It All Started With A Creepy Mail ⚊ Yang Jungwon [#4]

✗ thirty six ✗

⚊ chapter thirty six

I lay on my bedroom floor, staring up at the ceiling, deep in thought. Wonwon, my smallest cat, curled up beside me, his soft purring filling the silence in the room. I absentmindedly reached over to scratch his ears, thinking about how I’d named him after Jungwon before I'd ever really known him.

"Wonwon, what do you think I should do?" I murmured, watching his sleepy eyes slowly blink open. He had this look that reminded me of Jungwon—calm, collected, and somehow always seeing right through me.

I knew it was silly, talking to my cat as if he could answer, but I couldn’t help it. I felt more like myself around him than around almost anyone else.

"Just once," I whispered, brushing his fur. "Just once, I want him to stay and talk to me."

But I knew better than anyone that Jungwon had this quiet knack for slipping away right when things got interesting. He was always there one moment, only to disappear with some vague excuse the next. And now, with this lingering suspicion that he might be my mysterious online friend, SD, it was driving me crazy.

I needed to talk to him properly, to really see if he’d give something away that only SD would know.

An idea started forming, but it was ridiculous—totally crazy, actually. I knew there was only one person I could even consider asking for help with this. Minji, my partner-in-crime and Jungwon’s self-declared best friend. She’d teased me about him before, but maybe, just maybe, she’d be willing to help me corner him.

I sighed, reaching for my phone and pulling up Minji’s number. For a few minutes, I just stared at the message box, unsure how to even ask her. She’d probably freak out, overanalyze every emoji I used, and never let me live this down. But I was desperate. So, finally, I typed:

Me: Hey Minji…

I hesitated, watching the words linger on the screen before erasing them. “No, no. Too vague.” Trying again, I typed:

Me: Sooo, quick question… if I wanted to talk to Jungwon, like…

I paused, biting my lip, and added, ...without him escaping, would you… help?

I hit send before I could chicken out, then threw my phone onto the bed and covered my face, feeling my cheeks heat up. What if she thought I was insane? I almost regretted sending it, when my phone buzzed almost immediately.

Minji: Are you serious?? OMG FINALLY.

I snorted at her enthusiasm, and she quickly followed up with another message.

Minji: Wait, is this a joke or do you really want to talk to him? Because, girl, if you’re serious, I’m SO in.

I typed back quickly, before I lost my nerve.

Me: No joke. I mean it. I need to talk to him… and I just know if I don’t have help, he’ll probably come up with some excuse and leave. Think you and Ni-ki could... you know, maybe keep him from running away?

There was a long pause, and then the little typing bubble appeared.

Minji: Girl, you’re asking the right people. Ni-ki and I will handle it. We’ve already got ideas. Do you know they have practice tomorrow? We’ll set something up.

Me: Wait, what kind of “something”? Nothing crazy, right?

Minji: Crazy is subjective.

Me: Minji…

Minji: Okay, fine! Ni-ki and I will just make sure he has no choice but to stay and talk. You can count on us.