"I never thought I'd live to see this day, yet here we are."

Crossing his arms, Myungsoo eyed the man lying on the hospital bed. He couldn't help but wonder what exactly he was doing there- the patient certainly didn't  look like he belonged in a medical institution. He had twinkling eyes and a wide, pearly smile, both of which were at complete odds with the cast on his arm and the nasty bruises decorating his face.

But then again, this was Bang Yongguk. He could have been trapped inside of a dungeon with a broken leg and  still manage to grin, no matter what the odds of escaping were.

The agent shook his head and continued. "Four broken ribs, a fractured wrist, a sprained ankle, and a narrow escape from death. You know, when we say you're the kind of guy who'd jump out of a building to rescue someone, we didn't think you'd take it so literally."

Yongguk raised his good arm as if to surrender. "I thought you knew me better than that, punk," he answered, still grinning. "I never found being metaphorical to be any fun."

Myungsoo made no comment. All he did was raise a brow and give his companion a very pointed look-over.

The older man's easy-going smile disappeared. Silently, he studied his visitor's form with something close to understanding in his eyes. "What did you expect me to do instead?" Yongguk finally asked. His voice was soft, quiet, so different from his usual deep, raspy tone. "They were going to kill the child. She wouldn't have made it if I chose to hide her and wait for reinforcements. They wouldn't have arrived on time. Not to mention the kidnappers had explosives all over the building. A second later and we both would have been bird feed."

"..." The raven-haired man pressed his lips together before turning away. "Still," he muttered, not wanting to admit defeat. Though it was clear to both of them that it was a lost cause. "You could have given us a call beforehand. It only takes a minute."

"A lot can be done to a defenceless child in a minute."

Rolling his eyes, Myungsoo responded, "Tell that to Sunggyu. As soon as you're discharged, he's planning on lecturing you on the importance of safety and valuing your  own life during an assignment."

Yongguk snorted. "Trust me, I've heard that one enough. You should have seen him back when he and Woohyun were partners. Woohyun drove Sunggyu close to crazy, what with all of the careless stunts he pulled."

"But that's Woohyun," Myungsoo said, his voice unintentionally becoming a tad bit sharper than before. "I'm not surprised to know he was a reckless idiot back then. Probably still is. You, on the other hand..."

Calm but serious eyes met his. "I had no other choice. It was either jump and save the kid or let the both of us be blown to pieces. But if it makes you feel any better, I know it was a stupid move. What, you think I didn't go through all of the possible situations before picking that one?"

Myungsoo sighed. It wasn't like he didn't get what Yongguk was trying to say. He understood him, he really did. It was wonderful that the child was saved and the criminals had all been captured. But that didn't make him any less concerned about his friend's condition. The artillery expert was always thinking about other people, always putting their needs above his own. Myungsoo was worried that one day, Yongguk would become too blinded by his desire to help others to recognize the limits of his own powers.

He dropped his arms to his sides and glanced ruefully at his injured colleague. "Fine. You win. Just... Be careful next time, alright? Just because you're Bang Yongguk doesn't mean you're any less vulnerable than the rest of us. You can only go so far as a mortal human being."

Releasing his previous tension, Yongguk laughed and flashed his signature smile once more. "Don't worry so much about me, punk. I'm not planning on going anywhere."

"- a long drive down here. You must be tired. Do you want some coffee before we start? We have a lot of work ahead of us."

Myungsoo glanced at the woman sitting in front of him. "No," he said, shaking his head. "No, thank you. I had some before I left my house." He didn't mention the fact that she was right- he actually did  feel tired. Only it wasn't because of the three hour-long drive. No, after visiting Yangsan every year with Sungjong, three hours meant nothing to him now.

"Yongguk's dead."

The raven-haired male closed his eyes for a brief moment. He tried to erase the sound of Amber's haunting voice from his head, and focus on what was happening around him in the present. He was in Yangsan's CSI station. He was sent here to collaborate with their inspectors on Kim Hwayoung's case.

But more than anything, he was to keep his personal feelings from mixing in with business affairs. It didn't matter than Yongguk had been one of his closest friends or among the most talented and understanding of the crime scene agents. That was just how it went in the CSI line of work.

The woman pursed her lips. Her name was Lee Yejin, or Ailee, as she preferred to be called. She had long, wavy blonde hair and a set of piercing eyes that labelled her as a no-nonsense person. Currently, those eyes were telling Myungsoo he wasn't fooling anybody with his I'm-doing-fine  facade.

Jung Daehyun, the other agent assigned to the case, cleared his throat. "Are you sure? Like Ailee said, it's going to be a long day for us. We have a lot to cover with you, Myungsoo." He had a nice, soothing voice, the kind a ballad singer or someone of the sort would have. However, Daehyun also spoke with a prominent Busan accent. One only had to listen to conclude Yangsan wasn't his hometown.

"I'm sure." Myungsoo nodded briskly at him. "Don't worry about me. I think I can make it through today without any extra caffeine. Anyways, we should go. I only have a few days here, so I'd like to make the most of my time with you."

Ailee continued to scrutinize him. Myungsoo shifted slightly in his seat. He tried to keep his expression as neutral as possible. Whatever he was thinking on the inside, this eagle-eyed woman didn't need to know.

At last, Ailee let out a sigh. "You're right; we need to get moving. But one last thing before we begin. We... heard about what happened at your station," she said quietly. "We'd like to offer our condolences."

Myungsoo glanced at her. His mouth curved up into a small, humourless smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Word gets around fast, huh?" he asked nobody in particular. He knew exactly what she was referring to.

Daehyun looked remorseful. "We're sorry to hear about it. I still can't believe that he- that Yongguk-" The Yangsan inspector released a solemn breath. "I met him before, you know. I was sent to Seoul on an investigation two years ago. Even though it wasn't his assignment, he helped to solve the case and track down the killer. Bang Yongguk... He was a great man."

An unexpected wave of sadness washed over the Seoul agent. Suddenly feeling more exhausted than before, Myungsoo allowed himself to close his eyes once again. "I know that. But he was more than just a great man.

"He was an even greater friend."

---------

Chaotic. That was the only word to describe the scene. After Amber announced Bang Yongguk's death, reactions immediately appeared left, right, and centre. Jooyeon gasped loudly, dropping the first aid kit with a clatter. The other three office administrators halted in their work, looking both bewildered and shocked at the bombshell news. Woohyun, to his credit, only appeared stupefied for a second before firing questions one after another in rapid succession.

"Yongguk's  dead? How do you know? Did you get a call from somebody? Did you confirm it was him? How did he- It was the Mockingbird, wasn't it? Did that bastard kill him?"

As for Myungsoo... Well, it would be more proper to say he  didn't have much of a reaction. All he could do was stare at the young pathologist, feeling certain he'd heard her words incorrectly. The worries he'd previously had about Sungyeol were long gone, replaced by a numbing sensation that settled in his head like a layer of fog. "Yongguk's... No. No. You're joking, right?"

Amber slowly turned to him with grieving eyes. "He's dead," she repeated lowly. She acted as if it were only her and Myungsoo in the room, as if she wasn't aware of the noise and disorder in her surroundings. "I'm not kidding. I found his body. Yongguk- He's really dead."

Speechless, Myungsoo could only listen as Amber told them the full tragic story: as today was her day off from work, she'd decided to go on a morning run. Since she and Yongguk lived a few blocks away from each other, and he also happened to have the day off, the forensic agent had called him, wanting to know if he'd like to jog with her. Yongguk, however, didn't pick up her call. It did seem strange to Amber, seeing as he was the type of person who always answered his phone, but at the time, she didn't think too much of it.

"So I went to the neighbourhood park by myself," she continued. Her voice dropped down to a whisper, but nobody bothered asking her to speak louder. Besides the muffled noises coming from the lobby, there was nothing but grave silence in the main office. "It's the one where Yongguk and I both do our jogging routines in. I didn't bring my phone because the battery died when I woke up. It was just me there. I didn't see anybody else around."

"And? What happened next?" Woohyun urged.

Amber took a shaky breath. "After a few minutes of running, I turned the corner. The path I chose has hedges growing on both sides, which makes it hard to see the ground behind a turn. So I didn't see him lying there- I tripped on his foot-" She made a strangled noise that sounded like a cross between a gasp and a sob. "I tripped on his ing  foot-"

"How long ago was this?" Myungsoo interrupted. His voice was surprisingly a lot calmer than how he felt- or how he was  supposed to feel, anyways. A part of him was still in denial, still unable to believe what Amber was telling them. Bang Yongguk, dead? There was just no way. Yongguk was strong. Yongguk was invincible. Yongguk was like the rock everyone could depend on to keep them upright. Yongguk was...

Yongguk was only human, just like you told him, a voice murmured in his head. It was the same silky voice that appeared when he thought about Sungyeol, wondering if Chen and Kahi had good reason to be suspicious of the newcomer. He wasn't God. He was mortal, an easy target for death like every other person living on this planet. And now he's dead. Gone for good. Stop trying to convince yourself otherwise and accept the truth.

"Fifteen minutes ago," Amber responded hoarsely. "It's a short drive from my house. I had to come here and tell you. I know I should have phoned you, told you as soon as I found the bo- found him in the park... But I couldn't. I had to tell you in person."

Glancing at the desolate expression on Amber's face, Myungsoo understood. It was one thing to report the dead body of a person you didn't know, but to discover the corpse of your close friend and colleague? It was incredible that Amber still had her wits about her.

"And another thing." The pathologist looked from Myungsoo to Woohyun, and back to Myungsoo again. As she did, a darker emotion crossed her face. It was almost as if she wanted to get angry, or infuriated, even, but couldn't find the energy to do so. "Woohyun was right. Yongguk's death wasn't an accident. It wasn't a random shooting. It wasn't the work of a street gang, either.

"It was the Mockingbird."

Woohyun cursed. "I  knew it. ing hell..." He quickly turned around and strode towards Sunggyu's office. Ignoring the fact that the branch director was in the middle of an important phone call, the inspector all but ripped the door open, closing it behind him with as equal force.

The next few hours seemed to pass by in a blur. Right after Woohyun informed Sunggyu of the news, a team was dispatched to the neighbourhood park to investigate the matter. They called HQ with the grim details as soon as they arrived- yes, it was Bang Yongguk's body, and yes, it was the work of the Mockingbird killer. The dead winged animal found in his hand was identical to the one left with the other four victims. The team had yet to know if the killer had chosen to copy a past murder or not, but quite honestly, it didn't make a difference.

The Mockingbird had struck yet again, this time right in the nest of its predators.

Amber was sent home to rest, after having her injury tended to. It turned out she'd gotten the cut after falling down and landing on a broken glass bottle. Sunggyu, after barking out various orders to the investigating team, called an emergency meeting with all available agents. Needless to say, it wasn't a happy hour. There were shouts here, horrified gasps there, stunned silence all around... But what the worst part of it all was, there would be no memorial process for Bang Yongguk. At least, not right away. He was a victim of the murderer they were trying to catch, so he, too, required an official post-mortem examination. Dongwoo visibly paled when he was told he'd have to perform an autopsy on the deceased weaponry agent... On his friend.

They didn't know whether or not Yongguk's death was coincidental. If he'd been killed as an original target of the murderer, or as a warning to the other agents... Well, that was up to the new investigating team to find out. But either way, Myungsoo couldn't help but see it as a red flag. With someone as strong as Yongguk defeated, he had to wonder what sort of madman they were up against. Certainly he was intelligent, powerful, and cunning enough to evade their trail. But just how far was the killer planning on going? Or was he going to stop at all?

In the game of life and death, the score was now five to nothing. The agents had lost one of their players, and the Mockingbird had won the round once more.

--------

"- Myungsoo. Myungsoo, are you coming?"

The ravenet jolted back to reality. Shaking the memories out of his head, he glanced at his two companions. They had both risen out of their seats and were standing by the door, Ailee with an arched brow and Daehyun with a more patient look. It was obvious they were waiting for Myungsoo to follow them. Huh. Guess he'd zoned out for longer than he'd thought.

He cleared his throat and pushed his chair back. "Sorry. I'm coming. I was just... thinking about something."

Ailee's unimpressed expression remained on her face, but her eyes softened into something more sympathetic. "Let's go. We have work to do." 

[A/N]  Normally I don't like female idols, but Ailee has been my #1 since her debut <3 Gotta love that girl.

In a way, this chapter is like a tribute to the CSI agent/ artillery expert we all know and love, Bang Yongguk. I didn't want to rush into investigation scenes right after announcing his death, so this is a very informative filler update. It's still depressing to think about, but oh well. AND SO THE PLOT MOVES ON.

Thank you to all of you wonderful subscribers! Your support really makes me happy and motivates me to finish this story faster. Although I start hell university in a few days, I'll try to update the best I can :)