Moonbyul replayed the footage for the... Well, she lost count. Her eyes were on the screen but her mind was somewhere else; she did not even realise that Hwasa made a grand entrance. 

It was one of the few times that Moonbyul looked so out of the situation and every time it happened, she would be amused. She leaned against the back of Moonbyul's chair and looked at the screen. It was that footage from the black box again. The video was coming to the end and something that she had never noticed before caught her attention. She raised her eyebrows and a soft "Oh?" escaped from her lips. It was then Moonbyul realised that she was no longer the only one in her office. 

"When did you come in?" Moonbyul asked as she paused the video. 

"Just a moment ago," Hwasa commented. "By the way, did you notice the last part?"

"Mm?" Moonbyul tapped her fingers on the table and looked at the screen again. Did Hwasa notice anything? She rewinded the video a few minutes back and watched it again. There was nothing new, same old same old. She looked at Hwasa, her left brow raised.

Hwasa shook her head and sighed, "I think you've been looking at it for too long." 

She had a point. For the entire week, Moonbyul played the video on loop to the point that she could see scenes from the footage even in her dreams. She gestured for Hwasa to come over and point out to her. Hwasa did the same thing and rewinded the video a few minutes back. She turned up the volume and said, "Listen." 

Moonbyul listened carefully and there was indeed something that she had not noticed before. She looked at Hwasa and questioned, "Keys?"

Hwasa nodded, and pointed at the screen. "Listen again." 

There it was, the jingle of keys again, and a few seconds later, the video came to an end. 

"Wheein's father said the car was stolen," Hwasa said. It was not a question, but a statement of fact. "I'm pretty sure the car was parked within the vicinity of the Jung mansion. If it really was parked within the area, then the question is, "How did the thief get in?" And for the keys - "Where did he get it?" His actions were slow. It just doesn't make sense how a thief can take his time to steal a car parked within the vicinty of a household."

"So you're saying..." Moonbyul thought through Hwasa's analysis. 

Hwasa knewMoonbyul was getting there so she nodded. "Yes, that 'thief' is someone the Jungs know."

With that discovery, Jung Ha was called back to the station and found himself sitting in front of the inspector. He smiled - the same smile that he had when he first visited the station - and said, "You look a lot like your father."

"You know my father?" She asked, curosity aroused. Moonbyul did not expect that from him. She had never seen him before, except for the times he appeared in the papers. He was a respectable man, and she never knew that her father was acquainted to him. 

Upon hearing her question, he let out what Moonbyul thought was a laugh. He looked at Moonbyul and marvelled at how much she resembled her father. They had the same look on their faces when they were on a case and that amused him. He shrugged. He did not know the great Inspector Moon personally, but he would love to. "I met him a few times. A very dedicated man, I would say."

Moonbyul heard similar comments about her father so she was not surprised when Jung Ha said that. That was what her father was known for - his dedication. 

"Anyway, Mr Jung, the reason we called you back is because of this," Moonbyul said as she turned the computer screen towards the man sitting across her at the table. It was the clip of the last few minutes from the black box footage. She watched Jung Ha carefully as he looked at the screen, but there was nothing for her to catch because his expression remained the same. He had a smile throughout. 

He directed his gaze to her as soon as the clip ended and asked, "What about it?" 

The more she looked at him, the more frustrated she got, and it was all because of his smile. He was either using that smile to hide something, or there was basically nothing to hide. 

"The Mini Cooper was parked within the gates of your mansion, is it not Mr Jung?" Moonbyul questioned. 

Jung Ha nodded very calmly.

"Then can you explain how did the thief get in?" Moonbyul asked.

Again, he nodded, and answered without a rush, "He probably climbed the walls surrounding my place. They are quite low, so it's possible for a grown man, or woman, to climb in."

Moonbyul nodded and recalled that the walls were indeed quite low, but she found it weird how he knew it was easy for someone to climb in and not do anything about it. "And you didn't make a change?"

He smiled at her, as if he predicted her question. "I was planning to give my place a renovation, and yes, that was taken into consideration as well."

While Jung Ha was calm, Moonbyul was getting a bit frustrated. He was too calm for someone who should be desperately clearing his name because his reputation would be too important to be tainted. She took a sip of iced water from her cup and continued to ask, "Right, then how did the thief get the key?"

"Key?" He asked as soon as he heard the word, slightly frowning. Moonbyul suppressed the urge to smile and say, "Gotcha!" She raised the volume and turned the screen towards Jung Ha again. She pointed to her ear, signalling for him to listen carefully. There is was, the jingle of keys. 

Jung Ha tapped his fingers on the table as he was lost in his own thoughts. 

"So?" Moonbyul asked, tasting victory.

"Ah... No wonder I couldn't find the keys." He nodded as if he finally understood something. "So that was how the car was stolen. My wife and I went overseas on that day, I guess the thief was well-prepared."

Moonbyul sat up straight, and it was her turn to frown. She never expected this, she would never expect any of his reaction. 

Jung Ha smiled at her and said, "Thank you for letting me know how my daughter's car landed in the wrong hands." 

At that moment, Moonbyul could not explain how ridiculous the situation was. Never did she expect someone, a potential suspect of a serial murder case, to thank her during an investigaton. She was frustrated yes, but above that, she just wanted to give up.

Jung Ha looked at the speechless inspector in front of him and his smile widened. She was exactly like her father. "I hope you can find the culprit soon. I trust you can, because I believe your father has taught you well."

-

"How is it?" As soon as he entered the car, the person sitting in the passenger seat next to him asked. "To return to the station again."

"Shut up," Jung Ha snapped, tightening his grip around the steering wheel. 

He heard a low chuckle, and he was sure it was meant to mock him. 

"This is your retribution, eh?" The person went on, ignoring his words. 

"I said, shut up!" He turned his head sharply to face the person and hit the steering wheel hard with his hand. "Shut up before I go back and-"

"Oh, really?" The person cut him off with a smug little smile on his face, dragging the words longer than they should sound. "You will do that?" 

He always told his children to never let anyone hold something against them, but it never occurred to him that he would be the one in such a position, and ironically, to have one of his children hold something against him. He sighed, suddenly feeling breathless. It must be guilt, it must be. For a man like him - relentless and unforgiving - he would never have let that slipped, but guilt got the better of him. 

"You will give up on the empire that you have so painstakingly built?" He could tell the other person was having fun because they both knew what his answer would be. No, he would not give up, not even when guilt gnawed on his heart. He had too much to give up, and he was not prepared to do so. 

He silently started the car and took a deep breath before saying, "Let's get you to the airport before you miss your own flight."

-

Solar looked out of the window and admired the beautiful night view of Singapore. She wished someone could be here with her instead. Her fingers lightly touched the cool metal around her neck and a smile found its way to her lips. Just when she was lost in her thoughts, her phone rang, cutting through the silence in the room. She saw the caller ID and her smile widened.

"Hello," she said as she fell onto the soft bed. "It's me." 

"I know it's you, stupid," the person on the other line chuckled. "Are you in the room already?"

Solar nodded, as if the other person could see her. "Just reached. I wish you're here."

When Moonbyul heard the soft voice of her girlfriend over the phone, she forgot what she was going to do and could only stare blankly at the papers on her desk. Last night was still too surreal. 

"I hope I'm not too late," she said as she held out the necklace to Solar. 

"This..." Solar was clearly surprised. She pointed to the necklace and looked at the person standing close to her. "Isn't this very important to you?"

Moonbyul nodded. "It is, but I know I have to give this to someone who is equally important to me. What I've said the other time... that, I still love you." 

Solar looks expectantly at Moonbyul, somehow knowing what would be coming her way, yet at the same time, the joy was clouded by the fear of disappointment. 

"I shouldn't have let you go in the first place, and I don't want to live with that regret for the rest of my life. I was stupid, but please give this stupid another chance?" Moonbyul said, her voice getting softer and softer until it became barely a whisper. She kept her head low and saw the bracelet around Solar's wrist. It was not there before she left, and that could only mean one thing. Suddenly, she was anxious. 

Solar chuckled silently at the sight in front of her. Moonbyul looked like a kid who was asking for forgiveness but she did not have to do that, because it was never her fault in the first place. She reached out to hold the hand with the necklace on it and took a step forward to whisper in Moonbyul's ear, "I'll give this stupid another chance any time." 

"I wish I'm there with you too," Moonbyul said as she saw Hwasa entering her office. The latter shot her a teasing look and she looked away, feeling embarrassed. 

Ding dong. She heard the doorbell rang on the other side of the line. "Someone's here?" She asked.

"Mm, must be Sam," Solar said. "She asked me if I want to have dinner together." 

Moonbyul laughed at her attempt in explaining herself. "I know who's Sam. I've seen her before, remember? Go have fun and stay safe." 

After saying their goodbyes, Solar ended the call and answered the door. It was not Sam. "Oh? Won Il?" 

"Hey, I was just thinking..." He trailed off as he looked at the hand on the door frame. The bracelet he bought her was no longer there. In his disappointment, he looked over to Solar and saw a necklace that was not there the day before. 

Solar oblivious to the change in his expression, said, "Sorry, Sam is having dinner with me so-"

"Where's the bracelet?" He asked, catching Solar off guard.

"Sorry?" Solar asked, a bit stunned.

He pointed to her wrist and she then realised what he was talking about. "Oh... The bracelet," she mumbled. She thought it was inapproriate to wear it after agreeing to give Moonbyul another chance so she took it off. She rubbed her left wrist and tried to come up with a polite excuse, "I was afraid that I would lose it so I, uhm, left it at home." 

Of course, Jung Won Il did not buy it, and he pointed to the necklace. "And that?" 

He became confrontational and Solar was feeling a bit uncomfortable. They were never together in the first place so she could not understand why he was acting this way. Her hand, that was behind the door, slid down to the handle and she inched it forward, just enough to create a barrier between the both of them and not for him to notice. She hid the necklace and tugged at her shirt. "Uhm, just an old necklace which I found yesterday." There was no need for her to lie but she still did it anyway.

"She gave it to you, didn't she?" Jung Won Il could already guess who gave it to her. 

"Who?" She asked, though she knew the answer. 

He took a small step forward, and Solar inched the door a bit more. "Am I not good enough for you?" He asked, with a hint of devastation in his voice. His eyes fixed on Solar all this while, but strangely, the face in front of him morphed into someone else's. 

Solar thought her eyes were playing tricks on her when she saw tears in the man's eyes. "No, Won Il, don't say that," she said. "You're a really nice guy. It's just that... I've always loved someone else, and I don't think I'll ever stop."

"Then why did you give me hope?" He croaked. 

She stared blankly at him. Did she? All this time she thought he was just a very comfortable friend to hang out with, that was all and nothing more. Maybe she should not have given him any chance to ask her out at all. She said softly, "I'm really sorry if I make you think that way. I've always seen you as a good friend." 

Jung Won Il took a step back, his hand clenched tightly into a fist behind his back. The person standing in front of him was not Solar. The voice he heard was not Solar's. His head was spinning as the past came back to poison him. Escape was what he needed, and escape he did. 

Solar was left in a daze as he ran down the corridor and back to his room without saying anything else. Did he understand what she was saying? She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. She hoped he was alright, because she never meant to hurt him, like how he never meant to hurt her. 

Jung Won Il ran back to his room and slammed the door shut, taking deep breaths and shaking his head vigorously. "No... No... No!" He howled as he dropped to the ground. He hit the door again and again and again until the pain he felt in his hand, and heart, became numb. He was left sprawled on the ground, still in his uniform dress shirt, weakly mumbling, "Get out, get out of my head. You're dead, you're dead to me."