Conceal

18. Eavesdropping

Jooheon was more than just dazed. But Minhyuk's fading footsteps eventually brought him back to reality. He sighed, even though he knew it was a meagre attempt to vent out the complicated emotions that had accumulated since...well, it seemed like forever since he had a chance to sort out his thoughts, and an eternity since he had the time to resolve the problems that caused him to feel this way.

The moment of relief that came with the sigh didn't last long at all. He felt his heart weighing him down more than before as it dawned on him the fact that he had just let his friend leave him for an indefinite amount of time, with a reason so ambiguous it was like reading a book in the middle of the fog. Yet, as Jooheon climbed back onto his car, that chasing after Minhyuk would be one of the worst things he could do. At first thought it seemed like a hard decision to make, but he finally realised that he didn't have much of a choice to begin with. It was just how things were. It was bad as it was, and the only "choice" he had was to do everything that would make things a slight bit easier for himself and the people around him, to the best of his abilities.

Jooheon fired up the engine, but before he stepped onto the gas pedal, he took out the bracelet he brought everywhere with him. Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light. The quote was the only thing that kept Jooheon at bay. Without it, he'd had lost his direction a long time ago. It was also a reminder, a reminder for the things he had done, and a reminder for all the things he should be doing. It was too late to reverse everything, but at least he could still reverse something, and then move on alone.

After a swift u-turn, Jooheon was back on the main street, driving towards Wonho's apartment - his initial destination before all the distractions and detours. By the time he got through all the traffic and arrived at the apartment complex, it was already 8 at night.

With Wonho's jacket draped over his left arm, Jooheon started walking around the estate, looking for the correct building. Being a common visitor didn't make things any easier for Jooheon. This place was still huge and confusing like a maze, and the lack of light during nighttime didn't help at all.

Eventually, the correct building stood before Jooheon, and he had thought of everything he was going to say to Wonho. He would return the jacket after a short greeting, and he would refuse if his friend offer him to go inside. Of course, he would do anything to find out who had called Wonho that day in front of Kihyun's workplace and why he had leave so suddenly, but things were way too awkward at the moment. Jooheon knew he wasn't going to learn anything if he pushed forcefully.

Jooheon was going around the last decorative bush when he caught a glimpse of white. Before he even had time to get a better view of the other person, he heard the man shout. Jooheon flinched and hid behind the bush out of reflex. The shock had drove all the man's words out of Jooheon's head, and he wasn't paying enough attention to hear what the other was saying anyway.

Once his heart had stopped racing, Jooheon peeked through the leaves, without really knowing why. The man was wearing a white coat, a phone pressed to his ears.

"What do you mean?! This was not what you told me before!"

Jooheon winced again at the noise, but this time he heard the words loud and clear. That was when he realised Wonho was standing right in front of him, taking part in a heated conversation through the phone.

Wonho must be waiting for the other side to reply again, because all Jooheon could hear was the rustling of the leaves from the plants surrounding him. He took this moment of silence to decide what to do. He knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but it wasn't like he could walk up to Wonho and interrupt the call - it would definitely make things even more awkward between them - and he didn't want to leave after his long journey here. Besides, he had barely seen his friend so enraged before, and the fact that Wonho had nothing with him meant that he had probably came all the way down here from his apartment to make this call.

Jooheon gave in to curiosity and stayed where he is, as still as a statue.

"What part of it do you not understand?! You can't just stop and leave like that! It's your responsibility!"

There was a pause, but it was a short one. Jooheon could tell that the person on the other side of the phone was rudely interrupted by Wonho, and whatever that person said, Wonho didn't listen.

"I don't care. If you can't give me an answer I'll just go find your boss. Or at least, someone with more authority than you." Wonho finally lowered his voice, but luckily he was facing Jooheon directly, so Jooheon could still hear each word perfectly.

Another pause, a much longer one this time.

Jooheon heard the venom in Wonho's voice, and hoped silently that the person it was directed to didn't take it too seriously. Jooheon also wished he could emerge from the bush he was hiding behind and tell Wonho to calm down and end the argument in a civilised way so everything could be resolved, but that was impossible without letting Wonho know he had listened in on the conversation, and that would add a flaw to their friendship.

"Ok fine." Wonho said, looking down with his eyes closed and rubbing his forehead with two fingers. "Then can you at least explain what he has got to do with anything about this?"

The more Jooheon listened, the more worried he got. He knew very well that a raised voice didn't necessarily mean anger. It could mean fear or agitation too. He stared at Wonho's ear, where the phone was pressed against, and felt his muscles strain from frowning too hard. Jooheon was concerned about Wonho and the troubles he was apparently facing, but most of all he was clueless about the context of the whole phone call. Perhaps he was too focused on his friend's tone and behaviour to really analyse what the other was saying.

"Stop lying. It's only wasting your time. I know it's you. You called me yesterday. It has to be you." Jooheon perked up at this. A dozen questions popped up in his mind immediately as he remembered Wonho's hurry to leave after receiving a weird phone call yesterday afternoon. Jooheon wondered if this mysterious person persuaded Wonho to stop contacting the police. This was the only feasible reason why Wonho had changed his mind so abruptly then.

"You can't scare me anymore, now that I know who you are. I'll go to you if you don't explain this properly right now, when I'm asking nicely." Jooheon was listening intently now, and he felt goosebumps when he heard the fierceness in Wonho's words.

Jooheon had never been so unsettled so before. Through the gap between two leaves, he saw how Wonho's eyes widened so abruptly that for a second he thought he was caught red-handed. But what happened next was even more disconcerting. Wonho's demeanour changed completely, from confident and aggressive to panicky and powerless. Wonho was at a loss for words, opening and closing his mouth helplessly. He wasn't even standing straight anymore, as if he wanted to crumple onto the floor. The effect was so strong even Jooheon feared what the caller said to Wonho.

After a moment of stuttering, Wonho muttered quietly, "How...how did you know...?" If the wind hadn't carried his voice further, Jooheon wouldn't have heard it.

"That's impossible. My friends don't know this. Only I know this."

"My friends would never betray me!" Jooheon jumped at the sudden outburst.

"No, you brought him here. You made him come to my apartment. What they hell do you want? Stop messing with us!"

Jooheon was too immersed in his own thoughts to realise Wonho's jacket had slipped off his arm. As a bent down to pick it back up, another dozen questions intruded his mind. His heart was almost itching to know who was in Wonho's home, and why it was making him so angry...and scared. When Jooheon straightened up again, the phone call has ended, and Wonho was looking up at the building. Wonho scratched his head and sighed heavily. A sigh that carried complicated emotions and burdens that weighed more than a bag of rocks.

Once Wonho disappeared into the lobby, Jooheon went back to the way he came, completing none of the things he had planned to when he first arrived.

With so many thoughts floating in his head, he never noticed the second figure standing at his 2 o'clock position, also hidden behind a decorative bush.

Jooheon left the complex without realising that he wasn't the only person listening in on Wonho's phone call.