Now With U (Living In The Past - Book 2) (WheeByul)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

"Hello?"

"Good morning, Byul. I'm sorry for bothering you this early in the morning."

She held back a sigh when she heard his voice. "It's alright, Mr. Jung. How can I help you?"

"Can I drop by later tonight? A friend of mine just came back from Jeju and he gave me so many oranges, I can't possibly finish them all alone. I was thinking of sharing them with WheeIn and you."

"That's... very nice of you, Mr. Jung."

He heard the hesitation. "She'd probably kick me out, huh?"

"I don't think she'd do anything that drastic," said Byul then paused, looking behind her, in the direction of the conference room. "Um... is it okay if I call you back later, Sir? I'm in the middle of a meeting right now."

"Oh of course! Of course! I'm so sorry for interrupting your meeting. I'll talk to you later then. Goodbye, Byul."

"Goodbye, Sir."

Byul hung up, let out her sigh and went back inside the conference room.

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Back in the conference room, the others had thought the same as WheeIn when they saw Byul taking the call. It was unlikely for the inspector to let anything interrupt a meeting regarding Ji Soo or Ji-sub. They didn't comment on it though, resorting to briefly exchanged glances and subtle shrugs instead.

"Okay, let's just continue. I've spoken to the officer who was shadowing Tae Hyung. He's been replaced. The attackers knew who he was. And we're pretty sure that the drunk who distracted him was indeed part of the ambush plan," said Solar.

"So are we officially the target now?" asked Hwasa.

"I sincerely hope not. But let's prepare for the worst," said Solar.

"You think its Ji Soo, Captain?" asked Jimin.

"Like I said, we still have to wait for the DNA results to confirm that but I'm not taking any chances. As of now, I want each of you to be extra careful."

The door opened and in walked Byul.

"Sorry about that," she said as she took her seat.

"Who was that?" asked WheeIn in a low voice.

"I'll tell you later," whispered Byul before she looked at Solar. "Do continue."

"Well, now that we've all caught up, I'm afraid there's nothing else we can do but wait for the DNA results. Oh and Senior Inspector Jung Jin Young had kindly told me that they're planning another raid soon."

"How soon?" Byul asked.

"I don't know. He won't tell me. But you can ask him yourself later. He said he'd come by to drop off Eun Won-jae's files today."

Byul opened her mouth, about to ask another question, when a knock from the door interrupted her.

They turned their heads to see Bo Mi pushing the door open, walking inside with a tablet in her hand.

"Oh good. Everybody's here," she said as she plugged the tablet in.

"Found something?" asked Solar.

"DNA results on the spit from Tae Hyung's face."

"That's fast."

"I took the liberty of comparing it to a certain sample first before I searched the database. And I hit the jackpot on the first go."

"What?"

Bo Mi displayed the picture of the familiar man.

"Seriously? Him again?" Jimin was flabbergasted when he saw Uhm Tae-woong's face on the screen.

"I'm afraid so. I stayed up all night trying to make sure I didn't make a mistake. It's his DNA."

"So Ji-sub's really behind all this," mumbled Seulgi.

"Unless this Uhm Tae-woong is working for someone else," said Hwasa.

"That won't make sense. No one else has motive to attack Sandeul or Tae Hyung," interjected Byul.

"He could be working for some other criminal that hates our guts. I know at least a prison full of those, Byul," argued Hwasa. She didn't want to admit it but she was hoping that Byul was wrong, that it wasn't Ji Soo who was after them. The memory of being blown away wasn't really pleasant and she honestly didn't want to be afraid of touching another light switch. It took her a while to get over that trauma.

"But he's tied to Ji-sub and Ji Soo. It would be more likely for him to go back to working for them instead of risking everything to hunt cops for someone he doesn't know."

"First things first. Let's not assume, okay? We're supposed to find evidence to support our theory before we do anything," Solar reminded her team. "I will increase the priority on the alert for Uhm Tae-woong. We'll bring him in. What else did you find?" she asked Bo Mi.

"Nothing much, I'm afraid. There were no usable prints or traces on Tae Hyung's clothes except for the spit. They used their bare hands so no wound shapes to analyze either."

"Okay. Thanks, Bo Mi. Go get some sleep."

"No problem. Good luck, everyone," said Bo Mi before she left the room.

"Did you call the Suncheon Superintendent, Captain?" asked Hwasa. "To get some speed on that DNA test?"

"I did. And I think the Commissioner also gave him a quick call when I told him about Tae Hyung. I expect the results to arrive before lunch. Don't worry, Inspector Ahn. We'll know soon enough," answered Solar. "Now then, anything else that we need to update each other on?"

"Have you talked to the team who's in charge of shadowing us? Because they seem to be slacking off quite a lot," said Byul.

"I did. And they know that they need to step up their game."

"Well, just in case they're having problems, I won't mind talking to them about their methods and shifts."

"The Commissioner has personally contacted the head of that team. I think he's a little worried about his daughter too," said Solar with a small smile on her face. "Rest assured, the next time they mess up, there will be scary things heading their way."

"Oh okay then."

"Don't worry, Byul-ah. They've doubled the protection. Each of us will be shadowed by at least two officers now. Not all the time, but there will be more assigned to us so that it's easier to intercept unexpected attacks when we change locations."

"Not all the time? So what's the use?" asked Seulgi.

"Well, if you're here at the station, there's no need to have two officers watching and waiting for you outside. But should you be moving to a more crowded location like the market or downtown, there will be more than one person standing by," explained Solar. "Besides, we're trained officers of the law. We should be able to protect ourselves better and be on our guard."

"I can't. Unfortunately," remarked WheeIn solemnly.

"You have me," replied Byul with a comforting pat on WheeIn's hand.

"I wish I could gag but since we're being serious and everything, all I can say is... Byul's right. You have her and us," said Hwasa, smirking.

"Thanks." WheeIn gave Byul and her friends a small smile. She wasn't 100% at ease yet, especially since there was Ha-eun to consider too, but she didn't want to add to everyone's worry.

"Right. Let's go back to the other reports and cases while we wa-..."

Solar's sentence was interrupted by the ringing phone in the middle of the large table.

Jimin reached out and answered it. "Hello? Yes, she's here." He looked at Solar. "Senior Inspector Jung Jin Young is here to see you, Captain."

"Great! Send him in here."

Jimin relayed the message then placed the receiver back in its place.

They waited for a minute before the neat young man knocked on the door and walked inside. "Good morning," he greeted everyone.

"Good morning," said Solar while the others stood up and bowed politely. "Did you bring the rest of the Eun Won-jae file?"

"Yes." He handed Solar a USB flash drive. "It's all in here. There aren't many copies of this considering its confidentiality so I'd appreciate it if you didn't spread it around. His life literally depends on it."

"I understand. I'll make sure to keep this as safe as I can. And once we're done, I'll format the drive and return it to you."

"That would be great. The Commissioner told me that another member of your team was attacked last night?"

Solar nodded.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I guess those pictures really were a threat."

"You have been keeping a constant eye on Ji-sub, haven't you?" asked Byul.

Jin Young turned to face the inspector. "Yes, we have."

"Does it seem like he has something else going on besides his little drug business?"

"You mean whether he has the time to plan these attacks on your team?"

Byul nodded.

"To be quite honest, it doesn't seem like it. He doesn't have that many men around anymore. The ones he paid to help out in his little makeshift factories were picked off the streets. They're dispensable and could be discarded instantly, like the ones we busted last time," answered Jin Young. "So I don't really know how he could allocate his resources to actually stalk you guys and attack you. He's in a tough spot right now." He then lowered his voice. "We're planning another raid but I can't tell you when or where."

Byul took a deep breath. Her conviction that Ji Soo was really the one behind all this grew even stronger.

"I know what you're thinking," Jin Young said. "Captain Kim has told me about your theory. One thing that bothers me, though. If you're right, then is he working alone? I mean, apart from his uncle? Because we haven't seen him around."

"He could be laying low? Disguise himself as someone else maybe?" suggested Jimin. "He has to pretend to be dead, doesn't he?"

"Good point. I'll try to look deeper into Ji-sub's new recruits. In the meantime, feel free to contact me if you need any help," Jin Young said, getting ready to leave. "I'm sorry to run but my team is expecting me."

"Thank you for all your help, Senior Inspector Jung. I'll walk you out." Solar ushered the man out of the conference room after he politely bid goodbye to the team.

The large room went quiet.

"So he's after us now? Revenge from beyond the grave?" mumbled Seulgi.

"He's technically not in the grave yet. We still need proof," said Jimin.

Byul heard a sigh and turned her head to see WheeIn looking down dejectedly. "Hey. What's wrong?"

"This is all my fault."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"If it weren't for me, you guys wouldn't have been dragged into this whole mess with Ji Soo in the first place," WheeIn said, still not lifting her head.

"We're cops, WheeIn-ah. We've been after Ji-sub for years. Even without your involvement, we would've come across Ji Soo sooner or later. In fact, it's kinda the other way around. He's the reason why we met you," said Hwasa. "This is nonsense talk. You're making me hungry." She stood up. "I assume we're done here, Byul? At least until we get the DNA results?"

"Yeah," said Byul. "Let's go finish the other cases while we wait. And always tell each other where we are when we're out. I don't want to get any more calls about one of you in the hospital. Got it?"

"Yes, Ma'am," saluted Seulgi.

They dispersed, leaving the two people in the conference room.

"It's not your fault, WheeIna-ah," Byul said as she moved her chair closer to WheeIn.

"I still feel like it is." WheeIn exhaled. "Anyway, who was that on the phone?"

"Your father."

"What? What did he want?"

"He wants to come by the apartment tonight."

"What for?"

"I think he wants to see his daughter."

WheeIn shook her head and stood up without saying anything.

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"Hello?"

"Good morning. Is this Inspector Ahn Hyejin?"

"Yes. May I ask who's calling?"

"It's me, Assistant Inspector Lee Jae-hwan from Suncheon police."

"Ah! Jae-hwan! What's up?"

Byul and Seulgi turned their heads towards their friend.

"The DNA results are here, Inspector. As per your Captain's instruction through my Superintendent, I've sent them directly to your lab technician to verify. A Miss Yoon Bo Mi?"

"Ah yes. Thanks. What's the verdict?"

"Um... I'm afraid that none of the bodies we found in that backyard had the same DNA as So Ji Soo," said Jae-hwan carefully.

Hwasa held back a groan. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. We've practically dug up the entire garden and compared everything we found. There were even animal remains. A dead pet, maybe? But unfortunately, no Ji Soo."

The tall inspector ran her fingers through her hair and leaned back in her seat, heaving a sigh. "Okay then. Thanks, Jae-hwan."

"You're welcome, Inspector."

Hwasa ended the call and dialed an extension. "Bo Mi-yah."

"Yes, Hyejin-ah?"

"Did you get the test results from the Suncheon lab?"

"I did, as a matter of fact."

"Could you verify it?"

"I could and I have, as a matter of fact. I've also asked Doctor Shin to take a quick look at it. The results appear to be valid and I was just about to go talk to Solar unnie about it."

"Come up then. I'll tell the rest and meet you at the conference room."

"On my way."

Hwasa placed the receiver back in its place and stood up, ignoring her friends' stares as she went to Solar's office. She knocked on the door and opened it when she heard the permission to come in.

"DNA results are here," she told Solar. "Bo Mi's coming up to brief us about it."

"Let's go then. Con room," said Solar, standing up from her seat.

Hwasa turned around. "Con room. Now," she told everyone there.

"This doesn't look good," muttered Seulgi under her breath as she pushed her chair back and stood up, following Hwasa.

"He's not dead, is he?" WheeIn held Byul's hand.

"I don't know. Let's go find out." She squeezed WheeIn's hand and pulled her towards the conference room.

They anxiously waited for Bo Mi who arrived just a few short minutes later with her tablet. Without saying a word, she plugged the device in and displayed the test results on the screen. "Can I just get to it, Unnie?" she asked Solar who nodded in approval.

"That backyard contained remains of eleven people and two animals: one dog and one cat. Four out of the eleven were female. All DNA samples were properly tested and compared against So Ji Soo's, but unfortunately, none of them is a match. So Ji Soo was not buried among those remains," stated Bo Mi as coolly as she could. She figured that it would be better to just get things out in the open as fast as possible.

None of the team members were surprised. They had all suspected at some level that Ji Soo wasn't dead. This just confirmed it.

"Well, looks like you're right, Byul," Solar told Byul.

"Somehow I don't feel good about being right this time," replied Byul grimly. "So he's out there somewhere, stalking us? How the heck did this happen?"

"One thing's for sure. We're going back to Suncheon," said Solar. "Inspector Ahn, go back there and bring those hospital staff in for questioning. Inspector Moon and Inspector Kang will go with you. Leave today. I want answers."

"Yes, Captain."

"I'll update the Commissioner about this. As of now, I will officially request to reinvestigate So Ji Soo's death and whether he is linked to the attacks on Sandeul and Tae Hyung," continued Solar.

"If Ji Soo's not in that hole then whose body did they use to replace him?"

"I bet my badge that Ji Soo just picked some poor beggar off the street then killed him to replace himself," scoffed Jimin.

"Most likely so. But what I'm more curious about is who did the body switch and how," Byul said. "Can you check the first available train out to Suncheon, Hwasa?" she asked her friend. "And contact your Suncheon police friend to pick these people up as soon as possible."

"On it." Hwasa stood up and left the room.

"Might as well book some nice, cheap accommodation, Inspector," suggested Solar. "You won't make it back to Seoul tonight, I'm afraid."

"Seulg, can you help with that? We might be stuck at the station most of the time but it'd be good to have a proper bed to crash in, just in case," said Byul.

"I'll see what I can do." Seulgi immediately set out to do her task.

"I'll go talk to the Commissioner and alert the team that will be following the three of you. They need to prepare themselves for a trip to Suncheon as well. I don't want any surprises." Solar stood up and, together with Bo Mi and Jimin, left the conference room.

"You okay?" Byul asked WheeIn who hadn't said a word since they stepped inside that room.

"He's back out, huh? He's after us again. It never ends, does it?" mumbled WheeIn as she looked down, staring at the table while her mind tried to make sense of things.

Byul got up from her seat and gave WheeIn a hug. "We'll get him, for good this time. Don't you worry."

WheeIn's arms went around Byul, holding her tight. She was scared. Somehow she knew that Ji Soo hated her most and that he would do anything to get his revenge on her.

"Don't worry, Whee. I'll personally make sure that he's dead the next time I see him."

WheeIn released Byul and looked up. "Don't say it like that." She saw the unrecognizable look in Byul's eyes and grew alarmed. "Don't do crazy things, Star. I don't want to lose you."

"I'm not going anywhere." She then remembered her impending trip to Suncheon. "By the way, do you mind staying with Yong until I get back from Suncheon? It will set me at ease."

"I don't want to be a bother to her or her parents. There's Ha-eun too, you know."

"But I don't feel safe leaving you two alone in the apartment. Please? Her parents won't mind. They're like my own parents, you know."

"It's gonna be awkward and uncomfortable-..."

"But safe. That's all that matters right now. Please?" pleaded Byul. I can't lose you like I did him. It would literally kill me.

WheeIn saw the fear. "Okay," she relented.

"Great. I'll take care of everything. I'll talk to Yong and her parents." Byul kissed the top of WheeIn's head and held her close. "It's gonna be alright, Whee. Everything's going to be alright."

WheeIn closed her eyes, tightening her grip on Byul's shirt. I hope so. I really hope so.

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"All set?" Seulgi shouldered her backpack.

"Yeah. Let's go. Oh wait. You guys go ahead. I need to talk to Solar for a bit," said Byul.

"We'll wait in the car then."

Byul watched Hwasa and Seulgi exit the work area then turned around to talk to Jimin. "Jimin-ah, can I ask you a favor?"

"Let me guess. Look after WheeIn and Ha-eun?" He smiled.

"Yeah."

"Consider it done. Tae Hyung said he'd come back to work tomorrow and since we're kinda shorthanded at the moment, the Captain couldn't even protest. So rest assured, both of us will look after WheeIn and Ha-eun."

"Thanks. I owe you."

"No worries, Byul. Be safe, okay?"

"You too." Byul gave Jimin a grateful pat on the shoulder before she went to knock at Solar's door.

"Come in." The Captain turned her head from her computer screen. "You're still here?"

"You're still typing?"

"I'm almost done. The formal request to reopen Ji Soo's case will be submitted by the time you're sitting in that train," said Solar. She then saw the look on Byul's face. "WheeIn and Ha-eun would be safe with Appa and me, Byul-ah. Don't worry. No one would dare come near the Commissioner and the Captain's house. Unless they're total suicidal idiots, that is," she tried to joke to set Byul at ease. "I'll take care of everything. I'm sorry you have to leave but-..."

"Don't apologize. I'm a pro. I do my job well."

"I know that. But I just want to apologize anyway. I wish you could stay here but unfortunately, you're the best I have. So I need you out there."

"Again, do not apologize. I know the risk." She couldn't help but think of him.

"Yeah. I understand." Solar was thinking about the same person too. "WheeIn will be okay, Byul-ah. I promise to personally make sure of that."

Byul gave Solar a small grateful smile. "Thanks. I better get going then."

"Have a safe trip and keep me updated."

"Will do."

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"Take care, you hear?" she whispered in her ear.

"I will. You too. Always tell Yong where you're going, okay?" Byul whispered back. "I'll only be gone for a couple of days tops. You can argue with me again in no time."

WheeIn didn't smile at the joke.

"Don't look so sad. It's not like I'm going away for months or anything." She gave her a quick peck. "Gotta go. Those two noisy kids will kick my butt if we miss the train because of me."

Byul took a step back but WheeIn held her in place. "Whee-..." Her sentence was interrupted by a passionate kiss.

"I love you," mumbled WheeIn against Byul's lips. She knew she was being unreasonably clingy but she couldn't help it. She was worried and scared and not having Byul there, even only for a few days, had intensified those feelings.

"I love you too." She gave her one final peck then reluctantly pried her hands off. "I gotta go. I'll call you tonight so I can talk to Ha-eun. Call me if there's anything at all, okay?"

WheeIn nodded and watched Byul get into the car where Hwasa and Seulgi were waiting. She waved goodbye sadly and didn't budge until the car disappeared from her sight.

"Whee."

Jimin's voice startled her. She turned around to see him smiling at her.

"I need some fresh air. How about I go with you and pick Ha-eun up from school?"

"Did she tell you to babysit us?"

"Not really. But I seriously needed a break. We can go visit Sandeul too. He's being released today. Maybe Ha-eun could cheer him up a bit."

"Okay then. Let me go get my bag."

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Here's my update for this week for you guys... Hope you enjoy reading this...

Thank you for all the encouraging comments you've left on the previous chapter. I'm actually reading them.. 

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