KILL THIS LOVE | JENLISA

Chapter 141

Jennie

My heart dropped all the way to the pit of my stomach. My hands recoiled from the steel handle, eyes wide.

"Now's not a good time Hanbin." It was Mino whose voice filled the space then.

I was feeling a whirlpool of emotions washing all over my body, all at once. The last time I had seen Hanbin had been the day of my abduction from the campus. He had not once visited me in the hospital, nor had he come to see me after I moved back in and changed dorms, nothing at all.

At first I feared the worst, thinking that he had met a grim fate at the hands of a certain killer with an alarming interest in me; but when I got word of him being seen on campus and in classes regularly, I was left beyond confused. He wasn't taking my calls or answering my voice mails. It was only three weeks ago when I decided to text him to see if he wanted to meet me, and in response I got a singular word: 'No,' that I finally grasped he didn't want to see me anymore.

"Well I got something to say to her," I could hear the specks of sheer agitation building up in his voice, "It can't wait."

"I don't know man, should've thought of that before being a complete fucking asshole to her." Mino responded with an equally charged tone of incredulity.

"Man shut the fuck up, you don't know shit about me."

"Fuck, you know what?" I could practically envision the scoff etched on Mino's face in the moment, "It's kind of my fault. I should have told Jennie what she was getting herself into in the first place."

My ears instantly perked up. What is Mino talking about?

"Oh yeah, then why didn't you?" Hanbin countered cockily, "Oh that's right, it's because you're buying my shit on the regular. Speaking of which, your ass still owes me $80 for that molly you scored two fucking months ago."

I could wait no more, I yanked the door open hastily. With my lips parted, I peered at the door frame, weary eyes finding Hanbin immediately. "What's going on?" I turned to Mino, "What are you talking about?" I voiced suspiciously.

"Jen, I can..." Mino had merely begun, when he was cut off by Hanbin's smoky voice. "Jennie, I need to talk to you." He pressed, his hands in his pockets. I glanced at him again, feeling an inkling of unbefitting anger swaddle me, "I have nothing to say to you, Hanbin."

"You have every right to be mad at me Jennie, I understand. But hear me out, I need to explain myself."

"Explain what?" I spat vindictively, "That you shut me out when I needed you the most? Not a single call, not one single text? Yeah, no, I totally get it."

Hanbin took a step forward, gazing into my eyes intently, "I couldn't." His voice came out like a forced out whisper, "Not after I found out it had to do with.." He opened his mouth, presumably to proceed elaborating on what he meant, when the phone in his hands went off obnoxiously. He glanced at the number, cursing under his breath. "Sorry, I need to take this." He announced quickly, turning around and exiting the room before I had a chance to say anything.

I raised a brow, sniggering cynically as I watched his figure disappear down the hallway, "Unbelievable." I shut the door, locking it, swerving around towards Mino.

"What was that all about? 'I should have told her what she was getting into?' What is that supposed to mean Mino?"

He ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head, "You heard that, huh?"

I crossed my arms around my chest, looking at him expectantly.

"Well shit," He threw his hands in the air, sighing, "Hanbin sells drugs on the campus."

My forehead furrowed, "What?" I sputtered slowly. Multiple clear-as-day recollections of my mother snorting white lines hit me like a sack of bricks. Then it was the dark flash of heroin being shot up my own arm, almost killing me that night, which struck like ominous lightning. "Why didn't you tell me before?" I mumbled blankly, stuck in a daze as if.

"I... I couldn't snitch. But I tried to warn you, I told you he wasn't what he seemed."

A scoff of disbelief left my lips, "You said he was a sleazebag. How is that..." My sentence died unfinished on my tongue, for the loud sounds of sirens ringing sliced the palpably thick air, right in half like a katana. The expression on both Mino and my face contorted into that of pure befuddlement at the same time. Instantly, we stalked over to the window, glimpsing at the scene unfolding outside.

Two police cars ceased right in front of my building, and out stepped two officers from each car. I could clearly make out that one of them was Sergeant Cha himself, judging by his deep complexion and shaven head. My face went from confused to dumbfounded as the officers approached one familiar figure, down by the cars.

"What the fuck?" It was Mino who mumbled the words as we witnessed the officers approach Hanbin. But it was only when one of them reached to put Hanbin into cuffs, that my eyes went wide with comprehension of what was actually happening.

"Come on!" I quipped, darting away from the window, rushing out of the room with the speed of light, Mino by my side. We made our way down the stairs in a jiffy, I almost even clumsily losing my balance once, before we finally got outside.

"... You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can be or will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney..."

I couldn't hear the rest of what the officer was saying. Along with the sound, the air too refused to move down my windpipes, it seemed. I latched onto Mino's side for support, lacing an arm over his shoulders, as my world began rocking with the intensity of an earthquake.

My eyes, in the haze, connected with the dark ones of Sergeant Cha, who too looked at me sympathetically for a split-second, before turning to Hanbin,

"Mr. Kim Hanbin, you're under arrest for the murder of Miss. El Lee."