Chapter Count: 3/4

“This is new. No toy boy to meet me at the door. What, he’s letting you breathe now?” Were Changmin’s words of greeting as Sooyoung ushered him into her all too familiar apartment. He recalled memories on every surface, some that would turn the ginger playboy’s hair white.

“If you miss him so much, I can call him and you can talk to him personally,” Sooyoung could never understand why he always assumed she’d become unhealthily attached to Kris, and was with him 24/7. Yes, her boyfriend had been around a lot lately to help her with her hand, but was gone just as frequently on business. “How’s the arm?”

“Still screaming for vengeance from that psychotic punk,” with the nerves being hit, it still hurt like a mother but was well on its way to full recovery. They would be scars, but that was just in addition to the others he’d got on the job. “Got the latest?”

“Last I heard, the NDI brought in a profiler and were narrowing down on a pattern,” Sooyoung revealed handing him a mug. If there was something Changmin couldn’t go without, it was coffee. Without it he’d be crankier than a girl going through PMS. Kris didn’t know about her digging into the investigation even though she was suspended, because she didn’t want another argument. “Have they got any new leads?”

He wasn’t surprised that she was digging too. “They’ve got more jurisdictions and a bigger budget. Of course they’ve got new leads.” Yes he was bitter. He and Sooyoung had been working this case for months and found nothing, while Agent Jung and his sidekick Barbie had worked it three weeks and had closed in on a possible lead. Not to mention Agent Jung wasn’t an , Yunho was humble to an infuriating extent that just couldn’t gain contempt.

“Careful Detective Shim, you’re sounding bitter,” Sooyoung teased hearing the grudging admittance she knew all too well. The glare he leveled her was heated. Changmin had always been proud and resented being shown up, and judging by her interaction with him, Agent Jung was a hard man to hate. “You can either sulk about not being first to the punch, or you could tell me what you know.”

Shim Changmin did not sulk. “Who said I’m sulking?” his defensive counter receiving a mocking raised eyebrow for the trouble. Aish, she so lucky I love her. Otherwise… “Other than Park Yunshik and Baek Taekyung who were mere lieutenant pawns, his other victims were part of the unofficial Ring of Power. That is, these guys controlled what deals the government made, what legislation got passed and received all the lucrative tenders.”

“Lee Sungjoon and the boot consignment,” Sooyoung concluded, following his train of thought.

“Geum Dongchil and the substandard low cost housing project and so on,” he confirmed. “To break the cycle of nepotism and bad calls–”

“–you eliminate the ring of power,” she finished the sentence breathlessly. Everything was falling into place now that the missing thread had been found.

“Along with all lieutenants that could possibly ascend to power and re-form the ring when the others have been eliminated,” he added what she hadn’t already concluded herself.

At first glance it had all been systematic elimination and retribution of those who escaped the law’s grasp, but now it was looking more like a blood filled reform campaign. It would have admirable if there were no murders in his wake. “Do they have leads on other possible targets?”

“General Guk: oldest one in the bunch and probably one of its remaining pioneers. His punishable crime that would serve as motive is unknown, but going by the trend I’d say he wasn’t a good man as decelerated.” Changmin was all about justice, but this eye for an eye bull the Archer was pulling was not on with him. What were the NPD, NDI and KIA for if any daring assassin could eliminate the guilty at will?

“Only one?” It was doubtful that General Guk was the last on the list. The ring couldn’t be just the twelve prior hits and Guk.

“These guys have existed for decades without detection. It isn’t easy to identify them. The only reason they found Guk was phone records linking him with Baek,” even if the guy was a country bumpkin, Agent Jung was efficient. “He’s got a battalion of protection on him, in addition to his regular convoy,” he added to assure her.

“Putting him in a reinforced concrete dungeon will be more effective, than that circus.” The skepticism was clear in her voice.

“He’s one guy,” Changmin reminded her. She was giving the guy too much credit. There was only so much the archer could do with a bow and arrow when he was against a slew of bullets.

“A guy that is faster on the bow than you and I on the trigger,” she countered. “He doesn’t just release one arrow at a go, its multiple and they always hit their target, reloading before you can even think to blink,” her voice hard as it was defensive, recalling the night she’d faced him. Her hands tightened around her mug unconsciously.

Her knuckled were stark white against her skin, eyes unseeing as she went to a place he couldn’t follow. With gentle hands Changmin pried her hand off the mug, caressing the small gauze and tapped patch that remained over the cut that was still healing. “We’ll get him, chunsa. You just have to believe that,” his words soft and meaningful when she finally looked at him, managing a small smile.

“What do we have here?” Kris inquired, eyes trained on the hand Changmin was holding. Sooyoung rolled her eyes and was retracting her hand, but Changmin held firm. This guy was trying his patience.

It was just like the chaebol to walk in when not needed. “What does it look like? Your woman and I are having a conversation.”

It was a known fact that Sooyoung hated such possessive labels placed on her, but Changmin was baiting him like the punk he was and Kris couldn’t let it go. “That’s right, my woman. Now, why don’t you run along, she and I have plans.”

Were these two idiots seriously having a pissing match in her apartment, while talking about her like she was an object? They must be crazy. With a resounding smack upside Changmin’s head, she let her ire be known and retrieved the hand he’d been holding on to.

“Aish woman, do you have to hit so hard?” Changmin hissed rubbing his head furiously to relieve the sting. Sure, he deserved it for what he said, but why wasn’t the smug auburn-haired jackass getting one too?

“Don’t smirk, Wu. I’m resisting the urge to throw a mug at you,” Sooyoung warned when she spotted Kris looking all kinds of smug. “If you two want to resolve your issues, don’t do it in my house and involve me,” not mincing words as she spoke.

“You, stop glaring and go. I’ll call you,” she prompted Changmin who was still looking murderously at Kris. He complied, but only to go closer and stared Kris down. They were both tall but Kris was still taller, and much smugger, “Shim!”

“I’m gone.” Why Sooyoung chose the entitled rich brat as a viable lover, Changmin would never understand.

Kris knew he was in for fireworks with the primary target of her anger now gone. He’s probably get smacked too, but damn it, all he could think about was how gorgeous she was when angry.

“Your woman?” it was neither a question nor statement, just a measured utterance.

There was liquid fire in her eyes, arms crossed over her chest and hip tipped to the side. It was the: I’m-about-to-give-you-hell stance. “I’m your man, you’re my woman. Isn’t that what we are?”

Oh he wasn’t talking is way out of this one. “Don’t even try that, Wu. It wasn’t how you meant it and we both know it.”

“He said it. I was only confirming it,” he clarified, pushing of the wall to approach her.

“Let’s get this clear. I’m not an object you can own, I’m a person. Tossing around your possession –” he obviously had intentions to distract her from the topic, but she was having none of it. She placed a restraining hand on his chest to keep him at a distance. “–is something I won’t have. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

--~*+*~-:-o-:-~*+*~--

The NDI had been partially right about the target. Only now there were two Archers instead of one. Both possessed the same deadly precession to be an opportunistic common citizen playing copy cat.

General Guk had been hit at his holiday home in Jeju Island, and the reason for his targeting leaked onto all major online portals. The General had supposedly overseen a botched covert mission in Mainland China, and had gone forth to assassinate the remaining operatives who’d survived to cover up government involvement, labeling them traitors. The Ministry of Defense had scrambled to refute any links to them or the government as a whole, heaping the blame on the now dead General who could not speak for himself.

The other was an aide to the former president, Shin Munjin who forged presidential authorization for the mission to push through, only later framing a young mother of two who’d been a secretary at the time for his indiscretion that had led to her execution. Munjin’s involvement had been surprisingly kept under wraps for the most part.

The families of the black ops team and the secretary received compensation for their suffering as was customary of the Archer. All paid out from the many offshore accounts belonging to the General and Shin. If the government had a conscious, she wouldn’t doubt the clearing of the names of the operatives and secretary from the treason charges in the coming days.

It was overwhelming to know how much filth and corruption existed in their wonderful country. Sooyoung hated that she had a moment of contemplation about whether the Archer’s mission was really unjustified, before she stemmed it down in disgust for even thinking it. The people he killed were unscrupulous monsters of the worst kind, but they had families who were now grieving their loss. Imprisonment was the right course of punishment not homicide.

Sufficed to say waking up that morning was horrible. Sooyoung had thoughts of going in despite suspension and offering her service, but that thought had vanished immediately when she saw her transformed kitchen/dining room.

Covering her table was what could only be described as a comfort food breakfast that smelled as good as it looked. A large vase overflowing with a bouquet of sunflowers, lilies and orchids sat dead center adding vivid color to the extravaganza. A trail of long stemmed tulips led her toward the table.

“I’m new to the relationship and I’m sorry thing, so will you accept the ‘I’m an idiot’ breakfast and give your stupid pretty boy a break? Seriously, last night was hell. With the withdrawal symptoms, tossing and turning –” his words were cut off by her lips covering his own. He didn’t waste time returning the kiss, until they were both breathless. The tulips and his horribly designed I’m an idiot sign forgotten on the floor, “Definitely missed that.”

“I don’t even understand why I keep you,” the affection unable to hid in tone. She hated to admit that the grand gesture tugged all those disgustingly mushy, girly feelings she kept buried, “So cheesy.”

“But you like the cheese,” the smile tugging at her kiss reddened lips said as much. “You love your man’s cheese. It’s adorable and endearing.”

She snorted at him tooting his own horn, but that wasn’t enough to bury the other words, “My man?”

“Your man,” he repeated with all seriousness, guiding her to seat before crouching down and taking her hands in his own. “I’ve never wanted to belong anywhere or to anyone until I met this crazy, stubborn, determined, kick , all round badass cop named Choi Sooyoung. You may hate the possessive words, but for me I’m yours. In all ways possible,” he meant every heavy word. His life had never allowed him the feelings she gave him –the feeling of comfort, love and home. The moment left him exposed, so he added: “no cheesiness intended.”

Now there were heartbeat skipping, eye prickling and stupid fluttering butterflies. When had she become such a gushing girly girl? When you fell in love with him, you moron, was her subconscious’ answer. “Aigoo, this punk,” she peaked his lips. “I love you too, you hopeless fool.”

“Love, don’t say such provocative things to me or you will get –”

“–don’t ruin it, pretty boy,” she’d covered his mouth before he said something that was liable to make the walls blush. “Let’s eat I’m starving.”

The breakfast was good enough to make her forget her earlier troubles, but as it winded down her brain couldn’t help switch back to the case. Her announcement was likely to ruin it.

“I’m going to the precinct to ask the chief to take me off suspension,” she was looking close enough to notice the twitch of his jaw mid chew, before he resumed eating like nothing happened. “Kris –”

“–I can’t stop you, so I won’t try,” he didn’t even want to pay attention to the sinking feeling or the blind panic that run through him at her words. “Just not today, alright?” he softened his tone, adding a smile.

“Kris –” she began protesting.

“ –I know what happened yesterday and you want to jump in as soon as possible, but today just stay suspended with me,” his hand holding hers, thumb brushing her knuckles.

“Tomorrow I’m going back,” was her warning even if she conceded to the request.

--~*+*~-:-o-:-~*+*~--

“What, you’re above wearing clothes now?” Changmin commented on Kris’s lack of a shirt. Who the hell answers the door half ? Did he think this was Canada or something?

“I do wear them, but Sooyoung loves taking them off. So, why bother,” replied with an accompanying smirk that served to get a rise out of the dark haired detective. Actually, he could almost see the steam simmering off her taunt frame, disgust marring his face.

“Does she know you talk about her like this?” the ginger’s careless disregard when he spoke about the intimacies in his relationship with Sooyoung drove him crazy. Or maybe it was imagining the punk touching Sooyoung that made Changmin want to punch a wall.

“Look at this, the kettle calling the pot black. You still flirt with and toss innuendo at my girlfriend, so get off your high horse.” Changmin looked at Sooyoung the way Kris did: with love and the extra hint of longing. Maybe she chose to be oblivious to it, but Kris wasn’t as generous.

“Yah, Kris Wu, do you want to die? What the hell do you think you’re doing answering the door like this?” the woman in question scolded, coming into view to pull him away.

“No need to be worried Soo. Shim isn’t buying what I’m selling,” he assured teasingly, pulling her close all in view of Changmin. “But, I do love you being possessive,” the words spoken in a loud whisper in her ear, making her shiver and Shim fume.

She allowed herself to indulge, before her senses returned. “What I’m trying to do is prevent you from being arrested for indecent exposure.”

“Indecent exposure would be me and you –”

“–if you like your health you won’t finish that statement,” Sooyoung warned, knowing he had no shame in stating things that were publically inappropriate. “I’ll see you when you get back from, Tokyo,” leaving him with a quick kiss to race after Changmin who had already stormed off down the hall without her.

He was surly the entire walk down the stairs obviously having something to say, but holding back. His opinion of Kris was never high, his comments always passive aggressive when it came to her boyfriend.

The tense silence was broken when he saw the twinkle of a gold chain at her neck that hadn’t been there before, tracing it to a pendant he untucked from her shirt. Unbelievable, “He’s got you wearing his mark now?” he asked cynically, noticing the design was similar to the tattoo the jackass branded on his arm.

Sooyoung was too shocked by the contempt and implications to lash out violently. Everyone could judge her, but a friend –a person she shared a special history and present with –serving up such a degrading statement was beyond hurtful. “I’m driving,” she grabbed the keys from his hand in cold control not wanting to even address it.

Changmin’s anger had made him irrational, and he’d spoken without thinking. Damn it, “Soo–”

“Shim just get in the car, and shut up. I don’t care to hear,” right now she couldn’t even look at him without wanting to punch him? Wearing his mark?

--~*+*~-:-o-:-~*+*~--

The task of convincing the chief to let her off suspension was much easier than Sooyoung had anticipated. But then again it could be because the junior detectives were excessively green and were making rookie mistakes that Changmin and she would never make, either way she was happy. Bad news was the Archer case was no longer under his jurisdiction. The only thing the precinct was providing the case was a base of operation for the NDI to work from, and additional units for back up should they need it.

If she was to get back in she’d have to speak directly to Special Agent-in-Charge Jung Yunho. Don’t get her wrong, Yunho was very reasonable, but damn it if he wasn’t annoyingly rational.

“Look, I know we contributed zero to your progress in the investigation–”

“–your detailed reports and analysis helped our profiler narrow down a pattern. Besides, we have a wider jurisdiction and larger budget, it would have been pretty incompetent to turn out nothing with all that under our belt,” Yunho corrected good naturedly.

He didn’t doubt Detective Choi’s smarts or talent. Her track record and current position spoke for itself. Getting to senior detective in your twenties was hard, but being a senior detective and a woman beating the chauvinistic system was something you couldn’t over look. He admired her greatly, but this case was something that hit close. Two of her officers were killed and her partner had been injured, though professional he could help but be cautious about how it might blur lines.

“Well at least you didn’t rub it in my face,” Sooyoung sighed. Most NDI agents were always throwing their weight around, looking down on regular PDs because of inflated ego due to broader jurisdiction. Yunho was a far cry from that norm. He took his job seriously, but offered the same level of respect to anyone working with him –whether NDI or Local PD. He made the federal presence reassuring rather than oppressive. “So you’re letting me down gently?”

“Detective Choi, you’ll get a very small role. I can’t give you anything bigger or on the field because of conflict of interest. If you accept this, I’ll be happy to have you on board. Otherwise…”

“Administrative it is then,” really, a desk jockey? But something was better than nothing she guessed.

“Brain storming,” Yunho said joining her at the board that lay out with everything they had so far, along with possible theories still being worked on. “Do you see anything?”

“The major puzzle pieces have been discovered: possible motive and connection between the targets into a tangible case. All his targets are dead except for Lee Sungjoon, why?” She thought out loud, pointing out the question that was yet to be answered.

“With Sungjoon, we were thinking it was perhaps personal,” He offered, getting her attention momentarily before her attention returned to the board. “All the others were quick and easy kills, he spent time making Sungjoon suffer. Maybe his crime hit close to home?”

It couldn’t be discounted, but Sooyoung didn’t buy it. “Or he was looking for information, and was prying it out of Sungjoon,” was her suggestion in the matter. Torture wasn’t something she put past the guy, because he was sadistic enough to be a murderer why not a torturer? “Sungjoon was a Ring of Bastards general, so to speak, while Yunshik and Taekyung were lieutenants. Sungjoon and General Guk’s connection is Taekyung. I say he was looking for the looking for the General, and he got it through Taekyung via Sungjoon.”

“It’s a possibility,” he agreed not wanting to discount anything. “It also looks like he’s moving from chaebols to major government and military players in the ROP.”

She could see it, now that she looked at the board. “Taekyung was a top prosecutor, meaning Ministry of Justice. Guk was a celebrated General in the army before retirement. Then there’s Shin who was an aide to the Executive arm of government. Your right the others are chaebols in it because of the money they put in than any tangible power,” the Archer was certainly ambitious, she’d give him that. “Any leads on possible next targets?”

“If we go by theory they are probably government or military related. Unfortunately any possible digging is blocked by classified restricted access,” the military had tribunals to handle matters of crime within their ranks. As for government, if the managed to stink they tried not getting splattered, either covering it up or forcing resignation or early retirement. Matters never saw the light of day. “However, General Guk was in frequent communication with the former Minister of Defense a lot leading up to his death.”

It was reaching, but it was something, “A recent one?”

“He served during General Guk’s military tenure, Kim Jihu?” The man’s shifty nature didn’t win any points with Yunho when they talked. Kim Jihu didn’t answer questions fully. None of these ROP members were worthy or even honorable, but deserved lawful punishment, not escaping through death via a vigilante’s arrow. “We offered him protection, but he’s getting a presidential award or honor in the coming days and wants to stay public doing interviews until the event.”

“The second Archer, any ideas on him,” she questioned seeing the picture on the board.

Yunho sighed, “Both arrows are made the same, and came from the same source which still remains untraceable. The only difference is the second archer’s arrow used to kill Guk was slightly shorter with a poison laced tipped.”

“Meaning what? Different age, size of bow, strength –”

“–try different weapon. A crossbow,” Ara offered entering the room to join the two, Changmin behind her. “Most crossbows use same length arrows, this one is a special design. As for the poison, it deadly and painful –enhances the pain receptors and paralyzes the body as it attacks. It takes 10 minutes straight to kill, but only after the victim experiences excruciating pain. I’m Special Agent Go Ara, you must be detective Choi Sooyoung?”

“That’s me,” Sooyoung supplied with a smile. “But crossbows are heavier and more cumbersome, right?”

“And technology is advanced. The fact that they make their own precision bows and arrow, manufacture of a lighter cross isn’t beyond them.”

Sooyoung hummed in understanding, and Changmin took the time to pipe in. “So we’ve got a murder-suicide the chief wants us on, Soo.” Part of him expected her to ignore him, after the crap he said that morning but she didn’t.

“Well, agents if you need us just let us know. We’ll leave first,” she bid them farewell, walking past Changmin without a word.

He only attempted to talk to her once again when they were in the confines of the car and, she couldn’t escape the conversation. “Soo, you’re going to have to talk to me sometime. This silent treatment is ridiculous.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say,” she wasn’t a child to ignore him. But, silence was better than yelling and saying something hurtful back. “I’m not a dog to wear a collar. He gave me this because it’s a protection symbol and not because he wants to flaunt ownership.”

He’d really stuck his foot in his mouth, “I didn’t mean it that way.”

“Then what did you mean about wearing his mark?” she gave him a chance, but he remained flustered. “Let’s just focus on the case. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

It was a final dismissal of the topic, as they descended into silence once again.

--~*+*~-:-o-:-~*+*~--

The presidential honor award ceremony had come to pass with no incident. Kim Jihu was alive months on, and the Archer was still missing in action. All evidence had pointed to Jihu being the next target, but it seemed they were wrong about it and were far from narrowing it down to another one. Despite his inaction, they were all unconvinced about the Archer’s supposed Swan Song the media were peddling.

And he proved them right, striking after luring them into a false sense of security. Once again they were simultaneous hits executed by two Archer’s rather than the usual one. Kim Jihu according to released data had embezzled into the billions money intended to aid the elderly and provide welfare for families with children, all used in the purchase of an island in the Caribbean. As for the second hit, it was his accomplice. A director of the funds by the name of Moon Sungho who’d helped Kim Jihu and benefitted from the embezzled fund, while many of the families that depended on the money went hungry and were forgotten. Some even left to die.

The public outcry had the honor Kim Jihu was awarded by the president months prior rescinded.

It all allowed them a few conclusions, even if they were hoping for apprehension. The Archer –rather Archers were patient hunters, their only quick succession hits being Lee, Baek, Park, Shin and Guk that were separated by mere weeks than months. Another thing they could comfortably conclude was that he was an opportunity executor. He’d always waited for ideal conditions to execute his kills, usually large public event that drew large crowd and require heavy police details far away from his targets location. It provided both easy access and escape.

Unfortunately the conclusion led them to an unfortunate fact: they had a mole. No one, outside of military and local PD had schedules for the intended police detail of an event.

“I think we have a possible hit, and you won’t believe who,” Henry, their trusty tech guy announced bringing round the laptop he’d been using to track any abnormal activity on the precinct’s servers. “Our mole is… SD C. Sooyoung.”

“It’s not her,” Yunho contradicted immediately.

Yunho didn’t hide the fact he liked and admired the female detective, but finding a mole required strong objectivity and that meant suspecting all until cleared. He wasn’t doing that and Ara had to step in. “I know you don’t want to believe it but–”

“She’s not the one because I’m looking at her right now, and she’d nowhere near a computer,” Yunho cut her off, knowing she was dismissing him because of her perceived notion that he was trusting the detective blindly. He liked Sooyoung, but he was also professional.

Ara followed his eye line and true to his words, Sooyoung was immersed in booking a belligerent suspect and nowhere near a computer despite her login being used. “I’m guessing you checked IP adds?” she spoke to Henry.

“Agent Go, you’re not speaking to an amateur here. I wouldn’t come to you unless it was concrete. Everything matches up to her laptop; whoever is hacking her is talented.”

It however didn’t absolve Sooyoung’s guilt. “Or maybe she let them in,” yes it was being paranoid, but it was also a possibility. “I know you admire her, but you’ve got to admit its suspect.” She could see him reasoning her doubt.

“We’ll watch her, but we can’t move until we have something concrete,” he hated being wrong about someone.

--~*+*~-:-o-:-~*+*~--

The fact that the archer had yet to be apprehended had caused a domino effect with a rise in crime rate as idiots got bold keeping Sooyoung and Changmin busy and far away from the Archer case. Not that the case was all that active. Other than Jihu and Sungho, it had been a quiet few month. No one was hoping for any more bodies to add to his growing list of victims, but it was rather annoying to not have caught him yet.

She and Changmin had managed to tentatively patch things up, because she honestly couldn’t stay angry at him for too long and they also had to work together without any passive aggression between them. Today, she’d thought of heading in earlier to hopefully catch Agent Jung for an update before her day was swallowed up with the very many brave-idiot phenomenon offenses that had become a daily routine.

What she didn’t expect was an interrogation.

“…I use my login to file reports and check the roster,” Sooyoung answered the question, “Most of the time it at my office computer, on rare occasion from my laptop when I work at home.”

Ara could see the sincerity, but sociopaths were psychopaths with a convincing mask. She could just be playing them. “Does anyone else have access to you login password or your computer?”

“I don’t share my login password and change it every few days just because I’m that paranoid,” Sooyoung asked. “My work station has an additional password and I keep my office locked when I’m not in it –”

“–What about your laptop? How many people have access to it?” Ara interrupted not wanting to get derailed by the woman.

She was really starting to dislike Agent Go, “Me, the only other people who’ve used it are Changim and Kris, each on a one off occasion and I wasn’t logged in at the time.”

“Who’s Kris?”

“What is this about?” She didn’t have to answer it. Heck, she was being pretty damn cooperative despite the impromptu interrogation for something she didn’t know she was being investigated for.

“It isn’t a hard question,” Ara pressed on. People only got defensive when they had something to hide.

Sooyoung was unimpressed with the clipped tone the Agent was using on her, and the condescending implication behind it. “My boyfriend, he used it one to send an e-mail.”

“When was that?”

“This would go fast if you told me what this is about?”

Ara opened to continue the interrogation, but Yunho intercepted. “The Archer either has a mole or has hacked your system to get police dispersion information that’s aided him in the attacks. Our tech –”

“–So I’m a suspect for one or both?” Sooyoung concluded easily. They had to be kidding her. No one wanted this bastard behind bars more than her, and now she was supposedly aiding him in his vendetta crusade. Did they forget the psycho had sliced her hand open, and impaled Changmin to a wall not too long ago? No to mention the two officers that died at his hand and the other two he hospitalized? This couldn’t be happening to her, she chuckled. “Fine, you can go through my terminal and laptop that are all in my office,” taking the pad and paper that lay on the table and scribbling down her two passwords. “Those are the codes. For now I have to be in court to testify. You can have someone shadow me while you investigate.”

Yunho could see the annoyance on the young woman’s face, but she complied even handing over her phone to her trail for the day. She didn’t even pass by her office.

“It had to be done,” Ara assured him of something she was doubted as well.

Then why did it feel like he’d done something wrong. Somehow he wasn’t at all surprised that Changmin stormed in a few hours later fuming mad having probably heard from the office grapevine about Sooyoung’s interrogation.

“What the hell are you doing questioning Sooyoung, Jung?” dropping any formalities or general respect toward the older male. Accuse anyone, anyone at all for spying and being a mole, but Sooyoung was ludicrous.

Yunho sighed, “We are just following leads. If she is innocent then she’ll be cleared by the techs. The leak is on her end whether intentional or unintentional. It’s something we can’t ignore, Detective Shim.” He disliked it just as much as Changmin, he didn’t take pride in it.

“She wants him brought in just as much as you, Agent Jung. I know her, she’s no mole,” Changmin spelled out much calmer, but still determined to defend his friend’s innocence, “Hacked maybe, but never a mole.”

As if to prove him right, Henry walked in with the laptop and report. “Went through both with a fine tooth and comb and –” he abruptly cut off upon seeing the towering detective in the room with the Agent.

 “–it’s fine, Henry. Just tell me what you got,” Yunho told him in assurance, seeing the apprehension in the young man at Detective Choi’s partner being present.

“Good news, she’s clean,” he began which seemed to relieve the two tall men. “Her log ins on her terminal are all accountable, as well as those on her laptop. Bad news, she was hacked and the hacker is mimicking her IP address and shadowing her account. The only way I figured it out was through phantom fragments I found in the precincts main frame and her laptop.”

Changmin maybe wrong but, it sounded a lot like she’d been cleared. “So what does that even mean?”

“Your girl’s not responsible,” Henry probably shouldn’t have made the ‘your girl’ comment, but he said it, like he saw it. Detective Shim acted like an overprotective husband. “Worse news, it will take a week to sift through the redirects and phony addresses to narrow down the source. For now, Detective Choi should stay out of the system, so we can figure out who’s responsible.”

“I told you,” Changmin reiterated, when Henry left to monitor the search. It was excessively childish, but it needed to be said.

“It was just precautionary, Detective Shim,” Yunho was just as happy as him about the news.

Ara followed shortly, looking greatly annoyed. “The preliminary search into Kris Wu or Wu Yifan came out clean. Other than being a new money chaebol and playboy he’s…clean –what’s he doing here?” she eyed Changmin warily.

“Detective Choi is clean, and apparently her boyfriend too.”

Well that Changmin hadn’t know, “You’re looking it to Wu?” He didn’t like the guy, but he doubted he had the brain cells and general prowess to be a vigilante. Idiot probably hated getting dirt under his perfectly manicured fingernails, let alone blood.

“Yes,” Ara relented with a sigh. “He’s clean for now, but Boa and Siwon are looking further into it. Something about him doesn’t seem right, especially the timing of his courtship with your partner,” explaining her reasoning.

Changmin raised his hand in surrender, “If you think he’s involved, you won’t see me complain.” So help me Ginger if it’s true.

--~*+*~-:-o-:-~*+*~--

Kris watched Sooyoung parading round the in his shirt and barefoot, completely entranced by the long legs peaking from the shirt that ended rather provocatively high on her thigh. He didn’t look away even after she caught him staring, giving him sassy raised eyebrow. “Don’t expect me to look away, Sweetheart. I am enjoying the view too much.”

“Aren’t chaebols meant to have manners? Staring is rude,” she chided, even as he pushed off the chair and approached her. His intentions were clear in his hooded eyes, as he gave her a heated once over that would have made a lesser woman blush –Seriously this guy, no self control.

He chuckled, trapping her against the window she was leaning against. “Missed you too much to behave, Soo,” he teased in her ear, laying kiss behind her ear. “Besides, you in my clothes always ask for attention woman, not my fault.” She shoved him gently, but not enough to move him away.

“I’m questioning my judgment for keeping you around,” She tsked even as she accepted his kiss and leaned in, allowing him to pick her up and carry her toward the bedroom.

•                                                                                             •                                                                                             •

Boa and Siwon had finished their search and sent over their detailed findings, and like Ara suspected Kris wasn’t all that clean a trust fund brat. As promised to Changmin, she called him in to join debrief with Yunho.

“Kris Wu’s arrival in Seoul coincides with the first hit the Archer made. Wu Enterprises didn’t even exist until two year prior to his arrival in Seoul, after he bought out majority stake of a midsized PR & Communications firm and doubled its size and portfolio another year into his arrival,” Ara explained giving the men each a file of their own. “He was splashed on entertainment pages and sites for his women jumping skills, through his liaisons with celebrities and socialites. Until, of course, he met Detective Choi Sooyoung, who was handling security detail at a gala dinner he attended.”

“This doesn’t prove anything other than questionable wealth which according to this was investigated and cleared by the Revenue Authority and appropriate licensing boards, and his thirst for women,” Yunho dismissed. “It isn’t much to go on.”

“But you haven’t even let me get to the best part,” Ara argued. “His flight logs are all pushed forward, even though he actually arrives in the country days after, all coinciding with the Archer’s hits. Why does he have to fabricate arrival and departure plans, if he had nothing to hide?”

Changmin had to admit her argument was compelling, and now that he thought about it. Kris had been supposedly in Tokyo when Kim Jihu and Moon Sungho were hit. Heck, he’d been on a week’s trip this week in Taiwan when Kang Junghoon was killed returning tonight. “It’s shady but still doesn’t tie him to anything.”

“Detective Shim’s right, it’s enough to investigate but not enough to hold him on anything. Everything is assumptive and all circumstantial –charges won’t stick,” Yunho agreed even if it was the closest they’d come to a lead.

“Kris Wu’s disappeared from his adoptive home in Canada at age 12 and resurfaced at age 21 in Guangzhou, China,” Ara went on. “Then age 25 as a rich socialite in Hong Kong. Age 26 he sets up shop in Seoul and the corrupt start dropping like flies. Where was he between 12 and 21? How did he make so much money in four years? His job in Guangzhou was system analyst, recruited because he managed to hack into the corps mainframe when others failed –he has hacking credentials. Not to mention Lee Sungjoons victims weren’t only Korean girls, but a co-worker’s daughter at the Corp he worked in along with another unidentified girl whose death was buried under well paid money.”

Henry rushed in, “the awesomeness that I am cannot be put into words. Our hacker used a sent e-mail to gain codes that would enable him to shadow her log in. E-mail sent … on the 25^th seven months prior.”

“Detective Choi did say that the only one’s other than her who had access to her laptop was you and Wu. I’m guessing it wasn’t you who sent the e-mail on the 25^th Detective Shim,” Ara comment satisfied with how everything had fallen into place nicely.

Yunho looked through the report he’d just received on the Kang Junghoon crime scene. “Blood was found at Kang’s penthouse where he’d been hit. It doesn’t match to any of the injured or Kang. If he’s linked, he probably has injuries to match.”

Author’s Note: So… I thought it would be a three shot, but everything couldn’t fit in this chapter. The next one will definitely be the last one before an epilogue.