criminals°nct dream [slow updates]

fifteen: "who are you?"

"Jo Seunghi, the chief police officer has been captured after his criminal activities of embezzlement was brought to light by an anonymous.
"The case is still under investigation but, various evidences found are already pointing to Jo Seunghi as guilty..."

Iseul contentedly watches the midnight rerun of the news in the study and twirls her spinning chair in celebration, bored out of her skull and stares at her tall bookshelf.

A certain book with a shimmering golden symbol of a hawk on its spine catches her eye and she reaches out to it.

As she stares at its pitch black leather cover, a sentimental feeling imbues in her heart.

Page after page, they're all filled with notes- sometimes drawings of blades and fighting stances while some are just random logs.

From the way her handwriting changes from large and messy to being smaller and neater shows her gradually getting older.

She furrows as she flips through- noticing how every few sheets are always tainted with tears or smeared with blood.

Like a book straight out of a horror story.

Iseul turns to another page and her frown vanishes. Still, not everything in this book is hateful.

Let's escape this place, Iseul! We can do it!

let's live together then!

Promise?

promise!

Two different fonts are on the small note stuck on the page- both expressing their wishes for freedom.

"I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise," Iseul apologizes to the person she exchanged letters with. "I tried searching for you the moment I left but, I never could find you. I'm sorry."

She stares at the page longingly. "Are you... okay now?"

Before she can even have a moment of nostalgia and sentimentality, a cold shiver runs down her back and she sets her focus onto the window.

The night is pitch black but the nearly full moon shines bright, giving light to the darkness and letting her see.

However, nothing seems to be out of the ordinary.

Just trees here and there and stray cats chasing one another.

Yet, Iseul can't ignore the chill she felt. She's trained many times before. She's fought with her eyes closed and had to detect enemies blindly.

Her instinct has heightened and so for her to feel perturbed like this is alarming.

But then again, she's not some kind of sensory robot.

"If there really was someone, they'll have to wait until sunrise for our time," Iseul says and returns the book before heading to her bedroom.

And yet, even when the morning arrives and they depart for school, no one approaches.

-

"Someone seems troubled," Jeno says, looking at Iseul's back while she's searching through the books and he's busy leaning on the shelf- both spending free period in the library.
"Do you mind sharing?"

"Yes, I do mind," she answers without hesitation and his slit brow raises in interest.

"Straight to the point. I like that. Then, I'll guess," he says. "You're feeling distressed not because of school work or your below average of a social life."

Iseul groans as he continues talking and roughly slides a book in before yanking out another one.

"But maybe because..." He trails off and Iseul's surroundings turn dark by his shadow looming over- him standing tall behind her while his arms cage her in on each side.
"You're on the run and afraid you'll be found?"

The girl freezes and her eyes widen before she swivels- glaring up at him fiercely. "Who are you?"

Jeno grins and tilts his head slightly- appearing innocent until his smile tilts to a condescending smirk. "I should ask you the same. But to answer your question-"

She jolts when he abruptly raises his arm and catches the book falling onto her with a swipe.

He taps it onto her head in a gentle tease and sharp eyes glint with mischief. "I'm just a guy with really good intuition."