Mina banged on the door and after a few seconds, the door opened. Jeongyeon barged in.

‘Who are you?’ the man asked, holding onto his towel that was wrapped around the lower half of his body.

‘Who are you to be doing such a sinful thing with a minor? Shame on you!’ Jeongyeon said as she took a very confused Yerim by the wrist and pulled her out of the room to safety.

'Who are you people?' The man asked Mina who was still standing in the room.

'We are noble people that rescue those in need.' Mina said.

'I-I'm gonna call the police!'

'Go ahead!' She taunted as she poked his belly, making him step backwards. 'Just remember to have some clothes on or it's gonna look bad for you.' Mina said as she took off the lens cover while the man grabbed his clothes that were hanging on the chair.

'Shall I take some pictures? I'm a professional model photographer and damn you look good!' Mina said as she shoved the camera in his face, making him shrink away and scurry to the bathroom, slamming the door in her face.

'Why close the door? Not willing to show your face after screwing around with someone's daughter?' Mina called out before leaving the room.

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'Yerim!' Jungkook called out and ran over to the girl who was leaning over the railing of the Han River. The water was swirling around below, a good reflection of how her emotions were at that moment.

'I'll give you two a moment.' Jeongyeon said and patted Jungkook's shoulder before walking off. He gave her a grateful nod and a small smile. Jeongyeon had given Jungkook a call on Yerim's behalf and the boy immediately came down to meet her.

'Are you okay?' He asked, standing beside her. She refused to turn to face him. Yerim was silent for a moment.

'You must be disappointed. You thought I was a pleasant and sweet girl but I turned out to be everything but that.' Yerim said, looking at the rushing water. 'I made such a grave mistake of trusting him. Jiho, or his nickname, Zico. I thought I loved him and that he would be all I ever needed. How wrong I was.' She said and let out a deep sigh. Jungkook couldn't find the right words to say.

'I thought that by doing what he says, I could prove my love to him. Turns out to be the biggest mistake I ever made in my life. He's just like his gang. You can join as easy as pie but leaving... You can't. It's not so simple. It will be bounded to you for a lifetime.'

Jungkook placed a gentle hand on Yerim's shoulder and looked into her eyes. She looked back at him through her tears but averted her gaze, gently pulling his hand off from her shoulder.

'You shouldn't touch me. A bad egg like me would dirty your pure hands.' Yerim said, voice quivering. 'I have no rights to look at you. I have no rights to even date you anymore.'

'No. You do. To me, you always do. You are still the Yerim I know and nothing can ever change that. You're still the kind, sweet, studious and pure Yerim I know.' Jungkook said and her hair.

'If this is your way of showing pity, I don't deserve it.'

'It's not. I mean every word I say.' He said and slowly pulled her closer into a hug. She lost all control and sobbed into his shoulder as he patted her back, swaying her gently from side to side.

'I want to speak to your boss.' Mr Kim stormed into the firm.

'Yes?' Sana cautiously approached him.

'Didn't you give me your word that you would stop tailing her?' He said through grit teeth.

'Yes I did.' Sana said. Mina and Jeongyeon exchanged glances before burying their heads into their work. They could feel Sana's glare burning into the sides of their heads.

'Mina. Jeongyeon.' She called sternly and they unwillingly walked over. 'Didn't you say you would stop?'

'If it wasn't for you two, these wouldn't have been leaked!' Mr Kim shouted and slapped an envelope into Mina's hands. They looked through the photos and saw that there were more of such scandalous photos. 'I made a deal with Jiho that he would stop if we didn't take any action! If you didn't step on his tail, nothing would have happened!'

'And you believed his words? How can you and your daughter he equally foolish?' Mina scoffed and Sana smacked her in the arm with the envelope that had landed in her hands.

'What? Why don't you ask him? If we didn't tail her last night, she could have been in deep trouble! Do you know she was going to offer her "services" to a man as old as you last night?' Mina asked sternly and Mr Kim was appalled.

'If we hadn't saved her in time, god knows what would have happened! For pete's sake, just make a report. He should be the one being punished instead of your daughter! Now I'm doing this for your daughter and her little boyfriend because I truly care for her, not your money. Her boyfriend is just as worried as you and if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't care more about what you were doing!' Mina snapped and walked back to her desk. There was pin drop silence as the tension in the air was pulled so tight Sana and Jeongyeon felt like it was going to snap.

'Sir, make a report. It will be for the best.' Jeongyeon said.

'I can't. Just let this matter rest and die down on its own. When you have children of your own, you will understand my decision.’ Mr Kim said and left.

‘What were you two thinking?’ Sana asked the moment the door closed. ‘We promised that we would stop investigating.’

‘We couldn’t just sit by and watch her future go up in flames!’ Jeongyeon said while Mina kept quiet, focusing on her computer. ‘Why can’t we call the cops?’

‘One; we have to respect our client’s decision. Two; we don’t have sufficient evidence. These pictures were willingly taken by Yerim herself but it landed up in the wrong hands so we would have a hard time getting the case on our side.’ Sana said, waving the envelope in the air. ‘Whatever you do, don’t cause trouble to our firm. We have already given our word that we would pull out of this investigation. Whatever you do after work is up to you.’ Sana said and walked back to her desk.

‘Did you just…’ Jeongyeon blinked before a grin spread across her lips.

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Mina was about to leave the office when her phone buzzed.

From: Jeongyeon

I’ve tailed Zico to another of those sketchy alleys. Come quick.

Attachment: Location

Mina’s eyes widened and she quickly grabbed her bag and tossed her blazer over her shoulder before dashing out of the firm, earning a curious glance from Sana who was preparing to leave as well. The girl felt bad for losing her temper and being so strict with Mina earlier but she couldn’t gather enough courage to apologize.

The photographer quickly hopped into her car and started the engine, driving off as she placed her bag and blazer on the passenger seat and buckling her seatbelt. Routing the location, she followed the direction and pulled up at the entrance of the alleyways that were connected further in. Mina jumped out and carefully paced down the alley. It didn’t take too long for her to find Jeongyeon, who was crouching behind a pile of crates and broken plywood.

‘How is it?’ Mina asked as she tapped Jeongyeon on the shoulder.

‘I’ve followed him for three days now. It seems he really does have connections with some gang activities. We have to expose his deeds.’ Jeongyeon said as she looked through her pair of binoculars.

‘In time to come buddy. Patience is a virtue.’

They watched as he conversed with a few other heavily tattooed men and saw that he reached into his pocket to pull out a small plastic sachet with what seems to be some white powder. Mina quickly lifted Jeongyeon’s D810 from her side and snapped the evidence of them exchanging money for the sachet.

‘So he’s a pimp and a drug dealer.’ Mina arched an eyebrow as she lowered her camera.

‘Seems like we can get back at him for Yerim and Jungkook.’ Jeongyeon grinned. She made the mistake of taking a step back as she bumped into a crate and a plank of wood fell, drawing the attention of the men.

‘.’ Mina hissed and they took off running. They could hear the shouts of the thugs as they tore down the alley. They made a left and a right, twisting through the maze of small paths in an attempt to lose their pursuers. Alas, they were cornered by the thugs when they split up to block off their escape path.

They approached Jeongyeon and Mina who were standing back to back with a menacing aura.

‘Can’t we talk this out?’ Jeongyeon tried but they weren’t having any of it. They lunged forward and attacked the two. Jeongyeon tried to hold them off while Mina protected the camera. She kicked one in the thigh and shoved him into the wall while Jeongyeon lunched another in the face.

A metal pole was raised above Mina and the girl ducked, bracing herself for the impact but the pole dropped to the floor and a yelp of pain was heard from behind her. Mina looked up to see Sana, fists raised in front of her face in a defensive stance. They changed their target and went for Sana. The girl twisted an arm that was about to punch her and kicked him in the back, sending him face first to the floor. Zico tried to hit her but he too was subdued. Jeongyeon had knocked one unconscious and was dealing with the last of them when Zico pulled out a concealed blade from his pocket.

‘Sana!’ Mina yelled when she caught sight of the blade glinting in the sunlight. Zico ran at Sana and was about to slash her with it but Mina jumped in front of Sana with a raised arm. The blade cut a gash on her forearm and Sana spun around. Mina stumbled to the side, severely unbalanced and accidentally rammed her left knee into the wall. Mina yelled in pain as she fell to the ground on her back.

Sana twisted his arm behind his back, causing him to drop the blade and she kicked his knee, pinning him to the floor.

‘Call the cops!’ Sana yelled as she kept Zico in a tight hold on the ground. Jeongyeon dug out her phone and called the cops.

‘Are you okay?’ the girl knelt down beside Mina whose face was scrunched up in pain. Blood was running down to her elbow as her other hand gripped her left knee. Sana looked over her shoulder, eyebrows knitting together in worry when she saw Mina groaning in pain.

‘My dad found me a school in America. He says we’ll be going by the end of this week.’ Yerim said as she and Jungkook walked by the Han River.

‘So soon?’

‘Yeah. I could convince him to let me stay another week if you want. We can spend some time together before I go.’

‘I shouldn’t stop you. It’s too painful for you to stay here anyway.’ Jungkook sighed and stopped.

‘Look, a shooting star.’ Yerim smiled and pointed at the sky. ‘Make a wish.’

Jungkook looked up at the sky and closed his eyes. Just as he did, he felt a pair of lips press against his cheek and his eyelids fluttered open.

‘Thank you for everything you have done. For being here for me and not abandoning me even when times are tough.’ She said with a sad smile. ‘My dad is here. I should go.’

Jungkook swallowed the thick, painful lump in his throat as he watched her go. He wanted to call out to her. Stop her. Tell her not to go but he couldn’t. His limbs felt like they were paralysed. He could only watch as Yerim got into her father’s car and it disappeared down the street, leaving him cold and alone.

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‘Mr and Mrs Minatozaki. It’s a pleasure to meet you.’ Mina smiled and bowed as she entered the house.

‘Please, make yourself at home. I really don’t know how to thank you for saving our dear Sana.’ Mr Minatozaki said and gave Mina a pat on the back.

‘It’s nothing really. Anyone would have done it.’ Mina brushed him off.

‘Come, join us for lunch.’ Mrs Minatozaki smiled and walked over to the dining table, pulling out a chair for Mina who dipped her head in thanks. Lunch was a simple Japanese meal and Mina felt like she could cry. She hadn’t had a proper home cooked meal since her parents passed.

‘Are you okay?’ Sana asked when she saw Mina’s eyes water slightly.

‘I’m fine. Eat, eat.’ Mina smiled and blinked a couple of times.

After lunch, Mina sat down outside at the patio and placed her bag of bandages and medication on the table. She unhooked the bandage clip and held it between her lips as she undid the old bandage.

‘Can I help?’ Sana asked from the sliding door. Mina looked at her and nodded wordlessly. Sana slowly sat down beside Mina and helped the girl unwrap her bandage.

‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have got so irritated and angry at you the other day.’ Sana said as she placed the bandage on the tabletop.

‘It’s fine. We shouldn’t have gone against your word anyway. You had every right to get mad at us.’ Mina shrugged.

‘But still…’ Sana trailed off.

‘Just relax. It’s okay.’ Mina smiled and Sana seemed to be a little more reassured. The photographer watched as Sana uncapped the tube of cream and squeezed it onto a cotton bud.

‘This might sting a little.’ Sana warned before she dabbed the cream onto Mina’s wound.

‘Just go for it. I had it worst before.’ Mina said and Sana glanced worriedly at her. Mina looked at Sana who had turned her attention back to the wound. The girl had a look of concentration and worry etched on her face, making Mina purse her lips. Sana looked attractive doing this but Mina knows her limits. Sana has a girlfriend and they will never be anything more than friends.

Mina strolled into the firm with a bag of takeaways only to see Sana in discussion with another lady at the pantry. Mina didn’t pay much attention since her back was facing her so she decided to go ahead to her desk.

‘Aren’t you on medical leave? Why are you here?’ Jihyo asked when Mina placed the takeawyas on her desk.

‘You don’t want me around?’ Mina joked.

‘Of course not! I’m just concerned about you.’ Jihyo scoffed.

‘Ooo food!’ Jeongyeon beamed when she looked over and saw the bag of paper boxes.

‘Who’s that?’ Mina whispered, pointing behind her towards Sana and the lady.

‘I don’t know but they have been talking for almost an hour now.’ Jeongyeon shrugged as she opened her takeout box.

‘Must be a problematic person. I smell another affair ridden relationship.’ Mina whispered and Jihyo smacked her stomach.

‘What?’ Mina frowned.

‘This is my best photographer, I can assure you that with her help, we will definitely get to the bottom of this.’ Sana said and Mina turned around with a smile to greet their new client but the moment her eyes processed the face of the lady, her smile slipped off her face and she could only stare at the lady with mixed emotions. Her brows unknowingly creased when the lady nodded her head with a cautious expression, acknowledging Mina’s presence to which she returned hesitantly.

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‘How have you been?’ The lady asked. She and Mina were currently seated at a café with intentions to talk over a cup of coffee.

‘I’ve been good. Thank you for asking.’ Mina replied simply. She wasn’t hostile, just flat and expressionless. She didn’t know what she should be feeling anyway.

‘Ae you okay?’ the lady asked, gaze landing on Mina’s bandaged forearm.

‘I won’t die from this. I had worst, I’m sure you know about that.’ Mina sighed.

‘I never expected you to switch careers to be a private investigator.’

‘Neither did I but tough times call for desperate measures. I had no choice either.’

‘Not taking photos of nature anymore?’ she asked.

‘Leisurely, I do.’ Mina nodded and sipped her coffee.

‘You’ve changed.’ The lady said softly.

‘Of course I did. Did I become cooler? Prettier? More attractive? People wouldn’t stay the same for long, I’m sure you know that very well, Momo.’ Mina said.

‘Yes, indeed I do.’ Momo glanced at Mina with sad eyes.

‘I’m getting married.’ Momo said after a few minutes of silence and Mina froze.

‘That’s nice. Congratulations.’ Mina smiled. ‘You must be busy with many things then.’

‘One of which is my fiancé. I came to have you check on him. To see if he has another lover.’

‘But you’re getting married?’ Mina asked.

‘It’s funny isn’t it? Finally getting a glimpse of someone’s true colours after you plan to get married. Maybe I just need reassurance that he is a good man.’ Momo said, lacing her fingers on the tabletop.

‘You look for a good partner after I became like this.’ Mina said, staring blankly at her cup.

Momo was speechless.

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Mina lay awake on her bed. It was almost three in the morning but she couldn’t sleep. The thoughts flowing through her head were keeping her wide awake.

Momo was taking a picture of the scenic greenery when Mina presented a small bunch of flowers to her. Momo took it with a smile as she lowered her camera and leaned over to give Mina a kiss on the cheek, making the girl grin widely.

Mina raised her camera and pointed it at Momo. The latter instantly smiled and struck a pose with the flowers for Mina to snap a few portrait shots. They lay down on the grass and placed the flowers between them.

‘Look!’ Mina chirped and nodded up at the camera. She held Momo’s hand and they beamed widely at the camera.

Back at their house, Mina set up her camera on her stand and set the timer before running over to wrap Momo in a back hug. They took several candid shots with their quirky and sweet actions.

Mina wheeled her luggage beside the dining table and placed her bag down on the glass tabletop along with a paper bag which had the cute knickknacks she bought from Amsterdam. She walked towards their bedroom but she heard Momo’s giggle coming from the backyard. With a smile, she walked towards the sliding door only to see Momo step into her line of sight but she was not alone. There was another guy that she was laughing with. His chestnut brown hair was drenched and matted along with his shirt that was plastered to his body.

The photographer could only stand rooted to the ground as she watched Momo give the guy a hug. When the girl opened her eyes, she saw Mina and quickly pushed the guy away.

‘Mina.’ Momo gasped and walked into the living room where the girl was standing motionlessly.

‘So you’re her fiancé? What kind of fiancé ditches her wife-to-be for work?’ the guy asked.

‘What kind of guy goes after an engaged person?’ Mina retorted.

‘Clearly you don’t know how to prioritize your life. You neglected her and she was always lonely when you had to work. Do you know that? Of course you don’t. You don’t deserve her.’

‘And who are you to make such a statement?’ Mina balled her fists. ‘Bastard.’

'If you don't leave I'll call the cops.' The man said.

'Call the cops? This is my house! And that is my fiancé! You're turning this on me now?' Mina yelled, scoffing contemptuously.

'I can ruin your life.' He threated.

'Just because you're rich? You're going to bribe your way to making me the bad guy here?'

'I can.'

'And you? You're awfully quiet for someone who usually chats a lot. Not defending yourself?' Mina said bitterly.

The girl remained silent.

'I don't understand. I gave you my heart. I gave you everything.' Mina seethed.

'Have you ever thought that maybe you just haven't been giving her the one thing that she needs? Do you even know what is it? It’s time. Something that I can give but you don’t seem to be able to.' He taunted. Mina lunged forward and fisted his collar in her hands. She shoved him into the wall with such strength that he clearly didn't expect.

'Who are you to judge our relationship?' She growled.

'Your ex relationship you mean. It's over. I won.' He smirked. Mina punched him in the face and he shoved her away.

‘You’ll pay for this Myoui!’

Mina was fired from her job the moment she arrived at her workplace just three days after her altercation with the man. Articles of her being the bad guy were spreading fast and her company didn’t want to have their reputation ruined with her as their staff.

When she was leaving her work place, she was followed by a man who cornered her in a dark alley and beat her up. He had a baseball bat with him and without mercy or remorse, he whacked Mina’s left knee with it, causing the girl to scream in agonizing pain. It seemed like all he wanted was to hurt her as he left soon after. Shaking and drenched in cold sweat, she managed to place a call to Tzuyu before she out.

She woke up to a white room and Tzuyu sleeping by her bedside. Chaeyoung was the first to stir and immediately called for a doctor. The doctor explained to Mina that she would not be able to walk for at least two months and that she should avoid strenuous activity.

Just like that, Mina’s world came crashing down on her.

‘Mina!’ Sana yelled and the girl snapped out of her daze. ‘What are you thinking about? I’ve been calling you for the past three minutes now.’

‘Sorry.’ Mina lowered her head.

‘We’re moving, the target has appeared.’ Sana said as she stepped on the gas.

Mina and Sana followed the target and his supposed partner to an outdoor café. Sana was leaning on the wall with her arm and Mina placed the lens of her camera on Sana’s arm, making the girl look at her.

‘Don’t move, this angle is perfect.’ Mina said as she clicked the shutter button. She was standing so close to Sana that she could smell the girl’s shampoo.

‘Your shampoo smells great.’ Mina said and Sana nudged her in the ribs before taking the camera from Mina’s hands.

‘Creep.’ Sana chuckled as Mina pouted and rubbed the spot that Sana’s elbow had assaulted. She was zooming in on him feeding his girlfriend when two peopled walked by, obstructing Sana’s view of the couple. She moved her vision up and in her shock, pressed the shutter button and captured a couple of pictures of the two people that were walking by.

Pulling the camera away, she checked the pictures that she took. Her eyebrows furrowed when she saw that Dahyun was the one that walked by. Wasn’t she still in Hong Kong?

‘Is this our target’s girlfriend? Doesn’t look like it. You didn’t just take a picture because you found her pretty did you?’ Mina said over Sana’s shoulder.

‘That’s all for today. Go home and get some rest.’ Sana said and handed the camera back to Mina before walking off.

‘Sana?’ Mina called out but the girl didn’t respond. Something’s strange.

‘We’ve been tailing him for almost four days and he always meets the same guy. It has to be him. Should we bust them already?’

‘Not just yet. Let’s wait a little more.’ Sana said as she leaned against the car. She looked down and saw that the dent was still in the side door. ‘You didn’t fix it yet?’

‘What? Oh the dent? No. It’s nothing important anyway. This is a second hand car, it wouldn’t matter. When I can get a new one, I’ll probably scrap this.’ Mina shrugged. ‘Seems like it’s a dinner date tonight.’ Mina said as she checked the time on her watch.

‘How long has it been since you’ve seen your girlfriend?’ Mina asked and Sana gave her a suspicious look.

‘Why would you care?’ she arched an eyebrow.

‘I’m just curious. I’ve been hearing about this girlfriend but I have never seen her at all. If she’s making you wait then I have some advice for you.’ Mina said and leaned closer to Sana who backed up against the car as Mina placed her hand on the roof of the car to support herself.

‘From what I see, sometimes it’s not worth waiting for someone who doesn’t have time for you. Sometimes it will prove to have disastrous consequences. From someone who experienced it before, you should listen.’ Mina said and backed away as Sana gave her an annoyed expression.

‘I don’t see how my love life concerns you.’ Sana rolled her eyes.

‘Just sayin.’ Mina shrugged

‘They’re here.’ Sana said and Mina followed her line of sight to the guy walking over to their target and giving him a kiss before getting into the car.

‘Quick, get in!’ Mina opened the door for Sana and pushed her shoulder.

‘What’s the rush? It’s not like you’re the one being cheated on.’ Sana grumbled and got in. They followed the couple to a bar and watched as they reappeared after three hours. They were stumbling around while waving their arms around. A clear indication that they were intoxicated. Mina and Sana got out of the car and followed them to a corner where they started to make out with each other.

‘Disgusting and racy.’ Mina said as she took their pictures. Suddenly, they turned to face them and Mina quickly pulled Sana into a hug.

‘What are you doing?’ Sana tried to pull away but Mina kept a firm hand on her back.

‘They’re looking, just relax.’ Mina whispered into Sana’s ear and the girl stopped fidgeting. Sana relaxed in Mina’s embrace and took in the scent of the girl’s perfume. She rested her head snugly on Mina’s shoulder but got the shock of her life. There was Dahyun, walking out of the bar with what seems to be a client. Dahyun turned in Sana’s direction and the girl froze.

‘Okay, they’ve stopped looking.’ Mina said as she released Sana who was staring at Dahyun. Mina, seeing that Sana was unusually silent, looked at the girl who seemed to be staring at someone. Turning to the left, she saw Dahyun staring back at them. This can’t bode well.