"I can't tell you how good it feels to finally get out of here."

Hoya glanced at his temporarily-crippled partner as he grabbed both of their jackets, tucking the woollen fabrics under one arm. "Trust me, I think I have an idea." Chuckling, he thought back to the phone calls they'd held during the latter's confinement to his hospital bed. "You were going crazy, the room felt like it was shrinking, you were just laying in bed while a killer was loose in the city, and didn't you say something about how you were even starting to miss Woohyun?"

Kris threw him his signature you-think-you're-funny  scowl. The sandy blonde was dressed in jeans and a white button up, which made for a refreshing change from the pasty green hospital scrubs he'd been forced to wear. His complexion was looking a lot better, too. The last time Hoya had seen him (which was just yesterday, actually), Kris' skin had a pale tint that was borderlining grey. It was, according to the patient himself, due to his "imprisonment to the sickbed" and "inability to walk outside without feeling like an invalid".

Now, the only indication that he'd ever stayed at the hospital was the thick cast encasing his leg, as well as the pair of crutches he used for support. Currently he was raising the left one and brandishing it in what Hoya supposed was a threatening manner. "I was on meds. I don't remember saying anything remotely close to that, and you probably heard wrong."

"Nice to know the hospital didn't kill your gentle heart," Hoya muttered, but smiled broadly to himself anyway. Sure, Kris could be a downright terror at times, but he had to admit it was nice having his partner back. Although he was still concerned about the fact that the injured man had been released way earlier than expected.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for another week? Or even a few more days?" Hoya frowned at the taller man's cast. "Your injury hasn't completely healed, you know. Going back to work so soon will put a lot of stress on it, and that could make it worse than before."

"Thanks, mother, but I'm alright," snorted Kris. "Don't worry about me. All I'll be doing anyways is sitting in front of a computer, searching for data for you people. It'll be a long time before I can get back to field work." He grimaced, then turned to his friend with a softer, more appreciative look in his eyes.

"I'm fine, Hoya. Really. It was mostly a flesh wound; the bone's almost done healing. Besides, if I seriously wasn't well enough to leave, the doctors wouldn't have let me out, right?"

"Or maybe they were too scared to try and stop you," Hoya laughed. Nonetheless, he appreciated Kris' efforts to ease his worries. He did one last check to make sure nothing was left behind, then gestured towards the exit. "Come on, we'd better get going. There's a debriefing at noon and Sunggyu wants everyone to be there."

Belongings in hand, the two began walking out of the room- or in Kris' case, made steady little hops with the help of his wooden aids. Hoya adjusted his speed to match his friend's slower one. Although they had to hurry to headquarters for the meeting, he didn't mind walking at a turtle pace. His partner, on the other hand... The irritation on Kris' face made it obvious how frustrated he was with his limited mobility.

Hoya felt sorry for his friend, he really did. But seeing as he possessed no magical healing powers, he decided to just stay quiet and hold the door open instead.

Just as they had reached the elevators, a familiar voice spoke up behind them.

"Oh! Are you leaving already?"

The agents glanced over their shoulders. Standing there was a young male nurse, hair spiked up and glasses perched on his nose. He held a clipboard in his hands and was looking at the two with an air of surprise. Hoya recognized him as the nurse who'd attended to Kris' room- Tao, he recalled with a nod.

Kris shifted on his crutches. "Hello to you too, Tao. And yes, as of today I'm no longer a patient here. But I thought you knew this already. I told you yesterday that I was leaving, didn't I?" His tone was dry, but when Hoya glanced his way he saw that the irritation had disappeared from his partner's eyes. Well well well, what have we got here...

Tao's expression became flustered. "Er- Yes, I think you did. It must have slipped my mind, what with all of the work I had to finish last night."

Feeling sorry for the poor nurse- though he couldn't deny that their interaction was amusing to watch- Hoya decided to contribute his own share to the conversation. "I know how tough it was for my colleague here, but I'm sure it was harder on you and the staff taking care of him. It must have been good news when you heard he was being released. Less work for you, isn't that right?"

Rather than granting relief like Hoya thought it would, his words only caused further discomfort for the medic. Tao looked strangely bothered as he replied to Hoya's question. "No, not really. There are always injured, upset people checking in here so my job is never done. I was actually just about to go prepare a room for a new patient. And... To be honest, it was easier attending to Kris than it was to others. I wish more of my patients were like you," he added to the disabled agent. Then, seeming to realize what he'd said, he ducked his head in an embarrassed manner. 

The corners of Kris' mouth curved up. "I'm glad you think so highly of me. Though you should give yourself some more credit. The next time I get shot, I'll be sure to ask to be put in your ward."

Disbelief entered Hoya's mind. Exactly who was this young man and how did he manage to break through Kris' tough detective persona? He vaguely remembered Woohyun (or the gossip mill, as he was referred to from time to time) mentioning the giant's apparent soft spot for a "cute but super shy nurse" at the hospital, but he didn't think it'd be as serious as this.

Resisting the urge to laugh at his partner's questionable act, he coughed lightly to get the pair's attention. "Look, it was nice running into you, Tao, but we really need to get going. There's a lot to be done at work today. Crime never sleeps and all that jazz," he said apologetically.

"Oh, right!" Tao reddened. "I'm sorry to hold you up. I'd better get back to work, too." He gave a slight shake to his clipboard, but as he did, a few papers fell out of the bunch and floated to the ground.

The hospital worker turned an even brighter shade of red. "Oops. I guess they weren't clipped in properly. Er- sorry about that. You should go now, don't mind me and my clumsiness."

He bent down to retrieve the papers, obviously wanting to hide his shame. Hoya, however, was one step faster. The inspector picked up the sheets one-by-one, then straightened them into a neat little pile. 

"Here," he said, holding them out with a smile. "Careful when you're using clipboards. That used to happen to me too, back when I first joined the force. The worse part is when you're outside in stormy weather, and the wind blows your documents all over the place."

"Sure makes me glad we're past those rookie days now," piped up Kris, who was gingerly leaning against his crutches. 

Tao accepted the sheets with a meek thank you. As Hoya handed the papers over, he couldn't help but glance down at them... Then promptly stiffened at what he saw. 

He was aware that beside him, Kris was making the closing remarks to their impromptu meeting. As interested in Tao as he was, he was probably itching to head to HQ as soon as humanly possible. "Thanks again for everything. You were a lot of help while I was here. Maybe I'll see you again later-"

"One last thing," Hoya interrupted. He kept his eyes on the papers that were back in their rightful owner's hands. "Sorry to keep you from work, but I have two more questions for you. That new patient of yours... What's her name and how old is she?"

Tao hesitated. "The hospital has regulations I have to follow. Strict rules about patient confidentiality and such-"

"What if I told you this involves the murder case we're working on?"

Both Tao and Kris stared at him. 

"Hoya, what are you talking about?" Kris frowned, but Hoya ignored his question. Instead, he leaned fowards and looked the male nurse straight in the eye. 

"Tao. Please. All I'm asking for is a name and number. You must have seen the news reports. The killer already has five victims, and I'm sure you'll agree that he doesn't need anymore."

He sensed it was primarily due to the fact that Tao wasn't the loose-lipped type, but after a moment of blinking and glacing at the equally-as-confused Kris, the medic slowly nodded. He begain to consult his charts. "Alright. I understand. I suppose this is the least I could do to aid your search. But only because you're inspectors. I really don't like the idea of a murderer still at large."

"You and me both. But thank you. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your help."

"Hoya, what are you-" Kris tried asking once more, but again he was shushed. He'd know in good time if he had the patience to wait five more seconds. 

Tao scanned the sheet before looking up again. Gone was the red, mortified flush in his cheeks, replaced by a brisk expression that said he took his job very seriously. "So. Like you know, this is a newly-admitted patient. She's not in her room yet because she's in surgury now- she was in a car crash a few hours ago- but it wasn't anything fatal. She's fifty-four years old, but she was in considerably good health prior to the accident. I don't think she'll have any trouble recovering."

"And her name?" Hoya was becoming impatient. He glanced at his colleague and saw realization dawning on his face. Realization, along with a familiar light that appeared whenever they made a big break. And after countless dead ends and no apparent leads, something told Hoya it was about to become their lucky day.

His suspicions were confirmed when Tao next spoke.

"Park Hana. Her name is Mrs. Park Hana." Tao looked from Hoya to Kris, looking suddenly confused about the turn of events. What had happened to their pleasant chat? Was his new patient really involved in a murder investigation? The nurse internally frowned when he realized he had to get back to work soon. He was a bit reluctant to leave them, especially Kris. He was actually quite nice behind his frown and dismissive demeanour. But they all had a job to do, and time wasn't going to allow for idle conversation. "I can keep you posted on her condition, if you'd like. But I'll have to let Dr. Shim know. Is there anything else you wanted me to answer about her?"

In response, Hoya smiled grimly and pulled out his phone. It seemed Lady Luck was finally playing in their favour today.

--------

When Myungsoo entered the conference room for the debriefing, he was surprised to see it was already filled with the investigation team. There were still ten minutes to go before the meeting began, and people usually started coming in at the five minute mark. He supposed it was due to the hard-pressed urgency they were starting to feel. Those in the room were chatting casually amongst themselves, waiting for Sunggyu to arrive as with any other day. But there was tension in the air. Worry. It was an atmosphere weighted down by poorly-hidden restlessness, eveloped in the dark cloud of the death of their beloved colleague. 

Myungsoo said hello to Youngjae and Dongwoo, who were in the seats closest to the door. He had seen them this morning when he arrived to work- in fact, they, along with the boss himself, were the only people he'd run into- so little pleasantries were exchanged. As he headed towards the first open spot at the end of the table, he made eye contact with Sungjong. The younger man was seated on the other side of the room, watching him with a curious yet resigned expression.

When he saw that Myungsoo was looking his way, Sungjong gave him his usual smile and wave. How was it?  he mouthed.

The raven-haired male shrugged. It was alright. Tell you later. He continued walking to his seat, trying to shake off the strange feeling that was creeping over him. Was it unease or was it guilt? Perhaps a mix of both? It suddenly occurred to him that he hadn't called or texted Sungjong at all while in Yangsan. As a matter of fact, they hadn't spoken ever since the kissing incident. Sure, they still exchanged greetings and discussed case details with each other, but there hadn't been any deeper, more meaningful talk. It was as if that day had put a crack in their friendship. The distance between the two childhood friends was growing bigger and bigger with each passing day, and Myungsoo had no idea how he was going to fix it. 

"Hey, Myunggie! I missed you, ol' buddy ol' pal. You came in late today, huh?"

'Myunggie' sighed as he pulled out his chair. As luck would have it, it was right beside the joker of the CSI court, Nam Woohyun. "Hello, Woohyun. No, I wasn't late, I was just in the data room trying to pull up some files. And you're never going to let that name go, are you?" he asked dryly, making himself comfortable.

His friend's smirk was more than enough answer for him. "Never, so you might as well stop asking. Or I could come up with a more creative one if you want."

"No thanks." Myungsoo eyed the older inspector. He wasn't too keen on testing the limits of Woohyun's imagination. Instead, he chose to take a quick look around. Dongwoo, Youngjae, Sungjong... And there was Chen and his partners sitting on the other side... He absentmindedly took note of Hoya and Kris' lack of appearance. They were probably still checking out of the hospital. No weaponry agents were present, but that was normal since they didn't usually attend meetings anyways. Which only left...

"He hasn't come to work for five days now."

Myungsoo tensed his body. Woohyun's comment reached his ears as a soft-spoken whisper, barely audible over the rabble surrounding them. 

The older man leaned back in his chair. Anybody looking would have guessed from his nonchalant expression that he was bored, simply waiting for the meeting to come to a start. But Woohyun wasn't an experienced crime scene investigator for nothing. His faux casual air concealed his hushed murmurs and sideways glances to Myungsoo.

"Remember when I said it's not looking good for him?" Woohyun twirled a ballpoint pen in his hand. "Kahi proposed that we search his apartment for clues. She's convinced that he's either the killer or connected to him in some way."

"Let me guess. She has a warrant ready and everything?" Myungsoo flickered his eyes towards the formidable lady. His guilt towards Sungjong was quickly being replaced by a feeling of trepidation.

Woohyun gave a quiet laugh. "Knowing her, she could have it signed by tomorrow. But no- at least, I don't think she does. As far as I know, she hasn't requested one from the head yet."

"Does she have any evidence? Instinct alone won't be enough to grant a search."

"I don't know. All I'm sure of is that she's not very fond of our rookie. We never talked much to begin with, and since she knows I'm Sungyeol's friend she seems to be suspicious of me  as well, that cow-"

Woohyun's far from praising words were cut short by the sound of an opening door. The Seoul branch director marched inside, face set like stone. 

A hush immediately fell throughout the room. The agents watched as Sunggyu tossed a few files onto the table at the front. He was far from looking happy today, and what he had to say next would tell them why. 

"Alright. I want this meeting to be as quick and concise as possible. You all need to get to work. But one thing before we start. As you may know, Bang Yongguk's next-of-kin- an older brother and sister- were notified about his death." Sunggyu closed his eyes for a brief moment. When he opened them, they were filled with a regret that his words did not reflect. "A family liaison officer has been with them for the past three days, and she reports that they're handling the news as best as they can. So I want somebody to interview them today. Whether he was an intended target or simply a warning, Yongguk was still a victim of the Mockingbird. His apartment's already been searched, but his past needs to be filled in by his family. We need to figure out if Yongguk was connected to the killer in any way."

There was another pause as the agents processed his command. This time less solemn, more taken aback and reluctant. Nobody was eager to take on the job. After all, who would be? It wasn't a pleasant thing to do, talking to the relatives of your murdered colleague slash friend. Especially if you felt guilty. Especially if you thought it could have been prevented if the killer had been caught sooner.

But there was  one person who was willing enough. Chanyeol raised his hand slowly, as if trying not to let his rambunctious nature disturb the solemnity of the room. "If nobody else wants to, I'll go. I... I wasn't close to Yongguk like most of you guys, so personal feelings won't be a problem."

Sunggyu gave a curt nod. "Thank you, Chanyeol. Here, I have their addresses and phone numbers written down. I'd like you to leave as soon as we're finished here, if that's alright." He picked up the first folder in his pile and passed it down, then carried on with the meeting. 

"Alright, moving on. Yesterday I announced Kris' early release, but you'll notice that he and Hoya are absent here. They phoned me about an hour ago to say that they're caught up with case business. Business in the form of Park Hana."

"Speaking of which," Youngjae began. Straightening his spine, he addressed the branch director with an air of self-satisfaction. "We've been running continuous scans on her citizenship number, in hopes of finding her recent activity and therefore whereabouts. We got a hit just ten minutes ago when the computer processed her medical records. She was admitted into the general hospital today at 9:16 AM, for a-"

"- surgery to treat serious but not fatal injuries," Sunggyu finished for him. "Yes, I know. That was what Hoya called me about. They were told by a nurse that Park Hana was involved in a car crash, but is expected to make a steady recovery. That's why they're not here with us. They're still at the hospital, talking to the head doctors and negotiating a time for when they can meet her."

"Oh," was all Youngjae said in response. He was clearly miffed that they'd found her before his super high-tech computers had. "Good for them."

"Good work anyway, Youngjae," Sunggyu appeased the intelligence agent. "Has there been any sign of Park Kyung?"

The bespectacled man scowled. "No. Kahi and I have followed all possible leads, but we can't find him anywhere. It's like he's disappeared off the face of this earth."

Rubbing his temples, Sunggyu sighed. "Let's hope not. The last thing we need is for a top suspect to go missing."

"We've also made enquiries about Kwon Jiyong," added Chen. "The trafficker who provided the mockingbirds, if you'll remember. As he was more careless than Park Kyung, it was easier to track down some of his underground friends and former girlfriends. Mostly low-time criminals and club inhabitants. Youngjae, Kahi, and I will divide the list and see them today."

"Good, good. Let me know how that goes." The chief looked a bit more hopeful at the new development. "We're making good time here. Last thing before we assign tasks and get going. As you can see, Myungsoo's returned from his trip to Yangsan. Welcome back. Why don't you tell us what you found there." 

Myungsoo acknowledged the greeting with a nod. He opened his notebook and turned it to the most recent page. "So, Kim Hwayoung. I heard you guys already discussed the basics of her murder. Killed by a gunshot but left in the Black Dahlia fashion, complete with mutilation and Glasgow smile. She lived alone- her husband is deceased and her children are living away- so it wouldn't have been hard for the killer to stalk her, if he needed to.

"Like most of the victims, she didn't have any aparent enemies or reasons to be killed," he continued. "But the Mockingbird seemed to bear a strangely deep hatred towards her. Take a look at this." He passed around a picture that Jeon Hyosung, Yangsan's senior pathologist, had given him during his stay.

Eyes were narrowed, quiet gasps were heard. Myungsoo watched as Sungjong, who was now holding the photo, tightened his jaw at the terrible scene. "Because she was found on her back, the Yangsan team didn't realize until later what was carved into her skin. Traitor, backstabber, disloyal, hypocrite... But that's not all. One of the agents I was working with noticed a very interesting connection between the victims."

The ravenet took a deep breath, aware that every eye in the room was on him. "The Mockingbird has been extremely careful to leave no evidence, but he's forgotten that we can find leads through the victims' histories, as well. Lee Seonwoong worked in biomolecular research. Son Taehyun was at an apothecary shop. Lee Minhee's parents, at a medical laboratory. And we were told by her son that before she worked at the retirement home, Kim Hwayoung was employed by a pharmaceutical lab."

One could have heard the drop of a pin. Myungsoo saw the different emotions crossing his colleagues' faces- half of them were in mild shock, like they should have figured it out sooner, but the other half looked puzzled, as if trying to see how important this information was to the case.

Chen was the first to speak. "So you're suggesting that their jobs are the common factor? Or more specifically, the fact that they're all in the science field?"

"Well, yes," admitted Myungsoo. "It's not strong, but it's definitely something. Maybe we need to put more focus in that direction. See what we can pull up from there." 

Dongwoo shook his head. "But what I don't understand is how Lee Minhee became involved in this. If it was her parents who were employed at the lab, then why was she killed?"

"Maybe to take their place?" Woohyun suggested. "They died in an accident long before the 'Bird came around. Since he couldn't go back in time and kill them, he chose the next best thing he could find. Their daughter."

"But we can't assume she had nothing to do with their job," Sunggyu slowly said. "All along we thought that it was the girl herself who offended the killer. We never considered the possibility of her being a substitute... Right then. I want somebody to find out as much as they can on this. Who has time today?"

Sungjong volunteered. "I can handle it. I was originally on her case anyways, when we first started."

"Great. Do all that you can today and report to me later."

Wearing an expression of deep thought, Chen drummed his fingers on the surface of the table. "You know, I just remembered something. Sungjong and Myungsoo. You two were in Yangsan on the day of Kim Hwayoung's murder, weren't you?" 

Myungsoo glanced at him, startled. "Yeah. Yeah, we were. Now that you mention it, I think we left around the same time she was killed. I'll have to check the autopsy report later- I can't remember it off the top of my head- but it was more or less an hour after we left. Why do you ask?"

Chen shrugged his shoulders with a graceful ease. "I was just wondering. An hour, you say? This might be a long shot, but did you happen to notice anything strange before you left? Any signs to tell of an upcoming murder?"

"No." Myungsoo furrowed his brows, trying to dig through his dimmed memories. "I don't remember anything particularly out of place. I was tired and spent most of the car ride sleeping. Besides, the murder took place on the opposite side of town. We really had no idea." He turned to his childhood friend. 

"Did you notice anything while you were driving?"

Sungjong, too, shook his head. "No, sorry. I mean, it's scary to think that she was being targeted just as we were leaving, but we were out of Yangsan by seven. Myungsoo's right, Kim Hwayoung was dead by 8:04 PM. I read about the autopsy this morning."

Kahi interjected. "Sunggyu, you mentioned that Lee Sungyeol was also in Yangsan that day. You gave him the day off from work, didn't you?"

"Here we go again," muttered Woohyun in a not-so-quiet voice.

The lady agent ignored him. "And he still hasn't shown up for work either. He's been missing for five days now. His phone's not being answered, and nobody's at his apartment, either-"

Woohyun scoffed. "So what are you saying? That he's done a runner? That just because he happened to be in the same place as the fourth victim during her murder- which may or may not be true, by the way- and is missing for unknown reasons, Sungyeol is the Mockingbird? How disappointing, Kahi. I thought you were the kind of person who based judgements on facts, not prejudices against coworkers."

Kahi fixed him an icy stare. "You're sadly mistaken, Woohyun. I'm not prejudiced, I simply don't believe in coincidences. Not in this line of work. Is there any reason why we shouldn't  find Sungyeol suspicious? There's been no contact from him whatsoever. Normally when you miss work, you inform your employer of your absence, do you not?"

"But we don't know  if his absence was planned or not. Did you ever think about the possibility that something happened to him, like an accident? He wouldn't have had the time to call us. Or maybe the Mockingbird got to him. Maybe that's why we can't find him anywhere. Have you even thought about that?"

Myungsoo's pulse quickened. No, he hadn't even considered that scenario. Was Woohyun right? Was the killer doing to Sungyeol what he had done to the other victims, stealing the life and soul out of the newcomer? Which past murder would he copy this time? 

Before Myungsoo could let his imagination run any further, Kahi answered in a deadly quiet voice. "Of course I've thought of that. How incompetent do you think I am? But all the same, I don't believe it. You're a fool to think Lee Sungyeol isn't suspicious just because he's one of us."

Tension crackled in the air like static. Nobody dared to say a word. They looked from Kahi's steely eyes to Woohyun's exasperated but irked expression, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire. Finally, Sunggyu sighed and ran a weary hand through his hair.

"Woohyun. Kahi. Stop it. You're acting like a pair of immature kids, and the last thing we need is a lack of teamwork. Put your disagreements aside and focus on the case. I don't have the patience for this right now." He turned to address the others. "If there's nothing else, then meeting adjourned. I want all of you to get to work. Reports on my desk at five o' clock."

Slowly, they began shuffling out of the room. Kahi shot a look of disgust in Woohyun's direction before striding out. In her books, justice came before friendship, and she obviously wasn't pleased with Woohyun's contradicting opinion. Sungjong left immediately after her. He had a job to do and was expected to do it ASAP... But when he disappeared past the door without so much as a look back, Myungsoo couldn't help but remember his earlier thoughts. Their bond was breaking. Fading away.

And the worse part was, he didn't even know what he was going to do about it.

Soon the room emptied out, leaving Myungsoo and Woohyun as its only inhabitants. Woohyun exhaled, then turned to his companion with a rueful grin. "I guess it's safe to say he's in deeper than before."

Myungsoo gave a humourless laugh. "No kidding. I really didn't think it'd be this bad, to be accused to openly." Sighing, he allowed the mirthless smile to drop from his face.

'God dammit, Lee Sungyeol... Just what in the world are you doing now?'

Woohyun rose from his seat and began stretching out his arms. "Look, I think we may be overthinking this. You know how private Sungyeol is. Our buddy's probably dealing with some issues right now, personal ones that he didn't want us to know about," he mused in an unconvincing tone. "Let's just respect that and get on with the investigation. Hey- after we're done today, we should go for a drink. Loosen up a bit. I think we're more than a bit entitled to a night of relaxation."

"Are you serious?" Myungsoo raised a brow. "There's a serial killer on the loose and you want to go drinking?"  Sometimes Woohyun's overbearing love of fun was just too much, it really was.

"Well, if you put it that way..." The older man rolled his eyes. "Seriously, you need to chill out, Myungsoo. You've been letting work take over your life and frankly, I'm concerned for your health. I know you're especially worried about Sungyeol being missing and all, but that's not gonna bring him back any sooner. Come on, you're only human. One night off won't kill you."

"Maybe not me, but it could kill somebody else," Myungsoo muttered. But he knew when he was defeated. Rarely anyone won over Nam Woohyun and his stubborn, bullheaded personality.

For pride's sake, he made one last attempt to skive off of Woohyun's plans. "I'll think about it. But do you really want to go drinking when there's an investigation that needs to be solved? Sunggyu will flip his lid when he finds out."

The smirk on Woohyun's face told him his reasoning wasn't working in the least bit. "No problem, pal. We can bring him too."

[A/N] Okay. So. First of all, I'm really sorry that it took me this long to update. I won't bore you with details, but basically I've been dealing with a lot of problems (family, school, internal demons, all that fun stuff). For a while I was even afraid that I couldn't write anymore, because everything that came out was half-hearted crap that should never see the light of day. To be honest I'm still faced with some worrying problems, but writing is a distraction. So hopefully I start to update more frequently again =x= 

Now, about ch 35. If you haven't read it before, then I hope you did so before you got to this chapter. If you have, then there's an explaination I owe you all. It was brought to my attention that there was a mistake in there, when Myungsoo, Ailee, and Daehyun discussed Minhee's parentage. It was said that her mother worked at a flower shop, and her father as a dentist. This is a mistake. Before, in ch 26, it's said that her parents actually worked at a medical laboratory before they died. Yes, I messed up. The only excuse I can give is that I was seriously tired from working on an essay, so I didn't edit the chapter properly before posting. It's fixed now, but I'm sorry for not checking properly ;-;

Anyways, thank you to everyone who's reading this story! I know I can be a total pain with my irregular updates, but your support makes me really happy <3 I'll work hard to have the next chapter out soon. Happy reading!