A sigh left Wonho's lips as he entered the room of the missing Kang Chaeyeon. The walls of her room were painted in a light blue with white colored furniture. It was a perfect room for a child and showed how much the parents cared for their daughter. Wonho wished he would have had a room like this when he was a child.
He walked up to the bed with flower-print bed sheets and kneeled down right next to where the police had placed a small, yellow sign with a '5', marking the place where Kang Chaeyeon had hid under her bed.
He grabbed his flashlight and turned it on to lighten up the darkness underneath the bed. His light revealed a scratch mark in the light dust. The drag mark was from Kang Chaeyeon's small hands when she tried to somehow hold on to the floor while being pulled out from under the bed by her feet. Her scared screams were ringing in his ears as if she was still right there.
When he straightened up, his eyes fell on a picture frame placed next to her bed. It was a picture of the family. All three of them smiling happily into the camera, the balloons in the background hinting that it had to be at some kind of party.
No matter how much time passed or how many cases they were solving, Wonho knew that he would never be able to understand why the worst crimes always happened to happy families like this one. He would understand if bad things happened to bad people like the ones he had known growing up, but this just didn't make any sense.
„Hey, Wonho" Shownu's voice pulled Wonho out of his thoughts. „I need you here." Wonho quickly set down the picture he hadn't noticed he had picked up and followed Shownu into the bedroom of the parents. The white bed sheets were covered with deep red stains.
„So I've looked at the rest of the house. Something was definitely not right here. Minhyuk told me that Kim Bora had some issues. Money problems, specifically." He walked to the door right next to the bed and opened it. „She couldn't stop clicking on the 'place order now' button."
Behind the door hid a surprisingly huge wardrobe, completely filled by clothes, shoes and accessories. Wonho noticed how many of the clothes still had the price tags attached and looked unworn.
„Oniomania" he stated as he started to look through the clothes. Wonho wouldn't deny that he, too, was very interested in fashion and different styles, but his own collection of clothes looked pathetic against this collection. „She suffered from an impulsive shopping disorder." He pulled out a wine red colored dress. „This dress alone is worth half my salary."
„Well, we considered that the father might have had enemies." Shownu said, kicking one of the many stacks of clothes on the floor. „But maybe it's the mother. Maybe Kang Chaeyeon got kidnapped because of her."
„Yeah, maybe." But Wonho didn't agree with Shownu. „But we're still hitting the same wall. Do you really kidnap a child because of this?" he asked, pointing at the clothes.
„I think that depends on how bad their debt was." He looked around the room and crossed his arms in front of his chest."Just how bad was it?"
„Ok, guys, I have new information for all of you." Changkyun said as soon as the phone conference to his team members started. He was normally the one staying behind in his small digital universe to provide them with researches, date and information. He was the most helpful like this and he was quite thankful that he didn't had to see real corpses or hunt down murderers with a gun in his hands.
„The wife Kim Bora certainly did have a problem. I don't know when she had time to eat. Or money to eat." On his laptop screen were many shot of the different finances of the family. „This Valentino Garavani shoes alone- Holy Cannoli! Definitely not cheap at all."
„They were on their third mortgage and used several loans. And even Kim Hyunggu's 401 mio Won (~401k USD) company pension went out of the window for it." he continued, while his fingers ran wild over the keyboard, digging deeper into the families digital life.
„Did the family own money to the wrong people?" Jooheon asked. „And had to die because of that?"
„I've double-checked that already. The loans they took out were all above-board." Changkyun replied, taking a sip of his energy drink, before continuing. „Maybe the banks downgraded the family's credit rating, but that's about it."
„Kihyun and I checked all interviews of the investigated people. None of them had the means, motive or the opportunity to do so." Minhyuk sounded a little frustrated and Changkyun could understand that feeling too well.
„Ok, then, we're getting ahead of ourselves. Let's rethink this case from the perspective of a stranger."
„The first question is, how does he do it?" Kihyun asked.
„There were no signs of burglary, no forced entry. He didn't break in. Maybe he got in with a key, or maybe even through one of the windows." Wonho stated. The family was living on the second floor so this possibility was there, too. He and Shownu had checked the whole house and couldn't find anything.
„But he knew exactly where everyone in the family was sleeping in the apartment. His agenda was precise."
„Right. So the question is, what does this unsub do before he kills?" Kihyun emphasized the word 'before' a lot more than necessary. „Before he abducts - What does he do?"
„He observes." Shownu realized.
„That's right. He observes. He studies them and waits. And the next question is: while he waits and observes, what does he see?" The question was address to all of them.
„Packages." Shownu continued his earlier thought. „coming to the house. Those that get delivered to them. It's most likely that Kang Hyunggu and his wife fought a lot about them."
„Yeah, so maybe he kidnapped Kang Chaeyeon, because of that. Maybe he thinks that he is saving her."
„But then he wouldn't just watch from outside the house. Then he would have surveil her entire life. He would collected evidence to justify his extreme actions." Minhyuk added, while tapping his chin with the pen he was holding.
„And he did. We need to do the same. I want a full breakdown of the families habits and behaviors as well as the daily routines," Kihyun said directly into the phone, telling Changkyun what to do. „Because wherever they went, this unsub went, too."
Kihyun and Jooheon entered the small café and bakery. It was right in front of the apartment complex were the family had their apartment. Luckily, the police had been fast to block all sorts of rumor and keep a low profile about the case, so no one of the guest in the café seemed to know about the murder case which had happened only a few meters away from them.
„Hello, how can I help you?" the young woman behind the counter greeted them as soon as they walked up to her.
„Hello, I'm Special Agent Yoo Kihyun, this is Special agent Lee Jooheon." Kihyun introduced them, showing her his Agent badge and ID. „Are you the manager of this café?" The woman nodded slowly.
„Yes I am, is it about Kang Chaeyeon's parents?" she asked in a quiet voice, probably afraid her customers could hear her.
„That is correct. We could see from their credit card history that they have visited this café often." Again the young woman nodded.
„Yes, they did. Well, at least the mother, Kim Bora, did. She'd come here at least three times a week." she explained. „She'd come here to drink a coffee and sometimes bought a Red-bean Creme Bread for her daughter."
„Were there other customers who were always here at the same time as Kim Bora?" Jooheon asked. The woman behind the counter looked surprised by the question.
„I mean, I would have to look through my receipts, but it can be possible. Yes."
„E-excuse me." A small, high-pitched voice appeared behind their back. When Kihyun and Jooheon turned around they were greeted by a small girl. Her long hair was a little messy and the hairclips were hanging loosely in her hair. She was biting her lower lip and her tears were streaming down her pale cheeks.
„Chaeyeon?!" Kihyun exclaimed, probably a little too loud, but he couldn't hide his shock.
„He said... you're my mom now." she said in a broken voice, looking past the two agents directly at the café owner. Suddenly she started to breathe heavily, before her eyes started to roll backwards.
„Kang Chaeyeon!" Kihyun was able to catch the small girl, right before her unconscious body hit the ground. „Go after him, Jooheon." Jooheon nodded and ran out of the café. Kihyun quickly, but carefully handed the small body of Kang Chaeyeon to the café owner before following Jooheon.
But they couldn't find anything. The street was a lively as ever, but there was no one running away, no car speeding down the street - nothing. Kihyun quickly fished his phone out of his pocket and called Changkyun.
„We've found Kang Chaeyeon. We need a roadblock within a 2 km radius around the café. The unsub just dropped her off."
„Nothing. No one out of the ordinary." Jooheon voiced what both of them had realized the moment they had left the cafe. „He's gone."
„Yes, of course. He made sure that Kang Chaeyeon is save and then he just took off, because that had been his plan right from the start." Kihyun was angry at himself for not realizing this earlier and for not being able to track down that man right here and then.
The ambulance that the cafe owner had called was there after a few moments. Jooheon made sure to stay by the unconscious girl's side, while Kihyun updated the rest of the team of what had happened.
„Minhyuk-hyung said he'll wait in the hospital for Kang Chaeyeon's arrival." Kihyun said, after the ambulance had taken off and Jooheon had joined him back inside the café. Of course they had caused quite a ruckus and the local police had a lot to do keeping the onlookers at bay. „He'll inform us as soon as Kang Chaeyeon wakes up."
„The poor girl doesn't even have her parents to sit by her bed." Jooheon couldn't even imagine the amount of pain this small girl had to go through. „At least Minhyuk will be by her side."
„No physical or sexual trauma, she lost consciousness because it's what she survived that overwhelmed her."
„You were right. That the unsub thinks he's saving her." Jooheon tried to remember what Kang Chaeyeon had said, before she lost consciousness. „Ehm... what was she supposed to say?"
„You're now my mom." Kihyun repeated the words.
„He thought the Kang Hyunggu and Kim Bora were bad parents. And that Kang Chaeyeon deserves someone better." Jooheon's glazes wandered past Kihyun and landed on the café owner, who was flipping through some papers. „ Like her." He pointed at the young woman, making Kihyun turn around.
„She's looking through the receipts. Perhaps a customer was the unsub. But-" Jooheon sighed loudly.
„Oh, we won't be that lucky. He probably paid cash." Jooheon turned his attention back to Kihyun. „We habe a problem. He's on a mission." Kihyun nodded agreeing. „He is not controlled by compulsions or urges. And the profile tells us that men like this... They don't have a cooling-off period."
„Maybe he'll stop after Kang Chaeyeon." Kihyun tried, but he himself didn't sound too confident.
„Could be possible, but everything went according to his plan this time." Jooheon had a bitter feeling, now that they were a step closer to their goal. „And ge didn't get caught. I have a feeling he's watching more families. And god help them if he doesn't think they're failing with their kids."
-
Some people will never get to know the feeling of seeing your beloved ones die right in front of your eyes while your own body feels cold, but the blood streaming down your face is hot.
Or the feeling of hiding in the closet, holding your breath, trying not to make any sound so no one will find you. The moment when the shadow appears in front of the small gap of the closet doors. The moment you realize that the true monsters don't live inside the closet, but that they come through the front door at night.
-
„He killed another couple?" Minhyuk asked unbelieving. He was standing outside of Kang Chaeyeon's hospital room, observing her sleeping figure through the small window in the door.
„Yes, last night." could Kihyun's voice be heard through the phone. „Lee Hotaek and his wife Kim Minji."
„Did another child get kidnapped?"
„Their daughter - Lee Hyewon. She's in the same as age as Kang Chaeyeon."
„If he sticks to his pattern, he's probably gonna try to find a new home for Lee Hyewon, too. I wondered since the beginning, why Kim Jiwon?" Minhyuk observed how a nurse checked the machines connected to Kang Chaeyeon, checking her vital signs, before his eyes wandered to Kim Jiwon – the owner of the café. „What lead to his decision to choose her?"
„He likes to observe." Kihyun stated. „He must have seen how nice and friendly Kim Jiwon acts with the customers in her shop, taking care of them. For our unsub she is more deserving mother than Kang Chaeyeon's own."
„Speaking of which." Minhyuk sighed loudly. „Kim Jiwon is here. She wanted to come and see Kang Chaeyeon." His eyes wandered from the nurse to the young café owner sitting next to Kang Chaeyeon's bed. „And I had a rather unconventional idea about how she might be able to help."
„Ok. Keep me posted." Minhyuk nodded, forgetting that Kihyun couldn't see it. „But we others have to concentrate on finding Lee Hyewon first for now." Then Kihyun ended the call.
Minhyuk quickly put his phone into the pockets of his jacket and opened the door to Kang Chaeyeon's room. Kim Jiwon was holding Kang Chaeyeon's hand. Minhyuk was truly impressed by the young owner. She was probably mid-twenty the oldest and still had her whole life in front of her. However, she was here, watching over a child a stranger and murderer had decided to leave in her care.
When the young woman looked up and their eyes met, Minhyuk decided to join her. He took one of the chairs standing by the wall and sat down on the other side of the bed.
„How can someone do something like this?" she asked sadly. „She's just a child. You guys have told me that this man who did this came into my café and I have been racking my brain trying to figure out who it is. I can't think of anyone." She shook her head in despair.
„My regular customers- They are nice people. It's a nice neighborhood were nice people are living." Her glaze wandered back to the sleeping little girl. „We don't do things like that here." Minhyuk didn't know what to answer. He had seen too much darkness in this world already to answer to this kind of questions. He knew that the nicest people could hide the biggest secrets and could do the worst kind of things.
„Did you bring what I asked?" he asked instead. The young woman nodded and reached for her bag.
„I did. I don't know what you need this for but..."
„I know it sounds strange." Minhyuk smiled apologetic as he accepted the small pink paper box the woman was holding out for him. „But the sense of smell is the most powerful of our five senses. Especially in relation to our memories. It can stimulate and awaken the subconscious and, in rare cases, even wake the unconscious."
„Let's give it a shot." The shimmer of hope in Kim Jiwon's eyes was affecting Minhyuk as well. He couldn't help but smile softly.
„Yeah." He grabbed the small pink box and opened the lid. Soft steam left the box as soon as the lid got removed and the room automatically filled with a delicious smell. Minhyuk had asked her to bring something of her baked goods, but he wouldn't have thought that she would bring freshly baked ones.
„There still warm." he spoke the obvious.
„She liked those the most, her mother said." The box was filled with red-bean crème bread. „And what do we do now?"
„We wait." He lend back in the chair. There was nothing else they could do after all. Fortuna, however, seemed to be on their side. As soon as he had uttered those words, the little girl sighed in her sleep and waved her head back and forth.
„Kang Chaeyeon." Minhyuk tried and lend a little closer. „Can you smell it? Smells good, doesn't it?" Kang Chaeyeon blinked a few times without opening her eyes before finally managing to open them. Her tired glaze met Minhyuk's.
„Hello" He greeted the small girl with a soft smile. „You're safe now." His words earned an unsure expression of the small girl.
„Where is my mom?" she asked in an exhausted, but scared voice. Minhyuk turned to look at the young café owner for a second, seeing that tears were already streaming down her face.
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