“No…no…it’s not….” the short haired girl’s whispered inside, seeing the crashed car at the side of the road.

People nearby started to gathered at the scene, and someone hurrily called an ambulance.

But all the girl could see was blood…everywhere. A minute ago she was just walking home from school as usual…and then she saw that car crash. At first she thought the car’s similar to her father’s car. But then she read the plate number…and it’s really is her father’s car…

She ran through the crowd and braced herself for whatever she might see.

That’s her mother and her father, sleeping under pieces of broken glass with blood staining all over them. She wished that they’re not their parents. She wished that all that stains are not blood. She even turned back to the front of the car to read the plate number over and over again, hoping that she would misread it somehow. But the number stayed the same.

“Are you the daughter ?”

“They’re gonna be alright, ambulance is on the way…”

She couldn’t even hear the surroundings.

All she could hear is her own voice…

“Appa…omma… “

 - - -

“Tsk…” Amber scoffed to the memory flashing on her mind. Maybe this blood reminded her of the suffocating atmosphere back then…

The night breeze is coldly slicing her bare arms but Amber is still ducking by the side of the cliff, trying to figure out what she’s going to do next. She can’t come to the police station and say, “Yah, I’m the real Amber !”.

Who’s that girl ?

Her phone buzzed again, it’s Max calling her.

“Are you at the police station now ?” she asked fiercely, even before the guy could said anything.

“Amber…where are you ? What’s going on ?” Max replied worrily.

“Are you not in the police station ?”

She could hear Max whispered, “I am actually seeing YOU here, and NOW. You are there, in handcuffes, being interrogated by Detective Kim…but I know, she’s not you.”

“I thought you might know something about this…twin or whoever she is…”

“I’m now trying to reveal who’s this doppelganger of yours. I’ll text you my apartment address, stay safe there until the situation is clear.”

Amber paused for a moment, “You trust your apartment to me ?”

“It’s just temporary, okay ? Ah…don’t worry, you don’t have to pay any rent…!”  

How could he jokes at times like this ?!

She sighed, “Jo ah… text me your address. I’ll pay you later for whatever I use or eat at your place.”

“Ok… be careful. “

Amber felt her body melted, drowned in these circumstances. Even in her daily jobs, she has never felt so exhausted like this. She’s thinking about Taemin, and the worry Jonghyun, the girls –she doesn’t even know what they’re doing now-, and Key…

Key oppa, whoever she is, I wish you know…

…that I’m here…

***

Taemin, still a bit limpy, cupped a glass of hot milk in anxiety. His hyeongs are all here, in the police station, even Jonghyun left his date right away when Onew called him a few hours ago. Key is having a tight conversation with his abeoji, and everybody is waiting like crazy.

Not long after, Victoria and Luna came in panic.

“Oh where’s Krystal and Sulli ?” asked Taemin in reflects.

Victoria scolded, “They’re home, I called their dads to pick them up. You too Taemin, you should just go home.”

“I can’t ! The police wanted to question me later.” Taemin got back on sipping his milk.

Luna looked teary, “Yah…tell me what’s going on… why is Amber eonnie in jail…?”

Onew glanced at Jonghyun and he nodded. Jonghyun squealed, “Come on, let me drive you home. Girls aren’t supposed to be here.”

“No ! I need to know what’s going on !!” Victoria back to her strong head mode.

Jonghyun hugged both Victoria and Luna and slowly bring them outside the office, “I’ll explain on the way, okay ?”

Minho took a seat next to Taemin on the long corridor chair. “I don’t want to add your burden, but Tamin… please tell me. Tell me what you see there. We need to have strong proof that Amber is innocent.”

Taemin drank his milk till the very last drip. He stared at Onew, who also nodded in agreement.

“I’m not really sure of what I experienced, hyeong. It was…too fast… the road wasn’t even straight in my eyes !!”

“Please try harder ! We need to get Amber out of here, right ?” Minho pleaded in frustration.

Onew added in temper, “I mean, how ironic… She was trying to make sure that you were okay, but now just because the real brat was running away, police accused her of being your murder. Taemin…”

Taemin tilted in fear, “Okay, I’m trying too you know !”

The maknae sighed, “Maybe it was just me… but I think… neither Amber noona, nor that illegal rider, were responsible for my burning bike…”

Minho popped his eyes, “What do you mean ?”

Taemin closed his eyes, trying to picture back the whole experience, “I was speeding… and then suddenly I smelled smoke. But I kept riding until that illegal rider finally caught up with me. And I was also shocked when I saw the face, it turned out that the illegal rider was a girl…”

“Go on…” both Minho and Onew turned impatient.

Taemin cleared his throat, “Ehm…well, I think she saved me.”

“Mwo- -“

“YES ! YES THAT’S IT ! Now I remember !” Taemin almost yelled, “She kicked me, but I was avoiding her. I thought she was going to get me out of the race. And she kept kicking me, until I lost my balance and jumped out of my bike… while my bike is started to burning and I let it slide to the road…until it exploded…She was trying to save me !!!”

Onew laughed, “Wow Taemin, you were saved by ‘A girl in a shining armour’…Should I call you Princess Taemin now ?”

But Minho stayed tensed, “Great…then your murderer is your own bike, how could the police even believe in that..”

Onew tried to break his tense mood, “Hyeong ! Don’t you know ?? It’s even better !”

Minho seemed puzzled, “What..?”

“It means, it’s not a murder attempt ! It’s just a pure accident because of his motorcycle…!!” Onew concluded in happiness.

Taemin hugged Minho spontaneously, “Waaah !!! Hyeong, Amber noona will be fine !!!”

Minho tried to smile, but his mind is sniffing something odd.

How could she know that the bike will blow ?

***

The apartment is way beyond her expectations. It’s a two-stories apartment and what caught Amber’s eyes is the large refrigerator. She always wanted to have a large fridge like that. But her study tuition is more demanding though.

This is quite a luxurious apartment for a junior detective like him.

Amber walked around the apartment, unsure what to do. She ended up in the main bedroom, looking at a photo at the bedside. It’s Max taking a picture with his division, and there’s even Mr. Kim too, smiling to the camera. I thought you could be my second appa, but I guess I was wrong, Kim Dae Gu-ssi.

***

Jonghyun waved for the last time, before driving his car away from Victoria’s house. He could breath better now, knowing that the girls are safe in their own houses. All he need to do now is… nothing. Unless the police find proofs and proves Amber’s not the murderer.

Pabo…how could you get yourselves into this, huh…

He couldn’t hold himself to know what’s going on in the station now and he called Key fast.

“Yob…”

“Yoboseo ! Yah Key ! How is she now ?”

“. . .”

“Key…don’t be that desperate, okay ? I’m on my way back there ! I’ve just sent the girls home.”

Tut - - -Tut - - - Tut - - -

“Yah ! Yah, yoboseo ?! KEY ! Why would you hang up on me, HAH ??? Aiiish…jinjja…” Jonghyun closed the dialing screen furiously.

Call ended

Amber

Jonghyun stopped and stared at the screen, “Aaaaah stupid me!! How could I call that tomboy instead ?!  Aiiish....”

He checked her last call contact list and laughed to himself when he found out that the last contact in his phone is Amber. I thought my last contact list would be Key. It must be because Key texted her before.

“Huh…I wish I could call you for real Amberya…” he mumbled to himself until he realized something.

Hey…did she just answer my call back then? How could she do that with polices surrounding her now, eh ? Ah…she’s so rebel just like always.

***

Amber slid down the wall behind her, staring at her dim screen phone in tremble.

Call ended

Jonghyun

She slammed the floor hard when tears started flowing down her cheeks.

Jonghyun oppa… I wish I could tell you I’m here…

***

to be continued...

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