Chapter 22

Dori sits hunched on the closed toilet lid, elbows on his knees, one foot tapping rapidly against the tile floor.

The harsh fluorescent light buzzes above him, casting sharp shadows across his face. His jaw is tight, his eyes dark with fury as he grips his phone so hard his knuckles pale.

“Answer me, dammit!” he hisses through clenched teeth. “You think you can f*ck me over and walk away? You’ve been working with him behind my back, huh?!”

The words echo faintly off the tiled walls. “Listen, I’ll be leaking that shit this eve―”

Tanaka’s voice cuts in. “Dori, hold up. I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I swear I didn’t betray you! Working with who? What are you saying? What happened exactly?”

Dori’s leg bounces harder in rapid, angry rhythm. He doesn’t buy a single word.

“Don’t play dumb with me, ol’ f*cker,” he spits, “Your detective isn’t in the Netherlands, he’s right f*cking here!”

“This again? But I told you that’s impossible! My officers literally sent me a photo this morning―”

Dori lets out a harsh laugh. “Photos can be faked, Chief. Have your guys turn their camera on, show me where he is right now.”

Tanaka sighs and nods. “Yeah, okay. I’ll have one of my men stream it to you. Give me a minute to set it up.”

Dori’s leg doesn’t stops bouncing, each tap against the tile louder than the last.

Minutes crawl by. He paces in place for a moment, then sits back down on the closed toilet lid.

Finally, a faint notification buzzes in his hand, and his eyes immediately snap to the screen.

The live stream flickers on.

Dori leans closer, eyes narrowing. He sees Aren pushing a half-full shopping cart down a brightly lit aisle, while chatting casually with a woman beside him.

He taps the screen, zooming in on Aren’s face. The sunglasses are perched firmly over his eyes, reflecting the fluorescent lights above.

“Those sunglasses again? It’s f*cking winter, and he’s indoors too. Isn’t that suspicious..” he mutters under his breath.

“Ah, I forgot to tell you. One of my colleagues mentioned he had some eye surgery a while back,” Tanaka explains, “That’s probably why.”

Dori’s leg slows, then stops. He leans closer, zooming in on the sunglasses, studying every movement behind the dark lenses.

“Hm.. I see,” he murmurs.

Suddenly the school bell screams down the hallway, and students’ footsteps and locker slams swell outside the bathroom door.

Dori keeps his voice low, “Alright, but if you lied to me, Tanaka.. I’m not just gonna leak your ass. I’ll be doing much more than that. Much worse. You hear me?”

“Yeah, I understand. But I swear I didn’t―”

Dori ends the call before he can finish. He slips his phone into his pocket, straightens his collar, and pushes out of the bathroom stall.

He freezes.

At the sink, Worman is bent over, trying to shove his glasses up inside his nose with a thoughtful, almost serious expression. He breathes heavily, and after a moment, he yanks the glasses back and violently rinses them under the running water, splashing droplets everywhere.

Dori frowns, caught off guard. He had just been reassured over the call, but seeing Worman here, right now, in this exact moment, reignites the knot of suspicion in his chest.

The coincidence feels too precise, too deliberate.

Worman glances at him through the mirror, flaring his nostrils.

“I also talk to myself sometimes. It’s normal, so don’t be shy. But please, stop trying to be kawaii. It’s cringing the shrimps out of my intestines.”

Dori blinks, caught between irritation and disbelief. “Were you eavesdropping on me?” he asks.

Worman slowly turns to face him, one hand on his hip, the other gesturing vaguely toward the ceiling. Then, without warning, a loud fart escapes, echoing off the tiled walls.

“DUDE!” Dori shouts annoyed.

Worman doesn’t flinch. He just snaps his fingers, and strikes another strange pose―one hand on his face, the other pointing at Dori through the mirror behind him without looking at it.

“Yes, I was eavesdropping. Looks like you just had a lil fight with your girlfriend-in-law or something, hm?” he says smoothly, as if nothing happened.

“You want lawv advice? You know, love and law.” He snorts, amused with himself. “Someone said I’m good at it.”

Before he can say another word, Dori closes the distance in two sharp steps. His hand shoots out, grabbing Worman by the collar and yanking him halfway around.

“You’re pretending to be a dumbf*ck, aren’t you? You were dead serious at the train station, and I feel like you’ve been keeping an eye on me. You are that detective. You have to be. The one in the Netherlands is a fake. I’m sure of it. You’re him.”

Worman’s grin fades from his face, replaced by something calmer, heavier. “You’re right,” he murmurs.

Dori’s eyes widen, his grip on Worman’s collar tightening instinctively.

For a split second, the air between them thickens, but then Worman adds, “..about one thing.”

Dori frowns.

“I have indeed been watching you.” He exhales through his nose. “Yuki’s not happy with you. You’re not kawaii and you talk way too diagonally into her ear. I think she deserves better. A kawaii niya anti-ayo person like me for example. I’d treat her vertically. Just like I treat Pierus.”

He suddenly pulls a wriggling worm from his pocket, and shoves it inside Dori’s shirt.

“WHAT THE F*CK??!!” Dori screams, hands clawing at his chest, trying to get it out, while Worman just stands there watching and snorting.

He twists and shakes until the worm finally flies out, landing on the sink.

His shirt is a mess, and he’s breathing hard, glaring at Worman. His eyes are wide, face flushed, jaw tight―a look that screams he’s seconds away from losing it completely.

Worman snorts and shouts, “KAKA PIPI SNOT!”

That’s all it takes. “YOU SON OF A―”

Worman screams high-pitched, flails, and bolts. Dori lunges after him, dodging students, the chase exploding down the hallway.

They reach their classroom. Worman bursts in first, and without hesitation, jumps onto the teacher’s lap, shouting: “HELP! HE WANTS TO TOUCH MY LEG HAIRS! HE SAID HE’S GONNA BRAID THEM! I’M SCARED! I ALMOST SHARTED MY PANTS!”

Dori storms in right after, chest heaving, eyes blazing.

“HELP! TEACHER, SAVE ME! HE’S COMING!”

The teacher yells angrily, flailing his arms as he pushes Worman off. “Both of you! Stop it, now!”

Yuki, sitting at her desk, raises her eyebrows as she watches the chaos unfold. She bites her lip, trying not to laugh, but her eyes sparkle with amusement.

“BUT TEACHER YOU HAVE TO PROTECT ME! HE’LL TRY AGAIN DURING BREAK! HE’S OBSESSED WITH MY LEG HAIRS!”

“SHUT YOUR MOUTH!!!”

○○○

During the break, Yuki slips away to one of the study rooms, clutching her notebook and a pen. She settles by the far corner, spreading her notes out across the desk and trying to focus on the upcoming exams.

Thanks to Worman, Dori doesn’t get the chance to follow her this time. He clings to him like a curse―tossing worms at his head, whispering nonsense in his ear, unzipping his bag mid-step, tripping him on purpose, or even slapping his butt in front of everyone.

Dori ends up chasing him every time, while Worman runs away, laughing like a maniac.

Yuki leans back slightly in her chair, a small sigh of relief escaping her lips as she flips through her notes. The snow outside drifts lazily past the windows, and for a moment, she allows herself to relax, letting the chaos of the morning fade.

At some point, she’s reminded of the little paper Woman gave her. She glances at her bag.

I wonder what he wrote in it. I’m a little nervous for some reason..

She hums, thinking.

He told me to read it at home, but I’m not sure if I can wait to be honest.

Then, the door creaks open.

A shadow stretches across the floor, dark and deliberate. Yuki freezes.

No way..

Is it Dori?!

She swallows, her heart pounding fast. She’s all alone in the study room. Completely vulnerable.

The memory of what he did yesterday makes her stomach twist. Despite his promises, she knows better than to trust him, especially after the comment he made that morning.

Suddenly, the door swings open wide with a loud bang.

Yuki squeals, jerking backward in her seat, papers scattering across the desk, and her heart leaping into her throat.

“No!”
   
   
TO BE CONTINUED…