“I’m pretty sure I did.” Victoria sounded a bit sarcastic.

“You should add another emergency lock on your door or install a security system. If it was your stalker who stole into your home then he could try again in the future and wait for you.” Donghae explained and even the thought of it made him worry about her safety. Victoria was staying alone with only her dog who might not be much help. But with Melodix’s loud barking surely the neighbors would notice if there were ever trouble.

“I haven’t thought about it, but I’ll keep it in mind.”  

Donghae smiled in a gesture to comfort her, “You still ok staying alone?”

“Of course.”

“You still have my number, right?”

Victoria hesitated for a moment. She did have his business card…and she’d saved him as a contact after the hospital incident.

“I take that as a yes?” his smile still remained on his face but an expression of satisfaction now showed in his smile. “Just call me whenever. Since I’m in Seoul I can make it there within minutes.”

“Are you bragging?” Victoria questioned.

Donghae was about to smile at her again but something else appeared in his mind. A while back just after Victoria had discovered her friends’ bodies a short woman had approached him about a man standing in front of Victoria’s door. He wanted to ask about that now that he had the chance.

“Say,” Donghae began, “do you know any other men besides Song Philip and Il Chung?”

Victoria frowned a bit, “Why?”

“You were gone the day before the incident so you weren’t in your apartment. Do you know of anyone who might have wanted to contact you around then? A man?” Donghae questioned.

Victoria felt his words conjure up something in her memory then she recalled the short woman’s words about a man that had been standing in front of her door. Should she tell Donghae about it?

“A woman said Il Chung had invited a man who’d been in front of my door down,” Victoria told. “I wasn’t close to anyone except for Philip and In Seol. Besides Il Chung I wasn’t particularly close with anyone.”

For some reason it felt relieving to tell him these. Every word poured out of naturally. It was as if she was completing a puzzle willingly this time around.

“Are you sure you don’t remember anyone you may have been close with? Maybe someone from your past? Adolescent years?” Donghae questioned.

A tall, wide purple building appeared in Victoria’s mind but she quickly threw it away. It was something she didn’t want to recall. She shook her head no. Her life, her past was something she wanted to keep hidden. He was right, she did have many secrets and there was no chance she was going to tell him those secrets because they didn’t matter to him. And her bringing her past to the future would get her nowhere.

She noticed Donghae eyeing her closely as if looking for any signs that she might let slip. Victoria eyed him back until he turned away.

“I had Sasha make a call to Il Chung’s parents for us last night. She informed me they’re free anytime this week so we can drop by whenever we feel like it,” Donghae explained making a change of subject. “You free tomorrow? I’m pretty sure you are.”

Victoria just stared at him as if he were pressuring her into doing something, “Sasha?” The name sounded intimidating to her. “It sounds like the name of a dog.”

Donghae laughed, “She’s the secretary back at the investigation center for Chief Kang. I don’t think she’ll be very pleased with your statement, she is a hard lady.”

Victoria snorted and grabbed the cup of water chugging half of it down. “I’m assuming you’re going to make the appointment then?”

“I guess.”

“You guess?”

“Tomorrow morning then.”

“Tomorrow? Why don’t you ask me if I want to first?”

Donghae shrugged, “Didn’t you say it was up to me?”

Victoria gritted her teeth first then replied, “Fine.”

They became silent again then Victoria got up to her feet.

“I guess that’s all there is,” she said.

“You aren’t doing anything today are you?” he suddenly questioned not wanting to lose company yet. “Want to go to the movies? We can go to the arcade or have lunch afterward.”

“Shouldn’t you be inviting your little girlfriend out?” Victoria asked.

“No,” Donghae stared at her then smiled, “but why would you be worried about that?”

“Oh, I’m just wondering, not worried. I mean it’s not like she can slap you, am I right?” Victoria was being sarcastic. She felt a desire to get on his nerves.

“And I’m pretty sure you know I’m not dating her,” Donghae finished, “but why would you try to be getting on my nerves?”

“Why are you so quick to defend yourself Mister Lee?”

“Well if you’re trying to argue with me it tells me you’re more than free to be my partner today. Let me get dressed then we can go,” Donghae said getting up and walking pass her.

Victoria turned around to watch him close the door to his room not feeling surprised for some reason. Maybe she was becoming used to him barging in on her whenever he felt like it. This feeling of familiarity. Maybe it was because they’d both lost their parents and they understood the loneliness and longing that loss brought them.

“Han In Seol…are you watching me?” she silently wondered. “I…just want to forget everything for a while…can you forgive me?”

Donghae walked into the cinema followed by the ever silent Victoria. He’d tried talking to her and hadn’t expected much from her and as always she gave him the shortest answers he could imagine. After buying a large sized buttered popcorn and drinks he found Victoria sitting at the end of the aisle and joined her. The lights went off and a bunch of movie previews premiered before the movie would start.

He hadn’t been out anywhere especially to the movies for a long time and he was feeling excited. He turned to glance at Victoria who had her eyes glued on the large screen and kept staring at her. When Victoria turned to look at him Donghae immediately looked away, but when she turned away he turned back to stare at her. Again she turned to look at him and Donghae turned away as if he hadn’t turned to look at her at all. When she turned away Donghae turned back to her. He could see her jaw line tighten and she turned to glare at him.

“What do you want?” she asked sounding as if she were speaking through gritted teeth.

“Just checking to see if you’re asleep,” Donghae smiled widely then turned away and began chowing down on his popcorn. “Do you want some?”

Victoria turned away from him and set her eyes on the screen.

“Pretending to be all cool,” Donghae whispered under his breath and turned away from her as Victoria turned to glare at him again.

He wanted to play around and , but all she did was glare him. He was wondering if she understood his bidding, “play along with me.”

After the movie they filed out of the cinema along with everybody else.

“You were sleeping weren’t you?” Donghae accused.

Victoria glanced at him then walked toward his car, “We’re going to eat, aren’t we? And this meal’s on you, right?”

Donghae looked at her and let a breath of laughter escape him then got into the driver’s seat. While they were halfway through their meal Donghae watched as she poked at her food hungrily.

“How old are you?” he questioned out of the blue.

“Shouldn’t you already know that without me telling you?” Victoria asked without looking up from her food. “You’re an investigator, aren’t you?”

“26? Or was it 28?”

Victoria finally looked up with a glare escaping her eyes, “24.”

“That means I’m still older than you. You could call me oppa.”

“Oppa, oppa!” Hee Sun’s voice entered Victoria’s ears. She had had enough of that young girl shrieking in her ears.

“Never,” Victoria replied solidly.

“I expected something like that from you,” Donghae said, “though I expected you to say something like, ‘Over my dead body.’”

“Are you trying to humor me?” Victoria asked sarcastically wiping her lips with a napkin then grabbed her cup of water.

“Was I successful?” asked Donghae.

“Forget it. Are we done here?”

“I guess so. Do you want to take a walk around?”

The memory of the little boy running into her appeared in her mind, “Serve yourself if you want to.”

Victoria got up from the black chair and headed toward the door. Though Donghae had gone to pay the bill she knew he’d be at her back in seconds. She’d gotten all the air she wanted and now she just wanted to return home and cover herself in her blanket of silence in her apartment. But as always things didn’t turn out the way she wanted and again Donghae got his way-barging into her house to visit Melodix.

“You should get rid of the flowers in the kitchen. They’re dead,” she heard his voice from the kitchen.

Ever since she’d returned to her apartment 10 minutes ago the investigator had been carrying Melodix around like a baby and touring the house as if he’d never been there before. Victoria lay on the couch staring at the TV screen and the documentary she was watching about WWII. Her eyes drifted toward the dining room where Melodix was being cradled in Donghae’s arms comfortably. Really, if she were near sighted-blind she’d have thought he was holding a baby and setting it to sleep. Turning away Victoria felt a need to go see him again. Maybe tomorrow after meeting with Il Chung’s parents she’d go to the flower shop and get some flowers. That’s it…she would do that.

Outside in Donghae’s car on the driver’s seat his cell phone lay ringing endlessly.