„Ah, God, only not to be a victim again!” SolHi caught a thought crossing her mind. Then, she moved a little when she felt her legs and arms numbed. Why did she feel this? SolHi had no idea because everything was fine as she remembered: the doctor didn’t injure her when he threw the scalpel and neither San DuSik’s slap had been that harsh. Even so, she felt a strange buzz in her stomach and wanted to gulf. „Damn! I feel as though I’ve drunk a lot and now I feel the consequences!”

…Wait a minute! As far as she remembered, she didn’t drink anything that day! Yes, she was sure of this, as she was sure that she hadn’t felt any drop of alcohol on the top of her tongue for weeks. Yes, the last time she drank something was when she saw Mina and told her friend that she was working with Han DooSan. Even so, at that moment, she felt a bitter taste on her tongue and this wasn’t because of beer. Then… what the hell that taste was?

The moment a bucket of cold water had been thrown over her, SolHi winced. This made her open her eyes and look around, afraid. That cold shower, so unexpected and undesired, had been felt deep in her bones, making SolHi gnash her teeth. She even murmured, barely hard, „Be damn if I understand something of all this!” Then, opening her eyes a little more, the moment all the water leaked off her face, SolHi clearly saw around. Thus, she understood that what she felt was real, not a dream or her imagination. „Just as the voices I’ve heard while coming back to my senses have been real! The voices of the idiots over there and this stinky scent of mold.”

Saying this, SolHi wasn’t delirious because of the cold or after being drugged to be taken from in front of the casino. She clearly saw people in front of her. SolHi also heard them talking, laughing, and joking, apparently about her, even if she didn’t understand the meaning of those words. Yes, there were about seven idiots in that warehouse, Chinese apparently, while she was tied off a chair, in the middle of that room, which seemed to be an abandoned warehouse again. SolHi even felt her bones slowly cracking when she moved to chase the numbness away.

„Damn idiots!” SolHi growled in her head, suddenly closing her eyes, afraid that her attackers would realize she was awake. She wanted to pretend to be asleep even if she was as awake as she had never been before. All that bothered her was that she understood nothing of what they spoke in Chinese. More than that, SolHi couldn’t understand two things: why an abandoned warehouse and why they brought her there. „A warehouse that seemed to have been used to keep animals before, judging by the stink. The stink of those cattle over there, I have the feeling,” SolHi chortled, thinking she made a good joke.

Well… the joke was good for sure. Nevertheless, „Where the hell are the others?” She wondered when she remembered that nobody had come to rescue her. „Or what? Have they decided to leave me alone here, to handle this on my own? Or… don’t tell me, has Han DooSan decided to get rid of me this way? If this is so, then… Han DooSan, you are definitely looking for the devil! Why? Because you won’t get rid of me not even if I’m dead! Why? Because I’ll hunt you like the cat hunts the mice, and I swear you’ll regret that you are still alive!”

Yet, even though SolHi was ready to curse DooSan for all the bad things that happened to her in her life, she had to leave this for later when she spotted a movement in front of her. Squinting while looking over there, because that stinky smell of sweat was damn unpleasant and made her want to vomit, SolHi saw a chubby guy. He seemed to be Chinese as SolHi thought while staring at him, and this bothered her… not because he was Chinese, but his manner of being. What bothered her more than that was to see him chewing that gum. And, on top of that, the idiot dared to look into her décolleté, one that wasn’t too big, but still one that was beautifully outlined through that white shirt she was wearing under the parka. Well, she wore it under the parka until she’d been caught by those idiots because, at that moment, the parka was on the ground, not that far from her.

„To be damn: these idiots are really looking for death if they dared to take my parka off. I hope they have done only this… took the parka off… because if they have dared more than that if they have touched me without permission, I’ll leave them without their… brains from their pants. And… what are you looking at, penguin?” SolHi hissed through her teeth, frowning when she spotted the 35-year-old man staring at her and grinning. He even dared to stretch his hand toward SolHi, intending to touch her cheek. Because of this, SolHi suddenly pulled back. She did that too fast and, because of this, she saw herself turned upside down. This made SolHi curse through her teeth because she really hated to be a monkey at the Circus. Something that the Chinese men found funny because they burst into laughter, telling dirty jokes about her.

That show didn’t last long. Soon after this, SolHi heard the one that seemed to be the boss of the gang telling the chubby dude that was next to her, „Lift her!” A command that had been right away fulfilled by the guy because SolHi had been lifted even if not released. Yet, even if she thought that once the show was over, the jokes would end too, it didn’t happen because the seven idiots kept laughing. This made her cook her nose because those eyes focused on her were something she disliked. More than this, she hated the fact that they were talking in a language she didn’t understand, even if she studied it in school. Yes, she studied it, but she did that only for the grades. Something she regretted at that moment when that insistent „peep” of the guys was irritating her. Because of this, at one point when she hadn’t been able to control herself anymore, she hissed through her teeth, „Damn flies! You are buzzing worse than if you've been around a stinky thing. Taca-taca-taca-taca, as though you are a broken record. And… damn, it’s really annoying! Something that hints to me that you have problems, dudes! So, what about checking your heads, huh? Who knows?! Maybe, by doing this, you still have a chance to become normal people and not dogs that simply bark!”

To her great surprise, her insults hadn’t only been understood, but they also had a reverse effect of the desired one because, soon after this, a slap turned her head to the right. Something unexpected, but still something that pissed her off because it was the second time in a single day that a man slapped her. Not that she didn’t deserve the second slap, but still… „I’ll teach you some manners, idiot, as soon as I’m free!” She told the chubby guy, squinting at him. For this, she’d been slapped again.

The second slap pissed the boss of the gang off, more than SolHi was pissed off. The boss even shouted to the chubby fellow not to touch her again. When he said that, SolHi felt a strange anger in his voice. Something that made her smile eventually, thinking that the boss did that to protect her.

Yeah, right! The „boss,” approaching her, did the same as his fellow: stared into her décolleté. He even licked his lips, considering her delicious. For this, SolHi growled at him, hinting that if he approached her more, she was ready to bite him. The boss, instead of pulling back from her, laughed, asking her soon after this, „Do you like to feel the adrenaline madly flowing through your veins, madam?” A question that had been answered in the „Chan Choli's style” by SolHi - by showing him her middle finger. But, ups, she realized soon that nobody saw this while she had her hands tied at her back. Understanding this, SolHi frowned, scolding herself for being an idiot. After that, she told the guy:

„Absolutely: I love the adrenaline and I also love to break others'heads. I’m the second Napoleon: I can do seven actions simultaneously.” Then, still squinting at him, she told him provocatively, „I can show you if you don’t believe me! I just need to be released!”

The Chinese man wasn’t stupid. He only grinned when he heard her. Then, bending a little toward her, he told SolHi, „I’m not stupid to release you and look for you after that. I rather keep you here, like a monkey at the Circus.”

SolHi grinned. „As though the monkey in front of me isn’t enough,” she mumbled. This made the boss attentive. Then, to listen to her words, he approached her more. A bad idea, which he understood too late: the moment SolHi bumped his nose with her head. „Now I think we understand each other,” she told him when she heard him screaming blue murder and touching his bleeding nose with both hands. SolHi even started to laugh, happy with her triumph. Yet, she had been once again turned upside down, with the chair under her, when the chubby guy kicked her stomach to revenge his boss. This made her scream at him, „Damn parasite!” After that, turning from one side to the other, like the chicken on the grill, she tried to release herself.

Her struggle served for nothing eventually because the rope, which her attackers used to tie her, was thick enough. She even felt it cutting her wrists at one point when she tried to break it. This made her moan, understanding eventually that she wouldn’t be able to escape from there. At least not alone and not in one piece.

Nevertheless, SolHi was wrong thinking that she wouldn’t have a chance to save herself. This happened because of the boss, who asked the chubby guy to release her eventually. This made SolHi attentive because she didn’t understand at first what he needed her free for. Only when she saw the idiot with his bleeding nose taking a position for the attack, did SolHi understand that he was looking for revenge.

„If you insist,” SolHi replied, turning her head to the left and to the right to chase the numbness away. Then, provocatively smiling while looking at him, she told him, „I mean… if you insist on having a purple eye too, besides that bleeding nose, no problem for me!”

„What I say is that you are talking too much, lady, but working less!” The boss cut her off.

SolHi burst into laughter. „Wonderful!”

„What exactly?” He asked, frowning.

„That a head in your nose taught you Korean. I should try this more often.”

„What I’ll teach you is manners! You’ll even thank me for this if you are still alive after this fight.”

„Do you think so?” SolHi asked him, taking an attack position. Her question made the guy frown again. „I mean… are you sure that you can teach me manners? You? Me?”

„Do you think I’m not capable of this?”

„Yeah, absolutely! Do you know why? Because the idiot that will be able to teach me some manners isn’t born yet. I agree: there are people in this world that can win a fight against me. I won’t deny this fact. Even so, nobody ever had been able to put my nose out of joint. You won’t be the first. I would rather rip off your skin than allow this.” After that, so suddenly that the poor guy went head over heels, SolHi attacked him. She’d also been about to fall on her stomach, over the same boss, when she hit for the second time but hit only the air. Yet, having experienced this already, falling on her enemy, Han DooSan, at the showers, SolHi managed to keep her balance, mumbling soon after this, „So close,” right before the boss pounced on her, throwing her to the ground and rolling on the floor while being clenched on each other.

***

„It should be somewhere here,” DooSan said, frowning while staring at the red point seen on the screen of his phone, a red point that showed them SolHi’s location. „Yet, I don’t understand where she can be,” he mumbled eventually, irritated.

The moment he felt someone’s hand on his left shoulder, DooSan winced. Looking to his left, he saw Kan, staring past his shoulder while resting his right arm on DooSan’s shoulders. Then, still staring at DooSan’s phone, he told the prosecutor, „I hope you have a good reason for this.”

„For what?” DooSan asked, confused.

„For illegally following someone, prosecutor Han. Why? Because I’m more than sure that SolHi didn't agree for that app to be installed on her phone.” DooSan swallowed hard, understanding that he’d been caught red-handed. This made Kan smile. „I thought so,” the detective said, taking a few steps away from the prosecutor, to whom he turned his back. „That you installed that app behind her back, I mean. Yet, we’ll talk about this later. If you are still alive after SolHi finds out that you have spied on her. Something I doubt, though: that you’ll still breathe after that.”

DooSan frowned again, shouting after that, „Detective Kan!”

„What?” Kan replied, slowly turning toward DooSan. Instead of the prosecutor, Kan saw Yoon Suk, who was a few steps from them, staring at both Kan and DooSan, confused because he understood nothing of their show.

Not eager to explain anything to Yoon Suk, Kan cooked his nose, looking elsewhere. The same DooSan did when he spotted Yoon Suk staring at them. The prosecutor even growled a little, mumbling some incomprehensible words addressed to Kan, to whom he told eventually, hissing the words into his ear, „I thought a wolf protects the back of another wolf, don’t rip off his fur.”

„This works only if a she-wolf isn’t around,” Kan replied, showing his fangs to DooSan.

The same DooSan did. „I hope you remember whose eyes you try to take off, Detective Kan. Why? Because certain „she-wolves” can find out where the old wolf Kan is hiding. I assure you that I’ll have my revenge without bothering too much.”

„Have you learned this from SolHi?” Kan growled.

„What exactly?”

„To bite even if the fight hasn’t started yet. And… to threaten me with certain „people.” Something that hints to me that the she-wolf we are looking for has betrayed me or the… cub over there.”

„No, no, no. Don’t make me part of your lonely wolves’fight,” Yoon Suk told them, understanding what exactly they meant. „Why? Because I have enough problems to solve yours too. One of my problems is to find sombe Ian. Or what? Have you forgotten already why we are here?”

„Nea! We haven’t forgotten anything. Let’s just say we had to solve other important things first,” Kan rushed to explain Yoon Suk his actions.

„Something I actually doubt, sombe, because it seems that you decided to defend your ego first,” Yoon Suk cut Kan off, angry. „And the second lonely wolf over here,” the young detective hissed through his teeth, staring at DooSan after taking the prosecutor's phone, „isn’t different from you, sombe Kan. Actually, I think you are the perfect pair of wolves.”

„I think you’ve just crossed the line, detective Oh.”

„I just followed your example, prosecutor Han. You were the first one to cross that line when you decided to use such dirty tricks to follow someone you declared your enemy. Someone who you actually hate and this hints to me that you are desperate.”

„I did that to protect her,” DooSan stuttered.

Yoon Suk burst into laughter while Kan squinted at DooSan. Kan even asked DooSan at one point, in mockery, „To protect her from whom? From yourself? Or… did you do that while looking for an opportunity to find her alone, in an abandoned warehouse, and finish what you started seven years ago?”

„Seven years ago?” Yoon Suk asked, staring at Kan with pumped eyes. DooSan swallowed hard again. „What happened then?”

„None of your business,” Kan hissed through his teeth, turning Yoon Suk into his patsy, even if the poor guy did nothing wrong, and he did this to protect DooSan’s back, whom he had no intention to give away. Not that he didn’t want this, but because he realized that if Yoon Suk had found out what happened at Intensive Care seven years ago, DooSan wouldn’t have had a single peaceful day at the office. Not only DooSan, Kan would have suffered the same because SolHi wouldn’t have left him alive if he had revealed her secrets in front of others.

Kan had to leave such thoughts for later when they heard the noise of broken things from the warehouse from their left. This made them exchange glances at first. After that, when Yoon Suk shouted, „Sombe Ian is there,” they ran as chased by the devil until they got to the warehouse’s door.

When they opened the door, they’d been forced to jump to the side when a „bull” passed by them, stumbling to his feet, after receiving a kick in his ass: the chubby guy. This happened to him when he tried to catch up with SolHi, who, taking advantage of escaping from the circle formed by her enemies, decided to run out of the warehouse. Yet, it was only a wise trick because SolHi didn’t intend to run, but to grab a thick rod that was next to the door. She didn’t get to it eventually because the chubby guy pounced on her. He didn’t knock SolHi to the ground eventually but went head over heels again because SolHi jumped to the side when she saw him coming. Because of this, the poor guy thought that he’d kiss the door in the end. Lucky him, the door opened just in time and he flew through it. Nevertheless, he didn’t land on his feet but on his stomach, moaning like a beaten cat eventually.

„I'll take care of him,” Kan growled, approaching the moaning guy, whom he cuffed eventually.

Looking at Kan, who was struggling with the chubby guy to cuff him, Yoon Suk yawned. „He’s all yours, sombe!” Detective Oh said in mockery. „I’ll just stay and watch everything from here. It’s funnier this way.”

„Just to watch?” DooSan asked, frowning. „Not to help?”

„Why should I bother when she doesn’t need our help? Look at her if you don’t believe me! She’s doing great!”

Looking at SolHi, who was both receiving and sharing kicks and punches, DooSan reproachfully shook his head. „Of course, she’s doing great,” DooSan said, something that amazed Yoon Suk a lot because it was the first time prosecutor Han agreed with something he said. „She’s doing great at receiving kicks in her ass, I mean. Something you’ll enjoy too, actually.” After that, grabbing Yoon Suk by the collar, DooSan pushed him right into the middle of that pack of hungry wolves. After that, he folded his arms over his chest, thinking that it wasn’t necessary to fight too. A wrong thought in fact because his quiet life ended soon, the moment a metallic rod passed by him, falling with a bang next to Kan and the chubby guy. Looking at that flying deadly weapon, DooSan growled, angry, „Damn you, idiots!” After that, taking off his jacket, which he threw to the floor, he entered the fight too.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

After enough received and shared punches, DooSan finally got next to SolHi. Back to back, the three of them because Yoon Suk was next to them, DooSan looked at those six idiots that were surrounding them at that moment, armed to the teeth with metallic rods, knives, and other things, while they were empty-handed. At one point DooSan got to compare those idiots with a pack of hungry dogs that were barely waiting for stubbing their fangs into their asses. Then he cooked his nose when he heard SolHi’s question, „Could you have come faster?”

„Why? To ruin your pleasant dance of receiving metallic rods on your back?” DooSan replied, laughing.

„Yeah, actually! Why? Because I rather prefer San DuSik’s slaps than these ones'caresses.”

„Then… remember me to arrange another session of slaps with San DuSik once we are back in the office.”

„Are you definitely looking for your death today or what?” SolHi growled at him, staring at DooSan past her shoulder. Seeing him shrugging while seeming bored, SolHi called him with the sweet appellative of „idiot.” After that, so suddenly, to get revenge on him for what he said, SolHi pushed DooSan right into the arms of another chubby guy. She didn’t stay calm after this, but she’d been forced to lie on her stomach when another metallic rod passed by her. Well, even so, she’d been fine. Not the same happened to poor Yoon Suk, who landed eventually into a barrel with cold water.

***

Poor puny creatures, with their hair a mess and their torn clothes, scratched and with deep wounds in some places, SolHi and the rest were crawling their legs while moving away from that warehouse where they’d been about to live their last minutes on earth. In front of them, pushed from behind by the masked guys, who came to rescue DooSan and his team, the Chinese guys, who kidnapped SolHi, were also crawling their legs because they suffered more than their victims in the end. More than the Chinese guys, Kan and Yoon Suk suffered because the last one got into a barrel with cold water in that fight while Kan, who tried to save him from drowning in that barrel, had the same fate in the end. That’s why they were walking like ducks at that moment while the water was dripping off them, making them seem more like wet puppies than normal people.

Looking at Kan, who eventually squeezed the bottom of his pants the moment he felt them too heavy to wear this way, Yoon Suk burst into laughter. Kan didn’t taste that joke. That’s why he squinted at Yoon Suk, growling in the end, „Do I look like a clown or something?”

„Absolutely! Not only you, sombe! All of us: we look as though we are a grain store that has been attacked by a cicada swarm. Or maybe we are looking like those who have just escaped from the lion’s cage?! I’m not sure! Yet, not this is important, but the fact that we look so bad!” A slap over the back of his head, received from SolHi, made him show his fangs to her. He even snapped at her, badly looking at SolHi, „Sombe! I was just making a joke! Or what, is this prohibited?”

„Yeah, because the joke is about me, the victim actually, whom you left alone while she was surrounded by a pack of hungry dogs!”

„Not alone, anyway,” DooSan cut her off when he understood that she hinted at him. „We also suffered. More than you, by the way. Something you should be grateful for because thanks to us you are out of the wolf’s paws right now.”

„Do I look ungrateful?”

„Yeah, because… instead of thanking Yoon Suk for swimming into a barrel of water after trying to rescue you, you slapped him. You should have had at least some mercy for the poor guy, who looks like a wet chicken because of you.”

„Like a rooster,” Yoon Suk joked, even if he disliked DooSan's comparison.

DooSan, without losing his temper, said, „Rooster or chicken, what’s the difference now? Looking at you, I see no difference.”

SolHi burst into laughter. For this, Yoon Suk looked at her, upset. Then, approaching her, he hissed into her ear, „When others say that if you help the devil, you end up being eaten by him, they are actually right.”

„Was that about me?”

„Yeah, it was actually. Anyway, sombe Ian, it’s not a secret anymore. All of us know what kind of devil you are if someone steps on your tail.” SolHi showed him her fangs. „Yeah, yeah, I see Prosecutor Han is right.”

„Don’t make me part of your fight, please!” DooSan begged.

„I was just trying to be by your side because you said and not only once that sombe Ian is that kind of puppy, who, if she has the chance, deeply stubs her fangs into her victims’throat.”

„I won’t deny this one,” replied DooSan, smiling. SolHi frowned again. „What now? He said the truth.”

„Of course, he said it. I can actually prove it if you need,” SolHi replied, feisty, threatening him with her fist. „Quickly and painlessly, by the way.” Seeing Yoon Suk hiding behind Kan, she slapped her forehead. „I thought I was working with brave guys. How wrong I was?! I see now that I’m surrounded only by poults.”

„I think the turkey here is another one,” Kan said suddenly, smiling while looking at DooSan. Seeing the prosecutor widely opening his eyes and then quickening his pace to move away from them, the detective looked at SolHi when she asked him:

„What’s wrong with him? Does the devil chase him or what?” Then, when another weird thought crossed her mind, she shouted behind DooSan, „Actually, prosecutor Han, it’s not funny at all! If you need to go to the bathroom, with the big one, do it without announcing to others about this!”

„I think he has both problems right now,” said Kan, suddenly stopping and scratching the back of his head. Seeing him doing this, SolHi and Yoon Suk also stopped, looking in amazement at their sombe. Then, when Kan pointed with his head for both of them to look in front, they finally saw what problem Han DooSan had. His dark blue Rolls Royce was falling apart - three wheels were missing, the fourth one was about to roll down the street, the front lights were broken, the hood was flattened and the four doors looked like the wings of a wet chicken. And, to be funnier than this, someone had the genius idea to twist the mirrors, making them look in reverse.

„Oh, boy!” SolHi murmured, widely opening her eyes. „I’m dead for sure after this.”

„Why so?” Kan asked her, calm. „He’s the only one to be blamed for this because… I’ve told him not to bring his „baby,” which is new or it was new, to this neighborhood. Prosecutor Han, as stubborn as the donkey, decided differently, trying to make everybody admire him. Well, I’m sure everybody admires him now because not everybody sees his car looking like this: like flying saucers. With no wheels.”

„I think one wheel is left,” Yoon Suk mumbled.

„Such a big deal he still has it,” Kan cut him off. „Actually, I think it’ll help him in something: to climb on it, I mean, and, like the modern witch, to fly to the Prosecution Building while riding it. No need for brooms this time.” After that, whistling, Kan stuck his hands into his pockets and headed toward DooSan, who was crying next to his vandalized car.

Looking behind Kan, Yoon Suk reproachfully shook his head. „Should we start preparing for the funerals or do we still have time for this?”

„Our funerals?”

„Of course, ours. Or what, do you think Prosecutor Han leaves us alive after today?”

„I’m not sure about us, but sombe Kan dies for sure!” Said SolHi, scratching the back of her head.

Looking at Kan this time, to understand what SolHi meant, Yoon Suk saw the detective trying to return one mirror to its place. Something he didn’t manage to do in the end, but remained with that mirror in his hands. Staring at Kan’s face, which was definitely funny to look at that moment, as though he had someone’s head in his hands and not a simple mirror, and more than that when he saw Kan looking with pleading eyes at DooSan to see what that one would do, Yoon Suk slapped his forehead. „The one who said we are the devils of the Prosecution is doing this now. No, brother Kan, you are the king of the devils for sure.”

„Did you doubt this or what?”

„Absolutely… not!” Replied Yoon Suk confidently.

Suddenly both of them winced when a long squealing was heard. Soon after this, one of the doors fell to the ground, making poor Yoon Suk swallow hard and stare at Kan. The reason? That door fell because of Kan’s idea to touch the mirror. Yet, Kan didn’t look as scared as Yoon Suk. He, calm, took a few steps toward DooSan, putting the mirror into his arms in the end. Then, while DooSan was looking with pumped eyes at Kan, the detective tapped his shoulder as though letting him know that they were there for everything he needed. DooSan even held that mirror to his chest at one point, as though he had a precious trinket, something that made Kan stare in amazement at him. Then, to rub some salt on DooSan’s wounds, Kan murmured, „Be strong, Prosecutor Han! This is nothing more than a simple trick of life! It’ll be better soon!”

DooSan’s deafening roar let Kan understand that he went too far with that joke. He actually went too far not only with the joke, but with his daring of touching that mirror because it not only caused the falling of the door, but also the last wheel that was still in place suddenly turned into the bagel from the story and started to run down the street. Yeah, you are absolutely right: it was the same wheel, which Kan called „DooSan’s last chance to be the modern witch!” A magic wheel in fact because it charmed everybody that day: the masked guys, the Chinese guys, and the rest of the peanut gallery that surrounded that vandalized car were looking at it, curious to find out how that „pumpkin” would end eventually. Even DooSan was staring at it, as though he was determined to save at least that wheel. That's why he begged at one moment, „Please, someone to save my car!”

Listening to DooSan’s murmur, Kan looked at him like a dumb person. Then, turning toward Yoon Suk, the detective told him, „Oh Yoon Suk, do not just stay but help the man!”

„With what?” Yoon Suk’s stupid question came after this while he kept staring after the wheel.

„Catch it! The wheel I mean!” Kan demanded.

Because of Kan’s question, even more amazed than before, Yoon Suk looked at his sombe, innocently asking him after this, „What for? He can’t use it anyway! Three wheels are missing!”

„At least he’ll have it! Like a keepsake or something!”

Kan’s answer made Yoon Suk slap his forehead again. Unlike him, whom Kan managed to surprise a lot that day, SolHi seemed pretty calm. Not even when she saw DooSan crying like a baby after his car had been impressed. At least it didn’t impress her after this because when she heard his first sobs, SolHi stared at him with pumped eyes. After that, wondering if he had gone crazy or if he had always been like this, SolHi shook her head. Eventually, when the „pumpkin” hit a street sign and fell next to it, SolHi sighed and started to look around. Thus, she saw a screw not that far from her. And, decided to do at least something to help her boss, she took it in her hand, murmuring, „At least not everything is lost!” After that, at a slow step, she approached DooSan and put that screw into his palm.

Looking at SolHi, with teary eyes after he stopped sobbing, DooSan gratefully murmured, „Thank you, SolHi!”

„At least I could do this,” she calmly replied. Then, slowly tapping his shoulder, she told him, „Don’t worry! It’ll be fine soon! God is with you!”

„Amin!” Murmured DooSan, making a large cross in the end. Listening to what DooSan mumbled, moreover, when she saw him making that cross, SolHi widely opened her eyes the moment she caught a thought crossing her mind, „He’s crazy for sure!” How not to think so when she saw so much gratitude in his eyes for her gesture of returning him that screw. Well, the mirror was also a treasure, one that DooSan was holding to his chest not to lose it too.

***

THE SECOND DAY. IN FRONT OF THE PROSECUTION BUILDING.

Getting out of the taxi, DooSan saw SolHi. She was just returning to the office, after passing by the supermarket to do some shopping. And, right after seeing him, SolHi approached him, smiling, even though DooSan had wanted her to vanish from in front of him, just not to listen to her bad jokes. SolHi, at all bothered by his bitter face, told him as soon as she’d been in front of him, „Morning, Prosecutor Han!” To her greeting, DooSan turned his back to her and quickened his pace to enter the building. SolHi did the same, insistently shouting behind him, „Prosecutor? Prosecutor Han, do you see me or I’m a ghost for you?”

„What? What? What?” DooSan shouted, suddenly turning toward her the moment he understood that if he hadn't stopped to talk to her, SolHi wouldn’t have given up on chasing him all day long.

„Nothing special,” she calmly replied, only one step from him. „I was just wondering how my poor colleague spent the night.”

„Fine! Great! Wonderful, OK?! Like a baby, I slept. So, now you find this out, can I go?”

„Sure. Yet, before doing this, I have a present for you,” she told him, stepping in front of him.

„A present?” He asked, frowning. „What kind of present?” He asked again, looking at her bag, thinking that SolHi bought something for him too, to comfort him for what happened the previous night. SolHi, seeing him looking at her bag, suddenly shook her head. Then, stretching her left arm in front, with her fist squeezed, she pointed with her head toward it, hinting that he had to open it.

„If you open it, you’ll see the present! I mean, to open the fist.”

DooSan sighed, understanding that SolHi was making fun of him. Even so, he opened her fist because he was curious to see what she had there. Seeing a screw in her palm, he growled, „Are you kidding me right now?”

„Why am I kidding you? I was just worried. For your car, I mean. That’s why, when I saw this screw on the street, I thought that’s from your car. I picked it up for you, thinking it’d help you to repair the car.”

„Damn you, SolHi!” DooSan hissed through his teeth. Then, squeezing the screw in his fist, he turned his back to SolHi, heading toward the entrance, thinking that he’d get rid of SolHi this way.

SolHi wasn’t stupid, yet. Aware of the meaning of the quote „make hay while the sun shines,” she quickened her pace, determined to pay DooSan for everything he did to her in the past. That’s why she asked him when she’d been only a step behind him, „So? What did the mechanic say? Can he repair your car?”

„Not really!”

„Why so?” SolHi’s innocent question came after this, even if she was chortling inside. „I thought that’s been enough with my screw and that Yoon Suk caught that wheel. More than that, you loved that car a lot. You even made a huge cross for it.”

„Yah!” DooSan shouted, suddenly stopping and forcing her to stop too.

SolHi didn’t stop because she was afraid, but because she understood that it was the perfect chance to keep mocking him. Even so, to rub some salt on DooSan’s wounds, she pretended to be afraid that she even shook a little while saying, „You’ll kill me one day by acting like that.”

„I’ll do myself a favor, getting rid of you, once and for all. Or what, do you think you’ll be fine after mocking me? Or do you look to say goodbye to this world once and for all?”

„Not really! Why? Is there a secret for this?”

„Of course, there’s one: like… if you say one more word about that vandalized car, which suffered because of you, by the way, I swear…”

„Why exactly because of me?” SolHi didn’t let him intimidate her. „I did nothing. You are the one who…”

„Just keep your mouth shut,” DooSan growled, furious. „I’m damn angry because my car is gone because of you. For helping you, better to say, the one I’ve swore to kill with my hands before that. So, if you don’t want to end what I’ve started, keep your tongue behind your teeth and stay away from me, did you hear me? If not, I’ll make you pay for everything that happened last night!”

DooSan practically yelled the last part of his speech. After that, he turned his back to SolHi, quickening his pace to enter the building. He even slammed the door behind him to show SolHi that he was furious. Something that didn’t work with SolHi because she started chortling when she was alone. After that, taking an ice cream from her bag, a vanilla one, she removed the packaging, whispering to herself, very happy, „We are paying for everything we’ve done in this life, Prosecutor Han! I told you already: the boomerang effect. Something you didn’t believe, I see.” After that, enjoying her ice cream and still chortling, SolHi followed DooSan into the building.

***

Entering the office, DooSan was met by the curious glances of Kan, Yoon Suk, Yu, and A Rim. Seeing their eyes focused on him, DooSan hissed through his teeth, „No word about yesterday or I swear I’ll kick you all out.”

Yoon Suk, who was itching to rub some salt on DooSan’s wounds, asked after this, „Why exactly? Did someone do this already?” An elbow, received from Kan, who was standing behind him, made Yoon Suk keep his mouth shut.

Detective Oh, after that elbow, kept silent, but not SolHi. She, right after entering the office, answered his question, „Of course, someone asked Prosecutor Han about the last night. Me, actually! I was worried about how he slept.” DooSan looked at her like a tiger thirsty for blood. SolHi, at all scared by that look, approached everybody and, while putting one ice cream in front of everybody, calmly continued her thought, „Actually, to have clear consciousness, I gave him another screw as a present.”

Kan slapped his forehead. „It’s what was missing! Another screw! Yah, Ian SolHi, if you wanted to help the man, you should have found the rest of the car! The mechanic would have found a screw in his car service for sure.”

„The rest of the car?” SolHi asked, thinking. „Actually, I tried to find it. Yet, as soon as they saw me, the Chinese guys I mean, they told me, „The car is ours! So, get out of here!” Something I’ve actually done because… I didn’t want to be the one paying for Han DooSan’s sins. I can accompany him to a shaman if he wants. Or… should we turn time back, Prosecutor Han? For that car, I mean!”

„What about keeping your mouth shut?” DooSan shouted, seeing the smile sketched on everybody’s face.

„Why exactly? I just call things by their name.”

„SolHi, I think you should listen to the prosecutor’s advice,” Yu told her. „It’s already burning here. Stop throwing fuel on the flames.”

SolHi shrugged, bored. „I didn’t ignite that fire. So, I don’t have why to extinguish it.” Yet, she kept silent the moment DooSan threw the screw in the middle of the office. Following it by a glance, until the screw stopped next to the leg of her desk, SolHi seemed calm. Then, chortling, she asked, „Did you keep it as a relic?”

„Yeah, to remind me that you owe me,” DooSan growled. „So, if you don’t want me by your side 24/7, I suggest you stop driving me crazy.”

„Or what?”

„Just… keep your mouth shut!” DooSan yelled at her. After that, furious, he sat by his desk, throwing the files and everything else to show to the others that he was really pissed off.

Seeing him acting like that, SolHi was definitely happy. She didn’t even try to hide her triumphal smile. More than that, she didn’t have a reason to hide something because… she didn’t have a chance to make fun of DooSan every day. Eventually, when Kan asked her, „SolHi, do you believe in Karma?” she looked in amazement at him.

„In karma?” She asked Kan, thoughtful. „Why? Should I?”

„Yeah, because… it works like a boomerang. How exactly? Tit for tat. Or what? Do you think Prosecutor Han’s car has been vandalized by chance? Of course not: that poor car paid for what you and he did to San DuSik’s car. Next on the list is your car.”

SolHi smiled. „Something that won’t ever happen, sombe. Why? I took care of this before this happened.”

„Really?! And… how exactly did you say you took care of this?”

„I sold it. The car, I mean! I was afraid to remain only with a screw from it in the end.”

Her remark made everybody burst into laughter. Except DooSan, who looked at her with the eyes of a serial killer, planning how to get rid of her in the end for that morning mockery. It would have been easy if SolHi had still had that car. Yet, once she sold it, he had to wait for another chance. He wouldn’t have left her unpunished for sure for losing so good vehicle in that Chinese neighborhood where he got because of her.