“Let me help you, sir, watch the stairs.”

“I can walk by myself, I promise. Are those scratches on your wrist?”

“Oh, it’s been a while. My girlfriend brought her cat with her and…I guess he doesn’t like me. Sir, you sure you don’t need…”

Wooyoung heard the noise and turned back, saw Taecyeon was coming to his direction with crutches under both side of his armpits.

“I’m lame, not dying, Minseok.” Taecyeon waved the young officer’s hand off. “On the contrary, you were injured on the head, I heard you say you still feel dizzy. Leave now, take two more days off.”

Wooyoung pulled a chair over. “No one can stop you, huh? I bet one day you’ll ask to put the unsolved case files in you coffin when you’re dead.”

“You’d better behave or I’ll kick your for coming back like this.”

“I know you miss me. Good to see you too, bro.”

Taecyeon scoffed before looked at the thick glass in front of them. “How’s the interrogation going?”

“…Weird.”

Park Hyungsik kept his sight forward ever since Nichkhun came inside and sat in front of him, sometimes as if trying to prick a hole on him with his eyes, sometimes as if he was ignoring him and looking at the men behind the glass.

“He admitted he had done all the crimes on his own. I don’t think he’s that stupid to think we’ll believe his words, Khun told him that too, and he said he would only talk to our boss. They’ve been keeping the same postures for like 15 minutes.”

“Where are the others?”

“You mean Jeongyeon and Jihyo? They are at his apartment, still searching.”

Taecyeon nodded before pressed the call button. “Make him aware the boss’s here, Nichkhun.”

Once his words finished, Nichkhun put his fingertip on his earphone, eyes drifting away from Park Hyungsik for two seconds. That caught his attention, and he did not miss the fact that Nichkhun straightened his body before fixing his tie.

“If this is all you got, agent,” Park Hyungsik bit his chapped lips. “Keeping this staring game and see if I’ll break down…Why don’t you call your boss in and let him come face-to-face with me?”

Request to meet somebody higher. Typical self-boasting.

Instead of replying, Nichkhun leaned backward, tapped his finger behind his back to hint Wooyoung dimming the lights.

“Increase the temperature of the air con too.” Taecyeon added. As expected, 5 minutes later, a slight of anxiousness on Park Hyungsik face could be noticed.

“He’s not a bold man.” Nichkhun heard Taecyeon’s voice. “But he wants to leave that kind of impression to us. Show him some sympathy, lower his vigilance and make him feel you understand why he has to act like this.”

“Mr. Park, you don’t seem to be a bad guy.” Nichkhun slowly started. “I know many hackers are lack of speech skills, they indulge themselves in technic because… Communicating with computers is always easier than talking to people, right? It’s a cruel world outside, we all have to arm in case others want to hurt us, I can feel you.”

Park Hyungsik’s pupils quivered, showing a sign of flinch but then Nichkhun leaned forward, closing the safe gap between himself and the suspect, a little too close to him.

Taecyeon saw the change in Nichkhun’s body language. Not again. “I know you can talk, and you don’t look like a strong man who can hold for long either. If you still refuse to open your mouth to me, fine. Listen then.”

Taking out a folder, he scattered every picture inside out on the table.

“There’s one man, hurt and butchered ALL these agents and officers. I know every one of them, some are my friends and they are still in the hospital fighting for their own life. The DNA we collected from the water cup in your apartment also belongs to this guy. I think you know exactly who I’m saying, don’t you?”

Wooyoung frowned. “Really? Show him sympathy?”

Taecyeon did not move his eyes. “They are browbeating each other.”

“Should we stop him?”

“Nah. Let’s see what he can do.”

“I…” Park Hyungsik paused, the veins under his skin were pulsing. “He’s nobody. The one responsible for everything is right here in front of you.”

“Kris Wu, doesn’t this name ring a bell? Or K is more familiar to you?” Nichkhun slapped K’s photo on the table. “Here's what my teammates and I think. You have seen this face for the past nearly 6 months, you yielded under his control because you are too weak. And him? Wow, burly figure, thick shoulders, strong arms…He can end a life by simply clenches his fingers.”

There was a trace of flame in Park Hyungsik’s orbs and Nichkhun ignored it. “YOU are nobody, Mr. Park. You want to be a frightening killer, but you can’t do anything big without his lead. Come on, it’s not shame to admit it!”

“You see the changes of his expression when Khun mentioned K?”

Taecyeon pointed with his chin. “He looked expecting…but also ashamed.”

“You did put your name on our list, if that makes you feel better…But I’m not gonna lie, it’s not a list that alarms us. You are just one of the minions we always use to catch the mastermind who’s manipulating behind the curtain.”

“Bang”, none of the agents responded when Park Hyungsik pounded the table.

“How dare you you moronic !” His sleeves rose up slightly because of his movement. “I was the one did all the works, he was nothing but a cripple without me!”

“Oh? You mean K? Why don’t you tell me about him if you think we understand nothing?”

“I don’t talk to you.” He glared at the glass. “I know you’re there, be a man and come to my face now!”

“Unfortunately,” Nichkhun’s calm voice irritated him even more. “He’s not interested in lackeys like you. Master only meets the master, he’s out for K 30 seconds ago, along with all our agents and patrols, when you admitted his existence. So even if you don’t like it, I’m the only minion stuck here with you.”

“How are you planning to find him when I didn’t even tell you where he is? Don’t try to fool me, I’m not…”

“K is a high intelligence man, you expect us to believe he will tell his follower his whereabouts? We already started the in-by-inch search, it is not an honorable thing but…He’s worth for us to do so.”

“Call them back, it’s useless!” Park Hyungsik blurted out. “The master is me, Kris Wu was not long ago!”

Preterit?

“Yes, he is.” Nichkhun sensed the unusual and kept pushing: “And he will always be. He left a mess in your place, which suggests he ran off in a hurry, this is good for our searching. He made the whole station in chaos, people tremble by simply hearing his name, we certainly cannot miss this chance to arrest this criminal whose name will be passed on. Hell, I can’t even imagine how many people will come to the bureau for him. His fans, the press with spotlights, and the agents who are eager to write him and his murders down as teaching material for the newbies…”

“Lord, the way he talks is as if he sees K as a hero.” Wooyoung murmured in disbelief but at the same time holding Nichkhun’s tactic in high esteem, Taecyeon also kept watching instead of interrupted. He surely knew what he was doing.

“…Sorry for getting a little off topic.” Nichkhun sneered and shook his head. “After all, none of those incidents will happen to you, how pitiful…Well, I am sorry for my boring life, because I’m assigned to be here with you. Guess I won’t have the chance to witness the historic moment when K shows up.”

Park Hyungsik jumped up abruptly, Nichkhun grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm to his back before he could throw a punch.

“It’s ok, we’re fine.” He said to the officers rushed in. “Took me only one hand to restrain you. Why was I even wondering you can only be his puppet?”

“S-Screw you!” Park Hyungsik shouted with his head being pressed on the table. “I did what all you cops failed to do, I ended people’s nightmare, I gave the deceased the justice! I killed him!!”

“He what!?”

Wooyoung’s phone rang in an instant and he put the caller on speaker.

“Talk to us. Taecyeon and I are listening.”

“We found an USB.”

Jeongyeon’s voice was a little husky. “There’s a video clip inside.”

“And?”

“K’s dead. He was beheaded.”

Taecyeon and Wooyoung exchanged a look. “You sure it’s him?”

“One hundred present sure.” Jeongyeon answered quickly. Years had passed but never a day had she forgotten that face, she recognized him right away though his figures were covered by beard and long hair.

“Park Hyungsik did that?”

“…Yes.” The chop sound made Jihyo feel sick and had to suppress the urge of throwing up, she moved her sight away, trying not to stare at the ruthless scene. “I can send it to you if you want.”

“Ok, send it to us.”

Just when they heard the notification of their phones, Namjun ran over with the report in his hand.

“Sirs, the test result…” He breathed out. “The blood on those clothes does not belong to any previous victims or anyone in database, it’s…”

“It’s Kris Wu’s.” Namjun looked at Taecyeon in amazement. “We learned that just now.”

“You don’t know what he did…”

The wail from the interrogation room brought back their attentions.

“He’s a monster, a devil!” Park Hyungsik sounded almost like weeping. “I thought he valued my talents, I thought he wanted me as a partner, an equal one…I don’t want to be his slave anymore…”

Recalled what he noted earlier, Nichkhun pulled up his sleeves, there were almost countless cuts and scars on both his wrists. He lifted up the bottom of his shirt this time, even the people standing outside the room could see the bruises and burn marks that covered his back.

“He tortured you if you refuse to do what he said. You were abused.”

Nichkhun loosened his grip and let him fell back to the chair. “Physically, mentally…” He gazed at his spiritless face. “And ually.”

Park Hyungsik didn’t deny. He laughed, more like scoffed, small drops of tears escaped from