It began on a cool, crisp day in November, when the small town of Jeongsan was quietly basking in the diffuse glow of the early morning sun. The wind was blowing gently, swaying the branches of the trees and causing the leaves to float down upon a carpet of scarlet, gold and brown. There were red squirrels hurrying to and fro with nuts clasped tightly in their greedy little paws.

But Im Yoona was not paying attention to any of these. She was pedaling as fast as she can, her eyebrows knitted in intense concentration. She has to get to the police station and fast.

The images still flashed in her mind.

The man, the knife, the body...

She shivered as she thought of it and pedaled even faster. What if he decided to pursue her? Would he catch up? What if he drove a car?

Crunch!

Yoona gasped. She pressed on the brakes and skidded to a stop. Quickly, she glanced behind her, expecting to see him – his ice-cold gaze, his pale yellow skin, his sharp hawk-like nose. But there was nothing behind her except for another squirrel that seemed to look at her with equal apprehension.

The girl gave a sigh of relief and continued on her way.

Soon enough, the Jeongsan Police Station loomed before her. It was an old, small one-story brick building conveniently located right in between the main town and the woods. In front of it was a lone police car with fading paint on its side doors.

Yoona did not bother to reach the bike rack. She hopped off and, in her rush, forgot to push down the kickstand which caused her bike to topple and fall onto the asphalt.

Without hesitation, she swung the glass front door open.

Inside was a middle aged man with a neatly trimmed moustache and graying hair. He was comfortably seated upon a swiveling chair, behind a dusty oak desk. In front of a stack of papers was a bronze nameplate that read “Wu Kwang-Ho, Chief of Police”

Chief Wu spun a little towards the trembling visitor and looked at her inquiringly, with eyebrows raised.

“Sir,” Yoona’s voice croaked. “I – I just saw a murder.”

~~~

Some thirty minutes later, the body of a twenty-eight year old woman was found deep in the woods at the corner of Oleander Street and Main Road. had been slit open and her work clothes were drenched in blood.

The solitary police car in front of Jeongsan Police Station was suddenly surrounded by two larger law enforcement vehicles and a gleaming black Toyota Land Cruiser.

“She saw the whole thing,” Chief Wu declared once the driver of the Land Cruiser got out. “She was standing some thirty feet away and saw the whole thing.”

The driver was a tall man, slightly older than Wu, with broad squared shoulders and a stern face. With the sharpness of a soldier, he quickly removed and pocketed the pair of sun-shades that hid his eyes. He then brushed off some unseen dust from his tailored suit and peered over the head of Chief Wu into the station. His voice was deep and monotonous, “And, as you have repeatedly said, the criminal, in turn, saw her.”

“Yes, Officer Lee. That is what she told me. She is inside if you’d like to talk to her,” Chief Wu gestured towards the door.

Without a word, Officer Lee Myungdae strode into the police station and looked around. A slender young lady with wavy hair slowly stood up. Her pale face still looked distressed.

He took out a pad of paper, read it and glanced down at her. “Im Yoona?”

The girl nodded nervously.

Lee pulled out a nearby chair and took a seat facing her. He folded his hands thoughtfully and placed his chin upon them. His stare was grave and solid.

“Sit down and tell me what you saw,” he ordered. “I want to hear everything from your own mouth.”

“I – I was biking to school from my paper route,” Yoona began. Her eyes flew to the ceiling and her hands were unconsciously quivering. Officer Lee’s presence was far too heavy for her to bear. She cleared and continued. “I decided to take a short cut through Oleander Street and I was about to turn to the Main Road when I heard a faint gasp. I looked into the forest –“

Yoona stopped. The scene appeared before her again – clear, tangible, real.

“H-he had a knife,” her eyes sank to the floor. She paused for a moment then went on, her voice shaking. “He had a knife. In his hand. I saw it glisten. He held the woman in his other arm. Her head was flexed back. And he – “

She stopped. A lump formed in . “He looked at me.”

“What did he look like?” Officer Lee took out his notepad once more and clicked his pen.

“About five foot nine with a curved, pointed nose and icteric skin,” said a voice. Everyone looked up and saw a young man, possibly in his late teens, leaning upon the frame of the doorway. Dressed in the same black tailored suit, he looked like a younger version of Officer Lee, with clean, angular features. “Chief Wu had already asked her that. I suggest we visit the crime scene at once. The murderer may have left something behind and –“

“Donghae,” Officer Lee interrupted. His voice was hushed, but there was an obvious hint of anger in it. “You are in no position to issue orders and crime scene investigation is none of your business.”

“But father! What is the point of repeated interrogation? We will not gain additional information by – “

“Shut it!” Officer Lee’s voice echoed throughout the department. He stood up and took a step towards his son. His face was beet red. “Your behavior is preposterous! If it didn’t occur to you, this is the exact reason why I chose Choi Siwon and not you to participate in the main investigation.”

Donghae cringed at the mention of his fellow agent.

Officer Lee raised a finger and pointed it threateningly at his son, “Unlike him, you have not fulfilled the requirements needed to advance your rank. In fact, if I had been more merciless, I would’ve confiscated your badge and suspend you! I will not tolerate your arrogance.”

There was a moment of silence until Donghae finally decided to speak. His eyes lowered to the floor and his voice fell flat. “So why am I here for?”

Officer Lee ignored his son. He swiftly turned back to Yoona, who looked even more bewildered than before.

“Please pardon that. This young man here, unbelievable as it may sound, is a member of the Junior Agent Division of the National Police Agency. He is trained in several martial arts and can handle firearms and various weapons with ease. Since your testimony will prove to be a critical asset to the case and the criminal had seen you, your position places you in probable danger. You will need utmost protection. Thus,” the Officer turned to face his son. “Lee Donghae will be assigned to watch over you and ensure that no harm comes to you.”