In a Maze...

Chapter 15

A little bit after eleven, Mark left Jinyoung's apartment. Just when he was near the entrance of the apartment building, his phone rang. Though there was no contact name, Mark guessed it was from Donghyun.

"Hello, Mark hyung? I'm Donghyun. I just arrived at the assigned place, in front of the cafe."

Mark continued his way out of the building, "Alright, carry on your duty. I'll come meet you for a-"

Mark was distraced by a shadow that shifted swift from the front of the building to the street. The move was so fast that Mark could have missed it, if not for his trained eyes.

The person who was striding further down the street, was clad in a thick black coat and had his own head kept low. The suspicion Mark felt, by his instinct, in the mall, rose again at this sight.

"Hyung?"

"Donghyun, check the people on the street. Do you see a man in an all-black clothing? From your side, he's going to the left."

A moment of silence and Donghyun replied, "I see him now, hyung. He's hurrying away."

"Go after him. Don't let him escape. Contact me when you get hold of him."

"I see, hyung."

The call was ended and the man had already disappeared from Mark's sight. Remembering Jinyoung and feeling a sense of danger, Mark got back into the apartment building and went up to Jinyoung's apartment again.

Mark let out a relieved sigh when Jinyoung opened the door, with confusion on his face. Indeed, the man couldn't have been here.

"What's the matter?" Jinyoung asked, observing Mark's quite out-of-breath state. "Did you forget anything?"

"No, I thought I'd be here a little longer. Quite late, I know. But just a little longer."

Jinyoung laughed, "You can be here as long as you want to be. Eleven is not at all late for me. But, for you though, you'll be back home late."

"I don't mind."

While Jinyoung seemed to be oblivious of whatever was going on, Mark's mind was restless, checking his phone every minute.

At one time, his phone screen lit up with a call, just when he glanced at it. Mark excused himself and moved away from the sofa, so that Jinyoung would be out of earshot, and took the call.

"Yes, Donghyun. Got him?"

"I'm afraid not, hyung. I was careful not to alarm him but he just slipped into the darkness, hyung. I searched for him everywhere in the neighbourhood. I don't know how he could do that."

"Another thing to keep on my mind," Mark mused, "Donghyun, get back to your assigned place and check if he appears again tonight. And give me a call when he does."

"Got it, hyung."

Mark hung up the call and went back to Jinyoung, who was watching him from afar.

"I guess you're busy," Jinyoung commented, when Mark got seated back on the sofa.

"Quite," Mark muttered, "Hm, will it be okay if I sleep here tonight? Or if you don't want to sleep, I can talk with you the whole night."

"More than okay, I think," Jinyoung said, "But, of course, I won't keep you up the whole night. You can sleep in my parents' room, after a little bit of tidying it."

"That's fine," Mark said, "Concerned with these murders, Jinyoung, do you, perhaps, have anyone you're suspicious of? Someone on your mind?"

Jinyoung's eyes, which had been shining, turned grim in a moment, "No. None. In fact, I don't even want to think about it."

"Anyone who might've held a grudge against those dead people?" Mark asked again.

"I don't have anyone on my mind."

"You can't think of anyone?"

"None."

"Alright," Mark resigned, "Let's talk about something else. I know you don't like this topic."

"Why're you sleeping here though? It's not inconvenient for me but it's just all of a sudden. Is there a specific reason?"

"Not really," Mark said, "I just thought I wanted to. And I want to know how you handle a sleepless night, if, by any chance, this is your another sleepless night. But of course, I'd rather you'd enough sleep."

"I assure you it's nothing interesting. I either lie in bed, my thoughts wandering, or sit here, wide-awake."

"When you've such nights, don't you have fatigue in the morning?"

"I do, but I've got so used to it that it doesn't seem so bad to me now. And I never take sleeping pills. I don't even keep them. They might help me but it'll be all temporary."

"Yet no sleep is not at all good in the long term. It affects your health."

"I know," Jinyoung muttered, "But tonight though, I think I'll have enough sleep. And you too need to go to work early tomorrow, right?"

"Yes, do you want to go to bed now?"

"Nah, it's still early. I still want to talk to you because I don't know when you'll be back here after tonight."

So they conversed for another hour and then Jinyoung helped Mark clean his parents' room and make the bed.

"I think I'll get back to my room and sleep too," Jinyoung said, when the bed was ready for Mark, "Good night."

"Good night."

When Jinyoung was about to be out of the room, however, Mark called him, "Jinyoung, lock your room carefully. And if anything happens, call me. I'm a light sleeper."

Jinyoung gave him a questioning look and Mark reassured him, "Nothing to worry about. Just in case."

"I see."

They parted then and Mark lay down on the unfamiliar bed. He was certain he was going to have little sleep tonight.