✓Crotchet || MCND Castle J

Chapter 27 - Fireflies

Castle J's POV

Jerry was waiting for me at the entrance. No sight of Minji so far and I'm really nervous.

"Come on in." He said and I climbed up the fancy stairs up to the door.

Mid-step, I felt something unusual, something like nostalgia which doesn't make any sense. I don't have any significant memory regarding places like this. I slowed my pace down and I heard Jerry snickered. I looked up at him.

"Funny how Minji looked like that too when she was there earlier." He said. "Like kids entering a magic castle or something."

I smiled. "Maybe we are." I hurried up the remaining steps to Jerry. "Where is she?"

"Bath." He said. "There's a problem. I haven't told her you're coming yet."

I felt my expression tightened. It can't be helped. I'm already here and there's nothing I can do but face whatever her reaction will be. "That's fine. The worst thing that could happen is her not talking to me."

"Or get angry." He offered. "You don't want to be on her bad side."

"I'm already on her bad side."

Jerry led me to the kitchen where a cake sat on the wooden table.

"She wanted to eat." He explained as I leaned back on the kitchen counter. Jerry did the same. "How did you get here anyway?"

"My manager drove me. He's waiting in the car, probably sleeping. He only gave me three hours because we have a schedule in the morning."

"That's why you said you'll come at this hour. I'm sorry I asked you to come. You've given up your sleep."

I shook my head. "I wanted to come. It's her birthday, after all. And there's something I have to tell you."

His attention fixed on me as I took out a bracelet from my pocket and handed it to him.

"My friend said they found it in Minji's locker. I asked him to help the janitor take her books out because, clearly, Minji doesn't want to retrieve them herself."

He studied it. "The clasp is broken. I don't think this is hers. She never leaves small things in her locker."

I nodded. "That's what I thought. Don't you think it belongs to...?"

I didn't have to finish my question. Jerry already understood. "It could be. Do you have any lead on who could it be?"

I shook my head. "I can't look into it myself and my friends don't know what happened so I can't ask them to help. They just thought it's hers."

Jerry sighed and I could feel his frustration. He wants to find out who was behind the threats as much as I do.

He handed back the bracelet to me and I put it back in my pocket.

"What now?" He asked.

"I plan on asking Minji about it. It could be someone she knows."

"Speaking of that." He started "I have my suspicions regarding this friend of hers, Mimi? You must know her. The one who just debuted?"

"Yeah, she practically followed us around all day," I said, remembering what happened today. I've known Mimi from dance academy but we weren't really close. I thought maybe she's just thrilled that we've debuted, given that we were classmates before, but she almost clung to us the whole time backstage which made the guys a little bit annoyed.

"Don't you think she might be the one who put those things in?"

I considered it for a moment. "I don't know. She's not the type to do such things."