ᴀᴄᴄɪᴅᴇɴᴛᴀʟ ᴀғғᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴs || ʙᴇᴏᴍᴊᴜɴ ✓

Chapter six;

The library was almost empty, save for the soft rustling of pages and the occasional whispered conversation. Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Soobin were deep into another round of fruitless research when Hueningkai entered, a look of determination on his face.

"Guys, I think I found something," Hueningkai said, holding up a worn, leather-bound book.

“No, I found something.” Yeonjun announced, practically bouncing on his feet.

“Yes, Hyung has found something.” Kai laughed.

Beomgyu's head shot up as Yeonjun plopped down next to him. "What is it?"

Hueningkai placed the book on the table and opened it to a page marked with a bright blue ribbon. "I, we were digging through the archives, and we found a record of old potion recipes. Look at this one."

The group crowded around the book, their eyes scanning the page. The recipe was for a love potion similar to the one affecting Yeonjun, but it had an additional note scribbled in the margin.

"So, it’s a common recipe," Taehyun said, frowning. "How does that help us?"

"Look at the note," Hueningkai urged. "It mentions a unique ingredient—a rare herb called 'Moon's Tear.' It's hard to find and only blooms under a full moon."

"So, whoever brewed the potion would need access to this herb," Soobin said, connecting the dots. "That narrows it down."

Beomgyu’s eyes lit up with hope. "Does anyone in the academy have this herb?"

Hueningkai nodded. "There’s only one person who cultivates rare herbs in their private greenhouse—Professor Lee."

Yeonjun's grin grew wider. "Does this mean I get my reward, you promised me? I want a kiss as a reward."

Beomgyu's face turned red as he flailed his arms, “What? No! We haven’t solved anything yet!”

Yeonjun pouted, looking adorably crestfallen. "But I found a clue..."

Soobin snickered, clearly enjoying the situation. "A deal's a deal, Beomgyu."

Beomgyu glared at Soobin before turning back to Yeonjun. "Fine, you get a kiss... on the cheek. But only if we find concrete evidence."

Yeonjun’s face lit up. "Deal!”

---

Later that evening, the group approached Professor Lee’s greenhouse, a sprawling structure filled with exotic plants and magical flora. They found the professor tending to a cluster of glowing flowers.

“Professor Lee,” Beomgyu called out, trying to keep his voice steady.

Professor Lee looked up, a kind smile on her face. “Ah, students. What brings you here at this hour?”

“We were wondering if we could ask you about a specific herb,” Taehyun said. “Moon’s Tear.”

Professor Lee’s eyebrows arched in surprise. “Moon’s Tear? That’s a rare one indeed. Why do you ask?”

Beomgyu exchanged a glance with the others before stepping forward. “We believe someone used it to make a love potion. We’re trying to find out who.”

Professor Lee’s expression turned serious. “That’s a dangerous accusation. The Moon’s Tear is very rare, but yes, I do grow it. Follow me.”

She led them through the greenhouse to a secluded corner where a single, delicate plant with silvery leaves stood. “This is Moon’s Tear. As you can see, it’s in full bloom, which means someone could have harvested it recently.”

“So someone in the academy could have stolen it,” Soobin concluded.

“Or they could have asked for it,” Hueningkai added, thoughtfully.

Professor Lee nodded. “I keep a record of who requests my herbs. Let me check.”

She pulled out a small, leather-bound ledger and flipped through the pages. “Ah, here it is. There was only one request for Moon’s Tear in the past month.”

Beomgyu leaned in, holding his breath. “Who was it?”

Professor Lee’s eyes scanned the page before looking up. “It was requested by… Yeonjun.”

Beomgyu’s heart dropped. “Yeonjun? But that doesn’t make any sense. Why would he—”

“Wait,” Taehyun interrupted, a realization dawning on him. “What if someone used Yeonjun’s name to get the herb? They knew no one would suspect him.”

Beomgyu’s mind raced. “That means the real culprit is someone who has access to Yeonjun’s information. Someone close to him.”

Hueningkai’s eyes widened. “That could be anyone in his circle of friends or even someone in his dorm.”

“Then we need to start there,” Soobin said decisively. “We need to find out who had the opportunity to use Yeonjun’s name and steal the herb.”

Professor Lee looked at them with concern. “Be careful, students. Whoever did this is not to be underestimated.”

---

The next day, the group gathered outside Yeonjun’s dorm, trying to blend in with the other students milling about. Yeonjun himself was at the library, distracted by an urgent project that Soobin had conveniently assigned him.

“Alright, let’s split up and ask around,” Beomgyu suggested. “See if anyone saw anything suspicious.”

Hueningkai nodded. “I’ll check with the dorm staff. Maybe they noticed something.”

Taehyun and Soobin agreed to check the common areas and speak with Yeonjun’s friends, while Beomgyu would head to the student lounge to see if anyone had been talking.

As Beomgyu made his way to the lounge, he felt a strange mix of determination and dread. The closer they got to the truth, the more he feared what they might find. But he had to know. They all did.

In the lounge, he spotted a group of students who were known to hang around Yeonjun. He approached them cautiously. “Hey, guys. Mind if I join you?”

One of them, a cheerful girl named Minji, smiled and waved him over. “Sure, Beomgyu. What’s up?”

“Just curious,” Beomgyu said, trying to sound casual. “Have any of you noticed anything strange happening around Yeonjun dorm lately? Any unusual visitors or anything?”

The group exchanged glances before one of the boys, Jisoo, spoke up. “Now that you mention it, I did see someone hanging around Yeonjun’s dorm last week or maybe before that, not sure but it was late, and they looked like they were trying not to be seen.”

“Did you recognize them?” Beomgyu asked, his heart racing.

Jisoo shook his head. “Not really. They were wearing a hood. But I remember thinking it was weird because they were carrying something—a small vial, I think.”

Beomgyu’s mind raced as he nodded. “Thanks, Jisoo. That’s really helpful.”

As he left the lounge, he quickly relayed the information to Taehyun and Soobin via text. They regrouped at the courtyard, where Hueningkai was already waiting.

“So, what did you find?” Hueningkai asked eagerly.

“One of Yeonjun’s friends saw someone suspicious near his dorm with a vial,” Beomgyu explained. “It could be our culprit.”

“So we need to figure out who had access to Yeonjun’s dorm around that time,” Taehyun said, piecing it together. “And someone who knew about the Moon’s Tear.”

Hueningkai nodded. “I talked to the dorm staff. They mentioned seeing a hooded figure too, but they didn’t get a good look.”

“Then we’re getting closer,” Beomgyu said, determination in his voice. “We need to keep digging.”