Doodlebug | Beomjun, yeongyu |

Chapter no. 11

"These are..." Soobin started, trailing off as his eyes scanned the collection. Beomgyu, ever the observant one, noticed a picture tucked away in a corner. It was a grainy shot of a figure leaving Zico's room the night he vanished. The figure was obscured by darkness, but the backpack slung over its shoulder looked strangely familiar.

"Wait a minute," Beomgyu said, pointing at the picture. "Is that...?"

Yeonjun snatched the picture, his heart hammering in his chest. It was blurry, but the outline of the backpack looked exactly like the one Heesung usually carried.

"Heesung?" Yeonjun breathed, disbelief laced in his voice. "No, it can't be..."

Detective Han snatched the picture from Yeonjun's grasp, his eyes narrowed in concentration. "We need to bring him in for questioning," he declared, a grim determination settling on his features.

"But Heesung wouldn't do this," Beomgyu protested, confusion clouding his face. "He was worried sick when Zico disappeared."

Taehyun, who had been quiet throughout the revelation, spoke up, his voice devoid of emotion. "We can't be sure of anything anymore."

***

The air in the interrogation room was thick with a suffocating mix of tension and disbelief. Detective Han, his face a mask of steely resolve, sat across from Heesung, who fidgeted nervously in his chair. Heesung, pale and drawn, looked as though the world had tilted on its axis.

"We have reason to believe you might be involved in the recent disappearances and deaths of students here," Detective Han stated bluntly, placing the picture of the figure leaving Zico's room on the table. "Care to explain this?"

Heesung's eyes darted to the picture, then back to the detective. Denial flickered across his features for a fleeting moment before being replaced by a resigned sigh. "That's my backpack," he admitted, his voice barely a whisper.

"And why were you leaving Zico's room that night?" Detective Han pressed, his gaze unwavering.

The sterile interrogation room felt like a pressure cooker, the air thick with tension. Heesung, his face pale and drawn, sat across from Detective Han, his voice barely a whisper as he denied the accusations.

"I don't know who took it!" Heesung pleaded, his voice cracking. "It's my backpack, but I swear I had nothing to do with Zico's disappearance!"

Detective Han leaned forward, his gaze unwavering. "Then explain how your backpack ended up leaving Zico's room the night he vanished."

Heesung hung his head, despair clouding his features. "I... I lent it to someone," he mumbled. "But I don't remember who."

The detectives exchanged a look, skepticism etched on their faces. "That's convenient, Mr. Heesung," one of them said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"No, I'm telling the truth!" Heesung pleaded, his voice rising in desperation. "I really don't remember! I leave my bag around a lot, anyone could have took it."

Yeonjun and Soobin, who had been listening intently from the waiting room, burst through the door. "That's true!" Yeonjun exclaimed, his voice filled with urgency. "Heesung is forgetful sometimes. He could have easily lent his bag to someone and forgotten about it."

Soobin followed close behind, his voice calm but firm. "We can vouch for him. Heesung wouldn't hurt anyone. He was just as worried as all of us when Zico disappeared."

The detectives, however, remained unconvinced. Detective Han raised an eyebrow at their interruption. "And how can you be so sure, Mr. Yeonjun?"

"Because we see him all the time!" Yeonjun countered, his frustration mounting. "He's not some kind of criminal mastermind. He just loses track of his stuff sometimes."

Detective Han sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We appreciate your loyalty, but for now, Mr. Heesung will remain in our custody. We need to investigate this further."

Yeonjun and Soobin exchanged a helpless look. Despite their attempts to vouch for Heesung, the detectives remained unconvinced.

As they were ushered back to the waiting room, a knot of unease tightened in Yeonjun's stomach. Heesung's frantic denial echoed in his ears. The situation had gone from bad to worse. Not only was Heesung a suspect, but he couldn't even remember who might have had his bag, a crucial piece of evidence now potentially useless.

***

Beomgyu and Taehyun were about to disappear into their shared room when Yeonjun's hand shot out, grabbing Beomgyu's wrist. The sudden movement startled Beomgyu, his eyes widening with a flicker of worry. Soobin, a few steps ahead, paused briefly, glancing back at them with a questioning look before continuing towards their room. Taehyun, oblivious to the silent exchange, entered the room without a second thought.

Now alone in the sterile hallway, Yeonjun felt the weight of the situation pressing down on him. He could feel Beomgyu's frantic pulse thrumming beneath his skin, a mirrored reflection of his own racing heart.

Beomgyu's eyes widened. "What?"

"Don't trust anyone," Yeonjun blurted out, his voice barely a whisper. He wasn't looking at Beomgyu, his eyes fixed on their intertwined wrists.

Beomgyu blinked, confused. "Don't trust anyone? But... why?"

Yeonjun's jaw clenched, frustration flickering across his features. He released Beomgyu's wrists abruptly, his voice laced with a barely suppressed fear. "Just... be careful, okay?"

The raw emotion in Yeonjun's voice caught Beomgyu off guard. He wasn't used to seeing Yeonjun so vulnerable. An instinct he couldn't explain compelled him to step forward, wrapping his arms around Yeonjun in a sudden hug.

"Don't worry," Beomgyu whispered, his voice thick with emotion. He didn't fully understand what was going on in Yeonjun's head, but he felt the fear radiating off him like heat.

"Yeah," Yeonjun mumbled back, his voice tight. He clung to Beomgyu for a moment longer, the simple act of holding someone grounding him in the face of chaos.

The hug broke as abruptly as it began. Beomgyu, feeling a strange mix of confusion and a fluttering in his chest, stepped back. "Why did I do that?" he whispered to himself, more than to Yeonjun.

Without waiting for an answer, Beomgyu turned and headed towards his room, a mumbled "Goodnight, Yeonjun," escaping his lips.

Yeonjun watched him go, a small smile playing on his lips. "Fool," he whispered back to the empty hallway.