Solar returned to her room and lied down on the bed, arms spread out and eyes staring at the light above her.

When Moonbyul walked away just now, she stood there watching her running her fingers through her newly dyed hair again and again. A habit she had when something was troubling her. She wished she could help but she knew Moonbyul. She knew how strong and independent she was, and how she did not like to burden others with her problems.

Moonbyul was so passionate about her work, even though she had to deal with deaths.

“I guess my father influenced me,” she said when asked why she wanted to be a police.

Solar saw Moonbyul’s father a few times. A stern man of few words, and rarely smiled. The few times he smiled were when Moonbyul returned home. Moonbyul resembled her father, but her eyes were twinkling with life while his were like starless nights.

She smiled as their memories played in her mind. Would there be a chance for them to relive those memor- A knock interrupted her thoughts and she got up a bit unwillingly.

“Oh? Won Il?” She opened the door to reveal her colleague.

Jung Won Il smiled as Solar opened the door. “You’re in. Great! Do you want to have dinner together?”

Solar actually wanted to ask Moonbyul if she wanted to have dinner together but she knew it would be difficult to tear her away from work at the moment. She worked with Jung Won Il a few times, him as the chief pilot and herself as the flight attendant. He was a really sweet guy so she did not see any reason to reject his offer. “Sure. Let me grab my purse first.”

She left the room shortly after she took her purse, with Jung Won Il standing outside, waiting for her. They walked together towards the lift, but she saw Moonbyul leaving her room and walking in her direction hastily.

“Byul?” Solar asked as she saw Moonbyul’s eyebrows tightly knitted together.

Moonbyul glanced at the man standing beside Solar before averting her gaze back to the woman. The resemblance was disturbing and she tried to shake it off. She closed her eyes and pinched the tip of her nose. It was just coincidence, it had to be.

It was the first time Moonbyul showed any visible signs of weakness in front of her. She was clearly shaken and for what reason, she could only guess it was about the case she had been looking into.

“Byul? Look at me, what happened?” Solar gently held Moonbyul’s face up with both hands, her thumbs gently brushing across her cheeks, and she realised how cold her skin was.

She must be over thinking. Solar was still standing in front of her, her large eyes looking straight into hers. She got her worried, which she should not.

“I, uh… just thinking if you want to have dinner?” Moonbyul made up a reason for wanting to see her. She did not really want to eat. She lost her appetite. She just wanted to make sure she was safe.

Solar looked at Jung Won Il who was looking at them quizzically. “Well, I…”

“It’s okay, maybe another time.” Moonbyul saw her looking at the man beside her. He was tall and pale, and looked a bit sickly. Was he the person who walked out with Solar at the arrival hall? “Both of you, enjoy the dinner.”

Solar tilted her head slightly as she looked at Moonbyul returning to her room. What was that all about? Why did she look so worried? Why did she sound so distant in the end? All the questions were running wild in her mind. She could not understand Moonbyul sometimes and the other person did not help with that either.

“So… are we still having dinner together?” Jung Won Il asked.

“Ah, yes, let’s go.” Solar snapped out of her thoughts and smiled, but she was really just sighing inside.Moonbyul… What are you doing to me exactly?

–

Moonbyul returned to her room and plonked herself in front of the laptop, with the screen still lit up. The four pictures were still staring back at her and she could not deny the resemblance they had to Solar.

“Byul, talk to us!” Wheein shouted to catch her attention just now.

“Why did you ask for the victims’ pictures? Did you spot something?” Hwasa asked.

“Look at them again,” Moonbyul told them, her voice shaking a little. “Look closely.”

Wheein and Hwasa did as they were told. Staring at the pictures were a little uncomfortable but they had done it many times that it became an itch in their hearts.

“What do you want us to see?” Hwasa scratched her head as she scanned the pictures.

“Not what. Who?” Moonbyul corrected.

There was silence on the other line and Moonbyul was sure the two of them caught on as well.

“Solar…” They said in unison, with clear disbelief.

“You don’t think you’re just being paranoid, Byul?” Wheein asked. She knew how much Solar meant to her.

“I could be, but we can’t deny the fact that all four of them do look alike and a little like Solar.” Moonbyul tried to be rational.

“So what you’re saying is that there is some kind of trend here?” Hwasa asked, tapping her fingers against the screen.

“Possibly.” Moonbyul bit her thumb. Please let the trend stop there.

“And… Solar-” Hwasa was about to make another guess but Moonbyul stopped her with a stern “no”.

“Let’s just focus with what we have right now,” Moonbyul reminded. “Go back to the crime scenes and search again. There may be evidence we’ve left out.”

Wheein could hear the tension in Moonbyul’s voice. She was clearly affected but as always, she would act tough. She was a professional after all.

“We’ll keep the observation in mind,” Wheein said. “And Byul?”

Moonbyul did not answer but Wheein was sure she was listening.

“Don’t think too much, alright? Nothing will happen to Solar,” she assured, trying to cheer her friend up. It was supposed to be a relaxing holiday. What had she done? Work could be a real hassle most of the time.

Moonbyul still remained silent. She hoped so too.

–

“Who is she?” Jung Won Il took a sip of the red wine and leaned forward with a smile.

They were sitting near the window and the scenery was breathtaking. Solar tore her eyes away and looked at the man sitting in front of her. “Who?”

“Her. The person you talked to just now.” Jung Won Il leaned back against his seat. A man full of charm, his actions were full of grace.

Solar raised her eyebrows slightly, curious why Jung Won Il would want to know. “You mean Moonbyul?”

He nodded, recalling the scene earlier. It was amusing how Moonbyul completely disregarded his presence and went towards Solar. Their interaction was close yet something felt distant.

“She’s a friend,” Solar said, and stopped. She was more than a friend. Even when they were no longer together, she was still more than a friend to her, but that was only for her to know.

Friend, what a neutral term. Jung Won Il smiled and rested his head on his hand. “That’s it?”

Solar pursed her lips in annoyance. Jung Won Il was a nice guy, she could hold comfortable conversations with him, but sometimes he would cross certain boundaries.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to pry. Just a little curious.” He apologised as soon as he saw the change in expression on Solar’s face.

Solar shook her heard, saying it was okay, but not really. Everything just seemed so frustrating to her. Maybe it was the jet lag.

She crossed her leg and leaned back against her seat, but she wished she did not do that. A waiter, carrying a glass of wine, tripped against her foot and lost his balance. Thankfully, he did not fall but the man in front of her had it worse.

Jung Won Il was swearing, elapsing from the graciousness that defined him, with red wine dripping down his face and onto his white sweater. The waiter apologised again and again, handing him a napkin to wipe his face. He glared at the poor waiter and snatched the napkin from him.

Solar was slightly taken aback by what was happening. She had never seen the good-mannered man so angry before and she definitely did not know there was a huge scar running down his right cheek.

-

A/N: Introducing another character~ Right now, I'm focusing on laying out the plot so there won't be a lot of moonsun moments in the story but I promise there'll be more in the future chapters!