9:38 p.m
Haven Towers, APT 17
Seoul
★★★
"Yes, mom. I'm alright. I'll call you back in sometime." Jonghwa set the phone down and leaned on the backrest of her chair.
The envelope was haunting her at this point.
The neatly folded white sheet gnawed at Jonghwa like a beast in the wild. The longer she stared at it, the deeper it's scratches got. She could hear the envelope growl at her, urging her to rip its corners open and see what was inside. The paper, once inanimate, now suddenly appeared to have a life of its own.
From, Youngmi and Minyeong.
Their names triggered a horrendous type of fear in Jonghwa as she felt her chest tighten with trepidation. This envelope was likely to drag her into the truth—the truth that she could not, in no universe, handle.
The paper case lay placed on her desk, daring her to confront its content. The weight of it pressured down on her—primal and dastardly. Nerves going numb and throat now dry, Jonghwa knew she couldn't leave it like that forever. The judgemental eyes of her moral entities stared her down, putting her in a difficult position of choosing between ignorance and engagement.
The truth was, Jonghwa was scared. Immensely. What surety did she have that her heart would not burst at the sight of what was inside the envelope? What if her eyes would have to register what she was most frightened about?
This envelope wasn't just haunting her; it was hunting her.
Hands in a tremor of unease and inquietude, Jonghwa let her fingers unseal the envelope. An oblong object rattled before dripping out.
A pen drive.
Jonghwa sucked in heavy breaths. The air felt thick and suffocating, and each inhale was more despondent that the previous one. Apprehension rained on her, dripping down her spine as each drop grew colder. The tension trickled through her thoughts. Her hands clenched involuntarily, her fingers twitching with unease, while her stomach churned in a tight knot of trepidation.
A second later, a folded piece of paper slipped out, the edges fluttering as it fell onto the desk.
Her eyes snapped to it, and a pang of unease clenched her chest; she could feel the strain on her ribs. She hesitated for a moment, her breath catching as she slowly set her hand down to pick it up. The paper felt heavier than it should have, for she knew it would disclose a consequence she was not ready to—let alone willing to—face.
Discomfort deepened. Disquiet loomed over her like dark clouds before a tempest. Hell, this envelope itself would release a dangerous tempest of secrets.
The paper kept slipping out of her hands, almost as if her fingers were giving her warnings. Alarm bells went off all around her, blaring in her ears and making her head spin.
One single sentence was written at the centre of the paper.
Four words.
Youngmi's handwriting.
Barking dogs seldom bite.
Breathless, Jonghwa let out a cry.
• • • • •
Namjoon had asked Jonghwa to accompany him when he went to Youngmi's workplace for questioning. He surmised because Jonghwa was familiar with the place, it would be a tad bit easier for him to conduct his interviews.
His primary concerns were Youngmi's boss and all the camera boys Youngmi had so far reported with.
Jonghwa sat outside the boss' cabin while Namjoon interviewed the man. It did not slip past her the unpleasant look that the boss had given her. He only gave her one look that lasted for about half a second, but he spoke plenty within that fraction of time.
As she sat outside the glass pane next to the tall fern outside the cabin, she could feel the boss' foul gaze on her, stubbing her down to the equivalent of dirt.
He was cursing her out loud with just the hatefulness in his eyes; he still saw her as nothing but a disgusting burden on the company, even after she resigned.
Jonghwa averted her gaze to the other employees in the office—all of which were giving her the same, if not worse, displeased looks.
They still hated her.
They still held her accountable for what had happened.
Unable to tolerate any of it, Jonghwa lowered her eyes to her feet.
Fuck.
The shoes she chose to wear that day were the same ones Youngmi had gifted her when she was given her promotion. Black pumps from Jonghwa's favourite shoe store down their street.
Tears threatened to roll down her cheeks as her eyes warmed and blurred. Jonghwa was quick enough to wipe them off when Namjoon came out of the boss' cabin.
"Are you okay?" He asked her first thing.
"Yes," Jonghwa replied. "I'm just allergic to ferns." She said (lied).
Namjoon gave her a nod. "I'm heading back to the precinct. I'll stop by the diner for a sandwich, would you like to have one?"
Jonghwa could use some food.
"Yes, I would," she gave the team leader a tight-lipped smile. "Thank you, Officer."
As she accompanied Namjoon out of the office building, she felt hundreds of abhorrent gazes on her back, burning her and sending her skin flying into the flames of their hatred.
But just as she was for the past weeks, she swept it all under the carpet.
≻ ⋆ ─────────── ⋆ ≺
A/n: unedited.
An insight into Jonghwa's mind and her feelings because her character intrigues me. We know she's got things to hide, so how are things going to unfold?
Thank you for your patience and time and love! I love you guys 🫶🏻
Love, bangtanguffaws.
YOU ARE READING
PROBE | discontinued
Fanfiction(KNJ - 김남준 | BTS - 방탄 소년단) "What you see, is not always the case. They are people with power, they decide the truth." · · · • • • • ► ★ ◄ • • • • · · · If they don't solve this case, they'll lose their jobs. If they don't solve this case, they'll fa...
