That day had definitely been madness as DooSan thought. Not only that day but also the days that followed SolHi and Ha Rin’s escape. Days when he felt that he went crazy because, on one side, he felt forced to witness the hatred of people and media institutions that didn’t stop blaming SolHi for every single bad thing that happened on earth while, on the other side, he didn’t know where his soul was and if SolHi was really fine. Why did he feel all this? Because he already found out that she’d been severely injured before the escape. And, „To be everything worse than that, I’m behind bars now,” DooSan hissed through his teeth. Then he ran his fingers through his hair, messing it more than it already was.

Looking in front and seeing the thick bars of the cell where he’d been locked at San DuSik’s command, DooSan frowned. He didn’t do that because he was worried for himself because he already knew that DuSik needed more than that to keep him there forever but because he couldn’t understand why SolHi called him and what exactly happened to her. „Did she do that because she missed me?” DooSan wondered. „Or… maybe she needed my help? And… ah, San DuSik, ah, you were the only one I was missing.”

Such thoughts made DooSan bite his lower lip. Then, he ran his fingers through his hair again, several times, trying to calm down at least this way and chase black thoughts away. Something that managed to help him before but not at that moment. Yes, at that moment, all this irritated him more, making him yell at one point, „What?” DooSan also shouted because he saw Min Hiok not that far from the cell, hands into his pockets, and staring at him with that enviable calmness in his glance. „Do you enjoy seeing me here or what?”

„Why not?” Min Hiok replied, smiling. Then, he approached the cell. And, grabbing the bars with both hands, still grinning while looking at DooSan’s bitter face, Min Hiok said, „This is my innocent pleasure - to see you here. So, be a good boy and don’t spoil my good mood, what do you say?”

„What I say is that it’ll be a good idea to go to hell along with San DuSik,” DooSan hissed through his teeth, turning to one side, trying to stop seeing that grin of satisfaction seen on his friend’s face.

„If you say so!” Prosecutor Iun said, smiling. Then, he made a sign to DooSan to approach the bars.

„What?” DooSan asked, irritated. „Do I look like a dog to approach you when you summon me with the finger or what?”

„Well, maybe you aren’t a dog, but… I still know that you are a good boy and will do that. You’ll do that if you want to know what I know. At least I think you’ll do that.”

Reluctantly, DooSan stood up. Then, sighing and swearing in his head, he approached the bars on the side where Iun Min Hiok was. Once there, he said nothing just as Min Hiok did. Only after glancing at the guardian, who was having a nap on his chair, Min Hiok asked in a whisper, „Is it true that Ian SolHi called you?”

„As though you don’t know that already,” DooSan nervously growled.

„Of course, I know that. Still, I need confirmation. That’s why, answer the damn question: did she call you or not?”

„Yes, she did that. So?”

Seeing how feisty his friend could be at that moment, Min Hiok reproachfully shook his head. Then, he said, „You and San DuSik seem to be born by the same mother. Why? Both of you look only to spoil my mood. Yet, once I don’t have time for that… to educate you, I mean… I’ll tell you this: I think San DuSik keeps an eye on you because he is trying to catch a bigger fish. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have seen him leaving An Te Sun’s office not long ago.”

„The General Attorney’s office?” DooSan asked, eyes wide open. „What the hell was he doing there? Or… should I ask what they have to share?”

„Well, you should ask this question to them. For the moment, I say to be calm because they have no solid evidence against you. At least… this is what my boys from the IT department told me - that they found nothing: either fingerprints or DNA on the phone SolHi used to call you.”

DooSan frowned this time. „They found nothing? What the hell is this supposed to mean?”

„That… Ian SolHi is a smart girl?” DooSan squinted at him. „Yes, I’m already aware that you know that SolHi is a smart girl. What you don’t know is that she set her cap for him.”

„How?”

„To leave him headless?” Min Hiok ironically asked. „What? Don’t look like me as though I’m the enemy dog, which you are about to break into pieces, Bulldog DooSan. It’s what I found out… from SolHi.”

„Did you talk to her?”

„I wish I did that, but nea… I didn’t speak to her. What I did was listen to the record San DuSik got while listening to your phone calls. And, after San DuSik took your phone and took you out of the office, she told him, „Just wait, San DuSik because I’ll come. I’ll be there after your head,” or something like that. Something that I’m sure will happen soon because… if I’ve come to know her at least a little bit in those months you worked together, she’d do that for sure. Because of this, I’m also sure that San DuSik bites his hands right now, aware that he stopped being a threat to others the moment SolHi threatened him. Yet, not this interests me but how your girlfriend will cut his head. If this happens, I’ll give her a trophy.”

DooSan showed Min Hiok his fangs, a hint that he disliked the tone of his voice when his friend said „Your girlfriend.” A grin that made Min Hiok smile eventually and tell him, „Don’t take it personally because I haven’t said that in bad faith. I really appreciate her courage. Why? Because… another girl would have vanished after the escape. SolHi instead not only showed up but also dared to threaten San DuSik. And, no matter how badly I don’t want to see her fulfilling her threat and see San DuSik’s head falling off his shoulders, it’ll be harder than conquering Everest.”

„He hired protection.”

„Yeah! Not long ago, I saw two penguins following him everywhere. Yet, this isn’t something to surprise me because if San DuSik falls, An Te Sun follows him. That’s why he gave him protection.”

„Something that still surprises me. At the same time, it’s something that I don’t get: what bonds them because, as far as Kan and Yu found out, they aren’t relatives or have a common past.”

„Even so, they seem to have a common present and you can guess thanks to whom.”

„Min SinJu?”

„It might be, once we all suspect that San DuSik is one of Min SinJu’s dogs, whom he hid here. The problem is still the same: they are smart enough and we don’t have evidence against him.”

„Something I could have found if I wasn’t locked here. At least, I could have warned SolHi about this.”

Min Hiok smiled. „How? Sending a pigeon to her? Ia, Han DooSan, don’t be stupid! If you do that, you sentence yourself and endanger her. Still, we can do something to keep both of you away from trouble.”

„Something like?”

„For the moment, I must take you out of here. Later? We’ll see because you really look like a wet dog sweater behind bars.” DooSan growled something barely heard about Min Hiok. „Yes, yes, I know that Ian SolHi taught you how to bite. Still, keep your forces for later.”

„Still, I’ll start with your neck, don’t worry. Not now because I am not that small to get out of here through the bars. Even so, don’t relax because I’ll be out in 48 hours and I’ll come after you. They can’t keep me here for more than this.”

Prosecutor Iun suddenly turned serious. „I’m not preoccupied for how long they’ll keep you here but of… if they try or not to get rid of you while you are here. That’s why I want you out. At least… I don’t want you dead while I’m in charge here. So… I’m gone.”

„Which way?” DooSan growled again, seeing his friend moving away.

Min Hiok’s answer amazed him a lot because he hadn’t ever expected to hear his friend saying, „To beg An Te Sun to allow you to live, where else I can go? Otherwise, I’ll put flowers on your grave tomorrow. I don’t intend to do that though because… I have enough problems already to add this to. So, until I persuade our beloved boss’s heart, take care of your head not to fall off your shoulders, do you hear me? Otherwise, if I’m back and you are dead, I’ll look for you in hell just to twist your neck.” After that, a little nervous, although he tried to seem calm, Min Hiok left the area of the cells.

Along with Min Hiok’s „threat,” which kept ringing in his ears, DooSan reproachfully shook his head. „What’s wrong with everybody these days?” He asked, irritated. „Everybody put a price on my head. Don’t they have anything else better to do than that?” Questions that had no answer at that moment.

Honestly, DooSan didn’t have time to find answers at that moment because he suddenly saw the guardian moving, a hint that that one was about to wake. This made DooSan withdraw to the same corner he had been standing before Min Hiok appeared. And, sitting down, he pretended to be asleep. „Sleep” that was with an eye open. Thus, he saw the guardian sweetly yawning, a hint that he was satisfied that his prisoner was a good boy. After that, convinced that DooSan was „sleeping,” he left his post to pour some coffee into his mug when he saw it empty.

***

„To release Han DooSan?” An Te Sun yelled at Min Hiok when he told his boss that Prosecutor Han had to be released immediately. „I don’t see why I should do something like that,” the General Attorney growled after that, squinting at Min Hiok and seeing this one walking up and down his office, hands into his pockets and seeming damn calm. While walking up and down his boss’s office, Min Hiok allowed himself to check the photos that he’d seen there, photos that An Te Sun had hung on the walls or had on the furniture, very proud of each of them.

Eventually, Min Hiok stopped and smiled. He didn’t look at An Te Sun but somewhere at his feet when he said, „You don’t see why you should do that? Well, allow me then to tell you why: because it’s the only sure path you can take to watch your back.”

An Te Sun frowned. Then, he stared at Min Hiok, who was doing the same when he saw his boss nervously moving in the place where he was standing. „Like a hamster on the wheel,” Min Hiok thought. This convinced him that it was time to look straight at the General Attorney when that one said, „The only sure path to watch my back, you say? Honestly, I have no idea what you are talking about.”

„Of course, you know,” said Min Hiok confidently. „Why am I so sure of this? Because you know very well who Yun Marie is and what she can do if someone pisses her off.”

„Yun Marie? The ex-General Attorney?” Min Hiok nodded. „Honestly, I’m still confused because… I can’t understand what I can do to bother her.”

„Something very simple: you stepped on a lioness’s tail, one that is also a mother. When did you do that? The moment you sent her only cub behind bars without evidence. That’s why I think that Yun Marie won’t stay still while you unjustly accuse her son.”

„Unjustly?” An Te Sun yelled again. „Hell no! Why? We have evidence that Ian SolHi called him. An assassin and a sentenced-to-death woman called him, someone whom Han DooSan repeatedly visited in jail.”

„Still, all this is something that Han DooSan never denied. He also didn’t hide that. Even so, you ordered someone to listen to his phone calls. Yet, this isn’t a problem for us but an advantage. Why? Because you sentenced yourselves when you did that. How? By doing this, you proved that Ian SolHi called him and not DooSan called her.”

„Even so, she called him, and this means that they have something to hide. If it hadn’t been anything like that, Han DooSan wouldn’t have rushed to hang up that phone call. If he had been a good boy and told us about that phone call, Ian SolHi would have been behind bars by now.”

„Or dead,” replied Min Hiok ironically. „Something that I’m sure would have happened if DooSan had told someone about that phone call. Why? There are enough of those who want her dead. If I’m not mistaken, someone tried to kill her and the other prisoner the night they escaped. Yet, even this isn’t a problem or something to accuse you of all this but the fact that San DuSik, your puppy, is the one who hung up that phone call in fact.”

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„Iun Min Hiok!” The General Attorney yelled. „Be careful who you are insulting right now.”

„I wouldn’t call this an insult but a threat, An Te Sun,” Min Hiok confidently said, something that amazed his boss a lot. Not only this amazed Te Sun but also the fact that Iun Min Hiok seemed not to fear the consequences of his words. That’s why he became attentive, feeling that something more than this was about to come. He’d been right because, stopping only two steps away from him and staring straight into his eyes, Min Hiok said, „Yes, you are right, boss: this is a threat. Why? All of us are tired of waiting and allowing you to consider us fools and play with us. So, stop doing this, An Te Sun!”

„Nobody would have treated you like that if we had agreed about something.”

„Are you sure of this?”

„Yes, I’m pretty sure of this because… all of you have always worked against the system. You and Han DooSan in particular. That’s why we’ve seen ourselves forced to do things behind your backs.”

„What you did was something to benefit you, Boss. So, stop lying through your teeth because both of us know the truth. Anyway, I’m not here to talk about this but to offer you a deal.”

„Like?”

„Like… catching Ian SolHi as you also want. If this happens and the two fugitives are caught, you’ll get the promotion you want. At least… some financial reward.”

„Still, I don’t see how you’ll do that. From experience, I know that after such phone calls like the one Ian SolHi has given to Han DooSan, the prisoners aren’t ever found.”

„Allow me to think differently because I’m sure that Ian SolHi will be seen around very soon. So, the best shot we have or the best card we can play is to let Han DooSan free.” An Te Sun frowned. „Yes, I’m pretty sure of what I say. Why? If Ian SolHi called him first, this means that… either they have something to share or she’s trying to make some light in this case.”

„Light? What the hell are you talking about this time?”

„I speak of the truth, Prosecutor An. I’m talking about the truth both of us are aware of. Which one? That… Ian SolHi didn’t kill either Do Ian Jun or Han YuSan.”

Te Sun grinned. „Still, this is something proven in Court. Who did that? Ian SolHi, the one who accepted her crime in front of everybody, Iun Min Hiok. So…”

„…should I stop talking nonsense?” Prosecutor An nodded. „Well, I assure you that I don’t do that. I’m aware of every word I say, just as I’m aware that you knew Lee Do Jun’s plan very well.” An Te Sun winced this time, making Min Hiok weirdly grin. „I see that you know what I’m talking about.”

„Of course not,” growled Te Sun, loosening the grip of his tie. Then, determined to defend himself and show his subordinate his authority, Te Sun stared into Min Hiok’s eyes and said, „If I were you, I would have been careful about what I say or do. This might endanger not only your job but also your life.”

„Are you trying to threaten me right now?”

„Believe what you want! Yet, I’m sure of one thing… if you vanish one day, it’ll be once and forever. Trust me, those who ever vanish, rarely return alive.”

The grin that had been suddenly seen on Min Hiok’s face made An Te Sun attentive. Then, somehow shaking inside, he looked at Min Hiok’s phone, on whose screen he saw an active phone call. This let An Te Sun understand that while they had that conversation, a third person listened to everything they said. Who was that witness? Te Sun didn’t know. All he saw on the screen was „Unknown number.”

„Damn you, Iun Min Hiok!” An Te Sun shouted, trying to take the phone from Min Hiok’s hand.

Prosecutor Iun suddenly pulled back, and his sudden movement made An Te Sun go heels over head. This happened because Prosecutor An jerked in front when he tried to take that phone. Yet, this didn’t bother Min Hiok at all, just as he didn’t seem bothered to see his boss on his knees and staring at him with hatred. All Min Hiok did was put his phone to his ear and say to his accomplice, „Did you record everything? Wonderful! This means I have an assurance now because… the Internet is a terrifying thing nowadays.”

Saying this, Min Hiok hung up the phone and sneaked it into his pocket. Then, he put his hands into his pockets and looked at An Te Sun while sketching a large smile on his face. An Te Sun wasn’t as amazed as Min Hiok was though. On the contrary, he kept looking at Min Hiok with hatred, visibly shaking when he said, „Dog! You are one of those who uses to bite the hand of those who feed them.”

Prosecutor Iun grinned. „Really? Am I biting the hand of the one who feeds me? Come on, Prosecutor An: let’s not be hypocrites. Why? You haven’t ever fed me. On the contrary, you have always taken care to keep me in the shadows, aware that I am able of great things if I’m let free of the leash. I’m not the only one capable of great things. Many other honest prosecutors are working in this Prosecution building too. Even so, you kept us away from the important cases. Why? It was convenient for you and your „client,” who might have felt threatened if we had worked on such cases. You did all this, thinking that you’d control us forever but… ups, boss, we grew up!” Iun hissed through his teeth. After that, squatting and looking with hatred at An Te Sun, who kept sitting on the floor, he said, „I’m one of those pupils who manage to be greater than their master, An Te Sun. So, as I hate to delay things, I tell you this: once I’m out of the office, you’ll give a phone call and order the immediate release of Han DooSan. The reason? A simple misunderstanding. If you don’t do that, the one who goes behind bars is you. You know that I’m not playing now, right? So… don’t step on my tail, please!”

Saying this, Min Hiok stood up and left the office. Closing the door behind him, Iun Min Hiok grinned. This happened because he suddenly heard things falling in Te Sun’s office and this one’s terrifying growls when the fit of anger controlled him. Growls that didn’t bother Min Hiok at all. On the contrary, all this made him happy because this meant only one thing: he won when he came there. At the same time, he won a bigger price: he forced An Te Sun to accept the rules of his game, just as he saw the face of the one who had ever been behind An Te Sun, someone they had hunted for a very long time without being ever able to catch him - Min SinJu.

***

The street was empty at that late hour at night, sunken into darkness. All this was so visible also because of the street lamp that wasn’t working again and because the street was a side one, far from the main one. Nevertheless, even if the place was an isolated one, it didn’t seem to bother SolHi, who kept carefully advancing on that street, somehow sneaking beside the fences and cars. She wasn’t alone but closely followed by Min Ha Rin.

Finally getting next to a tall fence, built from red bricks, SolHi stopped and looked at her wristwatch: 3 a.m. Then, she looked around to make sure no witness was there, although it was such a late hour - the perfect time for plans like the one they had in their minds at that moment. Looking around and seeing nobody there, SolHi smiled. She calmed down seeing no witness there, even if she was aware of the silent witnesses that were lurking on them from the shadows - the dash cameras of the cars that were parked there, something that made the two fugitives hide their faces eventually by pulling the caps over their eyes, trying not to be seen in the records.

Suddenly SolHi winced when Ha Rin tapped her shoulder. Looking at her, she saw Ha Rin making her signs to keep silent. Then, Ha Rin sneaked behind the cars, squatting when she got next to a gray one.

Seeing Ha Rin acting like that, SolHi frowned. „What the hell is she doing?” She thought. Yet, even if she was confused about Ha Rin’s plans, she didn’t follow her but stuck to that fence, trying to seem as invisible as possible. While doing this, SolHi kept an eye on Ha Rin, whom she saw taking a metallic tire iron out of her backpack and using it to open the door of the gray car next to which she stopped, a car inside of which they saw the red light of a dash cam. Seeing the tire iron in Ha Rin’s hand, SolHi sighed. „Where did you take that from?” She asked eventually.

„The best thing for you will be not to know that,” replied Ha Rin when she heard SolHi’s whisper. Then, finally opening the door, she smiled and said, „Less you know, less evidence against you at the trial.”

SolHi burst into laughter. „In case you didn’t know that, I was sentenced to death.”

„Maybe! Even so, I assure you that breaking the cars isn’t punished with death. If we are caught, I won’t pay with my life for that.” Then, carefully opening the door, she pulled the dash cam, which she put into her backpack, closing the door behind her eventually. Finishing this little ritual, she approached SolHi, still smiling.

Seeing Ha Rin so satisfied after breaking into a car and adding more crimes to the long list of felonies they were accused of and the police looked for them for, SolHi frowned. „May I know where you’ve learned such… „habits?” In the prison?”

„I was born with it,” responded Ha Rin, grinning. Then, she tried to pass by SolHi.

She stopped eventually when SolHi grabbed her arm. And, staring at her, SolHi hissed through her teeth, „What about taking care of the fingerprints you might have left while breaking that car?”

Ha Rin shrugged. She looked bored when she did that. Then, seeing SolHi insistently looking at her, she said, „It’s not a big deal anyway. They may keep them. I mean… even if they identify them, they’ll have a damn surprise when they check them and see whom they belonged to. The fingerprints, I mean.”

Confused, when she realized that she didn’t understand a damn word of what Ha Rin said or what might have crossed her mind at that moment, SolHi squinted behind her. Yet, her amazement didn’t stop there but increased when she saw Ha Rin checking the other cars to see if there were any other dash cameras there. Sins they’d been exempted from eventually because there weren’t other silent witnesses there to be stolen, something that allowed SolHi to breathe a sigh of relief eventually. Only after that did she approach Ha Rin, who was stopped at the corner of the street and waited for her.

Arriving at the corner, SolHi and Ha Rin exchanged glances, as though using their eyes to tell each other about their thoughts. Then, the moment the street lamp suddenly turned on, both women withdrew looking for a shelter, afraid that someone might see them there. While doing this, Ha Rin even leaned against the wall, staring at the lamp that was now on and then off. „As though it’s possessed,” Ha Rin hissed through her teeth at one point. And, to help that lamp get rid of sins, Ha Rin grabbed a stone and threw it up, trying to break it. Yet, she failed. That’s why she needed three more attempts to break that street lamp into pieces. Then, she breathed a sigh of relief too.

„Do you feel better now?” SolHi ironically asked, seeing Ha Rin grinning.

„Yeah! Why shouldn’t I feel well? More felonies, less witnesses.” Then, not waiting for SolHi’s answer, Ha Rin jumped over the fence next to which they had stood by then.

SolHi followed her soon after this. Then, once on the other side of the fence, they stopped, and, squatting for a while, both women stood and listened to the silence of the night. Yet, nothing was heard, a hint that „There aren’t dogs here,” whispered SolHi.

„Still, there might be traps in this yard. So, be careful!” After that, leaning a little in front, the two women headed toward the backyard.

To get to the backyard, they needed about five minutes. Yet, while heading there, none of them met either dogs or other traps in their way. No light was also seen inside the house, a hint that the owners had gone to bed already.

Once next to the door, Ha Rin stopped SolHi by grabbing her hand. She said nothing after this and SolHi did the same. They just looked at each other for a while, even if none of them saw the eyes of the other one. Eventually, Ha Rin deeply breathed in and said, „Are you sure that you won’t regret this later? There won’t be a way back after this.”

„Mmm, I’m sure,” SolHi confidently replied. Then, she grabbed the doorknob.

To their great surprise, the door wasn’t locked. Something that seemed strange to Ha Rin, who considered that „They are waiting for us.”

„Or… they simply forgot to lock it. It might also be because they aren’t afraid of death,” replied SolHi through her teeth, weirdly grinning after this. She was sure of what she wanted to do. Yet, this didn’t mean that she was stupid to enter someone’s house unarmed. That’s why she took the tire iron out of Ha Rin’s backpack. Only after that did SolHi step over the threshold of the house.

Right after stepping over the threshold, both women got to a small hall that was sunken into darkness. It was also silent in that house, something that made them attentive. In particular, that silence made SolHi attentive because she found it weird not to hear any noise there when that house seemed to be an ordinary one: neither the noise of the fridge nor of any other electrical device was heard there. Even the floor wasn’t squeaking under their soles, something that let them understand that they were stepping on something thick and soft.

„A carpet,” SolHi told herself after squatting and touching it with her palm. Then, she frowned because a strange feeling sneaked into her bones. Yet, she didn’t return but kept advancing.

To make sure that they wouldn’t make any noise or knock something down, both Ha Rin and SolHi decided to use the wall as their guide. Thus, watching each other’s backs, they eventually got to the corner of that wall. Once there, they stopped because they had no idea how that house was planned, something that could have led their footsteps into a trap. That’s why they decided to trust only their gut and, why not, their tactile feelings. Yes, SolHi trusted her gut first because, right after the wall ended, SolHi touched the air and the wall that was next to that corner.

Touching it, SolHi realized that it was leading somewhere to her left. And, following it, she finally felt the top of her shoes touching something hard. This made her squat again and touch it with her palm. „Stairs. Made from wood, it seems to me,” she told herself. Then, she stood up and started to grope around her until she finally found the wooden banister. And, the moment she moved her hand up on that banister, not seeing anything around, SolHi pushed something that seemed to be a pot for flowers.

Falling, the pot made a loud noise around. This made the two fugitives gnash their teeth because the noise meant only one thing: if they had stood there for longer, they would have been caught for sure. Understanding this, Ha Rin insistently tapped on SolHi’s arm, asking her to go away.

SolHi denied the idea of leaving and giving up on their plan though. At least, she didn’t want to do that right away. Yes, she didn’t want to do that even if she knew that Ha Rin was right in saying that they had to leave that place as soon as possible. And, finally understanding this, she took a step behind her, letting Ha Rin know that she agreed to go.

Both women suddenly stopped the moment they heard the voice of another woman, who was hidden by the darkness of the room, telling them sternly, „If I were you, I wouldn’t have moved from that place! Why? Because… a bullet might get to paint a black hole in the middle of your forehead or on the back of your head.”

The woman’s urging made SolHi gnash her teeth and Ha Rin swore. She did that also because she suddenly heard the woman, who talked to them only seconds ago, demanding to them, „Slowly turn toward me!” After that, they heard the woman loading the weapon, something that let SolHi understand that it might have been a hunting rifle, and saying, „Do it now and with no sudden moves!”

Instead of listening to the stranger’s advice, Ha Rin decided to take the risk. That’s why she suddenly grabbed the tire iron from SolHi’s hand and threw it toward the place from where she heard the voice. After that, they heard the tire iron hitting something hard, a noise followed by another one, deafening this time when the hunting rifle was fired…