“Wait here,” Luhan ordered before heading back the way they’d come.

The road was almost as deserted as it had been when they first arrived. Random passersby were strolling around and Luhan spotted tourists with large backpacks walking around. Turning to his left he spotted the main road and started toward it. Five steps forward brought him to a halt when police sirens echoed loudly nearby.

Everyone behind him seemed to still with time as they searched around for where the noise was coming from. Luhan also looked around with them before he recalled Namjoo in the alley.

#####

Namjoo opened to call after Luhan, but he’d already disappeared around the corner. Biting her lower lip she took a step away from the pile of garbage wondering who the hell would leave an animal’s dead body around like this and why. 

There was a stench of fresh meat in the air and Namjoo thought she might give in to vomiting, but was quickly thrown off guard when she heard voices coming from toward the clubs further down. Her eyes quickly wandered the empty intersection before her and thought she spotted the shadows of two men speaking in low hushed whispers. She was about to go after them, but stopped upon hearing police sirens and a dozen pair of footsteps pounding against concrete. A wild second later a troop of uniformed policemen were turning her way.

Confused, Namjoo peered behind her wondering what was going on and where Luhan had gone. As the police neared she stepped back when she saw the revolvers in their hands. This definitely wasn’t a good hour for her to be there. Something must have happened…or already happened. She didn’t want to get tied up into trouble in a country outside her home because that would just be too much.

Swerving around Namjoo began to step back the way she’d come, but came to a quick halt when another group of policemen appeared.

“I thought the call said there was two,” one of the officers with dark toned skin asked.

“Get someone to clean this up,” the officer in charge with several medals pinned to his chest ordered before turning to look at her.

He had the eyes of serious businessmen who liked to get down to work right away. A stern glare existed in his eyes and she didn’t think he’d go easy on her just because she was female. On the other hand, Namjoo didn’t like to be taken lightly too, but she didn’t know what was going on and she didn’t have anything to do with this.

“Sorry, but you’re going to have to come in with us,” he grabbed the handcuffs hanging off the side of his belt.

Her eyes slightly widened and she looked around. “I think there’s a mistake…”

“There’s no mistake when you’re lurking on gang territory. No one comes here, Miss,” he grabbed her hands and cuffed them then urged her along.

Gang territory? They’d stepped on gang territory!?

She was swept by confusion. Just what the hell was this!?

#####

There was a tiny crowd gathering in front of the alley. Now that business was about to start customers were walking to and fro. Luhan slid through the gaps between people and spotted a line of officers upfront barring people from going in any further.

“Stay back, sir,” one of the officers gently shoved him back.

“But…” he started and frantically searched the other officers in the alley before he spotted Namjoo’s head. “Namjoo! Namjoo!”

But she couldn’t hear him as they pushed her along. At this rate he would lose track of her. He didn’t know which division these officers came from or which side of town their department was.

Dropping back onto his heels he grabbed the officer in front of him, “Where are you from? Where’s your department?”

#####

With a hand on her arm the officer led her down a white swept hallway paved by yellow toned lights, which made it look a little like her elementary school. The hall was just wide enough for two people to walk side by side  and if there was one coming their way, well he’d probably have to pin himself against the wall like he was the wall and wait for them to pass. On the other hand, this was a very typical police station.

The offices were on a different wing than the officers who went in and out to patrol trouble. She wasn’t sure who she was being brought to see. They stopped for a short second and the officer opened the door before leading her into a tiny old room with run down walls and an old table. A man was sitting on a metal chair waiting for her.  

Namjoo tried to fixate everything into her mind before she’d get interrogated. So the thing was she and Luhan were on gang territory that morning where they discovered the carcass. Someone had supposedly called about the carcass and two people were supposed to have been caught that morning. In conclusion, she’d accidentally become a scapegoat…

Ah…great!

Namjoo felt like throwing her arms up into the air, but remained composed and sat down as ordered. Namjoo observed the particularly round Chief’s face. The mustache above his lip had turned white over time as he aged and didn’t seem to be bothered by it. His hair was thinning out, but it still looked like he put effort into looking good for work. He seemed like a professional at dressing up and fashion seemed to be his strong point as a youth. A pretty boy, yea that was right; a pretty boy. He seemed to be one when he was younger.  

“Was it you who put the pig there?” he questioned. “Are you Tin’s new recruit? Or his girlfriend?”

Namjoo tried not to raise an eyebrow, but her brow flexed up anyway. Who was Tin?

“Answer me.”

“Who’s Tin?”

He eyed her and snorted which simply meant he wasn’t taking her seriously.

“Don’t act stupid with me here. I’ve seen your kind too many times in this room,” the Chief tapped his pen loudly against the desktop. “Do you know it’s a crime to be in possession of any drugs!? What has Tin been teaching you!? Ignorant brats like you should still be in school!”

Namjoo stared at the Chief trying to size him up. If he spoke about Tin like that, did he know him well?

“Are you listening to me!?” he tapped his desk loudly again, staring at her with bulging eyes. “You put the pig there, didn’t you? Who ordered you to?”

“I didn’t put the pig there.” Namjoo calmly eased her answer through her lips.

She could see frustration immediately climb into his face as his eyes shrunk up. From seeing this she assumed that he’d perhaps dealt with these troublemakers for too many times to have any more patience for them. In any case, it wasn’t her place to feel for him, but on the other hand; he was dead set determined to make her the fault for this.  

“What kind of drugs did you smuggle in this time? What did you put in the pig!?”

Drugs…in the pig?

“Answer me, goddammit!” the Chief burst. “You put the pig there, didn’t you? Say you did it and I’ll let you go home with after a night.”

Namjoo almost snorted then realized it’d look really bad. She’d never seen criminals get interrogated, but she’d seen them in bad action. Anything she did to retort against the Chief would make him deem her bad.

“I don’t know anything about the pig.”

This time he slammed his palm against the table so hard that the room almost echoed back at her. “Don’t you dare lie to me! I know you did it! I know your kind! I’ve told you to quit your stuff, haven’t I!? What kind of drugs have you smuggled in, huh!? You’re passing them down in the streets, aren’t you?”

Namjoo only stared back at him.

Pressing both his hands against the tabletop he leaned forward to stare into her face, “Say you did it. You put the pig there. I know you did. If you don’t answer up to me, I’m going to make sure all of you rot in pure hell.”

Pursing her lips together she stared back at him with eyes that wouldn’t back down. Even if he pinned her down and threatened to break her arm, she wouldn’t say it. She knew violence against criminals in the police force was common in some countries, but she swore if he lay a hand on her she’d get his neck. If this was how he conducted his interrogations it suited him right to be so frustrated by his little criminals all the time.  

A knock on the door interrupted and the door opened, “Chief.”

“What is it?”

The officer looked a little agitated, “There seems to be a mix up.”

A frown appeared on the Chief’s face, “What do you mean a mix up?”

The door was suddenly pushed open wider and Luhan ran in.

“What do you think you’re doing!?” the Chief raised his voice.

“He was making a racket downstairs,” the officer rambled.

“Then lock him up!”

The officer nodded immediately and reached for Luhan’s arm, but he immediately pulled out.

“No,” Luhan started, “you’ve made a mistake. We’re just tourists. We were just walking around.”

The Chief seemed to be sizing Luhan up before turning to the officer, “Was he on site this morning?”

“No, sir.”

“Then take him away.”

“Wait!” Namjoo called out and shot up from her chair. “He’s…he’s my husband. He’s just telling the truth.”

The Chief stared at the two of them one by one before tilting his head to the side, “Where’s your ring?”

Namjoo dropped her head down to look at her empty ring finger. Why did their stupid relationship have to be measured by stupid rings? With much difficulty, because her wrists were still cuffed, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her flat I.D. case.

“There’s a picture behind it,” Namjoo told. “We’re not lying.”

They watched the Chief pull out her I.D. and eye the wallet sized family portrait then back to their faces to make sure it was really them. Namjoo saw herself shooting him inside her head before she was finally released. The whole situation was too stupid for words that she couldn’t even mumble a thing as they walked out of the station.

#####

Luhan took caution to keep up with Namjoo in case she wanted to trail off on her own. He was still somewhat in a kind of awe. After all he wasn’t the only one who kept a picture of the family after the divorce. Perhaps Namjoo reminisced as he did from time to time.

They stopped at the green light up ahead and he glanced down at her hand before tracing his empty ring finger.

“Does it hurt?” he questioned.

“What?” she asked without turning to him.

“When they cuffed you.”

“No.”

If her face didn’t show her emotions, her voice usually did and vice versa. This time he could tell that even if her face was plain straight, he could hear it from her tone that she was quite angry. A few dozen cabs of various colors swept the road with the roars of motorcycles and jeeps coloring his view of the street. Once the streetlight immediately flashed orange the life of the street slowly ceased and when the light hit red the crowd moved forward.     

As if in a dance and everyone was moving in unison Namjoo also followed, but he grabbed her arm to hold her back.

“Wait here,” Luhan told before turning around to run off.

He’d seen a jewelry shop a block down on his way here. Dashing across the small paved street brought him to a shiny gray exterior and a glass door. The air conditioning was on full blast when he walked in and the jingle of slow sleepy music was going on overhead. Luhan glanced at all the jewelries displayed in glass cases before walking around to look at them.

There was a gold and silver glow illuminated by the bright lights, which created an illusion of a jeweled palace. The hollowed glow of the lights made him feel like he was in a dream walking through a thin fog and the lights were his way home.

He finally came to a stop in front of simple couple rings on display. When his eyes landed on a gold pair he thought about how strange it was that he was actually standing there…buying rings again.

“Hi, is there anything I can help you with?” a woman in a white blouse with a mahogany blazer questioned.

Luhan slowed down after crossing the street clutching the box in his hand. Namjoo had taken refuge under the shade of a restaurant and was looking bored. Slowly walking forward he kept his lips together and hesitated as he approached. The hands around the box tightened and loosened repeatedly before he forced himself forward.

Namjoo turned when he approached and asked, “Where the heck did you go?”

His mouth began to open, but he couldn’t find the words to say. Instead he held the box out to her and Namjoo only stared at it for a long time before turning away to let out a short laugh of disbelief.

“What the hell’s this?” she questioned unappreciatively. “Wh…you’re wasting money on something stupid? We’re not married anymore, Luhan.”

“Well here we are,” he pointed out. “After today, people are going to think it. It’ll be more convenient for us to move around and we can avoid situations like today’s during our stay here.”

He watched her eye the box.

“Take it as we’re undercover,” Luhan added. “Only you and I know what goes on.” Opening it he told, “They were on sale, so don’t worry about the price and just take it.”

Namjoo eyed the plain gold ring before plucking it out and slid it fast onto her finger. Luhan did the same before asking, “Hungry?”

They grabbed lunch at a nearby deli and talked over their next plan.

“How’d you hear about the clubs?” Luhan started.

“From Sungjae,” Namjoo answered. “The Chief said that alley’s gang territory.”

Luhan eyed her then picked up his sandwich, “Forget the clubs. We can think of something else.”

“Think of what? What else is there to think?”

“Why are you so intent on going there anyway?” Luhan asked. “Still after the wild life even at your age?”

Namjoo’s face contorted up into an expression of disbelief and offended.

“We can just wait till they find us again.” Luhan suggested.

“You’re willing to wait until they mob us? Are you stupid?” Namjoo spat. “We can’t be on the defense all the time, Luhan. Have you not learned anything from being a tactical agent? You can’t wait all the time. Waiting can be the worst move you can pull here.”

“And you think going right out onto gang territory will make us any safer?” Luhan retaliated. “We have no way of getting guns or shields to protect us here and you want to walk right onto their dance floor and ask for their gang leader?”

“Did I say that was the plan?”

Luhan lightly gritted his teeth, “Forget the club. We’ll use that as last resort. Mario won’t be around all the time, but he’ll for sure be calling out the orders. Plus, it’s a better guarantee that we’ll most likely run into Mario’s men than find people who will cooperate with us at that club. And when they find us, we just have to at least get one of his men.”

Namjoo seemed to glare at him and he couldn’t tell if she was really glaring or just staring with narrowed lids.

“Mi Yun’s birthday is coming up, isn’t it?” Luhan wondered. “Lets buy her something and send it back home.”

As they strolled through the store Luhan watched a family with four noisy children walk by; the youngest clutching onto a robot toy. He and Namjoo walked through the store browsing through aisles of stuffed animals, trucks, cars, wooden blocks, dolls, and a lot more. There was so many colors and variety to choose from Luhan didn’t know where to go to first.

“Does she have a favorite color yet?” Luhan asked.

“She still can’t decide between orange, green, or yellow.” Namjoo paused in front of simple teddy bear with a bowtie. “Lets get her something easy and simple to send.” Grabbing the teddy bear off the shelf she grabbed its arm and played with it. “She’s wearing out that bear she keeps carrying everywhere. Lets just get her this.”

Luhan stared at the teddy bear and its black orbs assuming Namjoo didn’t know why Mi Yun always carried that teddy bear with her. As a bedtime story he’d told Mi Yun about the little teddy bear who could fight off demons and bad dreams.

“Bad thing go away?” Mi Yun had asked.

“Yea, they’ll all go away.”

“Bad thing no have mommy and daddy?”

“Yes,” he’d replied, “nothing bad can have us. Your little bear will make sure of that.”   

He didn’t think Mi Yun would have started thinking so deeply already.

“What? You don’t like it?” Namjoo broke into his thoughts.

Waking up, he smiled and shook his head, “Lets get her something else too.”

“Something else?” Namjoo frowned.

Luhan nodded, “A picture.”