Chapter: 39

"Why am I here again?" Wonwoo's deep voice cut through the silence, as he stared at the two people in front of him. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he leaned lazily against the doorframe of the empty classroom, eyebrows raised in question.

Nari shared a look with Jeonghan before letting out a sigh, clearly reluctant. She stepped forward, her posture tense. "Well, you're Miyeon's friend, aren't you?" she began, her eyes practically begging him to understand without further explanation.

"Best friend," Wonwoo corrected with a smirk, enjoying the way her expression twisted in irritation. He lived for moments like these, for some reason. Ever since the party where she partly ignored him, he decided to get her attention the other way.

By annoying her.

Maybe it was the way her nose scrunched up when she was annoyed, or the fierce look she shot him whenever he pushed her buttons. Regardless, he found it amusing.

"Best friend," Nari repeated through gritted teeth, glaring at him. "Anyway, as I was saying before someone decided to interrupt me- we're trying to find out who's responsible for what happened to Miyeon. And we could use your help."

That got Wonwoo's attention. He straightened, pushing off the doorframe and stepping forward. He had been planning to investigate anyway, whether they asked him or not.

"Why me? Don't you have other friends you can drag into this?" he asked, one eyebrow arching.

"They're busy," Nari replied tersely, not offering any more detail than that.

"And I'm not?" Wonwoo's lips quirked into a teasing grin. He couldn't resist. Something about Nari's reactions just made it too fun.

Nari groaned loudly, shooting an exasperated look at Jeonghan, who stood nearby with a knowing, amused smile on his face. Watching these two bicker was almost too entertaining for him. He didn't need a television when he had Wonwoo and Nari in the same room.

"I told you he'd be difficult," Nari muttered, pointing at Wonwoo as if he were a living, breathing example of her suffering.

Before Jeonghan could respond, Wonwoo spoke up again, this time more serious. "I never said no."

Nari turned to him, glaring yet with a fake smile to not look too rude even if she wanted to, "Well, you didn't say yes either, now did you?"

Wonwoo's smirk deepened as he shrugged casually. "Didn't think I needed to when Jeonghan already asked me before you even got here and I already agreed."

Nari whipped around, narrowing her eyes at Jeonghan. "What?"

Jeonghan raised his hands in mock surrender, eyes wide in mock innocence. "Hey, don't look at me like that. You didn't exactly give me a chance to explain before you launched into your speech."

Nari huffed, clearly annoyed at how out of control the situation had become. 'This is going to be a long afternoon,' she muttered under her breath.

"Anyway," Wonwoo cut in, sensing the need to shift the conversation back on track. His expression had sobered, his teasing demeanor replaced by the seriousness the situation deserved. "Where do we start?"

Before Nari could speak, Jeonghan stepped in quickly, knowing full well that if the two of them started talking again, they'd spiral back into another round of teasing and bickering. As much as Jeonghan enjoyed their banter, they had a real issue to solve.

"We'll start with the security footage," Jeonghan said, his voice calm but purposeful. "If someone tampered with Miyeon's drink, it'll show up on the cameras. We just need to find out when and who."

Wonwoo nodded, his playful attitude entirely gone now. His gaze flickered toward Nari briefly, a silent understanding passing between them despite all the teasing. For all their banter, they were both fiercely protective of Miyeon, and neither of them would let this go without getting to the bottom of it.

"But there's one problem," Jeonghan said, his voice breaking the flow of conversation. Both Wonwoo and Nari turned to look at him, confusion written on their faces.

"What is it?" Wonwoo frowned, already feeling a pang of frustration. Why couldn't things just be straightforward for once in his life?

Jeonghan sighed, as if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders, "Well, we can't just barge into the security office and ask them to show us the footage because we 'suspect' someone tampered with Miyeon's drink. We need a solid, foolproof plan-something that doesn't raise any eyebrows." He crossed his arms, waiting for the realization to settle in.

Both Nari and Wonwoo exchanged glances and nodded. They couldn't afford to act rashly, but that didn't make the process any less frustrating.

"And... I do have a plan," Jeonghan said, drawing out the sentence in a way that made them both immediately wary, "but you're probably not going to like it."

"I don't care. I'll do whatever I need to," Wonwoo replied without hesitation. His determination was clearly visible. Miyeon was his best friend, and if something had happened to her, he wasn't going to stand by and do nothing.

Nari, equally determined despite the growing suspicion that this plan would be absurd, nodded in agreement. "What he said."

Wonwoo gave her a teasing smirk at her unwavering support which Nari royally ignored, but he bit his tongue and stayed silent, deciding this wasn't the time for his usual banter.

Jeonghan, sensing the gravity of the moment, nodded, but he couldn't resist adding a dramatic flair to his words, "Well, if you two insist," he sighed theatrically, making Nari roll her eyes and brace herself for whatever scheme he had cooked up. Afterall it was Yoon Jeonghan. He never did anything straightforwardly.

"All you two need to do," Jeonghan continued, clearly relishing the suspense, "is argue like you always do. Simple, right?"

Both Nari and Wonwoo blinked at him in confusion. "What?" they said in unison.

Jeonghan grinned, enjoying their reactions, "You two are practically pros at arguing. It's the perfect distraction. All we need to do is stage an argument outside the security office. I'll go in, pretend to get caught up in the drama, and lure the security guy out to break it up.

When he leaves, you two need to keep the argument going for at least ten minutes. That's enough time for me to slip into the office, download the footage, and get out with the evidence."

The plan sounded simple enough, but they all knew that one wrong move could spell disaster. They'd get caught, potentially expelled, or worse, lose the only chance they had to find out who had sabotaged Miyeon.

Nari's face twisted in reluctance. The idea of standing there, arguing with Wonwoo for ten minutes, sounded like torture. He always knew how to push her buttons, and the thought of being stuck with him for that long made her want to rip her hair out.

But for Miyeon? She'd do it. She could endure Wonwoo's smirks, jabs, and sarcastic comments for her bestfriend.

"I don't love this," Nari muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose, "but fine. Let's get this over with."

Wonwoo, on the other hand, seemed almost too eager for the plan. "Perfect," he said, clearly enjoying the prospect. "I'm ready whenever you are." His eyes sparkled with mischief, and Nari could already tell this wasn't going to be easy.

Jeonghan, sensing Nari's apprehension, clapped his hands together. "Great! So here's the breakdown- argue outside the security office, make it loud and dramatic. The guard will come out, and I'll go in. You keep him distracted, I'll grab the footage. Simple, right?"

Nari crossed her arms, shooting Wonwoo a glare. "Simple," she repeated, though her tone made it clear that she was bracing herself for what would surely be a long afternoon.

Wonwoo shrugged nonchalantly, already plotting ways to get under her skin. "Let's hope you can keep up, Nari."

Jeonghan smirked, watching them both closely. This plan could either go brilliantly or crash and burn spectacularly, but one thing was certain- watching Nari and Wonwoo argue was bound to be entertaining.

"Alright, let's move out," Jeonghan said, leading them toward the security office.

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They arrived near the security office, Jeonghan stopping just a few steps away from the door. The corridor was deserted, the distant hum of conversation from other parts of the building creating a low buzz in the background. Jeonghan turned to face Nari and Wonwoo, his eyes gleaming with excitement, even though the situation was serious.

"Okay, you two know the plan. Make it loud, make it convincing, and keep it going for at least ten minutes." Jeonghan reminded them, pulling out a pen drive from his jacket pocket and slipping it into his sleeve. "I'll go in and grab the footage, but I'm only going to download it. We can't afford to watch it now. Too risky."

Nari sighed, already dreading the next few minutes. She knew Wonwoo was going to have the time of his life with this, and she could already feel the impending headache. "Let's just get this over with."

Wonwoo, sensing her reluctance, smirked and leaned in closer to her. "Don't be too upset when I win the argument."

"Win?" Nari scoffed, pushing his shoulder lightly. "You wish."

Jeonghan held back a grin, turning his back on them as he approached the door. "Whenever you're ready, start. I'll take care of the rest."

With that, he slipped into the shadows near the security office door, ready to act once the commotion started.

Taking a deep breath, Nari turned to Wonwoo, already feeling the frustration bubbling up. "Alright, let's go."

Without missing a beat, Wonwoo raised his voice in mock exasperation. "I don't understand why you're so against me helping out! I'm Miyeon's best friend, Nari, I'm not going to just stand by while you play detective."

Nari rolled her eyes dramatically, her voice loud and sharp to match his tone. "Because every time you get involved, things get messy! You act like you know everything, but you don't even listen!"

"Listen?" Wonwoo shot back, his arms gesturing wide. "I've been listening this whole time! You're the one who keeps shutting me down like I don't care about Miyeon as much as you do!"

Their voices echoed down the empty hallway, loud enough that Jeonghan could hear every word clearly from his hiding spot. It was perfect- just loud enough to draw attention without being too over-the-top.

He peered through the glass of the security office door, spotting the guard inside, distracted by something on his phone. A few more moments of this argument, and he'd come out for sure.

'If I didn't have to do this, I would definitely watch those two argue.', Jeonghan thought to himself.

Nari stepped closer to Wonwoo, poking his chest for emphasis eventhough he towred over her relatively smaller form, "You're impossible to work with! All you do is stand there and make jokes! This is serious, Wonwoo!"

"Oh, now I'm the problem?" Wonwoo laughed, keeping up the theatrics, "You think I don't care about Miyeon? You think I'm just messing around? You're unbelievable, Nari!"

The argument reached its peak climax when the security guard finally emerged from his office, clearly annoyed by the disturbance.

"Hey!" he shouted, walking briskly towards them, "What's going on here? You two can't be causing a scene in the middle of the corridor! Moreover, what are you still doing here?"

Wonwoo turned to the guard, not missing a beat, "We're just having a discussion, sir," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "A very important discussion."

Nari crossed her arms, glaring at Wonwoo with a fiery look, "A discussion you seem to think is a joke."

The guard shook his head, stepping between the two of them, arms raised as if to keep them apart. "Enough! You both need to calm down and move along. This isn't the place for arguments and you two are not five year olds to be arguing like this."

While the guard was distracted, Jeonghan slipped into the security office unnoticed. He moved quickly, locating the computer that controlled the security cameras. His fingers flew over the keyboard, pulling up the footage from earlier that day. He found the timestamp of Miyeon's match, followed by the moments leading up to her collapse. He even got the footage of before the match near their dressing room for just in case.

He inserted the pen drive, carefully downloading the footage as fast as the system allowed. Every second felt like an eternity as the progress bar crawled forward, and Jeonghan kept an eye on the doorway, ready to hide if the guard returned too soon.

Outside, Nari and Wonwoo were still going strong, their argument escalating to new levels while the security guard was two seconds away from pulling his hair or slamming his head on the nearest wall.

"Calm down?" Nari threw her hands in the air. "I'll calm down when Wonwoo stops acting like he's the only one who knows what's best for Miya!"

Wonwoo, playing his role perfectly, threw back his head with a mock laughter. "You make it sound like I'm the villain here! I'm just trying to help my bestfriend!"

Now the guard looked like he was seconds away from dragging them both to the principal's office, but before he could, Jeonghan reappeared from the office, the pen drive safely tucked into his jacket.

"Alright, alright!" Jeonghan cut in, raising his voice and stepping between Nari and Wonwoo, acting as if he was just passing by and saw his friends arguing.

"Let's just calm down, okay? There's no need to drag this out any longer." He turned to the security guard with an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that, sir. They act like kids most of the times. We'll be on our way now."

The guard shook his head, clearly fed up with the trio. "You better be. I don't want to see you kids arguing around here again or next time it will be you infront of the principal with this free show of yours. Got it?"

"Got it," Jeonghan replied smoothly with his ever charming smile, ushering Nari and Wonwoo away before the situation could escalate any further or the security guy could grow suspicious.

As soon as they were out of earshot, the three of them relaxed, the tension finally lifting a laugh escaping their lips at the sheer adrenaline.

After calming from their laughter fever, Jeonghan pulled out the pen drive and waved it triumphantly in front of their faces, "Got it. We can watch it later with the others, but for now, we've got what we needed."

Nari sighed in relief, her earlier annoyance with Wonwoo melting away. "Finally."

Wonwoo, always quick with a comeback, smirked at her. "You know, that argument was almost too real. Maybe we've got some unresolved issues we need to talk about."

Nari shot him a glare but couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips, "Shut up, Wonwoo."

Jeonghan chuckled at the exchange, pocketing the pen drive safely with him, "Let's head back. We're one step closer to finding out what really happened."

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I just love Wonwoo and Nari so much. Their banter is my medicine to sadness lol.

Our detective trio is very good at what they do aren't they?

So what are your suspicions of the Miyeon incident other than Jiyang? Or is it just her who is suspicious?

Happy Reading!📚🤍