Luminous • Jisung

37 • Lights

☆ Taemin ☆

• Chapter 37 •

Swinging his arm back, aiming his fist at Taemin's head, Cho-a quickly wrapped her arms around the older one's waist and pulled him back. 

Holding onto him tightly, they stumbled back a few steps before Taemin managed to balance himself again. He put his arm around Cho-a, making sure she wouldn't fall. 

Right then, an empty thud crashed through the air behind them.

When Taemin turned around in shock, he saw the man from earlier. The green hood slipped off his head, his knuckles were pressed against the wall that Taemin next to just a moment earlier. He pushed Cho-a behind him, shielding her. 

The man laughed. It sounded as weird as it sounded terrifying but Taemin presented himself unimpressed.

"It would've felt great to finally punch you but I guess I have to wait," the man said, eyeing Cho-a in his anger.

"You want to punch him too, huh?" she asked sympathetically, utilizing the moment of attention she got from him. 

"Please shut up," Taemin said under his breath, expression tight. 

At the increasing firmness of his grip and the way he attempted to cover even more of the girl's body, she ended up giving in.

Taemin's attention shifted to the man before them. "Do I know you?"

"No." He was quick to answer and quick to step closer. "And you don't want to get to know me either. After what you've done I am more than ready to kill you." 

"Woah~" It slipped past Cho-a's lips so secretly, she barely even noticed making a sound. But when both men looked at her, she just smiled. 

"Sorry, I was just-" She pointed at the man with the hoodie, then at herself. "We have a lot in common." 

Taemin rolled his eyes, shifted his attention to the man that was watching the girl in confusion. He didn't understand whose side she was one. 

"But I'm curious," she mumbled, stepped forward so that she stood next to Taemin who quickly pulled her closer and held her next to him. 

He looked at her warningly but she gave him the softest of smiles. 

Reassuring and warm. 

And he must have trusted her because he let go of her arm despite not being entirely certain that she wouldn't do anything stupid. 

"It's obvious that you know something about the accidents. You aren't just a random guy that happened to be there," she concluded. She let her voice drift off, looked up as if she was thinking. "What do you gain from it?" 

"Why do you think I gain something from it?" the man asked back arrogantly. 

Cho-a huffed. "Are you trying to tell me these people are being killed for no reason?" 

"I am saying," he began and paused for dramatic effect. "That you are looking at the wrong person. I never killed anyone. In fact, I have nothing to do with any of this. I am just standing on the right side and am enjoying the view." 

"Whose side is the right one?" Taemin asked quickly but the other one didn't answer. He just stared back at him and shrugged. 

Cho-a frowned. "Okay." She went along with it. "Then whose side is the wrong one?" 

At which the man swiftly responded with, "Jisung's." He eyed Cho-a briefly, then glared at the grim reaper before him. 

"Taemin would've been a great king had he become one." It sounded weird coming from him given that, just a moment ago, he was so open about wanting to punch him. So it confused Cho-a - and it confused her even more when Taemin stood there, quiet and unimpressed.