AN: Hello everyone! Sorry for making you wait for so long, university is being a pain and I really don't remember the last time I truly had freetime on my hands. I'll get through it though ... somehow. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter, which gives a little more insight into Mei's life. Bye~
chibianimefan26: THANK. YOU. SO. MUCH. And yes, Seven is the most adorable angst nugget in the world. Yeah, everyone needs to embrace the love! Glad you liked the chapter :D Heheh yeah, I couldn't help myself with the mint-chocolate cake.
KathrynthePyro-bitch: Ah so Saeran is you fave? Seven is it for me, but Saeran is sharing second place with Zen :) I'm glad you like my take one the original story line (with not ending it at the party and all). Thank you so much for reviewing! I'm so happy that you're excited for this, it really motivates me to do my best :D
Chapter Twelve
Insert Coffee To Begin!
Dawn painted the sky a deep burgundy colour when a digital alarm clock went off, effectively scaring the well-rested detective out of her dreams. Despite not hating mornings, it always felt unnatural to Mei to leave the motherly warmth of her comforter and pretend to be a responsible human being.
It was especially hard to get out of bed on a workday.
A small part of her wondered what would happen if she actually refused to get up. Apart from Hana throwing a tantrum and trying to drag her to work by her feet—which she would eventually give up on because it was too much effort—probably nothing.
Awarding herself with precisely one more minute before she inevitably had to face the world, the detective stared out of the window into the colourful sky. She didn't even remember how she got into bed in the first place. Her last memory from yesterday was when Seven drove them back in his car and she fell asleep on her sister in the backseat. The exhaustion from the day combined with the painkillers had knocked her out cold.
Carefully, she flexed her fingers and winced at the pain that shot up her arm from her palm. It was itching a bit, which meant that it was starting to heal, but it would definitely take some time until the wound was gone.
Her heart skipped a beat when she remembered the events in the parking lot.
Seven had made her feel so safe when he wrapped his arm around her to lead her away from the crowd, concerned, because she had been injured. Despite his constant teasing and obvious frustration with her, his hands had been gentle when they brushed over her skin. He had been so close, she had felt the warmth of his body and smelled his familiar, soothing scent with every breath. Golden eyes had been glowing with unspoken emotions when he leant closer to her. Just the memory made her breath hitch.
Did they really almost kiss?
Mei looked at her hand with a dreamy expression, playing with the golden pin that was securing the white bandage. Did he feel the same way about her? She didn't have much experience with these type of things. The detective wasn't even sure if she was brave enough to confess to him yet, but there was an undeniable chemistry between them that made it hard to resist. She had fallen for him badly.
They just saw each other yesterday, but she already missed him.
Swinging her legs over the side of her bed onto the cool floorboards, Mei showered and dressed herself for work in a simple, fluttery blouse and a jean skirt. It was too warm and the agency didn't have a dress code anyways. She was beyond grateful that she could always wear her white sneakers instead of the uncomfortable mid-high heels, which your usual office worker didn't dare leave the house without.
"Mornin' sis."
It startled her to see Hana already up, but then she remembered that her sister had applied for early art classes on Mondays. Starting any course before 10am was basically torture for college students, which was why Hana was convinced that her art teacher was actually Satan and had no intention of teaching them anything, apart from falling asleep on their canvasses. On the other hand, being continuously forced to endure Hana's angry rants convinced Mei that Mondays were never good days and made her hate that teacher for an entirely different reason.
"Good morning," Mei replied warily, not trusting the lack of complaints, and stifled a yawn.
The detective got into their usual morning routine and prepared breakfast. She went for simple and light, which was just bacon and eggs with fresh orange juice and coffee. It was definitely lacking vitamins, so she washed some ripe strawberries, cut them in halves and put them on the sides of the plates. Impatient as always, Hana started to snatch pieces when she wasn't looking.
"Thanks for carrying me up here. You're definitely stronger than you look, sis."
"I didn't carry you up here, stupid." Hana rolled her eyes though there was a tiny smirk on her lips. "I'd probably break my back trying."
"Are you calling me fat?" Scandalized, Mei whacked her arm, being careful not to get her stomach because with the amount of food the teenager managed to put away she wouldn't like to end up wearing it. After a while, the hidden meaning of the words dawned on her and she almost dropped the frying pan. "Wait … then who …"
"Seven did, duh." Hana waggled her brown eyebrows, uncharacteristically mischievous. "He carried you princess-style and even tucked you into bed."
Cheeks flaming with embarrassment, Mei opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water. She wished that she could remember being that close to him, but her mind only provided her with blurry images and whispered words that she couldn't quite make out. It was frustrating. Hopefully, she didn't say anything weird in her sleep or worse ... drool on him.
"Wow, I've never seen you turn that red before …" Hana trailed off with an amused chuckle, before turning serious. "Do you like him?"
"Y-yeah, I think so," she mumbled shyly. "Do you think it's odd? I mean, I've only known him for what … two weeks?!"
"At least you're honest." Hana sighed and raised an eyebrow. "It's definitely odd, but then again, so are you."
This was the closest to an approval she'd get from her sister, so she'd take it.
"Did you get your autograph?" Mei asked casually, hoping to change the subject.
In response Hana glared sharply at her plate and stabbed the scrambled eggs to death with her fork.
"So, from that senseless demonstration of violence, can I deduce that things didn't go very well?"
"Brilliant conclusion, detective." Hana muttered around a piece of bacon as she took the cup of coffee Mei offered her. "I didn't even get to talk to Zen because Echo Girl kept clinging to him."
During the entire party, Zen had been surrounded by a swarm of smitten women, but she hadn't noticed Echo Girl talking to him. The unhappy frown on Hana's face made her feel guilty about accepting the bribe from the bratty celebrity. Upcoming star or not, they shouldn't have let her in.
"I'm sure you'll get another chance to see him," Mei said gently. "Once he gets better, we could go watch one of his performances together."
"Right. I hope he'll get well soon." Hana nodded to herself, but instead of reassured, she looked worried now. She stood up from her seat and pushed the empty plate towards her. "Thanks for breakfast. I'm gonna get ready now. Clean up your mess before you leave, it looks like a bomb of clothes went off."
The art student gestured to the chaos surrounding them, making Mei grin sheepishly. "Fine, but you'll have to water the plants and feed the cats."
"Deal," Hana agreed and disappeared in her room.
After doing the dishes, Mei was about to start collecting her clothes and shove the piles back into her closet, when her phone beeped. In hopes of talking to Seven, she quickly changed her plans and rushed to open the messenger.
[A new chatroom has opened. Happy Monday; Jumin Han.]
Jumin Han: Good morning, Mei. Did you sleep well?
MC: Yeah, thanks. How about you? (๑ᴗ๑)
Jumin Han: I didn't sleep very much to be honest.
MC: Oh no, why?
Jumin Han: I felt rather restless.
Jumin Han: However, spending time with Elizabeth has calmed me down.
MC: That's good to hear!
Jumin was still working on expressing his emotions, but they became clear once you knew how to read between the lines. His quiet concern for Zen, despite their differences and constant arguments, made her smile at her phone.
MC: I'm sure cuddling with Elly is the best medicine for happiness.
Jumin Han: I agree (^ↀᴥↀ^)
[Yoosung has entered the chatroom.]
Yoosung : I didn't sleep much either. I was so worried about Zen.
MC: Woa, woa, woaaa is this a miracle?
Yoosung : (ﾟ□ﾟ*川
MC: Why is our LOLOL champion Yoosung awake at this strange hour? (ಠ_ರೃ)
Jumin Han: A rare occurrence.
Jumin Han: I approve though. You gain more from a day, if you start it early.
MC: Wise words, Master Jumin ∠(｀∪´)
Jumin Han: (ฅ'ω'ฅ)
Yoosung : Don't call him that!
Yoosung : I didn't sleep the entire night and now I have to go to university.
Yoosung : Normally, I'd have stayed at home today but with mom here I'm too embarrassed to skip.
MC: Hang in there. I know 8am classes are cruel, but maybe you can go home early.
Yoosung : I wish, but it's my longest day and mom saw my schedule. Goodbye freedom of choice, hello afternoon classes of doom╰(ಥдಥ)ノ
MC: Level 99 Yoosung vs. Level 999 Afternoon Class. To Be Continued.
Yoosung : ＿ﾉ乙(､ﾝ､)＿
MC: If it makes you feel better, I have work today too. Goodbye sweet vacation, I'll miss you (ಥ﹏ಥ)
Yoosung : It doesn't! You've worked for us in your spare time… that's so unfair.
Jumin Han: Can you even work in your condition?
MC: Condition? What condition? ( ᗝ )
Jumin Han: You injured your hand. How is it?
MC: It stings a bit, but it's fine otherwise.
MC: I just wish it was my right hand, so I'd have an excuse to skip paperwork for a few days.
Jumin Han: (눈_눈)
Jumin Han: Your work ethics need some work.
MC: No thanks. Sounds like more work in order to work.
Yoosung : lololol
[Jaehee Kang has entered the chatroom.]
MC: Jaehee! Good morning (˶◕‿◕˶✿)
Yoosung : Mornin'
Jaehee Kang: Ah, good morning, Mei (✿◠‿◠)
Jaehee Kang: Yoosung is awake?
MC: Strange, right?
Yoosung : What kind of impression do you guys have of me?!
Jaehee Kang: I've got good news for everyone.
Jaehee Kang: I called the hospital and they said Zen was fine. The poison didn't damage any organs, but they're still going to keep him there for a few days for observation.
MC: That's a relief!
Jumin Han: Truly!
Yoosung : I'm so glad (⋟﹏⋞)
Jaehee Kang: He's still unconscious, as are the other poison victims, but they said it's only a matter of time until he wakes up.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Mei felt a weight lift off her chest and it was probably the same for everyone else.
MC: Which hospital is he at? Maybe I'll have time to drop by later.
Jumin Han: Sky University Hospital. It was closest to the party.
Yoosung : I'm sure he'll be happy if you visit him. I would go myself, but I need to catch some Zs after uni.
Jaehee Kang: I'm not sure it's a good idea for Mei to visit him. The media is currently surrounding the place and we have enough scandals to deal with, considering how the party went.
V had been right to expect a backlash from the media. Just a quick glance at her Twitter feed made her frown in distaste. Almost every news outlet was talking about the RFA party. Searching for a scapegoat, they pushed the blame from person to person, pointing fingers in random directions and spreading their wild speculations as though they were facts. They could just wait until the police released an official statement, but of course that wouldn't be as juicy.
Mei knew this was simply how the media worked, but it still made her uncomfortable.
The detective was disappointed in herself. She knew it was stupid, but a small part of her blamed herself for what happened. Maybe, if she was more experienced in party planning and listened to her instincts, nobody would've gotten hurt. The party was supposed make everyone happy, but in the end it did the opposite with some bad publicity as an added bonus. If V was serious about planning another one soon, Mei wasn't sure whether she'd agree to organize it.
MC: Why would it be a scandal, if I visit a friend in the hospital? （・∩・）
Jaehee Kang: They don't know that you're just friends and will probably misunderstand.
Jaehee Kang: One of his biggest selling points is that he is still single. Luckily, Zen has managed to keep out of the tabloids so far. It could ruin his career, if the rumor mills catch wind of a secret girlfriend.
MC: I get that you're worried about him, Jaehee, but I think you're taking it a bit too far.
Jumin Han: I agree. There is no harm in Mei visiting Zen.
MC: Besides, it's not strange for me to visit a hospital as a former apprentice doctor.
Jaehee Kang: …
MC: I'll be careful and avoid reporters, I promise.
Jaehee Kang: I'm still against it!
Jumin Han: Miss Kang, that's enough!
MC: If it's so bad when I go alone, then come with me.
Jaehee Kang: Not all of us have so much freetime. I need to oversee the clean up committee at the party hall.
MC: Well, I don't know what to say to that…
[MC has left the chatroom.]
Overwhelmed with the situation, Mei did the only thing she could think of and fled the conversation.
She didn't get up from her seat as she tried to digest the disappointment that Jaehee's words left in her stomach. With everything that has been going on, a fight with Jaehee was the last thing she needed on her plate. The lack of trust from her friend felt like someone stabbed a knife through her chest. It hurt a lot. Yes, she understood where Jaehee was coming from—and Mei would never try to jeopardize his career—but Zen was her precious friend and she wouldn't stop seeing him because of some paparazzi.
Mei wished Seven had been there in the chat with them. He'd have known what to say to defuse the situation and divert their attention to another topic. Keeping peace between members as the silly defender of justice was his specialty. The lack of his lighthearted, out-of-context humor made her miss him even more.
Mondays definitely weren't happy days.
It must've rained yesterday since the air was humid with an earthy smell, making a sheen of water cling to her like a second skin. In the backstreets of downtown Seoul, Mei took in the familiar scenery with a small smile while avoiding leftover puddles in the cracks on the sidewalk. Being on vacation for two weeks had felt like a small eternity, but everything was just as she left it. Even her trusty black car still stood where she had carelessly parked it, at the corner of the street next to the falafel vendor.
She crossed the busy street, mentally preparing for work.
Contrary to popular belief, SIDA HQ wasn't an impressive skyscraper or a fancy Western-style building that most famous companies prided themselves with. It didn't even live up to the standards of a regular police precinct, but she suspected their chief preferred it that way.
It was a small, unassuming building made of old bricks, nestled between smoky bars, popular cafés and flower shops. The white paint was flaking from the walls, adding a certain shabby chic charm to the otherwise plain building. The only indication that this was in fact a serious government business was the steely plate next to the entrance in which the organization's name was engraved.
Seoul's Independent Detective Agency (SIDA)
In affiliation with the KFBI and SPD.
Chief of Investigations: Lee Park
Holding her breath as though her life depended on it, Mei slowly tiptoed into the office, wincing when the door closed behind her with a quiet click. The sound was way too loud in the deafening silence and she was afraid it would disturb a certain workaholic woman, who she'd rather avoid for now. She risked a glance at her wrist watch and broke out in a nervous sweat when she saw the time.
It was half-past ten, an hour later than her shift began.
Praying that her partner would turn a blind eye to her tardiness—wishful thinking on her part—she carefully made her way towards her desk. Once Kyu noticed her presence, she'd definitely chew her out, throw a couple of thinly veiled insults at her and deduct the absent time form her paycheck. Mei slumped in her office chair and let out an agonized sigh, ignoring Haneul's snickering in the background.
If she died and went to hell at that exact moment, it would take her at least ten minutes to realize she wasn't at work anymore.
Was this what Jaehee always felt like?
Not only was she late, but her desk was a terrible mess.
Files were haphazardly scattered across the wooden surface, unorganized and unlabelled, and the occasional sticky note was poking out between pages of an old report. Pictures and newspaper articles, connected by pins and multi-coloured threads, were slowly growing a mind of their own as they crossed over the borders of her pinboard and migrated to the wall. At the edge of the table, paperwork was starting to form an ominously tall pile that would undoubtly turn into a mountain by the end of the week.
Great. Someone had been dumping their unfinished paperwork on her.
Not to mention, the intern who had been on cleaning duty while she had been gone sucked. The entire place was a mess, not just her personal space.
Almost every surface in the office was now inhabited by empty coffee-to-go cups that shared their living space with donut packages, which were roommates with important police files. Every inch of their bulletin board was covered by public announcements, application forms, missing item inquiries, sketchy advertisements, company pamphlets, wanted posters and random sticky note conversations between employees. She saw an empty strawberry-flavoured pocky package next to a soda can that leaked brown liquid into a half-eaten sandwich.
Yuck.
The other interns, who were bustling about the place, minded the tables with particularly tall stacks of paper, which wobbled dangerously everytime someone dared to open a window. One gust of wind would probably cause several mental breakdowns. The raw look of terror that crossed their faces when someone accidentally stumbled over a chair spoke volumes. Instead of trying to pick up their coworker's slack however, the interns played a dangerous game of Jenga every time they had to add another file to a tower or take one away.
It was almost impressive.
She wondered briefly how the chief could allow this to happen, but then again, he was getting rather senile and was pretty fond of the young interns.
"Mei!"
Uh-oh.
A door slammed open in the distance, followed by rushed footsteps and she could sense her partner's terrible mood from all across the office. It was as though a dark entity had manifested and was ready to begin its paranormal activity by filling the air with unfiltered killing intent. Haneul took this as his cue to take off his headphones, always happy to stick his nose in other people's business. The black-haired man shot her an amused glance from across the room, hiding his obnoxious grin behind a file.
"Yes, Kyu?" Mei asked calmly, the picture of innocence. She didn't dare move a muscle, pretending that she had been sitting in her chair since the dawn of creation.
"Your shift started an hour and fourteen minutes ago," Kyu complained sternly, glaring daggers at her. "Tell me why you're suddenly unable to use a watch."
"I was totally on time," Mei lied and crossed her fingers. She hadn't learned her lesson from previous arguments with her parner.
Not only did Kyu have the emotional spectrum of a robot, she came with a built in lie detector that caught even the slightest amounts of bullshit. On cue, Kyu narrowed her eyes and turned to Haneul for confirmation, who immediately shrunk under her glare. Mei shot him a hopeful look, silently begging him to cover for her. However, the programmer cracked easily under pressure and quickly shook his head, making her groan in agony.
The detective hoped the bus he just threw her under would swerve to hit him on the pavement.
"Explain."
"Hana wouldn't let me leave before I cleaned up the apartment," Mei whined, holding up her injured hand to gather pity points. "It's hard to do it when your hand is injured, you know."
"Tsk. Then don't mess up your apartment in the first place," she countered and walked over to her desk to claim two coffee mugs. "You're worse than the interns."
Mei was about to ask why she needed two cups when she rose one to her lips and offered her the other one. The younger detective stiffened at the invitation; it was so unexpected and out-of-character for her grumpy superior that she was almost certain it was poisoned. Thanks to yesterday's events, she was especially wary.
Kyu frowned at her hesitance. "Do you want the freaking coffee or not?"
Slowly as though it was about to drop dead once she touched it, Mei accepted the peace offering.
"You practically cry me a river everyday about being nicer to people," Kyu lamented, lowering her cup from her lips, "but a cup of coffee is too forward?"
"From you? Yes, definitely." Mei grinned. "You're gonna scare the poor interns, if you suddenly went soft on them. Also, I bet Haneul would freak out and think you're plotting his death."
"Hm, I need to go about it differently then."
Taking a sip from the lukewarm goodness, the younger detective closed her blue eyes and hummed in bliss. It tasted way too bitter, but she was fond of Kyu's inability to make a decent cup. After a few peaceful seconds, she cracked one eye open and regarded her superior warily. "Now, what are you buttering me up for?"
"It's about that doctor you told me about yesterday. Seok Nam." Kyu got straight to the point, a grim expression darkening her face, and handed her a file from the top of her paperwork tower. "He was found dead in his apartment this morning when we tried to bring him in for interrogation."
"They're covering their tracks." Mei mumbled as she flipped it open to look at the pictures from the forensics. They showed several angles of the crime scene, which was a sparsely furnished room. A bespectacled man with graying hair and a white labcoat was laying on his laminate floor with a circular wound in the center of his forehead. Shards of glass were scattered around the body and apart from the area around his head, there was less blood than expected.
"Most likely." Kyu agreed. "It was a clean shot through the head."
"A sniper?"
Kyu nodded. "The window was shattered and the angle also suggests that he was shot from a distance. The culprit was experienced, probably a hired hand. The bullet is from a common brand, so that's a dead end. However, we found an interesting note that connects Dr. Nam to Mr. Wong's death."
The older detective took the file from her hands, flipped to another page and pulled out a charred piece of paper contained in transparent film. It was a letter addressed to Dr. Seok Nam, written in cut-out letters from newspaper headlines. The fonts and sizes didn't match, and someone had tried to burn it, which added a layer of foreboding to it that definitely wasn't needed.
Dearest Dr. Nam,
We hope that you will be delighted to know that your son is alive and well.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, he is unable to meet with you right now.
However, if you are willing to cooperate with our terms, it would be our
honor to reunite the two of you. We hope to hear from you soon, you won't
like what happens if you don't.
Kind regards.
There were several things that stuck out to Mei when she read the letter, but apart from the sickly sweet politeness that sent shivers down her spine, it was the use of 'we' that caught her attention. In connection with the cover up job, it confirmed that this was the work of a large organization rather than just their two suspects. Either way, they couldn't shoot Dr. Nam from the interrogation room at the police department.
"Auuro Nam is his son," Kyu stated the obvious. "They forced him to provide them with Botulinum and probably had him do other favours. Dr. Nam didn't know that his son was one of the people, who were blackmailing him."
"What did Nam Junior have to say to that?" Mei wondered. It was hard to imagine that a son would willingly put his father's life on the line. "What was their goal with poisoning the guests?"
"Both—him and Ms Kwon—are still tight lipped about their motives, but his father's death must've rattled him more than he let on. He probably didn't expect them to go through with it, so in a moment of clarity, he let the name of the organization slip." Kyu sounded excited and Mei was hanging onto her every word. "It's Mint Eye."
The young woman tilted her head to the side, not knowing what to do with this information since the name didn't ring any bells. Her partner furrowed her eyebrows, waiting for her to catch up. When she didn't, Kyu rolled her eyes and reminded her of the logo on the emails that some of the kidnapping victims received prior to their disappearance.
Oh, right. All of them had that artsy looking mint-green eye in the top right corner.
"So, the real culprit behind the missing persons case and the party case is an organization called Mint Eye," Mei exclaimed triumphantly. After months of dead ends, they finally had a breakthrough. "However, with large-scale operations like these, I wonder how many people are actually involved."
"If we assume that other kidnapping victims are acting similarly to Auuro Nam and joined the group, then they'd have a minimum of one hundred eighty members. They also need a leader or a few founding members who manage everyone else," Kyu concluded, counting every missing person and a handful of extras. "They must have at least one hacker, who caused the loops in the security feeds and covers up their traces when they send emails. It's also likely that they have connections to a chemist, who provides them with the drugs we found at the crime scenes, and the sniper is possibly a member as well."
The hacker who lead her to Rika's apartment … was he part of Mint Eye?
"Impressive," Mei commented dryly. "Their charming members and methods aside, it'd be great if we knew what they want."
"It's just a hunch, but I have a feeling they are connected to the RFA. It would explain why they targeted the charity event specifically."
Her partner frowned in concentration and took a sip from her coffee mug, voicing what the younger woman had suspected for a while. Mei had hoped with all her heart that it wasn't true. She didn't want her friends to be involved in such a serious case.
"Why do you think so?"
"There are too many coincidences." Kyu sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "We already know that they blackmailed Dr. Nam to assist with the kidnapping of Mr. Han's cat. The only benefit they would gain from such an action is testing C&R's security level and whether they could break through it. Worse, they somehow knew Mr. Han's company would be in charge of security during the party beforehand. All of this revolves around the RFA. You can't deny that, can you?"
Silently, Mei gazed into the murky brown depths of her own cup.
"I talked to the chief and we agreed to keep an eye on them," Kyu continued, ignoring her discomfort, before adopting a much softer tone. "I know that they are your friends and that you trust them, but we need to solve this case before anyone else gets hurt."
"Y-you want me to investigate them?" Mei stuttered, blue eyes widening in utter disbelief. "I can't do that, they are my friends and they're too kind to be working for criminals. If I asked, they'd probably all come here to answer our questions voluntarily."
"You know very well how little people actually tell us when interrogated," Kyu countered sternly, crossing her arms. "They're much more likely to reveal their secrets in an environment they feel comfortable with."
"I'm not gonna investigate them," she argued with tears in her eyes, silently acknowledging the truth in her partner's harsh words. "I just can't. It's much more likely that they are the targets in this situation anyway."
"You've changed." Kyu stated and the disappointment in her voice made her blood freeze. "The Mei I know would never shy away from the truth for her own benefit, no matter how painful it is. That's why I asked the chief to hire you and also why I wanted you to be my partner."
Her own benefit ...
It hurt to admit, but deep down she knew Kyu was right. She had finally found friends and was trying to protect that at all cost. Her wish to stay with them had clouded her judgment and made her turn a blind eye to obvious red flags. The drawers containing classified information, V's constant excuses, the situation with the hacker, Elizabeth's disappearance, V's odd request to keep the location of Rika's apartment secret, the mystery surrounding her suicide and their vague knowledge on where the funds went … the RFA had many secrets.
Mei had noticed the signs, but had refrained from digging deeper in fear of losing her friends' trust.
"I … I just …"
"When we were children you used to annoy me so much. You never left my side, even when I was bullied and told you to pretend to hate me, so you wouldn't get bullied too. Back then, you stomped your foot on the ground like a toddler and yelled that you wouldn't be able to live a lie," Kyu reminded her, smiling fondly at the memory. "It was incredibly corny and made me suffer from second-hand embarrassment, but deep down I thought it was pretty cool."
"Of course it was cool, I was the one who said it." Mei protested weakly, wiping a stray tear with the back of her bandaged hand. "Fine, I give. I know you're right, but it still sucks."
"I know that this must be hard for you." Kyu smiled a rare empathetic smile and embraced her, enveloping her with warmth that reminded her of an older sister she never had. It was a little awkward, since her childhood friend wasn't terribly good at giving hugs, but she enjoyed the comfort nonetheless. "It's not easy being a detective. We make more enemies than friends and we intrude on people's privacy. We work for the sake of others, for the ones who ask for our help. If they really are your friends, they'll understand."
She hid her face in her partner's shoulder and nodded, not trusting her voice just yet.
Right. This wasn't just about her and the RFA, but about the families that had been ripped apart by Mint Eye. It was about the desperate mothers, distraught fathers and hopeless siblings, who lingered in their waiting room day in day out, hoping for good news that would never come. If she was in their shoes and the ones responsible weren't investigating properly, she'd throw more than just a temper tantrum.
Silently, Mei vowed to uncover the connection between the RFA and Mint Eye. She wouldn't avert her eyes from the truth anymore. She was convinced her friends were innocent, she just needed to dig a little deeper prove it.
It was because she trusted them that she was able to doubt them.
"Let's begin the investigation!" With renewed determination—or maybe it was the caffein rush—Mei wiggled out of her colleague's arms and set her empty coffee mug on the table. "And you're lucky, Sherlock, because I know exactly where to start."
Leaving her car to gather dust at the street corner in favor of taking the train turned out to be a terrible decision. Mei regretted her choice as she stood squeezed between masses of people during rush hour, clutching the items she bought for Zen to her chest protectively. She hoped that at some point in the future she'd finally get over her aversion to cars.
At least she had managed to snatch a place close to a window, which provided a constant rush of fresh air and made the ride a little more bearable.
Gazing at the passing city in the evening sun, Mei wondered when her life had started to resemble an unfinished construction site. Every time she solved one problem, another two popped right up to replace it. It reminded her of when Hercules fought the Hydra in Greek mythology, just that she didn't have the fortune of solving her problems by burning them with a torch.
That would be epic though.
Most people around her were complaining about work, some were chatting about their friends and a group of students was talking about the incident at the RFA party. One of the guys parroted the opinion of the popular media to the group of giggling girls, claiming that poor security measures and a lack of organization endangered the guests. She tried not to listen to them, but it was hard to tune out a conversation that was happening thirty centimeters from your ear.
Quickly, she pulled out her headphones in hopes of droning them out with music, when she noticed the messages she had missed during work.
Jaehee Kang: I'm not sure if you want to talk to me right now, but I want to apologize for earlier. My nerves were on edge with everything that happened, so I barely slept last night.
Jaehee Kang: I was very stressed and took it out on you. You didn't deserve that.
Jaehee Kang: I'm sure you were worried as much as we were, but you still tried to keep our spirits up. And you are injured, too.
Jaehee Kang: I'm very sorry and I hope you can forgive me.
Jaehee Kang: I understand that you're angry, but I hope we can still be friends.
The private messages were send with time gaps in between, the most recent one was from three hours ago. Jaehee must be thinking that she was ignoring her on purpose, so she hurried with her reply.
MC: Jaehee! I'm sorry I couldn't reply earlier. I was at work (Ｔ▽Ｔ)
MC: If Kyu saw me using my phone for "non-work-related purposes", she'd throw it down the toilet for real lolol
Jaehee Kang: Mei! Thank you for replying and I'm sorry, I sometimes forget you have a job outside of RFA.
MC: Ah well, I guess I give off that impression (;￣ー￣川
Jaehee Kang: (Ŏ艸Ŏ)
MC: Anyhow, thanks for being honest with me. Yeah, I was angry but mostly I was hurt because you were treating me like an outsider.
MC: I know it might be asking a lot after only knowing each other for two weeks … but you're my friend.
Jaehee Kang: No, it's not! I feel the same way. Zen is just really important to me and he had to work hard to get to this point in his career. I don't want him to lose what he built up with so much care.
MC: I get it, but I really do think you're kind of overbearing … no offense.
MC: What if he falls in love and actually starts dating someone?
Jaehee Kang: We'll cross that bridge when we get there.
MC: That's exactly what I meant … ┐(-。ー;)┌
MC: His happiness is more important, isn't it?
Jaehee Kang: Of course! But he loves his career and it makes him happy.
Mei sighed in agony, barely resisting the urge to bang her head against the train's window. The only reason she held back was the crowd of people that would be witness to her insanity. She had the suspicion that the only person who could convince Jaehee was Zen, so she gave up on trying.
MC: This is getting nowhere, but that's okay. We don't have to agree ┐(´∀｀)┌
MC: If it makes you feel better, I really don't have any special feelings for Zen.
Jaehee Kang: (눈_눈)
Jaehee Kang: I'm not blind, you know.
MC: Huh?
Jaehee Kang: It's kind of obvious with the way you act around Luciel.
MC: W-wait! It's obvious?! Does he know?! (ﾟДﾟ；∬
Jaehee Kang: You're always sneaking glances at each other, it's kind of cute actually (◠‿◠✿)
MC: (/)
Jaehee Kang: Luciel is slow, so I don't think he has noticed yet.
MC: Don't tell anyone, please. I already regret telling Zen and the only other person who knows is Hana.
Jaehee Kang: Your secret is safe with me, although I don't understand what you like about him.
Jaehee Kang: Mr. Han is calling for me. Send my regards to Zen, please (◠‿◠✿)
MC: Of course! Maybe he'll let you go a bit earlier today *ヾ(-∀・*)*+
Jaehee Kang: You underestimate Mr. Han's love for cat projects ...
It was the second time that the detective felt a weight leave her chest today. She was glad that Jaehee and her made up so quickly, despite having different opinions. Actually, Mei had meant to call her after her trip to the hospital. Her mother used to say that going to sleep without resolving an argument will make it fester over night and when you wake up the next morning, it will be ten times worse.
The metaphor had scared the young Cheon siblings enough to live by their mother's philosophy without questioning it.
It was a trip down memory lane as soon as Mei stepped into Sky University Hospital—the place she used to frequent everyday once she had decided to become a doctor. During her apprenticeship, she had been mostly stressing over memorizing patient files and studying for her exams. More then once, she had collapsed from exhaustion in one of the on-call rooms and woken up with her entire body aching.
She learned much later that the beds were made of hard plastic and no human being should ever consider sleeping on them.
Wrinkling her nose at the smell of antiseptic, Mei pushed her way past the reporters and emergency staff with her bag of groceries swinging beside her. After a quick chat with the burned out nurse at the reception desk, she made her way across the squeaky clean linoleum floor towards Zen's room. It was on the second floor in the private patient zone, courtesy to Jumin.
"Mei, it's good to see you." Zen smiled happily from the hospital bed, trying to get up to greet her properly. "If it makes a cute lady come to visit me, I guess being hospitalized has its perks after all."
"A-ah, stop! Don't move," Mei cried worriedly and flailed her arms, motioning for him to lie down. "The doctors said you need to rest and give your body a chance to regain strength."
"I don't care what they say," he grumbled with a pout. "I feel fine, but they won't release me for another five days. I'm going to die of boredom and ruin my skin with hospital food. Do you know how bad their dakjuk* is?"
"I worked here." Mei laughed, remembering the time when she thought her lunch would grow legs and walk out of the door. "That's why I brought your favorite fish-shaped bread, snacks and the latest fashion magazines."
"You're an angel," Zen said amazed. "Still, I wish they would just release me."
"They just want to make sure you're okay," she assured, unclipping his patient file from the end of the bed and shuffling through the papers.
His blood values were surprisingly decent, but his pH value was still on the low side. According to the curve, the traces of the poison went down drastically during the night, after they emptied his stomach and gave him the antitoxin. Multiple tests showed that parts of his body were still recovering from the flaccid paralysis. In all honesty, it was a miracle they'd release him this early since the average recovery time for Botulinum poisoning was weeks and not days.
"Botulinum is really dangerous and poison always takes a while until it's completely out of your system. I'm sure they'll perform a few mandatory checkups tomorrow. If your vitals stay stable, they might let you go home early."
"This is imprisonment," Zen muttered, not at all pleased with her assessment. "Isn't it illegal to hold a patient in the hospital against their will? I'm sure Jerkmin bribed the staff, so they won't let me escape."
Mei giggled and took a seat on the edge of his bed, taking his pale hand in hers. "Just smile at an unsuspecting nurse and I'm sure they'll fawn all over you. They'll never sign your release form though because otherwise, they can't stare at your pretty face anymore."
"Being beautiful is such a pain sometimes," he lamented dramatically. "I'm flattered, really, but instead of flirting with the nurses I'd rather get out of here."
"That's not like you at all." Mei observed. Sure, she hadn't pegged him for the type to behave and wait patiently until he recovers, but he was acting like a petulant child. "What's with the rush?"
"Nothing gets by you." He sighed deeply and shook his head. "It was supposed to be a surprise, but I got an amazing job offer that could change my career forever."
"That's amazing, I'm so happy for you," Mei cheered and squeezed his hand. "Did someone at the party offer it to you?"
"Echo Girl did." Zen grinned, though there was frustration in his crimson eyes. "She said that she's a fan of mine, can you believe it? She got the role of the main female lead in a new romantic drama movie and asked me if I wanted to be her co-star."
Mei's excitement dimmed a little once she heard the name, but played along and shook her head with a smile.
"I couldn't believe it either. I haven't given her an answer yet because I wanted to talk to my agent first," Zen gushed, glowing with pride, "but that's the problem. Rehearsals start tomorrow already, which is why I really need to get out of here."
"If they are professionals, they can wait for a few more days." the detective reasoned, hating to put a damper on his spirit. "They probably heard what happened at the party anyways, it's all over the news. If Echo Girl was with you back then, she definitely knows that you're in the hospital."
"I hate it when you're right." Zen let his head fall back onto the pillow and stared at the ceiling, but the tension left his shoulders. "I guess I'll call my manager in the morning. But if I end up losing the job I'm blaming you."
"I can live with that." The detective exhaled in relief when he caved in and busied herself with unpacking the bag she brought. After she had stowed everything away within his reach and refilled his glass of water, she sat back down with a smile on her face.
"Now, what's with that half-hearted smile of yours?" Zen poked her cheek and inspected her face curiously. "Your eyes are a puffy. Did you cry earlier?"
"I … uhm," Mei fumbled for words, her happy-go-lucky facade slowly crumbling. "... kind of."
The actors expression turned serious as though he was mentally preparing to beat up whoever made her cry. "Why?"
"I'm just a bit overwhelmed ... today has been a little rough," she admitted hesitantly. "I-I'm sorry that the party went the way it did. I know it's not my fault, but I can't help but feel responsible. Everyone was looking forward to it."
"Stupid girl, there is no need to apologize." Gently, Zen wiped away some stray tears and patted the crown of her head. "You already did so much for us without ever asking anything in return and no matter how the party went, we raised a lot of money for the children's hospital. It's not your fault that two employees turned homicidal."
It wasn't easy to accept his warm words, but she'd try her best to believe them. Closing her weary blue eyes, Mei let herself fall to the side on the hospital bed, the exhaustion from the day was finally catching up to her. A fight with Jaehee, an argument with Kyu, the media backlash, Echo Girl, Hana's mood swings, Mint Eye and the RFA, her feelings for Seven … and his absence.
There was only so much one person can deal with in twenty-four hours.
"I don't like Mondays."
Mei buried her face in the pristine hospital bedcovers and Zen laughed loudly.
"Me neither."
To Be Continued ...