Centuries later,

During a winter evening, when a snowstorm wiped through the busy city of Seoul, the citizens of South Korea did not mind about the weather. Even though the temperature was minus, the heavy snow blinded all the vision, the people would never stop working in order to earn their livings. And for a government worker such as a detective, they never get a day off since their duties were to investigate and capture the criminals. Walking out from a Starbuck store, a tall young girl dressed in a white sweatshirt, a pair of black jeans, and a navy blue winter coat. With her unique hair color – black hair with a purple highlight – and a perfect body proportion of a model, she caught all the passer-bys’ attention. Holding two cups of hot Americano on each hand, she rushed toward a parking black Hyundai nearby and quickly got on the seat next to the driver.

Shutting the door, she gave the driver a cup of Americano while she put hers on the cup holder in between of them. She took that moment to warm up her freezing cheeks with her hands, earning a chuckle from her companion.

“Don’t you dare to laugh at me, Yuna. It’s freaking cold out there.”

“I can’t help it. Never seen a giraffe in a cold climate before so your reaction is amusing, Sojung-unnie.”

“Shush you husky. One more word then you will walk home, OK?”

The girl shrugged for a reply and took a sip of her coffee. Her crimson hair fell naturally on her shoulder as she adjusted her black coat to keep herself warmer. Choi Yuna was a junior detective in Seoul Police department. Although she was only twenty-one years old, she had solved more than thirty cases and captured twenty criminals by herself in her first rookie year. Being well-known for her courage, speed, and speciality in guns and weapons, she was promoted from an intern detective to junior detective in just one year. Thanks to her outstanding performance, she became the trustworthy partner of one of the best senior detectives in the department. Kim Sojung was two years older than Yuju and an expert in forensic science. Her shooting skill was not as good as Yuju but the older girl with a cool head and a great observing skill balanced what was lacking from a hasty and inexperienced junior detective. Her skills covered Yuju’s mistakes, which made them a famous congenial duo in the department. After months of working together, they grew closer to each other, from colleagues to close friends.

While humming to a K-Pop song on the radio, the red hair girl noticed the other girl was taping on her phone with a grin on her face. A smirk immediately formed on Yuju’s lips when she managed to take a glance at the name on the screen.

“You’re texting that forensic psychologist again? Why don’t you just ask her out already?”

“W-What are you talking about?!?” Sojung stuttered. A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

“Wow. Guess I hit the bullseye. Your face is epic, unnie. You really have a huge crush on her, don’t you.”

The older girl sighed, not bothering to retort anymore since she could not say anything. She sure had a crush on the beautiful psychologist in their department. And being her partner, she could not hide anything from Yuna’s Hawkeye. After a good series of laughter, Yuna finally calmed down. Her tone was less teasing and more serious than before.

“But seriously, why don’t you try to ask her out for a date at least once? She has so many suitors you might lose your chance very soon.”

“Exactly. Because she is too popular that I don’t have the guts to ask her out. And besides...” Sojung took a sip of her americano before continued. “You know our line of work. It’s too risky to start a relationship. I don’t want to hurt her.”

“Is that really the reason why you’re being a coward? Are you sure it isn’t because of that doctor?” The red hair girl raised an eyebrow. “There are some rumors about their relationship since both of them are awfully close to each other. Way too close and intimate for just best friends... Well, I guess some friends are like that but you know what I mean.”

“Who said anything about her?”

“OK. Just don’t find me and cry later on.”

“Yah!”

The taller girl hit her partner merciless. The red hair girl raised her hand up to protect her coffee from getting spilled. When they had their usual bickering, the police radio in the car interrupted them with an emergency call from the headquarter. The girls reacted to the call swiftly as Sojung listened to the information from the radio while Yuna placed the police siren on the roof and pressed the gas pedal to drive the car away from their parking lot. As the siren howled, the two young detectives noted all the details before they ended the call. The older girl looked down on her notepad while taking a sip of her coffee.

“An old lady living in Dobong district reported an illegal activity that is happening near her house. Several trucks are detected. The HQ wants us to check the scene before they send back up.”

“Really? Dobong? We’re like 30 minutes away from there. Aren’t there any closer team to go there?”

“Unfortunately, we’re the only available team at the moment. There is a big accident near the Han river so most of the patrolling teams were sent there.”

“Tsk.”

Yuna clicked her tongue in annoyance, keeping the car running at a steady speed to get both of them fast and safe to the location. The older girl looked through her phone for the exact address. Her brows immediately furrowed when she realized where they were heading. An empty field in a rural area.

“Hey, Yuna-ah. Why do you think they send some trucks to this area? There is literally nothing there.”

“Maybe they want to find gold under the ground?”

“Hmm... Except for the famous ice mountain, I don’t think they can find any gold there.”

“Now that you remind me. That ice mountain is a block of permafrost right? It has been there for almost 600 years already. Even during the hottest summer, it never melts. There are some rumors that inside the ice is a hidden treasure. Do you think those guys believe the rumors?”

“Could be. That can explain for the trucks. They are planning to dig through the ice.”

“Destroying a national heritage is a big crime to commit,” Yuna smirked. “I’m pretty sure whoever behind this has planned throughout. They could be armed. Unnie, let’s request for reinforcement.”

“Already on it. Let’s just be cautious and observe first.”

“Roger.”

***************************************

Dobong, north of Seoul, on an empty field that used to be an abandoned factory, the ground vibrated violently because of the presence of the heavy trucks coming from nowhere. The wheels flattened anything who dares to stay on their ways. The group of vehicles only stopped once they reached their destination, the Ice Mountain. The mountain was protected by restricted fences and warnings. The citizens and tourists were only allowed to take pictures from the distance of 10 meters. Who violence the rules would face serious consequences afterward. However, the people on the truck did not care about the rules. They were here to get what they wanted.

Stepping out of the trucks, troops of people, dressing in black clothes and wearing black masks to hide their face, carried axes and hoes and matched toward the mountain. Few men with pincers cut the restricted barbed wires, opening an entrance for their teams to move in. They wasted no time to approach the mountain and started digging right away. Several men armed with guns and flashlights were standing outside, guarding the site.

The sound of digging and ice rumbling filled up the silent night of winter. About 500 meters away from the site, a certain black car was parking behind a row of trees. On top of its roof lied a red hair girl dressing in a black thick coat with a pair of binoculars in her hands. Through the lens, she observed the site carefully and counted the numbers of present people and guns. After finishing with her calculation, she quietly crawled down from the roof and got inside the car, where she met up with her serious partner.

“There are 7 trucks and around 30 men. 10 of them carry rifles and handguns. They are digging with tools. But I suspect some sort of explosives stored in the trucks since they don’t need those trucks for just a few axes.”

The senior detective nodded as she analyzed the information from her partner and from the map on her pad. After a moment of thinking, she used the police radio to rush for the reinforcement. However, like the last time she called, they would not be able to come in another hour. Clicking her tongue in frustration, she opened the glove in front of her and pulled out two automatic handguns. Handing one to the red hair girl, Sojung put on her leather gloves and unlocked her gun’s safety.

“I guess we’re on our own for a while. Let’s get a better view of the site. And remember, don’t fire unless it’s necessary.”

“Roger.”

Yuna replied and quickly moved out of the car. Both of them crouched slowly toward the site and took cover behind a big old tree which was 200 meters away from the guards. Looking through her binoculars again, the red hair girl made sure that they had an optimum view to observe everything without getting caught. Sojung sat down next to her, looking around while holding onto her gun tightly to ensure their safety.

About ten minutes later, the gang stopped digging since brute manpower did not let them go too far. They only managed to break one meter of the ice layer. They did not have the time to dig the whole night before the police came. One of the men, who likely to be the boss, commanded the others to move back. A few of them went back to the truck and brought our several kilograms of TNT timer bomb and set them around the base of the ice mountain. Seeing the scene, both of the young detectives dropped their jaws in shock and disbelief.

“Are those guys stupid or just too desperate to get a rumorous treasure? They are seriously using bombs. Unnie, what are we going to do?”

Yuna looked at her partner worriedly. The older girl shared the same concern. However, they were out-numbered comparing to the gang. Handguns could not fight against rifles. Not to mention that they might still have bombs inside the trucks. Sojung cursed under her breathes. Ruffling her hair, she tried to think of a plan. She did not care whether there was actually a hidden treasure or not. Those guys were too dangerous to allow to range freely. Although apprehending all of them was impossible, preventing them from getting what they wanted would be easier and more helpful in the future. Suddenly, Sojung’s mind clicked as she remembered something.

“I have a plan. I have some explosive chemicals in my car so we can use them to distract the gang. And I also have some toy slingshots as a gift for my nieces.”

“Wait a minute... Why do you have those in your car? And shouldn’t you tell me earlier? I literally just sat inside a bomb!”

“I was supposed to deliver them to the HQ’s research department after getting the coffee. But since we got summoned so I forgot about it. Now they turn out to be useful in this case.”

“Geez... Sometimes I wonder why I have a crazy partner like you.” Yuna rolled her eyes.

“As if you’re normal, Yuna. Now let’s go before they blow up the whole area.” Sojung motioned to go back to their car and got ready. Being the one who came up with the plan, the older girl did not look pleased with all.

***************************************

“Move move move! We don’t have all night to finish this! If you want to get paid then move your !”

The man with the sunglasses that could distinguish himself from the group of black men shouted at the others. He ordered them to set up the bombs around the ice block while he moved back to the trucks to create a safe distance. While waiting, he glared at the ice block in front of him, furrowing his thick brows while mumbling in annoyance.

“Why does the boss believe in a fairy tale? It’s just a block of ice.”

Even though it was a block of ice, the ice layer was too thick, around 50 meters in thickness. Plus, through hundred years of wind and dust, the ice was bedaubed with a brown color. Therefore, they could not get a clear view of what was inside. However, there were some reports and rumors that a few people saw a dark figure trapped in the middle of the block. Hence, the rumors about a hidden treasure inside the ice spread rapidly.

Waiting for the bombs were finally set up throughout, the guy in command motioned all of his team to take cover while he held on the trigger of the bomb. He stood behind one of the trucks and waited until the site was clear. With a swift move, he pressed down the red button.

*BOOOOOOOOOOM*

All of the bombs exploded simultaneously. The ice block cracked and crumbled. Pieces by pieces. Small to large. The once huge block was destroyed into pieces in only a few seconds. The corruption created a thick fog that quickly spread around the area. Once the ground had stopped vibrating, the black men hastily went through the fog and approached where it used to be the ice block. Lifting all the small blocks of ice, they searched for any sights of valuables. However, to their disappointment, they found nothing except for rock and ice. When the men reached closer to the center, they found an unusual pile of ice. Signaling each other, few of the men started digging with hands and shovels. After a while, one of the men found a strand of long blond hair and shouted to call for the others.

Hearing the commotion, the guy in command approached the gathered group of his men as they were digging deeper around the place. Right at the moment, he came to the site, the other men had finished their task, revealing a frozen body lying in between the ice. The men looked at each other, afraid to come close since her pale milky skin resembled a dead corpse. Only the guy with the sunglass had the courage to come closer. Cautiously, he touched the body’s skin with his gloved hand and startled by how soft it was for a frozen body. While they were all dazed by the body, they forgot about their guard duty. Because of that, all of them jumped off the ground as a police siren howled loudly along with a voice speaking through a megaphone.

“This is the police. All of you are under-arrested for trespassing in a restricted area and destroying a national heritage. Put all your weapons down and get on the ground!”

The fog was still thick that the vision was shortened. The guy with sunglass could not see clearly where the police were but the red and blue light coming from several sirens was visible behind the fog. He was guessing that there were at least seven police cars surrounding them.

“I repeat! Put all of your guns down and get on the ground! This is the last warning!”

The voice warned again. The men all panicked as they did not know how to react. They waited for their commander, who was still wondering what to do. He wanted to bring the body back to his boss but for some reasons, he could not think straight after seeing that face. The face of the most beautiful angel he had never seen. Because of his hesitation, a loud noise of a broken glass was heard and then one of the truck suddenly caught on fire. Since the gas tank was hit, soon later the flame reached the tank and the truck exploded, causing all the men to get down on the ground.

“Jesus these police are crazy! Let’s get out of here!”

The men shouted at each other as they all opened fire at the foggy silhouette of the police sirens. Gunshots echoed in the chilly winter night. As the men got on the remaining trucks and drove away, the last truck was still waiting for the last one.

“What are you doing, boss? Let’s go!!”

The driver yelled at the guy with a sunglass. He was reluctant to leave behind the body. However, the girl’s below torso was still stuck under the ice. He could not bring her along with him. Another gunshot came, making him crouch. Regretfully taking a final gaze, he then rushed to the waiting truck and drove away. Soon later, all the trucks were out of sight. The fog slowly faded away, giving a better view of the site. Laughing and cheering loudly, a certain red hair jumped up and down victoriously with a megaphone fixed in front of her lips while the other girl just sighed in relief. Both of them were wearing a police siren on their head and two more sirens on each hand. Because of the fog, they were able to pretend to be several police cars when there was actually only one. Unexpectedly, the plan was really successful.

“Wow. We’re so lucky that they actually believed it.” Yuna grinned as she took off all the sirens on her body.

“Sometimes, doing errands for the HQ isn’t a bad idea after all.”

Sojung smiled and put away the probs into their car. At that moment, Yuna decided to investigate the site. Passing the burning truck, she approached the pile of ice. Carefully observing her surrounding, she walked through several rocks and ice blocks until she reached the center. The scene clearly startled her since she had not seen anything like this before.

“Unnie. Sojung-unnie! Come quick! You need to see this!”

She called for her partner, never breaking her gaze from whatever catching her attention. Rushing toward the younger girl, the senior detective was about to open to say something. But soon she was speechless by the sight. A body of a blond captivating beauty lied in the middle of the ice. The girl had a long wavy blond hair and a face of a sleeping angel. Her black elegant dress was torn a little on the hem. And yet her pale milky complexion did not look like a 600-year-old corpse. When both of the detectives were still in the state of shock and awe, Sojung’s phone vibrated inside her pocket. Waking up from her frozen state, the older girl immediately fetched out her phone. She was taken back a little when she reached the caller’s ID on the screen. Reluctantly, she answered it and a cute high-pitched voice shut her up before she could say anything.

“Sojung-ssi, be honest with me and answer this. Do you see a body of a blond girl around you?”

“How did you--“

“No time for it. Just answer me, Detective Kim.”

Sojung was confused by the strange question. How did she know where she was and about the body? Glancing at her partner, who was looking at her puzzledly, then the body in front of them, she sighed then confirmed about the blonde girl. She heard a clear sigh from the other side before the caller continued.

“Please listen carefully. I need you to do me a favor, Sojung-ssi. It may sound crazy but I need you and Yuna-ssi to carry the girl back to my place, secretly. Please do not report her to the HQ.”

“But—“

“I promise I’ll explain it once we meet up. This is very important. The police are on their way now so please hurry before they find you. Please, I’m begging you.”

Uncertain, the senior detective looked at her partner. Yuna scratched her cheek while taking a moment to think then shrugged. The older girl sighed then agreed to the request. The girl on the phone said her gratitude then ended the call. A second later, Sojung’s phone vibrated again. This time, a text message arrived with the address of the previous girl. Ruffling her hair into a mess, the older girl let out a heavy sigh then rolled up her sleeves.

“Come on, Yuna-ah. Help me taking her to our car.” The girls dug further through the ice for them to pull the blond girl’s body from the pile of ice more easily. After the direct contact with the cold skin, both of them were surprised by the softness.

“What do you think about all of this, unnie? I sense something really fishy. What we’re doing is illegal.”

“I don’t know. I’m as confused as you. But she promised to give us an explanation later. And I trust her.”

“OK, whatever. I trust your decision. Maybe I should take her to the location by myself while you stay here and report to the police later on. It will cause fewer suspicions.”

“Good thinking.”

Helping each other, the girls gently carried the body into their car. After making sure that there was no evidence at the scene revealing the presence of the blonde and the GPS of the car had been turned off, the red hair girl drove away from the site, leaving behind the senior detective with lots of messy thoughts in her head. She looked up to the night sky, letting out a foggy breath.

“I don’t have a good feeling about this, Yuna-ah...”