"Woah..."

Eyes wide with a childish delight, Zelo stared. On the table in front of him were a rectangular knife and a very small gun; a cleaver and a .17 HMR revolver. Having already been analysed for fingerprints and whatnot, the two weapons were now sealed off in plastic bags. Zelo, initially annoyed at the fact that they weren't allowed to touch the weapons, was glad for the transparency of the bags. At least that way he could see the rust-like stains on the knife and dirt marks on the pistol.

The junior agent tore his enthralled gaze away from the armament. "Hey, can I try them out yet?"

"No," Sunggyu said almost wearily. Chaerin just snorted while Sungyeol, the other person in the room, looked on impassively. "You ask me that every time we find weapons from a murder case. This is evidence, Zelo. I can't have you playing with something that could potentially help us catch the killer."

Ignoring the younger man's pout, Sunggyu slid his gaze over to Chaerin. "So, a regular butcher's knife and a .17 HMR revolver, right? It's not surprising that our guy chose these models. They're practically the same as what the Builder used to kill McDonnell and his other victims."

"Mmhmm," Chaerin agreed, peering down at the table. "But as unoriginal as this guy is, you have to give him some credit. Murders like these, or even copies of them, have to be thought-out to a precision beforehand. The time, location, and even method of approach would have been considered in a killing as organized as this."

She glanced at her boss. "If I were you, I'd advise everyone to be extremely careful with this Mockingbird guy. Intelligent killers are the most dangerous of their kind."

"I know that." Sunggyu's expression was grim. "That's what I'm so afraid of."

The tense silence that followed was broken when Zelo, still admiring the weapons, piped up. "Umm... So, what do we do with these now?"

Despite himself, Sunggyu allowed a small grin to quirk his lips. "I'll tell you what we're not  going to do. We're not  going to take these out of their bags and give them a test run. Stop sulking, Zelo. No, I want the cleaver and gun to stay where they are. The lab people have finished with their analysis, but we have to handle these with caution anyhow. I'll find time later to store them away properly.

"In the meantime, you and Chaerin can help with the search. Because these were found in near proximity of Son Taehyun's house, I'm fairly certain we'll find the other weapons close to where Lee Minhee and Lee Seonwoong were killed. We just need to look harder. Kahi's already at Seonwoong's neighbourhood with her partner. You two go see if Kris is free. If he's not busy, take him along to do an area check around the chapel."

He turned to the other man in the room. As quiet as he had been, Sunggyu had not forgotten about Lee Sungyeol. The newcomer was mysterious, he was cryptic, and yet, he was an asset in every way possible. Sungyeol had been at the unrivaled top of his class, the best that even the local police considered to be. It was time for him to start showing it.

"You and Myungsoo have had more than enough time to build our suspect list," the Boss told the silent rookie. "We need leads, and we need them now. I want you guys to compare notes with Chen and see how his interrogations went. Give him a copy of your updated list. He can take the new suspects while you and Myungsoo make links to the murders. Get help with Youngjae or Dongwoo on the psychoanalysis part."

Having received his orders, Sungyeol gave a slight jerk of the head. He picked up a folder that had been lying on the table. Once it was secure in his grip, the man wordlessly walked out of the room. Not once did he look back at his three remaining companions.

"Quiet guy," Chaerin commented as the door closed behind him. "Doesn't talk much, does he?"

"Not that I can tell." Sunggyu gazed at the shut door. "But he was supposedly the best in his year, and even came with recommendations-"

"- from the academy head himself, which is a feat next to impossible," Chaerin finished for him. Jokingly, she rolled her eyes. "We know, we know. I've lost count of the number of times Woohyun's told us that."

Zelo, who still had a wide-eyed expression on his face, looked from Sunggyu to Chaerin. "But Sungyeol sounds really cool to me. Did you know it was him who figured out what weapons were used in the murders, way before we found the ones today? Commander told me so. That's how I figured they were from Son Taehyun's murder, not the other ones."

Sunggyu turned towards Chaerin. "Commander?"  he asked with a raised brow.

The woman shrugged. "It's what the kid's been calling Yongguk ever since his first day here. Don't ask me why."

"I see." Sunggyu eyed the excited junior officer for a second. "Anyway, listen up. I just remembered something important I have to tell you."

He nodded at the motionless arms lying on the table. Isolated in their plastic bags, they looked as innocent as a kitchen knife and steel revolver ever could unengaged. "Today and possibly tomorrow, you both will be busy finding the rest of the killer's weapons. After that, on Wednesday, I'm assigning you to another task. I want you, Chaerin and Zelo, to assist Chen with whatever jobs he needs done. You'll be filling in for Sungyeol on that day. Myungsoo and Sungjong will be gone too, and I can't have Chen working alone."

The blonde woman frowned, registering her new orders. "Help Chen? I suppose that's fine with me. I don't have any other work... Wait. Hold on a minute. This Wednesday?  As in the day after tomorrow? That's- Sunggyu. Why do you need us to substitute for Sungyeol then?"

Sunggyu glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Because," he said, wondering why the rust on the cleaver looked so much like dried blood. Then he remembered: it was  dried blood. Son Taehyun's blood. "Sungyeol's requested to be off on that day, as well."

-----------

When Myungsoo entered Shooting Range #2, he couldn't help but feel a little surprised. It appeared to be completely deserted inside- the lights were on, but not a single soul was to be seen around. Usually, there was at least one person in here practicing their shots. The silence, which was considered a rarity in this place, filled his ears with a foreign, almost deafening kind of sensation.

The ravenet frowned. He hadn't realized how used to the ruckus of the weaponry division he'd become.

He cleared his throat. "Hello? Is anybody home?"

"Over here," a man's voice called back. "I'm right behind you, punk."

Myungsoo looked over his shoulder for the source of noise. A familiar figure was striding towards him. Pearly whites flashed in a smile, he was approaching from where the artillery wall was on the far end of the room.

"Kim Myungsoo!" Yongguk gave the agent his signature slap on the back. "And I was just thinking about you, too. What do you need from me today?"

Myungsoo half-grinned. The alien, cotton-like feeling in his ears disappeared. The unwelcoming silence of the range was no more. "I'm not here with any specific jobs for you. Though if you want to finish my investigation for me, I wouldn't refuse." He shook his head at Yongguk's chuckles.

"No, I came by to give you an interesting piece of news. This morning, Kahi somehow found the two weapons-"

"- used to kill Son Taehyun," Yongguk interrupted. He seemed amused by the startled expression on Myungsoo's face. "Zelo beat you to it, punk. He came running in five minutes ago, yelling some nonsense about the weaponry Kahi found. Chaerin went with the brat immediately. I think you might have just missed Sungjong, though. He left while I was putting our equipment away."

"So Sungjong was here with you?" Myungsoo watched Yongguk peer around the room, checking to see that everything was neatly in place. "That explains why I didn't see him in the office earlier."

"He was with us since lunch," Yongguk replied. He turned to face his dark-haired friend once more. "So, Myungsoo! How's the case coming along, hmm? There hasn't been much luck, I hear. And how's your little partner doing?"

"'Little partner'?" Myungsoo echoed. He gave the former an inquiring glance. "Didn't you tell me that Sungjong was just with you?"

"Not that little guy. I was talking about Sungyeol."

"Oh." Myungsoo blinked. "Well, I guess he's doing fine. Doesn't talk much, but we're getting used to that. He's pretty good at this job, you know. He's definitely a lot more helpful than most rookies we get."

Yongguk clucked his tongue. In the quiet surrounding them, the noise disrupted the peace like the crack of a thunder bolt. "No, not that. I didn't ask to hear what kind of worker he is. I mean, how is Sungyeol doing?  How has he been lately?"

"... I don't quite understand what you're asking."

The weaponry agent gave Myungsoo a long, speculative look.

"I don't know about you, Myungsoo," he said eventually, "But I'm a pretty observant man. I see things and hear everything happening around me. When I'm with people, I take the time to really look at them and listen to what's behind their words. You'd be surprised to know how much you can learn about a person if you do. Now, think about Sungyeol. Can you tell what I've gathered on him so far?"

Yongguk spoke his next words in a soft, gentle voice that was rarely heard with him. "He's lonely, punk. Isn't it obvious? His tone, his expressions, and especially his eyes... The little guy tries to hide it, but I can see behind his mask. He feels alone, even with a team of people surrounding him every day. It's like there's no one in the world he can fully trust. Don't ask me why. I don't know exactly how long it's been like this, either. All I'm sure of is that Sungyeol needs someone who can tear that mask away for good."

Myungsoo was silent. Unsure of what to say or do, he averted his eyes away from Yongguk. Instead, he stared at the unmoving targets across the room, not really taking in the rings of red, blue, and yellow colours.

'Lonely, huh...'  The agent thought back to that day in the church, when he and Sungyeol had talked and had their little heart-to-heart. He remembered them praying together, both thinking of their parents and admitting it was only out of respect. Hadn't Sungyeol mentioned something before that? Hadn't he said how his parents had been dead for 'quite the while'?

'He must have been feeling alone for a long time,'  Myungsoo mused to himself.

"Anyhow, I'm glad Sunggyu assigned him to your team," Yongguk continued. He sent another wide grin in Myungsoo's direction. "Looks to me like the two of you are well on your way to becoming good friends."

Startled, Myungsoo opened his mouth to respond (either with a rebuttal or agreement, he didn't know. Talking about people and their feelings had always been a bit of a difficult task for him). But before he had the chance to reply, the door behind them opened with a click.

Yongguk turned to see who the new arrival was. "Ah, speak of the devil! Lee Sungyeol! This is a nice surprise. What brings you to my humble abode?"

Myungsoo was caught even more off guard upon seeing his partner in the doorway. "Oh... Sungyeol. What are you doing here? I thought you were conferencing with Sunggyu."

Closing the door behind him, Sungyeol slowly made his way inside. To Yongguk, he gave a single nod. No words were said during this brief and rather curt greeting. Then he flickered his gaze towards his senior and narrowed his eyes.

"We have work to do," he said quietly. "Get your notes so we can meet with Chen and Youngjae. They'll be expecting us in five minutes." He spoke in his usual dismissive tone, but... But something felt wrong. It was something about his voice, maybe the look in his eyes, that unsettled Myungsoo. They were cold. That was it. They all lacked the certain warmth Sungyeol had come to acquire since their first meeting. It was like he didn't even know who Yongguk and Myungsoo were anymore.

"Room 410." Sungyeol looked at Myungsoo for a moment longer, then began striding away. There were no goodbyes, no waves, no parting words. All that he left with them was a room number and a subtle chill in the air. As quickly as he had entered the room, the newcomer made his way out without a single glance back.

Yongguk waited until the door had closed before speaking. "See that, punk? That's exactly what I mean. He tries to hide everything behind that facade of his."

"I suppose... And you were right, Yongguk. I can really tell we're getting to be best buds," Myungsoo scoffed. But as mocking as his words were, he couldn't help the bewilderment crossing his face. What was up with Sungyeol? The sudden change in character had been totally unexpected. As a matter of fact, Myungsoo had started believing there was something developing between them, after all.

Maybe it was just he who had thought that.

Shaking his head, Myungsoo addressed his waiting companion. "I guess I'd better go now. Say hi to Zelo and Chaerin for me when they get back, alright? I'll talk to you later, Yongguk." He turned to the exit and started walking out.

Once outside of the shooting range, Myungsoo looked this way and that for the rookie. He caught sight of Sungyeol just as he was about the turn the corner. Still frowning, Myungsoo quickened his pace to catch up with him.

"Sungyeol! Hey, Sungyeol! Hold on a second!"

Sungyeol paused in his steps and looked over his shoulder. He raised a brow as his partner hurried towards him. "Yes? Did you forget what room we're in already?"

Myungsoo ignored his snub. "What was that all about?"

The auburn-haired agent cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

"That." Myungsoo waved his hands in frustration. "What was that  just now, huh? You- Back there- What happened? What's the matter with you?"

Still not losing his impassive expression, Sungyeol replied, "Nothing. Nothing happened and nothing is wrong with me. I don't see what you're so worried about. Now, is that all? If you're done babbling like a fool, I suggest we move on so we can do our job."

Myungsoo stared at him in disbelief. 'He's lonely,' he remembered Yongguk saying. 'Take the time to really look at people and listen behind their words. He tries to hide it, but I can see behind his mask.'

He took a deep breath. "Listen to me. I don't believe that nothing's happened to you. Did you forget so easily? Just yesterday, you told me to speak what's on my mind. You said that it's never good to keep things bottled up, and if I have something bothering me, I should say it. Well, why don't you follow your own advice? Tell me what's wrong. Don't keep everything to yourself. I can help."

Sungyeol gazed steadily back into Myungsoo's eyes.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." His tone was slow and deliberate, like the kind one might use to speak to a child with. "And if you're finally finished, I'd like to leave now. We have work to do. There is a killer on the loose. I can't afford to waste time like this, and I doubt you can, too."

With that final note, he walked away. Myungsoo gaped at his disappearing figure, wondering what hell  had just happened.

"Nice talking with you, too," he muttered. But if there had been anybody listening to him at that moment, they would have noticed something strange about his sarcasm. It wasn't quite enough to hide the confusion, irritation, and slight hurt taking over his voice.

[A/N]   All I'm going to say is: The day of November 21st is finally here! Anticipate the next chapter, guys :D (and happy holidays! Stay warm and enjoy your Christmas day, everyone ❤)