Go back two chapters! I updated the last two days as well!

“Get up.”

Haru jumps awake when her foot is smacked mercilessly. The movement of her sitting up alerts Hercules and he springs to his feet. At the end of her bed, she finds Jongup staring back at her. 

Without another word or explanation, he tosses his phone on her blanket covered lap.

Breathing out and slapping the messy hair from her face, she picks up the phone with a video playing on the screen from a news network. 

It was obviously filmed on a phone by the sight of the shabby quality and shaking. With closer inspection, she sees someone flying over a car– herself flying over a car. With wide eyes, she sits up straighter in bed and brings the screen up to her face. Someone filmed her last night.

“Your face is all over the news.” Jongup breaks the silence. 

She wanted to ask what they are saying but she’s afraid of what she’ll hear. But, Jongup notifies her anyways.

“A gang meeting exposed.” He lists off some of the statements he heard. “A young girl caught up in something shady; the daughter of notoriously famed, Lee Seonwoong; Lee Haru, daughter of Nabi.”

“I get it.” She motions for him to stop. Blurry close ups of her face and her name flash on screen. 

What the hell is she supposed to do now?

“You will lay low for a while. Stay inside. Barom will be with you at all times.”

***

Yongguk sighs. “She’s going to gain a bad reputation from this.”

From where he sat at his desk, Youngjae looks over to the sight of Yongguk’s attention on the TV hanging up in the corner of the wall before directing his attention back on the news. Haru’s video from last night has been played over and over again since the morning.

What do people find so fascinating about it?

Is it because she’s a young girl? Because they found out Lee Seonwoong, feared Nabi’s leader, has a daughter?

“Haru already had cards stacked against her the moment she was born into that family.” Youngjae responds. 

Yongguk looks away from the screen. “You said her mom passed away?”

“Yeah, nine years ago. It would make her nine then.”

“How did she die?” 

“She died from a gunshot wound; she was murdered.” Youngjae reveals. He had looked through Haru’s file before she came to the station for her probation volunteer requirement. “…Haru was there so she witnessed it.” Not much shocks him in his line of work but when he hears about children experiencing such devastation, it did bother him. 

This was the first time Yongguk was hearing something like that. “Who did it?”

“It was a burglary gone wrong.” 

“What happened to the culprit?”

“He was shot by Lee Seonwoong when he came upon the site.” But, there was something Youngjae found strange while reviewing the case. “There were many insistences and pressure from Lee Seonwoong to hurry and close the case.”

“Maybe he didn’t want to put Haru through it anymore.”

“Maybe.”

Looking back to the TV, Yongguk couldn’t help thinking that Haru has been through a lot and now that she has such attention focused on her, she was probably having a harder time dealing with it. 

Pulling out his phone, he looks through his contacts. But, in the back of his mind, he knows it probably wouldn’t yield results.

“Detective Youngjae, officer Yongguk, and officer Sungwon, you all are wanted in the Chief’s office now.” An officer appears to alert the three.

Sungwon sighs. “You said we have the upper hand, detective Youngjae?”

“I said I did. I don’t know about you two.” 

“Then, take the bigger hit.” Sungwon follows after him towards imminent danger. “Tell the Chief that it was your entire idea that we broke through the standstill and that we took on minor roles.” He points to Yongguk and himself. 

“I think that’s fair.” Yongguk adds.

***

Another day and the hype around the video hasn’t died down.

There was one thought that slipped Haru’s mind– what would her guidance counselor say now? He’s probably flipping out as soon as he caught sight of the video. Mr. Jung isn’t the type to take such shock in strides. Their last conversation consisted of her telling him to trust her… what is going to happen now? The man wouldn’t stay still after finding out about this. 

Sitting up in bed, Haru looks over towards her desk. The sight would normally be obscured by Barom’s body frame but today, he’s nowhere to be seen and she gets her entire view. One thing falls into her line of sight.

The blue therapy ball. 

When did she set that aside? It was probably when she woke up in bed here after the fun date with Dali. Breathing out, she looks down to find Hercules sprawled over her lap and she