Chapter 6

"You left earlier than usual today. Was it something important?" Lucas asked as the two of them sat down for dinner. Haeun untied her apron before sitting down beside him.

"Yeah," she answered, "I just had a few errands to run before the saloon opened."

Lucas didn't seem to think anything was off and simply nodded his head. From the corner of her eye, Haeun glanced at her badge and gun that she had hidden. It wasn't time for him to know just yet. To know that she was back at the job that was the cause of their first big argument and the job that Lucas once pleaded for her to leave when she got hurt for the first time. Things were already sensitive as they were and Haeun didn't want to hurt Lucas more than he had already went through.

So as Hauen sat down for dinner with the best friend she hadn't seen in the past 2 years, she hoped Lucas doesn't notice how stiff and nervous she was throughout dinner.

"It's for his own safety, Haeun... Anything for Lucas," she thinks to herself as she laughs at Lucas exaggerated expression as he ate, "I'll keep him safe - that was what I promised."

Haeun was the first to arrive at her department, a habit that she wanted to make usual now that she returned to where she once loved. She took off her jacket and began to flip through today's agenda. Her team would head to the hospital to have a word with the victims. Despite already gaining the confession from the previous team, Haeun couldn't help but feel odd about the victims' statements. Her gut was telling her something was odd but she wasn't able to see it. Haeun was a person who followed her gut more than her head (saving her a few times). As she was reading through the report once again, she heard loud voices heading towards where she was.

"Morning, Haeun!" Mark was the first to greet her. He was surrounded by 3 guys, all of which were unknown to Haeun. She turned her chair around to take a good look at them. Mark pointed at them, "These were the new members I told you about the other day. They were recruited when you were on leave. This is Yoon Haeun, she just came back from her one year leave and will be working with us from now on."

The tallest of them was the first to introduce himself. "My name is Seo Youngho but I prefer Johnny. I've heard plenty about you from the other officers." Haeun was quick to notice that Johnny had that older-brother vibe, one that would have made 'teenage Haeun' melt.

"I'm Dong Si Cheng, everyone calls me WinWin," he slightly bowed towards her. "Please take good care of me."

Mark nudged the last person to speak up. He lifted his head to meet Haeun's eyes.

"Lee Taeyong," that was all he said before heading to his desk and sitting down. Haeun had to admit that he radiated a leader-like and chic vibe but he seemed to be a cold person. After introductions were over, Mark pulled up a chair and sat down beside Haeun. He had a big smile on his face for whatever reason and that's why Haeun had to ask.

"What is up with you?"

"Nothing," Mark replied, the big smile still on his face. "I'm just glad to see you here, working with me again. It's so great to have you back!"

"Ooookaayyyy," Haeun found it a bit odd seeing Mark so cheery considering it's been forever since they last met. Truthfully, Mark was glad Haeun was back - he had really missed her during her leave. Not saying the other guys weren't good at their job but there was something about the way Haeun put her utmost effort in every case that made you want to follow her lead. Also, he missed having someone to tease all the time - he was already thinking of ways to prank her.

"Why are we questioning them again? I thought the last team already took down their statements." Johnny parked the car. The boys stepped out from the vehicle as Mark spoke, "It's normal procedure, Johnny. Besides, Haeun said something was off with their statements - a gut feeling. You should always trust her gut." Mark made sure they understood that it was a serious statement.

Haeun was already waiting for them in front of the hospital. She was patting down her hair from the motorcycle helmet. "Is everyone clear on what they have to do?" she asked and her members nodded their heads. It was the new members first time watching Haeun solve a case with them and right now, she was emitting such a strong aura - she was pumped to be back in the game.

The group split up in pairs while Haeun decided to go alone. She would be speaking with Jung Gayoung, the third victim to be kidnapped. Haeun met up with Gayoung's mother in front of her room.

Haeun extended her hand, "Yoon Haeun, I'm from the detective department. I'm terribly sorry for what happened to your daughter." The older woman simply nodded at her, "You can come in but... I don't think she'll be able to help you a lot."

Gayoung sat down on the sofa, staring into the void. Her eyes looked up to see Haeun. "Gayoung ah, this is Haeun. She's here to ask you some questions," her mother went to her side and gently squeezed her shoulder. There was no response coming from the younger girl. Gayoung's mother left the two to speak in private.

"Can you remember anything, Gayoung?" Haeun moved to sit closer to Gayoung. "I know that it's hard for you but we really need your help to catch the person who did this to you."

Gayoung slowly turned her head and Haeun found it sad to see her eyes - they were empty. Slowly, she began to speak.

"If you can't have it, then steal it back."

"What?"

"If you can't have it, then steal it back," Gayoung repeated. "She belongs to him and only him - she is his and only his." She started to speak faster. "Pictures, pretty pictures on the wall. Pictures of her, pictures of her - he took them all. He wants her, he wants her so bad but she's not his. She's not his, she's not his, she's not his. He'll get her eventually - he wants her, you know?" Suddenly, the girl smiled widely at Haeun. A smile that nearly made Haeun jump. Gayoung reached out and held Haeun's face, "You look just like her - pretty woman in the picture. Have you come out to meet him? He's been waiting for you."

"Who, Gayoung? Who is his target?" Haeun asked, "What does he want?"

All Gayoung did was laugh, "If you can't have it, then steal it back. If you can't have it, then steal it back. He can't have her so he'll steal her back." Her laughter stopped and exchanged with crying.

"He just wants her back, he just wants her back so badly. He loves her so much," she wailed. "Why did she leave him? Why?" Her eyes glared at Haeun and she lunged after the detective. "Why did you leave him? Why! How could you leave him!" Gayoung placed her hands around Haeun's neck, ready to strangle her.

Gayoung's mother opened the door and Johnny quickly removed the girl from Haeun. The nurses came in and gave a sedative to put Gayoung to sleep. Gayoung's mother apologised to the team for her daughter's actions and politely asked them to leave the room - they weren't going to get any answers from her. Haeun placed a hand on her neck, still feeling the pressure of Gayoung's hands.

"Are you alright?" Mark asked, "You seem a bit pale."

"Fine... She just caught me off guard," Haeun turned around to glance at Gayoung's limp figure. She couldn't help but run her words in her head over and over again.

The team was currently at the police station and all of them were listening to the statements that the victims had provided. It was Haeun's idea to record their voices.

"Their statements still didn't change," Taeyong sighed, feeling this had been a waste of time. "It's still the same. They got out of school, some guy went up to them and asked a question, placed a cloth on their nose and knocked them out."

"It is the same..." Haeun muttered.

"I told you, nothing changed," Mark sighed. "Maybe your gut was wrong-"

"No! It is the same!" Haeun jumped out of her seats and rushed to her desk. She opened up the case file and took out the written statements. "It's exactly the same!" The members had confused looks on their faces, why was she so happy that the victims simply repeated the same thing? Sensing their confusion, she quickly explained.

"Every single word they said - it's exactly the same as the previous statement. No words change, same arrangement of sentences," Haeun handed the paper to Mark and she played one of the victim's recording. The boys huddled around the paper and she could see the look of shock on their faces. She turned the recording off.

"Woah... That's creepy," WinWin looked at his arms. "I have goosebumps."

"What does it mean, then?" Johnny cocked his head to the side. Haeun sighed and shrugged her shoulders, "My theory is that whoever kidnapped them in the first place managed to plant these answers inside their head. Whenever a specific question pops up, it triggers them to give that answer without them realising it."

"You're saying the kidnapper hypnotised them?" Taeyong questioned at the girl. He folded his arms above his chest, seems like she was smarter than he had thought.

Haeun nodded her head, "That could be possible. He doesn't want to get caught so he could have planted those answers inside their head to mislead the police or something. We have to assume from here on that their statements cannot be trusted, we don't know what else he might have done. So, let's rundown on what the previous team managed to gather."

Johnny lit up the big screen and it showed pictures of the victims. "The victims were the same age, 16 years old and have similar physical traits. Black hair, almond-shaped eyes, brown coloured eyes, average body and similar height. The families reported them missing late due to the fact all of the victims were active in after-school activities. They were kidnapped near their school grounds." The pictures change to a map.

"The victims were abducted from schools near to each other. The victims are Kim Hyerin, Ji Yooji, Jung Gayoung and Lee Jaena," the pictures changed again, this time with red circles to indicate their schools.

"It forms... some sort of square," Haeun muttered. Why would the kidnapper kidnap students in the same area? Did he do this on purpose?

Johnny continued, "From the statements we were able to get from the parents, they received no calls or text asking for ransom money. The kidnapper had zero contacts with the parents."

"Then this wasn't about getting any money," Mark clasped his hands together and glanced at Haeun. Her eyebrows were furrowed, meaning she was thinking about something again.

"He's not done yet," Haeun thought. "All these other girls... Were they just a practice? From Gayoung's words, it sounds like the kidnapper is planning on a specific target. But why murder the last one? Who is his actual target?"

A hand landed on her shoulder and Haeun jumped in surprise. "Woah, you okay?" Mark asked, his hands raised up in defence. "I didn't mean to startle you. You look like you were in deep thought. We were thinking of calling it a day and going out for dinner. Are you coming?"

The girl turned to look at the time, "No, not this time. I'm going straight home. I'll see you guys tomorrow." She tossed the motorcycle keys back to Mark before grabbing her things and exiting the station.

"I'm home," Haeun took off her shoes and locked the door behind her. Lucas came out from the kitchen with a big smile on his face, "You're home!" Lucas could see how tired she was and decided to give her a recharging hug. "Was it a busy day at the saloon?" he asked as they stepped back from the hug.

Right, Lucas only knew about Haeun's saloon job. She hadn't told him the news yet.

Lucas didn't wait for her answer and dragged her to sit down at the dining table. He didn't prepare much (due to his minimum cooking skills) but Haeun found it nice to see him put the effort in his preparation. "I cooked dinner because I knew you would be tired after work," he smiled. "So, eat up!"

Dinner went by in a flash and Lucas was now getting ready for bed. "Aren't you tired?" he yawned before pulling the covers up. "You should get some rest, it's been a long day for you."

"I'm not working at the salon anymore," she confessed right away, not wanting to beat around the bush longer. "I... I told them I was quitting."

Lucas sat up from the bed, his eyes were big due to the surprising announcement. "Why? Did you not like it there?"

"No, no - the saloon was wonderful. I just have a full-time job now."

"Oh," was all he said. "Ohhhhh!"

"You're back at the detective department, aren't you?" He knew it, he always knew things when it came down to her. "Haeun, I didn't come here to ask you to solve the case. I just needed you - my best friend. I don't know what happened while I was gone but you don't need to come back there just because of me. The police will figure out I'm innocent somehow."

"I didn't just come back there because of your case," Haeun laid down on the bed, right beside him. "I came back because it was time. I really missed chasing bad guys around."

Lucas laughed at her remark, "You were pretty good at it, last time I remembered. I remember you coming home with that bullet graze on your arm and you looked so badass!" He earned himself a smack on the arm and he could hear Haeun laugh. He turned his head to face Haeun,

"I'm glad you're back at this whole chasing bad guys things but... What's going to happen when people find out that you, a detective, used to date someone who's now being accused of a terrible crime?"

"That's something we'll think of later, you giant," Haeun closed her eyes and pushed Lucas's words at the back of her mind. She didn't need to think of that at the moment - she had a case to solve.