Chapter 15

Worman slowly turns his head, staring at Dori without saying a word. His eyes are sharp, like he’s thinking hard about something.

The air between them feels heavy, full of tension, like something big is about to happen.

And then―

PPPPPFFFRRRTTTT TRRPPP PPFTT

A loud, wet-sounding fart rips through the silence.

Worman’s eyes widen and he stands frozen for a moment before his hands shoot to his ass. “What the shrimp―” he gasps. “I think I just sh*t my pants.”

His face twists in panic, and out of nowhere, he starts singing a strange, chinese song in a shaky, off-key voice as he hurries away, waddling like a penguin.

Dori just stands there.

Silent.

Staring.

His face is completely blank as he watches Worman disappear into the night, still singing.

After a long pause, he drags a hand down his face, sighs, and mutters in a flat voice,

“..What the actual f*ck.”

○○○

Later that evening, Dori steps out of the shower, steam drifting around him. A white towel hangs low on his hips, clinging to his skin, and water runs down his body, sliding over his collarbones, chest, and abs.

He runs a hand through his damp, tousled hair―and without bothering to dry off completely, he steps toward the bedside table, grabbing his phone. The screen lights up as he unlocks it, his wet fingers leaving faint smudges.

He scrolls for a second, his expression unreadable, then taps on a contact.

Lifting the phone to his ear, he rests his other hand on his hip. Water still drips from his hair, sliding down his jaw and chest.

The call connects, and after a moment of silence, he speaks, his voice low and cold.

“Why the f*ck weren’t you picking up earlier? I called you multiple times.”

On the other end, there’s a brief shuffle, followed by a heavy sigh.

Then, the voice of Chief Tanaka―Aren’s boss at the station―finally comes through.

“I-I know, I’m sorry,” he stammers, “I was in a meeting. Couldn’t step out.”

“I don’t give a f*ck about your damn meeting!” Dori snaps. “I told you to pick up when I call―and you know it’s f*cking urgent when I call you more than once.”

He paces the room, his wet hair dripping onto the floor.

The chief tuts, clearly frustrated. “Look, I’m sorry, but I really couldn’t answer. Just tell me what you need. What’s so urgent?”

Dori stops pacing for a moment, and his hand tightens around the phone.

“Did you just tut at me?” His voice drops low, simmering with anger, but then he lets out a sharp, humorless laugh. “Chief.. You’re getting too comfortable lately. Why’s that? It’s almost like you forgot what’s at stake here.”

He steps toward the mirror, watching his own reflection.

“Ah.. wait, I get it. You actually did forget, didn’t you? Guess that old age is kicking in, huh, Gramps?” He lets out a sarcastic chuckle. “Well, let me remind you then.”

On the other end, Tanaka begins to sputter, “No, no.. Dori, I know, I didn’t forget. I’m so sorry, I wasn’t trying to―”

Dori cuts him off. “You see, I have this very.. interesting video.”

He leans closer to the mirror, a dark grin spreading across his face. “You remember that night, right? The one where you were screwing that young woman who isn’t your wife?”

“Please.. I’m sorry..” the chief apologizes again.

Dori pauses, but then, in a sickeningly mocking tone, he begins to mimic the chief’s voice―the noises he made that night.

“Ahh! Yeah! f*ck!” Dori groans, twisting his face in exaggerated pleasure. “God, baby, just like that! Mmm, so tight! Ohh, yeah, almost there! Yes, yes―!”

His voice cracks, dragging out every embarrassing, humiliating sound until the act becomes so ridiculous that he has to break.

He bursts into laughter, clutching his stomach as his body shakes with amusement.

“Holy sh*t, Tanaka,” he gasps, struggling to catch his breath. “You.. hah.. you looked like you were about to die, man.”

On the other end, the chief stays completely silent, too embarrassed to speak.

Dori’s laughter fades, and a chilling calm settles into his voice. “You know what’ll happen if that video gets out, right?” he asks slowly.

Tanaka’s voice trembles as he speaks, “Please.. I’m sorry, Dori, don’t.. don’t do this, please. I-I didn’t mean to―”

“I’m not asking for your apology,” Dori cuts him off. “This is your last warning, Gramps. Keep your sh*t together, and never ignore me again. You understand?”

“Yeah.. yeah, I understand,” Tanaka stammers.

Dori hums and leans against the wall, his wet hair sticking to his forehead.

“Alright, so.. there’s this guy here that looks a lot like your detective. You know, the crazy blondie..”

“Aren you mean? But it can’t be him. Aren is in the Netherlands,” the chief says, his voice certain.

“I sent two officers to keep an eye on him. They update me every day, and even sent me a picture of him this morning. I’ll send it to you.”

A second later, Dori’s phone buzzes with a new message.

Lowering the phone from his ear, he opens the image; Aren sits outside a café called “Café de Zwaan”, one arm resting lazily on the table while the other holds a cup of coffee. He’s wearing dark sunglasses, his expression neutral as he reads a newspaper spread open in front of him.

“I see. So that dude is just a look-alike..” Dori murmurs, and without saying another word, he abruptly hangs up the phone.

Just as he places the device down, a notification pops up on the screen, catching his attention.

The headline reads: “Attempted Murder at Hoshikawa High School.”

He scoffs, shaking his head in amusement. “Attempted murder, huh? Damn, the media really loves to exaggerate.”

He takes his phone again and starts reading the article:

A girl was found unconscious at Hoshikawa High School after a brutal attack that has left the community in shock. Authorities report she was severely beaten, her head forcibly shaved, and she was strangled with a belt so violently that her neck was broken. She remains in critical condition.

Dori’s expression shifts from amusement to a frown as he reads the report.

“What the f*ck is this? I never strangled her,” he mutters, irritation creeping into his voice.

He continues reading:

Her father, powerful businessman Rensuke Takeda, has refused a police investigation, vowing to take justice into his own hands. “I don’t need the police,” Takeda said in a statement. “Whoever did this―I’ll find them and show them what happens when you hurt my family. I’ll kill them with my own two hands.”

Dori lets out an exasperated breath, tossing his phone onto the bed with a frustrated thud.

As he continues drying his body with a towel, he mutters to himself, “Why the f*ck are they lying?”

Then he pauses mid-motion, a thought striking him. “Or did someone really go in there after me and try to kill that b*tch?..”

He sits on the bed as he starts to think. It wouldn’t surprise him if someone finally snapped and went after her.

Mei has a long list of haters. Most of them never act on it, too scared of her powerful father and her severe bullying.

But seeing her beaten up like that by someone else could have given them the courage to finally fight back.

Yet to go as far as to try to kill her? That seems extreme.

“It must be someone she has wronged really badly, or just.. a complete psycho,” Dori murmurs to himself.

As he sits there, a memory flashes in his mind―walking through the hallway after leaving Mei in the restroom. He recalls passing someone heading in the opposite direction, towards the restroom where Mei was. They briefly made eye contact.

Dori suddenly laughs, a realization hitting him. “Woah.. could it be him?”

His mind drifts back to his conversation with Yuki on c.ai last year, back when she was being bullied by Mei. The girl had cut Yuki’s hair forcefully out of jealousy―she was furious over the attention Yuki was getting from her crush, Isamu.

When Madi found out about it, she couldn’t hold back her anger. In a fit of rage, she confronted Mei in front of everyone, beating her up in the middle of class.

It was a bold move, but it turned out to be a huge mistake. Mei was known for her vicious retaliation, especially when she felt humiliated.

After school, Mei sent a group of guys to ambush Madi on her way home. They attacked her mercilessly, leaving Madi in critical condition. She nearly died and ended up in a coma for several days.

Dori remembers Yuki telling him how Hajime refused to leave Madi’s side during that time. He stayed at the hospital day and night, determined to be there for her until she fully recovered.

Hajime skipped classes, ignoring everything else in his life, focusing solely on Madi’s well-being. He sat by her bedside, holding her hand, not caring about how it affected him.

All he wanted was for her to wake up.

Once Madi fully recovered, the two finally returned to school. But the moment Hajime saw Mei, something in him snapped.

His anger was uncontrollable, and without thinking, he lunged at her, ready to give her a beating. His classmates rushed to hold him back, but the fury in his voice echoed through the hallways.

“I’ll kill you! I swear I’ll kill you, b*tch!” he screamed, his eyes burning with rage.

As a result of his outburst, Hajime received a stern warning from the principal. He was suspended from school for a few days, forced to cool off and reflect on his actions.

During that time, Madi visited him everyday.

They spent hours together, talking about everything that had happened.

Madi didn’t want Hajime to do anything reckless, fearing that if he went after Mei, it would lead to serious consequences for him, just as it had for her.

Hajime listened, but the fury inside him was hard to suppress. But as the days went by, Madi’s words started to sink in.

Eventually, after much persuasion and a long heart-to-heart, Hajime finally calmed down.. or maybe he didn’t.

Dori chuckles, shaking his head. He leans back, a mix of disbelief and admiration crossing his face.

“Woah.. he really went through with it, huh?”
 
 
TO BE CONTINUED…