***

It was a cold Monday night.

Taeyeon was shivering in her street clothes. Tonight was especially chilly for some reason. She pouted, hugging her denim jacket tighter to her frail body, her steps quicker as she walked along the busy streets of New York. She had just left her apartment to grab some midnight snacks for herself, chucking on whatever she found scattered on her sofa. Her financial state didn't let her wear anything else anyway.

"Isn't winter months away? Why is it so cold...?"

She couldn't take it anymore, feeling her legs start to shake even harder. There was barely any fat on her bones to keep any sort of warmth. She took a turn through that alleyway, despite its reputation. It was a shortcut to her place, but that alleyway had seen a lot of horrible things in its time. Every sort of crime had occurred there. Muggings, assault, , almost everything had been witnessed by those grimy brick walls. Almost. 

A murder had never been committed there, and that helped ease Taeyeon's nerves a little. She had nothing on her to rob, and she was pretty confident in fighting off any sort of men. But killing intent? Taeyeon couldn't fight a knife or a gun. She gritted her teeth and put her head down, sprinting through old dumpsters and old boxes, the dusty and cobweb filled windows almost staring at her as she ran through the alley.

It was a pretty long alleyway, with many different paths branching off creating many entry and exit points. It was like a maze. All of this was covered up by tall buildings that blocked whatever was inside, which is why it was such a hotspot for crime.

"Now I have to make a right here..."

Taeyeon halted in her tracks, dropping her bag full of chips. 

Her body froze, not because of the cold.

She saw it. The one thing she thought she could avoid her whole life.

Murder.

It was so quick, like a blink of an eye, but it felt like it went on for eternities. The struggle of the woman, or at least what Taeyeon assumed because of her long hair, against the stranglehold of someone much smaller than her. She fought, her arms thrashing about and trying to push the smaller person off her, unidentifiable because of the hoodie draped over their head. Then, a glint of steel appeared, and the struggle stopped, the woman slowly falling to her knees. There was no scream, no noise, no nothing. She just dropped the ground, the culprit just watching the life disappear right before her. Then, she turned around and left, as if nothing had happened at all. 

Taeyeon took off, her heart pounding, mind numb. She didn't even call the police. Her mind only told her to do one thing; Escape.

***

"Do you have any idea... any idea how much trouble you could have saved us by telling us this sooner?" 

Taeyeon gave a curt nod. 

"I was nervous. It's not every day you see something as horrifying as murder, you know? I was afraid I'd be next."

She banged her fist on the table, but that didn't deter Taeyeon in the slightest. 

"...Thank you. We'll restart the investigation as quickly as possible. Thank you, Miss Taeyeon."

"No probl-"

She pulled out her gun, aiming it right between Taeyeon's eyes.

"But, it looks like we'll have another dead lead on our hands. What a shame."

Taeyeon closed her eyes and sighed. She gave a chuckle. 

"I should have known. Tell Irene I love her." 

Seulgi released the safety on her weapon. 

"It's the least I could do."

***

Seven Days Later

"It seems a woman named Kim Taeyeon, found dead yesterday, was the culprit behind the infamous 'Alleyway Murders' that have plagued New York the last few months..."

Irene clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white. She sat, alone, in her Datahouse, that was previously filled with the scent of Taeyeon's wonderful coffee brew. It had been absent for the past week, for reasons Irene could not figure out. Now, they were crystal clear. 

Her phone began to ring. 

Wendy.

Irene picked up her phone, hearing panic fill her ears the moment she accepted the call.

"IRENE! I'M ON MY WAY TO YOU RIGHT NOW."

Irene shook her head, holding back tears that were threatening to fall at any moment. 

"Come quick. And bring Sooyoung with you. Things are getting serious now."

Before Wendy could say any more, Irene hung up. She gingerly sat back down in her chair, putting her face in her quivering hands.

"Kang Seulgi, what have you done..."

***

"Congratulations on getting the case solved Kang!"

The NYPD was holding a party. After all, finally solving the most mystifying case in America was an event worthy of celebration. Seulgi gratefully accepted the drink from her superior, taking a shot and hearing cheers all around her erupt. 

"It's a real shame Miss Son and Miss Park couldn't join us today, they were vital in helping solve this case too!"

Seulgi gave a chuckle, taking another sip of her drink as the music in the bar they had booked got louder, policemen and women throwing their hats up in the air and waving their guns about, not caring at all about basic safety protocol. After all, now it was the time to celebrate, right?

"I'm sure they are just as happy as we are, Mr. Marshall."

Her superior beamed.

"You're getting promoted, Miss Kang!"

Seulgi gave a deep bow, a smile forming on her lips.

"Thank you."

***

"I'm so sorry..."

Wendy burst through the elevator doors before they even fully opened, embracing Irene who was bawling in her chair, her hair splayed out across the table. Sooyoung followed suit, joining the hug and starting to cry herself, even though she had been biting her lip hard in an effort to prevent her tears from falling. 

She was slowly becoming a friend to Sooyoung. And now she was gone.

"Taeyeon..."

The three stood together, quiet.

"We will avenge you."

Author Notes:

Phase 2: Start.

Revenge.

From now on, chapters will be longer, if you all don't mind. They may take longer to publish though :P

Comments would be very much appreciated! :D