella was found nearby? Do you think that counts as evidence?”
“Whether it’s evidence or not doesn’t matter.”
“What?”
“What matters is that this was found next to Jaeyoon that day.”
Kim Doha closed his moving lips and thought quickly. It seems like Yeonwoo pushed Lee Jaeyoon down the stairs, and in his panic, he dropped my umbrella and ran away? Didn’t you say earlier that the school wants to keep this quiet? That’s probably why they didn’t report it to the police… So this guy is collecting suspects who had bad relationships with Lee Jaeyoon and looking for the owner of the umbrella? If that’s the case, there’s no need to tell him the truth. I just need to wait for this to blow over quietly.
“You’re keeping your mouth shut and thinking hard, but whatever you’re thinking, it would be better to answer honestly.”
Jung Jinhoo rubbed his thumb over the pink initials engraved on the umbrella.
“Try to play the knight, and you might end up falling alone.”
Kim Doha unconsciously shrank back at the coldly gleaming golden eyes and emotionless voice.
“…I don’t know anything about that umbrella. I don’t want to waste any more time on Lee Jaeyoon, so just get out now!”
After staring silently at the glaring Kim Doha, Jung Jinhoo’s eyes curved into a smile. It was so spine-chilling that Kim Doha almost cried out involuntarily.
“I hope you won’t regret your choice.”
Jung Jinhoo turned away from Kim Doha and walked out the door. As the footsteps grew fainter, Kim Doha relaxed and leaned back in his chair.
***
“I’m here~!”
“You’re noisy.”
Lee Heejun coldly snapped at Sim Hajun, who had cheerfully opened the door and entered, but Hajun didn’t seem to care at all.
“Jaeyoon, your favorite sunbae Hajun is here~”
“Why would Lee Jaeyoon like you?”
“But he does like me! Jaeyoon likes me, don’t you, Jaeyoon~?”
Sim Hajun approached the lying Jaeyoon with a bright smile.
“I’ll take your objection when you wake up.”
“…Stop being annoying and come eat some apple.”
“Oh, apple~”
Sim Hajun scurried over to Lee Heejun and stared blankly at the apple being offered. When Lee Heejun frowned as if to ask “what?”, Sim Hajun muttered while spearing an apple with a fork.
“It’s not shaped like a rabbit… no affection…”
“What do you mean ‘rabbit shape’? Cut it yourself if you want.”
When Heejun handed him a fruit knife, contrary to expectations that he would complain, Sim Hajun took it willingly. Then he sat down on the sofa opposite Lee Heejun and began peeling the apple while humming a tune. Lee Heejun let out a small sigh. As he was looking at Jaeyoon while munching on a crunchy apple, Sim Hajun, who had just nicely placed a rabbit-shaped apple slice on a plate, suddenly opened his mouth with round eyes as if something had just occurred to him.
“By the way, I heard that drama club thing got canceled?”
“That thing…?”
“You know, that performance at some famous hall. Our school was invited for the 5th anniversary event, and the principal kept excitedly talking about it during morning assemblies.”
“Ah~ That thing that always made our morning assembly at least 10 minutes longer and was super annoying—it got canceled?”
Sim Hajun nodded his head up and down quickly at Lee Heejun’s question.
“Our homeroom teacher is the drama club advisor, right? So he was really depressed all day today. He kept complaining during class.”
“Things like that don’t usually get canceled suddenly. What’s the reason?”
“Our homeroom teacher didn’t say, but according to what the other students are saying, there’s a student involved in some controversy, and they refused to let such a student perform on the 5th anniversary stage.”
“Controversy?”
“I don’t know what controversy. Anyway, our school’s performance at that place has been canceled~ Now we’ll have to listen to the principal’s complaints during morning assembly.”
“I wonder if I should wear AirPods?” Sim Hajun mumbled to himself as he ate the rabbit-shaped apple he had cut.
‘Controversy…?’
Lee Heejun’s eyes narrowed. The only controversy at this time would be…
“By the way, where did Jinhoo go? He wasn’t at school and was always sticking close to Jaeyoon, so why isn’t he here?”
“He’s dealing with it.”
“Dealing with what?”
“The culprit.”
Sim Hajun’s eyes widened. He slammed both hands on the table and jumped to his feet.
“Did he find the culprit?!”
“It seems so. It’s circumstantial though.”
“Why circumstantial?”
“Just because someone owns the umbrella doesn’t definitively make them the culprit. But it’s definitely him.”
“Who is it?”
Lee Heejun stared at Sim Hajun, who was asking with his eyebrows sharply raised, then speared an apple with a fork and brought it to his mouth.
“Mmph??”
“You’re better off not knowing, hyung.”
“Ptui! Why??”
To the protesting Sim Hajun, Lee Heejun answered with his arms crossed.
“Hyung, it shows all over your face.”
“What are you talking about? Do you know how good I am at keeping a poker face? That’s why I’m always good at poker!”
“While making a deadly serious face in front of someone you really hate.”
“…That’s not true?”
“Stop talking nonsense and eat your apple.”
“How dare you say ‘nonsense’ to your hyung…”
Although grumbling, Sim Hajun obediently sat down and ate his apple. Lee Heejun watched him with his chin in his hand, then turned his gaze to the drawer. Inside was a document on fingerprint analysis. Lee Heejun’s eyes narrowed.
‘They say quiet people are scary when they get angry. I wonder what will happen to those guys…?’
Lee Heejun looked at Jaeyoon.
“Aren’t you curious?”
“Huh? About what?”
“Just eat your apple.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
