In The Dark (SNOWDROP)

"call me"

❄︎ — chapter 16 — ❄︎

Lim Sooho found himself out alone that night, once more checking on Eun Yeongu's location. He used the tracking device Jang Hanna had planted on the director's son's car to follow Yeongu to the parking lot of a nearby grocery store.

He could've just noted down that location and called it a night, but for the sake of thoroughness, he parked a few spaces away and got out of the car. He needed to pick up something to eat for dinner, anyway.

He walked into the store, wandering up and down the aisles while keeping an eye out for Eun Yeongu.

As he walked through the stores, his thoughts drifted back to how weird Hanna and Lee Kangmu had been acting that day. He knew Kangmu had picked Hanna up from her apartment and driven her to the office, since her car still wasn't starting, but that didn't explain how tense Hanna had seemed when he asked what had happened when she'd tried to talk to him about Haegeumseong 1 being after him, or how desperate Kangmu had been to talk to her again. He'd never seen either of them act like that before, but then after Hanna had gone in to talk to him again everything seemed perfectly fine between them. He'd tried to listen in on their conversation, but he couldn't hear much. They were talking too quietly, and the blinds over the office windows were still closed.

Sooho had asked Hanna again what had happened, but she wouldn't answer. Even Kangmu, the most honest man he knew, would only smile and shrug and say it was nothing.

Sooho wasn't dumb. He knew it wasn't nothing.

He could've investigated further, turned it into his personal case, but he wouldn't do that to his cousin and one of his best friends. They clearly wanted privacy, and he wouldn't dare stick his nose where they didn't want him.

He grabbed a simple pack of cup noodles that he could easily cook once he got back to his townhouse.

Ugh... he thought. I've been spending too much time with Gyeokchan hyung.

As he passed the last aisle, he caught sight of Eun Yeongu examining a jar of pickled cabbage. Satisfied with his mission accomplished, Sooho snuck away, but a call of his name as he passed the next aisle froze him in his tracks.

"Sooho-ya!"

He didn't know whether to bless or curse his luck as Eun Yeongro jogged up to him, wearing a light grey skirt and white blouse.

Nevertheless, Sooho bowed to her. "Annyeong, Yeongro-ya."

She smiled at him, and the temperature inside the store seemed to rise a few degrees.

"Annyeong, Sooho-ya. How are you?"

He couldn't help but return her smile, although he doubted his was as angelic. "The normal. Tired."

"Ah," she said. "Busy day at work?"

He wordlessly nodded. He hadn't told her he worked for the ANSP, only telling her that he worked in a factory, which was true, just not in the way she thought.

"I'm glad I ran into you," Yeongro said. "I was just wondering... I really enjoyed our last date. Do you want to go out again sometime? With me?"

Sooho was internally panicking, but he couldn't let it show.

"Uh... sure."