Chapter Three

"What do we do now?" Hara sighs, observing the state of their coffee shop.

Nicole let out an exhausted sign. "I don't know Hara. I really don't know." A defeated tone.

The two girls stood in front of their now demolished shop, nearing tears once again. A week has passed and the police department has managed to clean up the mess that was made. There was nothing left in the space that once occupied their shop. There was still no leads on who caused the destruction but there were clues left behind to know that it was not an accident.

"Ms. Jung, Ms. Goo, glad to see you two here. I was just about to call you." A voice from behind caused the two girls to turn around.

"Officer Kim." Nicole greeted.

"What did you find out?" Hara was quick to the point.

"As of now, we know that this was done on purpose. We still have no leads on who though. That's what I need to talk to you two about. I need as much information from the two of you as I possibly can." He answers.

"We told you all we know Officer Kim." Nicole reply.

"No need to be so formal, just call me Kevin." He gives her a slight smile.

Nicole felt a light blush on her cheeks at his smile, she quickly shook it off. "Kevin." She repeated after him.

"We answered all your questions you had for us that first day already. What else is there?" Hara jumped in, she was getting a bit impatient with the lack of conclusion from the case.

"There's more to this than what you think Ms. Goo. I feel that there is something bigger behind this. Your shop was seriously demolished, this isn't some work of rebellious teens or hooligans trying to steal some cash. From my experience this has professional hitmans written all over it." He explains.

Hara couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. "What do you think we are running here that makes you assume that professional thugs are involved?"

"Maybe not you but possibly people around you, they could just be using you as an example, a warning sign if you will. A way for them to get to who or what they're really after." He rationalized.

Nicole stood on the side, listening intently at what Kevin was explaining. It did make sense to her, but as she took in all the information, her mind was running a mile a minute trying to figure out who or what could possibly be involved in her world that could cause such destruction.

"Ms. Jung." His voice woke her up from her thoughts.

"Sorry. Yes Kevin?" She answers.

"May I ask you some more questions?"

She nods. "Call me Nicole."

He couldn't explain it, but the moment she said that to him his heart skipped a beat. A chance for him to get closer to her. "Alright, Nicole. I just want to know about the people that you surround yourself with."

Nicole took a few seconds to collect her thoughts before answering. "Besides Hara, there's my boyfriend JaeBum, other than that there's no one else really."

"And your boyfriend. What does he do?" Here was his chance to feel out the competition, aside from his work.

"He works at the shipping docks, in some warehouse. I don't really know much else."

"How long has he been working there?"

"I believe a couple of years now. Maybe about two years, maybe a bit longer? I'm really not too sure."

"Anything strange about him working there?"

"What do you mean?" Nicole was a bit confuse what his question.

"Like any weird activities that he might be involved in?"

Nicole was taken aback at his accusation towards JaeBum. "Look Mr. Kim, Jay might work at some fancy office or wears a suit to work each day, but he is an honest man that works hard to provide for himself and myself. Whatever assumptions that you think you have against him because he works in a warehouse can stop here." Her tone defensive.

Kevin was surprise at Nicole's reaction to his question, he felt a bit embarrass at himself for offending her. He felt guilty for crushing his chance to get closer to her. "I'm sorry Nicole. I didn't mean anything negative. Sorry if my question came out wrong. I just..." He stuttered. He took a deep breathe and recomposed himself. "I was just wondering if you have ever seen anything strange that's all."

Nicole releases an understanding sigh. "He does come home with bruises and cuts sometimes. But that's just normal from working at the warehouse."

Kevin was intrigued at her answer. "What type of cuts and bruises?"

Nicole was a bit confuse at his interest in JaeBum's work accidents. "Well, cuts on his lips, his eyebrows, sometimes his nose, bruises on his arms and legs, sometimes even his body. But I think they're just from the vigorous and laborious work that he has to do."

"I see." Kevin nods. "I guess that's all I need. Thank you for you cooperation Nicole. You don't mind if I go down to the docks and ask Mr. Park some questions do you?"

"Why?" Nicole was puzzled at why he needed to get JaeBum involved.

"Just to clarify a few things that's all. Don't worry, it's nothing serious. I just need some more information for the case that's all."
 

-----

"Excuse me." Kevin shouted towards an old man polishing a piece of metal. "Is there a Park JaeBum here?" The old man didn't answer but pointed towards the direction of a giant metal door. "Thank you." Kevin bow and walks off.

He pulls the door open a bit, he walks in to see a whole warehouse of workers standing behind giant machines cutting, polishing, drilling, hammering away on metal pieces. He looks around to see if there was anyone that could help him. He saw a young man standing by the water cooler downing an iced cold bottle of water. He walks over to him.

"Excuse me." The young man turns to him as he wipes his lips. "Is there a Park JaeBum here?"

The young man looks at him. "Who wants to know?"

"I'm from the police department." He shows his badge. "I just need to ask Mr. Park a few questions."

The young man stares at the badge and then back at Kevin. A cautious and suspicious look appears on his face. "Give me a minute." With that the young man walks off. Kevin couldn't do anything but just stand there and wait.

A few minutes passed, Kevin could see the young man coming back with someone following close behind him.

"Hyung, this is the guy that wanted to talk to you. He said he's from the police department." The young man pointed out to JaeBum.

"You're Park JaeBum? I don't know if you remember me. I'm from the police department that's in charge of Ms. Jung Nicole's case? We met about a week ago." Kevin puts out his hand for a shake.

JaeBum eyes him a minute before remembering and shaking his hand. "Ah yes, Mr. Kim is it?"

"Yes. But you can just call me Kevin." Kevin introduces. "Do you mind if we go somewhere to talk?"

JaeBum nodded. "Follow me."

JaeBum walks off as Kevin follows behind. The young man was still standing there, staring suspiciously at Kevin.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" JaeBum begins as he offers Kevin a bottle of water.

"Thank you." He reply as he took the bottle. "I just needed to ask you a few questions about what happened to the shop. Whatever you know would be really helpful."

The two took a seat by a nearby wood plank.

"I don't really know much. All I know is that shop was opened by Nicole and her friend Hara." JaeBum begins.

"How did they start it? Financially."

"They didn't have much money to begin with so I offer part of my savings to help them start it off."

"Then that means they didn't borrow any money from any loan sharks or anywhere else?"

JaeBum chuckles at the thought. "I know Nicole. She would never do anything like that. Even if it takes forever, she would rather use her own strength and hard work to accomplish what she sets herself out to do. The only reason she agreed to use my money was because my deal with her. She promised to pay back what I lent her."

"But aren't you two together, why does she have to pay you back?"

JaeBum laughs at his comment. "I don't need her to, she just wants to because that's just her innocence and honest nature. She doesn't want to feel that she's depending on anyone. Ever since their shop opened, every little profit that she makes she actually puts it aside and puts it back in to my original savings." He laughs at himself at the thought.

"May I asked where you got enough money to lend it to her?"

JaeBum turns and looks at Kevin at his questions. He looks away and stood up. "It's from all my years of saving. I promised myself that I would do whatever it takes to care for Nicole the rest of my life." He leans over and looks at Kevin. "Whatever that you're thinking about trying to get between Nicole and I, you can forget it. We've been together for too long for just anyone to get between us."

Kevin was taken aback at JaeBum's sudden statement. He smirks, "What makes you think I'm trying to get between you and Nicole?"

JaeBum chuckles at his reply, he turns away as he stares out at the docks. "I had the same look when I first saw her."

That one statement made Kevin nervous. He could feel his face burning up from embarrassment, but he was not about to show it. "Whatever you think about me trying to move in on your relationship with Nicole is completely false. I'm just here to help her find the culprit who committed the crime." He took a deep breathe as he compose himself. "I might have some more questions for you so take care of yourself Mr. Park. Don't get too hurt at work. Nicole worries about your injuries on the job." He stood up from his seat.

"How do you know about that?"

"She told me." He smiles back at JaeBum's question. He begins to walk but sudden stops, he turns and looks at JaeBum's puzzled expression. "But from what she describes of your injuries, it seems to me more like human contact injuries rather than work related injuries. Well, thank you Mr. Park, I'll see you again soon." He turns around and walks off. "Be careful at work JaeBum."

Kevin has his assumptions at what JaeBum is really up to, but again, he doesn't have any solid prove of anything. Before he jumps to any conclusion he has to figure out this whole puzzle first before concluding his final conclusion. But there is one thing he knows for sure, he is falling for Nicole. Falling hard.
 

-----

Kevin's questions about JaeBum repeated in her mind, the answers that she gave repeated itself. She was now trying to figure out what JaeBum is really doing. She begins to question herself about her own judgment on the man that she's been living with for so long. Has she become so trusting that anything he tells her she will believe?

The opening of the apartment door woke her from her thoughts.

"Hey babe." He walks over to her and place a kiss on her forehead.

She smiles meekly at him. "How was work?"

He let out an annoyed sigh. "That Kevin Kim came by. He asked me all these stupid questions telling me that the answers might help with the case." He complains as he took off his button-down uniform. "I don't know why he needs to get me involved." He drops himself on the couch next to Nicole in his tank top.

Nicole looks over at him for a few seconds. "He says that the destruction might have been caused because of some sort of gang trying to get to someone that Hara or I know."

He turns his head towards her direction. "Does he think that someone is me?"

"I don't know. He said it could be anyone. But besides Hara, you're the only other person that I'm close with."

JaeBum chuckles arrogantly at the thought. "So what you're saying is you and him thinks I'm the cause of all this?"

"I'm not saying that, he just wants to take all precautions possible for the case."

"Why are you defending him so quickly." JaeBum was getting a bit annoyed with Nicole's defensiveness over Kevin. "It's like he has implanted warped thoughts about me to make you not trust me anymore."

"He's trying to help Hara and I. There's nothing to defend anyway, I never said anything about him accusing you. Why are you getting pissed at something so trivial. What makes you think he has such affect on me that I'll change what I think about you? Why would he need to do so?" Nicole was getting annoyed with how the conversation is going as she stood up from her seat.

"You don't think he has other intentions with you?" He blurted out without a single thought.

"What other intentions?" Nicole took a deep breathe. "Even if he does try anything, what makes you think I would let him? Some trust you have in me." She challenged.

"What about you then? Do you really think that I'm involved in this?"

"You want me to be honest?" She stares at him. They stood face to face with each other. "I do. I'm starting to think that maybe someone is out to get you and they're using me to get to you."

JaeBum smirks at her answer. "Some trust you have in your boyfriend."

"I trust you wholeheartedly, I trust you so much that it sometimes scares me to know that you could be anywhere doing anything and I would have no way to know if you're really being trustworthy. I hold on to the trust I have in you to get me through."

"I can't believe it took just one day for some stranger to implant negative thoughts in your head about our relationship."

"Where are your bruises and scars really from?" She blurted out.

He was taken off guard with her sudden question. "What are you talking about?"

"Those bruises and scars that you come home with. I know that not all of them are from the warehouse. Where are they really from?"

JaeBum smirks once again. "Is this from his influence again?"

"Just tell me." Nicole was almost pleading. "Just tell me, I'll believe you. Jay."

He stares at her, her eyes begins to fill with tears. It pained him to see her like this. How the hell could he let her know. He was just pissed off at Kevin for influencing her and putting such negative thoughts in her head. He took a deep breathe. He grabs hold of her hand as he holds it tightly. "Just know that it's all because of us. These bruises and scars are for us. There's nothing you need to worry about."

She took her hand away from his. "That's not answering my question. Please Jay, I'm not accusing you of anything, I just want you to be save. I love you too much to lose you." Tears begins to flow down her cheeks.

JaeBum cups her face as he wipes away her tears. "I love you too. I will never leave you. Nothing can make me leave you."

She slowly pushes herself away from him as she steps back. Her eyes still filled with tears as she stares at him. He stares back as she took her steps back.

"I need to be by myself tonight. I'm gonna go to Hara's." She headed for the door as he tries to grab hold of her hand. "Please Jay, give me time to think."

"Nicole..." He trails off as she closes the apartment.

He sits in the dark lonely apartment as he thought about what she had asked him. All the fights that he was in just to provide for himself and her has now turn on him. A single conversation from a complete stranger has now caused their relationship to turn. He cursed Kevin Kim for creating such a mess of everything. As he sits in the apartment, everything that Kevin and Nicole had said replay continuously in his mind. Maybe someone is trying to get to him and they're doing it through Nicole. But what could it be? Then suddenly.

"Don't think this is the end." A threatening tone.

That one last statement echoed in his mind.