Broken Cause [Book 1]

Chapter 3 (Part 4)

"So you finally told Lisa about it?" The man put his chopsticks down to take a sip from his glass.

Jennie nodded.

"How did she react?"

"Not very well, as expected," replied Jennie after she had swallowed her food.

They were having dinner at his office, ordering take out from his favorite restaurant because he happened to finish work earlier than expected that night and decided to use the time to catch up with his daughter.

"Did you track down those men?" He asked.

"Yes and they've disappeared. Even their parole officers don't know where they are."

He silently sighed. "Any luck with talking to the families involved in the bribing?"

Jennie shook her head.

"Need help talking to them?" He looked at his daughter.

"Not yet. I have issued a formal invitation for them to come to the station for questioning. Let's see how that turns out. I'll let you know when I need your help." Jennie put another chopstick full of rice into her mouth.

He nodded. "How are you holding up?"

Jennie shrugged.

"I know it must be tough to decide not to join the operation..." He carefully said.

"What's done is done, Appa. It's best for Lisa and me to just focus on our case for now. If you need our help, I'll gladly join but not now."

He looked at his daughter in silent admiration. "Okay then." He paused - resuming his meal. "Seonho would be so proud of you two right now," he mumbled.

Jennie stopped chewing at the mention of her brother's name. She might look tough on the outside - less affected than Lisa, most of the time - but inside, she also still couldn't forgive Yongbak for what he had done; for taking her hero away from her. She always said that she had the best big brother in the whole world and she meant it. He was the best.

The Commissioner knew this. That was why he would mention his son's name every now and then, to make sure that his daughter would remember to let go.

"I did what I had to do. Nothing to be proud of." Jennie swallowed. She suddenly lost her appetite. She put her chopsticks down, grabbed her glass and leaned back. "I still can't find the leak and before that's fixed, I do not want to risk endangering the operation." She took a sip. "Besides, Lisa needs to focus on keeping Chaeyoung safe for now. Seungjin's up to something." She placed her glass down on the table. "I called the head warden of the prison he's in. I told him to be on his guard."

"Got a hunch?" He asked.

Jennie nodded. "Since the parole will not be granted, I'm afraid that Yongbak would try something more desperate to get his nephew out. He has grown to suspect his own men. He'll do anything to get his trustworthy staff back no matter how stupid they are."

"You actually think that the leak is in your team?" He raised his eyebrows.

"I sincerely hope not but at this time, I can't rule out anyone."

He wiped his mouth. "So what are you going to do about it?"

"The only thing I can do. Be on the constant lookout for anything suspicious. I will not involve anyone in this. The team needs to work together. They can't suspect each other. It's bad enough to see Lisa and the other unnies keeping secrets from the boys. I can't jeopardize their bond," answered Jennie.

"I understand." He leaned back. "How's your love life?" He tried changing the subject.

Jennie rolled her eyes and didn't answer.