The whirring sound of laboratory equipments mixed with gentle clinks of glass filled the laboratory, strangely easing the frustration that has been wallowing up inside of him. He stood in front of the objects laid in front of him on the metal table, glaring at each object sharply as he tries to make a connection between the bullet and the photo of a baekjung mask. But it was to no avail. Somehow his mind refused to work any good anymore. Frustrated, he clenched a fist and banged the table before sweeping the objects away, watching them fall to the floor. The bullet clinked as the paper fluttered gently through the air before settling on the floor.

     As if hypnotized, he breathed heavily as he continued to stare at the object. Then he picks it up again, placing them gently on the table. He sighed and closed his eyes, the image of her smile dancing around in his head. He missed her. It's been officially ten years without her presence.

     And yet he gained nothing.

     The laboratory door slid open. Upon hearing the sound, Seung Hyun turned around. The man he has been looking forward to meet was finally in front of him, raising a hand nonchalantly.

     "Yo." He greeted.

     "Ji, you're here." He declared, trying to hide his desperation with a smile. Jiyong observed as the tall man walked into the light, noticing the dark circles under his eyes, the skeleton-like body and that mess of a hair. Which only left him wondering what Seung Hyun has been doing, locking himself up in this Godforsaken place.

     "You look like ." He chuckled gently, joined by Seung Hyun. But the smile faded away at once, creating silence between them while the sound of whirring continued to play in the background. One of them had to break it, "Heard you've been camping out in here for a month now." Jiyong continued, "Have you been working on a case?"

     Upon hearing the detective's question, his body stiffened. Indeed, Jiyong was right. This friend knew him all too well. He had a purpose for locking himself up in the crime laboratory. As the tenth anniversary of her death grew near, his desire to find the culprit grew even bigger. Coming home to his apartment became a guilt that he could not bear anymore. The guilt of not even trying to reveal the secrets she's been hiding. But even after one month, he had no significant result. He could no longer feel anything else other than failure and frustration.

     "Sort of." He refused to look at Jiyong, pretending to be busy with an empty glass beaker.

     "Is it Min Kyoung's case?"

     Seung Hyun glanced backwards hesitantly, the feeling of failure overwhelmed in him once again when he heard her name. A silent nod was given. There wasn't much else to say. The tray of test tubes looked much more interesting to him.

     "Why don't you just...give it up?"

     Right after he heard what his partner have said, one of the test tubes slipped from his hands, rolling towards the edge of the table before crashing to the floor with a shatter. He turned around, only to be met with a gaze from the detective.

     "What did you say?" He struggled a laugh, hoping it was only joke.

     "Give it up, Seung Hyun." Clearly it wasn't a joke, the light in Jiyong's eyes made everything clear.

     He shook his head continuously in refusal, turning around to support his own weight on the desk as if his life was already heavy a burden as it is. He kept shaking his head as tears start to fill his eyes. His mind was in a stir, images of Min Kyoung, the masked man, ten years flashed right before his eyes. And the fact that today was the tenth anniversary made everything worse.

     But he didn't falter.

     He clenched his fist and turned his head, "No." He breathed out, the sound of his voice barely heard as a whisper. He turned around and repeated, "Jiyong, no." His face contorted, "You don't know what I've been through."

     "I do, Seung—"

     "You DON'T, Jiyong, you don't!" He blurted, "I'm not giving this up. Never. Not until I find that man."

     "Goddamn it, Seung Hyun. Don't you realize what this case is doing to you?" Jiyong stepped closer, "Look at you!" He gestured towards all of Seung Hyun. "You're a mess!"

     "I don't care!"

     "But I do." They looked at each other, both of their eyes glinting under the fluorescent light. Some kind of wordless understanding started to calm them down in the short silence.

     "I thought you were going to help me with this, Jiyong." Seung Hyun stared into his eyes hopefully. "I can't believe you're telling me to give up now."

     "I do want to help you, Seung Hyun." He paused, "But that was then, this is now. Did you think that everything will be the same?" Seung Hyun kept his lips tight, refusing to answer. "I've given up on this case years ago! I thought you were going to do the same thing when we found out together that the bullet and the mask weren't going to lead us to anything." He explained, "But you kept going at it, and I let you." He sighed regretfully, "I shouldn't have let you."

     "Nothing you say is going to stop me." Seung Hyun declared, looking into Jiyong's eyes seriously. "I need to know the truth."

     "No, you don't." Shaking his head, he put a hand over Seung Hyun's shoulder. "I'm sure Min Kyoung had a good reason to hide all these from you."

     "That's why I need to know the reason..." Seung Hyun gazed somberly into the distance. "I need to know why she died."

     "Won't you stop with this obsession!" He hissed as he banged the metal table, unable to hold his patience any longer. "Don't you realize it's mentally killing you?" Instead of giving a reply, Seung Hyun let out an ironic chuckle.

     "I'm already dead, Ji."

     "Don't say that." Both men looked into each other's eyes again, another wordless argument commencing in the silence. "You're not the only one suffering in this whole mess. Everyone is suffering because they're worried about you." He explained, "You're not alone in this."

     Seung Hyun blinked, giving Jiyong some kind of hope that his best friend was finally convinced.

     But all his hopes were crushed when Seung Hyun shook his head.

     "Jiyong, no. I'm not giving this up." This time though, he knew there was not a chance. He had given his all, but he knew from the start that Seung Hyun wasn't going to falter that easily. His words were firm, and it was a waste of breath to say any more.

     He declared his defeat with a nod and a pat on the shoulder.

     "At least do yourself a favor." Finally he managed a smile, "It's the tenth anniversary right?" Hearing that question, Seung Hyun looked down in grief. "Get out of this place and visit her, won't you?"

     Finally, a smile stretched across his face.