/////

Looking for the doctor was harder than he’d imagined. He’d gone practically to every department all over the hospital and still couldn’t locate the doctor who’d seen Victoria because in the first place he didn't even know where she'd gone to get a checkup. He stopped in the middle of the hallway and walked back to the large window screen he’d seen. Glancing inside he could see rows and rows of babies sleeping in their own cubicles. It was a fragile sight for him but amazed him as well. Then the small woman’s words trailed into his memory again and he wondered-had Victoria Song been pregnant? He stepped away from the glass window almost knocking into a nurse.

“I’m so sorry,” he apologized.

The nurse nodded and he could feel her eyes stick onto his face then smiled. His charm was playing by itself again.

“Say, can I ask you a question?” he asked.

“Uh…y…yes.” the nurse stuttered nervously.

Donghae smiled and could make out the nurse blushing, “Do you remember a woman by the name Victoria Song? Maybe she was here a few days ago.”

“Victoria…Song?” the nurse repeated. “I don’t know, there are too many patients for me to remember.”

“Is that so?” Donghae said then glanced around. “I guess I should have tried the front counter.”

“Wait!” the nurse called when Donghae had began walking away. “Maybe I can help you.”

“Really?” Donghae hurried back.

“Yes.”

Donghae reached into his pocket and pulled out his name card and gave it to her, “Can you check with all the doctors and tell them to give me a call if they’ve seen Victoria Song?”

“Yes.”

“Thanks a lot!” Donghae waved with a jump and hurried down the hallway. Since he’d finished the first thing on his list he didn’t recall anything else that he had wanted to do. Maybe he’d go back home and relax now. However, the ringing of his phone interrupted all plans he had just come up with.

“Oppa, I’m going to be moving into my dorm in Seoul today. Do you want to come with me?” it was Hee Sun.  

“Uh…I don’t know.” was Donghae’s reply.

“I really need someone to go with me. I’m just a girl and I can’t carry all my luggage myself,” she went.

Donghae let her words fly pass and just remained silent for a while to make it seem as if he was really think of something, which he wasn’t. “What about your parents?”

“When I told them you’d go with me they were fine with it.”

Donghae made a face and bit his tongue lightly, “Why would you do that?”

“Because I know you’d go with me,” she said confidently.

“What about Hyukie?” asked Donghae.

She seemed reluctant to answer but finally said, “He’s here.”

“Um…I’ll come with you if Eunhyuk comes too.”

“Ok!”

After he hung up Donghae couldn’t help but heave a sigh. There’s was no way he could reject if she’d already told her parents what she did. Oh well, it was just Seoul. It wouldn’t take all day, he was sure of it.

/////

Victoria tossed a suitcase and a bag into the back of her car and climbed into the front seat beside her toy poodle. She’d changed her mind just that morning after the investigator’s sudden visit. She would bring some of her belongings to her new apartment, a house split in half and she would own the right side of that house. Then after the funeral on Saturday she’d bring the rest of her belongings to the new house and officially move in. She still hadn’t made up her mind about whether she’d want to stay in Seoul over night, but she guessed she’d make a decision after she’d set her luggage in the new apartment.

After an hour and a half of slow driving along the highway she finally came upon the handsome blue building before her. An oval window stood next to the white door and a large green bush stood next to that window. The house was pretty much plain but Victoria liked it and that was all that mattered. She was sure that if her aunt were still alive she would have liked it too. Victoria climbed up the stone steps and unlocked the door then pulled her suitcase after her letting Melodix run around free.

The first room she entered was the living room. As promised the last owner of the apartment had left behind her white sofa and a desk where she guessed the TV sat. Victoria locked the door after her and walked around the home going into the small kitchen and pulling every wooden drawer open. When she’d finished searching around she finally went into one of the two rooms and chose her bedroom. She’d planned to have a truck bring her bed into the new apartment and finally taking a sigh she sat down on the carpeted floor. Everything she’d wanted to do was about done for now.

Too much things had happened that week and maybe she was getting emotionally worn out because she suddenly felt overwhelmed and lonely. Finally the deaths of Il Chung and Sandy were hitting her. It was finally a fact that they were gone and she’d have no more friends. No more people to sympathize with her, no more people to listen to her pain, no more, no more. How was she going to cope by herself in this new big city?

/////

“There! That should be all of it!” Donghae took a breath of relief as he set the last box on the ground.

“Hee Sun, why’d you bring so much with you? You’re not going to be living here for life!” Eunhyuk told sitting down on the floor leaning against a box.

“It’s school Eunhyuk, school. You don’t know who’d want to barge in on me during the day so I must be prepared,” Hee Sun told.

“You’re not talking about Donghae are you?” Eunhyuk asked.

“I’d be too busy to ever come to Seoul,” Donghae waved his hand at them. “I’d have no reason to ever step in this large city.”

“Aren’t I your reason?” Hee Sun asked.

“Hee Sun, give it up,” Eunhyuk added.

“You’d visit me sometimes, wouldn’t you?” asked Hee Sun. “Your uncle owns a summer house in Seoul, so won’t you come stay there sometimes?”

Donghae averted his eyes toward the window to ignore her question. Yes, his uncle owned a summer house but he’d only been there only once. He didn’t want to stay in Seoul because his parents had been killed in Seoul.

“I have no reason to stay here,” Donghae said his voice going quiet.

From behind him Eunhyuk made a face toward his step sister, “You shouldn’t have opened your mouth.”

“I’m…I’m sorry,” she apologized after a second.

Donghae glanced at his watch, “Well, if there’s nothing else then I’m heading back. Besides I’m done with what you’d promised your parents I’d do.”

“But…but…you can’t go just like this,” Hee Sun said. “We…can at least grab something to eat together before you go, right? Eunhyuk say something.”

Eunhyuk rolled his eyes and got up from the floor, “Well, she’s right. You’ve already helped me lug all these junk up here so why don’t we treat you to lunch or something?”

With that Donghae somehow found himself following them into a small restaurant.

“How many?” the waiter questioned.

“Three.”

The waiter led them toward a table and handed them menus. After ordering Hee Sun began to talk about how excited she was for the new year she would embark on. Donghae found himself zoning out as he stared at the salt and black pepper shakes moodily. For some reason he didn’t feel so well that evening and for once he didn’t feel chirpy like usual. The door behind him opened with the bells above it jingling and Donghae could make out the waiter’s voice behind him.

////

As the waiter led Victoria down the aisle she felt like running out when she noticed the investigator and those two siblings from the other night. Why was she running into them so much? She wanted to turn around and tell the waiter she’d changed her mind, but the smile on his face told her she’d feel bad if she just walked out after walking in to his service. They came to a stop at a single table just two tables away from them.

“Can I just sit at the other end of the room?” questioned Victoria in a quiet voice.

“Um…” the waiter went and Victoria prayed and prayed that she’d be able to get out of there without them noticing her. “If that makes you comfortable.”

“Thank you.” she uttered as the waiter led her to the other side of the room and she sat down by the window.

She suddenly decided that she’d want to stay in Seoul then go to the funeral and grab the rest of her belongings and come back. She was afraid that she if went back to her apartment in Incheon the investigator would ask her questions again. If the cops believed she was a suspect who would help her? She had no friend who would stand for her and she had no alibi.

“What are you doing here this afternoon, Miss Song?” a voice asked.

Victoria’s head shot up from the napkins she’d been staring at to see her worst nightmare standing before her. The investigator who’d seen her this morning.

“Can I sit down?” he asked after she couldn’t bring herself to speak.

How she was beginning to hate the presence of cops. Without even giving him permission he seated himself down anyway.

“I usually don’t see any criminals running about during the day, but it isn’t usual to see them dining like normal too,” he suddenly said as if he was hinting her something.

What did he want? Victoria clenched her hand into a fist under the table. Had he followed her?  

“Oppa!” a girl’s voice suddenly rung in Victoria’s ears. “What are you doing?”

Victoria turned to see that same girl that had thrown a tantrum a few nights ago standing to her right. Why weren’t these people giving her any time to gather herself to speak?

“Why are you here?” she asked turning her eyes on Victoria.

“Hee Sun go back,” Donghae said.

“No! Not when you wouldn’t tell me why you came over here in the first place. No wonder I found it strange. You’re having a secret date aren’t you?” she accused.

Victoria felt like laughing suddenly but remained silent and composed in her seat. She suddenly recalled why the girl had been so angry a few nights ago, she had a thing for the investigator sitting before her.

“Hee Sun, stop it. Can’t you see Donghae is in a bad mood today?” Eunhyuk suddenly appeared from behind Hee Sun.

“Oh my God. With them around I will never be able to get any peace and quiet or eat in silence!” Victoria fumed to herself then dug into her wallet and pulled out 30 bucks and placed them on the table before getting up.

“Oppa! Go back to our table so we can finish eating,” Hee Sun pleaded.

“I think I’ll feel like grabbing something when I get back to Incheon,” Donghae said and got up feeling a need to taunt his suspect again.

Before Victoria could actually make it to her car she heard the investigator following her. She felt herself freeze where she was and Donghae made his way pass her so that he was now standing before her.

“What do you want from me?” Victoria asked feeling her voice quiver from nervousness.

“Two days ago you complained of a stomachache, where did you go?” he asked.

Victoria could feel herself burn up with even more nervousness, “I never said that.” The words just flew out of .

“If you weren’t no where why weren’t you in your apartment? Because you refuse to say anything you’re a suspect right now and because you won’t admit anything you’re making both your friend’s families suffer. Can’t you just say you were jealously in love with Il Chung that you got rid of them both?” he suddenly spat the words out without even thinking.

Victoria could feel her jaw drop then before even realizing it she’d slapped him back to reality. She watched as Donghae blinked dumbfounded then stared at her with those innocent eyes of his. What had just happened? What did she just do? Victoria’s eyes widened as she stared at her right hand. She hadn’t meant to do it…she didn’t know why it happened.