Final chapter

   Part 3

His head was hurting. Definitely! Arms, legs, his entire body felt as if a truck had passed over him and came back. He had been shot. That was clear! Even if his entire mind was in a mess right now, the pain made it obvious. Thinking of it, he had been shot two times before; both happened in his early years as a police officer and both for being fervent rather than unexperienced. For some unknown reason those memories were fresher now than they had been in many years. At least he was still alive. While he had never feared death, a strong and odd emotion compared to fear or excitement took over his body. There was something deep inside that was hurrying him to get moving as if he had forgotten something and time was running out. All that was left behind were short blurry flashbacks that played continuously in front of his closed eyes. He tried to put together the pieces and maybe find out what was that unfinished business that didn’t let him get the rest he was longing for but that proved to be a really difficult task to accomplish throughout the fuss somebody was making near him. He started, as any experienced detective would, with questions. Who shot him? Why? Where was he? Who was he? Now that was an exaggeration and he would have laughed if breathing itself wouldn’t be painful enough. He remembered Jungmin. Yes, Jungmin was definitely there! … Hyun Joong too and who else?

“Kyu Jong?! Kyu Jong, can you hear me? How are you feeling?”, a familiar voice called him but only received a soft moan in response.

The man slightly opened his eyes and for a moment the strong light made them feel like burning. He tried again, this time slower allowing himself to adjust to the surroundings and in no time things started to get shapes. It was a ceiling, a white one. Maybe a hospital? It was too quiet and he couldn’t hear any beeping. That was good, wasn’t it? And then that voice again.

“Bring him some painkillers. I think his arm is killing him.”

His arm! Yes, that’s where all the pain was coming from. Turning his head to the right, he saw some bandages covering most of it and some tiny blood stains standing out on the white binding. He tried to get up but somebody quickly pulled him back.

“You shouldn’t move. The wound is not very deep but you’ve lost a lot of blood. How are you feeling?”

Kyu Jong raised his head still not managing to associate the feminine voice to any one he knew. He closed his eyes allowing the dizziness to fade and then tried again. Once he met her eyes the shock was inevitable.

“Jung?! What are you…ah..aa!”, the pain came back as if remembering him that at least for now it was his loyal companion.

“I told you to stay there! I’ve already sent someone to bring you something for the pain. You could do yourself a favour and not move until then.”

“Why am I here? Wait! Why are you here? What happened?”. She smiled and moved to his side leaving the view outside the open door free.”Wait, where are we?”

“Kyu Jong, welcome to the NCA headquarters in Taipei!”

Meanwhile

Flashback

She was really pissed off this time. It wasn’t fair at all. Everybody got the chance to prove their abilities, everybody except her. Of course, she was one of the youngest agents that NCA had ever had and she managed to take all the tests with maximum grades but apparently for him that wasn’t enough. Didn’t he trust her? She had always thought that she played an important role in the team. Maybe that wasn’t true after all. “Stupid Hyun Joong!”, the woman muttered while whipping her tears away. After the fight, Manse had run and hid into a small and rather dark office, ironically the one that their leader spent most of his time in. She the lamp on the desk when she felt somebody grabbing her hand.

“Aaaaaaaa….who are you?”, the woman jumped instinctively punching the person behind her in the stomach while her right hand stretched to grab the lamp.

“Shhh, is me!”. Manse felt her legs getting weaker as she felt into Hyun Joong’s arms.“Are you okay? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you! Can you stand up?”

“I thought somebody was going to murder me.”, she sat down on a chair breathing relived while the leader giggled.

“Why would someone try to kill you?”

“Maybe because I’m useless?! I don’t know? You tell me!”, the tone of her voice changed into a more aggressive one, eyes never leaving Hyun Joong’s. The leader sighted and moved closer to her leaning against the desk.

“You are not useless, Manse. Why would you think such nonsense?”

“Then why didn’t you let me join the rest in this mission. Why don’t you ever let me do anything dangerous? I’m not stupid, you know?”. Tears were threatening to fall again when the man took her hands.

“I never said you were! But you are a child…”

“I’m not a child anymore. I wish you could see that.”, she rose up trying to draw back her hands but Hyun Joong only squeezed them harder.

“Listen to me! I know you are not a child. It’s hard not to notice that, but you have the same innocence, the same naivety. You are a genius when it comes to dealing with bureaucracy, with files, reports official business, but in a mission…I don’t want you to be hurt. If someone would do something to you, I would…I…I just couldn’t bear seeing you hurt.”

“Hyun Joong…”, she smiled sweetly and hugged him.“Now, that wasn’t that hard to say, was it?”

He smiled back but then became serious once again.

“Are you ready for your assignment?”

“Yes, sir!”

“From now on, you are the new leader of the team.”

“But Hyun, what about you?”

“I have to go and find Kyu Jong and Kae Yin. They need me right now. Manse, I’m leaving you in charge of the team and of all these problems with the NCA. Can you handle them?”

“Don’t worry, boss! We are going to show them what we can do. Just take care okay?”

“Don’t I always!”

End of flashback

Manse smiled at the memory and her spirit brightened up. This was her chance, not to prove to Hyun Joong that she was capable of doing this because she already knew he trusted her, but to bring justice in the NCA. She could not longer serve a corrupted agency. It was time for a new beginning. Just then, a small sound announced the end of a search. She picked up the phone and ordered Sunmi and Kwanhee to come to her office and in a few moments they were there.

“What happened, Manse? Did the boys report anything?”, said the long haired woman.

“No, they haven’t called so far and it’s better that way. I wouldn’t want the NCA to suspect something.”

“Then what is it?”

“I need your help to do something slightly illegal.”, she blushed while saying the last part ignoring the shocked stares she was getting.

“Slightly illegal?”

“Now that’s something unexpected coming from you.”, Kwanhee pointed out slightly amused.

“What do you mean?”

“Not to offend you but your sense of justice is a bit over the board. Why do you think that Hyun Joong always gave us the details of our missions on our PDAs? We wouldn’t want Sailor Moon here to scold us for doing something slightly illegal.”, said Sunmi earning some soft coughs from their young leader.

“Come on! I’m not that intense!”, Manse whined expecting some help from their male teammate but he only shrugged his shoulders teasingly. “I’ll deal you two later. There’s no time.”

“Now she sounds like Hyun Joong.”, both the man and the woman laughed when Manse blushed. “Okay, enough with the teasing. What do you want us to do?”

“I want you to bring me the Diamond Ace.”

“The Diamond Ace? What kind of name is that? Somebody has been watching too many cartoons.”, Sunmi turned around to Kwanhee for approval.

“Actually the Diamond Ace is quite a legend among the NCA superiors. Apparently he was a local hero somewhere in Jeonju and had some ties with our organisation.”

“Well, it’s time for him to make his big entry.  As far as I know, he is somewhere near Taipei right now. I need you to go find him and bring him here.”

“Wait! How are we going to find this guy if until now I didn’t even know he existed? And how do you know about him?”

“Sunmi is right. Besides shouldn’t we focus on the capturing Byun Hyun right now? There are less than 2 hours until the meeting with Xiao Cheng begins, maybe three if we count on them having a long discussion. That doesn’t seem that probable though.”

“I’m not doing this for the sake of giving you something to do. The Diamond Ace is vital for this case. Not only is he Hyun Joong’s mentor but also an important witness against Byun Hyun and the one that is supposed to lock him up. As for The Diamond Ace’s identity that’s going to answer a lot of your questions. You are all going to receive it on your PDAs so it’s better if you get moving.”

“Hyun Joong’s mentor? You mean…”

“Yes, he was an agent in the NCA. Just like you and me.”

“Aishh! I’m so tired of all these stupid secrets. Can’t you guys be normal at least for once?”

Kwanhee smiled sympathetically at his partner.

“Fine! Let’s get this guy! But you all own me some explanations when this is over.”

“Deal!”

At the NCA headquarters

“No, really! Jung, tell me what happened! I need to know!”, a half dizzy, shirtless Kyu Jong was following the lawyer around desperately trying to get some answers when he noticed the weird looks he was getting from the other agents.

“Here!”, the woman handed him a white T-shirt.”You shouldn’t be moving around like this. Your wound is still fresh!”

“I’m fine! Just tell me what happened! Why are you here? Where is the rest of the team?”

The woman sighted and dragged Kyu Jong to the nearest office closing the door.

“Sit down!”, the man obeyed. “Now tell me, what’s the last thing you remember?”

“We were at the house trying to get some sleep...wait, how did the NCA knew where to find us?”

“Just tell me!”

“I was in my room talking with Jungmin when we heard gunshots at the first floor. We had no idea what was happening so I let Jungmin in the room with Hyu…with another agent and then went to search for Kae Yin. I didn’t found her so Hyun Joong went to get the boys. Then the fires stopped and…from that point on my memories are blurry.”

“Kyu Jong!”, the man looked up to the woman. “Do you remember who shot you?”

“I…I know that it was quiet and…”, the man put his head in his arms and closed his eyes. “Then someone opened the door…no, wait! There were two persons at the door…I think! I got out and I felt a pain in the chest and then I fainted…but I don’t…”. Suddenly his eyes grew in terror as he turned to Jung. “No, it can’t be!”

“I’m sorry, Kyu Jong, but it’s true. Kae Yin was the one who shot you!”

“No, something must be wrong. It’s probably a mistake.”

“Kyu…”

The man grabbed her by the arms. “Tell me what happened!”

“Firstly calm down and let me go. You are hurting me…”

Kyu Jong did as told and returned to his seat. “I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay. Now listen! I started working for NCA about a year ago as an undercover agent. It was my job to keep an eye in Byun Hyun and his son.”

“But…”

“I know! When you came to me I had no other chance then to send you to Young Saeng. If I refused it then I would have blown my cover. I’m sorry for that.”, the man motioned her to continue. “Anyway, since that moment we kept following you to make sure that you don’t get hurt but things got out of control tonight. We received a tip from one of Young Saeng’s man telling us that he was planning to kidnap you. We tried to warn you but they got there first. They outnumbered us and as much as we tried to fire back…we had to go back and call for help.”

“What happened next? Tell me!!”

“Kyu Jong…”

“Where is everybody? Jungmin! Hyun Joong!”

“By the time the enforcements arrived, they were already long gone. We only managed to get some of the agents that stayed behind to kill you. Kae Yin was one of them…”

“This can’t be! It doesn’t make any sense! Why would Kae Yin want to kill me?

“There’s something you don’t know and I’m not sure if I’m the one who is supposed to tell you.”

“Jung, I’m not in the mood for this. I need to know!”

“Kae Yin…you know why Byun Hyun killed her parents?”

“How do you know about that?”

“…I heard that her mother stole her when she was young and ran away with one of Byun Hyun’s bodyguards.”

“What? What are you talking about? Are you telling me that…”

“Yes, Kae Yin is Byun Hyun’s biological daughter. Her mother hided her for more than ten years and… Kyu Jong, are you all right?”

The man rubbed his head in frustration.

“Continue…”

“She probably didn’t know anything until after the homicide, but in those 5 years. I don’t know what happened. What did he promise her…”

“Are you absolutely sure she shot me?”

“I hit her with something in the head when she was charging her gun the second time. I’m really sorry that you had to go through all this.”

Kyu Jong’s made his hand into a fist and punched the desk as the image of Kae Yin pointing a gun at his head and then being knocked out by someone played in his head.

“Where is she now?”

“She’s downstairs. We brought her in for questioning but it’s not going to well. Kyu Jong…”

“Can I be alone for a few moments?”

The woman tried to touch his shoulder reassuringly but redraw her hand and nodded leaving the office. Now that was something he would have never expected. Not to mention that it didn’t make any sense! Kae Yin had thousands of chances to kill him. Why would she wait until the whole team gathered up in order to shot him when she could easily poison his food or just do it while he was asleep? Something was wrong but Jung’s explanation…it all fit too well. Could it be that Kae Yin had lied to him?! All those moments of weakness, were they all staged? After all Kae Yin was a profiler and a very good one from what he had heard and seen. All this time, she has been playing with his mind and…no, that was beyond comprehension. He refused to believe that! He once promised her that he would protect her and losing his faith in her was not the right way to keep his promise. His instincts had never failed him and right now they were supporting the innocence of his partner but in all that confusion who could tell what was true and what was not. One thing that was sure. He had been shot and he needed to see it with his own eyes. He ignored the pain and started loosening the bandage until it revealed the wound. It was a clean one clearly not meant to kill but to inflict him pain. It didn’t take a psychoanalyst to understand that it was an act of hatred. But why did Kae Yin hated him? What if Jung was right and Kae Yin was Byun Hyun’s daughter? Now that really sounded like a bad movie. He lowered his head and slowly hit the desk, an electric vibration crossing his entire body. And then it hit him. The wound!

He got out of the office finding Jung walking around anxiously.

“I just want to know one other thing. Why would Byun Hyun try to kidnap Jungmin and the rest of the team?”, his sudden appearance startled the woman.

“He wasn’t after the members of the team. He was after you, Kyu!”.

 The man tensed up. “Why?”

“Because of your father! You already know that your father worked for him, right? Well, you can guess the outcome. He betrayed Byun Hyun and ran with the contacts of some of the most powerful clients the guy had. Byun Hyun doesn’t forgive and now that you’re here…”

“But why now?”

“We found out that your father is in Taiwan. He was probably trying to use you as bait.”

“My father is here?! He’s alive…but why did sh…they tried to finish me? I’m sure I would have made a better trap if I was alive.”

“Something must have gone wrong. Or maybe they just wanted to make your father suffer. I don’t know, Kyu! I have no idea, but there’s something you must promise me! By now, they must have found out that you are alive and…”

“If there’s any possibility to save Jungmin, I’ll do it!”

The woman smiled sympathetically.

“I understand!”

“Now take me to her!”

“Are you sure you want this?”, the man nodded.

“I need this!”

“Then follow me but no matter what she says…don’t fall in her trap once again!”

The lawyer led Kyu Jong in one of the rooms situated in the basement. From what the man was able to observe the building was not nearly was well equipped as Hyun Joong’s. In fact, it had a similar appearance to the police section he and Jungmin used to work at. On the way, he managed to catch a glimpse at the surroundings and to his surprise there weren’t that many agents working. Their final stop was the interrogatory section. A huge piece of glass separated them from the actual room, a way for them to observe but a simple mirror for the people inside. Kae Yin was indeed inside and seeing her put Kyu Jong’s mind at ease. At least she was safe. The woman was tied up to a chair as if she was a dangerous criminal that needed to be kept under control. Facing her was an agent with probably the most cynical smile Kyu Jong had ever seen. He was dressed in an expensive suit with his jacket thrown careless on one of the chairs in the room. It gave the impression of a cheap film, but unfortunately the film had a name, Reality. It made his heart clench in pain to see her in such conditions but he had enough experience in the field to know that it was the standard procedure and it was compulsory for her to go through it.

“How long are you going to keep up with this game? It’s useless, you know?”, the agent was playing with a cigarette as if deciding whether to light it or not. The woman, however, gave the impression of a cold piece of ice. She had no expression on her face whatsoever but not for the lack of attention. She was watching the detective’s every movement. “We already know you shot Kyu Jong. Why did you do it? Was he in your way? You didn’t need him anymore?...or, maybe, Byun Hyun ordered you to do so?”. The last sentence made Kae Yin smile. “Why are you smiling about? Don’t think for a second that you have a chance of getting away. It’s over for you and soon it will be over for Byun Hyun too.”

“Tell me detective…why did they send you to interrogate me?”

“Does it make any difference?”

“For me, no! For you, on the other hand…”

“Trying to play with my mind? It’s not going to work! I already read your file. I know all about you and your little profiling game. It’s not going to work this time.”

“I don’t need to play any games. You already did the entire job. I should thank you detective but I’m not sure your superiors would appreciate your cooperation.”

“What are you talking about? Thinking about it, it doesn’t matter. Our agents already collected all the evidences we need. We know you work for Byun Hyun. There’s no point denying it.”

“But I never denied it, isn’t that funny?”

Kyu Jong’s eyes widened as he remembered her telling him a similar phrase a long time ago: ‘He did but it never bothered me, isn’t that funny?’

“So you are admitting it?”

“No, I’m not. I’m just not denying it. Detective, aren’t you supposed to know me better than that?”. The man frowned for a few seconds then broke into a huge grin.

“Fine! Let’s have it your way!”. The man sat down on a chair opposing Kae Yin and met her cold stare without even blinking. “Read my mind!”

“…”

“Come on! It is stated here quite clearly!”, he opened a file that was lying on the table but had passed unnoticed to Kyu Jong. “Ability to control emotions…impressive scores at all psychological examinations…and a vast experience in making criminals confess their sins in a matter of minutes…in other words a mind reader. I even heard you were one of the most fearful interrogators in Japan. I was really looking forward to talk to you. I even had to pull a few strings to do it. You seem to be quite special for this agency, but now I seriously wonder why! How disappointing!”, he moved closer to the woman.“Now do it! Read my mind!”. The detective stared into Kae Yin’s eyes and for a few minutes none of them spoke. For Kyu Jong it gave the impression of a game of chess where the victory was meant for the patient one. That would be Kae Yin. He had no doubts about it even if he knew nothings about the other agent.  Nevertheless, he never took his eyes off of them. Kyu Jong began to question the nature of Kae Yin’s ability. He has seen it in action one or two time on their first assignment and at the club but the things that the detective said seemed to be at least fictional. His string of thoughts was interrupted by a short laugh. Thinking about it and weirdly enough he had never heard Kae Yin laugh. It didn’t seem ironic but rather that as if she was enjoying the situation. She turned her eyes to the glass that was separating them and even though it was not possible for her to see him, she starred right at him.

“Hey, can someone bring me a coffee? Things are getting interesting around here!”

In the next minute an unexpected presence made his way towards the interrogatory room caring a hot cup of coffee as if he had anticipated her request.

“Minwoo?!”, Kyu Jong whispered getting Jung’s attention.

“Do you know him?”

“We are…were in the same team. But what’s he doing here?”

“I don’t quite know him. All I know is that the superiors made him in charge of this operation. He arrived just a few hours ago.”

“I never knew you like coffee, Kae Yin!”

“I don’t, but apparently someone made me addicted.”, she smiled playfully. “I’m actually quite disappointed in you.”

“And why is that?”

“You get late to our ‘meeting’ and send a newbie to entertain me? Couldn’t you at least pick a funnier one?”

The detective got up visibly upset and not quite understanding the situation.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Na Minwoo. I’m your superior in this case.”, he smiled sweetly. “It’s a pleasure meeting you!”

“My superior? I wasn’t informed that…”

“I was just appointed to this case. If you don’t mind I want to start the interrogatory now. Thank you for keeping Miss Yoon company.”

“What?”

“You may take your leave detective. Now!”. The man had no other choice but to obey.

“Ah, detective…”, Kae Yin started, “…next time you question someone don’t underestimate him. And say hello to your teacher for me. I haven’t seen him in a while.”

“How do you…”

“The method is familiar but ignoring your instincts is not something he would recommend. But you already know that, don’t you.”

For a second the detective thought about replaying but Minwoo’s sharp glare made him leave the room and collapse in one of the chairs near Kyu Jong. Meanwhile the conversation between Kae Yin and Minwoo was getting more interesting than ever.

Meanwhile

Byun Hyun was simply staring at the view outside the window when Young Saeng stepped into the office. Taipei at night was undoubtedly beautiful. The older man was tapping his fingers on the window sill not bothering to turn around and greet his guest.

“Nervous, dad?”

 “What happened to Kae Yin?”

“You actually know her name?”, he said daringly. “That’s quite impressive! Could it be that you actually have a heart?”

“Kill her!”. Young Saeng’s eyes grew big not even bothering to hide the shock.

“But she’s in the custody of the NCA as you asked. I thought you would at least want to meet her.”

“You shouldn’t think. I don’t pay you to think!”

“Pay?!”, the man let out a short laugh and turned around to leave. “I’ll take care of her immediately!”

“Wait!”, Young Saeng met Byun Hyun’s blue eyes. “The girl can wait. I want you to come with me to the meeting with Xiao Chen.”

“But you said…”

“I changed my mind.”

NCA Headquarters

“So? Did you do it?”, Minwoo leaned against the table with a lazy expression glued to his face.

“Do what? Shoot Kyu Jong? Yes, I did it!”. Minwoo smirked. One the other side of the window, Kyu Jong’s heart stopped for a second.

“You are unexpectedly cooperative today, Kae Yin.”

“Did you want me to lie?”, the woman sipped some more of her coffee. “You were even nice enough to share your coffee with me.”

“Then why did you do it?”

“You are not playing fair!”,Kae Yin pouted causing an amused reaction to his interrogator.

 “What do you mean?”

“Well I answered the question, now is your turn.”

“Okay, then! What do you want to know?”

“Did you get yourself a pet?”

“Huh?”

“You always said that once you got promoted you’ll adopt one. Seeing you here I think your dream has come true.”

“Not quite! But I’m impressed you remembered that. Indeed a sweet friend of mine got me a pet. She must have thought that I’ll be quite lonely here all by myself.”

“Let me guess, a cat?”

“A tomcat actually. He’s really cute but keeps destroying my furniture. Not a good thing for my brand new apartment. Luckily, it’s near an abandoned building and I don’t really have problems with the neighbours.”

“Cats do tend to have a strong personality. Maybe next time you’re going to be luckier.”

The man smiled innocent. “Maybe! Though I doubt that the dog will let me have it. Now is my turn! Why did Byun Hyun’s men attacked the house?”

All of a sudden Kae Yin became serious.

“Cutting to the chase I see! Too bad! I was starting to enjoy myself.”

“Tell me!”, Minwoo demanded standing up.

Kyu Jong also got up and went to the door. There was something in the man’s tone that made him want to go and confront him. It was an interrogatory and things needed to be cleared up but that wasn’t the way, not by treating her like that. Still, he didn’t manage to open the door. Jung had grabbed his left hand and kept pulling him back but it was another person that made him freeze.

“Young Saeng!”, Kae Yin stated confidently.

“What?”

“I said Young Saeng. He was the one who ordered those guys to kill Kyu Jong. Just like when we were in Kwangju…”

“Sneaky as always, I see, but that wasn’t what I asked. Why did he do that?”

“Who knows? Maybe he saw Kyu Jong as a threat. Not quite my problem.”

“But you were the one who shot him. Don’t tell me you were trying to protect him. Miss Jung saw you charging the gun to shot him a second time…”

“Jung? Seo Jung?”

“Ah, so you know her? Well, she was the agent in charge of…”

“How disappointing! NCA has really lowered their standards. They sent a lawyer to get me?”

“It did work after all, didn’t it? So tell me why did you shot Kyu Jong?”

“Because he was in my way!”

Minwoo sighted. “You never change, do you?”

“Thinking of it I kind of grew fond of him in all this time we spent together. He’s sweet and caring, but he does not belong to our world. I tried to warn him many times but he never listened and now it’s too late. Killing Byun Hyun is more important than him.”

“What does Kyu Jong have to do with Byun Hyun?”

“Yes, how was I in your way?”, Kyu Jong voice interrupted the interrogatory. He tried to stay back. He really tried but it was more than he could take. It was funny to remember how their instructors from the police academy had taught them to resist even the cruellest torture and he failed to stay back due to some simple words. “Tell me, Kae yin! What did I do wrong?”

Kyu Jong sudden outburst came as a shock to Kae Yin. It was clear that she never thought that he could have been watching her all this time. It was the right moment to put an end to all this.

“Kyu Jong, you’re not supposed to be here!”, Minwoo grabbed his hand.

“Don’t touch me!”, the man hissed.

“Leave him!”, Kae Yin sat up and looked into Kyu Jong’s eyes. “What do you want to know?”

The woman’s behaviour was very unusual. Kae Yin, the ice queen, had tears in his eyes and her hands although barely noticeable were shaking. It broke his heart to see her so defenceless but the show must carry on. It was the only way to save her from that nightmare. ‘I’m sorry’, he thought.

“Why did you try to kill me? I’ve always…”

“Stupid, always getting yourself hurt!”, she muttered turning around to face the window. “The truth is Young Saeng hired me to kill you. I was the one meant to keep NCA on the wrong track until the time was right. I was the traitor in the team! The prince promised to bring me Hyung Joon if I help him get Byun Hyun’s empire. A win-win situation, don’t you think? I’m sorry, Kyu Jong, but you were only a puppet. A cute one but useless at the end of the show.”

“Kae Yin…”

“Then why did you decided to confess now of all times?”, Minwoo interfered.

“Confess? I’m just telling you this because it was fun reading your emotions but I don’t plan to say anything official. That wouldn’t be nice! Right, lawyer Seo?”

The woman entered the room just seconds after, followed closely by two guards.

“I’m sorry, Kyu Jong!”, the lawyer turned to the guards. “Take her to my office and guard her. You are not allowed to talk to the suspect!”

Just then Minwoo’s phone started ringing. He looked down immediately recognising the number.

“My tomcat is calling. So sweet of him!”

Kyu Jong responded to his smirk with a nod and turned around.

“I’m sorry, boys! No hard feelings, okay?”. The man made use of his fists and in a matter of seconds both guards were lying down unconsciously.

“You’re so brutal!”, Minwoo whined. Kyu Jong grabbed Kae Yin’s arm and hurried towards the door ignoring the surprised looks he was getting from both girls. He stopped and motioned towards Jung. “Minwoo, take care of her, okay?”

“Got it!”

Jung tensed up when Kyu Jong passed near her and instinctively grabbed his free hand.

“Don’t go…”

“Jung!”

“Kyu…how can you? She was the one who shot you. She tried to kill you? Why are you still defending her? I gave you proofs. What else do you want?”

Kyu Jong let go of Kae Yin’s arm and that made the woman feel unexpectedly empty.

“Jung, I need to go! We’ll talk about this later!”

“No, I won’t let you! After all I’ve been through to save your life, you…”

“I know the truth Jung! My wound…I saw it!”

“What are you talking about?”

“It was clean, clearly made by a professional…”

“She is an NCA agent, Kyu Jong. Besides you saw her holding the gun.”

“True, but I never saw her actually pulling the trigger. Not in that moment to be precise.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Kae Yin…I saw her shooting when we were in Kwangju. Her target is deviated to the left. From the position she was standing and with her talent there was no possibility for her to even scratch me. You…”

“But she confessed!”

“Let me finish. There was another person with Kae Yin. At first I thought it was a man due to the shoes but then their small size made me think. Remember the case we solved together, Jung? You demonstrated in the court room how the suspect shot the victim. A perfect hit if I may add. You’re the one who shot me, Jung! Kae Yin probably took her gun to protect me.”

“Kyu…I…I…”

The man only made a short gesture towards Minwoo and hurried outside dragging Kae Yin after him.

“How about the other agents?”

“The tomcat…I mean Sanghyun took care of them.”

Kae Yin slowed down for a second and Kyu Jong turned around with a questioning look.

“How did you know?”

“I trust you with my life.”, the woman’s shock slowly turned into a proud smile. “Impressed?”

“Let’s go!”and now it was Kae Yin leading the way.

“To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved.”

Author's Note: I posted this chapter a few days ago but since the site had some problems I guess it got deleted!! I hope you'll enjoy reading it, nevertheless! Hugss!!