Part 6:

                Shouting arose from out the cell, but Dongwoo could barely hear it from inside his memory. A thick slush dragged him under into his subconscious. Detached and light, the memories broke through the dam that held them and leaked into his conscious.

                He stood in an interrogation room much like the one he was handcuffed in only a while ago. This time the perspective was right, he stood opposite of the delinquent, questioning him.The child  stared at Dongwoo was murderous intent, but he just pushed it aside he was just like all other criminals Dongwoo assumed. The only criminal that had ever scared Dongwoo was… he shuddered and focused back on the man in front of him.

                “Mr. Lee, why did you steal all of from these houses?” he dropped pictures of multiple vandalized homes.

                “Ha isn’t that your job to prove?” Sungjong laughed. Looking at his face, innocent and pure, you would have never assumed that he was thief and a pretty good one at that.

                “Just…” Dongwoo smacked his forehead. Sungjong was much too young to be doing this sort of thing. Only if he would let me help him. He thought sadly at this rate that kid was going to end up with a life in the slammer.

                Meanwhile, paramedics rushed Dongwoo’s body to nearby Mercy Hospital.

“What did you do to him?” Sunggyu growled worried about Dongwoo in spite of himself.

                “Nothing! I didn’t do anything at all~!” Sungjong shook his head wildly just as worried and bewildered as Sunggyu.

                “Well how do you know Mr. Jang in the first place?” Woohyun asked calmer than the both of them.

                “Well…” he looked embarrassedly at the floor before answering, “he kinda was the one that arrested me.”

                “Arrested you?” Woohyun asked amused and shocked that someone with that face could commit a crime.

                “Yea I use to steal from a lot of people,” he looked at the ground then burst out, “BUT! I changed! I haven’t stolen anything since Dongwoo saved me from that killer guy.”

                Dongwoo’s detached form traced a scar on his arm and the memory dragged him from the investigation room. Pain erupted from his arm, scorching pain, his nervous screamed from being cut.

                “What happened?” Sungjong whimpered, looking terribly like his age.

“Nothing just run,” Dongwoo groaned pushing him back.

                “Too late,” a towering man held a blood covered knife towards Sungjong’s back.

“No!” Dongwoo lunged for the knife grabbing the handle and slamming the man to the ground.

“Dongwoo was an officer?” Woohyun asked taking over since Sunggyu was obviously distressed.            

“Is,” Sungjong corrected, “Is. He never retired only went missing like three years ago.”

“What city and precinct did he work in,” Woohyun asked signaling for some to call them. 

Hours later, Hoya arrived at rectangular building meeting the three in the room.

“Officer Lee Howon,” Sunggyu nodded.

“Yah,” He answered and glanced around his eyes landing on Sungjong cuffed to the seat.

“What did my little brother do now?” he half-joked. Howon had no idea why he was called here only that it was urgent business that got him all tensed up now that he saw it was only Sungjong’s arrest he calmed down.

                “Hoya Hyung!” Sungjong jumped up forgetting his cuffed wristed and was roughly and painfully jerked back into the seat. Ignoring his pain he yelled out, “They found Dongwoo!”

                “WHAT?!” he couldn’t contain his shock. After three years? I’ll finally see my partner?

Dongwoo’s mental apparition was pulled into another memory. It was a windy winter’s day when he was assigned a new partner. Lee Howon, all he had was his name and that he was fresh out of the academy just like he was a year ago.

“Hi, call me Hoya not Howon!” Hoya shouted off right from the start, a bundle of nerves.

“Call down,”Dongwoo giggled at his sillness.

                Once he held back his laugh he greeted Hoya, “Hello Hoya, I’m Dongwoo.”

His nerves seemed to melt away at his friendly nickname because he suddenly bursted out in a bright smile. From that moment on, everyone in the precinct spread the rumor that if you called Howon Hoya right off the bat he would give you a lovely smile that would bright up your day. He became the precinct’s idol within a few days with his cheery expression and friendly aura. Dongwoo and Hoya hit it off so well that their partnership became a friendship they both began volunteering to teach dance in the same center, both had an equally high passion for dancing. 

In the midst of these pleasant calm memories of his past the song began to play. Eerily high pitched, clashing instruments, air and string, played through the melody. A dark black hole appears in his mind’s eye shadowy arms come from its depths. Those disembodied hands grabbed Dongwoo jerked him to the darkness, into a gloomy, mucky lake. Suspended within the darkness he lost his essence as the music played in the background. Existing without thought he floated in the dim lake of some darkness within his soul. Chained to its depths something within him emerged.

“Hello,” Sunggyu answered his phone and nearly dropped it in shock.

“What happened?” Woohyun inquired.

“Dongwoo’s awake.”