Chapter 2: Wandering Souls Tend to Find Each Other
6 Months Ago
"Did you hear?"
The cacophonic whispers reverberating around Kim Miran rattle her ears and she buries her head deeper into the textbook they are supposed to be reading for their Forensic Studies class. The bright room is ensconced within one of Seoul National University's sprawling buildings, and chairs and desks are neatly lined one behind another. Almost all of them are occupied by students she knows from her previous semesters at the university and by some she isn't sure she has ever seen before.
Like the young man slumped over his desk in a row adjacent to the windows. His hair is a light shade of brown and he is clad in a flannel shirt which hangs loosely over his slender frame. Earphones are plugged into his ears and Miran wonders what song he could be listening to.
Her procrastination is interrupted as a head slides into view, the ash-grey locks catching the light streaming in through the glass panes. Kim Namjoon hovers over her and Miran frowns when she realizes what is missing: his trademark smile which puts his endearing dimples on full display.
"Did you hear?" he echoes the words of their classmates worriedly, plopping onto the chair placed in front of her desk. "About what happened last night?"
All at once, the hushed whispers seem to multiply twofold.
Miran shakes her head. "Jimin and I were…uh, occupied last night," she says quickly but doesn't miss the grimace Namjoon suppresses at whatever implied meaning he thinks lies behind the words.
"Of course. It was your two-year anniversary," he remembers. "Jimin spent the entire week talking about how excited he was and how he was going to ensure you had a good time. I mean, he even had Inha tag along to help him…"
Miran resists the urge to roll her eyes as her best friend continues his rambling. She loves Namjoon, but knows he has a tendency to often deviate from the topic at hand and roll away into something else entirely. "Well? Are you going to tell me or not?"
Namjoon instantly straightens. "Right." His eyes flit about the room and he leans in conspiratorially. "Someone was found murdered on campus."
Miran isn't sure she is breathing. She tugs at her brown hair, strands coming loose and fanning her face. "What? Who?" Their university has never experienced anything as serious as this before and she wonders what this means for the students and the administration.
Namjoon tilts his head to the side, a thoughtful glint in his eyes. "A sophomore from the Department of Botany, Choi Ara. They found her body in the greenhouse."
In her peripheral vision, Miran notices the brown-haired student raising his head slowly and she blinks rapidly upon recognizing him.
Min Yoongi is in her class.
"…and the place is swarming with cops and detectives and it's a god-awful mess out there right now," Namjoon finishes with a flourish but Miran isn't listening. She is too busy trying to register the fact that Min Yoongi is her classmate, a classmate who is currently looking right at her, his eyes blank and his face expressionless. Despite this, his stare is intense.
A chill runs down Miran's spine and she quickly averts her gaze, facing her friend again. "Do they know who did it?"
Namjoon flicks her forehead lightly. "Yeah, like murder cases are solved overnight. This isn't an episode of Detective Conan." He is about to continue theorizing when a figure bounds into the classroom suddenly and the excitement radiating off him is enough to transform the atmosphere of the space.
Kim Taehyung's grin is not dimmed by the grave incident which has taken place just a couple of structures down the Boys' Dormitory and he stalks up to his sister and her friend energetically. Clad in a striped shirt which is tucked into beige pants, he has opted to don a coat despite the balmy September air. "Allow me to throw some light on the matter."
Miran punches her twin playfully, a smile on her face. "Why are you in our class?" She cannot help but notice that Yoongi is slouching over his desk again, his shoulders hunched as he rummages through his bag, his attention no longer captivated by the conversation unraveling just a row beside him.
"To see my sister and my intellectual friend, why else?" Taehyung declares proudly, ruffling Miran's hair. She swats his arm away, opening her mouth to counter him. But Namjoon beats her to it.
"Bullshit. You're here to see Jeon Jungkook," he deadpans and just for a moment, the easy smile on Taehyung's face falters. But the mask slides into place again and his grin returns with double its energy.
"I already met Jungkook in the hallway. He said Professor Park needed him for something so he'll return in a bit."
Everyone knows Taehyung has a crush on Jungkook, even if he may not know it himself. Namjoon and Jimin have tried countless times to help Miran's brother come to terms with his sexuality but he has never relented. Probably because the object of Taehyung's attention is straight and Miran doesn't have the heart to acknowledge what everyone thinks; that her brother is afraid because he knows his feelings will not be reciprocated.
Her twin clears his throat. "Anyway, as I was saying, I overheard a conversation between Hoseok and his father. He's a detective, you know," he says, his face lighting up at the thought of their cheerful friend. He and Taehyung are a perfect duo, and the life of every party they have ever attended.
Miran sneaks a quick peek at Yoongi. She knows Jung Hoseok, a Dance major alongside her boyfriend, had tried to befriend the brooding student during their sophomore year. She doesn't know much, but she knows that it didn't go very well.
"And?" Namjoon prods impatiently, glancing at his watch and tapping his foot. "What did Detective Jung have to say?"
"According to him, the medical examiner established the time of death between 11:30 to 12:30 last night," Taehyung relays, his eyes roving between his sister and his friend. "And considering the fact that this was after curfew and that all gates of the dorms were heavily guarded, the cops think it was someone on campus."
Min Yoongi is leaning back in his seat now, and Miran watches him stiffen ever so slightly at her brother's words. She is intrigued but she doesn't know why. "Do they have any leads?" she asks carefully, but Taehyung shakes his head.
"Nope, they have zilch. Apparently, there was some kind of a commotion at the dorms last night and the guards were all distracted. So they have no way of pinpointing if anyone might've sneaked out past curfew," he explains, gesticulating wildly with his arms. "They're trying to verify alibis at the moment and I'm pretty sure everyone who lives on campus is a suspect right now."
Namjoon gnaws at his lips, humming in response. "But that's not necessarily true. Somebody could've sneaked in from the outside too."
"What was the commotion about?" Miran finds herself asking. Her curiosity spikes when Taehyung's eyes subtly flit over to Yoongi. Her brother points at him and mouths something rapidly which neither Miran nor Namjoon understand.
"He probably means the commotion I caused by beating that asshole up."
The three flinch, sheepish looks on their faces. But Yoongi doesn't once turn in their direction. "And don't ask me why, punk. I don't owe any of you an explanation."
Taehyung is about to retort when Namjoon stops him, shaking his head. "Tae, you should go now. It's time for class anyway and the Fine Arts section is two buildings away. You don't want to be late on just the second day of the new semester," he rationalizes and Miran's twin nods tersely, glaring in Yoongi's direction.
They wave him off as he exits the room, running into Jungkook and stammering like he is prone to whenever he is in the brown-haired student's presence. Their Head of Department, Professor Park Hyung Sik, shoots an amused look at the blabbering Taehyung as he rounds the corner, and ushers Jungkook in, sliding the doors shut. Their classmate's arms are piled with their schedules for the semester and he starts distributing them while their professor leans over his desk.
"You might have all heard about the tragic incident which has occurred on the premises," Professor Park says by way of greeting. His brown suit complements the colour of his hair which is slicked back to reveal a smooth forehead. Miran is all too aware that most girls in her class have joined the course only to study his sculpted body rather than the subjects under Criminology.
"And the police are doing everything in their power to investigate and apprehend the culprit. Until then, a new curfew has been declared." His eyes travel over the waiting students apologetically. "9 PM."
A chorus of groans breaks out and everyone begins arguing all at once.
"But that's way too early, Prof!" Namjoon complains loudly and the students second him, visibly agitated. "Some of us have part time jobs which extend beyond that time!"
But their professor shrugs. "I know, I know. But it's not in my hands, kids. And it's only temporary." He smiles, picking up a thick book to snag everyone's attention. "Everything will be back to normal before you know it."
"Fuck this," Miran hears Yoongi mutter indifferently, and she looks at him a second too longer than necessary. He notices, and she musters a compassionate smile but he jerks his head away.
Miran doesn't know what angers her more; the fact that Min Yoongi is probably an asshole or the thought of what it would feel like to have her smile returned.
***
"Hey, babe! Wait up."
Miran halts in her tracks when she feels an arm snaking around her waist. Their classes for the day have ended and Namjoon has skipped off to meet his girlfriend while Jungkook is out doing whatever it is that he does. The mid-afternoon sun illuminates the campus in vibrant hues and the scent of freshly mowed grass lingers in the humid air.
The arm belongs to Park Jimin, Miran's boyfriend of two years and her friend for much longer than that. The two, along with Taehyung, Namjoon, Hoseok and Jungkook, have grown up together and Miran cannot remember a time before Park Jimin. He makes her happy. And he makes her feel safe.
Miran hates that he cannot make her feel more.
But maybe that is enough, isn't it?
She returns his crinkled smile and slings an arm around his waist as he pecks her on the lips. "Hey, you. How was class?"
"We have a new dance teacher, and she's brilliant I tell you! I mean, she almost gave Hoseok a run for his money," Jimin says excitedly and Miran laughs. Everyone knows Hoseok is the best dancer their university has, and if their new instructor gave him a run for his money, then she must be quite talented.
Miran smirks. "And what about you? Weren't you jealous?" She pokes him in the ribs, eliciting a laugh from the golden-haired man.
"Why would I be when I have everything I need right here?" he replies and pulls her closer, but something about his tone is off. After knowing each other practically since they were born, Miran can discern his tells well.
She nudges him as they amble towards the gates leading out of the university. All around them, students are milling about, either studying on the lush green lawn or chattering away.
But underneath the façade, Miran can feel the subdued spirit of the campus as squad cars are lined up outside the walls and uniformed officers are patrolling every inch of the grounds.
"Something's up, Jimin. I can tell."
Jimin pouts. "I hate that we know each other so well." He stops walking, angling his lithe body so they are facing each other. "There's something I need to tell you."
"What is it?" Miran scrutinizes the shadows in his eyes, the quivers of his lips. She intertwines their fingers, hoping Jimin will draw strength from her touch. He inhales deeply, a grim smile on his face and she instantly knows that whatever is coming will probably be nothing good.
"Remember that scholarship I told you about? The one which allows me to study at a dance academy in the US?" Miran nods. "Well, I got in." Jimin is smiling at her, unable to help the happiness from spreading across his features.
Silence.
Miran doesn't know how to answer, doesn't know how to convey the words which have died on her lips. But something in her boyfriend's face clenches her heart, and despite everything, she genuinely means it when she says, "Babe! This is incredible news!"
The apprehension on Jimin's face dissipates and he sweeps her into his arms. She chuckles when he spins her around, not caring that the eyes of almost everyone in their vicinity are upon them.
"I was worried you'd be mad!"
Miran looks at him in disbelief as he sets her on her feet again. "Are you crazy? Of course not, you idiot. This has been your dream for as long as I can remember. Why the hell would I be mad?"
But Jimin's face clouds over again. "I think you're going to be mad at what I tell you next, though."
Miran's face scrunches up in confusion, until realization dawns on her and she recollects the vow they had made when Jimin had first informed her of his plans, that should he be lucky enough to get a spot and move away-
"We may have to break up."
"But Jimin," Miran begins slowly, her thoughts spiraling, "What if we try and make this work?"
Jimin looks conflicted, all signs of his earlier mirth snuffing out. "You know I can't do long distance relationships, babe. And you were the one who told me we would be better off if we weren't tied to each other."
Miran remembers. Like she also remembers that their entire relationship is built on charades. They are both popular on campus, both coveted by their peers. Their decision to date each other has solely stemmed from the purpose of warding off unwanted confessions from lovesick admirers.
But along the way, they have genuinely grown to cherish their relationship but like everything else in her life, Miran knows its expiration date has arrived. She knows what she has with Jimin is the only real thing she will ever have, despite the endless string of friends and the drunken parties and the expensive shopping sprees she has indulged in her whole life.
He tilts her head slowly, forcing her to meet his kind gaze. "Hey. It's just two years. And I don't want to tether you to something when you could use this chance to discover yourself, explore what you want to do." Jimin smiles at her softly and Miran cannot help leaning into his touch. "Let's make another promise. If we both find our way back to each other at the end of this journey, we'll know it was meant to be, okay?"
Miran nods, her chirpy personality refusing to let her sulk and she digresses a little. "You know this means we need one hell of a breakup and farewell party!"
Jimin guffaws, linking their arms and steering her out the gates to meet their friends for what will be his last dinner with them for a while. They exit the premises, a bittersweet feeling enveloping the pair.
Miran doesn't notice Min Yoongi skulking away from his spot under a tree adjoining the gates from where he has watched their entire exchange, a small smile on his face.
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