>_____<;;

The minion immediately dispersed as Chorong and Victoria pulled themselves up. They heard Namjoo crying out in pain just a split second later.

Chorong winced at the sight of the blood oozing out of Namjoo’s injury. Parts of her skin had been burnt and what made it worse were the little cuts everywhere, which made it even more difficult to distinguish where it was ok to cleanse up the wound or not.

Namjoo closed her eyes and bit onto her lip as she tried to keep the blood out of her own sight.

“I think we should go to the hospital,” Victoria suggested with a bloody cloth in hand. “I can’t clean this up. It’s impossible. We’d better let the nurses do it if you don’t want to suffer from infections. Namjoo, are you ok?”

“I’m fine, I don’t need to go to the hospital.” Namjoo replied.

“We can’t do this here, your blood is overflowing,” Victoria told.

“Lets just go to the hospital. That’s what the nurses are for,” Chorong tried. “Huh? Namjoo?”

After another 10 minutes of convincing they finally had Namjoo hold a cloth against the nape of her neck while Victoria drove to the hospital. While Namjoo was being treated privately inside a specialized room Victoria and Chorong stood outside in the hallway. Suddenly things seemed a lot worse than Chorong had foreseen.

“What the hell do you think that was?” Victoria asked.

“The same minion who was here before,” Chorong shook her head in reply as if the answer had been obvious all along.

“No, I mean, he attacked her, not try to kill her,” Victoria shot out. “What do you think he wants?”

“Something with Namjoo?” Chorong frowned and glanced at Victoria who was walking back and forth.

“But what?”

“I don’t know, but obviously Namjoo’s power are down,” Chorong put emphasis on her choice of words, “she can’t even protect herself. You saw her flame go out and her powers aren’t healing her. Something is wrong with this picture. Our sister is utterly defenseless!”

“Shush!” Victoria turned to Chorong. “Don’t you talk about any of it in front of her. Lets not put any strain on her.”

Chorong pressed her lips together and turned when Namjoo walked out with strips of white bandages over her neck. Parts of the burned skin had been left for healing and the nurse gave them some words of caution before they left the hospital.

“So, how did that job search go?” Victoria asked from the driver’s seat.

Chorong glanced back to see Namjoo staring out of the window. There was still yet some sadness in her face, but Namjoo wasn’t letting it spark her.

“I got the job,” Namjoo replied informatively.

“That’s good! What are you going to be doing?” Victoria led the conversation on well.

“Just…some secretarial stuff.”

Chorong glanced over at Victoria who was obviously trying to make the best of the situation and realized Namjoo seemed to have sensed it. They didn’t really talk about anything else, but when they returned home Chorong urged Namjoo to go wash up first before coming down for dinner.

“You were acting too obvious,” Chorong scolded following Victoria into the kitchen. “The tone of your voice just gave everything away, thank you very much.”

“Then what did you want me to do?” Victoria retorted. “There was nothing to talk about in the car. Namjoo would think other things if I didn’t talk.”

“Don’t you think that if she cried in front of us again, it would release the tension we’ve been building up since this morning?” Chorong questioned. “Namjoo is not ok. She dwells, she’s not a person who moves on.”

“She’s just trying to make it easier for us,” Victoria opinionated. “Lets…just do the same.”

“And what?” Chorong asked contradictorily. “Pretend all is ok too? Build a fakeness out of all this? That is not ok, Victoria!”

“Then what!? Beg her to cry!? Of course, I know it’s not ok, but what are we supposed to do about it? Namjoo is refusing to break!” Victoria groaned and leaned against the counter burying her face in her hands. “Just stop it, Chorong. You’re making me more frustrated about this than I already am. Lets just go with the flow. Since Namjoo’s powers aren’t working, lets just keep an eye out for her.”

“Ok, all right,” Chorong reluctantly gave up and agreed.

When Namjoo came down for dinner they ate in an almost complete silence.

>_____<;;

“You caught this?” Changmin asked flipping through the pictures the day the storm broke out across Seoul.

There were pictures of the house, Chorong and a man, the front door flying open, and the chair being hurled out by a non-existence. Changmin’s eyes zipped over the pictures, but from the very back of his mind he could still hear Victoria’s words.

 “What scares me isn’t just that, but the fact that you came to my house with that sketch of Chorong and assuming she’d been the one involved with Kim Daesung. The moment you came to my house claiming that, my trust in you has already died, Changmin. After you made a clear assumption about a family member of mine, do you really think I’d have the heart to want to call you a friend or acknowledge that I know you?”

“No, I wouldn’t call it a grudge, but huge distrust. I don’t trust you, I won’t, and I never will. Changmin, you are an investigator. You’re a person who wants to find out the questions behind the unexplained and you’ll go to no cost to get those answers. I can only believe that you’re still definite on finding out what ‘things’ Chorong supposedly did if she was the one who’d gone to Kim Daesung. And with no circumstance, you’d bring my sister in to question her. I believe you’ll go as far as that, and I can’t befriend you for the fact you will turn your back against me,” Victoria expressed. “Is that clear? I have no interest in you. Give it up.”

Had he been wrong for approaching her the way he had? Had going to her house to ask for Chorong been the biggest move that had turned him away from Victoria? Why were they so scared of him? What reason would they have to be cautious? Why would Victoria need to say those things to him? Or was she just being ordinarily cautious?

What were his feelings? Would he be definite on turning his back against the girls if he found something worthy of research? But his intentions had only been good from the start. Perhaps hiring a spy to keep an eye on them was the reason Victoria couldn’t trust him. Why…had he done so in the first place? Had he been greedy for some information that might not have to do with the girls?

Changmin thought about it for a long time as he flipped through the pictures.

Yes, he did want to be Victoria’s friend. No, it wasn’t because he intentionally wanted to get near her and her sisters. He just wanted to be a friend who could help in their times of needs. That was all he had really wanted. Since the start when he’d offered to help, it had all been from goodwill.

Changmin watched the clock closely and by the time he clocked out he had all the envelopes of the girls’ pictures with him.

Lee Dongsun picked up on the first ring, “Ah…criminal investigator. I was just reporting to duty.”

“About that,” Changmin focused his grips on the steering wheel being careful not to go too fast, “you’re dismissed. I’m not interested in anything on those girls any longer, therefore the job is no longer required.”

“What!?” Lee Dongsun stammered in disbelief. “You cannot just do this to me!”

“Uh…yes, I can. I’m the one who hired you, and now I’m firing you.”

“No, I’m not giving it up! Those women are on to something! You can’t turn a blind eye to all of this!”

“I won’t repeat myself,” Changmin stated, “you’re dismissed.”

He ended the call and pulled off his Bluetooth just as he drove into the campus parking lot Victoria often used.

Changmin parked his car behind Victoria’s and waited until he spotted Victoria coming down the walk. When she about neared him he finally stepped out of the car not forgetting to grab the four envelopes he had with him.

Victoria rolled her eyes when she spotted him and didn’t stop for him to speak, so instead Changmin quickly circled around her until he was in front.

“What do you want?” Victoria asked sounding annoyed.

“Ok, I can say I was personally interested in what Kim Daesung said about your sister,” Changmin admitted, “and I was just curious…well maybe a little more than curious. Seeing that you girls’ lives are often revolved around the police station somehow, sparked a huge load of curiosity in me. But I will be honest with you now, even if circumstances called for it, I can’t pull your sister into the police station for interrogation unless I have a warrant with a good reason, in this case, there isn’t.”

“And so what do you want?” Victoria questioned. “Ok, I get it. So you’re not the bad guy. Now, move it.”

“I’m not done yet,” Changmin grounded himself. “I am guilty, and I am sorry for my nosiness. I’m sure it made not just you, but your sisters uncomfortable. I did hire someone to follow you and your sisters.”

Changmin held up the thick envelopes out to Victoria and watched fury light them.

“But I’ve dismissed him as of this morning. I meant it when I said I have good intentions toward you and your sisters,” Changmin told. “It’s ok too, if you don’t believe me. You can take them and burn them, do whatever. I have no need for them now.”

Victoria’s eyes darted toward the envelopes unable to express the anger scourging through her and Changmin had expected nothing less from her.

“You know what?” Victoria asked. “You can go to hell. Part of me did hope you were innocent with your words, but now I know I was completely wrong. I’m glad I didn’t fall for your words. Back your car up before I run you two over.”

Victoria shoved him aside before unlocking her car and started the engine. He watched her back up without hesitating and finally walked away to enter his car.

>_____<;;

“It’s kind of strange without you around the house the past two days,” Chorong commented setting out a plate of freshly cooked food onto the kitchen table. “How’s work going? Is your boss nice?”

“Nice,” Namjoo replied before sitting down.

“Are you ok?” Chorong asked walking over with three empty plates. “You look tired. You know if there’s anything troubling you, you can talk to me.”

Namjoo laughed and smiled a little bit, but Chorong thought the fake energy made her sister look a lot older than she really was. Had she been so attached to Luhan that she couldn’t find a resolution to move on? Of course, Chorong didn’t expect much after just three days of his leave, but she had thought Namjoo would start to slowly appear more like her usual self bit by bit. None of it was happening like that. Namjoo seemed just as sullen as the day Chorong had come to find her crying on the floor.

“Yea, I’m tired,” Namjoo’s voice became quiet as her eyes drooped toward the ground. “I’m sorry that you and Victoria have to worry about me.”

“Of course it’s not like that,” Chorong sat down beside her, “we only want you well. It’s ok, Namjoo, really.”

“I know,” Namjoo forced another smile again and they turned when they heard Victoria stomp into the house angrily.

“Oh I hate him! I hate his guts! I knew there was something about him and I was right!” Victoria screamed tossing her bag onto the table.

“Hey! You’re going to get dust all over the food,” Chorong stood up to grab Victoria’s bag and place it on an empty chair. “What are you so angry about?”

“Changmin, no, that of a criminal investigator sent a spy after us!” Victoria raised her voice to the top of her lungs. “He wanted to show us out! Catch us in the act! I knew he was evil! Oh damn him! I should have just driven him over!”

“He…what!?” Chorong stammered. “Spy!? He was the one who sent the spy!?”

“Oh…” Victoria shook her head and crammed her hands into fists. “If I ever catch that spy I’m going to gutter his brains out. I swear to god.”

Chorong awkwardly laughed before pulling Victoria to sit into her chair, “Why don’t you calm down first?”

“Calm down!? You en want me to calm down in a situation like this? Changmin almost found us out! And his spy! Who knows what pictures he’s taken of us! He might be watching us right this second!”

Chorong stared at Victoria and nodded, “Ok, you have a point.” Chorong put a finger up to her chin before asking, “You didn’t see anyone outside when you came in, did you?”

“If I did you’d definitely see blood on me right now,” Victoria murmured.

“O…k…” Chorong nodded then sat down. “Why don’t we eat before any one of us gets anymore dirty thoughts of going on a killing spree.”

Chorong passed Victoria her plate before they ate their dinner fill. That night before going to sleep she stood in front of the wall of Woohyun’s pictures. Every single one brought the brightest memory to her mind and Chorong thought she could relive each one every time she thought of it.

She hadn’t quite worried about what Suho had told her as much as she should have. And she knew she should be pondering over it and the feelings inside her heart – if there were any at all. Would Suho be expecting an answer from her the next time they met?

“What do you think I should say?” Chorong asked in a quiet voice. “But he’s a nice guy, isn’t he? Would you like him too?”

>_____<;;

Namjoo hadn’t slept well ever since Luhan bid her farewell. She’d fall into a pit of black dreams for a few hours before waking back up only to be unable to return to sleep. A lot of those nights she spent sitting in bed, staring out at the night sky through her window, or silently crying to herself.

That night though, she suddenly thought about Chanyeol and the last words she’d said to him. Namjoo remembered how angry he’d been when she’d asked for that break. Back then, she had really meant for it to be a temporary break. Now, she wasn’t so sure.

Namjoo didn’t want to go back and she was beginning to think she was ready to let go of their relationship. When she thought about Chanyeol, it made her even more tired. During this selfish time, she could only think about Luhan and how much she wanted him back.

Namjoo knew she couldn’t go on like this.

>_____<;;

Victoria was too pissed off to sleep well. She slept for about two hours before finally waking up in the depth of the darkness. Groaning she left her bed and walked downstairs to grab a cup of water in hopes that it would soothe her to sleep, but upon reaching the bottom of the stairs the front door opened. She turned to see Namjoo entering the house with a sweater.

“Where’ve you been?” Victoria wondered. “I didn’t hear you go out.”

“I couldn’t sleep,” Namjoo replied walking in.

“So you went for a walk?” Victoria asked. “It’s dangerous, you know.”

“I only went to the church we used to go to,” Namjoo quieted her voice, “just to sit there.”

Victoria felt her heart sink and she walked toward Namjoo.

“Is something bothering you?”

Namjoo didn’t reply as her eyes contemplated for an answer but she replied, “No.”

But Victoria knew she was lying.  

“Namjoo, you know, whatever’s going through your mind; it’s ok to talk about it,” Victoria softened her voice. “I know we’ve had a rift before, but I will listen to you, I promise. You’re not alone. Chorong and I are here to go through it with you.”

“Yea.” Namjoo nodded.

“Ok,” Victoria put a hand on her sister’s arm, “why don’t you go up and get some rest now?”

“You know,” Namjoo said before going up, “Changmin isn’t so horrible. I think…you feel that way too.”

Victoria pivoted around to look after Namjoo as she headed up the stairs wondering what she meant by that.

The next day while she was in class there was a knock on the classroom door. When the professor opened the door a man walked in with a delivery of assorted flowers and Victoria was still busily copying the notes from the board into her notebook when her name was called out. The class made remarks and rooted for her as the delivery man walked toward her with the vase of flowers.

Her face flushed a deep shade of red and the professor made an embarrassing comment before returning to their class lecture. Once every student had their attention turned away from her she dug into the flowers to find a small white card with a note asking for forgiveness with a signature from none other than Changmin.

Chewing her bottom lip she crumpled up the piece of paper and gave the flowers away to a friend before leaving to the next class.