Elusive

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The sky was the colour of ash. The clouds like a billow of smoke. The rain falls in sheets, like thin glass that shatters in puddles.

Sandara hears the rain sizzle in her ears. Her heart beating wildly at her chest. Her feet slams at the puddles shattering them again with a splash.

She was soaked from head to toe, her clothes hanging to her like loose skin, weighing her limbs. Running in that storm felt like she was wading through water. Splish splash. Her heart continues to drum erratically with the wild, willful run through the rain.

"Run! Dee!"

That was what her father told her. Run. He barked immediately after shadows from the dancing curtains solidified to men. She thought it was the wind that swung their windows open... But the moon brought shadows that poured an oil spill, then there were three men in black. Shadow men.

"Run, Dee!"

Her father said like he had known these shadow men would come eventually like nightfall. There was no surprise just methodical panic... Her father was holding her brother, Sanghyun in one arm, his free hand flipping their white coffee table under. Magazines flew and dropped like dying birds never meant for flight.

As the magazines drop, a gun found her father's hand. Had it been concealed under the table all that time?

She hears her father's gun spit steal from its steal muzzle.

Fwiph.

Fwiph.

Shhhwock.

Her father shoots three bullets one glancing one of the shadow men's cheek, as the man fluidly, with the inhumaness of a shadow, slink away from a deader. The other two embed themselves on the other assailant. One on the neck. The other right on his left eye. The shadow men dropped on the floor with a dull thud.

The other man shoots his three volleys of silenced bullets.

A glass vase shatters.

A wooden table explodes.

Her father slunk back behind a spilling book case.

The other bullet turns a book into wild fluttering confetti.

"Run. Dee."

She saw for an instant a metal spit that embed on her father's knee, and he doesn't even gasp in pain.

Run, Dee.

And she knew, she knew that if she did, this would be the last time she ever saw her father.

Her father with those always focused eyes that wrinkle around the corners when he smiles. Her father who always had that tight lipped concentration at the simplest of task, like making blue berry pancakes for breakfast, like tying her shoelaces before school, like when he instructed her on her gymnastic routines. She would never see him again.

Never.

Or her brother who clung to their father's neck. And Sang hyun's howls clear and loud like the only being that could  only be made by human child. Though for a second she thought of pigs squealing at the prospect of being slaughtered.

With inhuman fluidity, their father detangles Sang hyun from him and pushes his son to Dara.

"Run."

He demanded.

Goodbye, appa.

And Dara, grabbed Sang Hyun's hand, and dashed out to the rain, sheets and sheets of clear cold fluid glass hits them, soaked them through.


She should have carried Sang hyun, but she knew that would have only slowed them down. And after her legs did as her father commended, run. There was no slowing down. Not if she wanted to live.

Sang Hyun's small hand slipped out of her grasp but she doesn't notice until she was too far already. Does she hate her speed? Her legs that has always been trained to flee?

Her hands were numb with cold. She could feel nothing but cold, and the pressure of her locked jaw. When she looked back, the shadow man with a torn cheek, bleeding stood by their door way. Her baby brother... Back then... Only three... Splayed on a puddle, stirring, kneeling to stand.

Sang hyun, so far away, veiled in sheets of rain, shadows of night, but still somehow she could see him mouth,

"Noona."

The gun fire was another metal spit that cut through the sheets of rain.

Her baby brother drops in a puddle...

Thin red ribbons unfurl in the water.

And for a millisecond she thought of running back.

But then she just turned her back...

And ran. And ran.

And ran.

Because that was the last thing her father asked her to do.

Her lungs burn along with her eyes.

She turns a corner, climbed deftly on a rainspout, up a fence, down a fence, into a neighbour's lawn. Then out again, then into another. In a wild zig zag.

This is how you run when pursued. Confuse. Rouse attention.

She remembered her father's measured tone of voice back when she was five in an innocent game of tag with the neighbourhood kids. She never really understood why her father was so bothered when a boy tagged her it.

She ran and ran until she finds herself on a Main Street with people huddled under umbrellas.

And she stood there in the middle of it all, barefoot, soaked. The buildings aglow, like a thousand eyes of a humongous concrete monster. She stood there heart in panic. With each beat, sang hyun, then appa. Sang hyun. Appa. Her eyes burn amidst the deluge of rainfall streaming down her face. Cold. She felt cold. But her insides... Her stomach, her chest, her limbs aflame. Her jaw was locked tightly, like she could never open them again.

People around here looked, some pointed, some whispered. She was in one of her ice cream print pyjamas.

The police came with sirens and red and white lights spilling from their heads. When they approached, she dropped on her knees, opened and screamed.

 

And then she wakes up. Slow and deliberate.


Seventeen years and her nightmare is still the same.

Still starts the same. Still ends the same.

She buries her face in her hands.

And let the guilt eat at her.

She should have tried to save her brother. At least her baby brother who was only three.


But then, she was too young, seven going eight.

That fact never helped.

She pushes the nightmare, the memory away, along with her beddings.

She enters a sort of zen as she prepares for work. Ivory blouse tucked in a black pencil skirt. A sling bag filled with borrowed textbooks.

She goes to the University Library, where she is just another boring librarian.

"Ah, Miss Park. Good morning." A student assistant greets her, "there's a policeman to see you."

"Oh." She looks up to find a man dressed in all black, reminiscent of the shadow men in her dreams. This man had a sort of stoic seriousness, from the edge of his jaw, to the small scarring on the arch of his brow. He extends his hand to her.

"Miss Park, my name is Detective Choi Seung hyun."

And she takes his hand... His rough, dry, calloused hand.

"I am wondering if you could help me around the investigation of Fairy Tale."

Fairy Tale. The elusive thief with a modus operandi of drugging her victims with a hallucinogen, a compound only known to the public as Fairy Dust.

Fairy Tale. Such a wild media spin to a thief...

She narrows her brows at the man, "I am sorry, Mr. Choi, I am unsure how I can help."

"Well, um, there is a theory that the Green Fairy manufactures her own drug. And well, we've been spending so much time searching through pharmaceutical link... So I am trying to find another link. Goryeo Daehakgyo library has the most extensive collection of chemistry resource... Not to mention access to lab... Etc."

Sandara could not help but smile. "You think... The Green Fairy is someone who refers to library books and cooks amphetamine and phenylclyidine in a university lab?"

Seung hyun responds with a quirked brow of his own. "Phenyclya-what?"

"Well, you are right Detective Choi, this library has the most extensive chemistry resource... And the most enthusiastic chemistry undergrads who think the Green Fairy is some chemistry goddess..." She laughs briefly, "that was the theory of the students. That the Green Fairy's fairy dust is a combination of amphetamine and phenylclyidine."

"I know it's a long shot. But we have no leads."

Sandara pursed her lips, "well, any thing you need to know you can ask. Though I am unsure I can provide you with any more information other than what your forensic has to offer."

She watches his deflate visibly. She immediately feels bad, "I am sorry if this lead is just another dead end, Detective Choi."

"No. There wasn't any lead..." She noticed that he never gave her hand back. "It was more of intuition." He regards her with a dark seriousness that made her heart leap.

She lowers her eyes to their hands.

"Ah. I'm sorry." Seung hyun fumbled.

Relief washes over Dara like a cool liquid snaking down her spine.

"Don't worry about it." She mumbles as she tucks her hair on her ear.

She smiles at him shyly.

In her head, the green fairy's incomplete profile on the news popped in her head. Most likely female, worn a green pixie gown, auburn hair, length unknown, approximately 4'11" - 5'10'.

The profile was so obscure because most of the witness were drugged. The only agreed fact was her pixie gown of emerald green. That was it. A few of them even said "she" might be a "he" on drag. Her mask obscured 3/4 of her face.

There was no way...

"Am I suspect?" Dara asked with a lilt of humour in her voice.

Seung hyun smiled. "At this point, everyone with any connection to chemistry is."

"I see. As I've said I am willing to help the investigation as much as I can."

"Thank you. Ah. Then, can you please direct me to the chemistry department."

"Yes. Yes, of course. In fact, why not I take you there."

That was how the chase began.

Foreword

This is a product of my boredom. It's actually a story I've had been thinking of since... well, 2-3 years ago, originally conceptualized as a DaraYang (*gasp* what?!) inspired by Big Bang's "Beautiful Hangover" (which is, by the way, my favourite BB video :Q___). My imaginary TOP however harassed me into agreeing that he takes on the lead role, and while I designed TaeYang as victim, imaginary TOP said "I want to be a cop!" So this is the product of sevvy's will pudding to my inner fangirl. Ack. Someday, I will write another pairing, damn you TOPPPPP.

 

*clears throat* As I've said, over and over, I do NOT update soon and with my inspiration running on draught mode, I won't promise anything.

This one is possibly my first attempt at action. Of course, this is still romance, but I am hoping it won't be in every chapter. There are certain elements in this fic that borders scifi... I actually toyed with the idea of doing a full on dystopia fic but restrained myself. Maybe I'll give that a go some other time

 

As always, posters/banners may or may not motivate me to update, but always welcome and appreciated. :) I would love comments... but that's your prerogrative, as updating is mine. If you are willing to endure this story with me, then as early as now, "Thank you." (~ ̄▽ ̄)~(~ ̄▽ ̄)~(~ ̄▽ ̄)~

 

 

***EDITED: About scientific background and foundational information, this has a bit of scientific information, and while I do encourage you to engage with these facts, I will not be explaining to you the biology/ chemistry/physiology or whatever the -logy in here. I will tell you that I have some background on every -logy you encounter here, and by background I mean, 100-300 university level and I DO research. If you encounter information you feel are not congruent to what you know as fact this maybe attributed to:

1) You are mistaken. So please confirm before you tell me I'm wrong. Also, if you can be nice about it, that would be awesome.

2) You are encountering the sci-fi in this story. Meaning to say, that you might be correct but I am taking some liberties on the fact... and it's going to be explained at one point of the story.

 

I can't believe I am being harrassed for this story about scientific facts without anyone bothering with research or taking into consideration that this is SCIFI. I am investing a lot of energy writing this story involving a ton of research, so if you want to piss me off, then tell how wrong I am about adrenaline numbing Dara's hands or Dara's father's leg and I will tell you to read more about pain and adrenaline, and though I have never said anything about biological enhancement in this story, this is SciFi and that route is not out of the equation. Yes, I am a little miffed that you spend, what, less than an hour with this storyline and now you think you're an expert? Do you go around reading SF storyline asking about hormonal performance without giving the story to pan out? Huh? Yeah, so if you have fact bothering you, look it up first, and if it's still wrong, let this story end before you give me a science lecture, or send your concerns to robocop and his cryogenically preserved hormones, yeah, or you know, don't ing read this, that's an option.

 

secretseven
Elusive: Shout out to MissTangerine who gave me this beautiful banner! Love you, orenji.

Comments

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MongPhi13
#1
I read that. This was supposed to be a darayang but ended up as a tabisan. I am so thankful for that ^ω^
chiruka
#2
Chapter 1: wOw This is Cool! kyaaa cute Tabisan encounter~ hmm interesting! Thanks Athor-nim :D
lowhigh #3
Chapter 1: thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love this story. intersting~ tabisan and mystery. it's perfect!
thanks..
Crazy4dara #4
Chapter 1: I love a good mystery!
katniss216
#5
Chapter 1: Brilliant story authornim! I like mysteries and I'm in love with TabiSan, so this story is perfect for me.
Kamsahamnida (bows)...
kathyrica17 #6
Chapter 1: If Sandara and Seunghyun spend more time together, she'll definitely get busted. I love these mysterious kind of stories. Especially your stories authornim.
leopardrusty #7
Chapter 1: That line about science has always been above morals is amazing, I like it. Always love to see your updates ^^, ackk Tabi flirting !! I like that about nerds and pretty package though hahaha am I lame too hehe. So curious about Dara being X
Outthere
#8
Chapter 1: seriously, i envy your imagination and creativity. my brain couldn't even create a story of that much detail. looking forward to this story!!
turtle_chan #9
I can't believe I just got around to reading this ajsdfk;ajd;f I always love how raw the emotions are in your writing, and I really like the different flavor of this story so far! Always here for some scifi and action :) I'm definitely looking forward to seeing where you decide to take this story!
chen_free #10
My first thought was, if my hands were numb enough would I really not feel my brother's hand slip from mine as I run? The thought is jarring.