Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals. (Martin Luther King, Jr.) Kang Heegun, 37, SPD captain III of department Gang Investigations Unit, former S.W.A.T. member Taekwondo, Boxing, Kickboxing, Hapkido, Shooting
iâm not sure if any of murder inc members are reading this, but iâm really sorry for being absent all this time, getting cleared and taken in again and again, causing you getting confused all over >-< thing is iâm preparing for my final exams this semester but got a huge load of homework to do, which kind of made it hard to remember to write replies before activity check. furthermore i am really struggling with gary right now, but i didnât wanted to let him go because i really love him and murder inc.Â
i wonât ask the main to let me return again for now, but i will try to apply after my exams with a fresh muse for captain kang (or maybe i should give lawyer lee sangyeob a chance...). anyways, until then, happy rping, my friends! see you soon!
Joongki stood up as well, but he wasnât sure what to do with his hands, so he shoved them in his pockets. Heegun looked unsteady still, but they were strangers. If they had been friends, Joongki might have reached out to him. But they werenât, and it made Joongki feel a little helpless.
Still. There was something small he could do. âItâs all right. IâmâIâm glad that there are other people who have good memories of her.â He smiles a little, not wanting to ruin this manâs day, but feeling like it was probably far too late for that. âIâm sorry you had to hear the news from me. But itâs good to run into someone else who cares about her. So thank you.â
Maybe it wasnât enough, or maybe it was too much. But it was trueâhe liked knowing that other people remembered Jihyo, too. Sometimes it seemed like he was the only one in his stepfatherâs household who did.
The awkwardness between them was still overbearing, Heegun was still shocked from the news of someoneâs death he had been chasing for years without proper result, and Joongki seemed to be shaken from the sudden question and the memory of a hurtful loss. From the corner of his eyes he saw the otherâs hands loosingly swaying in the air, before hiding in pockets. The captain could understand the hesitation of touching a stranger, stepping into his privacy, but he honestly could use every comfort right now. But maybe it was just him, a policeman who often didnât had the time to think about someoneâs privacy, or the given distance to strangers, as every second counted in certain cases.Â
The captain returned the smile, nodding his head. âYes, and I will keep those fond memories of her. She was a wonderful person, and itâs more than heartbreaking to hear of her loss...â He uttered with fullest sincerity, before bowing to the other. âYou have my deepest condelescene. Thank you for telling me the truth, Song Joongki-ssi.â He stretched out his hand in attempt to shake hands with the younger man. âIâm glad Iâve met you today.â Trying to hide his overflowing feelings, he lowered his gaze, in fear to reveal his onesided feelings for Jihyo in his dark eyes. Seven years were lost, but he did not regret. Not at all. Every monday he got to spent with her, even when he never confessed nor crossed the line of pure friendship, had become a good memory. âReally... thank you...â He repeated, like in trance, shaking voice.Â
Jaehyo often avoided the police officers. He preferred to stay away from the spotlight. He knew that if he got close to the police, they would connect him to a seriess of high class assassinations and he wonât be able to talk his way out of that.
But of course, damn his luck. He decided that for that night he was going to hit up another bar. And just his luck, half of the patrons seemed to be off duty cops. How nice. But he looked normal. He had his nice sneakers on, a hoodie, and skinny jeans.
he didnt look like an assassin. he settled at the bar next to a man, and simply ordered a drink. âis the bar always filled with off duty officers?â he asked
Whenever he had to take vacation, he had to admit how much of a workerholic he was, as it felt strange to be off duty and spent his time different. He often would go visit his parents, help them out with things, spend time with them since his mother was struggling with her illness. But seeing her like this just made him feel helpless everytime, there was not much he could do to ease the pain. The only thing he was able to do was showing her and his father how much he cared for them by sending money, food and gifts. Sometimes they would call him and ask him how he was doing, if he was eating enough or getting enough sleep and if there was a significant other by his side. Heegun wasnât really able to introduce them to a potential daugther-in-law, so they often told him to use his free time and get to know new people, women who he might be able to fall in love with.
So here he was, sitting in a bar, at the counter, staring at his bottle of beer. He didnât really liked to be off duty. There was so much to do, so much to solve, people to protect. This wasnât the time to relax.Â
The captain shuffled over, when he felt someone approaching and sitting down next to him. He took a sip from his bottle, when he saw the other order a drink. Young man, good looking. Nothing what caught his interest until he started to talk to him. The SPD member turned his head and lifted a brow. â... What makes you think that?â He uttered, insecure what the maleâs intention was. His alarm bells rang. What did he wanted from him?
Jihyo mutters under her breath, sighing as her phone shuts itself down after being drained of all its battery life. She pushes her black rim glasses up when it slid down a little. She had gotten the power bank out to charge last night along with her phone, but had probably forgotten to bring it along with her this morning before going out. And now when she needed to make a call, she couldnât.
Stuffing her phone back into her bag, she continues down the street in search of the nearest cafe so that she could charge her phone battery.
Too focused on other thoughts in her mind, she was visibly startled when she felt a light tap on her shoulder, and reacted without even thinking â it was quite fortunate she managed to stop herself before she does hit the person in the throat with her elbow. That would have been disastrous.
She frowns at the familiarity of the man who approached her, inwardly cursing for meeting someone from the past she had long abandoned, while her expression displays nothing but calmness, and if not a tad of animosity one would give to a stranger.
âI apologize for that, you kind of startled me,â she points out, taking it as some sort of explanation for her hostility. âIâm not the Jihyo you spoke of, but regardless can I help you?â
Heegun feels like being wrapped in cotton wool, his full attention was on the familiar female in front of him, so he didnât noticed any kind of hostility towards a supposingly stranger. Whatever she was trying to tell him, whatever reason she had to refuse knowing him, she had to hide her true identity, the captain was willing to accept it. But his heart wouldnât. It was her, the woman he had fallen long ago and there was nothing to shaken this fact. He had fallen silent, watching her very movements, absorbing every single second, just to fill his memory of her once again. Who knew if he would meet her again now that he knew she were to pretend theyâve never been acquaintanced?Â
âIâm just glad to see you are doing good...â He spills softly, a warm smile on his lips. It was a unbelievable encounter, like a dream and the SPD member clenches his teeth, in regret. Heegun wasnât too sure what was holding her back, why she had turned her back on her family, and he wasnât supposed to know nor in the position to interfere. After today he would leave her alone, wouldnât investigate further, would try to forget her. The heart in his ribcage clenches and he swallows hard. He regrets not having told her his feelings before, at a time, when she still allowed herself to call his name, to meet up with him. He regrets not having told her about his feelings before and being rejected properly and moving on, instead of loving for seven years, without conditions.Â
It didnât mattered to him if she were to answer him, showing him that she knew who he was. He hoped she would just listen to him one more time, so that he would be able to let go.Â
âPlease live a good life...â His voice shakes, uttering a sincerely wish. âAnd thank you for all the mondays youâve spent with me. Iâve been really happy these past years, being able to see you once a week.â The maleâs lips twitched into a crooked smile. âI never meant to tell you but... I...â Heegun halted. Was he selfish enough to tell her what he felt, would he really harrass her with something from the past, she had purposely throw away. â... Forget it.âÂ
âYou should be more careful! This is the third time youâve sprained something this week.â
he was a stubborn fellow, even with this disappointing failure, this betrayal, he didnât felt like giving up just yet. it didnât mattered how many years he had to fight, how many times he had to fall and rise himself stronger again, he would fight on. he would overcome the bad and would help justice and law reign over seoul again. this was his duty, and his purpose. and yet exactly this kind of stubbornness had brought him into trouble more than once, and this time as well. he just didnât know when to stop. even when his body was literally screaming for help, and was falling apart, he was continuing with his training in order to become stronger.Â
and it wasnât like he couldnât go and see hyunjung to get his wounds treated. though he could forego her nagging and advices. he was a adult after all, and he knew when to stop. âyeah, yeah. can you patch me up?â he muttered, not listening to her warnings at all. even if he had seen her the third time this week, what was the deal?Â
âI think I heard a snap, are you okay?â ((swat buddies past!adventures?))
the daily training for the s.w.a.t team was necessary to keep them in form in the case of cases, yet it was straining the last ounce of life of them. especially in summer when the sun was burning merciless upon them, the injury rate was drastically shooting up. and heegun seemed to be no exception. the moment he fell flat with his face into the dirt, confusion filled his mind, as he wasnât sure what actually happened. just a few seconds later, his buffy friend jong kook came running, and helped him to sit up. almost unbearable pain hit him suddenly, but heegun bit down his lower lip, suppressing any kind of groaning. he wasnât able to speak up, as words would tumble out as soon as he would open his mouth, so he violently shoke his head in response to jong kookâs concerned question.
leaning back, he closed his eyes, feeling the cold sweat running down his forehead. the male held onto his knee, it didnât looked quite normal. pulling at his friendâs shirt, he pointed at his leg, hoping the other knew what to do in that kind of situation. heegun was ok with seeing blood and all kind of wounds, but staring at his own hurt body was more than strange and it just made him feel even worse. strong arms suddenly lifted him up, and embarrassed he stared at the tiger who seemingly to have decided to bring him to the infirmary. hopefully they could help him get rid of these pains.
âWell, why not? Once you retire, youâre free to do whatever you please, judgement or obligation free,â Sarang postulated. A part of her wished she was in Heegunâs position, having the possibility of thinking about retirement and what her life would be like once the âworkâ is over, but she knew very well that her work had no end. People like us donât retire, we get retired, she remembered her team leaderâs stern, warning words and felt a sting of disappointment remind her of her reality.
However, there were more important issues at hand to deal with. Like getting Kang Heegun to meet her.
For a moment, Sarang thought Heegun would refuse her offer. She cursed her inability to socialise, and started to go over all the methods she could use to lure him into seeing her tonight â anything but the offer she had already made, but at the same time, making sure she did not come off as pushy, but before she could find any other option, she heard him accept her invitation, and Sarang found herself smiling a bit too sheepishly than she had originally planned to. âGreat!â realising there was too much enthusiasm in the tone of her voice â perhaps that was a good thing, but Sarang, the social penguin, could not estimate that â she cleared her throat and added, âI mean, thatâs super. Thereâs my car over there.â
She took out her car keys and pressed the unlock button. The car flashed and beeped, and she set herself free from the manâs strong, but simultaneously careful hold. Once she opened the door, Sarang found a piece of paper and a pen in the glove compartment, making sure to cover the view with her body lest Heegun noticed the gun lingering there. She scribbled an address on the paper, and then closed the compartment spun around, slowly, and handed the man the paper. âThis is the address. Iâll see you tonight, Heegun-ssi. Thank you for helping me,â she offered him a bow and slowly hopped into her car, making sure to maintain eye contact, and the same bright facial expression, as she drove off.
How girlish it felt.
You made it, she heard Cryptoâs voice in her head. She had completely forgotten about the wire.
âDid you doubt me?â
That evening, Sarang waited for Heegun outside of the library.Â
Something told her the man would not be late, or not fail to fulfil his promising of coming altogether. It did cross her mind that his work could have interfered and he wouldnât have had any way to let her know as she had yet to give him her phone number but, holding onto a little bit of faith, Sarang patiently waited all until she saw a familiar, tall figure approach her. She raised her arm and waved.
âHeegun-ssi, you made it,â she spoke when he neared her. âI was afraid your work would come in the way of our ghost stories. Thank you for coming.â
The male got caught off guard, when he received a big smile and a enthusiatic response, as soon as he told her he would come. A warmness overcame him, since these days he rarely came across friendliness and kind remarks. The world had turned darker than before, people seemed to have lost what it meant to be human, so he was grateful whenever he encountered something as simple, yet beautiful like a sincere smile. At least he thought it was sincere.Â
When she freed herself from him, he let go of her, yet making sure she wouldnât fall. Heegun turned his gaze away, when the female bended down to grab a piece of paper, he was a gentleman after all and staring at a ladyâs backside, when she wasnât noticing was just lowly. Not that it was much better, when she knew. The captain nodded, when Sarang handed hi over the address. âThank you, Iâll be there.â His lips curled up into a shy smile. âAnd donât mention it! Until tonight.âPolitely returning the bow, he stepped away from the vehicle, to wait until she drove safely away. What a lovely encounter.
Since he wasnât on duty, he returned right after and took a shower right away. Even when he had not to work today, there was a possibility that he was called out. Which wouldnât be much of a hassle or a bother to him normally, but today he had other plans. Plans that excited him, since it meant to break out from his usual routine. Tonight he would be just Heegun, not Captain Kang.
âGood evening, Sarang-ssi.â He greeted her with a smile and a bow, when he approached her. âIâm glad work didnât got in our way.â The male confessed, it was good to see her all refreshed again. âGlad to see you fine, as well.â He added, before looking around the area he didnât come across often. This seemed like a promising night for some ghost stories.
âI know your work is important, but youâre going to end up in hospital if you go on like this!â
MI Sentence Starters - accepting!
He blinked tiredly, everything around him was white and bright. Was he dead? Heegun turned his head to the side, when he realized a presence next to him. His whole body ached, he felt incredibly weak, contrary to what he normally felt like. The captain was a middle aged man, but despite that he had been always strong and healthy, someone whose will carried him on, even when things got darker. His gaze was blurry, and when he finally made out the face of the person next to him, he was more than surprised.Â
âBang Yongguk-sshi...â He mumbled, slowly gathering pieces of his memory. It had been days since he returned home. The captain had decided to stay for a while, as there was nobody home waiting for him and this case needed to be solved as soon as possible. Heegun was a strong man, since his childhood he didnât needed much, he was satiesfied with everything he received, so working til late and live under spartan conditions for a short while would be alright. Or so he thought. But maybe the lack of sleep had caused him to faint while he received a visit from an old colleague.Â
The older slowly sat up, and looked around the room. So he had been carried to the SPD infirmary. Yongguk was just sitting next to him, arms crossed over his chest, mustering him with the kind of gaze Heegun wasnât able to read. The two of them had a strange relationship, former colleagues, men of close age, the other being a visitor from time to time. âI fainted, didnât I?â The SPD member said quietly, as he stared at the white blanket, wrapped around his legs. âPretty embarrassing...â He mumbled to himself, before turning silent. The otherâs deep voice suddenly broke the silence, and it surprised Heegun even more to hear something that seemed like a advice to him.Â
âYes...â He was just able to answer, perplexed, as he looked at the youngerâs face. âThank you for helping me out...â A weak smile appeared on his lips, it kind of made him happy to know his old colleague still kind of cared for him and still knew of premises of the headquarter. Could he still hope?
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it isnât often that geunsuk spends time reminiscing over his childhood, over his younger yearsâthere were things far more important than sticking himself in a past he didnât have much peace inâŠaside from a few details; such as someone that he had unknowingly built a bond with ages ago, a bond build over watching out for one another, even when times back then had been far more simpler, far moreâŠeasy, so to speak.
but there was one thing that hadnât changed by much, except for age and where the two had ended up in life.
thereâs few left that know him by the name he had virtually abandoned, geunsuk. heegun was likely the only one left that he let slide, it was his legal name, after all. and he still valued their friendship enough, even if now there were more tactical reasons for keeping the other man around, he was still an old friend one way or another, one that he still held loyalty before despite the very different path he had taken.
and so whenever he picks up his phone, thereâs a genuine half-smile that curls onto his lipsâhe had been awake for hours, avoiding sleep for work, and wellâŠno for some likely overdue time spent out. âI am, but Iâve been busy long enough. I need a break for tonight.â he responds with a light laugh to his voice before he answers the real question at stake. âItâs been too long, I would be honored to meet up and have a few drinks with you. Where would you like me to meet you?âÂ
the captain feels slightly uncomfortable and guilty when he heard the other was kind of busy and tired from work. but who wasnât these days? so his heavy heart is lifted a bit, when geunsuk decided to take a break anyways. no matter how much they had to work in order to live, they werenât machines, they were humans after all. âyes, way too long. iâve almost forgot about your handsome face.â heegun teased his old school friend, as they had been often refered to as the handsome and ugly duo back then. not that these kind of things had changed much, even when the way of living had turned out differently for both.Â
âdo you remember the old family restaurant, we went to last time?â last time, as in months ago. âi am in the mood for some samgyeopsal and soju. letâs meet up there.â things hadnât look bad for the spd member these past weeks, but he felt like he was kind of stagnating, as if not able to move forward. was this the curse that laid upon the seoul police department? reminiscing in forsaken ideals and chasing after illusions that werenât likely to turn into reality?Â
sometimes he lost himself in memories of his past. even when it was everything but a easy childhood, it had helped to develop him, to turn him into the kind of man he was today. but looking at the mirror, he then asked himself what kind of man was he supposed to be? meeting up with someone from his youth who has gone down a completely different path, might help him return to his old self, right?
âI want every trained officer in a vehicle immediately! Evacuate civilians upon arrival and secure the perimeter! Now!â
The date is April 2nd, 2018. The time, 4:41 PM. Emergency response vehicles are loaded and rushed out onto the streets, lights blinding and sirens roaring, within minutes. The SPDâs growing panic spills out over the city, pushes units to make the journey to Lotte World in plenty of time. Little over an hour is enough to arrive, begin to evacuate civilians, but it isnât enough time to formulate a plan. The SPD must improvise, or chaos will ensure. Hoping to minimise the latter, Chief Jooheon approaches you after heâs finished speaking to Lieutenant Lee.
âCaptain,â he sighs, a shake in his voice, âDeputy Ji is leading the evacuation. I want you and Lieutenant Lee to lead units moving into the area. I have a feeling the killer will be returning to the ride last yearâs kills took place, so hone in on the surrounding areas at a steady pace from all angles â we donât want the killer to make any movements besides putting their hands above their damn head. Between us and the other unit leaders⊠Be on the look-out for a tall female, long brown hair. Iâve had a suspect for only a short time, and if my gut is right, we shouldnât have to worry about them escaping in the evacuation, but instead what they have planned. We canât predict any of this last kill, so be carefulâ and good luck. âÂ
This was what his job was about, Heegun thought, protecting the innocent against evil actions, stop the killing. He had been with the Gang Investigations Department for a while now, but had he never forgotten about the rush of adrenaline in his veins, when he was still part of the S.W.A.T. And this exhilariating feeling was pumped through his whole body, encouraged him, fired him up. âYes,sir! I wonât disappoint!â He exclaimed shortly, saluted, before giving a bow and rushing to his car. After signaling his unit to follow him in their vehicles, he immediately pressed the button in his car to activate the police radio to contact his colleagues, the other unit leaders, one by one. Things were rushed, almost improvised, since the situation was more than unusual. But his training and years worth of experience in dicey cases had prepared him. Â
âLieutenant Lee, itâs me, Captain Kang.â The male continued without proper respective forms and greetings, which was quite unsual for the kind and gentle Heegun, but they hadnât the time to mess around. âMy unit is heading to the south side of the Lotte World right now, could you tell me your location, so we wouldnât run into each other and are able to coordinate our movements? My men will close in as soon as we arrive and stay on alert at the southern ride area.â They couldnât be too sure if the killer was bugging their conversation, but there was no time left. They needed to act fast in order to catch the killer.Â
Heegunâs unit was a mix of officers from different departments, a clear sign of how hurriedly everyone was assigned to a task with no time to thouroughly olan every single step. So the only way to communicate was via police radio. Heegun pressed on his nose bridge, when he and his unit finally arrived at the said location, trying to calm himself down.Even when the situation urged for fast decisions and actions, they had to keep a cool head and prevent a outbreaking of a mass panic. No matter what, they had to avoid more citizens getting caught up in this crazy killerâs perfidous plan.Â
As they jumped out of the cars, he at once told his less experienced men to spread and blending in to help evacuating citizens on the south side, while being on the look out and slowly moving towards their target location, without giving up on their cover. Leading the innocent citizens to safety was top priority for now, but he knew he could count on the Deputy Chief to do exactly that. After separating the few combat experienced members to follow him, he directly closed in in a faster pace, hoping they wouldnât need the help of the back up squad, as he wished to keep them as safe as the others if possible. With high positions came bigger responsibilites, and Heegun didnât wanted more of his colleagues to fall, since the situation was unpredictable.
He moved closer to the ride, dark eyes carefully scanning the area for more citizens and the possible suspect, tall woman, long brown hair. Holding onto his gun, he inched forward, his men supporting from behind, moving alongside him. His eyes caught officers from the other units, behind covers, closing in from different directions just like communicated. It seemed like around every corner a SPD member was waiting for a signal, was ready to break forward. A chill run down the Captainâs spine, the situation seemed calm for now, but every single one of them was tensed up.Â
Where was the killer, what would be their next action? Would they be able to stop them before a new victim was found? Â
       ââ|| It may have been three years since heâd left the force, but it didnât stop Yongguk from dropping by once in a while under the guise of playing catch-up with old colleagues.As a private investigator, sometimes it was necessary to the job to occasionally collaborate with the police, just to keep the business legitimate so they wouldnât go snooping into his darker activities. Maintain friendly contacts within the police, and it just made things easier in the long run if he ever had to call in any favors.
            Though still recovering from his ordeal with the smugglers and the injuries that had yet to heal, Yongguk found the energy to stride into SPD headquarters like he belonged there. It was easy to smile at familiar faces, none of them realizing the pleasant expression was only a mask. It could be worse, he supposed.
            They could know why he quit, after all.
            It didnât matter. He was there for information on the recent gang activity as well as the smuggling ring that had been bringing in so many new shipments of drugs, weapons, and explosives into Seoul. If the police had no leads, then what good were they?
            âCaptain, huh? Iâm impressed, Heegun.â They hadnât interacted much in the past, Yongguk on the route for detective and Heegun a member of the SWAT team, but stillâŠYongguk never forgot a face. âHowâs life treating you these days?â
[/trigger warning: mentioning of death]
         ââ|| In all the years Heegun had been part of the SPD he had seen men coming and go, losing hope over the sunken system, dropping dead after being hit by bullets, leaving for retirement. He had lost dear colleagues and friends to both death and the system, had seen corrupted officers being suspended. Things like that had become routine, natural to a senior SPD member like him, and he wasnât proud about how numb he had grown. But in order to protect this city, the citizens, law and justice, he had no choice but to throw away his own humanity, elsewise he wouldnât have been able to work that long under those corrupted minds.            Â
            Sitting behind a huge pile of files, the captain organized stuff, filled out forms or picked up phone calls from his hoobaes, in his office, when one of his colleagues entered after knocking, telling him a former detective had come to see him. Lifting his eyebrow, he told the other to accept the visit and to lead him to his room. Upon seeing the familiar face, he greeted lightly, before returning to his work. He halted, when the other began to talk without proper honorific speech. Putting down the file in his hand, he looked straight at Yongguk, mustered him with his dark eyes.Â
            âIf you are not going to call me sunbae, at least call me hyung. Even though you arenât eactly part of the SPD anymore, Iâm not going to tolerate it.â Yongguk was close to his age, and sometimes they had interacted in a rather friendly way, but even then he was his senior in both, serving and age. Heegun didnât intended to ignore the other, he was glad the other was still alive, and was still in contact with the headquarter. âThings got a little messy, these days... youâve heard the news, I assume.â He then said, after stating his opinion about respective forms. âHow is your own work doing?â The captain asked, after signaling the other to take a seat in front of him.
there were a few things in heegunâs life he wasnât exactly proud of, and maybe even regretful of. faking data in order to infiltrate one colleague into a gang and risk the possibility of him being discovered as undercover agent was one of these things. if it was possible he himself would have done it instead, making sure the young officer wouldnât been endanged. if only he was able to protect those around him, avoiding to have them suffer. and still, it was always him doing mistakes, ending up regretting his deeds. the only way the captain knew was to try and reach out to seungjun, watching over him and provide him with everything he needed.
since he himself hadnât had a family yet, heegun tended to be especially overprotective to the younger officers, like a caring ahjussi or even a doting parent. the tall seungjun wasnât a exceptation, on the contrary: as undercover officer, the captain kept a even better eye on him. so he asked the other to see him now and then, in order to keep up with the mission progress.Â
[/text-seungjun] 10pm, usual place.
the sent text seemed rude and confusing, but as heegun was afraid a gang member could potentially see the message, he needed to be extra careful not to reveal the youngerâs cover. seungjun would know what the captain was talking about.
He canât believe his very eyes, as he watches a woman walking down a street. Heegun breaks away, eyes looking elsewhere, as he actually was here for something else, but he canât, itâs like an automatic process. Dark orbs glance over once again, pieces of her appearance slowly gather in the Captainâs mind, black, shoulder long hair, decent to little make-up, smooth legs, the vibes of a simple and natural beauty. He is more than confused, it couldnât be. Joongki had told him about her, about her loss, and it had destroyed his hope to ever see her and her smile again. A shaking of his head tries to push away any doubts but as she was still there, he couldnât get a hold of himself again. Going out of his way, ignoring the duties he had to fulfill, he just walks up behind her, a familiar vibe crashes down upon him, and he is sure.Â
Gently tapping her shoulder, he slides into her angle of vision. âJihyo? Is it you?â He asked, even though he knew already. Thousands of questions popped up in his mind, as stones of relief fell. At that very moment he realized that the unnamed love he had held in for seven years hadnât changed a bit, despite his knowledge about her death, but now that she had returned to the living, it was about to burst out, more than before.Â
"Iâm sure by this point, youâve heard about the flower shop incidentâ Another reporter posing as an officer, Iâm sure.â Chief Choi Jiwoo scoffs, then rubs her temples. Everyone in the precinct has noticed the bags under her eyes and the increase in cups of coffee sheâs consumed in the last two weeks compared to before, but no one has the guts to say anything. She exhales. âWeâre following up on it just in case, both the impersonator and the flower shop owner.â
Her movements are sluggish as she leans back, reaches into a drawer under her desk and pulls out a thin file, only a single paper in thickness. After a few long breaths, she explains. âAs you know, we work closely with Salvatore when it benefits the city. Recently, an informant from Salvatore gave us what is probably our only potential real lead at the momentâ A Black Lotus drug dealer had been in regular contact with the first female victim for two weeks leading up to her death.â She slides the file, with the informants full statement inside, across the table to you, eyes hard. âUnfortunately, just bringing him in would compromise our undercover officer. I need you to find a way to bring him in and interview him. I think he might be the key to solving this before another coââ She stops to take a deep breath. ââBefore we lose anyone else.âÂ
Once again he had been called into Chief Jiwoo's office but this time around his assigned task was more to his liking. Gang Investigations were his department after all. He carefully read through the file, scanning every line of the statement, in order to find a pitch to get Mamba being interviewed without suspicion. Leaning back on his chair, he thought of the possibilities, the excuses to bring someone in and interrogate them. "I could tell him the High-Tech the SPD uses is able to control the calls from public phones..." He mumbled, while taking notes. "Though it would be unneccessary to interview him then... and he might think I would know about his identity." The male shoke his head. This was definitely no excuse he could tell without risking the dealer's escape or the revealation of the informant.
His eyes fell on another keyword. Apparently the victim Shin Nahee and the Black Lotus member visited the same school. Heegun's dark eyes sparked up for a moment, as he had an idea. Quietly moving over to his PC he typed in a few words, before picking up his phone and giving out a charge to dig up some information for him. His men worked fast these days, the earlier they captured the killer the better. For both Seoul and the SPD. And for the first time in these past days Heegun just focused on his work, without thinking about the victims and the safety of the city, without doubting Sukjin's sanity and trust and friendship. He would just carry out the task he was assigned to, find new information like he successfully did before and help finish the investigations.
As he had finally gathered everything he needed, he got up from his office seat and walked to his car, driving to his destinations. It took some time, but it hopefully would help to get Mamba to talk. Knocking at his door, the captain hadn't even bothered to put on a friendly smile. He hated to interact with gang trash, but his occupation required it. The target opened the door with a rather sleepdrunken appearance, wondering about who was visiting him. Heegun had bet on his own presence to intimidate the other, as he soon would realize the captain wasn't here for him but for another matter and thus would be relieved to have kept his identity a secret. "Good evening, sir. Captain Kang Heegun." He lifted his bagde in front of the other's eyes, pulled his shoulders back in attempt to look even fitter than he already was and staring straight into the other's face. Mamba wouldn't run away, as it would make him even more suspicious and in face of an officer who wouldn't be afraid to get arrested? Even the most tainted men would become fearful in presence of a threat that would be the end of their freedom.
"I am here because of the late Shin Nahee. You must have heard about it in the News already..." The other nodded in silence, still unable to talk a word. For now. "Through my research I've found out that you and some other citizens of Seoul went to the same school like Shin-ssi. I would like to interview you at the SPD headquarter. You might be of help to clear up her tragic death." He underlines, after heading straight for his intention. Heegun was mustered by the other man, from head to toe, seemingly calculations about running off and escaping. In the captain's head a mass of thoughts overrun him, there wouldn't be another chance to lure him in. Only if the Black Lotus member was compliant, they would be able to receive more information. And if the information by Jin was right, Mamba seemed to have a good relationship with Nahee. Friends would yearn to find the killer of their friends, right? At least Heegun would do so for Sukjin, even though he wasn't sure if Sukjin would wanted it right now.
Finally the other gave in, took his keys and closed the door behind him. Without further ado, the captain returned with the dealer at his side to the headquarters, a tingling feeling resonanting from his neck. He had come this far, he needed to receive as much information as possible, without causing any suspicion.
Back in one of the interview rooms, Captain Kang put down a file from which some old school photos of Shin Nahee slipped out. He quickly gathered them, as if Mamba wasn't supposed to see them. But actually he had collected a few data about other school friends of the victim as well in order to trick the other man to believe in investigations regarding the victim's background. It had to seem like the SPD worked hard to find a new trace, without letting slip they already knew the Black Lotus member knew something himself. "Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed by me. I will make sure I won't be taking too much of your time." The officer said, before placing a notepad in front of him as well as secretly activating a recording device.
"I will ask you a few questions some of your school mates were asked as well, try to remember as much as possible and answer me as precise as possible." As he received a silent head nodding as response, he moved on asking him a few unobtrusive questions like he did with the other school mates before, slowly leading to the far more interesting part. âMay I ask you what kind of relationship you had with the victim?â He leaned forward a little, mustering him, a strong, yet not forceful gaze, just enough to make the other talk. The captain needed to look unknowingly and interested in advance the investigations, to spark the gang member to talk about his friend. Mamba suddenly bursted out in praises about her person, as an honest and kind person. It kind of took the captain off guard, as he didnât expected a man like him to be upfront about his feelings and speaking fondly of friends.Â
âDoes that mean you were still in contact?â There it was, the crucial question, the timing was just perfect. If the gang member replied now, they might have a new trace. Silence. A awkward moment passed, as Heegun kept on staring at the other who was thinking hard about what to say, his eyes wandering to the faked file now and then. As he finally broke his thinking he began talking, telling the captain about the occassional phone calls, which picked up in number before his death. The scratching of his pen on the paper filled the room, as the captain listened carefully to Mambaâs explanation. âI think she had some problems with her boyfriend. Shortly before her death she kept on asking me for money to pay the rent. Seemed like she had some money problems.â The man in front of the officer shrugged his shoulders, as he took a sip from his glass of water. âAnd you lent her the needed money? Do you know why she had financial problems?âÂ
Once again the other man halted, before stumbling over his own words. âS-she is innocent! R-really! S-she.. she didnât do a thing!â Raising his eyebrow, Heegun lifted himself up from the chair. âInnocent? What are you talking about, sir?â His dark eyes scanned the Black Lotus member. âI just asked you why she had problems to pay her rent. Could it be itâs connected to her boyfriend?â He asked again, looking challenging at the other. Why couldnât he just slip the information, it wouldnât even hurt him, just helping finding his friendâs murderer. Another moment of silence before Mamba mumbled. âYes, it is... â He then lifted his head and looked the captain in the eye. âHe seemed to have gotten into gambling, but she wasnât part of it at all!â Gambling again? Heegun sat back down on his chair before slowly noting the otherâs reply. What was the meaning of it?Â
Sarang nodded with a distracted smile. âBooks all day. Books, books, bookmarks,customers.â It felt silly to talk about the work, despite the fact it was not a big fat lie. It was a small, thin lie, but this did not make her feel any better. It wasnât ethical concerns she had, but rather an alien feeling she had while talking about the whole thing. It was almost like she was talking about another person, and so she worried over the possibility of not sounding convincing enough, something which she had no issues with in the past. But then again, you are talking about a different person, a voice in her mind echoed, making her pause for a moment before she could return to the conversation.
âI donât do much of martial arts, but I took some self-defence classes, back in the days. Itâs useful to know. And a friend dragged me to it,â a slow chuckle escaped her as she made sure to balance herself whilst not pressing herself inappropriately much against the man. She did not want to make either of them feel embarrassed or uncomfortable, but for what was worth, physical contact was much more difficult for her whose brain kept trying to calculate the amount of germs she shared with each person she came into closer contact with.
âHeegun,â she tested his name in a more informal tone for the first time, giving him a nod then as she started to walk, in the direction where she had left her car, continuously reminding herself to mind the supposedly injured ankle. âWhat stuff do you write? Are you planning to retire soon, then use all the knowledge of your cases to turn yourself into a famous crime thriller novelist? Because that sounds exciting,â she half-teased the man as they walked together. âWellâŠI donât do a lot either. Jogging, going to cafes to read, working. Iâm not much of a night club person. I donât like it at all, as a matter of fact. I keep things quiet.â Which was true, minus the work. At least she could be truthful about certain aspects, which made the assignment significantly easier.
âBut, umâŠI did have one plan. Heegun-ssiâŠHeegun,â she corrected herself. âThereâs, uhâŠyou see, every month, my workplace has reading nights. We spend about an hour and a half reading certain literature to those who come. Sometimes itâs kids stuff, sometimes itâs romance. We have a ghost story reading tonight at 7:30. Youâve, uhâŠYouâve been so much help with my injury and uhâŠOh, this sounds silly!â While attempting to spill it out, Sarang legitimately blushed, looking away. âIf youâre not awfully busy, I would like to invite you to come. If youâre not busy of course! Iâm not trying to be weird and impose in your schedule,â an embarrassed smile adorned her lips as she shyly sneaked a glance up at the captain.
The captain listened to her, quietly, while facing forward, careful to not trip and hurt her more. He couldnât imagine to work in that kind of work, as being a police officer had been his dream from the very beginning. This was his place, his fate. âYes, definitely.â Heegun replied with a nod and a stoic expression, trying to push the warmth of their body contact to the back of his mind. This didnât meant a thing, she was just someone who needed help and Heegun was just the random stranger who helped her. His habit to easily develop a crush on women who where slightly more friendly than the average had always brought trouble upon him.Â
âAh, just stuff thatâs on my mind. And sometimes poems or lyrical texts, nothing special though.â The male shrugged it off, as soon as he had formed it in words, he somehow felt awefully embarrassed, he was a man of duty after all. Weakness should never be shown. Did being human meant to be weak?
A chuckle left his lips, as he gently looked to his side, glancing down at the beauty leaning on his chest. âDonât give me ideas like that. I might do that in like forty years.â Of course there was no way he would be able to work until the glory age of seventy. And openly said, in a world like this he couldnât be too sure to survive that long. It was refreshing to talk about daily stuff though, since it eased his heavy heart, broke through the shell of determination. âLeading a quiet, peaceful life must be nice... â The male mumbled rather to himself, lost in thoughts, staring into the void.Â
âGhost stories?â His voice slipped, as well as his serious facial expression, and Heegun halted for a second, staring at her. He was a loyal SPD member, but he still believed in evil ghosts and spirits, bad karma and demons who would haunt the living. âThank you for inviting me, but... â His words staggered, and he didnât know how to express himself, when he watched her blushing lightly at her bold invitation. âAh, I mean... Iâll come. Please take care of me.â There was no way to reject a lady like her.
âSacrifices indeedâŠâ She mumbled under her breath, fully understanding what he was talking about. Yet at times she couldnât help but wonder if those sacrifices would be worthwhile or just useless in the end. She smiled, letting out a tiny laugh. He wasnât wrong in that sense. Very few people actually like mondays. âYou know, you sound quite optimistic, do you think youâre one?â
She chuckled at his rather enthusiastic response, not reading too much into it and thinking it was because he finally found a company for lunch. Truth be told she was looking forward to finally stop having lunch alone by herself too. âAh⊠26,â she trailed off, putting her cup of coffee down. âIâm a few years younger than you, so Heegun oppa?â She beamed brightly. âOr do you prefer being more formal and having me call you Heegun-ssi instead?â It was safer to ask first since not all people like to be called so informally at first.
Gaze flickering to glance at her watch briefly, she mentally noted to herself that she probably had just enough time to finish her cup of coffee before needing to leave if she doesnât want to get back to the office late. âYour phone?â She looked back at him and asked, her palm outstretched in front of him. âI mean you need to know my number to know where to meet for next mondayâs lunch, right?â She explained.
Inside his stomache he felt a ticklish feeling, when he listened to the woman who was lost in thoughts. He had never felt like this before and secretly thought that she knew what he was talking about and could relate to that. Meeting someone new and suddenly hitting off the same wavelength was something special and rare to him, and the lieutentant embraced that feeling. Truth to be told he didnât had many friends outside of his job, which took so much time it mostly ate up his rare free time and private relationships. So he was thankful for every new face he got to meet.Â
âAh, I would rather call myself a realist with optimistic tendencies. I strive for a peaceful Seoul, and with hard work and responsibility we will be there someday.â His dark orbs lit up for a moment, this had been his dream for the longest time.The older male nodded, instead of asking what age she truly was. He didnât wanted to come off as rude or persistent. âOâŠoppa?â His voice shoke for a moment, when he stared at her his usual small eyes widened. It had been a while since he had been called oppa the last. It sounded unfamiliar, but warm. âAh, please donât be formal.. You can talk comfortable around me andâŠâ He turned away his face, blushing slightly. ââŠCall me oppaâŠâ Mumbling the male silenced himself, before starting to smile brightly. âHeegun-ssi makes me sound like a ahjussiâŠâ He quickly added, even when he knew he was rushing towards the thirty much faster than he wanted to.Â
âPhone?â He repeated after her. Women these days were so bold and confident and Heegun adored their independence. If just he was able to talk to ladies this open-minded, he would be able to have a girlfriend as beautiful as Jihyo. The lieutenant hesitantly handed her the black smartphone, quickly wiping over the display before unlocking it. Why was his heart racing, even though his head knew this was just about eating lunch on mondays together?
