Just Twilight

Chapter 28

"Sir."

Her voice was low, but there was a chill in it. With those few words, the man realized that he wouldn't be able to get what he wanted from her. She was already prepared for this moment.

Junyoung slowly blinked her dark eyes and spoke.

"I came to look for my wallet. I didn’t come here to answer your questions."

"What?"

"If you happen to remember anything, I’ll let you know. Do you have a contact number?"

Clever. No, clever wasn’t enough. If she had tried to run away with a simple “I don’t know” like before, he would have held onto her with suspicion. But now, she was the one asking for his contact information.

It was as if she was saying, “I have something to say to you.”

He couldn’t refuse now.

With a soft chuckle, the man took out a business card from his pocket. He bent down, locking eyes with her as he whispered,

"You know what I’m really good at besides investigating? Keeping secrets. Don’t worry. If you remember anything, just contact me right away."

Junyoung extended her pale hand to take the card. She traced her fingers over the name, Han Ki-ryong, muttering to herself.

"Considering you haven’t caught the real culprit yet, that’s not very reassuring."

She glanced up at him with a sharp look before turning and walking out of the police station. Ki-ryong, struck directly by her words, let out a resigned laugh.

If that girl had been with Beomjin at the time of the incident, Beomjin’s alibi would be confirmed. And if they had been at the motel, it made sense why neither of them wanted to reveal it.

If she had acted out like that to protect the girl's honor, maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy after all.

...But where on earth was that motel that accepted minors as guests in the middle of the day?

Ki-ryong clicked his tongue, a frown creasing his brow. His wrinkled eyes curled into a smile as he shook his head.

***

The blazing midday sun seemed like it might burn her scalp, but Junyoung remained perfectly still. Her gaze was on the kids who had finished lunch early and were playing basketball on the court, though she wasn’t really watching them. Her mind was entirely elsewhere.

Fool. Kwon Beomjin was a fool.

The image of him thrashing around like a caged beast, so wildly and recklessly, came to her mind, but instead of being scared, she thought how stupid he looked. And every time she thought of that, an unbearable feeling welled up inside her, tightening her chest in pain.

The motel.

That’s why Beomjin refused to speak. He repeated "motel" over and over, and it was impossible not to know what he was talking about.

They had gone to the motel alley that day and seen her mother working. Then, they had made sandwiches at the abandoned house. That was all that had happened.

But how many people would believe that, really?

Beomjin, who hated any attention at school, was probably just as disgusted with their daily hangouts at the abandoned house as he would be with going to the motel alley. If people got the wrong idea, imagining what would happen if they saw them walking there—it was obvious.

It wasn’t like they were under the radar either; both Beomjin and she were the kind of people who stuck out, easy targets for gossip.

If the truth about her being with him came out, Beomjin might get out of the police station, but the school and the neighborhood would be buzzing about it. If that happened...

Her mother would find out. That she had seen her mother working at the motel that day.

“I like you, Junyoung. I want to know more about you. If you’re having a hard time, I want to help. I want you to lean on me.”

Junyoung stared at him, stunned. She knew he liked her, but she hadn’t expected him to say it like that.

He wanted to help. He wanted her to lean on him. How naïve that sounded. And how wonderful it would be to live a life where you could believe such dreams.

“...I appreciate the sentiment.”

Junyoung moved her stiff tongue to speak quietly.

“There’s nothing you can do for me.”

“There is. If you just open up a little...”

“No.”

Cutting him off, she took a deep breath, staring sharply at him.

“Your efforts won’t be enough.”

Unless it’s something your mother could do.

She didn’t need to add the rest, but the message seemed to get through. His gentle face contorted slightly. Junyoung turned her gaze away, walking off.

“Do you think your relationship will stay the same?”

Her words were sharp, almost challenging, like she was picking a fight. Junyoung narrowed her eyes, glancing sideways at Seungwoon. His lips moved stiffly as he looked at her without a smile.

“Even if Kwon Beomjin goes to juvenile detention?”

Despite the stifling heat, the air suddenly felt cold. Junyoung realized it was because the hairs on her arms had stood up. She slowly clenched her fists. Seungwoon was speaking as if he could send Beomjin to juvenile detention himself.

Was he threatening her? She wasn’t sure how far his mother’s influence went, but it might not be impossible. His words were deliberate.

At the core, they were the same mother, the same son. He didn’t need to grab someone by the collar; he knew how to make people kneel without touching them.

A laugh escaped her. Seungwoon didn’t know it, but he had just nailed down her decision.

“There won’t be any such thing. I’ll make sure of it.”

Junyoung raised her chin, glaring at him as she spoke clearly. Seungwoon’s cheek twitched slightly. Junyoung chuckled softly, folding her arms.

“And Na Seungwoon, there’s only one thing I want from you.”

Seungwoon’s trembling eyes seemed to search for focus as Junyoung wiped the smile off her face and said flatly.

“Please stay out of our business. I’m begging you.”

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Junyoung turned and walked back to the classroom. Her palms were damp, the sweat soaking into the business card she still held tightly.

***

Fool. Acting all smart and then doing something this stupid. What was he thinking, showing up here?

Beomjin let out a long sigh and sat up slowly. He could sleep anywhere, and the detention cell was surprisingly cool, almost as refreshing as the house in the mountains.

They even gave him food when it was time. If he wasn’t being treated as a suspect, he might have stayed here a little longer.

...Though that would be troublesome. He wasn’t sure if that fool would come looking for him again.