So this was how a crime scene was really like.

Security cordons being tied from here to there, surrounded the scene and blocked the curious and frightened crowds outside. Ambulances, patrol cars were not honking but kept flashing the red and blue lights. After the shots fire and deaths, the campsite that was beautiful and relaxing couple hours ago had turned to a living nightmare.

The buzzing noises that kept crashing her hearing made her lift her head up. People were talking everywhere, agents were quieter than officers since they were busily figuring what exactly happened. Following the dazzling flashes, CSIs were squatting beside several yellow evidence cones, taking pictures of them and wrote down in records. Two medics pushed out a stretcher from the cabin, a stuffed black bag was placed on it, and everybody knew what—who, was inside.

“Hey, hey, hey…Where are you going?”

Nayeon slightly turned to look at Jihyo, her eyes seemed to have lost focus. She then looked at the stretcher again and this time Jihyo followed her sight. She sighed and pressed her friend to sit down.

“I know what you’re thinking, Nayeon.”

Jihyo continued what she was doing earlier—wiping away the blood on Nayeon’s cheek and neck. “He’s dead.” Jihyo squeezed her hand to make her concentrate. “And it’s not your fault. He followed you all the way here, he stood in the way of the unsub, he appeared at the wrong place wrong time, that’s what got him killed.”

“I…” Nayeon pleaded. “I want to see him one last time before he’s sent away.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.” Jihyo’s expression was serious. “You’ve seen too much. You would only feel worse.”

She had taken a look of the body when she arrived. The blood, the cuts…It was severe than she expected, Jung Taein was shredded.

“I never thought…we will end up like this.”

Nayeon gripped the corner of her shirt. “I’ve thought of being stalked by him, I’ve thought of Jeongyeon being pissed off and me stopping her from punching him, I’ve thought of the frustrated court sessions and his hardass attorneys, I’ve thought of people gossiping behind me…But I’ve never thought he would show up out of nowhere after two months and died in front of my face in mere minutes…”

Jihyo didn’t know what to say. She could only sit closer and squeeze Nayeon’s hand in hers.

“He helped me, Jihyo…I think he s-saved me.” Nayeon closed her eyes as tears silently dripped down her cheeks. “I thought he created this, but in the end…he became the victim, he was butchered…Why did it even happen…?”

“I think stopping that killer was the best and most righteous thing he ever did in his life. I gonna be straightforward, Nayeon, I don’t really pity him, but I appreciate him for this. Now,” Jihyo held her face. “You do know the ones you love and love you are still around, right? Just remember what he used to look like. I believe that’s also what he would want you to do for him.” Her voice softened. “And we will go through this together. Like we always do.”

The stretcher was pushed into an ambulance and Nayeon could simply watch. The medics shut the door with a muffled “bang”, officers moved the roadblocks to make a way. It took only a minute to drive out of their sight. A person was gone within seconds, lonely and silently.

“Do you witness this…a lot?”

Jihyo knew she meant the killings and deaths. “Sometimes. Well, I usually hear from others and see from the crime scene photos since I am a technician, but yeah. It happens.”

So the agents go on field witness more. Jeongyeon witnesses more. Nayeon realized she hadn’t seen her since the team arrived, it was less than an hour but she had never craved to hold her and hear her voice so much. She had no idea what were these all about, she wasn’t going to request Jeongyeon to tell her everything right there, but she really needed her to tell her things were under her control and would be settled. That was the only way which could appease the billow in her heart.

“Here, you got a scratch under your jaw.” Sensing the movement behind her, Jihyo ordered without turning back. “And you, go put on some band-aids first. Don’t talk to Nayeon with those cuts showing off all over.”

Jeongyeon hastily did as told. Jihyo took a quick glimpse at her to make sure she was fine and looked fine before moving aside slightly, let the two engulf each other into their tight embrace.

“Are you doing ok?”

Jeongyeon asked with her voice husky, Nayeon just nodded against her shoulder without a word. Of course she couldn’t be ok, but there were no better words she could think of.

“Let’s leave here.” Jeongyeon eyed Jihyo and she nodded before going to their car. “Jihyo will drive us back, you don’t have to be in this anymore.”

Nayeon knew she was trying to make her feel better. “What…are we gonna do when we get back…?” She still couldn’t help but ask this. Jeongyeon’s orbs dimmed with apprehension.

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

“No, don’t be.” Jeongyeon her cheek. “Honestly, I don’t know yet, but…I promise I’ll keep you safe. And I’ll try my best to stay with you.”

The ride back was quiet. It was late at night, despite two patrol cars escorted them back, there were rarely cars and pedestrians on the streets. The trio also did not talk, Jihyo focused on the road while driving, Nayeon sat in the back seat with Jeongyeon, head on her shoulder, hands held tightly onto hers. She could feel Jeongyeon’s anxiety and fear though she tried hard not to show, and she knew it didn’t just cause by the shootout earlier. All of them chose to let the silence calm and clear the complicated thoughts in their messy minds.

--K’s dead…He’s been dead for nearly six months…

Nayeon sensed Jeongyeon’s hand tensed.

--He died before Jinyoung, before Mark…He died before every poker K’s killing started, you heard me?

No, no…Jeongyeon inhaled sharply. He died before the killings started…How’s that possible?

--He did none of these. It is somebody else!

Now we have no idea who it is, we’ve all been played. It hasn’t ended, it will never…

“J-Jeongyeonnie.”

Nayeon’s whisper was like a brake of her thoughts. Jeongyeon turned to her and relaxed her grip quickly, not wanting to scare her even worse.

“Everything’s fine, I promise.”

Her eyes were telling a different story. Nayeon bit her lip, stopped the words that were about to come out. Jeongyeon never let go her hand, but they didn’t talk either until they arrived at the bureau and entered an office. Sana was there waiting for her, Nayeon assumed it should be Tzuyu who brought her here. Jeongyeon settled her on the small couch before dropping their luggage on the floor. She whispered some assuring words to her, pressed a quick kiss on her forehead, and walked to the door to talk to Sana.

“Officer Chang and Park will take turns to guard outside, we will be in the conference room next door.” Jeongyeon lowered her voice. “Take care of her for me…please. She’s been through too much tonight.”

“I will. Just go and finish your job asap.” Sana replies fast but sincerely.

“We’ll keep an eye on you from there, but if there’s anyone…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I will scream until everyone in this building rushes over.”

Jeongyeon looked at Nayeon one more time before leaving. Nayeon forced a smile and nodded, it felt like a déjà vu, an aggravating déjà vu. Leaving her behind and ran to the unknown and never-ending dangers.

“Hey, Jaehee, sit here.”

BamBam pulled a chair for her the moment she came in the conference room. Most of the team members were already there and of course they had heard what happened, the past evidences were also displaying on the board and screen.

“I’m fine, some scratches won’t hurt.” She took a look around. “Where’s Taecyeon oppa?”

“He will be back in 10 minutes.”

Nichkhun knocked the table with his knuckles, earning others’ attentions. “Let’s talk about everything first.”

He didn’t start it slow. The first thing he said was enough to choke Jeongyeon’s breaths.

The tape of Park Hyungsik killing Kris Wu was real, but it was filmed 6 months ago. At first it was the lack of time marks which caught Wooyoung’s attention, since the room windows in the video were all covered by heavy curtains and no clock could been found in the scene, the time that the video was put into the USB also could not be regarded as the exact basis.

“I asked to dissociate the background sounds in the video.”

Wooyoung nodded to Jihyo and she played a recording to ev