E P I L O G U E

Ciel

24 December 2013
10:58pm

"Senior Inspector Choi, the suspect was last seen entering the building at the far end of the theme park fifteen minutes ago," his colleague, Jongin reported as he trudged out of his black sedan. "The other team members have already arrived and are approaching the building. They're awaiting your command, Sir."

"Inform them to not enter the location till I've arrived. Oh yes, is Chaerin with them?" he asked as the both of them went past the abandoned ticketing booth.

"Yes, Sir - in fact, she was one of the first to arrive on the scene."

She's efficient as always, he thought.

As he weaved through the desolate theme park located in a remote area a few kilometers south of Seoul, Seunghyun briefly recalled the facts of the long-standing case. The Special Investigations Unit had been tracking the drug kingpin, alias Kim, for five months after he was found guilty for the murder of one of the country's top politicians. Finally, they made a breakthrough over the past few days and were currently on an operation to capture him.

"Too bad this has to happen on Christmas Eve." he sighed as he rounded the corner, where he was met with the rest of his team.

"Oppa..." Chaerin strode up towards him, holding her service-issued handgun on one hand and a bulletproof vest on the other."Take this - reports have stated that the suspect is armed."

Nodding, he put the vest on and took a deep breath as he surveyed each of his team members.

Chaerin, Minzy, Dara, Bom, Suho, Jongin, Sehun, Kyungsoo, Chanyeol, Baekhyun, Jongdae, Lu Han, Minseok, Yixing, and Tao. Each of them had been working together for merely a year. And today would be his last time with them.

"Alright everyone, pair up and comb through the entire building for Kim. We know he's still inside. Let's get him and wrap this case up. Gather here by 11.15pm no matter what."

Upon receiving his instructions, each of them responded with a yes'sir and and stormed inside the ten-storey building. After taking a final glance at his watch, Seunghyun quickly went up the steps towards the rooftop, a determined look painted across his face. Just as he was about to open the door to the rooftop, Chaerin's voice called out from behind.

"Oppa, it's dangerous to go alone, are you sure you'll be able to handle this by yourself?" she worriedly asked. "What if he's there? I'll go with you just in-"

"Chaerin, there's always risks in this job - so just stay with Suho, he's your partner, right? I'll be fine." he firmly stated as he turned to face her. "Now go. This is an order."

Gulping nervously, she nodded and headed down the nearest corridor where Suho was.

-
11.14pm

A gunshot rang out into the night as most members of the unit were already on the ground floor.

Meanwhile, still in the building, Chaerin's insincts took over and she lurched forward, slamming the door open and rushing out of the room she was in before madly scrambling up the stairs.

As she swung open the door to the rooftop, all colour from her face drained away upon the sight of her colleague bruised up, his face marred by scratches with blood trickling down his lips. Behind Seunghyun, a man with a black mask obscuring his face raised a gun and pressed it against his temple. They were both standing on the ledge, a mere five metres from where she was.

The adrenaline rushed through her veins and Chaerin steadily levelled her gun towards the suspect. She was the team's expert marksman and was not about to let this man squirm out of her grasp. However, upon seeing Seunghyun's eyes widen in surprise, she sensed that something was terribly wrong.

Not one moment later, a gloved pair of hands smothered her face from behind, her attempts to struggle free rendered futile as her weapon was wrung out of her grip. She could not catch a glimpse of her assailant as a rough piece of cloth was securely tied behind her head, effectively robbing her of sight.

Heaving, Chaerin's thoughts were frazzled and hazy as she started to fight back, wildly kicking and clawing the air.

Kim entered this place alone - he couldn't have an accomplice here with him.

"Chaerin, listen to me," she could hear Seunghyun's strained voice tearing up amidst the ensuing scuffle. "I know you'll do well leading the unit by yourself."

"W..what are you saying?!" she replied, her voice trembling.

"Ciel," he emphasised,"Ciel, thank you for everything...and I'm so sorry, I've let you down."

All she heard a few seconds later was a loud thud. Gasping, her knees gave way and she collapsed onto the concrete ground, unable to suppress a shriek that echoed towards the night.

"This is not happening...no..." Chaerin sputtered as her body began shaking violently, chest tightening and mind going blank.

As she felt her world crumble, a solid object slammed against her skull and everything went black.

-

As sheer luck would have it, Chaerin survived the incident with only a mild concussion and a broken arm, coupled with an abrasion on her knee.

But things would never be the same.

She cried till her tears ran dry during his funeral. Seunghyun hardly escaped the incident unscathed. Her most respected senior, colleague, and friend perished after plunging down ten storeys below, along with the suspect.

"Above all, he was my confidante. I have an immense amount of respect for him and his contributions towards our line of work, and can only hope that he rests in peace." Resisting the urge to bawl any further in front of the other attendees, she bowed  solemnly as she concluded the eulogy.

As weeks passed, the entire team buried themselves in other cases, each of them occasionally stealing glances towards Seunghyun's empty mahogany desk, paperwork still piled up and untouched on the right-hand corner. Chaerin did her best to accept the loss of her dear friend and move on - currently, she was the only one left to helm the Special Investigations Unit. However, she sternly specified for his desk to remain the way it was before the incident. Sometimes, she would wistfully gaze towards his desk, imagining him still there, still alive, typing away dilligently on his computer, or randomly cracking a joke with everyone.

It'll really never be the same.

It was a Monday morning in February when Superintendent Kwon marched in their office with a tall, suave male in tow. She eyed him warily - decked in a crisp suit with his dark brown hair cropped short. The two figures stood in the middle of the room, commanding everyone's attention. She barely had time to study his face in detail when her superior began his announcement.

"This is Senior Inspector Kris Wu transferring from the Anti-Corruption Department, and I'd like everyone to welcome him on board your Special Investigations Unit. He'll be working alongside Senior Inspector Lee Chaerin to lead the team from now on."

Upon hearing those words, Chaerin simply scoffed in disgust while the others exchanged bewildered looks, unsure of how to react accordingly.

"So you've brought Seunghyun's replacement?" she spoke, making her disdain obvious as the tension in the room heightened.

"Senior Inspector Lee, I expect you to comply fully and withhold any judgement you have towards your new colleague. He is a promising y-"

"I'm sorry!" one of the unit's maknaes, Sehun, shouted as he burst into the office, panting as beads of perspiration ran down his forehead. "There's been a double murder in the SBC building in Mapo-gu, and the officers at the scene requested for our assistance."

Calmly disregarding this, the Superintendent continued his speech, asserting his words with a clear voice. 

"Chaerin, you will take Kris with you on this case, and every future case from now on. This is an order."

-

A/N: i hope it wasn't too terrible, it's been a year since i sat down to write a story. just wrote this to establish the setting and it's kinda like...a backstory to the series of events about to happen in the upcoming chapters. thank you to those that read the 1,300 or so words in this epilogue. i don't know if epilogues are supposed to be this long but i'll try to make the story more interesting as it progresses ^^ do expect some twists along the way ;)

i'm not sure if i'll be updating this weekly or anything, it really depends on my schedule ><

have a nice day!

X.