“How’s this, Channie?”

 

“Not quite, Baekkie. More to the left.”

 

“The left? How’s this?”

 

“Ouch! What are you doing, Baekkie? I said left!”

 

“Idiot. Be quiet or they’ll hear us!”

 

“Ah, right. Sorry, Baekkie.”

 

Baek Hyun tries to open their handcuffs with a pin, unfortunately, during his struggling, the pin slip off his fingers. “Damn it. The pin fell between the flooring.”

 

“What do you mean, Baekkie? We can’t open the handcuffs without it.” Chan Yeol mumbling.

 

“Do you have any other type of wire or pin or whatsoever?” Baek Hyun asked.

 

“No. That was the only one I had.” Chan Yeol grumbling.

 

“Damn it.” Baek Hyun cursed quietly.

 

“Hey, Baekkie. Wouldn’t it be better to just solve this code? They said that they would release us if we solved it.” Chan Yeol suggested to Baek Hyun, while glancing at a piece of paper of code which was place on the floor nearby.

 

K K 6 3 Q J 4

Q 5 4 K J 6 Q

3 2 Q J 5 K 6

4 K K 9 3 5 2

4 6 5 2 3 6 4

3 5 Q 4 5 2 K

5 2 6 3 4 6 A

 

Suddenly, a man came to them and said, “That’s right. If you wanna be outside and enjoying the sun, it’s in your best interest to solve it quickly. Or else….” The man smirked while kicking at a listless body under his feet. “You’ll end up as cold as this guy. Ha ha ha ha ha!”

 

After saying that statement, the man left the attic, where Baek Hyun and Chan Yeol were being confined.

 

“B-Baekkie… What do we do now?” Chan Yeol starts to panic.

 

“Don’t worry, Channie. They don’t know that guy. We can count on him.” Baek Hyun stated firmly.

 

“That guy? Who are you talking about?” Chan Yeol asked in his confusion.

 

“That’s right. I know that we can count on that guy!” Baek Hyun repeated his words with more confidence.

 

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Meanwhile, at the other part of Seoul, in a family restaurant…

 

“Hoaaahmmm…” Kai yawned loudly. “Don’t you think that Baek Hyun and his friend are late?”

 

D.O take a glance at his watch and nods in agreement. “Yeah. It’s already past 2 pm. Meaning, they’re already two hours late.”

 

“What’s his friends’ name again?” Kai asked.

 

“I think he said that his friend’s name is Park Chan Yeol.” D.O said while trying to recall his memories.

 

“Then why don’t you call them? Don’t they have a cellphone?” Kai suggests.

 

“Yeah. I tried. But their cells are off.” D.O said.

 

“Then, maybe they forgot about our appointment today and overslept?” Kai asked.

 

“I don’t think so. Baek Hyun sends me a message that he already on his way to meet us at 8 am this morning.” D.O argues.

 

“8 am, huh? That’s early. So they should already be here to meet us.”

 

“Oh, that’s right. Baek Hyun did say that he had to go somewhere with his friend. He said that they’re going to meet up with a friend of their fathers. He was once an officer. They said that his name is Hong Sang Soo. Now he opens his own detective agency in Busan.” D.O explained.

 

“By the way, why did Baek Hyun and Chan Yeol have to visit him?” Kai asked.

 

“Well, Baek only accompany Chan Yeol to visit him, since he wrote to Chan Yeol’s father, saying that they had to discuss something. But afterward, Chan Yeol’s father can’t contact him, so he asked Chan Yeol to check up on him.” D.O stated.

 

“Then, maybe they just got caught up in talking about Chan Yeol’s father?” Kai asked.

 

“Maybe.” D.O responds, but his tone sounds that he’s not too certain of it.

 

After a few more minutes, D.O decides to call Se Jong.

 

“Se Jong, could you find me the phone number of Hong Sang Soo’s detective agency?” D.O asked when his call was connected to the precinct.

 

“Sure. But why? Is he some kind of criminals or suspect of your new case?” Se Jong asked.

 

“Nope. It’s personal.” D.O said in brief. “Text me when you find the phone numbers.” D.O said before he hangs up the phone.

 

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After receiving text messages from Se Jong, D.O called Hong Sang Soo’s office.

 

“Hello, Is this Hong Detective Agency?” D.O asked.

 

“Yes. This is Hong Detective Agency. How may we help you?” A staff answers D.O’s phone call.

 

“I’m D.O. I’m a police officer.”

 

“Ah, yes, Mr. Officer, how may we help you?

 

“Do you happen to know about Mr. Hong Sang Soo’s whereabouts?”

 

“Huh? Mr. Hong Sang Soo? Actually, we haven’t heard from him for a few days. Well, he did mention that he was working on a big case of his own. Maybe he’s on a stake-out or maybe he’s gambling somewhere.”

 

“A big case? What case was it?” D.O asked.

 

“I’m sorry, sir. But we don’t know anything.” The staff apologized.

 

“Then, do you happen to know if there were two men who came there and asking for him?” D.O asked.

 

“I think there were two men who came here and asking to meet him, but they left after I gave them Mr. Hong’s home address.” The staff stated.

 

“Would you mind in giving me his home address too?” D.O asked and writes down the address. “Gangseo District, Clover Apartment, got it. Thank you.”

 

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Several minutes later, Kai and D.O had arrived at the mentioned address and asked for the room number from the landlord.

 

“Let’s see… Mr. Hong… Room 503… 503…” Kai mumbles while his eyes wandered around in his attempt to search for the room number and D.O followed quietly behind him.

 

“Ah, here it is.” Kai stated when he found it. “Huh? There’s a note on the door.”

 

“I’ll be back by noon. Please deliver any packages to the landlord.” Kai reads the note outloud. “Hey, it’s way past noon. Looks like he’s still not home yet.”

 

D.O didn’t say anything in response, instead, he’s crouching down when he’s notice there’s a cellophane tape stuck at the bottom right of the door.

 

“Ah! I’ve seen it before in the movies. It’s used to see if anyone goes inside before you.” Kai stated when he notice the cellophane tape by the door. “But, since the tape’s been peeled off, does that mean someone broke into his house?” Kai asked D.O.

 

“No. I don’t think so. It’s been a while since the tape was peeled off. The dust even had been collected on the adhesive side.” D.O stated while observing the tape.

 

“Then, why the hell did he post this notice?” Kai asked in his confusion.

 

“It means that Mr. Hong hasn’t returned from an errand that he figured wouldn’t take too long of his time.” D.O stated. “Something must have happened while he was out.”

 

“Then, what should we do?” Kai asked. “Should we check inside to see if we can find anything is off?” Kai suggested.

 

D.O tries to open the apartment’s door and finds out that it’s unlocked. Then, D.O and Kai entered the apartment and looked around the apartment.

 

“I don’t see any sign of intrusion inside this room or on the door. Maybe he really forgot to lock the door?” Kai stated to D.O.

 

“Kai, check this out.” D.O called out for Kai when he notices something on a desk.

 

“What is it?” Kai replied as he approach the desk.

 

“It looks like something was darkened in here by a pencil’s lead.” D.O pointed at the desk. “Look, it’s a perfect fit with these sticky notes.”

 

“I see. If someone writes hard enough, it will impress one’s writing onto the page below too. Baek Hyun and Chan Yeol must have been worried since Mr. Hong was missing and the door was unlocked, so they probably shaded it over to investigate. Well, it’s too bad that they took the memo with them. Now, we’ll never know what was written there.” Kai sighed.

 

“Not quite.” D.O smirks. “Look, I can still get some characters from the top sheet.”

 

“I see. The shading for the second sheet made it go through the third sheet as well, right? Let’s see what’s written there...” Kai said while he’s trying to read the words from D.O’s shading. “Gangnam District, Jang’s Residence.”

 

“There’s supposed to be phone numbers on it too, but it’s unreadable.” Kai said after he couldn’t read the rest of the note.

 

“I’ll call Se Jong and ask him to find every Jang’s residence in Gangnam District.” D.O stated as he fish out his cellphone to call Se Jong.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

A few minutes later, D.O and Kai has arrived at Gangnam District, asking questions about Baek Hyun and Chan Yeol’s whereabouts to everyone around the neighborhood with the family name of Jang. They got various answers to their questions, but none of them claims to have seen any man with Baek Hyun’s descriptions.

 

During their investigation, it was Kai who asked the questions to all of them, while D.O observed quietly.

 

After two hours of wandering around the neighborhood, Kai and D.O decides to take a break at a nearby family restaurant to have an early dinner and to plan what they’re going to do next.

 

“Say, Kai, what do you think about Mr. Jang Dong Gun?” D.O asked Kai after they placed their orders.

 

“Jang Dong Gun? The attorney? What about him?” Kai asked back.

 

“Don’t you feel that he’s acting kind of strange back then?” D.O asked.

 

“Huh? In what way? I think he’s a nice person. I once read about him in the newspaper. He’s a kind-hearted attorney. He’s an attorney who would represent anyone’s case for free if they can’t pay for it.” Kai stated.

 

“I have zero interest in his background, thank you.” D.O said coldly. “What I meant was, don’t you notice something a bit off at his house earlier?” D.O asked.

 

“His house? Strange? Err, I don’t think so.” Kai said. “What makes you think like that?”

 

“Shoeprints.” D.O said briefly, then continued when he see the confused look on Kai’s face. “There are a lot of wet shoe prints there. So I think that he must have had a guest.”

 

“Ah, right. That’s why you suddenly asked him about it, right?” Kai nods. “But as he said earlier, he’s having his clients at his house and they came in the morning, while it’s raining. Besides, when we’re there, he’s all alone by himself.”

 

“That’s why I’m saying. Don’t you think that it’s strange?” D.O asked impatiently.

 

“Huh?” Kai asked in confusion.

 

“Because all of the shoe prints are going in, but none of them are going out! That’s why!” D.O explained.

 

“Well, maybe he was jogging earlier, so he’s taking off his jogging shoes to clean the mud off it?” Kai suggests.

 

“Hm. Maybe you’re right.” D.O finally said to Kai.

 

Even though D.O decides not to think any further about it, but somehow, he still thinks that they might have accidentally encounter with a case.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

At Jang Dong Gun’s Residence…

 

“Meow…” A cat purred at Jang Dong Gun.

 

“Oh, I bet you’re hungry, aren’t you? But you’ll have to wait for a little while. Daddy’s busy right now.” Jang Dong Gun talks to his cat.

 

“After I finish my lecture, I’ll feed you. Right now, I have to go and teach those boys about how desperate their situation really is. From now on, they’ll learn to play by my rules.” Jang Dong Gun said while he’s heading towards his attic.

 

At the attic, where Baek Hyun and Chan Yeol were held prisoned, Baek Hyun’s gasping for breath while his face was pretty beaten up by Jang Dong Gun’s men.

 

“Oh my… my… take a look at you. Now your handsome face is ruined.” Jang Dong Gun smirks at Baek Hyun’s beaten up face.

 

One of Jang Dong Gun’s men grabbed Baek Hyun’s bangs and held his head up while saying, “This foolish brat thought that he could call out for help.”

 

“Baekkie, are you okay? Hang in there.” Chan Yeol said in worried tone.

 

“That’s right. You’ll have to hang in there, okay? Who would have thought that you’re a police officer, with that pretty face of yours. You’re a popular one, aren’t you, for having your fellow detectives came looking for you. Now, I brought you here because I believed that you were quite clever, so listen carefully, you will solve the code which was made by this dirty rat detective.” Jang Dong Gun said those statement while taking a glance at a listless body which was lying on the floor and continues, “Don’t you think that he’s a big joke? That guy came here to lecture me. He said that he had a tape which shows that I’m teaching top politicians and businessmen about tax evasion. He also added that I should stop doing it now. Can you believe him?”

 

Jang Dong Gun turn his gaze back at Baek Hyun and Chan Yeol. “He told me that the tape was in a rental locker in Busan Bank, and the seven digit pin number is encrypted. Unfortunately, he stopped breathing too early, right? Fortunately, at that same time, I got your call.”

 

Baek Hyun spit blood from the corner of his mouth and said, “S-Sorry… my ears are ringing. Would you mind in repeating about who did you think is a dirty rat?”

 

“Don’t be a smart-!” One of Jang Dong Gun’s men punched Baek Hyun’s gut.

 

“Aw… that hurts!” Baek Hyun grumbling.

 

“Baekkie!” Chan Yeol called out for him.

 

“You still haven’t understood your own situation, huh?” Jang Dong Gun turned to his men and ordered, “Since he has no use of it, cut off his deaf ears!”

 

One of Jang Dong Gun’s men heads toward Baek Hyun, grabbed a bunch of his hair and pulling his listless body up.

 

“Baekkie! Stop it! Don’t hurt him!” Chan Yeol yelled at the man.

 

At that time, the door bell rings again and startle everyone in the attic.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Jang Dong Gun head downstairs while mumbling, “Geez, why am I having so many guests today?”

 

“Yes? Who is it?” Jang Dong Gun asked while he’s looking at the door’s monitor.

 

“It’s us, from earlier.” Kai greets. “I’m sorry to bother you again.”

 

“Oh… Mr. Officers.” Jang Dong Gun greets Kai and D.O as he opens the door. “Did you forget something?”

 

“No. It’s just that—” Kai hesitates to state his reasons.

 

“— There’s something bothering me.” D.O finish Kai’s sentence for him.

 

(D.O… Kai….)

 

At the attic, Baek Hyun feels a glimpse of hope when he heard that Kai and D.O had returned to the house.

 

“May I know what is it?” Jang Dong Gun asked in his sweet tone of voice.

 

“Did you have any guests earlier?” D.O asked straightforwardly.

 

“As I’ve said earlier, I have a few clients who came to consult with me. Why?” Jang Dong Gun asked.

 

“That’s why.” D.O stated while pointing at wet shoe prints at the entrance of the house.

 

“Shoeprints?” Jang Dong Gun asked in confusion. “What about it?”

 

“Don’t you think that it’s strange?” D.O asked.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Because all of the shoe prints are going inside the house, but none of them shows any signs of going out. How come?” D.O asked.

 

(That’s right, D.O. Because the shoe prints are mine and Chanyeol’s. I haven’t been outside of the house, because they’ve threatened me with a gun at the front door.)

 

Baek Hyun talks in his mind while he’s listening to the conversation which happens downstairs.

 

“Ah! Those shoe prints are from my jogging shoes.” Jang Dong Gun smiles.

 

“Those shoe prints are yours?” D.O asked in a slight of uncertainty in his voice.

 

“Yes. Usually I would place my jogging shoes in the shoe rack near the entrance, but a while ago, I was washing the mud off it in the bathroom and it’s still wet.”

 

“Ah. I see. So that’s why the shoe prints are heading inside but none of them went outside.” Kai nods in his agreement.

 

“Yes. Is there anything else that you want to know?” Jang Dong Gun smiles at them.

 

THUMP!

 

All of a sudden, all of them heard a loud thump noise, coming from upstairs.

 

“What was that noise? It looks like it came from upstairs.” Kai asked curiously.

 

“I-I don’t know…” Jang Dong Gun stuttered nervously.

 

“Earlier, you said that you were alone at home, right? It may be a burglar broke into your house. I’ll go and take a look at it.” D.O offered and rushed to go inside.

 

“Meow…” A cat suddenly came out and purred in front of them.

 

Jang Dong Gun pick it up and hold it in his arms.

 

“Well, it’s just my cat. She’s a little naughty sometimes. She loves to play around and knocking over things. She must have made the noise earlier.” Jang Dong Gun stated.

 

Noticing that D.O. still not convince with what he said, Jang Dong Gun said, “I’m sorry officers, I don’t mean to be rude, but I have to go somewhere soon. If it will satisfy you, we can walk around the house, if you want.” Jang Dong Gun offered.

 

(Hmph! Is he trying to trick D.O and Kai like that? D.O would never fall for that lame trick.)  Baek Hyun smirks at himself in his confidence.

 

“What’s wrong, officers? Don’t you want to come in?” Jang Dong Gun asked in his sweet tone of voice when either D.O or Kai respond to his offers earlier.

 

“No. I think I have to go now. I’m sorry to bother you, Mr. Jang.” D.O stated.

 

(Huh?) Baek Hyun’s eyes widened when he heard D.O’s response.

 

“Really? Are you sure officers? Don’t you want me to show you around the house?” Jang Dong Gun offers again.

 

“Nope. Thank you for having us and we’re sorry to take your time when you have an appointment.” D.O stated firmly.

 

“Well then, goodbye, officers. Have a nice day.” Jang Dong Gun smiles at them and watched them left the house.

 

(Huh? Goodbye? D.O is really leaving? No way! There’s no way he’ll believe that bastard!)

 

Baek Hyun cursed in his mind while dragging himself to stand up and look at the only window at the attic, only to watch D.O and Kai really left the house.

 

Behind the closed front door, Jang Dong Gun smiles wickedly to himself.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Looks like they’re gone.” One of Jang Dong Gun’s men said to his partner.

 

“Phew. That was close.” The other man said and turned his attention back at Baek Hyun and Chan Yeol, only to find that both of them were looking at the window.

 

“N-No! What is he doing? He’s really leaving!” Baek Hyun cried out desperately.

 

“Maybe he really didn’t suspect anything from that bastard.” Chan Yeol stated.

 

“We have no choice. I’ll have to break the glass, so they’ll have to—”

 

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” One of Jang Dong Gun’s men yelled at Baek Hyun, and made Baek Hyun remembers that at the moment, they’re not alone in the attic.

 

A few minutes later, Jang Dong Gun back to the attic and said, “Geez, this is becoming tiresome. Well, are you ready to work? As a police officer, you must be quite smart, so you’ll try hard to solve the code, right? As a police officer, you must have dealt with codes like this on a daily basis, so this code should be as easy as simple math, right?

 

“Tch…” Baek Hyun pouts.

 

“Now, hurry up. I want the code to be solved before sunset. You don’t want to be beaten up to death like him, right?” Jang Dong Gun said those statement and pointing at Hong Sang Soo’s listless body on the floor.

 

“Hmph.” Baek Hyun smirks at Jang Dong Gun. “What’s the hurry? Why can’t you take a little more time? Or could it be that there’s something that forcing you to do it today?” Baek Hyun asked curiously.

 

“As a matter of fact, yes. This guy said that tomorrow, a package which implicated a well-known attorney in a tax evasion scheme would arrive at his detective agency. It supposedly has a copy of the code and an explanation in regards to the tape in Busan Bank’s locker, and all of it would be pointed at me.” Jang Dong Gun stated.

 

“But he was a fool. He thought because his friends knew about it, he would be safe from me and couldn’t be harmed. He said that I should make a clean start and he’ll keep my sins to himself. It was obvious that he was involved in this to blackmail me. He probably did it so he could use all the money to gamble it all away.” Jang Dong Gun smirks.

 

“Huh? Gambling?” Baek Hyun asked in confusion.

 

“Ah. That’s right. My dad did tell me that Mr. Hong Sang Soo is a well-known gambler.” Chan Yeol comfirms.

 

“You idiot! Why didn’t you tell me that earlier, Channie?” Baek Hyun scolds Chan Yeol.

 

“Oh? You sounds like you know something about how to solve the code.” Jang Dong Gun smirks at Baek Hyun.

 

“Yeah. If you give me a moment on my own. I might able to solve it.” Baek Hyun said confidently.

 

“Really? Fine. Then, I and my men would have some tea downstairs, so you’d better get it solved. I’m sure that you can solve this code.” Jang Dong Gun said to Baek Hyun, before he left the attic with his men.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Finally being left alone in the attic, Baek Hyun said, “Alright, you can talk now, Mr. Hong.”

 

“Huh?” Chan Yeol confused.

 

“You’re still alive, aren’t you, Mr. Hong? The dust near your nose has been moving for a while.” Baek Hyun stated.

 

“Huh? What are you saying, Baekkie?” Chan Yeol asked.

 

Hong Sang Soo who’s still alive, smirks and huffed. “You’re really just like your father. Well, actually, I was really out cold until just now.”

 

“Then, keep pretending to be dead. If they know that you’re alive, they’ll force you to give the pin number to them, by pointing the gun at us. I must admit though, this secret code is just like you.” Baek Hyun smiles.

 

“Huh? This secret code is just like him? Then, do you know how to solve it already? Do you know the whole answer to the code, Baekkie?” Chan Yeol asked excitedly.

 

“Yeah. I do. It’s easy to remember it if you’re a gambler.” Baek Hyun smiles in confidence and turn his attention back to Hong Sang Soo. “Hey, Mr. Hong, is there any other copy of that code?”

 

“No. It’s the only one. Well, as long as they didn’t make copies of it though.”

 

“Then, that’s perfect. It’s perfectly fits the gambling that we’re about to take.” Baek Hyun said firmly.

 

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After Kai and D.O left the house, they decides to take a break in their attempt to search for Baek Hyun’s whereabouts in a nearby café.

 

“Geez, where the hell are they? First, Baek told us that he wanted to introduce us to his childhood friend, yet now they’re disappear just like that.” Kai grumbling.

 

“Hey, D.O, why don’t you call Baek again, maybe this time he’ll pick it up.”

 

“Fine. I’ve been calling him for so many times, but he’s not—”

 

A phone call cuts off D.O’s sentence and he picks up his cellphone to answer it

 

“D.O.”

 

“Hey, D.O. It’s me.”

 

“Baek! Where are you? Are you forgetting that we’re supposed to meet up today?” D.O scolds Baek Hyun coldly.

 

“Huh? Baek? Ask him where the hell is he now.” Kai asked.

 

“Hey Baek! Where the hell are you?” D.O ask coldly over the phone while he sets his cellphone to speaker mode so Kai could hear their conversation too.

 

“Ah… sorry… sorry. Right now, I meet with Mr. Hong Sang Soo to talk about some cases and I forgot to call you.”

 

“Have you met with your childhood friend? What was his name again? Chan something?” Kai asked.

 

“Yeah. He’s with me right now. Don’t worry about it. Anyway, D.O, I have a code that I want you to solve.”

 

“A code?” D.O asked while raising one of his brows.

 

“Yeah. It’s something that Mr. Hong created. I promised him that I wouldn’t leave until I solve it, but it’s been taking awhile, so I need you to solve it before he comes back.” Baek Hyun stated.

 

“Huh? He’s not with you right now?” D.O asked.

 

“No. Some of his persistent friends wants him to be the last player in a game of Mahjong. Anyway, I’ll mail you the code now and I need you to get the seven-digit numbers as the answer of the code for me.”

 

“Huh? Seven-digit numbers? Why don’t you just wait for Mr. Hong to come back and ask him yourself?” D.O asked solemnly.

 

“Nah. I can’t. I made a bet with him that I’ll solve it before sundown.”

 

“Wouldn’t it mean that you cheat if you made me solve the code for you?” D.O stated the obvious fact.

 

“Nope. He said that I could ask for a friend’s help in solving the code. Well, I won’t be able to meet you, unless you solve it. So, I’m counting on you, okay?”

 

“Hey, wait a minute, Baek!” D.O still have a lot of questions for Baek, but the phone call has been disconnected.

 

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Meanwhile at Jang’s Residence…

 

“Hey, brat. Are you sure that your friend could really solve the code?” Jang Dong Gun ask Baek Hyun in disbelief, after he hangs up the phone.

 

“He’s the best detective in the entire of South Korea. He’ll be able to solve it in no time.” Baek Hyun said with confidence.

 

“Fine, then let’s mail the code to him.” Jang Dong Gun ordered his men.

 

“We can’t, Sir. Hong Sang Soo got his blood over the bottom half of the code.” One of Jang Dong Gun’s men showed the written code which had been half covered with blood.

 

“What? Didn’t you make a copy?” Jang Dong Gun asks furiously.

 

“No. Sorry, sir. I spent most of my time in torturing Hong Sang Soo, after we broke into his house to get the code.”

 

“Damn it!” Jang Dong Gun cursed.

 

“Not to worry. I remember it. I remember all of the forty-nine numbers and alphabet letters of the code.” All of a sudden, Baek Hyun said to Jang Dong Gun.

 

“Really? Then, why don’t you recite all of it to me? You’d better not mess up on reciting the first part of the code, or you’ll find yourself covered in your friend’s blood.” Jang Dong Gun threatened.

 

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A few minutes later, a text messages arrives in D.O’s cellphone, consist of several rows of alphabets and numbers.

 

K K 6 3 Q J 4

Q 5 4 K J 6 Q

3 2 Q J 5 K 6

4 K K 9 3 5 2

K 5 Q 2 J A 3

Q 5 2 4 6 A 6

K 3 A Q A A 4

 

“What the hell is this? This code makes no sense to me at all.” Kai stated in his confusion.

 

D.O didn’t say anything in response, instead, his mind starts to analyze the code.

 

(There are many numbers with the alphabet letters of “Q A K J”. Could it be…)

 

D.O starts to scribble down on his notebook in his attempt to decipher the code.

 

“Did you get anything, D.O?” Kai asked curiously while trying to read on D.O’s writings.

 

“Hm… yeah… something… I guess.”

 

“What is it?” Kai asked.

 

“Look. The only letter in this code are “A J Q K”. They’re just like trump cards, right? So I changed them into numbers.” D.O explains and showed his scribbles to Kai.

 

1 3 1 3 6 3 1 2 1 1 4

1 2 5 4 1 3 1 1 6 1 2

3 2 1 2 1 1 5 1 3 6

4 1 3 1 3 9 3 5 2

1 3 5 1 2 2 1 1 4 3

1 2 5 2 4 6 1 6

1 3 3 1 1 2 1 1 4

 

“Yeah. Then what?” Kai asked again.

 

“Now we have sixty four numbers, but there’s one lonely number.”

 

“I get it! It’s the nine in the middle, right? It only occurs once.” Kai stated.

 

“Yeah. When you remove the nine, we get sixty-three numbers. When it’s divisible by nine, it would give us seven, right? So, I think that each of the seven groups of numbers, represents a single digit. That’s if we’re looking for seven-digit numbers. But it’s a lot harder than math, right?” D.O shrugged.

 

“Hm… Looks like it.” Kai nods in his agreement.

 

In the meantime, being too focused i=on deciphering the code, D.O didn’t say anything in his response and Kai knows that in any time like this, it’s best to let D.O with his thoughts, so Kai quietly observed D.O and waits.

 

(Wait a minute… if I recall Baek said something in his phone call earlier…)

 

( Ah, I see… That’s why the nine is in the middle. Looks like I almost solve it.)

 

D.O smiles for a while, but then his smile disappears as he furrowed his brows together.

 

(Huh? That’s strange. The first four rows are numbers, but the rest are…)

 

(Wait a minute… I’ve seen this somewhere before…)

 

D.O tries to recall his memories and when he remembers, he smirks triumphantly to himself.

 

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Meanwhile, at Jang Dong Gun’s residence, Jang Dong Gun becomes impatient in waiting for the answers of the code.

 

“Now, the time is up. I have to go since the bank is closing up soon. If you have to blame someone, then blame it on your detective friend who failed to solve it in time.” Jang Dong Gun said while pointing his gun at Baek Hyun.

 

“W-W-Wait! He may get the answer if he can think if over tonight. All you need to do is to get the pin numbers before the package arrives at the detective agency, right?” Baek Hyun starts to panic.

 

“It’s fine. It won’t be delivered.” Jang Dong Gun stated calmly.

 

“Huh? By any chance, you wouldn’t—” Baek Hyun paused as he stares at Jang Dong Dung in his bewilderment.

 

“Yes. Tomorrow morning, we will ambush the mailman in front of the detective agency. We’ll kill him, steal the tape and everthing will be over. Well, as for the tape in the locker of Busan Bank, it will be hidden forever, as long as I pay for the rental fee. The code is no longer important, because unlike you, I have many years left ahead of me.” Jang Dong Gun smiles at Baek Hyun and somehow, his smile send shivers to Baek Hyun’s spine and all over his body.

 

(!) Baek Hyun cursed quietly in his mind.

 

“Now, if you have anything left to say, here’s your chance. After all, as an attorney, it’s my job to have sympathetic ears.”

 

(Damn you, D.O! What the hell are you doing?)

 

“Well, since you have nothing to say, then it’s time to say goodbye.” Jang Dong Gun starts to pull the trigger of his gun.

 

“N-N-No… I-I do… I do… I do have some final words. I was just thinking about the most important thing. I think I’ll have to direct my final words to the man behind me.” Baek Hyun slightly turn his head to Chan Yeol.

 

“Huh?” Chan Yeol sounds confused.

 

“Huh? What’s left to say to him anyway? Your friend won’t last much longer than you.” Jang Dong Gun smirks at Baek Hyun.

 

“It’s something that I’ve been wanting to tell him since forever. Would you mind to put down your gun until I’m finished talking to him?” Baek Hyun pleads.

 

“Well, I guess everyone who’s on the brink of death, do deserves to have their final words.” Jang Dong Gun lowered his gun and put it down on the floor. “Go on.”

 

“Geez. Give me a second. I want to make sure that it’s perfect.” Baek Hyun take a glance at Hong Sang Soo who’s currently reaching out his hand slowly to take Jang Dong Gun’s gun from the floor.

 

However….

 

STOMP!

 

“Aaaaarrrrggghhhhh!!!” Hong Sang Soo yelped in pain when his palm was stomped by one of Jang Dong Gun’s men.

 

“This guy is still alive!” The other man exclaims in shock.

 

“Damn it! I guess that’s too bad for you. But I must admit that it’s not a bad plan to try to get the gun though.” Jang Dong Gun smirks at Hong Sang Soo.

 

“Get up!” The man who stomps on Hong Sang Soo’s palm, grabbed on his hair and pulling him up.

 

“Looks like we were lucky enough to have you telling us that this guy wasn’t dead.” Jang Dong Gun said to Baek Hyun and then turn his attention to Hong Sang Soo.

 

“Now tell me the answer of the code. You don’t want these boys to die, do you?” Jang Dong Gun threatens.

 

“Don’t tell him, Mr. Hong. Telling them the truth would only delay our deaths. Don’t give them the satisfaction for having the answer.” Baek Hyun stated firmly.

 

“Shut up!” One of Jang Dong Gun’s men kick Baek Hyun’s side and made him slump to the floor in pain.

 

“Baekkie!” Chan Yeol cries out for Baek Hyun.

 

“Now, hurry. I don’t have much time. I’ll give you five seconds to answer. With so little time left, you’d better believe me when I say that I won’t hesitate to shoot these two boys.” Jang Don Gun said to Hong Sang Soo.

 

“1…”

 

“Trust me, Channie…” Baek Hyun whispers to Chan Yeol quietly.

 

“Huh?”

 

“2…”

 

“When I said that my last words were for you… I really meant it.”

 

“3…”

 

“Again and again… I almost said it…”

 

“4…”

 

“Every time we spend time together…”

 

“5…”

 

“Time’s up.” Jang Dong Gun said firmly. He turn around to face Baek Hyun, pointing his gun at him and slowly, his fingers starts to press the trigger.

 

Chan Yeol gasp and extremely terrified with what’s going to happen to Baek Hyun.

 

In that critical moment, suddenly Baek Hyun’s phone rings, notifying him that a new message has arrived on his cellphone.

 

“Huh? A text message? It’s from someone called D.O.” Jang Dong Gun said while he’s looking at Baek Hyun’s phone which had been in his possession. “But it doesn’t look like an answer to me.”

 

“It looks like he just sent the same text message back, right?” One of Jang Dong Gun’s men comments when he also take a look at the message.

 

“No. It looks like the letters and numbers were re-arranged.” Jang Dong Gun furrows his brows together.

 

(What? Could it be…) Baek Hyun’s eyes widened in a slight glimpse of hope.

 

“H-Hey Mister! Let me see it!” Baek Hyun exclaims.

 

Instead of responding to Baek Hyun, Jang Dong Gun pointed his gun back at Baek Hyun and made him startled. For a moment, Baek Hyun seems to forget about his situation, due to his excitement.

 

“N-N-No… I-I-I mean… May I please see it?” Baek Hyun pleads politely.

 

“Fine. Here.” Jang Dong Gun handed over Baek Hyun’s phone for him to read the message.

 

J J J Q K Q 5

3 6 4 K J A Q

J J A J Q A K

J J 5 9 Q J J

J J A K J J A

Q K A Q J K J

5 Q K Q 3 A 6

 

“Well, what do you think? Doesn’t it look almost identical with the original code?” Jang Dong Gun asked impatiently.

 

“Yeah. They’re alike, except this one is the answer for the code.” Baek Hyun stated with a smile on his face.

 

“Huh?” Jang Dong Gun stated while furrowing his brows together.

 

“What I’m trying to say is… all of the seven-digit numbers of the pin numbers, are in this code.” Baek Hyun rephrase his sentence.

 

“Really? Then, what is it?” Jang Dong Gun asked.

 

“I’m not going to say it in here.” Baek Hyun stated firmly.

 

“Hold on. Do you understand about your predicament?” Jang Dong Gun raised one of his brows at Baek Hyun.

 

“I do, but do you?” Baek Hyun stated calmly.

 

“Huh?”

 

“My detective friends knows the answer of the code. He also knows that Mr. Hong Sang Soo created the code and we’re with him. Since all three of us went missing at once, he will be wondering about the meaning of the seven numbers. It won’t take a long time for him to trace the seven-digit numbers back to the rental locker, which was rented by Mr. Hong Sang Soo at Busan Bank.” Baek Hyun stated the situation calmly.

 

“Don’t tell me that’s the reason why you’re planning for your friend to be involved in this situation.” Jang Dong Gun said furiously.

 

“Don’t get anxious. You only have two choices. First, you could kill us and run away, then allowing my detective friends to find the tape and expose all of your tax schemes. Or second, you could have me to get the tape and release the three of us in exchange for the tape. The choice is yours.” Baek Hyun smiles and take a glance at Hong Sang Soo from his shoulder, “Well, you could have asked Hong Sang Soo to get the tape, but with his face being beaten up like that, don’t you think that he shouldn’t be seen in public like that?”

 

Seeing that Jang Dong Gun still hesitates, Baek Hyun continues, “Don’t worry. I’m offering the same deal as Mr. Hong Sang Soo did to you. You have to cease all of your illegal operations, including your tax fraud scheme and have a clean start all over again.”

 

“Tch. Do you think that we’re idiots? You’re planning to run to the police with the tape, aren’t you?” One of Jang Dong Gun’s men scoffed at Baek Hyun.

 

“If you guys don’t believe me, then you could have someone to go along with me. If I do anything suspicious, you can kill me instantly. Now, what do you say? There isn’t much time left. I think the bank is closing pretty soon, right?” Baek Hyun calmly said.

 

“I understand. But let me warn you, boy. If the code is wrong, you’ll be dead in a minute. Understood?” Jang Dong Gun threatens Baek Hyun before he unlocks Baek Hyun’s handcuff.

 

“Alright then, I’ll go with this boy. As for you, boy…” Jang Dong Gun turn to Chan Yeol and said, “You’ll stay here with these men and be a nice boy.”

 

“Baekkie…”

 

“Huh? What is it, Channie?”

 

“If we… if we survive this…”

 

“Hm?”

 

“If we survive this, will you tell me about what were you going to say to me?” Chan Yeol asked.

 

“Sure. I’ll say it until you’re tired of it.” Baek Hyun smiles at Chan Yeol.

 

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After Baek Hyun left with Jang Dong Gun and head to Busan Bank, Jang Dong Gun’s men brought a gallon of gasoline in front of Chan Yeol and said, “When Mr. Jang calls and says that he has the tape, we’ll set the house on fire. That boy will be surprised to find his friends were not outside and waiting for him. Instead, all of you would be still up here and burn to death.” He smirkes wickedly at Chan Yeol.

 

However, on the way to Busan Bank, Jang Dong Gun’s car was stopped by Se Jong and Min Kyu’s team and Baek Hyun was rescued by them. While another team, leads by D.O and Kai, head towards Jang Dong Gun’s residence to rescue Chan Yeol from his imprisonment.

 

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Case Closure

 

“Phew, another case was solved.” Kai said after all of them had gone back to the precinct, with Jang Dong Gun and his men were locked up in the cell.

 

“D.O!” Baek Hyun screams at D.O, the minute he arrives at the precinct and hugs D.O tightly until he barely able to breathe. “I know I could count on you! I know you could solve the code!” Baek Hyun stated excitedly.

 

“It’s nothing.” D.O said in brief. “Let me go, Baek!” D.O struggling to release himself from Baek’s tight hug.

 

“Speaking of the code, how did you decipher it? The code didn’t make any sense to me at all.” Kai asked curiously.

 

“It’s easy when you know about Mr. Hong Sang Soo’s habit in gambling. You would instantly recognize the letters of “A J Q K” are from the trump cards.” D.O starts explaining to Kai and turn his head to Baek. “By the way Baek, I thought that it’s supposed to be seven-digit pin numbers, how come there were only 4 digit numbers and 3 letters on the code that you sent me?” D.O asked Baek.

 

“That’s because I change the last three rows into letters.” Baek said proudly.

 

“I still don’t get it. How the hell anyone could read those gibberish code?” Kai asked.

 

“Baek, do you still remember the original code?” D.O asked Baek Hyun.

 

“Of course, I remember it.” Baek grabbed a piece of paper and starts to write down the original code.

 

K K 6 3 Q J 4

Q 5 4 K J 6 Q

3 2 Q J 5 K 6

4 K K 9 6 5 2

4 6 5 2 3 6 4

3 5 Q 4 5 2 K

5 2 6 3 4 6 A

 

“Thanks Baek.” After having the original code, D.O starts to explain to Kai.

 

“When you convert them over, you’ll get sixty-four numbers. The key is the nine in the middle. All of the numbers from one to six occurs often, but the nine only occurs once. So, I removed the nine. Hence, it leaves us with sixty-three numbers, giving us seven groups of nine. I thought that maybe each group was consist of nine numbers, hence, it gives us one digit per column for the seven digit pin numbers. Moreover, the numbers only range from one to six. Of course, when thinking about number one to six, it only refers to one thing in gambling.” D.O explains to Kai.

 

“Huh? What is it?” Kai asked.

 

“Dice. The code is telling you to map each row into 3 x 3 box.” D.O explains further.

 

“But how does that make up for the seven-digit pin numbers?” Kai asked in confusion.

 

“Imagine that each number is on a die and order them as it specifies.” D.O said while deciphering the code.

 

1 3 1 3 6 3 1 2 1 1 4

1 2 5 4 1 3 1 1 6 1 2

3 2 1 2 1 1 5 1 3 6

4 1 3 1 3 6 5 2

4 6 5 2 3 6 4

3 5 1 2 4 5 2 1 3

5 2 6 3 4 6 1

 

Decoding :

1 3 1      1 4 1      1 6 1      1 5 1      3 6 5      6 4 3      1 3 5
3 6 3      2 5 4      2 3 2      3 6 4      2 4 6      5 1 2      2 6 3
1 2 1      1 3 1      1 2 1      1 3 1      5 2 3      4 5 2      4 6 1

 

“Now, the red spots should stand out, making it simply : 4 – 4 – 4 – 4 – 0 – 1 – 2.” D.O stated.

 

“But, how did you know that Jang Dong Gun is the one who confine Baek and Chan?” Kai asked D.O.

 

“As I said earlier, that’s because I’ve change the last three rows into the alphabet.” Baek Hyun answers on behalf of D.O and smirks.

 

Baek writes the last three rows that he sent to D.O earlier.

 

K 5 Q 2 J A 3

Q 5 2 4 6 A 6

K 3 A Q A A 4

 

Decoding :

1 3 5      3 1 2      1 3 3
1 2 2      5 2 4      1 1 2
1 1 1      6 1 6      1 1 4

 

“Three letters… LIB.” Baek said to Kai.

 

“Huh?” Kai furrowed his brows together.

 

“L-I-B. These three letters are the abbreviation for Libra.” Baek Hyun stated.

 

“Libra? Why Libra?” Kai asked.

 

“You know, you see them in every courthouse.” D.O adds on.

 

“Ah… the scales of order. I see.” Kai nods in understanding. “But I don’t get it, Baek. Why did Mr. Hong went into so much trouble in talking with Mr. Jang, instead of revealing his crimes? Since he’s a well-known attorney, the media would be all over it.” Kai wondered.

 

“Oh. It seems that he was once saved Mr. Hong’s father in the past. He helped him when he was badly scammed. Ever since then, his father had been worshipped him. It seems that Mr. Hong just wanted to protect his father’s feelings. As for me, I had to expose his crimes, no matter what happens.” Baek stated and turns to D.O and Kai. “D.O, Kai, believe me though. I am grateful to both of you. It was really close in many ways.”

 

“By the words of “really close”, maybe you mean about when you were talking about your final words?” A man’s voice suddenly could be heard at the entrance of the Violent Crimes Department.

 

D.O, Kai and Baek Hyun turns their head toward the entrance and see that it’s Chan Yeol who’s talking earlier.

 

“Urgh… C-C-Channie…” Baek Hyun stammered.

 

“What was it, Baekkie? The things that you almost said to me?” Chan Yeol asked.

 

“Y-Y-You d-d-don’t want to know about it.” Baek Hyun tries to avoid the question.

 

“You’ve said that you’d tell me until I got tired of it! So what was it?” Chan Yeol said while he keep walking forward to where Baek Hyun stand still.

 

“Uhm… w-w-what… I-I-I… w-w-was going to say… w-was…” Baek Hyun stuttered nervously.

 

“Well, what is it, Baekkie?” Chan Yeol repeats his question calmly.

 

“I-It’s just that… every time… every time you panic… you keep whining like a sissy and it got so annoying…” Baek Hyun stated.

 

“Is that so, Baekkie?” Chan Yeol looks so furious while he’s cracking on his knuckles. “Well, I’m sorry for being so whiny and worried sick about your safety back then!” Chan Yeol said in sarcasm while throwing a punch straight to Baek Hyun’s guts.

 

“I’m going home now!” Chan Yeol scoffed and turned around, heading towards the entrance.

 

“Ouch, that must be hurt.” Kai said to Baek Hyun sympatetically.

 

“Tsk… Tsk… Tsk.. why don’t you just tell him that you like him, Baek?” D.O shake his head in disbelief.

 

“I-I-I… did not!” Baek Hyun denies it. “B-b-but… how did you know?”

 

“Oh, please. It’s as clear as the midnight sky with thousand stars.” D.O said as he rolls his eyes.

 

“W-Wait…” Kai cuts in. “Did that mean… you like Chan Yeol?” Kai asked Baek Hyun.

 

“Errr… maybe.” Baek Hyun lowered his head and turned his gaze away from D.O and Kai to hide his crimson face.

 

“Then, you should confess to him already. It looks like he like you too.” Kai urges Baek Hyun.

 

“I tried to… but every time I want to talk about it… my tongue got stiff and I couldn’t utter any words.” Baek Hyun grumbling.

 

“If you can’t confess, then don’t love anyone. It’s no use in loving someone without confessing it. Not letting the other party to know about your feelings, you might end up hurting, while thinking of so many “what ifs and buts”.” D.O stated coldly.

 

D.O’s statement startles Baek and Kai, but they didn’t say anything in response, or they couldn’t find any words to respond to that statement, since they know that it’s the true fact.

 

“Well then, I’m heading home.” D.O stretch out his arms to release some tensions from his muscles and head towards the entrance. But before he passed through the entrance, Kai called out for him and asked, “Do you want me to drive you home?”

 

“Nah. I’m good. And Baek, do whatever you think is best for you, but just keep in your mind, no matter what you do, don’t let yourself to be the one who ends up in griefs and regrets.” D.O stated before he turned around, wave goodbye to Baek and Kai without looking back at them.

 

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