(Seoul, Geumchon-gu, 3 pm)

"Ms. Ji Won."

"Come on in, Ms. Park Miyeon." Ji Won greeted her with a warm smile, welcoming her guest into her home.

"Apologies if my place is a bit chaotic. My partner is moving in with me," Ji Won explained, gesturing for Miyeon to take a seat on the couch.

"No worries at all," Miyeon replied, settling into her seat. "I didn't know you had a partner."

Ji Won blushed slightly, smiling shyly. "Well, we're fairly new in our relationship. I sort of convinced her to move in, given that we anticipated this happening eventually."

"Can I have some tea?" Miyeon asked.

"Absolutely. Tea is actually my favorite. I'm sure you'll enjoy it," Ji Won responded before hurrying off to the kitchen.

While waiting, Miyeon's gaze wandered around the room, landing on a table near the bedroom door adorned with several picture frames. Among them, she spotted Ji Won alongside a woman who seemed familiar.

"Here's your tea," Ji Won interrupted Miyeon's thoughts, handing her the cup.

Taking the tea, Miyeon settled back into her seat. "The woman in the frame, your partner, she looks familiar. Is she famous?"

Ji Won blushed once again, unable to hide her admiration for her partner. "Yes, you could say that. She's a globally renowned detective, Yoona Lim." Her tone was filled with pride as she mentioned Yoona's name, clearly missing her.

"Oh, I think I've seen her on television," Miyeon recalled, shifting the conversation. "Now, about the contract papers for your business. They're ready for you to sign."

Ji Won's happiness soared, knowing that her dream of opening a restaurant was getting closer, with Miyeon as the investor.

"I'm thrilled to sign this! Yoong and I can't wait to bring our plans to life," Ji Won expressed her excitement, not realizing the strange expression on Miyeon's face.

"Could I borrow a pen? I seem to have forgotten to bring one," Miyeon requested, her voice oddly distant.

"Oh no, it's alright. I'll fetch it from my room. I'll be back in a jiffy,"

Miyeon watched as Ji Won walk away. She took advantage of Ji Won's absence to discreetly pour the contents of a small sachet into Ji Won's tea. She smirked to herself, eagerly anticipating the effects of her actions.

After a short while, Ji Won returned with a pen in hand. "Sorry for the delay. I had to hunt down my only pen."

Miyeon shook her head, offering a smile. "Now you can go ahead and sign the papers, Ms. Kim. This will kickstart our planning for the restaurant."

"Absolutely," Ji Won replied with enthusiasm, signing each paper that required her signature.

Once done, she placed the cup of tea on the coffee table in front of her and leaned back in her seat, oblivious to Miyeon's watchful gaze. As Ji Won raised the cup to take a sip, she suddenly halted, her lips hovering over the rim. "You think I'm gullible, Ms. Park?"

Miyeon's eyes widened, her nervousness evident as her hands trembled and her knees grew weak, even though she remained seated. "W-what do you mean?" Her voice quivered.

Ji Won set down the cup, her lips curving into a smirk. "When I stepped away to my room, I caught you tampering with my drink. Care to explain?"

Miyeon blinked, her mind racing to come up with a response. Collecting herself, she exhaled heavily. Her demeanor then shifted abruptly, a sinister smile gracing her lips. She looked at Ji Won with an eerie charm, as if she were ready to pounce.

"Well, well, well. What a clever little kitty you are. Impressive," Miyeon applauded sarcastically, clapping her hands before crossing her legs. Her gaze swept around the room before returning to Ji Won. "You have quite the lovely place here, a place you prepared for Detective Lim. How audacious of you to steal her away from me. Do you even comprehend who you're up against?"

Ji Won scoffed, laughing in disbelief. "Steal her away from you? She's never mentioned you to me. It's quite a tragedy, chasing after someone who couldn't care less. Do you even realize who you're chasing after?"

Miyeon gritted her teeth but maintained her smirk. "You're fortunate to have spent time with her, but did you think this wasn't the last time you'd see her? You could've bid her farewell before parting ways. You're nothing but a tramp. A tramp she doesn't deserve. You're just one of her rebounds, one of the ten that I've made suffer. Pity you for being used because she doesn't do relationships. This is why you should've known who you were meddling with."

Ji Won fell silent, unsure how to respond. Miyeon's widening smirk signaled her satisfaction. "You can have anyone, but not her. Got it?" Miyeon's voice was laced with a threatening tone.

But instead of the expected submission, Miyeon was met with mocking laughter from Ji Won. "Oh my, aren't you completely obsessed with her, Ms. Kim Seolhyun?"

Seolhyun's face turned pale, horror filling her eyes at Ji Won's statement. She stumbled over her words, unable to form a coherent response. The tables had indeed turned. Ji Won now held the upper hand.

"Your actions toward those nine innocent people were unjustifiable. Quite the track record you've built, isn't it? You're quite the expert, I must say. Your behavior only underscores your obsession with Detective Lim. It's a shame she feels absolutely nothing for you, not a single thing. I'm confident you'll be facing consequences—likely jail time—for your actions against those nine innocent lives."

Seolhyun bit her lip in anger, her frustration escalating. She abruptly rose from her seat, realizing that there was no easy way out of this situation. She hadn't brought any weapon with her, a decision she now regretted, but she believed she had one way left to escape.

"Well, looks like you're mistaken." Seolhyun smirked and spun around, preparing to make a run for it.

"What?-" Ji Won's exclamation was cut short as Seolhyun swung open the door, only to be met with a barrage of guns pointed directly at her. Her heart raced, and she instinctively stepped back, raising her hands in surrender.

"Where do you think you're going, Seolhyun?"

The voice that addressed her caused a chill to run down Seolhyun's spine, freezing her in place.

"D-Detective Lim."

---

(At the Police Precinct)

"You're certain about this?" Seulgi asked, looking at Yoona with a mixture of concern and admiration.

Yoona offered her cousin a reassuring smile, giving her shoulder a gentle pat. "Absolutely. I have a strong feeling that my father intends to release Seolhyun. I need to have a conversation with him."

Seulgi nodded approvingly, proud of Yoona's determination. "Just give me a call if you need any help. I'll be around."

With that, Seulgi left, leaving Yoona to steel herself for the task ahead. She stood outside the door, mentally preparing herself for the confrontation with her father. With a deep breath, she entered the room, finding her father seated inside, closely watching her every move. She took a seat across from him, locking eyes with him.

"Can we not bail her out? Seolhyun is innocent," 

"What on earth possesses you to feel that way about that woman?"

"I'm not sure what you're talking about," he denied, his tone defensive.

Yoona leaned back in her seat, crossing her legs with a calm demeanor. "The truth is already common knowledge, Father. There's no need to pretend."

Clearing his throat, Youngjae met his daughter's gaze.

"And what's more, I have substantial evidence that she is far from innocent."

(Flashback: Han River)

"Do you really think this plan will work?" Seulgi's voice sounded concerned over the phone.

Yoona's voice held a confident tone on the other end. "Absolutely. Just play along and keep things normal. Don't even whisper a word to your partner. This is confidential information."

"Alright, but please take care of yourself. Keep me updated about your next move."

"I promise. I'm going to disconnect from this phone now and—oh, I won't be using my car either. I don't want anyone to track my whereabouts."

Seulgi had done a commendable job at acting, and Yoona acknowledged it with a smirk and a nod.

"Your Mom seemed a bit strange when she read that letter. Is she involved in this plan too? And it's surprising that she decided to go on a vacation with her friends when you were missing."

Yoona couldn't help but chuckle at her mother's typical behavior. "Seul actually wrote that letter, and I'm sure Mom figured that out. She trusts me enough to know I have something big going on."

Youngjae shared his thoughts on the events of that day. "I purposely let your mother read the letter first because she was terribly worried about you. I was too consumed with trying to find you at that time." Curiosity piqued, he asked, "How did you manage to identify her so quickly?"

"Simple deduction," Yoona explained. "I connected the dots. Unfortunately, it was a bit late to prevent some people from experiencing danger, but at least the plan was executed. Unless someone else decides to ruin my efforts again."

A faint smile formed on Youngjae's lips as he listened. "When I arrived here, I ran into Agent Kim Ji Won. She gave me a smirk right away. I didn't realize you two could get along so well."

Yoona recalled how easily she had managed to enlist Ji Won's help in her plan. She had expected the task to be challenging, but it had turned out to be surprisingly smooth.

"Feeling bored?"

"Huh?"

"You must be bored and looking for someone to entertain you, which is why you're barging into my place in the middle of the night."

Yoona innocently regarded the person in front of her, flashing a charming smile.

Her comment was met with a scoff. "You think your sweet smile can sway me? Just because you have a pretty face—what do you want?"

Yoona chuckled, her demeanor turning serious. "I actually need your assistance."

Hearing such a rare request from Yoona surprised the person she was addressing. It wasn't often that Yoona asked for help, and the significance wasn't lost on her.

Ji Won rolled her eyes playfully, exhaling a laugh. "That's it?"

Yoona, Ji Won, and Chief Park convened at a discreet location to discuss their plan.

"What's amusing you?" Yoona inquired through her laughter.

Ji Won wiped a tear from her eye and shook her head. "This is too easy. Why can't you handle it on your own?"

Slightly offended, Yoona scoffed and crossed her arms, while Chief Park chuckled at their exchange.

"If I could handle it alone, I wouldn't have invaded your space and dragged you here."

Ji Won told herself to cease laughing, understanding the gravity of the situation. This wasn't a time for humor.

"But wait—what's with the one-month timeline? Why not take action immediately?"

Yoona sighed and handed over a document. It was her carefully crafted plan. "I don't want to be conspicuous. I'm waiting for the right moment. I refuse to let this fail again. This time, I intend to emerge victorious."

"You're quite smart and confident. Are you sure about this? It almost seems like a joke—saying that the suspect is obsessed with you."

Yoona glanced at Chief Park, while he simply rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

"Seriously, as if you didn't have a crush on me before."

Ji Won's eyes widened, and she shot a glare at Yoona. "That was in the past, you idiot. Why bring that up?"

"Right! You used to secretly leave chocolates in my locker. Did you think I didn't notice? Sneaky moves, huh?" Yoona keep teasing her making the girl to fumed in anger.

Clearly embarrassed, Ji Won's face was now red. "Who spilled the beans to you?"

Yoona smirked and leaned back. "Who do you think you spilled it to that day?"

"KANG SEULGI!!!"

Yoona had learned from Seulgi that Jennie would be joining them at the club to celebrate Sana's birthday

.

"You're sure you'll be alright?"

Putting on a black cap and a mask, Yoona zipped up her jacket. "Absolutely. I'll give you a signal when it's time to post on social media."