Erased (Chaelisa Au)

Chapter 17: Prey

Honest answer was that she just wanted to spend whatever time she had with Chaeyoung .

But also because  if her plans succeed, then she’d need to rally the troops.

And that also meant she would need to tell them the truth at some point, something that made Lisa  feel on edge.

Because  how on earth would she prove that any of the things she said were true?

It would take the passing of time and they were kind of in a race against it.

To stop him.

“If you stare any longer, I’ll melt.” Chaeyoung  then said, snapping Lisa  back into reality. She kept her eyes on her math homework but she was nevertheless smiling.

Lisa  simply chuckled at the thought.

A part of her was still incredibly all tense, especially at the thought of having to come clean to Chaeyoung  about what she knew, but she hoped that when the time comes, things would pass as they should.

That it would just be a minor hurdle.

And then there was the other part of her that clung onto the same ideals that she had when her Revival had first sent her back to this time. She wasn’t going to let things just pass her by, she was going to live it to the fullest. And sure, she’s messed up once or twice already, but that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t treasure the quiet moments like what she had then with Chaeyoung .

Because  she was always going to treasure them.

Always.

So with that peaceful moment passing by, Lisa  steeled herself for her mission that afternoon. There were some shuttles organized by some of the faculty to take students interested to watch the away game and Lisa  managed to catch the one with Momo on it.

The same one that Seungri  just so happened to catch.

He tried chatting to Momo on the way but he was quickly shut down when she felt for her earbuds and placed in her ears. Seungri  soon turned his attention to the other students on the shuttle trying to talk to him.

A thought had occurred to Lisa  but she did her best to shake it off.

No, no it can’t be. You’re just imaging things because  of coincidences. She thought to herself.

Seungri  was possibly the most popular teacher in school, he always tried to reach out to students who he thought were in trouble. He was charming, enough so that a lot of the female students openly flirted with him but he always did his best to keep things professional.

He just cared a lot. That was all.

But what if it wasn’t?

And it was ticking Lisa  off, because  what if the person who’s hurt all her friends was someone she trusted. Because  she did trust Seungri . He was her favorite teacher. He was everyone’s friend and mentor, patient and kind.

But what if that was all an act?

No, Manoban , it can’t be him. Lisa  argued back to herself, trying to think of any clue that could have pointed his direction.

His last name was Lee for one thing, it was not close enough to Kwon.

He knew about Chaeyoung , but he didn’t know about the shed?

But what if he found out some other way? Or what if he did know?

Besides, her dad most definitely knew him.

And he was also a teacher at the study center Jisoo goes to.

But he helped us with Chaeyoung . Why would he help us then if it was him?

Lisa  felt like she was going to be sick. She couldn’t bear the thought that it might be Seungri . She knew it would never be easy, she knew it had to be someone she’s met before, someone she knew.

She just hadn’t fully wrapped her head around the fact that it might be someone she looked up to or trusted, no matter how suspicious she would be.

Lisa  kept an eye on both Seungri  and Momo as they got to the skating rink. There were a handful of teachers with them, some on the other shuttle, others arriving on their own to help make sure that none of the students would get into any kind of trouble.

Lisa  kept mostly to herself, keeping a distance away from Momo as they all filed in. They scattered about to find seats, with Mr. Taeyang   and the science teacher, Mrs. Sandara, already waiting for the rest of them. They had a box of drinks for the students, mostly hot chocolate to keep them warm. Lisa  grabbed one herself from Mr. Taeyang   just as Mrs. Sandara handed the tea that Momo requested, being lactose intolerant and all.

They watched as their school’s hockey team started warming up on the ice. Lisa  sat out far, keeping an eye on Momo who sat by herself somewhere in the back. She’d sometimes switch her attention back to Seungri  who, along with some of the other students in her music class, talked to some of their players, cheer them on, and tease them regarding dinner if they lost. Apparently the teachers decided to order packed meals from the Byun’s as they were at least more substantial and nutritious than what was available at the sports center where the rink was. Something regarding their new ‘nutritious food program’ at school that Lisa  never really paid much attention about.

So far, nothing much suspicious has happened. Seungri  excused himself for a while to head out, claiming the food was there. Lisa  followed him with her gaze until he was out of view.

Lisa  turned her attention to Momo soon. It was risky, what she had been planning, to use her as bait, but so far no one else had tried to gain her attention just yet. No one’s approached her. Nothing.

But then Momo soon stood up to head outside, leaving her stuff behind in the spot where she sat. Lisa  followed suit, keeping a good distance, curious to why her sudden need to leave just as the game was about to start.

Did Seungri  ask her to meet him out before or something? Lisa  asked herself, still quite unsure about how to proceed with things.

Seungri  was still nowhere in sight as she followed Momo heading towards the back exit. The only time she lost sight of her was when some idiot of a kid who she guessed was on the other school’s team ran into her. It would seem that he was late.

Lisa  ignored his apologies as she quickly scrambled to locate Momo, having lost her due to the brief incident.

As she followed the general direction she was going, Lisa  found herself at a bit of a crossroad, so to speak.

The corridor led to the back exit door, true, but was also continued to the right where the bathroom was.

So which is it, where did you go Momo?

“Ah, Lisa , what are you doing here? Game’s about to start.” Mr. Taeyang   said as he stepped through the double doors of the exit. Lisa  gave her a quizzical look and he simply shrugged saying he went out for a smoke.

“Um, Mr. Taeyang  , did you happen to see Momo when you were outside or when you were on your way out or something?” Lisa  then found herself asking.

“Oh, yeah, she headed out here…” he replied, and almost immediately Lisa  found herself running through the double doors to get outside.

Only to find the delivery van of the Byun’s foodservice company leaving the parking lot.