"Yo, Jay, I'll be eating lunch with Jungwoo, he needs some help. Go give the lunch to Yerim okay? I'll give Johnny his," Doyoung said as he patted Jaehyun's shoulder.

Jaehyun nodded as he went straight to his desk, a bit confused because his—new, ehem—girlfriend is nowhere in sight. His cellphone is left on his table, though.

"Is she at the morgue?" He thought to himself. He decided to check it himself. He went to the basement only to find her office empty. Her bag is still there but her cellphone is gone, so she's probably going out somewhere. Jaehyun felt his own cell phone vibrating and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Jay! It's me, Taeyong. Hey, can you help write this one report? I've done the majority of it; you just need to fill in little details of your observations during the stakeout."

"Oh, sure. I’m still downstairs at the morgue, though. Just put the document on my desk, I'll get to it after this," Jaehyun agreed before ending the call. He decided to leave the food on her desk along with a cute little note before he headed back upstairs to work on the report.

The office upstairs is pretty vacant when he arrived upstairs. Doyoung and Jungwoo are probably in Team 2's meeting room. Johnny and Taeyong are probably with the chief. Jaehyun ate his lunch in silence whilst finishing the report diligently.

"Hey, Jay. Is it done?"

Jaehyun looked up to see Taeyong peering down at him.

"Yeah, yeah. Here have this," Jaehyun gave the document to the male.

"Thanks, dude. I owe you a lot. By the way, do you have a piece of paper? Scraps, whatever. I need to take some notes quickly. About to see the chief again," Taeyeong said again, pointing his thumb at the direction of the chief’s office.

"Sure, wait up." Jaehyun rummaged his messy desk and pulled a random paper with a clean backside before giving it away.

"Thanks, dude!" Taeyong grinned before jogging back to the chief's office.

Jaehyun finished his lunch and tidied up his desk, and he saw a scrap paper that Yerim wrote on. It contained the names of the previous victims and Jaehyun saw the last thing she wrote.

Possible next victim: 34 years old. Has a tattoo. Used to live in the states. New clue: initials S.Y.H.

Jaehyun grinned. Yerim is indeed a great addition to their team. She's truly a genius. She just discovered a new clue by herself. This would be a great hint. Jaehyun lifted a few more papers, trying to see if she left anything else only to find a note that Yerim stuck on the edge of his desk. He smiled as he took it off. What did she possibly write, huh? His brows raised when he finally read the note.

Open your drawer, the first one.

Read the letter. I made Officer Na Jaemin install his tracking app on both of our phones, Please respond to my SOS—though I hope I don't have to activate my SOS mode.

If I'm not back after half an hour, meet me there.

Bring back up, possibly ambulance too.

And please protect my brother, don't let him come.

I'll be fine. Stay safe. I love you.

-YR.

Jaehyun felt his heart hammering in alarm as he quickly opened his drawer, immediately finding a light blue envelope that was addressed to Johnny. His eyes scanned the letter and he balked. He then remembered what Yerim wrote.

34 years old. Has a tattoo. Used to live in the States. Initials S.Y.H.

Seo Youngho!

Johnny was the final target. The killer sent this to lure Johnny in and Yerim took the bait for his brother! Jaehyun glanced at his wristwatch. Yerim said to find her after half an hour. It's been at least an hour after he last saw her! He bolted from his seat, running to see Jaemin. See if that boy knows what’s up.

“Officer Na!”

Officer Na Jaemin waved his hand happily from his desk while munching on a chocolate bar.

“Detective Jung! What a surprise! Everyone’s visiting me right now! First, Dr. Kim, and th—”

“Yerim made you install an app on our phones?” Jaehyun asked immediately.

“Oh, yeah! Go see it for yourself. It has amazing new features! It has a S.O.S button now, so if the victim hit the button, the app will send—"

He grabbed his phone, ready to open the application Officer Na mentioned when the screen turned red and a big S.O.S was projected. A loud sound was blaring through his phone, catching the attention of officers that passed by and Jaehyun saw a link to a coordinate that showed a location.

“—a coordinate of the victim. That’s Dr. Kim’s coordinate! She paired the app on her phone to yours! She said she was testing something. Maybe she—”

Jaehyun groaned, “No. Oh, no. Officer Na, please keep track of her location. I’m going there. , I’m ed!”

Officer Na Jaemin nodded in confusion, opening his own tracking app on his computer.

Jaehyun groaned as he went back to his desk. Yerim is smart. And she went there prepared. But still, it worries him that she's meeting a potential serial killer. He struggled to turn the volume down as he saw the chief's office door opened.

"What's this noise?"

Jaehyun saw Johnny approaching him curiously.

"J-John... your sister..." Jaehyun paled, offering his team leader the letter.

“What’s with Katie?” Johnny took the letter from Jaehyun's hands and his eyes widened immediately.

"That bastard. And Kate! God, don’t tell me… Kate went there?!"

Jaehyun nodded as he took his gun from his second drawer, firmly securing it on his lower back, tucking it into his pants. He took a handcuff just to be safe, shoving it as well behind his back.

"I'll be going there."

"What? No! Jay, look—"

"No. Johnny, hear me out. You should not come first. That's not wise, the killer was targeting you all along. Look, I'll go in first. Call up Doyoung, gather a backup team. And bring ambulance. Depart as soon as the team is ready. Take less than ten minutes. And read this while you're at it. I'll get going."

“Jaehyun…” Johnny grabbed his arm.

Jaehyun sent his team leader a pointed look.

Johnny sighed and nodded, "Fine. Okay. And Jay? Please save her. Please. Just… make sure she's not harmed. Take care. I’ll get there as soon as possible with help."

Jaehyun nodded firmly, "I will. You too, take care."

___

Jaehyun glanced at his phone as he ran with all his might. The coordinates on the GPS app showed that Yerim is located inside the pharmacy.

They were right all along! The pharmacists were suspicious.

Jaehyun saw the 'Closed' sign and slammed the door opened, thankful that it wasn't locked. He saw Jaewon sweeping the floor and the man jumped when he saw him.

"D-Detective!"

The gear inside Jaehyun's brain turned. The built of the killer he almost caught... It's identical to Mr. Seo! And the shorter one who got caught on the precinct's CCTV for dropping Seol Yehwa's body… it's Jaewon! Their theory was right. It wasn’t a copycat murder; it was rather a murderer with an accomplice.

"Yerim. Where is she?" Jaehyun asked as he approached the man.

"W-what are you talking about? W-who?"

Jaehyun grabbed the shorter man's collar and shook him, "Where did your boss take her? I knew you knew. Unless you want me to put you on death parole for murder accomplice, tell me this instant."

The man cried out, "I'm innocent! Please don't kill me! Save me! The boss... Boss will kill me if I told you!"

"You tell me first. And then I'll make sure the prosecution office will lessen your sentence."

Jaewon gulped and his eyes moved around as he's conflicted.

"Or I can just kill you now. I'm a cop. The court will believe whatever I said," Jaehyun said as he reached back to take out his gun.

Jaewon's eyes widened and his body shook from fear vehemently, "No, no! Please! I swear I never killed anyone! Please!"

"Then tell me. Where. Is. She?" Jaehyun grunted.

"B-back bathroom. Go inside and take a left turn. Boss brought her there. He hasn't killed her yet. Go save her," Jaewon stammered.

Jaehyun released his choke hold and dragged the man to the counter roughly. He cuffed the man to the counter for good measure before making a run to the said location. He kicked the door opened and gasped when he saw his girlfriend’s familiar figure floating inside the bathtub. Her long blonde hair was dyed black. Panic rises within him.

"Yerim!"

He quickly took her out. She was unconscious. He laid her down on the floor and positioned himself for CPR. That's the least he could do to save her until Johnny came with help. He kept praying as he did the chest compression, feeling instant relief when suddenly her chest rumbled and she choked out a gush of water.

"Yerim? Yerim? Kate? Hey, it's me. Can you hear me?" He asked as he patted her cheeks. She was completely delirious and was drifting in and out of consciousness. Her eyes were still closed and she wasn’t responding to his shouting.

"Yerim? Yerim! Stay with me. Yerim, sweetheart," he shook her body firmly, trying not to freak out.

"Who the hell are you! Stay away!"

Jaehyun didn't even get to turn around and respond to the sudden incoming voice when he felt a searing burn on his left shoulder. He yelped and turned to see Mr. Seo, the pharmacist, with a gun in his hand.

"You bastard!"

Using his right hand, Jaehyun swiftly pulled his own gun from his pants and fired a shot to the pharmacist's leg, causing him to fall with a groan. The man cursed and lifted his armed hand, directing it to Jaehyun.

With a groan Jaehyun duck, feeling a new burning sensation coursing through his left shoulder again.

. He just got shot twice, at nearly the same location. His shoulder is going to be seriously busted after this.

With rage fueling him, he fired another shot, this time to the man's hand, causing the gun to fall out of his grip, and causing the man to cry out in pain.

Jaehyun pressed the wound on his left shoulder, feeling a combination of both pain and numbness before he dragged his body towards the man.

"You sick bastard. You're gonna get caught. You'll get sentenced to death," Jaehyun growled, seething with absolute rage.

The man grinned, "I'd better make more crime if that means I'm going to die anyway, right?" The man stood up on one leg before dropping his entire weight on Jaehyun, causing the latter to cry out in pain.

"Oh, how would our dear Youngho feel to see this scene? His sister and his partner dying. Sweet."

Jaehyun struggled to turn over, feeling an unbearable pain pulsing through his left arm and back.

"!" He groaned before using every ounce of strength his arms have to push the guy away. It's almost futile. He panted, clenching his eyes shut in defeat as he began to lose strength.

"Freeze!"

Jaehyun looked up in relief when he saw Doyoung and a few other officers filing in, armed and geared. Doyoung was pointing his gun fearlessly at Mr. Seo, his brows furrowed and eyes glaring. Further relief coursed through Jaehyun’s body when he saw several paramedics approaching Yerim and lifting her up into a stretcher.

Jaehyun groaned when a few officers dragged Mr. Seo away from him and he winced when he saw a pool of blood next to his shoulder. He closed his eyes. Yerim is at least being taken care of. That’s what’s mattered. She’s safe.

"Jaehyun? Dude, Jay, hey, stay awake, the next batch of paramedics will come shortly," Doyoung squatted beside him, pressing the wound, trying to minimize the bleeding.

"Yerim first. Save her first. I could wait," Jaehyun croaked out painfully, feeling sweat dripping from every single pore of his body, writhing in pain as Doyoung applied continuous pressure to his wounded shoulder.

"We brought along two medical teams. Two ambulances. Both of you will be saved. Jay, open your eyes, listen to me. Jaehyun? Hey, buddy, you gotta stay awake. Jaehyun, please," Doyoung said as he tapped Jaehyun's cheek repeatedly.

It's ing painful. His chest hurts since that bastard pharmacist sat on top of him. His shoulder felt like hell and he's probably already bleeding to death right now. Jaehyun closed his eyes tightly, feeling his own breath getting labored. He knew he had to stay awake but it’s impossible to do so when his own hands were trembling and sweating, his whole body covered with perspiration and his own blood, and his shoulder hurting so bad to the point that he started to feel numb.

The last thing he saw was Yerim finally secured on a stretcher and taken out by 4 paramedics, before he saw black.

___

Johnny ran inside and he gulped when he saw his beloved sister, surrounded by medical staffs, wet and unconscious. He winced at her newly dyed black hair that faded at the roots. He then saw his best friend, his teammate, his right-hand man, laying in a pool of his own blood. He saw Doyoung screaming trying to wake the man up as more paramedics streamed in to take the bleeding detective into a stretcher.

"Detective Seo, the killer's outside. We'll bring him to the precinct and lock him up," an officer informed him.

"I'll see him first," Youngho said distractedly as he followed the paramedics that wheeled Jaehyun outside. He sighed as he watched the two ambulances departed.

"Where's the culprit?" He asked again and he saw Doyoung waving him over. Doyoung was now talking to a short guy they met at the front desk, Jaewon, who told them where to find Yerim and Jaehyun. Meanwhile an officer is talking to another man, possibly the killer, who were receiving treatments from two paramedics as well.

Youngho gave Doyoung a nod and walked towards the officer, pausing when he faintly recognized the man with a bleeding leg and hand.

"Long time no see, son."

Youngho froze at his place. He recognized the face and voice almost instantly. Someone he hasn't seen in 32 years. Someone who beat him up when he still learned to walk, someone who beat his own mother to pulp, someone who made his childhood a living hell. The man laughed cynically, earning weird looks from other officers.

"You caught me, huh? That's good. At least I got to see you again. I was thinking of sending your body to the precinct as a gift. But then, letting you see the people you love dying was a better idea, I guess. Nice to finally see how my son grew up into such a fine young man."

Doyoung gaped in disbelief when he walked towards the two tall men. The officer who was holding the man down gasped as well in shock.

Son?

"No matter how many times you and that of a mother you have hid behind that bastard Kim Myunghoon… You're still my son. Right?" The man cackled evilly.

Youngho tensed up, his hands balled into fists by his side. "I'm not your son. You sick bastard." He stomped away and left.

Doyoung sighed. The drama never stops, seemingly.

___

Youngho ran along the emergency ward corridor to see the chief standing awkwardly there.

“Chief!”

"Johnny, hey. I've contacted your parents. I couldn't reach Jay's parents since they're abroad."

"I-I'll call them. H-how are they?"

Chief Kim Joonmyun pointed to a direction and Youngho saw a group of doctors putting a tube inside his sister's throat and pumping out her stomach content. He watched another doctor put an IV line into her arm and injecting some medicine to her. He turned his head away and shut his eyes, groaning before slowly slipping down to the floor.

"Hey, hey, don't worry. Jaehyun came on time. She hadn't drowned for more than two minutes. Her lungs are fine. She was drugged, yes, and the doctors are working to take it out of her system. Let's just pray for the best, okay?" The chief crouched down, patting his shoulder.

"And Jay?"

The chief sighed, "He lost quite a lot of blood. Two shots on his left shoulder. He's in surgery now. But he'll be fine. I believe so. They'll be fine, John."

Chief Kim squeezed his shoulder, "I'll handle the administration. You should take a rest until your parents come. I'll call Jongin. The prosecution office will cooperate with us now. No more Yoon Sangho. I can promise you that."

Youngho weakly nodded. Doyoung came running and found his team leader slumped on the floor, sitting against the wall, looking lifeless.

"Johnny!"

Doyoung squatted down near his friend, "Hey."

Youngho turned to face his friend. "That bastard... that sick bastard… he's my biological father, Doy."

Doyoung blinked his eyes, trying to process the information, and proceed to nod.

"My own father... he nearly killed my sister and my best friend. Doyoung-ah… Am I cursed? What did I do wrong in my past life?"

Doyoung could only pull the taller man into his arms as he wept his eyes out. Doyoung swore, he'd put that sick bastard in jail, and he will make it sure himself that the er will have the heaviest sentence he could get.