Few in the Valenti Police Department could boast of a career as brilliant for their age as Haruki’s. Graduating with honors with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, she’d passed the civil service examination with flying colors. Her only weakness in the police academy had been the physical requirements, but with determination and training, she’d managed to pass that as well. Even as a street officer, her talent for solving cases had not gone unnoticed and she was transferred to Leeteuk’s division (the FID) within a year instead of the requisite three. 

At twenty-six, her record of cases was impeccable. Since the bureaucratic paperwork necessary to obtain crucial information about victims and suspects from social networks was too slow, she was not above creating fake accounts to track her targets. As ruthless and cold as the handcuffs she slapped on the perps she hunted, Haruki mercilessly pursued each case she was given until her version of justice had been served. 

Likewise, few could boast of an equally dismal social life. 

The last and only time Haruki had ever been on a date was her freshman year of high school, and that had ended with her running away after five minutes and spending the rest of the night curled up in bed where she vowed never to date again out of shame and embarrassment. To this day, she had kept that promise. 

She could count the number of people she called friends on one hand. There were the girls in the division that she usually ate lunch with, but her relationship with them was superficial and never extended beyond work. Although a charismatic presence in her division, she found it difficult to maintain her outgoing front every day. She was not an extrovert. Social situations terrified her and even being friendly to witnesses was difficult. 

These weren’t thoughts Haruki liked to spend time mulling over, but she couldn’t help thinking of them as she browsed through several Facebook and Twitter pages dedicated to Sulli and IU. A frustrating day of fruitless interviews the day before had caused her to take to the internet today, while Donghae met with Sulli’s parents to ask them a few questions. 

Scrolling through the names that had commented on each page, she couldn’t help but notice a familiar pattern. No friends, no family, just a few classmates or fans who had known or seen them perform. No one had even reported their disappearances; in fact, no one had even known they were gone until their bodies had been found. 

“How could you not notice she was missing?” Haruki demanded of Luna. “She was your roommate!” 

The blonde shrugged, looking uncomfortable. “We don’t talk much anymore. We were close in high school, but we started drifting apart in college. I don’t even really see her these days.” 

“But you live together.” 

Luna nodded, meeting Haruki’s eyes solemnly. “I know.” 

Haruki sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. It made sense to target girls who were practically invisible. But the method of attacking them was just bizarre, especially if Shindong was correct- and she knew from experience that he was very rarely wrong. And more importantly, how was he finding them? 

A rap on her door made her look up. “Haruki, I’m going to lunch now. You want to come?” Im Yoona, one of the analysts in the crime lab, poked her head through the door and asked. It was practically a routine if both of them happened to be in the office; Haruki was sure it was only out of habit that she even bothered to ask. 

“Uh, sure,” Haruki replied as she did every day. 

Yoona smiled and linked her arm through Haruki’s as they exited the building, with Haruki doing her best not to pull away. They headed towards Heartquake Café and seated themselves at their usual table to wait for the others. 

“Seohyun!” Yoona called, waving over the server who waited on them every day. “Can Haruki and I get some coffee before we order?” 

Seo Joo-hyun, better known by her friends and co-workers as Seohyun, smiled and nodded. “Iced cinnamon latte for Yoona and caramel macchiato for Haruki. Am I right?” 

Haruki laughed. “As always. Your memory never fails to amaze me.” Seohyun blushed and thanked her profusely. 

“Ah! Sorry we’re late!” called a bubbly voice. Haruki looked up to see a light-haired brunette hauling a girl with darker curly hair towards them. “We would have been here earlier, if someone hadn’t forgotten her sunglasses.” 

The dark-haired girl blushed. “But Taeyeon, it’s bright out!” 

“But Yuri, I’m hungry!” Taeyeon mocked in the same tone. 

“I don’t sound like-” 

Yoona and Haruki exchanged glances before bursting out laughing. Haruki felt the tension in her forehead decrease slightly, to her surprise. “It’s not funny!” Yuri whined, but she was grinning as well. 

Kim Taeyeon and Kwon Yuri were two members of the Crime Scene Unit. They were responsible for collecting and properly labeling the evidence, writing up the initial case report, and transporting everything back to Chief Park. It was hard to believe, Haruki mused, that women who acted so childishly could take on such a serious job. 

“Ooh, coffee! Seobaby, hit me and Yuri up with the usual, please!” Taeyeon called as Seohyun approached with two drinks. 

“Might as well get Sooyoung’s too,” Yoona added. “She should be here any moment now.” 

Right on cue, the media liaison of the FID came rushing into the café, rubbing at her forehead. “Oh, coffee? That looks great. I have a migraine the size of Leeteuk’s ego-” she collapsed into the seat between Haruki and Yuri “-and these idiot reporters won’t take ‘No’ for an answer.” 

“What’s the issue?” Yoona asked. 

Instead of answering, Sooyoung turned towards Haruki and grasped her arm. “Haruki, please tell me that you have something on your new case.” 

“Sorry, Sooyoung. I've barely started,” Haruki replied and Sooyoung groaned dramatically. 

“My mom told me to be a model…” she sighed, causing the other four to burst into giggles again. 

Standing at five-eight, Choi Sooyoung could certainly easily be mistaken for one. The FID’s media liaison had the difficult task of giving the news-hungry reporters just enough information to satisfy them about ongoing investigations, while still maintaining enough secrecy to continue the search. Haruki hardly envied her. 

After Seohyun brought around the coffee and confirmed their orders, Taeyeon Haruki. “Where were you yesterday?” 

“Talking to some witnesses,” Haruki replied. “I’m working on a-” 

“Murder,” Sooyoung finished, nodding. “Yes, we all know. The public knows about it, too, and they’re dying for news.” 

“The public knows?” Haruki frowned, taking a sip of her coffee. “But the victim…” 

“It’s not because of the victim,” Sooyoung replied. “Another girl died in the same way, right? People don’t forget gruesome stories like that. We’re looking at a serial killer scare. They’ve even given him-” 

“-or her,” Yoona added. 

“- a nickname. ‘The Lobotomist.’ Sounds terrifying, doesn’t it?” Sooyoung rolled her eyes. She drained her coffee and leaned towards Haruki. “Come on. Give us your real thoughts on the case. Off the record, of course.” 

The others turned to the detective with interest. Haruki played with her napkin as she answered, “Professionally, I’d have to say that we can’t conclude that this is the case of a serial killer. We need three cases over a span of more than a month to determine that. Personally-” she folded her napkin and set it down on her plate “-I think it is an inappropriate topic to be discussing at lunch.” 

“Ah, you’re no fun!” Taeyeon complained as Sooyoung echoed equally powerful protests. 

Haruki was saved from having to respond by the arrival of their food. Yoona changed the topic by asking Yuri about a date she’d been on recently and Haruki zoned out as Taeyeon began eagerly teasing her partner. Since she never had anything to tribute to such pithy conversations, the detective turned her mind back to her case. 

What kind of person would want to lobotomize girls? An angry ex-surgeon, looking for vengeance? An uneducated git with warped beliefs about women? A chauvinist who thought that females didn’t need brains? She scowled slightly; the last one put almost the entire FID onto the list of suspects. 

“Thinking about your partner?” asked Sooyoung. 

“Huh?” 

“You’re frowning,” Sooyoung replied. 

“And stabbing the heck out of your salad,” Taeyeon added, pointing at a lettuce leaf that had been poked full of holes. 

Yuri smiled sympathetically. “You and Donghae don’t really get along, do you?” 

“Wait, I wasn’t thinking about him,” Haruki replied in surprise. “Why would you assume that?” 

“Well, you always have something to complain about when it comes to him and now that you guys are working together, I was expecting the complaints to rise,” Taeyeon replied. “How’s it going?” 

“He’s fine,” Haruki replied. “He’s…” She sighed and the others exchanged amused glances. “Unprofessional and enjoys flirting with all the witnesses within his appropriate dating range.” 

Yoona raised her eyebrows. “You sure you’re not a little jealous, Haruki?” she asked. 

“Me? Jealous?” Haruki frowned as Sooyoung nodded. “Of what?” 

“Do you ever go on dates?” Taeyeon asked abruptly. 

The detective shook her head, eyes fixated on a particular baby carrot that kept rolling out of her grasp. “No time. I’m always too busy.” 

Judging by the looks on their faces, none of them were buying it. What single adult woman couldn’t take a single night off for a date? Haruki tried again, saying with a casual shrug, “I don’t like guys.” 

That hadn’t come out right. Yuri looked confused as she said, “I wasn’t aware that you…” 

“Ugh, that’s not what I meant.” Haruki smacked her forehead, the need to escape back to her office growing stronger by the moment. It was another part of the routine; at some point in the meal, she would realize that joining the girls for lunch was a mistake, come up with a lame excuse to leave, and run like the coward she was. The cycle would repeat itself tomorrow, without fail. 

“Are you scared of getting hurt?” Yoona asked softly. “You just need to get to know someone. It’s not like you’re picking a random guy on the street.” 

Haruki was about to respond, when Yoona’s words echoed in her mind. Get to know someone. Not a random guy on the street…not a random… 

“We lost her again,” Taeyeon sighed as Haruki stared intently out the window, her forehead creasing with thought. The detective didn’t even seem to hear the comment as she stood up quickly and began gathering her things together. 

“And now she comes up with an excuse,” Sooyoung added, dipping her spoon into her chocolate cake. 

“I’m really sorry, you guys, but I need to get back to work,” Haruki stammered. 

“And then she says-” Taeyeon murmured. 

“Where’s Seohyun?” Haruki asked, looking around the café. 

“Don’t worry about it, Haruki,” Yoona offered. “I’ll just drop the rest off in your office later.” 

“Thanks, Yoona,” Haruki said as she tugged her arms into the sleeves of her jacket. “I’ll see you all later! Bye!” 

Taeyeon shook her head as the younger girl dashed through the doors of the café. They watched her run past the window, heading back towards the police department. “The same thing every day,” was all she said as she picked up Haruki’s abandoned coffee and downed it in one gulp. 

“Hey, cutie!” came the shout as soon as Haruki set foot into the digital forensics section, reminding her of all the reasons she hated going there. 

“Not in the mood, Seungri,” she snapped. “Where’s Jiyong?” 

“Potty break,” called one of the so-called “digital forensics experts” employed by the FID, known only by his internet alias, T.O.P. Haruki was certain that they were nothing more than hackers, but she couldn’t override Leeteuk’s decision to hire them. “You got a job for him?” 

“I can take it!” Seungri offered, but she smacked his hand away as he reached for the note she was holding. 

“Do you have to hit on her every time she walks in here?” Youngbae asked mildly. 

“When will he be back?” Haruki asked impatiently. As much as she disliked dealing with the hackers, their skills extended beyond her capabilities with computers and unfortunately, she often required them. 

A sneeze echoed in the corridor and presently, handsome and blond Kwon Jiyong strutted in, rubbing his nose. “Someone talking about me?” he asked, flashing her a cocky grin. 

In response, Haruki held out a slip of paper. “Choi Sulli and Lee Jieun,” he read. “What’s this?” 

“Two girls whose murders I’m investigating,” she explained. “Check their emails and any social networks they may have used. I want to know who they were contacting before they died, as well as the nature of the conversations. Gold star if you can get all the information to me by the weekend.” 

“And what do I get if I get it to you by tonight?” The teasing smile never faded and behind him, the others were watching for her reaction. 

“A pat on the back and a ‘good job’,” Haruki replied firmly. 

“Come on, Haruki,” Jiyong protested between chuckles. “Just one-” 

The slamming of their office door answered him. 

Haruki shook her head as she stomped back to her office. First lunch, then the hackers- 

“Haruki!” Donghae waved at her as she reached for the doorknob. 

And the day just keeps getting better. 

“Donghae,” she sighed, trying her best to keep her annoyance out of her voice. “How did it go?” 

Donghae grimaced, for once not in the mood for joking either. “It’s a good thing you weren’t there to meet Sulli’s dad. You might actually have punched him in the face. The bastard kept going on and on about how Sulli was an ungrateful and how-” 

“Did you find anything that would be useful for the investigation?” Haruki interrupted irritably. 

Her partner stopped talking and frowned. “What’s up with you?” 

“I needed to talk to Kwon Jiyong about something,” she replied. “So did you find anything or not?” 

“No leads,” Donghae replied. “How about you? Any luck?” 

“I think I’m getting a better picture of what kind of girls our lobotomist targets,” Haruki replied. “It’s not enough though.” 

Donghae surprised her by squeezing her shoulder gently. “We will catch him, Haruki,” he said softly. 

“Yeah. I know that.” She shrugged off his hand and took a step backwards. “Of course we will.” 

“Well, I felt the need to say it. You looked like you needed reassurance.” 

“I don’t need anything from you,” Haruki said shortly, before retreating into the safety of her office. 

Her cellphone buzzed while she was washing her dishes. Rinsing off the suds and drying her hands quickly on her jeans, she answered. “Morita.” 

“Guess who your new favorite guy should be?” the voice on the other end purred. 

Haruki frowned. “Jiyong, why do you have my number?” 

“I’m a hacker, babe,” he replied, clearly amused. “Finding your number, that’s easy. Getting you to agree to a-” 

“Just tell me what you found,” the detective snapped. 

She could hear him laughing and willed herself not to hang up just yet. “You’re so easy to tease, Morita,” he chuckled. “Alright. Sulli and IU, as she preferred to be called, rarely contacted anyone for the most part. They emailed their families maybe once a month and barely touched Facebook or Twitter other than to make an announcement about a show they were participating in or something like that. Sounds a lot like someone I know.” 

Haruki didn’t take the bait; she’d come to the same conclusion herself. “But?” 

“But in the month leading up to their death, the pattern suddenly changes,” he replied. “They’re each contacting a different person, but it’s the same for both of them. They suddenly start emailing and chatting with one particular guy a lot. Spilling out their souls. ‘My parents don’t understand me. My friends are jerks. Nobody likes me.’ Sob, sob.” 

“It has to be the same guy,” Haruki said. 

“I can’t prove it,” Jiyong said, actually sounding embarrassed. “I can’t trace where the emails are coming from. They covered their tracks too well.” 

“Even for the mighty G-Dragon?” Haruki couldn’t resist the chance to ; she’d always thought his internet alias was ridiculous. 

Jiyong gasped dramatically. “She has a sense of humor! Someone pinch me! Is the world ending?” 

Her smile faded as quickly as it had come. “Email me everything you’ve got. I’ll look at it now.” 

“Do I get my pat on the back tomorrow?” he asked with a barely suppressed snicker. She clicked her phone shut and tossed it to the side. 

Heading over to her computer, she turned it on to find Jiyong’s email waiting for her. Firing back a quick thanks, she began scrolling through the conversations. As she read, her hand tightened around her mouse and she subconsciously began grinding her teeth. The stranger- it was clear from the context that neither Sulli or IU actually knew the person they were pouring their hearts out to- knew just the right words to say to get the girls to open up. Words that could make them spill thoughts and feelings they’d never even write in their diaries, for fear that someone might read it. 

Words that might have gotten even Haruki to open up, if she were still a lonely teenage girl. 

None of the chats had the stranger suggesting they meet up; the relationship apparently existed only via the internet. Haruki deduced that this was probably the lobotomist’s way of searching for victims. Once he had a name, he could easily find them, especially if his hacking skills were equal to, if not greater than, that of Jiyong’s. 

“I’m so glad I can talk to you! No one else understands me like you do. :)”

The line was from Sulli’s last chat with the stranger. Haruki squeezed the mouse so hard, she felt it nearly crack in her fist. “You bastard,” she whispered to the screen, circling the man’s username with her pointer again and again. “You complete bastard.” 

Haruki was ready for the chase to begin.