"Why has he got so many phones?" Jisung gawked as the bag was dumped on his table.

Chenle shrugged.

"Unlock them, the only one without a password was the one we saw but nothing really there except one text."

"But...whatever, okay." Jisung said, sighing as she sat in his hacking chair.

"Thank you Jisung." Seowoo said with a smile and he smiled back, wider than ever.

"No problem!" He grinned back, clapping his hands together as he casted his eyes on the array of phones.

Seowoo turned out of the room, glancing at Chenle's retreating frame and instinctively decided to follow after him.

He walked through the dimly lit hallways silently, his shoulders seemed to always be tensed and he was constantly on alert which made Seowoo wonder.

She kept thinking about his Mother and how she was connected to Jeongmin, everything was too much for her to handle- Seowoo hadn't even allowed herself to grieve properly.

Brushing it all off as if she wasn't even deeply connected to Jeongmin, as if it was some case she was trying to solve.

However with every step and breath she took, her lungs began to over compensate for the detrimental damage and overwhelming pressure hauled on it- shallow breaths emitting from her lips and legs unstable.

Cold, it was cold despite the air being warm. No matter what she did, she was stuck in time to the day he died in front of her.

Everytime she closed her eyes, she could feel the chilling breezes scraping harshly against her skin and the thick atmosphere weighting down on her chest.

The ringing of gunshots and her pain ridden gut wrenching scream echoing through the air.

Would time heal the gaping wound that kept tearing into her? Would she ever feel normal again?

A large part of her held significant guilt, she could have helped.

Useless, she was absolutely useless.

Chenle halted abruptly but Seowoo didn't notice as she kept walking with her eyes glazed over- stuck in her agonising prison of a mind.

His dark narrowed eyes fell on her, devoid of any emotion other than irritation.

She hadn't noticed him now standing a close distance away from her, all sound cut off as Seowoo could feel the raging emotions swirling around inside her rapidly.

A downpour of her emotions as nobody even noticed, nobody even cared.

"I'm here, no one can hurt you." His arms wrapped around her as a wall from the monstrous nightmare that chased her.

He felt so close, his warmth almost cocooning around her but everytime she tried to indulge in it- it disintegrates into thin air and she's left defenceless and cold- alone.

Two hands were placed on her shoulders, stopping her from continuing to walk more.

Seowoo's breath hitched at the sudden disruption from her innermost thoughts, snapping her teary eyes open- the moisture of the salty tears blurring her vision.

His features were distorted from the anguish blurring it- harshly wiping it away as if it was a burden.

"Why are you following me?" Chenle spoke, lacking any concern and Seowoo realised now they had reached the hallway full of doors.

She was still, halted as she felt the growing lump in her throat lodge itself so she couldn't even get the words out.

"Do you have to be so clingy, just go find someone else to bother."

Her eyes trailed away from his own, breaking eye contact as the first wave of dejection fell over her.

The air of despondency clouded over her head as he looked to the ground, unable to bring herself to argue back or make a snarky comment.

"Sorry." Her soft toned voice was far from her normal one- it was weak hearted and relayed the pain that consumed her internally.

Seowoo lethargically stepped to the side, walking past him as her presence left his surroundings.

Chenle glanced behind him, her figure turning around the corner and leaving.

A part of him was gnawing at him- scolding him for being so rude to her but he didn't make an effort to even follow her.

After all, she was nothing to him.