Four days since UKnow had attached me to a heating pipe and kept me has his personal decoration. I refused to eat the first three days because I hated taking things he offered. It made me disgusted. But my stomach was roaring and exhaustion was setting in from sleepless nights. If a door opened and I had the chance to escape, my strength had to be kept up. And that meant eating the food he offered me.

It wasn't like I was given food out of a dumpster or soggy ramen. No, he gave me real and filling food. He wanted me to be as comfortable as one could possibly be handcuffed to a wall. Almost like I was his privileged guest.

He would disappear for no more than half an hour to get food. During his absence, both of my arms were handcuffed. I could hear him lock several locks on the doors. The window was no use as it was barred and padlocked. The apartment was UKnow's personal prison.

It had also been four days since I had taken a shower as well. No change of clothes. I knew there was a bathroom with a shower—as he had taken me to one when I asked—sand I was dying to take one. Maybe I could think of an escape route once I was away from him.

“UKnow...”

He looked up from his usual vantage point at the kitchen table. He never looked worried like Park could come barging in at any moment. He seemed to have sixth sense or some unknown ability that gave him a constant upper hand. As long as he was not worried, I would be.

“What is it, Detective?” There was a hint of surprise in his voice. Ever since he had brought up...my past, I had not made any contact with him.

“I need a shower,” I said. “Really badly.”

A smirk. “There isn't much hot water available, but you can take one.” He approached me. “Nothing funny,” he said as he did every time he uncuffed me from the heating pipe.

I was pulled to my feet and instructed to the bathroom, stretching my stiff body parts as I was. The shower was an invigorating sight and I turned to UKnow, expecting him to leave. Instead, he hopped up on the bathroom counter and looked at me expectantly.

We stared at each other for an awkward beat, before I asked, “what are you doing?”

“Sitting here.”

“Can you leave?”

“No.”

“I need to shower.”

“Then, shower.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I have to undress, dumb . Now leave!”

“You've got nothing to hide from me, Detective. I'm sure you're breathtaking without all those clothes.” His eyes looked up and down my body with that spark of disturbing lust in his eyes.

My cheeks flamed and I turned away from him to face the shower. “Go watch some to to instead of expecting it from me.” Sick ing bastard. I reached in and turned the shower on before stepping inside, fully clothed. I was going to be miserable, but I had to get my hair washed. It was feeling oily and stringy. But I refused to give the satisfaction of him seeing me .

Instead, I gave him an glare as I rinsed my hair. The whole time he watched me with a sickening smirk of satisfaction.



A week went by and I began to wonder if Park was looking for me. I wondered if everyone was celebrating my absence rather than searching. I didn't blame them; quite a few bridges had been burned with me and I wasn't exactly a dollop of sunshine to a lot of people.

A newspaper landed at my feet and I looked at the cover. Some political fight or some that I frankly didn't give a rat's about anymore.

“Page two,” UKnow said, peeking out the window; it was a habit he did as soon as he arrived back at the apartment.

I grabbed the newspaper with my free hand and clumsily flipped the large paper to the requested page.

Hunt for Captured Detective Still Going

Detective Kim Jin Ae has been missing since last Thursday when a unapproved hostage exchange went awry. Her partner, Detective Park Yoochun, has made it clear that the Seoul Police Department will not stop until Detective Kim has been found.
“We have little of a lead,” Detective Park stated, “but there is no way this precinct or the SPD will allow one of their best to be lost.”
It has been led to believe that the serial killer, simply known as UKnow, is responsible for the detective's kidnapping.{C}

Then, it went on to talk about how Seoul had benefited as a whole from my work and determination to clean the streets and some pointless about when I graduated from the academy. There was the infamous sketch of UKnow next to a picture of me. I recognized the picture immediately. It was cropped; Junsu should have been on my left, throwing a cheesy smile like he always did. I wasn't smiling—because I hated my picture taken—but Junsu had said something stupid that got me at least smirk right before the picture was taken. The memory made my heart ache.

The memory and Park's statement. So he hadn't given up on me and celebrated.

“You were looking a little down. I thought that might brighten your day,” UKnow said. His voice crushed my moment of fuzzy feelings of positivity.

“Why? Just so you can give me some false hope?” There was no response and I threw the paper away from me. “You're cruel.”

“At least you have people looking for you.”

“So? You sound like they won't find me.”

UKnow leaned forward from his seat. “I'm confident in my skills, Detective. But the secret is to never be {C}too{C} confident.”

“Okay...”

“They may find you...they may not. It depends on how good your partner is.”

“He'll find me,” I said, conjuring every ounce of anger and resentment I had towards the man sitting in front of me and directing it into a glare. “He'll find me and then I'll kill you.”

UKnow smiled. “A promise?”

“Yes.”

“Then, I'll hold you to your word, Detective.”