One Step At A Time
Taeyeon was still in somewhat of a daze when she walked onto the bustling work area. She didn't even realize that Sooyoung was calling her until the tall inspector came up to her and slapped her arm.
"Ow! Yah! Why did you hit me?"
"Because you've been acting like a weird zombie, standing behind your chair like that without a sound. What's wrong?" Sooyoung then sniffed. "You went to see Jiyoon's grandmother?"
Taeyeon nodded, taking her jacket off. She proceeded to spray the perfume she had always kept in her desk drawer ever since Jiyoon became a constant part of her life.
"Cough. Enough!" Sooyoung grabbed the bottle from Taeyeon's hand, stopping the excessive spraying. "Are you really okay?"
"Yeah. What's up?" Taeyeon straightened up and took a deep breath to get her focus back. "Did you find anything?"
"We found some stuff but before we get into that, there's one very urgent matter you need to be aware of."
"What?"
"An unhappy captain."
"Yoong knew?"
"Yeah. I needed access to the hospital and prison documents, remember? They required her level of clearance so..."
"How bad is it?"
"Like you said, she had expected it so thankfully, she wasn't pissed. She even gave the okay without asking too many questions. But since you didn't exactly tell her that you were going ahead with this theory of yours in the first place..." Sooyoung stopped there.
"I'll talk to her."
"Do it now. We'll wait for you guys in the con room with everything we've found so far."
Taeyeon nodded. "Thanks." She then went straight towards Yoona's office, taking a second to prepare herself before she knocked on the door.
"Come in."
She heard the voice and quickly opened the door. "Hey. Do you have a minute?"
Yoona looked up from the papers on her desk. "Sure."
Taeyeon stepped inside, closed the door behind her and took a seat. "I owe you an apology," she said right away. "I told them to dig further without notifying you first. It's my fault."
"I know it is. Which is why I didn't scold any of them."
"I apologize. I'll take full responsibility for it. Go ahead and scold me."
Yoona clasped her hands and leaned forward. "Inspector Kim Taeyeon," she began.
Taeyeon kept her eyes on Yoona's, ready for whatever was coming.
"You don't trust me anymore?"
"H-huh?" She had expected a scolding, not a question.
"Do you still trust me? Be it as your captain, or a team member, or a friend, or a dongsaeng?"
"Wha-... Of course! I trust you as all that! Why did you even have to ask?"
"Because you kept this from me. Did you think that I wouldn't listen to your theory? Did you think that I didn't believe you when you told me that this was strange for Yongbak to do?"
"N-no-..."
"Then why did you do it? You knew I'd find out sooner or later. Why didn't you just tell me upfront? Personally? Directly?"
"I-..." Taeyeon wasn't sure what to say. The day had been riddled with so many unexpected events that she couldn't help but feel a bit lost. Her mind was overloading with too many things.
Yoona noticed the uncharacteristic lack of response. "Did something happen, Unnie? Is something wrong? You're acting kinda... not like yourself." Her tone softened.
Taeyeon exhaled, sinking into her chair while massaging her forehead. "It's been a very strange day," she mumbled. "Look, I'm sorry for what I did, Yoong," she said, lifting her head to meet Yoona's concerned gaze. "It's not that I didn't trust you. It's just... my theory's quite far-fetched. Sooyoung even said it's crazy. And even though I still think it's plausible, I don't want to have to drag you into this unless really necessary."
"Why not?"
"Because it's personal and yet to be proven."
"It's always personal when it comes to Yongbak, Unnie. For the both of us."
"I know but now it's quadruple personal, Yoong. There's Oppa, you and the team, Fany... even Jiyoon's safety is at risk. I can't think straight. For the first time in my life, I can't think straight. What if my crazy theory's right? What if Seungjin's still out there? Watching us? Waiting to strike? What if Yongbak still supports his nephew after all?"
"Unnie..."
"Eleven years, Yoong. It's been that long and we still haven't caught Yongbak. We still haven't made him pay for what he did to Oppa. And it took me seven of those years to feel alive again, and that's thanks to Fany. If he were to take her away from me like he did Oppa, I'd-..."
"He won't. No one will take anyone away from us again. And we'll get him, Unnie. We're closing in on him."
"We're always closing in on him and yet he managed to escape us every single time!" Taeyeon couldn't help but raise her voice. "I'm fine with letting the special task force go after Yongbak for now but Seungjin's mine. If he's still out there then he's mine."
"He's dead, Unnie."
"Maybe. I'm not taking any chances, Yoong."
"Okay. I get it."
Taeyeon calmed down. "I'm sorry for not talking to you first. But it's not because I don't trust you. I just don't want to add unnecessary stuff to your already full plate. At least not until I get some supporting evidence."
"Even if my plate as your captain is full, my plate as your friend or dongsaeng will never be full, Unnie. What else is bothering you? Why can't you even think straight?"
Taeyeon shook her head. "Stuff. I'll tell you everything once it's sorted out."
"What stuff? Fany unnie? Jiyoon?"
"Both."
Yoona winced. "That's a lot."
"Yeah, kinda. Won't affect my performance though, Captain. I guarantee that."
"I know that. But it sure explains your behavior." Yoona leaned back. "Then again, it's not really that unfamiliar. This actually reminds me of the old you," she said with a smile. "From a long time ago."
"What are you talking about?"
"When your life wasn't just about work or catching Yongbak. When you actually had other things on your mind, other priorities. You're thawing, Unnie, back to your human form."
"Thawing? What was I before then? Ice?"
Yoona nodded. "Rock hard, cold workaholic ice. Brr..." She shuddered teasingly.
"Shut up."
"I'm right, aren't I?"
"I still put catching Yongbak on the top of my list." She didn't want Yoona to think that she had forgotten about that man and what he had done.
"I'm not saying you're letting him off easy or that you no longer care about Oppa. I'm just saying that your life is no longer about avenging him. That there are other equally important things to take care of. Feels different yet much better, doesn't it?" asked Yoona with a growing smile on her face.
"Smartass," grumbled Taeyeon. She never liked being analyzed no matter how correct Yoona was.
The Captain had to laugh. "I'll take that as a yes. Now then, what did they find from the hospital and prison documents?"
"Don't know. I went to talk to you as soon as I came back." Taeyeon stood up. "Sooyoung said to meet them in con room after we're done. They'll brief us."
"Let's go then." Yoona also got to her feet.
"Are we good?" Taeyeon had to ask.
Yoona broke into a grin. "Of course. But buy me dinner and we'll be really good. I won't even remember what you did today."
"I should've known," mumbled Taeyeon, rolling her eyes as she opened the door.
They left the office and went inside the full conference room where everyone was waiting for them.
"So what did you find?" asked Taeyeon as she took a seat next to Jongin. "And where is Chanyeol?" She noticed the tall assistant inspector missing from the room.
"One of the hospital nurses' family lives in Seoul so he went there to talk to them," answered Joonmyun.
"Here's the list of every person involved in transporting Seungjin from prison to the hospital, and during his hospital stay," said Sooyoung. She displayed the list of names on the wide screen. "We're still doing background checks on most of them but Chanyeol has managed to dig up info on all of the hospital staff involved."
"In such a short period of time? Not bad," remarked Yoona.
"There aren't many to begin with, Captain." Sooyoung pressed a button on her laptop and the screen changed to show pictures and information of three different people. "Seungjin was considered dangerous and high profile so they allowed only one doctor and two nurses to treat him. A guard was constantly present outside his room and no other visitors were allowed."
"Two nurses, huh? Whose family is Chanyeol visiting?" asked Yoona, keeping her eyes on the pictures of a man and a woman in nurse uniforms.
"The male one. Jo Chadol."
"Where do these nurses and the doctor come from?"
"The female nurse is a local citizen, born and raised in Suncheon. The doctor had just recently been assigned to that hospital. He used to work at another prison in Gwangju," Sooyoung spoke.
"Jo Chadol's also a local guy but he now lives alone. His family moved to Seoul a few years ago. I find him the most suspicious," added Joonmyun.
"Why is that?"
"He had spent time in prison for assault and robbery."
Taeyeon raised her eyebrows. "What?"
Sooyoung immediately displayed the man's details on the screen. "He got drunk one day and assaulted a man, robbing him of his wallet and watch. He was caught soon after and sentenced to eighteen months in prison but only served about a year. They released him for good behavior. It happened a very long time ago, though. But that's not all. Guess why he resorted to robbing?"
"Please don't tell me that he has a shady past that's somehow connected to Seungjin or Yongbak?" Taeyeon looked at her tall friend, half hoping that Sooyoung would tease her for being obsessive and completely wrong, for once.
"Bingo. Gambling problems. His bookie was known to be working for Yongbak."
Taeyeon exhaled. "Damn. Who's the genius that placed him in charge of a dangerous criminal he's had links to?"
"The doctor himself."
"Check him out. I bet he's in either Yongbak's or Seungjin's pocket too," ordered Taeyeon.
"We're going through his records but he looks clean so far. This nurse Chadol had worked in that hospital for many years prior to the doctor's employment there. He could possibly just picked him because he's one of the senior ones," the quiet Yuri finally spoke. "The female nurse is also a senior there."
"What else did you find?" asked Yoona. "What about the guard?"
"He seems clean too. Not a blemish on his records both current and prior to his assignment at the hospital. He's a local police officer with a commendable track record."
"The wardens assigned to Seungjin's transport? Ambulance driver? Medic?"
"We're still checking them but so far, they seem clean. After his first escape, the prison had gone through severe changes so security's been a lot tighter. I think if your theory is right, Inspector, then the switch would indeed need to be made somewhere outside the prison," answered Joonmyun while looking at Taeyeon.
"Walk us through."
"Seungjin and another inmate were hurt badly during the riot. As you know, the other one died the following day while Seungjin was finally moved to a local hospital a few days later to get surgery."
"The prison's medical staff couldn't treat him?" asked Yoona.
"His injuries were pretty severe. He broke a few bones, got multiple stab wounds and blows to the head. In short, he was beaten up very badly. The doctor noted that it was a miracle that he could survive that long considering the lack of treatment he got at prison."
Taeyeon nearly spat. "Miracle." She clenched her fist and jaws so hard that she shook a little in her seat.
Everyone in the room went quiet, watching her in worry.
"The surgery went okay," Joonmyun continued carefully. "But he remained critical for a couple of days after that. The doctor noted that he was finally stabilized but his condition suddenly dropped one day. His heart just stopped beating, apparently."
"What killed him exactly?"
"His hospital records only mention complications to medications after surgery. It's pretty vague," said Sooyoung.
"They won't care to detail much. He was a convicted criminal, after all. One that had caused so many problems and broken the law so many times," remarked Yoona. "All the state cares about is that we're rid of another threat to society so why make a fuss?" She then addressed her team once again. "Then what happened?"
"Standard procedure. He was moved to the morgue, left there for a couple of days, then cremated. The end."
"Where are his ashes?" asked Taeyeon.
"Err..."
Everyone started leafing through the documents and files.
"Did anyone claim his ashes? Did the prison or the hospital contact any known relative?" asked Taeyeon.
"No. He has no siblings and Yongbak's his only known relative since his parents' death. You can't exactly contact a person currently under investigation, can you? He's constantly on the run anyway," said Yuri.
"I think no one dared to do much about it," Yoona spoke next. "Yongbak is one of our top most wanted men right now."
Taeyeon quietly furrowed her brows in thought. "How many people died at that hospital that day?"
"Six including Seungjin."
"How many of them were male and around Seungjin's age?"
"Three."
"Were they all convicts?"
"No. Seungjin's the only prisoner being treated at that hospital during that time," said Sooyoung. "You're thinking of that body switch theory?"
Taeyeon nodded. "Find out more about the morgue staff. I want to know everything about them. And also about every single male who died in that hospital that day, whether any of those bodies had gone missing or left unclaimed."
"We're on it."
"How did they even switch the body? I mean, the doctor had to declare him dead before he could even be moved to the morgue, right?" asked Jongin. "And he looks clean."
"You should know by now that nothing is impossible when it comes to Yongbak and his family, Jongin," replied Taeyeon. "That old corrupted judge spent years putting criminals back out on the street without anyone knowing. It was only by coincidence that we stumbled onto his suspicious acts. Appearing clean doesn't mean that he's really clean. Dig deeper into this doctor's past. Find his kindergarten schoolmates if you have to. I want everything on him, including his prior employment at that prison and why he transferred to this hospital."
"Yes, Inspector," obeyed Jongin after seeing Taeyeon's glare.
"I think that's all there is to it for now," Yoona concluded after noticing the increasingly tense Taeyeon. "Report to us as soon as you find anything remotely plausible, got it?"
"Yes, Captain."
"On another note, has anyone of you seen or felt anything weird all day? Being followed or stalked, maybe?" continued the captain.
They all shook their heads.
"I tried paying extra attention to my surroundings, Captain. But there was nothing out of the ordinary," said Yuri. "The plain-clothes did his job well."
Some nodded in agreement.
"I noticed the one following me to Mrs. Yoon's earlier," remarked Taeyeon. "But he disappeared quickly after that so no one would be able to know he was really shadowing me."
"How did you know then?"
"Happened to have worked with him on an old case before. It's kinda strange seeing him leaning against some random car in that neighborhood after lunch, while texting on his phone like some random ahjussi," Taeyeon said with a small amused smile on her face.
They were all relieved to see the change of expression.
"Well, I better get back to work," said Jongin as he stood up from his seat.
The rest followed suit.
"Inspector Kim," Yoona called Taeyeon just as the inspector was about to leave the room. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Sure. What's up?" She made a U-turn, heading back inside.
"Take the rest of the day off."
"What? I already had a day off yesterday."
"You have a lot on your mind and the team can handle everything for now. Pick up Fany unnie and Jiyoon and sort whatever it is you need to sort out."
"But-..."
"That's a direct order, Inspector."
"I'm slacking off while my team's working hard for a case that's mostly personal to me?! I don't think so, Captain," argued Taeyeon sternly.
"It's a case that's important and personal to every one of us. And you're not slacking off. You'll be back here first thing tomorrow morning to lead the team. Your phone will also be constantly on stand by because we will call you should anything come up. Direct order, Inspector," elaborated Yoona just as sternly.
Taeyeon clenched her jaws, not really liking what she had just heard.
"Go home. Now. If I walk out of my office later and find you still here, I won't mind suspending you for a day or two. Officially," she threatened Taeyeon before moving to leave the conference room.
"This is power abuse," muttered Taeyeon under her breath.
Yoona heard it but said nothing, suppressing a smile as she walked out the door.
Taeyeon told the team what Yoona had ordered her and apologized at least twenty times before Yuri and Sooyoung had to personally escort her out of the building.
"Call me if you find anything! Even if it's just the doctor's favorite food!" she shouted as her tall friends shoved her into her car.
"Yeah yeah. We'll do that." Yuri slammed the car door shut. "Goodbye, Taengoo. Send Fany my regards." She waved at her sulking friend through the tinted window.
--
Tiffany looked up when she heard the knock on her office door. "You're here?"
"Yeah. Yoong sent me home."
"Why?"
Taeyeon only shrugged, taking a seat on the chair across from Tiffany. "Where's Jiyoon?"
"Jessi and Sunny's taking her shopping."
"Oh?"
"They should be back soon. How's Mrs. Yoon? Should we go bring her dinner too?" Tiffany then noticed Taeyeon's expression changing. "What? Is something wrong? Did something happen to her?" She started to panic.
"She's alright," answered Taeyeon as calmly as she could.
"Then what's wrong? I know you. You're hiding something."
Taeyeon contemplated for a second before standing up to close the door. "She sent you her thanks."
"Huh?" Tiffany watched Taeyeon sit back down, slouching in the chair. "For?"
"For taking care of Jiyoon."
"What else?" She knew there was more to it than that.
"She still refused to get treated. She said she didn't have much time left anyway."
"Wh-what?!"
"Yeah. So she told me, us, to take Jiyoon."
"Take her? What do you mean take her?"
"Take her as in keep her and not ever bring her back to that house. She said she didn't want Jiyoon to live there anymore. She didn't even want to see her again."
Tiffany was staring at Taeyeon in pure shock. "You're serious?"
Taeyeon nodded. "She even threatened to put Jiyoon in an orphanage should we refuse to take her. She sort of apologized, though. She knew she didn't exactly give that kid a good home."
"But she's her flesh and blood! Why won't she see her own flesh and blood?"
"I don't know. I asked her that too."
Tiffany was at a loss for words. She finally leaned back, exhaling. "So what now?"
"What else can we do? Looks like we're fully in charge of Jiyoon's wellbeing from now on."
"..."
"By the way," Taeyeon said after a short pause. "Since we're talking about seeing our own flesh and blood-..."
"Leave my father out of this," interjected Tiffany. "That's a totally different matter."
"It's the same thing, Fany."
"It's not! I didn't ban him from my life, okay?"
"But you refused to even talk to him."
"I'm an adult! I have the right to talk to whoever I want to talk to!"
"Fany..."
"Drop it, Taeyeon. My family, my life."
Taeyeon straightened up, raising her eyebrows at the tone of Tiffany's voice and her words. "Excuse me? You should know that such statement should never come out of your mouth ever again."
"What?"
"Aren't we in this together? Share stuff? Share our lives? How do you feel if I got into a huge argument with my parents and told you to back off? That it's my life and thus, none of your business?"
Tiffany realized that she would not like hearing those words but she refused to back down on this matter. Her pride and anger wouldn't let her. "I'd respect that. Like I respected you and Oppa," she replied confidently.
"Even if it's clearly not good for me?"
"It doesn't make you a bad person so yeah, I believe you can handle it yourself."
Taeyeon knew that Tiffany was just being bitter and stubborn so she tried not to let the words hurt her too much. "Then you should also respect Mrs. Yoon's decision and let her leave Jiyoon in our care. No questions, no arguments."
"But she's still so young! A parent or grandparent must never abandon their child or grandchild!"
"But a child can reject their parent?"
"I-..." Tiffany couldn't reply to that immediately. "If the parent is at fault then yes, she can."
"Okay. Then you should tell Jiyoon that her grandmother is bad and that she should hate her."
"What?!"
"That's what you're doing to your father right now. What's the difference? You're setting that example to her."
"It's totally different, Taeyeon!" Tiffany raised her voice even more.
"It's not! Can't you see? It's exactly the same thing! Abandoning family!" Taeyeon straightened up in her seat, matching Tiffany's volume.
"He abandoned me!"
"And he's sorry for that! He wants to make up for it!" She took a deep breath. "Look, I'm sorry but-..."
A sudden knock on the door interrupted Taeyeon's sentence.
"Come in!" shouted Tiffany, taking the opportunity to end the argument she knew could grow into a huge fight.
The door opened slowly, revealing a scared looking little girl and Jessica behind her.
Both felt guilty when they saw Jiyoon's expression - their irritation forgotten.
"Sorry. She insisted on seeing her Taetae when she heard her voice," explained Jessica.
Taeyeon stood up and smiled at the girl, opening her arms as she squatted down. "Well, come here then."
Jiyoon took a hesitant step forward, then another and another, and finally broke into a run, hugging Taeyeon.
"Did something happen?" mouthed Taeyeon to Jessica who shrugged.
"Not sure," she mouthed back.
"Are you okay, Jiyoon-ah?" she asked the girl clinging to her. She stood up, carrying her in her arms.
"Yes," answered the girl meekly.
"Then why are you like this?"
"Don't fight," mumbled Jiyoon, barely audible to everyone there. No one knew this but the sound or arguments always reminded her of that time when she was brought to an unfamiliar home and had to witness someone she considered a nice unnie fight and struggle with a woman before disappearing forever.
It also reminded her of that day right before she met Taeyeon, when that man she had to call 'Appa' hit the woman she had to call 'Umma' and ran away with the crying boy - the oppa; someone she also considered nice.
So even though she felt scared when she heard the shouting, she wanted to stop it by pulling Jessica's hand and telling her to knock along so she could see her Taetae. She didn't want to lose either of the two people she had grown to love.
Tiffany and Taeyeon instantly felt even guiltier when they heard the girl.
"We're not fighting. Just talking a bit too loudly," said Taeyeon, soothing her with gentle strokes on her small back.
Tiffany stood up and approached Jiyoon. She kissed her head and apologized. "We won't do that again."
"I'll be on my way then." Jessica placed a shopping bag on the empty chair, patted Jiyoon's cheek then left the small office after being thanked by both Taeyeon and Tiffany.
"Did you have fun with Auntie Sica and Auntie Sunny?" asked Taeyeon.
Jiyoon nodded.
"What did you buy?" Tiffany took the shopping bag and looked inside. "This is pretty!" She pulled out a pink hairband and other cute accessories. "You can wear this to school tomorrow."
"You're taking me to school tomorrow?" asked Jiyoon.
"Yes. You'll be staying with us tonight and tomorrow," said Tiffany.
"What about grandma?"
"She still needs to rest and sleep a lot," answered Taeyeon. "So you'll stay with us until she gets better. Okay?"
Jiyoon only nodded. She didn't really mind. It was more fun with Taeyeon and Tiffany although she thought it a little strange to not see her grandmother for more than a day. Luckily, her innocent mind quickly forgot that small thought when Taeyeon suggested they go home, have dinner and then ice cream.
"Go say goodbye to Aunt Sunny and thank her for today," Taeyeon lowered the girl who quickly ran out to find the restaurant owner.
She exhaled next and turned to look at Tiffany. "Sorry."
"Me too."
"I won't nag you about him again."
"Thanks."
Taeyeon extended her hand. "Come on. Let's go home."