Of Duties and By- Laws

Fixing the stacks of different reference books, Dr Kim Taeyeon meticulously placed the last one beside the other. She wiped what she deemed as dust with the cuff of her coat. She pushed her swivel chair further and stared at her work once more. She smiled as satisfaction washed over.

Working in a different field meant a lot to her.  Leaving the university was one of the best decisions she made in her life. After almost dying from a shootout two years ago, she has decided to have a new life.

“Taeyeon?”

She turned her head. Her friend, who was also her boss, stood behind her desk’s computer. Taeyeon smiled. “Agent Lee.”

“Psh.” Sunny waved her hand. “I always told you not to call me that. I have something to discuss with you.”

Taeyeon followed Sunny towards the blonde’s office. The room was a classic office with dark-colored wallpaper. A normal person would creep out but Taeyeon wouldn’t. “What is it Sunny?” She asked.

The woman handed Taeyeon a folder. “Kindly look at it.”

Taeyeon looked at the horrific pictures first before reading the information that came with them. “This isn’t-”

Sunny nodded. “I know. They didn’t fit the pattern, right?”

“Yes.”

“You, I and Sooyoung will check this out.”

Taeyeon shook her head in disbelief. She has worked in this field for more than a year and she wasn’t asked to do this thing Sunny want her to do. “Me?”

“Yes, Taeyeon.” Sunny grinned. “You’ll be out in the field with us.”

****

Tiffany Hwang couldn’t find a free table when entered the fast food chain. It wasn’t even lunch time yet and a lot of people were already eating. She heaved a sigh as she tried to look around more. She was already holding her tray of burger and soda.

“Yes, umma. Don’t worry.” She heard a girl agitatedly spoke over the phone. “Can’t you just trust me?”

Tiffany smiled. First, she was alone so she can sit across her. Second, the girl looked so frustrated. She bet that the girl’s mother didn’t want her to go to a party. Kids these days, she thought.

“Just let me be.” With a grunt, the girl hung up.

It was Tiffany’s cue to get closer. “Excuse me, is this seat taken?”

The girl shook her head. “You can sit.” She said, not even bothering to look at Tiffany.

“Your mom wouldn’t allow you to a party?” Tiffany asked when she stuffed with tomatoes and pickles.

“What?”

“I wouldn’t blame her if she wouldn’t. You’re too young to go to clubs.”

The girl knitted her brows together. “She is not-” She chuckled when she realized what Tiffany had said. “I am not that young. And I don’t go to bars.”

“Then what is it that you have to ask her permission?”

The girl puffed her cheeks. She pushed back her huge, round eye glasses back on top of her nose bridge. “I was a professor at Yonsei University but I resigned and went for a much more dangerous job. She’s just worried.”

“Oh.” Tiffany was surprised. This girl was actually a woman. She looked much younger though. “Well, good luck with that.” She said.

“Thank you. It is my first time so I am excited.”

“You can do it, for sure.” She squinted at the woman across her. “You said it is dangerous? What if your glasses fall off somewhere, will you survive?”

The woman let a low chortle and it was contagious that Tiffany had to laugh along. “I’ll just hide if that happens.” The woman looked over at her watch. She then stood up and bowed. “I have to go, nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.” Tiffany smiled.

****

Captain Jessica Jung, the youngest to take the rank in history of Seoul Police Department let out a displeased puff of air before entering the Commissioner’s room. Pulling her uniform to at least straighten the creases and folds for the last time, she knocked the door ever so gently.

A man in his late forties met her eyes with burning ones once her foot stepped in. His knuckles covered his mouth so the young captain couldn't read what was on his mind. Jessica's insides lurched and her mind went into frenzy.

She hates it when the commissioner asks her to go to his office for a talk. It only meant two things: her team failed or succeeded on a case. But most likely, it's the former. She accepted the fact long time ago that she will never be commended even if she and her team did the right job.

"Commissioner, good afternoon." She bowed down ninety degrees.

The man stood up and nodded. "Captain. Have a seat." His voice was low and intimidating.

Jessica did as she told. She noticed another woman around her age sitting across her. She had short blonde locks and short stature too. She eyed the woman from head to toe as to check for something that could give her a clue about who she is. An identification card poked from the woman's pocket and the top part read National Intelligence Service Korea. She frowned. The Intelligence is here? Why?

The Commissioner cleared his throat to catch Jessica’s attention. "Ahn Sohee, 22 years of age, female. Deceased two weeks ago. It says here that," The man flipped a page of a case report. "She died of cardiac arrest." He raised his brows. "She was found unconscious in her apartment in Changsin and when taken to the hospital, DOA."

Jessica faced his superior with a quizzical expression on her face. She didn't understand what he was blabbering about.

"And the deduction was suicide." He added, stern.

"I'm sorry, Commisioner but do you mind telling me what this is about?" She looked at the man then to the woman in front of her. Both pursed their lips. The woman just looked away.

"Have you seen this?" He asked, his words were dry. "Oh, of course. Your sign is in here." He pointed at the bottom of the last page of the paper.

The short brunette stared at the paper with nothing in mind. It confused her.

"Park Soyu, 23, female. Found dead in her house in Gyonam, DOA." The Commisioner continued. He shook his head. "Do you find something interesting about these two ladies who are unfortunately dead?" He offers Jessica two sets of folders with the victims' files in it.

Jessica's eyes widened. She continued reading, and when she's done, she tried gathering up her resolve. "Both are female, early twenties, within one district. But it doesn't mean they are killed." She said, giving back the paper to his superior.

"Do you believe that?" He narrowed his eyes.

The woman wavered but didn't show it.

"We will reopen the case, in connection to this new one." The man finally said, putting his chin over the back of his palm. "But we will have to give this to the NIS." His voice showed disappointment, too much of it.

"What?!" Jessica raged. "This is our case."

"Was, Jessica." He inhaled. "Anyway, this is Special Agent in Charge, Lee Sunny from the Intelligence."

The woman smiled and offered her hand to Jessica. Jessica obliged to shake it.

"And Agent Lee, this is Captain Jessica Jung of the Seoul Police."

"Nice to meet you, Captain Jung." She greeted with a smile but Jessica believed it wasn't a heart-warming smile but a judging one.

"Sure, Agent Lee." Jessica said acidly. And the woman found it quite amusing.

Sunny chuckled. She waved her hand. "Call me Sunny. No need for formalities. We're about the same age."

The Commissioner lifelessly laughed at the comment. "Sorry for the bother Agent. You will have the file."

"No, no." The blonde replied. "Now that I think of it, I think we should work together. This is a rare opportunity and we also needed help from you."

At their first meeting, Jessica already hated Sunny's guts. To her, the blonde was arrogant, conceited and self-centered. This whole working-together thing was just a plan to put the police into shame so that they can be the heroes, the better ones. "No, it's fine." She interrupted but her superior waved her off.

"Why not?" He said, smiling now.

****

Jessica was pacing back and forth when the Commissioner and that Special Agent came out of the damned room, looking like they just closed a huge business deal.

"I'll see you later then, Captain." Sunny said as she turned away to leave.

The man looked at Jessica and the degrading feeling of his gaze was there that the woman almost flinched. He walked farther but Jessica called for him.

"Dad."

Commissioner Jung clenched her jaw. "What is it?" He asked, not turning back.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly.

He turned this time, but his eyes looked the same. Those eyes used to be soft and calm but when Jessica decided to be a police, they changed for the worse. "You are the leader, Sooyeon. Being in that position never meant slacking on the job. It meant more responsibility than it seemed to hold." He spun his heels. "Work with them. Prove me wrong about you and your team. Don't fail this time." And he took his leave.

Jessica let out what seemed to be the air she's been keeping for minutes. She closed her eyes while pinching her forehead. "I won't, I won't."

When she accepted the promotion, her father also received more criticisms that he needed to apply an iron hand on his only daughter. Jessica tried to understand but at some point, she started believing that her father didn’t trust her at all.

This time, she’ll prove that she her father is wrong about everything. She will prove that she deserved what she had.

****

Tiffany Hwang was busy finishing her report about the last case on the death of a gang leader named Kang Hyun Sik. His own collector, Oh Jo Kwon killed him with an ice pick, hitting mainly the carotid artery. It was gruesome and unbelievable how it was done and its aftermath.

She remembered the woman she talked to earlier at the fast food restaurant and her excitement for her new job. She giggled quietly since she had that same enthusiasm when she got the job as an assistant inspector few years back. Even with her shortcomings as an officer, her seniors commend her and even gave her promotion to becoming an inspector.

Sometimes, Tiffany would think how her life would be if she didn't take this job. She is witty and she has a knack on public speaking. She could be a newscaster, a good one. She heaved a long sigh. Oh well, decisions of the younger days and whatnots. Life is more exciting in the field, taking down the bad guys, she excused.

Another window popped out and it nearly brought her a heart attack. Getting into this job made her jumpy at times. Coffee, she thought, she needed coffee. She looked at the chat window first before standing up. Gritting her teeth, she closed it instantly.

"Whoa, what do you have there?" Inpector Kwon Yuri appeared behind her.

"Stupid ex with a stupid explanation on a stupid chat." The woman, with creased forehead replied.

"Still not forgiving him?"

Tiffany looked at her friend sceptically. "He should go back to Thailand and never come back." She slumped on her seat, totally forgetting about her coffee.

"Everyone, con room, now!" The brunette came barging on the headquarters’ glass door, startling everyone who was working on their desks. She stormed towards the conference room leaving everyone at daze.

"Uh oh, premenstrual syndrome." Tiffany whistled, swivelling her chair to face her co-workers.

Yuri slammed her knuckle on Inspector Kim Hyoyeon's. They were goofily grinning at each other like kids who just won a toy. Tiffany rolled her eyes with a smile.

"More like pre-menopausal to me." The blonde remarked, now playing with her stress ball.

"Hyo, I am betting on her father's wrath." The tanned inspector nodded in agreement to herself.

Tiffany smacked both her colleagues-slash-friends' heads. "Everyone, con room, now." She said mimicking their boss' tone and they laughed. "Be there. I'll go first."

Leaving her friends, she went for the conference room and she found the captain, her face hiding behind her hands. Tiffany stepped closer. "Jess? You okay there?"

Jessica lifted her head and her face was something Tiffany could not fathom. "He still doesn't understand, Tiff."

"Jessi-"

Other inspectors and staff came in before the two best friends could talk. Tiffany knew who the captain was talking about. She made a mental note to spare a huge amount of money to take Jessica to shopping.

After everyone has calmed and the noise died, the young team leader stood up and looked at each her subordinates. She gulped, opening the folder she's been gripping shakily since her father gave it to her. "Ahn Sohee, 23, female. Deceased. Cause: suicide. Why?"

"Depression?" Assistant Inspector Donghae raised a finger.

"Family problems, love life," Another assistant, Heechul snapped a finger. "Ah, work."

Jessica bit the side of her cheek. "She had a job as an assistant editor of a publishing company. That was her dream job, actually. Raised in a nice home with a good family. She had a good life. Why would she commit such grave act?" Her voice got louder due to so much frustration. "She had a good life, people!"

Everyone flinched at the sudden outburst.

"How come none of us noticed this? How can this one single fact that she had no problems in life? Why did we assume that she killed herself? How come this happened?" She slammed the folder over the table.

Hyoyeon pulled the case file for her to read. "This happened at the time we were busy on a bigger case. We could-"

"No." Jessica replied, stern. "It's not an excuse." She exhaled, her voice turning calmer. "They are reopening the case since someone died this morning. Same as her."

"We're gonna do this one?" Tiffany asked. She retracted her pen. Press open, press close.

Jessica sat back down. "No and yes."

"What?" Heechul raised a brow.

"Intelligence is coming in and we will be assisting them.”

"What?!" Yuri, who has always been competetive jumped out of her seat. "Why?"

"Direct orders from the Commissioner himself."

Everyone's mood was down after the news. Having the Intelligence with them meant, they did something really wrong. It meant incompetence on their part.

"Let's just try our best to catch our guy so this could be done with. I need results, people. And good ones."

Tiffany took the folder from Hyoyeon's hands and read through the first page.

"No foul play?"

"No." The door pushed open when a blonde came with a companion. "No foul play." She smiled at the team before her. Their uniforms and their identification cards say it all. They are from the Intelligence. Everyone looked at each other with unreadable faces. "Good afternoon everyone. I am Special Agent Lee Sunny. The blonde pointed at the person next to her. "This is Special Agent Choi Sooyoung. And-" She turned to look for their third companion but found nothing. "Where is she?" She whispered to Sooyoung but the woman shrugged.  

"She was just behind-"  

The door creaked open and came in a woman with huge eye glasses, knee length skirt and a brown blazer paired with it. "I am here! Present! Sorry."  

Sunny exhaled. "And this is Dr Kim Taeyeon, our resident psychologist."

"What's a high school teacher doing here?" Yuri asked, baffled and well, sarcastic. Hyoyeon, who was beside her, ugly snorted.

"College professor." Sooyoung corrected. "Don't you think it is better to have her than a bunch of police officers who made a huge mistake?"

Yuri palmed the table as she stood up. "Hey that's wasn't uncalled for."  

"Okay! Okay!" Sunny threw her hands in the air. "Let's just work together, shall we?" When everyone shut their mouths, she cleared .  “We only have one goal here, so please, let’s do our best.” 

Among the busy staff inside the conference room, Tiffany busied herself in a totally different reason. She eyed the professor across her seat with scrutiny. Taeyeon.

So, Dr Kim Taeyeon was the woman she met earlier that day. This coincidence would mean something. She watched her fidget and fiddle. She was amused by her small and shy movements.

She didn’t realize until then that the dangerous job Taeyeon talked about was this. The woman pushed her eyeglasses which were hanging loosely on the tip of her nose and it brought a smile to Tiffany's face. For someone who’s going to work in the field, Taeyeon could really be out of fashion.Working with her? Not bad, not bad.  

"People, let loose for a while." Jessica said. "Agent Lee and I will talk about some things first."   Everyone went out leaving their two superiors in the room.  

To be Continued.

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