After dropping him off Victoria received an incoming call from In Ji.

“Dinner? Tomorrow?” Victoria repeated.

“I’m planning to cook a Chinese dish for him, but I’m not really sure how to make it. If you could stop by for a bit it’d be really helpful,” her tiny voice came.

“Sure, I’ll stop by for a bit. Are you inviting him to your place?”

“We were planning to watch some movies right after dinner,” In Ji replied.

“Sounds romantic. I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Victoria said then hung up. “It sure must be great to be looking forward to seeing someone like that.” Victoria smiled at her phone then started the car turning around the corner back to her home.

/////

Before entering the summer house he turned around to watch her drive away. Seeing her was one of the pleasures in his life. Maybe…just maybe if he asked her again would she give him an answer this time around? Donghae shook his head with that thought. She wouldn’t take him seriously…maybe he would really have to wait for a long, long time.

“Oh well, she’ll turn around for sure someday Donghae,” he told himself.

Just when he set his phone on the table and walked away to get a cup of water his phone began ringing. Walking back to grab his phone Donghae noticed it was his uncle calling.

“Donghae,” he answered.

“Donghae,” his uncle said, “have you been busy over there?”

Donghae suddenly felt like mentally slapping himself. He’d forgotten all about his uncle after he’d gotten out of the hospital and during his small vacation. How long had it been since he had gone back to visit? 2 months?

“Oh,” Donghae said, “is there something you need? Sorry, I sort of forgot about coming back.”

“No, no it’s fine. Eunhyuk stops by often, he tells me you’re definitely very busy over there,” his uncle sounded a bit sarcastic which made Donghae wonder what stories Eunhyuk had been feeding him. “Anyway, I was just wondering if you could come back tomorrow? Eunhyuk’s family wants to have a dinner for Hee Sun and we’re invited.”

“Is something special going on?” he asked.

“Not really, but it’s her first time coming home from staying at the university for so long so they wanted to do something for her,” his uncle explained. “You can make it, right? I think they’re all anticipating your visit.”

“Oh…really?” Donghae said.

Did they want him to go back to appease Hee Sun? Or were they going to put the spotlight on him and Hee Sun? Either way he didn’t want to go back, but he knew he had to.

“I’ll make some time in the morning to come then,” Donghae replied. “I’ll see you then.”

After hanging up Donghae glanced down at his phone.

“And here I was unconsciously planning a dinner too,” Donghae said to himself.

Donghae arose early in the morning, ate a croissant, drank coffee, and headed out of the summer house. He stopped by at his uncle’s first and had lunch there. His uncle looked like he had aged a few years just during those few months that he’d been away. Yet, his warming smile was still the same and Donghae felt happy looking at him.

“Eunhyuk told me that your person of interest lives in Seoul. How’s she doing?” his uncle asked.

Donghae felt like choking on his orange juice, “What? Hyuk said what?”

“He said Victoria Song is a psychology professor at the university,” his uncle finished. “Eunhyuk also said you make frequent visit to the school.”

“It’s…it’s not like that,” Donghae stuttered. “Trust me, when I find someone I really like I’ll bring her to visit you. I promise. We’re nothing but just friends.”

His uncle just smiled.

/////

He had it planned out. To execute anyone from getting any nearer to Victoria he would do it no matter what. Because he couldn’t get any closer to that investigator he needed to get rid of the other obstacle that was getting bigger. In another hour before dinner he would make his move.

/////

Victoria had kept her eye on the clock all day long and an hour before In Ji would have her dinner date Victoria got into her car. In Ji had called earlier to say that she’d bought all the ingredients and all she needed now was her help. After parking her car by the street she crossed the street toward the large apartment building.

The large corridors were neatly polished and the plain tan tiles reflected every light bulb on the ceiling. The white walls made it seem as if Victoria were walking into a life sized maze, however she found her way around easily. The door numbers were all in a shiny gold and every door she passed by was white. Everything in this apartment building was too white.

“413,” she repeated to herself and came to a stop in front of the door.

Taking a breath she rung the doorbell once, twice, and a third time.

“In Ji?” she called knocking on the door. “In Ji? Are you there? In Ji? It’s me, Victoria.”

Wondering if something was wrong Victoria pressed her ear to the door for a chance to hear anything, maybe footsteps, but none of it came.

“In Ji ah! Open the door! It’s me, Victoria!” she called more loudly just in case In Ji had not heard her.

Feeling the string of panic inside her become thinner Victoria knocked on the door drastically then suddenly found the door unlocked. Images swiped through her mind as well as horrid flashbacks of discovering both Il Chung and Sandy. Victoria shook her head telling herself that nothing like that could not possibly happen. However, even as she opened the door she trembled continuously.

She was welcomed by the bright chandelier hanging above a long white draped table with a vase of red roses in the middle. Four chairs surrounded the table homily. A TV sat on a small desk in front of the wall to her right and two tan couches across from it. A stack of DVDs sat on the squared coffee table in the middle, possibly the DVDs In Ji had been planning to watch with her boyfriend.

“In Ji?” Victoria called before she smelt something burning to her left.

Victoria slowly turned to see a long counter in front of the kitchen stove but saw no other presence in the room with her. She slowly glanced around the kitchen. A bowl of veggies sat on the table with a cutting board to its right. A bunch of other ingredients to the far right and the pot on the stove was burning…Victoria took a step forward to glance at the stove to her left and could see that nothing was in it. How long had it been left there? Had In Ji been boiling water?    

“In Ji?” Victoria called again and stopped when took a step further.

To her right the counter had been blocking her view of In Ji. Blood seeped from her chest, her shirt was full with small slits, her eyes half opened, and a long knife had been left in her right hand, her arm extended out. Victoria’s eyes grew wide and she screamed and screamed and screamed taking continuous steps back without even turning to see where she was going. She didn’t stop until she hit the back of the tan colored couch and suddenly dropped to the ground with knees up to her chest, hands over her eyes still screaming endlessly.

/////

Hee Sun walked into the house with a meek smile welcomed by hugs from both her parents. Eunhyuk appeared behind her carrying her bag. Donghae stood there smiling at her but she didn’t look at him. It was the first ever that Hee Sun had avoided making eye contact with him which left him feeling surprised. Hee Sun immediately walked into the kitchen clapping both hands together like a little girl excited to be back home from a long trip.

“All my favorite dishes too!” she exclaimed.

“Your mom spent all afternoon making these,” Donghae’s uncle told. “How are your studies going?”

“Very good.” she replied. “Mom, dad, Hyukjae hurry so we can eat!”

“Mmm?” Eunhyuk said walking over. “You’re not inviting Donghae or his uncle?”

“Lets all eat! I’m very tired from the trip back home,” Hee Sun said taking her seat.

“Trip? But it wasn’t even that long,” Eunhyuk commented taking a seat by Donghae.

“How are your classes? Do you like them? Are your professors nice?” her father asked.

“They’re all great. I think it’s very fun,” told Hee Sun.

“Are you eating over there ok?” asked her mother.

“Why are you even worrying?” her father said. “She looks like she’s gained a few pounds.”

Hee Sun’s face became that of a nervous one when her spoon dropped from her hand and onto the ground. Donghae was about to speak up but her mother beat him to it.

“I’ll get you a new one,” she offered then came back with a new spoon and Hee Sun’s hair, “are you ok? You seem like you’re catching a cold. Are you sure you’re taking care of herself?”

Eunhyuk who had been observing her quickly said when he noticed tears in Hee Sun’s eyes, “Mom, Hee Sun’s not a little girl anymore. You shouldn’t be doing such gestures to her in front of others.”

“Why can’t I? She’s my baby,” her mother said then looked down at Hee Sun affectionately. “Eat well and we can catch up later, ok?”

Hee Sun smiled nodding her head then immediately lowered her face so that no one could see her red eyes.

/////

Victoria shook her head over and over again. She felt overwhelmingly exhausted by their interrogations. She had watched them pack In Ji’s body into a bag and carried her out. The bloody knife that had been left behind was packed away into a clean bag for examinations. Just staying in the apartment made Victoria feel sick and she had requested to go out numerous times, but the police officers would not allow her to.

“I don’t know,” she didn’t know how many times she’d said that.

She didn’t care if the officers shook their heads at her or if she frustrated them because she was frustrated herself. Questions she couldn’t answer piled up in her mind and she felt mentally traumatized. She couldn’t stop shaking so they gave her a blanket to cover herself and had told her to sit on the couch that belonged to her deceased friend. Did they not know how sick she felt? It was as if her intestines were turning inside out.

Finally a familiar figure walked in through the door and Victoria felt a whiff of relief flood through her. Someone she could trust, at the least, had come.