“What a coincidence…”
Some of the people inside the station looked at the young boy with pitiful eyes. He brushed his fingers through his hair and sighed.
Coincidence? He doesn’t believe in coincidences with crimes. Everything has its own reason for happening. Everything is laid according to what’s planned.
He looked at the kid again. Youngwoon, ahh…that boy certainly knows when and where to come out. He was shaking just like the first time, but a little calmer this time. Did he already get used of seeing dead people? Or killing people?
“I’m the primary suspect right? I didn’t do anything. I just came out from school when I saw her. I swear, I have witnesses that I’m inside the school premises during that time.”
It was too easy if it was him. But he wouldn’t mind telling the boy about that fact. Suspects are still suspects. But even so, he can say that he didn’t kill the girl. The body was still warm when the forensics came to the scene of the crime and the kid doesn’t have even a dot of blood on his body.
He shook his head a little and left the boy in front of his table. “I’ll get back to you…”
He stood and went outside the station to get some smoke, Yoo Jin followed him.
“Sir,” she said.
“It was too clean. No more blood was found on the place where the body was found. There’s blood on the pavement but none on the lamp post and none on the main street. She wasn’t killed there. But how the heck did that happen?” he blew a cloud of smoke and looked at her. “Did you look around the area? Have you found the place of the murder?”
“We haven’t found it…” They used to be partners before she transferred to another district. And now, they’re working together again but he as her mentor. “Heechul~ssi, I think we should let the boy go.”
He heard his name from her mouth again after a long time. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s better to let people know that the killer is still on the loose than just put the blame on him.”
She nodded and took the cigarette from his hand, crunching it under her feet. “You may be my boss now, but we used to be just friends. Get back to work, Heechul~ssi.”
He sighed. She did not change. Getting in his way has become her only habit. So far, it hasn’t made an argument between them. He headed back inside and realized that by the moment he enters the station and start his work, they will treat each other like strangers again.
~♥~
“Seo Jihyun, I am certain about that.”
“The last time, Seohyun~ssi and Nana~ssi had a fight.”
“I don’t really care about her, why do you keep on asking me questions?”
“Seo Jihyun? Ani…she can’t do that.”
Seo Jihyun…the name kept appearing again and again as he asked the same questions over and over again.
“Seo Jihyun,” he said looking at the paper he was holding then to the girl sitting in front of the table. “Is that you?”
“Ne,” she said. “Most people call me Seohyun.”
She was pretty but calm. She has an innocent face, but it could be her.
“Where did you go last night after the swimming practice?”
She stirred on her seat before speaking, looking straight into his eyes. “I went to the library behind the school.”
He watched her like a spec under the microscope. She wasn’t doing anything unusual. “You two had a fight, so you killed her?” Maybe his words were pushing things to far, but he must at least get a confession before the last student enters the office he borrowed from their guidance councilor.
“We fought but why would I kill her? She’s paranoid. If someone would kill, she would certainly be the one to kill me.”
She’s good at speaking, using strong words in respectful manner, it’s different. “Looks like you’re good in lying. Then what about the claim of the other students?”
“I never lied. I didn’t do anything so I don’t have to be scared.”
Her eyes never wavered. It was as if he was the one being manipulated in this situation. He cocked his head a little and placed a hand under his chin. She was much harder to budge than her male classmates. She was certain in everything she says and that makes her a little more dangerous. She never made a move after she found a comfortable position in her seat, never made uncertain gestures, her eyes were focused, and she was never stiff…they say that a river when it’s too calm is far more dangerous…deep.
A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. “Prosecutor, the pictures came.”
“You may go now, Seohyun~ssi,” he said. “But please be aware that I might invite you again for an interview.”
She stood and bowed. As she headed for the door, she stopped and said. “Prosecutor…there’s something I forgot to tell you.”
He looked at her turn her face to him. Somehow he was startled seeing that the girl somehow looked like Yun Hee.
“There was a doll, she kept on saying that there was a doll…I saw it too at the pool after she almost drowned.” She bowed again and this time left the office.
“Sir, she’s right…there was a doll beside the body.”
“What?”
The man handed him an envelope. When he opened it, he saw that thing again. Dulce…
“Who took the pictures? Is it Jung? Tell him to meet me in my office.”
~♥~
He looked for her when she left their room. Eyes burned her as if she was really the one who killed that woman. Somehow he got scared…
He opened the door towards the roof top and looked around. “Seo hyun~ssi…”
She looked at him for a while and turned her head again towards the sky. She was lying on her back, looking above. “What do you want? You’re going to scrutinize me like them? Stop it.”
He walked towards her slowly and lifted the box of milk he bought for her. “You haven’t eaten anything yet right? Take this.”
He sat beside her and handed the milk to her. She looked at it and took it. “Kamsahamnida.”
She changed a lot…and he liked her more. Though…he already liked her even before. He lay beside her and looked at the sky filled with clouds. “Are you scared? They’re accusing you…”
“No. I’m just irritated with their rants. Cowards, they were the one to blame…”
She sat and opened the milk he gave her. “Why did you follow me? You’re being kind? You don’t have to do this.”
He smiled up at her. “I like you.”
She laughed and drank the milk. “You don’t have to say that. Many boys like me now.”
“Honestly…I do like you. Even before…you were kind to me when I was still new, I can still remember the first time we saw each other.”
Her brows formed a knot, a sign that she already forgot their first encounter.
“Kyuhyun~ssi, do you want to eat? I know a place where you can eat without anyone to bother you,” he repeated her words. “Do you remember?”
“Ah, I remember now…” she smiled.
They continued to talk, laughing about old memories that have been buried under new ones. Years have passed since then…
Little did they know that just a few feet away, someone was listening, hiding, watching them.
“Traitor…”
~♥~
“It was there.”
Yunho proved that he saw the doll on the scene. Yes, it was really the same doll…but where is it?
Heechul held the picture in his hand, pacing back and forth. That Seo Jihyun wasn’t involved in the first crime though. It’s true that if you look closer to the crimes…there are a lot of dots connecting her with Yun Hee. They’ve been on the same class since their second year in high school and she’s always been on the second rank ever since. But is it enough a reason for her to kill the lady?
And Nana.
He knew that she bullied Seohyun when she’s still alive, but she wasn’t the only one. A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.
“Come in.” he said as he went back to his seat.
Jongwoon went in and handed him a folder filled with the information he needed. The young man cannot look straight to him. He remembered how harsh he has been to him the last time but he doesn’t have the thought of apologizing. He has always been like that since he was assigned to the district.
He shooed him away by waving his hand and flipped through the pages. Swimming, academics…Seohyun has always been active with many things and not just these. It was only recently that she decided to join the queenka competition. Her picture doesn’t even look like the girl he met just this morning. She was far more stunning than how she used to be.
His phone rang. “Yeoboseyo?”
He answered still looking through the pages.
“Yeoboseyo?” he half-shouted impatiently when he heard nothing from the other line.
When he was about to hang up, he heard the heavy breathing of the person from the other line followed by a sinister laugh. It was a laugh that he already heard before; he just couldn’t seem to match anyone. “You won’t find me…because I’m not there…nowhere near…”
The call ended.
He looked at the screen of his phone. No number. He frowned and searched through his caller list. There were no received calls from that time. He found it really odd. He couldn’t be just hallucinating right? The lights inside his office flickered.
“How can you catch me Prosecutor Kim?” A cold voice whispered. And at once, the darkness pulled him in.
“Who’s there? Yah, Seohyun~ah are you really trying to scare me?” she said.
Nana stood under the streetlight fear written on her beautiful face.
“You like scary things don’t you?” whispered a voice. “Let me show you what scary is, Nana…”
The figure can’t be seen because of the shadow that covers its body. Its eyes looked at him, smiling. As if wanting to make him see everything that it will do to the girl.
Its long nail grazed her waist…tearing the shirt she was wearing. Muffled screams echoed along the silent alley.
“Can you see that Prosecutor Kim?” another laugh echoed.
He wanted to do something but he was stuck to where he was standing.
“Are you scared Nana…? Is it painful?”
The hand pulled out of her numb body and dug another heart wrecking wound. One after another, those nails dug in her like a butcher cutting a cow’s meat.
Blood splattered along the alley as the hand continued to dig into her skin. It sprayed on his coat and even on his face leaving him dumbfounded.
“Let me end this Nana…”
The fingers around her throat wrapped tighter clutching every piece of skin and muscle it can take…pulling her throat…and then…silence filled the air when her body fell down the almost empty street. Blood drenched and almost lifeless…Nana gagged on her own blood, while the same doll looks at her, eyes as cold as crystal. Another mysterious smile formed on those lifelike lips.
“Heechul hyung!”
A pair of strong hands kept on shaking his shoulders. He gasped for breath opening his eyes meeting those of Yunho’s. He was surprised. “Hyung what happened?! You have blood on your face!”
He lifted his hand and wiped his face. There…was…blood.
He removed his coat and saw that there was blood there as well. The papers he was previously holding were now sprayed with blood. “How…”
He doesn’t believe in anything supernatural. He was always the smart one. Those were just lies for him. But, that was then.
“What happened?”
He looked at the man before him, worry reflected on his eyes. He handed him his coat. “T—take this to the lab…Nana’s DNA…”