#Case002 - 「Past and Present」

The phone rang which made him almost drop the picture that he was looking at. He quickly kept the picture and took his phone out to look at the caller ID.

‘수정 아’ / ’Soojung ahh’

“Soojung ahh. Why are you calling me?” Himchan asked the caller, which he had thought was his own family member.

“Oppa! I’m so scared!” Himchan’s expression quickly turned stern as Soojung’s voice was shaky; as if she was crying.

“Soojung ahh....it’s okay. Tell me, what did make you scared, hmm?” Himchan tried to but failed. For this time, he could hear her sobbing clearly.

“The killer. My sis's killer....is still free out there and killed another innocent person! I-I don’t know whether I should feel mad or scared. It’s just...I remembered my sis for a moment. I-I miss her.” Soojung cried out loud as she could. She did seem like a strong-willed person but inside, she was just a girl that lost all her family members. Including her sister lately.

Himchan couldn’t bear to hear Soojung cry any longer. His face was gloomy. “H-how do you know it’s your sis’s killer? What has he done? Another victim?”

“I just heard the police talk about it. And I feel bad now. Really bad.” She stopped for a bit. “Oppa. Should I follow sis? She must be living happily up there in heaven.” Himchan’s eyes opened wide as soon as he heard Soojung’s sentences.

“No! Don’t! Jung Soojung! Listen to me!” He took a long breath before he continued his sentences. “Your sis surely doesn’t want you to follow her. And please – I beg you – please don’t say stuff like that anymore, ne? It’s not only you who has to work hard after her death. I...am also working hard to live as normal as I can. Jebal....we must be strong, arasso?”

“Arasso. I just said things without thinking about you, oppa. I’m so sorry. I wouldn’t say such nonsense in front of you ever again oppa. I promise.” Then, suddenly there was a knock at his door and his secretary gave a cue ‘Something important came up’ to Himchan. Himchan nodded his head.

“Soojung ahh....It seemed that I have to hang up for now. See you later!”

“Okay. See you later, oppa.”  

TUT

His secretary then came in and handed him a small piece of paper. Himchan read the writing on it.

“What is this for?” He quickly turned to look into his secretary's face while an eyebrow lifted automatically.

“It’s an order from the President. He told me to give it to sir. Plus, he said that sir will know what he meant by it.” He looked to the small paper once again and threw it in the dustbin which was located beside his feet.

“Tell President that I got it.” Himchan quickly took out his coat and walked out from his office.

“Club Mao.” He sighed slowly. Then, his eyes suddenly saw a pair of wild eyes looking at him behind a tree that was not far from his place. He tried to look at it one more time.

There was no one looking at him anymore.

“Miss Jung Eunhwa! Miss Jung! Can you hear me?” Eunhwa opened her eyes slowly and saw all the female teachers gathering around her with a worried face.

“Where am I? What am I doing here? Ouch!” As soon as she wanted to move her head in order to get up, she moaned in pain.

The headache was still stinging her.

“I found you in the bathroom. You fainted. Don’t you remember?” She tried very hard to remember the situation that happened to her before. Then, she got the dreadful imagination once again. The bloody scene that kept haunting her life.

“Miss Jung....your face looks pale and you’re sweating a lot. Please do take the rest of the day off, ne? If you still aren’t going well, make sure you go to the hospital okay?” Suddenly, one of the teachers held Eunhwa’s hands.

Eunhwa looked at her friend with tired eyes. “Arasso Madam Choi. Thank you so much for your understanding. I’ll get going first then.”

Eunhwa slowly waked up from the bed and went to her car which was parked outside of the school building. After she bid goodbye to several of her friends, she drove away without knowing where she was heading to. It’s not the road that she usually uses to go back home.

It’s another road....but it's familiar - somewhere deep in the bottom of her heart.

She stopped her car aside and got out slowly from the car. The traffic was quite fast. There was a lot of cars and a motorbike that went through passing the place where she stood at. It’s like her own time had stopped as she just stood there and did nothing at all.

“My love... Oppa....” She began to weep loudly as much as she wanted to. There was no one was looking to her like she’s already in her own world.

“It’s been already 2 years after your death....my only love.” She sat on the pavement as both of her legs became weak to support her sadness while whispering slowly to herself. “I miss both of you. Very much.”

“Detective Lee.” Suddenly, there was someone tapping Gunwoo’s shoulder. It’s his chief; Chief Do Shinwoo. “What do you think of the case? Was our victim here, had been killed by the same person that killed Jung Sooyeon the week before?”

Gunwoo took a look at the cold body in front of him. He was already at the post-mortem room to have a forensic analysis of the victim. “I don’t want to make a speculation. But...I think it is the same killer because of the way he killed this victim. It's really alike with....”

He seems hesitant a bit to continue on with his sentence. “Jung Sooyeon.”

“Detective Lee. I know it must be hard for you to say her name right? As she was your best friend’s fiancé.” Gunwoo bowed his head and his eyes stared at the floor.

He felt somewhat sorry.

“Detective Lee! I found the information about the victim!” As he opened his mouth, came in one of his loyal officers with a management file in his hands. He quickly took it from his officer and read it.

“She’s still in high school and most pity is, this year she’s going to take the SAT exam.” Gunwoo’s officer expressed his sympathy to the victim that was so young, but yet so innocent. “I wonder why she had been killed....”

“Kim Eunyoung. She was born in a rich family and studies at one of the most prestigious schoosl in Seoul, SeungRi High School.” Gunwoo finally said something about the girl. “I bet there’s something there that could help us in solving the case.”

“That’s right. So, I bet you can handle this case. Can't you? Make sure that the killer will be arrested as fast as you can, Detective Lee.” Chief Do smiled with pride to his excellent team.

Gunwoo then bowed to his chief. “I’ll investigate it and make sure this case will be solved in a short time. As fast as possible.”

“Good. By the way Detective Lee, I think you should think about the actual purpose of the killer. Then, maybe you could find some link behind all these serial murder cases.” Chief Do’s voice sounded serious and bold. His face was full with determination. He would ensure that the culprit goes to jail!

Soon after that, Gunwoo left the room along with his officer to go to SeungRi High School. They must move in a hurry. Even a second was really important for them.

They were racing against time.....

Soojung stared at his smartphone with a blank face. She was not smiling at all. She just didn’t have the heart to smile.

“What have I just done? Oh my....” She held her forehead and massaged it slowly. “I must be so crazy to be so selfish and tell Himchan oppa that I wanted to die....”

She closed her eyes and let her hair brush against her face. The blow of wind...how she just wished it to make her sadness fly away from her mind. She didn’t want to think about it – not because she hated her sister – but, it’s because she loved her....very much; maybe even more than herself.

When her sister was gone, it’s as if a part of her had gone too as well.

“Soojung ahh!!” She quickly turned around to see her news crew, which was her friends, were waving hands to her from afar. “Ppalli come here! We’re going back to SBC!”

Miraculously, Soojung was able to smile eventhough it looked quite feeble. “I’m coming!” She quickly ran to hop on the van and then she spent her time looking outside the windows.

Real life is cruel.

It’s still fresh in her mind; when her only sister smiled and always patted her head. Her touch felt real even right now. It’s so hard to let these memories go.

“Soojung. Sooyeon. Forever Jung sisters.”

Her lips trembled as she whispered those sentences. The sentences which was her sister’s and her favourite. Where Soojung was, there would also be Sooyeon and Soojung was always there for her sister, Sooyeon.

Silently, her tears rolled down drop by drop like beads – without anyone discovering it.

Petite_Star's Corner : Feel free to give comments for this chapter. Thank you~ :)

Oh! And thanks for my first 4 subscribers - Stanca, SecretBAPBunny, inspirityeoja & tabiwabi ♥ ^^