Space Detective

chapter one ★

i still remember her face when she left us. it was simple, emotionless. she didn't care at all. she didn't care that i grew up without a mother. she just left my dad. she left me.

i finally put back the picture of the three of us showing off our matching bracelets. why did i want the photo on my nightstand after all these years that she's been gone?

the ring of the doorbell brought me back to reality as i went to check who was there. my neighbor, doyoung. he's the one of the only people who have stuck by my side through everything, along with my dad, jaehyun. they're the ones i trust most.

"jungwoo? you good?" he said snapping me out of my thoughts.

i smiled and replied, "great."

"good, we should go out and do something today! i'm bored."

"as per usual," i rolled my eyes.

"hey you can't judge. you get all these magical powers and stuff, he laughed, ruffling his dark blue hair.

"being an alien isn't that great ya know," i chuckled.

"whatever! we should go watch a movie at my place!"

"you just said you wanted to go out!"

"yeah, well, i changed my mind. now let's go!"

i laughed as my best friend dragged me across the street into his house.

the minute we walked in, i heard doyoung's parents arguing. they were yelling something along the lines of "what if they come here?"

doyoung walked closer to his parents' bedroom door and put his ear up to hear what they were saying. i followed him and did the same.

"the lawyers back, honey, what if they take him away from us?" doyoung's mother worriedly asked.

"they won't do that, it will be okay." his father replied.

"it's been 17 years. once they know we didn't sign the papers, they'll take him back to the orphanage" his mother cried.

"it will be okay, he will be 18 soon. they have no real reason to take him away!" his father replied.

"how could you be so stupid! they won't care if he's almost 18! after that cop killed doyoung's parents, we took the responsibility of caring for him. we took that responsibility. how could we be so stupid. how could we have forgotten to sign the documents?"

i looked up at doyoung to see him with watery eyes. he looked worried and also surprised.

"are you okay?" i asked

"please leave." he said with tears brimming in his eyes.

"what? doyoung-"

"just leave," he sighed.

i didn't want to upset him any further, so i just left. as i was walking out, i heard him ask his parents, "who was the cop?" i stopped in my place and continued to eavesdrop.

"honey!" doyoung's mother yelled.

"it's fine. just tell me who it was." he replied.

"doyoung-"

"is it who i think it is?"

his mother said, almost whispering, "yes."

"okay," doyoung walked back to the main hallway to see me. he glared at me like he was angry, leaving me confused as he marched up to his room and slamming it shut.

i walked out of him home, back to my room, and took a seat on my bed. it was already beginning to get dark outside.

i didn't understand why he would be mad at me. i didn't have anything to do with his parents death. maybe he was just confused and angry with his parents, not me. that's surely it.

i watched a horror movie on my laptop in bed to distract me of my thoughts. i felt bad for him. of course i did, he's my best friend. but why do i still feel like his anger was directed towards me.

i shook my head and tried to focus on the movie, eventually falling asleep, leaving the movie running.

around 3 in the morning, i suddenly heard a shout. i looked over to my computer to see the main character falling off of a building to her death. i immediately shut the laptop and went downstairs to get a glass of water in hopes to calm me down.

as i was walking down the stairs, i saw a silhouette. it's just my imagination. i mean, i just witnessed a death. it was traumatizing!

i decided against the glass of water and just headed back to my room to get some rest.

the next morning, i woke up extremely hungry. i got up and headed to my bathroom to brush my teeth and quickly washed my face. then i went downstairs, humming a tune, to my kitchen.

my heart sank as i saw my father lying on the floor with blue particles and blood surrounding him.

it was as if time froze. i stood there for, god knows how long, just staring at my lifeless father.

as i reached for a particle, i noticed my father wasn't wearing his matching bracelet. it was the one thing that we bonded over. the one thing we shared. the source of our power.

so the murderer took the bracelet? it would make sense. we do have powers. is that why there are blue particles around his heart? the murderer was alien as well. that's the only reasonable explanation.

i didn't know what to do. if i call an ambulance, they wouldn't be able do anything. i should call the cops. they'll know what to do.

i reached for the home phone and dialed the number of my father's partner, qiankun.

he was in shock as i explained, in tears, what happened. he immediately told me he would talk care of the situation and not to worry. of course i would worry. the only family i have is dead because of some murderer.

there were three knock at my door. i suspiciously walked to the door and began to open it slowly, making it squeak loudly. however, i fully opened the door when i saw doyoung standing there with an expressionless face. i wanted to see him. i needed someone right now.

the second he saw my tear covered face, he hugged me.

"he's gone," i cried into his shoulder.

we stood there for what seemed like forever until he replied, "i'm so sorry jungwoo."

authors note:
stan everglow