The little office felt so much smaller than usual. Like there was something outside pressing against the windows, aching to come in. Maybe it was the noise. It was probably the noise. Tap tap. A thousand, million taps at once.

             It’s the language of water. The sleety rain drizzled down, not very hard and not very fast, but steady.

             “The weather made me wanted to return to snuggle in my bed. What a good morning.”, Haha groaned while looking outside the window from the table.

             “Nado.”, Jihyo agreed.

             “On my ride from Gangnam earlier. it made me missed my bed so much.”, Jongkook chuckled.

             “Everyone be missing their bed every time the rain pouring down to Earth, eo?”, Jaesuk said as he arranged the files on his table.

             “Ne, timjangnim.”, Kwangsoo agreed.

             “Anyway, did you guys find anything else on the case files of the Rainbow Umbrella Killer for this past two weeks?”, Jaesuk asked his team member.

             “Aniyo, timjangnim. Nothing weird.”, Jihyo sighed.

             “Ne. Eobseoyo, timjangnim. We even read it for several times but nothing come out.”, Jongkook complained.

             “Uri ddo yo, timjangnim.”, Haha said in disappointment.

             “Hajiman, don’t you guys think that we have been a lot of free times this past two weeks? No case at all.”, Kwangsoo said excitedly.

             “Ya c… Don’t jinx it!”, Haha threw an empty file to Kwangsoo making him flinched.

             “It’s a good thing that there are no cases around Mapo. That’s mean there are nothing bad happen. Why would you wanted something bad to happen at our neighborhood?”, Jihyo enraged while looking at Kwangsoo.

             “Aniii… I’m just saying.”, Kwangsoo defended himself.

             Ring… Ring…

             Suddenly Jaesuk’s office phone ringing. All of them looking at the phone while eyeing each other.

             “C… Lee Kwangsoo.”, Haha groaned.

             “Yeobeseyo?”, Jaesuk quickly answered after looking at his team member one by one.

             “Ne? Eodiyo?”, Jaesuk asked as he took a paper to scribble the address he got.

             “Ne. We will come as soon as possible.”, Jaesuk said while standing up. Jongkook, Haha, Jihyo and Kwangsoo were already standing up as they knew that there was a new case.

             “Let’s go to Mullaedong 5-ga, Yeongdeungpogu. The victim was Kwon Hyukjae, 24-year-old male was stabbed to death at his house. He was found by his parents this morning as they were back from working overseas. Kaja.”, Jaesuk informed in a rush.

             “Ne.”, Jongkook, Haha, Jihyo and Kwangsoo answered in unison. All of them went to the murder scene as soon as possible after retrieving the report.

…

“He was stabbed twice on the stomach and once on his neck.”, Hyungin said as he pointed to the stabbed wound on the victim’s stomach and neck.

             “Who did this to him? Is he alone here at home since his parents were not home?”, Haha asked.

             “Aniyo. He was with his friends. So his friends were probably the suspects now. We received report from the parents, saying that the victim’s friends staying the night at his house.”, one of the police officers, Park Bogum, informed them.

             “Have you identify the suspects?”, Jaesuk asked.

             “Ne. Kim Sungok, Lee Hyunsoo and Yoon Jeonghee. They were his friends from high school. Recently there were unemployed and just doing a part-time job at the market.”, Bogum explained.

             “Are there motive?”, Jihyo asked Bogum in curious.

             “So far they were none. Since they are friends, I found nothing unless we investigated them and asked them one by one.”, Bogum replied.

             “Ne. Gomawoyo, Bogum sunkyeongnim.”, Jihyo bowed as she retrieved the information.

             “Ne.”, Bogum bowed as he excused himself.

             “Hyungin-ssi, what was the estimated time of the victim’s death?”, Jongkook asked Hyungin as his eyes focused observing the body.

             “9-hour ago, hyeongsanim.”, Hyungin answered.

             “It’s 11:00 pm then. So they didn’t get to sleep the night here, majayo?”, Kwangsoo predicted.

             “Ne, majayo. They leave the scene and the body after murdering them.”, Hyungin stated.

             “Where is the victim’s parents?”, Jaesuk asked while looking around.

             “There are outside.”, Hyungin said while pointing outside the door.

             All of them went outside to find the victim’s parents. They were crying at the corner, accompanied by Bogum and the other police officer. 

    “Annyeonghaseyo. I’m Yoo Jaesuk hyeongsanim from Mapo Station. If you don’t mind, can we ask about the victim to help the investigation?”, Jaesuk greeted and asked politely to the grieving parents.

             “Ne.”, the victim’s mother, Sandara Park nodded while sobbing.

             “Do you have to ask now?”, the victim’s father, Kwon Jiyong, groaned.

             “We can ask later if you guys are not ready. Jeuseonghamnida. We just wanted to investigate this case to gather some information about the victims. It might help the investigation.”, Jaesuk said politely. He already handled this situation for years, so it’s nothing to him, also .

             “Gwenchana, yeobo. I wanted to help the detective so that they can arrest the one who did this to Hyukjae. I told you I can’t trust his friends, especially that Sungok.”, Sandara told to his husband.

             “Sungok?”, Jihyo interrupted, making Jongkook stopped her by grabbing her arm. Afraid that her eagerness might shake the victim’s parents.

             “Ne, hyeongsanim. He is an ex-criminal, our son’s best friend. I can’t trust him. I did warned my son not to be friend with him since he might influence my son. But look now, he was murdered by his own friends. I think it’s him.”, Sandara started to cry again as she felt bad for her son.

             “Yeobo. You can’t force yourself to talk if you are not ready, eo?”, Jiyong calmed his wife as he hugged her.

             “Keuraeyo, eomonim. Gwenchanayo. We will question you later.”, Jongkook said politely. 

             “Aniyo. Let’s go to the station, now. I can do this. I want justice for my son.”, Sandara insisted as she wiped her tears.

             “If you said so, eomonim.”, Jaesuk nodded. “Kwangsoo hyeongsa, bring them.”, Jaesuk instructed Kwangsoo to bring the victim’s parents to the station.

             “Eo? That’s him.”, Sandara pointed to one of the passerby wearing a black cap who is peeking on her house. Hiding behind the other passerby. 

             “Nuguyo?”, Haha asked with his eyes open widely, along with the others as they turned to look at the spot pointed by Sandara.

             “It’s Hyukjae’s chingu. Kim Sungok. The one that I told you the criminal was.”, Sandara stated.

             “It’s true that criminals always return to the scene of the crime.”, Kwangsoo smirked.

             “Kim Sungok!”, Jihyo screamed to the suspect and quickly ran to chase him, making the suspect shocked and ran away from the scene.

             “Ya c… Keu Song Jihyo.”, Jongkook said as he followed to chase the suspect too.

             “We both can go to the other side.”, Haha instructed Kwangsoo as he pointed to the right road.

             “Ne.”, Kwangsoo agreed as well as they chased him together. 

             Jihyo ran at her full speed while chasing the suspect just in front of her. Along with Jongkook behind her. 

             “Ya, Kim Sungok. Stop!”, Jihyo shouted as she chased him through the alley.

             “Kim Sungok!”, Jongkook also shouted.

             “Jongkook hyeongsanim, I will take this alley.”, Jihyo said as she turned left to run through the shortcut. 

             “Ne.”, Jongkook nodded and ran at his full speed too. Unfortunately, Kim Sungok was too fast as him too that he managed to avoid the obstacles in front of him.

             “Why are you chasing me?!”, Sungok finally opened his mouth as he threw a chair to Jongkook.

             “And why are you running away?!!!”, Jongkook asked as he managed to avoid the chair.

             “Ya c…. Sibal!”, Sungok cursed in his panic mode. He kept running away and not showing any sign to stop though he is exhausted.

             Everyone around the alley be watching Jongkook and the suspect running on their full speed as if they were faster than Usain Bolt. From every obstacle; chair, table; stall, they managed to avoid, made both of them exhausted.

             ‘Bam!’, a loud sound came from Jihyo’s kick as she came from the left alley through the shortcut. Good thing she is good in direction. Well, an Ace after all. 

              A loud thud also been heard clearly as the suspect fell on the ground from Jihyo’s kicked. Right in front of Jongkook’s feet as well as Haha and Kwangsoo from distance, they were panting while witnessing the scene.

             “Uri Ace. Daebak.”, Haha said while panting.

             Jongkook quickly grabbed the suspect on the ground and handcuffed him with all his might.

             “Na aniya!!!”, Sungok groaned.

             “We will talk at the station.”, Jongkook stated as he stood up while grabbing the suspect. 

             “Sibal!!”, the suspect cursed.

             “Ya c… Neo. You are faster than we thought. This is how you ran away in the past, keutji? Criminal saekki.”, Jihyo said as she looked at Sungok straight in the eyes with her fierce eyes.

             “Jalhaesseo, Song Jihyo.”, Jongkook said while winking to Jihyo, making her felt the slight butterflies in her stomach as she just replied with a smile to him.

…

“The suspects were Kim Sungok, Lee Hyunsoo and Yoon Jeonghee. These were your son’s friends who were at your house last night, keutji?”, Haha asked the victim’s parents.

             “Ne.”, Jiyong and Sandara nodded.

             “And you think that Kim Sungok was the most likely to kill your son since he was a criminal?”, Kwangsoo asked carefully.

             “Ne. I don’t like him from the start.”, Jiyong stated.

             “He might influence our son.”, Sandara sobbed as she remembered her son.

             “From the information we got, Kim Sungok was a criminal who stole some food from the supermarket and was sentenced three years to prison. He was poor and the report showed that he was stealing to feed his siblings. He doesn’t have parents and he was the breadwinner for his siblings. He was only 21-year-old back then. Do you noticed this, eomonim, abeonim?”, Haha asked as he showed the report to the victim’s parents.

             “Jinjjayo? I… I didn’t know that. I just knew he was a criminal because Hyukjae told me that he was in prison back then.”, Sandara said in shocked while reading the report from Haha.

             “So he was juts stealing some food and got sentenced three years in prison?”, Jiyong asked while looking at Haha and Kwangsoo.

             “Ne. Stealing is a bad thing and one of a crime too but he did that to survive. He doesn’t have any money to consult for an attorney back then so he is just paying his sentences in the prison for three years.”, Kwangsoo explained.              

             “I felt bad for him, yeobo.”, Sandara said while looking at Jiyong.

          “Gwenchanayo, we didn’t know.”, Jiyong assured as he hugged his wife’s shoulder.          

             “So you won’t question him?”, Sandara asked to make sure.

             “We will. The bulky detective and the female detective are questioning him now.”, Haha revealed.

             “Ne.”, Sandara nodded in sullen.

          “Gwenchanayo, eomonim. You didn’t know.”, Haha tried to calm down the victim’s mother.

             “Your son didn’t say anything to you about him?”, Kwangsoo asked politely while looking at Sandara.

             “Aniyo. He just said to me that Sungok was not that kind of person. He had a reason back then. I didn’t know this was the reason he meant.”, Sandara stated as she stared on the piece of paper of Sungok’s background.

             “How about Lee Hyunsoo and Yoon Jeonghee? The other suspects and Hyukjae’s friends.”, Jiyong asked.   

             “We are still tracking their where about and we will inform to you two soon. Our colleagues are still questioning Kim Sungok.”, Haha answered with a nod.

…

“I read your record and you were sentenced three years in prison because you can’t fight with the law. Not having money and parents while stealing to feed your siblings as you are the breadwinner.”, Jihyo stated with a guilty since she called him a criminal earlier.

             “Just ask what you wanted to know.”, Sungok said in displease.

             “I’m sorry for calling you criminal earlier.”, Jihyo apologized with a light bowed to the suspect.

          “Gwenchanayo. Every police in this country are corrupted and just like you. Musseun justice they try to show? I was sentenced three years to prison when I don’t have money to survive and stealing was the only option for me. Having money and power are all that matters, majayo?”, Sungok said in displease again.

   “Jeuseonghamnida, Sungok-ssi.”, Jihyo apologized again.

             “We are sorry if you feel that way. We are also a detective and related to the law and justice but as we were under the powers of higher ups, we can’t say anything and just did what they said. We investigated and find the truth by evidences. They are all decided that.”, Jongkook emphasized.

             “What a lame excuse. You just wanted to run away from your responsibility.”, Sungok scoffed as he stared at the ceiling. 

             “You can say what you wanted to say. But we are here to question you regarding Kwon Hyukjae’s murder.”, Jongkook said while tapping Jihyo’s hand to calm her down.

             “What do you want to know about him?”, Sungok asked as he is still staring on the ceiling.

             “Why are you and your friends leaving his body last night? Are you the one who killed him?”, Jongkook asked.

             “I’m not!”, Sungok answered in furious as he looked at them fiercely.

             “So do you witnessed the stabbing scene from your friends? Which one of them? Lee Hyunsoo or Yoon Jeonghee?”, Jihyo truned to ask as she succeed to calm down.

             “I don’t know.”, Sungok answered.

             “You were Hyukjae’s friend for a decade and you were the one who were closer to him than Lee Hyunsoo and Yoon Jeonghee as you befriended with him since elementary school.”, Jongkook said as he read the information from a piece of paper he got from Haha and Kwangsoo earlier.

             “Keureom? You said that I’m the one who kill him since I know him longer than Hyunsoo and Jeonghee?”, Sungok asked while knocking the table once with his fists.

             “I didn’t. We just asked about your friendship with the victim.”, Jihyo stated.

             “I don’t know anything.”, Sungok insisted.

             You don’t feel bad to him?”, Jongkook challenged.

             “I think he is taking care of you well. Since you have some criminal records, I believe he was the one who defended you most all the time. Keutji?”, Jihyo tried to win Sungok’s heart to reveal. 

             Sungok just keeping his mouth shut. The moments he shared with Hyukjae through these years, made him sad. He can’t believe that his best friend was no longer here. It’s true that Hyukjae always defended him from the society since he had the criminal records. They even get bullied by people on their own neighborhood despite of feeling bad to Sungok who just trying to survive that lead him to steal.

             “Sungok-ssi?”, Jongkook called on.

             “Can you share your thoughts?”, Jihyo asked.

             “Can you assure my safety?”, Sungok finally speak.

             “We will. We promised.”, Jongkook assured with a nod.

             “Ne. Keureom.”, Jihyo also nodded.

…

As night came by after the interrogating of Sungok who was still in the cell and questioning the victim’s parents, Jongkook and Jihyo went to eat at the Subway to grab their dinner while Jaesuk, Haha and Kwangsoo went home straight away after wrapping the investigation of the day and will be continuing the next day. Tracing Lee Hyunsoo and Yoon Jeonghee.

             “