LUMINESCENCE | K.NJ ✓

XIX - LOOKALIKE

TRIGGER WARNING—this chapter contains brief mentions of physical abuse/violence.

CHAPTER NINETEEN—LOOKALIKE

THE SKY HAD already turned from gold to gray as evening began to settle in. The air was humid and low thunder rumbled in the distance—the sound of a storm approaching. Namjoon stood in line at the Yongsan train station, his phone clutched in one hand and the handle of his duffel bag in the other, eyes scanning the groups of people milling about. He was looking for Nouri.

When he received the phone call from her earlier, he had immediately assumed the worst. With everything that had been going on, it was hard not to. He was caught off guard by her request to see him, especially since they had just been with each other earlier in the day. Regardless, of course, he said yes.

She was supposed to meet him at Yongsan since he was already on his way there when she called—she was five minutes late. Namjoon tried not to panic, but the phone call had already set his nerves on edge, and he was having a difficult time calming himself down.

He was next in line at the ticket window when he finally spotted her; messy hair twisted back in a ponytail, frayed backpack hanging from one shoulder, wearing the hoodie he had covered her with the day they kissed.

"Nouri," he called out, waving his arms. She caught sight of him and began to walk in his direction, but he shook his head. "Wait there," he mouthed.

"Next!" The harsh voice of the man working the booth caused Namjoon to jolt. Reluctantly, he pulled his eyes away from Nouri and faced the employee, giving the kindest smile he could muster.

"When is the next train to Ilsan?" He asked politely.

The man glanced at a sheet. "Ten minutes. How many tickets?"

Hesitating, Namjoon glanced back at Nouri, who was leaned against a concrete pillar, her arms crossed over her chest, gaze fixed on the ground. He swallowed, turning back to the window.

"Two, please."

Tickets in hand, he quickly made his way towards Nouri, who straightened up when she noticed him approaching.

"Hey," he said as soon as he reached her. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright? You didn't really tell me what was going on when you called."

The redness in her eyes, cheeks, and nose said otherwise as she had clearly been crying, but she sniffed and gave a small smile, nodding her head. "Yeah. I really didn't mean to interrupt you or anything, if you're going on a trip . . . sorry for calling so abruptly like that."

"I don't mind," he assured her. "And you're not interrupting. I was headed here when you called, so I thought it made sense to meet here if you wanted to see me."

"Are you going somewhere though?" She asked. "I don't want to delay you."

"Ah, about that." He scratched the back of his neck. "Since we made such big progress in the investigation, I figured I'd take a weekend trip back to Ilsan to see my family. And—" he pulled the tickets out of his pocket. "I got you a ticket too. Since it seems like you need a moment away."

Nouri's eyes grew wide as she looked at the paper in his hands. "You—you did what? Namjoon, I can't impose on your family like that. Really, I'm fine."

He shook his head. "You're not imposing. My mom is always eager to meet my friends. Besides, we have an extra bedroom you can sleep in, and some of the flowers in the park are still in bloom so we could spend a day there or something."