“Assa~ We’ve got every single camera covered including the interrogation room’s. Jensoo are the best I swear”

 

Yuri imagines the bear-like girl’s grinning face as she mutters to herself. The cop quietly scans the place with her eyes as she listens to the low slapping of keyboard and Seulgi’s occasional self-conversations.

 

“Wendy I don’t have visuals of you. Where are you?”

 

Seulgi’s inquiry echoed, Yuri listening intently to the sound of silence over the line before the said woman in question replied, “I’m here. C-6 lobby on the right side. Can you see me?”

 

“I don’t—OH! I see you now! Hi Seungwaaan!”

 

Seulgi’s childlike excitement gained a light chuckle from the girl on the line,“Hello Seulgi.”

 

“Seungwan?” Taeyeon’s voice chimed in.

 

“Yeah! Seungwan is Wendy’s Korean name. Isn’t that cute? It matches her so well!”

 

That earned a raised eyebrow on Taeyeon, “Uh..why is Seulgi suddenly this hyped? Is this because of the meds again?” whispering to the Kwon on her side and watched a small smile appear on Yuri’s lips at how subtle her best friend was trying to be.

 

“I’ve given her something to keep her awake for two hours or so, unnies” Wendy replied on the comms system, “Something of high dosage so please bear with her overactive reactions for awhile..”

 

Seulgi’s monologue about bear and hamsters going on a trip or something buzzes behind the cops’ ears as Wendy explained, earning a concerned look from Taeyeon.

 

“Is she going to be okay?” she asked, glancing at the mummed Yuri beside her, “Do you think Seulgi can manage all by herself?”

 

“Stop worrying about me, unnies,” Seulgi replied, been listening to the conversation all this time, “I got thissss. Oh! Is that you Seungwan?? The beautiful lady in a corporate attire walking down the hallway?”

 

“Yes Seulgi, I’m the woman in corpo. You think I’m beautiful?”

 

“I KNOW you’re beautiful. Mmm-mm! And Taeyeon and Yuri unnie too! I think they’re both gorgeouses!”

 

Exchanging weird looks, Taeyeon and Yuri shook their heads both with fondness and worry. While the compliments are nothing but heart-flattering, Seulgi being like this is sort of concerning.

 

“Seulgi, are you sure you’re going to be okay alone?” it was Yuri who asked, the first time she uttered a word upon arriving at their location, “Taeyeon can go back and assist you, Seul.”

 

“Yeah kid,” chimed the Kim, “I know the technical know-hows just like you. I can give you a hand.”

 

But the bear on the other line was stubborn, “Nooooo. Both of you unnies need to be there for handsome unnie,” Seulgi insisted, “I think the meds are on its peak that’s why I’m kinda like this. But! I’m actually feeling good and everything seems crystal clear and on point and OH WOW Seungwan really looks fine in that suit. You go, mami!”

 

“Okay be honest, Wendy,” a knowing feeling creeps on Taeyeon’s stomach as she looked over at the very amused look Yuri is donning.

 

Taeyeon thinks the both of them are on the same line of thinking, “Is… Is Seulgi high right now?”

 

Yuri could vividly imagine Wendy’s growing smirk when she answered, “Well… you see, high is not technically the right term but—“

 

“OH MY GOD WENDY!”

 

Taeyeon’s disbelief was simply joined by an amused shake of her head from Kwon Yuri.

 

“It was only a small dosage okay?” Wendy’s small chuckles filled their ears, “I had to because I know we need Seulgi’s focus on this. I can’t inject higher dosage of amphetamines because that would be risky considering I’ve been giving her so much meds after the accident. So I needed to improvise.”

 

“SO YOU HAD TO DRUG HER?!”

 

“I’m drugged?” Seulgi’s adorable question echoed this time, the short-lived “eung” at the end of her statement making her sound extra adorable in Yuri’s ears.

 

Yup. She’s definitely drugged.

 

“YES BABY BEAR YOU ARE HIGH ON DRUGS RIGHT NOW OH MY GOD” Taeyeon’s anxiety fills the car they were in and Yuri could only chuckle in response, intensifying the shorter’s frantic gestures at the worry-free demeanor of her best friend. “Wha—why are you so chill about this Kwon Yuri??”

 

Yuri could only shrug, diverting her attention to the building meters away from their location, the image of Yoona behind bars imprinted on her mind. It is the only thing that she is focused on right now that the idea of Seulgi being high is not as grave as the thought of what is going on with Yoona behind that thick-walled rooms.

 

“Yuri..”

 

She snapped away from her thoughts to the call of Taeyeon who seemed to have composed herself from the surprise.

 

“Where is your head at right now, Yuri-yah? I need you to tell me or I’m afraid I’ll go crazy.”

 

With a sigh, Yuri reached for Taeyeon’s hand across the car’s console. She could feel from the way her best friend gripped her hand that the woman is barely getting her together. Just like her.

 

“It’s all over the place,” Yuri drawled, “It’s on Seulgi being high right now. It’s on Wendy risking her life inside that building. It’s on you going crazy because Seulgi is drugged. Most especially, it’s on her.”

 

Seulgi’s incoherent mumbles over the line suddenly stopped. Wendy’s chuckles died down. And Taeyeon… Taeyeon just clasped Yuri’s hand tighter like her life depended on it.

 

“I don’t… I don’t know if we are on the same page or if we could make this work..”

 

It is a suicide mission after all especially since the woman behind bars has no knowledge whatsoever of what is going to happen or when it is going to happen. All she was told about at their brief meeting/interrogation was that Yuri has a plan and all she needed to do is get herself together.

 

That’s where Yuri’s worries comes in.

 

“She’s not herself the last time I saw her, Taeng. I don’t know if she’s had enough time to collect herself. But then again..” she exhales, looking the most conflicted in Taeyeon’s eyes, “We don’t have much time. Hanna’s life is on the line. It’s either we do this now or we’re not doing it at all.”

 

“Trust me Yuri unnie, handsome unnie is more than ready for this.” Seulgi butted in, sounding a little bit more self-possessed than moments before, “I’ve seen her do a 360 degree turn of her forlorn state to something akin to that of a warrior in a span of second. I know she’d do her wonders. Besides…this is her sister who is very dear to her. She will do anything for Hanna.”

 

The way Seulgi’s voice turned notches lower didn’t settle good in Yuri’s ears, “E-even if it sometimes mean risking her own life.”

 

“No one’s gonna die, no..” Yuri replied quickly, so much that she was afraid she gave everyone listening to her a painful whiplash. Seulgi did not technically utter about someone dying but the implication of the statement just gets to her, “I am not letting that happen. Not anyone of you…not her..”

 

The severity of the situation dawns on each of them, the fact that this could singlehandedly terminate all of their lives easily settles in the air. The atmosphere becomes heavy and the sound of subtle breathing and static from the comms system is the only thing that can be heard.

 

Until Wendy spoke up.

 

“Aight, enough of it.” She declares, “What’s important right now is we are doing THIS and we’re gonna take her out of this place so she could save her sister. I’ll make sure she will, okay?”

 

Perhaps it’s the tone of assurance or the sound of finality in that simple statement. But the seriousness in Wendy’s voice somehow gave Yuri the hope that maybe, maybe, their plan is going to work out just fine.

 

“Okay..” the Kwon breathed, taking in all the air she could get to calm her nerves and let things enfold the way they are meant to be, “Okay..”

 

“Alright then,” Seulgi on their ears spoke, “Let’s do this..”

 

 

***

 

 

“I can’t do this,” Irene has been losing her patience.

 

“I can’t do this anymore unnieeee”

 

No, she had long lost it the moment Sooyoung dragged her into this make-believe errand Yuri had set up to distract her.

 

Her tall partner had hauled her to ten different buildings for the past few hours and she is dead tired of being in here instead of being with a certain bear she really wanted to see conscious.

 

“Unniieee~” Bae Joohyun whined, tailing behind Sooyoung who was on her tracks to yet another building, now an apartment complex, “Can we take a rest, I’m tired.”

 

“You haven’t even lifted a finger, Joohyun,” Sooyoung rolled her eyes at the girl, “Stop being dramatic.”

 

“I don’t need to lift a finger to feel tired. We’ve been going around places for hours already,” Irene groaned when she saw the flight of stairs they’re about to take, “And why are all these buildings don’t have elevators in them?? Seriously unniee~”

 

Sooyoung could only shake her head, “Ask the architect of the building. Not me.”

 

“You’re the one walking in on elevator-less buildings. Not them architects.” Irene gritted her teeth as they reach the 5^th floor with ragged breaths.

 

Sooyoung walked towards one of the line of doors, fishing out a set of keys from her pocket and eventually using the same to unlock the door knob.

 

Huh…if Irene felt something is weird, she did not say it.

 

Opening the door wider, Sooyoung stepped inside without a word and Irene followed through. The sound of the door closing startles the younger and she immediately speed walks to the living room of the apartment where Sooyoung walked further into.

 

“Where are we unnie?” Irene inquired, looking around with her curious eyes.

 

“My place,” the older said, walking towards the kitchen side of the apartment with ease.

 

Irene quietly racks her eyes through the place with a sense of unfamiliarity. It’s a well-ventilated apartment, yes, but not really the type she thinks her unnie would call her place.

 

The woman is not a spend-thrift. Choi Sooyoung screams expensive and she’d been to her previous flats that Irene have familiarized the likes of her unnie.

 

It’s definitely not this one.

 

“Your place?” she asks, the spookiness of the scenario is starting to get to her, “This is not your place. This is not your types, I know you unnie. You’d rather spend millions of won for a hotel room than buy this kind of place”

 

“Gosh I hate that you’re a smartass sometimes.”

 

Before the Bae could even react to the statement, she felt a forceful push coming from behind. She ends up stumbling unto the couch.

 

Thankfully, her reflexes don’t fail her on situations like this. So when she felt a hand touch her arm, she slightly twisted her arms to the minimum and seized the scrawny fingers ready to grip her hand.

 

Quickly, she pushed herself up and used the adrenaline rushing through her to knock the back of her head to that of the person behind her. The petite woman, knowing as how that would not have been not painful (because damn she felt it too okay, if the throbbing on the back of her head isn’t any indication) used this opportunity to push the person behind her unto the floor.

 

The sound of a loud thud fills the air and both Irene and the person who suddenly attacked her ends up on the floor, with the person behind squished between Irene and the hard floor.

 

“UGHH..”

 

The guttural growl beneath her tells the Bae that it was a hard drop they just took.

 

Not missing a beat to do what she had to do, she forcefully spread open the arms encircled around her waist and immediately rolled off the top of the body she rammed into. Seeing as the other person was yet to recover from her previous attack, she quickly took this opportunity to pounce back to the groaning mess, grabbing her one arm and flipping the person over first face on the floor. With minimal effort, she grabs the other arm and encircles the cuffs that were supposed to be for the younger girl.

 

If there are rare moments where she could use that F word she could barely say, Irene definitely thinks it would be in times like this.

 

“WHAT THE WAS THAT UNNIE?!”

 

Standing up on her feet with an indignant huff, she combed her hand through her hair with disbelief and confusion written all over her face.

 

Her Sooyoung unnie just attacked her out of ing nowhere. Someone cannot really blame Irene if she is losing her right now.

 

“W-why did you attack me??! What the is wrong with you?!”

 

Sooyoung struggles on the cuff behind her back, flexing her neck to look up at the girl hovering above her.

 

“No, what the is wrong with you?!” she grits, glaring at the confused Irene above her, “I know what you guys are up to. Do you really think I did not know? ing hell Irene how could you guys do thisss!”

 

“What are you even talking about??!”

 

“OH CUT THE ING CRAP!” the woman on the floor shouts back, getting angrier at the thought of Irene trying to play innocent, “I know it was Seulgi which Taeyeon and Yuri was talking about, not a ing puppy! And yes! I know what you’re planning to do, you sly son of a guns. YOU’RE GOING TO HELP THAT ING CRIMINAL TO BREAK OUT OF JAIL!”

 

Look at that. Sooyoung wasn’t as stupid as they thought out to be.

 

“You think I won’t notice?” the taller cop says, panting as she continues to struggle against the metal around her wrist, “You’ve been incognito these past few days, always making up excuses to leave the station. I’ve known you enough Joohyun. And Taeyeon isn’t that much of a secret keeper as she thought she is, too. Fucckkk. Do y’all really think I’m that dense not to realize what you guys are up to??!”

 

It took a moment for Irene to digest whatever her unnie just spewed out, thinking back to all of their attempts on getting away from Sooyoung’s radar.

 

She just knew in one way or another, the older woman would catch on what is up. It was only a matter of time.

 

“You don’t understand,” Irene settles at that, crossing her arms as she looks away from the hard glare Sooyoung is throwing at her. “We need to do this..”

 

“You need to d—??” Sooyoung’s scoff felt so deep Irene was amused she wasn’t gagging, “YOU ARE COPS! You have oaths to adhere! You’re supposed to help the police enforcement capture these lawbreakers, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!”

 

“You think I don’t know that? You think Yuri unnie doesn’t know that??” Irene spat, her thinning patience due to her unnie’s obnoxious screaming apparent on her raising voice, “Of all people, you should know how steadfast she is in her badge. You’ve seen how loyal she is to her principles. Do you really think this isn’t hard for her?!”

 

“This isn’t supposed to be hard!” the Choi retaliated, “She could stick to what is right and not go through the trouble of choosing between her career and that ing murderer!”

 

“You don’t understand un—”

 

“I don’t need to understand alright. You’re the one who should understand where I’m coming from this!”

 

Irene rolls her eyes at the interruption.

 

“You guys are about to throw away years of hard work to establish what you’ve accomplished in your careers for what? To get your happy endings with these criminals like those in Disney movies where you run hand-in-hand towards the horizon and live happily ever after? Bull.”

 

“OH MY GOD! Do you really think we’re that shallow?” enraged, Irene finally matches the dirty look Sooyoung was showing off, “There’s more to it than you think it is! Yuri unnie has reasons and sh—you know what?” she exhales, tired of the argument and the elder’s insistence. “Whatever. Think whatever it is that you want. I’m done talking to you. I’d rather spend my precious time doing something more productive than waste it arguing with you..”

 

“Like what, plotting the best scheme how to do the best jail break ever? I am here trying to stop you from doing something you’ll regret for the rest of your lives, Irene. Listen to me!”

 

Deadass done with the conversation, Irene shakes her head and turns away from the older girl, all ready to walk away from the argument. She ignores the little pang in her chest at the position of her unnie. They were taught to unlatch themselves from cuffs without breaking their wrists anyway; Sooyoung can do it in less than an hour.

 

Besides, she deserves a little teaching, not with that sudden assault she experienced from her. A little revenge would not hurt.

 

“The Special Action Force will be coming today to transport Im Yoona to the Special Investigation Unit at Jeju, Irene! If you want to protect your careers, do not do anything careless!”

 

That definitely stopped Irene on her tracks.

 

“I submitted a Code Blue Report okay. To the Deputy of Defense. I told them about how she is high-class criminal who can be better investigated in a high-maintenance facility other than here in Seoul,” Sooyoung furthered, “It took them a while to respond but this morning I received a message that they’d be coming today. The Deputy specifically told me not to tell any superior, especially the RD. Said he wanted to surprise them.”

 

Cold blood ran through Bae Joohyun’s spine upon hearing this, quickly turning her head at Sooyoung she’s surprised she hasn’t gotten a whiplash.

 

“You did not..”

 

But the somber look of Sooyoung tells Irene that the Choi is nowhere near lying.

 

“Sooyoung unnie,” Irene gritted, a myriad of emotions going through her at the moment, “Tell me right now you did not do just that..”

 

“I was just doing what is right“

 

ing hell.

 

Mouth agape, Irene stared at the older, waiting for Sooyoung to say something that would tell Irene that her mind is just conjuring things up because of the heated moment.

 

“Unnie..”

 

But no. Nothing happened besides the intense eye-contact that felt more than a moment.

 

“I had to do what I had to do.”

 

Shutting her eyes shut to stop the sudden ringing in her head, Joohyun heard her Sooyoung unnie talk again. But she is not listening, no.

 

She felt so betrayed at the moment she’s afraid her mind is shutting down.

 

“I know from the moment when Im Yoona was captured that you guys will somehow come up with a plan to get her out. So I did what I had to do to prevent you from doing it. It’s just so happened that the Deputy’s response was delayed and Wendy had to volunteer to be her counsel. It got complicated.”

 

Irene just remembered what her Yuri unnie told them that morning. Something about a past, dark experience about an unnie and how I can’t save her that night so I need to help Yoona save hers in that way I can be at peace from now on.

 

“Why are you like this?” Irene whispered, feeling all conflicted and wrecked and deceived. “Why are you being a ing ?”

 

“Call me all you want,” the older defends, “But this is the best for everyone. Especially for Yuri..”

 

“For Yuri—“ the Bae scoffed, a looming headache coming her way, “What a joke. This thing,” Irene gestures, “is all for her. Taeyeon unnie, Wendy and I are all doing this for her and for the closure she badly wanted to get. And no I’m not just talking about Yoona-ssi.”

 

Sooyoung will never understand the severity of what she did because she is too blinded by her dogmas at the moment. Irene understands that.

 

Doesn’t mean she can’t guilt-trip her about the grave implications of her traitorous act.

 

“No thanks to you, Yuri unnie might just never get past her Boa unnie’s murder because you decided to put things in your own hands and ruin her chances”

 

Sooyoung freezes at that.

 

“What does her unnie have to do with this?”

 

The topic was a taboo back in college. Being roommates, younger Sooyoung, always the prying one, would talk just about everything whenever the three of them would huddle inside their room. Homeworks. Gossips about the professors going around the campus. Weekend frat parties. Boys. Girls. Families.

 

When the latter would be brought up in conversations, younger Sooyoung would always notice the drastic change in Yuri’s demeanor, getting too quiet all of a sudden, aloof at worst. At first she ignored it, thinking Yuri might have just become indifferent with her family as she grew old that’s why she doesn’t want to talk about it.

 

Until one night when she and Taeyeon had to practically drag a drunken Yuri to their dorms, the same Yuri going a full-blown bawling once they got to their room, mumbling incoherent words but Sooyoung was able to catch the incessant apologies Yuri was reciting to a certain unnie. When she saw Taeyeon crying beside Yuri’s bed as she washes her bestfriend’s face with wet towel, she knew it was more serious than becoming indifferent.

 

She remembered Taeyeon revealing how that day was the death anniversary of Yuri’s Boa unnie and that she would always be like this whenever that day arrives: either getting drunk or being all a mess. At worst being both, just like that fateful night.

 

Then the name clicked. Boa unnie. Kwon Yuri. Kwon Boa.

 

The tabloid labelled it the “Murder of the Decade” as it was indeed the most notorious killing of a very well-known figure, not to mention the way Kwon Boa was killed and with what the suspect did to her lifeless body after her slaughter.

 

Sooyoung never asked questions about Yuri’s family since then.

 

Until today.

 

“Yoona-ssi’s younger sister was held captive by Kim Young Min on the night of her arrest. And Yuri unnie she—”

 

Irene knows this isn’t her story to tell, not her issue to delve into. But she needs to instill to Sooyoung the grave implications her actions may cause, especially to a certain disarrayed Kwon Yuri hoping to get over the dark past she went through.

 

“She wants to help Yoona-ssi save her sister, saying something about not being able to do the same with hers okay? She wants to help Yoona-ssi in order for her to finally get past the thought of her being unable to do so with her own sister. She wants to move on from her dark past and this is one of the ultimate way to do it.” Irene felt so exhausted all of the sudden, “Syoung unnie, do you understand the seriousness of what you did? An innocent person’s life is on the line here and we are all on the same page of saving one to save multiple hearts from breaking. You are ruining it..”

 

Sooyoung’s stance faltered for a moment, a flash of remorse flicking in her eyes that Irene thought she successfully put her unnie’s mind to their perspective.

 

And then it’s gone. It disappeared just like that with Sooyoung subtly shaking her head, the guilt immediately dissipating and there comes back the burning sense of duty and her allegiance to her badge.

 

If this was on another circumstance, Irene would be pleased to see her unnie being like this.

 

But right now is not the time for this.

 

There’s a very thin line between doing what is right and doing what is ought to be. Irene knows her unnie is very much aware of this. She saw it in her eyes that for a moment she thought she could convince her to be on their side and help them.

 

Too bad Sooyoung chooses to be blind and ignore the screams of her morality.

 

“It’s not me who should understand the implications of my actions. How even sure are you that this isn’t a ploy of that Im just so you could get her out of prison? She’s got you all under her control and you let her do just that. You are traitors to the profession.”

 

“And you are being a ing ,” Irene spat, venom dripping from her words as she saunters to the kitchen counter with disdain, snatching the set of keys laid on it.

 

Sooyoung started sweating cold upon hearing the jingling of her keys, “W-what are you doing? Irene!”

 

“I’m going to fix the mess you created,” the Bae growled, glaring at the fidgeting woman on the floor, “You know I felt a little guilty for putting you on such an uncomfortable position but after hearing all of it that you said,” Irene shakes her head, disappointment soaking from her words and her aura altogether, “You deserve that unnie.”

 

With Sooyoung’s cries of ‘Don’t leave me here, Bae Joohyun! YAAAHHHH!’ echoing throughout the apartment, Irene steps out of the flat and shuts the door, locking it from the outside.

 

Leaning against the closed door, she sighs, the sound of the older woman’s shouts muffled by surrounding walls.

 

She doesn’t want to be the enemy here. She doesn’t want to do this against her profession and the people who only wanted to maintain peace and order.

 

But Bae Irene is living in an unfair and imperfect society. She was raised to be a realist and as one, she knew that there’s more to life than sticking to the rules, especially if it meant doing what your conscience is telling you to act upon.

 

This is just one of those scenarios.

 

Hopefully, however, it isn’t too late.

 

“Oh god please no.”

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

“Taeyeon unnie, I’m sending you the data inside the interrogation room right now..”

 

“Got it, baby bear. Which one is the suspended image here?”

 

“On the left. The one with Seungwan still wearing the black coat. She took it off and the one in your right is the real one. As you can see Seungwannie is all on her white flannel and she’s damn y ohmygoodd..”

 

A chuckle left Taeyeon’s lips at Seulgi’s adlib. She’s lying if she says she doesn’t find this high Seulgi extra adorable.

 

“Is there an Inspector watching from the two-way mirror?” Yuri inquired, eyes falling unto the two-part image of the interrogation room on Taeyeon’s car screen.

 

“Yup. Wait lemme zoom in,” low, slapping of keys emanates from the other line before Seulgi spoke again, “Name’s Kim Hyoyeon. She has two lower-ranking officers with her.”

 

“So Kim’s there huh?” Taeyeon hummed, her interest being piqued at the name, “I hope you got your lines well, Wendy. That woman can detect lie from miles away.”

 

A low chuckle from Wendy was heard from the other line, Taeyeon seeing the girl shuffling on the papers she laid down on the table, subtly shaking her head at Taeyeon’s statement.

 

“She’ll be alright, right?” the short cop murmured, turning at the serious Yuri beside her, “Kim Hyoyeon can’t be that canny, right?”

 

Yuri’s gaze fall on the worried-stricken face of her bestfriend and a small smile tugs on her lips. The older woman is being anxious for all no reasons.

 

“Don’t worry Taeng,” Yuri replied, turning her eyes back to the monitor, “Wendy got this. I believe in her.”

 

“Me too! I believe on Seungwannie~ I believe in you Seungwaaan!”

 

More shuffling of papers by Seungwan and a light chuckle was all they got.

 

“Oh! Here comes handsome unnie! Oh god she’s still as handsome as I remembered. Eung~”

 

Taeyeon and Yuri exchanged weird gazes at the reaction from Seulgi, which eventually turned into concerned looks when they heard small whimpers from the other line.

 

“Seulgi?” Yuri drawled, “Are you..are you crying?”

 

“Sorry!” Seulgi answered back, “I’m just happy I finally saw handsome unnie and she’s alive and she’s looking good and she’s safe and I just missed her unnies, I’m sorry for being emotional like this I promise these are happy tears I’m just happy I got to see her~”

 

Okay that’s it. High Seulgi is the cutest kind of Seulgi. No one’s going to say otherwise.

 

Earning a doting giggle from the Kwon, the atmosphere almost turned a 360 from their previous heavy conversation, being replaced with Seulgi’s undeniable charm and the light of hope sparking from easiness the environment just settled into.

 

“Don’t worry baby bear, you’re going to see her in person soon,” Yuri said, a fond smile gracing her lips at the thought, “Very soon, okay? Uljima..”

 

“Okay..”

 

“Okay..”

 

With a smile, Taeyeon averts her gaze back to the screen, “Alright it’s showtime,” she declared, seeing the image of Yoona being assisted to the seat across Wendy, “Here we go.”

 

 

***

 

 

The first thing Yoona noticed when she entered the cramped room is the way Wendy was drumming her fingers against the table, creating a pattern of sound which suddenly stopped when she finally reached her seat and sat across the lawyer.

 

The jail guard who assisted her announced that they got 20-minutes to talk before walking out of the room, leaving the two alone.

 

Wendy’s soft yet serious expression falls on her when the doors closed shut. At first, Yoona can’t really decipher the look on her face. But when the younger, in all subtlety, reached up to a paper on the right side of the table and Yoona’s eyes landed on Wendy’s left ear, everything made sense.

 

This is it.

 

This is the plan and it is being carried out in the moment.

 

Vigilance suddenly jumped out from within the Im’s and her eyes, although emotionless, intelligently racks through the papers before her, seemingly looking for something.

 

“What are all these?” she asks, voice void of emotion.

 

Wendy looks up from the stack paper she was shuffling and saw the older looking at her. She doesn’t know if Yoona was able to catch the thing on her ear when she moved, so she will test the waters.

 

“These are the criminal records about your alleged killings, Miss Im. Do you want to read it?”

 

A raise of her right brow was what Wendy earned, coupled by a quick, successive drum of Yoona’s fingers on the table.

 

“Do you think I want to read them?”

 

Okay good.

 

“Do you think she’s finally caught unto it?” Taeyeon’s inquiry echoed in Wendy’s ear.

 

“Yes..” the latter paused, “I think it’s better if you read it.”

 

“What will I get from reading all of this? It’s not like I don’t know what’s in there. I did all of them remember?”

 

“Uh-uh, not so fast,” Wendy replied, “They are all still allegations until you are proven guilty.”

 

“Miss Son.”

 

“Miss Im.”

 

With feigned indifference, Yoona sighed, gesturing to the papers as she huffed at the stubbornness of her counsel, “Alright then. Stack them up according to their date in chronological order, from the earliest to the up-to-date record.”

 

“Are you kind of OC or something? Why do I have to arrange them that way?”

 

“You’re doing that or I am not reading it at all.” Yoona insists and all Wendy could do is sigh in submission.

 

“Alright then,” she huffs, stacking the papers in accordance to the arrangement Yoona wanted them to be, “Here,” slowly sliding them over across the waiting woman.

 

“The Inspector Kim Hyoyeon just raised a brow at that. Should I be worried?” Seulgi’s inquiry resonated, causing Wendy’s heart to beat faster for a moment, afraid that the tiny receiver she was able to slip between the papers was noticed by the said Inspector.

 

“Don’t mind her.” Yuri said, “It’s too early for her to raise suspicion.”

 

Yoona glanced at the papers tentatively, looking over at Wendy, “Are you sure this is stacked chronologically?”

 

“Yes,” Wendy answered, “Just the way you wanted them to be.”

 

With her wrists cuffed together, the Im raised her balled fists atop the paper, sliding the stacks of paper nearer to her. She seems to read it, her eyes apparently flicking from one word to the other as she cautiously flips each paper, when in fact, she’s actually trying to feel the thing she saw Wendy slip in between her piling.

 

“Do you remember all of them?” the younger of the two broke the silence between them, “Better yet, are all of those really your doing?”

 

“Aren’t you my lawyer? You’re not supposed to ask me self-incriminating questions.”

 

“Yes, I am your lawyer and no, technically I should actually ask you incriminating questions. You are supposed to tell me everything about you and what you did especially the truth so we could come up with the perfect defense for your case.”

 

“Come up with what? Lies?”

 

“Huh, they’re not lies if you will tell me the truth, right?”

 

A light chuckle escaped Yoona’s lips, both amused at the witty responses this Wendy Son is giving her and the fact that she finally felt the texture of the receiver over the skin of the pinky finger she was using to flip the pages.

 

“But if I’ll tell you now, wouldn’t the people behind that mirror hear it and use it against me?” Yoona asked, discreetly gesturing at the mirror on her left.

 

Then it suddenly clicked on Wendy.

 

“Actually,” she says, “This thing between us is a privileged communication that should stay between the two of us, protected by law and is punishable by law when violated. So..” Wendy turns her head to the mirror, knowing all too well that the bunch of people behind it are listening attentively, “Inspector Kim can you please shut off the audio-listening device for a moment while I speak to my client? I know how you guys have protocols to follow in monitoring your detainees but I have too myself and it includes this. It’s not like I am actually asking you to leave. It’s just that our conversation is too confidential and as a lawyer I am here to protect the interest of my client. So if you may..” she gestures a slicing motion at her neck with a jest, “Cut it off juseyo~”

 

“Daebak!” Taeyeon drawled, amusement laced in her tone, “How did you guys think about that?”

 

“Are they cutting it off Seul?”

 

“Inspector Kim seems to be unwavering, she hasn’t moved a bit and is actually staring hard at the mirro—oh wait. Ha! She just shook her head and gestured for the technical person to shut the audio off”

 

“Can you check if they actually turned it off? And please give us the data of the current set-up to where Hyoyeon is, Seul.”

 

“Working on it unnie. Just gimme a sec…Okay! Yes, they’ve actually turned it off unnie. I’m sending you now the data. So I’ll replace the suspended image with that of the two way-mirror now, since the car monitor seems to only fit two-part images. So you are now seeing where Inspector Kim is and the interrogation room where Seungwan and handsome unnie is. Correct?”

 

“Yes baby bear. You are doing well. Thank you.”

 

“No biggie unnie~”

 

Wendy heard the conversation over her ears, she just wanted to get the confirmation from the cop herself to avoid suspicion so she gestured to her ear, as if to ask the persons behind the mirror if they already turned it off.

 

“Yes, Miss Son.” A thick, lush voice from a speaker somewhere in the room answered, startling the young lawyer for a moment, “They are already turned off. Please carry on with your conversation.”

 

Raising her thumb up, Wendy gritted on her comms system, “You sure they’ve turned it off, right Seul?”

 

“100% sure, Seungwan. You are so cool Seungwaanniee!”

 

Ignoring the heat creeping on her neck at Seulgi’s heart-flattering remark, Wendy turned to Yoona who was staring at her expectantly.

 

“I must say,” the older woman says with a small nod, “That was impressive Miss Son.”

 

“Please, call me Wendy,” the girl answered with a small smirk before gesturing to the papers, “So, did you find it?”

 

Yoona raised her brow again, eyes glancing down to her balled hands and back to the girl, “Yes,” she nods, “Found it with my pinky. Slipped it up with my pinky. Now it’s in between my hands with my pinky.”

 

“Okay good, now let me have this,” the younger girl said, tugging the papers back to her side, “and you will do just as I say okay?”

 

“Is this worth it?”

 

“Trust me, Miss Im, it is.”

 

Yoona just stared at the younger woman for a moment before eventually nodding her head with a murmured ‘Okay’.

 

“Alright. So, first,” Wendy flips one page, eyes darting to the paper and back to the Im, “Raise your hands to your forehead.”

 

“What?”

 

“I said, raise your hands to your forehead.”

 

Yoona, for the life of her, do not know how to make of this command.

 

“Just do as I say Miss Im.”

 

Reluctantly, Yoona raised her cuffed hand on her forehead, thinking how stupid she looks right now.

 

“What are you doing?” Yuri inquired over the line.

 

“What are you doing?” Yoona gritted her teeth at the absurdity of the situation.

 

Ignoring the questions, Wendy continued, flipping another page of the paper with a glance and then back to Yoona, “Now, slowly slide your hands down to your right ear in a diagonal manner.”

 

Then it suddenly clicked on Yoona.

 

With the way Wendy’s commands are coupled with weird, confused expression on her face as if she is actually asking, everything made more sense.

 

Catching unto the stunt, Yoona slowly dragged her cuffed hands across her face in a diagonal manner, until cold metal finally met the skin behind her right ear.

 

“Now,” Wendy raised her own right hand, putting it on her forehead like Yoona did and slowly dragged it to her right ear diagonally, mirroring what the Im just did, “I want you to put that receiver in your ear as discreetly and as secured as possible,” gesturing to her right ear, not forgetting to glance back down to the paper on the table and back to the Im, all while with a slicing motion all over her right ear and neck, “After that I want you to raise your brow to tell me that you did it successfully, I will repeat my gestures, and you will nod your head three times. Do it.”

 

So Yoona did just that, slowly and so discreetly sticking the in-ear receiver into her right ear with familiarity, raising her right brow when she knows it was secured enough. Wendy re-dos the diagonal gesture thing, now coupled with a nonsense question of “You killed him by slicing his face and neck?? How could you??”, which she stupidly answered by nodding her head three times.

 

And now Yoona hears the complete fascination of Taeyeon over her comms system.

 

“WowowowOW!” it was all too much that Yoona had to stop herself from flinching at the shrill sound reverberating through her right ear. “In all seriousness, that all looked like Wendy was simply asking Yoona to recreate a killing, it was all too real if without the audio, wowww..”

 

“You’re welcome” Wendy slyly said, smirking at the Im who simply stared at the girl.

 

The thought of Yuri being on the other line, just a few static away from her, is enough to make Yoona’s heart beating crazy and ignore everything around her. She can’t explain the feeling but it is there.

 

Just how she can’t explain why Kwon Yuri, the cop who had caused her arrest, the principled Inspector of Seoul Police Department, is actually on the other line and the very mastermind of this current plot to break her out of prison.

 

Yoona’s trail of thoughts suddenly broke when she heard Seulgi over the line.

 

The last time she heard, the bear was still unconscious because of the accident. So imagine her happiness when she heard the child-like voice of the younger girl who had always reminded her of dandelions and comfort and innocence and Hanna..

 

Only for that happiness to be cut short when instead of a happy greeting, Seulgi’s voice was filled with worry and anxiety when she asked,

 

“Unnies? I know I’m maybe kinda high right now or something but I am sure I am seeing six or more armored vans about 100 meters away from the Investigation Bureau travelling at 50kph. They are heading to your direction.”

 

“What? Give me visuals Seulgi.” Even Yuri’s voice, filled with the huskiness and lush texture Yoona had been yearning for sounded a little too frantic than the one she was acquainted.

 

These all don’t sound good in Yoona’s ears.

 

“Oh my god..” Taeyeon’s drawled, “The logo…Yuri is that—“

 

“Yes...the Special Action Force from Jeju. But what are they doing here?”

 

“Guys.”

 

With all the sudden commotion over the line, no one else noticed that Wendy had answered a phone call from Irene, receiving from her perhaps the most complicated predicament in their undertaking.

 

“I think we have a problem. You see...”

 

 

_____________

A/N: Hello @yoonyul0805 and @jojo_adeque! I hope you guys are having a great day! :)

 

Y’all amazing readers who are still waiting for CMIYC even after three years or so of this unfinished fic! Please bear with this update. Your author just survived midterms week with maximum of two-hours sleep in the past seven days or so, so I don’t know how to make of this lmao. Hope it kept you occupied for a bit though. Also! I think we are 2-3 chapters away from the Epilogue of this story so hold on guysss. We’re gonna finish this soon :D

 

From wherever you are in the world, remember: You are doing great. You are loved. You matter okay? Take care of yourselves, loves~

 

PS: Vote for our Ppani-ppani Tippani in the iHeartRadio Music Awards 2019 using the hashtags #TiffanyYoung #BestSoloBreakout #iHeartRadioAwards go go go our eye-smiling queen!