Moonbyul and Solar arrived at the emergency location around noon. Pier 14 was fraught with an unending wave of silence. Under the gentle sun of midday sky the sea is an unbroken calm, speckled by a million fragments of light - each one so tiny but together are intense in a way that is utterly beautiful. It was hard to believe that someone was murdered here about an hour earlier. The water is soothing and cool as it splashes against the wooden pillars of the pier. Moonbyul and Solar walked through the deserted pier to the crime scene. A few officers were quarantining the area as the girls made their way through. The woman on the floor was lifeless. 3 Bullet wounds to her upper chest. Her soft brown hair was scattered in multiple places, stained with dried blood; crimson. Her gentle eyes were wide open, but her jade irises held a sudden sadness. Her clothes, a purple button up and some black capris, were bloody. Her body was slumped over, half-sitting, half-laying on the cold wooden floor. Officer Yuqi ran over to Byul and Solar to give them a grasp of the situation.

“We got an unmarked car here. Deceased officer’s prints are all over it. We found this.”~Yuqi said handing Solar a bag of purple powder.

“Nitroamphetamine, “Nitro” a hallucinogenic drug synthesized from diethyl”~Solar said scanning the bag

“Just what the department needs, a corrupt cop with a trunk full of drugs.”~Yuqi said walking off to talk with other officers. Byul got a closer look at the body and froze.

“I’ve scanned the database, this woman is.....”~Solar tried saying but Byul walked forth placing her hand onto the corpse of the dead girl.

“Her name is Solji...... She’s from the 5th division”~Moonbyul said as her voice faultered

“Did you know her?”~Solar asked walking up to Byul

“She was a good cop, no way she’s dirty”~Moonbyul said inspecting the immediate area

“Whats your relationship to her?”~Solar questioned as she began inspecting the area as well.

“She’s a good friend, like a sister to me. Two years ago, Me and Seulgi were at her wedding”~Moonbyul said as she began searching Solji’s body

“Some people keep deep secrets Byul”~Solar said looking up at Moonbyul

“She wouldn’t, trust me”~Moonbyul said as she moved to Solji’s side

“She had drugs in the trunk of her car, did you want to see the initial inspection report?”~Solar retorted trying to convince Byul

“I don’t care what it says Solar”~Moonbyul said as she undid Solji’s shirt.

“Officer Solji wasn’t registered on any undercover operation”~Solar said as she saw Byul tug at something

“If she was a dirty cop, how come she’s wearing a wire”~Moonbyul said revealing a small transmitter she found under Solji’s shirt.

“That doesn’t prove her innocence Byul”~Solar said as Byul handed her the wire

“It doesn’t condemn her either”~Moonbyul said looking around for more clues. Officer Yuqi trotted on over getting the attention of Byul and Solar.

“What is it cadet?”~Solar asked as Yuqi looked nervously at them.

“Solji’s wife is here, she’s in the parking lot, I don’t know her enough to talk to her”~Yuqi said scratching the back of her head

“We’ll handle it, you clean up here and bring the body back to the precinct for Wheein to autopsy”~Moonbyul said as she and Solar walked away. They walked over to the parking lot to see a small petite brunette woman from behind sitting on the curb. Her hair was long, long enough to drape down her back, her outfit was a small tight grey tank top and a pair of jeans. The woman sat there crying to herself as Byul and Solar walked up on her. The woman stopped when she saw Byul walk over.

“Hey Hani”~Moonbyul said at the moment Hani gave her a hug. Solar looked at Hani in surprise, not just because of her beauty but because Hani was 8 months pregnant. Her belly stuck out past her chest as she cradled the underside of her stomach. Solar had never seen a pregnant woman before let alone deal with one, making her a bit nervous.

“Byulie, its good to see you”~Hani said while tears streamed down her face

“You getting big gal, and this is my partner Solar”~Moonbyul said gesturing towards Solar. Hani pulled away, put her hands on her back and bowed her head at Solar.

“It’s good to meet you.... Solar”~Hani stuttered, beginning to cry and breakdown.

“I’m sorry for your loss, Ms. Hani”~Solar said resting her hand on Hani’s shoulder

“Please tell me the things they’re saying about Solji aren’t true”~Hani pleaded as Solar looked at Byul.

“We are still investigating, did Solji tell you anything about what she was doing?”~Moonbyul inquired

“She never took it home. She didn’t like to expose me to the things she saw on the job.”~Hani said rubbing the sides of her stomach

“Hani, did you notice any changes recently in your Solji’s behavior?”~Solar asked as Hani shook her head

“Not really. I mean, she was stressed. I figured it was because of work. They’ve been treating her like she’s a criminal and not one of their own. She’s innocent. You believe that, don’t you?”~Hani muttered welling up with tears again.

“I do. But we have to prove it..... can you recall anything out of the ordinary, any change of routine?”~Moonbyul assured holding onto Hani’s hand.

“Solji, um... took a day off earlier this month, to go up to the cabin.”~Hani said calming down for a moment

“Cabin? What cabin?”~Solar inquired as Hani looked at her

“We inherited a cabin from her uncle a few months ago, on Jinyang Lake. Small thing, simply four wooden walls, isolated. Solji loved it, but I was always cold. Actually, she was coming back from the cabin the other day. She was fixing up the fireplace so we could spend more time up there........ Always thinking about me”~Hani said tearing up a bit making the two girls think.

“Would you mind if we go up there and have a look around?”~Solar asked 

“Of course, it’s by the lakeside, here’s the key”~Hani said pulling out a set of keys to hand it to Byul. Moonbyul signaled for a few officers to come over.

“Yuqi! Miyeon! Ok, we’ll handle this, these gals will take you home. Just stay calm for the baby ok girl?”~Moonbyul said as she patted Hani’s belly.

“Thank you Byul”~Hani said waddling along with the officers to their car. Solar and Moonbyul had a lead, and they were going to try to prove Solji’s innocence. They hopped into the police cruiser driving off towards Jinyang Lake. During the car ride, Byul noticed how distant and quiet Solar was being.

“Whatcha thinking bout Solar?”~Moonbyul asked while driving through the outskirts of Seoul.

“I was just thinking about Ms. Hani”~Solar said looking a bit saddened

“What about her?”~Moonbyul asked as Solar looked at her

“Just with all she’s going through, it can’t feel good being pregnant and finding out that your wife is a bad cop”~Solar said making Byul grit her teeth in anger

“We don’t know that Solar, Solji isn’t guilty of anything”~Moonbyul stated with a serious tone

“What exactly are we hoping to find up here?”~Solar retorted as they closed in on their destination

“That wire Solji was wearing was transmitting to somewhere. Now, maybe she was doing more up here than just fixing a cabin.”~Moonbyul said pulling out the transmitter from her pocket

“You seem entirely convinced that Officer Solji was somehow unfairly set up by someone.”~Solar said as Moonbyul took in a deep breath

“Solji was my friend. And until someone can prove any different, she deserves my trust”~Moonbyul said as they reached their destination. The wooden cabin was based near the water, only about 10 meters from the lake. They walked towards the cabin noticing a broken window and the front door slightly ajar. Moonbyul walked forth with caution as Solar followed closely behind. A door left ajar cast an white beam into the outside area. Byul approached the door and Solar took the lead into the cabin. She pushed the door and it swung open with ease, a blast of air conditioned cold streamed past her and some ceiling lights flickered from a room out of sight. There were a few coats cast onto the floor in a haphazard fashion but otherwise nothing of concern. Walking to the main room, tables and chairs were overturned as if someone had been through here searching for something. Byul’s hand reached for her weapon as Solar began searching around.

“Whoever turned over this place was probably looking for the same thing that we are.”~Moonbyul said walking towards Solar

“You two seemed really close”~Solar said as she uncovered a picture of Hani, Solji, Byul, Seulgi and a bunch of other women she didn’t know. They all sat around a big table seemingly laughing and having a good time

“She was a good friend, always pushing me to do better. Solji was the only person in my class who could outrun me, outshoot me.”~Moonbyul said beginning to search the area as well

“So she was a sort of rival for you”~Solar asked making Byul sigh

“Yeah, she helped me meet Seulgi”~Moonbyul said as she started knocking on the bricks of the fireplace.

“What are you doing Byul”~Solar asked trotting over to Byul.

“Hani said Solji was working on the fireplace. But the Solji I knew couldn’t even use a hammer correctly”~Moonbyul said as she felt a soft brick. She pulled the brick from the wall revealing a small compartment inside. Solar grabbed the box inside and opened it, removing a small back box. 

“It’s on. This is the recorder that Solji’s wire was transmitting to.”~Moonbyul said taking the box. Byul looked at it confusingly, not knowing how to activate it. Solar grabbed the box and placed her finger onto an indent into the side, her eyes glowed blue as an automated voice spoke from the box, “Playing Recording 1”

“I knew how to do that”~Moonbyul snarked as the recording began.

[Now does the finder’s fee seem fair?]~Solji said to some other person, the second woman began speaking making Byul clutch her fist with rage

[We’re talking 600 kilos of raw product. You’re not seeing the boss unless you show the money]~Momo said as the recording continued