Conceal

11. Enigma

"You're supposed to put the scapegoat into jail. Now, not only is the scapegoat still roaming free, the police suspects you as well. You've done the opposite of what I've told you do." 

Enigma was back at The Flaming Tongues' lair. The room looked exactly the same as the last time he was here, which was to be expected. The only difference was that he was the only one here this time. Feeling the weight of his hood on his head and the burden of the robe on his shoulders, he wondered whether the gang's "uniform" served a purpose anymore. The empty seats stared blankly back at him, and Flame was the only one who could see him now.

"What happened? And what are you planning to do?" Flame's deep and quiet voice emanated from the speaker behind Enigma's chair, travelling to the back of his head and spreading out to reach his ears. The resonant quality of the voice made it sound like as if Flame was finally showing up in person and was now looming over Enigma. It was unsettling to say the least.

"Are you going to answer or are you just going to sit there and wait till the sun comes up?" The leader sounded calm and even a bit nice through the speakers, but Enigma knew that was simply a ruse to gain the members' trust, and he wasn't going to fall for that.

Enigma knew Flame was going to lose his temper if he didn't say anything soon. But what happened was too infuriating and ridiculous that he didn't know how to put it into words. Because honestly, how could he have known that his questioning would be so different from his other two friends'? He would've never guessed what questions he'd be asked, and he'd have no way to prepare polished answers that could've spared him the repercussions he was going through now.

Enigma knew exactly what he needed to say. Unfortunately, he didn't want to say it at all. But more importantly, he had to answer Flame before the silence stretched on for too long, and apologising was the only way to survive this situation without causing even more trouble for himself. "I'm sorry. I said things I shouldn't have said in front of the police."

"Like what?" Flame's attempt to sound curious made Enigma's blood boil. He knew that Flame knew. Flame knows everything, everyone knew that. The only reason he asked the question was to play with Enigma and make him pay for his wrongdoings. Flame would only show his true feelings and reprimand Enigma once he was fully entertained.

Enigma gritted his teeth as the memory of his conversation with the police resurfaced in his brain.

"What's your relationship with Minhyuk?" DC Hyungwon looked at Enigma with a playful glow in his eyes, as if he knew something no one else knew about.

"He's just a friend." Enigma replied, avoiding the detective's gaze that was starting to make him uncomfortable. He knew for sure that these questions were made especially for him, and it irritated him that he didn't know why.

Hyungwon raised his eyebrow and peeked at his notebook. Then his lips curled up into a tiny smile, as if he gleaned the real answer from his notes and was satisfied with himself. "Just a friend? Are you sure? Because your friend Mr. Yoo Kihyun said otherwise."

Enigma widened his eyes as he was brought back to the diner with his friends, the day Dawon and Minhyuk were arrested. "I...I just don't see the need to tell a detective I've just met about my personal life."

"And I would understand your reasoning under different circumstances, but your personal life might help us in our investigation, which, if successful, will help your friend. I'm simply confirming something your friend told me just now." The detective said matter-of factly.

Enigma felt a sting of betrayal as he wondered why Kihyun would tell a stranger about his private life, but quickly replaced that with hatred as he berated himself for revealing his secret in the first place. He realised that all of this wouldn't have happened if he'd just kept his mouth shut that day, but it was too late to take his words back, and it was time to fix things for himself. "Fine. I admit I do have feelings for Minhyuk. But that was many years ago, and I guess I can't just see him as a normal friend since then."