Forget-me-not

Seungmin

Talking to the cops was not something Seungmin ever wanted to do. Even if you weren't a criminal, talking to the cops could be nerve wracking, and especially, in this case scenario. There were so many questions that had to be answered to create a clear case for the cops. There needed to be a timeline for them to follow.

When Seungmin explained it out loud, it sounded almost silly. He had to announce that his girlfriend had practically been taken hostage by her best friend. Both the cops interviewing Hyunjin and him kept silently glancing at each other. Unspoken words were shared between simple gazes.

The parts that Seungmin didn't have the answers to, Hyunjin filled the cops in. After deciding among themselves back at the dorm, it was decided that Hyunjin would drive Seungmin to the police station. Together the two of them would tell the police what was going on.

While Hyunjin talked, Seungmin picked at the edge of his thumb. Hyunjin was still in soaking wet clothes. I.N had offered him dry clothes, but Hyunjin refused. He was too worried about Cynthia's well-being to focus on something as diminutive as clothes. Besides, the dry clothes would be wet from rain when he stepped back outside to head towards the car.

On the way to the station, Hyunjin gave Seungmin the basic run down of everything. Flora's threats, Cynthia's tears, Flora isolating and ignoring Cynthia. He cut the story down, so Seungmin had somewhat of an idea. He didn't want to overwhelm him once they got to the station.

The pair spent over a half-hour explaining everything in detail. Seungmin started from the very beginning at the car accident. He even explained the threat that Flora had given him when she trapped him in an alleyway. He explained the assault and how it nearly escalated because Flora swung.

The cops nodded, but Seungmin already knew that it was somewhat of a lost cause. The way they absentmindedly nodded and took their time taking notes. He knew it'd lead to a he said, she said situation. For the sake and safety of Cynthia, he kept explaining.

After a while, once they finished, the cops announced they'd look into it. A wellness check was what they called it. They'd go to the apartment building, figure out Flora's door number, and they'd interview both Cynthia and Flora to make sure everything was alright.

In the uncomfortable wooden seat beside Seungmin, Hyunjin was holding back a scowl. The cops were wasting time and he didn't like that. He shifted, but it didn't help the thin padding beneath his thighs. The hard wood surface was causing the lower half of his body to go numb.

"Well, thank you for bringing this to our attention, gentleman. We'll be sure to do a wellness check as soon as possible just to make sure everything is alright. If your girlfriend would like to leave Flora's house then would yo-"

"You can contact me with the phone number I gave you," Seungmin cut him off. "I'll take her back to my place where she'll be taken care of. She'll be around people who truly care about her."

"Right," the cop dragged out. "Anyway, I think that's all the questions we had for you. Do you have anything else you'd like to add?"

"I want to add something," Hyunjin shifted forward. "I'm not sure that Cynthia will admit that something is wrong. The way she was acting earlier, she seems terrified of Flora. Can you please reassure her that she can speak freely without consequences?"

"Of course, of course." The pudgy man waved his hand to brush his worries aside. He shook his head with a quiet chuckle. "Don't worry about that, nobody lies to the cops."

This time Seungmin and Hyunjin were the pair sharing a look of disbelief. The cop sitting beside the other rolled his eyes. Both were middle aged men; the start of crow's feet and smile lines gave it away. Plus, the roots of one's jet black hair was just starting to lose their rich color.

His words sounded nearly ludicrous. Anyone could lie to the cops if they were good at it. Even if they weren't good liars, they could still try anyway. There weren't consequences for lying to the police unless you were caught. It was a fifty-fifty chance and Seungmin believed that was a chance Flora would easily take.

When everything was finally finished and they were sent back on their way home, Hyunjin sighed. "What a bunch of jackasses. I'm not even a cop and I could do a better job than that bone-headed and useless sack of nothing."

Seungmin pulled his leg back and kicked a dinky pebble across the pavement. The scuffling and rolling sounded for a few seconds until it stopped. He headed over to Hyunjin's passenger side and climbed into the car.

Outside, the moon was still high overhead. The rain had finally stopped and Seoul was coated with that thick familiar earthy and musty scent. Down in the soil, a form of bacteria had released a slew of spores which caused the scent to migrate.

He stayed silent in the car. Hyunjin shoved a hand back through his hair and slammed his hand down on the steering wheel. "This is so annoying. What are you thinking about over there? Aren't you going to complain or something?"

Seungmin stayed quiet and shook his head. Hyunjin's head tipped back and he groaned. "Can't you, at least, join in with my petty bitching?"

"What if we fucked up and did the wrong thing?"

"Are you serious? Seungmin, you can't seriously say that. After tonight, this was the best move we could have made. Legal authorities need to get involved in this shit. This isn't just about what's best for you anymore, we're talking about Cynthia's well-being."

"Can I be honest?"

"I would hope so."

"I'm scared of Flora. She hangs too much over my head. She makes me worry and I don't know which threats of hers are empty and which she'll actually do. It terrifies me and it makes me afraid for Cynthia. Thinking too much about it nearly makes me sick."

Hyunjin stayed quiet and slumped back into his seat listening while Seungmin rambled. When he was finished, Hyunjin sucked in a deep breath. "I'm not sure what's wrong with Flora. I don't know if she has a sick obsession with Cynthia and it's a crush or if she's just insane. You know what I do know?"

"What?"

"You're strong and so is Cynthia. We'll get you both out of this mess. If the cops can't help us, fuck them. I'm Hwang fucking Hyunjin and I'll take the law into my own hands. They think they can stop me? I'd like to see them try."

Seungmin scoffed, "what's your plan?"

"Easy enough. This was Plan A and then I have Plan B. What's Plan B? I'm glad you asked. For Plan B, we'll be sneaking into the apartment complex and kidnapping Cynthia ourselves."

"And if we get arrested?"

"Then Stay better come up with a good Twitter hashtag and riot for our release."