“YAAH..KIM JAEIN! Where have you been?!! What time is it??" He shouted to welcome his sister while was putting both hands on his waist and stand in the porch as a substitute for his father who was always busy as a consequence of his high position in korean national police academy.

 

 

"Is that how you welcomed your noona, Mr. nice guy?" She grabbed her brother's ear making him squealing in his police uniform which he just managed to finally got a pair couple months ago.

 

 

“Act accordingly if you want to be called one.” he murmured then followed by another scream because jaein increased her finger power on his ear. He patted her hand, plead for mercy - The only thing he could do in that situation was waving a white flag.

 

 

"Where have you been, NOONA??" He emphasized his last word to make sure he secured his freedom. He his reddened ear then locked the door while waiting his sister switched her shoes to home slipper then followed her behind.

 

“I’m doing this and that.. How was your work?? Did you have fun?” she asked in her flat tone while was walking to the pantry and took out a pitcher of water from their fridge.

 

 

“This is your problem.. who in the galaxy would describe handling criminals as a ‘FUN’ activity?” objected him absurd when refused a glass from jaein. Actually He had enough water while waiting her came home.

 

“Jongin-ah…” she hesitated as she bit her bottom lip couldn't continue her sentence.

 

“What?” he ask in curious tone. “Nothing.. good night..” she switched her mind then turn her back and went to her room on the same floor.

 

***

 

“See? Then there’s no reason to keep it away from me. We are not and will not connected in any way though.”

 

That words echoed inside her head even when she was sitting in front of cashier machine in her coffee shop that morning.

 

 

“Hey.. I can be a good use..”

 

Another voice emerge to her head. Jaein kept her silent tried to digest every words from his line. They were in fact not knowing each other and neither of them wished to change that. Therefore, not even a single apology slipped from his lips last night. He didn't see any prospects jaein would somehow be beneficial or so, there's no reason for him to fix his image 'cause he was sure they would never have another encounter ever anyway.

 

“What a jerk,” she cursed softly also to herself because she couldn't even opposed his logic.

 

 

~~Flashback~~

“My mother is alive…or so.. at least.. her heart is beating..” she spilled her thought without thinking.

Who cares about where he came from or who he was, didn't she need to take a benefit from that situation as well. However she was sitting there longer than she estimated, because she couldn't straight her mind yet all this things happened. Her anger, sadness, emotions, all entangled then left her confused and lost. She needed another escape way, and it might worth a try.

 

Jiyong drowned in his silent. Unclear if he was waiting her to continue her story or he wasn't able to find a word on his brain. Her sentence was short yet he could never finished digesting it. For a long time he only stared at her face tried to read a complex expression that was visible yet hard to describe from two eyes that refuse to met his.

Even she herself couldn't understand her decision to share this story to merely a stranger, why she discuss her worries with him. A story that was in fact too sensitive to talk with her own brother, why did she poured it here - with this somebody. Maybe she was that down, that tired, enough to let herself be manipulated by his words. They would never saw each other- ever. That one line succeeded erasing a hundred thousand ground that prevent her to talk to him. In a second he turned to be a perfect fit for her discuss partner.

Jaein was waiting his respond, more-or-less she hope he could find a way to calm her mind, to pick a best approach to react on that situation. Time ticking and jiyong kept still. Not having any response she stand up. She did not suppose to expecting much on the first place.

 

 

“Our life… already complex enough.. why did you have to make it more complicated?” he finally talk in a very low voice but enough to make her stop moving any further.

 

 

“Don’t think too much… it’d happen to be more cryptical by doing so..” jiyong gave a pause on his sentence to get some air without breaking his eye contact with her.

 

 

“just thanks if you feel so, and don’t if you’re not.” he continued as he got up and patted her shoulder apparently giving some kind of support or may be interpreted as 'well..it's not my problem though'

 

~~Flashback end~~

 

 

Jaein dug her phone gallery then stared at those pictures she took secretly yesterday. She clicked one that showed a picture of some papers with a couple table charts of number and medical term written on it. She zoomed it in then tried to memorize one line on the corner of the page. She pasted exactly what she had seen before to a blank tab in her smartphone Internet apps, then space out while waiting the page loaded.

Everything was still fresh on her mind. How her father couldn't even look straight at her eyes when he delivered that news. She could even draw how pale he was exactly one year ago, when he convey the bad news which made jaein lungs refused to help her breathed that time.

It was so clear in her brain. But then why did the documents from her father's office stated a complete different stories. Who was this person whom he got her condition update on each week without any missed, and why was her health record matched 100% with the woman who raised her.

 

Her mind was in chaos. her feeling was mixed up, unsettled, she couldn't seem to sort her emotions yet. was it anger, sadness, or happiness, she wished someone could pick one for her but it was impossible, not even her brother could.

She was not even capable to single out her feelings thus did not make she could predict her brother reaction any better. Jongin was after all had to face a similar situation and would he react differently? Nothing came up to answer any of her questions, but then Jiyong words yesterday just popped inside her head.

 

 

 

“just thanks if you feel so, and don’t if you’re not.”

 

 

 

She took a glimpse at the location that appeared on her smartphone screen then grab her sling bag. She decided to visit that certain place and ensured with her own eyes if her mother was really there - alive.

 

“Hey... Where are you going.??” one sweet voice greet jaein with her US accent.

 

“A-Ailee..?? W-why are you here?” she shuttered, surprised when her best friend suddenly hold her arm to stop her moving any further.

 

“I want to kidnap you.. what a perfect timing.” she said cheerfully when she found jaein already armed with her bag and ready to be carried.

 

“Yaa.. I....I…” jaein tried her best to free her arm from her friend's force but she was too small and weak compared to ailee.

 

“What?” She cut her words coldly while turned her head to face her as she waved her long blonde hair which falls perfectly over her shoulder.

 

“You have employees, you don't have any other schedule that will matter more than me. Besides It's a demand, Kim Jae In.” Jaein opened to retorted, but she wouldn't want to spill her mission yet - She was ailee, her best friend who had always see her trough so easily like she was a crystal clear. - at least before she was sure enough about the fact she tried to learn.

 

“My boyfriend will have a stage at hangang, you can't miss it this time. How long did I wait to introduce you both... you know Han river have many parks. It’s not a bar and more likely a free open space, so I bet it save for you.” she excitedly explained Han river a little bit too throughly as if jaein was the one who had spend half of her age in LA.

 

She practically dragged her to reach her white sedan that she parked not too far from jaein's café then she stopped abruptly as she grab her hand firmer to make sure she get her attention. “But you bring it, don’t you? Well just in case… ”

 

“Always.. MOM..” she answered lazily to her overprotective bestfriend that always over concerned about her health even more than herself.

 

“there's only you who have the nerve to kidnap a police chief daughter in broad daylight." she mumbled forced to move along cause it was her fault to befriend with a dictator.

 

***

 

“Hyuk-ah.. There's no big fish yesterday? What a pity..” he pouted while was pulling a chair to lay his body then whirled it around as if he was riding an attraction in amusement park.

 

“what did you expect when you hand it over to such a small area division.” he retorted while stretched his leg to restraint his colleague spun faster and destroyed their whole office.

 

He folded his hand in front of his chest while studying the police who was actually at fault only frowned and pouted when he couldn't make his chair moved anymore. He stopped spinning reluctantly then glared displeased to hyukjae when he found whose feet had stop his chair rotation.

 

“we don't have a suspect, don't have any evidence and oblivious of what method he used to communicate. If my handsome face pop up right over there do you think he will stay still? Don't dream about next transaction they will find out we had mole installed. If they throw another location at least we have two dot to connect with." He explained as he kicked hyukjae's leg to free his chair that soon started spinning while he grinning widely.

 

“why is your brain runs well only for these type of works, Lee Donghae?" He shoot back timidly as he couldn't opposed the reasoning that he had just learned by then.

 

“it's just you are that dense.. don't you think so, jongin-ah?”

 

Jongin raised his eyebrows tried to read his two seniors expression, "well actually.. yes.. doesn't it obvious." He stated arrogantly, "...right hyung~?" He continued smirking mischievously while taking a hi-five from donghae who was still spinning with his chair.

 

“How did I end up having this kind of team." Hyukjae sighed and drop his head on the table when he for a hundred times being a nice prey for his own team member.

 

"So what do you get, jongin-ah?" He said, back as a team leader stopping his junior laugh and set Jongin out to professionally clicking his mouse in a skilled manner then tilt his monitor to face hyukjae and donghae.

 

"I've listed all the staff name who were in duties and named all guests who was there by 20.00 to 22.00 which I collected from cctv out of five restaurants across the street and the one facing service door. If we exclude regular ones there are 30 people left to be questioned. If we have another location I think i can eliminate a quarter or half more."

 

“Great.. GD or Sunggyu.. they're not an easy target anyway... I don't expect much...” donghae join up giving his comments.

 

“but, hyungnim.. are you sure GD is an individual? Is it possible to get these done on his own?" Jongin glanced at a pile of documents on his table which contains all cyber crime related cases that had implied GD touch - The alleged suspect of all reports he hadn't finished reading yet.

 

Donghae stopped spinning then tapping the bulk which jongin addressed with a pencil on his hand.

 

"If you look how every case works it was all too methodically well-organized to be called teamwork. Simplified, it just one person doing and he-or-maybe-she is an absolute perfectionist. Nobody know when and how he get through their LAN neither how he implants virus to destroy their system. His client diverse from any gang and keep coming back, it means he's quite professional to keep his mouth shut and not exposed their information around. Hell, he works to steal an information -and more likely confidential.” Donghae back to his table by his chair, took something then patch it on the problematic documents as he finished his sentence. “it's too risky to involve many people in this sort of business."

 

"It just don't match, jongin-ah.. with that much works we barely had anything about him. If he works on team he won't be able to move that freely. He works alone and it is absolute" added hyukjae.

 

“jongin, Wait for any news from hyunmin. How nice if he even finds out how they communicate. Push the report to jungsu hyung when we get further progress donghae-ya." He ordered his boss son and his colleague smoothly as a team leader or might also be called scheduler.

 

Jongin nodded then picked up yellow post-it above the files which was stuck by donghae a second ago. It contained considerable line of handwritten memo that was almost impossible to read.

 

.

.

.

Initial: GD

Description : Hacker

History : Ex-misterious pro gamer id:GDragon ; have no face; had absolute wins then vanished from Earth. Rumoured to be scouted by game-mafia to prefent loss.

Main suspect of a certain virus spreading spree with identical initials a year later. Involved in higher level of mafia activities as a technical data provider

Crime : Invading system, Stealing/demolishing data.

Threat : ★★★☆☆

.

.

.

 

“So, only 3rd grader.? He’s first in cyber squad right? Why don’t we hand it though.?” he passed on his opinions after hardly decode the doodling as a sentence that possessed a meaning.

 

“well actually we're kinda join forces... but about that resume... it was his private note, don't mind it." Said him pointing at donghae who was playing his mirrorless camera. he who was aware of the attention swapped his glimpse from hyukjae to jongin then smile innocently.

 

“Don't you think it would be great if we meet him first then milk a few pleasant information before we hand him to cybersquad, its better than let it passed just like that, right?"

 

“Infinite dominates korean biggest port in Busan, Lee Sangmin whom somehow utilize his relationships with them a bit too excessive, proceed to misplaced abundant delivery that ended up in his warehouse. G Dragon provides lubricant to facilitate both moves. Honestly I don't care about that cyber-rat being caught or not. Dragon? He is only stinky rat who search for food amongst tiger. Rat should stay at home.”

 

***

 

My mother is alive…or so.. at least.. her heart is beating..

 

 

“What an interesting fella..” he mumbled, flashing a small grin on his face he swung his feet kicking the air that was also hitting his face and messed his hair.

 

“What are you doing here.. Jiyong-ah…” an man patted his shoulder. Making him jolted on his seat then found his friend youngbae raised his thumb and pointed at their stage behind them.

 

“Check sound.. you won't be happy if someone step in your place, will you?"

 

“Okay..” he replied lazily as he jumped from his seat to follow youngbae's order. the man then grabbed his shoulder again and stopped him from moving.

 

“I know you succeed slipping away yesterday. But do you really think there're won't be next time? Isn’t it enough? doing music with us was not much?” He state his concern about jiyong and his free time activities especially something like what happened last night. Jiyong tilted his head disinterested then pressed both his lips before voicing his repulse.

 

“I thought we've done talking about this, Yongbae ya…”

 

“I won't stop talking until I'm getting you out of there...” he referred his words as he also refused to step back from telling jiyong off, and he won't be reluctant to repeat his sentences as much as possible.

 

“Now listen... I've been doing this for years, has something ever happened to me? No one will know my identity. I know what I'm doing, Dong Yong Bae."

 

“You-never-know-what-will-happen-Kwon-Ji-Yong. Now police had take in charge, jiyong-ah.. Is it possible by chance they have a raid out of the blue, like-there? To that insignificant bar?" He retorted as he himself had a great time visiting a gay club 50 meters away. He had no choice but run himself when he was just getting out from toilet then found the pub in chaos. He took an initiative cause even if he was clean, jiyong would be named if he was caught.

 

“There's no so called cyber crime unit high-rank member yesterday.. They are not my level. You don't need to worry..” he tried to explain in slack manner.

 

“but still...”

 

“I'm hungry..” he cut youngbae and ignored his speech,“I'm buying a lunchbox after checksound, you want some??”

 

***

 

Had accustomed to taeyang nags G Dragon walked full of confidence while whistling as he grab two boxes of ricebox from the rack as if nothing happened. He then walk to the microwave that was placed beside coffee machine in front of the cashier counter.

 

With a little bit too meticulous he aligned the box side by side with some distance in between because he never like if his food didn't get a proper heating. He was absorb in lining his lunch then somebody poke his back right before he closed the microwave door.

 

“excuse me... I'm in a hurry, if you don't mind can I join to preheat mine with yours??” She was asking politely as she took a glimpse on her watch approximating her time to do stuff and going back. it would be waste of time if she had to put her after waiting his done, besides the microwave was big enough to fit five at once.

 

“but I do mind.” he closed the microwave coldly then press a button to make the glass plate below started spinning to ensure the heat spread evenly to every part of his ricebox.

Jaein stared him in a dazed. He coolly passed her to cashier table to pay his foods without take a glimpse at jaein whom standing astounded when she saw the awfully familiar face.

For a moment Jaein tried to proses many things that disturbed her brain function. She would not be able to forget that rude creature doing to her. She flashed a smirked then she stretched her leg to caught his when he was going back to take his food. Jiyong stumbled then fall in front of jaein who was cracking up greatly satisfied with the avenge.

 

“What are you doing?!” he hissed as he tried to stand while cleaning up his shirt as he was boiling inside.

 

“What are you doing?” jaein repeated his sentence lightly as she was pointing at the microwave which was opened and waited to be emptied.

 

Jiyong kept silent, glared her inflame full of anger as he grind his teeth. Jaein only stay calm cause she know there's CCTV that would be preserved her a great evidence to sue him if he dare to do something funny to her.

 

“Jaein-ah.. what took you so long?”

 

That voice save her from his scary eye-contact as it moved to the voice owner.

 

“Ili??” Jiyong was the first to call her name before jaein could tilt her head to face her.

 

“Oh.. jiyong oppa, why are you here? Isn't it will start in a minute?"

 

“Illi?? Err…No way.. Please don’t say this egoistic jerk is your boyfriend…..” she gazed jiyong and ailee by turn then muttered in disgust could not suppress her loathe.

 

“Egoistic jerk? Me??”

 

 

*** To be continued ***