Nervous, DooSan looked at his clock again: nine-thirty in the morning, but SolHi still hadn’t come to work. „Where did she go so early in the morning?” He murmured.

DooSan remembered that he noticed that SolHi was missing when he woke up, around five o’clock in the morning, to drink some water. She not only wasn’t in the apartment, but he also realized that SolHi hadn’t slept there and that the bed was still untouched. This made him lose his sleep, and have a lot of thoughts in his head.

He wondered these questions because he realized that he’d been so cold with her a few hours before that when he returned home. And yes, it was weird even for him. The reason? He asked her to trust him that day because there were feelings between them and they had to work as a team to solve Nam Yun Ho’s case. Yet… a few hours later, he did exactly the opposite: he behaved coldly, had been indifferent if not cruel to her, and this probably made her realize that nobody was by her side. All this made DooSan feel his heart strangely pulsating in his chest at one point. It was undoubtedly because of guilt. Otherwise, he couldn’t explain why he felt all that he was feeling at that moment.

Actually, all those hours until daylight, DooSan thought about a lot of things. He thought about all this not because he couldn’t sleep but because he knew SolHi outside, in the street, at night, where a lot of things could have happened to her and where she could have been in danger. He also thought about all this because he understood that he’d been wrong in trusting the words said by a drunkard but not her. Yes, maybe Do Ian Jun met YuSan, but he didn’t know his brother as DooSan knew him. A stranger couldn’t have known his brother better than him because YuSan had always been there for DooSan, in tough moments, and he knew he could count on him any time. Yet, all this was left behind because of the words said by a stranger, who accused YuSan of a lot of things. That’s why he started to doubt if YuSan was a good man, and he even doubted the woman he got to love.

Understanding this, DooSan decided to make peace with SolHi. He thought that it would have been fair for all of them to find out the truth first. Then, having clear evidence, he could have also asked her to explain things to him. Yet, even if he had been waiting for her in front of the Prosecution for about half an hour, she hadn’t come.

„Come on, SolHi, come at once!” He murmured, worriedly, watching the wristwatch again. „Don’t make me die because of so much worry.”

Looking at the entrance, DooSan finally saw her entering the Prosecution’s yard, passing right next to the guardian’s booth. What seemed weird to him was the fact that she didn’t even look at the guardian or greet him, although the guardian, a man about fifty, put his hand to his hat, greeting her as a military as he did each time he saw SolHi. She was generally doing the same, but not that day. That morning she seemed indifferent and deliberately ignored the man when she passed by him.

Her indifference and strangeness alerted DooSan. Because of this, he headed toward her, determined to make her follow him somewhere where they could have talked and explain to her why he behaved like that the night before. Yet, getting next to her, he scolded her, instead of making her follow him to a safe place, by telling her, „You are late! Where have you been?”

SolHi passed by him though. She didn’t even look at him, although her eyes said so many things. Even hatred and disappointment could be seen on her face because she really felt that everybody had betrayed her. She also felt that she betrayed herself because she did something that night… something she hadn’t ever thought she was capable of doing.

Confused, DooSan looked behind her for a few moments. He was amazed that she didn’t act violently as she used to do, just as he was confused that SolHi didn’t reproach him for his cold behavior the night before. Then, when he finally could react, he ran after her and, grabbing her hand, he made her stop. After that, he asked, „What’s wrong with you, SolHi? Why are doing this?”

„Just… let me go, DooSan!” She drily replied. „There’s not either the right moment or the place for this.”

„For this? For what?”

„For conversation, you and me!” SolHi said, looking into his eyes this time. Then, as though she was imitating DooSan’s rudeness, copying the behavior he had the night before, she pulled her hand so suddenly.

By doing this, SolHi finally gave DooSan the chance to see that she was stained with blood: her arms, neck, and clothes. All this scared DooSan a lot. That’s why he started to check every single part of her body, trying to see if she was hurt or find the reason for that blood. He even stuttered at one point when he managed to ask her if she was hurt or why she was stained with blood. Questions that remained unanswered because SolHi ignored them. This made him yell at her eventually, „What the hell is this, Ian SolHi? What happened to you last night?”

„It’s none of your business,” she drily said again, taking a step back. „Just… stop this! Stop pretending so much! That’s enough, DooSan! I’m tired of all this. I don’t want to hear or know anything from you. That’s enough to play with me as you’ve done for so long.”

„I’ve played with you? I?” He asked, confused.

„Yes. All this… everything… was a game for you. Being with me, pretending that you cared about me, that you were concerned, and that you wanted me to be fine… all this was a lie. You did that because it was something that interested you. I just… been stupid and believed this while you checked my past… behind my back. I’m not even surprised, you know?! It’s what has always happened: people I’ve trusted and loved have always stabbed me behind my back. It’s time for me to wake up from this bad dream and stop pretending to be the princess from the fairy tale, the one who waits for her prince on a white horse. It’s over! I’m done with all this today, just as our paths split today… Once and for all, Han DooSan! That’s why, just… vanish from my life and my house!”

Her words hurt him so much, making him stare behind her, thunderstruck. He was so confused, seeing her so easily turning her back to him and heading toward the entrance to the Prosecution. It was too much for him to find out that because of a single night when he acted coldly with her and ignored her, SolHi decided to forget about his love, his feelings, and all she felt for him. It was too much. It couldn’t be true. It couldn’t be.

All this was real in SolHi’s world because she decided to focus only on herself from now on - the only person who hadn’t ever betrayed her. For this to happen, she had to work a lot. At the same time, she had to forget - Han DooSan, all that happened seven years ago, her colleagues, fake friends, and even the reality around her. A reality Han DooSan wasn’t part of anymore, at least this was what she was thinking about at that moment.

What she said wasn’t real for DooSan though. He couldn’t understand why she was so cruel to him when all he did was try not to hurt her by accusing her of what he found out the night before. At first, he wanted to think about all he found out - in silence and alone. Then, when he would have decided what to do and would have found out the truth about those events, he would have told her about this too. Yet, SolHi took all he did too seriously. For a single mistake, she kicked him out of her life, something he couldn’t understand because she was too cruel to him, too revengeful.

Thus, staring behind her, he didn’t see the patrols entering the Prosecution’s yard. He also didn’t see Gi and his pupils - Detectives Mo and So - stepping out of the car and heading toward SolHi, who stopped when she saw them and waited. She didn’t seem scared or amazed to see them there. On the contrary: SolHi seemed to know the reason why the detectives were there - they came for her. That’s why she didn’t oppose when Gi cuffed her and told her, „Detective Ian, you are arrested for killing Do Ian Jun. You have the right to be silent or everything you say can be used against you at the trial. If you cannot afford a lawyer, a public defender will be assigned to you.”

All that happened at that moment seemed a dream to DooSan. He heard Gi’s words as something so far away from him. All he saw were the cuffs on SolHi’s wrists and that she followed Gi and So without opposing resistance when they told her to go toward the patrol.

Only then, when SolHi got in the patrol, DooSan reacted. „SolHi!” He shouted, running from the place where he stood frozen and tried to approach the patrol. DooSan couldn’t get to the car eventually because of Mo, who blocked his way. Even so, it had been damn difficult for Mo to keep DooSan away from that car. He had to force with DooSan for a while until Kan, Yu, and Yoon Suk, who came there alerted by Gi, who told them about SolHi’s arrest, didn’t exit the building. Yet, the only one who approached Mo to help him with DooSan was Kan. The detective did that, trying to avoid the arrest of Han opposing resistance.

Stopped there by the two detectives, although he still struggled with Kan and Mo to be let go, DooSan kept looking behind the patrol, yelling the name of the only woman he ever loved. SolHi didn’t look at him though. She only looked in front while a lot of thoughts spun in her head. Thoughts like „It’s over! Your nightmare and the run are over, SolHi! They got you, although you tried so hard to run away from the divine punishment of having taken someone’s life. It was time because… damn, it’s so hard to lie to everybody and even to yourself!” Then, she smiled, with that weird smile on her face… the smile of a real serial killer, who felt pity for herself for being caught, although she did everything to run away from the entire world and even escape reality.

***

„I can’t believe that Ian SolHi was again arrested for murder,” A Rim shouted, entering the office.

Her shout made SuJin, the only one who remained in the office, take his headphones off and stare at her like an idiot. Then, when he could control himself a little, he murmured, frightened, „What the hell are you talking about, A Rim? What crime? No, Nuna can’t do something like that.”

„Of course, she can! She did that. The detectives from Kanam Police Station have arrested her in front of the building. If you don’t believe me, you can ask your father. He was there when the detectives cuffed her.”

„Is this true?” SuJin asked his father, eyes on tears.

„Unfortunately yes. At least, the part with the arrest is real. It also seems to be true the accusation of having killed one of her former co-workers. Yet, if it’s true or not, we’ll find out once the investigation comes to an end.”

„Something that won’t be delayed too much, once they have the murder weapon already. More than this, SolHi was covered by blood when they arrested her,” murmured Yoon Suk.

„Even so, Yoon Suk,” the inspector said, „everybody is innocent until something else is proved. This goes for SolHi too.”

„Yeah, I also know that. Yet, she won’t escape prison this time. Not that easily because… she’s been accused of murder once.”

„That’s the truth already and well deserved, it seems to me,” said A Rim. Seeing the glances of the eagles that worked with her focused on her, she rushed to say, „Just a remark. Don’t take it personally!”

„The same goes for you, A Rim,” the inspector scolded her. „All of us know that you don’t love SolHi and you haven’t ever accepted her to work in our office. The reason? Han YuSan’s death. Even so, you don’t have the right to talk like that about her. At least show some empathy for a colleague in trouble. Nobody asks you to prove her innocence.”

„As though I would have done that if someone had asked me to do that,” A Rim murmured, feistily, feeling that Yu wronged her when he scolded her. That’s why she started slamming things on her desk, right after sitting on her chair.

Paying no attention to A Rim’s fit of anger, Yoon Suk looked at Yu, to whom he asked, „Where is sombe Kan?”

„He accompanied Prosecutor Han to Kanam Police Station. He did that because Prosecutor Han doesn’t believe that SolHi is guilty and tries to prove that everybody is wrong related to her.”

„Let’s go there too!”

„No, Yoon Suk. Being there, we can complicate things. Let’s better stay here and look for evidence to prove her innocence. I also don’t think that SolHi is guilty.”

„I’m also in,” said SuJin, cheeks still bathed by tears. „At least let me do that, Dad!”

Yu nodded. „All right, do it! Yet, SuJin: without heroic deeds or breaking the law! Otherwise, even if we find evidence to attest her innocence, but it has been found illegally, they won’t be accepted at the trial. If we get there, of course!”

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

„I’ll check the one SolHi is supposed to have killed!” Yoon Suk murmured. „There must be a detail there, something to lead us to the truth!”

„Let me help you with this!” Said Yu. „And we should start with investigating what SolHi did last night. For this, we have to leave the office.”

Looking behind the inspector and Yoon Suk, who left the office, A Rim frowned. It seemed too much for her that all the men in the office were again by SolHi’s side. „As they have always been because the only one they cared about is Ian SolHi.”

„That’s because she has always been honest. Not like others,” SuJin told her.

„Are you trying to say that I’m not honest?”

„Yeah, you’ve always been cold with her. Yet, when you needed something from her, you were flattering her to get that thing. That’s why I think you aren’t more than a snake because… what if all this is a frame against her? A setup?”

„Less probably! She’s accused of the second murder, SuJin. This can’t be a coincidence.”

„Well, it seems like that to me. Nuna isn’t the kind of person to kill someone in cold blood, as you say. And I’ll prove this!”

„Go ahead!” A Rim drily said. After that, she started browsing a file she had opened on her desk.

Suddenly, A Rim stopped browsing that file and stared in front, the moment the thought „What if the only one who’s wrong it’s me?” crossed her mind. „Yes, it’s possible that the only one who’s wrong now it’s me because… even if I’ve always accused Ian SolHi of having killed Prosecutor Han, I’ve gotten to know her eventually. She’s not stupid. More than this, she’s a detective! She knows how to find evidence and how to hide it too. Thus, even if she had killed someone, she wouldn’t have left that evidence on sight. No, she would have hidden the weapon at least and wouldn’t have come to the office stained by blood. All this stinks and damn badly, by the way!”

***

„What do you mean by I can’t see her? For God’s sake, what are we talking about now?” DooSan shouted when he saw Gi stepping in front of him and blocking his way to the Interrogatory Room where SolHi was.

„I’m sorry, Prosecutor Han, but… because of your relationship with SolHi, I can’t let you in. Plus, until the lead prosecutor doesn’t decide what should be done…”

„The lead prosecutor? What the hell are you saying, Gi? I’m the Prosecutor! I have the right to see her!”

„Of course not! Maybe you are a prosecutor and all you want, but this case belongs to me!” San DuSik’s voice had been suddenly heard behind him, talking to him with superiority. This made DooSan glare at him eventually. This made DuSik grin again. „As far as I see, you aren’t happy to see me here. Yet, ups: I’m here because this is my case. Thus, if Ian SolHi goes to jail or not, for what is supposed she’s done now or seven years ago when she killed your brother, it’ll be decided by me. So, if you don’t want her to pay for your stupidity, I suggest you stay calm, Han DooSan, and away from this!”

„Are you threatening me now? Trash!” DooSan hissed through his teeth, trying to get to San DuSik and punch him. Yet, he couldn’t do that eventually because of Gi and another detective, who blocked his way. Even so, DooSan kept yelling at DuSik, accusing him of all the bad things that happened in this world, including revenge for the broken car while DuSik was yelling that DooSan was there to protect his mistress.

Eventually, they were forced to keep their mouth shut when Mo entered the section, loudly saying, „It was already proven: the blood we found on Ian SolHi’s clothes belonged to Do Ian Jun!”

„Are you sure?” Gi asked in half of the voice.

„Evidence doesn’t lie, sombe,” said Mo. When he said that, so much regret was felt in his voice because he got to care about SolHi eventually, especially after what happened to her because of Nam Yun Ho. Yet, at that moment when she was accused of a new crime, it was already too much even for him to understand whose side he had to be.

The only lucid person at that moment was San DuSik. This one, grinning so happily, approached Mo. And, pulling the results from his hand, proudly said, „This will send Ian SolHi to the electric chair for sure. I’ll take care of that, of course!” Then, he headed toward the Interrogatory Room. He was so happy at that moment because, so suddenly and from a single shot, he got rid of two enemies… a trophy he had dreamt of so many times before, but which he hadn’t ever thought about having one day.

When the door of the Interrogatory Room closed behind San DuSik, DooSan pushed Gi and the other detective away and left the station. Not alone but with Kan and Yu who followed him. They were just entering the police station when Mo told others about the results of the blood work, and this meant only one thing: SolHi’s sentence had already been imposed. At the same time, they understood that DooSan could have lost his mind if they had left him alone. Or, he could have gotten in worse trouble than SolHi. That’s why he decided not to leave him alone and to avoid at least him going to jail, once Ian SolHi was already sentenced by the prosecutor although they hadn’t even gone to trial.

***

A file, slammed on the desk, made SolHi wince and stare at San DuSik. She saw him grinning, with a huge smile of satisfaction on his face. This made her feel contempt for him and no fear, especially when she heard him saying, „I finally put my paw on you, bitch!” He said that, supporting both palms on the table and staring at her too. Then, SolHi smiled when he added, „Al this gives me the chance to make you pay back for that slap because I never forget when someone wronged me.”

„When someone wronged you, Prosecutor San? Are you sure of this? Well, I won’t be that sure because I clearly remember that who slapped someone that day was you and not me.”

San DuSik hit the table again. After that, nervous and making an infernal noise with the chair, which he couldn’t put normally on the four legs, DuSik sat on it. Then, still staring into SolHi’s eyes, he grabbed her wrist and squeezed it so hard, hissing through his teeth, „Are you sure of this, bitch?”

„Absolutely,” SolHi confidently said. Then, she released her arm. And, while she slowly moved the cuffs on her wrists, which she still had on at San DuSik’s command, she told him, „Actually, there are witnesses who can confirm that.”

„Witnesses, you say?! Well, if you mean the dogs that were in the office with you that day, you are wrong. Why? They won’t bark this time. Why? They don’t want to be accused of being your accomplices in this new crime.” SolHi laughed again. „Are you smiling now?”

„Yeah! Why? Because I can wait for anything from a dog like you. You can accuse innocent people just to get revenge on me. Yet, I suggest you not waste your time because none of my colleagues is involved in this.”

„Are you sure?”

„I’m quite sure, thank you for asking!”

„Unbelievable! A bitch like you, who killed another man, can be so calm, still having her hands stained with blood.” These words erased the smile on SolHi’s face, making her hide her hands under the table. This made DuSik grinned, satisfied. „At least you have a consciousness, bitch!”

„Watch your tongue, Prosecutor Han! I told you once that I won’t allow you to insult me anymore!”

„Of course, you’ll allow me this and more. You will even kiss my feet if you don’t want to sit on the electric chair.”

„I rather turn myself to ashes on that chair than kiss the legs of a Judah like you.”

„Judah? Do you have the courage to say that?”

„On merit, right? Or what, will you deny this truth too, one that’s on everybody’s lips, Prosecutor San?”

The confidence felt in SolHi’s voice made DuSik wince. „She knows something!” He told himself. „But… what?”

He didn’t have time to find that answer because the door had been suddenly open, hitting the wall. This made DuSik wince again and look at the door, frightened. SolHi didn’t even wince when the door hit the wall or looked over there. She did that because she thought DooSan opened that door and she was afraid to look into his eyes. Yes, she didn’t want to see reproach and disappointment in the eyes of the one she loved.

Yet, she winced eventually when she heard Lee’s voice. „This case doesn’t belong to you anymore, San DuSik!” Captain Lee said. „Now, get lost from here!”

Shaking because of nerves, DuSik suddenly stood up. „Of course not!” He said through his teeth. „This case belongs to me and I won’t give up on it. For nothing in the world!”

„You’ll be forced to do that though!”

„Nobody can’t force me to do that,” DuSik shouted this time. „Not until I make this bitch pay for everything!”

„Be careful what you say,” Lee also shouted. „You have no right to insult someone, San DuSik! Why? Until proven otherwise, nobody can be called a criminal. About the case… well, it was yours, until half an hour ago when the General Attorney signed the document of transfer and the case was assigned to me.”

DuSik grinned. „It’s yours now? Since when do those from Organized Crime investigate an unimportant crime?”

„Since Ian SolHi killed one of the most dangerous traffickers we were looking for. So, Buffalo, give me that document!”

SolHi winced again. „Traffickers? What the hell are we talking about? How could Do Ian Jun be a trafficker when he was an idiot who barely knew how to live his life?” SolHi said all that in her head because she understood that if Lee was there was because of something important. What exactly? Only because of a top-secret case.

***

„Does all this seem strange only to me?” Yu whispered to Kan, who was to his right.

Kan said nothing though. He only looked at DooSan, who was sitting on a desk, with his arms folded over his chest, and looking at the floor. Then, the detective said, „Honestly, I have no idea. Just as I have no idea what’s in Prosecutor Han’s head.”

„Prosecutor Han? What’s the deal with him?”

„Well, not long ago, he seemed to be a mad bull because of San DuSik. Now, look at him: he seems to be the calmness itself. He didn’t even blink when San DuSik passed by him, insulting SolHi. And, what worries me more than that, it’s the phone call. Who the hell Prosecutor Han phoned that, in less than ten minutes, those from Organized Crime appeared here, saying that SolHi’s case is theirs?”

„Now you mention that, yes… it’s weird. It was damn fast, just as all this it’s complicated. Yet, do you think SolHi really killed that man? Do Ian Jun or what’s his name.”

„I don’t know, okay? I know nothing,” Kan hissed through his teeth. After that, he turned his back to the inspector, heading toward the coffee machine because he needed at least a cup of coffee to feel better, even if he had liked a drink, which he couldn’t have once he was still at work.

Yu didn’t calm after this. He only looked at Kan for a while, seeing that that one kicked the machine eventually because it took his money but didn’t give him the coffee. Then, seeing that Kan wouldn’t say anything else, Inspector Yu approached Gi when this one passed by there. Yu had been even forced to block Gi’s way to make this one talk to him. Then, he asked, „What’s going on here, Detective?”

„About what?” Gi drily asked.

„About everything. First, you arrested SolHi for a supposed crime. Now, getting here, we find out that the Organized Crime Department will investigate this case. Coincidence? I don’t think so. Or, am I wrong now?”

„I have no idea what you are talking about,” mumbled Gi, trying to avoid saying what he knew about that case.

Inspector Yu wasn’t investigating his first case though. That’s why, before getting to the hall, he grabbed the detective’s arm, hissing through his teeth, „Do you think I’m stupid?”

„No. Even so, I won’t tell you what I know.”

„At least tell me who told you that SolHi committed the crime. I don’t think that it was the Tooth Fairy.”

Gi cooked his nose because he didn’t like the hint. Then, glaring at Yu, he asked, „Do we look like idiots? Or only you consider us thus?”

„Nea, you aren’t stupid! Yet, I still think you are capable of stabbing someone’s back. So, until I don’t start investigating this case, which has a lot of question marks spinning around it, tell me who accused SolHi of murder!”

„Do Ian Jun’s mother, okay? Not for nothing, because… her son didn’t accuse SolHi as the cause of his problems only once.”

„And, only for that, you decided to arrest her? Because that one’s life was destroyed by someone? For God’s sake! That idiot could have been delirious. He hated SolHi for accusing him of harassment and for not being able to be a teacher again.”

„And do you think we don’t know that?”

„Then?”

„She saw her, okay?! His mother saw SolHi there, right after committing the crime. And, Do Ian Jun told his mother that SolHi killed him, right before breathing his last breath.”

„Bullshit!”

„Don’t swear that much, okay?! Or what, do you think that’s easy for us to investigate this case? She’s our colleague, for God’s sake. I had known her since she started working here.”

„Still, it seems that you are trying to prove the contrary, Gi!”

„It’s because there is evidence. Evidence that proves she’s guilty of this crime. Real evidence, Yu, not bullshit. Her fingerprints are on the weapon and the victim’s blood was on her clothes. Plus, SolHi keeps silent, and this makes this investigation difficult to solve. If she had told us at least where she was last night, it would have given us a chance to try to save her. Yet, she ties our hands with her silence.”

„Don’t yell, okay?!” Yu hissed through his teeth, spotting the other detectives looking at them.

„How do you want me to react when you accuse me of indifference?”

„By explaining things. Like… why this case will be investigated by OCD? It’s an ordinary crime, Gi. Such crimes aren’t investigated by someone like Lee and his team.”

„Ask Lee about this and stop yelling at me! I have enough on my head with you here, especially with Ian SolHi, who hasn’t ever been able to control herself. It’s how she managed to kill someone if she didn’t do this seven years ago and she had just conned all of us all this time.”

Hearing Gi talking like that, Yu wanted to punch him. Yet, he controlled himself eventually and only glared at Gi, who did the same. And Gi was really confused and hurt because even if they were accused of being indifferent in SolHi’s case, he still considered SolHi someone from his family. Even so, even if his heart hurt him, he still didn’t have the power to protect her from what was waiting for her after that. And… Gi was pretty sure he was right in thinking that something bad was coming for her.

***

Two hours later, Ian SolHi was taken out of the Kanam Police Station and got into a black van, escorted by the Organized Crime Agents. What shocked everybody that day wasn’t the fact the OCD took her from there but the fact that Ian SolHi accepted having committed the crime. She didn’t accept only having killed Do Ian Jun but also Han YuSan seven years ago. She not only accepted this in front of the camera but also signed a document where it was written that the reason for killing them was revenge, something that, in her opinion, should have been punished with death.

Thus, accepting that she had killed two souls, she managed to confuse everybody. They even felt that her testimony killed them inside too. Especially, DooSan felt all this, who found out another truth that day: YuSan died because of SolHi at someone’s order. Who exactly asked SolHi to kill Han YuSan? They didn’t know. All they could find out from SolHi was that she did that because she loved the person who ordered her to do that.