Shin Hye wasted no time and briskly tottered to her door. She was exhausted, and to be honest, embarrassed as hell. What exactly was she thinking? That’s the problem: I wasn’t thinking. When Min Ho hugged her back at the elevator, she remembered feeling flustered, and then feeling warm. It was the way he held her close, his body communicating to her everything he wanted to say in the way his words couldn’t. In the few seconds he held her, it was as if she felt his unspoken pain, his relief that his Grandfather was alive, his longing for his old life, and most of all, his sincerity when he thanked her. And before she could come to her senses, her stupid arms just had to move on their own.

She only realized the gravity of what she’d done when Min Ho kept stealing glances at her from the rearview mirror and sneaking smiles her way during the awkward ride home. She dreaded that the chaebol was never going to let her forget that moment of weakness. But truthfully, what was even worse was the possibility that she wasn’t going to let herself forget how it felt like being held in his arms.

She reached for the doorknob, ready to lock herself in her room in shame.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

A hand hooked her arm, making her stagger back a step away from her door. She almost let out a whimper. I was so close. Shin Hye scowled when she came face-to-face with Shi Yoon. She looked down at his hand tightly clutching her arm then up to his infuriating face.

“What do you think you’re doing?” She pulled her arm away and glared at her best friend.

Shi Yoon narrowed his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. “Don’t you think you owe us an explanation for your vanishing act? Min Ho and I were worried sick for days!”

And as if on cue, Min Ho strode inside the house, looking a little curious after hearing his name. His eyes fell on Shi Yoon before meeting hers. He smirked a little and Shin Hye flushed. She quickly averted her eyes and turned around to face her door again, wanting to be thousands of miles away from those two fools. But Shi Yoon was quick to block her way.

“YA!” She yelled, getting frustrated. “I’m here now so what’s the problem?”

“What exactly were you doing at Moon Chae Won’s, huh?”

Shin Hye rolled her eyes. “So this is about Chae Won? Psshh. You’re just mad that I didn’t bring you along.”

Shi Yoon scoffed, but his face went beet red. “Excuse me, why would I want to be around that crazy woman? I was just worried you’d gone off and put yourself in danger.”

“Well, I didn’t. And even if I did, that’s my business.”

Something flashed in Shi Yoon’s eyes that instantly changed his expression. “Your business? So what exactly have I been doing for the past five years? Just tagging along in your escapades?” Shi Yoon spat, looking uncharacteristically serious. “Shin Hye, we’re supposed to be partners! What if something really happened to you?”

Shin Hye let out a frustrated sigh, wishing they didn’t have to have this conversation now. “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you right away where I went. But I’m not going to apologize for going off by myself once in a while. You may be my partner but there are some things I need to do on my own. You are not my keeper, and I’m not yours.”

Shi Yoon gritted his teeth, looking angrier. Shin Hye hasn’t seen this side of him in a while, and she honestly didn’t understand why he was being so touchy about the topic. Judging by the look on his face, she knew that she’d pushed the wrong buttons.

She waited for him to say something, but Shi Yoon just glared at her.

Min Ho cleared his throat, and for a moment, Shin Hye forgot that he was standing right there. “Hey, are you guys hungry?” He asked, Shin Hye suspected, to ease the tension in the room.

They both turned to look at Min Ho, who was sitting on the armrest, looking uncomfortable. But he straightened his expression and pointed to the kitchen. “We still have lots of meat and beef left over and I’ve been told a lot of times that I’m awesome at grilling.”

Shi Yoon’s face softened a little, his eyes brightening at the prospect of someone else besides himself cooking. Shin Hye, on the other hand, pressed her lips together. “Who? Your butlers and maids? Are you sure they weren’t just up to you?”

Min Ho stood up and smiled. “Ahh, a skeptic. Let me prove you wrong, then?” He cocked a brow mischievously. “Come on, I succeeded my first real mission, didn’t I? Plus, it’s a thank you. For tonight.”

He caught her gaze again and did that thing where he just stared at her as if he was peeling off her layers but at the same time, pleading for her to cave in. She fought it and looked away. “I’m not hungry. You two eat, I’m going to sleep.”

Shi Yoon grunted. “Looks like she’s flying solo from now on, chaebol,” he said coldly, and Shin Hye knew he was still pissed off from the argument they had. He gave Shin Hye a nasty stare. “If she doesn’t want your meat, I’ll eat your meat.”

Min Ho let out a laugh, ignoring how wrong that sounded just now.

“We can even use the werstersursos you bought.”

“Worcestershire sauce,” Min Ho corrected, still laughing.

“That’s what I said.”

Min Ho turned to Shin Hye again. “Are you sure you’re not joining us?”

She just let out an aggravated huff and turned to her door, nudging Shi Yoon out of the way. When she closed it, she didn’t step away and leaned in closer, hearing their voices from the other side.

“I guess not,” Min Ho said.

“Ugh. Would it kill her to just answer our questions properly?”

“Give her a break, will you? She’s probably just tired.”

“Dude, you’re the one who’s supposed be sulking after what happened to your Grandfather. Not her. She’s being unnecessarily difficult. Whatever, just ignore her. Come on, I’ll help you grill.”

Shin Hye heard their footsteps retreat to the kitchen, and she felt rather guilty. “Anya, this is his fault for hugging me earlier,” she grumbled. Scowling, she quickly undressed, still muttering complaints under her breath. “And what’s wrong with Shi Yoon? It’s not like it’s the first time I left without telling him. Ugh.”

After a shower and a change of clothes, she proceeded to lie on her back and stared at the ceiling. Just like that, the remnants of the dream from the last time she slept on that bed crept in. She shuddered and flipped over, covering her head with a pillow. She muttered a string of curses underneath for being so weak-willed. And when she finally pushed the images from the dream away from her mind, she reminded herself of The Mute.

He was seen at Samcheok. The Mute’s hometown. No trace of him in three years after I thought I’d killed him. If Chae Won was right, then why would he go back to his hometown? Did he have no plans of continuing being an assassin? If that’s the case, what’s he been doing all this time? Perhaps living a normal life? Could it be… wait, does he have a family now? No, there’s no way! Assassins know they can’t have those kinds of personal relationships. It’s too dangerous. That’s why I can’t ever allow myself to feel anything for Lee Min H—

“Damn it.” She sat up and hit the bed with her palms.

Concentrate. So why would The Mute reappear after three years? Why would he risk being seen again after making me believe he’s dead? Is it really for the money? Was he offered such a huge amount that he had no choice but to return to the game? But by who? Lee Maeng Hee? Did Lee Min Ho’s own family really want him dead? But they’re already ing rich, why would they need to harm him? He doesn’t even want his Grandfather’s company! Exactly what kind of ed up people would kill innocent Lee Min H—

She leaned back, her head hitting the bed with a thump. “Ugh. I’m hopeless. So. ing. Hopeless.”

Her stomach grumbled – a reminder that her dinner at Chae Won’s was cut short because she had to race back to the Cabin. She shook her head, wondering why she rejected the offer from Min Ho to eat when in fact, she was famished. Oh yeah, because she couldn’t face him after embarrassing herself in the elevator.

And as the cruel universe would have it, she heard distant laughter through her windows, coming from outside her room. That meant Shi Yoon and Min Ho had gone out to the back garden to grill the meat, taunting her. I hate them.

She got up from her bed and walked to the windows, pushing the curtain aside. True enough, she saw Min Ho hunched over the grill, flipping the meat, while Shi Yoon was preparing wraps on the garden table, talking animatedly. She scoffed at the sight, but her stomach growled louder when the scent of the meat reached her room.

With a pout, she went back to her bed and covered herself with a blanket. Sleep the hunger off. She shut her eyes tight, but an even louder bout of laughter wafted into the room. She grunted, pulling the blanket aside as she sat up. “That’s right. They’re laughing at my expense and I couldn’t just let them talk about me behind my back,” she declared, pushing herself off the bed. She grabbed a light jacket and put it on before coming out of her room.

Min Ho almost spat the meat he was chewing, unable to control his laughter. “So what did you tell the kid’s parents?”

“I told them that Chae Won was suffering from a mental illness,” he replied, clutching his stomach. “You should have seen their faces! They looked at Chae Won with pity, and then she just growls at them out of nowhere. They even told me how great a guy I was for sticking by my mentally-ill girlfriend.”

He chuckled loudly when at the corner of his eye, he noticed Shin Hye’s head peer from the kitchen door, looking at them like she was still deciding if she should come out or not. He couldn’t help but smile. Shin Hye can be ruthless when she wanted to be but there were times when she was just adorable.

“We’ve got company,” he told Shi Yoon, popping a cherry tomato in his mouth. “Looks like she wants my meat after all.”

Shi Yoon burst out in laughter and turned to the house in time to see Shin Hye by the door. “Nawa! We already saw you,” he called out.

Shin Hye came out coolly, with her hands in her jacket’s pockets. If she was embarrassed at all, she certainly didn’t make it obvious. She had on her poker face, which he used to find aggravating – but now was just cute.

“Your grilling skills better be worth me throwing my pride out the window,” she said coldly, looking up at him.

Min Ho gave her a crooked smile and chose the juiciest samgyupsal slice on the grill, placing it on top of a lettuce leaf. He slathered it with ssamjang, then added chili and roasted garlic. Carefully wrapping everything up, he extended his hand towards Shin Hye. “Ahh.”

Shin Hye reached for the lettuce wrap but Min Ho pulled back his hand and clucked his tongue. “I said ahh.” Shin Hye gave him a repulsed look and backed off. But Shi Yoon, who was standing behind her, nudged her forward that she had no choice but to open automatically because Min Ho’s hand was right in front of her face. He carefully slid the wrap through her lips, trying not to laugh at her bewildered expression.

Min Ho bit his lower lip while he watched Shin Hye chew. “How is it? Didn’t I tell you I’m good?”

Shin Hye furrowed her brows and dabbed her lips with the back of her hand. “It’s alright.”

“Eyyy,” Min Ho gave her a sly grin as he leaned closer. “Why can’t you just admit you like it when it’s obvious you like it?”

“OOOOHHHH, BURN,” Shi Yoon chimed. “I don’t think he was talking about the meat, Shin Hye.”

She whacked Shi Yoon’s arm, and nudged Min Ho’s forehead away from her. “Just feed me, you idiots.”

Throughout the night, Min Ho and Shi Yoon kept talking and laughing, while Shin Hye just sat there, listening to them. Occasionally, she would smile a little at something funny, but then when she sees him looking at her, she would revert to her poker face. Min Ho scratched his head, wondering how much effort it must take to look like you don’t care. At least she’s eating well, he thought. She really must have been hungry because she wolfed down a lot of food.

“But seriously, good job at the hospital, chaebol! I can’t believe you came out of there with absolutely no one recognizing you. You’re not exactly easy to miss,” Shi Yoon told him with two thumbs up.

“Thanks,” he replied sheepishly. “But it’s all because of Shin Hye, really.”

“Ani. You did well,” Shin Hye added indifferently without looking at him. She was playing with her chopsticks, but he knew that she meant what she said. He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a swell of pride.

“Kure. I acknowledge it,” he said confidently, and Shi Yoon clapped.

“Ugh! I wish we had soju right now,” Shi Yoon said with a frown. “Soju is the best with grilled meat.”

“I’m glad we don’t have soju right now,” Shin Hye grumbled. “Remember the last time you got drunk on soju? You almost shot someone, you babo! And you want to drink soju right here where we have a house full of guns?”

“I knew the gun didn’t have bullets, okay? I’m not stupid!”

Shin Hye stared at Shi Yoon incredulously. “I removed the bullets because I knew that despite your unbelievably high IQ, you can still do stupid things!”

Min Ho watched, amused, as the two bickered some more, glad that at least now, their fight was lighter compared to their argument earlier. That one was just intense. He’s never seen Shi Yoon get angry at Shin Hye.

But he had a feeling he wasn’t mad at Shin Hye for disappearing, but more because of what she said about her disappearance being her business and not his. If he were Shi Yoon, he’d probably be hurt by that statement, too. He recalled what Shi Yoon told him that afternoon – that he decided to be her hacker so he can help her stay alive.

He studied Shi Yoon for a moment and felt sympathetic. If one thought about it, it wasn’t just Shin Hye’s life that stopped when her Mother died. Shi Yoon’s life ended,  too. It may seem like he never takes anything seriously, but that was just a facade. It takes a real man to make a decision to throw everything away and stick by his best friend. If that wasn’t a sign of being dead serious, then he didn’t know what was.

“Ya! Why are you looking at me like that?” Shi Yoon snapped his fingers in front of Min Ho’s face as if to nip him out of his thoughts.

Min Ho gave him a smile. “I just realized I really like you, Shi Yoon-ah.”

Shi Yoon scrunched his face in disgust. “Oh for the love of God, how many times do I have to tell you I’m not gay?! I like women! Kissing women… having with women…”

Min Ho let out a snort, and Shin Hye ended up laughing hysterically. He snapped his head to her direction in surprise, but she buried her face in her hands as she continued sniggering. Shi Yoon tried to keep a straight face but gave in eventually. Min Ho joined in, too, and soon, their laughter was ringing in the cold night.

When his laughs quieted down, Min Ho took a deep breath and let everything sink in. It was odd, how he can find a peaceful moment such as this in the midst of this whole chaos. He glanced at Shin Hye whose head was now in between her legs under the table. This was the first time he’s seen her let loose. Shi Yoon was obviously milking the moment since he moved closer and started poking and teasing her.

Min Ho bit back a smile. As much as he was enjoying himself, he also believed moments like this one were bound to be followed by something horrible. His mind drifted off to his Grandfather. He knew it wasn’t enough that he got to see a glimpse of him. He needed to go back to his life soon and reclaim his place. To do that, he needed to know who the people after him are and finally put an end to all of this.

But right now, there’s just tonight.

He caught Shin Hye looking at him curiously, probably wondering what he was thinking since he’s obviously spaced out. But she immediately looked away as soon as he matched her eyes.

And there’s her, too.

He could still feel the way her arms wrapped around his waist at the elevator back at the hospital. Sure, it could have been a hug of comfort or a hug of pity or a hug she had no choice but to return because it would be awkward to just stand there. But Min Ho didn’t care. Shin Hye – Lady, the cold-blooded assassin who allegedly had full of anger and hatred in her heart – hugged him back. And that was enough for him for now.

Kim Soo Hyun felt uneasiness overcome him as he approached the Chief’s office. Since he took on Shin Chun Dong’s murder and found out about the mysterious assassin, nothing has been going right. After finding out that the killer had a hacker for a partner, the trail ran cold. The phone call he got during the shooting at the Ahn estate seemed to be connected to the assassin, but he had no way to prove it. Their only real clue is The Mute.

He pushed the door open and saw the Chief look up. He looked more tired than usual and he figured that the higher ups and the chaebols must be breathing down his neck. It made him feel worse about his failures.

“Chief,” he spoke as he closed the door behind him. “You asked for me?”

“Eo, Detective Kim, take a seat,” he put down the folder he was reading from.

Soo Hyun did as he was told, wary that something about the Chief’s expression was troubling. For a moment, he wondered if he was going to get fired or re-assigned to another station.

Chief Kang leaned forward and put his elbows on the table as he rubbed his chin. “I heard that you received a tip about Lee Jung Jin in Samcheok?”

Soo Hyun straightened up, finally able to talk about a progress in the case. “Yes, Chief. We’re in contact with the Samcheok Police and they verified the tip that The Mute was seen in the vicinity multiple times two weeks ago. We’re heading there this afternoon to interview the eyewitnesses, ourselves. Right now, it’s a promising lead.”

The olde