"You don't have to stay, Detective Cha. If anything happen, I'll call."

Jian shrugged, as she glanced towards him. "It's okay, I'll just stay with him for now. It's not like I'm needed elsewhere right now..."

Min started to head towards the door as she spoke again. "Do you know something? Before... on some nights, Hyeon used to get nightmares. Most of the times, it's about you. On those nights, he had been looking vainly for you in his sleep. Do you know that?"

"Oh, really...?" The tone was neutral but Jian could see the surprise in his eyes.

"Though I guess, those nightmares stopped after he found you. But I wonder what dream Hyeon was having now? Is it the same nightmare... or a different one?" Jian tightened his hold on Hyeon's hand. "The last few times I just hold his hand like this until Hyeon calms down. Though this time, I'm not sure how it'll help. Since I don't know what troubles him this time."

She could see that Min was about to say something, but he didn't. Instead, Min walked out of the room... leaving her alone with Hyeon. She turned her attention back to Hyeon as he started moaning in his sleep. Jian gently caressed Hyeon's face as she comforted him.

"It's okay, I'm here. Everything will be all right."

xxx

"It's because of me."

"That's why he's like that..."

"That's why Min... to tell me that it's not because of me..."

Jian held Hyeon as tightly as she could while he cried his heart out. Even if she didn't understand what happened. But as she comforted him, she began to piece things out. Hyeon, must have remembered something painful. Perhaps, it was what that made Min become weird. And for Hyeon to be so distraught about it, it must be related to something happened in the past between them.

Suddenly she recalled the thing she talked about with the late Detective Yang. About how Hyeon never cried when his mum and his father died. Yet, Hyeon was crying now.

She recalled as well how, in the case files of Professor Lee Jungmin's death... it was stated that the surviving witness—Hyeon, had lost his memory about the incident. She wondered if it was the same thing as with his mother; that perhaps Hyeon had lost his memory not once but twice. It was never mentioned anywhere on how Hyeon's mother had died, but could it be an incident? That perhaps something happened that was too much for young Hyeon to handle, thus he blocked that part of his memory?

Was that why Hyeon had really shitty memories all these times?

Jian pulled away as Hyeon stopped crying, and wiped away his tears.

"Feeling better?" she asked.

Hyeon shook his head.

"It's because of me that Min was as he is now. I... remembered."

She gently gestured Hyeon to lie down on the bed as she spoke. "Just lie down. You can tell me slowly if you want."

It was then that Hyeon started telling her how a criminal tried to take revenge on his family due to his father, and how his mother was killed while trying to protect them. And then she was told how Hyeon had used his father's gun to stop the criminal from hurting him and his brother. Suddenly she recalled Cho Yongu, and realised that this was the same case as to the incident that killed Hyeon's mother. But it was self-defence, but she understood how that incident would have scarred Min's life...

Jian pulled the blanket over him before tucking him in his bed. "It's not something that you could have avoided. You were still so small then. You wouldn't have been able to handle the gun recoil. And if you haven't done anything, you and Min would have been killed as well."

"But I wished... if only I didn't forget about it...!"

Jian gently caressed his face. "You can't blame yourself. You saw your mother being killed right in front of you. That must have been a horrid experience. You would have wanted to forget the bad memories..."

Hyeon's eyes widened. "Bad memories... father, he must have known. That I... the gun... perhaps that was why he kept worrying about me..."

Jian smiled weakly. "It was unfortunate about what happened to your brother. But Hyeon... at least, you've grown up well... right? And regardless of what happened in the past, you can't do anything to change it. But right now, won't you be able to do something to make it better? Your brother Min is right here with you now, and I'm here. Isn't that good?"

Hyeon looked up towards her. "I'm sorry... Jian. I... must have made you worry."

Jian sighed. "I'm fine. I'll be fine as long as you don't faint on me again like this morning. It's very unlike you to collapse like that."

"Ah, that reminds me... Eunbok and Seungju..."

Jian continued caressing his face as Hyeon started to get sleepy. "Don't worry about that. Captain Kang and the others would be able to handle the situation. You just take it easy. There won't be any new case right now since we're focusing on capturing Lee Junyeong, so you don't have to come to the station too. Just rest."

Hyeon snickered. "Miss Cha Jian, aren't you trying too hard to protect me now?" he asked as Jian sniffled.

"You bet I am! You... you'd think I'd stop after watching over you for 20 years?" said Jian as Hyeon finally drifted to sleep. She gave out a long sigh.