Venetian Mask - Hyunlix (ENG)

Ten

Ariana Grande - Stuck with U
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As Jeongin had pointed out, their afternoon had flown by, but both had really enjoyed it. For Seungmin, it was above all their last hour of class, together with the black-haired man, which had gone by like a flash. He had been thinking about the picture clue, how to tell the blond and, above all, how the dark-haired man could possibly help him.

That evening, after his last class, he returned home. He'd had to wait for his roommate. His roommate was finishing later. Seungmin thought of looking for the mask first, to be sure he was right. But he didn't think it was right to go through his friend's things. When the blond returned, he noticed immediately that his roommate's mood was different. Usually, he was quite calm and doing something on his own, but this was the complete opposite. Seungmin seemed focused on the blond as soon as he arrived, his puppy-dog eyes wide open. Yet he was sitting quietly at the table, waiting for his friend. Felix took off his shoes and other belongings and, feeling concerned by Seungmin's gaze, sat down opposite him.

"I think I have a new clue.

- What do you mean, a new clue?

- Look," said Seungmin, pointing his phone at the blond man.

- Okay... Otherwise beautiful laptop screen my friend, totally clean!

- What?! Seungmin turned the device in his direction and saw that it was switched off. You see, it's because I waited for you, I always wait for you anyway.

- He's the one who always finishes late and I have to wait for him to have dinner, because when he gets home he takes forever because he likes to "take his time"! he replied ironically, rolling his eyes.

- Yes, yes," cut in Seungmin, "so I was saying... that's it! he said, pointing the phone in the direction of his friend.

- What's this?

- Look to the side," said the impatient brunet.

- It wouldn't be...

- Yes, I think so," he replied.

In the meantime, Felix had run into the room to look for the object in question. The two students looked closely at the mask to confirm their hypothesis. Indeed, the accessory in the photo was the same one Felix had in his hand. Then Seungmin continued:

"Ever since I saw it, I've been trying to find out if there's a report or something, but I haven't come up with anything.

- Where did the photo come from?

- From a friend of Soobin's, him there," said Seungmin, pointing to Minho in the center of the photo.

- So if you didn't find anything, it means it was useless.

- But no! First, we have a little physical clue.

Felix nodded.

- And then I said I'd been looking, but at the same time I was in class so I couldn't really concentrate entirely on it. So I thought of something you could do since I haven't had time yet and it's your mission to find the owner of the mask.

- What can I do?

- You can contact the guys in the center of the photo, maybe they know who he is. Soobin told me he didn't recognize the stranger, but maybe they do. Hold their Insta," said the dark-haired man, sending the couple's account to the blond.

- Thanks, can you send me the photo too, please?

- With pleasure," says Seungmin, doing the deed."

After that, the two students exchanged a few theories about the object. Felix had sent a message to Minho. He was waiting for a reply. Seungmin added that he hadn't seen the stranger in any other photos. The dark-haired man added that the stranger reminded him of a ghost. He hadn't appeared in any of the photos, and in the one shot where he did, he wasn't recognizable. He teased his friend that he might be dealing with a spirit and that the object would haunt him forever, but Felix remained indifferent to this remark, concentrating on the picture and too used to his roommate's attempts at practical jokes.

Felix quickly identified the mask's owner as a very mysterious person in his imagination. On the other hand, he thought he might have seen the couple at the center of the image at the party. But with his memory still failing him, he wasn't sure.

In the evening, when the blond gazed more calmly at the portrait, he noticed the physical details Seungmin had mentioned earlier. These were more guesswork, as the image was blurred, but Felix already deduced one important element. The owner was a man. Secondly, he seemed quite thin and tall compared to the couple. The biggest problem was the masks. Felix had validated the idea of the evening, but it was now that he had a problem with them. Because of them, the blond couldn't see the wearer's face, and his expression was unreadable in the blurred photo. Later, he received Minho's reply. He hadn't recognized the intruder. He'd contacted his friend on his own and he hadn't either. The two continued talking, but there were no further clues in the conversation.

That being the case, he finalized his arrangements for the interview, which would take place in two days' time. He had finished working on the questionnaire. He prepared everything so as not to have to do it the night before the next day.