Heiran remembered feeling as if she was about to die. As if the whole world was caving in on her self and feeling as if though there was no escape.
The rest of what happened was a blurry mess in her memories. She recalled vague flashes of her body succumbing to the panic attack, losing control of her limbs, as darkness invaded her vision. At some point, she had surrendered to the floor unable to inhale a proper breath. Thankfully, the lady at the counter had pushed a paper bag to her mouth for her to breathe into. She remembered the insane itch that came with the attack, that maddening instinct to scrape the insides of her being as her skin tingled unpleasantly wherever those assailants had touched her. Despite having consciously tried to keep her hands at bay, her nails still managed to end up on her skin subconsciously, scratching them over and over again in some desperate attempt to get rid of the itch. But it never went away. No matter how hard she scratched.
Five minutes later when the police showed up, Heiran was as good as day, an epitome of calmness as she explained what had happened to them in precise detail. As they scattered to go chase her assailants and investigate the matter, she sat back down on the floor of the flower shop, her pretend smile remaining fixed on her lips like a mask glued to her face. She was grateful for the owner of the flower shop who kept her company, asking her questions to make sure she was alright, constantly on the lookout for her to make sure that she won't be having another panic attack. Heiran understood the kind woman's concern; she'd barely managed to get her mind straight before the cops pulled outside of the shop. Only a few seconds before, Heiran felt as if she was either going to go insane. She thanked the lady for her help even if words of thanks felt way too inadequate for the huge favor she had done for her. The lady had accepted it with a polite smile but said nothing more. A while later, a familiar officer walked in through the doors of the flower shop. At his sight, she abruptly sprung up from the floor, smiling with a confident wave.
"Finally, we meet, Officer Kang! It's been a while. I was beginning to think that you were avoiding me."
Officer Kang had a hardened expression on his tan face, which was the usual look, nothing out of the ordinary. Kang Taemin was always not one for jokes. "I was of the impression that there had been a kidnapping attempt here. I didn't realize this was a late-night meeting with Prosecutor Ahn to discuss work."
"Yeah, that. Just a minor detail," Heiran dismissed, waving off her hand. Officer Kang raised a dubious eyebrow at her dismissal. However, her anxiety eventually won out and she blurted out the question."Do you have them?"
He hung his head with a resigned shake of his head. "Unfortunately, no. They made their escape long before we came."
So they are still out there, she thought to herself with a worried grimace. It meant there was still a chance they might come back to finish what they had started. Heiran hands shook and she clenched them into fists, trying to conceal the tremor.
"And the surveillance cameras of the street shops?"
"We checked them. So far we have the license plate number of the van but I don't have much faith that it's an actual plate. We will need to check all the CCTVs to follow their path to track them down. It will take a while." Kang Taemin's shrewd eyes scrutinized her. Heiran offered him a smile that she hoped looked casual and put together.
"This was no ordinary attempt, Officer. This was premeditated and it specifically targeted me. They obviously knew my whereabouts and had the whole thing planned out. I'm sure of it."
Kang Taemin contemplated her statement, his dark eyes narrowing deep in thought. "I'll take that into consideration. For now, let me ask you this. Do you have any enemies?"
Heiran paused for a moment at his question. Then she flashed him a patronizing smile. That was probably the dumbest question he could've asked a public prosecutor. Still, the expression on his face was sincere. With an internal laugh, she decided to humor him.
"Countless, Officer. I've got too many of those to count." She said with exaggerated gravitas, her eyes wide and alert as if she were letting him in on the biggest secret of the century. Kang Taemin must have realized his mistake as he opened his mouth to clarify.
"I should have worded that question in a different manner."
Heiran grinned, "Well, what can I say? Everyone wants a piece of Ahn Heiran. But there is only one of me. These things happen." She gloated with a shrug.
The idea of a light-hearted joke must truly be something foreign to him. He looked as if he was malfunctioning at her statement. Not having a clue on how to respond, he simply blinked. After a moment of silence, he decided to rephrase his question."Does any specific individual or entity come to your mind that might do this to you?"
"Actually, yes." She answered without a second's hesitation, her smile too bright as she regarded the officer's earnest expression. "Lys. The most fearful mafia in South Korea. They reeally have it in for me, Officer. You should watch out for them."
Kang Taemin slowly shook his head, a little perplexed. "I can't tell if you're joking or not, Prosecutor."
Heiran flashed him a cheeky beam as she replied, "Why, of course, I'm being serious!"
She chuckled at the look on his face. She was really beginning to enjoy messing with Kang Taemin. He was the most serious person she had ever encountered, built like an MMA fighter with an intimidating but dumb look to him. However, he was handsome for an average officer, Heiran had to give him that. After working on several cases with him, she had come to the gradual realization that he was incapable of ever loosening up. A little slow at picking up social cues although that didn't mean he was any less intelligent. At some point, she had made it her secret mission to test his limits and see just how far she can take a joke until he realized, or try and dish out as many corny jokes as possible until he cracked a smile. So far, she had been thoroughly unsuccessful at the latter part of her secret mission. It didn't mean that she had given up on it though.
"I will...take note of that information." Taemin drew out slowly, positively doubting whether he should believe her or not. She bit down on her lips, trying not to burst out laughing at him. Just why was he so clueless? She was beginning to have too much fun with him.
Taemin's gaze suddenly fell on her hands. A frown alighted on his lips as he reached out and gently grabbed her arm to stop her. It was only then that Heiran realized that her nails had returned to scratching her arm and that they had unconsciously scraped off so much of her skin that it drew blood. She fisted her fingers to control herself, her smile faltering.
"Are you okay, Prosecutor Ahn?" Taemin asked, his eyes grave. Something about the intensity of it made her feel like he could read her mind.
She forced out a laugh, "Oh, oops. I must be allergic to something inside this shop, Officer. It's a little itchy, haha."
Taemin seemed unconvinced at her lie, but he chose not to comment. "We should get out of here then."
Outside the flower shop, he excused himself and disappeared with a vague promise of his return. Heiran just wanted to walk home and fall on her mattress to a night of deep sleep, hopefully, one without nightmares, rather than wait for the officer. All her plans to play unaffected by the break-up be damned; she didn't have the energy to walk into the office tomorrow. She would have to ask Yoongi to manage the office while she was gone. Speaking of Yoongi, Heiran had no idea how she was supposed to break the news to him. He would definitely freak out if she told him what happened today, and probably snitch about it to her mom too. Then Ahn Heiran would officially be on complete lockdown for at least a month. It was not a possibility she was willing to risk. She should probably keep the kidnapping attempt to herself.
A young officer's fervent stare caught her attention, snapping her out of her thoughts. A little taken aback by his intent stare, she gave him a polite smile, a bit creeped out at the way he had been silently watching her for so long. "Hey."
At her greeting, he approached her from the shadows, an odd look on his face. "You seem to think that this is a premeditated attempt specifically targeted at you."
Heiran folded her hands, wondering what was up with his accusatory tone. "Yes, and I already gave my statement on the reasons why I think so to the officer in charge."
"Funny," a corner of his lips curled up. "I am the officer in charge."
"Oh, well. Nice to meet you. Would you like to hear my aforementioned reasons?" She asked, feeling something out of place in his manners. Something about the guy just rubbed her the wrong way. The way he held himself, his hands tucked in his pockets, oozing arrogance from every corner, told her that he was no good news.
"No need," the officer dismissed her offer with a shake of his head, "I already heard all that I need from my junior. This is not an individually targeted attack like you think it is, miss. This was just an... ordinary kidnapping attempt."
Heiran raised her eyebrows incredulously, blinking in surprise, wondering if her ears were working properly.
Just what characteristic of a kidnapping attempt was 'ordinary'? Did the man really just imply that it was normal for someone to try and kidnap her?
"You know how it is these days." He went on, noting her expression, "Human trafficking is on the rise and there's only so much the cops can do. Traffickers like them hang around at night, looking for the right kind of target to attack. And when they see women like you, walking around so late at night..." he shrugged his shoulders, "they just take it as an invitation."
Heiran was so dumbfounded by his statement that a laugh breathed past her lips, "Huh!"
The officer stepped forward into the light, shadows darkening the sallow, sunken valleys of his face. There was a shrewd look in his eyes and something glimmering in them that creeped her out to the core. He dragged his gaze down her figure, "Besides, can you really blame them? Given that you look the way you do...they'd have hit a jackpot if they were successful. You'd fetch quite a price, I bet."
She blinked in shock, scoffing at the shameless audaciousness of him. "You have a really weird way of complimenting people, Officer!"
The sickening features of his lips curled into a smirk, "I didn't say it was a compliment."
"It isn't?" Heiran challenged, daring him to admit that it was an insult.
"No. I heard that you're a public servant. Shouldn't you tone it down a little bit?" When she tilted her head with a ruthless glare, he held his hands up to explain. "From the way you dress to the way you act, every little detail of yours is perfectly arranged in order to capture people's attention. You like to stand out, to get people to notice you. Should you really be acting like that? We public servants have our own dignified image to maintain after all, don't you think?"
"Detective Jin!" Kang Taemin's stern voice rang out from right behind her, but Heiran was all but ready to tear the officer before her to pieces. He had managed to stoke her wrath and he will face it. She charged forward, her face twisted in fury. "Repeat that once more, you as*hat!"
Kang Taemin blocked her advance, speaking in soft tones to get her to calm down. "Prosecutor, please. Calm down, let me handle this."
She pushed Taemin out of her way, not caring about how unprofessional or aggressive she was acting. She was furious beyond reason. How dare the little fry before her call her an attention seeker? It was so ridiculously atrocious that usually she wouldn't even bother with it. As*holes like him weren't worth her time or attention but Heiran wasn't particularly feeling very forgiving at the moment.
She placed her hands on his chest and shoved him back, catching him off guard. "Say that again, f*cker, and let me see if you can still yap with that tongue of yours after I am done tearing it out of your f*cking mouth!"
"Are you threatening me?" He questioned, shocked as if he couldn't believe her actions.
"You better believe it," she taunted, prepared to show him the power of her palm when Officer Kang Taemin grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look at him.
"Prosecutor Ahn Heiran, get a hold of yourself! Let me handle this."
Heiran almost let her impulse to punch Kang Taemin in his face take over her but since she was still awfully sober to let herself go, she refrained herself from acting on that impulse. With tremendous effort, she gritted her teeth, slapping his hands off of her shoulders, and walked off a distance to get her temper in check. The migraine that started earlier with her panic attack was beginning to grow so increasingly painful that it felt like it was splitting her brain in half. She doubted even pain pills could save her tonight.
"Detective Jin. Does her appearance or the way she acts justify committing a crime? Are you trying to imply that the victims are at fault for the actions of criminals?"
Heiran could hear Taemin reprimanding the young detective at a distance, his voice sounding gravely displeased. It was her first time hearing Taemin show that much human emotion. Working with him for so long as she did, she was almost convinced that he had the emotional capabilities of a robot. Still, it was nice to hear him stand up for her.
Despite Taemin's admonishing, Detective Jin looked the least bit fazed by anything at all. "Of course not," he drawled with an infuriating lilt to his tone.
"Prosecutor Ahn has every right to walk outside at night as a citizen of the Republic of South Korea. It is not her fault that so many immoral and dishonorable people exist in society now, is it?"
Something about the statement must have touched a nerve. The younger detective's expression soured.
"Look, I was just explaining to her that this was not a targeted attempt." Detective Jin retorted, mildly irritated. "You know as well as anyone out there, Officer Kang, that victims tend to have a biased view. They make it all about themselves. I was just telling her to calm down—"
"I believe she knows what she's doing, Jin." Kang Taemin sharply interrupted him before he could spew any more nonsense. "Prosecutor Ahn Heiran is a distinguished and well-respected individual in her field. She is aware of such biases and I trust her to form logical conclusions from facts. That's practically her job."
Detective Jin rolled his eyes, having no relevant retort to his statement.
"So I advise you to keep your opinions to yourself if you don't know what you're talking about."
He let out a scoff of disbelief at Taemin's statement, a blatant scowl on his lips.
"Now apologize," Taemin ordered, the full force of his authority resonating in his voice. Detective Jin openly glared back at him but Kang Taemin remained unfazed. His glare then shifted towards her, his lips curling. He aimed her a long look of loathing before muttering a half-hearted apology.
Heiran flipped her hair over her shoulder, a sarcastic sneer on her face. "Oh, no. Please, don't. Keep your fake apology to yourself."
The detective narrowed his eyes, and she smiled as bright as the morning sun. "Because now I have my eyes on you. And you best keep this in mind that I will do everything in my power to see your downfall with my own two eyes."
With that final declaration hanging in the late night air, Heiran whirled around and marched off towards her apartment complex, puffing out a breath of frustration. She didn't care who needed what anymore; everything else could wait. She was in desperate need of a relaxing bath and a full night's rest.
Officer Kang Taemin soon joined her side, insisting on walking her to her apartment to make sure that she was alright. Not in the mood to argue, she let him tag along.
"I apologize on his behalf. Detective Jin can be quite opinionated. If it's any consolation, no one likes his opinions in the office. It's a bad day for everyone whenever he opens his mouth."
She almost snorted out loud at his revelation. "I thought he was your junior. Why do you just let him get away with the disrespect?"
Taemin shook his head, holding his hands up in surrender. "I can't touch him. No one in the office can. He's got some pretty big connections. That's how he got there."
"How big?" She inquired, already cooking up ideas for a perfect revenge plan as they entered the elevator in the building.
"Quite big. He was actually holding a higher rank than me when he got charged with an offense that should've gotten him fired. Instead, he got demoted and now he's here, getting on everyone's nerves."
"Interesting..." She murmured, thinking of ways she could abuse that information to act out her revenge.
"Ah, before I forget. I got this for you. I hope you don't mind espresso." Taemin held a cup of hot coffee towards her, surprising her out of her thoughts.
"Oh, wow. Is this for me?" Heiran blinked, flashing him a happy smile as she accepted the drink. Kang Taemin shifted uncomfortably at her touched look, rubbing the back of his neck as he averted his eyes. "I didn't know how you liked it. I told them to make it sweeter just in case. Sugar helps when you are having a terrible day."
"Oh my gosh, thanks! I didn't know you were such a gentleman, Officer Kang. I'm seriously so moved." She emphasized, placing a hand over her heart. Officer Kang simply nodded his head, his face still hard as stone.
"And, thank you for standing up for me earlier. You really are the best, Officer. You get five stars from Ahn Heiran!" Heiran showed him her palm, her five fingers wide-spread to convey her message.
Kang Taemin's ears grew red. "You're welcome. I only did what anyone with basic manners would have done in my position."
"You will be surprised, Officer. It's a very rare trait. Not many people have them nowadays."
A small smile pulled at Taemin's lips. "True."
"My, oh, my. Did you just smile, Officer?" Heiran pointed a finger at his face, covering her mouth in great shock. Taemin's smile blinked out in an instant.
"Ah, finally! Mission accomplished. Officer Kang 'stone-face' Taemin just broke a smile. This shall go down in the history books! And let it be known that Ahn Heiran was the one who made it happen." She jumped up and down on the elevator, announcing it with a theatrical flourish, just as the doors dinged open. Kang Taemin blinked, confused at the dramatics of it all.
"Is it that big of a deal?"
"Of course, do you know how many months of constant effort went into this? Do you know how hard I tried to make this happen?"
He frowned, "Don't tell me... Is that why you kept telling me all those lame dad jokes at work in the worst possible timings?"
"First of all, they're not lame. They're clever. Second of all, my timings are not bad, you just have zero sense of humor." She retorted, passionately.
"I see..."
As they walked closer to her apartment door, Heiran remembered that she had decided to keep the entire thing a secret from Yoongi. Stopping Kang Taemin in his tracks, she thanked him once more. "I can go on from here. I don't want to impose on you any further. Thank you, Officer Kang. You've been a really great friend today."
"Don't mention it. I'll try talking with the chief to get this case transferred from Jin. We'll make sure to catch whoever is behind this. Rest easy, Prosecutor." Kang Taemin reassured, his face still as hard as ever but something softer about its quality. Heiran gave him a genuine smile, grateful that she was surrounded by nice people in her life despite what a mess it was. She didn't believe she could have gotten this far in it if it weren't for people like Kang Taemin.
"I will." She replied, "And please, leave the honorifics. Let's be friends, shall we?"
Taemin blinked with an expression as if he'd never seen that coming in a million years. "I... uh, sure. I don't see why not."
Heiran punched the air in triumph, "Yes! I was half expecting you to turn me down."
"Do people actually turn you down, Prosecutor?" Taemin asked curiously.
Heiran thought about it, trying to recall an instance it had happened. "Come to think of it... No. I don't."
He nodded his head as if he expected as much. "Seems about right."
She grinned and waved. "Good night then. I'll be changing your name on my contacts to 'Bestie Kang Taemin' with two pink hearts tonight."
And for the second time, the faintest ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "I am honored. Good night to you as well."
A few minutes later when Heiran entered her apartment, Yoongi was already at the door, his hands folded over his chest, a severe expression on his face.
"Why are you late?"
She jumped at his voice, "I...uh, went to the convenience store down the street to get a few bottles of booze."
But as soon as Yoongi's eyes fell on her empty hands, she realized her mistake. "Ah, but I dropped them...by accident. They got smashed." She gave him an awkward smile that she thought looked innocent enough.
Yoongi only sighed, obviously not buying it. His eyes took in the way her blouse looked ruffled, how a few buttons seemed severely pulled, and how her face looked like a mess. Heiran grimaced, trying to think of a believable explanation in vain; however, he chose not to question her about it. Instead, he asked. "Is this because of Jeon Jungkook?"
"Wh...what? No, this has nothing to do with him. I already told you, Yoongi. I moved on from him! I'm completely fine!"
He walked over to her and pulled up her arm, pointing at the wound where she had scratched herself until she broke the skin. "Then what is this?"
Heiran opened her mouth to reply and then closed her lips. The lie about allergies wouldn't work on Yoongi since he knew she wasn't allergic to anything. She kept her mouth shut, blinking at him with an expression of guilt. He only shook his head, releasing her hand.
"Um, so actually I'm not going to the office tomorrow. I'm just going to take a rest."
"Good. I won't have to lock you up then." He muttered to himself walking back into the living room.
"You were going to lock me up in my own home, Yoongi?" she exclaimed.
"I will if I have to. Aunt Yongseo made me promise that I would take care of you when you left Busan. Even though I was practically forced to make it, I intend to keep it. So you better not cross me, Heiran. Or else, I will call her and tell her everything." Yoongi replied, walking inside his room and slamming the door shut.
Heiran gasped, "You traitor!"
"Sweetheart, I was never on your side." Came the abrupt reply from the closed room.
Rolling her eyes, Heiran slumped down on her sofa, heaving a deep sigh. Her migraine was still present, thrumming constantly in a way that made her want to bang her head on the wall. All of a sudden, she remembered that she had already exhausted her supply of pain pills. They were quite ineffective against her migraines anyway. Maybe she should get Angela to prescribe her something stronger. Slipping her hands into her pocket, she searched for her phone when her hand felt the brush of a paper card. Frowning as she pulled it out, Heiran observed the card. It was plain white, something written on the center in neat scrawling handwriting. She didn't ever remember keeping something like that in her pocket. Putting on her glasses, she tried to read the note. What she saw there, chilled her bones.
There's an invisible line before you that shouldn't be crossed. The moment you do...
You enter the point of no return.
Choose wisely, Prosecutor.
A/n: Sorry I'm late. This is the worst timing to have a writer's slump, ik. But hey, the chapter's extra long! And btw Detective Jin is not Kim Seokjin. Seokjin is Heiran's high school acquaintance.
How's everyone doing? Any thoughts on Detective Jin? How about Officer Kang Taemin from Book 1? What do you think?