Bong Hee was seriously thinking that she might’ve offended a celestial being or have committed a heinous crime in her past life. Otherwise, Mr. Byun wouldn’t have given her a murder case that happened to be in her old apartment building. Well, you get what you want indeed. The place must’ve been cursed or something.

She sighs as she goes through the evidences once more since there was something that didn’t quite match and being the detail-oriented person that she was, she needed to see the place again. Bong Hee didn’t like being there after sunset but she was quite busy the whole day and she needed to finalize her documents by tomorrow. There really wasn’t time to waste and she had no choice.

“You’re really reckless Bong Hee. I hope you’re aware of that.” Eun Hyuk scolds her through the phone. She held back another sigh. “I know Lawyer Ji. I won’t take long I promise.”

“If only you had told me sooner, I would’ve been there faster. Traffic is really holding me back.”

“You really don’t nee-”

“I’m going.” Eun Hyuk cuts her off sternly and she bites her lip. Lawyer Ji was such a cheerful person that seeing him so serious and frustrated at her lately was actually scary. Knowing that she couldn’t retort any further, she agrees. “Okay.”

Bong Hee pockets her cellphone and noticed the window. The view was almost exactly the same as from her room before, given the fact that this was only 4 rooms away from hers at the same floor. She steps closer and opens it, the cold air making her shiver a bit. The memory of seeing Hyun Soo’s silhouette on the opposite building’s roof on that particular night made her nervous, especially since she and her mother were being targeted by him right now. Two people died that night, even she herself nearly died. And now a person was killed in this particular room.

Her nerves were getting to her that she decided to wrap things up and head outside, it would be better to wait for Lawyer Ji in the safety of her car. When she turned around from the window to pick up her things, she nearly died from shock when she saw someone sitting on the chair not far from her. His empty eyes were fixed on her and his thrumming fingers on the table created a creepy beat. Bong Hee could somehow feel how cold her fingertips grew and she tried to compose herself.

“H-Hyun Soo.” it took all her might to utter his name.

He smirks and stood up in a languid way. Hyun Soo started to walk towards her and Bong Hee steps back. Her mind was in overdrive as she subtly looks around for a weapon she could use. 

There was none. All she had was herself.

“Nice to see you again Lawyer Eun.” his calm voice startled her. “Why so scared? Wasn’t the view outside relaxing?”

Bong Hee took deep breaths, being mindful of the shortening distance between them. If she wanted to get away, she had to do something fast and take him by surprise. Hopefully, she could escape and buy enough time until Lawer Ji comes. 

Hyun Soo stops walking. “It took so much to get you alone like this. With your shadow bodyguard stalking you every night and annoying me. What a surprise that you could afford him.” He gritted his teeth.

Bong Hee furrows her brows. Bodyguard? Did he mean the police? She wasn’t included in the protection program so she didn’t have undercover police monitoring her. He wasn’t making any sense. “What are you talking about?”

“Stop acting innocent, it doesn’t suit you!” Hyun Soo was getting visibly agitated and she flinched.

“I don’t have a bodyguard Hyun Soo.”

“I know there’s someone protec--” he couldn’t finish his sentence when Bong Hee suddenly lunges towards him and punched him in the cheek, effectively pushing him away to the side so she could run towards the door. “You !”

Bong Hee wasn’t able to reach the doorknob when he reached her, grabbed a fistful of her hair and threw her against the table, the impact on her lower back making her grunt. He attempts to grab her by the collar and she kicks him but he knew her next move and he punches her hard, expecting her to go unconscious.

Fortunately, despite the intense pain on her cheek, her adrenaline was enough for her to focus back quickly and kick him again, pushing him back a distance from her but still blocking the door. She spits out blood and positions herself in a stance, ready to fight back his next attack. It was really a good things that she trained again although she was panting and her mind was still dizzy from his punch. Where was that taser when she needed it?!?

Hyun Soo observes her, calculating his next move. He reaches behind him and pulls out a knife, knowing that it wouldn’t be easy to take her down without a weapon.

Bong Hee tenses up as she sees the light reflected from Hyun Soo’s knife. She really had to fight with all she had or else she was gonna be the next murder victim in this room and that would big time. This apartment was cursed, she was sure of it now.

Hyun Soo lunges towards her but she was able to thwart his hand away to avoid being stabbed and attempted to punch him again but he spun back towards her fast enough to slash at her arm. Bong Hee covers her wound in instinct and stepped back. 

“Stop pissing me off and stand still. This is gonna be over soon.” he was panting as well and his sinister smile made her blood run cold. He glared at her with his eyes like an animal gone mad. Hyun Soo was hell bent on killing her, there was no doubt about it.

When he charged at her with his knife, Bong Hee grabbed the books on the shelves nearest her and threw it at him, hoping it was enough of a distraction and dashed towards the entrance. But as soon as she was past him, he trips her and she landed heavily on her wounded arm, making her cry out in pain. He easily pinned her down on the floor but she tightly clutched his hand, giving it all her might to keep the knife from stabbing her, the tip inches away from her heart. She was screaming her lungs out in the process.

Bong Hee was so dizzy that she didn’t know if she was only hallucinating on what happened next. Everything suddenly felt lighter and Hyun Soo wasn’t on top of her now. There was no knife pointed at her but blood was everywhere. Was it hers?

She hears grunting and things falling everywhere and painfully tried to sit up. Two blurry figures were fighting it out in front of her and she noticed the red blood on the floor where they were. She couldn’t clearly see who it was but there was a man clad in all black clothes now fighting with Hyun Soo and carefully avoiding the knife. There was chaos for what seemed like forever before the man was able to grab Hyun Soo and slam his head to the nearest wall. The knife clattered to the ground and Hyun Soo’s limp body slid from the wall. The man was breathing heavily, kicking the knife away from Hyun Soo and bending down to tie his hands with something that he grabbed from his pocket. 

“Lawyer Ji?” Bong Hee squints her eyes to try and recognize the man. Her contacts must’ve fallen off again after fighting with Hyun Soo a while ago. He turns and hurriedly approaches her.

“Are you okay? You’re bleeding.” His deep frantic voice was nowhere similar with Eun Hyuk’s. In fact, it resembled someone else entirely.

Bong Hee closes her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose to regain focus and when she opened her eyes, he was kneeling in front of her, his hand on her arm and gently examining her wound. Half of his face was hidden with a mask and his cap was preventing her from even looking at his eyes. But she could see his clothes and recognize where she last saw it.

“It’s not deep. You’ll be fine.” He sighs in relief and hugs her, his arms enveloping her in a tight embrace. She could feel him tremble and the way he caressed the back of her head in comfort was strangely familiar. Bong Hee was confused, wasn’t this the same man stalking her and threatened her in her home? Why did he protect her from Hyun Soo? And why was his voice so similar to…….

She wanted to push him away to look at his face properly but felt something wet when she held his waist to do it. She looked down and stared at her bloodied palm, panic starting to overwhelm her. This wasn’t her blood…..this man is injured! Was Hyun Soo able to stab him during their fight? While being lost in her mind, she felt him lean on her heavily. She couldn’t carry his weight so she slid him off of her to lay him on the groud, finally seeing so much blood in his clothes. Bong Hee looks at the floor and sees the traces of blood everywhere; from Hyun Soo’s unconscious body to his. Her trembling hands slowly took the cap away from him and she slides off his face mask.

Everything seemed to shut down when she finally recognized his pale face.

No...it can’t be...

“P-Prosecutor-nim?” the word barely came out of her trembling lips and nothing seem to enter her mind but the image of his lifeless body lying next to her. She lightly touched his cheek and couldn’t figure out if it was her fingers that were so cold or his cheek. “Prosecutor-nim.” Bong Hee nudges him and tears were already trickling down to her chin. The sight of him being so unresponsive was scaring her a lot. “Please....please open your eyes.”

This can’t be happening.

“Bong Hee-yah!” Eun-Hyuk’s voice didn’t seem to reach her as she cried helplessly and begged Ji Wook to wake up.

.

.

.

.

.

This can’t be happening.

-------------------------------

“He’ll be fine.” Mr. Bang comforts her as she found herself staring worriedly at Ji Wook again.

“It’s been days. Why hasn’t he woken up yet?” Bong Hee places her palm over his. It wasn’t as cold as when she held it during the ambulance ride that night but she couldn’t get it out of her head. He had been unconscious for 4 days already that she needed to constantly assure herself that he was alive.

“The doctor said he had been too tired and overworked plus the gunshot was quite serious so it’s gonna take time for him to recover. I don’t understand though, we didn’t really have much cases these past few months but he seemed to be constantly tired and stressed.” Mr. Bang crosses his arms in wonder.

Bong Hee stays silent. She was sure now that the presence she had been conscious of lately was Ji Wook and he had once threatened her. He must’ve been the ‘shadow bodyguard’ Hyun Soo was referring to. The question now was why? Was he that skilled to avoid cctvs and stealthily enter her house? Did he really have to go that far to scare her into hiding? Did he not trust her? Why were there so many people she didn’t know worried for him and waiting for him outside when they came out of the apartment building? Who tipped the police of Hyun Soo’s accomplice as well as knowing that Hyun Soo was gonna attack her at that exact time and location?

Is he really the Ji Wook she thought she knew?

So many questions with no possible answers. Bong Hee was taken away from her thoughts when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and saw Eun Hyuk giving her a hesitant smile.

“Can I talk to you for a bit?’

She didn’t really want to leave Ji Wook’s side but Eun Hyuk’s eyes made it hard for her to deny him.

The sun was bright in the sky but the autumn air made her snuggle deeper into her sweater. Bong Hee sniffs and crosses her arms to keep herself warm. Patients and their companions were all around them, wanting to get out of their hospital rooms and breathe in fresh air. Some were walking, some were sitting in benches as well, some were laughing and enjoying the time with the kids that visited them.

“We can talk inside if you want?” Eun Hyuk hands her hot coffee and she thanks him as she warmed her palms with the cup.

“No, it’s okay. It’s been a while since I just sat and enjoyed the air. Even if it’s a bit cold.” She lightly laughs and sips her coffee.

“That’s good. You don’t have to be anxious anymore, Hyun Soo and his accomplice will definitely be imprisoned for a long time and this time, their security will be tight. Hurting and nearly killing a prosecutor isn’t a small thing after all.” 

Bong Hee agrees with relief and hears him take a deep breath.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there sooner.”

She quickly straightens herself and turns to him. “No, it wasn’t anyone’s fault Lawyer Ji. I’m thankful you were there. At that moment I didn’t know what to do and if it wasn’t for you, Prosecutor No would’ve--” Bong Hee couldn’t finish her words as she imagined the worst case scenario. She remembers freezing up while crying over Ji Wook and not doing anything like calling the ambulance. She had been stupid and it was really a good thing that Eun Hyuk arrived in time.

Eun Hyuk stares at her in understanding and patted her head. “As you said, it wasn’t anyone’s fault. Don’t blame yourself either.”

Bong Hee bit her lip and felt the burning in her eyes again. She had been crying too much and now wasn’t a good time to be a crybaby again. 

The silence stretched between them.

“I like you.”

Her eyes widens as his sudden confession took her by surprise. She turns to him and he takes a nervous breath before looking at her.

“I really like you, Bong Hee-yah.”

She didn’t know how to respond to him so she avoids his gaze. “I….” she could feel his intense stare and her head hurts. She didn’t expect him to confess like this, not when she was still confused and worried over Ji Wook.

Out of nowhere, Eun Hyuk laughs and Bong Hee flinches. She could only stare at him while he laughed so hard that he had to wipe away tears from his eyes.

“L-Lawyer Ji?”

“Ahh…” he takes a moment to calm himself down and looked up to the sky. “I’m hopeless, what was I expecting?” he finally turns to her and smiles but it didn’t reach his eyes at all. “You don’t have to answer, I know how you feel.” Eun Hyuk takes a sip from his coffee and sniffs from the cold air. “It’s still him right?”

Bong Hee’s lips trembled from his words and she couldn’t suppress a tear from escaping from her eye. 

Eun Hyuk was right. She had been lying to herself all along. No matter what he did, Ji Wook still took a huge chunk of her heart with him and that was never going to change. She didn’t know if he was ever going to open that steel door to his past and accept her completely but she knew that she could never love someone as much as she loved him.

It was still him. 

All this time, it was still Ji Wook.

Bong Hee cries and Eun Hyuk gently wipes her tears away.

“I-I’m sorry.” she stutters but he shooks his head.

“Don’t be. I knew how you felt and i still chose to love you.” Eun Hyuk gives her a resigned smile. “Hey, at least I was able to tell you. That’s enough for me.” he laughs like he usually does and stood up, stretching as he did so. “That was a relief. It feels good to get that out of my system. You should try it.” he winks at her. “I better go now before things get more awkward.” another laugh comes out.

Eun Hyuk starts to walk away and before he could go any further, Bong Hee calls to him. “Lawyer Ji!”

He turns back to her and she mouths the words.

Thank you.

Eun Hyuk beams and laughs, giving her a cheerful wave and continuing his way to the parking lot.

Bong Hee knew he was hurting but there wasn't much she could do. She could only be grateful for him and everything he did for her.

----------------

The room was unusually noisy when Bong Hee opened the door and her heart started to hammer. She stopped in her tracks and didn’t know what to do next.

“Hyungnim, are you alright? Do you recognize me? It’s me Dae Young!” the girl exclaimed and Mr. Byun retorted after.

“Why do you call him hyungnim? You’re a girl! Shouldn’t you be calling him ‘oppa’?”

“Ji Wook, thanks for waking up.” Mr. Bang says in relief.

“Hey, it’s me, your dad.” Mr. Byun’s loud voice interrupted again. “Why aren’t you saying anything? Can’t you recognize me? Say something!” 

Bong Hee took a step further until she finally sees him: face frowning and in pain, but awake at last. She didn’t notice that she was actually holding her breath until she was able to breathe again at the sight of him. 

Ji Wook looks at them, confused. “Who are you?”

There were loud gasps in the room when he responded and for a moment, everyone was dumbfounded. Not long after, Ji Wook grunts and lets out a rough laugh, amused that he was actually able to pull off that joke. Everyone laughs at him except her. Bong Hee thought it wasn’t funny at all.

Ji Wook’s eyes fall on her and the rest followed his gaze to their back and noticed her standing at a corner. She remained rooted at the spot, her eyes starting to well up with tears again.

Sensing the atmosphere in the room, Mr. Bang and Dae Yong cleared their throats and dragged a complaining Mr. Byun with them outside, excusing themselves of wanting to buy drinks.

The door closes with a soft thud and Bong Hee approaches him, her steps slow and hesitant. She had to be careful or else she was gonna end up a sobbing mess. She took the chair and sat beside his bed, feeling his unwavering stare at her.

“Bong Hee-yah.” his voice was still a bit groggy but it was such a nice sound. She longed to hear it for so long and it took all of her not to hug him. His eyes were full of regret and guilt as it observed the fading bruises on her face and the gauze wrap on her arm. “I’m sorry.”

Something broke inside of her and her voice wavers. “Why did you have to get yourself involved and get hurt like this?” She gently takes his hand and squeezes. “If you do that again, I’ll really get mad at you, then you’ll truly be sorry by then.” her tears trickle down her cheeks and his eyes soften at the sight of her crying.

Ji Wook tries to sit up and Bong Hee helps him. He grimaces from the pain and takes a deep breath, as if readying himself for something big. There were so many questions in Bong Hee’s mind but she really didn’t know where to start or if he was even going to answer. He had kept his past hidden from her for so many times that she’s actually terrified to try again. Was this even the right time? She was trying to organize her thoughts when Ji Wook looked at her with determined eyes and without saying anything, nodded to her.

He was urging her to ask.

Bong Hee was caught in her breath again but she was able to utter a question.

“Who are you, really?”

---------------------------------

NOTE:

only 1 chapter for today!^^ I'm gonna edit the next chapters a bit. will update all the rest this Sunday! :*