Hourglass: Invisible || NOMIN (S1)

Chapter 26: The Last Dispute

"How dare you say that?" I stood up, upset.

"Jeno?" Jaemin widened his eyes after seeing me, but I ignored him while scowling at Mrs. Yon.

"How can you refer to Jaemin's previous case as a 'family difficulty'? Do you know how offensive that is? Where is your class, Mrs. Yon?" I pressed my hands tightly as my voice deepened with every question I spelled.

"Jeno, it's enough," Jaemin held my arm and pulled me back.

"Mr. Lee is right, Mrs. Yon. Jaemin is an excellent criminologist, and if it weren't for him and his team, this case wouldn't have the progress it has now," the door opened, revealing Detective Anderson, Layne's father. He immediately stepped up for us and faced the principal.

"Detective Anderson, I didn't expect your visit," Mrs. Yon cleared her throat and fixed her hair.

"And I didn't expect these two young men to be here," Detective Anderson sighed before looking at his phone—. "I must go—follow more leads regarding your campus' case, but Jeno and Jaemin are coming with me."

"But they still haven't gotten their sanctions," Mrs. Yon pointed out.

"Sanctions? For what?" I questioned in defense.

"Jeno," Detective Anderson stopped me before glancing at the principal—. "The boys did what any concerned person would if they saw injustice. They knew their skills could back them up with this case and then came to me for the legal aspect. As far as I know, they didn't do anything wrong."

"The leaked information mishap is the institute's problem to sort out," Mrs. Yon sternly insisted.

"It's my case now, Mrs. Yon. And your husband allowed me to continue the investigation—remember, he is still the owner of this college," Detective Anderson pointed out before taking a deep breath. He turned around and smiled at us—. "Lawyer. Detective. We must go now; there are more important things to discuss."

Jaemin and I exchanged glances and nodded before following Detective Anderson outside the office. I was the last to exit the room; thus, I felt tempted to shut the door as hard as feasible. Yet, Jaemin saw my intentions and stopped me by holding my hand and closing the door himself. I grunted, unpleased with his intervention. He only rolled his eyes and dragged me away.

Detective Anderson drove us to my condominium. We didn't ask questions and followed his lead without hesitation; we thought he had a powerful reason to take us away from the campus. Yet, he didn't say anything during the road; instead, he stood silent about the subject and lectured me about my impulses during our talk with the principal. I noticed Jaemin enjoyed it while I was irritated by recalling Mrs. Yon's ignorant comments.

We gathered in the living area and sat while waiting for Detective Anderson to reveal what he knew. It appears like something severe since he continuously received and sent texts.

"Sorry, boys. It's been a hectic morning," Detective Anderson sat before Jaemin and me while withdrawing his phone.

"Tell me about it," I sighed.

"Did you find more leads with our evidence?" Jaemin curiously asked.

"Yes. With the latest information on the money transaction between Larsen and Tanner, we began deciphering the buyer's account," Detective Anderson explained.

"Can you arrest Larsen and Henry Tanner already?" I questioned.

"The evidence is still under analysis, but their arrest will begin today. We want to hurry just in case they decide to run away," Detective Anderson disclosed before placing a folder on the coffee table. He slid it before me, and I immediately opened it—. "You'll take the case to the court. These documents are all you need to know for the next week."

"Alright. I won't let you down, Mr. Anderson," I determinedly assured while peeking at the documents before me. Jaemin stood closer and scanned the information, too.

Detective Anderson smirked—. "I know, Jeno. I must thank you for this case, though. It helped me with another one I had on pause."

"Really?" I was surprised.

"Yes. It is similar, but the information sold to a third party is the school's bank accounts."

"That seems less odd than this case," Jaemin pointed out, still looking at the documents.

"I thought the same thing. Hopefully, after analyzing the last evidence, this case reveals its reason to exist," Detective Anderson mentioned before looking at the hour on his watch—. "Well. Boys, I must go. Let me know if you need anything or discover something of importance."

"Oh! Yes. You must take this," I stood up and gave Detective Anderson a pen drive—. "Julia Fraser gave me this security camera recording; it has evidence against Professor Larsen. You can see he was the last person to enter the explosion site inside the institute."

"Another charge against this man. Thanks, Jeno," Detective Anderson didn't seem surprised by Larsen's wrongdoings; instead, he looked relieved to have more evidence against him.

"Sure."

Detective Anderson glanced at Jaemin and smiled—. "Na Jaemin, get some rest! And don't worry about your studies; I'll talk with your superiors."

"Yes! Thanks, Detective Anderson," Jaemin replied, his eyes still glued to the papers.

"Take care of your partner; I can see Yon's words hurt him," Detective Anderson advised me, to which I nodded in understanding.

"Will do, Sir."

I accompanied Detective Anderson to the entrance before saying a last farewell. Eventually, I returned to Jaemin's side to look at the documents on the coffee table: the evidence summarized and the potential charges Larsen and Tanner may face.

"Jeno, when the DNA tests come today at my apartment, you'll have more solid evidence against Professor Larsen and Henry," Jaemin pointed out.

"Yes. Let's go for it later," I said before holding Jaemin's chin, making him look at me and stop focusing on the documents. He got the message straight, and he felt embarrassed immediately.

"Sorry. I only want this case to go well," Jaemin admitted.

"I know you do, love, but take a break," I softly said, to which Jaemin slowly nodded and hummed. Suddenly, he held my hands and looked at me tenderly.

"Jeno."

"Yes?"

"I wanted to thank you. I didn't get the opportunity to do it yesterday, but I'm grateful for your care and protection," Jaemin gently caressed my hands while his cheeks were slightly red.

"So suddenly?" I questioned, confused.

Jaemin shook his head—. "I tell you this because Chance told me what you did. Honestly, I never thought you would talk to him about it with him on my behalf. So, thank you."

"I'm glad I can help. You know you can always rely on me. Never stop doing so, okay?" I tucked Jaemin's hair behind his ear as he nodded at my words. Soon, he hugged me tightly and hid his face against my shoulder. I stroked his back, comforting him after the hectic start to the day. I had to care for Jaemin after Mrs. Yon's comment regarding his father's case, just like Detective Anderson suggested.

Jaemin doesn't get depressed often. It takes many attempts to get said emotion to burst out of him; therefore, seeing him down and disturbed was upsetting. He didn't deserve Mrs. Yon's harsh words, let alone her criticism regarding a case she didn't comprehend.