Yerim stretched out her back when her alarm rang. She opened her bleary eyes and glanced around at the unfamiliar environment.

“Ah, right, oppa’s apartment,” she mused.

She usually woke up early to help her mother cook breakfast. She figured she probably should make breakfast for the potentially hungry three adult men who slept under the same roof as her. She went to the en-suite bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth before tiptoeing outside.

Detective Kim Doyoung was knocked out on the sofa, sleeping with his mouth open, a soft snore coming out of him. Meanwhile Detective Jung Jaehyun was on the carpeted floor, sleeping on his stomach, probably because of his hurting back that he constantly complained yesterday.

Yerim tiptoed to the kitchen and tried to make as minimal noise as possible as she opened the fridge. Her brother had some packed side dishes from home and also some eggs. She could make some steamed eggs and probably… fried rice? It’s quick and filling so all four of them could have energy to pass the day.

She decided to start on the coffee first, knowing that they all couldn’t function properly without some caffeine surge. She let the coffee machine did it job while she moved to crack some eggs into the biggest dolsot her brother owned—which wasn’t that big either—and mixed some seasonings. She chopped up some scallions she found on the bottom rack of the fridge, hoping it’s still good enough to be eaten. Her brother only had instant rice so she popped four into the microwave before she moved to chop some kimchi and seasoned spinach, throwing it into a bowl and mixing it with sesame oil and several other ingredients she managed to find in her brother’s upsetting fridge.

The microwave beeped, and Yerim took out the cooked rice, mixing it in the big bowl along with the kimchi and several side dishes before throwing it in the pan to fry them up a bit. Meanwhile in the living room, Jaehyun woke up to the smell of food. He usually wakes up to the obnoxious sound of his blaring alarm so it’s quite weird.

Is he dreaming or does he actually smell some coffee?

He blinked his eyes open and sat up, rubbing his face. The first sight he saw was Doyoung drooling in his sleep.

Ah, right. He’s staying over at Johnny’s. He stretched his sore back and stood up, nearly jumping out in shock when he saw Johnny’s sister waving a spatula at him.

“Good morning Detective Jung. Did I wake you up?”

He cleared his throat and approached the kitchen.

“Want some coffee?” She offered.

Jaehyun blinked his sleepy eyes. “Ah, Johnny’s still sleeping in his room. I’ll just… wash my face in the sink then,” he croaked as he the faucet and began vigorously rubbing his face with just water.

“Now I’m awake. Uhm, where’s the coffee?” He spoke up again.

“I’ll go make them!” Yerim chirped, turning back to face the coffee machine. She had seen her own brother when just wake up but his friend here is… damn.

Yerim never knew that a man could be this hot with his just-woke-up voice and the way his face looks after he washed it. That Jung Detective is a smoky piece of hell.

“Uhh.. Sugar? Cream?” She turned around to face him who was looking at her intently.

“One teaspoon of sugar, please,” he smiled, chuckling to himself. He could see the girl was kind of flustered.

“Here it is, Detective Jung,” Yerim passed him the mug before quickly bolting to tend to her steamed eggs.

“What are those? It smelled so nice it woke me up from sleep,” Jaehyun commented as he sipped his coffee.

“Steamed eggs and fried rice. There aren’t that many, uh… viable, ingredients in my brother’s fridge. I could only make that,” she answered.

“I’m totally okay and grateful for that. Usually we settled for bagels and Americano from the café near the precinct,” Jaehyun grinned.

They heard the door to Youngho’s bedroom opened, revealing the owner of the apartment.

“Smelled nice. Did you cook, Kate?” Johnny mumbled in his half-asleep state.

Jaehyun grinned. So, Johnny talked to his sister in English when he’s half-asleep.

“Yes, now go wash your face and brush your teeth first. I made coffee, but go make yourself look presentable first,” Yerim retorted back in English and Youngho obediently followed his sister’s request.

“When I first met Johnny, we talked solely in English. We found it more comfortable that way than to talk in Korean. But when other people are around, we switched to Korean. Even now, sometimes we still converse in English,” Jaehyun mused, unconsciously in English.

Yerim gulped. That smoking Jaehyun guy sounds even hotter talking in English. God, she needs to collect herself. This man is a freaking behavior analyst and she definitely didn’t want to be seen like a spazzing pre-teen when she’s already 30!

“You don’t have to be awkward with me, you know. You could also stop calling me Detective Jung. It’s a bit awkward, and people in the States didn’t really call each other with title like that too,” Jaehyun chuckled as he watched the girl fidgets.

“But you’re older than me. I don't think it's polite to call you just by your first name,” she reasoned, decided she’ll talk to him in English as well.

“Eh, it’s fine with me, though. I called your brother and Doyoung by their name even though they’re older,” Jaehyun grinned before sipping his coffee.

“Should I call you Jaehyun-sshi then?” Yerim grinned.

“Fine with me, Dr. Kim,” he grinned back.

“I thought we decided to be on the first name basis? We’re going to be work partners, right?” J

aehyun laughed, “Alright then, Yerim-sshi.”

__

"Guys, I got the list from Jeno," Doyoung waved a folder to the two detectives.

"Sweet, tell me about them," Youngho rolled his chair closer to Doyoung's desk as the man sat on top of his table.

"Shoot, screw this. We got….20 names."

"Twenty?! I thought we were already pretty specific. 30 years old female who used to live in the States. Try to get more specific! God, I haven't seen what's inside, I don't think we'll get this many," Doyoung groaned. 

"We'll have to split up then. And then ask around if they have any tattoos. Then we'll round it up there," Jaehyun sighed.

"Let's split into two groups. So, each group handled 10 people. How about we split up the area first? Let's check the address of each potential victim," Youngho said.

The three people grouped the names into two area.

"Alright, we've got 10 names each. How should we split up?" Jaehyun asked.

"I didn't bring my car so I'll have to join either one of you. I took a cab here today since I'm planning on crashing on Johnny's again tonight," Doyoung grinned.

"What? Who said you're welcomed to stay at my place?!" Youngho grunted.

"Great! I'll go with you then. Jay, you can handle the interview alone, right?" Doyoung winked, ignoring Youngho completely.

Youngho sighed, "You can bring my sister, she's good at talking and both of your observant traits could be helpful. The 10 most potential names are on this list. You can go there with Kate."

Jaehyun nodded, "Okay. Can you call your sister upstairs? I mean I don't have her number… You know what never mind, I'll go to the morgue."

"Wait, wait. Let's not waste time. Let me send her numbers to you. While we wait for her let's map up our route first. The people may not be at home since it's working hours so we might have to re-route later," Youngho instructed.

Jaehyun nodded, opening up his cell phone and receiving Yerim's contact immediately. "Go call her, I'll talk to the chief first to tell him we're going. Doyoung, map up our route," Youngho said before standing up.

Doyoung sent him a thumbs up and Jaehyun called Yerim.

"Hello...Dr. Kim? This is Detective Jung."

"Oh? What's wrong? Did you get my number from Johnny oppa?"

"Ah, yes. Your brother wanted you to come to interview the potential victims. We've got twenty names. He'll be going with Detective Kim so it left you with me."

"Are we departing now? I'm useless here anyways. Should I go upstairs now?"

"Well, that would be nice, Dr. Kim."

"Okay! Wait for me! And oh, aren't we on an agreement on not being too formal?"

Jaehyun chuckled, "Ah, right. Well, I'll be waiting upstairs, Yerim-sshi."

Jaehyun stared at the list and began making a priority list on who to visit first. It's all within nearby areas but he needs to map out things first.

"Hey, I've told the chief. Doyoung, let's go first. Are you done with the mapping?"

"Nearly done. Let's finish it in your car. Yah, Jay, you'll be fine right with Dr. Kim?" Doyoung said as he grabbed his belongings.

"I'll be alright," Jaehyun nodded, giving the man a thumbs up.

"Okay. Take care of Katie for me. We'll go first. Let's notify each other if one of us is already done so we can help each other," Youngho patted his shoulder.

Jaehyun nodded again before going back to his list.

10 names, 10 different residencies. He'll have to be efficient.

"Jaehyun-sshi?"

Jaehyun looked back to see Yerim standing near his desk. Youngho dropped him and Doyoung at the station earlier this morning and he went home to shower before going back so he didn't see Yerim again after breakfast. She looked cute in an oversized checkered shirt and jeans. She always dressed neatly since she's a doctor but maybe because she's been tagging along with them, her way of dressing changed a bit to accommodate the required mobility.

"Oh, Yerim-sshi. Shall we go now? We have a long day ahead of us."

"Sure. Let's go," Yerim smiled.

He led her to his car and opened the passenger door for her.

"My car isn't as nice as your brother's but this would suffice," he smiled.

Yerim entered the Kona with a grin, "As long as it could take us places, Jaehyun-sshi."

Jaehyun started the car, "So, we're supposed to interview ten people today. See if they fit our criteria."

"That sounds like a lot…"

Jaehyun chuckled, "Well, it has been established that the ten women we're interviewing are all 30 years of age and has lived in the States at certain point of their life."

"So, we need to find out if she has any tattoos, and she's supposed to not have black hair, right? I mean our killer most likely dyed the hair of the previous three victims," Yerim said.

Jaehyun nodded, "That's right. The interview itself shouldn't take long. But maneuvering between people is going to be hard since there are possibilities that they're at work, not at home."

"Okay then. So, who's the first female?"

"It's Kim Ayoung. She lived around this area," Jaehyun stated as his car stopped in front of an apartment complex.

"The other person on the list, Seol Hari lived in the apartment complex across it. You didn't mind walking, right?" Jaehyun asked.

Yerim shrugged, "Good thing I'm wearing sneakers."

Jaehyun grinned, "Alrighty then. Let's go."

The two of them entered the apartment complex and into the elevator that will bring them to Kim Ayoung's unit.

"Unit 1220…. 1220… Here it is," Jaehyun mused before pressing the bell.

The door was instantly opened, revealing a tanned girl with green ombre hair.

"Yes?"

"Good morning, ma'am. I'm Detective Jung Jaehyun and this is Dr. Kim Yerim, we're from Seoul Yongdeungpo Police Station. Is this the residence of Ms. Kim Ayoung?"

The lady nodded, "Yes, Kim Ayoung is my sister. Why are you guys looking for her? She's still in the States."

"Can we have a little talk...Miss?"

"Kim Shinyoung. Please do come in."

The two of them entered the apartment, which was very eccentric.

"Did my sister commit any crimes? She might look wild but she's mostly good," the woman said defensively.

"Ah, no, Miss Kim. It's just that there have been three murders happening around Yongdeungpo area. Our investigation led to the clue that the next possible victim would be a female that is 30 years old and has lived in the States. It's also important to note and the female didn't have black hair and has any sort of tattoos. Did your sister fit into the category?" Jaehyun explained.

The woman gasped before picking up a picture frame from the coffee table.

"This is my younger sister Ayoung. This picture was taken last week. She's the one with the pink hair. Yes she's 30 and as you can see about the tattoo…"

Yerim nodded, remembering the face. Kim Ayoung had bright bubblegum pink hair that reached her waist, tanned skin, and a sleeve full of tattoos and also a nose piercing.

"Did she used to live in the States?"

"My sister is a tattoo artist. She lives in New York, only coming back home once in a while. She came here last week for my birthday, but she probably won't come back until Christmas."

Jaehyun nodded. "We advised you to tell your sister to stay back in the US until this case is cleared. Her profile fits the murderer's criteria, and it's unsafe for her to be here."

"Alright, I'll tell her that. And I hope the case will quickly be solved. It's scary knowing a killer is still on the run, haunting the neighborhood."

"We hoped for the same thing, Miss Kim. This is the number of our precinct. Should you need any assistance or if you suspected anything, please do not hesitate to contact the number or go straight to the precinct. We'll be glad to help and offer safety to the citizens," Jaehyun bowed.

"Thank you so much, Detective. Hope the case got solved well," the woman bowed back as she received the name card.

Yerim and Jaehyun bid goodbye to the woman before walking out of the apartment to the next destination.

"It's good that Kim Ayoung is out of the country. She might not be our prime suspect victim, but to be safe we still need to put her sister on our list. They look pretty similar, the killer might confuse the two of them," Yerim said as she crossed Kim Ayoung's name from the list.

"I agreed. 1 down, 9 to go. So, Seol Hari is next. Let's go."

The two of them entered the next apartment complex and went straight to the fifth floor where Seol Hari lives. Jaehyun pressed the bell and came face to face with a lady with light brown hair. She could be her.

"Good morning. I'm Detectice Jung Jaehyun and this is my partner Dr. Kim Yerim from Seoul Yongdeungpo Police Station. We're here to ask Seol Hari's testimony on something. Is this her residence?"

The woman nodded, "Ah yes, Hari is going to the convenience store downstairs. Would you like to come inside? I'm Seol Yehwa, her cousin."

"Ah, we'd love that. Thank you," Yerim bowed as she went inside.

They sat on the couch as the lady served them a cup of tea each before excusing herself to finish her work. Apparently, she worked as a painter and the pair spent the time waiting for Seol Hari by watching her cousin paints near the window. After ten minutes, a light brown-haired lady entered the apartment loudly.

"Unnie! I've bought the bread! Shal--Oh, we have guests? I'm sorry," the woman bowed and grinned sheepishly.

"Hari, they're from the police station and they're looking for you," the cousin said without looking away from her painting. Seol Hari blinked confusedly before sitting across Jaehyun and Yerim.

"Good morning, Miss Seol. I'm Detective Jung Jaehyun and this is my partner Dr. Kim Yerim. We're here to ask you some questions."

"Don't worry, we're not here to arrest you. You're cleared from any crimes!" Yerim quickly added when she detected the panic look in the girl's eyes.

"Oh… okay. I got scared for a second," the girl chuckled nervously.

"So, Miss Seol, here in Yongdeungpo, 3 murders had occurred and it's possibly by the same killer. We've looked into the pattern and stuffs, and we predicted that the next possible victim would probably be a 30 years old female that used to live in the States. Did you fit the criteria?"

The woman nodded nervously, "Well, if you put it that way then yes. I used to go to RISD with my cousin there. She studied painting and I studied graphic design. We lived in Rhode Island for 6 years."

Yerim nodded and took her notes. "Miss Seol, did you perhaps have any tattoo?" Yerim asked carefully.

"Tattoo? Me? No! I don't do tattoos. Why?"

Jaehyun sighed in relief, "That's good to hear. All of our victims had some sorts of tattoo so we think the next victim--hopefully there isn't any--will have a tattoo as well. But should you feel any suspicion or anything, this is our precinct contact information. You could call our hotline or go straight there."

The girl nodded, "Alright. I hope I'm not the next target. I rarely left the apartment since my cousin and I mostly do freelance work from home. Hope it'll keep me safe."

"We hope so. You have CCTVs installed, right?" Yerim asked.

"Yeah, one in the balcony and one in front of the door."

"That's a relief. We'll get going then. Thank you so much for your time, Miss Seol."

"Likewise, Detective, and Doctor."

__

Jaehyun and Yerim sat inside the car as they read their list. Out of ten people, they’ve interviewed six. And out of the six, two people weren't at home so they have to reroute and visit them in their workplace. So far only one person that ticked all of the box, which was Kim Ayoung who was still abroad.

"Four more to go, Jaehyun-sshi. And I'm starving already," Yerim sighed.

"Han Gyuri, Shim Yonghee, Alisa Park, and Min Chaeyul. Four more. To Han Gyuri's place first. Shim Yonghee apparently lived in the same building, only on different floors," Jaehyun said as he parked his car.

"Alright, let's go!" Yerim followed Jaehyun to the third floor and knocked on the door. It opened, revealing a very tall woman with black pixie cut hair. Yerim inwardly crosses her out of the list since she has black hair. Jaehyun sighed, repeating his introductory lines for the seventh time today.

"Oh, please come in," the woman said.

Jaehyun politely shook his head. "We just wanted to ask a few questions, Miss Han. Regarding to what I said, is it true that you are 30 years and you used to live in the States?"

"Yeah. I used to live in Texas."

"Miss Han, do you perhaps have any tattoos?" Yerim asked.

"No, I don't. Why?"

"That's a relief. The murderer had a particularity to tattooed people. I think that's all that we can ask. Thank you very much for your time, Miss Han. Should you need any police assistance, this is the precinct hotline number," Jaehyun bowed before handing her a card.

Yerim bowed as well before following Jaehyun to the elevator.

"Shim Yonghee is next, right?"

"Yep."

They went to the seventh floor and was met with a small commotion of a man and a woman fighting. They were throwing insults at one another in the middle of the hallway and Jaehyun and Yerim stopped in their tracks, unsure of what to do. The woman threw her hands up in defeat before briskly going to a unit.

"Hey, that's our girl, Shim Yonghee! Unit 708, right?" Yerim whispered.

"I think so. Should we step in?" Jaehyun bent down and whispered back to Yerim's ear, causing the girl to shiver at the older guy's voice.

Focus, Kim Yerim!

Yerim cleared and nodded, walking to unit 708 nervously since the man and woman were still arguing at the door.

"Excuse me, are you perhaps Miss Shim Yonghee?" Yerim spoke up.

The couple stopped fighting instantaneously.

"Yes, it's me. Who are you?"

Yerim smiled, deciding to do the introduction for once since she knew Jaehyun is probably sick of doing it already. "I am Dr. Kim Yerim, and this is my partner Detective Jung Jaehyun. We're from Seoul Yongdeungpo Police Station. We'd like to ask you a few questions, if we may."

"Are you really doing drugs? You !"

Yerim balked when the man started firing insults at the woman.

"Excuse me, sir. Miss Shim Yonghee is not committing crimes of any kind, we're here to question her about something else. So, Miss Shim? Can we talk?" Yerim said firmly.

Jaehyun mentally applauded Yerim's brazenness. Her stature looks composed and confident, Jaehyun could see that the female is not scared at all at the man in front of her.

"Listen to the officers, Jaehwan. Screw off. Sorry for the trouble, officers. Please come in."

The man left with a string of curses and Yerim politely entered the apartment, Jaehyun following suit.

"Thank you for saving me from my ex-boyfriend. He's been harassing me," Shim Yonghee bowed.

"It's our job as a part of the law enforcement. If he kept tailing you or even threatening you, you can come to our precinct and our friends from the Violence and Crimes unit would gladly help you. This is our precinct hotline," Jaehyun handed her the card.

The woman nodded thankfully.

"So, anyways, Miss Shim. We are from the Homicide unit, and we're currently investigating a serial killer murder. We're now trying to avoid the possibilities of a next killing. Apparently, our killer has a certain pattern and we suspected that the next possible victim would be a 30 years old female who used to live in the States, and had a tattoo."

"Does the circumstances apply to you, Miss Shim?" Yerim asked politely.

"Well, yeah, I'm 30 years old. I used to live in Georgia for two years. I do have a tattoo on my hip. Does that mean I'm in danger?" She trembled.

"You could potentially be in danger, Miss. We advised you to come to our precinct tomorrow to provide you with safety and to talk to our team leader and precinct chief. We'll try to give you the protection needed," Jaehyun added.

"Tomorrow? What time? I have an appointment with my doctor tomorrow," she sighed.

"Any time you're free, do come to the precinct," Jaehyun nodded.

"Alright, thank you so much officers," Shim Yonghee bowed. .