Warning: Content might cause discomfort. If you're uncomfortable with the image of violence, please read with caution, or refrain from reading. 

-

It was a video call and the first thing Moonbyul saw when the image came on was the person she missed the most. "Solar?" Moonbyul stared at the screen in front of her. It was dark. Just like the photo room in Jung Won Il's apartment, the light bulb was the only light source. A black cloth was tied around Solar's eyes. 

"Byul!" Her heart sank when she heard her name being shouted, accompanied by the sound of the chair scratching against the floor. Solar was moving, or rather, shaking violently as she tried to free herself.

Moonbyul brushed her fingers across the screen as if trying to provide some comfort for the woman who was struggling. "No... no..." She whispered. She failed. She could not protect her. It was all her fault. She should not have pushed her away in the first place. Who was she exactly to decide what was the best for Solar? If she did not break up with her then, this would not have happened because she would not give anyone a chance. 

A hysterical laughter put an end to her thoughts and she turned her attention to the screen once again. Someone walked out from behind the camera and towards Solar. He had a mask on, but that did nothing conceal his identity because the shining white pilot uniform gave him away. He adjusted the dangling light bulb and Moonbyul could see the place more clearly. It was a bare room, with drawings on the wall behind them. She had no idea where they were and that made her more frustrated with herself. 

"Oh, look at you," the man said, squatting in front of Solar. He waved to the camera. "Hello, we meet again."

"Jung Won Il," Moonbyul said in a low voice, almost a growl. 

He stood up with a laugh, the same mirthless laugh that accompanied him when he entered the scene. He walked over to Solar and stood behind her, removing the creepy mask, revealing his handsome face, but this time, the scar on his right cheek could be seen. That was the scar left by Kang Taeyoung when she was struggling before her death. "How do I look, inspector?" He asked, gesturing to his face. 

Moonbyul knew he was asking about the scar. It made him look menacing, and she sure wanted to make some snide remarks but she knew better than to do that. She saw Solar squirming in the seat and she closed her eyes. Hwasa clutched onto her coat and shook her head. She nodded and made a gesture with her free hand. Call Wheein. 

Hwasa understood and went out of the apartment to make the call. 

"You don't look any different, Mr Jung," Moonbyul said, trying to be as polite as possible. Only she knew how much will it took her to do that and not scream at that lunatic. 

Jung Won Il chuckled and paced around the room. "You flatter me, inspector," he said. Suddenly, he ran towards the camera and shouted, "But I hate liars!" 

Moonbyul pulled her phone away when the man's face took up her entire screen. His enlarged eyes spoke volumes of his madness and it sent goosebumps. Once again, his laughter echoed through the empty room. He sauntered back to where he was standing initially, behind Solar and he placed his hands on her shoulders. Moonbyul narrowed her eyes and clutched her phone even more tightly till her knuckles turned white.

"Don't touch her," Moonbyul hissed, but he could not hear it. 

"You know what I like about Solar?" He asked as he bent down to bring his face closer to Solar's. He did not wait for her answer and continued to speak, "She's honest. She has been honest with me. A real sweetheart really, but she messed up in the end and it was all because of you." 

He reached for the necklace around her neck and Moonbyul knew that was the one she gave her. Solar told him.

"Let go," Moonbyul said. "I said let go!" 

Jung Won Il straightened his back and laughed. It was sickening to the ears. He traced his finger along Solar's jaw and slid the back of his hand down her cheek. He pulled a chair next to Solar and sat down. "Now now, where do I begin?" He asked, tapping his chin. "I'm sure you've seen my gallery, right?"

"How do yo-"

"How do I know?" He interrupted with a laughter. "Do you always make such a scene at a suspect's house?"

Moonbyul stared blankly at the screen until she realised what he just said. He came back before, and he saw them. If they left, where would they be now? Hwasa walked over and wrote on her notebook. Stall time. Wheein is coming over. She glanced over at the notebook and nodded. 

"I've seen it," Moonbyul said. "Your gallery, I've seen it."

Jung Won Il smiled, evidently satisfied with himself. "It's beautiful, isn't it? I spend a lot of time on it," he said, folding his fingers as if counting the number of months. "Every time I'm in the room, I feel that Taeyoung is back with me again."

Moonbyul could feel the hair stand up on the back of her neck. She took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts. "Those women, why did you kill them?"

"Why did I kill them?" He repeated the question to himself and cackled in response. "Because they were not thinking with their heads. I mean, why did they have to choose that filthy rat over me?"

"Filthy rat?" Moonbyul asked, though she knew who he was referring to. 

At the mention of Ahn Hun Sang, Jung Won Il become hostile. He stood up and paced around the room, tugging on his tie. "He steals. He stole Taeyoung away from me!" He shouted. She could see Solar recoiling in fear when he erupted. "That's why I want to take those women away from him. I want to make them mine. I want to show him that I'm as capable as him, but those women... You should have seen their faces. They look at me as though I'm a monster. I'm not. I'm not!"

He sank down to the ground and hugged his head. "I'm not a monster... I'm not..." He mumbled over and over again, like a reminder to himself. Moonbyul looked at Hwasa who was writing something in her notebook. His reason for killing is irrational. She nodded in agreement. The victims were perfectly innocent. There was absolutely no reason for him to kill them at all, but he decided that their assocations with the man he despised and their offensiveness, which was self-perceived, were enough to take away their lives. 

"Do you think that I'm a monster too?" He shouted and pointed at the camera, directing the question to Moonbyul. "Do you?"

If she did not know anything about him or read his diary, she would probably answer yes without any hesitation, but after knowing some things about him, she pitied him. Even though he was the eldest son of Jung Ha, he was never showed love. His father poisoned his mother and left him for another family because of his greed. He was always compared to his sister, and even the women he loved betrayed his love and trust. He was alone and lonely all these years with no one to talk to. All these resentment were repressed and it had clearly taken a toll on him. It was his wounds that turned him into a monster because the pain was so great that he needed others to feel the same in order to feel better, but that still did not give him any logical reason to carry out such brutality. 

"No, I don't think so, Mr Jung, I don't," Moonbyul said. "You're not a monster, which was why you could've at least let the bartender go. Why did you kill her?"

Jung Won Il seemed to have calmed down a little when Moonbyul reassured him, and brought his legs closer to his chest. He shook his head. "I didn't want to kill her but I... I panicked. I saw you that day, and I... I was afraid she said something so I killed her. I didn't mean to. I really didn't want to hurt her!" He said as he ran his fingers through his hair that was damp from sweat.

"Mr Jung," Moonbyul called for his attention. "Before you hurt anymore people, release her, hm?" 

He raised his head sharply and glared at the camera. He shook a finger. "No no no no," he said. He stood up and put his face close to the camera. "She's different, inspector. She'll be mine. I'm not letting anyone take her away like how Taeyoung was."

Bad move. That was a bad move. She looked to Hwasa for help. Her friend patted her knee and nodded. She's coming soon.

Jung Won Il went back to his seat and took out something from his pocket. A ray of light cut across the screen and Moonbyul came to a horrifying realisation that he was holding on to a knife. 

"She's not going anywhere," he said as he drew the blade mindlessly over Solar's leg. "She won't be going anywhere."

"No..." Moonbyul said, but she could not hear herself over the agonising scream that tore her heart apart. She looked to Hwasa with tears in her eyes. "Hwasa! Help..." 

Seeing the tears in the inspector's eyes, Hwasa had to look away. She had not seen Moonbyul cry for a long time and she was as helpless as her. 

Moonbyul shut her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "Mr Jung, listen to me," she said, trying to be as calm as possible but the quiver in her voice gave her away. "She'll stay with you. I'll let her stay with you, but don't hurt her. Please don't hurt her. Please, I beg you." 

"Oh?" He looked up and drew the blade away. "Is that it? You'll give her up?" 

Moonbyul could see Solar biting hard on her lips to distract herself from the pain in her leg. She shook her head. No. Please save me. Don't leave me. Of course she was not going to give her up. She would never give her up after that day. "Yes, she's yours, but don't hurt her. Please, Mr Jung, please," she pleaded. 

Just then, Wheein rushed into the room and stopped beside them. After her father's confession at the station, Moonbyul sent her home, telling her to rest. She needed to rest because her head felt like it was going to explode, but Hwasa called. "Your brother got Solar," she said. "I know you need to rest but we really need you here. Come quickly." As much as she did not want to accept the fact that her brother was the one who caused so many deaths, she had to sooner or later.

Hwasa quickly raised a finger to her lips. Wheein could not see the screen but she could see the tears glistening in Moonbyul's eyes and it more or less explained the situation they were in. 

Do you know this place? Hwasa wrote on her notebook and showed it to Wheein. She gestured for Moonbyul to turn the screen slightly so that Wheein could see it. 

It was dark but she could still see the drawings on the wall clearly. There was a boy, smiling. Next to him on both sides stood his parents. The wall was filled with drawings. There were butterflies, cars, planes, houses, all drawn in bright colours. She remembered seeing these drawings. She knew where they were. She took the pen and wrote. I know. 

Moonbyul saw hope in the form of Jung Wheein and she grabbed her hand, holding it tightly. Thank you. 

Wheein smiled but it took her a lot of effort to raise the corners of her lips. It was not the time to smile but they all needed some form of encouragement now. Moonbyul gestured for the officers to follow Wheein as she sent them off to the location where Jung Won Il held Solar. Hwasa stopped at the door and looked at the inspector who was still sitting on the sofa. "You're not going?" Hwasa asked in a whisper. 

"I'll go later," she mouthed. She gestured to her phone and did a typing motion with her free hand. Text me the location. Hwasa saluted and disappeared into the darkness outside the apartment. 

Moonbyul was alone in the apartment as she stared at the screen again. Jung Won Il was just sitting beside Solar, occasionally mumbling to himself and occasionally caressing Solar's face. It was sick to her stomach. She wanted to scream and she wanted to throw him as far away as she could from the person she loved. 

"Mr Jung," she called out. "Can you hear me?" 

When he heard Moonbyul's voice again, he looked straight into the camera. He was tensed, as if afraid that the person beside him would be taken away. "Why are you still here? What do you want?"

"It's okay, relax, I won't take her away. I can't, you see. I don't know where you are," she said. "I just want you to untie her. See? She's hurting. You don't want to hurt her, right?"

Solar's head drooped to the right and her breathing was getting uneven. The cut on her leg was long and deep and at her feet, a pool of blood collected. She muttered incoherently, or maybe that was just to keep herself awake. 

"Oh no!" Jung Won Il exclaimed. He quickly untied Solar and took off the cloth around her eyes. She had her eyes shut and her face was particularly pale under the light. "I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. Sorry..."

He was busy trying to stop the blood from gushing out but stopped suddenly. He turned towards the camera and scowled. "I don't need you here anymore, and don't you dare take her away from me!" He shouted and staggered towards the camera. The screen turned black as he ended the call. This was the cue for her to leave. Wheein texted the address and she sighed in relief when she realised it would be a rather short journey. 

Solar, please hang in there. I'm coming. 

-

Jung Won Il brought in more cloth and tied them around Solar's leg to stop the bleeding, but she was slowly slipping into unconsciousness. For the past twenty minutes, he was talking to her about his life, his thoughts, basically anything that came to mind. Her head felt really heavy and the room was so cold. She could not remember how she got to this room except that she was knocked out while she was leaving the airport, and when she woke up, she could only see darkness. She thought it was a sick joke but then she heard Moonbyul's voice and closely followed by Jung Won Il's. Every time he laid his fingers on her, she felt a sick feeling in her stomach and she tried to escape but she had no where to go. She was trying to catch up with the conversation that was going on and when she finally understood the situation, she felt a sharp pain on her thigh and it spread, and spread to her knee. Stars appeared in the darkness and she felt the pain slowly taking over her. She had to stay awake, so she used all the energy left in her to concentrate on Moonbyul's voice. It was soft and comforting, somehow making the pain go away, but she could not hear her voice anymore. All that was left was the murmuring of death in her ears. 

"I'll take care of you. I'll take care of you well," Jung Won Il said as she wiped off the sweat on Solar's forehead. "You won't leave me again right? Taeyoung, you won't leave me again right?"

"I... am not... Taeyoung..." Solar said. Her voice was almost inaudible but he heard it. He never liked her. It was not a genuine interest. It was  a sick infatuation, an obsession, a mere reminder of the person who betrayed him. 

He shook his head. "No, you are Taeyoung, I'm sure of it," he said. He patted her hand as if to soothe a baby. In his moment of peace, he heard noises outside the room and he tensed up. He looked at the person beside him and then towards the door. She lied. The inspector lied! 

"Won Il?" He heard a familiar voice called out his name. "I'm Wheein. Please open the door."

Jung Won Il stared at the door and panic kicked in. What brought his sister here? She worked at the station, she worked for the inspector, she must be here to get him. "Go away! Go away before I kill her!" He shouted and pulled Solar away from the chair. He retreated into a corner, holding the knife to her neck. Solar groaned in pain as she was dragged away. She could feel life draining out of her.

"Wheein..." She tried to call out for the person outside the room but it could not reach anyone except for the man behind her. 

"Won Il, I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to talk. You can always talk to me right?" Wheein asked as one of the officers tried to pick the lock. 

Jung Won Il shook his head. She was lying. They were a bunch of liars. "No! You're lying! You're here to tear me away from Taeyoung!" He shouted. His hands trembled and the sharp blade came into contact with Solar's skin. 

"No, I'm not. Taeyoung will always be with you. Nobody can take her away from you, I promise," Wheein said. She could not believe her brother killed her friend. She believed she was alive with that text message but it turned out to be her brother's doing. 

They heard a click and everyone froze. They unlocked the door and Wheein slowly pushed open the door. Like what she had seen on the phone, the room was still dark and the light bulb was dangling in the middle of the room. Through the slit, she saw her brother and Solar in the corner.

"Don't come in!" He shouted, pressing the knife against Solar's neck. She gasped as the cold blade touched her skin. Blood was trickling down her neck. 

Going against his wishes, Wheein pushed open the door and stepped into the room but that was it. She raised her hands to show she was not holding on to any weapon. "You're my brother, Won Il, I care about you. I won't hurt you, really," she said. 

He shook his head and closed his eyes. Solar could feel something wet on the back of her neck. She heard soft sobs and realised he was crying. "No... You're lying. No one cares about me, all they do is hurt me. You're lying!" He said. 

"People... do care..." Solar said softly, pitying him, or maybe she was just too tired. 

Wheein heard footsteps in the corridor and she turned to look out of the room. Moonbyul was approaching and she held out a hand to stop her. Don't go in yet. 

Moonbyul stopped just before the room, hiding herself. She could hear someone sobbing in the room. She gently nudged Wheein's back, motioning her to go forward. 

Her brother's attention was distracted and she took the chance to step forward quietly. She motioned with the hand behind her back for Moonbyul to follow her as she kept an eye on her brother. He had his head down and was mumbling incoherently to himself. One step after another, she got closer and she could finally see Solar's face clearly. She was pale, like the snow during the winter. 

While he wallowed in self-pity, he did not realise his sister and the inspector were closing on him. It was only when he felt Solar struggling with the last of her strength then he realised Moonbyul was reaching out for the woman in his arms. . "Liars! Liars! Liars!" He screamed and in his outburst, his blade came into contact with Solar's neck once again and she fell with a thud onto the ground.

Moonbyul looked in horror as her loved one fell in front of her eyes. She yelled as she tried to hit the man. He had a knife, but she had none. She could not reach for her gun and she could only avoid his frantic swings one after another. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Solar lying on the ground and blood was so clearly visible. The fury in her burned and she kicked him in the shin. He groaned and knelt down on one knee, but he took the chance to dig the knife into Moonbyul's stomach. 

"No!" Wheein shouted as she saw Moonbyul falling to her knees and his brother pulling the knife, ready to launch another attack. He lunged at her, aiming for her heart. She drew out her gun and fire a shot.

"Byul!" Hwasa shouted as she heard the gunshot. 

-

A/N: I can't believe this is the third last chapter already :'( I feel that after reading this chapter, all of you will want to strangle me, but before I run, I would like to thank all of you for staying with the story until now :) *runs away*