- - - - -

“Who are you looking for?” asked the receptionist from behind. “You waiting for her?”

Taecyeon allowed his eyes to gaze around, “No.”

The receptionist smiled the kind of smile that said “I know it anyway.”

“The boss didn’t come in. She probably won’t be coming in to wait for him,” the receptionist replied.

“The CEO didn’t come in?” Taecyeon spun around. “Again?”

- - - - -

Victoria found herself sitting on top of a picnic table staring at the leaves vibrating all different shades of dead green to brown. They were ugly. Dried up and ready to float away, ready to crumble and become flakes. Victoria sort of wished she were like that. But no. She was still alive after all that time.

In front of her skinny bleak trees stood bunched together. Enough to create a fence. Or good enough to play hide and seek in at night.

“Here,” Donghae said walking up from behind then appeared at her side.

Behind her was a playground and the parking lot. Donghae had driven to a small park somewhere that was assumed to be haunted. Barely any children came to play anymore was what he told her. Victoria didn’t know if she bought the story or if she did believe it at all.

Victoria grabbed the water bottle from him. It was warm unlike the cold wind flashing against her face telling her that she was alive and still going strong.

“You shouldn’t have had to listen to that,” Donghae apologized. “Sorry.”

“Fiancée, that’s someone you’re bound to marry, isn’t it?” Victoria asked staring at the bottle in her hands.

Donghae was quiet then said, “I’ve had some issues these past days. I didn’t mean to make use of you for my own gain, or to get back at her. I’m not that type of vengeful person.”

What humane words were there to say to him? Was she even humane enough to be speaking to this silly human beside her? Was she still even considered a human after killing so many human beings?

“But…thanks.” Donghae thanked. “I know I’ve been running. I’ve always been a coward all my life.”

Coward?

“Wait for me?”

Whatever did he mean by that?

“I’m going to fix things tomorrow. Don’t let my mother’s words get to you.” he told then turned back toward the car. “Want to go? I’ll send you back.”

“No.” Victoria told without turning to look at him. “This area’s pretty close to the apartment. I can walk back.”

“But it’s cold…” he started.

Noticing the hint of awkwardness growing, Victoria turned to look at him with a smile. “I can walk back. I’ll see you later.”

Whenever “later” would be.

He looked at her a bit then said, “You shouldn’t smile at others like that. So don’t do it again, ok?”

Victoria tilted her head a little and watched him smile, “Drink up your water before it gets cold. Hurry and get back before you get sick. And pretend we didn’t meet my mother today. Only good things should be remembered.”

Victoria stared at him blankly and watched him walk away after a small wave. When the car drove off behind her she didn’t bother to turn around. The leaves tumbled and rolled over one another on the ground reminding her of the matches they had back at the base. But the memories soon dispersed.

“Only good things should be remembered.”

Right. The good things she’d buried deep somewhere in her heart.

“Victoria.” her mother cooed.

“Victoria.” her father picked her up.

“Victoria!” her young friend called for her.

Her parents…how were they now? It had been so long since she’d allowed herself to think of them. How did they look like? Would they have white hair flecked all over their head like the other adults she’d seen? It was a shame, a sad thought to realize - to admit that she didn’t even remember how they looked like.

Why…was she reintroducing herself back to the world?

The leaves crunched. Victoria’s ears picked up the light footsteps of someone that could have been mistaken for a squirrel. Without moving her head up from the ground she moved her eyes to look around. Before her, somewhere in the trees.

1...2...3...

Victoria hurled forward just as that someone dressed in brown khakis and a brown t-shirt made for her. However, Victoria had held more of an impact against him and pushed him back into the trees. They tumbled together onto the grounds just as the leaves had done earlier.

“Who are you!” Victoria asked staring down.

“Afternoon, Victoria,” it was So Young. Not a ‘him’ but a ‘she’.

Victoria allowed the girl to toss her aside then got up to her feet feeling her hair fall over her face.

“What are you doing here?” Victoria questioned.

“Can I say I was just walking by and suddenly noticed you?” So Young smirked.

“Don’t play with me,” Victoria threatened walking toward the girl and grabbed her hand from out of her pocket, a pocket knife in her hand. “You still play dirty?”

“Let go.” So Young ordered.

“Why? So you can cut my throat? You sure you want to cut me apart right now?”

So Young winced from her tight grip.

“Ok, ok.” So Young dropped the weapon onto the ground.

Victoria reached for it with her feet, pushed the girl aside, and bent over to pick it up. When she got up she caught the girl making another run for her. Reaching for the knife Victoria leaned her upper body back as the girl charged pass her and tripped her with a leg. So Young landed face down on the ground with a thud and Victoria got onto her back pulling one of her arms back, the pocket knife to her neck.

“We’re hidden from view, the trees are enough to block us from sight,” Victoria explained. “Should I discipline you?”

The girl squirmed underneath her weight and Victoria wanted to laugh at her but didn’t.

“Alright!” So Young screamed. “Get off me! I can’t breathe!”

“You can’t?” Victoria asked without a sign of worry. “I’ve seen one of the guys hold you back like this before when you tried to play dirty, you seemed to enjoy it. How come you don’t like it the same with me?”

So Young remained silent.

“Answer,” Victoria pressured.

“Jung Min and I were sent down to Kwangju.” So Young started.

“Kwangju?” Victoria felt her eyebrows twitch in annoyance of that place.

“We were helping diverge those stupid FBI’s attention from you, you stupid woman!” she shouted.

“And…”

“Jung Min started it.” So Young told. “He played with an officer from Seoul.”

“And you didn’t do the same?”

So Young gulped, “I did it too. Just for fun because everyone seemed to be picking on her.”

Victoria had nothing to say to that.

“But…we found out something awfully special about you, Victoria,” she pronounced her name with a slow accent that Victoria hated. “Sheriff Deputy Im Yoona. I saw it on one of her blue collared shirts. Do you happen to know that name?”

Victoria felt her heart pop out of her chest. Her airway was immediately cut off and the world spun around her. Im…Yoona…

“You do, don’t you?” So Young teased satisfied with a kind of laughter that said she was enjoying Victoria’s trip down memory lane. “Your quietness tells me, you do.”

“Shut up,” Victoria muttered gripping onto the pocket knife so intensely that her hands shook themselves.

“You’re lucky sunbae,” So Young started, “that there’s still someone looking for you.”

It took Victoria all her might not to hurt the girl. Getting off her she walked out of the woods tossing the pocket knife into a garbage bin nearby. Her mind was racing when she stepped off the playground and onto the parking lot.

“Yoona…” her lips trembled even as the name escaped .

- - - - -

Yoona sneezed. Everyone in the conference turned to look at her.

“You’ve got quite a cold there Deputy,” one of them remarked.

“It’s not a cold. Someone’s thinking about me.” Yoona replied with a grin and some of the men burst into laughter.

“Lets continue on.” the man in the brown suit at the front of the board urged.

Once the meeting ended Yoona headed back to her office and sat down. Taking her phone out of her bag she noted almost 40 missed calls from her mother during the 7 hours she’d been out of the house. The meeting had lasted 2 hours.

“Yoona, have you met up with Donghae?”

“Yoona, are you free tonight? Want to go out for dinner?”

“Yoona, are you feeling ok?”

“Yoona, have you eaten?”

Yoona erased all her messages. They were practically the same, there was no real point in listening to them. Rubbing the side of her head she stared at the wall ahead of her. It was getting late. The sun was already halfway dark, almost overtaken by the white circle in the sky. Four in the afternoon the clock read. If she still wanted to make it in time to the campgrounds she’d have to go and see Donghae now before the sun would give up waiting on her. Grabbing her bag she walked out of her office.

Along the way she stopped by a convenience store and bought a bottle of water. Parking on the side of the street she walked into the luxurious Lee Jae Ha Packaging business company and walked through the glass doors framed in luminous gold. There at the front reception desk was the man from last night.

While walking toward him she didn’t miss seeing the receptionist nudge him in a teasing manner. The woman nodded Yoona’s way and she watched as Taecyeon turned around, a smile lighting up his face.

“Ok Taecyeon?” she asked stopping in front of him.

“Ah…how are you?” he replied quite nervously.

“Very well,” she answered.

“That’s good to hear.”

She held up the bottle of water to him, “It’s bad to drink coffee all the time. I couldn’t sleep last night because of you.”

Because of you…that ran in his head for about a second until he progressed further “Because of the coffee you gave me last night.”

“Oh…sorry about that,” he apologized.

Yoona smiled, “It’s ok. I had things to go over anyway.”

“I hope you’re not thinking too much. It makes you feel worse as time goes on, thanks by the way.” he said taking the bottle from her. “Are you going to wait upstairs again today?”

“No,” she easily told. “He’s not in by the way, is he?”

“No. I heard he’s been out all morning.” Taecyeon explained.

“Well, that’s not surprising,” Yoona said.

“Where are you headed?” Taecyeon asked. “I get off work in a minute.”

“Gapyeong.”

“Gapyeong?!” he repeated astounded. “Why?”

“I want to go refresh the image of Gapyeong Campground in my mind.” Yoona explained.

“Are you going to drive?” Taecyeon wondered.

Yoona nodded, “By bus it usually takes 1 hour and 45 minutes but if I drive my car I can narrow the clock down by about an hour.”

“Are you…for real?”

“I’m dead set on it.” Yoona replied. “You said you believed in me, didn’t you?”

Taecyeon looked at her then away.

“Can I come with you?” Taecyeon suddenly asked without thinking. “Just to be on the safe side, you know.”

Yoona felt the corner of her lips curve into a smile, “There hasn’t been anyone who hasn’t trusted me when I’m just going to go look around.”

“I guess…since you are a policewoman after all.”

“Sheriff, that is,” Yoona corrected then nodded. “Fine. It’ll be boring if I go alone, why don’t you come along?”