The interrogation lasted all night. When the two police officers in uniform showed up at their door, Kevin explained the situation. The two men rifled through the letters with gloved hands, carefully sealing each one in its own plastic bag. After that, they asked the Woo siblings if they had noticed anything gone missing over the past few months, since the letters started -or even before. But neither could remember anything had. The officers were gruff, insensitive, probably thinking they had better things to do than get involved in teenage drama. Kwangmi felt the indignation burning in the pit of her stomach, rising to her lungs, flaming her face. Red clouded her vision, splotching the edges gorily. She looked down at her hands, and she remembered that dark night.

“It’s more than just the letters,” Kwangmi choked out, fury igniting. “My friend and I were attacked 2 and a half months ago. His skull was bashed in by a stranger, had to be rushed to the hospital. The attacker got away. I think these 2 things -the letters and the attack- are related.

The officers perked up at the information. “Did you see the man’s face?” one officer asked.

Kwangmi shook her head. “Not clearly. It was really dark, and he wore a hat that shadowed most of his face.” The memories came rushing back, staining her vision. Body quivering, she clenched her teeth, holding strong. Nonetheless, she was grateful when Kevin gently took her by the shoulders and guided her to the kitchen table, settling her into a chair. As he pulled away, she grabbed at his hand, needing the support.

“How did you get away?”

She knew this question would come up. She expected it. She’d been asked so many times before. When the attack first happened, when she was finally coherent enough to speak, she gave a statement then. But she had been in shock, an automaton relaying facts, trying to keep her mind blank. But she remembered the taste of copper in , Minwoo’s life pouring out, staining her hands and forearms. She had worked so hard the past two and a half months to lock those memories away. To burn them so she would never have to revisit that night, to protect her heart from the fear, the agony, the guilt. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t go back to that night.

Kevin saw her panic, the sweat beaded on her forehead, the increased trembling. Her breaths came faster, eyes wide and glassy. Her hand clenched his. Slowly, he wrapped an arm around her, like one would treat a frightened animal. “I’m sorry, officers. She is still not well from the trauma. Allow me to help her first and I will tell you everything.” Kevin took her face in his hands, looking into her eyes. “I’ll help you lay down. Just rest, okay? I’ll take care of the everything here.”

His eyes reassured her, familiar and protective. Kevin would finish up. He’d do the things she couldn’t do, say what she couldn’t say. He’d do all the hard parts, saving her shattered heart from any more despair. Gently, he helped her from the chair, guiding her to her room. Though it was only mid-afternoon, he tucked her in bed, wrapping her up in the blankets.

“Don’t worry about a thing,” he whispered. “I’ll take care of you.” When no response came, he returned to the officers waiting in their kitchen. All she could do was curl in on herself, breathing frantically, shoving the memories away until they grew, grew, grew too big to handle. The blackness engulfed her, swallowing her whole. Now, there was nowhere to hide.

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Wow. Just wow.  It has been an extremely long time.  Not gonna lie, I have completely forgotten about this story.  For some reason, this website came to my mind recently and I re-visited it.  I was not planning on finishing this story at this point in my life.  I didn't think I could.  But I re-read "Icy Wall, Warm Heart," and decided to re-read this one too.  This story is better than I remember it being, and it deserves to be finished.  I don't know if any of my old readers are out there, and honestly, that doesn't really matter to me anymore.  All I want to do is finish what I started, to give these characters an ending they deserve.  If anyone wants to read it to the end, I thank you, and hope you enjoy the rest of this journey as much as I will.  I warn you, my writing style has most likely changed. In fact, I have not written anything since this story.  So let's see how this goes.  It's good to be back :)