Angels Fall (Stray Kids Kim Seungmin )

Twenty-six

"Feeling better?" Minho asked as he held Maya's hair back as she threw up into a toilet.

"Not really," she responded weakly as she sat upright on the floor and gasped for oxygen.

Minho handed her a piece of tissue to wipe the remaining vomit off her mouth and chin.

"Why don't we go to the canteen, get you something to drink then talk about all this?"

Maya shook her head.

"I can't," she stammered. "I can't talk about it."

Minho's eyes softened as he moved to sit beside her on the floor and rub circles into her back soothingly.

"I know all of this might seem too much to comprehend but one of them killed a whole bunch of people. We can't just through the case away, Miss Humphreys. It's not that simple."

She turned to look directly into his eyes and she could tell exactly why Woojin sent him. He was sweet and had a soft, understanding tone. Nothing romantic, just a comfortable and friendly aura like she had known him all her life.

"I know, I know... But... Liv told me not to."

He froze for a second before continuing to comfort her.

"Did she? Why's that? She knew them both?"

"Yeah, she did and she doesn't want you to kill whoever it was."

He chuckled.

"We won't kill any of them. Just imprisonment. According to the law, we can't kill any minors for such. After Liv awakes, if she awakes, we'll ask her about it to be safe. We just need whoever you claim it as to imprison for now."

"And if I say nothing?"

"We'll be forced to imprison them both... And possibly Seungmin as well if he doesn't confess."

"Seungmin? Why? He was the one working on it."

"If he says nothing, he is considered an accomplice. He'll also lose his job."

"He can't! It's my fault he never said anything. He found out long ago but I kind of, sort of blackmailed him into saying nothing."

Minho sighed, looking at the ground.

"Which is why his job is threatened. He fell for you. It's against the job. When he felt himself first starting to fall for you, he should have passed the case to someone else."

"He wanted to prove to you guys that he has what it takes to solve a case. I interfered with that... Let me talk with the other Senior Detective."

Minho cocked his eyebrows at her.

"You sure?"

She nodded.

"I think I can set this straight."

***

By the time they walked back into the inspection room with everyone else, Seungmin was pinned to the wall as Woojin handcuffed him.

"Stop!" Minho called as he walked in with Maya trailing not far behind.

Woojin turned around.

"Got anything out of her?"

"She said she could set things straight."

Woojin raised his left eyebrow at her.

"Let's hear it then."

Maya sighed, glancing at all the nervous boys in the room before her gaze landed on Minho who gave her a soft reassuring smile.

"If I tell you who did it, what's the sentence?"

Woojin was clearly taken aback but managed to regain his composure almost instantly. I guess he really was pretty good at his job.

"Seven years."

"No killing?"

"No killing," he confirmed.

"And the punishment is only for whoever did it?"

"Yes."

She glanced at Hyunjin, who was practically pleading with his eyes for her to tell the truth. She took a long, deep breath.

"Hyunjin did it."

Silence engulfed the room for a moment before Woojin turned back to Seungmin and tightened his handcuffs so it was pinching his skin.

"Hey!" Maya yelled as he headed over to do the same to Hyunjin. "You said the punishment was only for Hyunjin!"

"It will be... After we hear Olivia confess herself," Woojin shrugged.

"What? And if she doesn't wake up?"

"Then we'll never know who did it. They'll all get punished."

"I told you though! This is unfair! I-"

"Senior Detective Kim, consider this," Minho tried reasoning, feeling partly guilty for this. "Miss Taylor told her herself. Besides, you know for a fact Seungmin did nothing. Miss Humphreys confessed to blackmailing Seungmin to keep his mouth shut."

"He fell for her, Senior Detective Lee. It's against the contract he signed to become a detective."

"And it said it would rid him from his job if disobeyed. And he did. Now you need to look at him from the light of being a normal teenager who was blackmailed into saying nothing. You can't possibly consider him an accomplice just because of that."

"Fine, I'll do more research but for now, he's with them."

Woojin whistled and a bunch of Junior Detectives came inside and dragged the three handcuffed boys out.

Once Minho and Maya were remaining, he placed an arm around her shoulder comfortingly.

"I'm so sorry... This wasn't what I wanted to happen. I feel like it's all my fault."

"It's not... Well, it kinda is but I'm more mad at that stupid Senior Detective..."

Minho chuckled before grabbing his car keys.

"How about I drive you home? I don't think you're fit to walk after all that."