we the cursed, nct dream ✔

part fifty-seven

⇉ the one with progress.

(note: boring but necessary chappie bc managing 826350 love interests got tiring.)

part fifty-seven

"We've found him."

Yang Aera sits up in her chair. "You have found who?" she questions carefully.

"Na Jaeyoon." Han Jiwon leans in closer. "We know where he is."

"How?" Yang rises and begins to pace around the laboratory. "His nanoles were... somehow, turned off. We couldn't track him. How have we suddenly found him?" The questions come rapid-fire, from a place of extreme disbelief although she was the one who'd spearheaded the search efforts for him.

"Look at this." The doctor stands up to click about on the nearby laptop, and the projection on the large wall screen changes. "There have been some serial killings in Seoul recently."

"Serial killings?" Ms. Yang's brows furrow as she skims the displayed article, unsure of what to make of it all. "I swear to God. Suddenly everybody and their mother is a goddamn murderer? I have had enough."

"Cha Reina wasn't a serial killer," Dr. Han snorts. "Just a stupid kid with severe issues."

And whose fault is that? But Yang doesn't say anything more. Her brow rises as she turns back to the doctor. "Why am I looking at this?"

"The mode of killing. Notice." Dr. Han scrolls down on the article. "Not stabbing, not fire, not guns, not drowning, not any of the usual ways that serial killers kill." She points to a specific line. "Do you see that?"

"All look like electrically-caused injuries..." Yang reads aloud. "So?" Then it sinks in. Her eyes widen. "Voltage. Electricity."

"Jaeyoon's flair." Han nods. "The murders have everybody very confused."

"But... that is so conspicuous," Ms. Yang says. "Why is he going around killing people with his ability? And why are they all people he went to this school with?" She turns to the doctor. "You think this might be a case like Reina's?"

"In some ways, perhaps. That whole 'retribution' thing. But, well, I thought it almost seemed like..." Han trails off.

"Like what?"

"Like he's trying to get our attention," the doctor finishes. "But that doesn't make sense, because then why would he have found a way to turn off his nanoles in the first place?"

The other administrator is silent for a moment. Then, "Who else knows about this?"

"Just Sun-oh, because we were monitoring this together," Han replies, referring to the sophomore Legal Studies teacher. "And now, you. That's it."

"Good." Yang levels her gaze on the doctor. "Here's what we are going to do. We are going to capture him as planned, regardless of whether this might be a trap or not. We don't want him causing even more havoc and get the authorities on our tail."

"But-"

"I do not care what he's trying to do. We need him here. As soon as possible, because he has roamed free for much too long. Do you understand?"

Finally the doctor nods. "Understood."

"See that he is caught. I'll deal with letting everybody else know. But before you test on him, allow me to meet with him first."

"Yes, ma'am."

▸

"This meeting is adjourned."

"Adjourned means you're ending it, dumbass." Chenle rolls his eyes at Jisung. "We haven't even started yet."