The old sawmill burnt eventually to the ground, leaving only a huge cloud of black smoke behind, which turned the old building into a kind of ghost if looking at it from far away. A building at which SolHi looked for a long time before entering Bear’s car and leaving that place. The reason? She tried to remember if that place reminded her of a particular case or if she’d been brought there that night years ago when she lost her child and part of her life. „A night I would like to leave behind me but… I wasn’t ever able to do that.”

„Maybe you’ll leave it behind one day,” Bear told her when he stopped beside her, circling the car to get to her right.

Hearing him talking to her, SolHi winced. She did that, although she clearly heard him opening the door and heading toward her to check how she was. Yet, even if she heard him opening the door, she didn’t see him coming, something that took her by surprise eventually when he talked to her. After that, understanding how pathetic she was to wince even when she was among friends, SolHi smiled and, looking at the young man out of the corner of her eyes, she told him, „Do you really think this? That… the past can be left behind and forgotten?”

„Honestly?” SolHi approvingly nodded. „Yes.”

„Why?”

„Because… it’s so easy to do this sometimes. It’s easier than you believe, actually. Not for everybody, I also accept that. Yet, for those who don’t have regrets about their past, they can forget it.”

„Whereas I have plenty of regrets,” SolHi whispered.

„Allow me to think differently,” the young man confidently replied, making SolHi attentive. Seeing her watching him curiously, Bear smiled. Then, folding his arms over his chest and leaning against the car, he said, „I was talking about regrets, something I don’t think you have, and I think I’m right about that.”

„What makes you think this?”

„The simple fact that you don’t want to turn back time and change it?” SolHi winced this time. Then, she frowned, realizing that the young man was eventually right because she didn’t want to turn back time and change the past. All she wanted was to forget it. „I’m right, right? You don’t want to relive the night you lived years ago just to change something but to solve the mystery of that case and move on. Right?”

„I won’t say that you aren’t right because you are: I want to solve the mystery of that night and move on. Yet, this doesn’t mean I don’t regret what happened.”

„I never said that because… all of us have regrets. Even so, in your case, the desire to bring justice to yourself and others prevails over the rest. Then, there are the regrets. Yet, I think they aren’t as strong as the pain you keep in your soul, a pain that overwhelmed you for years.”

SolHi frowned again, looking to her right. The young man instead kept looking in front at the big black monster that kept smoking in the distance. Then he smiled when SolHi said, „Although we didn’t contact too much in the past, you seem to be someone who knows a lot of things about me. Why?”

„Dja Iun,” Bear said, the pain was felt in his voice, making SolHi wince again.

„Dja Iun? Did he tell you about this?” Bear nodded. „Why? I mean… how did he know so much about me? As far as I remember, I have never talked to him about this case. All I told him were trivial things… something everybody knew.”

„Yet, he went further than only talking to you about random things, Detective Ian. Dja Iun dug deeper than you wanted him to dig. Why? He had beautiful feelings for you. And, even if he knew he had no chance to have you, especially when Prosecutor Han appeared next to you and saw how your eyes sparkled while watching him, Dja Iun wanted to be at least that trustful friend you can count on in difficult times. He did everything because he cared about you and not because he was curious about what happened to you.”

„I believe this. I believe you when you say that Dja Iun cared about me, and this made me regret the fact he cared about me that much, something that killed him eventually. I also regret that I allowed him to be close to me after we’d seen each other again. If each of us had lived his life, nothing of what happened would have happened. Perhaps.”

„I have to disagree with you, Detective Ian. The reason? Dja Iun wasn’t someone to stay away from problems.”

„Tell me something I don’t know!”

„Of course, I have to tell you something you don’t know like the fact that Dja Iun was looking for problems as for friends, something he always admitted. Even so, he knew how to fight against those problems and get rid of them, particularly against those problems related to someone he cared about and he cared about you a lot. Knowing this and who Dja Iun really was, someone I got to know well in those five years while we’ve been friends, I have to tell you that Dja Iun was on the cutting edge, someone who loved to know that those he cared about were safe. He was also someone who didn’t love to regret things. That’s why I tell you not to regret his departure because he knew very well what he was doing when he started investigating this case.”

„Maybe, but still… he didn’t deserve to die, Bear.”

„I know. That’s why I’m here today, with you. Actually, the whole gang is with you in this because we want to bring justice to Dja Iun because I’ve learned from him to bring justice to those who deserve this, something we’ll get no matter what. Now, let’s go because we’ve been around for too long and there is already day. And, with all the cops around, we really don’t want to take the risk for you to be seen. If this happens, then… all our plans are screwed.”

Saying this, the young man turned his back to her and headed toward the car, sitting behind the wheel afterward. He didn’t rush SolHi to do the same though, something SolHi was grateful to him. She also appreciated the fact that she had someone with her at that moment, although they weren’t someone she could consider as her friends. Even so, she knew one thing about them - that they were someone Dja Iun had trusted. Therefore, she also had to trust them. Thinking about this, she decided that it was time to walk away and entered the car. She did that, realizing that if the police had caught her, this wouldn’t have helped any of them. On the contrary, their plans would have been ruined, just as she could have endangered all those who helped her hide after she escaped prison, including her soul - Han DooSan.

***

The rattle of the cameras, which tried not to lose any detail found in the crime scene in case the criminal had left it behind, made HanSol finally close her eyes. She did that, feeling that light bothered her, just as the hustle and bustle around her bothered her. Besides the firefighters, who were checking the place to be safe because a single sparkle could have brought hell back there, there were also a lot of police officers and the members of Park GhiYon’s team, whom HanSol summoned there to check the place. She did that, listening to SolHi’s advice to involve him in the investigation because he was someone useful to the case, besides being a trustful forensic doctor.

After a few moments of staying like that, feeling that dizziness passed, HanSol opened her eyes and looked around. Particularly, she looked at the place where they found the two bodies charred, the remains of which were still seen there, something that made her frown because „I didn’t dream of starting my day like that.” Then, wrinkling her nose because of the smell of smoke and ashes that got to her nostrils, she sneezed.

When she heard someone behind her wishing her „God bless you!” HanSol turned around and looked at GhiYon. She even frowned when she saw him taking off his latex gloves that were stained by soot. Then, realizing that her grimaces might have offended the forensic doctor, she forced a smile. Particularly, she did that when GhiYon told her, „I see you chose a hell of a maniac this time.”

„If you talk about the criminal, you are right - he’s a hell of a devil. Even so, he’s not someone I’ve chosen.”

„I agree now: you didn’t choose him, but he chose you, it seems to me. Otherwise, I can’t explain how did you find this place so quickly. Particularly… such weapons,” he playfully said while moving the hammer from one hand to another. Seeing HanSol involuntarily stepping back, GhiYon smiled and, hiding the hammer to his back, he said, „I make a pardon! It was just an experiment.”

„I hope that’s not an experiment on our head!”

„Depends on the head!” GhiYon had the genius idea of making a joke. Seeing both HanSol and Hyun Shik squinting at him, who was only a few steps from him, putting his hand to the gun, GhiYon pulled back, saying, „I was talking about the one who deserves me to try this hammer on his head. The criminal’s head. Yet… forget it! I think I went way too far with this joke anyway. Even so, I assure you that I’m not more dangerous than your assistant. Why? He has a gun while I have a simple hammer.”

„Not just a simple hammer,” Hyun Shik hissed through his teeth, hiding the gun. „Why? Both my gun and your simple hammer can kill someone.”

„I’ve never denied that. Even so, young man, your gun can knock someone down with a single bullet while I need some time to do the same by using this.”

„What you try to say is that you’ve tried it?” HanSol took GhiYon by surprise when she asked that. The poor forensic doctor even stared at her with pumped eyes when he heard her saying that.

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„Are you accusing me of crime, ma’am?” He asked her, a little scared.

„I was just… concluding!” HanSol sternly replied. „You are the one who said that you’d need some time to knock someone down. That’s why I thought you’d tried that.”

„It was just a… figure of speech,” the forensic doctor growled through his teeth. „And… I wasn’t talking about me but about the one who left all this shit behind him, your assassin, by the way.”

„Someone we’ll catch one day. We just need some time and work to do for that to happen.” Saying this, HanSol took a few steps toward the two bodies, intending to look at them from closer. Yet, she’d been eventually forced to stop when GhiYon stepped in front of her, motioning her with his hand to stay where she was. Then, looking at the forensic doctor’s serious face, who pointed to her with his finger to return to the previous spot, a hint he wanted her there and only there, HanSol smiled and said, „Yes, doc, I got your point: no need to step on the enemy’s territory because… I know already you don’t like when someone „touches your dolls.”

„How the hell did you know that?” GhiYon growled.

HanSol shrugged. „I’ve just heard people around me talking about this. This isn’t a crime, is it?”

„Of course, it is a crime. Why? Because… only one person in this world called me like that. Who exactly? The same person you knocked down by firing your gun five times. Where? In the DOC parking lot. By the way, how did you say you found out about me?”

„Connections?” HanSol drily said. „In case you didn’t know that, I have a lot of connections.”

„Connections my…,” GhiYon hissed through his teeth. HanSol squinted. „I mean… you don’t have the right connections to involve me in this. Or… am I wrong?”

„Of course, you are wrong! Why? Those connections are real. Why? In one way or another, the event eight years ago bonds us. How? Because… today’s crime has something to do with what happened that day.”

GhiYon winced, looking around, scared that someone could hear them. „What you suggest is that the same person who committed the crime eight years ago did the same today?”

„Don’t you share the same idea with me, doc? I think yes because… not only the place but also the victims are similar: a man and a woman. Spouses, apparently. At least… they seemed to have had a relationship. And… the same isolated place. Besides, both of them are dead because of the same deep wound on the back of their heads.”

„Still, there’s a huge difference between the two cases.”

„Honestly, I don’t see it.”

„Something I see though,” GhiYon confidently replied. Then, approaching HanSol to make sure she was the only one listening to him, the doc said, „I’m talking about the victim that survived eight years ago - Ian SolHi. Today’s victims are both dead. Besides, there’s a huge difference between the cases because… that day, Han YuSan died because of multiple knife wounds while the male victim died today because of the hammer.”

Hearing him mentioning these details, HanSol swallowed hard because… yes, she forgot about this. She forgot how YuSan died, although she’d read this in the file when she checked it. „Maybe, but… he also had a deep wound on the back of his head, just as SolHi had, a wound made by a hammer.”

„You are actually right: he also had a hammer wound on the back of his head. Yet, this was made postmortem.”

„Postmortem?” HanSol asked, extremely surprised. „Are you saying that someone did that to him on purpose?”

„Exactly. The reason? I can only guess it: someone wanted others to think that SolHi hurt YuSan to weaken him and stab him afterward. At least, this is what she said at the second trial.”

„A fake testimony, something all of us is aware of.”

GhiYon frowned. „What do you try to say is that you didn’t know about Captain Lee’s plan?”

„I knew only about a part of it. I knew he intended to send SolHi behind bars like a witness. What I didn’t know was that he did that at someone’s request.”

„Min SinJu?”

„I suspect that he was also involved. Yet, I couldn’t find any evidence about it, just as I didn’t find evidence that the Han YuSan in black exists, the man whose head SolHi hit that night.”

„The one from DooSan’s video?”

„Yes. Actually, Han DooSan still has the original of that video. So, if you are interested in finding out details about it, you can ask your friend. For the moment, what interests me is to find here evidence others couldn’t find and have something to start this investigation.”

„Maybe, but… all I could find here are vague evidence and the weapon of the crime, something I got from you. For the rest… only ashes and smoke, something that makes me doubt we find DNA or fingerprints here.”

„There is still the fire. This proves something, right?”

„Yeah, but… this doesn’t help us in anything. Why? I have no idea. Anyway, the fire isn’t our job but of the firefighters. So, if someone put fire to this place on purpose, they’ll find the source. Yet, as I said, I doubt we’ll ever find the criminal with the evidence we find here.”

„I’m aware of this. Yet, it’s worth the try. What about the two victims? Did you find anything about them?”

„Only that they seem to be spouses.”

HanSol squinted at him. „Are you so sure of this because you’ve asked them?”

GhiYon showed her his fangs, a hint that he didn’t taste the joke. Why? „I’m not a shaman to talk to the dead ones. Yet, I don’t say that you can’t bring one here. Who knows? As this place looks like, you might be lucky to talk to one of the victims.”

„No need for irony, doc.”

„The same goes for me: no need for you to question my professionalism, Chief Kim. Why? There’s no need to be a shaman to know certain things. What exactly? The wedding rings on their fingers.”

„Damn it! I didn’t think about this,” HanSol growled, furious, a hint that she disliked the doc’s mockery. Yet, she deserved that. Eventually, she started that show first. And, to calm down a little, she deeply breathed in, asking eventually, „What about the murder weapon? Did you find something on it?”

„Blood! Whose exactly? We’ll find out after doing some tests. It’s the only way we can connect the murder weapon to the victims. And, talking about the weapon, how the hell did you say you found it? As far as I remember, none from my team saw it around. Or… did you plant it?”

„We aren’t stupid to sentence ourselves to death, doc,” said Hyun Shik through his teeth. „Such evidence won’t ever be accepted in a trial. So, no need for that because… all we are interested in is to find the criminal, not to screw up the case.”

„Maybe, but… still, this weapon was brought here after the fire. Why am I so sure of this? Because, if it had been here while the hell passed by this place, it would have been burnt in places and black.”

„You are actually right,” said HanSol confidently, making Hyun Shik wince because he hadn’t expected her to tell the forensic doctor the truth. „We got the murder weapon before the fire. Who gave us this hammer? One of my agents, who I’ve sent here to check this place after an anonymous call.”

„Something that sounds like bait to me,” said GhiYon, grinning. „Is it because the criminal resents you, Chief Kim?”

„I doubt. Why? Because… I’m sure the criminal isn’t the one who called us but someone who doesn’t have anything to do with all this.”

„What about your agent? Is it possible for him to have put this weapon here?”

„Certainly not because… he’s the most interested in catching the real killer.” GhiYon looked at her with great interest. HanSol smiled. „Even if you seem to want so badly to find out who found the murder weapon, I assure you that you won’t ever find this out. Why? Because… he’s a ghost.”

GhiYon smiled. „There aren’t ghosts in this world, Chief Kim! Trust me! I work with enough bodies. So, if there had been one, I would have seen it for sure.”

„Only if you had turned yourself into a ghost,” said HanSol drily. „Actually, I think you should have been a detective, doc. You have a good nose for such things. Even so, you’ll have this chance while investigating this case. So, if you find any other evidence about this case, call me! I’ll be the first one to help you to satisfy your curiosity. Now, let’s go, Hyun Shik!”

Saying this, HanSol turned her back to them and headed toward the door. Not alone but closely followed by Hyun Shik, who remained with GhiYon for a few moments more to give him her business card. Looking at the information that was seen on the back of the business card, GhiYon smiled. „Kim HanSol, DOC chief! Interesting! Really interesting because… even if she didn’t want to tell me that, she still told me a lot about this case. What exactly? The „Ghost!” If she wanted to keep secret the „ghost’s” identity, she should have kept her mouth shut about the „lover of dolls.” Yet… lucky me, Chief Kim! Why? Starting today, I have something against you.”

Smiling and hiding the business card in his pocket, GhiYon returned next to his team when one of his colleagues summoned him there because of something that seemed to be important. While heading toward his team, GhiYon glanced several times toward the exit door. He saw HanSol and Hyun Shik there, stopped right next to the entrance, and looking on the sly at him.

„Do you think he understood who the „ghost” is?” Hyun Shik asked when he spotted GhiYon looking at them.

„Most likely yes. And, even if he didn’t understand that, he’d realize soon because it’s possible that our beloved „ghost” left some fingerprints on that hammer. Thus, I don’t think that it will be that hard for him to understand what the result of 2+2 is.”

„Then… I think it’ll be a good idea to tell SolHi about this, don’t you think so?”

„No. If we do that, SolHi can ruin our plans, and we won’t ever find out if Park GhiYon is by our side or not.”

„What if he gives us away before we find out this, sombe?”

„Then… it will also work for us. Why? We’ll make sure that he’s head will fall off his shoulders. And… do you know who’ll take care of this?”

„Our ghost?”

„No, Han DooSan! Even if SolHi doubts his feelings for her, I still think that those feelings are stronger than what he has felt for his brother. Sooner or later, this will be proven, I assure you. After that, we’ll also have the chance to do things by the book and solve this complicated puzzle.”

Saying this, HanSol headed toward her car eventually. She even quickened her pace because she intended to stop by her apartment first and change her clothes because that place gave her chills. At the same time, she felt that she wouldn’t have had a good day without a hot shower.

HanSol didn’t leave that place alone but along with Hyun Shik. Why? The young agent started fearing for her life. Yes, he was so afraid of losing another colleague, and his fear was something that grew every single day. Particularly, this happened because he remembered everything about Lee Do Hun’s death, something he tried to avoid happening again.