Haruki pushed open to the door to her apartment and flicked on the light. Tossing her bag onto the couch, she headed towards the kitchen and pulled open the fridge door, looking for something she could make in under two minutes.

“Ugh! Is there anything in this house that I can eat?”

Haruki smiled slightly as she pulled out a jar of peanut butter and turned it over in her hands. Then she sighed and shoved it back into the fridge. She wasn’t in the mood for a peanut butter sandwich. Maybe she should order pizza instead.

She shrugged her jacket off and tossed it over the back of a chair. She walked into her bedroom to change her shoes, but backed out almost instantly when she noticed, finally really noticed, the twin beds, one with pristine sheets that hadn’t been wrinkled in weeks. Turning back into the living room, she glanced around her apartment. The floral curtains remained, along with some of the decorative pillows, but the place looked empty without the giant racks of clothes on rolling carts scattered everywhere.

“You could at least give me some of your closet space.”

Shaking her head, she flopped down on her couch, moving aside a cushion that she’d been about to sit on.

“Hey! Watch it! That’s my pillow!”

The detective stood up abruptly and grabbed her jacket again, before heading out the door. She’d waited too long to make this apology and she hoped that her best friend hadn’t given up on her just yet.

If Haruki had learned anything from being Jessica’s roommate, it was to never approach the model when she was in a bad mood. And right now, even in the dim light of the club, Haruki could clearly see that Jessica was in a bad mood.

Presumably, the main cause was the dark-haired guy talking to her who was apparently incapable of taking a hint. In fact, he appeared to be growing more insistent with each time Jessica shook her head.

Haruki had seen this story end badly too many times not to step in, even if Jessica’s temper was high on her list of fears. Weaving her way across the crowded dance floor, she approached the bar and stepped directly in front of Jessica, raising her eyebrow at the stranger.

“Is there a problem here?” she asked.

“Who the hell are you?” the guy snapped.

In response, she pulled out the badge she’d borrowed from Sungmin and tapped it against her chin. It worked like a repellant; the man instantly took two steps backwards. He glared at Haruki for a moment, before fixing his scowl on Jessica. Haruki felt, rather than saw, Jessica’s smirk as she turned away, because the guy’s furious expression darkened.

“,” the detective heard him mutter as he brushed past them.

Jessica’s face flushed with anger. Haruki’s hand flashed out before she could stop herself and grabbed him by the wrist. Turning around, she brought his arm down on her shoulder like a lever and leaned forward, flipping him over her shoulder and onto his back, before finally releasing him. He stared up at her as he clutched his sprained wrist, eyes wide.

“Just be glad I didn’t break it,” Haruki said, her voice sounding too loud for some reason. She suddenly became aware that the room had fallen silent and every eye was on them.

Someone whistled in admiration and soon, the club erupted into applause. Haruki ducked her head as she raised a hand to acknowledge them and turned back to bar, where Jessica had given up on trying not to laugh.

“I didn’t know you could do that!” she managed between giggles.

“There’s a lot about me you don’t know,” Haruki murmured, tapping the empty seat beside Jessica. “Anyone sitting here?” The model shook her head and Haruki hopped into the seat. She took a deep breath as she clasped her hands together. “I’m…I’m sorry for being a…being um…”

“A selfish ?” Jessica suggested, smirking slightly.

“That works,” Haruki mumbled. “I’m sorry I was a selfish .”

Jessica raised her eyebrows. “So what brought this up?”

Haruki twiddled her thumbs as she stared down at the counter. “I’ve been wanting someone to understand what’s going on in my head and pushing away anyone who tries,” she said quietly. “You spent a year trying to help me…and all I did was yell at you for smothering me.”

“Scotch on the rocks?” Yoseob asked, pushing a glass towards her. “This one’s on the house, girl. Pretty sick move there.”

“Thanks,” Haruki replied with a slight grin. As soon as the bartender had walked off, she continued. “I just…you know, I wanted everyone to pretend that nothing had happened while I clung to my bad memories. I guess I expected everyone to just know what I was thinking. It was unfair to you and I’m sorry.”

“Did something happen today?” Jessica asked.

 Haruki picked up her glass and took a long sip before replying. “I had a meltdown in the cafeteria,” she announced and Jessica’s eyes widened. “I’ve been having panic attacks several times a week for almost a year now and today, I heard something…something that triggered those memories.” She quickly finished her drink and sat rolling the glass between her hands.

After a moment, she felt Jessica patting her shoulder gently. “I deserved it though,” Haruki added quickly. “I used to look down on people who talked about their fears. I thought cops who retired after near-death experiences were cowards. But…” She sighed. “I’m the biggest coward there is and there’s no excuse for it.”

Jessica said nothing as she began playing with the straw in her martini.

 “I’ve been too scared to realize that I need help and too stupid to see that there are people who want to help me. I-I thought that by hiding from my fears I could pretend everything was fine when I really needed someone to be there for me. “She offered the model a small smile. “You tried for over a year and I just pushed you away. I’m really sorry.”

“I’m sorry, too,” Jessica replied. “You’re right. I was…I was smothering you. What you decide to do with your job is none of my business. I guess…I was projecting my sister onto you.”

“Krystal?” Haruki asked.

Jessica just rolled her eyes before continuing. “You know…ever since she died, I’ve felt terrible for not being close to her. And I started thinking about all the times she wanted to talk to me and I blew her off because I didn’t think it was important. I guess I was trying to make up for that by forcing you to talk to me. I…I got carried away with asking you where you were going, and what happened at work, and basically every single detail of your day. I know I was overbearing and that must have made it harder to talk to me, even if you wanted to. I didn’t blame you for wanting me to move out.”

“You had my best interests at heart,” Haruki replied. “And I never said I wanted you to move out.”

"You implied it,” Jessica retorted. “Okay, so I overreacted a little. I thought you were being ungrateful. I didn’t see that it could have been my fault.”

“Truce?” Haruki asked, holding up her empty glass.

“Truce,” Jessica replied and they clinked glasses. “So how is your case going? Or is that still a taboo topic?”

“No, we can talk about it,” Haruki replied. “It’s not going anywhere. I have no leads and everyone at that hospital is a suspect.”

Jessica winced sympathetically. “I heard you went to his funeral.”

“How did you know that?” Haruki asked.

In response, Jessica rummaged in her purse for a moment before pulling out a copy of today’s paper. She opened it up to a page and held it out for Haruki to see.

“Kidnapped Cop Bids Farewell to Her Stalker” read the headline. Underneath was a photograph of Haruki, her back to the camera, her fingertips touching the edge of Taemin’s grave. The rest of the story made it sound like she’d fallen in love with her kidnapper and was beside herself with sorrow over his death.

“Damn it,” Haruki muttered. Sooyoung was going to give her so much grief about this. She hadn’t told the media liaison that she’d be attending the funeral so that Sooyoung could prepare a statement for the press ahead of time. Of course, all the reporters that had been present would have made up their own stories, each more scandalous than the last.

“You’re pretty popular, you know,” Jessica commented, flipping to the front page. “You’re in this one, too.”

Haruki frowned down at the article. “Alleged Murdered in Court.”

“I’m not even investigating this one,” the detective muttered.

“Doesn’t matter,” Jessica replied. “You’re the media’s favorite cop to talk about. I mean, the man who kidnapped you was murdered and the man whose trial you go to just happens to be shot as well?”

“Are they saying I did it?” Haruki demanded, snatching up the paper. She skimmed through the article quickly, shoulder slumping slightly with relief when the story didn’t accuse her of the murderous act. However, there was a lot about her connection to the witness and the bond they shared as victims (she ground her teeth).

The photograph showed her glaring at the camera as she hugged Eunjung protectively. Only a sliver of the younger girl’s face could be seen.

“‘Fed Fatale’?” Haruki read. “What is that?”

“Oh, that’s the nickname they came up with for you,” Jessica replied. “You know, ‘fed’ because you’re a cop. It’s a play on femme fatale.” The detective just blinked. “Like, wherever you go, men die.”

“Are you kidding me?” Haruki snapped. “I went to support the defendant. I wasn’t even planning on going. I have nothing to do with the murder! I didn’t even know G.O.!”

“It probably a weird coincidence,” Jessica commented. “Come on, they’ll get over it.”

“Usually, I don’t believe in coincidences,” Haruki muttered. “But there really is no connection…” She narrowed her eyes and peered at the picture again.

The photograph had been taken from the defendant’s side of the courtroom, from G.O.’s side. Although Haruki and Eunjung were the main focus, she could still see Tiffany and Hyoyeon, who were a bit fuzzy, the bailiff, and some of the other people in the courtroom…

Her eyes flickered towards a blurry figure a couple rows behind her who was wearing a black beanie.

She jumped out of her seat so suddenly she almost tripped and Jessica frowned at her. “Something wrong?”

“No,” Haruki replied. “I think…I think I found something. I’ll talk to you later, Jessica. It was really nice to see you again.”

Jessica smiled at that. “Likewise.”

Haruki waved her thanks to Yoseob as she darted out the door. Fumbling for her phone, she dialed a familiar number. Although she had her fingers crossed that he would pick up, she was still surprised to hear Jiyong say, “Digital forensics. What can I do for you?”

“Jiyong? It’s Haruki-”

“Oh, really?” He sounded sulky. “What do you want? I thought I wasn’t supposed to bother you until I recovered the actual tapes.”

“Are you still at work?” Haruki asked, with a glance at her watch. “This late?”

She heard a long drawn-out sigh, and though she knew he was one for theatrics, this one didn’t sound faked. “Yeah, I really don’t think I can do it,” he said without a hint of his usual joking and that bothered her more than his flirty behavior ever had.

“Jiyong, I’m really sorry,” she murmured.

There was a thump and a curse on the other end before Jiyong said, “Did…did you just apologize?”

Haruki smiled despite herself as she replied, “Yes. I was a b-.” She took a deep breath and mumbled, “I was angry and I took it out on you even though you didn’t deserve it.”

“You were a ,” Jiyong sighed and she could almost see him shaking his head. “I mean, come on. I don’t know if my feelings can take it. Ask for my forgiveness.”

Haruki rolled her eyes. “Can you ever forgive me? Please?” she added before he could remind her.

“How about a ‘pretty please with a cherry on top’?” he asked.

She chuckled. “How about I bring over takeout and show you something I found? This might be important.”

“That might work,” Jiyong replied. “This doesn’t count as a date, though! You still owe me one.”

At that, the detective finally groaned. “Whatever.”

Jiyong paused with chopsticks full of pad thai halfway to his lips. “You went to therapy?”

“Focus!” Haruki snapped. She jabbed her finger at the newspaper clipping. “When that girl said hi to me, I knew I’d seen her before. I just figured I’d passed her in the hospital or something. But I didn’t. I saw her at the courthouse. At G.O.’s trial. ”

The hacker stuffed the noodles in his mouth before speaking. “You’re jumping to conclusions,” he mumbled.

She made a face. “Swallow, please.”

He rolled his eyes as he did so. “Just because she was there doesn’t mean she killed the guy.”

“Yuri said that G.O. was shot by someone sitting behind me and against the wall,” Haruki replied.

“That could be any of these people,” Jiyong retorted, waving at the photograph.

“But what are the odds that she’d show up at Miracle later the same day, just as I’m leaving?” Haruki asked.

“You don’t believe in coincidences?” asked Jiyong.

“Never,” the detective replied. “I know it sounds crazy-”

“No! It doesn’t sound crazy,” he snapped. “You. You are crazy. Go back to therapy until you can stop coming up with ridiculous theories.”

Haruki sighed. “Can you just please do one thing for me?”

“I already told you that I don’t think I can find the tapes from the day Taemin was killed-”

“No.” She picked up the clipping and pointed at the girl again. “Go through all the security footage with me and look for her.”

Jiyong groaned. “Are you kidding me? You are insane. We’re going to be here all night! No, we’re going to be here all weekend!”

In response, Haruki reached into the oversized bag behind her and pulled out a stack of pizza boxes, pushing them towards him.

The hacker studied them for a moment, before grinning as he stood up and cracked his knuckles. “Well then, let’s get started.”

“Still believe I’m crazy?” Haruki asked several hours later. They’d watched Jiyong’s compilation of the security footage and the girl in the black beanie appeared almost every day. In fact, the only video she hadn’t appeared in was the one that had been played over the footage from the day Taemin was killed.

“You can’t see her face,” Jiyong countered as he polished off what she believed was his fifth slice of pizza. “You don’t know it’s the same person.”

“Come on. Who wears a hat like that indoors all the time?” Haruki asked. The hacker just shrugged and crossed his arms, still clearly unconvinced. “See how she keeps turning her head away from the cameras? She’s hiding her face on purpose.”

“Maybe she’s a volunteer,” Jiyong replied. “Or maybe she has a friend or a family member at the hospital.”

“She doesn’t even always go into a room,” Haruki replied. She rewound one of the tapes and pointed at the screen. “See that? She passes something to a nurse as she walks by her. This girl is suspicious, Jiyong. We have to figure out who she is.”

“I can’t use my facial recognition programs,” Jiyong retorted. “You can’t see her face!”

Haruki had to concede that was a problem. “Print out a couple pictures from different days and blow them up,” she finally instructed as she stood up. “There must be something that we’re missing.”

“You look exhausted,” Donghae commented on Monday morning as Haruki trudged into the coffee room. He held up the half-full pot. “Want some?”

“No cream or sugar, please,” she replied.

“Wow. You really are tired.” The other detective smiled as he handed her the cup, his fingers brushing hers for just a moment before she snatched her hand away. “What are you working on?”

Haruki pulled out one of the photographs and held it out to him. “I’m trying to identify her. This girl was at Miracle almost every day leading up to the day Taemin died and she was also at the courthouse when G.O. was murdered.”

“Couldn’t it be a coincidence?” asked Donghae.

“I don’t-”

“-don’t believe in coincidences, right.” Donghae took the picture and examined it. “Have you been working on this all weekend?”

“Me, Siwon, Sungmin, and Ryeowook,” she replied.

“Why Sungmin?” Donghae asked.

“The girl was sitting in a good position to shoot G.O.,” Haruki replied. “It might help his case. Thanks for the coffee.” She took the picture from him and turned to leave, but he blocked her way.

“Wait, can I see that again?”

She shrugged and handed the picture to him as Sungmin wandered in, looking equally tired. He groaned when he saw the photograph. “I’ve been staring at that girl all weekend and I swear, there is nothing identifying about her. Is there coffee?”

“No, you’ll have to make another pot,” Haruki replied. “Here.” She handed him her cup as she opened the coffee machine and grabbed a new filter.

“So I was thinking that we should work together on both cases,” Sungmin told Haruki as she turned the coffeemaker on and leaned against the refrigerator, arms crossed over her chest. “This girl might be the link between both of our cases and we have to look at every possibility.”

Haruki nodded. “That’s true. Siwon and Jiyong looked at some of the more recent security footage and she doesn’t show up, except on the day that I went undercover there.”

“You mean, when you went to therapy,” Sungmin teased and laughed as she scowled at him. “Anyway, it seems like she somehow knew when you’d be there. Maybe one of the nurses at Miracle told-”

“You know, I wouldn’t say there’s nothing identifying,” Donghae interrupted. He smirked at Sungmin, which Haruki failed to notice, as he pointed at the girl’s jean pocket. “See her wallet? Look at the lanyard attached to it.”

Haruki brought the photograph close to her face and peered at it. Though faint, she could make out a few words printed it. “-ls Point M-” She looked up at Donghae. “So?”

“Falls Point Motel,” Donghae replied, pulling an identical lanyard out of his pocket. “The place we stayed at last time we went to Falls Park.”

“You what?” Sungmin asked, but Haruki didn’t seem to hear him.

“That place was almost deserted,” she murmured, a faraway look on her face as she tried to think. “They don’t get many visitors. They have to have a record of her being there.” She started sprinting out of the room, but stopped in the doorway and turned back, smiling at her former partner. “Thank you so much, Donghae. I can’t believe I didn’t notice that.”

“You’re welcome,” he called after her. Sungmin said nothing as he spun on his heel and stormed out of the room.