✓ the hooded princess • kim seungmin

s e v e n t e e n

"What...?"

Seungmin couldn't look at her in the eyes. He glanced sideways to the class hallway, hoping the princess would just return to the class without any questions but he knew that's impossible.

The information was too much for her.

"I'm sorry," the male apologised.

Eunkyung stood there frozen. Everything around her seemed blur for awhile.

Han...

They saw some teachers coming to the classes. Thinking she doesn't want to return yet, Seungmin lightly pushed her back by his arm to a place where it was hidden from the teachers.

He totally regretted it. He didn't intend to surprise her morning with such news but somehow the information must be told. If not now, then when? This was the only time she'd listen after asking him.

"Did you get it now?" he asked with a low voice after a few seconds of silence. "Why he offered you the ride out of sudden? I told Felix to get you that day."

"He... knows?"

Seungmin nodded, "Felix knows. But he remained friend with Jisung."

"How long?" she asked again, her voice was barely a whisper.

A small smile appeared on Seungmin's face as he looked down to the floor for a second, "Since the moment you come here."

"What? How is that—"

"That night in the woods... you slitted the person's ankle, right?" when he saw the princess slowly nodded, he continued. "Did you not realise the outfit your attacker was wearing? It was thick, he wore it two layers. One of them was the one you used. It was dark anyway you probably couldn't see anything clearer."

Her mind flew back to that night. He was right, she couldn't see what the person wore but the dark outfit and seemingly huge almost made her think it was an adult when actually the figure seemed big because of the two layered outfits.

"The most obvious one is the crutch," Seungmin caught her attention again. "I don't know how deep did you cut his ankle but the blood told us it was... really deep. But a cut won't take a long time to heal like a dislocated ankle. He wore the crutch for two weeks, at least that is what people thought."

Eunkyung heaved an unbelievable sigh.

"You're in a huge denial, Eunkyung."

He was not wrong.

"What about the arrow machine in the house? Was that his work too?"

But the girl still couldn't believe it. She had been befriending Jisung for almost ten years now and turns out he was her best friend's... killer?

"That's the thing, he doesn't do that alone."

"You're lying."

As what he thought.

"The killer was an adult and there was another boy around our age protected us. It was not H-han who killed her," her voice sounded firm yet frail. "M-maybe he was the boy."

"Eunkyung, please—"

"He wouldn't do that to me. Why would he kill Mina? So you're saying he knows me even before I moved here? And you? Along with Felix? Am- am I being watched all this time?"

Once again, Seungmin witnessed her slowly breaking down. He pursed his lips into thin line, "There's lots of things you don't know."

She didn't reply. The girl cupped her mouth with a hand as she tried to suppress her cries. Her body was slightly shaking. She couldn't even look up to face the guy in front of her with her teary eyes.