Next morning, I went to the precinct early. It seemed like we had reached a stable position in the case, where we had one prime suspect – the only thing lacking was the proof.

I was still in awe at the fact that Lee Taemin, the slightly-build, blonde haired secretary had anything to do with a drug gang, let alone be one of the higher-ups. We had all decided that Scream had to hold a position of power within the gang; ordinary drug dealers didn’t murder people. It took a lot of courage to kill someone, a risk small dealers would never take.

To be honest, I was nervous about Lee Taemin – usually, the higher-ups in these gangs were well-protected and they would dispose of any links that tied them to the crime scene. At this rate, only a confession from the man himself could take him to court and get indicted. However, we were not known for letting murderers get away just because we didn’t have enough proof on our hands. I was sure we would come up with something, maybe not right away, but we would put Kris’ murderer behind the bar.

Sipping my morning coffee, I was poring over Kris’ old criminal records, combing it for any mentions of Scream. He had been let go easy because he had decided to help the police, naming big-shots in the gang. He could have easily named Scream, which could be why the gang leader had come for him. But if he had indeed named Taemin, why was he allowed to roam around freely, with no records? Surely, if the police had known the identity of Lee Taemin, they would have arrested him, or at least put forward charges against him.

Maybe that’s not it, Kris couldn’t have named Taemin.

Besides, the evidence showed that Kris might have not known who Scream was at all. If he had, he wouldn’t have mistaken Jinwoon as Scream and confront him about blackmailing him.

I hoped things would clear up a bit after questioning Taemin – he was due any moment actually.

“Er Myungsoo?”

Looking up, I found Sungyeol at my door. He looked hesitant, which was a first. We had a good relationship. I had been his trainer when he first joined the precinct and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say I had thought him the ropes. In return, he trusted me immensely.

“What is it?”

He entered the office and pulled himself a chair without speaking a word.

“There’s something I want to say.”

He rubbed his hands nervously and suddenly, a dread filled me – was he here to ask about my brother? I couldn’t bear to talk about Sunggyu hyung, not even with him; I had to avoid it at all cost. I lowered my eyes to the papers I held in my hand, pretending to be busy.

But what he said baffled me. I was confused whether I was relieved that he didn’t want me to speak about what had happened to my brother or if I was incredulous at the thought of making my brother sign a paper that would release case files he had put together painstakingly, none of which meant anything to him anymore, the very case that had led him to his end.

I didn’t speak for a while, trying to collect my thoughts.

“I know it’s ridiculous, I know your brother is…not well. But the case…”

There was no sound in the room, apart from the hum of the air conditioner that wasn’t enough to stop the sweat running down my spine. I couldn’t speak even if I tried to – my eyes scanned through the typed words on the file, the meaning not registering in my head.

Sungyeol got up from his chair, defeated.

“I’m really sorry, that was really mean of me. We’ll find another way.”

Two words on the paper registered in my mind. Only two words. They jumped at me, grasping at my throat. I looked up, my eyes meeting Sungyeol’s back.

“Wait,” I managed, with difficulty. He turned around, looking confused. “Tell Minji to get the papers ready, I’ll tell hyung to come to the precinct.”

Sungyeol’s mouth fell open. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, neither could I. But the two words on Kris’ case file, and now the signature above them, had changed a lot of things. Now I was sure that hyung’s case had something to do with Kris.

I waited silently in my office, the news would spread. I had already called Sungjong and told him to bring hyung to the precinct. He asked me why, but I just said it was important. Sungjong seemed reluctant – hyung usually was drawn in front of strangers, but I insisted. I kept telling myself that this was important, that Kris deserved justice, his murderer deserved punishment. Even if it came at the cost of…

At the same time, I was concerned about how hyung would behave – would he understand that he was in a precinct, one similar to his old workplace? Would he be revolted by the paperwork? Would he realize that we were taking advantage of his newfound innocence, his childlike inability to comprehend important matters?

But it’s for the best, right?

“Myungsoo, what is this I hear?”

It was Woohyun, I had been expecting him. He would obviously be against the idea, just like Sungjong. He would never put obtaining information before Sunggyu hyung; he never had. He would reproach me for it, for the decision I had taken. But Sunggyu hyung was my responsibility, I was his guardian, I decided what he could do. I felt ashamed though, claiming myself as hyung’s guardian when I hadn’t lost even one night’s sleep over him, whereas Sungjong…

“Hyung, the files are important,” I insisted, motioning him to sit down. “Look at this.” I pushed the file I had been going through toward him.

“This is Kris’ case file…”

“Yes,” I said patiently. I couldn’t believe we hadn’t noticed this before, that this detail had escaped us, “and look who arrested Kris, whose case it was.”

It dawned on him, I could see it on his face. The incredulous look he had on before changed, as understanding hit him.

“Kim Sunggyu,” he muttered.

The signature I had come to know as my brother’s and his name in bold print were proofs that he had handled Kris’ case, that his relation to Kris’ life had been more than his weapon. He had known Kris, the one who was alive and breathing, the one who was a drug dealer by choice. Hyung had searched for him, found him, arrested him. He had also let him go, in exchange of important information. The arrest had been made a couple of months before hyung’s last mission – had he used the information given by Kris to finally plan the biggest and most significant raid of his life? Had Kris double-crossed him, feeding him seemingly important information, but actually leading him on toward a trap?

No one could tell, with Kris gone and hyung’s memory doing him no service, it was all a dark backdrop. The only light we could find in here were the files, the files hyung constructed himself, where he wrote down everything that we needed to know, not knowing we would need it someday and he would release them for us, without any idea of what he was doing.

Woohyun was the signature with his fingers, as if hoping Sunggyu would come alive from it.

“You don’t have to be here or meet him,” I assured him.

Woohyun gulped down.

“What if I want to?”

That I hadn’t considered, that after knowing everything, Woohyun would want to meet him. I wondered if it would be good for hyung – maybe Sungjong could tell.

“Stay for now, if you think you’re going to be okay.”

The last time Woohyun had met hyung was about seven months ago, when he was being discharged from the rehabilitation center. Sungjong was there, so was I. Hyung had already started to depend on Sungjong, who had visited him at the hospital, then at the rehab, at first with me, and later alone when I couldn’t make time.

He hadn’t even looked at Woohyun, and when he had tried to talk to him, he had shied away, hiding behind Sungjong, clasping his shirt between his fingers, like a child. His psychiatrist had later told us that it wasn’t safe to push him into the old ties; he would probably never remember them like they had been. The people he used to know were strangers to him now – he’d have to get reacquainted to them again, and this new acquaintance would be nothing like the previous ones. He was as good as a newborn child.

We were softly discussing the implications of getting the files in our hands, of interrogating Taemin. It was as if we were being respectful toward someone, but there was no one in my office. Minji had already placed the papers Sunggyu hyung would need to sign on my desk. They sat there, foreboding, making me question myself whether the decision I had taken was right.

Sungjong arrived a little after 10 am, hyung in tow. Sungyeol had shown them to my office. I could see the curiosity on his face, as he opened the door and watched Sungjong and hyung enter, both dressed casually. Hyung was slightly leaning against Sungjong, his hand gripped Sungjong’s. His leg was getting better, the right leg which had been paralysed after the incident. Now he could manage without support, but maybe the new environment had prompted him to hold onto Sungjong, the only person he now trusted.

“Shall I leave?” Sungyeol asked reluctantly. I could see it in his eyes that he didn’t want to; he was eyeing Sunggyu hyung, and Woohyun who couldn’t take his eyes off him.

“Please leave,” I said, for Woohyun’s sake, and mine.

He closed the door behind him. Sungjong was looking at me inquisitively. He was rubbing the back of hyung’s hand with his fingers, reassuring him. I felt a pang in my heart.

“What’s going on, what’s so important?” he asked, looking from me to Woohyun.

“It’s about a case…” I said, losing my confidence every second.

“Sunggyu hyung’s case?”

“Well, not exactly.” I looked at Woohyun for help, but he was still gazing longingly at Sunggyu hyung, who had his eyes fixed on the ground, his head bent, his chin touching Sungjong’s shoulder.

I tried to explain to him what we needed from Sunggyu hyung. Sungjong’s eyes widened as I spoke. It was a bad sign.

“Kim Myungsoo, out here, now!” he growled, pointing toward the door. He coaxed Sunggyu hyung into a chair beside Woohyun, asked him to take care of him and pushed the door open forcefully, waiting for me. The look in his eyes told me I was in trouble and the worst part was, I didn’t know how to explain it to him. I got up, my knees knocking against each other.

Woohyun looked like he had been handed a precious gem and asked to take care of it. He peered into hyung’s face, head still bent and spoke to him softly.

“Are you well?”

Hyung only nodded.

Sungjong was shouting at me. He was livid. He told me he couldn’t believe I could be so selfish, so uncaring toward my hyung. I wanted to tell him that hyung had just been the same. ‘You didn’t know him before,’ I wanted to say but I held my tongue.

I tried to calm him down, explaining to him that it wasn’t my intention to torment hyung.

“It’s my duty to ensure Kris is not denied justice,” I said emphatically.

Sungjong faltered. Biting his lips, he considered what I’d said. That was a strong argument and he couldn’t say anything against it, not without seeming that he didn’t care about anyone else except for hyung. Finally, he sighed and lowered his shoulders.

“Fine.”

When we entered my office again, Woohyun had given up trying to talk to Sunggyu hyung. Instead, he had given hyung a paperweight from my table, which held his attention. With a pinching feeling in my gut, I pushed the paper hyung had to sign toward him across the table. He seemed to retract. I looked to Sungjong for help.

“Hyung,” he said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder and leaning toward him. “Can you sign your name here, remember like you used to. Remember how we practiced at the doctor’s place?”

He wrote down his name at first, his hand shaking. Patiently, Sungjong explained to him and he finally produced his sign, a bit disjointed, but essentially the same as the one he had reproduced on a daily basis a year ago.

He signed the two forms, and I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. It felt like I had overcome a challenge, a fight against myself.

“I hope you’re happy,” Sungjong said, and not too kindly. I flinched. “We’ll be leaving now.”

Woohyun offered to drive them home but Sungjong politely declined; he had brought his own car. Sunggyu hyung was turning restless, insisting on leaving.

I uttered a hasty goodbye, which Sungjong didn’t acknowledge.

It was finally over. I hadn’t spoken a word to my brother while it happened. Exalted by my success, I asked Woohyun if he wanted to have lunch.

“I’m buying,” I said.

Woohyun didn’t answer right away.

“He didn’t even look at me,” he quietly muttered. Of course I had not considered how Woohyun was feeling, what the encounter had meant for him.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s not your fault. It’s no one’s fault. It’s my destiny.”

I was looking for the appropriate response when my phone rang. Checking the ID, I picked it up. It was the plain-clothed agent I had ordered, to follow Chanyeol around. The last time I spoke to him, Chanyeol had been even more drawn, more intimidated. But from what he had said, I’d been able to surmise that he knew more than he was letting on. He told me he had taken a few days off work – which was understandable – but there had been a determined resolve in his eyes when he had said so. It made me think he had a purpose, that he wasn’t going to just sit quietly after the murder of his fiancé. To be on the safe side, I had him followed by police personnel.

Apparently, Chanyeol had visited a part of the town earlier today which was notorious for selling black market goods, mainly   weapons of various kinds. And now he was visiting a more prominent part of the city, keeping his eyes on a particular building.

“I think he’s going to go in,” the informant told me.

I asked him to call me the moment he went in. If he had procured something he shouldn’t have from the market, whoever he was hoping to visit was in potential danger. Explaining what the call was about to Woohyun, I quickly typed in the postcode the informant had given me onto my computer. The address was familiar, the name of the owner even more so.

But it didn’t make sense.

“He’s at Dr. Ok’s chamber,” I said disbelievingly.

“Who’s Dr. Ok?” Woohyun asked.

“Sunggyu hyung’s psychiatrist.” What could he possibly want from him?

“Maybe he wants to see a psychiatrist, maybe he’s having nightmares or something. He’s obviously distressed,” Woohyun reasoned.

“When I spoke to him last, he didn’t seem distressed, rather determined. It’s making me uneasy, the fact that he visited the black market and is now going to see a doctor…”

My phone rang again. It was the informant. He confirmed that Chanyeol had gone into the building.

“I can’t go in after him, I don’t have the right to,” he said. “But I’m anxious about the target, he seemed restless, unstable.”

“Stay there, I’m sending someone,” I spoke into the phone quickly, hanging up. “We have to send someone.”

Someone knocked on the door.

“Come in,” I said impatiently, already deciding who to send over to check on Dr. Ok and Chanyeol.

It was Minji, here to collect the singed papers.

“Later, you have to go now. Here’s the address,” I handed her a piece of paper where I had scribbled down the address. I explained to her the situation.

“Will you be able to go down and check on them?”

“Yeah, sure,” Minji said confidently. She glanced at Woohyun, then left in a hurry.

“She’ll be alright on her own,” Woohyun mentioned, when he saw the frown on my face. I had been wondering whether I should have let someone accompany her. There was silence for a moment, then Woohyun said, “She knew him, Sunggyu. He’ll probably not remember her either.”

I was surprised to hear that. I had thought Minji had worked with Woohyun. I didn’t know she had worked with hyung as well, and that she had been there with him, on his last mission. Another person, who had escaped unscathed, while my brother had been stripped of his memories, his life, his pride. I hadn’t known any of them, my brother’s colleagues – they were just a bunch of people who had escaped his predicament.

This new information puzzled me, I suddenly didn’t know how to feel about Minji. All of a sudden, she was a part of my life, my scar, in the worst way possible. Had she known that the man she had been following was my brother? Did she bear ill-will toward me, which prompted her to not help hyung, to not warn him at the right moment?

I was overthinking – in fact, I had other important things to think about right now. We knew who Scream was, but we needed proof.

“Taemin should be here by now,” Woohyun said, getting up from his seat. “Do you want to question him?”

I thought about it for a moment. This interrogation would be crucial. Taemin was clever – he probably knew we had nothing on him. One bluff, one wrong statement would give him the idea of how less we had on him, just speculations, putting together pieces of puzzle, nothing concrete. A confession would be very difficult to achieve once he realized that, almost impossible.

“Let’s do it,” I said. Since Woohyun had worked at Narcotics before, he had his own way of dealing with drug lords. As for me, I was a Violent Crimes detective to the core, and I’d be dealing with the murderer in Taemin, not the drug lord. Together, we were a promising team.

I checked my watch – it had been half an hour since Minji left. She should be there now. I expressly told her to call me once she got there; she couldn’t get lost, could she?

Following Woohyun out of my office and toward the interrogation room, where Sungyeol had just confirmed Taemin was being held, I brought out my cell phone. Like magic, it began to ring.

“Ah Minji, I was waiting for your call, it thought you got lost,” I chided lightly. Minji remained silent for a few seconds. When she spoke, her voice was grim.

“Sir, Dr. Ok Taecyeon is dead. Shot. I need back-up.”