It has been two weeks that Hye-jin did not reach out to Yong-sun. Whatever that happen to her, Yong-sun could only imagine the worst.

 

Yong-sun transferred some of the files in her pen-drive and put in her handbag. She straightens her back and scanned everyone working in the office. Most of them were sleep deprived and look dead with the dark eye-bags. She squinted over to Whee-in’s desk and saw her staring at her PC screen with such a stern look and her fingers not letting the keyboard breath. Whee-in was in charge of tracking Hye-jin but with just a phone call, she really can't do much.

 

Yong-sun clapped out twice to get her sub-ordinates attention. “How many of you want coffee?”

 

Everyone raised their hands in a flash. Yong-sun smile to herself and left the office with her purse.

 

She stood in line in the Monday café where they usually get their coffee. There were five people in front of her waiting for their turn. The TV in the café switched from a show to the morning news. The news updated on a case against a company CEO where the accused is released due to lack of evidence. The rich will be become more powerful and the poor will be weaker. The threshold between the two has turned to a giant wall that cannot be easily destructed. It was inevitable that the one with more power will win and the result of the war was already known before it began.

 

“Miss? Can I take your order?”

 

Yong-sun snapped back to the present and stared at the young woman standing behind the counter. She was smiling at Yong-sun while looking in her eyes. The quirky gaze made Yong-sun stand there stationary as if she was chained around.

 

The woman still smiling, spoke again. “Miss? There are people waiting behind.”

 

“Yes. Um…I will have 7 coffees.”

 

The woman requested her to wait at one of the vacant tables till they call her name. Yong-sun turned back to look at the woman for the last time before sitting down on a chair.

 

Yong-sun placed her hand on the chest to feel her heartbeat. ‘What just happened to me? My heart just skipped a beat.’ She took out her phone to kill the time.

 

 

“Miss Kim Yong-sun?”

 

Yong-sun lift her head and the coffee woman was standing there with her order. She quickly stood up and take the coffee. “How much do I owe?”

 

“21,000 won.”

 

“Are you new here?”, Yong-sun asked as she took out the money from her purse.

 

“No. I have been working here for one month now. Night shift. I started the morning shift yesterday.”

 

Yong-sun handed the money and replied. “I asked because I haven’t seen you before. I am a regular day costumer here. Well, thank you for the coffee and have a great day. Miss- “, Yong-sun read the name tag on the woman’s shirt. “Moon Byul-yi.”

 

>>>

 

[6:30 pm]

 

Yong-sun got off work and was on her way to the car parking. She got in her car and started the engine. She checked herself on the back mirror and fixed her hair. “This pretty face can’t even get a man.”

 

In a distant, she saw a young boy trying to snatch a middle-aged woman’s bag. She sighs and get off the car with the handcuff. The boy managed to snatch the bag and ran off. The woman ran after him frantically calling for help. She could not run further and gasped for air. Right that moment, Yong-sun dash off by her side, running after the boy.

 

The boy ran into a residential area and jumped across the wall to land on another lane. A wall was not going to stop Yong-sun. She too jumped the wall and took a short-cut to catch the boy. And as she had hoped, the boy came to the end of the short-cut. The boy curse at her and ran to the opposite side into the main road.

 

As soon as he reached the main road, he crashed with a motorbike. Yong-sun caught him and pinned him on the ground. “How brave are you to steal in front of a police station.” She smacked him on the head when he struggled to break free.

 

“Noo. Look at this. It’s scratched.” The owner of the bike complained. Soon people gathered around to see what was going on.

 

Yong-sun handcuffed the boy and turned to the owner. “You can come at the police- Byul?”

 

The frowning face quickly turned to a delighted face. “You- are a police?”

 

Byul came along with Yong-sun to the police station. The bag was returned to the owner and the boy was put in detention till his guardian appear. Yong-sun helped Byul to file a complaint and get compensation from the boy’s family.

“I don’t know why you want to file a complaint for a small scratch.” Yong-sun said as she and Byul walked out of the station.

 

“I worked hard to buy it. Why would I let anyone get away for scratching it, intentionally or not?”

 

Yong-sun chuckled. “Yeah right. You worked hard for it. Reasonable.”

 

Byul suddenly beamed and asked, “Do you want me to drop you? I can give you a ride.”

 

Yong-sun stopped and raised her eyebrow.

 

“Hey, I have a driving license.”

 

“Did I say anything?” Yong-sun smirked and walk towards her car. “Thank you for the offer but I have my own ride.” Yong-sun drove off leaving Byul to stand there, watching her drive away.

 

>>>

 

“Grandmaaa…”

 

“Oh my baby. You are home.” Granny Kim hugged Yong-sun to welcome her back. “Did you do something good today?”

 

“Of course. I helped another woman again.” Yong-sun sat down with a thud on the couch.

 

Granny Kim brought a glass of juice and placed it on the table for Yong-sun. “You are coming with me tomorrow, right?”

 

Yong-sun hummed as she gulped in the juice. “10 am at Z hospital.”

 

Granny Kim smiled watching Yong-sun laying dramatically on the couch. “Aigoo, I have such a good granddaughter. She takes care of me even than my own daughter.” Yong-sun burst out laughing. “Mom will be angry if she hears it.”

 

That night, Yong-sun helped her grandmother in making dinner. Everything was prepared and the table was set. They prayed for the daily bread and started to eat.

 

In the middle, Yong-sun stopped eating to ask something. “Grandma, say if there is a group of people and one of them is telling a story but I don’t know who. I really want to know about it but I can’t hear them and none will share the story to me. What should I do to know the story and the person narrating it?”

 

Granny Kim put down her chopsticks and thought for a while. “If you are really curious about it, why don’t you join the group then? If that is possible.”

 

“I am not really sure about joining the group. Is there another way?”

 

“Force them?”

 

“I don’t want to piss them off too.”

“What story is it that you want to know? If it about some lousy guys, then don’t listen to them.” Granny Kim snapped. “You will soon be thirty. Go and find yourself a man instead.”

 

“Woman?”

 

“Whee-in.”

 

“She’s a baby!” Yong-sun shouted, making her grandmother to laugh out loud.

 

>>>

 

The next morning, Yong-sun woke up early to take her grandmother to Z hospital for her monthly health check-up. She checked her mail while sipping at her coffee. “The electricity bill is on due.” She looked over to her grandmother’s room. “I will pay it after her check-up.”

 

The doctor at the hospital examined Granny Kim and the doctor commented that she was very healthy for her age. “Though you are in good condition, I will still advise you not to do anything that makes your heart-beat rate increase. Also, don’t try to do heavy exercise again.” Granny Kim giggled and apologized for being a trouble maker. “Yong-sun, take care of your grandma, okay?”

 

“Of course. She is my jewel.” Yong-sun smiled and hug her grandmother. Although Granny Kim was a heart patient, she was a woman with a steel heart. This was one of the reasons why Yong-sun’s idol is her grandmother.

 

They entered a restaurant to have lunch together. Yong-sun always look forward to this day every month, so she could hang out with her grandmother. To her, Granny Kim was more special than her parents.

 

“Grandma, I will drop you first and go to work.”

 

“I can take the bus. I don’t want you to be late for your work.” Granny Kim tried to sent Yong-sun away but she was one stubborn kid.

 

Yong-sun dropped off Granny Kim in front of the house and kissed her goodbye. “If I am late, don’t wait for me and sleep. Okay?” Granny Kim nodded and gestured to go back to her work.

 

 

>>>

 

 

“Busan?” One of the subordinates repeated what Whee-in just said.

 

“Yes. He fled there. I caught him at the metro CCTV.” Whee-in showed Yong-sun the footage of a wanted criminal.

 

“Tae-hyun, Jin. You two are coming with me.” Yong-sun ordered and gear up to leave for Busan. “Whee-in, guide us.”

 

It was a cat and mouse chase for the whole day. But with the help of Whee-in’s skill in tracking people, they finally caught the man. By the time they returned to the station, the sun has already set. They handed the man to the respective crime department.

 

Yong-sun praised her group in successfully catching the criminal. She looked at her phone and there were three missed calls from her grandmother. Two missed calls was for ‘call me when you are free’ and three missed calls was for emergency. Yong-sun put on her coat without taking out her gear and the gun and hurried towards her car. On her way she called her grandmother. “Hello? Is everything okay?”

 

“Come home quick.” And with this, the grandmother cut the call.

 

Yong-sun hurried inside the house. “Grandma?” Yong-sun froze seeing the person in bruises beside her grandmother. “Who?”

 

“It’s me. Hye-jin.”

 

Yong-sun dragged Hye-jin inside her room and pushed her on the bed. “What are you doing here?”

 

“They are coming after me.” Hye-jin sniffled.

 

“You should have contact me. You just can’t –“, Yong-sun slick back her hair in frustration. “How much did you tell her?”

 

Hye-jin replied with a squeaky voice, “Everything.”

 

Yong-sun lost her temper and almost hit Hye-jin but she controlled herself. “You are not safe here either. We need to get you out of here. Let’s talk in details later.” Yong-sun immediately called Whee-in and told her to meet them at their safe house.

 

“I know you are scared but you should not be here. You know in which condition you are in, don’t you? You are putting that old woman in danger. She is innocent.” Yong-sun really regretted for doing the interview and how some people found out her address. She thought it would be no harm but now that she was tied with a serial murderer, she really hated herself. Moreover, the unknown person was someone who doesn’t leave a single evidence.

 

Yong-sun gave Hye-jin a cap and a mask to cover herself. They quickly came down to the living room.

 

The sound of the hammer of a gun pulling near her head made Yong-sun to stop moving. A man in black appeared from behind her holding two guns pointing at them. Yong-sun put her hands up and glanced at the man. He was wearing black mask which covered his whole head except the eyes.

 

Yong-sun quickly change her sight to her grandmother’s room. The living room was very quiet but soon it was filled with Hye-jin weeping.

 

The door to Granny Kim’s room opened and she came out with a gun on her head by another man in mask. Seeing it, Yong-sun was on the verge of breaking down. Granny Kim nodded to assured her it was alright.

The man pushed Granny Kim on the couch to make her sit. Yong-sun clenched her fist in anger. The man still pointing the gun at her grandmother came to Yong-sun and took off her gun under her coat. Yong-sun breath heavily thinking of ways to save themselves from these skilled assassins. The phone in her coat buzzed. It was Whee-in.

 

The ring was still on but none of the two men tried to take the phone away. Yong-sun observed their guns. The guns have silencers which meant they will soon kill them. There was almost zero chance of survival.

 

Right that moment the light went out. Hye-jin screamed out loud. Yong-sun grabbed the arm of the man behind and kicked his leg to throw him on the ground but the man held his position. It was really dark. The other man gave a signal and the man Yong-sun got hold of, shoot the gun in the dark. The man broke free from Yong-sun’s grip and both the man escaped from the house.

 

“Grandma? Grandma?”, Yong-sun swing her hands around and carefully walk towards the couch.

 

“Yong-sun”, a weak voice called out.

 

“Grandma.” Yong-sun sniffled when her hands felt her grandmother’s body. “I am here. Grandma, I am here.” Hye-jin was crying in a distant in the dark room.

 

“Are you alright, Grandma?”, Yong-sun scanned her hand over her grandmother’s body.

 

Granny Kim stopped Yong-sun’s hand and replied, “I am alright.”

 

Yong-sun laughed a little over her trembling voice to hear it. Granny Kim chuckled, “Don’t worry. I will be fine.” And then she started to cough. Yong-sun’s face quickly changed to a concern face and touch her grandmother in the dark. Her fingers fell on a wet surface on her grandmother’s cloth. “Grandma!!”

 

Yong-sun bawled out while keeping pressure on the area. Her whole body trembled as she shouted for help. In this frightening moment when Yong-sun wished everything was a dream, the time was ticking away slowly. Everything around seemed to be disappeared and even her own voice was drowning. Her head stopped thinking and she forgot that her phone was in her coat. Soon the neighbors came running on hearing her scream with a lamp.

“Is everything okay?”

 

“Please call an ambulance. Please.” Yong-sun cried. The light from the lamp lit up the room and Yong-sun saw her grandmother’s cloth soaked in blood.

 

The neighbors called for an ambulance and comforted Hyejin while they stood at the side watching Yong-sun tremor, not knowing what to do.

 

Few minutes later, the power came back and the whole room lit up. The light has come but darkness has spread in Yong-sun’s life. In her hands, the lifeless body laid there peacefully. One of the bullets has hit Granny Kim’s left chest. Yong-sun felt her heart crushed and holding her grandmother in her embrace, she sobbed hard. She then screamed and cried out aloud. “Grandma, what should I do?”