"So..." Mark starts, tapping the steering wheel casually before lifting his chin to the rear view mirror and narrowing his eyes at Joohyun. "You and the Squirrel, huh?"

Joohyun doesn't say anything, choosing instead to spend her energy on taking deep, breaths and cupping a hand to the side of Seungwan's face, making sure she's always feeling the warmth beneath her palm to calm herself even if Seulgi told her she'd be okay.

"Does Seungwan know you're cheating on her?" the driver asks, impatiently. 

"Mark," Seulgi warns.

"Are you going to defend her, Seul?" Mark retorts. "They were ing."

"What?" Seulgi blinks and Joohyun gulps, looking away in both embarrassment and shame. Yes, while she and Seungwan weren't actually dating for real, Joohyun's feelings for her are. And she was this close to having with a vigilante.

Is she annoyed that it was only an 'almost'?

Maybe.

Does she regret it?

Maybe.

"I'll answer your question if you answer mine," Joohyun proposes. She notices Seulgi and Mark sharing a look in the mirror and instantly places Seulgi down as suspicious and possibly a traitor. She could be one of the detectives working for Seungwan's parents.

"Alright," Mark says. "Ask away."

Joohyun doesn't waste a single second. The drive to the Son's penthouse is not too long, considering how it's almost three in the morning and Mark's speeding. "How did you know to save us?"

"We were told to," Seulgi answers. "By Seungwan's father."

"How did he know?"

"No clue. He gives me orders and I carry them out." Mark grumbles out. "Now answer mine."

Sighing, Joohyun reveals, "Seungwan and I never dated. It wasn't real."

"What?" Mark blinks, stopping the car and Joohyun realises they've arrived in a parking lot. "A-Are you sure?"

Why wouldn't she be sure?

"Yes," Joohyun replies.

Seulgi shakes her head and waves hands between them. "Enough, let's get the Squirrel up before she bleeds out."

"You said she'd be fine!" Joohyun cries and scrambles to get them both of the van.

"Yeah," Seulgi mutters as she closes the door behind her. "But not if you guys are too busy yapping like kids instead of getting her treated."

The elevator ride is tense. The last time Joohyun was in this elevator was with the Squirrel but now, she's here not humouring her puns or almost kissing her, but instead, carrying her unconscious body in her arms and praying the elevator can go up any faster.

The doors open and they're welcomed by Seungwan's father barking out orders, "Get her to the kitchen and treat her wounds, Seulgi. I'll help you, and Mark," he turns to the butler with a crinkle of his nose, "fetch the Detective a drink or something."

Joohyun squirks an impressed brow. The audacity of this man.

"No way."

Joohyun feels a worried gaze on both sides of her but ignores both Mark and Seulgi. She looks at the unconscious woman in her arms hesitantly. She doesn't want to get the Squirrel out of her sight. She doesn't like being here and doesn't trust anyone else in the room. What if this is just a plot to get the vigilante to become a candidate for their human trials?

"Don't worry," Seulgi tells her. "She'll be okay."

They engage in a tense staring battle before Joohyun gives her a nod and hesitantly allows Tiffany to take the vigilante.

"It's Seungwan's sister, isn't it?" Joohyun calls out just as they're about to disappear around the corner. 

"What?"

"Seunghee," Joohyun clarifies and flickers her gaze between the three. "The Blue Squirrel is Seunghee."

Jeez for such a great detective, she's terrible at this, Seulgi thinks to herself.

"Enough," Tiffany utters and continues walking. "Seulgi, let's go."

Seulgi was right, Seungwan's suit is quite protective and though the bullets went through, the material was able to take most of the damage as Seungwan's only covered in terrible bruises and scrapes instead of bulletholes. 

"Do you know who she is?" Seulgi quietly asks as she and Tiffany tend to Seungwan's wounds.

"Of course," he replies and reaches to the wall to grab a knife. Seulgi eyes him, clearly alarmed by his sudden move and has a hand hovering over her gun at her waist before he's carefully cutting open the back of Seungwan's suit. "Doesn't look like anything's broken," he mutters and sets the knife back. "We've known since she first started her little crusade."

"Huh," Seulgi nods once and starts checking the back of Seungwan's head, sighing in relief when she only sees a few bruises on her neck. It looks like she fell entirely on her back. Seulgi clenches her teeth when she realises Seungwan's probably used to doing things like that to protect herself from serious head injuries. She wonders which of the bruises on her back is from the fall and which ones were from previous battles on the street.

"I know everything you know and more," Tiffany continues. "Seungwan only did this for revenge against her grandmother's killer and we let her."

Seulgi lets that sink in as she use a cloth to lean some blood off Seungwan's skin.

"Do you..." Seulgi starts nervously. "Do you know who the killer is?"

Tiffany doesn't respond for a moment, busy cleaning up a cut on Seungwan's upper back. "I do," he says slowly. "He was the first of our human trials. I know you all know about that, by the way. We knew about him days after he killed my wife's mother."

"Then, why--?"

"We didn't tell our daughters to protect them," Tiffany finally lifts his gaze and Seulgi suddenly feels a pang of sympathy. "Seungwan found out about our involvement in the mining incident right after the funeral and we didn't want to put that on her. It helps her to put on this costume and fight crime. It's therapeutic for her, I suppose. Once we believe she's spent enough time on the streets, we'll bring her back."

"You can't just 'bring her back'. Wannie might've started her vigilantism because of anger and grief but it's become more than that now. I'm going to tell her," Seulgi grunts out. "The moment she wakes up."

"No you won't," Tiffany says casually. "Or I'll let Detective Bae know her identity. She loves her--both the real Seungwan and her alter ego. She wouldn't arrest her but she'd surely break Seungwan's heart. Do you really want that to happen to your best friend?"

Without missing a beat, Seulgi blurts out, "Would you really do that to your daughter?"

Tiffany doesn't even flinch at that.

"Seungwan has a big heart, she has room to find another love."

Shaking her head, Seulgi slaps a fist down onto the bench beside her. "You think you have the best intentions don't you? What kind of father would sabotage his daughter's happiness? And what kind of person would do what you're doing with those human trials?"

"You'll see the power of the microchip soon, Seulgi. It's going to bring her grandmother back to life."

"What?"

"She's been in cryostasis. While she is considered brain dead, the microchip will save not just her, but millions---if not--billions of lives. You may think of me as the villain as of now, but when you see her grandmother alive and well, you'll think otherwise. I look forward to hearing both of your apologies."

"I'm not gonna apologise," Seulgi scoffs. "Seungwan's definitely not either. I've already notified the Pink Bunny, she's going to come and--"

"Oh, but she's already here!" Tiffany cries out with a smirk that immediately turns into a condescending chuckle when he sees the confused look on Seulgi's face. "Now, now, Seulgi. Aren't you guys detectives? How have none of you figured it out? Bae Joohyun is the Pink Bunny."

Mark leads Joohyun to one of the bars in the penthouse; the doorway opens to a spacious living area with several luxurious seats and couches, a large flat screen tv and of course, the black marble bar counter that extends across the side of the room. 

Joohyun remembers accidentally going here at least three times while she was trying to find Seungwan's room the first time she was here. Seungwan had sneakily directed her here in hopes of getting more alcohol, but she kept going in and out of slumber to even try getting out of Joohyun's hold.

"I really do love Seungwan," Joohyun tells Mark as she watches him being out a glass.

"I know," Mark replies softly. "Water?" Joohyun provides a short nod and he leans down to open a fridge behind the bar, pulling out a cool jug before pouring its contents. "I'm sorry for being rude in the car. I know you love Seungwan, it was obvious even if you guys weren't even together."

Joohyun doesn't say anything, choosing instead to sip on her water. Is she that obvious?

"But you also love the Blue Squirrel, don't you?"

"She killed my friend," Joohyun blurts out. "And put my father in a coma."

"W-What?"

Hell, this water might as well be pure tequila with the way she's jsut running off to a person she barely knows. "Her name was Kim Jennie and the Blue Squirrel killed her and tonight, I almost--"

Suddenly, Mark blinks and interrupts her, "Kim Jennie?"

"Yeah?"

"Does her father work for Son Industries?"

Creasing a brow, Joohyun nods. "I think so. Why?"

"Nothing," Mark brushes off and turns to get a drink himself. "It's probably nothing. Nevermind."

"What is it?"

"It's nothing, don't worry--"

Wrinkling her lips, Joohyun continues prodding, her patience running thin: "Mark."

"Nevermind it's not--"

"Mark!" Joohyun exclaims, exasperated. She's had enough of people winding her up for the night. "Just tell me."

Mark drops his shoulders and turns to her with a shrug. "I've overheard her name once. Her father was always trying for a promotion which he suddenly got after his friend disappeared, someone else who was trying for a seat on the board."

Joohyun has no idea where he's going with this. "Okay..?"

"Like I said, it's probably nothing but..."

"But what?" She's very much had enough of his beating around the bush.

"It's just... Seungwan's mother kept talking to someone on the phone for a few days about it, it's hard not to forget what she said."

"What did she say?"

"She said," he sighs, leaning over the bench and pursing his lips. "'Is a hundred thousand American dollars enough to shut you up? I'll send it now.'"

The number instantly brings Joohyun to the Blue Squirrel and her own case of finding the man who killed her grandmother. "What? Are you sure she said a hundred thousand? USD? Do you remember roughly when she said this?"

"Uh... Maybe? It was about three years ago... January, I think. it was late at night. Maybe one or two AM?"

"That seems about right," Joohyun mutters, nodding absentmindedly.

"Wh