“So what did you find out?” Seung Heon asked as he packed his suitcase, “You haven’t said anything since we ran out of school.”

You sighed and stopped packing, “The killer… he is copying Slender man.”

“Slender man? I remember playing that with some friends. OH! The killer has the same MO.”

You pursed your lips together, “Yeah. Now it is really connected to the cyber unit.”

“So that’s why we’re packing in a hurry, you want to terminate this undercover thing.”

You folded your clothes and despondently put them in your suitcase.

“Seung Heon oppa…”

“Hmm?”

“Do you think we might be rushing through this? I mean, we haven’t checked in with Kwangsoo oppa or the team and we’ve already started packing.”

“Jenny, living with you for the past few months, I’ve learnt that your gut feelings are usually the real deal.”

Furrowing your eyebrows, you zipped up your suitcase.

“Maybe we should check up with Kwangsoo oppa first,” Seung Heon suggested.

“It’s like you took that thought straight out of my head.”

You and Seung Heon sat down together and called the office.

-------Video call-------

*Kwangsoo waves to the camera*

Kwangsoo: What’s up you two?
You: We think the killer is copying a 2012 horror game, Slender man.
Seung Heon: Yeah, the MO fits and we just want to know if there is any connections with Slender man and the victims.
Kwangsoo: Okay… but… why aren’t you two at school?

*You turn the phone around to show Kwangsoo that you were packing to leave*

Kwangsoo: You two are planning to come back?
Seung Heon: We thought that we would be more help if we were at headquarters rather than studying for university exams.
Kwangsoo: I guess if that’s what you two want… let me just ask Jong Hyun and Jae Kyung first.

*The data analysts join the video call*

Jong Hyun: Hey, what do you guys need?
Jae Kyung: *frowns* You two are coming back?
Seung Heon: Can you two please check if any of the school’s alumni have connection to the game…
You: Slender
Seung Heon: Right.
Jong Hyun: Hmm… *types away* I am crossing checking everything but… the internet is a big place…

*You shook your head*

You: This won’t do. I think we need to stay at the school a bit longer, just to narrow down the witch hunt.
Kwangsoo: It’s okay if you two just want to stop. We haven’t gotten much anyways. The list of possible suspects all turned out to be negative. Lee Dae Soo left Korea two years ago and has not come back. Kang Jun Hyun… well… we have no evidence to arrest him. Not even for a warrant.
Jae Kyung: We can’t prove he’s innocent but we can’t prove he’s guilty either.
Jong Hyun: Sorry guys…
You: Don’t be. Just… Just keep in mind that in the game, there are eight notes and we’ve only gotten three. We need to find the killer soon before he strikes again.
Kwangsoo: Don’t take this case too personally, Jenny. Keep work and personal life separate.
Jong Hyun: Don’t worry, we were all like that for our first big case. Anyways, you two go and narrow the field and we’ll see what we can do.
You: Thanks guys.
Everyone: Bye

---------End of video call----------

“I guess you’re stuck with me just a little bit longer?” you joked.

Seung Heon playfully frowned, “Really?!”

You nudged Seung Heon and laughed, “Imagine if we stayed like this our whole life.”

“Do you want to do some investigating?” you asked Seung Heon.

“But-but we’re high school students.”

“High school students can do high-school-style investigating.”

Seung Heon narrowed his eyes at you, “What do you mean?”

~~~~~~Later~~~~~~

“Umm… are you sure we can do this?”

You pulled your cap down and boosted yourself over the wall surrounding Han So Ri’s house.

You reassured Seung Heon, “We technically have a warrant and it’s night time, no one is going to know.”

You jumped down into Han So Ri’s front yard and dusted your hands off, “We just need to see the crime scene in person.”

 Seung Heon jumped down next to you and furrowed his eyebrows, “Let’s start investigating then.”

You put the torch in your mouth as you put on latex gloves and handed a pair to Seung Heon.

Seung Heon walked off towards the house and you followed behind, pointing your torch around the front yard.

“So this Slender man guy, he likes to play psychological warfare with his victims before killing them?”

“Yeah. There must have been some signs that Han So Ri got harassed. She must have left something.”

You and Seung Heon reached the front door and you pressed the pin into Han So Ri’s house.

“How-?”

You smiled sheepishly, “I’m a genius hacker?”

Shining the light into the small hallway, Seung Heon observed the area. The house reminisced a high school student’s room. Filled with stuffed toys, posters of male idols and inspirational quotes in a pastel setting, it was difficult to digest that fact that she was bullied and brutally hunted down and murdered.

“Do you think she has recorded any of it?” you asked.

“I don’t know but I guess that’s why we’re here. Now I can show you my skills.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, like I can tell you right now that she possibly hid something under the floor.”

“Really?”

Seung Heon stomped his foot and the ground echoed. Impressed, you stepped back and let Seung Heon lead the search.

“Find a place where it sounds less hollow than the other.”

“You think she would have left something in the wall?”

Seung Heon puffed up his cheek, “She could but imagine how difficult the tenant would be with the bond if they knew she made a hole in the wall.”

You nodded, in agreement, and felt for moving tiles.

“So… how long have you been a detective?” you asked Seung Heon.

Seung Heon giggled, “You don’t like working alone do you?”

You pouted, “Not when I have someone capable to work with.”

“I joined the academy when I was 25. I graduated two years later and got placed into the cybercrime unit while I waited for a position on the homicide team.”

“25? Isn’t that a bit late for the police academy?”

Still searching around the house, Seung Heon became mute. His mind rushed between telling you about his past or not. Feeling the changed atmosphere, your lips parted, getting ready to speak.

“I just didn’t realise that my duty was to serve the country until I was 25…”

Seung Heon leaned forward, pressing on the floor, “So Jenny, what’s your reason?”

“I joined because a long time ago, a really close friend of mine was kidnapped… I used my computer skills to catch the creep behind the kidnapping. Remembering back to the horrible feeling of knowing that her life was at risk… I didn’t want that to happen to anyone.”

“Ahh… so that’s why you came here with honours.”

You laughed, “Nah… the academy doesn’t know about that. I didn’t get any special treatments.”

Tapping your way into Han So Ri’s room, you heard a creak as you walked underneath the door frame. You crouched down and knocked on the floor.

“I think this might be it…” You put the torch on the ground and began pulling the wooden plank open.

You gritted your teeth together and pushed your leg against the door frame as you pulled on the wooden plank.

“Urgh!”

You fell backwards and Seung Heon helped you up. “You okay?”

“I’m all good.”

You and Seung Heon treaded over to the hole in the floor and glanced down. A moment of silence washed through the house as both of you stared, mouths gaping at the new piece of evidence.

“Holy crap…”