The darkness drew him as he rode off to his destination. It was midnight, and the road was empty. He glanced at the digital clock on the dashboard. He’d been driving for 20 minutes, it's mean that he would arrive at the destination in about 5 minutes.

A middle-aged woman had called him and said that one of his team members passed out drunk at one of her table and she started losing costumers. So He needed to pick him up immediately before the middle-aged women get angrier.

When he arrived, he saw Taekwoon passed out at one of the tables, very drunk. He must be out of his mind now. He knew well how it felt to lose the only person we have in our lives.

“Get up. Let’s go home” Hakyeon told him, not unkindly.

Taekwoon brushed his hands away weakly, eyes still closed, “Just go. Leave me alone.”

“Geez, how much have you been drinking, huh? You really look like now. Let's go home now before you embarrass our department.”

“I said just go.”

“Do you think the dead will come back if you stay here like this?” Hakyeon asked, and that finally sparked a reaction.

“What?”

“Do you think Jiwoon will come back to life?”

Taekwoon raised his head, completely came to his senses, “What do you know to say such things?”

“I know how you feel.”

Taekwoon scowled, “No. You don’t understand what I feel, Cha Hakyeon.”

“Then you'll just let that bastard roam freely out there? He may be looking for a new prey. Listen here, Jung Taekwoon! I know how you feel, but you should also know that not only you who are suffering here. Other victims' families also feel the same way.”

“Are you saying I should just forget about him and find the culprit? Whoa, Cha Hakyeon, you are really amazing.” Taekwoon spat. He looked down, his expression filled with misery and regret, “What will change if I find him? Jiwoon is dead. What’s the use of it?” He asked bitterly.

“Hey! You can’t say that to me.”

“Why can’t I?”

“That mothering had killed seven people,” Hakyeon paused. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the edge of the table, “he had killed her as well.” He continued, barely above a whisper, but anger clearly in his voice.

They did not talk for nearly ten minutes later. Taekwoon’s body began to tremble. He knew he could not hold it any longer. Tears forced its way out of his eyes. He felt his chest burning as if all the pain punched him in the chest exactly where his heart lay bare. He crumpled up with a strangled cry. Tears pouring down his face, “What did he do so wrong?”

Hakyeon knelt down, patting his shoulder to soothe him. Taekwoon flinched at his touch, but did not move away. He's obviously still mad at Hakyeon for not being able to keep his promise, but he let himself cry on his chest.

“We should find him, Woon-ah. Will you just let the culprit go?” Hakyeon whispered after Taekwoon has calmed down.

“Darn it. So what should I do?”

“Find the culprit and solve this case.”

***

Taekwoon slowly open one of his eyelids. He looked around, and did not recognize the room. He tried to remember what happened last night, but he couldn't remember anything because his head was very dizzy from drinking a lot of alcohol last night.

Where am I?

He scanned the whole room once again. The room seemed empty. Besides the bed where he lay now, there were only a wardrobe, a desk and a wooden chair in the room. The walls were pale blue.

He stood up, struggling to keep balance as he clung to a wooden chair, and that’s when his eyes landed on a frame on the desk. It’s showing a picture of Hakyeon hugging a young, long haired woman. Both of them smile brightly.

Ah, I am in Hakyeon’s room.

And who is that girl? Is she his girlfriend? He never tells us about her. But her face is very familiar. Did I ever meet her?

He saw a necklace d on the frame. Its hold a pendant that written in English, ‘dew’. He shrugged. His English ability was poor, so he won’t let it bother him. Now his head was so dizzy and he needed something to calm his hangover.

Taekwoon peeked through the door and saw Hakyeon sleeping on the couch, while the TV in front of him was still , displaying home shopping channel. Taekwoon almost burst on laugh.

Of all channels, Hakyeon watch this? Home shopping program?

He approached Hakyeon, carefully taking the remote control in Hakyeon's hands and turn The TV off. He glanced at Hakyeon. He looks handsome even while sleeping.

Whoa, what the hell are you thinking, Jung Taekwoon?

He shrugged. He must have been so drunk that he started thinking weird. He was about to wake him up when he saw him crying in his sleep.

What makes him cry?

Now he was curious about it. This wasn’t the usual side of Cha Hakyeon that he knew. There must be something wrong and he was eager to find it out, but for now he couldn't resist the urge to pee.

Darn it. Just where is the bathroom?

Before he could leave, Hakyeon stopped him by grabbing his hand and murmuring in his sleep, “Yiseul-ah, don’t leave me.”

Has he just broken up with his girlfriend?

Hakyeon held his hand tighter, “Please don’t leave me, Hong Yiseul.”

“Shush, its okay, I’m here.”

But his girlfriend’s name sounds familiar. Yiseul. Hong Yiseul. Hong—

Taekwoon froze, his jaw was about to drop to the floor when the fact hit him, “Hong Yiseul?! The second victim, Hong Yiseul?”

“Oh, Taekwoon-ah. You’re awake. Are you okay?” Taekwoon startled by the sudden voice. He couldn’t do anything but nodding. He really had no idea what to say.

***

Taekwoon sat down as Hakyeon put a plate of rice and curry and then sat down across him. He cringed as he look at his plate, complained why Hakyeon served rice and curry for their breakfast, but eat it anyway.

They ate in silence. He glanced at the Hakyeon who did not take his eyes off his plate, wondering if this was the right time to ask him about the frame in his room.

“Uhm... I have something to ask you.” Taekwoon said after a while.

Hakyeon looked up, giving him a slight smile. Upon seeing that smile, Taekwoon instantly regretted for having started the conversation. That bright smile would evaporate once he asked about it.

“You said there's something you want to ask me.” Hakyeon spoke after waiting for a few minutes but Taekwoon remain silent.

“Err... I... I saw a picture in your room, the one that portrayed you with a young woman.” Taekwoon paused, hesitated whether he should ask this question now or later. “The woman in the photo, is she really the second victim Hong Yiseul?”

Hakyeon avoided Taekwoon’s gaze, playing with his spoon. His smile faded. There is a long pause until he decided to answer Taekwoon’s question. “Yes, she is.” He put down his spoon, struggled to form a word, “And she is... she was my fiancée.”

***

A truck drove at a fairly high speed. The driver drove sleepily and half-drunk, causing his driving to be increasingly erratic. He struggled to remain conscious, but his eyes were too heavy to stay open.

, I shouldn't drink that much alcohol last night. I didn't even get to sleep because I had to work since early morning.

He did not notice that his eyes had closed for a few seconds, until he felt his truck crash into something. He slammed on the brakes and jumped down as the truck stopped. Now, right in front of his eyes, there was a car with a dented rear bumper that had been dragged for two meters away. He paled, panicked as he leapt out of the way and ordered the driver out of the car.

“Hey there, are you okay?” He knocked, but there was no response.

He banged on the door harder, increasingly panicked because there was no response from the driver, “Hey, open the door!”

He pulled his hair in frustration. It had been over five minutes but the driver of the car does not seem to move at all. “Is he dead? Aish, seriously, my wife will be mad if I deal with the police again.”

After a quite long fight with his mind, the truck’s driver finally called the police, reporting the incident that had just happened. While talking to the police on the phone, his free hand played idly with the door handle and the car door is open unexpectedly. A thin smoke came out from that narrow car, causing him to feel dizzy.

He approached the driver of the car, hesitantly touched his shoulder and shook it slightly, as he realized that the driver's body was rigid. He took a step back to watch the driver's condition properly, froze and eyes widened when he saw that the body was deadly pale. He put two of his fingers under the driver's nose and then on the side of his neck to check whether he was still breathing or not, and stumbled back and fell to the ground when he saw a charcoal briquette in the cab of the car that was still burning.

“Sir, are you still there?” The voice from the other line made him back to his senses.

“He’s dead. But it’s not my fault.” He gripped his head with a groan, “okay, I admit that I hit his car, but that’s not why he died, I swear. It’s because...” He swallowed, took a heavy breath in, “he committed suicide.”

***