《Atlas Of Murder》


 Chapter 1

    " The fingerprints weren''t visible to the naked eye. But thanks to the victim''s use of hair products with grease in them, when the culprit strangled her, they left prints on the backs of her neck. The prints we obtained are a match to Mr Won''s. For this reason we believe Mr Won murdered Ms Song", he concluded


    " Objection! ",


    " Though Mr Won admits that during the act of procreation they may strangle each other and that they did engage in such an act a few hours before the victim was found, the culprit used both hands and all prints were visible. Furthermore her genitalia and gluteus maximus shows significant discoloration devoid of inflammation that persisted even twenty-four hours later. Meaning that the act he talks of is infact post mortem ",the M.E continued


    " Again more post mortem discolorations were found on her neck and breasts validating that he did touch her post mortem ",


    The court were complete silence and even the defending lawyer was out of words. Who kills a woman afterwards then manhandles her corpse through sexual intercourse while she is pregnant?


    The judge ordered the court to continue after thirty minutes.Everyone slowly left after respecting the judge but soon their conversations lingered over the words said by the handsome man with an physique of a terrified individual.The medical examiner remained seated on the witness stand .He turned his head and he looked to the defending lawyer who was going through his phone


    Soon later , despite the court room being occupied by five officers and three other spectators, it was nonetheless saturated with an air of tension..


    When the case was brought to Gunam Medical center, Kitae being the public defendant was trying to prove that Won was innocent. Infact Namkyu had told him that Won''s alibi and the part of strangulation might prove his innocence however midway through the case , Namkyu finds the post mortem and ante-mortem bruises. Plus the fact that her genitalia, buttocks and breasts had hand imprints similar to those on her neck, just threw Won into the whole. That is when he swapped sides to be on Yoohan''s side that was proving Won guilty.


    Kitae did give Namkyu a lot of money for him to expose the information but Namkyu told him that it is pointless as the information could be easily retrieved from his client who was withholding facts . Maybe Kitae knew that his client was lying while he worshiped the golden rule that the body never lies. Won might say one thing but the evidence will point 180¡ã in another direction.


    He blinked away from him and looked at Yoohan who was typing in his laptop. It annoyed him how he acted indifferent to Namkyu ''s statement but then again he is aware of the transaction that occurred between Kitae and Namkyu and he wasn''t the least bit please. He promised Namkyu that after this trial he would be the one on the defendant side for accepting a bribe from Kitae.


    (Thirty minutes later)


    "According to the evidence presented before the court, Mr Won ManChul , you are hearby sentenced to twenty-five years in prison with no parole for the murder of Ms Song Haeun. Furthermore for violating the dead and battering her body , a further twenty years is added to your sentence.meaning your are to serve forty-five consecutive years ." , The judge called out before she slammed the desk with her wooden mullet, without word she stood up and left, clearly bothered by the hideous behavior that Mr Won had done to Haeun


    Haeun''s family broken in thankful glee. They had long been against the relationship of ManChul and Haeun, telling her that an ex-convict for domestic violence can never truly change. Now over a feud for his excessive drinking and her refusal to engage in her ''female duties '', Haeun no longer walks the earth . Her mother screamed at ManChul who was quiet almost like he felt no sort of regret for doing such a deed to a woman who love him to the moon and back. His sole focus seemed as well among the ground of spectators


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    Namkyu walked outside the courtroom following along the many people who were happy for the sentence ManChul received. Immediately as he stepped outside the doors , he saw Detective Lee Garam walking towards Yoohan who was on a phone call.


    Those two are pretty close and act like brothers though sometimes one could be testifying against another.


    Yoohan is thirty-nine while Garam is forty-four. Garam is however a bit larger than Yoohan who has to keep in shape to look good in suit while Garam is only concerned about being able to run after a criminal.They are in completely different leagues but seem to get along fine .


    Though he didn''t graduate top of his class, he is by far among the top lawyers in Manong, with Kitae and HyeSong leading the list. His sole goal is to bring justice and his number one vice is people who accept bribes to dilute the truth and push themselves on the lime light. Probably this personality was created by the fact that his mother was once wrongfully accused for stealing jewelry for the rich people she worked for, only to find that the jewelry had never been delivered in the first place.


    As for Garam, he is just a detective who applied for the position to be able to feed his crippled father and rebellious sister. She keeps going for prostitution with the top-dogs of Manong discounting of all the reprimand that Garam tells.


    Yoohan is blessed with dark brownish hair that has been trimmed to give him an authoritative stand. His chiseled face make him appear way younger than he is , probably just a few years older than Namkyu who is twenty-seven. Thanks to his bone straight and medium-size eyebrows added to his perfect curve lips, he appears three times more intimidating than his friend who is licensed to carry a gun.


    Namkyu exhaled deeply. After all he can''t expect to have made an impact in the industry, he has only been here for six months and this is his tenth case but his second to appear in court because the first one , the culprit just confessed.


    "Dr Namkyu!", A man called behind him


    Namkyu swiftly rotated and observed him. He didn''t know when he had arrived but he was just less than five feet from him with a clean smile


    He appeared around the late thirties. His face was clean and his posture fluent. He appeared like a verbose reader with how withdrawn his eyes appeared . His extremely full lips added to his thin eyebrows made him look a bit handsome if one ignored how abnormally tall he was. Furthermore his smile was so long with gorgeous curves highlighting that he probably had a beautiful set of bunny teeth and a lush pout.


    " Congratulations on the case! You managed to find the M. O and catch the culprit", he told him before smiling his paralyzing smile one again.


    He thought it was a member of the victim''s family so he expressed that it was his job and not a matter of concern. Before long he ask his name and he introduced himself as Jeong MinSeok and said that he is a family of the victim.


    Namkyu knodded then excused himself. As he walked away he turned back and he saw MinSeok standing there , waving and smiling.


    He looked somewhat like one of the victim''s ex-lovers. His face and smile though bright and inviting lacked emotion and only displayed a dark vortex


    Before long Namkyu walked out of the courtroom and headed home


    ***


    He rattled the keys of his apartment before he walked inside .


    Regardless of him not being among the top ten of Manong, he does live in a beautiful apartment. Everything is modern and chic to the tip.The custom-finish of the counter tops , the lustre polish of the decorations all summed with the vintage appeal of the flowers around the room made the space scream with sophistication.


    The apartment is basically a large open space with many divisions.


    Walking away from the door and turning to the left along a passage is a corridor. On the left while on the corridor is the kitchen, which has been sectioned off from the room using white walls. Along the corridor leads to the office which Namkyu uses while working at home. Facing back towards the right side of the room , there is another corridor which leads to three bedrooms, a single master and two guest. Each has an inbuilt bathroom and a gorgeous view of the town allowed by a splendid balcony


    Other than that the first thing one sees, is the enormous sitting room that is sealed off with extremely humongous yet sublime glass window that open up to the balcony.


    He threw his keys of the key holder on a small table ahead. Immediately after changing his shoes, his little brother walked into the room completely dressed but still wiping his hair. Despite how hot it was , he was dressed in blue jeans and a dark leather coat.


    Nineteen year Geun Jinyoung, is nothing like his brother. despite having a small face.He is very tall for a teenager even taller than his brother Namkyu.He takes pleasure in long silence and seldom says a lot except that when he does speak, all he utters are rude words. His bubbly personality is masked by that shade of coldness but otherwise he is the best.


    One would think that since he is quite , he spends a lot of time reading when in fact he does is play video games all day. His school work is always lagging behind. Even when Namkyu got tutors for him he never attended. He even dropped out of an academy that he used to go to.


    His interesting characteristic is that he is supper athletic. He plays tennis like he is writing a mantra. All the twenty-four trophies on Namkyu ''s office have Jinyoung ''s name. He has never ever lost a single match and Namkyu has never missed all his glories.


    Probably the reason why Namkyu doesn''t nag him is because he already has a university scholarship through his training. He always tells Namkyu that he wants to be the best and he is .


    " Do you want to touch me? Stop staring", he reprimanded him while still wiping his extremely black hair that covered his eyes . For someone who loves playing in the sun ,he does take unrealistic care of his skin and literally showers four times everyday


    " Where are you going?",


    " I have a life , get one", he belittled him before he threw the towel on his face


    " atleast let me meet her", he called to him but he slammed the door before Namkyu could finish his sentence.


    HyoSon his work partner, had told him that raising a teenager is like undoing a bomb in the dark. One wrong move and someone could mess up for life. And this is what Namkyu has to deal with ever since their parent''s divorce. He refused to have them take Jinyoung saying he will care for him and he has been doing so ever for twelve years.


    He went to the kitchen poured himself a glass of wine and took the bottle with him before he went to his office Which is just as elegant as his house. the large window also opens to a balcony while the rest of the space inside is like the office of a principal. he went towards the fire place and used his remote control to turn on the heat. afterwards he sat on his leather swinging it gleefully.


    There hasn''t been a case this week so he has the weekend off.his mind ran all over the place but mostly to the check Kitae had gave him. he isn''t planning on using it but maybe he can keep it as a trap for him but the thing would be how is he going to prove that Kitae tried to bribe him. even if he secretly recorded Kitae, he can''t use that in court.


    he unlocked his phone and he locked at the picture. Kim Suho, his previous girlfriend. They broke up because Namkyu was working too hard and not focusing enough on her. He has contemplated asking her back many times but Jinyoung told him not to because no one simply leaves for that reason otherwise she must not love him back.


    He threw the phone on the table and just lingered on his thoughts while emptying the bottle

 Chapter 2

    ???????????Detective Garam sat on his chair swinging. His keys and gun were on the table next to an envelope. Inside the envelope was some pictures of Namkyu and Kitae.


    Yoohan had foolishly submitted them to the chief''s table but because Garam was present that day ,he went and stole them before the chief got a hold of the envelope. Mr Yoohan must have not been thinking straight that day because a few pictures don''t really prove anything except raise suspension of course.


    After he opened them and saw the contents, he was sort of conflicted. He wants to bring down Kitae who is more corrupt than the word itself but that comes at the expense of Namkyu. Though he doesn''t know Namkyu and have only worked on one case together, he thinks he is a good kid that won''t last behind bars . Furthermore he collected intel on him and figured that he is the only guardian of a teenager that is rock-bottom at school. Those two seem to have a good relationship and if they separate, a lot of bad stuff is gonna happen.


    This on its own presented itself as an difficult matter when he was devising a way to bring Kitae to his knees.


    The reason he wants Kitae to be locked up is because he works for a team of people that brought injustice to the former chief of the homicide department and are currently causing a stair up in the city. Thanks to Kitae winning cases in a row despite the concrete evidence , solid motive and shaky alibis that culprits present, they still manage to live their lives as free civilians while some even went to the extent of framing innocent people. . Eight of the arrests that have been made in this jurisdiction have been blown by Kitae . On the last case , it was said that if Won walks free then Garam kicks the boot. The station can''t make nine wrongful arrests with Garam''s name showing up in all arrest warrants.


    So knowing that his badge could get taken away from him thanks to Kitae, he just lost it and decided to take a backseat on everything. Just then Yoohan made that breakthrough thanks to Namkyu ''s facts. He wanted to hug Namkyu after he made that testimony but that temporary joy was replaced by guilt over the fact that he is about to become a bait to catch a bigger player namely Park Kitae.


    He picked up the phone and he dialed someone called ''Nicki''.


    Nicki was a suspect in the third case and after Kitae'' bosses were trying to frame him, Yoohan''s colleague Park KangDae proved him innocent and the case was dropped as there was no solid evidence proving anyone else guilty


    What had happened was that Nikki''s father was found dead at his home. The person who killed him used plastic bag asphyxiation and they hung him.


    Nikki and his dad always fought about his gambling problems that were bringing debts that Nikki was paying alone. One day the man stole Nikki''s cards and he gave all the money away only to borrow again. He didn''t tell Nikki everything so Nikki was just angry about the part he revealed of getting another loan. Out of fury he threatened his father and ran away to drown his sorrows


    The following days, he couldn''t find his cards and he thought he had lost them while he was out drink over his father''s stress . He reported the matter only later to receive a message saying all his money was withdrawn. Since his father was the only one who knew about his pins and chequebooks , he was the first suspect.


    Without wasting time he went to the bank to confirm it and then to confront his father but he found him hanging with a bag over his head .


    Nikki tried to explain everything to the police but they didn''t believe it . So they pushed him to court until KangDae mentioned that the distance between the bank and the victim''s house is too long . Even if Nikki was riding a sportscar on an empty road he still wouldn''t make it in time to kill his father. Furthermore Nikki knew the kind of threats his father was receiving from the loan-sharks . Obviously the man didn''t plan on killing his dad because his corpse had no benefit to him but he did it to teach him a lesson.


    The court dismissed the issue and then Yoohan asked how come Nikki was arrested on allegations . A rookie police man , Siwoo was revoked of his badge and Nikki walked free . Later that night, Nikki was beaten black and blue for his father''s mistakes.


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    He decided to end his life by jumping over the famous ''crossover bridge'' that is popular for suicides. As he was climbing over the banister, a homeless lady passed by and asked him what was the matter but he simply cried .


    The lady took him then he brought him to the police station instead of hospital as the police will without a doubt watch over him . And that is where he first met Garam. With time they made a deal. Garam pays him to do all jobs under the radar and some money is taken to the gang-group that killed his father.


    " Kitae is handling another case in another country. He just took an evening flight out. By the looks if it , it must be illegal. And we still can''t find Siwoo nor Jena", he spoke softly before asked him to check.


    He hung up and pulled his phone gallery.


    There was a picture of a document proving that a different officer was given a warrant to arrest Nikki but the question becomes how did Siwoo get dragged into this mess. The leader must have thought because he is fresh out of the academy then he doesn''t have a lot to lose. If Siwoo testifies that he was forced then Garam might stand a chance to bring down the station in the west and prove Nikki''s innocence as well as find his killer along with getting KwangSun , the mafia heir behind bars. .


    " Garam, there is a distress call near the Namsen Bridge. A man was found there", BomSoek , station''s number one secretary peeked over him and screamed


    ( Thirty minutes later)


    " Brace yourself", YeongHwan , Garam''s partner told him as they stood at downstream.


    A headless man was dragged from the river and laid lifeless in a bodybag. He had a two ligature marks and when they looked to the bridge and they saw a rope. His head had floated underneath the bridge and someone rescued him only to find him without a body.


    (An hour later)


    " He was not carrying an id, which is typical of suicides. The rope obtained is substantial of all suicides but what I don''t understand is this mark right here.", HyoSon pointed to the second deep mark. It was a bit bruised signaling that it caused death but the other similar one matches the head disjunction point as well as the rope obtained


    " It means that cause of death wasn''t cause of decapitation.", Namkyu added as he was busy snapping pictures of the deceased before he began assessing the victim.


    " What do you mean?",


    " The same rope was used to create both marks but each mark caused a different result. One death and the other decapitation", he concluded and rested his arms at the foot of the bed.


    HyoSon stared at him and she pulled off the curtain then started to take notes of all marks on his body including razor cuts, old knee scratches and the post-mortem coloration by the rescuer


    She took the sample of hair, his blood and fingerprints. She checked his nails and measured everything from weight, height all the way to width.


    His body was extremely cold from being in water and bloating is what helped it to surface. Though she estimates time of death to be last night she can''t really be sure until she has went through all nine of the methods. Of course it would be ridiculous to go step by step but if she can cover atleast six using forensic science, he estimation would be very reason. So she had to take his stomach contents.


    After an hour of swabbing and bottling external surface findings, she opened his stomach then she extracted the stuff and placed it on the isle of samples that are going to be taken to the lab. Since there was nothing much left , she took the honors of delivering them


    As for Namkyu, he was busy with taking samples from the head and determining the condition of the hyoid bone. He took more pictures and he went towards his record book , started to write everything on the piece of paper.


    He took the head towards the body and he concluded that the person seemed quite young and judging by the lack of reaction of the eye to ocular examination, he has been dead for more than ten hours. He took a look at his nose and found some algae and when he went to check the bucal realized it was glued together.He took some pictures and then noted down the finding. Next he used some warm water to melt the glue.


    He used a pain of tweezers and he managed to open the mouth and inside was a piece of paper.


    He took it out and read it.


    " Dear mom, I am sorry....", He continued. The victim apologized to their mother and when he turned the paper around and a large number three was written on it .


    He looked further inside the mouth and he found a coin .


    No matter how he tried to think about it, it didn''t make sense that there was a coin in his mouth. He placed it on the table and continued to completely check for the mouth but it was empty.


    "HyoSon, come look at this", he called her the minute her heels clicked on the floor


    She took the letter and read it before asking if they should send it to the lab. He said to take a photo of everything before doing that. HyoSon agreed and afterwards she went back to the lab.


    ***


    ( Three policeman arrived at the coroner)


    " Name of deceased is Jeon Jiwoo. Age is twenty-one. He was diagnosed with depression. Brain examination do verify that", HyoSon explained


    "His brain had abnormal hemorrhaging and he also had a suicide note and this coin. ", Namkyu added and he handed a copy out of the letter and a picture of the coin.


    BomSoek looked at Namkyu up and down almost as if he wants to say something rude. As for Garam he looked at Namkyu almost as if he expects him to confess about some lethal secret. Nonetheless Garam silently grabbed the letter and he read it.


    " Thanks , we will go and inform the deceased''s family but can I ask why you are probing so deep into the victim ? ", YeongHwan checked HyoSon who checked with Namkyu before responding


    " The victim has two ligature marks. The bruised one is what broke his hyoid bone but the second one lead to decapitation. Also the coin and note were in his mouth. the abnormal hemorrhaging is found in strangulation which is caused by hanging. If he died from jumping, there wouldn''t be that much bleeding. The decapitation is post-mortem.", Namkyu explained softly


    " Someone carried him there? ", YeongHwan echoed

 Chapter 3

    Thanks to the school system registering children enrolled into the education management and all individuals sixteen and above being obliged to obtain national identity cards, it''s easy to track anyone.The school system did it for government policy reasons , while government wants it done so everyone is recognized by the law as being citizens and to track migration statistics.


    Finding a criminal has never been so easy than in the past where only past convicts were identifiable. after the law decided to have the national id include one''s finger print and link the RO(read-only )database to stations, identifying people is as simple as the snap of a finger, that is of course if they have been to school or are sixteen and above . The only drawback is, there are some people who refused to register for the hassle-free service and live as ghosts. If such a person commits a crime, it would take a longer time to find them . Anyway one can simply, through the use of a warrant ,obtain more information , by searching further through the database and come up with the names , address , occupations and emergency contacts , just to mention a few. The mentioned I''d is changed every ten years so there is no unreliability there. And the best part is that it is totally free.


    After this Garam will head to the computer at the station and conduct such a search .


    (Six hours later)


    Garam adjusted his uniform and he headed inside. He had found Jiwoo''s address and YeongHwan accompanied him. Normally there would be a lot of paparazzi surrounding this case but the chief in command changed the law that no media should be passed from the journalist to the public when the police aren''t the source because people twist things up. Therefore right now , the family would be informed first and then afterwards if need be , the death would be told to the media.


    Nevertheless some people still manage to pass this news by stealing pictures and submitting it to journalist stations . Through the internet ,the news is broadcasted and a lot of traffic will flood there but everything remains supremely anonymous. Hopefully, the family doesn''t know about it from unrecognized or unaccredited places


    They opened the door and they found an old lady watering a small garden by a pond


    If there is one thing that the police despise reporting, it''s a death to the vulnerable members of society. That is the young ,old, sick , disabled and lowest class or economy. It''s always heavy on them not that others are an exception but it just registers a heavier form of guilt towards any police officer


    She placed down the watering can and she softly navigated towards the police officer.


    " Hi, I am Detective Garam and this is Inspector YeongHwan . Can you please take a seat?",


    The lady sat on the chair and she looked at them.


    " It comes with great sadness to inform you that Mr Jeon Jiwoo has passed.";She clasped her mouth,


    "..if there.."; Garam continued but then she asked who that was.


    The two men looked at each other in confusion. It went from burdensome to extremely awkward in a flash


    " Jeon Jiwoo, this is him", Garam spoke producing a picture. According to him , dementia might be possible, hopefully the photograph rings some bells


    " I don''t know him to be honest. Maybe my children do", she sweetly remarked and smiled , a clear indication that she might have no strings attached


    " He placed his address as here.", YeongHwan was reluctant to keep talking


    "Oh, maybe it''s because my daughter just moved into this place. She bought it from a child who lost both his parents", she nodded and quaked


    Garam looked at YeongHwan . Now they know why the child was depressed but then why was he sorry to his dead mother?


    They bid farewell and checked with the neighbors.


    Immediately in the next house , they found a heavily pregnant teenager causally playing with her phone and next to her , a sleeping infant and another toddler playing with a makeup kit. She was extremely rude and without a doubt moody but she managed to explain that Jiwoo was just close with his mother , sadly both the parents had a car accident. According to her, Jiwoo felt down and out so he left school and placed his parent''s belongings in a rental garage before selling his house to the current owners


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    She wrote down a name and number of someone that she described close to the boy. Maybe they know the location of the deceased or his garage.


    ***


    " Jinyoung, for the love of god atleast practice talking to me", Namkyu yelled when he got home and placed the bag on the counter.


    He had been at work all day and trying to not lose his mid over Jiwoo''s death decorating the news. He is just a pathologist not a coroner but he can''t help it. He knows it''s a murder but the body isn''t giving a lot to work with. Furthermore with the case now public, the deceased''s family might come for the body to prepare for burial. He did his usual wine routine but he found yesterday''s bottle in the fridge and checked breakfast. Usually Jinyoung hides the wine and eats breakfast at night but it was untouched.


    He went towards Jinyoung''s room.


    He pushed open the door and there was not a single sign of life in this room. His uniform was on the couch by the bed and his tennis gear was by his study desk. The said desk had a computer , a sports magazine ,some cologne and a comb.


    He went towards it and he opened the drawers with only pen inside and some tennis balls.


    Namkyu dialled Jinyoung while he sat in his desk but he didn''t pick up.


    He hates when he becomes like this. It would make sense if he was drinking or smoking but he doesn''t do that and simply just accompanies his friends and later falls asleep playing at the arcade.His favourite is one near the library where he used to wait for Namkyu in. He would play nonstop and later Namkyu would pay a hefty bill for his gaming. It was worth it than to have him roaming around with the likes of DoekHwan and his nymphomaniac girlfriend along with his beneath ideal friends


    He placed the phone down and he went to take his uniform and wash it . He picked it up and when he did so, a stone fell from his pockets and onto the floor.


    He checked the stone and it looked like something from a souvenir shop moreover something like gifted by notorious DoekHwan. He is always giving Jinyoung weird things who never refuses nor uses them and it becomes up Namkyu to throw it away.


    From the beggining of their alliance, he had been presenting him things like toilet paper wrappers, leadless pencils, egg shells and old toothpaste.At first he agreed with people who thought he was crazy, but growing up with a mother as an archaeologist is significantly influential even for a child as naughty as DoekHwan.


    He put the rock in his own pocket as it is already fated for the recycle bin and he took away the uniform.


    ****


    A chubby arthritic man who was probably the manager of the apartment rattled the keys of the place , opening way for these two. He was struggling significantly but his tattooed skin and golden jewelry mixed with some western vodka suggested that he takes offense easily.


    They didn''t have a warrant so whatever they were doing wasn''t exactly legal meaning that they can''t make this man angry as he is entitled to refuse. They just have to basic and submissive.


    Finally they gained access . The room was small.They went in the space that was literally a one room house and the only privacy was given to the bathroom and toilet that were conjoined. Despite the claustrophobic air, it was clean , no dishes or foul scents . The owner lived a mute life


    there was a fallen chair, a notebook on the table and some pills next to a glass of water . YeongHwan took out his camera and he begun to snap pictures.Afterwards he called the station to check the progress of the warrant.


    There was one thing clear to all eyes. Someone died here. All those facts were obvious as night and day but nobody has an idea where to start searching.


    He sighed loudly and he made a few calls to ask for some people to get warrants.


    The old man was still by the door and he was stressed because he knew what this means. It''s going to be difficult to find tenants if someone committed suicide in this room. But maybe they won''t be too judgmental.


    Garam turned where he was and questioned him about the boy . The rebellish -looking man said the guy never talked to anyone and always alone. He had no friends, no girl , not even a dog. He was spending the money he got from selling his family house and though he was chubby when he first moved in , he had lost a lot of weight


    " How long has he been living here?", YeongHwan asked and the man responded ever since his parents died.


    Garam drove home and he stayed outside listening to the news report on Jiwoo''s death. To be honest , whether or not the Chief-in-command was serious about his ''no unauthorized publications'', is very much unclear. If it was so difficult to obtain a search warrant, how much easier would it have been to have the stations already broadcasting these . It''s okay to bend a few little rules but Mr Yuk is taking it too far . He probably accepted a bribe and authorized the broadcast while at the same time saying such a case doesn''t have enough evidence for a warrant


    On the way here , BomSoek verified that the clothes were indeed in the garage and nothing was amiss. Jiwoo had a lot CDs explaining probably why his suicide note he was apologizing. Maybe he was meaning that he should have been more attentive to the mother.


    ''It is a suicide but who and why move the body? '', this question!


    He got off the car and when he opened the gate, a small-framed girl came running to him and she hugged him heavily.


    Janhee thinks of Garam like her father. She literally does every thing to prove that fact. She buys him clothes, gifts, dolls , paintings, cake and even clothes. Every day after school ,she is always seating in front of his house hoping that one day he might give her the keys to his house.


    Her father passed away in the army when she was four weeks old and Garam out of pittance took care of her and her mother. later she got remarried and left Janhee with her aunt who isn''t exactly sure what to comment on their relationship. Is Janhee shipping Garam and herself or the aunt with Garam since Aunt is like her mother?


    " Sugar bear, you look tired ." She sang.


    " How can you call him that yet say he''s your father?", A young male about five foot eight in the same uniform commented while seating on the valender.


    ChinHwa, Janhee''s official chaperon. Wherever she is , he is always three steps behind her.He acts like her boyfriend but she friend-zoned him brutally. Despite their dog-tail relationship, Janhee is a senior and is two years older than ChinHwa.


    " Song ChinHwa, how many times do I need to tell you to stop bringing her here?",


    " Little brother didn''t bring me, I came by myself", she answered pulling Garam''s cheek.


    He looked at ChinHwa''s bicycle by the door and he told her off .


    " I said that if you can spend hundred days away from me , I will give you my house keys", he added and ChinHwa smirked.


    She cursed under her breath saying that''s like asking her to stop breathing. To change the topic , she asked if he is coming over for dumplings later and he obviously lied saying he wouldn''t miss it for the world.She tried to kiss him but he blocked her face with his hand and told ChinHwa to take her away.


    Without explanation, she ran off and took the bike before she rolled away.


    " I have to go and clean since you are coming over. Little brother can stop by and eat before going home", she yelled and disappeared.


    " I hate it when she calls me that", ChinHwa whined under his breath, clearly sounding bothered by that


    " little brothers are cute and you are lucky to have those kind of looks", he told him and he went into the house.


    He didn''t want to walk all the way home so he sat down on the valender after Garam went inside.


    ChinHwa never goes into people''s houses and prefers to just waits outside. Even on weekends when they visit Garam, he will just stay here and play games while Janhee acts melodramatic and plays house with Garam. Janhee thinks it''s funny how ChinHwa always mocks Garam yet doesn''t mind following Janhee there. All the other places he would seem impatient to leave but when at Garam''s, he can even fall asleep or watch a movie on his phone waiting for Janhee.

 Chapter 4

    The way he sprung up was like he had been waiting for infinite years . He seemed to have aged so much in the time span that he look as if he had even lose weight and sense. A careless inspection would make one convinced that Jinyoung is mindlessly intoxicated.


    The cause of this bullet reaction was his door bell that rang. Namkyu jumped towards it but he was immediately disappointed to see delivery visitor, and not his rebellious young brother .


    He grabbed the food and he pirouetted back to the sofa prior slamming downwards. It was already early morning but since it was the weekend he isn''t obliged to go to work . He impulsively checked his phone and it was low with battery. The reason being he spent the whole night waiting and calling Jinyoung but he wasn''t even picking up , he checked all matches that Jinyoung could participate in but he gave up as knew Jinyoung would let him know so that he can be showered with pocket money. Just then he noticed a message from last night


    ''The microorganic build up on his skin could have had a major contribution to the bloating which is why we used several tests but verifying time of death is just a long haul right now. I had them check the age of the unicells like you said and we would receive the results on Monday -HyoSon'',


    He threw the phone and he went to Jinyoung''s room. HyoSon likes to report every single detail. Who doesn''t know that ?


    Still empty.


    It''s like having one''s hopes sky high and being let down brutally mixed with knowing there is nothing yet still hoping for some mind-blowing development . A part of him knew Jinyoung wasn''t in the room but another wished he was , and that other one seemed to the most corrosive, currently eating him alive.


    Now he is partly convinced that Namkyu is with DoekHwan nevertheless the unfortunate part is that Namkyu doesn''t know or have DoekHwan''s phone number and home address. But he can try to call someone at the school and have them link him to those details.


    With that he went and dialled the number but unfortunately it wasn''t reaching through reason being it was the weekend. furthermore even if it did go through, the school isn''t going to give him other people''s contact details until someone absolutely verifies Namkyu''s claims and the fact that DoekHwan and Jinyoung are friends. Understanding this, How on earth is he going to find DoekHwan ,let alone Jinyoung?


    He pulled his jacket and some clothes along with food for his cute athlete brother after he brushed his teeth . His next stops were all arcades that Jinyoung visited .


    All of them said he hasn''t came for more than a week and they thought that he had left for a tennis game which he would naturally tell the owners so that they don''t erase his gaming perks.


    After twelve game-rooms, his will ran out of his chest and slammed like a glass on the ground as he didn''t even know where else to check or who to ask next so he drove to the station.


    Owing to that it is arguably early , most officers haven''t came but there is a reporting one or the receptionist.


    " Hello , my little brother has been missing for two days. I don''t know where he is. He isn''t answering his phone and he is not at all the places he usually goes",


    " Okay, how about friends? Relatives?",


    " I am the only familiar member and I don''t know where his friend lives nor his phone number. Please help me", he cried not even realizing that he is begging pitifully.


    The officer wrote down the findings as well as DoekHwan''s name and he said that those with the ability to check for DoekHwan''s contacts in the system are yet to arrive so he can just go home and they will search. Obviously Namkyu refused saying he wants to be there every step of the way.


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    He went back to his car and he sat inside.


    He had brought some of Jinyoung''s clothes incase he was cold . He also carried water and a juice for him but just seeing these items soaks him in agony . He recalls the last time that his parents almost took Jinyoung away to stay with them.


    Whenever Namkyu was having a hard time with school, Jinyoung was there. During Namkyu ''s breakups, he was there. Namkyu ''s science olympiads , Jinyoung was present. Even when he had no significant input and was just extra luggage , he was always available. To think at the time he atleast eight years old yet Namkyu didn''t mind bringing him along everywhere. His parents were against it but since Jinyoung is a silent kid, he would cause any raucous when with his brother. Due to this finger-nail behavior , everyone was convinced that Namkyu could be Jinyoung''s biological father but the biological mathematics didn''t match.


    The only times when they were not together was when they are at work or at school. After that even when they are in total disagreement or complete silence, they will be in each other''s company


    He lowered his eyelids and a heavy tear descend down from the corner of his perfect painfilled eyes. In the short few minutes he had been camping in this car, he had managed to regurgitate all memories of Jinyoung in the last few days but he couldn''t see himself holding his little brother. He even started to wonder if taking Jinyoung from their parents have a negative effect on his development. Is Jinyoung the way he is because of him? Because of Namkyu denying Jinyoung parental upbringing, could Jinyoung be in ... He refused to think that something other than good could happen. Not to him , not his family and not to his one and only Jinyoung. His everything.


    A tap on his glass made him break from his trance and he saw a lady officer peaking over.


    After he rolled down the window, a gust of warm perfume tickled his nose and the beautiful human portrait smiled at him tenderly. Fate knows that if Namkyu wasn''t looking for his brother, he would be reserving a table for two.


    She told him that she is the constable they asked to find his brother but she explained that the warrant to search will take atmost three hours to obtain and then some more time to mobilize everything.


    The system here works a bit different.


    Police officers request warrants at the comfort of their stations. There is no manual going to the prosecutors unless there is a system maintenance check which happens annually and last for fifteen hours. They simply go into the system fill a report and mail it to the respective officials. And if there is no traffic and no other pressing matters those officials have to tend to, the official will sign it and repost back with in a heartbeat .of course after everything is filled , they are given a waiting period and then they can track the warrant on the system.


    Namkyu knows that and asked if there is someone he can talk to to speed up the process but she responded that he could try though it will be supremely pointless.


    With surrender he decide that he would wait for the warrant.


    She bid farewell


    Four hours later the warrant came out and she went to go search the system. She obtained DoekHwan''s names and saw that he has been arrested for several offenses before he was even eighteen. There were a lot of pickpocketing , drinking, underage labor and smoking cases .This is beyond despicable but it might be favorable for Namkyu as she thinks it means that Jinyoung could be also drinking somewhere with DoekHwan.


    She got up from her desk and she went to the break room to announce it. This is literally the most effective way to relay a case to officers, by shouting at them when they are collected in one space. A conference call could do the same but then how many people need to be connected and how many of them are actually free?


    There were about eight in the large space and four were watching baseball on the flatscreen television. The rest were chatting on the round table and eating sandwiches with really dark coffee except for the female officer who was drinking juice while having her badge and gun on the table.


    GyeongJa took in a deep breath to help her amplify her already small voice. To be honest nearly half the station isn''t sure how Hahm GyeongJa even passed the police exam. She is so small , soft , delicate and overall fragile. She looks like something one finds burried very deep in a treasure chest not for any reason except its petiteness.


    Her heels clicked on the tile as she navigated to the round table. She began her statement but before she was done, Garam snatched the paper from her hands and instructed her to register his name. Without checking for anything else , he flew out leaving everyone confused but they went back to reality because Garam is always explosive in that manner


    He went to the dispatch-unit room and barked at everyone as if they were slacking off on duty. Within twenty-five minutes, he issued a patrol team and two cars left with five offices. By state law , a minimum of two cars can go to check a missing person''s last known addresses, if the person isn''t there or if the location is enormous like a mountain then a larger team is need of atleast ten cars.


    With that done , he exited the station to board the third car. Just then he spotted a black sophisticated automobile that he assumed as Namkyu ''s . Sure enough he saw him barely conscious on the wheel, his head rested softly on the headsupport .


    According to GyeongJa, he had been waiting for more than five hours so he is probably slumbering or hypnotized by stress. He reached his window , tapped twice only to have he almost flow his head to the sound.


    As if he was seeing something worth flying for, he extruded his eyes , promptly opened the door and blurts only to look at Garam with soft eyes. The rest of him was like a muddy track but his emotion and desperation need no rocket scientist to identify


    " We found the DoekHwan''s address and a unit has gone there.", He told him while facing to the station and standing parallel to the car


    " Please let me go there too", he begged him and sniffed a little. He even moved his hands to clasp Garam''s which were like old concrete compared to the vibrant ones of Namkyu


    Garam told him to get inside the car next to him which was police search car.


    Without wasting time, he took all the things on the seat next to him and he got out . Due to his haste motions and trying not to delay progress, he nearly fell down but Garam sort of tried to cradled him momentarily. Just as fast as he elevated, he swiftly lowered his hands as Namkyu flew towards the car, perhaps not aware he almost lost his stability.

 Chapter 5

    ????????????????????????????????He followed behind him . To be honest he had seen so many parents look this way . It is exactly like his entire world is crashing down and he seems to think that the police will bring Jinyoung to him with a large red ribbon and a huge smile


    After nearly six hours of checking and tracing from location to location ,apparently Jinyoung had not contacted anyone nor did he partake in his usual routines for close to three weeks..


    DoekHwan said the last time they hung out was atleast two weeks ago when Jinyoung was still training . Jinyoung didn''t say or do anything unusual just that he was training thoroughly. He wasn''t really being different either.


    The whole search team returned to the station with zero success and the last thing left being to issue last seen reward.


    On the ride back,the doctor in the passenger seat was quiet . He stared into the world but only saw the scenery through his tears. When Garam pulled up , Namkyu robotically got out of the police car with his brother''s clothes still in his embrace. A large part of him knew something but the rest of him didn''t want to believe the possibility of it being true.


    A few seconds passed and he reached his personal vehicle. He open the backdoor of his car but instead he squatted near the wheel proceeding to cry his heart out . He sobbed the living day lights with Jinyoung''s delicate and flat teenage voice flashing through his brain. Instead of burning or echoing, it was getting more and more faint with the more that Namkyu tried to listen to it. The hardedr he attempted to understand what he was hearing, the more it seemed he was losing his auditory abilities along with Jinyoung


    Garam looked at him feeling guilty. He is supposed to serve and protect the citizens . Yet seeing Namkyu in this state somehow proves to him that he has failed his job and oaths. One officer suggested that the best thing Garam can do is to take Namkyu home but it''s usually the worst idea to drive someone to a place were they will be surrounded by memories and accompanied by silence. Maybe he could take him to a hotel but who is going to pay for all of that ?


    So the last alternative is to take his home. His house.


    Garam lives with his parents who have a small salon and barbershop in the neighborhood..


    He went to him and ten more minutes of cry turned to silence and lifelessness. Namkyu got into the back seat and Garam the driver''s.


    Two hours passed .


    He packed outside his residence. He went to open the door for Namkyu but he was just closing his eyes. He didn''t want to call him by his name or his tittle so he decided to tuck him.


    " Sir, please go into the house and rest . We will continue to look for Jinyoung", he told him and Namkyu opened his blood-red eyes and got out.


    He walked in a daze to his house and upon reaching the living room, he melted on the sofa.


    Garam fetched him some water from the fridge and leftover food .When he returned , Namkyu held Jinyoung''s jacket and clung to it with some streams of tears still falling. The rest of his things were on the floor.


    He placed down the food on the table , picked what was on the floor and went to go take a shower since it was already late. As he walked off , he hoped they can find Jinyoung so he can be able to send Namkyu to jail for dealing with Kitae.


    Twenty minutes later when he got out of the shower , the first place he journeyed was towards Namkyu who was still in the same position, only that he wasn''t crying.


    As a worker in Namkyu ''s field , he has come across such cases where someone leaves home and doesn''t come back but if they do , it''s in a coffin. So that must be what is going on through his mind.


    " I want go home", he cracked and Garam knodded. He turned backwards to fetch the keys and his jacket but Namkyu continued talking.


    " ... Only if he is there". Garam arrested on his footsteps.


    He didn''t turn on the lights and was using the moonlight to luminate the room . However he could almost imagine that warm , pain-filled tear falling softly down Namkyu''s eyes.


    Just then a pair headlights stopped by the gate. It was his parents.


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    '' they are going to ask a lot of questions '', , after that statement, he ran outside to counteract them.


    ***


    " Mom, can you spend the night at uncle''s place?", He begged them but she would not listen insisting she wants to meet the girl that is the chase of such behavior.


    She believes that Garam will die a bachelor and has made peace with that Janhee will be the closest she will ever come to being a grandmother. Howbeit that doesn''t stop her from always playing matchmaker for Garam with nearly all the ladies that come to her salon , even ones she has never seen before.


    As for his father , he doesn''t really care what happens in Garam''s life , as long as Garam is healthy and kicking. Nonetheless he would also appreciate a little child running through the house and calling Garam daddy.


    " I will nerve introduce anyone to you", he screamed and she said that on that case , she will go inside.


    " Fine ,you can meet her three months from now", he begged and she agreed.


    A few minutes later they reversed out of the parking lot and went home.


    " She is rich. Did you see her car?", The mother giggled in high expectations.


    ***


    " Sorry, my parents were...", He explained to Namkyu the second he got in the house but he had been standing and looking at the backyard .


    He hates to have to tend to a grown man like this but just as he was about to invite him to rest, he got a text from his colleagues.


    He told him that he would bring his car tomorrow as he has to check some dead uni-woman out of town.


    " Yeah she was found in her bath tub ,foaming", YeongHwan explained when Garam called and Garam told him it''s a suicide.


    He also told him that Kitae''s minion ,Chanyeol was just at the station and he is handling some pickpocketing case . By the looks of things , Chanyeol is defending the guy but he was caught in 4k , stealing .


    He hung up already knowing that the chief is going to assign the case to him again.


    Despite Garam fighting to apprehend Kitae, the chief is undoubtedly in complete opposal of that. He is so against Garam that he always hands him all the case that might risk Garam''s career as a detective. He purposefully allocated the previous case to Garam and whenever any member of Kitae''s nest including famous criminals are reported , Garam is always registered on the warrants or commanded to tag along with whoever is leading.


    **


    Kitae threw the cup on the table and he looked KwangSun who was smoking. He was seating on the table, closer to him while KwangSun was on the chair with his legs stacked. They were in his study in KwangSun''s extremely large mansion.


    He took the cigarette out of KwangSun''s mouth and throw it in the cup of water . Seconds later KwangSun slowly puffed the smoke onto Kitae''s face then proceeding to smirk. He took a sip of his whiskey and asked why Kitae is here at so late instead of reaching his flight .


    " I told you to be careful yet your puppets are leaving scraps all over the place. Do you know how hard it is to clean after them? ",


    " That''s why I pay you so much, to do the cleaning for me. Besides what scraps are you talking about? ", KwangSun didn''t look at him though he knew Kitae was probably staring daggers


    " Gambling in surveillance cameras, jacking car batteries in patrolled zones, organ trafficking registered civilians and immigrants , the list goes on ",


    " Those things have one thing in common. Money! ", KwangSun shook the whiskey and stared at the ice caps.


    KwangSun wants to have the current commissioner fired and then have someone else vote his minion into position. there is no personal attachment that he had to this .he is just power hungry. . Kitae told him that KwangSun is causing unnecessary trouble. If this is the way that he wants to have one of his people be in the position of police commander , then he is using the literal worst approach.


    " Kitae, work for me",he looked to him and smiled seductively


    " No !" ,


    He plain-cold declined and he stood up then he walked to the door.


    Kitae is just famous along the lines of crooks but he refuses to directly accept money from KwangSun even when he knows the money they are paying him comes from him. He really refuses.And everytime that he asks him, Kitae just plainly steps out of the door and leaves .


    At first people thought it''s because he doesn''t want to have any connections but he visits KwangSun casually and they might even share a meal together, while talking about topics similar to one that they just had . It really doesn''t make sense why Kitae refuses to admit that he is working for KwangSun and why KwangSun keeps asking him like he already isn''t. It''s like a dog and cat game because they have already caught each other.


    Maybe it''s the law of the shadows. A dog that never acknowledges its leash is never be a trusted dog. A bond of word is more stronger than that written on paper . If Kitae doesn''t agree or admit to work for him , KwangSun can''t hold him liable for anything at all.


    Two knocks came to the door and a man of below average height in combat wear walked into the dim lit office . he saluted to Kitae without even a glance at him and directed all his attention to his boss.


    Meet IlSeong , KwangSun''s literally most diabolical employee. Just to sum it up, a rottweiler is a daisy and a schizophrenic bull is a cotton ball compared to him on a normal day and on his worst day, a natural disaster equipped with a pandemic would be a blessing .


    He gyrated to his boss and he told him that he had been watching over the commissioner''s secretary and she seems very busy fitting things in his schedule. Apparently some minister is coming to divide the national funds but the funds are twelve million short .


    " Kitae!!", He called him childishly as they both know what he wants


    " No!!", He spoke and as he aimed for the door , IlSeong had already withdrew his knife and held it to his throat.


    "Sit down. He won''t kill you but I can''t promise he won''t make you bleed", KwangSun smiled as if gambling with Kitae''s life was a thrill to him


    Kitae didn''t move back and eyed KwangSun through his peripheral. he told him that there is no way that he is going to get involved in the national corruption. It''s too dangerous and even if there was concrete evidence, he really doesn''t want to.


    " They might kill us", Kitae added


    " You, maybe. Me , probably! But him (IlSeong), never", he joked still seeping the whiskey and he had already lit another cigarette


    Kitae turned and moved back to KwangSun.


    " I said , no!", He pulled out the cigarette and this time threw it in the whiskey then he stormed towards the door


    When IlSeong tried to stop him , KwangSun instructed him not to . A few seconds later he slammed the door and he poisedly strolled to his car.


    " Stop trying to kill him. His dead body is really not valuable", KwangSun yawned


    " For now! ", IlSeong answered and KwangSun giggled.


    ( After five minutes)


    Kitae was still navigating out of the mansion that was heavily guarded with lunatics.


    Every turn he made there would be some figure that looks at him like they want to sell his organs on the black market for bucket change. KwangSun just goes around collecting criminals who''s only significance could probably be converting oxygen to carbondioxide.


    When he got outside he saw that the time was already nine o''clock, he has a flight out at eleven. To be specific, he has a meeting with another thug, just that this one wants to take KwangSun''s place as mafia ruler not to help him rise up the leader.


    With how nonreciprocal Kitae is , it''s quite obvious to KwangSun that Kitae is being too cautious. But he is not sure what exactly is the cause. Is it because Kitae is working for the law or Kitae working for someone else? Nevertheless IlSeong knows that Kitae is dealing with this person but he hasn''t told KwangSun yet... why?


    Does he think KwangSun already knows? If so , why would IlSeong assume it''s okay to keep quiet about it ? And if indeed KwangSun did know , why does he still keep Kitae around?

 Chapter 6

    They stayed silent for hours until Garam started to asks some questions that clearly made Namkyu uncomfortable. To that position he is used his only less-rude defense mechanism, pretending to be asleep. Garam could see through that and he left him. At around three in the morning Namkyu took the keys and he went back home.


    He brought out three bottles of wine then went to Jinyoung''s room only to sit in front of his bed. Despite the richness and vintage appeal of the liquid, he couldn''t even drink a single drop because he kept thinking about what a failure he thought he was. He has an awful relationship with his parents, had a horrible relationship with his ex and now he doesn''t know where his only priority , namely Jinyoung is . But of all those the latter hurts the most.


    So for the whole night, he just stared at a glass of red wine until the sun was up . he went to take a shower but instead just sat under the cold shower flowing down his hair . With his hair wet like that he looked sublime, almost eighteen times cuter than Jinyoung. It was probably for this reason that Jinyoung called his a kid-adult.


    He made his way to the living room and found missed calls from the station. The voice mail said that YeongHwan and BomSoek'' s team were still working on finding him and Garam is going to recheck the CCTV footage again. It ended with the person addressing themselves as GyeongJa.


    For some reason he ended up getting dressed for duty only to regret it while half a mile from work.


    Namkyu doesn''t want to go to work because he knows that he won''t be able to focus when he will potentially be handling peers of Jinyoung. However he also doesn''t favour the idea of asking for a leave of absence to work as he doesn''t want everyone to pity him. This is mainly tribute he probably has a small idea of where his brother is which is why he asked the station to hold the missing-person campaign. Garam had asked about his parents and though Namkyu didn''t want to discuss it , he thinks they could have taken him .


    It seems unlikely but it is also practical .


    They have tried to do so before and accused Namkyu of denying Jinyoung childhood and a parents'' love . But Namkyu said a child tied between custody battles , moving up and down between parents who take every opportunity to degrade each other , might suffer from emotional disorders. Thereof while they are busy fighting,he is going to keep Jinyoung for the time being. Jinyoung also specifically told them that he is not a ball for tossing around.


    The plan is that he goes there to check if he is with them but he doesn''t intend on telling them about Jinyoung missing.Since he never visits , he doesn''t really know how to put it in front of them or what excuse he is going to make for visiting .


    Last time Namkyu''s father seriously tried to get his son arrested for keeping Jinyoung but thankfully it was Jinyoung who said if they do that he is going to run away. And for this unexpected boldness from Jinyoung, they blamed Namkyu so they are definitely going to point fingers at him this time and call him irresponsible and reckless.


    they might even convince him that he is an awful impact to Jinyoung and succeed in getting him arrested for conspiring in '' abducting '' Jinyoung. Those two are capable making some jaw dropping excuse to spin this and make Namkyu the perpetrator. But that won''t be helping to being Jinyoung back home.


    " A female found dead in bathtub and she seemed to have taken drugs because there is foam inside her mouth. There is also some abrasion on the side of her left shoulder running to her back...",


    HyoSon broke the silence as Namkyu was examining the girl that YeongHwan had reported to Garam. He didn''t expect them to bring it to their table when they were still handling Jiwoo


    " I took her blood to the lab and her stomach contents had some stones and plastics in it. I thought you might wanna open that while I check her for other signs ", her tone was giving a command than a suggestion


    Namkyu knodded but he would rather handle her head first.


    He checked her eyes and all other parts. Indeed she had overdosed . Cause of death is definitely a relay, organ failure caused her to lose consciousness and fall into the bathtub and the water ran into her lungs. All in all it was the water that killed her and not the pills.


    She had left no note and was probably just another depressed teen.


    " Her Id show that she was a maths student. Parents wanted her to be a lawyer so they always fought with her. A straight passing student with great activity in the school.", She spoke reading from a tablet


    " Can you bring me some UV rays?", Namkyu wasn''t even interested in anything she was saying


    He used it to scan her and in the next few seconds he shaved her head and checked for trauma. .


    " Strange", Namkyu concluded


    " If she overdosed, she would want to lie down. So she used the bathtub and wouldn''t have this sliding-downwards abrasion. Or if she was seating on the side she would most likely have had the pills with her and the trigger of her suicide but the pills were floating around her from her throwing up postmortem. ", She answered with clear doubt


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    " .. it''s also possible that the trigger is next to the container of her pills that were in the medicine cabinet way far from the bathtub ", he corrected her as assumptions can be misleading


    " They swabbed the medicine cabinet .we are still waiting to see if there were no tears that could imply her taking them by that place ", she added with a belittling tone


    Namkyu agreed when he wanted to be emotional to a teenager secretly killing herself.


    He looked through her dentals and requested to get brain scans for her to check for depression.


    She went to grab them and said she will bring back the tests results.


    He went to her body and it had some self mutilation scars . He blinked away the warm tears and checked any other signs and her genitals were significantly swollen. HyoSon didn''t mention this so he took a camera and noted that Jaebin, the intern coroner had been the one who took the pictures


    He went to the ''plastic'' and opened it. The said stones were just some pills and that was not plastic , it was bathtub lather.


    He looked at her body scans and couldn''t tell if a lot so he had to put a probe in her.


    He saw something inside and by god''s grace he pulled it out intact .


    It was a wooden handle.


    '' she must have been trying to kill the child and overdosed, which ended up killing her. But sexual activity seems recent judging from the redness, just some abortion pills would have done the trick''


    He checked further and he saw some leaves very deep in her .After he took them out , they seemed like herbal leaves.


    In no time he had them sent to the lab.


    When HyoSon came back , he gave them to her and she said she will take everything away at once.


    " Do you think it was rape?",


    " Otherwise wouldn''t be this red", he answered vaguely and she agreed.


    " I called the station and told them everything. They said that they have already contacted the family and her friends. Apparently she didn''t have a boyfriend and was a good student. Must be those cliche stories of sex with the boss for good results . Kids!! ", She commented and didn''t even realize that Namkyu was trembling.


    He threw away everything and said that he is going to the bathroom.


    He immediately stormed away as he couldn''t breathe and wen he got in the bathroom he was already crying.


    He hyperventilated and sobbed with the more he tried to stop the streams from flowing.


    He is so worried about Jinyoung and HyoSon keeps making these annoying comments. Of course, she wouldn''t do them if she knew how badly they were affecting Namkyu so it seems like fate is trying to mock Namkyu''s pain. He has grown so possessive of Jinyoung when he is merely just his brother and with how his parents fought, he thinks that they might be half-siblings but that did less if not more to increase his obsession with having Jinyoung around. He wants to have Jinyoung always him and now that he is not, he is crumbling at the slightest touch.


    His phone rang but he couldn''t even hear it over the sound of his world falling apart. He felt like the teenage girl resembled a secret life that Jinyoung might have had so much that it is like he is autopsying his own brother. He impulsively picked it up thinking it was HyoSon.


    " Check her ears and throat! ", The call was cut and when he looked to it it was his home telephone.


    He quickly ran back to lab .


    He looked inside her throat and he pulled out nearly ten inches of a wooden whole pipe. In her ears was yet more leaves. And on two leaves was a circle on each leaf.


    His feet , hands , ears and eyes went dry. The world went blurry and his temperature skyrocketed. Fifty percent of his back was drenched in fire while the rest was covered in barred thorns that felt like were pulling the neurons crisscrossed over his entire head. He threw everything down and he flew to his car


    In a few minutes and nearly overturning his car and killing ten pedestrians ,he reached his house and it was empty. he looked everywhere and checked all the places . The bathroom, under the bed , behind the curtains , inside the wardrobe , all were completely empty. Finally he went near the telephone not really sure why but then he found a smiley face .


    He coughed as he choked on air and his tears ran parallel to his face. His eardrum blocked sound and started to violently erupted. Subconsciously he placed his hands on his ears and he dazed back to his car


    he went to the station. The same officer who had tended to him immediately jumped when seeing him flying in wearing his uniform.


    " Where is Garam!!", he struggled to speak with his whole face and hands red as a cherry


    " He is on patrol!", the tender voice answered almost scared to tell him


    " Call him , back please!!", He sobbed , boardering breathlessness.


    The awestruck officer did as command and just then Garam walked in eating a sandwich. He was still talking to his mother about the ''girl'' he wouldn''t introduce.


    " Garam, I was... The phone is in my house...", He cried at every sentence while vigorously shaking his hands like they were on fire


    Garam hung up then pulled him outside before he narrated everything still crying hysterically. he proceed to cup his hands over Garam''s and his were incredibly cold


    " Wait in the car , I will come right back!!", Garam held his shoulder to ascertain him


    Detective Lee went inside and he told a standby team to head to the house and to the coroner''s office. He ran up and down the station as if Jinyoung was sighted. Everyone around quickly got dispatched and didn''t even understand why , just that Garam looked dead crazy doing so and those who didn''t respond would become target practice


    Namkyu moved next to his car and he moved back and forth as he watched the cars leaving one by one . For some reason that made him less hopeful and more exhausted.


    At that moment a phone call through and it was ringing inside his car in the cabinet. When he opened the door to reach for, his whole face went numb.


    It was his brother''s phone.


    It rang three times and he shook like a leaf as he reached for the device.


    Seconds after he placed it on his ear , the same voice that had called him told him something different.


    " The password is your birthday. Visit the gallery",


    He followed the instructions and he found pictures of a padlock , a toothbrush, a rope , the same wooden handler from earlier and the rock that was in Jinyoung''s pocket.


    He saw the heavy volume of vomit that was rising out his stomach and as he scrolled,


    He found a video to which he pressed it play and the sound of a dreadfilled wail flooded through. He nearly dropped the ambiguously heavy phone on the ground but still managed to hold it . In the next second, three fingers were laid in front of the cameras . The camera angel was transitioned to a wall , revealing a background written in blood . '' You can only tell three people.''


    His hands became transparent or the phone somehow lost the ability to fight gravity but whatever happened Jinyoung''s phone ended on the pavement


    There is no mistaking it. His brain deduced those were Jinyoung''s fingers and that was his cry.


    He screamed his broken heart , shattered soul and crumbling spirit then forfeited his stability, landing on his knees.


    " Jinyoung!!!", He cried and flashes of Jinyoung came running like an avalanche to his head .


    He could still hear the explosive bellow in his head.


    In the next few seconds, he collapsed in the floor.


    Regret!


    Why did he take Jinyoung thinking he could give him a better life and have him be this way? Why take Jinyoung away from a safe life and burry him in a life full of hornets? He never wanted this lifestyle. He wanted to be a florist but his father called it the job of peasants. So he changed and only carried on so he can provide for Jinyoung but now he lost him.


    He wasn''t moving but the tears didn''t stop flowing. He wasn''t feeling anything but it was like he was being crushed by twelve thousand steel panels and all he can do is try to breathe away the pain. Surprisingly though he was trying to call the air into his lungs , all it did was bullet away.


    He recalled all the times that he grew flowers for Jinyoung and he would eat the petals . All the times that he would sell the flowers to the whole neighborhood and Jinyoung would want to eat the wrappings. It was Jinyoung who made him a small stall to sell the flowers, it was Jinyoung who helped him plant some seeds before he would secretly eat them. He would laugh every Namkyu who scold pests for eating seed not realizing Jinyoung is the boss of the company.


    For Namkyu, Jinyoung grew flowers and for Jinyoung, Namkyu burned the garden. He forfeited that so he can get a better job ,for Jinyoung.


    On the ground, unmoving. On this earth , unfeeling. In his heart , drowning.


    " Jin!!", He whispered as the streaks fell from the corner of his eyes

 Chapter 7

    ???????????"What is going on down there ? ", The commissioner asked his son.


    With his back to him, he faced the world through the class of his office in the Ministry of Defense. He had been working here for forty years and has earned his place where he is . By also earning favor from the minister himself, he had the perks of a great house , twenty-four hour chauffeur service for all his family, lifetime healthcare and one million dollar mansion where he lives with his family except oldest child. Shiyang lives in a hotel alone .


    His office is a state of the art design, equipped with the latest technology and furniture. All the models are shades of matte black, temperatures of grey and slight peaks of brown and orange for warmth. Even the single bouquet of lilies by the window on the table of water melts into the formal atmosphere of the place. Not a single decorative piece steals the attention and if anything helps to concentrate it to the large desk that is the monster of the room.


    Shiyang was standing in front of the desk saluting his father like they didn''t share blood . His face and stand show inordinate rigidity and seemed like he was about to beg for mercy while being on death-row.


    Commissioner Lee has always been reserved and unresponsive to Shiyang from childhood as a cold-hearted personality was demanded by his job. After he moved here with Shiyang , his two sisters and wife , he became more forceful and fierce with Shiyang pressuring him to play the role model for his family. He made rules , objectives and taboos that Shiyang would be punished brutally if he broke them. Even when they don''t live together, Commissioner Lee has his bodyguards always following Shiyang and making sure he doesn''t misbehave. Lee might declare its for protecting Shiyang but the number of times Shiyang got punished after the guards snitched, prove otherwise. one of the rules he made was that Shiyang should always have breakfast and dinner at the house with the whole family, everyday without exception.


    Everytime for these two it''s the constant ''if criminals attack me , will you be able to protect your family. If you went on a career-path like a teacher , what more of your family''s safety?'' .At first Shiyang tolerated him being like that , but after Lee got promoted and faced several death threats as well as attempted assaults, Commissioner Lee has become excessively paranoid and cautious, he doesn''t want to take any shortcuts with his family thus does the extreme .To the worst extent he forced Shiyang to enroll into the academy and have him perform the best by being extra strict on him as well as impeding the trainers to be more brutal.


    Contrary to belief , he was and is a lot more ruthless or barbaric to his son than everyone else which is tremendously disheartening. Not once did Shiyang say anything about this behavior and treatment , nor did he air how difficult and unnecessary his father has been to him. He wants to think everything he has is a blessing but it''s exceedingly difficult to act like it''s not a curse


    He simply swallowed everything and responded with a yes to all the torture and he allowed all the pain to seep inside him. it also seems like he is the only one seeing his suffering . his mother calls it his father preparing him for the world and everyone else calls it a cruel coronation.


    " I will go and see ", he answered and excused himself. His weak voice trembled and the formality on this conversation hugely blurred the social ties of father and son.


    ****


    The female doctor told GyeongJa about the state Namkyu is in as she sat down next to ChaeWon. There were several officers outside Namkyu''s office by order of Garam . Yesterday ChaeWon reported that Namkyu awoke so that''s why GyeongJa ditched duty to visit Namkyu.


    So far the police are galloping around town chasing lead after lead and the only thing they have so far is nowt. They even went to Jinyoung''s school to check and there was nothing that was reported. Howbeit they didn''t give up and are still in pursuit for something to help this case. In the past four days, not a single officer has seen more than six hours of rest


    " This is awful!", Officer Lee ChaeWon told her as he looked at Namkyu concealed in breathing tubes and still as a corpse.


    ChaeWon had refused to stand outside and insisted to be closer to Namkyu when in actuality he just wanted to sleep and eat. It is undoubtedly boring to do that but atleast he is practically not on duty and can play games on his phone to his heart''s desire. Nevertheless twenty hours ago when Namkyu woke up , he had been watching him like he is an explosive. he even did try to feed him eight times over the past few hours. ChaeWon also spoke non-stop to avoid Namkyu falling asleep . After he picked him up on the parking lot , despite his reputation, he has has let Namkyu out of his sight. It was only when GyeongJa came in about ten minutes minutes ago that he acted like a negligent kid obsessed with his phone.


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    GyeongJa gawked at Namkyu , feeling so helpless. She knew that he must be needing some reassurance but that is what she can''t give him . She can''t tell him that despite all the drama Garam had cooked at the station and how much they have searched for Jinyoung, it''s shameful and thoughtless to admit it was effortless. As for Namkyu, he was not speaking but his eyes were wide open. He would blink periodically but he didn''t even move nor produce a single sound. When the doctor checked his vitals , he was no different from a paralyzed person with the inclusion that he had a very weak pulse.


    He has dried so aggressively and looked agonizingly awful . He was barely present in the moment and who would blame him.


    ***


    The team leaders for Namkyu''s report had assembled here with Station Commander Dongshik to discuss a plan for the raucous going on. They haven''t made a breakthrough and Shiyang coming to the station was the worst sign possible that Commissioner General is aware of the case and by default they have to hasten their acts and maximize their efforts.


    " Sir , we have been doing this for close to a week now . And have found very little to work with. Surprisingly over the last few days , six bodies were retrieved and all were suicides.",


    Dongshik banged his heavy fist on the table of the break room . Regardless of his convincing righteous, he is the province''s most corrupt police officer . He accepts bribes like free sample. His favourite and most reliable sources of income are Kitae, Taesoo and SungHoon


    " Sir , Inspector Lee Shiyang requested to aid in the case", GyeongJa softly blurted


    " Decline", Garam barked and Dongshik nearly punched him as he agrees with that but there is no successful way that he can say that to Shiyang and prove effective.


    " Sir , I requested access to the post-mortem for the victims that were reported in other station but they are still processing the warrants ", another officer , Nam ChoHee spoke in disbelief and anger


    Dongshik placed his hand on his nostrils and the police report came on the TV. GyeongJa increased the volume, calling attention even to the outsiders of the room.


    " The city is in chaos. In the span of a month , close to fifteen bodies have been found and the police are on their feet trying to work out what is happening. Sources say it proves to very suspicious and such remarks have been said to create surrealistic trauma in the city",


    "Garam, if you don''t get me a lead by the end of the week , don''t even bother coming back", he screamed and as much as Garam wanted to joke and insult him for being a money-grubbing tick, he played along and vowed to do his best


    Shiyang who was by the door came into the room and asked if he can join the team but once again ChoHee spilled the warrant matter . Uniformly everyone waited for Shiyang ''s reaction .


    With the attention on him , he was drenched in immeasurable discomfort and awkwardness. The answer and oath they wanted was one he couldn''t provide . It would bring too much drama and people will say that he is using his father''s connections to move up the ladder , which would be technically true . just that hearing it everytime Shiyang does something any police officer would do, is unrealistically unnerving. Police hacker , Wang Minjun looked to and fro the audience and Shiyang .For no reason Minjun said that Garam will drive Shiyang there despite Shiyang not saying anything of the sort. Failing to decline, they took the answer as consent and earned themselves a relief . Even Dongshik suddenly appeared very much pleased and in control.


    When the officers got outside the room, they all dispersed to respective departments to carry on investigating . Garam saw Shiyang heading to the parking lot and he ran up to him .


    Upon reaching him , Garam moved unnecessarily close to him but Shiyang''s quick reflex minimized how akward that nearly became . Garam was next to the door then asked where Shiyang was going to which he replied the commissioner''s office.


    It would be better to get such permission from his father than to go there empty handed. Despite them being unlikely to refuse as Shiyang is Commissioner Lee''s son ,if he goes through this , it will reduce any abuse of power allegations that are almost be coming a part of Shiyang''s name.


    Garam smiled , closed the door then suggested they take his car . He offered to drive Shiyang to speak to his father.


    After ten miles , he took a detour and they went to highway leading to a cafe. on the way there ,Garam dialed a phone number that read Minjun on the digital radio. When he picked, Garam asked Minjun to send a pdf .


    No more than ten seconds later , Minjun reported that the document is already in Garam''s possession. Garam promised to buy him lunch and he hung up. Minjun is a gluttonous cute giant so any oath of food makes him feel like he is holding heaven and would do anything.


    " We have the warrant.", He looked to Shiyang,who was still confused.


    Garam had asked Minjun to fake the warrant after he heard ChoHee saying that the warrant is being put on hold . Garam , his musketeers ( BomSoek, YeongHwan and Minjun) , Nikki and Yoohan suspected foul play there, that someone was misusing power to stop this station from figuring out the mess when the cases are being reported to them. So YeongHwan and BomSoek are investigating that alongside Minjun . As expected , Garam pushed Yoohan very far away from the case , to protect him incase the ''someone'' is a multi-headed viper . At current Garam is not on speaking terms with Yoohan.After they find who is behind that , a lot of answers are going to be apparent and maybe Yoohan will be less angry at Garam.


    Initially he wouldn''t have done this but after Yoohan and Nikki told him that an emergency warrant provision shouldn''t take this long, he needed no catalyst to act on his instinct.


    And though Garam and others will get in a lot of trouble , Shiyang''s position and the priority of this case might help to cover a lot . At the end of the day it will help to catch the mastermind behind it . Furthermore the conclusion that there is a mastermind doesn''t mean that Garam has witnessed anything that Namkyu spoke off, but the fact that there is no evidence means that someone is doing a phenomenal job cleaning up.


    Shiyang kept quiet as he already concluded what was happening. He felt a little thankful that he doesn''t have to talk to his father.


    " You don''t have to tell Commissioner Lee anything. If the station asks , say that the prosecutor did his job", Minjun tried to give Shiyang an idea but it was useless because if he tags along the guards are going to tell then he still needs to explain everything plus the fake warrant will get filed .


    " Just stay in the car if you are that worried.", Minjun giggled at him as they were approaching the turn.


    If Garam goes alone , no one is going to say anything bad to or about Shiyang. Garam will produce a warrant and they will file it . He will simply say that the warrant has been approved and he will be able to gather all the data that he needs for this case. Afterwards he can take them to HyoSon for her to give her conclusion. When the real warrant comes out , Nikki and Minjun will handle it .


    All in all Shiyang is safe , thanks to Minjun and Garam!

 Chapter 8

    ?????????Garam stopped outside Yoohan''s house , Yoohan''s car wasn''t in the driveway so he must be out .


    It didn''t make sense where he could be so late at night . Of course he wouldn''t report his comings and goings to Garam but with all that is going on , it would be very foolish for him to set rendezvous into the night. But the player seems to be targeting a specific pattern of individuals, then Yoohan might be safe .


    Still it felt a bit uncomfortable considering this resembles how Jinyoung got lost, so he called him and as expected he didn''t answer the phone .


    Their last encounter was aggressive and ended with Garam raising his voice to Yoohan unnecessarily. Yoohan would have naturally fought back but he thinks in any argument, he is always right and shouldn''t waste time on someone who doesn''t believe anything that will come out of his mouth. That being said he cut contacts with Garam. And knowing Yoohan''s character, it''s not surprising.


    He got in his car and went home .


    Four days later before going to work , he went to check on Yoohan and his car was present. That was reassuring so he left to go to work. Atleast if he can''t talk to Yoohan now , he can prove useful elsewhere.


    The whole day was hectic at work .


    BomSoek and ChoHee had gone to the coroner''s and brought the report. Minjun had been breaking through both Jinyoung and his brother''s devices. He checked all the cameras and footage for the coroner''s office as well as the technology there. He was aided by a team to check for any suspicious looking people. As for Garam he was checking all the leads from the clues of the past victims. The two students and some from the files they got with Minjun'' fake warrant. GyeongJa is still playing housecall nurse for Namkyu who is still with ChaeWon. Unfortunately his condition is worsening and had experienced six nosebleeds in the past ninety six hours.


    Yet again they had assembled in the break room and Minjun had projected the pictures from Jinyoung''s phone on the large screen.


    " The piece in her mouth and genitalia are a match . Her hand also has some mild bruising that was aggressified by the long period in water. That means two things. She either hurt her hand with the stick or she shoved the stuff inside of her . The leaves tested are from a mahogany tree and the closest is farm house . She didn''t work there nor did she have any contacts.", ChoHee read the contents to the twelve officers in the room


    " This is definitely a suicide but why is it so brutal?", Minjun shook his head and looked to Shiyang who looked away


    " She is the puppet, we need the puppet master.", GyeongJa whispered


    " On the other case of suicide , a student on break from the army burned himself. He worked in the mahogany farm house before he went to the army . The students'' deaths are a week apart. So far it''s noted that he is missing teeth which were assumably broken by something metallic. ",


    " Padlock!! " , Minjun said what they all didn''t what to hear.


    Garam couldn''t believe this . People are dying and they are killing themselves. But to stage a suicide is always two things. Manipulation or force. What kind of psychopath has that kind of whispering abilities.


    It brought chills to his spine when considering how much this savage monster is capable of but what scares him the most is whether Jinyoung is still alive or not. He has not been able to go to the hospital because he doesn''t even know where he is going to begin when telling Namkyu how much or rather how little he has uncovered. It is truly embarrassing and a cause for great concern.


    He heard how badly Namkyu is from GyeongJa. Thankfully she runs her mouth when exited otherwise he would have never known how he is . He is really concerned about him and he will surely visit him . Just that he wished the gift he brings is Jinyoung and nothing else .


    Shiyang took the files and he begun to read everything. He doesn''t need extra explanations, just that the pattern and conclusion they have reached is not conducive enough for a report to his father and his prosecutor friends. All in all he needs to do everyone''s job and be two times faster than them.


    " I checked the phone that he dropped in the parking lot and it was indeed from his house. Nothing was hidden and the phone records are even in the company. There was no caution . ",


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    Garam stayed behind along with Shiyang. Minjun went and leaned against the table closer to Shiyang who was seated a few seats from Garam.


    " Running a voice id is a waste of time but then I compared it to previous calls. I ran it four times . The result is the same . The voice is Namkyu''s", he whispered to Garam who responded by banging his fist on the table.


    He first got this from Nikki saying that he went there and all he found when Namkyu''s prints and the funny thing is the prints were so vivid even to the naked eye , like the phone had been used recently unless Namkyu frequents in greasing his phone.


    Now Minjun is saying that Namkyu did this.


    Garam left the room and slammed the door . He can''t give him back Jinyoung and now he is going to accuse him of being a serial killer. He was literally in hospital and in that time people got dead. he has an alibi more solid than Minjun''s implications. If they decide to follow up that lead and assumptions, he might as well as hand his badge to Dongshik for retirement.


    " What are you doing?", Minjun asked Shiyang as he typed in his tablet .


    He explained that he was summing up case findings and linking up clues. He said that he looked at times and modes of dead . Causes of death and duration of death from onset of harm or injury as well as the next crimes . He was also liking up the clues that were being left . He also thinks it''s far-fetched to consider Namkyu as a suspect. Clearly the culprit is pinning the blame on Namkyu and making the police follow a dead end . But why chose Namkyu? Without a doubt there is something going on but he is sure what .


    Min smirked . He didn''t pick Shiyang to be so talkative and hearing that scorn Shiyang got uncomfortable feeling that he had said too much.


    " We know that who is doing this is crazy and they have a personal battle or just a habit to have fun with anyone. That anyone could be Namkyu or Namkyu could have been a target but I think the later is true. To get this far without leaving traces means it''s premeditated. In conclusion, we don''t care about the modus operandi because it is very random and one could be leading to this person only to find someone else dead. I am not saying he is using mind control but rather that he is doing a mind game and we are the pawns . Namkyu might the game board or the move guardian ", he complimented the long speech which was smart of him that even Shiyang nodded .


    " Then what is the best plan? ",


    " On the past victim , we got clues from a call Namkyu received and the one before that was a body Namkyu checked on . I think if we want to get close to the culprit, we need Namkyu back in the game",


    " But that''s baiting with people. By putting him back it means that more clues will be generated for the next kill. What if we never find him?


    " We can take a gamble to ascertain that Namkyu is the magic guy",


    Shiyang was unsettled with that but there is very little that he can do. If the puppetmaster was really eager to kill, whether or not Namkyu is present , bodies will pile. but then again if they are right , that would mean some civilian died so others could be saved . A large part of him doesn''t want to do this but if he has better ideas ,the best time to voice them would be now.


    Minjun took out a sticker from him pocket and he stuck it behind Shiyang''s tablet


    " All homicide cases are a gamble. With every minute we wonder ,has the thirst for blood stopped or is the game still going on. By doing nothing we might save some people but what about justice for the lives that have been lost. Are they not worth living that someone taking their lives is completely okay as along as they don''t repeat the incident? We catch criminals and we will have to do whatever it takes to make sure them or others never get the chance to victimize anyone again", he finished sticking it on and he stood up to leave


    That was the most logical non-aggressive lecture of his life and for doing nothing but listening , he got rewarded with the sticker of a white bear.


    He didn''t smile and he pulled back the files using all that was said to him as a guideline


    ***


    Garam was so tired . Yesterday after the meeting he went to Namkyu''s house and looked at Jinyoung''s things. When he came back ChinHwa was seating on his valender. He got furious and told him to disappear. Today Janhee came to scold Garam assuming that the reason ChinHwa didn''t bring her is because of his temper. He was too tired for that so he went out drinking.


    At around midnight when he finally came home , Nikki called him . They talked about Kitae and his plans and he told him to keep following and to be careful. The boy agreed and hung up.


    Just then Janhee called Garam using her aunt''s phone. Garam blocked her but she keeps changing numbers everytime he does so. He gave up.


    Knowing very well that it was her , he still picked up ans asked where he was to which he replied a to work . She tried to keep talking but he just hung up the phone .


    Early morning after he freshened up, he headed to Yoohan''s.


    After confirming the car in the garage, he went into the house . Garam unlocked the door. He was carrying large plastics and a paper bag on one hand .


    Slowly he made his way into the deluxe apartment and placed the products on the glass table . The air conditioner was on so the occupant is somewhere around.


    Honestly he would just leave these but he isn''t here to fulfill chores but to talk to Yoohan. He has been ignoring him for a long time because of the whole Namkyu thing.


    " Hello Yoohan , thanks for welcoming me in your house", he tried to use sarcasm when he spotted Yoohan staking his legs on the sofa.


    He was typing something on his portable device but obviously very aware of the visitor. He keep still as if Garam was absent.


    " I was worried about you and have came to apologize sincerely. So sorry. ", He walked to stand in from of him and bowed


    Silence.


    " We still haven''t found Jinyoung and Namkyu is in hospital. His condition is bad ",


    " You are a habitual visitor ", Yoohan avoided eye contact


    " Of course not . GyeongJa keeps telling me his health",


    " Because you guys are friends", he had it as a matter of fact


    " As much as I am friends with you.. I mean we are not . He is just a client ",


    " That you are helping despite dealing with the guy that will have you feeding out of the gutter. ",


    " Stop acting like you are jealous", he hated that tone because it was similar to Janhee''s annoying one


    " Garam, Namkyu is bad news . Stay away from him",


    " I can''t do that .", He didn''t mean to offend Yoohan


    " You mean you won''t. ",


    If Yoohan knew that Minju''s findings and the phone things plus that Garam hasn''t investigated that lead yet, he would literally lose his cool.


    " From now on , we will walk different paths",


    " That''s your business. I am still coming to you",


    he went to the sofa and hugged Yoohan. He pulled his cheeks and looked at what he was doing. Yoohan didn''t react because he is still angry over being sidelined. He doesn''t care about what relationship Garam might have with Yoohan but he sure hopes it won''t replace theirs. Another thing is , Garam tends to treat him like a child whenever they have an argument


    " From now on , I will update you about everything on the case . The good and the bad . But make sure you answer your phone . I can''t come here everyday" ", he ruffled his hair and Yoohan agreed. Next he moved to the side of the sofa only to have Garam slid onto his shoulder. He told him to wake him up in an hour


    " No" he stood up and he went to the other chair but Garam didn''t follow him. He understands and respects Yoohan''s egotistical need for space.

 Chapter 9

    ???????????????????GyeongJa was seating next to Namkyu when the doctor came into the room carrying a tray of pills and  a clipboard. His name tag read Oh Gyutae.


    He eyed GyeongJa who was so infatuated with Namkyu that she didn''t even notice Gyutae walking in. She was just holding Namkyu''s hands like they were a couple. The doctor concluded she must be a very close friend. The way that she is always tending to Namkyu and telling him stories about her life is too intimate. She basically spends more time here than she does in her own life . It''s safe to assume that that life now revolves around Namkyu. using some unique tactic, she has successfully managed to replace ChaeWon who is currently tailing Shiyang and Minjun.


    He placed the tray down and lifted the document to read it out althewhile avoiding eye contact with GyeongJa.


    " We will be performing a check on him . Can you please wait outside for some minutes?",


    She agreed and she touched Namkyu''s head sweetly before she left. It''s like she didn''t want to leave his side .Even though Namkyu seemed asleep, it was like it made no difference to her . She was still hesitant.


    Immediately when the doors closed , the doctor aggressively threw the note on the table.


    Gyutae firmly clenched his fist making it twitch and his jaw tensed . He half blinked some pent-up anger before he exhaled heavily. Even the way the air exited his lungs felt and sounded like a war of arms .


    After regaining his composure , he walked slowly towards the bed that Namkyu was sleeping in. He looked at him and he reached for a syringe kit in his pocket.


    While still standing, he sterilized Namkyu''s arm and then he withdrew some blood. Soon after he placed the blood sample in his pocket..


    " What are you going to do with it ?",


    He leaned over and moved closer to his ear


    "I am going to ... Paint with it",


    Namkyu turned his head to the side and his eyes landed on a pair of detonates in his company''s eyes. They were so distant and clouded like they were hiding beneath a heavy cloak of self-loss or lack of identity. They blinked like they would fall thunder and they glistened like they would take a life. Even with the face concealed behind a face mask , it wasn''t difficult to tell that underneath it was a brutally heartless soul.


    Even with what he had said  had warranted a smirk, it''s clear that he was expressionless. And in other words, what Habin was saying was very much likely not a joke but a confession.


    His body went paralyzed. It was insane that he couldn''t feel anything for the past few days and suddenly he feel something but he was like he was in drying cement. Most of his feet-area went cold similar to his spine and scalp but inside of him, his organs were somersaulting and his spirit was boiling. He wanted to walk away ,to run,  to escape ,just to be far away from this present moment but he couldn''t . For some reason he was glued to the bed just as he was polarized to the incarnate in front of him. Something tells him he isn''t glaring at the  personification of a devil but hell itself.


    " You look different when petrified",


    Why is his voice so calm and non-unique but still resonant?


    '' ... '', he wanted to say something but his mind went blank and all he did was stare emptily at him.


    Without realizing it , his tears had betrayed his uninvited characteristic of paralysis and decided to flow out of his eyes.


    Habin shifted his attention to Namkyu''s streams . He lifted his hand and he wiped away the tears using a cotton bud . His motions were so tender like he was afraid to bruise his skin. With every single one that fell , he would gently bid it farewell. If his hand was a kiss, it would be like that of an angel but the devil was an angel too


    " Don''t let me see her around you or I will peel her skin and pin it on the flag pole outside. ", He didn''t even smile and again that sounded like a promise.


    " Jiny.. ",


    " If you''re good , I will tell you.... WHERE I BURIED HIM!!! ",


    He protruded his eyes and more tears fell down his eyes . He didn''t mean to cry but suddenly can''t stop it. He couldn''t tell if Habin was serious but he is convinced for a fact that he wouldn''t outright kill Jinyoung.


    " Lies!", He whispered


    " You don''t think I did?",


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    He shook his head , making Habin almost chuckle.


    Habin took out some pills from his pocket and he raised it to Namkyu''s lips . Subconsciously Namkyu opened his mouth and Habin placed it softly on his mouth. Afterwards he wiped the area around his lips with his hand that was still in gloves. Now that he wasn''t using cotton, the latex gloves felt much more colder to the skin.


    " When this dissolves in your blood, you will feel the worst pain . If you can survive that, I will grant you one wish",.


    He told him briefly and just as he was about to leave , Namkyu grabbed his arm and pulled him forcefully. Even Habin didn''t expect that . he looked at the weak hand holding him and then back to the owner


    " Don''t hurt him, please!", He didn''t realize how pathetic he looked and sounded begging for Jinyoung''s salvation.


    He cried ever so softly and yet again , Habin moved his hand to wipe away the tears . The cotton bud was already getting saturated with tears but he didn''t stop wiping them. For some time it seemed like this man and GyeongJa''s places have been swapped but Gyutae was doing a much more phenomenal job


    Habin slowly moved his eyes to meet those of Namkyu who were already penetrating deeply into him but were unfortunately just bouncing off the surface. Habin looked at him like he wanted to say something far more heartless, more cruel and merciless but he didn''t. His plan changed but his coldness didn''t heat up.


    " You can''t kill a dead man",


    he shrugged off the arm . he picked the tray and walked off. Something made it feel like they will definitely meet again soon


    Though he didn''t push him , Namkyu felt like he had been slapped to another dimension that was manipulating and disturbing his neural processes. There was so much pain , such raw emotions, unhidden and unfiltered. Just bare and concentrated. It was like knowing the torment of agony, the feeling of disaster, the breakdown of loss and brutality of paralysis. Not knowing whether Jinyoung is alive, not being able to believe that he isn''t the protagonist in all of this and blaming himself for all the lives that have been lost, is just too much . It feels correct to have Jinyoung alive but it also feels surrealistically naive and delusional. Seeing Jinyoung and believing he is alive , would be like praying to hug a ghost.


    It hurt when he didn''t have an understanding with his parents, when his father invalidated him, when his mother belittled S , when  Jinyoung acted like he doesn''t matter but this emotion right now , this encounter with the embodiment of Lucifer and Diablo, just nullifies any sort of emotion that he had ever felt . The love , hate , anger , self-doubt, all of it feels like the smoke of a boiling pot and thanks to this man, he just reached inside the fire


    He sobbed and sobbed while on the bed .


    He cried for two minutes straight and then he suddenly had the thought to chase him but something tells him , that if he did, he might never see Jinyoung again. He can''t call Garam .


    " Code red!!!", The hospital alarms went off..


    Suddenly everyone went rouge


    The patients started screaming in the hallways and everything. The door to Namkyu''s room went on an automatic lock , that can only be opened by a key code.


    " Could they have seen him?", he started to panic. He saw the broken clipboard which had earlier on caused him to wake up and he picked it up


    " If they find him , he might...", he got off the bed


    Just then the doors were being unlocked . His hands shook so he hid the board under the covers before he stood to met the visitor. Thinking it was Gyutae , his heart raced but was soon brought to rest by inertia when GyeongJa bombarded into the room and raced to him


    " Hey , be careful. A male doctor has just been found staked all over with needles, his body is foamed ", she trembled.


    '' Does that mean...he touched me wearing a dead man''s clothes. Then those needles and that pill'', he thought to himself but just then GyeongJa touched his reddened face .


    Before he could react to it , the first image that cascaded his mind was Gyutae''s cold eyes in which he was staring at a few minutes ago.


    He defaulty withdrew backwards , went back to bed and covered himself.


    ****


    " Garam, there has been a distress call where Namkyu is .  A new male doctor was brutally murdered. GyeongJa reported that he was foamed.  ", ChaeWon called Garam who was still investigating another homicide


    (Seven hours later)


    Inside the cold dark custodian mansion, Yesang moved from the kitchen sink and placed the plate of fish on the island.He sat down and he sipped the wine . He looked a little bit more withdrawn from reality than when he was pretending to be Gyutae. Maybe it was because he never had such a faded conversation with someone he wanted to kill .


    " Here , have a bite", Jinyoung raised his arm to Yesang, with the fork.


    Geun Namkyu''s little brother Geun Jinyoung was sitting adjuscent to Park Yesang and feeding him fish in a large mansion!! Either he was in denial or was just a very good actor, but this athlete doesn''t seem bothered that Namkyu is eroding over his longing for him. Insisted is taking care of the the being that is the cause of distress for someone who encountered the furious tabulations for him.


    Yesang shook his head so Jinyoung ignored him and carried on eating.


    Yesang was still thinking about how dangerously bold it was for Namkyu to pull him. Some people have done the same thing and just like them , they managed to grab his attention. But unfortunately, all of them are currently dead.


    He didn''t kidnap Jinyoung, nor did he trick him to this life. he willingly followed him. And since he knows a lot of important details, he can''t let him leave, atleast not alive .


    He never intended to kill him but he also didn''t mean to keep him alive. He is just indifferent to him but Jinyoung is useful. He helped him get into the hospital and he helped to lure Gyutae to the medicine cabinet and he is the one who sedated him but the killing was definitely done by Yesang. Of course he didn''t need help, but this proved how effective Jinyoung is . Moreover, he is curious of whether Jinyoung helped because he suspected that Yesang wanted to see Namkyu but still it''s not clear why he offered to let him go into the hospital.


    Did he do it because there was a trap, because he wanted to have Namkyu know he is alive or he did it for Yesang. Whatever the case, only the latter seems to be supported. Never the less , he won''t ask him to tell the truth.


    He hasn''t said anything to him in the past few days and the first thing Jinyoung said in the morning was " do you mind needles ?",


    Yesang shook his head when Jinyoung offered again. Jinyoung said that Yesang had been ignoring him and he hated it. Being in the dark mansion with three old women, is boring.


    Those three women took care of Jinyoung from a young age . the worst part is that each of them told Jinyoung that Yesang practiced killing with their families. He killed two husbands , three children and all grandchildren. To be honest it brought chills to Jinyoung , so he is wondering, is the same thing going to happen his family, is Yesang going to hurt Namkyu?


    Yesang pulled a sample of blood from his pocket and rolled it to Jinyoung.


    Jinyoung trembled, his voice broke . Yesang is unpredictable and would do anything. And maybe as a coronation, he might have really hurt Namkyu.


    " Did he cry?",


    Yesang shook his head, an obvious lie . He isn''t entitled to say anything to Jinyoung so that doesn''t mean he can''t lie.


    ''does that mean he is still alive? '',


    " Do you have anything to ask?", Yesang finally raised his eyes to meet those of Jinyoung''s which were beyond reddened. He didn''t need a magnifying glass to see that the child was scared to be here and this close to him . He was acting like he is fine but it''s a facade and also a bore for Yesang. Suddenly he remembered that the last girl whose ribcage he drilled had the same look, so he is kinda thinking Jinyoung might have the same expression when he pours molten mercury into his throat.


    Jinyoung didn''t say anything.


    "Don''t throw the net, if you don''t want to catch the fish", he stood up to go away


    He meant if Jinyoung doesn''t want Namkyu to be targeted, then he needs to make sure that Yesang is far away from Namkyu by not pulling similar stunts around Namkyu.. However after today''s encounter, avoiding Namkyu is going to be a lot more difficult and impossible.


    (In the basement)


    " Young sir said to give you these", the old lady pushed a plate of food through the open hatch


    Yesang has been keeping his uncle in the basement for ten years. There is no solid reason for that , he just did it.


    After Yesang burned his family and home, his uncle was the only one left . because he called him Satan, he locked him in hell and punished him like a cruel sinner


    For five days now,  he had been receiving food from someone they address as ''Young sir'' but he doesn''t know who that is . At first he was afraid to eat the food because it may be poisoned but he knows Yesang doesn''t murder, he just makes death a better alternative.


    He took the plate of food . He ate slowly and it was delicious.

 Chapter 10

    ??Garam checked into the place , saw Shiyang existing the break-room . They didn''t acknowledge each other so Garam went to Dongshik''s office. It was empty so he helped himself to the whiskey. A quiet twenty minutes passed before Shiyang came into the room and he found Garam seating on the desk.


    ??????????????" I know that you don''t want to do this but we really have no choice", Shiyang told Garam who begun massaging his nose bridge furiously.


    This conversation again! It begun while they were driving from Minjun''s house, while they were buying food and now here again.


    " Please stop with the pretending, there is no ''we'' .", He paused and he grabbed the whiskey . Shiyang watched him bawl it all down


    " Detective Garam, I don''t understand what language I am supposed to use for you to get this. The only sort of justice that Mr Geun Namkyu can get for his suffering is if this perpetrator is caught and punished. We aren''t doing this because we enjoy it. We are doing this because it''s what we vowed to do, which is to protect every member of society at all costs ",


    "Even one''s mental health?",


    " Y...yes." Shiyang obviously hesitated before he continued.


    " This station has experienced workers , surely they wouldn''t resort to this if they had better alternatives. Surely they wouldn''t gamble with a lifetime of trauma for someone if they weren''t sure of the success of that, and I definitely wouldn''t have agreed to all the ideas that which you co-hosted , both legally and illegally if I didn''t trust their success. ",


    "Inspector Lee, I appreciate your words but they don''t make it any easy", Garam wasn''t flattered by Shiyang admitting that he did all the things his father would skin him alive for , because of him


    " Why is it difficult for you to do this", Shiyang peered daggers at him


    " Why isn''t it difficult for you to do this? ",


    " Who said it isn''t? ", Shiyang suddenly learnt how to speak casually.


    " Inspector Lee, I think there is another alternative ",


    " Well , am ears! ", He bellowed, making Garam stand up and face him


    His eyes shifted from stressful Garam to his phone that started crying. a few minutes were left till dinner time and if he doesn''t hurry up he might miss it. Needless to explain the consequences of that but he is in a tough spot right now . Everyone in the station is waiting outside for a breakthrough from him because they feared to discuss with Garam the whole using Namkyu to get to Yesang.


    The exact plan here is to let Namkyu go back to his life , precisely that of a medical officer and have him working on all the suspicious cases that have been presented after Jinyoung''s disappearance. In addition to that , they would simply keep observing him. Though it sounds exactly like they are praying for Yesang to clumsy kill someone in order to catch him, there is no other bloodless route . So they expect Garam or anyone to explain to Namkyu that he has to lure Yesang out by doing certain things that might trigger him. The officers are aware that all games have rules therefore they assume that Yesang might relay some to Namkyu . they are correct though they don''t know . So far only two exist, for Namkyu to tell only three people and for him to stay away from GyeongJa . however Namkyu hasn''t told anyone these because he doesn''t take them seriously since he doesn''t know whether Yesang is a player that abides by any rules even if they are his own.


    Garam turned back to the whiskey but just swayed it as his head was buried low. Shiyang was getting anxious as if he can pull him all the way .


    " Just leave if you have someone here to be . Rich kids like you can''t relate to what Namkyu has to go through ",


    " What?! ", he peaked his gaze to him.


    There is only ten minutes left. Even in a rocket he wouldn''t make it in time to the mansion yet he is risking that by staying long enough to provide a concrete reason. Afterall if one is going to be late better they have a reasonable explanation backed by evidence for that. Though for the common lot, just saying one was working overtime is enough but the Commissioner Lee would want to know much more that just that unless one doesn''t value their skeletal integrity


    " He raised his brother alone so he did everything to be his left and right side. If I or someone suddenly told him that he is potentially a trigger for all of this so we would like to stage him to catch this psychopath implying that finding his brother is no longer a priority, I don''t think you would understand what it would do to him. I am not saying to do nothing, rather that it''s extremely heartless but guess it''s true that power is blinding so is deafening ",


    He doesn''t know when but suddenly Shiyang had lept , pulled Garam by collar and brought him closer to his face. His eyes were filled to the brim with immeasurable fury but the way that Garam calmy stared back at them was like he could see the fear that they harbor. His hands held firmly onto his leather jacket but somehow seemed that they were afraid of letting go as they would be pulled towards a much more lethal presence .


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    Tonnes and tonnes of stress due his father''s inescapable scolding brought about by Garam''s reluctance was really throwing him off radar. To think that, Garam is willing to protect the feelings of one person when a large number are already dead and about to die, is too inhumane. Shiyang was against this when Minjun pitched it to him but Minjun made some valid points. It just doesn''t make enough sense for Garam to be this oblivious. To Shiyang, it seems Garam thinks Namkyu deserves mercy than innocent civilians deserve to live as baiting Yesang through Namkyu and catching him will provide a bulletproof sense of justice and security to the deceased, the bereaved and society.


    Garam was intoxicated and a tiny bit enraged by the lack of respect from Shiyang . With how transparent Shiyang is right now, attacking him might lead to an unexpected ending with no beneficiaries. He wanted to blurt a mouthful of insults to him but his status as Commissioner Lee''s son made him feel like he lined up to have someone wipe feces on his face . Nevertheless he aggressively yanked himself free from his clutches. If he doesn''t leave he might dislocate Shiyang''s jawbone. .


    ***


    It was a little close to midnight . This guy had just came from a night club and was heading home. He was saturated with alcohol and his clothes were inside out.


    He was driving carelessly at a very highspeed , ignoring all road signs. since there was little to non traffic, his actions were accident free.


    He decided to tune up the radio and drawback the windows to reduce his fatigue level . As he was retracting his eyes back to the road ahead , the next thing he saw was someone running full blast infront his car.


    At a moment of desperation he swayed the car , dodged the person and hit the harsh brake a few feet from the person.


    Upon checking the rearview mirror, he saw the person laying cold on the floor.


    His fear and panic got the best of him . He was sure he didn''t touch the person . But his above recommendable alcohol consumption is a catalyst for hallucination henceforth he may have hit the pedestrian.


    He got out to go and see. It was apparent from his shock that despite the high volume of booze in his circulatory, there is no way that he could have hit this lady and not felt a single impact . Her condition was just too incredibly bad. Her face was bruised, her skin broken, multiple cuts as well as fractures. The angle of her foot show that it was indeed dislocated . Her breathing was very faint and looked like she was hanging onto life by a thread. She bleed a lot and some blood looked dried up on her face. To add to that , the trace of blood she made was from running and rolling on the road by myself after the car had long stopped.


    Utter disbelief!


    " Help!", The lady whimpered shocking the man back to reality and on that note he carried her back to his car . Regardless of not being able to properly explain this scenario, atleast he can lie to his wife saying that he was escorting a person to hospital. The nearest hospital is five yards away but that won''t be a problem


    Nearly an hour later , his car hit a violent break at the emergency station. he ran into the emergency ward and announced the person in his car. No later, a group of health care workers tended to the patient.


    (Two days later)


    "Detective Lee , this is beyond believable. We have to let him go", Minjun told him in a low voice as he himself couldn''t process the reality of the nonsense in front of him


    << Garam''s imagination >>


    " You know the scumbag that is killing people , don''t you?", He yelled ,


    Namkyu had never seen him look this way and wondered what on earth he was talking about.


    " Why was your car with that woman? She worked for an arcade Jinyoung frequented, she drove YOUR car that mutilated her. The last I checked, you drove your own car to the police station. Your car keys were with you when you came to the hospital. ",


    " What are you talking about??", He screamed with the little bit but then his face changed colour and he started to cry


    He cried for Jinyoung and not the the accusations from Garam''s tone


    " Lee Garam have you lost you mind? My brother is missing, people are dying and I have been dragged into this and you are accusing me of being a player . Are you delusional as you are useless? I trust you to find my brother but what you spew is this??", He sobbed with his head down.


    "Don''t you understand the kind of pain I am in? So you think I have pleasure in being made a bait in this? Do you think my brother''s disappearance was a coy? Let me tell you now. I know I am a failure as a son and a guardian but that acceptance of my flaws doesn''t extinguish the flames of guilt inside of me. I hate myself every single second I spend breathing, imaging the worst possible scenarios that my defenseless brother could be in? Whether he is alive , whether he is cold, whether he is sick, hungry, scared or injured . All of it come rushing and crushing like twelve thousand steel panels , yet you have the audacity to look me in the eyes, and trying to torture me like this , for what? What have I done so wrong that asking you for help has pushed you to this point? If I am such a sinner , I pray the devil to drag me to hell instead of letting me suffer like this!! ",


    '' I... '', Mind went blank.


    <<End of imagination>>


    The thing is this man was driving while drunk and almost ran over someone.. The traffic cameras show that she got out of the driver''s seat of a car , leaving the car in the middle of the highway. She crawled with all her futile might to the adjacent road and waited patiently on the sidewalk bush , only to jump in front of a car. The car she left in the road had her finger prints all over the wheel and a large potion of her blood on the door , driver''s eat and pedals since she was driving barefooted. Added to that , the vehicle was dented with the same impressions as the ones that damaged her body . The dents on the car were multiple but not deep such as those on her body meaning that it was at a low speed. In other words she drove the weapon that caused her injuries to the highway. But what''s even worse is that she doesn''t own that car as it belongs to Namkyu and she works in the arcade that Jinyoung frequented .


    Shiyang refused to enter the observation room and was standing outside the interrogation room . when Minjun left Garam to go to ChaeWon, they met.


    " He is not handling it well", he told him and Shiyang didn''t react since he is being ignored by Garam like he was the one who hurled insults .


    Minjun playfully touched and patted him on the shoulder before proceeded to enter the room


    Immediately after he left Shiyang winced in pain because for being late to dinner he was forced to do five hundred pushups . In other worlds for every minute is ten pushups .His body is swore from every angle but this punishment was subtle since it is caused by work things. However the fact that he couldn''t provide feedback for his lateness , the discipline was merely minimized from seven hundred to five hundred.


    At the same time he groaned , Garam exited the room to head to meet other team that will be scouting Namkyu.They locked eyes for a few seconds and Garam turned then went away without saying anything. Once again, he pretended that he couldn''t see Shiyang which for some reason made Shiyang angry.


    " I am telling the whole truth.", The man who brought the lady to the hospital cried to ChaeWon but soon Minjun walked into the room and he undid the guy''s cuffs . He did the protocol and after a load of swearing, he went away .


    ****


    " Please take care of your health and remember your medication", the nurse told Namkyu while he was getting discharged.


    GyeongJa promised that she ensure that and escorted Namkyu to the car.


    " Shouldn''t you be somewhere else?", He asked and she responded that she didn''t.


    Truth is she should be at work but she knew he was getting discharged today and wanted to be his support system. At current, she assumes , he has no one and would be very careless to leave him alone to take a taxi since his car is already at the station.


    He looked around as he picked an overwhelming feeling of being watched.


    " Are you okay?", GyeongJa scanned his eyes


    '' She is warm but her care and touch makes me feel like I am committing a sin that will cost me Jinyoung '',


    He knodded

 Chapter 11

    ?????ChaeWon ?: we let him go because the street cameras and the club were his alibi. We didn''t ask Namkyu because he was hospitalized the whole time. Following this girl to her work place , we realize that she had taken a two day off saying she was unwell. The boss say she lives alone and doesn''t know any of her friends. Her phone didn''t receive or transmit any unusual calls. Basically we are staring at a blank wall.


    Minjun: What about the doctor?


    Chohee: The CCTV is missing and a lot of workers have accessed the room that day. All prints were taken and all have alibis.


    Garam: The college female?


    GyeongJa: Autopsy show she wasn''t pregnant and she wasn''t having any significant arguments with anyone. There was this other girl whom they were fighting over a boy but both his and her alibis check out.


    Dongshik: Jiwoo?


    ChaeWon: No breakthrough as of current.


    " Garam, Bomsoek and Yeonghwan , prepare the room for interrogation with ChaeWon. GyeongJa , go get Namkyu ", Dongshik instructed and Garam responded with a yes.


    ***


    Chohee: we have to prepare some points. So far I find the car thing not linking up at all.


    Bomsoek: GyeongJa said that a doctor came to examine Namkyu, soon after the Gyutae turned out to be dead. Gyutae was the one instructed to enter the room. Something is confusing me.


    Shiyang stood up in front of the white board. By default, Minjun gave him the marker


    Shiyang : Gyutae was drugged and then stabbed multiple times. He was assigned Namkyu at around eleven and his body was found two hours later. GyeongJa said that Gyutae came into the room carrying pills but less than twenty-five minutes later ,there was an emergency


    Yeonghwan: Sir , what are you saying?


    Shiyang: Gyutae was found when he was ten minutes dead. He must have gone back to the pill cabinet after examining Namkyu . How long did the examination take ? How many routes can be taken before reaching the cabinet?


    Garam: Inspector Lee, it''s obvious that Shiyang was murdered.


    Shiyang: but we don''t know if the body in the cabinet is the doctor that touched Namkyu? If we can prove the impossibility of it being one person, then we can be certain that Namkyu met the killer or thier apprentices. Moreover we can be sure that , some words have been exchanged.


    Chohee : what makes you think they would talk?


    Shiyang: a killer only ever goes into the game to relay the rules or to watch other players lose. I am sure they said something to him


    ChaeWon: so what if they talked? What if they told Namkyu not to say anything?


    A momentary silence was complimented by everyone looking at Garam and noting he has hit a point of realization


    Garam: the point isn''t really to know what they said, just to be sure they were actually there and were watching...


    Shiyang: through that we can put a provocative trap around Namkyu...


    Garam: .... if the killer bites then we stand a chance to catch them.


    Shiyang: ... And the plan won''t fail because we have the reigns.


    Chohee (whispering to giggling GyeongJa): they started arguing and are now completing each other''s sentences .


    ***


    " Who has access to your car keys other than you? ", ChaeWon dropped the formalities


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    " Only my brother ", Namkyu answered in a heavy tone


    ChaeWon : Do you have reason to believe that someone would access your house ?


    Namkyu: No , we never bring anyone home and my ex was the last to have a set of keys but she returned them after we broke up


    ChaeWon: Where are those keys?


    Namkyu : I keep them at home.


    Namkyu kept his eyes on Garam who was dead quiet. He had been looking at the pen in his hand but his mind was light years away.


    ChaeWon : Where are your car keys?


    " I don''t know , must have lost them! ", He shrugged his shoulders


    ChaeWon : Do you have any acquaintance with Mina, the arcade cashier?


    Namkyu: There is but very little, we only ever rarely talk for a few minutes about Jinyoung''s games.


    " Well she drove your car and she is currently in hospital now!", ChaeWon stated a matter of fact


    Namkyu( annoyed) : Would you believe me if I said I didn''t do it?


    ChaeWon (infuriated) : Mr Geun, people are getting injured in the most cruel ways and we literally are going around in circles with you as the pivot.


    Garam pulled his arm so that he calms down.


    Garam ( softly):Gyutae checked into the cabinet at 1300 and at 1325 he was found ten minutes dead. Suppose he didn''t stop anywhere. The route to the cabinet is eight minutes. The guards say the doctor stayed for fifteen. fifteen in the room plus eight back to cabinet equals twenty one.


    Namkyu: ....


    Garam( reciting the words Shiyang was saying to the earcom): logically speaking from 1300 , Gyutae was alive for fifteen minutes. Supposing he didn''t stop anywhere and tracing back, Gyutae was still alive when he was found dead! In other words the Gyutae you met isn''t the Gyutae we found..


    Garam : Your brother has been missing for some time and though we haven''t issued a missing persons, you haven''t asked about it , why?


    Namkyu: ...


    Garam : Your girlfriend returned the keys and that individual was in your house. So there is a possibility that they have taken your keys . Your house doesn''t have signs of a break-in , so who''d let them inside?


    Namkyu: ...


    " Say something! ", ChaeWon barked


    " You are delusional ", he answered while Garam was staring thunderbolts at him.


    " jiwoo jumped and you found a coin in him. Minghwa overdosed and there were leaves with numbers, mina drove your car, Junghee strangled himself and has broken teeth. Most of the weapons from their bodies were sent to a phone in your car! How am I delusional?", ChaeWon blurted and Namkyu tensed .


    " Jiwoo was decapitated, Minghwa has a damaged uterus and cervix ,Junghee has no teeth and Mina is still alive with no toes . At first glance, one can''t tell . someone did a phenomenal job extracting those pieces and I wonder WHO has the surgical awareness", ChaeWon made it obvious that he was accusing Namkyu


    " The only thing we need are your presence at a scene and you are going to the whole if you''re lucky enough to dodge the death penalty ", ChaeWon scared him and it worked.


    Garam had buried his head and Shiyang was looking at him from the observation room while Minjun was gawking at Shiyang. Shiyang didn''t know what was going on in Garam''s head but it was probably that Namkyu was getting more and more suspicious especially now that he can''t answer the question Garam asked.


    ***


    " How has you meeting the girl helped?", Yesang was standing behind the desk and Jinyoung holding a tray .


    " She is the only one I could think of , but I didn''t take her life because I thought that the cops might think she is their only shot at breaking through the case, until they find out she isn''t. It will take them back to square one and have them keep hoping someone will die and simple clue will be left", Jinyoung trembled as his face was getting pale except his eyes and hands that were reddening


    Yesang (bellowing): " What did you take? ",


    Jinyoung: " She cut off her left toes and gave them to me when I said I spare a limb of Jinyoung for every toe. I used a video simulation to trick her for all this",


    " I specifically told you to keep on the low, not to act out , not to copy me and never to act in my place. Tell me what the idea is with this sentence ",


    Jinyoung : You are saying the same thing in four different ways.


    Yesang: Then why did you the hell can''t the point?


    Jinyoung : I didn''t hurt her just like you said it''s unnecessary to do so.


    "So she magically , out of her magnanimity lost her toes and you found them?Cultivate a field to plant crops otherwise don''t even bother!If this is your way of asking for my attention, it''s disgusting and very childish. ", He screamed at him


    Jinyoung: I am sorry!


    Yesang : You know very well that I have to complete jobs all over the continent yet you go and make a raucous like this. Now I will have to clean up your mess because you think through rose-colored lenses. Get out and don''t let me see you.


    Jinyoung ran out of the office down the stairs and towards his bedroom.


    He immediately slammed and squatted on the side of bed and he cried. He was scared and heart-broken. The look and tone in Yesang''s voice was so forced but it was terrifying knowing the kind of person he is. Moreover he is upset because he thought he was helping Yesang and he just turned to be angry at him.


    ***


    " Young sir is crying. Master can be a little extra sometimes", Ms Jun exclaimed as they could hear the fight all the way from the kitchen


    " Are you foolish? Master had to do that to protect him. Last time young sir went to the hospital and now this. He might get obsessed or reckless then do something stupid . When that happens, master might feel bad .",Ms Park reprimanded her


    Ms Jun: Why would he feel bad over a stranger?


    Ms Park : Does it look like they are strangers? Though young sir did this for master and master scolded him, master is actually impressed by the creative thinking. His only worry is that if he applauded him, young sir might be provoked to do something more drastic.


    Ms Jun : that''s why he told him not to get involved. master said that not because he is antisocial, but because he wants to protect young sir.


    Ms Park :Correct. Afterall who feeds , takes care of and watches over a mere stranger?


    Ms Kim : Judging from the past guests, this one might be different in the sense that master even bothered to put an act of rage for him to backdown. In other words, master is being extra to keep young sir fine


    Ms Jun: Young sir is special indeed! I just thought that young sir was a bait to a bigger fish . And now it seems though he might be a lure , young sir is slowly becoming an even bigger catch for master


    The maids knodded and went back to cleaning.


    Old people tend to know the hearts of the ones around them even though nothing else was said. These three ladies have an uncanning ability to read between the lines especially for Yesang and now Jinyoung.


    These past few days when Yesang was out , they could see the loneliness in Jinyoung since he played tennis and pool all day. Afterwards he would stay up all night incase Yesang returned. It seemed like he was resorting back to his coping mechanism that he had adapted over the years.


    Ms Jun was so concerned about him thanks to the uncle in the basement asking how young master was doing. His inquiry was due to that he received many meals as Jinyoung declined his and ordered they be delivered instead to the uncle. So she mentioned to Jinyoung that Yesang told them to stay and care for him . In addition he would be landing the following day but she didn''t mention the airstation . Out of delight he told them he wanted to cook something for Yesang so they all went to buy ingredients. Little did they realize that while they were gone , that Jinyoung had also left to visit Mina.


    When Yesang returned, Jinyoung welcomed him with a big meal and gave him a weird coin. Though Yesang was indifferent, Jinyoung was extremely happy.


    Today when Yesang returned from town , he was carrying some chocolates that he threw inside his drawer before he processed to question about the car incident. To be honest, Yesang wasn''t sure it was Jinyoung considering how smart it was exercised but he took a gamble. For both of them it was very difficult since Jinyoung''s feeling were hurt and Yesang was just worried despite disguising it in fury and insults .

 Chapter 12

    ?????????????????Yesang got out of his car and he stared at the large mansion.


    He doesn''t like it when Kwangsung orders him around like this but he pays better and his bonuses are actually attractive. His last job from Kwangsun got him a six months free gun premium service in North Carolina, the warehouse of all guns with paid deluxe transport and hospitality to and fro.


    Anyway since Yesang can''t afford to have anyone find out his real face, he was wearing his cliche disguise only on his face that made him look much older than he actually is. His disguise was even topped with a faint mustache and wrinkles with a few patches. Nothing over the top but still pretty impactful. It was a believe appearance which is applaudable because he spent nearly six hours making it.


    The grounds were being patrolled by a swarm of heavily armed men and three pairs of two snipers on the roof. Nevertheless Yesang knows every scope their guns span out to and the shooting angles , therefore he can easily take out the guards on the grounds and avoid all the snipers.


    He ascended the first step before the guard stopped him to check for weapons. Yesang obeyed when out of nowhere a gun was placed behind his head.


    " Long time no see!", Ilseong grawled behind him.


    Yesang slowly dropped down his bag and swiftly maneuvered to hit Ilseong on the shanks while holding the gun.


    Upon reacting to that, Ilseong tossed the gun to the sky and proceeded to hit Yesang . Yesang caught his fist , twisted Ilseong and rested him on his chest. Ilseong grunted and he squatted before he pulled Yesang over head. Before letting him fall to the ground, he propped him on his knee while catching him in a partial bridal pose. Ilseong stared into his eyes and Yesang into his. Before long Yesang had pulled another gun from Ilseong''s holster and aimed it to Ilseong''s stomach.


    When Ilseong moved his eyes to it, Yesang drew the gun''s hammer. He chuckled to this and let him go.


    Immediately after Yesang rotated his back, Ilseong had the first gun to him . Yesang was already prepared and already aimed the second gun to Ilseong''s head. Without turning backwards, he concluded from the sarcastic breathing that his company was amused and trapped. After which he turned to look at him.


    The gun was merely inches from his nose and with the heavy filtering mask on his nostrils, he could still pick up the gun powder and blood. Ilseong''s gun had been used in the last five hours.


    Yesang flirtatiously tilted his head to the side and let the gun casually hang on his finger. Ilseong seductively arched his eyebrow while reaching to grab the gun but Yesang playfully raised it. Ilseong knew that he was trying to get him to try grabbing it but as he raised his arm , Yesang gently lowered it back down.


    He took and hid it away. Yesang coquettishly winked at him and went inside the house.


    ***


    " What took you so long?", Kwangsun questioned Yesang immediately after he sat down.


    His office was already saturated with smoke and made Yesang very uncomfortable. It was already uncomfortable to breathe under the plastic mold nose , this just add insult to injury.


    Yesang didn''t respond instead he took out some photographs from his briefcase and showed them to Kwangsun.


    There was a middle-aged man wearing a pink ballerina dress and fake cosplay hair. He was in the chair with his legs wide spread and his fingers in a peace sign. The twist was that his head was under the chair with the rest of him seating on it.


    Kwangsun bit his lips and chuckled.


    This man is the secretary for the ministry of defense but he is sadistic paedophile. His kink is all females below fifteen. He traps them and makes them wear inappropriately provocative clothes. However he never rapes with them , just tortures their mental wellbeing by masturbating in front of them while they cry for mercy. But this isn''t the reason why Kwangsun wanted him dead.


    Kwangsun had bribed him to sell some secrets in exchange to hide and keep financing him and his devilish fetish.he needed the account statements and transaction information between the ministry and other stakeholders. Word was that the ministry was dealing with black market merchants and the evidence is in the transactions made to a set of overseas banks . But as luck may have it, this man had already made a deal with Kwangsun''s enemies . They wanted to record the transaction between the two so they can have leverage to try and blackmail Kwangsun.


    Though the man could just tell them the contents of the documents, they would just assume he is lying so they need physical evidence.


    The deal happened but only a quarter of the documents were delivered. When the second part was supposed to take place , Ilseong reported the rumors to Kwangsun. Therefore the only way to protect the plan was to break the contact to the enemies since the secretary appears to the middleman. And also the dark alleys knowing about Kwangsun''s dealings with the man might put Kwangsun on the spotlight, alerting potential prey that he was going to eventually trap. In conclusion the man had to be silenced as well as the guys that recorded the first transaction. Those guys are currently on Yesang''s hit list.


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    Long story short, Kwangsun needed the evidence to help the ministry be submissive to him . Kwangsun''s enemies need to understand what is in the accounts in order to use it against Kwangsun. The secretary doesn''t know what they want the accounts for but just that Kwangsun is offering a lot of money for them. Unfortunately he thought that he could harvest from all sides until , Kwangsun had Ilseong who is always milles ahead. In the end , they assigned Yesang to go and do the job and make it seem like it was someone with a personal grudge.


    " Four officer work with the secretary and he said that they have the other accounts. I don''t think they would give them easily after this so we need to find their weak points ", He eyed Yesang.


    " I don''t do that!",


    " Find me someone who can",


    " Make me!",


    " Do I need to remind you that someone did some digging and even he is severely traumatized, he is coping just fine. His new family and identity is hidden but it''s just a matter of making the right phone calls. I could give you some of them, if you like? ", Kwangsun smoked seeing how rattled he had made Yesang.


    Kwangsun pulled the drawer and collected a document from it. He placed it on the table and told Yesang to ask Park Hyunki as that would be quicker.


    This trick is starting to get old. Hyunki , Yesang''s uncle did gave up SangOn for adoption after the fire that killed his parents


    Yesang, his parents, grandmother and younger brother,SangOn were home with Hyunki out drinking with his friends. Suddenly a fire errupted in the house while Yesang was playing outside in the lawn. The four others taken to the hospital but unfortunately the old lady had already died at the scene . Yesang''s mother held on until Hyunki arrived at the hospital.


    When Hyunki got to the hospital and saw Yesang standing outside the premise staring upwards, he was sure that he did something. He had always suspected Yesang''s behaviors. Anyway as he went inside the hospital, he found his sister getting bandaged and as the doctors nagged him to go back, all she pleaded was for Hyunki not to take Yesang to the crack house . She passed away the very same day along with her husband.


    After crying for some hours, Hyunki left to go and prepare the funeral but he found Yesang still at the same place . Despite how long it has been , he was just there and he was leering at the window his brother was in.


    At that point Hyunki knew that he had to protect his remaining family member namely SangOn so he went ahead so told him ''congratulations since everyone is dead'' . THAT was a LIE. On succeeding to announce such a dreadful statement to Yesang , they both went to their ancestral home. On the very same night, Hyunki locked Yesang in the basement so Yesang never witnessed his parents burial. All the inheritance proceedings were hidden from him as well.


    Hyunki took SangOn to his ex girlfriend after being discharged and kept treating SangOn secretly for two months. The burden was getting too much so he gave SangOn up for adoption after which he finally decided to let Yesang out . That was a gruesome mistake because Hyunki''s freedom lasted for very little .


    Five years passed and Yesang mercilessly imprisoned his uncle in the same whole he was in . Nearly ten years later when Kwangsun''s older sister wanted a job done , Yesang asked her to find his parents burial place because Hyunki wouldn''t say anything. She then handed this request to Kwangsun who discovered the whereabouts of SangOn. But Kwangsun kept the information until he got the throne which was a year later . His first order was for Yesang to cleanly kill Commissioner Lee''s former boss and his reward was the document for giving a child up.


    Yesang lost all bit of humanity because Hyunki kept this from him for fifteen years. But now he knows SangOn is alive not where he is nor where his parents are buried.


    At this point in time, it seems as if Kwangsun has Yesang where he wants him. And there is no one to blame because Yesang was the one who announced the parents thing to Kwangsun''s sister. Kwangsun is as he says '' using the opportunities laid before him''. Additionally even though Kwangsun is acting like he doesn''t benefit from SangOn, he actually does. He could hurt SangOn to teach Yesang a lesson however that too is foolish as Yesang will no longer have anything to lose. Therefore Kwangsun keeps tantalizing Yesang in this manner, since both of them know that Kwangsun knows where SangOn is and will torture Yesang endlessly since according to sources SangOn and Yesang were closer than molecules of water.


    ***


    " Where is SangOn! ", He screamed at his uncle who pretended not to hear him


    Yesang repeatedly hit Hyunki across the face and he spit blood . His fury- filled body was towering over the helpless man repenting the day his sister birthed the devil''s incarnate.


    He repeated his question but his uncle kept quiet.


    " Aii! We would be punished if we intervene", Ms Jun was shaking as the three ladies listened to the heated scene at the door leading to the basement.


    " What''s going on?", Jinyoung asked behind the ladies and they tried to block the door.


    Their excuse was that Yesang is already angry at Jinyoung, if he interrupts now then Yesang will get extremely furious and hurt Jinyoung .


    Jinyoung heard the wails and screams from the basement so he pushed the laddies aside and ran downstairs.


    He saw Yesang punching the daylights out of his uncle . So he ran towards the cell . Upon arriving , he forcefully pulled Yesang off the man and locked Yesang into his arms


    He had never touched Yesang so intimately and when he was like this , he could feel his muscles vibrating , his skyrocketed body heat, the moisture of Hyunki ''s blood and the rigidity of Yesang''s contours. It felt too vivid and lustrous to hold him when he is in peak sensation like, but it was unspeakably petrifying since it was no different from hugging a grenade.


    Yesang struggled to release himself since he wasn''t really aware of what was holding him back. His rage became his strength and with that he thrusted Jinyoung to the wall and launched himself to his uncle pounding fist after fist as Hyunki begged for death saying that he died the day he left a murder to massacre his family


    Jinyoung coughed the ripples of pain resonating throughout his back . He turned and saw the document on the ground. Although he read the contents , he didn''t know who SangOn is nonetheless assumed he must be a close person to Yesang.


    " Kill me , you monster like you did my sister!", He screamed and Yesang pounded onto him.


    Jinyoung threw away the paper and pulled Yesang off this time hugging very tightly onto him.


    Yesang tried to fight but Jinyoung was too overpowering so Yesang lost the strength as well as will to aggressiveness and just melted into Jinyoung''s arms. Jinyoung rubbed his head slowly while Yesang dropped silent tears. His knuckles had broke and his skin was reddened with blood that wasn''t his own. He was sweating , crying , breaking and possibly lamenting.


    Jinyoung looked at Hyunki and he Jinyoung. Hyunki had such a striking amount of body hair and severely bloodshot eyes. Despite how unhygienic he is, he didn''t have any body dour.


    Jinyoung shifted his attention back to Yesang upstairs. The maids were by the door and he ordered them to take care of the man''s wounds and to bring first-aid to the master bedroom. Afterwards he propped Yesang onto his back and took him to his room.


    After nearly an hour of tending to Yesang, Jinyoung felt the toll on his body. Now more than ever he felt that Yesang did a number when throwing him against the wall. He stood up to leave but Yesang grabbed his hand.


    It was so sudden and shocking.


    He looked at Yesang''s dried up face and parched complexion. It''s the first time he sees him with his hair on his face and he sort of looks like his nagging brother after taking a shower. How much he misses the smell of dead bodies and red wine since it signals Geun Namkyu.


    Jinyoung went back and got onto he bed. He proceeded to pull Yesang into his arms and he snuggled inside. It was a very unexpected action with an equally unexpected result.


    '' I can feel his heart racing! '', he thought as soon he rested his head on his chest.


    '' ...and I don''t want it stop! '', he concluded and he inhaled the warmth of Jinyoung''s embrace.


    **


    GyeongJa knocked on the door for a few times before Namkyu opened the door.


    Namkyu smiled at him and GyeongJa the same . His smile made it feel like they aren''t on tense sides .


    " I was worried something might happen so I came to watch you . Don''t worry, others are with Mina! ", She consoled Namkyu who agreed .


    Namkyu announced that he was going to go to bed soon after reviewing some files .The air got akward as GyeongJa went and took out a novel to read.


    He walked away keeping on looking at her to find her turning her face away from him. It was cute that he actually smiled .

 Chapter 13

    ??????????????Garam tossed the file on the table . They had collected clues from every corner and looked at the cameras where Namkyu''s car was packed. The camera only shows a hooded person opening the car and getting inside. Motion and attribute specialist suggest the contours are of a senile male considering the grouching and limping but they don''t ascertain that as it seems very unnatural. Anyway the person was so quick but something doesn''t make sense.


    No one enters by foot into the parking lot from outside but the way this person came and approached the car shows they walked right into the place meaning that the guard let them in. If the guard let the culprit into the parking lot from outside then the gaurd must be familiar with them that seeing them drive out Namkyu''s car wouldn''t be alarming. the same guard who watches over the cars had reportedly gone missing ever since this car was driven out of parking lot.


    " It''s dead-end after dead-end .", Chohee screeched, snatching Shiyang''s coffee and drinking it


    "What''s even worse is that, the culprit made sure not to meet any cameras and we only have visual on the car until the last point. Minjun said according to the computer box the car travelled twenty miles stopped and worked for a further fifteen miles until it turned on ten hours later to drive back to the highway! ", ChaeWon argued.


    Minjun placed a cup next to Shiyang but Garam picked up the coffee on the table and drank it. He had a headache trying to understand what happened to Gyutae. Shiyang gave him his tablet to read the brainstorm.


    The guards said that the doctor arrived at 1240. This eliminates the possibility of Gyutae having gone to the cabinet first since he checked in at 1300. Assuming that was the real Gyutae, if he left at 1255, it would take eight minutes to reach the cabinet, contradicting the ten minute estimate . So the Gyutae in Namkyu''s room was someone else. As for the CCTV in the cabinet , it isn''t missing, the cameras weren''t even recording! Whatever the case , everything that happened requires atleast two hours so something isn''t linking up.


    Garam handed back the tablet and Minjun asked for it as well .


    Suddenly Yeonghwan burst into the room and called Garam. He mentioned that someone from Gyutae''s workplace came over.


    Everyone quickly rushed out . When they got there , they found a lady about the same size and build as GyeongJa and she seemed nervous. She stood rigid and tense. Bomsoek gave her a cup of water and she sipped it . While the officers stood, she was give a stool. Garam who had already sat on a desk, moved over offering Shiyang a place to sit so he can type her statement . The lady introduced herself as a nurse and narrated the whole story. Immediately then Garam yelled for ChaeWon to call forensics and to recheck the log book.


    She said that she had gone to the cabinet at around eleven and found the temperature extremely low which was bad for some medication so she adjusted it. She was afraid to mention this as she had involuntarily tempered with Gyutae''s body.


    The officers looked amongst each other .This implies that the killer intentionally set the temperature low so that it looks like Gyutae just died. So Gyutae could have died earlier on and then the killer went back to check-in meaning that the first time they entered the room , they used a different name tag.


    " Gyutae checked in once on that day so how did he end up in the cabinet before the killer checked in with his card? ", Minjun asked


    "How did the killer know that Gyutae was going to be assigned to Namkyu? ", Chohee screamed.


    " There are only two possibilities. Gyutae was an arbitrary victim or the killer assigned Namkyu himself! ", Shiyang added and turned to find Garam turning his eyes away from him.


    Minjun who saw this motion ,bit the bottom of his lip and went away to find ChaeWon.


    ***


    Yesang held a wooden rod and carried it back to the upstairs dining room. He found him sleeping on the sofa and he stampeded him with it haphazardly all over his body. Jinyoung tried to block the attacks but Yesang was too fast. When he tried to escape, Yesang hit him on the head then pulled him by the hair before he dragged him out and pushed him down the stairs.


    As his body tumbled down the fleet, Yesang was directly behind him. The next second that Jinyoung landed on the floor, Yesang hit him again but luckily the rod broke .Ms Park emerged behind Yesang carrying the computer and Yesang violently pulled it from her then showed the screen to Jinyoung. Silently he got up and watched it .


    " Police are currently looking through backup CCTV found from the hospital killing. A formal report say that motion experts are studying the video and have identified a male of average height and after a few hours, a sketch shall be produced",


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    Yesang tossed his computer to the floor.


    He jumped off and he went then punched Jinyoung. As he fell backwards , he tore his face on the ground.Afterwards Yesang grabbed Jinyoung by the collar and threw him across the floor making sure that his blood trails behind. He then proceeded to furiously kick him on the ribs . Yesang picked the shattered computer and he raised it to slam Jinyoung''s head until he saw him get up and silently kneel .


    Yesang tossed it aside and he slapped Jinyoung.


    Yet again he arose . His face was beyond recognizable. He was bleeding and bruised everywhere. Through his swollen eyes, streams of tears mixed with blood were visible. Every piece of his body ached and throbbed .Some parts of his skeleton were definitely fractured.


    Yesang pulled a gun from his pocket and aimed it to Jinyoung.


    The maids all exclaimed in shock ! Ms Jun nearly had a heart-attack as she peaked by the corridor. As for Ms Lee ,she was indifferently cleaning the windows but God knows she was frightened for Jinyoung''s life.


    Jinyoung kept his head burried. His tears dropped to the ground but he didn''t make any sound. Blood from the wounds on his face poured down onto the floor but he wasn''t trembling. Just the way he is shows that he had guilt tripped himself more brutally than what Yesang is doing to him now !


    " Look up!", Yesang growled at him and Jinyoung obeyed.


    The moment his eyes saw the gun, his blood went cold . This is the first time he had ever seen a gun at such proximity let alone aimed at him. As much as he should see his life flash before his eyes, all that he sees is an absence .


    Jinyoung just breathed softly as he prepared to feel the metal penetrating his skull and scattering his brain matter on the floor. He always wondered what it''s like to die , to feel the energy slowly leave one''s body and have his sight go blank. He thought he would die during some athletic trip or some manic who poisoned his drink during tennis competitions. Whatever the case, he never expected it would be at the hands of a serial killer with zero-degree empathy and subnormal brutality!


    Yesang let the gun dangle on his finger which confused Jinyoung.


    Without knowing when or why , Jinyoung slowly reached for and took it with both hands. The pain flooded his nerves as he forced his muscles to mimick the soft motion. It hurt like he had grated his skin on gravel and smeared the wounds with salt and hornets.


    As he held the weapon, he contemplated pulling the trigger in his mouth.


    " Head , teeth, toes , womb ...",


    Jinyoung raised his head to look at Yesang. He couldn''t tell what he was listing because he hasn''t followed Yesang''s killings. They are too gruesome and would give him nightmares. But judging from the things he hears from Namkyu,it''s safe to say that Yesang is building a pattern or a collection.


    " Hands! ", Jinyoung vaguely completed his sentence and Yesang looked at Jinyoung''s hands.


    Once again Jinyoung got confused . Nevertheless Yesang raised his hand to slap Jinyoung who responded by closing eyes in preparation for another gnawing injury.


    Yesang''s reddened hand froze mid-air as he hesitated for the third time!


    Instead of that , he harshly kicked him on the chest sending him to the floor. Afterwards he disappeared.


    He laid there with a gun in his hand and blood out of his face. The short stabbing pains that are coming from his chest are slowly getting sharper with the more he thinks about Yesang and how useless and burdensome he must see him now. The eigengrau colour in his vision felt hot pressed against his eyelids. He laid in a pool of his own blood that felt like sleeping on shards of glass.


    (Ten hours later)


    A knock came on the door and Hyoson opened the door. She scrutinized her visitor before her expression melted off when suddenly a gun was placed to her face .


    The phone she was carrying fell to the ground and shattered instantaneously


    " Jinyoung! What are you doing!!", She asked , backing out.


    Dressed in all back and hidden behind a medical mask, beanie and black disposable gloves, he slowly strode inside. The next second she tried to run , he kicked her making her fall down. When Hyoson was getting up, Jinyoung pulled her by the hair and slammed her on the glass table. Furniture started to fly and punches were exchanged. Everytime she called Jinyoung''s name , he would hit her with the nearest thing from flower pots to trophies all the way to ornaments. Hyoson tried to fight off the attacker but was subdued . She cried for mercy when next she kicked and kicked but she finally stopped and counted back from five to her last breath. Jinyoung dragged the table frame and forcefully pressed so that the leg penetrates her skull.


    She stopped moving! For a prideful woman , she was surprisingly easy to kill, thanks to the wine she had drunk.


    Exhausted and in agony as he was , he picked up the phone and he walked to the bedroom. He already knew that her sister had called the cops but he didn''t care.


    He opened the door and saw teenage Taeyeon shivering in the corner.He held the gun to her face and signaled for her phone. After she gave it to him, Jinyoung dialled the police then pointed the phone to her.


    She told them that an intruder had came. Surprisingly he typed that she should say the intruder looks like Geun Namkyu! She tried to explain that she had already mentioned that the intruder is Jinyoung but then he jacked the gun!


    Fear and trauma cascaded her as she stammered through the tears . Taeyeon said into the phone that she isn''t sure who is who and she recalls hearing her sister say that she will keep calling the attacker Jinyoung when the attacker resembled Namkyu.Soon after he hung up , he quickly hit her on head and knocked her down. He then proceeded to kick her viciously to the point of unconsciousness. His thighs burned as he moved because he hadn''t recovered from being beaten by Yesang


    He took her laptop charger and tied it around her neck. Virtue to that didn''t have the strength to strangle her, he pulled her body all the way to the kitchen. On the floor,he butchered off her hand , put it in a container and threw the machete onto her face . For the hell of it , he took all the kitchen knives and stabbed her just like he heard Gyutae was stabbed


    His jacket and pants were a bit bloody so he undressed and placed the clothes in a bag along with the container.He left still wearing his mask but now in baseball shorts, t-shirt and Taeyon''s jacket. The automated door did the honours of closing itself behind him.


    While he glided with a partial limp through the corridors, the police casually passed him. Unfeeling and empty! He had the walk of a man who had sold his soul in exchange for invisibility.He left the apartment.


    He quarter-limped a few steps and Yesang was right there! Of course he was in a disguise but Jinyoung knew it was him! Before the questions could arrive, Yesang went and hugged him!


    such an unexpected gesture showed be welcomed but there is too much chaos in Jinyoung''s mind and what remains of his soul. He just killed two people mercilessly in automatic transition as if he is being commanded by a certain sick and twisted mastermind somewhere and he is just there to provide his body for disposal. The last thing he needs is to act like he is in the mood for Yesang who mutilated his face , fractured most of his ribs, dislocated his hip and made him temporarily deaf in the right ear .


    " Just smell me!", He whispered and Jinyoung drew in his faint smelling perfume.


    Like magic, his mind started to become a bit hazy and he fell unconscious. his senses were in peak sensitivity therefore,a little anesthesia could drug him faster than average.Yesang then threw his hand over and carried him away like he was drunk and they got in his car which was being driven by the ever-unfeeling Ms Park.


    " I thought he would shoot his brother or a cop",Ms Lee echoed in the adjacent seat


    " Surprises are exhilarating !", Ms Park commented slowly.


    ''either it''s the scent of blood or the anesthesia but my heart is blazing !'', he ignored the ladies

 Chapter 14

    ??????????????????Garam and Chohee were once again interrogating Namkyu.The cuffs on his hands had bruised his wrists and his eyes had evident black shadows . Any beating like that would mean he has broken bones and internal bleeding but it''s quite obvious, he didn''t go to the health station. His eyes were probably swollen from crying and staying up all night and who would blame him. Because of what Taeyeon said, they arrested Namkyu. Even though they could tell that Taeyeon was in peak-stress, the fighting had stopped implying that since Hyoson is dead then the killer must have won and might be oppressing Taeyeon and amid the call there was typing which made Taeyeon stutter to say Namkyu, they still arrested Namkyu.


    Garam bit the insides ot his mouth and stared at the table as he couldn''t bare to look at Namkyu''s state. He knew very well that Namkyu is being framed and so did everyone but them acting so blind was supremely infuriating.Chohee replayed the call recording from Hyoson ''s phone. Everyone sat in observation room sat in complete silence until the parts when Hyoson mentioned Jinyoung''s name.


    A series of looks were exchanged between the officers and soon after Chohee played the one from Taeyon''s phone. After the recording completed , she presented a graph on the large screen which studied the peeks in Taeyon''s voice. They showed states of extreme fear and nervousness. Again in the background noise, they could hear grunts which was definitely fighting between ''Jinyoung'' and Hyoson. She explained that the conclusion of an antemortem straggle was brought about by the evident bruising found on her body and the broken furniture at the scene.


    " Who else had the keys? Why didn''t you ask for us to make a wanted persons? Why would the guard let the intruder into the car park ? Why would Hyoson call Jinyoung''s name? Why would Taeyeon change her description of the culprits from Jinyoung to you? ", Chohee softly whispered and Garam viciously banged the table with his fist.


    Everyone turned to him and he to Dongshik. Although he couldn''t see him through the mirror, he knew where he was standing.Dongshik smiled slyly, remonstrated Garam through the earpiece and his reddened and teary eyes looked back away. Although Bomsoek like everyone saw how Garam got tamed , they didn''t say anything. There is no doubt in mind that the questions Chohee just posed were asked by Dongshik , she amongst everyone just had the guts to say such spineless accusations.


    " Where is Inspector Lee Shiyang?", Dongshik asked Minjun and he quickly shrugged.


    GyeongJa answered in a sweet voice that Shiyang had been in the chief''s office all day analyzing some records and talking with those in charge to get a warrant of search and Dna collection. Yeonghwan blurted out that it is incredibly unreasonable for such a warrant to come out because the person being accused is more than four weeks missing. Furthermore they would have to prove why they arrested Namkyu yet want Jinyoung''s DNA unless they are implying they are both culprits .


    Dongshik stated they just need to be able to say something to the public excluding the part that it is all for the politics. He boldly announced that the public just need to know that the police are on the killer''s tail. Again , Jinyoung being MIA doesn''t necessarily eliminate the possibility of him being alive. He went on to say that he ''heard '' that Namkyu hadn''t requested for a missing persons therefore Namkyu might know where and what Jinyoung is doing . To add insult to injury, he didn''t even hesitate to say that maybe Jinyoung is dead and Namkyu is the killer playing the victim brother


    As they were talking in the observation room with the transmission to the earcoms of the detectives in the interrogation room, Garam released grunt of disbelief. He got so heated that he blast of the chair and slammed the door on his way out. He didn''t really dispute Dongshik''s statement but he knows that he probably got bribed handsomely for him to be this confident to pursue a lead with the goal of pinning someone guilty.


    According to Garam ,the chief is utterly shameless. Garam did ask him to make a missing persons but he frankly refused because Namkyu didn''t ask. Now he is going to use that against Namkyu to paint Jinyoung black because he is Namkyu''s brother. And that is only because Namkyu interrupted Kitae''s case when he proved that Siwoo was guilty. Dongshik is so canning and dark that some of the evidence will probably be fabricated to favour this case plus the part that it could backfire horribly if Garam tried to expose him. Garam doesn''t know what he will do if he finds out that Dongshik has a role on the injuries on Namkyu''s body.


    But even if Jinyoung is guilty, Garam doesn''t want to believe that he is the one behind all the killings. The first killings don''t match his upbringing but the Hyoson one does. Athletes in Jinyoung''s field kill like they are crashing completion, they usually have no plan except brutal murder. For this reason,the other murders were definitely done by someone like skilled introvert with a fluid and not-so-complicated childhood but definitely not an easy one, all of which is nothing that Jinyoung experienced . Garam isn''t trying to approach this from a biased angle but the way the chief is knee-deep into Kitae''s good books makes it rather difficult for Garam to not be pushed to try and defend Namkyu and Jinyoung


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Since Garam left , he was replaced by Bomsoek. Both he and Chohee fried Namkyu with questions but he responded with silence. Occasionally he would drop a tear but never bothered to wipe it off. His bruised and wounded face was looking extremely painful to touch , plus his mind was unspeakably distant .


    He walked to the chief''s office. Just then he got a call from Nikki. He said that he had tried to backpass some of the lab results from the pieces of hair and blood swapped at the scene. The results are currently being processed but things are looking bad. The main reason for this is because Shiyang''s father''s accomplice prosecutor Lee Ryun is yet to authorize for collection of some blood test reports for when Jinyoung went for tennis competition to be taken. Ryun worships Commissioner Lee therefore if Commissioner Lee says something, Ryun will do it and if the station where the commissioner''s son is asks him to hasten, he will definitely do so. Another team lead by Chief Inspector Ardal Gharib had been put into place to find a fool proof strategy to have Namkyu''s apartment swabbed for Jinyoung''s DNA . Both these teams will probably report to the station this week with Ryun already in the province.


    Another thing is that , the police reported someone smelling of blood walking past the corridors near Hyoson''s apartment and the CCTV show that person of the same build. Motion analysts say that there is a high possibility that the person has the same build as the one who entered the parking lot for Namkyu''s car. In conclusion another document is being awaited to get Jinyoung''s statistics .


    Basically Garam has about five hours til the results are officiated and ten more hours until the warrants are issued. After which nothing can be done and if Jinyoung carried on looking guilty like this , they will definitely link it to Namkyu and end finding some way to skin him alive Worse than that, is that society can bully and guilt-trip him for this as if he is the actual culprit .


    Garam massaged his nose bridge then hung up the phone . When he turned, he nearly collided onto GyeongJa who seemed to emerge out of nowhere .She looked extremely worried and unwell.She asked Garam if this is going to affect Namkyu''s life and Garam ignored her . She , ChaeWon and Garam are against the idea of trying to use Namkyu as a trap because it''s wrong. Garam is mostly against it because it is all to teach Namkyu a lesson for getting Kitae''s client in jail. Anyway it seems stupid to answer her this question because despite the evident protest she is in, she has zero input in this case. But since Garam suspects that she has a thing for Namkyu, he told her to not get involved unless she wants to end up hurt


    He stepped away and peaked at Shiyang typing vigorously on the keyboard. He looked so concentrated like a highschooler doing his favorite assignment with unwavering commitment. It''s quite evident that he is working hook and crow to prove Jinyoung''s guilt but his officer duties pinch Garam a lot because they are going to trample all over Namkyu and probably the worst part is although Shiyang is trying to catch a serial killer, he is unaware that the high-ups are all trying to punish and set an example with Namkyu. Garam found it sort of surprising that they hadn''t sent an assassin to him like they do with all the others but he sees that this was their plan all along. It''s a bit drastic and lengthy therefore this is probably the tip of the iceberg


    Suddenly Shiyang turned around and stood up to acknowledge Garam . Garam opened the door to ask what Shiyang was doing. He even moved closer to him but was interrupted by Shiyang''s abrupt motion.


    " I know this is crazy but I really don''t think that it''s best the villian knows we know his identity! Jinyoung might be looking guilty but I really don''t think he is the culprit!", He shot Garam with the words.


    Garam didn''t quite get what Shiyang is trying to say , more over if he is even aware of what he is saying.


    He tried to study his face but all the it seemed to request was affirmation.


    Shiyang stared back at Garam and just then Chohee walked into the room . Despite her bombarding the space, neither of the two seemed to notice her and just kept looking at each other.She looked to and fro then but got overwhelmed then slammed the fiLe on her hand onto Garam''s chest.


    When Garam looked back at it, Shiyang moved over and stood infront of him. He outstretched his hand and Garam lowered the file onto his slim palm. afterwards he elevated his eyes and stared into Shiyang''s.


    he wondered if he should tell Shiyang that this is all likely a trap but he was sort of afraid of Shiyang''s reaction. Although he isn''t sure ,he somehow feels like Shiyang might take this sky-high to bring down Kitae and Dongshik but then he unwittingly might bring some really bad attention to himself. It is one thing to not be able to help Namkyu but it would be far much more worse if he can''t save Shiyang when he brought him trouble by running his mouth.


    Shiyang asked him why he was staring and Garam responded by shaking his head. he turned off and left without saying anything. His action show that he thinks it''s best not to include Shiyang in all this.


    The sun set very quickly that before long, it was already nighttime. The streets were all lit and yet again Garam''s parents were working late. Janhee had long memorized their schedules and knew which days they would be away from Garam and today was one of the busy days.


    Janhee placed a plate of food infront of Garam and another for Chinhwa.


    Today when she visited him, she found him just frozen at the dining table with a glass of water in front of himself and a document to his side . She didn''t get a response nor a reaction from him so she decided to cook for him and as usual Chinhwa refused to leave. For the past three hours , Garam has been in the same state of mind and would at times answer his phone , only to return back to the chair.


    He could stop thinking about Namkyu and his body. All day he tried not to look at him but his eyes would occasionally betray him so ever since then , his mind is saturated with the pitiful image that is of Namkyu. He looked so awful and Garam couldn''t help feeling bad for him.As much as he was glad to see him , he didn''t want it to be under those conditions. He wanted to promise him that everything will be fine but he thought that would be an insulting and thoughtless lie . And when he heard Namkyu sniffing the tears, for a brief moment in time, he wanted to strangle Chohee and throw out the computers. But no matter how charged he became, he did nothing and that just torments him which adds to the persistent thought that he keeps adding kerosene to the fire in Namkyu''s shattered soul


    Chinhwa couldn''t care less and was just busy with his phone. As for Janhee , she tried to feed Garam but he snatched the fork from her hand .


    " Did you fight with the person who came here last time?", She blurted and Garam turned to look at her.


    It was quite obvious that his mother told everyone that Garam got a girlfriend so it makes sense if Janhee thought like this .She suggested that Garam apologize first no matter whose fault it is.


    Before he could respond, Nikki called and Garam took the phone then walked outside

 Chapter 15

    ??????????????????????????????????????It was already three am and the holding cells were quiet. Everyone was probably asleep including the guard too.However he was still awake . He sat at the corner of the cell directly at the foot of the moonlight leaking into the space.


    Namkyu had been basking in his thoughts for the past hours. His wounds had air-dried and he was lucky to have not caught an infection. The cold floor was biting his body but he didn''t bother to move. His face still had streaks of blood going down to his chin.


    He was so detached from reality. There was just too much that came rushing to his head.He recalled the day that Jinyoung left home and he wondered if he should have stopped him and maybe none of this would ever happen.


    He begun to question his decisions, his sacrifices and his role in Jinyoung''s life. It doesn''t make sense to Namkyu why Jinyoung would be filled with that much hate to kill like beast but no matter how he looks at it, he blames himself for everything. He is beginning to think that him taking Jinyoung from his parents was a bad idea. He recalled the day he became and adult and got custody of Jinyoung. Also maybe Jinyoung had troubles at school but because Namkyu was so busy with work , he couldn''t have properly assessed the behavioral changes. And instead whenever Jinyoung acted a certain way, he categorized it as teenage mood swings. Now it seems his ignorant ways have let a bad seed bloom inside his beloved brother.


    Hearing Hyonson call Jinyoung was the most petrifying agony he had ever experienced. The victims called his brother whom he had been praying that he was alright . Given his basis on psycho-analysis , the modus-operandi for Hyonson and Taeyeon does match his brother''s personality and it pains him to acknowledge this fact. Jinyoung''s introversion, his athletic trait and his emotionless mindset .


    His brother went missing and the kidnapper who is probably the serial killer, played with him. He got framed for the murders when the murder weapons were posted to a phone in his car. On so many occasions did Garam and his team imply that he could be the culprit . All this took a toll on him because the evidence presented does support this conclusion. The police were wrong to think like that but they weren''t exactly baseless.


    To be honest,everytime images of Jinyoung flash through his head, he wants to convince himself that Hyonson was mistaken or that this phone call is wrong but he really can''t convince himself to get deluded by arguable narrow-minded explanations. At this point of time ,he doesn''t know whether to actually believe that his brother is alive or that he actually was the one responsible for all of this. When he thinks that the man at the hospital could be the one responsible, he feels a little less guilty but a lot more burdened since that must mean he has Jinyoung. Furthermore the Jinyoung he raised is sweet so that heartless man must be manipulating his brother. And maniacs like that always break when disobeyed, either by physical abuse or actual blood-spill


    He began to drop tears quietly while reminiscing about his brother. He now understands the feelings his clients had. He resents himself for being innocent and thinks that things turned the way they have because of him and his selfishness. Had he left Jinyoung home, this man wouldn''t have touched Jinyoung and his little brother would be safe and not walking on a tightrope.


    He wants to apologize to Jinyoung because he thinks he was a bad big brother . He feels like with how deep into this Jinyoung is , he might never see him again.


    ****


    Jinyoung sat at the end of his bed and he hugged his pillow while crying onto it.


    He heard in the news report that Namkyu got arrested. And like last time , Yesang beat the lights out of Jinyoung . Currently his legs have bruises all over and and his arms have open cuts. Parts of his skull throbbed implying that he must have open cuts. his ribs were probably cracked and his right eye was swollen shut. It hurt when he cried but it did more when he tried not to .


    He knew he had messed up Namkyu''s life and definitely broke his spirit.He was in too deep for this and to think that he made Namkyu take the blame was too painful. He regrets mentioning his name . he regrets that he hurt the one person in this world who would undoubtedly die for him.


    He doesn''t know why he mentioned him!


    All the sacrifices Namkyu has done were for Jinyoung but he didn''t hesitate to mess up his world like this. On top of that , the fact that he followed Yesang and stayed with Yesang while he way the one who was making Namkyu''s life a living hell , was pure manslaughter.


    He fell to the side and he carried on sobbing heartfully


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ****


    Yesang was distracted driving. His hands still pinched from punching and beating Jinyoung that much. The makeup and synthetics he added to hide the wounds makes the bruises burn with the longer he tries to ignore them


    In less than twenty-four hours, he had assaulted Jinyoung twice to the point where he is starting to hate being around him.Although it was clear that he was angry, he doesn''t know why he got that upset so quick. Plus he didn''t mean to hurt Jinyoung but he really didn''t think that Jinyoung would incriminate his brother like that.


    He always thought that Jinyoung was a burden and everytime he hits Jinyoung, it does shows that he does bear some pent-up resentment for him which doesn''t make sense. He wants to turn this car around and go check on him but it feels confusing that he can worry about him when he is the one who put him in that situation.


    Ilseong who was in the passenger seat would occasionally look at Yesang and could tell that his mind was light years away. When he wasn''t checking on him, Ilseong studied the blueprint of the target area. The print was a duplicate from the one that Woojin was at present tweaking


    Yesang never really approved the mission that Kwangsun put him to because it isn''t in his territory. Kwangsun wants him to find the weakness of the four officers that worked with the pedophile secretary. He wants him to use those weaknesses to exploit the rest of the documents that he can use to blackmail the ministry of defense. The ongoing plan is to raid the first high ranking officer and threaten him with his family. The man is at the moment still at work and held at gunpoint by some of Kwangsun''s men.


    Judging from the blueprint ,his house is brimming with high-tech surveillance and with the grounds being patrolled by four men . This was a courtesy of working with the nation''s security systems. However Woojin can easily bypass that security despite it being for a short period of time . Nevertheless that amount of time should be no problem when Ilseong and Yesang are present.


    " Tomi is already on the ground and he has identified the targets. I will turn off security for five minutes. It should give you enough time to access the perimeter. If anything goes wrong, avoid all dark spots and windows ", woojin told Ilseong who scoffed.


    After a short drive , Yesang parked a few feet from the house and away from the security radars. Everyone got out of the car and headed to the boot.


    The small space had all sorts of assets and tools. All were prepared by Tomi but Yesang brought his own because Tomi has a tendency to sneak things inside. The last time , he added scanners in the googles and almost copied Yesang''s eyeprints for id but luckily Yesang wears coded contacts that interrupt the signal. It reported to him that someone tried to scan him and from then on ,he has been very cautious around all of the things Tomi prepares. While he geared up his own inventory and Ilseong checked the guns. he gave some to Woojin and he chose knives for himself.


    He locked the knives all over his suit and put his matte space mask on. He proceeded to shove some sprays in his rear pockets and he swinged a retractable grappling hook launcher across his back. Afterwards he strapped on his gloves. His all-black outfit was completed by a lusterless black earcom and non-reflective black googles .


    Ilseong dressed up so fluidly and ever so elegantly like he was modeling his attire. He kept a stern face that even the non-existent wind made it look like it was frozen just to watch him. The dull finish of his mask matched with his pale complexion along with the blue tint of the moon replicated the effect of the ocean with twinkles of water. He fetched a bonnet and when he drew back his hair to hide it , he look like an angel released from marble.


    Yesang didn''t realize that he was outstaring Ilseong so much. He watched all his actions like he was painting a portrait especially the part when Ilseong pushed his hair back . Yesang was only moments away from dropping his jaw when woojin flew a gun to him .Yesang''s reflexes were so fast and accurate that he caught the weapon without even looking at him. Nonetheless him doing so called Ilseong''s attention making Yesang adorably embarrassed for leering.


    After that akward scene, Ilseong who not once checked his audience,zoomed forward. Once again Yesang''s reflexes helped him because he caught Ilseong by the straps around his back.


    It shocked everyone including Ilseong. He arrested motion when Yesang steeped to his side . Yesang yanked off Ilseong''s knife guard and placed a gun holster. He switched their weapons even though Ilseong''s strength is with knives. He had gave him the gun that Woojin just tossed because he won''t ever operate Tomi''s gadgets.


    He returned back to put on his staff. No one dared ask what he was doing to have be left behind with dressing up. Anyway he just grabbed a small bag about the size of a purse.Without saying anything they both advanced forward.


    The walls were eight feet high and well lit.Woojin spoke into the earcoms that Tomi will turn off the lights in a few seconds. And he will disable the security systems for three minutes once the radars are off. In other words, Yesang and Ilseong must hurry up and not kill anyone


    Despite Yesang''s bloody career, he condemned that anyone be harmed. His whole idea was that after this mission, the victims shouldn''t be able to prove something happened to them. That way they can''t lodge a complaint and the others won''t get overly paranoid nor aware that they are on a hitlist.


    They waited at the border of the radar while Woojin toggled with the technology.


    The air got tense ad the both of them sat in silence. Yesang''s fist''s burned and he was a bit sore . The short run from he highlighted that he must have injured himself while pounding Jinyoung. He wanted to exclaim the discomfort but he also knew he has to suck it up.


    " Black looks nice on...", Yesang tried to mock Ilseong.


    Yesang had already turned to him but just then met Ilseong rolling his eyes. While he tried to recalculate that action from Ilseong, Ilseong took out the gun holster and rudely threw it to Yesang''s feet.


    For some reason that mildly infuriated Yesang. He regretted trying to be concerned only to get this insult. He really wanted to attack Ilseong but then his conscious told him that that would be projecting his guilt for hitting Jinyoung and taking it out in Ilseong . He forfeited the idea by kicking the gun to him and blasting off at the beep from Woojin.


    Ilseong got drenched in a blurry mood. Facts aligned , when he saw Yesang staring at him while he was dressing up , he purposefully slowed down so that Yesang could look all he wants. He knows that everytime he wears a face mask and reveals only his eyes, Yesang always gawks at him so intensely. And today was a little more shameless than he thought. The fact that he could make Yesang stare like that gave him a little confidence and thought it softened Yesang but it seems he was wrong.


    Even when he was sassy to him , that compliment he got from Yesang was extremely sweet and he did like it. He thought that if he acted like that , Yesang would mock him again and they would both laugh. Instead it clear that Yesang got triggered.


    He begun to think that whatever distracted Yesang through the drive must have catalyzed him now. It felt really sour to think that Yesang didn''t buy the whole act of cuteness from Ilseong and instead it shoved him further away. He got pinched but knew he couldn''t do anything nor could he say anything.

 Chapter 16

    Yesang looked at Ilseong and when Ilseong turned to him, the lights went off .The sudden darkness blurred the distance between them it almost seemed like it was a perfect time them to confess unsaid secrets . it is clear with the way their footsteps have been the one disturbing the silence , they have a a lot to day to each other or at least something that needs to be addressed. But now was not the time to talk


    Yesang jumped towards the east of the building while Ilseong blasted off to the right side. The ground barely tasted their footprints as their feet hovered above the ground . It is a very important skill to be able to lightly tap the ground while also moving quick enough to deny all audience the opportunity to notice one . Needless to say that Ilseong is a master in the field of stealth and speed . He blended so well with the shadows that within the seconds they parted , he was virtually untraceable


    The plan was for Yesang and Ilseong to hold the family hostage and to threaten the man who is currently at work. KwangSung wanted the man to give the documents but the reason that he wanted both Ilseong and Yesang on ground is because he wants a clean and high profile action , otherwise he would have just sent Yesang to make it rain blood


    Yesang silently wrestled the man in front of the door and he knocked him unconscious within a manner of seconds . He quietly laid him down so that his body doesn''t thump on the ground . Suddenly another one emerged from the east side of the house and saw someone laying on the floor.


    As quick as he saw the body , he blasted towards his comrade. Yesang headed the man''s steps a little too late because all he saw next was the shadow of a mountain covering his body. The guard was supremely humongous and towered over Yesang. Yesang cursed internally as he knows there is no way this is going to be simple . Now he really wished that he hadn''t given Ilseong the gun.


    He tried to jump onto him but he just knocked him to the side like Yesang had no weight . Yesang landed on the ground and rolled four times before he coughed in agony . He finally felt the effect of the number that he had done on Jinyoung. His bones ached  and his muscles felt like he was getting on them . like a dying dog , he wimped before he felt four more kicks to his back and another super one that flew him once more


    He tried once again but the man had already arrived and stood over Yesang, kneeling over Yesang''s arms , practically locking him down . He aggressively punched Yesang on the nose cracking it. Luckily there was mold all over it or he would have actually hurt him.


    He punched his three times before finally begun to struggle out of the lock .


    Just as he was readjusting to stand , Ilseong jumped on the man''s back , pulling him off Yesang. In no time , Yesang proceeded to throw the drugged tissue on his face. Afterwards the man started to lose consciousness. Within seconds he fell face first .


    Ilseong jumped off him and Yesang laid the guy on the floor.Ilseong headed to the main door but Yesang pulled him again. In Ilseong''s amusement , Yesang signaled to the roof. Ilseong looked down to the contact they made and stated awkwardly but Yesang broke it and chuckled which made Ilseong raise an eyebrow. The last thing he expected was that. Considering the fact that he was almost killed by a giant , one would think that Yesang''s mood would be sour


    Yesang is quiet moody but sometimes it is very entertaining such as right now .


    After ascending the roof , Yesang showed Ilseong a blueprint. It was detailed but Yesang felt the need to tell him for the reason that he wanted to ascertain they are on the same page . Yesang used to locate a nearby balcony , in the meantime Ilseong just watched and he replaced the drug in Yesang''s spray gun. He placed it back into Yesang''s pocket which was on his leg , without Yesang remarking in anyway to the motions


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    They steeped into the teenage daughter''s bedroom. The girl was sleeping on the bed and halfnaked. Yesang handed Ilseong a mask but he didn''t take it. Ilseong moved to the mirror to scan for any hidden cameras although he already knew that they are not there. What Yesang didn''t understand was why he was checking since he already wearing his mask.


    Yesang proceeded to throw a smoke bomb on the ground and knock her unconscious. Ilseong coughed but then Yesang quickly covered his mouth while accidently pressing against his mouth. He dangled the mask of his finger and Ilseong took it and wore it. The mask that Ilseong came wearing was made of cotton which is good for someone who is going to run since air gets in easily but awful for blocking gases


    He then told Ilseong to wait two minutes and then bring the girl to the master bedroom.


    Yesang moved to the next bedroom which was the son''s.He softly opened the door and peaked inside.He couldn''t see anyone so he checked the whole room and it was empty.


    He pressed on the earcoms and asked Tomi how many people in the house . Tomi responded that there are three. He asked him to confirm and the answer was still the same .


    "Can you locate them?",


    "Not when your radiations are like that but let me try something and get back to you", Tomi responded picking up why it was important


    Yesang went to the other room and the lady was already unconscious. Surprisingly Ilseong was already there and with the girl.


    Ilseong signalled that there was one missing but Yesang told him to get things rolling. It impressed Yesang how Ilseong already knew that and for that reason it was a trigger to talk to him after this .


    Ilseong placed the cameras in front of the dresser and he took the lady''s phone and decide to call with it .Yesang was standing by the door and told him that he is going to look for the third civilian .He checked the whole house and he saw a door that lead to the attic . He didn''t open it but went back to the simulation when woojin cleared the phone of bugs


    Tomi slowly and meticulously pulled the sheets off her that Ilseong had wrapped her in . he pervertedly stared at her supple  teenage  breasts which both Ilseong and Yesang found repulsive .it wasn''t necessary to undress her but father''s tend to panic more seeing their daughters vulnerable therefore no one opposed Tomi''s idea despite it having ulterior motives. Ilseong checked in Yesang who was already looking at him . they locked eyes for a good five seconds before the younger felt the heat


    "What!", he signalled by raising his eyebrows but Yesang responded with a wink.


    Ilseong turned back to what he was doing after smiling underneath the mask . At the same time , Yesang walked out for no reason other than that it looked like Tomi was getting explosively aroused by the girl , afterall he is about the same age .


    ***


    The fact that there should be someone in the house troubled Yesang too much. The photos in the living room don''t show any one except the two females and the man . However there was a room that shows it is for the male


    "Could it be that he is in the attic?", he asked himself before Tomi spoke into the earcom that they have made a connection.


    ***


    It took way less than Yesang thought it would take for the man  to reveal the information which was a relief because the woman and girl were getting molested by Tomi''s overactive imagination and staring . within ten minutes , they were already leaving .


    They all walked to the car in silence and Tomi seemed very creepy as he was dazed in was obviously sexual thoughts of a mother and her daughter


    Yesang stood by the hood and Ilseong walked back up to him .


    " why are you standing there ? ",


    "Where is the third person and why didn''t the guy seem troubled when only the girl and woman were shown ?",


    "Woojin said he would do a swept and wants me to be closeby when he does in case he finds something. ",


    "Like a body ?",


    Ilseong nodded and said that he will go check it out but in the mean the Yesang goes and report to KwangSung. Just as he was about to protest , Yesang''s watch beeped. There was something wrong with Jinyoung.


    His heart skipped a beat when he checked the watch and it showed that Jinyoung''s heart rate was dropping drastically . Ilseong noticed that and permitted Yesang to leave .


    He agreed and took the scooter to leave first .Ilseong watched him leaving and almost wanted to follow but ignored the desire


    As he cycled further and further , all he could think about was the leverage he was going to hold over Namkyu when he has killed his brother .


    "Why is it dropping?", he questioned loudly almost like he expects an answer different from what his brain is telling him

 Chapter 17

    Yesang flew into the mansion and he raced up the stairs . then without knocking, he blasted like a rabid dog into Jinyoung`s room. His eyes raced to the bed and it was empty and then he yelled for his maids that came blazing into the room .


    He asked where Jinyoung was and they pointed to the bed but it was unvacant which confused all of them . Ms Lee went to the bathroom and like the rest of the space lacked Jinyoung. They looked at each other but they didn''t give each other any answer.


    Ms Jun turned her attention to Yesang and saw that he was had closed his eyes in attempt to conceal his anger but it was futile as they already knew he was furious


    ¡° he was here just moments ago!¡±, she whispered softly


    ¡± Well now he isn¡¯t¡±, he spat fire at them and then all came to worse .


    Ms Park peeled off the blankets and what she saw shocked everyone in the room. Yesang had attached a watch to Jinyoung''s body to monitor his vitals but currently that watch was submerged in a basin of water . The waterproof watch was so that in case he sweats Jinyoung`s vitals could still be measured but now it seems he used that to his advantage which is not surprising because he is an athlete and knows his way around these types of watches. He had used the water that matched his body temperature to take it off and as the water cooled , it falsely reported to Yesang that Jinyoung''s pulse was dropping .


    Yesang ironically chuckled at the scene , he never actually thought that Jinyoung would escape . It has unfolded that the constant abuse may have drove him to this but he really can¡¯t say he wanted to keep him alive for longer . On that very same note, Yesang thinks Jinyoung is too much of a child to master the courage to escape from someone like Yesang unless he is courting death for himself . Best case scenario is that Yesang will assume he must have went to buy some food .


    ( in the basement)


    "Eat slowly !", Jinyoung respectfully requested the man to eat .


    Hyunki was staffing everything into his mouth and not caring what that thing was. He barely looked at Jinyoung ever since Jinyoung placed the food in front of him


    At current, Jinyoung was seating directly outside the cell and he had brought all sorts of delicious foods to Hyunki. It''s true that he did take off the watch but he only did that so he can go buy food in town . Since he lacked the appetite , when he came back , he gave them Hyunki who ate like he has never tasted such delicacies


    Jinyoung chuckled at the way he almost choked at the food and he told him he can carry on eating . According to Jinyoung''s words , Yesang was not going to be back for a long time so it''s best if Hyunki slows down


    " young sir , why are you in this place ? Did that creep abduct you as well? ", Hyunki asked Jinyoung who responded by scoffing which quickly transitioned to crying .


    " I can leave anytime but I know he will find me and kill me . honestly I am not afraid of that , I only fear that I won''t be the only thing he kills ", he chuckled and he handed Hyunki another small juice box.


    Hyunki opened it but as he was about to drink it , he heard sobbing from Jinyoung so he redirected the box back to him . Jinyoung superimposed the way Namkyu used to try and feed him . in that brief moment , he cried like he had been holding back for far too long .


    He missed Namkyu so badly and wondered how he was doing . he hated being with this tornado called Yesang. All he desired was waking up to the smell of bread and red wine . Jinyoung always showered earlier than Namkyu and would wait with him as he made breakfast but he only ate his later after school. Now he wakes up to the same breakfast but it feels devoid of something like a familiarity


    " carry on crying . that way your heart won''t be suffocated by things it can''t express", he consoled Jinyoung who carried on crying like a child while he drank the juice .


    ''Kiddo! You are very young to be held by this beast . please escape !'', Hyunki thought softly fearing to pat Jinyoung who looked very clean compared to him who seemed like he was just been exhumed.


    He had seen so many people brought to this mansion and they have all been social with him . Most were for sexual benefit or were abducted but all had a dirty aura to them that Jinyoung lacks and for that reason Hyunki seems to liken him to his young nephew, Sangon.


    '' lord , please don''t let Yesang find Sangon and please let this boy leave before he longer has the option to choose '', he prayed for him .


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ***


    ¡± Aren¡¯t you going home today ?¡±, Garam asked Shiyang who responded that he just needs to finish a report before he heads out .


    Shiyang has officially turned Garam''s desk into his own that no one even bothered to find one for him . Naturally he could have just used the Chief''s office but he is still of a lower rank than that.


    He placed away his tablet and he turned full face to Garam who knot his eyebrows to him . Garam had been seating in the adjacent desk eating gummy bears


    He placed all the pictures in front of Garam and then of Hyonson and Taeyeon . He then took out Jinyoung''s and Namkyu''s. The last picture was of a white page and aligned them all together .


    " before you start , the only thing that wasn''t used is a toothbrush . and of the vital organs remaining , the skin and bones are missing ", he spoke as a matter of a fact and Shiyang asked him if he knows what that means


    " there are two victims that have to die and something tells me that the first has already been picked ! ", he added and Garam smirked at him for this


    " and how do you suppose that is the case ? ", Garam hesitated but Shiyang didn''t respond to him .


    Shiyang shook his head and he pulled more files . He didn''t have an answer.. Garam took out his phone and he begun to some watch football in his phone because there was nothing he could do in the meantime .


    ****


    Yesang looked at the station and he waited until he was certain that he Gyeongja was leaving the station . He followed her while she headed home .


    She got on the train that lead to her apartment and it seemed she lived alone which was a bad move .


    He checked for the CCTV signals in the area and there seemed to be only at reception for the building she was living in . He hacked that and replayed past recordings for the on-watcher . After he had done so , he waited about thirty-five minutes in his car before he picked a huge bundle of shopping bags and some cake with balloons and a humongous bouquet . Together with them , he held a clipboard then he hid his face in a mask and behind the large roses and he walked into the apartment.


    " i am sorry sir but I have been asked to deliver these to Nahm Gyeongja . They are from a secret admirer . they were sent two weeks ago but there has been a delay ", Yesang spoke with an accent behind the gifts and the receptionist man said he will call to confirm those details .


    After a few minutes , Gyeongja agreed for the gifts to be delivered since she finds it believable that Namkyu would have fancied her back then to buy gifts. the receptionist gave Yesang her room number and he journeyed there .


    (Ten minutes later )


    When she opened the door , Gyeongja was greeted by a large bundle of flowers , gift bag and more balloons. She smiled heavily as she asked the '' delivery guy '' to place the objects down , inside her apartment .


    Immediately as Yesang put them down , she gleefully went to them and started to touch them . He watched as she picked the bouquet and smelled it .Slowly Yesang begin to countdown from ten. The roses smelled bland not because of what Yesang said but because he had sprayed anaesthesia and the devil''s breath into the bouquet .


    She picked the note and she tried to read it .


    "Despite t-the c-cir-circumstances ...",


    She stopped reading then she turned to look at Yesang but her vision was blurry but she managed to see that he was wearing a mask


    She broke towards the floor and she hit the table with her head before she fell face first onto the ground . In seconds she was already paralyzed .


    Yesang who was dressed like a delivery man stood stationery without a single display of emotion . He took out some surgical gloves from his pockets and he thoughtlessly dragged her to the tub . he opened piping hot water and he carelessly dumped her inside. The tub filled quickly and he made sure all her limbs were submerged before he opened a small container and tossed an effervescent pill inside.


    Afterwards he left and he went to the reception , as expected the man was unconscious. He had inhaled the anesthesia as he was answering the phone requesting for permission to let Yesang enter but what surprised Yesang was that he had foamed up . he checked his pulse to make sure he was dead and it was too low . He turned back to Gyeongja''s apartment


    He walked to the shopping bags , unearthed a surgical attire and he dressed in it. Following on he took out some surgical tools before he went to the bathroom.


    He took out Gyeongja from the tub and he undressed her. Finally he did the thing he came here to do .


    Three hours later , he walked put of the bathroom , to his gift bags. He undressed leaving him looking like a delivery man. He picked everything and left the apartment .


    He walked out the gifts and he went back to his stolen car . he drove off


    ****


    Garam walked to the cell that Namkyu was in and he unlocked the door . he then proceeded to undo the chains .


    "Excuse me , am I free?", he asked not really understanding the cause of such an action but before long he aggressively dragged Namkyu outside .


    Together they went back to the meeting room where everyone was gathered . Namkyu felt out of place because he was just simply a hot mess


    He looked at everyone dressed in a shallow mood and he didn''t quite understand what was the matter . he looked for a familiar face but what then interrupted by Garam''s abrupt questioning


    "Are you looking for Gyeongja?", he asked with a very hoarse voice but Namkyu shook his head no.


    "Well that is a relief because it would have been hard to talk to her without any skin", he sarcastically joked


    Namkyu protruded his eyes . By default he turned to the large projection screen and he gasped in disbelief.


    There was a picture of human skin perfectly laid , in the next picture was a human with red skin exposed to the air almost the musculoskeletal models they use in anatomy classes but the last picture was the one that gave Namkyu the chills .


    In what seemed to be blood were the letters , I WARNED YOU. DIDN''T I? , written on the white bathroom walls


    He recalled that the doctor at the hospital told him that he would skin Gyeongja if she doesn''t back off and he didn''t need a lab-test to deduce that the blood on the wall was his own since he remembers that he was told that blood his blood would be used to paint it .


    As he was still looking at that image , out of nowhere a punch landed across his face and before long another punch came . Chonhee was beating the life out of him for no abrupt reason . Minjun jumped to restrain her and she just cried as she was pulled back .


    " She was skinned while she was still alive and that blood on the wall is a match ! A HUNDRED PERCENT MATCH FOR SOMEONE ", Bomsoek echoed


    "How can you say I did it when I was locked here the whole time?", he screamed at Bomsoek


    " Not yours, Jinyoung''s ", Garam spoke with teeth clenched .


    Namkyu kept quiet and he looked at Garam as if he was speaking parables .


    " the CCTV was hacked , and the only witness we have is the receptionist who was found unconscious at the scene .this morning he experienced cardiac arrest from inhaling anesthesia mixed with cyanide . There is not a single witness left , not one ", Yeonghwan sobbed at the seriousness of the situation and that made Namkyu feel worse


    " when did she...", he failed to speak and that is when Bomsoek announced that it has been four days since she didn''t come to work .


    He felt dizzy ! He didn''t know what to think and what to perceive of this . in three months , over twenty-nine suspicious deaths have occurred and all of them , there is only him to link to the case .


    Chonhee shrugged off Minjun then stood facing Namkyu


    " in case you are wondering , we don''t have her skin . all these pictures were taken with her phone since most phones don''t need you to unlock them for the camera . the phone was next to her body that was undressed , peeled and then redressed in her home clothes", Chonhee tried not to cry but failed as did Namkyu


    Jinyoung''s blood! Gyeongja''s skin !


    '' please don''t let it be Jinyoung! Not again!''

 Chapter 18

    ?Yesang sat at his desk holding an old small blue teddy bear. He looked at it with such volatile emotions but in actual fact his heart was pouring out to the agile toy because it belonged to his brother .


    He has not seen him in so long but he still sees him in his dreams and the most traumatizing part is that he seems him as a child carrying a small teddy , dressed in the same clothes as the last time they met which was when there was fire that mercilessly claimed his family`s lives


    Sangon had been with his brother in the backyard . Yesang was in the backyard because he was uncomfortable with the awkward tension that his father created . Basically he didn''t want to be near the man who always assumed preposterous things about Yesang , implying that he is a bad influence on Sangon and the family in general .He was paranoid by the extreme level of a lack of emotion that Yesang always displayed and he paid too much attention to it after the teachers and Hyunki suggested that Yesang could be a very `different `from anyone . All throughout his childhood , Yesang didn''t want to engage with everyone. At school , when they played he never smiled or laughed at the jokes , if anyone offended him , he would simply look at them in a condescending and calculating manner and walk away without saying anything .Onto of that he was an extreme perfectionist , never wanting to get dirty , never wanting to work in art class and hating all sorts of group activities with noise and socializing . The other kids even called him scary. But they never told him because they were petrified of him nonetheless Sangon didn''t find anything offish about his brother , maybe because he was still wet behind the ears .


    His mother only though it was that Yesang had a delayed speech development and might be shy about it . The grandparents were a bit unsteady because they would defend Yesang when his mother said it was anxiety but then they would agreed with Hyunki when he said that Yesang was built with different ingredients. Furthermore these two old people didn¡¯t treat Yesang as they did Sangon. Sangon was always approached with a soft tone but there was always a hesitation when they interacted with Yesang . Everyone in the house knew that much including Yesang but he didn''t care and they probably knew that he didn''t care , which made them even more uncomfortable.


    On that particular forsaken day ,he remembers that he talked to Sangon for a little before Sangon ran into the house and he left. He cant recall where he went nor why he left but when he came back, the house was on fire . There were a bunch of people including paramedics, firefighters and police outside the house . He watched the team take out stretchers from he house and he partially knew that was his family members but can¡¯t really say that he acknowledged it . The police car gave him a ride to the station to ask him some questions but he didn''t say anything . At that instance they assumed he was mute . One officer asked him to write his name and he instead wrote that he wants to see his mother. In that instance someone called the station , that they had managed to get a hold of Hyunki and he was heading to the hospital . The officer took Yesang and they all went to the said place but it seemed that they arrived before Hyunki .since they were journeying to the nearest hospital , it didn''t take too long. When Yesang got inside , he was shown the room his brother was in . The doctor gave him the toy and told him to wait but he went outside and he just started at the window.


    Hyunki found him there and like Yesang`s father, Hyunki started to spew bad words that Yesang heard before but never knew what they meant ,.


    The two of them went back to a motel and throughout the whole two days , Hyunki kept Yesang locked in the next room. The little did nothing all day but stare out the window. At one point the officers came and announced that they don¡¯t know what caused the fire but it was probably a gas leak. The officers mentioned the issue of Yesang`s deafness which shocked Hyunki but he nevertheless agreed to it . After exchanging some contacts for a therapists , the officer left . The afternoon that they returned to their ancestral home , Hyunki wasted no time and he locked Yesang in the basement . Months later ,he decided to unlock him but that day Yesang ran away from home .Whether or not Hyunki issued a missing person''s report is unclear but he probably didn''t because of how much he had always been hostile against Yesang .


    Yesang lived off doing things that no one his age would do. He would collect road kill and at one point he was so hungry that he actually ate some of it . Fortunately he only got some mild stomach ache . Three months passed as he lived eating from the garbage that he got tired of everything and he went into a church .


    The pastor opened his hands to him but he was quick to judge Yesang and said that he needs to speak more . He would give him food and a bath but then afterwards he would give him a mouthful of lectures . Yesang hated this but he didn''t have a choice so he stayed there for a while .


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    He grew up quite well for someone who struggled very badly .Although he was enrolled into a school, he never once set foot in the place but no one bothered to check because the contact details that Yesang provided were fake and always went to voicemail. He carried on coming to the church very once in a few times. When he hit his teenage years, the growth spurt once again favored him that he caught the eye of a rich man `s daugther when she came for prayers with their mother. SHe fell for his looks and masculine presence . One thing lead to the other and she invited him for a party at her place and bought him clothes for the occasion . At that ball , he was dressed so intimidatingly that he looked way older than he was and resembled something more like a sexy vile beast than he did a person


    At the same event , he caught the attention of a mafia princess . She cajoled him and by the end of the night, she offered him money to copy some documents from he mansion . The amount she offered him was a little too much but he nonetheless did it because she was too tantalizing to have her requests declined. Plus the non-monetary reward she proposed lured Yesang like a fish on a hook


    He did as he was told and delivered the copies to he agreed place . The deal went smoothly and was topped by a very steamy night between her and Yesang . After they were done , Yesang walked away with a quarter of a million dollars in hard cash . No less than fifty meters away he was robbed and attacked .


    That is when he sold his soul to the devil.


    He hunted her down , forced to confess her backstabbing then made her take her own life in the most cruel way possible . In the world that her family is in that sort of death wasn¡¯t anything shocking but in the innocent eyes , they only saw a depressed young beautiful girl . Next he tracked down each and everyone of the guys that attacked him and made sure that they pay for what they did .


    One of them worked for Kwangsun`s family . Discovering this fact made it seem like he had opened a big can of worms because the guy was already dead and he died on duty during a mission. Yesang had unknowingly intercepted a large syndicate which is punishable by death if not worse .


    The guy`s colleagues found Yesang after a hard struggle but instead of punishing him , he suggested that he work for them , proposing that he can work much better . He confessed to killing some people and with that he got the job as the official cleaner . One thing lead to the other , that through every mission he would build connections. From personal feud , all the way to professional personnel , he cleaned them off the earth and remained unconstitutional every single time .Within no time , he became the continent `s most deadly man with a planned kill count of two thousand and sadistic count of five to eight thousand .


    As if that wasn¡¯t worse enough, he went to the pastor that gave him a place to stay nd he induced a heart attack in him .He didn''t attend his burial because at that time he was tracking down his uncle to lock him in his mansion .


    All in all ,he has been doing this for long enough that the longest he had kept anyone on his hit list alive is as long as Jinyoung had stayed in his house , which is not very long .


    He closed his eyes .


    He had so much emotional blockage that he can''t even feel anything that wasn''t temporary.


    He can''t really tell what he will feel if he ever meets his brother in . He is not even sure if he will be able to recognize him or if Sangon will be able to recognize Yesang . Over fifteen years have passed since he last saw his three and half year old brother. At the time , he still ate his fingers and played with toys such as this one on the table . Right now , he must be a grown man and probably on his way to university like Jinyoung.


    Ms Jun knocked on the door and she came in carrying a newspaper. She handed it to Yesang who took it emotionlessly


    It was his next mission and it was from Taeson . That means he might want him to foil some of foreign mogul''s plans . Additionally the coordinates and coding in the paper , give a location in the far side.


    He threw it on the table and he placed the bear once again in the desk before he asked about Jinyoung.


    "He had gone to buy food . he is currently sleeping in his room!", she answered and he nodded but saw that she has something to say .


    "His injuries won''t heal ! I tried to add some medicines but I think he spills it away ", she complained , taking out some cream from her apron that she brought when she was out collecting the newspapers .


    ***


    He kicked the door open and he startled Jinyoung who jumped and he hugged his legs on the bed .. His face was puffy like he had been crying . The look of distraught and instability show he hadn''t been able to sleep


    He scrutinized Jinyoung but didn''t know what to say or how to start the conversation.


    " I went to buy food ! ", he stated and Yesang moved closer but Jinyoung jumped a little .


    He ignored that as he persisted in moving to him . Just as Jinyoung was about to relocate away, Yesang caught him and he rolled up his T-shirt . Indeed the wounds were looking worse .


    He took some medicine from his pocket that he got from Ms Jun and he applied it carelessly on his back . he knew the wounds probably hurt but it was not his business.


    "If these are not healed by next week , I will add more !", Yesang casually told him


    "Next week?", he wondered if that means that he is allowed to stay here .


    " I need to go to Istanbul and probably Ukraine so the earliest I can return is next week. ", he stood up and Jinyoung was confused .


    " I cant bring you with me unless you are going to help , which we both know you can''t ",


    Jinyoung pulled his shirt down and he stood up inform to Yesang. Only now was it apparent that Jinyoung was a bit taller .


    " wanna bet? ",

 Chapter 19

    Yesang opened his laptop and he looked at the profile of the person that Taeson wanted eliminated . Her name is Hena and she is definitely rich with the type of clothes and weight of labels she has on her. Her net worth is almost fifteen times as much as Yesang and she has thirty-three businesses under her name . She is the granddaughter of a beauty icon and seems she is an illegitimate child , which is a big deal in her culture. She is married to a professor who is currently dean of the department of finance and they have one son and two twin girls . All kids are in a reputed academy. Currently she is attending a fashion show where she is a large investor at . Her hotel is only minutes away from the venue.


    Jinyoung was playing a tennis game on his mobile. As he laid on the large sofa , he appeared to be extremely calm than he should be . On another note, Jinyoung has done this before with Hyonson and her sister therefore he wont have the jitters . Similar to Jinyoung, no matter the name of the profile or the complexity of the mission , Yesang cannot recall a time where he was ever nervous which made it very suspicious as well as uncomfortable because he thought it might be a sign but now that he has over ten years of experience he just realized , there was no need for the nerves because he knew what he was doing .


    It has been two days since they arrived in Istanbul because the private plane that they took here was delaying a lot to avoid being tracked by other airlines and avoid colliding with their signals or with them . By courtesy of every mission, Yesang is provided with a private travel ticket but he doesn¡¯t take it because he doesn¡¯t want other people he works for knowing through their spies his travels. So he got his own jet and uses this guy called Hyunsuk in the airlines to make sure the air is clear for travelling in.


    Anyway after they landed , which was about six hours ago, Hyunsuk arranged for their transport across the plains and even arranged where they will be staying . It¡¯s an understatement to say this guy is extremely useful and very loyal but one thing that Yesang hates about him is his gipsyness . He is like an open book which is very risky but he knows the consequences of betraying Yesang .Long story short , he got hem this apartment that is below the radar but is still sophisticated enough to house `an art critique and his nephew`


    Now Yesang has to think of a perfect plan of how he is going to get rid of her and for some reason he wants to use Jinyoung in this one to see how `useful` he can be .


    ¡°Have you understood her profile ?¡±, he questioned him and Jinyoung replied yes and told him to choose whether he wants make it loud or silent .


    ¡± Silent¡±


    ¡±Okay . Then I think her hotel would be the best and classic method. But we need to go to where she is so that they think the problem started at the party ¡°, Jinyoung elaborated


    ¡±By silent , I mean I want it to look natural ¡°,


    Jinyoung placed his phone to the side and he looked to Yesang . The youngest eyed the large table that had guns on top of it . Yesang had to trust the security and discreetness of the apartment to have guns randomly placed .


    ¡° Bullets are not natural . Besides these are for the other job. This one needs to look natural ¡°,


    ¡±She is too young to have a natural death , unless ¡­she is seen losing control of herself and that way they would think she is drunk ¡°


    ¡±She isn¡¯t an alcoholic nor is she into drugs.. Wait , what do you mean losing control?¡±,


    Jinyoung tapped his wrist and Yesang looked at him slyly. Something tells him that Jinyoung came prepared.


    ***


    As expected of a fashion show, the designs seemed to have a theme but it took a rather creative mind to understand the concept . It manifested like the theme here was natural beauty because the level of diversity was enthralling even those that hated the idea of modeling were magnetized to the display.


    The whole show took about three hours and then Hena came to stage to give her speech. She was dressed in a long white mermaid gown that she looked like a diplomatic princess . Her makeup was light and so was her skin .She was rather gorgeous thanks to her exotic origin and the ability to afford botox and other creams . All in all , her money was well spent in rejuvenating and revitalizing her aura to a youthful one .


    Jinyoung was standing at the far end of the house , the only difference was that he was wearing waiter`s uniform and cosmetic mask , a bit like the one that Yesang always uses when he has to show up in person during missions. Yesang made one for Jinyoung while they waited for the fashion on show to start . It fit him snugly and made him look like he actually comes from the same place as most of the audience here. Nonetheless this mask made him a lot less handsome than he naturally is which is good thing that he doesn¡¯t too much attention to himself .


    After the fashion show, the people headed to the back to exchange hellos and small talk . It is a very boring practice but thankfully it was helpful for these two`s mission.


    Because he was dressed Ike a waiter and so had acess to the kitchen . Just as the drinks were beginning to be served, he joined other waiters to get trays from the kitchen . On his way back to the party , Yesang spoke into the earcom that JInyoung was wearing which was hidden by his fake longish hair .


    ¡± Remember that she is not supposed to suspect anything ¡°, he told him and Jinyoung ignored him


    ¡° Hello, are you listening to me ?¡±, he repeated as he watched from the surveillance cameras what was happening . Hyunsuk had long hacked these before Jinyoung finished wearing his mask


    ¡° If I answer you , you are going to tell me to shut up¡­¡±


    ¡± SHut up!¡±, he shot back when guest approached JInyoung and took the glass from the tray . JInyoung smiled at him and went on


    ¡° Do you know which glass you spiked? Don¡¯t let them take at random¡±, Yesang warned and Jinyoung whistled yes .


    Just then two females grabbed the champagne glasses and like the past few moment , Yesang threw a tantrum .


    Jinyoung casually ignored him and he continued to move towards Hena , with an EMPTY tray and a bottle of wine atop it. He strode gracefully with his white cloth over his arm


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    As he approached he stood for a few seconds , adjusted the wine bottle and looked for any guest. He instead journeyed to her . He eyed her company before he asked if they need anything . He took and held the wine bottle to her and she declined politely . He took less than a few seconds before he headed back to the kitchen .


    Yesang was flabbergasted.


    ¡° don¡¯t watch me . Look at her ¡°,he told Yesang obeyed. With that he went back to the kitchen


    (In the kitchen)


    Out of nowhere someone tapped Jinyoung on the shoulder and when he turned he saw someone about the same height as his brother . He superimposed his face onto him when the young fella smiled .


    ¡° Can you bring some more champagne to the elites by the windows? I need to go to the bathroom¡±, he smiled and left before Jinyoung could agree


    ¡° Hello! Will you please stop ignoring? The drug will take time to kick in . Come back so we can remove that mask and traces of the drug on you¡°, Yesang told him and Jinyoung indeed ignored


    He picked the champagne and went to the people the smiling guy was talking about .He gave them some and when he returned the guy was drinking some water from the sink .


    Even the way he turned resembled Namkyu`s


    ¡° You are not from here?¡±, he asked him and JInyoung shook his head


    ¡± Neither am I ! I am actually standing in for my brother . He had to go to a football match ¡°, he told him and Jinyoung replied that he just wanted cash to buy his favorite cd and new gadgets for varsity


    ¡± Cool!¡±, he smiled at him and he tapped his shoulder before he headed out


    His mood suddenly went down and he thought about Namkyu . He wanted to ask how he is doing . He knows that Namkyu is probably suffering where he is , probably finding it hard to fall asleep . Earlier on when , he toying with his phone he saw that some officer from the station at home was harmed and he assumed it was Yesang`s doing but he dint ask about it just like he dint ask what Hena has done so wrong to be killed .


    ¡° wait , I know we just met but would you like to grab some drinks later . My treat ¡°, the guy turned , then asked Jinyoung who shook his head


    He went to him and he whispered into his ear something but Jinyoung didn''t hear what it was because he suddenly dropped a tear . The guy tried to wipe it but Jinyoung caught his hand aggressively while at the same time , letting down another tear.


    ¡±Dude , you wanna talk about it ?¡±,


    ¡± i can¡¯t do that .¡±,


    The tears didn''t stop falling and he began to find it hard to breath in the mask . He wanted to go back home and keep crying to himself until he fell asleep . This emotion was unchanneling his well being . The waiter was shaken by the emotional display that he stood back and he gave him a hug .


    ¡±I heard that humans calm down a lot due to physical contact . I don¡¯t know if that is true because every time i try to hug anyone like my brother they don¡¯t look calm. I think my brother, for one hates hugs¡±,


    ¡±i don''t( hate Namkyu`s ) ¡±, he mumbled with more tears falling down his eyes .


    He was just stationery until the guy let go and told him to wait here . He said he was going to get something


    **


    Hena turned to her guests and she excused herself then she headed towards the ladies`s bathroom .


    She got there and she begun to drink some water .She suddenly felt nauseous that she blast off and threw up . At that moment she got a nosebleed . She panicked as she paced back to wash her nose .. After a while , bleeding subdued but she could feel it still coming . Hena had no choice but walk out of the party .


    She went to her car and asked the chauffeur to take her home . She got in the back seat and practically melted into the expensive white leather. In no time , the wheels headed towards the trafficked streets. It was apparent that this city , certainly doesn¡¯t sleep


    ¡±Frank , open the windows ¡°, she was feeling dizzy . Her nosebleed had worsened and she no longer bothered to wipe it. Further more she was raining perspiration and under-ventilating


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, are you okay ?¡±,


    She wasn¡¯t responding and so he turned to go to the hospital .


    After a heavy drive , they got to the emergency room . She was barely breathing nor conscious . The doctors rushed her to the ICU but she was drifting far off way faster than they could reach the machines. They tried to resuscitate her but she wasn¡¯t responding . In the next few minutes, their efforts lost enthusiasm as they then pronounced her UNALIVE!


    ( What actually happened)


    The drug that Yesang gave to JInyoung is tasteless, odorless and colorless. It is so untraceable and beneficial only when administered in safe doses which was far from the case with what happened to Hena.


    Jinyoung is holding a cloth over his other arm and in that arm, he is wearing a spray watch that looks like a regular sports watch . It even shows the time .


    When he stood behind her at the party, his hand was turned to her and thus it sprayed her. HE then walked out to stand in front of her and even then his hand was facing out to her as he kept the tray elevated in the air . When he faced the bottle to her , he sprayed her again . After he left , he stood a few seconds behind her and tucked his hair behind his ear, once again spraying her with the fume .


    All in she inhaled the drug way much more than others . They will be safe and if they do experience the same effects they will blame the drinks and will clear Jinyoung because they refused all offers form him .


    ****


    Yesang was watching from the comfort of their apartment and was surprised by the scene . Because he could follow the car using a satellite camera that has extra enhancements, he managed to see her getting transferred into the hospital but nothing beyond that


    ¡± I am hungry ¡°,JInyoung complained to the earcom


    ¡°You better not eat anything before you have taken a though cleansing ¡°, He mentioned with a scoff . Yesang was impressed so much that he begun to call Hyunsuk to arrange something


    ****


    They sat in a restaurant and Jose had ordered pancakes .The shop had very few customers because it was nearing midnight . HE seemed like he enjoyed the sweet dessert almost like a child which was the total opposite of Namkyu who likes meat and wine .HE ate and he would occasionally ask Jinyoung to try but he decline the offer because Yesang told him not eat anything. Further more , all he wanted to drink now was milk


    ¡± You are very mysterious ! Where are you from ?¡±,Jose spoke between mouthfuls


    ¡±Some place very far from here¡±


    ¡± Hello , Mr-I-will-tell-you-my -name-later. I see you have the culture of people from some-place-very-far-from-here¡±, Jose mocked him and Carried on eating


    He ate very quickly like he was starving . He probably hasn¡¯t sat down all day


    ¡°Why do you keep looking at me like that ¡°


    Jinyoung forgot he was staring . Actually Jinyoung stares a lot . Yesang , Sehu, Namkyu and Doekhwang know that but they never told him because they didn''t want him to feel uncomfortable .


    ¡±Like what? ¡°, he didn''t stop staring at him


    ¡±Like how you look at stale pancakes ¡°,Jose smiled


    Jinyoung took out the envelope and he slip it to him . It was his pay from the party


    ¡°I don¡¯t want your money . I might be poor but i am not a charity-case¡±,He sulked


    ¡±Did i say YOU should take it? Give it to your brother !¡±, JInyoung answered in a calm tone


    ¡°I will give it to him if you tell me your name ¡°,


    ¡°Jose !¡±, JInyoung answered and Jose looked at him in disbelief


    ¡±You want me to call you by my name ! That¡¯s so original ¡°,


    ¡±If i told you my name was Fred or Gabriel , you would call me by that . That would be my introduction and thus how I expect out be called. If i say my name is Jose , even if it isn¡¯t , i expect you to call me that ¡°, he told him


    ¡° Jose isn¡¯t my name ! My name is Luke and Jose is the name of my dog . ¡°, he told Jinyoung and JInyoung chuckled at a dog called Jose because he imagined the full name was Josephine and imagine a black strong pit bull called Josephine


    ¡° i am going to the bathroom . Wait here!¡±, he left because he didn¡¯t get the joke. Once again when he passed, he touched Jinyoung but this time he ruffled his hair .


    Unmoved Jinyoung glared at the plate in front of him .


    Three minutes later , Luke returned and the seat was empty .


    He looked all over the place and he went to ask the teller but the teller said that Jinyoung just walked out . HE did however leave a message that Luke shouldn¡¯t normalize leaving his food with strangers especially ones from some-where-far-from-here

 Chapter 20

    A knock came on the door and Jinyoung got up from the large sofa when he was passing time playing a game on Yesang`s laptop. He was initially reading about Hena but got bored


    He was still wearing a cleansing mask because he really doesn''t like having his skin tainted with chemicals like those that came from the mask he was wearing . Yesang had some cleansing mask and knew that a box of ten can last him a while but that wont apply for Jinyoung who is obsessed with having clean skin. He used five masks yesterday and he he kept an overnight one but had changed it nearly three times .


    Ontop of that he has showered four times and took half an hour each time . Yesang had Waite for peach time but eventually just abated the plan when Jinyoung confessed that he while take a while .


    He opened the door and he found a tall male . The male exclaimed at the avocado mask but Jinyoung paid him no heed and he went back to the kitchen to grab some water. There was no need for formalities because Jinyoung has seen him during the plane ride here . One thing he didn''t expect it is that he would look so much like he needs a lot of rehab and hydration.


    "I thought he was joking about the face mask . anyway well done on what you did ", hyunsuk walked into the house carrying plastic bags with food inside. One of the other bags had a pharmacy label , installing that he had brought the skin care staff that Yesang reported had finished


    He went towards the kitchen island and he placed everything down. This apartment is just an open-space with divisions only for the restrooms and the bedrooms. Otherwise every other place has clear view of the other. In Hyunsuk`s plastics were so much salad and clear juices . Yesang is a very picky eater and also doesn''t like to eat just about anything which is why Hyunsuk has buy food like these


    "I didn''t get your name ",


    " Jinyoung!"


    " really ! I thought it was Jose ", he spoke and Jinyoung looked at him .


    He held out a gift card and jinyoung hesitated to take it . Hyunsuk kept swing it in the air but jinyoung instead took the salad from the plastic and he went back to the sofa to watch movies on the laptop .


    Hyunsuk leaned against the counter and he scanned him . he could tell that Jinyoung was still very young but he has the thought processing of an adult which he probably picked from his brother and that might explain why he was able to do what he had done. Hyunsuk has been in the field of the likes of Yesang enough to know that anyone who does a mission like this so quickly and coherently has definitely executed one before.


    Despite how Yesang practically asks him for help with the mission and supplies like this , Yesang has not been open about Jinyoung . He didn''t share any details about Jinyoung, not even his name . hyunsuk was rather surprised when Yesang mentioned that he is bringing someone to the mission and that someone turned out to be male and a very young male to be exact .


    All in all, it is horrible and dangerous if Yesang keeps Jinyoung close him because that would mean he is living with a monster but what`s even worse is when Jinyoung himself is about to become one .


    "Why are you here ?", Yesang emerged from the corridor and he was wearing formally as always .


    No matter whether he has taken a shower or is about to go to bed, he is always wearing smart casual or simple formal . it is a very uptight dress code but it was his signature one plus he looks good in it .


    "I brought breakfast and this !", Hyunsuk showed him a gift card .


    Yesang took it and then jinyoung handed him the laptop .


    He entered the details and he read the contents .


    "When did this come in?",


    "A few days ago but I had to verify somethings",


    Hyunsuk looked at Yesang and then at Jinyoung who seemed curious .Hyunsuk looked back and forth the two males but was particularly interested in Yesang`s explanation


    "He told me his name and said that you let him touch your guns", Hyunsuk mocked Yesang but Yesang ignored him all together as he was trying to understand what the contents were saying .


    "Someone called a hit which is not good ", Hyunsuk told jinyoung but he was clueless.The way he said it was like he was lecturing a toddler.


    "Don''t tell him that !", Yesang answered .


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    He gave Jinyoung the laptop who jumped to it . Like a toddler , he immediately begun to search through but unfortunately the screen had been shifted to the tablet by the coffee table that Yesang already took


    "You know, its not okay for you to have an associate ",Hyunsuk stated


    "What they don''t know won''t hurt them !",Yesang answered in reference to the previous mission


    "He isn''t coming for this one . take him home ", he ordered and he left while he held the tablet in his other hand .


    Jinyoung got pissed at Hyunsuk for suggesting that he leaves .


    "Chin up kid ! ",


    " don''t call me that ! ", he hissed at Hyunsuk who was shocked by that . indeed Jinyoung was mad .


    " he really can''t keep bringing you to missions",


    "Why ? All ''they'' want is a dead person and they don''t necessarily have to know exactly how it was done ", Jinyoung lost his appetite .


    "You are too young to understand . you should hanging out with Jose and not getting feisty with wanting to murder someone ", he consoled him but Jinyoung was not listening to him .


    After Yesang was out of sight , he looked at the picture that actually popped up on his screen . It was Sehu , Namkyu''s ex . And it is clear whose call tis was .He didn''t want it to be obvious to Jinyoung because he might want to do it and this time he might not get lucky .


    The short version of events is that Yesang was told to hurt those people and make it look accidental . But the other murders were not done by him . Under orders, he only ever hurt Hena, Minghwa, Mina and Gyeongja . It was clear from the get-go that he is not the only one in this . He cant figure out whom is doing it but he knows it was whose order because that very same person is ordering him to complete the other missions. He is a bit uncomforted by this because he doesn''t like to not have control. If he actually considers Sehu, it would be his fifth female that he seems like a blind order( random serial killing done by orders and feels like there is a pattern but there is no concrete evidence to support that )


    (Two days later)


    Namkyu had long took a leave of absence from work for two months and time was flying by very quickly .And to the irony of it, most of his time is spent at the police station


    At current he was seating in the break room and he watched as the officers tried to join links from all sorts of recent suspicious murders . They were looking into accidents that were so far off the radar that it didn''t even look anything like what Yesang would do .


    A unit dealing with these recent suspicious murders have been formed and Minjun, Shiyang , Garam , Chohee , Chaewon and some transfer cop( to replace Gyeongja) are working it . Despite Shiyang being the official leader of the team , Garam is giving more orders than everyone else. Today however , Garam is out following a lead on the murders .


    Shiyang keeps asking Namkyu questions and Namkyu gives short responses . there is really not much explaining that needs to happen but then again it would be extremely foolish to act like that clarifies everything. All they know is that there is a maniac on the loose and they have to catch him but they really don''t know anything because Yesang has never been sighted and never leaves any clues . Although they still think the killer is Jinyoung, they have kicked him off the suspects and are looking at ex-convicts or any suspicious person that have been reported .


    Namkyu can vaguely recall what Yesang looks like because he met him so long ago at the trial . He could tell them that but it wouldn''t be helpful .Another thing he wonders if he should tell them is that he has talked to Yesang but they are going to hate him since he knew that something would happen to Gyeongja before then. They might have even kept her safe ,plus Yesang also said that Namkyu can not tell anyone anymore


    "Have a sandwich", Shiyang gave one to Namkyu but he declined it .


    Shiyang looked at him looking so pitiful and he thought about the stress it must be on him .


    Namkyu raised his eyes and found Shiyang looking at him . He didn''t break contact for a while causing Namkyu to ask him what the problem was . he didn''t say anything to him and he pulled his tablet and he gave it to him .


    On the screen were the words written in blood .Namkyu panicked and that should from how he started to pick at his nail beds .


    "I don''t..",


    " You are going to answer my questions with this or this ", he shook and nodded his head . for some reason , it seemed like he didn`t want the others to know what they are talking about .


    "He is talking about something that you are not entirely confused of ",


    Namkyu nodded


    " do you think that you have ever seen his face? ",


    Namkyu nodded


    "So you remember it? ",


    Namkyu shook his head


    "Is there anything you would like to tell me ?",


    He hesitated and shook his head . there is no way he is telling him about the premeditation of Gyeongja.


    He pulled the sandwich and he gave it to him . Namkyu was already tearing up and he ate the sandwich while crying . He felt guilty for Gyeongja`s passing because if he did report it , even if they didn''t catch Yesang , they may have saved her .


    " the department said you can go home today . I will have someone take you back ",


    Out of nowhere , his tummy rumbled .He hasn''t eaten a proper meal in weeks , his body has been on survival mode


    Shiyang and Namkyu drove into a drive-through. The food at the station isn''t bad but it isn''t good either. It takes a certain type of person to enjoy it .


    Shiyang came back and he gave Namkyu all the food. In no time , he launched his teeth into it and he swallowed everything . He ate like he was being chased and barely chewed some of that before sending it down his throat. He wanted to cry at the lovely taste . it felt like his body was eating itself and right now he got to see paradise for the first time in a long time . He sniffed in and carried on pushing the fries and bugger into his mouth .


    He looked away from Namkyu and focused on the tablet . Suddenly Namkyu offered him some fries while his face was brimming with oil. Shiyang declined because they looked dirty and like Namkyu has a far better use for them .


    Namkyu and jinyoung have this strange trait of always offering people food even when they themselves are starving . actually Jinyoung started it and slowly Namkyu did it for his med school colleagues and Hyonson. It was probably for this reason that she liked him quickly and the same came can be said with his colleagues whom he hasn''t seen ever since graduation. Immediately when he graduated , he took a specialist training in forensics

 Chapter 21

    The next mission date was nearing very fast and they needed to move to Ukraine and be back in time for Yesang to go and check out the next member of the documents that Kwangsun needs so bad . Another thing that has been haunting him is the other person who could be killing people along with him. He knows that the person is probably taking orders from the same person giving him orders but this is getting too fishy that he wants to know why these people are being killed. Even the simple reason that it is just for fun is a good enough reason. Yesang plans to follow the other murders that might have happened and he missed and see how they might have pattern to the ones that he has performed. It is not his territory because he doesn''t chase down other killers but he really wishes to know .He thought about asking Jinyoung to tell him because he doesn''t have the patience for this kind of stuff but he doesn''t really how to pose it Jinyoung especially since he has being way quite after Yesang ordered Hyunsuk to take him back home .


    ??????????" have you finished packing ? ", Yesang asked Jinyoung who was playing on his phone,.


    Jinyoung was laying on his side on the coffee table . He seemed really unenthusiastic and definitely so unproductive let alone tolerant nor obedient . Probably the only thing he has done is shower since he cant really cook well and Hyunsuk hasn''t brought any food .


    When he was at home and Namkyu was working late, he ordered some food or go over to Doekwan and they would go to a restaurant together but is different now that he is with Yesang . He can''t text or call anyone, any restaurant food or any food uber .Specifically speaking, Jinyoung only ordered from high-end restaurant because the regular once used a lot of grease and he is terrified of getting acne . Anyway he is only allowed to play pre-downloaded offline games . He isn''t allowed to get on the internet and he can¡¯t even use the tv. For entertainment all he does he repeatedly play this tennis-game that he installed in the phone that Yesang gave him .


    He technically didn''t give it to him . He took Jinyoung`s old phone and bought a similar model and told him it`s the same one . WHen Jinyoung connected to the wifi for the first and the last time, he downloaded three mercilessly boring games but in no time Yesang disconnected his wifi adapter privileges meaning he cant join any network and he wont be detect in the same manner .He went on to use backend and delete all the apps that could leave traces. Jinyoung noticed this much but he played along and never once voiced the issue .


    To be honest , Yesang''s computer is the only thing that goes into the internet because it has been encrypted to be invisible and under the radar but the laptop is connected to all his devices meaning Yesang can see whatever Jinyoung searches .


    " I am bored . Can we buy ice-cream ? ", he stated in such a sarcastic manner which annoyed Yesang because he ignored his inquiry.


    Jinyoung is a little irritable which is an expected for teenagers but mood-swings is far from what Yesang wants to deal with . He never imagined that letting Jinyoung be alive would mean that he gets to act like Yesang is his maid. One minute he is saying the mask was too tight, the next he finished all the skin-care, next he wouldn¡¯t eat the food Hyunsuk brought because it was bad for his skin and now he wants ice-cream because he is bored . He won`t stop fiddling that boring game and every time that Yesang leaves his laptop for a split second, Jinyoung flies to it to read Yesang`s work files and some profiles . By the time he leaves it , the device is practically melting from the boiling CPU. It would help if he charged it while using it but he only waits until it is four percent . Yesang has noticed this much but he played along and never once voiced the issue.


    After a mental argument and a momentary breakdown, Yesang turned and he went to the fridge . he brought him yogurt and vanilla icecream that Hyunsuk purchased last time .When he reached the table , he respectfully placed them in front of him . Quietly Jinyoung pulled them and he ate without a complaint but it was obvious he was low key hating it .


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    Yesang took out his phone as he went back to his bedroom and called Hyunsuk to handle the flight details . This parenting thing is beyond him .


    Two minute knock came in and Jinyoung sulked before went to open it and he was met by room service from an unexpected source .


    It was Luke !


    He pulled him outside and he asked him the most obvious thing.


    "How did you find me ?",


    "Sir , you ordered the food ", Luke stated as a matter of fact


    Jinyoung remembered that Luke met him while he was wearing a mask and doesn''t recognize him now.


    "Ooh, I ... Sorry ", he awkwardly answered and thought of something less incriminating nor awkward to say .


    Jinyoung''s phone rang . He turned backwards to pick it up . The way he sprung up was like he expected a call but the truth is that Yesang his the only one who ever calls him


    "He knows too much ! ", Yesang spoke into the phone and Jinyoung felt his blood run cold .


    ¡± Yeah , i got the food !¡±, Jinyoung tried to change the topic but was already too terrified of where this is all going


    He put the phone down without checking if the call ended . When he turned he found Luke in the room standing behind him .


    "Please sign here .Would you like anything else ?", Luke requested sweetly and Jinyoung looked at the clipboard . Why would a food delivery service want his signature.


    "Yes !", he stammered and he tried to locate the gun under the table but then Jose warned him not to.


    ¡°You asked how i found you .I could tell you but it doesn¡¯t matter because this place isn''t your home .You aren¡¯t even from this continet so your identity is fake and nobody likes fakes ", he narrated and he took out a silent pistol then showed it to him .


    Jinyoung raised his hands and he sat down on the table . He acted like he was listening to Luke while he moved around the living space like it was his own .


    "Don''t stand there ", Jinyoung abruptly warned him and he is signaled to the roof


    Luke followed his eyes and Jinyoung pulled the phone and threw it to his head . As expected of an athlete he didn''t miss


    Luke winced and Jinyoung quickly pulled the gun under the table and shot him on the leg. . the gun fell to the ground but Luke kicked it .Jinyoung sprang to him as he was bleeding but Luke grabbed Jinyoung`s leg as he towered over him with the gun ready to end his life


    "Please don''t . I don''t wanna do this. They told me to do this otherwise they would kill my brother ", he told him and Jinyoung shook him off his leg


    He coughed and and he crawled off, thanking Jinyoung for his mercy .Jinyoung causally walked to his broken phone without looking to his company until the latter begun to talk


    "You are a good kid , TOO BAD !", He turned back to shoot Jinyoung after he took the gun from the ground but Jinyoung had already turned his attention and shook his head at him .


    "From where you are seating , no matter where you shoot , i wont die however the same can¡¯t be said for you from my angle . Think carefully about your decision and make thee right one . You wont get another chance", he announced nonchalantly and signaled to his phone .


    Luke turned briefly to the phone and Jinyoung jumped behind him and kicked him till he dropped . He didn''t want to touch Luke so he just stepped on his wrist so that he releases the gun. Jinyoung picked the weapon and he squatted over his partially blinded victim. He dangled the gun in the air above his working and unbruised eye .


    He stood and then kicked him for the last time on the side of his face to knock him unconscious


    "You said he knows too much ! I want to know what he knows",he stated as a matter of fact before he kicked Luke once again.


    " he won''t talk", the phone spoke showing that indeed Yesang hadn¡¯t hung up and was actually watching the scene from a small camera he had installed in the chandelier. It was initially for safety but then turned into a baby-monitor for baby Jinyoung


    "Then I will kill him !", Jinyoung got off to pick the shattered phone


    "People will always try to kill you . To survive , you don''t need to learn how to be a killer , just know how to not be killed", he warned him which unexpectedly made Jinyoung scoff


    He knew what that meant . Basically you can¡¯t tell the sun it doesn¡¯t have to rise and shine when it is already in the sky.( There is no use telling Jinyoung not to learn how to kill when he has already killed !)

 Chapter 22

    Yesang stared at his laptop. His head was spinning that he could no longer understand if he was actually tired , confused or both . Ever since he woke up and found this article , it''s all he has been trying to comprehend. It was the report on Sehu''s death .


    According to the wording, Namkyu reported it because it happened in his apartment . He had gone home and heard the water running . When he checked , he found her lifeless .


    The police discovered her in the shower sitting with eyes open and Namkyu''s toothbrush in her hand . She was wearing some red lingerie and heavy makeup that was slightly washed off her face . Traces of the cosmetic stuff was in her nails implying that it was premortem . her body was saturated by the cold shower water and seemed like it had been in it for days. Further investigation don''t show any bruising on her skin , just those from blood coagulation for sitting in the floor .


    It is almost good for Yesang that someone did his job for him but what he doesn''t understand is how they could give him a job when she was already dead .


    Although she was found on the day that Yesang was flying back home , she had been dead for more than a week . The police mentioned that she didn''t have any pressure points on her , implying that she was probably killed in that spot in that apartment . however the apartment CCTV don¡¯t show any signs of her coming into the place nor where there any suspicions people or deliveries made to the place. That on its own means that someone tempered with the CCTV. Another thing he can''t understand was how she did


    Her blood is clean . There are no traumas , no disease , no primary organ failures that could rigger death such as heart failure . She just seemed to be alive and then dead in the next second .Yesang reread the police exports many more times but he still can''t figure out how on earth she was killed nor how she came to his apartment and why they wanted him to kill a dead person . It is times like these that Yesang really realizes how much he hates the police . Someone died like this and the forensics aren''t saying anything helpful.


    Nonetheless this is some next level assasination because it is both mind-boggling and close to unsolvable and there is nothing more important in this line of work than a killer who kills like that.


    He scratched his head over it and he looked at his tablet that displayed the location and details of the next person that Yesang has to go and eliminate in the orders of Kwangsun .


    ###


    A middle aged man rotated in his chair and he looked at he clock. he yawned as he processed that he fell asleep in his office . He adjusted his eyes to the dim lit room and he saw that it was nearing midnight . he was beyond exhausted from the day events. He could have sworn that he was working the same amount or probably even less but then he is extremely tied .


    Disoriented as he was ,he called his secretary before he remembered that she probably long gone home . He would normally drive but his state of mind is off course . Anyway, he walked into the parking lot and he located his car as the only one that was present . In a drunken-like daze , he staggered towards the vehicle .


    He slouched into the leather seat and opened a window. The long and non-exertive walk here has caused him to be drenched in sweat and hypoventilating . His lips were parched and he was having cold tremors . he opened the windows and he ordered they head home .


    A few miles from the office, he took out some sweets from his pocket thinking that he was having a diabetic episode and he suckled on some of them . Some time passed and he gradually felt himself get a little better and he even opened the window a little lower as they passed near the intersection. He closed his eyes while chewing and the car turned and went towards the streets. It carried him to his above normal home and then stopped outside his expensive security barriers . The large electronic gates summoned the lights on . And at that moment it was almost measurable how large the house was but it wasn''t an overly humongous suburban house because the owner is just the manager of a large cosmetics company.


    The headlights and engine reminded on and then the door to the boot opened and closed .


    Three hours later


    A well groomed thirty-six year old woman came out of the mansion and she walked towards the gate . She wore her expensive sleepwear and her glamorous diamond ring and figure interrupted the night . Using an automatic remote control , she let the large metal open and she turned back . Upon hearing no sound , she went back to the car and she peaked into the car seat . After a few taps on the anti-spy window , she tried to open one of the doors but they were locked from the inside . She called for one her workers to get the car into the yard and because they couldn''t break the windows and see what was inside .


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    She judged that it was too late to call the car specialist so she decide to sleep it off. Even if the car is still on, at least it was not lost off to some thugs .


    Early morning , a car specialist came and unlocked the car.


    Reality hit them like a cold and brutal thunderstorm when they found the inside of the car cold as a coffin and the man in the back sit was unresponsive with a blue face and almost purple shade around his lips . His eyes were sucked and his muscles were frozen into place like he was having a seizure


    In no time the police, arrived at the scene and they announced that the man has been dead for a while but that would have been affected by the temperature .


    ***


    Nikki was quiet and Garam was practically smoking like there is more oxygen in very cigarette bud and he had reach it by all means. He knew that Garam was stressed but he can sort of tell where his stress is all coming from . More people are dying and there is not a single suspect or traceable clue. In less than four days , three people have died in mysterious circumstances in this jurisdiction and there are probably more some well else .


    ¡± What makes me mad isn¡¯t that they do their jobs so well but that they do it so ¡­


    ¡± planned !", Nikki asked but Garam shook his head


    ¡± Egotistically . They know we don¡¯t have a single clue on them and they go around killing people like it is a competition and that in its own is very infuriating . Who kills and takes someone home ? They probably did the same thing to the girl ¡°, he argued with so little energy


    Nikki gave him some water but he just started at the cup . They never met at Garam''s house but then again Garam has never been so low that he doesn''t even care about things like discretion. Lucky Nikki came in a disguise .


    If Garam wasn''t smoking, he would be crying because this is too much for him .


    **


    Namkyu has been living in a motel for the past few days ever since he begun working .


    Now all he has been doing is drinking in this place even though he can''t seem to get drunk. He has no appetite and he can''t even bring himself to stand in the shower let alone to open the windows. He hasn''t changed his clothes for days and smells more like alcohol than the alcohol itself . To top it off , he can¡¯t bring himself to go back to work because he is so traumatized .


    All of Jinyoung''s things are in that apartment and he initially didn''t have the energy to go and get them because he feels like they are tainted and there is not a single good thing that will come out of his bringing them back here , except that it will continuously remind him of his brother who he doesn¡¯t know if he should keep praying that he is alive.


    At this point , he is ready to accept him back as a corpse . And speaking of which , he doesn¡¯t even know how he will break this news to his parents. They called a few times before but they probably don¡¯t even know what is going on in this city because Namkyu never told them where he was taking Jinyoung . Now imagine if he goes back to mention that they need protection from a serial killer that probably abducted and slaughtered Jinyoung and used his body parts to make some sort of puzzle like he keeps taking the parts of his victims


    Anyway some days ago after this much thinking , he decided to pack Jinyoung''s stuff and keep them close to him but on that forsaken day , that is when he found Sehu in the bathroom .


    He doesn''t have feelings for her but finding her like that bulldozed his nerves that were already shattered. The trauma and stress all boiled down and he felt suffocated by the turmoil . he blamed himself but he couldn''t really say how he has an impact in all of this .


    At present , his purpose of life is a heartless mix of crying and drinking alcohol twice as much with every round and twice as strong with every bottle . He sniffed in the tears and he pulled his buzzing phone . It was a message reminding him that he has to go and get some tennis rackets for Jinyoung.


    He furiously threw away the phone and he buried his face back into his knees and he cried in the corner like a starving orphan .


    How on earth did his life change so quickly in so little time ? He spent all his effort building a life for him and Jinyoung . He had a good job, a roof over his head , a beautiful girl and he was almost healing from the torn relationship between his parents .


    Now he is here in a low star motel because he is traumatized by high-class places. He is all alone because the woman he once wished would raise his children was found dead in his missing brother''s bathroom . Worst off all is that she was wearing the lingerie that he gave her on their second valentine''s day together , the one she wore when she became pregnant.


    When she started to fall sick , Namkyu secretly swabbed the toilet after she went to pee and the test came back positive but she never said anything and so did Namkyu . it was and still remains a mystery. Basically he doesn''t know what happened to the baby because they broke up a few weeks later .


    Everything hurt . Everywhere hurt . It hurt to drink but it hurt even more when he didn''t . he wanted to hear someone say that Sehu was pranking him , that she is alive and that she is still pregnant or maybe that his child still exists . if not he wished to have his brother suddenly open the door and start complaining about the sun or just to hear him breath . He wanted to at least hear Jinyoung''s voice. However all he has are his voicemails


    "Hey , can you buy more sunscreen ? ",


    "Did you wash my uniform? I can''t do it myself ",


    " you forgot your charger in my room ! ",


    "I wanted moisturizer not a deep cleanser . there is a difference ! ",


    The records played on and on . They sounded like his brother but they sounded so unfamiliar to Namkyu . Not because he had forgotten Jinyoung''s voice but because it felt so cruelly surreal to have to try an reimagine him .


    He wept and cried with the more he wished to return to the past with Sehu and Jinyoung still around .

 Chapter 23

    "in this morning news, reports say an anonymous witness said they saw the man who delivered the presents to the apartment of the late female officer and the sketch artist have made a drawing according the description. Following on , the police officers that went to the distress call for the late forensic officer have also given a description of the suspicious person they saw . finally a patient at the hospital say that they saw the face of a suspicious looking doctor. the police are running face ids through advanced technology to find the said culprit or culprits in the national archives and databases. Anonymous sources say although the perpetrator was said to have a mask , a final unmasked sketch will be released in no time ", the tv report came on at the station


    Of course this wasn¡¯t a formal report because for both the drawings the culprit being Yesang was masked and so was Jinyoung . Somebody leaked this information and although it won''t help in any way, it does assure the people that the police are actually doing something with the murders and aren''t just lazing around as if nothing is the matter . All in all , before the report was made last night , Chief of the station was already arranging for witness protection which was very challenging to get approved. Reason being that it is exorbitantly expensive and moreover that the police can''t point to a single person or people that could be a harm to the witness . However the prosecutor and some other officials danced to Shiyang''s name and agreed to the protection . Even then , they made it seem like they were doing Shiyang a favor and that he shouldn''t forget it . At one point Shiyang fought the need to tell them to forget the whole idea because it''s practically a black market contract .


    Anyway the unit didn''t go home last night and spent the whole time making a plan and arranging routes . This morning the unit were planning to move the witness to a safe house that just a few miles out of the city boarders .


    The actual place itself is a mystery because no one has been there before . All they have are coordinates from Minjun , who has also never been to the area .


    ***


    The streets of a city were anticipatedly chaotic and filled to the brim with traffic . The police team had arranged for three police transport cars, three swat and three non-labeled cars for this mission. Basically this means that a well-armed swat team was in the first three , four police officers were in the others and non-dressed police officers were scattered with in the last of the cars . The witnesses for each case have their own car because they aren''t supposed to meet each other which is why there are three swat cars . Of course they were overreacting to transportation the witness but then again , these people are describing diabolical people that have killed close to a hundred people in the past three months including Gyeongja, Taejon and Gyutae without leaving a trace . Furthermore the police have reason to be that this person or people could be operating internationally because Chaewon said that for the times that people were not dying in the city , international bodies were dying of mysterious situations like Henna the cosmetic mogul and Jacob Muraz whose body was frozen and used for nyotaimoro at his own mansion in Ukraine


    For the latter murder , Yesang was supposed to do it but Hyunsuk told him last minute not to . He didn''t include the part that Muraz was already dead which Yesang still doesn''t know . it''s common practice for some hits to be stopped or canceled midway but the deposit made for the hit won''t be returned even if it is a whopping 1,5 million dollars . Nonetheless the hit can still be revived or the target changed and this time around , any deposit wont be made unless the mission has gotten complex .


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    Back to the witnesses , for some reason among the people that have been mutilated, the arcade worker was still alive although she doesn''t have fingers since Jinyoung took them . She was recovering in the same hospital that Gyutae was killed because there are still police officers there .


    The cars passed through downtown and the police snipers were scanning to make sure that there were nothing on the roads .Chaewon was leading the team of snipers because if there is one thing that his obsession with video games has given that Garam is really proud of , it''s his shooting skills. He actually ranked highest in the police academy because during training he has never missive a target and even shot from impossible and awesome angles . He knows more about guns and bullets more than banks about money


    They passed over a traffic light and they stopped for a while when an old woman was crossing the road . ChoHee who wasn¡¯t dressed watched the whole scene with from a tablet and she was more anxious than anything because this is her first intense mission and she feels like she is the witness in those cars . her duty was to watch with Minjun and others the traffic situation and report any delays of the sort all the road .


    A few minutes later the cars set course once again . Garam maintained communication with Chaewon who was in one of the townes and also used the traffic cameras to look at everything. Of course he was also carrying a sniper for the reason that he was ready to shoot anyone . Shiyang was quiet in the passenger seat of Garam`s car . It was obvious that his mind was miles away which was unlike him but then again he was going through a lot with his father . Commissioner Lee had punished Shiyang in the past few days and asked him to report on all the murders that have happened that were not solved and see how they link to the ones that were going on. Of course , Shiyang can¡¯t even come up with an explanation for all the cases that have happened in his presence and even in the station where he is working , so he doesn''t know how he will generate an explanation for cases older than him that were probably not even investigated properly .


    Garam wondered what he should ask him to break the ice but he knows that Shiyang is unlikely to tell him what¡¯s on his mind. He opened the cabinet and he handed him some gummy snacks that Janghee left in his car .


    ¡°If you don''t eat it, you will have to tell me what¡¯s on your mind!¡±,


    Shiyang really wanted to talk about it and complain and whine about his father but then again he doesn''t think Garam is even the right person for that. Nevertheless it doesn''t eliminate the fact that he is the first person in a long time to actually do something about his not-looking-fine even it is with this simple gesture .Others simply acknowledge and ignore it . He took the snack and he toyed with it a little before he contemplated whether to put it in his mouth!


    ¡± I was married once but she ran away with a younger man . Later the man got in a lot of debt and she asked me for help . What do you think i did ?¡±,


    ¡± you helped her !", Shiyang took a safe bet


    ¡± I filed a restraining order against her, her boyfriend and her family and all the people she knows ¡°,


    Shiyang looked at him with crazy eyes . There had to be a reason for filing an order not because someone wants money


    ¡± I got a pilot`s license because ...",


    "You wanted to show someone the stars ?¡±,Garam interrupted him


    ¡° ..someone i hate hates heights ¡°,


    ¡°Who?¡±,


    Shiyang didn''t answer him as their car turned over to cross the bridge . the bridge is designed to allow for three cars to go and return . Garam''s car was ahead the swat team which was in front of the one they are escorting .


    Just as Garam was about to nag him, a swat car behind them went into flames . in seconds human lives were claimed .


    Garam tensed and Shiyang panicked . Garam immediately called Chaewon . Chaewon said the witness was fine and in another car . Garam thought something like this might happen so he had one of the witness go in an unlabeled car in a different car driven by Minjun and Taeyang ( the male officer who replaced Gyeongja) .


    ¡°did we just lose a witness?¡±, Shiyang asked fidgeting


    " I would say no ", Garam whispered tapping the display of his radio


    "WHAT DO YOU MEAN?",

 Chapter 24

    ????Garam took his gun and together with Shiyang ahead of him, they went to the exploded car .


    Shiyang didn''t move any closer before the car , went further to explode for the second time sending Shiyang into the air. Garam jumped and caught him before his skull hit the ground. Because of that heroic act , he landed onto Garam. Unfortunately the glass had cut Shiyang`s hand and most of his forearm causing him to bled off. he could ignore it but it stung and his uniform was already telling off the symptoms of a wound


    He rolled off him and felt the wound burning his hand . Garam was still massaging his back that felt the impact strongly . He regretted jumping behind him when it is clear that he probably weighs more than him . Nevertheless he was more worried about the commissioner`s son . He checked on Shiyang whom was already bleeding profusely through his multiple cuts. On close inspection, there were some cuts on his face, neck and shoulders as well as legs because the`one were the parts that were not protected by the bullet-proof vest


    ¡° go take care of that . There is a kit in the back¡±, he announced and Shiyang had already flew towards it .


    After inspecting the exploded vehicle, he called it in to the department and the fire house then returned back to his car .


    Being uni-arm was challenging and it was clear Shiyang was still struggling with opening the packets. Garam took the packets and he got dressed in gloves . Fortunately the cuts were not too deep because the bleeding was minimal and could be attended here. He removed the glass, stitched the cuts , cleaned some bloods spreads and gave Shiyang a shirt that he keeps in the car. It was a little oversized but Shiyang was glad for not having to wear his own blood . Shiyang didn¡¯t think that Garam knew how to use a first-aid kit but then again it is a requirement in order to graduate the academy . He finished dressing the wounds on his legs and everywhere else then told him to head to the hospital afterwards . Shiyang agreed like a child .


    Garam went to the wheel and Shiyang remained there looking at the car that was now being surrounded by police officers . The fire department was far away and the traffic was heavy. Shiyang was confused what was going but he didn''t want to be kept in the dark like this so he called Minjun. Unannouncedly Garam snatched the phone from him and hung up .


    " radio signs can activate a bomb! ", he stated implying that there is a possibility that the car there could be another bomb close to. even if it is parotid to keep thinking like it , it is better to be safe than sorry . While they both returned to the car , the phone rang and when Garam looked at it , there was Namkyu''s name written on the screen.


    The two exchanged eyes and Shiyang didn''t respond to the look . It is unexpected to have Namkyu`s number but during the time that Namkyu was always at the station , Minjun tweaked a lot of Namkyu`s settings in his phone . he then installed an identification app that allows for identification for callers . they also gave Namkyu everyone`s contacts in case something happens . The police help-line may help but it may not always be fast


    Garam hung up and Namkyu called again . He gave it to him and Shiyang answered


    "Officer , someone has been following me for the past three hours and they are wearing all black. They look so familiar ¡°,


    There was audible panic , fear and insecurity in the quiver from the voice in the phone . He immediately put it on speaker but Garam had already boarded the car


    " how familiar? ",


    "Like someone you see when under anesthesia. They are walking faster towards me . I AM SCARED !!",


    Namkyu hung up and Shiyang panicked . He tried to call him again but the call would not go through . Inspector lee tore open the passenger door then narrated the whole story to Garam . in no time Garam called Minjun and asked him to trace the call that Shiyang just received .


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    Shiyang connected a cable to the digital car-radio so that Minjun could aces the phone . They watched the hd display of the radio and immediately routed the coordinates to the last call to Garam`s GPS and it was a few blocks away from Namkyu''s motel . It was a building in construction but was currently unattended for some reason .


    Garam headed towards the place but midway , Garam''s phone rang and it was Namkyu again. Robotically he repeated the same thing that he said to Shiyang but Garam didn''t know because he didn''t hear the call contents and nor did he let Shiyang hear the call when he might have noticed the pattern . When Minjun traced that one, it was blinking all over the place on the map but finally stopped near the safe house that the witnesses are going to.


    Shiyang looked at Garam , not exactly knowing what to think of the situation.


    "Let''s split !", Shiyang suggested and Garam refused because he thinks if indeed Namkyu is being chased by a murder or one of the syndicates , it would be a bad idea to have Shiyang go alone there. Another thing is that they can¡¯t send a unit over to the person because they don¡¯t know if it¡¯s not trap .


    ¡±there are officers already at the safe house so lets go to him , TOGETHER¡±, he answered and Shiyang agreed again this time without dispute


    maybe it¡¯s just Garam but it seems that Shiyang is really obedient after that small pep talk. Perhaps he feels like he can rely on Garam and agree with him on important things . It¡¯s a positive turnout that Garam would like to comment on but is afraid that it might be cut short by those words .


    They reached the construction site in less than fifty minutes which was very applaudable because the site is normally or averagingly two hours away on a clear road at night .


    When he parked in the driveway , he called Minjun to check if he can zoom in to check for civilians using the satellites cameras . Unfortunately he said that he can¡¯t because most the cameras can¡¯t visualize the heat-radiation of the place inside. That means that Garam and Shiyang have to head inside the building blind. He geared up more ammunition and he gave some to Shiyang was already brimming with ammunition.


    ¡°I will cover you !We don¡¯t know what we are dealing so we should be careful . Also don''t take unnecessary risks and refrain from doing something less intelligent . ¡°, he advised Shiyang but Shiyang didn¡¯t react because he was thinking about what is about happen .


    It terrified him to be so hands-on like this in any mission. Graduating the police academy he learned how to dry-swallow his fear like a bitter pill so that he doesn¡¯t label as a disappointment in his father`s eyes . But every once in a while , his nerves and strength fall flat to the ground and he starts getting poisonous thoughts . When that happens , all he wants to do is cry like a child but he is not allowed to not be strong because he will be punished mercilessly. What is it called when you are weak then want it to stop because of other people but still want to let your body be vulnerable yet you are still afraid of being weak and your brain is a captain of an army while your heart is crumbling in the war?


    ¡°If you are scared , jut imagine your fear as a butterfly and squash it or you can imagine your strength as a soldier in arms next to you . ¡°,Garam counseled him


    ¡± fear means your brain doesn¡¯t work okay . How can I imagine things?¡±,he quivered, on the brink of tears because his walls were shaking


    ¡° well, i guess i shall be a butterfly-killer¡±, Garam armed his gun and he heroically went into the abandoned apartment


    The two zoomed to the apartment and looked everywhere in every floor of the three-story but there was nothing . Garam called Minjun and said that the phone signal was still active where he is . He asked Minjun to guide him and that he did.


    He traced the phone signal and noticed it getting stronger with how much he was nearing a large vessel . The vessel seems like it had just been moved but what scared him the most was that it was big enough to hide a human body


    Shiyang was checking the corners and looking for anything that he should notice but he wasn¡¯t picking anything . He felt a lot less like crying when he stood at the edge of building in the highest floor but unfortunately the constant urge to jump was as strong as all the other times.


    ¡± Detective , this place is a bit too causal and not convenient since i would like to think it is more purposeful for these kinds of people to multi-task¡±, he stated and turned when he saw Garam staring at the container.


    He left his position and he carelessly went to the container. Shiyang double-took Garam and the vessel . He couldn¡¯t tell why Garam was stone-struck staring at metal .


    Seeming like he ignored Garam`s earlier warming ,he raised his gun to it and tapped the vessel.It made a deafening resonant sound which reassured Garam that it was empty . With relief, Garam turned to look around the room and just then he turned back to Shiyang when he heard a small sound


    There was a bomb on the lid Shiyang just took off!!


    ¡± SHIYANG!!!!!¡±,

 Chapter 25

    ???????Garam threw away his weapons and he flew towards Shiyang . Before the youngster could understand why his senior was throwing a fit, he forcefully pulled him causing Shiyang to drop the lid on the floor .


    Garam practically dragged him to the exit but unfortunately before they could escape the room , the bomb went off and effortlessly threw them out of the building through one of the still-open windows .


    Mid-air Garam pulled Shiyang and hid him underneath his body so that the flying debris from the explosion don¡¯t touch him. He proceeded to tuck Shiyang''s skull into his embrace to make it easier to turn him. Soon after he shifted their positions so that Shiyang lands on top of him . By the time Garam''s body bombarded the floor, Shiyang''s head was still protected by Garam''s body


    It¡¯s an understatement to say that he didn''t see that coming . The lid was so light and the vessel sounded distinctly empty , which might mean that the bomb was probably beneath the container and the circuit was on lid. He was so careless despite what Garam told him about being cautious . in other words , had not Garam spotted the circuit on time or at all both would be goners by now , thanks to him .


    Shiyang rolled off Garam as he coughed the dust that he had incidentally inhaled . His head was throbbing and his face was burning as if he was scalded . The wound from the glass-accident was in-ignorable and his leg bones made the whole limb feel numb .From his back all the way to the waist was aching but nonetheless he felt like he made it rarely alright from such a massive explosion that collapsed a double-storry in a matter of seconds after making him and Garam airborne in a heartbeat.


    ¡° I am so sorry!l, he apologized as he turned to Garam to find out that he was unresponsive.


    Shiyang coughed more of the dust as he went to Garam . For some abrupt reason, Shiyang was trembling as he tapped him on his shoulder. Garam was not reactive nor was he even looking like he is even conscious . His hair was all over his face and there were multiple cuts on his face as well as bruises all over any exposed part of his body . Shiyang looked at the man . The silence he got in return shook him tremendously as he couldn¡¯t even process the situation . Things elevated to the worst when he spotted a blood of blood rampantly growing underneath Garam`s stagnant body


    He tried to shake him up more vigorously but it was as pointless as it was traumatizing . Before long , the tears like blood flew down at interchanging speeds . With the realest effort and multiple aching bones , he struggled to pick Garam from the floor , then loaded him into the car . He tried to turn on the radio to call the fire department but he couldn''t see as he was persistently crying . His fingers rumbled all over the radio but he forgoed that . he tried very much to unlock his phone to call , he couldn''t even unlock it as well due to the fact that he shook with every attempt.


    About half an hour later, he got to the hospital carrying Garam on his back . His clothes were covered in a lot of Garam blood. The health workers took him away and he just collapsed in the hallway.


    Chaewon, Choohee and Taeyang arrived at the hospital two hours later . Minjun had told them that an explosion occurred at the place where Shiyang and Garam went . they took way longer to get here because the traffic was not helping and plus they couldn''t leave without making sure that the witnesses are safe .


    a nurse in butterfly scrubs showed them the room where Shiyang was . They found a doctor tending to him and him sitting on the bed with his arms on his knees . Most of his arms , legs and face were bandaged but the wrappings were light showing that his injuries were not deep as they were multiple. Chaewon attempted to talk to him first but he didn''t say anything . Then Choohee tried to elicit what happened to Shiyang but he was still not saying anything . He just laid his head on his hands and he cried soundless and effortless tears . What haunted him the most was the fact that Garam warmed him not be childish. All throughout today , Garam was looking out for him and that was the second time that Garam had stuck his neck out for him and the second time , he arguably bought Shiyang`s life .


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    Chaewon and Taeyang exchanged looks as they didn''t understand why Shiyang was hurting so much but Choohee probably had much of an idea . There is usually one reason why only one officer from a pair ends up in ICU while the other doesn''t !Knowing how Garam is, ChoHee is justified to think that he must have been trying to be a hero.


    Another doctor came in to the room and told them that Garam has lost a lot of blood and sustained injury in vital structures .they are not sure if his brain will work after the surgery .


    Shiyang got dizzy and he ran to the toilet then threw up . Chaewon followed him but Shiyang furiously locked the door. He doesn''t want them to see him looking like this . If they ever did despise him , they are going to curse his birth when they find out that he is the one that set off the bomb and Garam protected him.


    ChoHee wanted to hate Shiyang for the condition that Garam is in but seeing the way that Shiyang is handling this issue makes it seem like he is beating himself more about it than anyone ever could.


    ##


    Yesang was already in bed and so was everyone expect Jinyoung who couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Luke. For that reason, he waited till midnight to come and pay Luke a visit.


    Hyunsuk is the one who suggested that they bring him back . Since they can¡¯t really establish how he or whoever sent him traced them down nor how Luke knew that Jinyoung was at the mission , the smartest thing is to not sweep the whole thing under the carpet until it is verified that it is that insignificant. Jinyoung was told to lock him with Hyunki but he didn''t and instead kept him in the attic. The whole room is really well-made despite it not being a common room in mansion . Most of the structure is well taken care of and very well-reserved . Nevertheless currently there is only a bed by the window , two chairs and a small table .


    Jinyoung lifted a bucket of cold water and he dumped the contents onto his head . Like an explosive , luke woke up and curse a lot . Jinyoung told him shut up .


    The youth placed the bucket down on the cold dry floor of the attic. Afterwards he sat in the chair directly in front of Luke. He crossed his legs not out of habit but because the situation demands it.


    ¡°A gps has been implanted onto your stomach wall , shank and heart . Remember that they form part of a circuit meaning that you have to remove them all at the same time . Under the press of a button or failure to remove them at once , those will explode and there is a chance that you might die"


    ¡°Chance?¡±, he exclaimed and Jinyoung grit his teeth because he is telling him to keep quiet


    "we have decided not to kill you because we don¡¯t need a corpse . Basically we require you to help us uncover something .We will provide everything you need", Jinyoung whispered with such a professional manner


    ¡°I am not going to work for you. If you are going to kill me , just do it . ¡°,


    ¡°I could but I won¡¯t . Assumably you have something to lose and I am giving you a chance to protect it by letting you live. But if you want to die , please go ahead but remember that the people who sent you definitely have something on and they are not afraid to use it against you . ¡°,


    Jinyoung was right . Luke doesn''t have a brother , it¡¯s actually his cousin and she is in university in France . Luke has not seen her in three years because he had to some dirty work to keep her in school . They do talk but it has recently not been active because the person who gives luke missions told him to stop that as that it really dangerous .


    So to protect her , he keeps her at a distance but he really misses her because she is the only family member he has close by . His family is back in Brazil and they are so poor that they can''t even afford to keep the siblings in school . His father works as a garbage collector and his mother tries to earn money by doing small jobs. Luke''s uncle is a soldier in some country and left the cousin to Luke''s family after he found her as an abandoned baby during one of the missions. Anyways Luke came to France with her since they were both supposed to enter the university but something happened and she was the only one that could get into nursing school.


    ¡° what do you want ?¡±


    Jinyoung untensed and backdown .This is the third time the has to make a major convincing and all those times it has worked. The little kid in him wanted to scream in joy . He really doesn¡¯t like having to talk but when he does he wants it to be a game-changer and that has been the case ever since .


    Back in Yesang¡¯s room , he watched this scene unfold and he was a little proud of jinyoung. He did want to know how the other murders occurred but he didn¡¯t know how he was going to find out let alone ask Jinyoung . And this proves that indeed Jinyoung is a valuable person.


    ¡°Ms Jun , can you handle the kitchen ?¡±, he called and instructed her to cook something nice and HEALTHY! That would mean she has to go shopping and since she is the most mother-ish of all the caretakers, she might bring more clothes for Jinyoung . For all the time that Jinyoung has been here, ms Jun has been the one buying him clothes, toiletry , tennis magazines , novels and other things after he has choose them from a catalog.


    It''s quite nice to have a rich assassin paying your bills !

 Chapter 26

    ??????????????????"Can I come with you ?", Jinyoung sulked


    "No",


    " but I can help ",


    "I know !", Yesang was getting angry


    "Then let me come ",


    " no !",


    Jinyoung pouted and almost cried when he saw Yesang preparing his mask . Yesang was going to meet ilseong and the others for another mission that is going be in Rhodesia and he needs to make it in time to rediscuss the plan again . . it would prove to be a lot better for mission if they make sure that they are on the same page each time . And with the last time that they went out on mission and they found out that there was a missing civilian, Yesang would like to make sure such things won''t exist .


    Anyway the most crucial thing right now would be for Yesang to find out from Ilseong if the person that they thought was in the attic actually was and to explain what on earth it meant that there were three people at the mission when he only saw two . of course there is a possibility that Ilseong could withhold the facts but Yesang isn''t counting on it .


    Now in the issue with Jinyoung. It is true that Jinyoung can help but the last thing that Yesang needs is for Kwangsun or any of his minions to be aware of Jinyoung''s existence. It''s just best to keep him a secret now and it''s quiet absurd that Jinyoung doesn''t understand that .


    Jinyoung took out his phone and he started to play with it while vigorously typing on the screen . He had been journaling a lot and funny enough, he doesn''t journal events nor emotions but rather matches . he writes down everyday as if he was having a tennis session and there are only him as all the players . Each entry the players have different characteristics in terms of only hair color .


    Yesang has read the journals multiple times and feels jinyoung writes the worst kinds of fiction because no one likes fiction about sports .  He doesn''t understand this form of writing because he doesn''t like to write stuff down . he might collect parts of his victims to build some sort of atlas but that is only because part of the killings that he is ordered on require him to take away a part .


    Initially Yesang thought that they wanted the police to think that he is building a person but if so shouldn''t Yesang pick people with the most appealing of the attributes . for example a hand-model for hands , a celebrity for skin, a person who doesn''t work for fresh legs and a dentist for teeth . But he doesn''t . The targets are just randomly and the confusing part is that after every mission he has to leave the body parts with San who is his major international agent and is currently in the country . He meets San near an old abandoned church some days after every mission.


    He watched Jinyoung sitting cross-legged on the dresser table and wanted to tell him that he will take him on the next one but he didn''t . he would rather he didn''t engage in this sort of lifestyle nor find pleasure in it .


    Yesang was never planning on living with Namkyu''s brother let alone working next to him . now Jinyoung knows almost everything about Yesang except about Sangon of course . He actually doesn''t even know how the conversation started for him to end up being able to tell him that he will be going on missions.


    And yesterday after dinner , Jinyoung asked about Luke and Yesang told him to figure it out because he won''t be around for a while . Jinyoung immediately asked to come along but Yesang refused .


    Then they went to work out and Jinyoung requested again . Hours later,  Yesang went to work on his computer to debrief his contract aka San and then again Jinyoung plead again . this time he had the audacity to to even sound sad .


    At around evening during dinner , he shamelessly stared at Yesang the whole time and before Yesang could call him off for it , he blurted out that he wishes to come and will be very obedient. At that point Yesang was ready to slap a face . he had never knew that someone could be so persistent to this extent. If this strategy ever worked with Namkyu he really should applaud him for letting Jinyoung live this long because he probably would have hit him black and blue .


    "It''s not that I don''t your ability , it''s just that I don''t want them knowing about you . their ability to employ me to handle their business means they are really below the knee. Another thing is that with the last time they knew about where you were and them hurting the female-person( sehu ) means that you could be next . the only safe place you could be... ",


    "... Is next to you but it''s fine I will stay home and try on all your clothes then play on your bed while reading old-lady novels ", he answered and climbed off the dressing table before walking out the room


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    Yesang picked a tub of cream and threw it to Jinyoung who dodged it this letting the contents spill out  . He turned and looked at Yesang . in the next second Yesang threw another one and Jinyoung dodged that one . He tossed another and this time jinyoung caught it .


    Yesang stood up and he opened a drawer to take out more cream tubs but Jinyoung already caught him and aggressively pinned him on the dresser .


    " I said I will stay ",


    "I HEARD YOU! ",


    " then what are you doing ? ",


    "I DON''T KNOW !", he screamed


    Jinyoung slowly  let go of him but Yesang didn''t move. before they could talk about that , Jinyoung walked away from the scene .


    ****


    Ilseong proceeded to pull some painkillers from the sink and he swallowed them with the bloody bottle of vodka .Aside from the bottle , the bin of this extremely luxurious bathroom was filled with bloody tissues and some of the blood on the mirror with some of the counters. Spatters were on the ground while a descent amount of blood was on the floor .


    His hair had stuck to his face due to sweating but the way he grimaced to the burning sensation of the liquid travelling to his empty stomach was evident . he knows he wouldn''t drink or take pills on an empty stomach but he is really desperate . with trembling hands he undid his shirt and threw it on the floor , revealing the repertoire of bruises, cuts , swelling and raining wounds. His face was so pale , his skin dry and his composure shaken as because of the injuries.  he pulled a syringe and he stabbed himself near his abs . he begun to gently pry out the glass bits . with every single prince that he managed to remove he would tense up so bad making him even more dizzy . he groaned so vocally and would occasionally take a sip of the vodka which was making him even more dazed .


    After a handful of minutes he was horrendously exhausted but he had to get ready .Ilseong wrapped the bandage over his entire chest and some on his forearms . he placed his arms in ice to cool off the swellinv but this just made him even more red. he pulled the nearest mask and slid it onto his face and he started to dress in combat wear. He used the same theme as the last time that he went on a mission with Yesang but this time he made a lot more lose and way less seductive


    A few hours later he met the others at the aviation hall which was currently devoid of life . They boarded a medium-sized jet and in a matter of minutes it took off .


    Today''s mask looked a lot more thinner simply because Yesang spilled most of the cream while hitting Jinyoung with the tubs.  Usually ilseong peers at Yesang but today it is as of he don''t know he was present. He basically wasn''t in the mood to play cat and mouse with Yesang so he just sat down and closed his eyes .


    " today''s mission is a little different because we are targeting someone at military base in south Rhodesia . that means that we are going to have to fly there and stay for for five days then come back so basically that''s two weeks of intense life ", woojin proposed


    "Two weeks in a tent with you guys ?", Ilseong complained while his eyes were closed . the turbulence plus anaesthesia plus painkillers plus pain plus vodka plus lack of glucose was mutilating him but he had to swallow it all up . Yesang would occasionally stare at him because he could tell something was wrong but he knew ilseong won''t wanna talk about it .


    " shawty , we ain''t ground hogs, we aren''t gonna be sleeping on the debris. The big man has let us blow some cheese ", tomi stated and checked Yesang finding him boring daggers at him .


    Tomo stood up and recited the plan


    The profile for this mission is an unlikely member. Ilseong went digging like Kwangsun instructed him to and he found out that although the secretary shared among his colleagues he wasn''t talking about the one under the formal-line of employment. Ilseong found that a general was given a duplicate of the documents and he keeps them as leverage which is how he is about to keep his position in the army .


    The general had got hits ordered on him many times but each time managed to live . they never ordered Yesang to do it because they know he will deliver therefore Yesang is sort of skeptical if it won''t be cumbersome if they end up killing him . funny enough , Kwangsun doesn''t care if he does die, all he wants are the documents.


    The flight remained airborne for a while that the others eventually fell asleep but Yesang couldn''t . he peaked over and he saw the ilseong was sleeping . he was sweating a little too much in his sleep and so Yesang thought to ask the pilot to low the temperature but he didn''t do that .


    He took out his watch and  unlocked it . he wasn''t planning on bringing any gadgets but he really needs to monitor some things even though he is so far away . there were many notifications that his battery on his phone , tablet and laptop were low . he knows that jinyoung must be using them and drying them out of spite .


    He sighed and he looked back to ilseong who was awake and glared at him through half-dazed eyes . it was like he could make out that it was Yesang but he wasn''t sure if indeed it was him . For some arbitrary reason, the space felt like it was spinning and Ilseong felt like the color in his eyes was just being replaced by a curtain of darkness


    ****


    " remind me again how we are going to get the police reports ! ",


    Jinyoung ignored him and carried on typing on Yesang''s computer .


    He had brought it with him to the attic where he still had Luke tied up . He wasn''t planning on releasing him until he is sure that he can be relied on . therefore right now he is trying to face id Luke for the pictures that he took of him while he was asleep but nothing is showing up . it is as bizarre as it is intriguing .


    "What is your legal name ?",


    "Just shoot me !", Luke yelled at him in his home language which Jinyoung had never heard of


    He pushed aside the PC and he proceeded to walk up to him and he undid the locks . Next Luke slapped him


    " don''t ever pour water on me ! ", he yelled


    Jinyoung rotated back to him and he hit him as well . Luke didn''t flinch to that and watched Jinyoung in amazement


    "Don''t ever touch my face !", he barked and Luke huffed

 Chapter 27

    ????????????????????????????????Namkyu woke up from the bed and he turned to the side .


    A warm gush of lavender and vanilla made him want to keep his eyes closed . but he didn''t and instead he scanned his environment. his head hurt the more he tried to blink and breathe. He placed his palm on his abdomen and felt the bandages all over . his throbbing arm traveled to his cranium and felt on his forehead and left part of his head .


    He managed his temple and felt more bandages on his skull . he traced them and tapped on those near his chin. as he browsed his head he found that his hair has been trimmed very shortly . Slowly he opened his eyes and got off the bed. The midday sunlight and humidity was very gentle but he felt like they were miniature explosives that worsened the headache he didn''t know he had . Immediately to his side was a soft white mat and this material covered the greater length of the floor.


    Touching this material made him come to sense of his environment and it was stunning . the large bed he is sitting on was 5 yards long and covered with white satin . the bed guards had silk growing from them and the large curtains on the sides were about 6 yards high. The whole space had custom made furniture and everything in this room is definitely worth more than his entire apartment.


    Reluctant to wear the slippers on the mat, he simply staggered to the door . His whole body was was sore even as he tried to walk . The bandages were a little damp meaning that they either have a lot of medication or his blood . A couple of confused seconds later , he descended the stairs.


    The double pleat of Malaysian design stairs gave a breathtaking visual access into the space and the phrase superbly stunning was mediocre to define it . and that is when he heard noises from the kitchen.


    In half a painfilled stance he made his way there and he peeked into the kitchen and he saw a very voluptuous woman in combat wear drinking wine while talking to an earcom . She had crossed her long legs and rested them on them on the kitchen island while she sat on a stool. Her hair was cut above her shoulders and dyed pitch-black.


    Her look mimicked danger and the weapon-holsters on her certified it but Namkyu knew she was probably all bark and no bite. She immediately placed her device down and she seductively cat-walked up to him . Her pale skin and aura gave her the appearance of a nymphomaniac  , which disgusted Namkyu . This was worsened her long red nails that she used to touch his skin .


    If there is one thing Namkyu hates about females , its those that act like her . those that think people want them and that they can lure people in with their femininity. He does like a woman''s presence but not when she behaves like a free sample . in other words, she has successfully made herself hated by Geun Namkyu


    "You are gorgeous! ", she spoke drawing a line under Namkyu''s neck .


    Namkyu moved away in disgust and asked why he was here .


    " ask Haru ! He brought you back ", she chuckled as if Namkyu is supposed to know who or what Haru preaches.


    "It''s fine ! I will just leave ", he answered and the young miss pulled him .


    Namkyu resisted and was later attacked and pinned into the floor . she processed to warn him about ever leaving the mansion . She laughed at him so briskly  and he got annoyed . It is definitely unnerving that she acts like she is the queen bee but her swiftly defeating Namkyu when he is injured was a huge bruise to his ego.


    She got off him and he walked to the kitchen and sat in on off the tables . she opened the microwave and presented him some warm soup .


    "It maybe poisoned but then again your life is meaningless to me to bother taking it !",


    He tried to eat it but it hurt him showing that he hasn''t indeed digested anything in far too long . In an effort to ease the pain, he laid on the stool.


    A few hours later , Namkyu woke up to people talking softly . When he opened his eyes he met the lady again and two males of arguable physique. one of them was dressed so formally and the other looked like a biker .   She woke him and gladly introduced everyone . the biker one was haru and the other one was called yonghee.  The way Yonghee didn''t react certifies that she was probably lying


    Namkyu greeted them and asked to leave . Yuri was first to tell him never to ask that .


    "I have to work and earn money!", he argued


    " I can give you eight times more money and this house ! ", she announced


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "I have to attend a funeral !",


    "That''s sounds true !", she got feisty .


    Namkyu ignored them and he went to the door. this time no one followed him . He carelessly reached for the entry to the kitchen and was immediately jolted backwards, sending him flat to the ground . He wanted to scold and curse for that small stunt but his wounds felt worsened and the pain was rendering him mute.


    His bandages had small chips that conducted electricity wherever he tried to move . ontop. of that there are a piers on the back of his ear which acted like a tracker and conductor . another device was a tracker on the skin between his thumb and pointer finger.   Haru  and Yuri were looking at him. Yuri laughed and suggested that he tries again .


    Namkyu rolled on the floor two times before he closed his eyes . With his conscious spiraling in the darkness , he felt himself get detached from the ground but it seemed like he was being pulled with his feet as he felt his back grinding the marble floor


    ***


    Jinyoung and Luke were dressed from head to toe in matte black . They choose this very night to go and break into the police station to access the archives for the reports of the recent cases . There hasn''t been any useful details published to the media so there is not a single thing that can be absorbed . Luke suggested that they use a mapping USB drive to backacess the documents but Jinyoung doesn''t have access to those . infact he didn''t even borrow Yesang''s laptop  but he knows Yesang won''t scold him for it .


    The two got there using  a very dark motorbike driven by Jinyoung


    They could have used a car but that would require a lot of work because jinyoung had to tell the maids and the maids will have to tell Yesang  and Yesang might become angry if he is contacted during a mission for something so mediocre.


    Jinyoung''s face was hidden so much that the revealed parts resembled Namkyu''s features. Jinyoung is much taller than Namkyu and arguably taller than Yesang but he seems to be almost the same size as Luke which is confusing because Luke seemed a lot shorter when they first met . Luke on the other hand looked like a girl . This plain outfit made him resemble a female panther and his pocket-sized frame sealed the deal. If only he had some curves or meat to his bones then it would be reasonable to believe he is feminine . but unfortunately he is so skinny and looks malnourished that one can see the vessels on his fingers . It is disturbing to look at him but his fresh face and plush colour is an attraction. His Brazilian genes have successfully made him the most prettiest so far


    Currently they were standing on the rooftop of the police department . Jinyoung suggested that they enter through the vent to access the records room or at least the computer that they use to store records .The vent system is brutally sensitive and and has motion detectors everywhere . These cameras use the same laser technology as snipers and heat radiators meaning that they will trigger any alarm if they detect motion above certain degrees . Nevertheless despite their reputation ,they are supremely easy to take down since they were designed to sense rodents that might acess the place and damage the paperwork. Basically  Jinyoung has to connect to the sensors and disconnect them from the supply and Luke has to manually place a plug that interrupts the system. They can¡¯t cut the wires because that will also trigger the rodent control that there could be rats chewing the wires .


    Luke scanned the room and saw that the guard was absent .He gave Jinyoung the heads up and they begun the task of accessing the vents.A few minutes later , they were in the room . Jinyoung moved towards the computer which was unguarded . As per their plan,  He typed into the system and then backacessed it .  Luke walked through the shelves and he checked the files manually. He wasn¡¯t particularly looking for anything in specific until his attention was pulled elsewhere


    Jinyoung downloaded all the files and then he downloaded a duplicate of the pictures . He accessed the file about sehu and saw all the gruesome pictures of the beautiful girl who would have been his sister-in-law and then he saw his brother¡¯s picture. They used the one that is on Namkyu ¡¯s work id. He was so young back then so he looks like Jinyoung if Jinyoung had hubby cheeks and longer lips . He was actually present when that picture was taken and he asked Namkyu to smile . There wasn¡¯t much that happened that day except that Jinyoung was sore from training


    Surprisingly he wasn¡¯t particularly sad to see Namkyu because he hasn¡¯t had time to think about him but one thing he really wants is to hear his voice again . Nonetheless he has slightly forgotten the way it sounds because of the very fact that all he hears is Yesang¡¯s voice . And his voice is so feminine and calming with too much monotone . He sounds a little bit like Luke , just that Luke has a lot more base and speaks a little quicker with a lot of cursing .


    He then finished typing . when he checked , Luke was gone . He panicked and he looked for him everywhere . Before he invested in a deep search,Luke emerged and told them to leave .Jinyoung didn''t even want to understand what he had done. He was sure that he did do something and it might get them in trouble but he was counting on him not messing up the mission .


    For some reason ,it was Luke¡¯s turn to act his age. He pulled Jinyoung and he hooked him to the pulley they used to get into the room . He then told him to be on the bike in five minutes . He relayed it upwards and once Jinyoung was on the rooftop, he pushed it back to luke . However Luke didn¡¯t immediately attach to the pulley, instead he pushed the equipment back to him .


    Jinyoung was scared. what on earth does this mean ? He didn¡¯t expect Luke  to suddenly stop being childish like that and wonders if he should have told Yesang about the mission today . If this backfires , he can¡¯t think of a plan .Three minutes of disorientation passed as he packed everything and he immediately somersaulted off the wall and he left through the same entrance of the police station.


    He ran to the bike and was left with ten seconds like Luke said but Luke was nowhere in site . He searched through the dark night but he couldn¡¯t find him.he packed away the equipment while he kept looking backwards .Out of the darkness , Luke emerged and he pulled jinyoung¡¯s arm.


    He jumped onto the wheel and he called his junior to climb on.


    ¡±where did you go?¡±


    ¡°To cut a tail !¡±,