#Case020 – 「Bloody Morning」

“Annyeong jagiya~ Good morning!”

An elegant lady with her sophisticated fashion was walking out from her car that she had already parked it carefully in one of the parking lot in this basement parking area. She was talking on the phone while flashed her beautiful smile whenever her lover on the other line of the phone cracked some jokes, or even said some lovely words to her.

“I had arrived to my workplace.” She replied firmly. “I know that I’d come a bit earlier than anyone else.” And once again, curled up to form a smile.

She kept her focus more in looked to the parking lot number which she parked her car just now. She peered to the side and looked for the automatic entrance door that headed to the building of her workplace.

“Jagiya...I’m just got out from my car right now and-“

CREAK

Suddenly her black leather boots did step on something, which was proved to be some sort of liquid. Quickly she averted her gaze to it and stared to it long enough.

The liquid was crimson red in colour. And it’s kind of thick.

Her eyes then automatically went up slowly – followed the track of the red liquid – right until she saw a figure that wasn’t afar from her stature right now, was lying on the cold concrete floor.

She was getting curious by the figure; and also for the liquid; so she went up to the figure cautiously. When she had been steps ahead towards it, the smell of her surroundings became so unpleasant until she had to close her nose with her free hand.

PLAK

Her eyes opened wide. And left agape. While for the phone that she still held just now right next to her ear was already fell in its full speed to the cold concrete floor.

“Hello? Honey? Are you still there? Honey~”

She could felt was parched and it became hard to breathe. Her legs even took a step, two steps backward until finally she tripped and landed on the floor, with her eyes still fixed to the unconscious figure.

As her tumble did gave her a bit of shock across her body, she finally could made to her sense back – which finally she realized that the thick, crimson red liquid was no other than....

Blood.

And the unconscious figure in front of her eyes was....

A lifeless body.

“AHHH!!!!!!!!!!”

Gunwoo just stared to Eunhwa’s house with a vacant looks. He was in his car since yesterday’s night, when he sent Eunhwa back home. Deep in his heart, he was really worried about Eunhwa.

He didn’t know the reason why; but he still felt like he somehow had to protect her.

By any means.

“Waa~” Gunwoo yawned and stretched his both hands a little bit as he started to feel stiffened. He even tilted his head to both side and opened his eyes as wide as he could to avoid himself from fell asleep.

He was indeed barely having a sleep last night, as he kept watching over Eunhwa from outside her house.  He was really afraid that Eunhwa would do such a sudden act like drowning herself into the lake once again without his surveillance.

He let out a sigh and slowly closed his eyes, when the memory of yesterday when he was sending her back home entered his mind...

It’s a quiet journey as both Gunwoo and Eunhwa decided to just mute themselves. Gunwoo stayed focus on the road while for Eunhwa; she just stared to the scenery outside the car from the windows. Gunwoo then shifted his gaze to the rear-view mirror, in order to see Eunhwa that insisted to sit at the back of the car.

“Err...Miss Jung? Do you still feel cold? You want me to rise up the heater?” Gunwoo’s voice was full with concern as he worried that she will fall sick after this.

“Oh?” Eunhwa shoulders lifted a little as she was stunned by Gunwoo’s questions just now. “N-no. It’s okay...I guess.”

“Are you sure?” Gunwoo asked her once again. Eunhwa fervently nodded as her response.

“If you say so... Okay.”

“The lake...it did keep a lot of my memories. Mostly are happy memories with my fiancé.” As Gunwoo just started to stop talking to her in order to give her own space to have a rest, Eunhwa started to say something. It’s as if she whispering it to herself, but it was could be heard clearly by Gunwoo.

“Your fiancé? Is it possibly Yoo Youngjae sshi?” Gunwoo cautiously said out Youngjae’s name as he didn’t want Eunhwa to feel sad.

“Yes.” Eunhwa paused herself for a moment. “He is my fiancé. The person that I love so much.”

Gunwoo nodded. He now understood Eunhwa’s feelings for a bit.

“And I’m kind of missing him and also my brother too. That’s why I went to the lake...to recall back their death that is officially two years by now.” Eunhwa averted her gaze back to the car window, looked for her own melancholy image.

Then, she sobbed slowly into tears. And Gunwoo could felt his heart hurt so much to see the fragile side of Eunhwa from his rear-view mirror.

He felt as if he was going to cry along with her too....

Suddenly, his phone rang loudly; which made Gunwoo finally came back to the reality. He was flabbergasted by the sudden incoming call before let out a hard sigh. He then took his phone and read for the caller ID on the screen.

‘도신우 사장님’ / ‘Chief Do Shinwoo’

As soon as he slides the ‘answer call’ button to the right, he could hear his chief’s voice from the other side of the call. “Detective Lee Gunwoo. Where have you been last night right after you reported that Miss Jung Eunhwa had been found safe?”

“I’m sorry for not telling you earlier about it, Chief. But I’m staying outside our prime suspect house...because I think it’s my responsibility to take care after her safety.” Gunwoo honestly gave his chief a solid reason about his location since last night, along with the reason as well.

“I see.” Chief Do paused himself for a second. “By the way, I’m afraid to tell you that I’m going to tell you a bad news.”

Gunwoo puckered his eyebrows. “Bad news? Is Madman....”

“Yes, you’re absolutely right. This time, he got Angel Air’s President under attack.”

Eunhwa slowly unfurled the curtains in her bedroom and took a look outside. Her reactions were really expressionless; as if she was a mannequin.

The alive one.

She stared to a black sedan car that was parked in front of her house. Or the car’s owner to be exact.

She was looking to Gunwoo.

“He’s still here...” Eunhwa muttered under her breath. Then, she glanced to a clock that is hanging on the wall of her bedroom. It’s already 5 am in the morning. Slowly, she put back the curtains to its position and went to the kitchen.

Eunhwa actually had looked for Gunwoo since last night, when she was going to have a deep sleep. She wanted to check for the window’s lock and saw Gunwoo that had closed his eyes for a bit in his car.

And now, she decided to make up an early breakfast for herself and also Gunwoo.

“I hope he will like this.” She whispered to herself, as she hoped that he would love to have an early breakfast with her, inside her house.

Eunhwa was actually really wanted to invite him to her house but as it was already in the midnight, she had to threw away her intention as she was also sure that Gunwoo won’t be pleased by the invitation either.

She just made a simple breakfast for both of them. And it took only about 30 minutes to complete the breakfast and served it on the dining table. After she had tidied herself for a bit, she went to the front door to find Gunwoo.

“Oh? Where is he?” She turned around and tried to scan for Gunwoo’s black sedan car but it was nowhere to be found. She tried to find it once again around her house but still, he wasn’t there anymore.

“Most probably he is busy...” Eunhwa slowly stated to calm herself before hugged herself as the soft wind morning breeze made she felt a sudden chill of the cold temperature of Seoul city. Then, she slowly walked up back to her house and stared to the meal and also a bowl of rice that she had prepared for Gunwoo.

“Why I felt like it’s a loss though?” She lifted her hand gradually until it touched her chest. She could felt her fast heartbeat rate. “I’ve never felt this kind of feeling with someone else...other than Youngjae.”

‘Is this feeling is....love? No....it can’t be.’

“Jung Eunhwa ahh...don’t you love me even once? You don’t feel the same way as I am?”

“Himchan...” Her lips trembled as soon as Himchan’s image last two years ago flashed through in front of her eyes. She suddenly remembered back Himchan’s figure that she saw last night, near the lake.

Which he was the reason that she kept going forward to the lake.

Eunhwa shook her head, tried her best to forget about his silhouette. But she was pretty sure that she wasn’t in hallucination – which meant that everything she saw was real.

Then, she cupped her face and slowly whispered to herself a question that she wouldn’t get a quick answer in the moment though.

“No way.... He’s still alive?”

“Why you want to go for work a bit early today, Channie ahh?” Jieun that was busy preparing some side dishes for their breakfast was asking Himchan that was pouring some orange juice into a glass.

Himchan then took a gulp of the juice before answering Jieun’s question. “Nothing. I just want to change slightly my arrival time. That’s all.”

Jieun nodded. Then, she felt that there was someone gave her a sweet hug from behind; which was a kind that she dreamt of so much from Himchan. She couldn’t help but to smile for it.

“Eunnie ahh.” Himchan whispered softly to her ears. “Why you resemble Sooyeon in most things? Even now...you do look like her from behind though...”

Jieun’s face quickly changed. She couldn’t smile anymore; all she could was freed herself from the hug and turned around to meet Himchan’s confused face. “Channie ahh. I know that you still couldn’t forget Sooyeon but...” She took a deep breath for a while before continued her sentences. “Can you please look at me as Song Jieun? Not as substitute of Jung Sooyeon?”

Himchan was taken aback by her words. “I-I never mean that! I mean yes, you’re almost like Sooyeon but I’d never thought you as Sooyeon, or even her substitute. You’re Song Jieun that I knew before, and you’ll always be. It’s just....” He let out a sigh from his mouth. He really hoped that Jieun will understand his situation right now, deep in his heart. “Please give me some time to accept you as my...lover, can you?”

Jieun shifted her gaze towards the soup pot on the stove. “Breakfast will be ready in a minute. Please wait in the dining hall. I’ll bring it by myself.”

Himchan just muted himself and went away from the kitchen area after he had given his last looks to Jieun. He knew that she was currently mad with him, so he took a decision to give out some space for her to think about it.

And his phone was ringing after soon he left the kitchen, and headed to the dining hall.

‘미스터 경찰’ / ‘Mr. Police’

“Gunwoo yah! Why are you calling me this early hmm?” Himchan greeted Gunwoo with a happy tone in his voice right after he pressed the ‘answer call’ virtual button.

“Himchan ahh.” But Gunwoo voice was in his usual stern mode, which made Himchan stunned by it. “I have something so important to tell you.”

Himchan corrected a bit of his necktie before replied. “What kind of news? Come on... Just tell me about it. It must be so important until you call me this early....”

“Your boss – I mean, President Hong...was being found dead at the basement parking area which we believed that he was the newest victim of Madman.”

“Mwo?!” Himchan almost yelled as soon as he heard the news. His moves had become wobbled until he got to press his hand onto the wall to have some support for his sudden numb body.

“And you got to be here; in Angel Air for now. We need to meet some executives regarding this matter which includes you too, Himchan ahh. I’m so sorry to hear the incident that happened to Angel Air personally.” Gunwoo’s voice descends as he sent his condolences to Himchan for President Hong’s death.

“Okay. I’ll be there in minutes.” Himchan quickly off the call and went to take his coat before he went straightly to the front door without even glanced to Jieun, who was just wanted to prepared the breakfast on the dining table.

“Himchan ahh! Kim Himchan!” Jieun tried to call for him, but as he couldn’t hear it, he hopped into his car and drove away after he started the engine. Jieun just could stare to the metallic purple’s car slowly faded away from her view and let out a disappointed croon.

‘How can he just go away without even told me the reason why....?’

Soojung was on her way downstairs when she suddenly heard a medium-pitched yell near the dining hall.

“Mwo?!”

As she felt somewhat curious by it, she tiptoed her way near to the dining hall and saw Himchan was talking on the phone with his stern reaction. Then, without any seconds to be delayed, Himchan quickly went out from the house with his coat in his grip.

“Himchan ahh! Kim Himchan!” Soojung then quickly shifted her gaze towards Jieun as she heard that Jieun called for Himchan. After that, she looked to Jieun’s back side while smirked.

“Seems like there’s someone who is quite frustrated here.” Soojung coldly gave out her view, which made Jieun hurriedly gave out a glare to her.

“Mwo? Me?” Jieun almost snapped towards Soojung, but she’s still managed to control her anger.

“Hmm...I’m just saying ‘someone’ and I don’t think that I’d refer it to you.” Soojung turned around to go to the dining hall with Jieun that trailed her in a quick pace from behind.

Her face was scarlet with anger.

“Don’t you mess with me, Jung Soojung sshi.” Jieun gave a firm warning to Soojung, but Soojung just ignored it and looked for the breakfasts on the table with her eyes widen.

“Wow. This is a grand breakfast after all.” Soojung took out a chair before she sat onto it with a slight smile on her face. “Well Jieun sshi, these foods is a pity if been wasted as Himchan oppa wasn’t here, so let’s both of us just eat all these.”

“Both of us?” Jieun smirked. She didn’t think that Soojung would refer to both of them for the breakfast. “What can I say – I did this breakfast special for Himchan...and you see I didn’t make your part at all.” Jieun showed to two bowls of rice on the table to Soojung.

It’s Himchan’s and hers only.

“Oh.” Soojung then quickly stood up and looked to Jieun’s triumphant face with her icy stare. “Do you possibly mean that these are not for me? I’m sorry. No offense.” She even put both of her hands up on the air, signaled that she won’t touch the foods.

Jieun smiled slyly. “Well, do you want to eat some of it? But what can I do...it’s such a pity that you couldn’t join me-“

“Well, Song Jieun sshi.” Soojung slowly approached Jieun before smirked. “This kind of breakfast isn’t my style after all.” Then, she hit Jieun’s shoulder a bit before headed out from the house to her car with a big grin on her face.

She’s really happy to see Jieun’s stunned and unsatisfied face by her words just now.

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

Btw, the poster for this story is finally up! I'm so happy~  ^^

And I'm so sorry for the late update, as I'm quite busy these days...

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