firefly | zhong chenle

CH27

"one day, i'll have her. and nothing can stop me"

-

"I'll talk about this with you another time. I need to report back to the station. My suspension period is over. Take care of her" Chenle had to swallow all the words he wanted to say to avoid causing a big fight in the middle of the hospital corridor.

"Whatever" Jisung rolled his eyes and went to go find Arin. After a good couple hours, she was given medication and was not transported back into her room. She looked pale and weak, but somewhat better than she looked hours ago. Jisung came and sat next to her, holding a plastic bag of takeaway for her.

"Hey" Jisung greeted, sitting down and unpacking the food. She looked exhausted, almost like all the energy had been sucked out of her. Arin stared up at the ceiling, smiling small in response to Jisung's greeting. Her phone dinged.

"Your phone" Jisung passed her the phone, in which she sluggishly glanced down at the message.

Captain Zhong Chenle
I've left to go back to the station because my suspension period is over. I checked everything for you and paid all the fees so you don't need to worry about anything. Your mother falling ill was fake. She's alright. I don't know how fake information got to you but I'll make sure we find the culprit.

Arin couldn't help but chuckle. Such a dry and formal message was expected of him, but it made her feel comforted on the inside, knowing he had already dealt with everything for her. That was something she loved about Chenle. How responsible and caring he was, even if he doesn't like to show it. He is one of the most genuine people she knows, and a person she really does value.

"What is it?" Jisung asked, after passing her bowl of porridge

"Nothing" Arin smiled "Chenle just texted me telling me that everything has been sorted"

Jisung evidently fell deathly silent upon hearing his name, awkwardly trying to unwrap the chopsticks from its packaging.

"Are you okay?" Arin asked, taking the chopsticks from him and unwrapping it herself.

"Yeah. I'm just-"

The door opened and a somewhat familiar face appeared. Arin turned to see a younger boy, in his school uniform, approach her with a beaming smile and a bouquet of flowers in his hands.

"Hajoon?" Arin knitted her eyebrows together in confusion. How did this boy know she was in this hospital in the first place.

"Arin" Hajoon was holding a bouquet of camellia's, more specifically one that was almost bright, blood red "This is for you"

As he passed the bouquet to Arin, his face dropped upon making eye contact with Jisung, but jerked his expression back into place after Arin scanned the bouquet with utter shock and surprise.

"These flowers...how did you know I like them?" Arin asked "This colour specifically as well"

Hajoon lifted up one corner of his lips "I just know you like them".

"My parents once took me to a camellia farm. This colour and flower is the exact same one as the photo of me and my mum in my room. What a coincidence" Arin chuckled, but thanked Hajoon nonetheless

"I'm going to get some water" Jisung mentioned, leaving the two alone. As he walked down the corridor with a cup in hand, his shoulders crashed into Chenle, who he thought had just left.

"Why are you back" Jisung asked, picking up the fallen paper cup

"I left my jacket in her room" Chenle's voice was cold and monotonous, as if he didn't want to speak with Jisung.

"Go in in a bit. Shes talking to someone right now" When Jisung was just about to walk away, he was harshly yanked back by Chenle by the arm

"Who" Chenle deadpanned

"I don't know. Some highschool kid. Probably her brother or-" Before Jisung could even finish his sentence, Chenle bolted past him towards Arin's room, panic flooding his demeanour. He burst into the room, thankfully, to see that Hajoon was just sitting on the seat beside Arin and Arin was in the same position Chenle saw her last. His eyes fled between the two, breaths heavy after sprinting down the hallway.

"Chenle?" Arin furrowed her eyebrow "I thought you had to go back to the station"

Hajoon's gaze connected with Chenle's, a subtle smug smile spread across his lips. Chenle wanted to wipe that smirk off his face. It was taking everything in him not to punch this kid across the face.

"Oh right. This is Hajoon. I saved his brother in my first mission. This is Chenle. My captain" Arin briefly introduced, in which the two men stood up and shook hands. Chenle put such force into this handshake that visible veins could be seen on his skin. Arin seemed to sense the weighing tension, but decided not to comment on it to avoid chaos erupting.

"I came here to get my jacket. Your parents must be worried about you if you don't return home soon. You can catch a ride with me" Chenle offered to Hajoon, teeth gritted and fake kindness dripping in his words. Hajoon couldn't even reply before Chenle practically jerked him out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

"It was you. Wasn't it" Chenle spat, after they were further than hearing distance from Arin

Hajoon chuckled, mischievously "What if I say it was?"

"You fucking lied to Arin about her mother falling ill to get her in the hospital so you could get to her knowing you can't approach her at the station...You timed everything so carefully. Fuck. You intentionally made this all happen a week before I had to return to my duties to appear in front of her exactly when she wakes up and when I had to leave"

Hajoon snapped his fingers, leaning against the wall "It was so fool-proof till you showed up. You shouldn't have come back"

"You shouldn't even be here. My father filed an investigation to arrest you" Chenle took a step towards him intimidatingly "Why are you still here"

"Oh?" Hajoon rose an eyebrow "Really. I wasn't aware of such investigation. Care to enlightenment me?"

Then it hit Chenle like a brick. He had become a pawn in the game of others. Not just in Hajoons, but in his fathers too. He had realised that his father never even filed an investigation, that his father knew that it was impossible to file an investigation upon no basis and no evidence whatsoever. His father had just told Chenle he had filed one just so Chenle would comply and go to dinner with him...to make him a police officer like he's been trying to do for years.

"Motherfucker" Rage consumed him. He drew his fist back and grasped Hajoon's collar, slamming him against the wall and aiming straight at his face.

Hajoon simply laughed "I'd think you'd be a bit smarter than this, being Mr. Captain of Unit 3 and all. Even if you arrested me, I'd go to juvenile, Zhong Chenle. I'm a minor. I get away with anything"

"Shut the fuck up" Chenle sneered.

"I'd be put on probation for maybe a week or two, then forced to attend a couple therapy sessions and I am a free man again. One day, I'll have her. And nothing can stop me"

Chenle was about to throw the punch at Hajoon when the door from Arin's room flew open. With seconds, Chenle felt a hand on his arm, a pleading warm beckoning him to stop and calm down.

"Chenle, you'd be suspended again" Arin urged, tugging his arm down. The moment Chenle looked at the girl beside him, his heart began slowing down, his rage suppressing into a small pit of smoke.

"Arin" Hajoon smiled "My parents came to pick me up. I'll see you soon"

Arin watched as Hajoon left, skipping subtly down the corridor and disappearing behind the doors. She was beyond confused, unable to comprehend what was happening at all.

"What was that about?"

"Stay away from him" Chenle looked sternly into her eyes "Please"