A/N: HEY CHINGUS! SOOO.... I'M BACK! Dropping the first chapter now. I hope you all enjoy it, introducing our first batch of characters in this new story. 

Feel free to leave your first impression in this chapter.

Thank you for the love and I wish you all a great day!

Peace yow!

----------

AMBER’S POV

“Is this the last of your boxes Yerimie?” I asked my 6 year-old niece while lifting the box containing her Bear plushies she carefully packed the other day. She went down from the car and stood in front of me, eyes narrowing and finger pointing at her forehead like she’s doing some thinking.

“Hmmm…. I think so, Amber. Is it the last one at the back of our car?”

I carefully placed the box down on the pavement and took out my handkerchief from my pocket to wipe my sweat. Its already the start of Summer and Seoul is really hot this day… why did I even said yes to transferring here in this season?! I could have asked the Chief to extend me till Autumn! At least its not that hot in Autumn…

But then again, there’s nothing I can do. A transfer is a transfer. Something I deserve and I’m proud of it considering I risked my life catching that thief. And its not like we are going to live here forever.

I smiled at Yeri and nodded gleefully. “Yup, the last one. Come, hold on to my shirt and let’s go up to our new home.” she did what I told her and we entered the apartment building while she’s skipping beside me.

We were welcomed by a security guard standing near the Reception area who was looking at me and Yeri with sharp eyes. I understand what he’s doing, it means he’s scanning our faces and saving it on his mind. One of their duties is to memorize everyone who lives in this building and I’m glad the security here is tight. There are CCTV cameras I see… After a moment, he smiled at us and bowed his head “Good morning Detective Liu!”

I stopped in front of him bewildered. How did he knew who I am?!

“Detective Liu, my name is Shindong. I do the day duty here in the building, my partner Hodong is the night duty. Welcome!”

“How did you know who I am?” I asked. He scratched his head with a shy smile. “The building administrator told us you will be coming this morning to move. We are trained to memorize faces of people living inside this building Detective.” ahh… nice.

“Ahjussi…” Yeri called him from beside me with a curious face that made me chuckle. Little Miss Ask is here again.

“Yes, little girl?”

“My name is Liu Yeri. Is there a swimming pool here?”

“We have an indoor pool at the 3rd floor little girl, and also a playground. Why?”

“I’m just confirming that Amber is not lying to me when she said there’s a pool inside this building. I just want to assure myself that I did the right decision considering I am a kid whom others think can be easily tricked.” Yeri answered him in a shrug then lead the way inside the building looking around the lobby. Shindong looked at me then back at my niece with wonder. Yeah… I know what you are thinking.  

“She’s 6 years old Shindong-ssi, but she talks like that. And this isn’t the last time she won’t make a conversation with you, she likes talking to adults and ask questions.”

“Wow… is she your daughter?” he asked me. We looked at each other then I shook my head with a smile. “She’s my niece.”

The friendly guard nodded then snapped remembering something. “Oh! Before I forgot, let me help you with your boxes. I will just get a trolley Detective Liu…”

“Just call me Amber, Shindong-ssi… I actually still have 5 boxes out there. Is it okay to ask for your assistance?”

“Of course!” Now I really think I did the right choice in getting this apartment! I hope all people here are nice…

I gave him a thanks and told him I will just go to the Administration Office of the building to talk to the Administrator. I haven’t met him personally and just talked to him over the phone, he told me to drop by first in his office to get the key and door password of the unit. With Yeri in tow, I knocked on the door at the far end corner of the lobby and met Mr. Leeteuk. That’s all he said, to call him Mister Leeteuk. I don’t even know if its his first name or last name hahaha… but he is a nice ahjussi and even gave Yeri the list of facilities available in the building that made my niece satisfied.

“Oh, Detective Liu! I mean Amber…” he called me when I was going to turn the knob of the door. I turned my head back at him and asks with a smile. “Yes, Leeteuk-ssi?”

“I forgot to tell you, we also have another Detective living in this apartment building. You will be assign at Myeongdong Police Station, right?” oh… this is good…

“Yes, on that station.”

“Well, I hope you and Detective Jung get along well and take care of our community with braveness… fighting!” he exclaimed raising his fist looking funny. Yeri was giggling beside me covering and soon I was also smiling like her.

“Fighting!”

When Yeri and I came out of Mister Leeteuk’s offfice, Shindong said he already transported all our boxes up in our unit waiting at the door. That was fast service wow…

“So Yerimie, how do you like the building so far?” I asked the little miss while she’s crossing her arms on her chest watching the numbers on the elevator go up. This kid… I don’t even know if she inherited her brains from her mother or her father. Probably her mother...

“Hmmm… it looks okay Amber. But it will be perfect if there are some kids my age whom I can play with, isn’t that great?” she said not looking at me. I rolled my eyes and just smiled at her statement. Yeah… that would really be nice. She needs playmates and not a primate like me.

We reached the 6th floor where our unit is located, when we stepped out of the elevator Yeri was looking around checking the vicinity like a Supervisor while I just follow her with a smile. The hallway is well lit and bright, the floor is polished and I see some CCTV cameras strategically placed in every corner. I know she’s half-hearted on this move because she said she will miss Busan. She was born and raised in Busan and has many playmates, if we didn’t move she will be starting Kindergarden.

“Amber, there is only 5 doors in this floor so it means only 5 units, right?”

“Yup, you are right little miss…”

“I hope we have a neighbor who has kids…” she pouted and raised her arms for me to carry her. Awww… its baby Yeri now. I lifted her up and carried her in my arms making our way to Unit 6-A at the farthest corner of the floor, near the Fire Exit. I actually requested a unit near the Fire Exit, I want it to be safe.

“Don’t worry Yerimie, maybe tomorrow you will see them at the Indoor Pool! Let’s rest for today since it was a long drive little miss.” she nodded and buried her face on the crook of my neck while we enter our new home.

The apartment unit I got is already fully furnished, I only had a few of our things sent in advance and some are left in our house at Busan. I left it in the care of my neighbor Mrs. Park since we still have plans of coming back there and I can’t just sell it since I got it as an inheritance from my Grandma.

My name is Detective Amber J. Liu, born and raised in Busan with my older brother who is Yeri’s father. My Mother is a Korean who met my Father when she went to Taiwan to work in a factory, my Father’s family owns the soap factory and they fell in love… the typical story of rich guy poor girl falling in love and eloping. His family didn’t approve of Mother because… well, 1) she’s a foreigner and 2) a worker at their factory with no affluent background she can be proud of they said. Mother told me before when she was still alive that Father was already arranged to be married to a daughter of a rich man but because the two of them made the great escape from Taiwan to Korea he was disowned by his Father.

When they arrived in Busan, my Grandma accepted them and soon because of Father’s diligence and hardwork they have made my Grandma’s small store into a middle size Grocery Store in our town that the people frequents. Father died when I was 10 because of heart attack, my older brother Jonghyun was 15 then. No one from his family came to his funeral that’s why I have this resentment to them even though Mom always say that to just let it go.

I was already in my Sophomore year at Busan National University studying Management when Mother suffered a heart attack while attending to our Grocery store. She was already declared DOA at the hospital where my brother brought her. It was a real sad moment for us because we didn’t see any signs… she was healthy, even joking with me when I left that morning going to my classes.

But there was nothing we can do, if its really her time to go who are we to curse the Heavens for taking her away from us? That is how the world works like Mother said when Father passed away all too sudden. My Jonghyun oppa and I had this inside joke that Mother and Father love each other so much that they talked about leaving this world the same way and 10 years apart, it earned a smack on our heads from Grandma nagging us not to talk like that about our parents but then joined in our laugh. Our life continued carrying our parents vision of making our store alive for the community.

When I finished my degree, instead of going to the big city to get a prestigious job in a big company I stayed in our town and managed the business with my brother. My Grandma also helped us and together we thrived hard to make it big. But it seems there are really those kinds of people that doesn’t like seeing other people succeed.

It was one night that changed our life… forever.

I was out that night with some college friends while Jonghyun oppa was at his girlfriend’s house visiting her. Grandma was left in the Grocery store with 2 of our helpers and it was already closing time. The story given to us by one of the customers who fled the scene to call the Police was a guy walked in and declared Robbery, Grandma gave all the money in the cash register and told the guy to just leave take away everything he wants. But he wasn’t contented.

Based on the spot where the bodies are found, he tied my Grandma and the 2 helpers, locked them inside our small office before he started the fire.

The store was on fire that instant because he used the Gas we were selling to further burn the whole store. Not forgetting to pour it all over the place before going out of the door and throwing a lighter for it to start. How did I knew it?

The smell of gas was all over the place when the fire was taken out and a burned out metal lighter was also found on the scene.

I was immediately notified through a phone call by one of our neighbors and together with my friends we drove to the place, my eyes can’t believe it when I saw how big the fire is and even more made me angry and trembling when I found out my Grandma was inside. I tried to run inside the store crying, sobbing, yelling Grandma’s name but was stopped by the authorities saying the fire was already big and it will be a big risk for anyone. Oppa even had a fist fight with one of the Fire fighters because the Water Truck they brought with them doesn’t have enough water that the people around has to make an effort and pass around pails of water just to take the fire down.

The Police ruled out that it was a random case of Robbery and Arson. The perpetrator wasn’t caught and not known. But for me, it wasn’t like that.

I love watching detective movies, reading books, and watching TV shows with that kind of theme. My analytical mind is telling me there is something more about it, especially when a month after, a new and big Grocery Store was put up in our neighborhood by this local chain who has been bugging Grandma to sell the store to them and they will make it big. Its just that Grandma is really hard headed and stubborn plus the fact that the store is a legacy left to us by our parents.

My brother and I did our very own investigation finding out that earlier on that day of the incident, a representative of that local chain went to the store and gave Grandma an ultimatum. Grandma of course, didn’t back down and had the guy be chased by our German Shepherds while the guy is shouting bloody hell and threatening Grandma she will regret it.

We presented it to the Police investigators who was handling the case and they said what we did was wrong. That we should believe in them when they say it was just a random crime and the case is already being handled by them and doing everything they can to solve it and arrest the criminal. It pains me to hear those words from him when you can see all of them slacking around inside the small Community Police Station watching TV, drinking coffee and just chatting. They took the datas we gathered and said they will look into it but the truth is they didn’t. Few days after, the Station got a new Flat Screen TV and fast internet connection.

That made me decide to join the Police Academy much to my brother’s protest. I told him its the only way we can change the way things are being handled. I know it sounds petty but seeing that kind of treatment and work from them made me had the urge to change how Law Enforcement should be. I may look like a skinny kid but I have the brains and will power to enter the Academy.

I was already in my second year at the Academy when Yeri was born. Her Mom, my brother’s girlfriend didn’t make it and died of blood loss. She was left to my brother’s care since his girlfriend is already an orphan too. He devoted his time taking care of her at the same time having a small stall in the market selling grocery items while I finish my studies and training in the Academy.

After finishing my training I was first stationed on the Police precinct next to our district, Seo-gu. It is beside Saha-gu my district. Not the same jurisdiction that handled my Grandma’s case but the Officers are good and hard working. I spent my years there as an Officer patrolling the place before I rose to the ranks and became a Detective, it was a quiet district not like in ours I don’t know why our own district can’t copy what it has.

Yeri was already 4 years o