Red Strings // JaeNoRen

9

"Hey, nice to meet you. I'm officer Choi Youngjae!" The officer held out a hand.

"I'm Na Jaemin..." Jaemin stood up and shook his hand, a nervous smile evident on his face.

"Don't worry, you're not in trouble," Youngjae sat down across from him, opening a file.

"Okay..." Jaemin sat back down in his seat, fiddling with his shirt.

"So, how are you today?" Youngjae asked comfortably.

"Just fine," Jaemin responded.

"That's great. So Na Jaemyung is your brother...?" Youngjae looked up from his file and asked.

"Yeah..." Jaemin replied.

"Could you tell me about your relationship with him..?"

"Hyung and I were comfy when we were little," Jaemin said. "But we haven't talked since he got in trouble."

"How often do you two talk?"

"I haven't talked to him since he moved to Daegu six years ago..." Jaemin answered while looking at his hands. "He hasn't tried to contact me."

"Umm... if you don't mind, could you look up while you speak..?" Youngjae asked.

"Ahh... okay."

Jaemin looked up at Youngjae, still nervous.

"So how can you describe your hyung?"

"Jaemyung-hyung was always smart. Quick and witty. He made good jokes and took good care of me..." Jaemin sighed. "He was really nice."

"Have you heard what he's being suspected for..?"

"Yes."

"Do you believe it's him..?"

Jaemin paused for a moment.

He missed his hyung.
He never believed it when people said that his hyung was a trouble maker. He was always nice to him. He brought Jaemin gifts and treated him like a kind brother.

Jaemyung wasn't this psycho killer like a lot of people were saying... right?

But then why did he change?
Why was he in prison?
Why did those newspapers say that he was, 'cunning and evil' ?

Jaemin knew something was wrong.
Jaemyung left their family for Daegu when he was eighteen. Jaemin knew something was wrong since.

Jaemyung didn't tell their parents. He only left a note to Jaemin saying that he had friends he wanted to move in with and that he would call now and then.

He never did.

And that's why Jaemin believed something was wrong.

He didn't want to believe it but...

Something about how those people were killed screamed his brother's name out loud.

"I... I'd like to believe he's not the one..." Jaemin's nervousness was through the roof.

He started fiddling with his fingers again.

"If he was the one," Youngjae wrote something down. "Why do you think he would do this..?"

"I... I don't know..." Jaemin wanted to cry. "I haven't seen him in six years..."

"I see..." Youngjae sighed.

Jaemin sat there.

Vulnerable as ever.

No one knew this.

Not even Jeno.

He just wanted his hyung to be okay again.

Something must have happened to him.

"Hey," Youngjae closed the file. "I know it's hard, but everyone is doing their best, okay? You don't have to hide that you're worried."

Youngjae pat him on the shoulder.

"I think your brother needs help," Youngjae said. "I'll stand along with you."

Jaemin could only nod.

"Here," Youngjae quickly wrote something on the corner of a paper and ripped it. "Call me when you're curious about something or need someone. I'm not just an officer... I'll be a friend."

Jaemin accepted the number.

"Thanks for coming today. You should get home. It's about 8 already."

Youngjae got up and opened the door, holding it for Jaemin.

Just wait, hyung ...

Jaemin walked back to the apartment dorm alone.

I just need to find someone who can see strings and cut theirs.
I'll wish for you to be good again.
You're not a bad person.
I'll help you.
I promise.

...you need to stop hurting people.

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(a/n:

Hmm... looks like Jaemin and Jeno have their own struggles.

Renjun better watch out.

😢😢😢😢😢❤❤❤❤
Y'ALL 'GO UP' HAS THE BEST LINE DISTRIBUTION!!!

See you in the next chapter, lovelies! )