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Descendants of the Moon

Descendants of the Moon Masterlist

Tag list: @chastja @multi-fan-trash @serpentityx @syublush @laadychat @whoissheff Dm me if you want to be on the tag list!

Word Count: Descendants of the Moon MasterlistTag list: @chastja @multi-fan-trash @serpentityx @syublush @laadychat @whoissheff Dm me if you want to be on the tag list!

Word Count: 8,753

Key: Italics- things that happened in the drama but do not old any importance to the story lineKey:

Bold- Dialogue said in the Drama

Armadillo

Episode 13:

Yoo Ji went to report to her work in the news station the next morning. It was really cold but Yoo Ji’s mood was very high. She was smiling and grinning at everyone. She went to meet with her supervisor to hand in all her work for the last 10 months. She sent him updates while she was in Urk but the articles she wrote were printed and in a formal envelope to hand in.

“Good morning” she greeted him at his desk.

“Hello, Mun Yoo Ji,” he responded, “take a seat” he gestured to the chair in front of him. She bowed and took a seat.

“I thank you for your hard work in Urk, and hope you keep that work ethic going now that you’re back” he started, Yoo Ji’s smile dimmed just a little. Her supervisor complimenting her work was a rare occurrence but it also means that he bears news.

“Thank you, and of course” she responded, keeping her tone light and formal.

“While you were gone, I had a few reporters try to take this case, but they haven't found anything useful that we can use,” he started to brief her. Yoo Ji realized that he wanted her to take another assignment. Usually, she would get a little break, but today is not the case as it seems. Yoo Ji nodded her head.

“Here is the folder that we have so far” he handed her an envelope, as she took it she felt that it was too light. Yoo Ji would have to fix that.

“I expect you to do your best” he finished as he looked at her with a hard stare.

“Of course, I will do my best,” Yoo Ji responded. She got up and bowed and took her leave.

She went to her desk, which was more like a cubicle than an actual desk. Her cubicle buddy peeked his head above the thin wall separating them.

“Yoo Ji! You’re back!” Jung Hye Jin exclaimed with enthusiasm.

“What’s up Jung?” Yoo Ji greeted.

“How was Urk? I heard that there was a lot to cover”

“It wasn’t too bad” Yoo Ji responded as she organized her desk and got out a few cleaning tools that she keeps in the bottom drawer of her desk. She keeps wipes and a dust Swiffer so when she comes back she can take care of the dust collecting on her desk and brush up her desk clean and start working again. She leaned back and observed the room, it seems everyone has not changed and still does what they have been doing.

Jung Hye Jin leaned over and whispered, “Dani broke up with her boyfriend, Steve is having problems with Mai over who will get to cover what issue tonight at 7 and Sung Ha is pregnant” he filled her in on how their co-workers are doing. Yoo Ji grinned at him and assessed each of the people they talked about. Dani looked exhausted and her face was a little swollen, she wasn’t wearing makeup either, Steve; the only foreigner that works at their station, was heatedly talking with Mai. Mai was rolling her eyes at the man and waving her hands discreetly. Sung Ha didn't look any different except Yoo Ji noticed that she walks a little slower and that her hands subconsciously keep brushing against her stomach.

“I have taught you well” Yoo Ji praised Hye Jin, although Hye Jin is a year older Yoo Ji had told him about a few pointers to improve his observation skills.

“So did you get the Armadillo case?” Hye jin asked curiously, Yoo Ji nodded taking out the file, she opened to find one single piece of paper. Yoo Ji raised an eyebrow.

“They didn't find out anything?”

“They don't even know if the crime was committed by a ghost or not,” Hye Jin scoffed. Yoo Ji groaned, she unlocked her phone and went to call Gwang Nam. She went outside to the office and into the lounge.

“Hello?” his voice came through.

“Please tell me you’re having a better time than I am” she rolled her eyes at the amount of digging she has to do when she goes back. She didn't even try to read the paper knowing how scarce the information is going to be.

“Are you okay? Are you injured?” he questioned with worry. Yoo Ji rolled her eyes extra hard this time.

“I am fine, I just got handed a case with nothing but one piece of paper and no background information.”

“Why do you always think I am in mortal danger? I am a reporter, not a special forces soldier” Yoo Ji joked.

“At this point are you not going to the police station? I assumed you were going to gather information using dangerous methods” he retorted back to her verbal jab.

“You know me too well” Yoo Ji smirked, she glanced at the door and asked him when his flight got back.

“In two days, I think it leaves at 3 AM but I am not sure. I’ll have to check it” he replied, she heard him shuffling paper on his end.

“Alright, just keep me updated, I have to go, I am meeting up with Mo Yeon for lunch”

“Alright, don’t make any trouble” Yoo Ji rolled her eyes, told him goodbye. Yoo Ji hung up and sighed, she’ll have to visit the police station.

“Was that your boyfriend?” Hye Jin teased as she sat back down at her desk.

“You could say that, but he could also be my drug dealer,” she said with a straight face, Hye Jin looked horrified, Yoo Ji broke out in a chuckle and told him she was just kidding.

“Yeah, I met him in Urk,”

“Oh, foreign man!”

“No he’s Korean, he was one of the soldiers stationed in the base I was at” she explained, taking the paper once more and skimming it, the victim died of blunt force to the head. Hye jin nodded, smiling cheekily but went back to his work.

The victim’s name is Lee Eun Ki and he’s 39 years old. Her eyes skimmed through the description of the crime scene, and what they were able to recover, her eyes found the detective assigned to the case and rolled her eyes. It was a rookie cop assigned to the case.

“I am heading to the police station” Yoo Ji informed Hye Jin, she grabbed her backpack.

“Greet Kang Rae Wook for me” Hye Jin yelled back as she got out the door.

Yoo Ji took the bus that went straight to the police station from her work, it took around 25 minutes to get there as there were three stops in between.

“I am here to interview Park Ji-Hun about the homicide of Lee Eun Ki” Yoo Ji informed the receptionist, she looked new, Yoo Ji peeked behind her to see if she could find anyone that she knew.

“He’s been taken off the case” the lady responded after looking it up on her desktop.

“Who has it then?” Yoo Ji questioned. The lady was about to read the name of the detective when a male’s voice cut in from behind Yoo Ji.

“I am the leading detective on that case now” Yoo Ji turned around and found Kang Rae Wook.

Kang Rae Wook is an old acquaintance of hers, he hates sharing information as much as he hates criminals. He is assigned difficult homicides all the time because his superiors hate him for his take-no-shit attitude. He is a middle-aged man, he can be seen as an attractive man but to Yoo Ji, he’s just an asshole that loves to withhold information when she investigates with him but he is an old friend and he has proved himself trustworthy on multiple occasions. Yoo Ji grinned.

“Hello Detective Kang, I am officially back” Yoo Ji exclaimed, she loves to annoy him, he’s very easily pissed off and Yoo Ji takes advantage of his short temper. It's been 10 months since she last saw him, and she might’ve not told him she was leaving so he looked very pissed off.

“Where the hell have you been?” Rae Wook asked signaling her to follow him down to his desk.

“I was assigned to a Korean base in Urk to cover their peace treaty efforts” Yoo Ji explained. Rae Wook looked at her with a deadpan look.

“How much trouble did you cause?”

“Hey! I am an angel, I didn't do anything...” she defended, trailing off.

“Three times but they weren't even completely my fault” she relented, telling him the truth.

“It was such a nice break from your nagging” Rae Wook sighed as they came to stop at his desk.

“Well, I am back now and you can't get rid of me” Yoo Ji grinned cheekily. She looked to the right side of his desk where his partner should be sitting.

“Where is Lee Hwa Dong?” she asked with a curious look at Hwa Dong’s desk. She got closer to inspect and flip open some folders on his desk when the said man walked in.

“No touching!” his deep voice startled Yoo Ji and she straightened her back and withdrew her hand.

“Hi!” she cheekily greeted, as the older man looked at her with raised eyebrows. She walked over and hugged him, his arms came around her.

Lee Hwa Dong was Kang Rae Wook’s partner, he is a man of few words, but he's very caring. Yoo Ji is almost like his little sister, they are very close. He is also one of the only ones that know about the Kim Hoon Jae case, he never brings it up and that makes Yoo Ji appreciate him even more. Lee Hwa Dong became Rae Wook’s partner after he got on the bad side of the chief and this partnership was his punishment, except they work great as a team and solve many of the hard cases they’re assigned.

Yoo Ji became their friend when she was tailing a suspect and they found her out. She befriended them, and Hwa Dong recognized her from the case. Since then she would hang out with them anytime they had the same case assigned and more often than not they work together since she deals with Armadillo cases in her station. The last time she had seen them was a few months before she left, she had written a particular article the higher-ups didn't like and her boss switched her to cover some petty fights between rich people which is why she was hanging out at the Haesung Hospital.

“I missed you, Firefly” he ruffled her hair, it was in a half up half down hairstyle with her bangs framing her face, but now it just looks like someone had flipped her hair upside down. Yoo Ji huffed and fixed her hair.

“I missed you too, but I definitely did not miss this” she pointed at her hair.

“Yoo Ji, why are you here?” Rae Wook said as he stared at Yoo Ji with a blank look.

“I got assigned another Armadillo case” Yoo Ji decided that she wouldn't beat around the bush and just told them why she’s here. She pulled out one piece of paper given to her by her boss.

“All they gave me was the autopsy report, which looks half-assed, to be honest,” she said as she handed Rae Wook the report.

“He only recorded vague descriptions, you need a new M.E.” Yoo Ji informed them.

“Lee Eun Ki, the probable cause of death is a blunt force to the back of the head” Rae Wook read out loud.

“M.E. also says that that's the only bruising he found on the body and I think that's bull” Yoo Ji continued.

“Okay, we’ll go talk with the M.E. to find out more” Hwa Dong decided. Yoo Ji’s phone rang, it was Gwang Nam. Yoo Ji quickly declined his call and texted him she’ll call him later.

“Who is that?” Hwa Dong asked.

“No one” Yoo Ji answered too fast, she mentally cringed.

“Oh, secret boyfriend” Rae Wook smirked. Yoo Ji stayed quiet not denying or confirming his assumption.

“I’ll go get his medical records to look them over. It will be just like old times!” Yoo Ji diverted the conversation away.

“He’s a doctor?” Hwa Dong teased.

“No, soldier, I was going to go have lunch with Mo Yeon anyway” Yoo Ji rolled her eyes, might as well tell them. They were going to meet him sooner or later.

“Alright disperse, keep us updated if you find anything” Rae Wook finalized, Yoo Ji bid them goodbye and left the police station.

Yoo Ji arrived at the hospital and went into the lobby to ask about Mo Yeon and where she would be. The nurse at the front desk told her that she’s probably in the cafeteria. When she spotted Mo Yeon and her friends, she went over to them. Mo Yeon sounded really angry on the phone, she slammed her phone down on the table.

“That sounds like a break up” Yoo Ji commented as Sang Hyun pulled a chair for her to sit in.

“Ugh, I can't believe I have to do this.” Mo Yeon groaned.

“Why? Captain Yoo isn't coming after all?” Doctor Song asked. Yoo Ji stole a part of someone's sandwich.

“What a shame!” Chi Hoon responded with a small smile on his face.

“Have you resigned yet?” Yoo Ji ignored the two men as they started snickering.

“Captain Yoo would be able to quickly go and get the resignation letter that's upstairs in the Chairman's office.” Chi Hoon answered while also not answering Yoo Ji’s question. He waved his snickers bar in front of his face.

“You got rejected for the loan,” Yoo Ji stated after swallowing the bite.

“Just go and plead.” Nurse Choi said.

“How can I go and plead after making such a scene?” Mo Yeon whined and Yoo Ji raised an eyebrow.

“I can’t believe I missed it!” Yoo Ji clicked her tongue in disappointment. Mo Yeon groaned and rested her forehead on the edge of the table.

“So then there's a professor's position available. Sweet.” Sang Hyun snapped his fingers.

“Then are you going to continue appearing on TV?” Sang Hyun continued to ask questions without letting Mo Yeon respond.

“Seriously, Sunbaenim.” Mo Yeon groaned, cutting off Sang Hyun’s ranting. The table rattled, Mo Yeon’s eyes widened, just like everyone else’s. Yoo Ji felt her heart jump into her throat and she held her breath as they all dived under the table. It took a few seconds for them to realize that it wasn't an earthquake but a few construction workers that were breaking up gravel on the main street.

“Damn it” Yoo Ji murmured as he heartbeat slowed down. A doctor passing by leaned down.

“Is there something down here?”

“I wish there was.” Doctor Song responded with a small laugh, which sounded more like an exhale of air to sound nonchalant.

“Should we try laughing like it was a joke?” Doctor Kang pondered

“No.” all five of them responded simultaneously. Mo Yeon nodded and they stood up and settled back into their seats.

After their lunch, Yoo Ji told them that she has to go to the lobby to get some information on a new case she has and so she parted with them.

“So what's the new case?” Nurse Choi asked.

“Deadman, no suspects” Yoo Ji responded as they walked to their destination.

“Interesting” Yoo Ji nodded with a small smile, it won't be a mystery any longer, she will get the medical records and have some clues on where to go from there.

“Can you give me the medical file on Lee Eun Ki?” Yoo Ji asked the receptionist.

“Are you related to him?” the nurse asked. Yoo Ji got out her badge, she had one made that mirrored Rae Wook’s and Hwa Dong’s. Yoo Ji doubts they knew about it but they will not be surprised.

“He’s dead, I need his medical records to investigate the cause of death,” Yoo Ji said with the most professional cop voice she could muster. Nurse Choi watched and shook her head. As soon as Yoo Ji got the file and the nurse left, Nurse Ha commented on Yoo Ji’s methods.

“You’ll get arrested for that”

“Not really, I’ve made friends with the whole police station” Yoo Ji stated, her eyes skimming through all the background information and all the other useless stuff. Her eyes caught on small details but it wasn't a big clue at all. The victim had a congenital disorder, it isn't specified which one which is strange usually it would say.

Yoo Ji focused on who she can talk to that would know his last interaction with any information about what kind of person he was. The important kind of background information, not this white noise that's been recorded. Yoo Ji quickly dialed Hwa Dong’s number, after the third ring he picked up. Nurse Choi waved at her as she left to receive the emergency victim that was coming in.

“Hello,”

“I got the relatives' information, but other than that, nothing really stands out” she informed him.

“The M.E. might not be sure if the blunt trauma was man inflicted, but the bruises on the face were definitely were and that's why he ruled it as a homicide.” Hwa Dong filled her in on their side of the investigation. There was a small pause before he spoke again with uncertainty in his voice.

“When we were down there, the M.E. told us that when he received the body, it seemed to be...too polished, almost like someone had cleaned up the evidence before he did”

“I’ll look into any of the family members that have a history with dead bodies, got it.” Yoo Ji nodded her head, she noticed Mo Yeon coming towards them. She hung up and watched as Mo Yeon put on gloves and started diagnosing the victim. Yoo Ji was still far enough that she can't hear them clearly, but it looks like she didn't get fired after all, just in the E.R. and Yoo Ji would bet that she was the on-call surgeon from now on. The chairman really had it out for her.

Mo Yeon acknowledged her as she got her gown and was explaining to Nurse Ha and Doctor Soong that she was fired from the VIP ward but was the E.R. surgeon all the time now. Yoo Ji bid them goodbyes and went back to the news station to start digging with the newfound information, no matter how little.

As she was on the bus, she remembered to call Gwang Nam back. It should be a night at Urk.

“Hello?” his voice came through.

“Sorry I couldn't respond I was at the police station” Yoo Ji looked down and picked at her backpacks loose strings.

“So I was right.” he chuckled.

“I found something but it's just a start, I have so much work” Yoo Ji groaned. She barely got back and she was already starting to feel exhausted, her body had barely any time to recover from all the physical strain it had been in Urk and now she had to follow leads that will lead to more dead ends then the actual killer.

“You’ll be fine.” Gwang Nam assured her.

Two days later

Yoo Ji had checked her phone at least 6 times at this point. Gwang Nam is supposed to text her that they arrived soon and she was itching to get off work and go to him. She missed him a lot. She was fidgety. If Hwa Dong and Rae Wook noticed, they didn't say anything, but Yoo Ji knew that Rae Wook would crack and ask. She was driving him insane.

“Stop. moving.” he gritted his teeth, glaring at her.

“Sorry” she apologized.

“Are you waiting for exam results? Why are you so anxious?” Hwa Dong set down the papers that they were looking at. Rae Wook was able to access some records of the relatives and they were reviewing their information such as their jobs and their relationship with the victim.

“I am waiting for a phone call” Yoo Ji responded, not telling them the vital information that they seek.

“From who?” Rae Wook asked, raising a questioning eyebrow at Yoo Ji’s mysteriousness.

“Uh- a friend I made when I was on my assignment” Yoo Ji’s eyes checked her phone again.

“Boyfriend” Rae Wook and Hwa Dong smirked as they agreed.

“What? No! It's nothing like that” Yoo Ji denied.

“Hye Jin told us you met a soldier and that you’re waiting for his call”

“Why ask if you already knew” Yoo Ji rolled her eyes, she picked up her phone from her desk and pocketed it.

“Are you not gonna tell us anything?” Hwa Dong asked.

“There’s not much to tell, he's a First Sergeant, he comes back today from being deployed at Urk” Yoo Ji waved off.

“When do we get to meet him?” Hwa Dong kept the conversation going, Rae Wook had picked up the forgotten papers and got back to reading while listening to Yoo Ji’s answers.

A small ping from Yoo Ji’s phone made her start grinning as she fished it out of her pocket and read the message. Gwang Nam had just finished meeting with his superior and could meet up.

“You can meet him if you give me a ride” Yoo Ji grinned as she offered. Hwa Dong nodded and tapped Rae Wook so that he can wrap up and they can leave.

“We’ll see if he’s worth it” Rae Wook muttered under his breath, he was walking behind Yoo Ji, she heard him and drew her elbow back and aimed a jab at his stomach. Yoo Ji got another text message with where they were supposed to meet.

“He is, he saved me on multiple occasions, not that I needed to be saved. But the thought counts” Yoo Ji replied to his skeptical comment. They all got into Hwa Dong’s car.

Yoo Ji was excited, it's only been a few days, but the new environment of their home feels more mysterious than the war-torn country they were in. Yoo Ji thought they could have more normal dates here, instead of minefield dates, although they sound cooler, Yoo Ji did like the idea of normalcy, just something about everyday life that makes her feel giddy.

“Aw, look at Firefly all excited to meet with her boyfriend” Rae Wook teased looking back at her in the back of the car as he sat in the passenger seat. Yoo Ji rolled her eyes, she focused on the scenery passing by. She wondered how he would react to her friends. She quickly texted him that she was getting a ride from her friends and he’ll meet them today. Gwang Nam responded that he doesn’t mind.

They arrived at the coffee shop, Yoo Ji jumped out of the car, she was swinging slightly on the balls of her feet. Rae Wook and Hwa Dong looked at her with chuckles and amusement in their eyes.

They walked in and Yoo Ji’s eyes swept around to spot Gwang Nam. Instead, Gwang Nam noticed her first and waved her over. Yoo Ji was taken back, she hasn't seen him in casual clothing in so long. He was wearing white shirt and black slacks. As they neared his table, she noticed a black blazer that matched his pants. He looked good, glowing even in the winter air. She felt herself slip into comfortableness as she subconsciously remembered how at ease he makes her. She didn't need to be on guard all the time when she was with him, she trusted him. It had little to do with actual protection even though she knows he can probably physically protect her, but also in every way emotionally.

Rae Wook and Hwa Dong were observing Yoo Ji closely, she watched as her demeanor went excited to relax, just at the sight of the man. They gave each other glances, and they came to an understanding that this man really had Yoo Ji’s complete or most of her trust, so he must be trustworthy.

“Let me introduce you guys, Gwang Nam meet Detectives Kang Rae Wook and Lee Hwa Dong,” Yoo Ji started as soon as they got settled at the table, “Rae Wook and Hwa Dong meet First Sergeant Lim Gwang Nam.”

The men shook hands and smiled politely, Yoo Ji scrunched her nose at the formality of the air, she’s seen both men be comfortable, the awkwardness is really unnecessary, in her opinion.

“How was your flight back?”

“It was fine, the turbulence wasn't bad” Gwang Nam assured her.

“Did you just come back?” Rae Wook asked, Gwang Nam nodded.

“Yoo Ji’s flight was two days earlier than mine, I had to leave with my team,” he explained. The two cops nodded.

“What do you specialize in?” Hwa Dong questioned curiously. Yoo Ji remained quiet but silently rolled her eyes, they were questioning him like he was in an interrogation.

“Sniping and hand to hand”

“How many confirmed kills?” Rae Wook fired his next question.

“that's confidential information.” Yoo Ji cut in, she raised an eyebrow at Rae Wook.

“This sounds like an interrogation, not a friendly get together. Stop,” Yoo Ji firmly ended the questioning.

“Alright, I apologize for my coworker’s behavior, we just care a lot about our friend” Hwa Dong relented first under Yoo Ji’s gaze.

“It’s alright, it’s good that Yoo Ji has friends that care about her,” Gwang Nam smiled.

“Well that's a first, usually we don't hear Yoo Ji’s boyfriends very happy that she's friends with two male cops” Rae Wook snorted, Yoo Ji mentally facepalmed. She should’ve taken just Hwa Dong, he doesn't cause as much trouble as Rae Wook.

“Ah well, it comforts me that there are people around her that can protect her,” he paused before adding, “if she can't do it herself, of course.” he grinned as he looked at Yoo Ji’s deadpanning face. The two cops chuckled at the couple.

“We see that you care about her very much,” Hwa Dong approved, smiling.

“How was Urk? Did she cause trouble? I heard that she fucked shit up at least three times” Rae Wook smirked as Yoo Ji sighed and groaned.

“It was good, she just kept on pulling out cards with ‘I do what I want’ on them and got kidnapped and escaped by herself” Gwang Nam chuckled as he revealed their adventures.

“Damn Firefly, you can't even let him play knight in shining armor for at least one night” Rae Woook teased Yoo Ji.

“I don't need saving, I handled it by myself just fine” Yoo Ji huffed.

“Oh I remember, you had the guy at gunpoint” Gwang Nam stated.

“You let her use a gun?” Hwa Dong demanded.

“We taught her how to use a gun, remember? Why are you so surprised? Wait until she uses it on a civilian and then be shocked” Rae Wook deadpanned.

“Hopefully that day won’t come” Gwang Nam responded, chuckling, Yoo Ji had her face in her hands in humiliation.

“Okay, we actually have to go do more research on the ongoing Armadillo case, but it was nice meeting you” Hwa Dong said as he checked his watch. Rae Wook nodded and both of them left the table. Yoo Ji excused herself to talk to them separately.

“Are you guys hiding something from me? I didn't know we had more information to look for?” she queried.

“We scheduled an interview with the person that found the body, just some routine stuff you can skip. We’ll tell you if we find anything” Hwa Dong assured her as he gave her a side hug and Rae Wook saluted her with a smirk.

Yoo Ji returned to her seat.

“They didn't tell me they were interviewing someone,” Yoo Ji explained to Gwang Nam when she came back. Gwang Nam nodded and sipped his drink.

“So what do you plan to do now that you’re back?” Yoo Ji asked. She didn't know what he normally did when he was his civilian self, she couldn't assume he would do routine checks on their weapons even in Korea.

“Well I am on vacation for three days, I haven't decided yet.” he responded, looking deep in thought.

“What about Shi Jin and Dae Young?” Yoo Ji continued, she stole his drink and sipped the iced coffee. Gwang Nam chuckled.

“They are embarking on their ‘No Nights and Three Days’ adventure”

“What is that?” Yoo Ji furrowed her eyebrows.

“They drink for three days and don't sleep or go home,” he explained. Yoo Ji’s eyes widened.

“That sounds fun,” Yoo Ji laughed.

“Will you be joining them?”

“Will you?”

“I don't know, I haven't decided yet. It depends on whether we’re going to do anything together.”

“Do you have any ideas on what you want to do?” Yoo Ji commented when she found Gwang Nam looking at her with a glint.

“Let’s go airsofting”

“You're not sick of shooting guns all the time?” Yoo Ji asked incredulously.

“It’s my job and hobby” Gwang Nam shrugged, “besides I never got to see how good you were, I always came at the end” he chuckled.

“Don't cry when I beat your ass,” Yoo Ji smirked.

It was the day after Yoo Ji and Gwang Nam’s small date. Yoo Ji was going to go investigate the family members. The two cops and Yoo Ji decided that the assailant was probably someone the victim knew seeing as there weren't any defensive wounds.

The victim’s parents own a barbecue place, and that's where Yoo Ji was heading. She wanted to observe them before she actually asked them any questions. Yoo Ji found that watching them in their natural habitat can tell you a lot about them, she can find out if they are financially stable, if they handle stress well, how they respond to rude customers. It all tells something about their character as a family.

She sat in the back of the restaurant and ordered like a normal customer, she spent hours watching the mother; Choi Jun Bae and the father; Lee Don Hee. they were in their late 60s. They served customers and made their orders. It was a very busy day, they were running around and didn't even have time to make eye contact. Yoo Ji huffed, this proved to be useless, It doesn't always yield results. She paid for her food and left.

As she was leaving she got a text message from Myung Ju to come to a certain food joint. Yoo Ji furrowed her eyebrows until the realization dawned on her, the ‘no night and three days’ the boys were doing. She quickly texted back that she’s on her way and got off the bus to take another that's going in the right direction. Yoo Ji mentally scowled, she should really invest in a car. She knows how to drive one but she doesn't own one.

As soon as she arrived she peeked in, she saw Mo Yeon’s back standing in front of a table where Myung Ju was sitting in her uniform sipping soup. She went inside with a smile, but her smile faded as she saw the boys completely wasted. Cheol Ho was resting his head against the back of his seat, Woo Geun was sleeping on Cheol Ho’s lap, and Gwang Nam was wearing a pink sweater passed out completely, head on the table. Yoo Ji raised an eyebrow with amusement

“Y’all didn't wait for me?” Yoo Ji’s disappointed tone made Shi Jin and Dae Young lull their heads towards her voice. Myung Ju and Mo Yeon looked at her with opposite expressions, Myung Ju was calm, unfazed, while Mo Yeon looked shocked and in disbelief.

“What is this mess? When did these men get here?” Mo Yeon asked.

“Why did you get here so late?” Myung Ju asked Mo Yeon, chewing on the food.

“It's because the night shift barely ended just now.” Mo Yeon replied.

“How did you get here so fast?” Myung Ju addressed Yoo Ji who was standing next to Mo Yeon.

“I was close,” Yoo Ji responded, her eyes never leaving Gwang Nam’s figure. Yoo Ji rounded the table and sat in front of Gwang Nam directly.

“Are these men usually like this?” Mo Yeon questioned, she pointed at the boys like they were aliens, which at this point they were probably drunk enough to think they were aliens.

“Why does our reunion have to look like this?” she paused, her eyes squinting with mild annoyance, “I was going to make a welcome placard with hearts drawn on it and go to the airport.”

“I bought some clothes, and I even put a facial mask on my face.”

“The kimchi stew here is really good.” Myung Ju nodded at Mo Yeon’s rant.

“Why don't you have a bowl?” Myung Ju offered the two girls, Yoo Ji reached over and poured some in an empty bowl.

“Where are you going?” Mo Yeon stopped Myung Ju as she moved to leave.

“I am going back to the unit. I am not on a break.” Myung Ju replied. Yoo Ji watched them as they conversed, she took small sips of the stew, her eyes fleeing to Gwang Nam’s passed out figure every few seconds.

“Why are you leaving by yourself? You should take Sergeant First Class Seo with you.” Mo Yeon stated. Yoo Ji rolled her eyes and softly snorted, ‘yeah, like that will happen’ she thought.

Yoo Ji watched as Shi Jin grabbed the ladle and scooped some of the stew and fed Dae Young as he saluted. Yoo Ji grinned at the hilarious sight.

“It's no nights and 3 days, so I can't take him with me.” Myung Ju told Mo Yeon.

“No nights and how many days now? They must be crazy!” Mo Yeon exclaimed, turning to look at the men and Yoo Ji who started to pour alcohol into her glass.

“The girl that just came in is so pretty.” Shi Jin whispered drunkenly to Dae Young.

“You’ve got to be kidding me?” Mo Yeon moaned as she watched Shi Jin but her exclamation was towards Yoo Ji.

“What? It's free alcohol” Yoo Ji shrugged and drank her shot.

“The girl that just left is way prettier.” Dae Young glanced at Mo Yeon with half-lidded eyes.

“No way! This woman is so much prettier, you know.” Shi Jin refuted. The two drunk men kept their conversation going but Mo Yeon focused on Yoo Ji was behind them

“How did you even know about this?” Mo Yeon asked Yoo Ji.

“Gwang Nam told me yesterday.”

“Don't you have a job?” Mo Yeon scrutinized. Yoo Ji scrunched her nose and gulped a shot.

“I hit a dead end,” she scowled.

“So you’re going to be drinking the rest of the day?” Mo Yeon sarcastically commented.

“Yes, it’s time to celebrate their return” Yoo Ji responded with a chuckle, “I am kidding, I am not going to do that. I have to meet with the detectives to look at the evidence.”

The next day, she got a text message from Gwang Nam telling her that he had gone home the night before, hammered, and needed the morning to recover. So their coffee date was postponed to the afternoon. That was fine with Yoo Ji, she still had a lot of groundwork to do. She had to follow the victim’s sister, Lee Eun Yong, who worked part-time at her parent’s food joint and in a nursing home.

Rae Wook told Yoo Ji that it was useless to follow her when Rae Wook and Hwa Dong had interviewed her; she was crossed off the list because she was too timid and also had an alibi. Yoo Ji insisted that she might lead them to the killer. She works for a nursing home, she must have relations with a nearby coroner in case someone from the elderly dies. That would be her next possible lead, even if Lee Eun Yong wasn’t directly involved with the murder.

Yoo Ji recorded Lee Eun Yong’s movements and how she carried herself. Yoo Ji noticed the slight tremor in the girl’s right hand. Yoo Ji doesn’t recall reading about any illnesses in her file, but not surprising. People go years before they go to a doctor if they have a slight tremor or something wrong with them, especially if they are financially struggling.

Yoo Ji snapped out of her trance staring at empty space now that Lee Eun Yong had disappeared from her when she felt her phone buzz. It was a call from Hye Jin telling her to go back to the station because the boss wanted to talk to her.

“I am assigning you to cover the political dinner between the South Korean and the North Korea Presidents” he stated, not even looking up to make eye contact with her as soon as she opened the door.

“But I am following the Armadillo case that you assigned me” Yoo Ji protested, the case was going very slow, she didn't have any solid leads yet.

“Put it on hold, I want you to cover this. Don't mess it up” he waved his hand, dismissing Yoo Ji’s protest. Yoo Ji took that as her cue to leave. She walked back to her desk and scowled. There are too many leads and too many loose ends. She had to get to the bottom of this case.

Yoo Ji sighed, she’ll have to do what her boss assigned her to do. She started to pull up all the articles detailing the visit and when it will go down. She still had a week until she had to cover it. She knows that the South Korean President will be visiting North Korea tomorrow. Yoo Ji sighed and rested her head against her desk.

“What happened? You sighed like 5 times” Jung Hye Jin asked.

“He assigned me the political dinners on top of the Armadillo Case” she mumbled.

“Wow! He really hates you right now” Hye Jin cringed, “you shouldn't have written that article last year, you wouldn't be in this position” he added.

“It's not my problem one of the shareholders decided to kill their children” Yoo Ji refuted.

“You didn't have to write the article” Hye Jin reminded her, Yoo Ji picked up her head from her desk and narrowed her eyes at the man.

“What happened to freedom of the press? It's not like I slandered them. I wrote what happened” she snapped back.

“And look what happened to you, you got sent to a foreign country for 9 months and then assigned an Armadillo case plus a political dinner that's impossible to get into if you're not well known.” Hye Jin listed.

“I am pretty sure the shareholder’s life in prison is easier than yours right now” he added.

“I know” Yoo Ji whined, slumping back into her chair. Hye Jin looked at her with a pitying smile.

“It's fine, I can do this” Yoo Ji shook her head and said out loud, trying to convince herself. Yoo Ji gathered her stuff and went to the coffee shop she planned to meet Gwang Nam in.

She arrived earlier than Gwang Nam this time, she settled inside the coffee shop and ordered. She sighed as she waited for him to come. She was scrolling through her phone when she heard him pull out the chair that was on the opposite side of her.

“Hey, how was work today?” Gwang Nam’s voice asked. He set his drink down next to hers

“It was fine, I got assigned another article but I can manage”

“What’s it on?”

“Some political dinners.” Yoo Ji waved off, she wasn't interested in that topic.

“The case I am investigating is getting weirder”

“How come?”

“There’s no strong lead suspects and the family looks like it just moved on, like nothing happened” Yoo Ji stared off to the side, pondering what was the deal with the Lee family.

“I am sure you’ll figure it out,” Gwang Nam assured. He smiled at her, she could tell that he was hungover but only because his eyes were still rimmed with red.

“How was the night with the boys?” Yoo Ji asked. Gwang Nam looked confused.

“You came?”

“Yeah the kimchi stew was good” Yoo Ji smirked at Gwang Nam’s confusion.

“Wait, you actually came? Where was I?”

“Passed out on the table” Yoo Ji responded with a grin. Gwang Nam was about to say something when his phone interrupted him.

“Hello,” “yes, sir” “power of unity” Gwang Nam hung up and looked at Yoo Ji as she stared at him with curiosity.

“I have to go” he stated, his face calm but his eyes churned with worry. Yoo Ji wasn't sure what he was worried about.

“Work?” Yoo Ji sipped her drink. Gwang Nam nodded.

“I am sorry” he apologized. Yoo Ji shook her head, waving him off. He can't apologize for his job.

“I’ll text you when I am done. Okay? We still have to go airsofting” Gwang Na promised as he gathered his coat and drink and moved to leave. Yoo Ji nodded and told him to be safe, as he left. She sighed. This didn't last very long. She went back to the police station to work some more.

“Following her wasn't a total waste of time.” Yoo Ji stated as soon as she reached Rae Wook’s desk. He turned towards her and raised an eyebrow.

“She works at a nursing home,” Yoo Ji said with glee.

“So?”

“So? So she probably knows a coroner” Yoo Ji said with a matter of fact voice.

“How in the world did you come to this conclusion?”

“You said that the M.E. said that the body of the victim looked ‘polished’” Yoo Ji rolled her eyes, Rae Wook was too slow.

“Okay and?” Hwa Dong added as he walked to his own desk with a steaming cup of coffee.

“Come on guys! She works at a nursing home, where the elderly will soon die and will need to be buried” Yoo Ji elaborated, waiting for them to catch onto her train of thought. They didn't.

“She knows the coroner, it’s her cousin. Shin Young Won” Yoo Ji handed Rae Wook the coroner’s file.

“How do you do that?” Hwa Dong asked in amazement.

“Don't praise her just yet, this might lead to nowhere” Rae Wook reprimanded, Yoo Ji’s grin faded into a sarcastic glare towards Rae Wook.

“At least, I got us somewhere.”

-Shi Jin went to visit Mo Yeon at the hospital and meets the Chairman then they went to meet Dae Young and Myung Ju in the cafe-

A few days had passed and Yoo Ji was getting ready to sneak into the hotel where they were going to have the political dinner. Okay, that's a lie, she can't sneak in even if she wanted to, the security was going to be airtight and she would not be able to get in, so she used her second best thing, her connections. She called one of the major reporters in the area who she knew would definitely have a place in the press conference. He owed her a favor for helping him cover a story a few years ago. At this point, she can barely remember what he needed help with mostly because so many people owe her favors. It's the nature of her job, connections are everything.

Gwang Nam had come back from his mission and they were able to set a time to go airsofting. They didn't talk about work, well they tried not to on the way.

“How’s the case going?”

“Rae Wook and Hwa Dong are tailing the victim’s family, nothing yet though” Yoo Ji responded.

“I am not as involved as I want to be since I was assigned to another issue too.” Yoo Ji huffed in slight annoyance, tailing is her favorite part of an investigation, but she couldn't participate because she had to get her information and questions ready for the press conference/dinner.

“Are you ready to be obliterated?” Yoo Ji challenged Gwang Nam with a smirk.

“Are you ready to face failure?” Gwang Nam retorted back, as they put on their gears and chose their weapons.

As soon as they were ready and they were given the okay sign to go inside the arena, they both went opposite ways. Yoo Ji wasted no time trying to find a good hiding spot just in case things go south.

Gwang Nam waited with bated breath to hear the sound of the alarm going off to start the official game. The alarm blared throughout the dark arena. Gwang Nam waited and listened to footsteps or any movement. Since they both had goggles, his vision was a little obscured but still better than normal people, since he’s used to them. He has no idea if Yoo Ji is as accustomed to it, so he’ll have to be extra cautious because that counts as a weakness.

Yoo Ji had her gun pointed in front of her, and focused her senses, she zeroed in on hearing since the goggles weren’t allowing her to see much from her peripheral vision. She pivoted on her feet, trying to cover all her sides, it wasn't dark, but it was indoor, so some places had more light than others. She heard a shot near her and she booked it behind drywall. They were the only ones in the arena, they were able to book it for just them two because it's a smaller arena.

She peeked from behind the wall and aimed her gun towards the general direction of where the shot came from. She used the sniper scope on her rifle and looked for Gwang Nam. she spotted movement, she quickly shot at it and hid behind the drywall acting as a shield. For a few seconds she heard nothing and she waited, holding her breath.

The rule of this game is to see how many times they can kill each other. They don't die infinitely, it will take 12 seconds to come back ‘to life’. The timer is attached to the tactical vest, it blocks the guns from shooting at that time through transmitters on the weapons and the vest. Yoo Ji peaked and started moving, she wasn't going to sit in one place for too long.

As they played they stayed on the tip of their toes, no one really gaining an upper hand. As the game progressed, they were getting more competitive and harder to locate. Gwang Nam would get a good shot but she would reciprocate with a shot of her own a minute later. As Gwang Nam reloaded his gun, he thought that she would be a great partner, the only reason he wouldn't entertain that thought longer is that Yoo Ji had already spotted his hiding spot and he had to roll away from her rain of fire.

Yoo Ji kept her guard up the whole 30 minutes that they played. At some point, she forgot how many kills she has, and just focused on shooting the target. He was good, and he had to be. But Yoo Ji was growing frustrated and more competitive than ever.

Yoo Ji hid behind a tall hollow structure, there were cutouts, to mimic windows, she caught his figure darting between two structures. She pivoted to follow his movement and aimed to shoot him as he continued to run between the pillars. Yoo Ji cocked her gun to get a better grip, but after a few seconds he didn't come out. She lowered her arms and started to creep closer. As she turned to corner him with her gun at his chest. She looked up with a smirk, but it slowly faded as she noticed that he had his helmet and goggles off.

“I have to leave,” Gwang Nam stated, keeping eye contact with Yoo Ji.

“Where are you going?” Yoo Ji asked confused, she thought he was off duty for at least two more days.

“I have to go shoot real guns now” Gwang Nam tried to joke, to lighten the mood. Yoo Ji smiled back, she understood, his job was unplanned and had no personal boundaries and that’s okay. She gets that, she has the same drawbacks in her own profession.

“Okay, let’s go, but for the record,” Yoo Ji dismissed feigning leaving, but quickly shot him in the chest, she smirked when he yelped in surprise.

“I win.”

“Oh no, you did not! That was cheating!” Gwang Nam whined, stomping his feet stubbornly. Yoo Ji shook her head, acting like she didn't hear him, she skipped to the exit and started to take off the gear. She stopped midway when she felt his arms wrap around her from the back.

“I am going to get back at you for this later” he murmured in her ear as he buried his head into her shoulders.

“We’ll see about that, Piccolo” Yoo Ji teased.

After they were done giving back the gear and getting their belongings, Gwang Nam dropped Yoo Ji at the police station and went to the base.

Yoo Ji sighed and headed up, she was tired from the game that they played, but there was still time for her to look over some documents. She was hoping Hwa Dong or Rae Wook was still in the office. As soon as she reached their desks, she plopped into an extra chair, and grabbed one of the documents, and flipped through it.

“Jesus Christ, you scared me, why are you here?” Hwa Dong put his hand over his chest. He was caught off guard at Yoo Ji’s figure lounging on his chair. He had gone to make some noodles as a late-night snack as he finished paperwork of a previous case he had finished.

“Something doesn't make sense” Yoo Ji shook her head.

“Shouldn't you be with your boyfriend right now?” Hwa Dong ignored Yoo Ji, he knew that she was just thinking out loud, mostly because multiple times before he had tried to contribute to her thought process but she would cut him off, her brain working too fast or not at all, there's no in-between.

“He had to leave, his job called. How does the coroner make a profit?” Yoo Ji answered offhandedly.

“He makes a profit off the deceased” Hwa Dong answered obviously.

“No, not what I meant” Yoo Ji She waved her hand dismissing his answer.

“When I went around the nursing home, I asked who does the burials and funerals, and they said that Eun Yong has a cousin that does it at no cost for the elderly that have no families.” Yoo Ji recounted from her memory.

“So how does a coroner make a profit when he doesn’t charge from his major source of work?” Yoo Ji pondered out loud.

Hwa Dong dug in the big pile of papers on both his desk and Rae Wook’s, coming up with the background information on the cousin, Shin Young Won. his bank statement, his criminal records, general information like that.

Yoo Ji focused on his bank statements, he doesn't seem to be financially struggling as his cousins.

“He’s been getting big amounts of money from another account,” Hwa Dong analyzed.

“I’ll try to see if we can trace it to the original sender,” he told Yoo Ji as he inputted some kind of data into the computer. Hwa Dong is a detective but he also was very tech-savvy, he knew his way around a laptop and can extract any information he wants. He majored in computer coding when he attended college, but that’s all Yoo Ji knows about his history of messing with computers.

“The money was transferred from an offshore account, but the original sender was from here, Korea,” Hwa Dong paused, letting the data load.

“It looks like its insurance companies” Hwa Doong furrowed his eyebrows, that doesn't make sense, why would insurance companies be sending money to a person whom none of his family members died until recently.

“Insurance fraud?” Yoo Ji and Hwa Dong said simultaneously.

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