“Okay, we are about to arrive at Handong,” Chaewon said, looking through her window. “As soon as you stop the car, hide. Hide in the darkest corner and wait for me to come. Don’t listen to any sound, don’t look through the window.”

 

“You’re making it sound like we’re in Bird Box,” Minju commented, although Eunyoung’s words did instill some fear in her.

 

“I’m serious,” Chaewon said, ignoring Minju’s jab. “I’m going to tap on your window seven times, continuously. When I do that unlock the car and I’ll get to the passenger seat.” Minju turned to look at Eunyoung for a second. She felt something foreign fill her chest, probably close to dread or maybe anticipation.

 

“If it’s that dangerous, wouldn’t it be better to go there in the morning?”

 

“I need to get there as soon as possible,” Chaewon answered. “Okay, take a left turn and park under that tree.”

 

“But there’s no road there.”

 

“Better yet.” Minju did as told, parking under the tree. There was no light there, which made for an even darker atmosphere.

 

“I’m going,” Chaewon said, leaving Minju with no opportunity to at least wish her luck. She locked the car and did as Eunyoung told, having felt the seriousness with which her fiancee had spoken to her.

 

Chaewon, on the other hand, had known about this neighborhood for a while, even if she hadn’t had the pleasure to visit it before. Without any light guiding her, she just depended on her instinct to feel if there was any danger, though, to be honest, she wasn’t all that worried about things.

 

Yeah, Handong wasn’t a particularly nice street, but it wasn’t anything like the neighborhoods she usually worked in back in her own body. At most, there would be a mugger or a ert lurking around, but not much more than that. She just hoped Minju followed her instructions.

 

Finally finding the decrepit house she was looking for, she entered it slowly, alert to anything out of place. Looking for a lighting switch, she felt a presence creeping in the place. She didn’t turn her head, pretending she was oblivious to the person who was watching her carefully. The person tried sneaking up on her, but when they were finally close enough, Chaewon turned around and kicked them in the stomach in quick succession. The person (man?) wheezed, but tried swinging at her. Chaewon, recognizing the pattern, avoided the punch and just slapped him upside the head.

 

“N-noona?” the man asked, his breath still ragged thanks to the kick.

 

“Turn on this damn light,” Chaewon ordered, making the man scramble to find the switch light. When the room was bright, the man gasped when she saw her.

 

“You are not Chaewon noona.”

 

“Don’t be a ing idiot, Taegi,” Chaewon answered. “Or you don’t know what a disguise is?”

 

“It really is you,” he said, sounding more excited than a few moments before. “What are you doing here?”

 

“I am actually here looking for you. How’s that?” Chaewon smiled sardonically.

 

“And, and with a disguise? What happened, noona?”

 

“Let’s just say that I am on a special mission, a mission I’d like you to cooperate with.”

 

“Anything for you, noona,” he said easily, making Chaewon smile more genuinely.

 

“Alright. I don’t have much info on it for now, but there’s someone we have to shut up.”

 

“And why don’t you get help from the Ravens?” Chaewon’s face darkened.

 

“They won’t do. They can’t know what I’m doing, and you can’t tell anyone.” Taegi’s eyes widened.

 

“You’re going against them?”

 

“More like I’m on a personal mission,” Chaewon sighed. “For now, there’s not much to do, but I wanted to give you a heads up. Be careful.” Taegi nodded solemnly.

 

“I know how to take care of myself.” Chaewon smiled, understanding the irony of his words.

 

“I know you do. I’ll come by when there are news.” Taegi nodded again. “Okay, then. Be seeing you.” Chaewon turned the lights off and walked towards the door.

 

“Ah, and, I’ll probably treat you to a meal soon... maybe.”

 

She still had one more thing to do. Looking to the adjacent houses, she found one with a backyard surrounded by a lattice wall. Climbing over the wall, she tried looking for the water faucet. Once she found it, she opened it, letting the ground beneath get wet. After a minute or two, she started digging with her bare hands.

 

It took her a while, as every now and then she had to open the faucet again, but she finally found the little box she was looking for.

 

“Oh, thank ,” she whispered as she cleared the box from dirt.

 

Returning to the car, she knocked on the window as she told Minju she would. It took a few seconds until the doors were unlocked and Chaewon entered the car.

 

“It’s me,” Chaewon said as she fastened her seat belt. Minju let out a sigh of relief and sat on the driver seat again.

 

“See? Nothing happened, as I said it wouldn’t.” Minju huffed as she turned to car engine on, but didn’t try to give a come back.

 

“What is that in your hands?” she asked instead.

 

“This? Nothing important,” Chaewon answered, hiding the small box inside the sweater. Minju grimaced, but didn’t insist, something that Chaewon was happy about. She didn’t want Minju in any of this shady business... because she didn’t want a nosy person like Minju meddling, of course.

 

When they arrived to Minju’s house, Chaewon got out of the car, waiting for Minju to reach her.

 

“Thanks... for taking me and all. I don’t know if I can still sleep here, but...” Minju smiled slightly.

 

“Follow me.”

 

Minju’s dad was already in his own room, or so Chaewon thought, so the quiet this house had was one that didn’t resemble her own apartment. Different from Eunyoung’s house, this one was a one-story house. It didn’t mean it wasn’t spacious on its own, though.

 

“Are we supposed to sleep here?” Chaewon asked when she saw the single bed smack in the middle of Minju’s room.

 

“Is it not okay?” Minju asked, biting her lip. She hadn’t considered now that Eunyoung claimed to be another person, she wouldn’t feel comfortable with Minju. The thought made her heart ache.

 

“I mean... If that’s okay with you...” Chaewon said, shrugging her shoulders.

 

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Minju smiled. “Come on, I’ll lend you some PJs.”

 

Minju opened one of the drawers and got two pairs of pajamas out. Chaewon cringed when she saw the designs.

 

“Do you sleep with that?” Chaewon asked, judging the pajamas quietly.

 

“Why? What’s wrong with these?”

 

“I mean, they are too... childish?” Minju gasped.

 

“Childish? They are cute!”

 

“What’s cute about damn frogs?”

 

“Frogs can be cute, too!” Minju said, playfully affronted by Chaewon’s words.

 

“I guess.” Chaewon shrugged.

 

“And... here’s your toothbrush.”

 

“Yeah, thanks.” How many times has she said thanks in this whole day? Probably more than in the last 8 years.

 

“The bathroom is across the room with the white door.”

 

“Got it.” Chaewon said, leaving for the bathroom. The bathroom wasn’t as small as she expected, which was more than Chaewon could say for her own apartment.

 

“Ugh, why do I have to wear this ? At least I’m in Eunyoung’s body.” Despite her own personal protests, Chaewon changed into the frog pajamas, finding them surprisingly more comfortable than she expected. She would take that thought to her grave, though.

 

After washing her teeth, she went again to Minju’s room. However, when she opened the door, she found Minju changing. The latter turned around, making Chaewon utter a ‘sorry’ to then slam the door closed.

 

It wasn’t the first time she saw a woman half-, so her flustered reaction confused her.

 

“What the is wrong with me?” she whispered as she touched her cheeks, aware of the heat that had rushed to her face. “Was this Eunyoung a prude? Am I becoming like her?” Chaewon looked at her hands. “Hell no!”

 

The door, opened, making Chaewon straighten her back. God, was she really pathetic.

 

“Uhm, you didn’t have to stay outside.”

 

“I wanted to give you privacy.” Chaewon blushed when Minju raised an eyebrow, as if questioning her real motives.

 

“I’ve become used to you being mean so this is...”

 

“Shut up. Next time I’ll just enter and watch you change.”

 

“If you want to.” Minju shrugged nonchalantly. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

 

The imagery made Chaewon blush even more. Really, what the is wrong with me?!

 

“I’m going to brush my teeth,” Minju said, walking to the bathroom. Chaewon stood there for a few moments, before she gave herself a small slap.

 

Get your together, Kim Chaewon, she thought as she entered Minju’s bedroom. Deciding on sitting on a desk chair, she waited until Minju came back, a few moments later.

 

“Okay, I’m ready. Let’s sleep.” Suffice to say, it was awkward as hell for Chaewon, who rarely slept with someone on the same bed, much less someone that (she grudgingly had to admit) she found this attractive.

 

“Are you okay?” Minju asked, turning around to face Chaewon, who tried turning her face away from Minju.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Do you feel uncomfortable?” she asked, worried.

 

“A little, yeah.” It seemed as if Minju didn’t expect her answer, even when she was the one who asked, as she bit her lip anxiously.

 

“Is it because of me?”

 

“Not really. Just... I usually sleep alone.”

 

“Ah.” But Minju didn’t seem to understand Chaewon’s answer. It was as if she was trying to decipher a puzzle that could only be solved while looking at Eunyoung’s face. Chaewon squirmed, closing her eyes.

 

Damn, she and her mom have the same type of weird stare that looks into your soul.

 

Minju snapped out of it. “Do you want me to go sleep on the couch?”

 

“No, no, no,” Chaewon denied fervently. “No, just... I’ll get used to it, somehow.”

 

Chaewon ended up having no sleep.

--

It was 6 am when Minju woke up. Still quite sleepy, she went through her morning routine, getting ready for her job, as her boss had only given her a few days off to take care of the Eunyoung situation.

 

It wasn’t until she was sipping her coffee on the kitchen counter that she remembered that Eunyoung slept there... and hadn’t been there when she had woken up.

 

“Dad?” The man was sipping his own cup of coffee on the couch while watching the morning news.

 

“Yes, sweetheart?”

 

“Do you know where Eunyoung is?”

 

“She left quite early, said she had things to do.”

 

“Things? She didn’t say what?”

 

“No. You know how she’s been these days. I’d rather not ask too many questions.” Minju sighed, understanding.

 

“And she doesn’t even have a phone,” she murmured, giving her coffee another gulp. “Thanks, dad.”

 

There were many things that had to be taken care of before the wedding. Eunyoung’s car had been totaled, she had lost all of her official documents, and her phone had been destroyed. When Eunyoung had been rescued there was nothing else that could be saved.

 

Minju’s stomach tightened at the memories. How was she going to help Eunyoung? How was Eunyoung going to remember before they got married? Would this new Eunyoung even accept marriage?

 

“I’m leaving, dad.” Perhaps that’s what she needed, some time to herself to think things thoroughly and to wind down for a moment. It didn’t meant that she didn’t worry about Eunyoung’s absence, though.

 

“Good luck, sweetheart.”

 

It had been just a few months ago when she had finished her nursing degree, but thankfully she had managed to secure a job at a prestigious hospital, which meant insane shifts, but it was all worth it.

 

Even then, despite the hectic environment, Minju had managed to make friends, with whom she often spoke to, like the doctor who was rushing hurriedly as Minju walked to her station.

 

“Good morning!” Yena said as she ran past Minju. “Can’t talk, have an appendectomy!”

 

“Good luck!” Minju managed to tell Yena before the woman disappeared.

 

“Good morning, Minju,” Eunbi, the resident cardiologist, said as she arrived at her station.

 

“Good morning, unnie,” Minju greeted in kind, sitting for a moment on her desk chair, wanting to sort out the new array of papers on her desk.

 

“How have you been? Is Eunyoung okay?” Eunbi had been able to meet Eunyoung the few times her fiancee had come to visit, usually coming to get a scoop of a story in progress.

 

“She’s... as well as she can be right now,” Minju answered, smiling bitterly, feeling the worry return with a force. Eunbi arched an eyebrow at the sight of Minju’s expression.

 

“You know you can tell me anything. I’m here for you.” Minju sighed, weighing the pros and cons of telling someone else of Eunyoung’s condition.

 

“It’s Eunyoung. Since she woke up, she hasn’t been the same.”

 

“How? Is she having flashbacks?”

 

“No. Since she woke up, she has denied being Eunyoung, always says she is someone else.”

 

“Have you tried questioning her?” Eunbi asked, already in doctor mode, supporting her back on the wall.

 

“I have. Her backstory is pretty detailed.”

 

“Hmm, has she had any tests done?”

 

“She didn’t want to. As soon as she woke up, she demanded to be discharged.”

 

“You should try to convince her. This might be something more serious,” Eunbi advised, giving a more sympathetic look at Minju. “It might sound bad of me, but maybe this is your chance to see if you both can really make it.” Minju sighed, putting some of the papers inside one of the desk’s drawers.

 

“We are getting married in a month, unnie.”

 

“Then it’s even more urgent,” Eunbi said, walking towards the door. “As much as I find Eunyoung to be charming, I want you to be happy with whatever choice you make.”

 

“I know,” Minju murmured despite Eunbi having already left the room. Soon enough she was paged. A sixty year old man had fallen from the stairs and had signs of a clot in his brain. Rushing to her new priority, she pushed Eunbi’s words aside, wishing she hadn’t told her unnie at all.

 

She didn’t want more doubt filling her heart.

--

Chaewon was now walking towards the address written in Eunyoung’s job ID. It had been a piece of cake to get information on Eunyoung’s job from her parents (after an awkward apology of sorts), who had no worries about letting her inspect her room, probably hoping she was starting to remember.

 

The supposed workplace seemed to be in a more humble neighborhood, as opposed to the bigger and more vibrant parts of this city. The woman worked at a small newspaper, and she realized that as she entered an inconspicuous building with nothing but a small sign taped on the door, putting a name to the place she was entering.

 

As soon as she entered, she was met with everyone’s excited exclamations. Chaewon was annoyed at the noise, but said nothing. She needed to be stealthy.

 

“Yes, yes, haha. Here I am,” she said awkwardly, trying to weasel out of welcomes. Still, people were still ganging on her, and she was dangerously getting close to just pushing people away from her.

 

“Alright. Alright. Please make yourself scarce,” a male voice said, tapping the shoulders of the people in front of her. The people, listening to the man, gave a few steps and left for their desks, but not before wishing Chaewon well.

 

“Agh. I told them they shouldn’t crowd you too much, but I’m sure you understand. You kinda came back after a death or life situation,” the man said, smiling.

 

“Uh-huh.”

 

“I’m pretty sure I sent a message to your phone so you wouldn’t come back to work.”

 

“Uh, my phone was broken,” Chaewon awkwardly explained.

 

“Ah, should’ve known,” the man said, snapping his fingers. “But yeah, I’d rather you take some days off.”

 

“Sure,” Chaewon agreed readily, thinking it was one more thing off her back. “I just need to check some notes.”

 

“Just some notes? And then you’ll go home?” he asked, smiling complacently when Chaewon nodded. “Then go. Don’t take too long, though.”

 

Chaewon walked away from the man (Eunyoung’s boss?), trying to look for her desk. It should be an empty desk, right? She found the empty desk at the corner at the back of the building, sitting down on the chair.

 

“Okay, let’s turn on this computer,” Chaewon murmured as she pushed the computer’s button. Waiting for the computer to do its thing, she inspected the cubicle. It was quite small, but it had some things decorating it, like a rubber duck next to the screen and small “hang in there” poster. Did Eunyoung have a ty sense of humor?

 

“Eunyoung? Why are you on Seongon’s computer?” a woman asked, puzzled.

 

Chaewon froze, not knowing how to answer. “Ah, uh. My head is still a little... bad,” she cringed at her explanation. “Do you know where my cubicle is?”

 

The woman looked surprised for a moment, but then smiled. “Of course. Follow me.”

 

“Are you okay?” the woman asked as they both walked through the building.

 

“Ah, I guess not. There are some things I don’t remember.”

 

“Is your fiancee one of those things?” Chaewon arched a brow at the flirty tone the woman used.

 

“What if it is?” the woman’s smile widened.

 

“Then maybe we could arrange something.”

 

“Maybe we can.” Chaewon had no interest for the woman, but she hoped the woman would have some insight about the investigation Eunyoung was doing.

 

“Well, here is your office. Text me later?”

 

“I lost my phone. Can you give me your number?” The woman, took a pen from her shirt pocket and wrote her phone number on Chaewon’s arm.

 

“So you don’t forget.” She winked.

 

“I don’t think I could,” Chaewon flirted in kind, caressing the woman’s hand slightly before walking towards the office. “See you.”

 

Finally sitting on Eunyoung’s leather chair, she turned the computer on.

 

‘Is she the top dog here or what?’ Chaewon thought as she grabbed the pen next to the keyboard. She opened a drawer from the wooden desk and rummaged through some papers. Nothing relevant to her. She finally found a blank sheet and grabbed it, putting it on the desk.

 

‘Is Eunyoung cheating on Minju?’ was the next thought she had as she drew random shapes on the paper. ‘What a piece of . Why would someone do that to Minju?’ She stopped drawing when the last thought passed through her head. ‘What the am I thinking? It’s not my problem.’

 

When the computer was finally , Chaewon started searching on it for whatever she could get. ‘Thank she doesn’t have a password.’

 

It took her a few minutes to finally locate what she was looking for.

 

“Aha, this investigation is for... The Pit?” Chaewon read Eunyoung’s notes for a moment, stopping after a certain point. “Is she a ? Why is she even...?”

 

This was bad, bad news.

 

For Eunyoung, at least.

 

Printing out the document, she skulked in the office for a moment, looking for any other things that could be important to her. Finally, she decided to open chrome, to see if she could see through Eunyoung’s social media and emails.

 

Finding one strange email, she opened it, reading through it.

 

‘Yes, it would be better if this was kept at the most secrecy.

 

Here is the archive for The Pit’s finances and proof of their ties with a local gang and a club in the area.

 

As always, don’t mention the whistleblower.’

 

“Is this guy a ?” she exclaimed under her breath. She also printed the document that came with the email. Finally turning the computer off, she took the pages and hid them in her jacket and rushed outside the office.

 

Walking downstairs, she met that man again.

 

“Oh, I was about to go check on you,” he said kindly, stopping in front of her.

 

“Ah, that’s not... I’m leaving now.”

 

“Thankfully. I thought I would have to force you out of here,” he joked. “Go rest, Eunyoung. Your work won’t go anywhere.”

 

“Yes, of course. See you later,” Chaewon said, trying to minimize the interactions she had with the rest of Eunyoung’s coworkers. However, after walking for a few steps, she stopped, turning back to Eunyoung’s office.

 

Getting into the room, she turned the computer on. Quickly getting into the computer’s settings, she added a password.

 

There was something about that dude that’s fake as . Was he Eunyoung’s rival? Still, she’d rather be safe than sorry.

 

Finally leaving the building, she started walking towards the bus stop, but stopped when she remembered. She doesn’t have a phone. She could steal one? Maybe rob a random person.

 

Hiding on an alley, she waited patiently for the perfect idiot to pass. Grabbing a tree branch when she heard footsteps, she looped an arm against that person’s neck, jabbing the branch against his back.

 

“W-wha-what...?”

 

“Give me your phone,” Chaewon commanded gruffly.

 

“Wha-no-I-” the man babbled.

 

“If you want to live, give me the phone,” Chaewon barked, jabbing the man even more harshly.

 

“Y-y-yes! Of course!” the man said, looking in his pockets for the phone. “H-here it is.”

 

“Throw it on the ground.”

 

“Agh,” the man coughed when Chaewon applied pressure on his neck. When he threw it on the floor, Chaewon let the man go, but not before hitting him hardly on his neck’s pressure point, making him fall on the floor, unconscious.

 

“Tch, he fell on the phone,” she scoffed as she moved the man’s body to retrieve the phone. Opening the phone, she took the chip out and threw on the ground. “Can’t have this reach Eunyoung,” she mumbled, arming the phone again and putting it in her pocket.

 

Walking towards the bus stop, she stopped abruptly, thinking on using the money Eunyoung’s parents had given her to buy the chip the phone needed.

 

It would probably take her a while.