The atmosphere was heavy inside the room, especially after Chungha’s answer, even Yeonjung, who previously displayed a complete and unreadable poker face looked rather perplexed, although her facial expression quickly reverted back to the prior look once more.

“Funny, I didn’t take you for a heartless killer, being with the police and the “good guys” and all”- Yeonjung said after briefs moments of silence that seemed to last eternities – “Still, I won’t complain, I’m positive that your presence here will be entertaining in the near future”

Yeonjung raised her firearm again, pointing it at Minkyeong, and an intolerable silence reigned again. The only thing that could be heard was the ticking sound of the grandfather clock in the room, Chungha found it fitting bizarrely for the current situation.

She looked back at Minkyeong for one last time, the girl was paralyzed, looking like a statue, and her eyes seemed that were about to pop out of her head. She had her gaze fixated on the gun that was currently pointing at her.

Why did she do that? Chungha pondered, why would she just agree with Yeonjung’s proposition? She used to be such a caring person, she joined the force for that very reason; to help those in need and to free the world from corrupted scum.

Then again, so did Nayoung, and she didn’t hesitate when she took Sejeong’s life.

Both of them used to have an unparalleled sense of morality. Nayoung threw it aside for a reason Chungha has yet to discover, and now she was doing the same.

Minkyeong was an assassin, her life was devoted to taking others, she didn’t deserve justice. She didn’t deserve a trial. She had to pay for what she did to others.

“I’m going to trial her for attempted murder, it’s the right thing to do”

She remembers one of the last conversations she had with Nayoung, her friend had just been attacked by an assassin and yet she preferred taking her to court rather than keeping her hostage as a payback. Nayoung believed that everyone, no matter what they did, deserved a fair trial.

Chungha closed her eyes, she was scared of herself. Of what she would become if she casted her own morality aside, but maybe it was not late to turn back now and make things right. Minkyeong didn’t have to die, if anything she would rot in the deepest cell of the police department, but death was not an option.

With renewed sense of justice, Chungha spoke.

“Wait a second!”- She said, raising her voice.

But it was already too late. Just as the grandfather clock started chiming, the sound of the tolls mixed with a loud bang, then a shot whistled past Chungha’s ear. A few seconds later a body fell with a thump to the floor. It laid there, unmoving, with a pool of blood forming under it, staining the expensive looking rug under it.

Chungha’s body jerked thanks to involuntary reflexes and she covered her right ear, the only thing she was hearing now was a deafening buzzing.

As the sound cleared and she regained her hearing she fixed her eyes on the body that was lying next to her.

It wasn’t Minkyeong.

She quickly moved her eyes to the assassin in question, Minkyeong was looking at the floor, where Sungyeon, or what used to be her, was lying now. The girl had the same shocked expression as before, only that this time tears were clearly visible in the corner of her eyes, threatening to fall down.

On the other hand the youngest woman there, Kyla, was sobbing right next to the body, shaking it exaggeratedly.

“Did you seriously think I would kill one of my best cutthroats? Fat chance, that other girl on the other hand…”- Yeonjung let out a mad cackle, apparently amused with the whole situation while signaling with her head towards the dead body– “Either she was too powerless to handle your friend or Kyulkyung has taught her a few things.”

Chungha wished she had her gun, she felt an unexpected rage filling her and had to dig her nails in her own flesh to stop herself from doing anything stupid. Minkyeong wasn’t faring any better, the assassin took a step forward before Yeonjung spoke again.

“I wouldn’t move a muscle if I were you two, unless you want to join our little Shannon in the afterlife”- Yeonjung warned, sneering, but kept a cool demeanor – “I have some bad news for you Chungha, I’ve already sent some people after your friend, but don’t worry, I doubt any of them will be coming back and as soon as I confirm their deaths I’ll send you along with my three best assassins to finish the job”

“Why would you send somebody to a certain death then, what is there to gain?”- Chungha talked back boldly but instantly regretted it, Yeonjung face turned dark and she scowled.

“What would you know about this? They are expendable as long as they complete their mission”- Yeonjung said this while walking closer to Chungha, when she finished she was standing right in front of her and although she wasn’t that much taller than Chungha, her presence was surely overwhelming. – “Now get out of here before I deem you expendable too, Minkyeong, take her to your room”

Chungha observed Minkyeong to analyze her reaction but the latter just looked at Yeonjung almost lifelessly and just nods. The previous rage her eyes contained seemingly evaporated into nothing. Yeonjung just gave them her back and strolled back to her seat.

Minkyeong started walking towards the door and Chungha followed close behind. Kyla was still sobbing, this time silently, on the corpse of Sungyeon. They moved around her to exit the door but as they were going out Yeonjung called Chungha once more.

“Your future absence from the police station has already been taken care off, so you don’t have to worry”- Yeonjung said without taking her eyes off the papers she was now reading and Chungha didn’t even bother to reply, she just turned around and kept following Minkyeong.

Neither Minkyeong nor she talked during the walk. The place they were in was noisy, that’s for sure, but Chungha couldn’t help but to feel oppressed by the silence between them. She wonders if she should ask for forgiveness once they were alone, but she didn’t know what to say.

Eventually they arrive to a room, the number 312 engraved on the door’s plaque. They both enter it in silence and Chungha turns down to close the door behind them. However, as soon as she turns back, she feels her feet lifting from the floor and a crushing pressure obstructing her respiratory tract.

“You are lucky she wants you alive or I would kill you with my own hands right now”- There was no trace left of the playful and sarcastic Minkyeong, instead, there was a vicious girl with a glowering expression. Chungha started punching Minkyeong long arms, trying to find a pressure point on the elbow pit.

When she failed at doing so she resorted to launching a swift kick with the tip of her shoe, aiming at the center of Minkyeong’s stomach.

Her kick caught Minkyeong unprepared, the girl let go of her captive to hold her own stomach while she grumbled. Chungha fell back down to the floor but maintained the balance, she started to cough as she breathed in. However, before she had time to fully recover, she saw a fist coming her way with the corner of her eye, and just barely ducked under it.

Minkyeong’s punch left a dent in the metal door and Chungha couldn’t help but to stare at it for a couple of seconds.

Just how much strength did this girl possess?

This hesitation only added to her misfortune, this time Minkyeong launched a simple roundhouse kick to her face and Chungha rushedly lifted her arms up in a traditional boxing high guard. This proved to be ineffective anyhow, as the force of the kick sent Chungha flying over a bed and she ended up smashing against a desk lamp, breaking the thing into a thousand pieces.

Chungha tried to get up but the fatigue of the whole day caught up to her. Her legs felt wobbly, so she just remained in the floor, kneeled, ready for whatever Minkyeong was going to throw at her. She deserved it in a way.

She was in the middle of the two beds that were inside the room, broken pieces of lamp all around her. Minkyeong was walking slowly to her. She stopped walking when they were mere centimeters apart and raised a fist.

Chungha just closed her eyes. But nothing came.

Instead, the sound of a door opening filled Chungha’s ears. She opened her eyes again and saw Kyla at the doorframe. Her eyes were puffy and her cheeks were red, but she spoke with a steady voice nevertheless.

“Minky, Yebin is looking for you, she needs help to move--- Shannon…”

Chungha looked at Minkyeong and their eyes crossed but the latter just turned back without a word and went out the room, closing the door heavily behind her.

Now only Kyla and her were alone. The little girl got closer really slowly, as if cautiously waiting for a reaction.

Chungha got up using the last remaining strength on her legs and that startled the little trainee in front of her but the cop didn’t care at that point, she just plopped down on the bed.

“You are bleeding…”-Kyla murmured, Chungha just hummed, confirming the little girl’s worries. – “I’ll bring a medkit, wait here”

Frankly, there was no other place Chungha could have gone since she didn’t know the facility. And even if she knew them, the only thing she wanted right now was to drift off to sleep and wake up several days later. She heard the door opening and closing again, and it didn’t take much time until she fell asleep.

---------------------------------------------------------

She was in the fourth subfloor now, if Kyla guided her correctly, then the shooting gallery should be around here.

A couple of days have passes since she first arrived, she hadn’t gone out of the room that much, only to get food and explore a little bit. She also hadn’t seen Minkyeong since she left after almost giving her a beating, the only other person she talked to was Kyla, who seemed to enjoy talking to her for some reason, since she was always the one that came to the room to keep her company.

She learned many t