Two Years Later

 Park Jimin scanned what had to be the hundredth item of the morning at the 7-Eleven. His shift started at eight in the morning and he was already feeling monotonous. The business was relatively steady as usual, he was scanning through the normal group of morning coffees and snacks grabbed by regulars before they went to work or school. He heard the bell from the door once again and looked up to see who had entered. A man about his age had sulked in, black hoodie and jeans. The hood was over his head so he only saw a shadow of his face when he faced Jimin and gave a lazy wave. Jimin felt something strange upon seeing the man but ignored the small twinge.

A moment later a young girl rushed in the door and straight into the snack aisle. Jimin chuckled as he assumed she was probably running late to classes. He pushed his brown hair back from his forehead and glanced at the news broadcast on the small television on the front wall of the store. He grabbed his glasses from the counter beside him after trying to squint at the headlines. When he put them on, he in his breath.

Found in an abandoned lake a few miles out of town, was the body of former Detective Jung Hoseok. Two years ago he disappeared with almost no trace. His car was at his home and there were signs that he was in the home, but then seemed to almost vanish, never to be seen again. It was covered by the news when it first happened for months as they searched for him, but as most stories do, this one had faded. It was assumed that one of the many criminals that he had investigated or put in jail had gotten to him out of revenge, but the news never disclosed who they suspected.

Jung Hoseok was a local and frequented this store often. Jimin remembered how kind the officer was whenever he came. What he remembered the most was the beaming smile that made the sun seem dull. He was so full of life, and Jimin had always wondered how a man surrounded by death and the evils shown by mankind could have such a positive d