Conceal

32. Final Step

It didn't take long for Jooheon and Wonho to find out what was going on.

The car that was carrying Kihyun was long gone, and all the reporters had left the scene. It was once again peaceful in front of the police station, but the scene kept replaying in the minds of the three men standing stock still in front of the station. They saw Kihyun being brought away again and again, as if it was a broken record being played over repeatedly and that would only stop once they had finally accepted the reality.

Both Jooheon and Wonho knew this was going to happen eventually. They just didn't think it was going to happen so soon. Kihyun was going to the court, and he would be a prisoner in just a few days.

They also didn't expect that there was something more behind the look on Shownu's face.

"I'm sorry." That was the first and only thing Wonho said to Shownu. They knew saying that word wouldn't do anything, yet it was the only word that had even a sliver of meaning under such circumstances.

The three of them were sitting in a coffee shop near the station. All of them agreed that they needed breakfast, something that would give them the energy they needed to survive this emotional roller coaster.

Jooheon was relieved to see that all three plates were emptied, but Wonho was cradling his cup of coffee and looking down onto the table with hunched shoulders, and Shownu was staring into nothingness with hollow eyes and an empty gaze. Jooheon was the only one who could guide them through this. He was the only one who knew that Kihyun would come back very soon.

"What did the police say?" Jooheon asked Shownu.

Shownu took a sip of his cold drink. His lips were trembling slightly, but he wanted to get this over with. "They said Kihyun stole from other people. He had a really expensive watch, and they said it was stolen." There was a short pause as he squeezed his hands together to keep his anger at bay.

"But it isn't! Someone gave it to Kihyun for his birthday yesterday! I tried telling them that the friend left Korea yesterday night and that's why the gift was one day early, but they didn't believe me. They didn't believe anything I said. They said someone reported his jewellery to be missing, including the watch. I tried telling them that Kihyun had an alibi, but they didn't even listen to me. They said this was a simple case of robbery, and all the evidence pointed to Kihyun...that there was no other suspect, nothing else to consider."

Shownu slammed his fist onto the table, startling Wonho. But Jooheon only frowned and bit his lip, wanting so bad to tell Shownu that everything would be okay, but knowing it wasn't the time yet. It wouldn't happen if he said it now. He couldn't take the risk.

Jooheon was about to say something when Shownu took out his phone. "There's something else..." His voice was so soft and small Jooheon could barely make out the words. Even then, Jooheon knew that the clash between anger and distress in Shownu's voice was so strong that talking any louder would result in an outburst of emotions.

Shownu handed the phone to Jooheon. With difficulty, Wonho lifted his head that seemed to weigh a ton and leaned over to see. There were multiple photos, and Wonho's desire to break the phone grew each time Jooheon swiped left. When it was finally over, Wonho downed his drink despite the scalding temperature of the hot coffee and muttered "I need some fresh air" before leaving the cafe. He could barely walk in a straight line.

Jooheon simply frowned at the photos, but inside his guts were twisting together into a messy ball of disgust and disbelief. The photos were of Shownu and Wonho in multiple angles, doing what lovers would do: holding hands, hugging, kissing. There was even one of them laying on the bed. The most frightening thing was that all of them looked like they were taken secretly.