He gripped his steering wheel tighter than usual. Hyuk had no say in his body's reflexes; after all, he was still in shock.

On his dashboard sat a singular pin -- the crest of a well-known gang in the district and possibly, the one behind the death of an innocent and aspiring model four years ago. 

As he made a right, Hyuk was still aghast at the turn of events. It all started with his third heartbreak and it should've ended there. After all, what sort of person would want to rub more salt to the wound by investigating their ex? But somehow, this must be the path the deities wanted him to take. He didn't know if it was pure coincidence or a cruel joke -- Sun Hee sharing a connection to that gangster Hyuk has been tracking down. 

His memory jolted back to that bar where he and Sun Hee pretended to be a couple. Go In Sung was in the same area; his gang chased Hyuk and Sun Hee across the parking lot. He also remembered that mall invasion; the image of Sun Hee kneeling in front of a masked man who was probably the same gangster. 

It all made sense now. Finally, Hyuk understood. 

She could've just told me.

The story of Go Ae Ra's mother pushed him to delve further into the case. It was then he realized that the model's death was no accident or simple case of foul play -- it was intentional. She was removed from the scene...just in time for somone to replace her. 

The model's poor mother was the key to the case.

When she handed out the pin she found in her daughter's pocket, Hyuk recognized it and knew. Now, he was headed towards Sun Hee's place. 

Why didn't you tell me?

He understood why Sun Hee was hesitant to talk about it. 

Finally, he turned around the corner and saw her apartment. The detective had no definite plan on how to confront her...he just wanted some clarity. 

He was about to park the car when he noticed something odd.

The gate to Sun Hee's apartment was wide open. Hyuk knew that she wasn't a big fan of leaving it that wide open; doing so, she said, would make her susceptible to criminals. So why was her gate wide open?

Then the shrill scream came. 

From afar, Hyuk's trained eye could see a tall figure dragging a helpless and smaller person behind him. The latter struggled but was powerless to the former's strength. His clear vision revealed it was Sun Hee being pulled and dragged and Go In Sung doing the abuse. 

His blood went cold.

Then his senses kicked in. 

Immediately, he stepped on the gas.

He could see Sun Hee fighting against the gangster's grasp, but she was too weak against his power. He carried her over his head and slung her on his shoulder like a doll. Hyuk's heart beat quickened in pace as he drove faster. He hoped to be subtle, but the gangster heard his racing wheels.

Once Hyuk kicked the door of his car open, Go In Sung hurriedly pushed Sun Hee inside his.

"HEY!"

The furious detective's scream echoed through the night.

Go In Sung wasted no time in jumping inside of his car, slamming the door, and keying the ignition. Before Hyuk could react, the gangster already sped away, Sun Hee in tow. The detective got back inside his car and stepped on the gas. There was no time to lose; he could not let that gangster get away. As he drove, he keyed in Gook Doo's number and put his phone on loud speaker.

"Yeah?"

"Gook Doo, are you at the station?"

"Why?"

Go In Sung made a quick right; so did Hyuk. "Remember that theory we had?" he said on the phone, "We could be right."

"Oh my god."

"I'll need help."

"Where are you?"

"Use your tracker," he said, "I can't stay long. I'm chasing him right now. He has Sun Hee."

"Okay, okay. Just stay within reach."

Hyuk closed his phone as he kept his eyes on the road. The gangster was a fast driver; from his point-of-view, Hyuk could see him staring back at the rearview mirror. Even from afar, the detective sensed hostility.

This man was the stalker.

Hyuk's weeks of investigation and research led him to the one name he never thought Sun Hee would be tied to. Upon realization, he finally understood the gravity of her situation -- why she was so touchy on the subject of her past, why she asked him constantly if he could take it. He didn't see it coming, but when it rammed itself into him, Hyuk knew it made sense.

After countless rights and lefts, the chase continued to the freeway. It was fortunate Hyuk was an excellent driver, but unfortunate that so was his opponent. During the chase, he tried to see whether Sun Hee was okay or not, but all he could spot was the back of her head. It lulled from one side to another.

She's unconscious.

"Goddamnit," he cursed, stepping on the gas harder. He wouldn't let that stalker/gansgter hurt Sun Hee again. 

Gook Doo called in to inform him that they were on their way to assist him.

"You have to get here fast," said Hyuk, "I don't know where he's taking me and the signal is getting pretty bad."

"Just stay with me, Hyuk."

"You have to be fast."

"We'll do our best."

Click. 

The city lights already vanished, but Hyuk didn't realize it till minutes later. The car chase ended up literally in the middle of nowhere, a place where even an experienced detective like Hyuk didn't know. He tried messing with his tracker to see where the gangster had taken him; the distance from the city, however, disrupted with the signal. He wasn't even sure if he was still in the city. 

Finally, the car stop in the middle of a field. 

He must've ran out of gas.

A bead of hope erupted in Hyuk's chest as he immediately parked, grabed his gun, and He got out of the car and aimed for the gangster's vehicle. 

"GO IN SUNG!" he yelled, "SURRENDER NOW AND I WON'T SHOOT."

There was no movement inside of the second car. Hyuk slowly proceeded with caution, keeping his eyes on the rearview mirror, hoping to get a view of Sun Hee. His brains began conjuring an escape plan, but part of him felt confident. After all, it was just the three of them; Gook Doo and the team were on their way. There was no one else here. 

"GO IN SUNG!" roared Hyuk, "GET OUT OF THE CAR AND RELEASE THE GIRL."

A second later, the man of the hour emerged from his black vehicle. Hyuk tried to see if Sun Hee was okay, but the rearview mirror was no help. He did, however, got a better look at the person behind all of the madness.The detective remembered that night in the bar when he was trying to overhear the conversation through a wall. It was the same face that told his men to go after Hyuk.

Apparently, it was also the same face who sent Sun Hee those haunting messages, locks of her hair...and other forms of obsession.

Go In Sung -- the estranged ex turned gangster.

"Well, you look familiar," was the first thing he said.

Go In Sung was tall and had a sturdy built. Dressed in all black, he stood with such authority, anyone would think he owned the world. But from where Hyuk stood, the detective could finally see that burn on his face. He read about it somewhere -- the burning down of a popular lounge -- and figured that this man was a victim of that fire. But he survived.

And here he was.

"You're Lee Hyuk, aren't you?" asked the gangster, "The guy sent to arrest me?"

He took a step closer, hands behind his back. Hyuk did not lower his defenses; but a part of him was weirded out by this man. He tried looking behind Go In Sung; was there a gun behind him?

"Yes, I remember you," said Go In Sung, "You're the guy who was eavesdropping on all my operations. My men failed to take you down, which means you're that good." 

He took another step. Hyuk held his gun tighter. 

"But for some reason, you're not just a detective, huh?" continued the gangster, "You're the one keeping me and Sun apart, apparently."

He said these words with vile disgust. Once her name was mentioned, Hyuk could not control the anger boiling inside of him. He was tempted to shoot already, but his training taught him more than that.

"She's not Sun," replied Hyuk, "She's Sun Hee."

Go In Sung glared at him. "No. She's Sun."

"You're mistaken," said the detective, "She's mine."

The look on Go In Sung's eye says he was triggered.

"Kim Sun was never yours nor anyone else's," he declared, "She was mine to begin with. She has always been mine. I've looked for her for years after she left and you come prancing around, staking your claim on what was never yours." He then stopped midway. "She was mine from the very start. Mine."

That manic look in his eye was enough to convince Hyuk he was crazy. 

"Give Sun Hee to me, Go In Sung," demanded Hyuk, "This is kidnapping. You know she doesn't want to go with you."

The gangster chuckled. 

"That's what you think," he said, "Why don't you run now?"

"Why would I do that?"

Go In Sung chuckled again and snapped his fingers.

"Because you can't do it now."

Before he could react, Hyuk noticed the sudden surge of figures surrounding him. They came out of nowhere, running towards him with nothing but pipes and planks of wood. The Gangnam detective was outnumbered, but that never stopped him ever.

Once the men closed up on him, he flashed his years of physical training. The detective knew his gun would not be enough and he couldn't use it (as one of the men kicked it out of his hands). He dodged and punched at the same time, lunging at two men at the same time. He kicked off their pipes, broke two legs at once, and swiped faces. 

From afar, Go In Sung just watched. 

Hyuk's body felt like giving up, but his adrenaline powered him. He shoved, he kicked, he defended himself. He stopped one guy from hitting his head, hit another in the gut. The detective couldn't keep track of the number he was dealing with; all he could do was fight his way towards Sun Hee. 

He stole a pipe from one of the men and used it as his weapon. Hyuk swung, hitting three at once. One of them got him in the face, causing his bloody lip, but he outsmarted this one too. He slid under the noses, hitting them with his choice weapon while he reached for his gun. 

But he never got to his gun.

One of the men successfuly hit him on the head with a metal pipe, incapacitating Hyuk immediately. His hand let go of the pipe, rendering him defenseless. 

They took advantage of his momentary weakness. The Gangnam detective had no say as the remaining men ganged up on him and poured Go In Sung's anger upon him. A burly gangster raised him by the collar; he vaguely remembers the man as one of his pursuers during that bar incident. With a wicked smile on his face, the man raised him up then beat him down. 

Hyuk drowned in the sea of pipes, fists, and kicks.

Somewhere, he heard Sun Hee scream.

"NOOOOO!!"

For a moment, the beating stopped. 

Hyuk laid on the ground, losing touch of his senses. His tongue, however, strongly tasted the blood that dripped from wounds on his face. The beating was too savage for his body; he could barely move a finger. The detective could only lift his bruised eye to see a blurry figure throw itself on him. He was in so much pain, he couldn't even feel the sudden weight on him. 

But he heard the tears. 

"No, no, Hyuk, no," cried Kim Sun Hee, cradling him, "No. Why did you follow?"

He looked up and saw a blurred version of her face. If he was not mistaken, she sported a small scratch on her face, but otherwise, she was okay. He considered it unfortuante that he couldn't feel her fingers around his face. He wanted to reach out, but he was too tired.

"S...Sun..." was all he said. 

"Hyuk you should get out of here," she was telling him, "He will kill you."

"Sun..." said Hyuk, trying to reach out for her face. His bloodied finger touched her cheek. "I..."

"Hyuk."

A tear fell on his face.

"That's enough."

In the blink of an eye, Sun Hee was gone. Hyuk heard her whimper as she was taken away from him...for the nth time. Again, he was surrounded by a dark cloud of men and enemies. 

A sharp force stepped on his chest, causing him to cough blood. 

"That should teach you not to meddle with others," said Go In Sung, "When fate says no, just don't." 

He stepped on Hyuk harder. 

"I'll just leave you here," said the gangster, "I think you can die peacefully, right?"

With a vicious cackle, he let go of Hyuk and ordered his men to vacate the area. The detective could hear the leader congratulating his men on a job well done, but Sun Hee's cries stood out. She called out for him desperately, but Go In Sung was too strong for her. Hyuk couldn't even see her anymore; he couldn't even do anything anymore. 

In a minute, he was all alone...dying.

The sound of crickets echoed through the night as the detective laid there in the middle of nowhere. 

He might be physically incapacitated, but his mind continued to work. First, he wondered where he was. His working eye tried to survey his surroundings.

A buckwheat field.

The second thought was about this familiar feeling of death. For some reason, he felt like he has been in the same situation before. He's had plenty of near death experiences, but nothing compared to this. 

Then I really must be dying. 

The third thought was a face.

Her face.

The emotional pain of losing Sun Hee bested the physical pain he was in. He couldn't believe that he lost her that way; had he been more inquisitive, they wouldn't be in this position. He couldn't even spare her the tragedy; in a blink of an eye, someone took her away from him.

I...I couldn't even protect her. 

In the middle of the buckwheat field, Detective Lee Hyuk laid there, losing his grasp of reality. No one was with him. He thought about it and figured that death must be the better option. What was the point when a large part of himself was ripped? He listened to the crickets as he waited for death to greet him, like an old friend. 

The sound of footsteps, however, broke his reverie.

He opened his eyes again to look. His failing vision only produced another blurred image, a taller figure, walking towards him. The light was too blinding; he could only make out a shadow. 

Is this death? Am I seeing a grim reaper?

He wondered if someone came to finish him altogether.

Come at me then, he dared. 

He closed his eyes, preparing himself for the last blow...when the figure spoke. 

"Let's go."

The Gangnam detective felt a large hand hover above his face. He opened his eyes, wondering who the figure was. 

A/N: Hi guys! I'm sorry I took long again. Been busy with a lot of stuff, but I hope you like this one. I listened to So Far Away v. 2 while writing this and to be honest, it gave me the right amount of feels. The story's about to end and I'm so glad I got to write it for all Gobline and #PiChi fans out there. It's a bittersweet moment, but I can't wait for it to end. :) 

Let me know what you think!