It was pitch black and with the bubbling sense of panic rising in the room, for some strange reason Junhong’s senses have been heightened. Was it because of the adrenaline rush, panic perhaps or a strong urge to save at least one person tonight? Did the Doctor give him his wish on who to save? Can he catch the Killer tonight?

So many things run through his mind but when he saw a faint dot of red aimed so perfectly at the target’s chest, without any second thoughts, Junhong pulled the arm of the target – down and away.

*~*~*

Detective Yoo was immediately on the guard, his eyes scouting pass suits, gowns and frightened faces.

Where is he? Where is he? His thoughts repeated over and over as he grits his teeth.

Where will he move from above, amongst the crowd, or will he make a bigger scene that the bakery?

Has he killed someone already?

In about five seconds, as Youngjae has calculated, a sound he was very much familiar with, a sound that made most of the guests duck or cower to the ground screaming in fear and panic reverberated through the grand walls of the room. It was just a split second probably but with the talent, experience and tenacity he has, he was able to roughly pin point where the shot had come from.

Above!  His mind dictates him as his head flew towards the direction to which he infers, trying to see through the darkness.

“Jongin!” Youngjae heard someone scream. He heard Junhong’s scream. “Yah! Kim Jongin! JONGIN!” Junhong kept shouting until he stopped. Did the boy moved or did he not? Where the heck was Jinki when he needed him?

*~*~*

“Tsk. Did they pick the right card this time?” he mutters disappointedly and a bit hurt with regards to his pride. He was tempted at taking a second hit but that would be compromising his location. The detective was already eyeing at his spot. He exhales sharply through his nose. “This detective truthfully lives up to his reputation,” he murmurs.

Moving like a cat, he stashed his equipment as quickly as possible. He only has seconds until they could turn on the back-up generator. Two minutes to execute everything, from shooting to leaving. The Administration wouldn’t like this he thought plainly but then wouldn’t that be their fault for using such gimic?

Ready as if to make a sprint, he holds himself in position and in sync with the return of the electricity, he dashed out of sight, crossing wires, cables and other equipment deftly. He sets the decoy firecracker hidden in one of the buffet tables out so as to cause diversion.  And with the room in utter panic as expected, he had enough time to go back into camouflage, he calculated.

“Hey, you!” someone called right after a bullet barely flew inches in front of his face and hit the concrete.

This wasn’t part of the plan, he tells himself. Slowly he straightens his back, eyes at the little whole marked by the bullet.

“Hands up where I can see them!” the voice ordered. “And face here!”

He shot an eyebrow up. He was glad he was wearing a mask that covered half his face concealing a devilish grin.

*~*~*

In the flickering of lights, he saw it, swift and agile. Youngjae saw a speck of shadow moving and so did he. He didn’t have any time to check upon the casualty, with how someone barked orders for the ambulance, he knew the boy was still breathing. All that’s left now is to catch this elusive murderer.

Dodging people here, crouching from trays or arms there, Youngjae makes his way out of the room and into the hall and Jinki said that being meticulous was a waste of time, since when has his qualities ever failed him yet, Youngjae brags mentally as he gave chase. He stopped to catch his breath. Suddenly his right ear perked and instantly he withdrew his gun, aimed and shoot.

“Hey, you!” he called.

He knew the order of things was messed up but that wasn’t important now. The murderer had stopped. If he hadn’t been so agile he would’ve needed a nose job at the least, Youngjae thought.

“Hands up where I can see them!” he ordered. “And face here!”

Slowly, cautiously the murderer, clad in dark clothes from head to toe save for the little almond-colored tendrils  that escaped the hood, moved his body facing Youngjae. Youngjae was especially irritated at the mask he has covering half his face.

“Hands up,” he repeated as he moved closer step by step, vigilantly. The murderer followed, lifting his arms to the back of his neck, to his nape gradually. Youngjae kept a narrow eye at him as the other continually stares blankly.

“Don’t you give out a fair warning before shooting, detective,” the murderer said in a sing song voice as if laughing at Youngjae. Youngjae’s eyebrows knitted. Youngjae smirk as he keeps his gun at aim.

“Well, hunters don’t give their prey a signal do they?” remarked Youngjae. “You would know that, wouldn’t you?”

Youngjae could imagine the murderer grinning underneath that mask.

“Well said,” he had said softly. Suddenly they heard a creak from one of the doors as someone was about to come out.

The moment Youngjae’s eyes flicked towards the noise, the Killer made his move. He made a sprint towards Youngjae and although Youngjae’s reflexes were fast, his reaction wasn’t fast enough to dodge or block the full scale of the Killer’s attack.

A woman shrieks as she sees two men fight outside the hall and falls back inside – crisp, accurate  motions set in a deadly dance.

 Youngjae was immediately disarmed with his gun though, a swift underhand attack, making the gun fly. He had blocked an elbow with his free arm but did not see the spin kick that came right after. Youngjae was swept aside and hit the wall with a loud thud, giving ample time for the Killer to escape.

With a flexible body, it was easy for the Killer to jump from one floor to the next, ‘jumping’ from one staircase and sliding on to the one below, eradicating security on the way out. He was glad that he had brought his gun along although he could’ve done well with just his fists and feet, still firearms were more efficient and quick.

“Ya!” Junhong called. He was blocking the hallway with some stick in his hands.

The killer snapped his neck to one side. He only had that balcony and then freedom would come next, now another hindrance has surfaced.

They heard heavy footsteps and shouts from above, from most sides actually and Junhong could especially make out Youngjae’s voice telling him that he did a good job but not to do anything stupid.

Of course I wouldn’t Junhong thought. All he needed to do was buy some time until the experts arrive. But the Killer has no plans of dilly dallying. Confident that Junhong and his stick was as easy as a vault jump he decides to attack the student, reminding himself not to kill him as of yet, after all that would be against the rules.

“Shall I take care of that sorry excuse of a weapon then,” he asks lightly. Junhong’s eyes grew wide from apprehension and tightens his grip on the pole. The Killer advances with light, nimble steps. Anticipating Junhong’s move he sidesteps gracefully to Junhong’s blind spot and cuts one of Junhong’s arms, making the boy let go of the pole. With his other arm he aims for a punch on the boy’s face which to his surprise Junhong has blocked with an arm.

Junhong winced from the pain. And he can’t help but wonder what would happen if he hadn’t raised his arms just as fast.

The gut, the killer thought but when he was about to jab a knee against Junhong’s abdomen, something blocked the attack and soon he was forced to step a couple steps back and block a weak front kick.

Junhong couldn’t keep the smile on his face from showing. He was proud of himself that he was able to protect himself in the least and the surprise registered in the Killer’s eyes satisfied him even more.

“What, you think I’m some whimpy kid? Well think again,” Junhong states. “I’m going to catch you and end this game,” he says in a darker, serious tone as he positions himself as what has Minwoo taught him in the past couple of weeks.

The Killer massaged the back of his nape. This seriously wasn’t his day, he thought. He was slowly getting upset and irritated. “Then,” he says. “I don’t need to hold back then.” He attacks Junhong with punches and kicks in a quicker pace but definitely mostly kicks aiming for different areas. Junhong tries to defend himself as much as he could and counterattack as far as the skills he had can allow him but he was fighting a losing battle.

They heard a shot and saw the tile three feet in front of them cracked. The killer made a tsk before setting a disabling axe kick on the sidetracked Junhong and rushed to his escape.

“,” Youngjae breathed. He leaned against the rail of the balcony, scanning the area. He saw security members running around, searching but he knew, the killer has cleanly escaped.

*~*~*

As soon as Junhong was done being checked up by the paramedics, he rushed to the hospital where Jongin was taken. He rode along with Detective Yoo and officer Jinki. The inside of the car was a bit tense. Detective Yoo was in a foul mood.

“To be outwitted by a kid,” Youngjae muttered through gritted teeth.

“How can you be sure of that?” Jinki asked, glancing at the other tentatively as he tries to stir the vehicle and simultaneously massage a sore spot at the abdomen.

Youngjae studies him and felt a bit guilty for noticing it quiet late. “You don’t need to drive you know,” he muttered. Jinki looked a bit surprised and ignorant at the same time. Youngjae just sighed. Jinki smiled embarrassingly as they became silent once again but this time a bit more relaxed.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright?” Jinki asked as the three of them walked down the stark white hallway of the hospital. The intercom blaring every now and then softly announcing arrival of new patients or calling doctors, interns and consultants echoed through the walls.

Junhong nodded. His arms hurt, his sides ache but his friend’s condition was far more important.

Their eyes scanned every area. There were different sorts of patients perched in different beds, attended by various physicians and nurses.

“Jongup!” he called out as he spots his other friend sitting by the edge of one stretched. He was grimacing as the doctor attending to him checks him up. Junhong jogs to him and Jongup suddenly looked relieved at the site of Junhong. The doctor was nearly finish with his assessment and was already prescribing treatment to the boy.

“What happened to you?” Junhong asked.

“Knocked out,” Jongup shrugs shyly. He slides down from the stretcher, frowning a bit as he tries to stretch. “Most of the staff who were hanging by the kitchen I think.”

“So what are you doing here?”

“They insisted that I come, and well Jongin is here anyway. They said it’s free.”

Junhong sighed from relief. At least he knew his friends were still alive. With Jongup massaging his sore body parts, they continued looking for Jongin’s room. Youngjae had acquired the information from one of the nurses stationed at the Emergency Room that Jongin was now in surgery.

The four of them sat at the vacant seats situated outside the Operating room, at the waiting area, while Jongin’s parents waited by the door, silently praying most probably.

“What did they say?” Junhong asked Kyungsoo who sat beside them with a hot cup of choco in hand.

“The doctors said it isn’t fatal, the shot by the shoulder, but they still need to take out the bullet as fast as possible,” Kyungsoo explains and sips carefully from his choco in between. “And Jongin will be kept here for a few more days for further examination, he did pass out. Hopefully, they admitted, no major vessels or organs were punctured.

Youngjae pats Junhong with slight pressure, reassuringly. “He’s going to be okay, if you didn’t move as quickly as you did he could’ve been in a worse state.”

“Or dead,” Junhong said passively.

Youngjae slaps him harder making Junhong bend forward. “And that didn’t happen, so lighten up. You did good tonight even better than my so-called partner.”

“Hey!” Jinki interjected a pout on his face. “The guy was good okay.”

The rest of them chuckled lightly.

*~*~*

4/26/13: 11:58pm: Status

Card chosen: Killer

Player: Cain

Scenario: A very influential member of this society has hosted a party. A number of Citizens though it has already been said in a clue that someone who’d party will be targeted still attended. In the midst of all the champagne, food and suits and gowns a slight misfortune happened. The lights were off and screams shot up after a silent bullet whizzed and hit the target. However, the bullet missed and rendered the Citizen wounded instead.

Doctor, congratulations, you’ve narrowly saved another Citizen.

Police, too bad, you almost had your catch. Killer was almost caught but had escaped.

He was standing at the foot of the bed, watching the unconscious boy. He raised an arm slowly, pointing his hand shaped into a makeshift pistol. “Kim Jongin, congratulations, you have narrowly escaped,” he whispered. “But my hands are itching to strangle you or something.”

“Excuse me sir,” the nurse said. She had opened the door. It was SOP that the patient’s vital sign be taken – awake or not, night or day. “Are you a member of the immediate family?”

He looked with doe-like eyes. “Ah, sorry,” he said apologetically, bowing at the same time. “Could you just let this slide for tonight, please?” he said sweetly, palms together, begging cutely. He kept one eye open as he keeps pleading.

“This better not happen again,” the nurse muttered as she walks towards the bedside, blushing.

“Thanks a lot,” he said. “I’ll be on my way then,” he added with a slight bow and a tilt of his cap. Quietly, confidently, he leaves through the door. Smiling widely, he pats himself on the back, good thing I decided to come with a disguise, he thought as he clips his faux eye glasses to his shirt collar. He winces slightly as he massages the sore spots from the fight a while back.

*~*~*

Junhong was standing in front of Jongup’s apartment, a phone near one ear. “Jongup, are you at home? Sleeping?”

“No, I’m at the pharmacy,” Jongup answered. Junhong heard noises coming from a slightly busy sidewalk.

“Oh, can I sleepover or something, there’s no more bus and I’m short for taxi fare?”

“No problem.” Jongup hung up and decided to buy a few more supplies, Junhong did say he had an intense fight. He wonders, though, where did Junhong learn to be so capable that he was able to withstand such kind of brawl.

I’ve clean up already right, Jongup mused as he waits for the cashier to be done.

*~*~*

Youngjae had just come from the rest room. He and Jinki were taking midnight snacks at a ramyeon shop. Slowly, quietly he moves closer towards Jinki and at the perfect time blows air at Jinki’s ear making him jump from surprise. Youngjae laughed while he takes his seat.

“Don’t do that detective,” Jinki whined.

Youngjae sticks out a tongue. “What were you writing there, you seem so serious?” Youngjae asked curiously leaning against the table with a propped hand, his chin resting on it. Jinki pouts as he keeps the small black notebook inside his coat’s pocket.

“Hmph, I’m not telling you.”

“Why not???” Now Youngjae was pouting.

“Because you’ll make fun of me and well… it’s good to keep you at edge over something anyway.”

Youngjae frowned. “Now who is making fun of who?” he retorted as he sips his cola noisily.