To Seungbae, Yoon Bum was an enigma. When he first saw the scrawny man, he had wanted to solve the mystery surrounding him, but not the man himself. Oh Sangwoo was a much more important problem. Bum himself had just been a part of it, until their interaction in the bathroom. The pain and despair in his eyes was being battled by love and desire, and suddenly Seungbae wanted to unravel it all.

After that incident, Seungbae took some time to think before acting. Maybe it was luck, or just sheer coincidence, but a few days afterwards someone reported witnessing the poor man getting abused by Sangwoo. Seungbae was thankful, because he knew he was about to do something stupid if a clue didn't show up.

Now he had a reason to search the house, and this time he brought help. They arrived and found all the evidence they needed. Sangwoo was dragged out kicking and screaming, while Yoon Bum was carried out by none other than Seungbae himself. His dark eyes stared up with awe, as if he never believed Seungbae would actually save him.

But after learning what the boy had been through, he understood why.

The trail took place soon after, and the evidence against Sangwoo was overwhelming already. Seungbae knew that no matter what, the young man would never see freedom again. Even though Bum was the only living victim, there was no need for him to go to court at all. The mystery that was Yoon Bum only grew more confusing at what he did, however.

"No.." The man had whispered,"I'll testify.. I'll tell them everything.."

Seungbae had been there, and felt shock explode through him. He felt worry for Bum, could the man handle it? "Mr. Yoon, you don't have to stand in court," He tentatively replied,"We can record everything right here, and play it during the trail. You don't have to-"

"I do," Bum firmly whispered, "I have to, I need to. Y-you can't stop me, I've m-made my decision."

His eyes, usually filled with fear and trauma, were suddenly shining with determination. Seungbae's view of Bum grew even more tangled than before. This sudden bravery, where did it come from? How long would it last?

Just who was Yoon Bum?

The trail finally came, and Bum was called to witness. Seungbae watched Sangwoo's face when he heard the name, and noticed the utter smugness that overtook it. He doesn't think Bum will tell the truth, does he? For a moment, Seungbae felt fear that the young man might be right.

But, after taking several deep breaths, Yoon Bum opened his mouth, and a true horror story flowed out. He told them everything, about every death, where the bodies were, and exactly what horror he went through. Sangwoo's face morphed into horror and shock, as everyone else listened to the story in sadness and disgust.

When Bum finished, he simply lowered his head. There was complete silence, as the heads turned towards Sangwoo's attorney. The suit clad man was extremely pale, and turned back towards his client. The thick tension was suddenly broken when the official declared,"I can't defend this client anymore."

Oh Sangwoo had no more places to hide, no more facades to use. He was declared guilty of all charges, and was sentenced to death. With those simple words, it was all over. The nightmare had ended.

Suengbae escorted Bum from the room, following behind the man silently. Suddenly, the man collapsed to the ground, bursting into loud, violent sobs. Seungbae gasped in surprise, before kneeling next to the man. "Bum!" He exclaimed,"Are you okay?!"

But then he caught sight of the man's face.. He wasn't sad.. He was smiling. His skinny hands wiped at his eyes despite the continuous tears, before he finally whispered,"It's over.. I'm free.."

In that moment, the chains fell away, and Seungbae could only watch those broken wings spread for the first time in a long while. It was a beautiful sight, one that Seungbae would remember forever. The little bird was finally free.

Yoon Bum was gone.

It was not long after the trail, and Seungbae wanted to check him. Why? There were many reasons, but Seungbae ignored them all. I just need to. He told himself. That's it.

With his newly promoted status as a detective, he had hoped that finding out where Bum was would be easy. Just a quick search through the system, and he could check up on the man. When he looked, however, all he found was the old case files. No address, no phone number, nothing.

The man frowned, leaning back in his creaky seat. After deliberating for a moment, Seungbae got up and went to where one of the other officers from the case was. "Hey, Do-Jung, do you know what happened to Yoon Bum?" He asked.

The man turned his brown eyes towards Seungbae, pulling his cigarette away. "Yoon Bum? The one from the Oh Sangwoo case?" He asked, gaining a nod,"Why do you ask?"

Seungbae hesitated, before crossing his arms over his black jacket and stating,"I just want to check and make sure he is doing alright."

Do-Jung hummed suspiciously, before taking another drag out of his cigarette. "Well, don't waste the energy kid," He replied,"Yoon is gone. I heard he skipped town. Can't blame him though, with all the reporters and newscasts that keep pestering him. After all the shit he went through, I would too."

Seungbae listened, feeling a pool of sadness in his stomach. He thanked Do-Jung, and then went back to his desk. His dark eyes stared at the screen, cursing the useless information in front of him with a frustrated glare.

Yoon Bum still plagued his mind, even after the trial. The man was an enigma, a mystery Seungbae would never get the chance to learn about. Why do you care so much? A voice asked. It was just another case, after all.

No.. Something about it, something about him, was different. Seungbae wanted so badly, so desperately to figure out why. Now it seemed he never would. The little bird that had once captivated him had flown away.

Seungbae only wished he could have seen him finally take flight.

— — — — — —

One Year Later

— — — — — —

"Um… Sir?"

Seungbae looked up from his papers, turning his tired eyes toward the young woman. She had her hand over the phone, and looked rather flustered. He raised an eyebrow, and asked,"What's the matter?"

"There's someone on the phone from Busan..He's very adamant that he speaks to someone from here.." She whispered, brown eyes flickering toward the phone once more. "I tried to tell him to call his own police department b-but he won't listen!"

What in the world? He queried, before standing up, and holding out his hand. "I'll talk to them, don't worry," He declared. She looked instantly relieved, and handed him the phone as fast as she could.

Seungbae instantly grew serious, and placed the phone against his ear. "You're speaking to an officer now, sir, what do you need?" He asked firmly, forcing as much coldness into his tone as possible. He heard a shaky squeak of shock on the other end.

"P-please sir, I need an o-officer to come- to come to the preschool I work at!" The shaky voice stuttered out,"I have r-reason to believe two of my students are being ab-abused.. I n-need an o-officer to come and he-help me s-stop this.."

The detective pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling annoyance building up. "Sir, if you really suspect abuse, you need to contact your local authorities, not one in a completely different city-"

"I c-can't!" The frantic voice interrupted.

"And exactly why not?" Seungbae snapped in return, feeling anger burn within him.

"B-because! The f-father is chief of p-police here.. I-if I report it.. He'll cover it up.." The young man whispered,"I didn't know wha- what else to do! P-please, I need your help!"

All of Seungbae previous irritation all melted away, as sympathy filled him. This poor young man simply didn't have anyone else to turn to. Even though he had never face a situation like this before, Seungbae already knew what he was going to do.

He leaned over the desk, grabbing a spare sticky note and a pen. "I understand," He declared,"I'll personally take on your request myself."

There was an audible sigh of relief on the other line. "Thank you.." He whispered happily,"The building is the Haedod-i preschool, I teach the Tiger room.. O-or room 3.. I-I'll be waiting for you.. Thank you again.."

There was a click on the other end just as Seungbae had finished scribbling down everything the man said. He handed the phone back to the thankful woman, and went back to his desk, feeling a bit of amusement. Well, looks like I have a new case.. He thought idly, before a frown graced his tan features.

Why does something about this feel so familiar though?

It was less than a few days later that Seungbae took the four hour train ride from Seoul to Basun, ready to face the frantic caller and put the whole thing to rest.

Basun was indeed a beautiful city, right on the edge of the beach. The city was surrounded by the beautiful sight of the ocean which stretched off far into the horizon. Seungbae wanted to take in the view for hours, but he knew he had work to do.

He followed to directions on his phone to a slightly large building that was surrounded by other skyscrapers. Unlike the gray buildings, it was painted bright, rainbow colors all over with plenty of windows. Next to the bright painted sun was the words 'Haedod-i Preschool'. Yep, this is the place.

Seungbae then entered the building, walking up to a young woman with dyed blonde hair who was by some cubbies, placing everything back. She caught sight of him, and looked confused, her soft lips turning into a frown. "Um… I'm sorry, but all the students have gone home, we're closed," She awkwardly declared.

"Actually, I'm an officer," Seungbae replied, pulling his badge from his black plants. "I'm here to talk about a possible abuse case with the teacher of Room 3, is he still here?"

The girl looked at the badge, before her eyes widened. "Oh!" She exclaimed,"Yes, he's still here, I'll take you there right away sir!"

Seungbae noticed she seemed ashamed that she didn't recognize him as a cop, but he didn't expect her to recognize her. He was wearing the same outfit he wore to the gay bar, except he kept his hair and glasses the same. He didn't exactly look like one.

She led him down a hallway which was filled with colorful drawings and bouncy carpet, it had doors going all the way down. After the first two doors, they came to a door painted like a tiger.

The woman grabbed the handle, turning her dark eyes to him. "I'll get him for you, okay?" She told him, gaining a sharp not in return, before turning his attention to the drawings once more.

Seungbae then listened to her pull open the door, and call,"Bum! The officer is here to speak to you!"

His heart skipped several beats, the air freezing around him. Bum..? No.. It can't be.. Can it?

The door to the room was suddenly pulled open farther, revealing a skinny young man in a blue apron, black sweater, and khaki pants. He had shaggy black hair, and dark grey eyes that instantly captivated Seungbae.. Just as they did before..

That soft voice thanked the woman, before the grey eyes caught sight of him. Instantly, they widened, and a shocked gasp escaped him.

"Officer.. Yang..?"

"Yoon Bum?"