Target | Minsung

Chapter 17

Jisung POV

Music played in my ears, blocking out the sound of people talking to each other in the waiting room. Some families received good news about their loved ones while others weren't so lucky. So many thoughts were swirling inside of my mind that I felt like I might go insane. Will Minho be okay? Was it my fault that he was hurt? From what I heard from Seungmin, Minho was not in good condition.

Jeongin tapped my shoulder so I took out my earbuds and immediately regretted my decision. The waiting room was so loud that I didn't feel like I could handle it for much longer.

"Are you okay?" Jeongin asked, a concerned expression on his face.

"I'll be okay if Minho is," I said simply, feeling like it wouldn't be a good idea to lie. Felix, who was sitting on the opposite side of me, looped his arm through mine and leaned his head on my shoulder, a solemn expression on his face.

With all that had been going on, it had been a while since my friends had last looked happy. The worst part about this situation was that they wouldn't be at ease until Lee Know and Hyun Woo were arrested. Only Felix and I knew the truth. Who knows how Seungmin and Jeongin would react to the truth if they found out.

The minutes slowly went by when Hyunjin arrived at the hospital, appearing like he was in a trance. He walked by us and sat at the far end of the waiting room, holding his head in his hands. Seungmin got up to comfort him while Felix, Jeongin, and I stayed in place, waiting for Chan and Changbin.

Seungmin walked back to us a few minutes later, Hyunjin following slowly behind. He sat next to Seungmin, staring at us with a blank expression. He had brought up in conversation that Minho gets hurt a lot, but it was still difficult for him to deal with.

The door to the waiting room opened, the overall atmosphere became more subdued when Chan and Changbin walked in. They gave polite nods to the secretary before pulling up two chairs and sitting across from us.

"Have you heard anything about Minho?" Changbin asked with genuine concern.

"Not yet," I answered, glancing at Hyunjin out of the corner of my eye, but he had no reaction. Changbin nodded gravely.

"Sorry it took us so long to get here," Chan said apologetically. "The meeting took longer than expected."

"It's okay," Seungmin said, eyeing a paper in Chan's hand. Chan noticed and tilted the paper so that Seungmin couldn't see what was on it.

"We interrogated Soo-ah yesterday," Chan started, his expression turning serious. "She gave us a sketch of what Lee Know looks like."

Hyunjin, Felix, and I exchanged subtle glances that Chan overlooked by Changbin noticed. He raised an eyebrow but otherwise ignored it. Chan showed us the picture and Seungmin flinched slightly.

"It looks a bit like Minho, does it not?" Chan said calmly. Jeongin, bless him, didn't look at all bothered by the eerie similarity.

"Minho hyung can't be Lee Know. Minho hyung is a little cold sometimes but he can't possibly be an assassin. Plus, the facial structure and shape of the eyes don't match up," Jeongin explained.

"Well, of course, the sketch won't be entirely accurate," Chan said, putting the picture away. "We're currently working on matching it up with the security footage we found of Lee Know. For now, Minho is a suspect."

Hyunjin groaned and pulled at his hair. Seungmin tapped his shoulder and nodded towards Changbin who was giving Hyunjin a strange look.

"Sorry, he's just stressed about Minho," Seungmin explained with a sweet smile. "Hyunjin, I know it's hard but how about you go home for now. I'll call you if we get an update on Minho's condition."

Hyunjin reluctantly agreed, giving Chan and Changbin slight nods before walking out the door. I watched him until he disappeared down the corner through the huge glass window behind where we were sitting. I wondered if I should have followed him back to his apartment to make sure he was okay, but for now, I assumed it was best that he was left alone.

An awkward silence came between us upon Hyunjin's departure. Felix leaned forward in his seat, his head propped up on his fist.

"What's with that expression?" Seungmin asked.

"I'm thinking," Felix explained impatiently, making no effort to change his expression.

"Oh, so that's why I smelled something burning," Seungmin joked, a devilish smile spreading across his face. Felix's jaw nearly dropped to the floor, Seungmin quickly moving away when Felix raised his hand to hit him.

"I'm being serious though," Felix said, looking at Chan and Changbin. "Correct me if I'm wrong but Lee Know has a scar on his forehead right?"

"That's right," Changbin confirmed.

"Soo-ah's drawing had the scar as well," Felix explained. "If Minho had the same scar then we would have found Lee Know. However, Minho doesn't have the scar. He doesn't wear makeup either."

Felix had a point. Recalling Lee Know's side profile from the surveillance footage, he did have a jagged scar running vertically from his hairline that ended slightly above his left eyebrow. Either the scar was special effects makeup, or Minho covered it up. Hopefully, it wasn't real because if he slips up and it's revealed, he's done for.

Chan paused for a moment mulling over what Felix had said before nodding thoughtfully. "Thanks for your input, Felix."

Felix beamed, pleased with himself. The secret between him and I was that he had most likely saved the real Lee Know from being thrown in jail. Some psycho might admit to being Lee Know in the future and take Minho's place.

Felix, Chan, and Changbin fell into a deep discussion about Lee Know's striking features. Whenever Chan or Changbin brought up a feature that was similar to Minho's, Felix was quick to lead them off Minho's trail in a way that wouldn't raise suspicion. The conversation went on for a while when a nurse walked up to us, abruptly ending the conversation.

"You're here for Lee Minho, correct?" The nurse asked, glancing at all of us with a calm expression. Chan nodded and the nurse continued. "The only injuries that were found was a shattered knee. There's also a possibility that he was tortured."

I help my head in my hands, trying to process what the nurse had said. A shattered knee? Torture?

"Will he recover?" I asked quietly, not sure that I wanted to hear the answer.

"He will recover, but he'll need extra help walking from now on. He's also suffered trauma that he might not fully recover from," The nurse explained. For the second time since I had met Minho, I wished that I could take all of the pain he was feeling on me.

"He's currently having surgery for his knee so you won't be able to visit him for at least two days," The nurse said apologetically. "We'll keep in contact if something comes up."

With that, the nurse walked away to give news to a family sitting on the other side of the room. Jeongin and Seungmin stared at each other, their faces were pale. I was grateful that Seungmin had found Minho. Who knows how worse his injuries would have been if someone had found him later.

"We should go," Felix said softly, standing up. "We won't be able to see him today so there's no point in staying."

We silently agreed, standing up as well. Chan and Changbin left the hospital before us, their expressions downcast. We stayed around for a few more minutes, trying to get more information on Minho before leaving ourselves.

As I walked home, my mind wandered back to Minho. I hoped that through this he would still stay the same Minho I had grown to love and care for.