At eight a.m., the newly risen sun peeked behind the inclined roof and gave Taeyeon a greeting. She momentarily stopped to blink her eyes to adjust.

Moving forward, birds chirped as she passed by, occasionally fluttering to land in her wake and their heads to the side to examine the unfamiliar human visiting the suburbs at eight in the morning—where everyone was either asleep or had left for work. Her glossy heels clacked on the pavement and her suitcase rolled across, eventually leading her up to her new home.

The morning air brushed against her, silently thanking herself for not forgetting to wear a jacket, as she stood behind the gate to analyze the fair-sized house and everything around it. Chipping white paint, dusty wooden frames, and fissured brick walls make up most of the apartment. An elderly woman and her—just as, if not more elderly—husband were peeling tangerines on the front steps. The orange skins were thrown in a green plastic basin and the peeled fruit in a red plastic basin. Taeyeon can just imagine the smell of their hands by the looks at their orange fingertips expertly peeling tangerines.

It’s been a minute since the young woman stood there looking through the gate. Feeling a pair of eyes, the elderly woman got up from the steps with a huff and unlocked it. She gave an overzealous and grandmotherly grin as she waved her in.

“Good morning, halmeoni,” Taeyeon dipped her head in greeting as she shyly stepped in the grassy front porch.

“You must be Tae-yoon, right?” the elderly woman said as her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm, eager to have a new tenant in their building.

“It’s Tae-yeon, halmeoni,” she politely corrected.

“Yes, let me show you to your room.” The woman placed her wrinkled hand on the small of Taeyeon’s back, guiding her upstairs. They passed through the kitchen before going up. “Our kitchen is shared, but we have more than enough stoves for everyone.”

“I see…”

As the woman’s steps were in a hurry despite her old age, the new tenant could only catch a small glimpse of it. She noticed the emerald green tiles on the floor and the brick walls. All of them with baked-in dirt and grime, while the stoves have splatters of dark brown oil and what she assumed are bits of crumbs from frying chicken of sorts.

They made it to her room, a dark wooden door with a bronze knob came into view as they round the corner. Halmeoni unlocked the door with the keys that jingled with her every movement, and inside looked like an amusement park for dust bunnies. A few empty cardboard boxes were stacked in one corner. The layers of dust and dirt on the wooden floor suggests that it has been vacant for a long time and needed some generous scrubs with soap. Lots of it.

The double-sized bed had folded bedsheet, pillowcases, and a blanket at the foot of the bed. An old television was across, near the boxes. The low table in the middle of the room was the only brand-new furniture. Other than the shedding white paint and the dusty frames of the window, the room just needs a little TLC, is all. Lots of it.

“I know you’re here to work, darling, but please be careful when you’re going out,” halmeoni said. She gave Taeyeon a reassuring rub on her back, or more accurately, a grandmotherly slap and a distressed as if the warnings weren’t enough to convince her.

“What do you mean by—”

A young boy emerged from downstairs carrying a red basin and he stood inches behind halmeoni.

“Oh, it’s the pretty noona!” The boy pretended to be shocked, seeing the new tenant. He stepped forward and extended his hand. “I’m Minjun, I live with my grandparents. I’m currently taking a gap year.” Minjun flashed a smile.

Taeyeon shook his hand. “I’m Taeyeon?” she said. It sounded like a question.

He handed her the red basin filled with peeled tangerines from a few moments ago. “Oh, uh,” she muttered, staring down the fruits. She doesn’t know if it’s right to take it.

“It’s yours, Taeyoon-ah. Enjoy your stay here,” halmeoni said. She must’ve noticed her hesitation. Taeyeon gave a lopsided smile as thanks.

“Halmeoni, are crimes frequent in this area?” she asked. The uneasy feeling hadn’t left since the vague warning.

“Not at all,” she immediately shook her head. “There were a couple of homicide cases outside our neighborhood. But it’s quite far, you don’t need to worry too much.” Halmeoni gently pushed Taeyeon inside the room. Her grandmotherly nod carried as she disappeared downstairs. The way she said it sounds like it’s nothing new, regardless if she keeps telling Taeyeon to stop asking about it.

The new tenant shook off the thought and proceeded to unpack her belongings. She placed the basin on the low table, grabbing herself a tangerine and popping a piece in as she sighed in contemplation, staring at her suitcase and an ped duffel bag of books which happens to be the only progress that she made. The staring contest didn’t last long and she finished the fruit in her hand, though her stomach still growled. She hadn’t had breakfast yet and a tangerine doesn’t seem to be one.

She knelt down to open her suitcase, promptly taking a pack of ramyun.

If there’s anything she can’t fight in her line of work, it’s hunger. As she grabbed a clean pot in the cupboards, she shouted over her shoulder, “Halmeoni, I’m going to use the kitchen!”

“Sure, honey, you don’t need to ask for my permission!” Halmeoni yelled back.

Igniting the stove, she placed the pot under the flames and poured a bit of oil. She prepared minced garlic and green onions using the chopping board to stir fry before adding water and noodles. Taeyeon grabbed two eggs from the pantry where she found the other ingredients and cracked each of them open with one hand, putting two raw eggs in the boiling ramyun. Once she thinks it’s done, she turned off the stove and took oven mitts for handling the pot, placing it on the dining table.

A quick breakfast. She took her phone out and searched for the news on YouTube as she blows the heat from the noodles. The Shadows of Suwon, the title of the video said. “Great, the media glorifying a serial murderer,” she thought, rolling her eyes.

“Aigoo, I thought halmeoni warned you about this,” a woman who looked to be in her 40s said in her raspy morning voice. She just appeared behind Taeyeon’s back.

She looked fairly chubby, hair in a bob cut and dyed to light brown to hide her graying strands. Wrinkles were seen in the corner of her eyes without needing to smile, and she was wearing a loose thin white t-shirt and maroon shorts. She was scratching her arm that had sleep marks and she was squinting as she had just woken up. Taeyeon knew better than to judge, but she couldn’t help to be curious as to why a woman with a Seoul accent is staying in the oldest apartment building in Suwon.

“Sorry, she got me interested,” was Taeyeon’s reasoning. She’d gotten too busy packing her belongings than to research about the crime rates in Suwon—which she doesn’t do every time she moves. That’ll be silly.

“You’re not scared? Usually, girls like you would be running,” the woman joked, grabbing a mug from the rack fastened tightly above the sink and poured instant coffee in it. She the stove with the kettle.

“I was recently transferred here for a different case,” Taeyeon said. A part of it was true. Her boss did suggest it at one point but she only agreed because her boyfriend lives near the area. She can’t handle long-distance and she was getting serious with the guy.

“You’re a detective?”

“Criminal psychologist.”

“Fancy.” The kettle whistled and she quickly turned off the stove, pouring the water into her mug. She continued, folding the now-empty pack of instant coffee into a sturdy stick, and began stirring the mug’s contents with it. “Just don’t bring with you hooligans in this place,” she glared at Minjun standing awkwardly; inches away at their side. “I know you’ve already attracted one.”

Taeyeon turned to look at the sweet young boy who gave a thin-lipped smile. “Noona, I can show you around the neighborhood if you want.”

“Of course, thank you.” She gave a warm smile and the noodles she held in the air for too long had already gotten cold.

Before the woman retreated to her room with her coffee, she introduced herself as Sanghee. She was currently working as a freelance writer and casually asked the younger woman for any interesting crime stories, which Taeyeon responded with a laugh and Sanghee winked as she slammed the door closed.

Taeyeon had just finished her unhealthy yet satisfying breakfast and was about to take the empty dishes when her phone vibrated on the table. She quickly rinsed the pot and bowl before wiping her hands on her jeans and taking her phone. Tiffany’s name flashed on the screen a couple of times with a new message.

did u arrive?

how’s halmeoni btw

hello? are u still alive?

She had a huge grin on her face and texted back:

u should know by now that i can’t be killed

Tiffany instantly replied.

call me

And that she did, with a “there she goes again,” sigh.

“We just had soju last night. Did you miss me already?” she teased as Tiffany picked up.

“Laugh all you want, but I forgot to tell you about the killings around your area,” said Tiffany sternly. She sighed and added, “There had been only two cases but they both had the same MO. Who knows when they’ll strike again; just focus on your job for now.”

“Way ahead of you—halmeoni is really good at scaring new people,” Taeyeon chuckled. “And she’s healthy. Everyone seemed nice, so don’t worry about me.”

“Great. That’s good.” Tiffany mumbled, anxiously chewing her lip as she wasn’t convinced.

Tiffany had been Taeyeon’s partner since the beginning and she wasn’t a worrywart unless it came to the people she cares about. Taeyeon happened to be one of them and yet she still feels odd about the current situation. She contacted an old friend’s grandmother to have Taeyeon’s temporary home set, making sure she was in the right and familiar hands. Tiffany didn’t want her partner to just move to a new town because of a guy. The new town where “The Shadows of Suwon” cases originated along with more unsolved homicide cases. She still thinks she should be there with her even though Taeyeon knows how to fend for herself. They were trained for dangerous situations after all.

“If you need me, you can always call, okay?”

“Of course, Fany.” Tiffany could hear the grin in her voice. “I’ll call you tonight, yeah?”

“That’s great. Be careful, Taeyeon-ah. See you.” Tiffany ended the call. Taeyeon washed the dishes before she changed to a more comfortable wear.

Minjun was sitting on the front steps where halmeoni and haraboji were peeling tangerines before. His jaw dropped upon seeing Taeyeon in a pink off-shoulder top and skinny jeans in contrast to the suit and slacks she wore this morning.

“Don’t be weird about it,” she laughed.

“Sorry, noona,” he said, clearing his throat and looking away. “Shall we?” Minjun gestured to the gate and Taeyeon nodded with a smile.

They walked in sync as birds chirped in their silence.

“Where do you want to go?” Minjun coyly looked over to the older woman who was busily typing on her phone: mandated “I just got here safe,” text to a boyfriend or else he’ll call and nag her for hours, or worse, drive over to where she is and nag her for hours as if Taeyeon wasn’t already suffering enough from Tiffany and her mom telling her to be careful every day.

“Oh, yeah,” Taeyeon locked her phone and put it inside her front pocket. “There’s a library nearby, right?”

“Yeah, it’s just a few blocks from here. It’s near the high school I went to,” he scratched the back of neck and laughed nervously. It seems that he’s not good at talking to beautiful women. “D-Do you want to call a cab or are you okay with walking?” His eyes darted to Taeyeon’s wedged heels.

In her job where it involves profiling serial killers and the like, she’d gotten used to running or jumping in a pretty outfit. Taeyeon’s sure she’s perfectly comfortable awkwardly walking four blocks with a college student she just met.

“We’re here,” he announced.

“Thanks for showing me around,” Taeyeon gave him another warm, noona-like smile.

Minjun knew what the smile meant but it didn’t stop him from having feelings, albeit fleeting. “Anytime, noona. I’ll see you around.” He waved goodbye with his feet fixed on the ground and waited until Taeyeon went inside.

And inside felt like home more than anything. The library was vast, illuminated by incandescent lights to a yellowish-brown vintage hue like any other stereotypical library. But in the morning, the sun’s rays were welcomed through the floor-to-ceiling windows and only a handful of lightbulbs shone in the building. Taeyeon was greeted by the librarian as she slowly walked in to admire the place. She only came here to borrow one book, but she feels like she can stay a bit longer.

“Good morning,” she walked up with a small smile and the librarian beamed in return. “I’m looking for newspapers?”

“It’s over there next to the fiction section.” The librarian, with her nametag that read ‘Yena’, pointed to her right and there was a sign that hung above between the shelves that said ‘Fiction’ and ‘Newspapers & Magazines.’

“Thank you,” Taeyeon said and Yena slightly bowed her head in acknowledgement.

The tall shelves had sturdy grey book holders lining up in the Newspaper section. Each of them in chronological order since the 1900s. Taeyeon’s fingers ran through the holders and landing on 1997. She flipped it to reveal the folded newspapers and a soft hand brushed with hers, reaching for the same print.

It felt like she was in a romance movie. The romantic music, the pink color grading, and the random flowing rose petals that came out of thin air. It was all happening in her mind as the two women locked eyes.

This isn’t cheating, Taeyeon thought to herself. Or rather, she tried to convince herself.

Long dark brown hair that reached her waist, brown orbs twinkling, and the floral sundress that showed her collarbone. A woman appreciating another woman for looking fine doesn’t have a place in the Ten Commandments or the law. She was just gorgeous and Taeyeon physically can’t look away if fate brought them together.

“Sorry,” the taller woman muttered as the two hands automatically withdrew from the touch.

“No, it’s fine. Please,” Taeyeon motioned to the newspaper but the woman shook her head. She took a different print instead. “Sorry for the trouble.” She bowed and quickly left to the Fiction section with her newspaper.

Taeyeon quietly let out a big sigh. She knows well enough how biual she was, but keeping it cool in public with a goddess right in her face? That was harder in practice. Even her boyfriend was accustomed to her behavior in beautiful women that they playfully argue about gatekeeping female celebrity crushes over dinner.

She unfolded the paper and the headline read, Sawol Mart Manslaughter in Connection with Recent Murder in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do. 

The residents of Suwon in the Gyeonggi province were horrified as a police officer found the body of a 56-year-old bus driver tied and gagged under the highway overpass leading up to the city last Monday morning. The victim was reported to have sixteen stab wounds and was restrained postmortem.

Like the voluntary manslaughter in Sawol Mart six months ago, the first victim was a man in his late 40s and died with multiple stab wounds on his torso. It was reported that the technique was very similar to the recent victim, according to a pathologist in Nambu.

The third victim was found no less than a week ago as Taeyeon went to search for the Shadows of Suwon news before breakfast. No wonder halmeoni was making a fuss about this.

She stopped reading and went to look for a light read in fiction. A classic novel to lessen the weight on her chest, always thinking about criminals and murders and whatnot. She sighed, eyes landing on Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre.

It was self-sabotage to pick Wuthering Heights and she begrudgingly took it to Yena’s desk and scan the book for borrowing.

“This is… a choice,” Yena commented, sliding the book forward.

Taeyeon exhaled through her nose. “I needed a light read,” she joked and thanked the librarian before exiting. She hailed a cab and returned home with halmeoni cooking for everyone to officially welcome Taeyeon.

They were like a new family and she had no problem with that.

After dinner, Taeyeon called Sergeant Ahn of Nambu Police Station, her good friend and detective Seo Juhyun’s father. He was very respected in the field and he sees Taeyeon as a daughter like all of Seohyun’s close female friends. He voluntarily transferred to the station as the neighborhood was his hometown. Sergeant Ahn was thrilled a friend of his daughter’s was coming by.

“We’re having barbeque near the substation, why don’t you introduce yourself here?” Sergeant Ahn chuckled.

Nothing like a shot of soju after a homemade meal.

She walked to the barbeque place in her black and white Adidas tracksuit and black hair tied neatly to a high ponytail. With her hands in the jacket pockets, she peered through the glass partition and saw a man with almost fully-greyed hair laughing with his whole body. That was him, all right.

She walked over to their table with a mischievous grin spread across her face. “Hello, I’m criminal profiler Kim Taeyeon!” She boomed and bowed deeply to which her seniors smiled and laughed at her introduction.

Her ponytail swung as she returned to standing straight with the hands on her sides and feet pointing forward. A female detective pulled her down by the wrist and she plopped to one of the plastic chairs. “We get it, Taeyeon-ah.” Taeyeon chuckled as she was seated and bowed briefly to each of her sunbaes around the table.

“You’re here for good?” The detective asked her.

Taeyeon had acquainted with most of the people in Nambu police station and substation when she stayed in Suwon for less than a week for a case. She was a junior criminal psychologist shadowing a sunbae and immediately had all the mothers and grandmothers coddling her with all kinds of food and “oh dear, you’re too sweet to get this job,” statements. The town was very tightknit and welcoming, like visiting a distant relative’s place where you met them once as a child but returned as an adult—that kind of welcoming.

She’s blessed with a youthful face, and that’s probably why everyone was inclined to protect her even though she’s tougher than she looks. But she couldn’t complain. It was nice to know that people cared about her safety. She had always thought back then that no one does.

“Just until we found the killer,” she replied to the detective.

Boeun’s the charismatic detective in the station. She was a few inches taller than Taeyeon. She was slim, likes to wear blouses with long sleeves, and her straight brown hair was cut to a shoulder length which she usually ties up in a messy ponytail. Given that she was the eldest daughter of the family and that most of her colleagues are male, she loved Taeyeon like a little sister.

“Our Taeyeon is a hotshot criminal profiler now. You don’t need to baby her,” Sergeant Ahn affectionately remarked as he slid a plate of medium rare beef to the youngest. “Eat up while there’s still some meat left.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Inspector Lim who was on grilling duty dropped a few more pieces on her plate using the tongs, giving her no opportunity to decline. She nodded thanks instead.

Boeun shoved an empty shot glass to her hand. “Welcome shot!” She exclaimed. Taeyeon had no time to laugh as her hand flew to hold her wrist as the detective poured soju in the glass, respectfully receiving the drink which will hopefully not make her vomit out halmeoni’s homecooked dinner.

Soju was her real enemy among all the liquors in the world. It was an instant knockout for her, yet she enjoys having it with people she trusts.

She turned her head to the side and gulped the bitter drink with both hands, feeling it straight down like lava. Their table erupted in celebration to her successfully downing the shot as her face was scrunched up by its taste. She clapped along while the bitterness fades away in her tongue and she would ask for another.

--

By the time the shop was closing, everyone called it a night. Taeyeon made a drunken decision to walk home than to call a taxi. It was 11PM and the serial killers she was supposed to catch had slipped her mind.

She was crossing a bridge and recognized the worker from the barbeque place passing by her. Being the friendly person that she is, she greeted the woman with a huge inebriated smile and her eyelids drooping. “Take care, unnie!” She yelled, not caring about the volume of her voice nor questioning why the woman was walking back to her workplace that was already closed.

Taeyeon’s smile dropped as she saw in the corner of her eye, a body in fetal position under the bridge. She stopped in her tracks and instantaneously sobered up to do a double-take. The last victim’s body was found less than a week ago and the killer claimed another one tonight. The gap between the kills were months to decades to days, respectively.

This could only mean that the killer was just getting warmed up and she needs to work fast to prevent more cases.