“Beep beep.” Haruki’s phone was making impatient noises as she returned to her apartment after a jog. She’d been restlessly waiting for Tiffany to return her call, checking her phone every few seconds, for so long that it had practically melded to her hand. After literally staring at it for five seconds, willing it to ring with her mind, she’d forced herself to put it aside and leave the apartment for half an hour.

“And of course she calls while I’m out,” Haruki grumbled, snatching up the offending device. “Should’ve brought it with me…”

But the serious voice on the other end was not Tiffany’s.

“Haruki, it’s Luhan. Call me when you get this.”

Why couldn’t he just tell her over the phone? What was all the mystery about? It’s not like anyone would be able to hear the messages on her phone-

Haruki frowned. Were her messages being monitored? She shook her head. That was unlikely- Chief Park and her colleagues had much more important things to do than keep tabs on a former agent.

She dialed Luhan back and waited for him to pick up.

“Haruki? Wait one second. It’s not safe.”

Haruki resisted the urge to hit herself on the head as she suddenly realized the more likely explanation for Luhan’s cryptic messages. Apparently for him, being a detective was terribly exciting, finally giving him the chance to act out crime novel clichés he’d read.

She waited impatiently while she heard the shuffle of feet from the other end as Luhan scampered out of the office, presumably to find a “secret” place to speak to her in private. She shook her head. Although he was much more mature than most of the guys she worked with, he was childish in his own way. Maybe it would wear off with the novelty of the job…

Sure enough, Luhan began speaking to her in a hushed whisper, talking so quickly she had to interrupt. “Sorry, Luhan. I didn’t understand a word of that. Could you slow down?”

“Sorry.” He took a deep breath and continued in the same voice. By straining her ears, Haruki thought she was able to pick up the gist of the message.

“Someone else was killed- strangled, okay. In their apartment. Mm-hmm…two days later? Who found the body?”

She frowned, musing over his response. Jiyong? But he hardly ever left his seat. Why would he go to a stranger’s apartment to check up on them?

No sooner had she asked that question than she knew the answer. “Who was the victim, Luhan?”

Luhan gulped and his voice got even quieter, if that were possible. “Seungri,” he whispered.

For a moment, Haruki thought she’d heard wrong.

“Haruki? Are you still there?”

"Yeah, sorry.” Haruki shook her head, though the disturbed frown lingered on her face. “Did you say-”

“Seungri,” Luhan repeated. “Yes. The one in the Digital Forensics Department. Apparently, he hadn’t come into work for two days and Jiyong was getting worried and…”

Luhan kept talking, but Haruki had stopped listening to him once again. How could Seungri be dead? Luhan clearly thought this was related to the serial killings, but it just didn’t make sense. Seungri didn’t have a criminal background. No one who worked in the police department did. All of the potential candidates were subjected to rigorous screening before they were hired.

But there was Taemin…

Haruki brushed away the voice in the back of her head, letting Luhan’s babbling wash over her as she lost herself in thought. L. Joe first, and now Seungri. Neither of them were criminals, but it did seem to fit in with the modus operandi of the serial killer. It was obvious in L. Joe’s case, less obvious in Seungri’s. She frowned. Why was she so convinced Seungri was a victim?

Because minus the criminal background, he fit the profile. He didn’t mistreat women, but he didn’t respect them either. Jiyong had admitted to her that behind her back, the comments Seungri made about her and the other girls were a lot worse than the obnoxious flirting he did to her face. And she remembered him bragging about dating two girls in one night…

That’s all it was, though. Obnoxious. Not criminal. Haruki disliked Seungri, but she could put up with him.

It still didn’t make sense. Why would the killer focus on someone so petty?

"-and that’s why they think the crimes are linked,” Luhan was saying as Haruki tuned back into the phone conversation. “What do you think, Haruki?”

“Sure,” she said automatically. “Thanks for keeping me posted, Luhan.”

“Anytime,” he replied, hanging up. Haruki’s finger was hovering over the end button when he suddenly blurted out, “Oh! I almost forgot. Tiffany Hwang has gone missing.”

“What?”

Luhan sounded excited to be relaying yet another piece of news Haruki didn’t know. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, then remembered he couldn’t see her, and rolled them anyway. What did he expect? She was stuck working from home, without access to any of the police department databases. How else was she supposed to get news?

Let him feel special, she told herself. Rookies always seemed to enjoy that.

Her heart gave a painful tug when she unwillingly thought of Taemin again.

“Siwon and Donghae went to question her and they found out that she was released on bail. Her ankle monitor’s been deactivated and there’s been no trace of her since. Do you think she left town?”

“It’s possible.” Haruki couldn’t be sure, though. Tiffany was smart. No matter where she was, if she didn’t want to be found, then no one would be able to find her.

But Tiffany had practically told Haruki to find her after she was released on bail. Why would Tiffany be hiding from her?

When Jessica knocked on the door of Haruki’s apartment to pick her up several days later, she found the former detective lying on her couch with her legs propped up on the arm, staring at the ceiling. Her phone was lying on the table, just within arm’s reach.

Jessica flinched as she studied Haruki’s disheveled hair and crumpled clothes. “How long have you been lying like that?”

Haruki ignored the question as she sat up. “Why do you still have my keys?”

“For situations like this,” Jessica replied. “Come on. We’re going to be late.”

“For what?”

“Setting up the stage for fashion night on Saturday. Did you forget or something? The rehearsal dinner is tomorrow!” Jessica tapped her manicured nails impatiently on her arm as Haruki lazily rolled off the couch and straightened. “Come on! Hurry up and get ready!”

“I am ready,” Haruki replied.

"No.” Jessica shook her head. “You’re not showing up at my job looking like that.”

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” Haruki asked, looking down at herself.

“There’s a coffee stain on your collar, and your socks don’t even match.”

Haruki shrugged. “At least I’m wearing them.”

Jessica rolled her eyes as she grabbed Haruki by the arm and practically shoved her towards her room. “Hurry up! And you better not come out until you’re wearing something I approve of!”

“This isn’t a fashion event for me, Jessica,” Haruki retorted through the closed door. A few minutes later, she reappeared in a sweatshirt and jeans. In response to Jessica’s horrified look, she replied, “I’m just moving furniture. This is the perfect outfit. Let’s go.”

“Wow, so you’re the detective Jessica is friends with?” gasped Nicole.

“I saw you on TV and in the newspapers!” gushed Jia.

Sohee wrinkled her nose. “You look…different from what I expected.”

Haruki tried not to grit her teeth as she smiled politely at the group, struggling to move the enormous rack of clothing she’d been told to get behind the stage. Several of the models, while apparently very interested in talking to her, were showing little to no interest in helping her actually do anything.

“Here, let me give you a hand with that,” chuckled Yunho as he appeared behind a huge fur coat and tugged on the rack. Much to Haruki’s relief, it actually began rolling. A few girls trailed behind them as Haruki and Yunho tugged the rack in place and headed back to grab another one.

“So what’s it like, being a detective?” asked Nicole.

“Well, I’ve never been anything else-”

“Do you have a gun?” Sohee interrupted.

“Yes, but-”

Excited squeals. They were like children at an elementary school, coming in contact with a police officer for the first time. No, that wasn’t true. Children tended to just stare in silent awe. “That’s so awesome!”

“Can we see it?”

“Do you carry it at all times?”

“I don’t have it with me right now,” Haruki said with a polite smile. She gave Jessica a furious glance from across the room, but her friend was too busy arguing with Sunny about something to notice. Get me out of here. Now.

“Have you ever shot anyone?” Jia asked eagerly.

“I-”

“What’s it like? Did you kill him?”

Taemin’s wide eyes, staring terrified at her as she slowly leveled her gun to his chest-

“I…”

“Noona…”

“I have to go,” Haruki blurted out, rushing away from the racks of clothes and heading towards Sunny. She grabbed the other girl’s arm firmly, giving Sunny such a hard look the blonde actually flinched. “Is there anything else I can do?” she demanded.

“Um, err…well, yes.” Sunny cleared . “You could help with the lighting?”

“Sounds great.” Haruki stumbled blindly backstage, before realizing she had no idea where to go. Sheepishly, she trudged back onto the stage and rubbed the back of her neck. “Um…sorry, Sunny, but where is-”

“I’ll take her.” One of the models detached herself from the group and came towards Haruki. Her voice was cool and detached as she scanned Haruki from head to toe and then wrinkled her nose ever so slightly. Haruki would have felt affronted if she weren’t already used to getting the same response from Jessica.

As she trailed behind the model, she snuck a glance at her watch. It was only eight? She was stuck here for another two hours? How much actually needed to be done to prepare for this dumb event, anyway?

She shook her head slightly. That wasn’t the right attitude to have. She was here for Jessica. This was important to her, and as a best friend, Haruki was supposed to be supportive. Jessica had always tried to be there for her, hadn’t she?

“AV is back there,” the model said, waving a hand vaguely to her right.

“I’m sure I can find it,” Haruki murmured. “I-I wouldn’t want to interrupt-”

“Too late for that,” the model said dryly. “I’m Ga-In, by the way.”

Ga-In. Of course. Haruki remembered her from before as the girl who drew everyone’s eye to her without even trying. “Um, hi. I’m Haruki.”

“Jessica’s friend. The police officer.”

“Yes, I am…well, I was a detective,” Haruki replied.

Instead of asking why as she’d expected, though, Ga-In seemed to lose interest in the conversation as she turned a corner. Haruki trailed after her silently. Finally, when it seemed like Ga-In had forgotten she was there, the model suddenly turned around to face her. She was short, but she managed to make Haruki feel little as she gave her a cold look.

“It’s that door,” Ga-In waved her hand to her left.

“Thanks.” Haruki headed towards the door as Ga-In brushed past her and walked off. Suddenly, she stopped and turned around, fixing Haruki with another glare.

“You know, I don’t believe all that crap you policemen spout about being agents of justice,” Ga-In said.

“I’ve heard that before,” Haruki said mildly, feeling a bit confused at the sudden venom in her tone.

"Justice changes its shape depending on where you stand.” Before Haruki could say anything in reply, Changmin appeared at her side and gave a sigh of exasperation.

“There you are,” he huffed. “What took you so long? Come on, Sunny said you were helping me with lighting. To be completely honest, Haruki, I have no clue what I’m doing.”

Haruki let the unsettling exchange with Ga-In wash away and resigned herself to two hours of struggling over switches and buttons with Changmin. 

“Coming!” Haruki called as she stumbled barefoot across the room to her door, toweling her hair off. After the scolding she’d received from Jessica the day before, she decided to make an effort and try to make her friend happy by getting ready early. She glanced at the clock. Two PM, and the event didn’t start until eight. She sighed. Well, it’s not like she had anything else to do with her day.

Her eyes widened in surprise when she looked through the peephole and found Siwon standing there, glancing around him, a cup of coffee in each hand. Slowly, she unlatched the door and opened it.

“Hello, Haruki. Mind if I come in?” Siwon smiled, his immaculate suit a sharp contrast to her dripping hair and baggy sweats.

“What are you doing here?” Haruki blurted out.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you,” he replied. “I just wanted to see if you were alright.” He held out one of the cups towards her.

Haruki smiled reluctantly as she accepted the peace offering. “Thanks. Come on in. Sorry the place is a mess.”

Siwon merely nodded as he accepted the statement and sat down on the couch, stretching his legs out in front of him. Haruki sank down onto the cushy chair next to him. “How have you been?”

Unlike with Jessica, Haruki gave Siwon the veiled version of the truth. “I’m fine. I haven’t been doing much. Just helping out Jessica with events at work…” She cleared , then asked in her most casual tone, “So what’s going on with the case?”

“I can’t discuss it with you,” Siwon said automatically.

“Right. Of course.”

“I’m sure you know everything anyway.”

Haruki’s head snapped up and she did her best to look indignant. “Why would you say that? How would I know anything?”

Siwon looked amused. “Because you didn’t throw a fit when I said I couldn’t tell you anything.”

Damn it. Haruki bit her lip. “Look, Siwon-”

He held up his hand to cut her off. “It’s none of my business if you want to stay updated.”

“Thanks.” Siwon just shrugged and smiled at her. Haruki cleared again as she struggled for something to say. How did conversation come so easily to some people? “H-how is everyone?”

“They’re fine,” Siwon replied. “Still baffled by your decision. Chief’s really upset.” At this, Siwon leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees as he stared straight at her. Haruki gulped. There it was: the real reason for his visit.

“You’ve still been acting strange, Haruki,” he said quietly. “It feels like you’re hiding something from all of us. You’re…you’re still upset about Taemin’s death, aren’t you?”

Haruki’s shoulders slumped slightly. Trust Siwon to pick up on anything she tried to hide. “It’s been bothering me a little bit,” she said slowly. “I keep thinking about that moment when I pointed the gun at him. He was defenseless on the floor, without any weapons. He had his hands raised and he looked so scared. And I…” She frowned, wondering if she should continue or if this conversation would end with Siwon hauling her away in handcuffs. Jessica would definitely not be happy if she missed the rehearsal dinner.

“You wanted him to die,” Siwon said. He was staring at her hard, though his face showed no expression. It didn’t seem like he was judging her, but one never knew with Siwon. He had a very good way with people that made them feel it was okay to tell him anything. It was part of what made him invaluable to the police force.

“You’re not wearing a wire, are you?” Haruki asked.

Siwon laughed, leaning back against his chair as his eyes crinkled with amusement. “Of course not. This is an unofficial visit. Besides, I haven’t got a warrant. My lips are sealed. I promise.”

“I did want him to die,” Haruki said softly. “I guess…I realized that the Taemin I cared about died a long time ago. And I’ve been blaming myself for causing him to hurt so many other innocent girls and ruining so many lives…”

“He chose that,” Siwon said firmly. “I think it was inevitable, from the moment he met you and became obsessed with you. He should have noticed all your behavior towards him was nothing more than friendly. Either way, no matter what you did, it probably would’ve ended with him trying to kill you.”

“You’ve got a very optimistic look on life,” Haruki murmured, sipping her coffee.

Siwon smiled at her like a teacher talking to a favorite student. She was surprised he didn’t reach over and ruffle her hair or something. “You’re still a rookie compared to me. You’ll see. Everyone says people change, but they really don’t.” He leaned back against the couch and sighed. “But that’s still not what’s been traumatizing you all this time. Part of it was the near-death experience, part of it was being stalked by someone you cared about, and another part of it was almost killing someone…” He frowned. “But some officers go through all that and with help from a therapist, they’re fine. Why did you refuse to see one?”

“There was something I didn’t want to tell anyone,” Haruki replied dully. “I…” She swallowed hard. Would it be alright, to tell Siwon, of all people? The stickler for rules, Chief Park’s right hand man, the most honest person she’d ever met? Well, she trusted him not to tell anyone, since he’d promised. She took a deep breath and the words poured out.

“It felt so good, shooting him, and I still don’t really regret it. When I found out he was dead, a part of me was happy.” She looked at him despairingly. “Can you understand how that felt? It went against everything I thought I knew about myself, everything I was trained to believe. I…I wanted him dead. I wanted to kill him.”

“I see.” Siwon was quiet for a long time as Haruki peeked at him out of the corner of her eye. Suddenly, he smiled at her. “Doesn’t it feel better to get that off your chest?”

“Y-yeah, I guess…”

“By the way…” Siwon reached into his pocket and pulled out a cellphone that Haruki knew wasn’t his. “I’ve been monitoring this phone and I received a very interesting message a little while back.”

Eyes narrowed, he set the phone on the coffee table and played it for her. Haruki felt the blood drain out of her face as her own voice came through the speakers:

“Hey Tiffany…it’s Haruki. Y-you were right when you said I’d call you. When can we meet?”

“How do you explain this?” Siwon asked, watching her carefully.