Jiwoo stood there, only the lone midnight breeze comforting him. He felt his heart shrivel up in his chest as if it were a flower's petals welting in frozen winter. A bitter smile pinned his soft lips, and he sighed.
I shouldn't get used to it
But I'm used to it again
He stepped off the platform and sauntered towards the deck of the rooftop, overlooking Seoul. Millions of lights peppered the many skyscrapers in the distance as if they were doused in stars. The avenues between each towering building were glowing with warm fizzes of light. Cars were blood cells flowing through the veins of the city. Despite the time, the hustle and bustle never came to a halt.
He breathed, the heartache was like red hot coal placed in his chest; it glowed and burnt him at the same time, but it did not cool quickly like coal in water; it throbbed and tortured him until it left ashes to remain.
I guess these simple feelings were all I had
Was it such a sin to be greedy and keep you with me?
Sighing, Jiwoo pulled his phone from the pocket of his slacks. As if on cue, Eunho had sent him a text.
Slipping it back inside his pocket, Jiwoo turned and jogged back to the measly room he came from. As he was leaving the dank storage room, a familiar face flashed before him.
"Oh, what are you doing here? This is staff only." Nurse Kang rose an eyebrow, bewildered to see him just as the door opened. Stepping out, Jiwoo simply shrugged.
"I was looking for someone," he curtly replied, offering a polite bow before walking off.
He winded through the passageways and sharp turns of the halls until he reached his destination. Putting aside personal feelings, he needed to get his act together.
Eunho was already inside, arms crossed over his chest. He loomed by Kitel's bed, eyes trained on the pitiful victim.
Jiwoo approached them, before extending a hand to Kitel. "I'm Mr. Park Jiwoo, the crime investigator in charge of your case." They exchanged a brief handshake before Kitel timidly retracted her hand. "How do you feel, ma'am? If you aren't too well, we can come another time."
Eunho shot a glare at Jiwoo as if he were throwing knives at him. He opened his mouth but didn't get the chance to speak.
"Oh, uh... it's alright. I rather talk now than later. It might help me have a peace of mind," she answered, fidgeting a little in bed.
"Very well." Jiwoo slipped his phone, discretely recording their conversation. "Let's dive straight into business. If it's alright with you, do you think you could perhaps, reiterate what happened that night?"
Kitel nodded once slowly, pausing to aline her thoughts. "I went to the bar that night... I failed my exams and badly needed a drink, you know? Just as I downed a glass of beer, there was this guy at the bar. I was feeling a little tipsy, and he was quite charming, so we made small talk until I found myself just ranting about how dumb I was."
The two men were entirely absorbed in her story, devouring the testimony as if they had been starved of any new information for months.
"He claimed to be a doctor, and I don't know, he just knew the right words to comfort me. I won't lie; he was definitely my type. He offered me a drink, and after a while, I felt dizzy and a little tired."
"I thought it was strange... I don't get drunk right away. I decided to leave the bar and walk back to my dorm. I took the usual shortcut back because I was feeling a little tired. Then that's when someone had grabbed me and forced me down. He tied my mouth to stop me from screaming and pulled me to that old construction site."
Eunho and Jiwoo shared a moment's glance as if they had already heard this story before. Jiwoo felt the acid burning the walls of his stomach, and he ran a free hand through his hair. After hearing bits and pieces of her story, everything seemed to fall into place like the picture was already getting clear with the missing pieces filled in.
"The man took me inside and..." she choked on her words, the stinging tears pooling in her eyes as she hugged herself in lonely consolation. The scene flashed right before her eyes, and she could feel patches of skin burning at where the man's hands had run around, leaving a permanent imprint on her body like a tattoo.
"I'm sorry," Eunho murmured, lowering his head in respect.
Jiwoo grabbed a handkerchief from the pocket of his dress shirt, handing it over to Kitel. She took it, mouthing a thank you as if her voice had dwindled into nothing, leaving her mute.
"I-I was scared..." she sputtered, voice fragile and shaky. "H-He said I'd be fun to play with, and it would knock only a few digits off my price." Hiding her face with Jiwoo's handkerchief, her sobs came muffled through the fabric.
"The kind doctor came, and she saved me... I was shot, but she saved me." She melted into a puddle of tears and relief. Her ragged cries came mellow like a child who had been pulled away from her mother. Kitel was a young woman, her innocence stolen away, scarring her for the rest of her life. Was there a guarantee that time could heal the trauma that bewitched her that night?
After a time of crying, she finally lifted her head away from the sticky cloth, wiping her tears one last time. She felt shy under their intense gaze and hid her swollen face with the curtain of her hair.
"Did you catch the doctor's name by any chance?" Eunho interjected, earning a heated scowl from Jiwoo. Kitel paused, her lips still slightly quivering.
"No..." She drooped her head in shame, and Jiwoo stroked her back in a vain attempt to comfort her. "When I asked, he joked around and said he was Park Bogum, I tried asking for his number, but he said his phone had died."
"It's alright, it's not your fault..." Jiwoo trailed off, pity laced in his stare as he studied Kitel. He knew her, her life, her circumstances. She was alone, no one by her side. No family, no relations, simply a small girl in a big city.
"Is... Is she okay?"
"Who?" Eunho piped, confused at her sudden query.
"Dr. Min... is she okay?" she asked once again, her eyebrows furrowed in worry. "Earlier this evening she came in, and we talked for a bit... then I went to sleep. I woke up to some noise and the first thing I saw was a man on top of her, trying to inject her with something."
"She's fine," Jiwoo immediately spoke, his jaw tense and words a little too cold to his liking. But apart from the bitterness he tried to keep under wraps, there was a sense of ease that relaxed him.
She's fine.
* * *
"That guy drugged her for sure back in the bar, and then afterward, those guys kidnapped her just as she was about to go home. Based on Kitel's statement, if he is who we think he is, we've already got this case wrapped up!"
"Slow down, don't get too excited, that's bad luck. But it does add up, and we've got strong pieces of evidence as well. But we can't do anything unless we have the warrant," Jiwoo argued, gesturing with the paper in his hands to prove a point.
"Attorney Kang is a dick, he's taking too long to get back to me," Eunho scoffed, arms folded over his chest in utter frustration. They've spent countless nights, restless and hungry for anything. Now they've found a loop, a chance to secure a lead.
"What do you think of the other doctor?" Jiwoo suddenly asked, reading a case file in his hands. It was one of the notorious Jisu, who Seohyun had believed to be her part of this heist.
"Honestly, I almost feel sure she's in on it as well. According to Seohyun, she found the bullet in her drawer, nearly sabotaged a surgery, and locked her in that room last night." Eunho's nose scrunched up in disgust as he narrated the summary of the grudges against Dr. An Jisu.
"She was the one leading my surgery..."
"Dummy, you're going to be biased over that?" Eunho snarled, slamming his hand on the desk with a loud smack.
"No, it's just, she could've tried to go into my good graces, right? She would claim she saved me and did all she could so I could live another day. But the thing is..." Jiwoo drawled, his head thumping to process everything so far.
"Is what?"
"She credited her success to Seohyun. Something I wouldn't have ever known about if it wasn't for her. And, if she did lock her in that room last night, why would she tell where Seohyun was?" There came a long pause, a daunting silence to ponder on the endless possibilities piling in their hands like mountains of sand, each grain slipping away.
"We can't give her the benefit of the doubt. It could be part of her clever scheming to hop in on your good side. It's already clear you're smitten by Dr. Min."
Jiwoo made a disgruntled noise, rolling his eyes as if the statement were false. The mere mention of her name was already tugging at his heartstrings, plucking them carelessly like a guitar. He didn't want to dwell further on the subject and lose himself in her memory.
Just then, a knock rapped on the door. Followed by the appearance of Ms. Shin, who peaked her head in like an innocent kid eavesdropping on the conflicts discussed by adults.
"Am I disturbing anything, Jiwoo?" she asked, letting herself in Jiwoo's office as she crossed her legs together. Her flirtatious antics never failed to disturb Eunho, who could never understand how Jiwoo enjoyed the attention.
"Quite rude of you to let yourself in, did Mr. Park say you could come inside?" Eunho interrogated, stressing Jiwoo's name, a subtle reminder of the proper way to address her senior. He rounded to the front of the desk, leaning against it as he watched Ms. Shin glare at him for a minuscule of a second before Jiwoo could notice.
She shifted her body to Jiwoo's direction. As if her cheeks weren't red enough, they zizzled even more to a strawberry tint as she lowered her head, humiliated.
"Leave it," Jiwoo rustled, nudging Eunho by the shoulder. "Quit acting like you're my girlfriend and stopped being so possessive. So sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm not gay," Jiwoo hashed at him.
"The hell? Is that how big your ego is? I'm doing you a favor! I bet Seohyun wouldn't be happy either if she saw all these chicks cozying up to you."
"Stop saying her fucking name!" Jiwoo hurled a book on his desk with a violent bang that punched in the air. Eunho was left unfazed, whilst his assistant had flinched at the impact. He held a challenging stare as he gazed back at Jiwoo, who was shooting him a murderous glare. A smirk almost crept upon his face; it was now clear to him that there must've been a falling out between the two.
Jiwoo closed his eyes and inhaled, trying to soothe his inflamed nerves and the boiling blood that raked up in his head. "Yes, Ms. Shin?"
"Uh, Prosecutor Lee, perhaps it's best to leave Mr. Park alone. Atty. Kang wants to see you in his office right now."
Eunho huffed before he left the office without uttering another word, grabbing his blazer slung over the leather couch on his way out.
* * *
The young prosecutor stood in the middle of Atty. Kang's office. It was unlike any of the offices in the law firm. Wide and spacious, it was old school and lacked a modern touch. No sitting area except for the cold wooden chairs that were neatly sided against his mahogany desk. The walls were covered with an expanse of bookshelves, peppered with books from head to toe.
Behind the desk was a ceiling to floor window, overlooking the buildings beyond and the bustling streets below. The office chair was facing Eunho, and he hoped it would stay that way. He didn't want to see Kang's face even for a mere second.
"Prosecutor Lee, good day," he greeted finally, spinning around in his office chair to face him, yet his eyes were trained down on his mahogany desk where laid an open book.
"Good day, Atty. Kang," he returned with a bow, politely addressing his boss. "You called me in here?" He stopped himself from asking about the warrant; not wanting to sound impatient to his boss.
"Do you read the Bible?" he suddenly asked, flipping through the thin pages of the book on his desk and skimming through them under the lens of his spectacles. "No matter if you don't, it's a beautiful day and thought I'd share this verse with you."
Eunho squirmed uncomfortably as he stood at the center of the room. He couldn't read his boss the same way he read the transparent pages of the Bible. He was like a blank page, thick and dense.
"2 Corinthians 11:14-15, And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve." Closing the book, Kang finally lifted his gaze to grill right at the young prosecutor.
A light shudder encapsulated Eunho, and he just wanted to turn around and leave. The tense atmosphere was thinning out, sucking all the oxygen left for him to breathe. He thought for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "A wise proverb, I never knew the Bible contained such verses. How kind of you to enlighten me, Atty. Kang."
"Flattery won't get you anywhere, Prosecutor Lee," he chuckled, a hearty laugh that sounded fatherly yet, snarky in a way. "Tell me, are you putting on a disguise as well?"
Eunho widened his eyes, "What do you mean?"
Kang struck his fist on top of his desk, his face wiped off any emotion, grave like a stone. "What time is it now? And here you are, without even hard solid evidence in the case? I can only assume you must be covering for someone."
"Atty. Kang! How could you!" Eunho took a step forward, startled by the accusation. "How could you come up with that conclusion? I'm trying my best to piece together this case! Please, if you just grant me the warrant then I swear, this will be over before-"
"Enough!" Kang stood from his chair, raising a finger at the bewildered prosecutor. "You dare talk back to your senior? What manners do you have? I no longer feel sorry for having you removed from this case."
Eunho's mouth hung open, and he gaped back at his boss as if he was hypnotized. "Y-You're removing me from the case?" he repeated, each word slurred as if it were a poem too difficult to interpret.
"You're either deaf or stupid," Kang grunted, moving to face the glass where the sunlight streamed in and made his back contrast into a dark silhouette. "I'm giving this case back to Prosecutor Yang; he is our top ace after all."
"But sir, this is unfair! You didn't even give me enough time! You can't just reassign the case and let it bounce around like a ball! I swear, I'm almost there, just please grant me the warrant and give me another month or two-"
"Leave." Silence followed the single word he uttered, an icy silence that overshadowed the full sunshine that illuminated the office.
"Leave while you still barely have your job intact."
Eunho tightened his fists by his sides, and he gritted his teeth together. How satisfying would it be to just plunge a knife straight into that old man's back. Motherfucker.
He spun around, leaving the office, almost tempted to slam it and cause the whole building to quake.
"Hmph." Just as Eunho turned the corner, a familiar face greeted him in the hallway. He was leaned against the wall, a lazy smirk drawled on his face.
"Happy, Prosecutor Yang?" Eunho chided, his bitter remark doing nothing to taunt the other party. "We all know you're Atty. Kang's dog, what do you do in your spare time, suck his dick?"
"Why you!" He raised a hand but immediately relaxed. A teasing chuckle escaped his mouth instead, and he crossed his arms in triumph. "Your comments are pathetic, what will it do, magically make you the lead on this case again?"
Eunho huffed, rolling his eyes and looking away. Great, just how fucking great can this day get? His heart was palpitating in his chest as if it was on the edge of a cliff, on the verge of falling into a doom of a heart attack.
He had at least reserved some respect for Prosecutor Yang. After all, it was no lie he was the best in the firm. But now, he had tipped over the cup and spilled a waterfall of piping hot tea.
He took a step past Yang, brushing their shoulders against each other on purpose.
"Hey! Where you off to? Not like you have any work left to do. Would you like to get on Atty. Kang's cock? Well, shame prostitution is illegal, but I bet that job would be best suited for the likes of someone of your-"
Yang didn't get the chance to finish as his face had been hammered into the solid wall by a sharp fist.
Hello everyone! Here's a new update! Wieeee, what are your thoughts? How do you feel about this chapter? There's no Seohyun in this one sadly, but I hope you're still interested with our charming partners in crime, Jiwoo and Eunho! I've left some hints here as well, hope it'll get the gears in your heads churning like a clock! As always, let me know your thoughts and what you think so far, a new update is coming soon! So hold on to your seats because the end is near! Oh, and please don't forget to press the tiny star so it can light up ♡ Cheers~