“No,” Taehyung says, his mouth pressed in a firm line.
The ensuing silence renders the food that has been served as cold as ice. Jaesung and Yuna exchange pained looks and their father clears his throat uneasily.
“With everything that has been happening, we feel that it is best you two withdraw from the university immediately,” Jaesung explains in a grim voice. His tone suggests that his words are not to be trifled with and Miran stares at him in disbelief.
“We’ve got only over five months until graduation, Dad! You can’t just ask us to leave like that,” she points out tersely but her father’s face doesn’t register even a flicker of leniency. “This is ridiculous.” The food lies forgotten on the table, chopsticks and spoons cluttered around it as they catch the light emitted by the chandelier.
Yuna sighs. “No one’s stopping you two from graduating. We just want you to complete these semesters through private tutoring.”
Taehyung’s eyes flit between his parents. “Bullshit-”
“Language, Kim Taehyung!” Jaesung interrupts, but his son rambles on without flinching.
“-there’s no way I’m dropping out of school just because you two have allowed a killer to take advantage of the lax administration and security,” he remarks bluntly and their father glares daggers at him.
Seokjin reaches out an arm to grab his brother’s. “Tae, slow down a little.”
“Thank you, Seokjin,” Yuna says, shooting a small smile at her eldest child. “Will you please explain to your brother that we’re just worried?”
But he shakes his head. “I don’t think he said anything wrong, Mom. I mean, I know it is dangerous, especially with a murderer on the loose, but that doesn’t mean you can just flip their world around out of nowhere.”
“Exactly!” Miran fixes their parents with a challenging look they are all too familiar with. “What about the other students, then? Will you let them keep attending a potentially unsafe university whilst protecting only your own children?”
“Miran,” Seokjin chastises softly, patting her arm to abate the ire flashing in her eyes. Jaesung and Yuna remain silent, weighing the implication in their daughter’s words. Their appetites have all been squelched and the air is heavy with discomfiture.
“Mom, Dad,” Miran intervenes again slowly, though her voice is firm. “We know you’re both concerned, but let’s trust Detective Jung. You know he’s caught a serial killer before.” She manages to keep her lips from quivering at the thought even though the memory is still raw in her mind. And judging by the tense expression on her parents’ faces, it is in theirs, too.
“I don’t know, Miran,” Yuna begins, gnawing at her bottom lip. “Two girls have already died and we’re worried the killer may not stop there.”
But Seokjin smiles at his mother reassuringly. “I’m at the university every day, Mom. I can keep an eye on the twins and make sure they don’t get into any trouble.” He sternly glances between Miran and Taehyung, who is now busy stuffing his mouth with lemon rice. “And a lot of students have been seeking me out for counseling these days. Probably due to exam stress and everything else that has happened. I can keep an eye out for anything that seems out of the ordinary.”
Jaesung doesn’t look convinced, but he sighs. “We trust you.” He looks over his children. “All of you. But if there is one more…untoward incident, we’re pulling you out. And we may even temporarily disengage the functions of the university.”
Yuna gawks at him. “You can’t be serious, Jaesung. It’s dangerous-”
“But we have Seokjin hyung,” Taehyung drawls through a mouthful of bulgogi, his teeth grinding on the succulent meat noisily. His brother rolls his eyes at the rarely used honorific but Yuna doesn’t respond, a thoughtful glint in her irises.
The rest of the dinner passes by in a blur, minimal conversation flowing between them. Miran doesn’t say much; Taehyung and Seokjin continually banter over the texture of the meat and the taste of the sautéed sauce that he has whipped up for the occasion. Their parents excuse themselves once the dishes have been polished clean of their gravies and meatballs, and it is only when Jaesung and Yuna stride out of the room, that the three siblings slump in their chairs.
“Well, at least the food was good,” Taehyung quips, patting his stomach as he leans back in his seat. “You have outdone yourself, brother.”
Seokjin grins proudly. “I had some help from Hongjoo. She is incredibly patient when it comes to my experiments.” Hongjoo is their cook, and their brother’s teacher for all things culinary. “Would you guys like some apple pie I baked today?”
Miran nods in excitement; Seokjin’s pies are a blessing from heaven. He leaves the room, quickly returning with a platter of the baked treat and setting it before the twins. Taehyung doesn’t wait for his sister before digging in, stuffing spoonfuls of pie into his mouth and moaning at the delectable flavor. Miran snorts, whisking the platter towards her which incites a minor scuffle between her and Taehyung, and Seokjin has to squash it by equally dividing the pie in half.
After a few bites, she turns to him. “Speaking of students, does Min Yoongi still visit your office?”
Seokjin blinks in surprise but Taehyung doesn’t even bat an eyelid. It has become routine for his sister to bring up the topic of Yoongi these days. He knows her too well.
“Why do you ask?” the counselor asks her curiously, glancing at Taehyung who only shrugs.
“Min Yoongi is her latest fad,” he clarifies, all the while munching on the pie. He squeezes his eyes shut in ecstasy but they instantly shoot open when Miran punches him, making him chortle on the delicacy.
She refocuses on Seokjin. “Just asking. I remember him giving you a hard time. So I wanted to know if you’ve made any progress with him yet,” she states cautiously, watching for even the slightest hint of suspicion to flicker across Seokjin’s features. But her brother only sighs.
“Min Yoongi refuses to budge. He’s not a bad guy, but it is incredibly hard to restrain myself from reaching over the desk and strangling him,” he confesses, propping his elbows up on the table. “He makes me want to get a counselor myself.”
Taehyung waves his spoon at him. “Should you be talking about your patient like that?”
Miran ignores her twin. “There has to be a reason. He seems pretty amiable with me.” She sets her spoon beside her plate, her half of the pie scooped up by Taehyung during her momentary distraction.
“That’s because he wants to get into your pants, sister,” he states calmly, but Seokjin’s eyes pop out of their sockets.
“Okay, when did this development occur?” he questions quickly, a dazed expression on his face. Miran glares at her twin who pointedly focuses on devouring the quickly disappearing pie. Seokjin relaxes a little when she manages to assail his nerves by explaining that she and Yoongi have merely exchanged harmless words a few times.
She tries hard to forget what his touch felt like. But it seems to be embedded into her skin.
“Anyway,” Seokjin begins again, “Yoongi has to see me regularly as part of his rehabilitation program after the Lee Joonhyung incident-”
“What.” Miran has stiffened, and even Taehyung pauses, his teeth ceasing their relentless chewing. Seokjin realizes his error and instantly regrets it. No one is supposed to know the real reason Yoongi requires counseling and he has just slipped up in front of an incredibly astute sister and an incredibly loose-lipped brother.
He burrows his face in his palms. “I’m not supposed to say any of this-”
“We promise to keep this to ourselves,” Miran vows, nudging her twin’s elbow who nods quickly, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Seokjin sighs. He knows his siblings will not let him off the hook. “If this gets out, I will hunt and kill you myself,” he warns, but his pouty lips and large eyes make it extremely difficult for the twins to take their brother seriously. But they nod solemnly, anyway.
“Well, you already know about the drug bust two years ago,” Seokjin begins and the twins nod. Somebody had tipped off the police which had led to a raid of the Boys’ dormitory. And the cops had unearthed mass amounts of cocaine in the rooms of some students who were subsequently withheld for illegal possession of drugs.
They also know that Yoongi was the reason.
Back then, the student was infamous among his fellow collegians for his proclivities, supplying drugs to those who needed the opiates. But because his parents are lawyers, Yoongi’s name was never publicly associated with the bust.
Seokjin continues, “Yoongi was hailed responsible for smuggling drugs into the dormitory. But what you don’t know is that he was also the prime suspect in the case of Lee Joonhyung.”
Lee Joonhyung, who had overdosed on heroin.
Pieces begin clicking together in Miran’s brain, coupled with a suspicion which makes her skin crawl.
“When Joonhyung died, the police believed Yoongi may have been the one who supplied him with heroin in the first place. Joonhyung was his roommate,” Seokjin pauses, collecting his breath before continuing, “and also Yoongi’s only friend.”
Miran and Taehyung freeze in their seats. This is news to them, for though they are aware of Yoongi’s tumultuous history with drugs and his role in the subsequent raid, they had no idea that the student could have been responsible for the drug Joonhyung overdosed on.
Only Miran knows he is not.
And suddenly, she also knows why Yoongi has expressed interest in her in the first place.
“But because Yoongi dealt with only cocaine, they couldn’t tie him to the heroin and the charges had to be dropped. His parents swept the details of Yoongi’s supposed involvement in Joonhyung’s overdose under the rug.” Which is why Miran’s breathing stills, because she has a good idea where Joonhyung might have gotten the heroin from. “And as part of his rehabilitation, he is required to consult me. That is how I know all this.”
“That would also explain why he skipped most of his classes last year. Because he was undergoing rehab,” Miran muses and Seokjin nods in assent.
Oh, Yoongi, I should have known.
“I have to go,” Miran pipes up suddenly, not trusting herself to remain poised and nonchalant any longer. “I’ll see you guys later.” Rising too quickly from her chair, she stumbles and Taehyung reaches out to steady her, an incomprehensible expression on his face.
Seokjin looks puzzled. “I thought you were staying the night.”
“We have a test coming up. I should begin studying for it,” she lies, gripping Taehyung’s arm in silent thanks. He lets go, still looking at her strangely. Seokjin doesn’t respond after that, merely giving his sister a hug as she leaves.
And goes straight to Yoongi.
***
Unsurprisingly, Miran finds Yoongi in the Music Department.
After barging into the Boys’ Dormitory and pounding on the door of his shared room with Hoseok, her ruffled and bleary friend practically yells that his roommate hasn’t returned yet. She swears, and then remembers the sheet music she has often seen in Yoongi’s hands.
And she sprints towards the music rooms.
Miran is overflowing with curiosity; she is possessed with the need to discover if Yoongi has approached her because of Joonhyung. Because he may know something about her, about the kind of life she has led in the past.
Miran is terrified that he does. And fervently prays she is wrong.
After scouring the modest building which houses the Music Department, she finally finds Yoongi in the piano room. It is a stark white space, one side of the room implanted with a floor-to-ceiling mirror. Shelves are lined neatly against each other, volumes of books compiled with the music of Mozart and Beethoven stacked in an order. In the center lies a white piano, lace patterns embellishing its soundboard. And before it sits Min Yoongi, his eyes closed and his fingers pressing the keys, creating the most enthralling music Miran has ever heard.
For a minute, she just stands there, her heart swayed by the lulling sounds, her mind briefly forgetting the reason she is there. And then rationality interrupts her repose.
“Is Lee Joonhyung the reason you even so much as spared me a glance in the first place?”
Yoongi’s fingers slip over the keys, and a harsh note jars her ears. He turns around, his eyes wide, his lips pursed. “Miran?”
She stalks up to him, hurt clouding her vision. And fear. “Tell me, Min Yoongi. I need to know.”
Yoongi stares at her, his eyes shadowed under the dim lights of the room as comprehension dawns on him. “So, I see Dr. Kim finally told you.” He shoots her a half smile. “Or you threatened it out of him.”
Miran bristles. “Is this funny to you?”
“Of course not. Joonhyung was my friend.” He looks at her seriously then, pulling up a chair she can sit on. When she does so reluctantly, he wipes a hand over his tired face. “We were roommates in our sophomore year, and since we were both opting for Criminology as our major, he always found a way to engage me in conversations.” Fondness glazes his eyes as he chuckles softly. “I’m not the friendliest of people, Miran. And I constantly tried to shut him down. But he wouldn’t give up. And before I knew it, I looked forward to spending time with him.”
Yoongi’s fingers ghost over the keys. “One day, Joonhyung returned to our room to find me snorting up cocaine. And he was adamant to have a taste of it. I tried everything in my power to dissuade him but he wouldn’t listen. Until I finally relented and let him have a shot.” He looks at Miran now, his eyes dark.
“That’s where it all went wrong.”
Miran’s voice is a whisper, “What happened?”
“You see, I indulged in drugs for the kick, for the thrill, to make a statement even. Or maybe, to finally feel something. But it never worked for me and eventually, it just became routine. But it was different for Joonhyung. He was addicted, Miran. He was falling apart before me and I could do nothing to stop it.”
Miran’s heart clenches. Yoongi looks like he is worlds apart and she wants to reach out and hold him. But she is too scared to try.
“So I cut off his supply, stopped giving him shots. But obviously, he began getting his drugs from somewhere, someone, else. Stronger stuff, too, like heroin. And when he overdosed, I knew it was due to this. But I hated myself for ever introducing him to that life in the first place.”
Yoongi’s guilt claws at Miran’s skin. “It wasn’t your fault, Yoongi. We can’t be responsible for someone else’s actions.” She doesn’t know if she is reassuring him or herself. Or both.
“You don’t understand. He was the one person who was genuinely nice to me and to have the police point at me like I was the one who killed him tore me apart. They eventually decided it was an accident and Hoseok’s father ruled out foul play as a possibility. But I knew there was more to it. I spent the next year in rehab, trying to get better and to an extent, it worked. Until I remembered something once the haze of the drugs dissipated and I regained full control of my senses.” He looks at Miran now and she resists the urge to recoil. “I remember him having an argument with you on the day he died.”
Does he know? Please, god, don’t let him know.
“I knew your brother indulged in meth once in a while, and for a minute, I wondered if you could be the one supplying him with heroin. And when I discovered we were in the same class this year, I thought I might finally glean the truth.”
Miran laughs tightly. “And what conclusion have you arrived at?”
Yoongi shrugs. “You didn’t seem like you used at all. And neither did your brother. From what I could learn, Taehyung hasn’t used in a while. In fact, none of your friends are addicts or regulars.” Miran doesn’t point out that her brother stopped because Jungkook hates it, and that the rest of her friends indulge in weed only once in a blue moon.
“So this entire time this is what you’ve been doing, stalking me and my friends? Investigating our lives?” Miran’s voice rises a little, and Yoongi shakes his head.
“Maybe at first it was. But that isn’t true anymore.” His words are honest, a raw emotion sparkling in his eyes, but they only bolster the unease pooling in her veins. Despite this, she is relieved that Yoongi doesn’t know the whole truth.
He might hate her if he did.
“Miran, why were you arguing with Joonhyung that day?” Yoongi asks her quietly after a few seconds.
Her heartbeat accelerates. “It was…just a little tiff over a criminology quiz. He refused to share his input with me,” she says quickly, her voice catching but Yoongi doesn’t notice. If anything, he looks relieved.
“As long as it wasn’t anything else, it’s okay.” He smiles for the first time since she barreled into the room and her heart shatters. Nothing is okay.
Miran doesn’t sleep that night.
***
There it is! I hope things are a little clear now, like why Yoongi was so interested in Miran and why she was wary of him in turn. Both of them thought the other was responsible for the incident two years ago. If there's any confusion, don't hesitate to ask away!
Let me know your thoughts on this :D
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Thank you :)