KILL THIS LOVE | JENLISA

Chapter 93

Jennie

"So, Jennie, criminal psychology, right?" Hanbin questioned, as he dug into his waffles a la mode.

I nodded, only offering a small smile to go along with the answer. I peered at him, noticing how the sunlight that beamed inside the café, illuminated his striking face. His skin tone seemed to radiate against the afternoon glare, making him look effortlessly gorgeous, as he sat a few feet across from me. "Is it interesting?" He enticingly took a bite of the mint chocolate ice cream scoop.

A little chuckle full of dry, dark humour left my mouth, "That's one word for it." If only you knew.

"Well, it's got to be better than having to read and critically analyse Lord of The Flies." He jokingly remarked. "I mean, being a literature major isn't very adventurous."

I bit my lip. We'd been here for about 40 minutes, talking about ourselves. Well, he might have initiated most of the talking, I was just a bunch of nerves for the date. Not only because Kim Hanbin was painfully good looking, but because of what Mino had warned me two days ago of. As I finished eating my pudding, I cleared my throat, gathering every last confrontational cell in my body.

"Um, Hanbin, I've had a great time today. You seem like an amazing guy..." I adjusted the hem of my top, fidgeting under his gaze.

Hanbin must have sensed where my sentence was going, for he raised his eyebrows, "But?"

I exhaled, "I don't want to offend you, but.. I just... I've heard things."

Hanbin motioned for me to go on.

"Uhm, that you're kind of a ladies' man." I mentally facepalmed myself as the words left my mouth. Ladies' man? Ladies' man? Who even says that Jennie? I screamed at myself.

"Okay?" He raised his brows even higher, the look on Hanbin's face that of pure amusement, "And where might have you heard that milady?" He added facetiously.

I shook my head nervously, "You know what, I shouldn't have..."

"Let me guess, Mino Song?"

I remained quiet, my cheeks on fire.

He snickered, "You do know that Mino has the biggest crush on you, right?"

My eyes widened, "No way, he's my.. best friend."

"Oh come on, it's kind of cute in weird way actually, how he does this lovesick puppy eyes thing when he talks about you. I'm not surprised he's making up this stuff."

Mino talks about me? My conscious voiced, starting to lose its cool. "That's not... he... he's on a romantic getaway with Seolhyun as we speak."

Hanbin merely just flashed me a knowing look. "Look Jennie, I've only met you a few times, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't drawn to you." He said earnestly, peering into my eyes. "But if you have any doubts about this, I respect your choice. Just say the word, I'll stay out of your way." His words were drizzled with honey, making me feel like crap for bringing that up, in turn.

I gazed up at him, "Okay." I blurted.

"Okay? As in, you want me to stay out of your way?" He teased knowingly, his tone flowing with flirtatiousness as he grinned.

"You know what I mean." I said shyly.

He drew himself forwards in his chair, "Thank God. I thought I'd have to write you, like, an old school letter or something, put those literature skills to use." With that he excused himself to go pay for the food.

I was still blushing. I'd had the most minimal experience with boys, yet here I was, this beautiful man joking about writing letters to me on our first date. Wait a second. Something tugged at the back of my brain.

Letters. The letter.

Out of nowhere was I cruelly reminded of the very object that had perhaps started my perpetual doomsday. I may have burnt the cursed letter, but Lord knows I could never forget it. It was etched as clear as the skies in my memory,

Meet me on Friday, 11 pm. Use the key to get in from the back entrance. Please, whatever happens, I need to see you Ruby Jane.

L.M.

I bit my lip, delved deep in thought. Before, I had been so intensely overcome with emotions thinking about this incident, that I hadn't given it a second glance. But now, putting the pieces together, I couldn't help but realize; if the key was what Lisa needed to escape, why would she have it and not use it in the first place? Why give it to me and use me to get it back to her? That hardly made any sense. Unless she just wanted to take my virginity and fuck with my mind by dragging me into this mess for no reason, barked the voice of my conscious. But that seemed unlikely, it was way too complicated and luck-gambling of a plan, psychopath or not.

It was then, out of the blue, that one reality dawned upon me. What if Lisa never had the key to begin with? Suddenly I recalled how the orderlies would scan her and her room with that metal detector. I remembered So-yeon saying something about how the patients were regularly checked before sleep, for foreign objects as such. It would have been near to impossible to get hold of an object like that and go unnoticed. And, it was just like that, as the missing pieces of the puzzle began to come together.

What if that letter was not even written by Lisa? Maybe it was sent to her, and all she had to do, was make sure I spotted the letter. It made sense, that's why she was in the Recreation Room that day, not in her own room, so she didn't have to be checked, all while making sure I positively got the letter and the key.

Two birds with one stone.

"You ready to go?" Hanbin inquired as he returned. I absentmindedly nodded in response, getting up with weak knees.

My head swayed as I tried to digest this revelation.

Sergeant Cha was right.

Lisa Manoban had an accomplice.