Police HQ, Gangnam Square.

Irene brought Chorong over as the two stood in front of the large door, leading to the office of the superiors.

"Don't worry. I'll handle the talking." smiled Irene to which Chorong nodded in reply.

[Flashback]

Chorong stared at Bomi, who remained unconscious in the hospital ward. She had managed to find Irene at the market and eventually, lead to where they are now.

"Chorong-ssi, I know that a lot of things must be going through your head now that you have Yoon Bomi right in front of you." said Irene calmly. "But we have more work to do." she held onto her shoulder.

"But Irene-ssi...."

"Actually, the important phone call I had awhile ago was in regards to the Woolim Bank incident. We believe that 96, the hacking group has connections with LLNK. This means that they are linked with your friends Chorong-ssi. That includes her." Irene continued, glancing at Bomi. "I know that you want to be by her side but right now, we need to find the others. There is no time. Do not worry about Bomi because we will put a tracking device onto her."

"Can I have just a few moments with her, alone?" asked Chorong.

"…Alright." nodded Irene after much hesitation. "I will give you half an hour." Irene stepped outside and waited for Chorong. She was patient and understanding.

Chorong used the time to buy yellow dandelions from a nearby florist and placed it into a vase, beside Bomi's bed.

Emotions overwhelmed her, shocked at the state Bomi was. Chorong believed that by taking her place in prison, Bomi would lead a healthy, happy life. She thought that by becoming the sacrifice, everyone will become happy.

But her decision, proved to be terribly wrong.

Here, Bomi was living like a beggar. Working hard till her body finally gave up.

Chorong made a wrong decision.

She is at fault.

Determined, she wanted to find the truth. To finally, put an end to all of her sufferings. Thinking that her other friends were all in similar situations, she made a decision to officially join Irene onto her mission.

[End of Flashback]

So, here she is, standing in front of Ha Jung Woo, the Chief Officer of the Police Force. After explaining her decisions to Irene, the two decided to head to the headquarters and report on Bomi’s condition.

"Good work. I'll send a team to keep an eye on her." said Jungwoo as he looked through the documents in his hand.

"And Chorong-ssi will officially join us." said Irene.

"Really?" The man eyed on the girl. "Great to have you on the team, Chorong-ssi. You will provide a huge benefit to us. Thank you."

"It's nothing really. I just want to find the truth."

"We all do. Now then, let's get straight to work." said Jungwoo.

"What about the Woolim Bank incident sir?" asked Irene.

"I've already got Yongsun on the job. Don't worry about her."

"Yongsun...."

"All you have to do is focus on finding the other four. That's all you have to do."

"Noted, sir." said Irene as the two bowed and left the building.

As night approached, Irene allowed Chorong to stay over at her apartment home. The two had grown closer and developed a sense of mutual trust. Rather than just a officer, Irene was like a friend.

Getting a warm shower and borrowing Irene's pyjamas whose size appeared to fit perfectly, it felt good to finally be away from the prison life. As she explored Irene's living room, the girl noticed frames of photographs lined up neatly onto a drawer.

Most of them was Irene with a younger girl.

"Who's this?" asked Chorong.

"Oh, it's my sister, Sooyoungie. She's not blood related but we grew up together."

"I see...where is she now?"

"She's passed on..."

"Sorry… I shouldn't have asked that"

"It's okay. You didn't know. Plus, it's been a long time since her death. Come on, lets go and sleep. We have a long day ahead tomorrow." smiled Irene as she laid out a mattress on the floor for Chorong to sleep on.

Standing right across Hilton Hotel, Eunji was angry at herself. Angry that she was still out here, waiting for Naeun.

Pacing back and forth, she would occasionally check the time or act like she was checking her motorcycle to avoid people assuming that she was a suspicious person. She wonders if Naeun would never leave the building and maybe, her home was in the hotel itself. The sudden thought crossed her mind, the fact that Naeun could be having with other men and doing her job normally as an . She could've have other appointments that's why she's still in the hotel. But the very thought, made her angrier.

Her blood was boiling like crazy.

Thinking that she will drive crazy the longer she stayed, Eunji wore her helmet and began to start her engine.

She was ready to leave.

What was the point of waiting when she said herself to never confront her again? Why was she acting like this? Was it because her need for answers?

Jealousy?

Just as she was about to turn away, she noticed Naeun from afar, walking out. But there were also a group of men heading towards her way.

"Taemin oppa..." Naeun stopped her steps to see the "The Gentle One" in front of her.

"Heading home?" He greeted with a smile.

"Y-Yes..." nodded Naeun as she felt uneasy. "I'm sorry but you need to make a booking oppa…”

"Oh no, I'm not a customer today Naeun-ah." said Taemin as he held onto her elbow. "I want to be more than just that." He leaned in to whisper into her ear.

"O-Oppa...." Naeun could see the lust in his eyes.

This meant trouble.

Taemin was tired of putting up his act and satisfying his desires using money, when he could just kidnap her instead. The idea of having Naeun all to himself was like a perfect dream come true. He had plans to lock her up in his house and use her as a festive toy all day and night.

Such paradise was just one step away.

"Come with me Naeun-ah. I will treat you well-"

All of a sudden, a motorcycle zoomed past, knocking Taemin and his boys over.

"Get on!" yelled Eunji.

However, Naeun stood there frozen in surprise.

Eventually, Eunji grabbed hold of Naeun and forced her to sit behind her, speeding away in escape before the men could recover from the hit.

The motorcycle was fast, moving at a speed quicker than light. Naeun had no idea what was going on, but tears welled up in her eyes as her fear took a late delay. She was scared, her hands were trembling and thoughts of what would happened if Taemin kidnapped her.

This had activated her trauma. A trauma of that incident, 5 years ago.

But in the end, she was saved by the least person she did not want to see.

She hated the fact that it was always had to be her.

It was always Eunji who was her knight in shining armour.

Even though she could not recognize the face of the biker due to the dark helmet shade, but Naeun knew by heart. Her scent, her actions, her voice, it all belonged to one girl, Jung Eunji.

Indeed, she has not changed one bit.

Eunji who did not say a single word, felt Naeun gingerly wrapping her arms around her waist. A pull and tug, but filled with warmth. She could feel Naeun shaking in fear and her heart broke.

Maybe it was better if she stayed with her.

If she did, Naeun wouldn't have ended up like that.

Eunji had many regrets in her heart, but she knew that it was too late.

Too late to make a change.

A sigh left Namjoo's mouth realising how late it is. She had just sent her evidence to the forensics lab. The lab assistant had told her that the fingerprint result would be out tomorrow. Now, she's back at the police station to report her findings to her new boss, Yongsun.

In fact, the girl shouldn't complain about working this late. Look at the perfect example of a hardworking officer, Yongsun is still up and busy. Looking through a list of the employees from the IT company, she’s diligent on tracking the culprit.

"So, I believe that the suspect might be the owner of that desk." said Namjoo, explaining herself.

"Alright. I think there's a catch too, with those strange lollipop wrappings. Good work, you may leave. See you tomorrow."

"Thank you Solar unnie." bowed Namjoo as she turned her heel around, heading for the door.

"Namjoo-ya."

"Yes?"

Yongsun stared into Namjoo's eyes as her lips were about to move. She wanted to say something to her. Yongsun felt that it was dangerous for her junior to leave in the middle of the night and wanted to offer her a ride back home. But due to her introverted nature, she hesitated.

"Nothing.” She shook her head. “Stay safe."

"You too unnie." smiled Namjoo as she left the building.

Heading to where her car was parked, her phone buzzed with a notification. Wondering who was it at this late hour, Namjoo took a peek. It was an unknown number.

The girl unlocked her phone and checked the message.

"It's me."

Feeling suspicious and unsafe, thinking that someone is watching her, she looked up and scanned her surroundings. There was no one, however.

Again, her phone buzzed.

"I am not going to hurt you."

"Who are you?" Namjoo texted back. But there was no answer. "I won't arrest you so just let me meet you in person."

Again, no answer.

At a loss, Namjoo had a hunch of who was behind the messages. She had been thinking about it the whole day and the thought of Hayoung possibly being alive was 99%. With that in mind, Namjoo decided on her next move.

"Hayoung-ah, I miss you." she texted.

Immediately, her phone buzzed in reply. An address.

Namjoo got into her car and headed straight to the location. Despite being late into the night, her desire to meet Hayoung again was far too strong. It had been 5 years since her "death" and although Namjoo had tried to forget about her, she couldn't. She never could in the beginning.

To think that she could be in danger, she wanted answers to her doings. She couldn't understand why Hayoung was involved in such a mess nor why she was related with 96.

Everything itself, spelled danger.

Driving deep into the woods, Namjoo passed by a forest reserve that was guarded by a large gate with a huge sign "NO ENTRY". Stuck, Namjoo texted the number.

"I'm here."

Automatically, the gate opened by itself and allowed Namjoo to move deeper into the forest. Slightly scared, the girl mustered her courage to drive through the dark with only the headlights paving the way. Eventually, she had arrived at a small cabin located in the middle of nowhere. There was a small lake, but besides that, nothing else but trees all round.

Parking her car, Namjoo sneakily took out a gun hidden underneath her chair and placed it inside her pocket. She wanted to be careful. How sure was she that she was meeting Hayoung? For all you know, it could be a setup.

She knocked onto the door of the cabin carefully, but there was no response. Turning the knob, it was unlocked. As she opened it gingerly, her left hand was at her pocket, ready to shoot if there was an enemy.

But she failed to be quick.

Already, there was gun pointing directly at her forehead. She could not see the person clearly due to the dark, but from the shadowy figure and features, she knew who it was.

"Hayoung?"

There was no response.

Instead, the gun clicked.

"I'm sorry." The shadowy figure said in response.

Suddenly, Joy and Yerin appeared from behind. Joy covered Namjoo's face with a cloth soaked in chloroform while Yerin confiscated Namjoo's gun.

"What are you-?!" Before she could continue her words, Namjoo was immediately knocked out by the chemical and collapsed to the floor. The last she could remember seeing, was a girl.

A girl who looked so familiar when the moonlight shone against her face, features that were sharp, beautiful, delicate.

At least, if she were to die now, she died to such a beautiful sight.

"Well, that was easier said than done." said Joy grabbing hold of an unconscious Namjoo with ease. “And she’s pretty light too.”

"Are you sure about this Hayoung?" asked Yerin with worry. "We can just kill her now-"

"I know what I'm doing." sighed Hayoung. "Let's go."

"There's clothes in the cupboard. Take a shower and take whatever clothes you want." said Eunji coldly. "If you need food, fridge has all the stuff you need." she huffed, turning around as she sat on the couch.

She took out her phone to avoid any further conversations with Naeun. But instead, she could feel the girl just staring at her.

"What are you waiting for? Go and take a shower." ordered Eunji who stubbornly refused to have any form of eye contact with the girl. In the end, Naeun listened to her obediently and headed inside her bedroom, shutting the door tight.

With her presence gone, Eunji finally breathed out a heavy sigh. She began to scratch her head aggressively, thinking that she has gone crazy. She has no idea what she was doing, bringing Naeun to her house. She could've just stranded her off to a bus stop, pretty sure she has money to go back home. No, it's late, the bus stations would have stopped operating already. She could've asked Naeun where she lived but then, she couldn't bring herself to ask her.

Frustrated and restless, Eunji got up from the couch and began to pace around her living room nervously. She had no idea what to do after Naeun was done.

What was she going to say? What are they going to do, alone?

It was driving her mad.

Eventually after much contemplation, Eunji opened the door, impatient that Naeun was taking so long.

"Hey-"

Eunji paused, to see a Naeun who was just about to wear her clothes.

Frozen, the girl gulped at the sight.

Within just three seconds, the girl quickly turned around, slammed the door and leaned her back against it. Sighing once again, she held onto her forehead and broke out in a cold sweat. Her heart was beating rapidly and she could feel the blood flowing up to her head.

This wasn't good.

But the image remained fresh in her head. She hated how desirable thoughts flooded her mind, the thought of wanting to hug her tightly and confide in her arms, the thought of kissing her luscious lips and going beyond that line, she never thought lust would return to haunt her.

Taking deep breaths, Eunji calmed her excited yet nervous heart.

She shouldn't be behaving like that.

Even though she had missed her dearly, their relationship was impossible to begin with. Even if she wanted to start all over again, it would return to the same result.

"I'm done." Eunji hears Naeun's quiet murmurs behind the door. She stood up, dusted her sleeves, cleared and opened the door.

The older girl gulped, finding Naeun facing directly in front of her. They were just an arm’s width apart. Staring into her brown orbs that painted her whole world, she had to detach herself from such fantasy.

"Move. I need to shower." said Eunji, continuing to act cold as she moved forward, bumping her shoulder onto Naeun's and closed the door. She then, turned the knob and locked it shut with a click.

Naeun was now left alone in Eunji's spacious living room. But it was filled with nothing. Barren and empty, just like the owner’s heart that erased everything completely.

As she wandered around the space, she wondered how Eunji had been living her life these past 5 years. She had so many questions as curiosity filled her mind.

Has Eunji achieved her dream of becoming the best biker? Is Eunji living happily? Does Eunji have someone else in her life?

She could not find those answers in her house, because there was absolutely nothing. Not even a picture of their past. It appears that Eunji had burned them all away, erasing every piece of memory they had together.

The door clicked open and Naeun turned around to see Eunji. Her hair still wet, a pink towel was hung around her shoulders and she was dressed in an oversized white shirt and red shorts.

She was still the same old tomboy Eunji.

"Let's...talk...." said Naeun, mustering her courage.

"We have nothing to talk about."

"We-"

"I will give you the option. Either you sleep on the sofa or you can go out now back to wherever you came from." interrupted Eunji. She then, turned her heel and headed inside her bedroom, slamming the door shut. There was not even time for Naeun to complete her sentence.

Eunji didn't want to involve herself in Naeun.

She shouldn't.

Otherwise, the longer she is with her,

The harder it is, to push her away.

Morning has arrived in Seoul.

As sunlight filtered through the white curtains, Chorong squinted her eyes and was now awake.

“Unnie, you know that I’m going to marry you right?”

“Mm.”

“Why are you being so nonchalant with that response?!” she pouted, upset.

“Bom-ah, you don’t have to tell me that everyday. I am going to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“…”

“Oh, look who’s speechless now.” Chorong giggled.

“U-Unnie really knows how to make my heart flutter huh?”

“Duh, we grew up together silly!” laughed Chorong as she playfully pushed her forehead. “Now, stop repeating that nonsense and go take a shower stinky!”

“N-Nonsense?! Hey, marrying you is not nonsense it’s-“

“Okay, okay, I get it so shut up and take a shower!”

What a dream.

Chorong never thought that she would see Bomi again in her dreams. Reminded of when Bomi called her out at the hospital, her heart hurt for not being able to turn around and look at her. She could tell that Bomi had suffered a lot, she had lived her whole life with regrets and she was sure that it was killing the girl from the inside. She had a lot of things that she wanted to say to her. Although she had a lot on her mind but she had to put that aside for now.

There were much more important matters to attend to.

As she sat upwards and rubbed her eyes, she looked to her right and noticed that Irene was not there.

Carefully walking out to the living room, she saw Irene seated at the dining table. She is talking to someone on the phone. It looked like a serious conversation.

"Have you sent a search and rescue team?"

"Alright, that's good. It's okay Yongsun-ah. Calm down, it's not your fault."

"I'm coming over to help you out. After all, I think this case is related to mine." said Irene as she noticed that Chorong was awake. "I have to go now okay? Yeah, bye."

"Did...something happen?"

"Yes. Sorry, I don't think we have time to eat a proper breakfast. Are you okay with just getting something from the convenience store?"

"Yup." nodded Chorong.

"Alright. Go wash up, we're heading to the police station. One of our officers have been kidnapped."

"Kidnapped?" gasped Chorong as she began to brush her teeth whilst listening to Irene.

"And I haven't told you the full story yet but it's linked with our case.” Irene paused.  “Your friend, Kim Namjoo is a member of our police force."

Chorong stopped brushing her teeth upon hearing that.

"Namjoo is a detective in training and she was just assigned to investigate the Woori Bank case yesterday under my friend's guidance, Yongsun. But last night, she vanished mysteriously. Yongsun checked the CCTV showing Namjoo had received a message from someone before suddenly driving off. We tried to track the cameras to where her vehicle was going but for some reason, the footage was deleted."

"W-Why didn't you tell me about Namjoo?"

"I was. In fact, I had planned to have you meet her today." confessed Irene. "But Namjoo has no idea that you have been released from jail."

"That's fine. What's important now, is finding Namjoo's whereabouts. Let's go." said Chorong as she brushed her teeth quickly, changed her clothes and was ready to begin the day.

Surprisingly, Eunji had lesser sleep than usual.

Often, she would sleep till noon but today was different. The girl was already awake at 8am and the first thing that crossed her mind, was checking if Naeun was still in her apartment home. Peeking through the small opening of the door, the girl was still sleeping at her couch.

For some reason, there was a sense of relief in her heart. Was it a good thing? Was it better if she disappeared? Eunji did not know the answer to that but as she walked up and gazed at the sleeping girl, her heart softened. All of her anger had dissipate as she observed her.

There was a battle happening inside her head. One part of her was yearning to kiss her lips, the other was protesting to ignore such feelings and continue to act that she was just a complete stranger.

Realising that it was pointless to debate over such matter, Eunji decided to walk away and return to her bedroom to wash herself up. With the door slamming shut, Naeun opened her eyes.

She was awake the whole time. In fact, her heart was jumping like crazy, knowing that Eunji was standing there, looking at her. But it gave her hope.

Hope that somewhere in Eunji's heart, the girl still had feelings for her.

Hope that Eunji did not simply bear hatred towards her.

But even if so, it was just wishful thinking.

It was better to be safer than sorry. The longer she falls back into the trap, the harder it is to get back up. Eunji had missed all of her chances already. With a decision made, Naeun walked up and knocked onto Eunji's bedroom door.

"What is it?"

"I'm leaving now...thanks for saving me...." said Naeun with much hesitation.

"..."

"I'll go now. Just like you said, we should never cross paths again." The girl began to step backwards gingerly. There was still a small hope in her. Hoping that Eunji would open the door and hug her tightly, asking her to never leave her side.

But as the time prolonged, the door never opened.

"Leave, then."

Everything had shattered.

Those were not the words Naeun wanted to hear.

In the end, they were never meant to be.

Why wish for a hope that never had a light in the beginning?

With a bitter feeling, Naeun took her things and left Eunji's apartment. Walking further away, her tears began to well up thinking that their last meeting had to end in such terms.

It was not even a proper goodbye.

Just a cold, "Leave, then."

Nothing else.

Back in her bedroom, Eunji covered herself under the blankets. It was the only place where she could shed out of her shell, the shield that she had put up in order to ignore her harbouring feelings for Naeun.

She hated how she never mustered the courage to do what her heart wanted. Even when Naeun had called out and said that she was leaving, she didn't want her to go. She wanted to pull her in, hug her warmly and tell her that she doesn't have to live a life like that.

She wanted to give Naeun a better world. There were so many other options that would make her happier. Eunji had the ability to do that.

But she couldn't do it.

She was afraid of hurting her again.

Upset and frustrating at herself, she cried out of anger, out of regret, sobbing in her empty home that was the perfect place for her to let it all out.

"I guess, it's for the better, Naeun-ah." sobbed Eunji.

"What is this?" asked Bomi as the nurse handed her a brown, thick envelope.

As her fatigue had restored completely with a day's rest, the girl was ready for discharge. But worries over the hospital payment filled her head.

"Money."

"W-What?!"

"Take it. And your friend has paid off the charges so you are free to go."

"F-Friend?" Bomi scrunched her eyebrows in confusion.

"Yes. You are good to go, Yoon Bomi-ssi." nodded the nurse.

Confused, Bomi walked out of the hospital like a free bird. The girl checked the envelope only to gasp in shock. Inside, was a thick slab of money.

She feared that she was given a bribe. But her mind was travelling to places, dreaming of the endless things that she could do with the money. Not wanting to fall into her own trap, Bomi tucked the envelope inside her pants (it's disgusting but she didn't have anywhere else to put it) and began walking off.

Bomi wanted to be careful because she didn't want to make the same mistake again. She wished to stray away from the temptations that money could do to her.

After all, money isn’t important right now.

All on her mind, is Chorong.

The thought of her freely walking in the country made her anxious.

"If Chorong unnie is really free...." she mumbled to herself, halting her steps. "Then, we're screwed." Her eyes widened. "I need to tell Eunji about this.”

Bomi reached a junction where there were more cars going about their way. This was her chance to call for a taxi. But none were willing to stop. It was probably due to the way she was dressed. No one would pick a beggar as their customer.

Having no other choice, the girl took the envelope out of her pants, held a $10,000 won note in her hand and waved it around. For a normal person, it would've felt very embarrassing.  

But Bomi was different.

Being normal didn't exist in her dictionary.

Eventually, a taxi stopped by and Bomi was able to enter the car.

"Where to, miss?"

"The racing grounds at Mapo-gu please."

It didn't take long before Bomi arrived at the racing ground that became a go-kart centre for kids. But she was sure that night would become a totally different atmosphere. This isn't the first time she has tried to contact Eunji since their separation 5 years ago. The girl walked up to the counter where the employee was.

"Hi. Sorry, our go-karts are only available for kids."

"Yeah, I know. I'm looking for someone."

"How may I help you?"

"I'm looking for Jung Eun-." Bomi remembered that Eunji changed her name to hide her identity. "I meant, I'm looking for Jung Hyerim."

"Hyerim? She usually comes around 5pm."

"Latecomer as always." sighed Bomi. "Do you have her phone number?"

"I do but, what business do you have with her?"

"I am just a friend who needs to talk to her. It's an emergency."

"Alright." said the employee as he took out his phone and began to dial Eunji's number.

Beep. Beep.

"Why the hell are you calling me at 10am in the morning, Seungyoon-ah? Aren't you busy at the counter-"

"Sorry Hyerim-ah, but a friend wants to talk to you."

"A friend?"

"An emergency, she said."

"Emergency? Alright, hand the phone over."

"All yours." said Seungyoon as he handed the phone to Bomi.

"Hello?"

"Hello? Who's this?"

"It's me. Bomi."

"..."

"W-Wait! Don't hang up! It's important."

"I told you that we shouldn't contact each other anymore."

"I know but-"

"Bom-ah"

"It's about Chorong unnie."

"God, not this again. Bom-ah, you have to forget-"

"She's back."

"What?"

"I saw her. I don't know. For some damn reason, Chorong unnie's out of jail and I think those guys are gonna come for us."

"Are you serious?"

"Does it look like I'm ing joking?!"

"."

"What are we going to do now?"

"Damn it. Meet me at the Han River in 10 minutes."

"Okay."

Carefully looking around to make sure that her companions, Joy and Yerin were asleep, Hayoung secretly sprinkled white powder into two cups she had prepared earlier. Safe in their little base, the girl had other plans. With Namjoo still knocked out by the chloroform, this was the only way.

"Wake up sleepyhead." said Hayoung kicking Joy's leg and tapping Yerin's shoulder. "It's time to go. Drink this and we'll leave immediately."

"Awww how sweet of you to prepare coffee for us." said Joy in a playful manner.

"Thanks Hayoung." smiled Yerin as she drank it first.

"So who's gonna drive?" asked Joy as she took a sip. "Let's play rock paper scissors. Loser takes the wheel."

"The journey is going to be two hours long." sighed Yerin.

"Rock paper scissors sounds fair. Let's do that." said Hayoung, maintaining her expression.

The three girls sat in a circle and began playing the game to decide who would drive.

"Rock......paper..........scissors..........."

Before Joy and Yerin could form a shape onto their palms, the two collapsed onto the floor. Making sure that her companions were completely unconscious by gently slapping onto their cheeks and shoulders, Hayoung got up and headed towards where Namjoo was. Her hands were tied in ropes and had duct tape plastered over .

With the count of three, Hayoung took a deep breath and carried Namjoo with her two arms. Trudging her feet along, she walked out of the cabin and into Namjoo's car parked outside. She hastily searched through the girl's pockets for the car key and placed Namjoo at the backseat. Then, the girl got in and started the car engine. It was loud but in a place located in the middle of nowhere, no one would know what happened.

Placing Namjoo's gun underneath the driver's chair, her focus was now onto driving. Occasionally, she would shift her eyes and check on Namjoo from the mirror.

Deeply in her heart, she had hoped that Namjoo wouldn’t wake up yet.

At least, not until she has arrived the destination.

Hayoung was sweating profusely, anxious of her reckless decision to betray her team. Anxiety was consuming her slowly. She knew what she was walking into, the consequences that were bound to happen.

But she had no other choice.

There was no way she could kill Namjoo with her own hands.

"Yongsun-ah!" said Irene as the two comrades greeted each other with a warm hug.

"It's all my fault Joohyun-ah...because of me......my junior.....Namjoo is....."

"Hey, hey don't cry now. You can't cry. You have to be strong for the others. What if they come in and see you like this?" comforted Irene, wiping away Solar’s tears.

The two had known each other since high school. They worked on the same goals, went to police school together and were now in the same department.

It was a dream come true.

"What am I supposed to do now?" sobbed Solar. But she suddenly paused and realised that she was not alone. Chorong was behind Irene, awkwardly standing and fiddling her hands. "She..."

"Ah, she's Park Chorong."

"Oh, one of the keys to our case. She's very important to us." said Yongsun as she wiped her tears and walked to Chorong. "Sorry you had to meet me in such a state. I'm usually not a crybaby but I am when I'm with Joohyunie. I'm Kim Yongsun, captain of the investigative team but just call me Solar."

"Pleasure to meet you, Solar-ssi." said Chorong as the two exchanged handshakes.

"Our cases are connected so looks like the three of us are going to be working together." said Irene.

"I think we would click well." said Solar as she sniffled her nose, maintaining her emotions. "So, let's get straight to work."

"I managed to track the cameras till this area." said Solar as she pointed at the computer screen that showed the map with a red marker on it.

"Seonso Mountains?" asked Irene with widened eyes. "Isn't that a closed-off area?"

"What is Namjoo doing driving all the way there?" gasped Chorong.

"Only way to find out is getting there." said Solar as she suddenly walked to the corner of her office and took out three walkie talkies.

"Wait, you didn't tell the boss about Namjoo’s disappearance yet?!" said Irene, realising what Yongsun is planning to do.

"Hey, you want me to die?" whined Solar. “I don’t wanna be blamed for failing to look after a rookie. I’m going to have my points deducted and I might lose my position!”

"What do I do with you?" sighed Irene at a loss.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Come in." said Solar to which a lab assistant entered the office.

"Morning madam. The results for the fingerprint report that officer Kim Namjoo sent is out." she said, handing a file to her and left the room swiftly.

"Fingerprint report?" asked Chorong.

"Namjoo and I were doing an investigation at CP Tech which was where the IP address of Woori Bank’s hacking was found. There was a suspicious desk that had a lot of lollipop wrappings so Namjoo took the fingerprints of the keyboard there, in hopes that there was a clue."

"She's not bad, quite meticulous unlike a certain someone" joked Irene with a giggle.

“S-Shut up!” retorted Solar before clearing . "My Namjoo has potential." said Solar proudly as she took out a paper from the file.

“Pfft-My Namjoo, you’re not even close with her-”

“Stop teasing me! Anyways, let's see who is the owner of that desk......"

Chorong and Irene stared at Solar who was quietly scanning the details of the paper. Observing her expression, it didn't look too good.

"What's wrong?" asked Chorong.

"Hey.....correct me if I'm wrong......but didn't this girl die in a car accident 5 years ago?"

"Which girl?" asked Irene as she leaned in.

"Oh Hayoung."

"H-Hayoungie?"

"You know her?" asked Solar.

"I....." Chorong was speechless. She had no idea how to react to the news.

How was she going to take in the news that her youngest friend, was dead?

"She is." said Irene after confirmation. "But no worries, she's alive."

Hearing that, Chorong sighed in relief.

"But, not in a good way. I’ve been working on her case for awhile too, was a little stuck because her records were completely erased so it was delayed but I had no idea she was connected to this as well." said Irene, with widened eyes.

"Well, guess you’re in luck. This girl is connected to both 96 and LLNK.”

All of a sudden, Chorong snatched the paper and tore it apart.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

"Chorong-ssi!"

"Let's make a deal." said Chorong. "Let's pretend that this result never existed. No one knows that Hayoung is behind this, except us."

"Why are you doing this?!" asked Yongsun.

"It's okay Yongsun-ah." said Irene calming her friend down. Taking note of her research, she made it important to remember that Chorong was like a motherly-figure to her friends. That meant she would do anything to protect them, just like her sacrifice. "Chorong-ssi, please calm down. Yes, your friend, Hayoung is the owner of the fingerprint which means she may have an involvement with 96. I do believe her fake death is also connected."

"I'll do whatever you want so please, don’t catch her. Don’t send her to jail for what she has done.” begged Chorong. "She would never do something like that unless there is a reason for it. I know her well."

Solar and Irene exchanged glances to each other. They wondered if this was right.

Hiding such important information, was almost the same as backstabbing their own teammates.

But then, how could they assume based on a fingerprint report? There could be a deeper story that needed efforts to be dug up and the right person who has the ability to do so, is Chorong.

Perhaps, they could put their small trust into the girl who has a better understanding of the suspect. What if, Hayoung was working in disguise? What if Hayoung is their ally and not their enemy?

"Joohyun-ah, do you know what I'm thinking?" asked Solar.

Irene simply smiled in response.

"It's time to go on a secret mission behind our superior's back."

--