Hate You, Love You. | Jenlisa

96

The car ride is silent as Hyejun and I drive to the police station, my sister and Lisa following closely from behind. Who knew that all it took was me yelling for Lisa and Hyejun to cooperate with me.

The night sky sweeps through me like a wave as we comb through the semi-busy streets and pass by the brightly lit shops and restaurants filled with people.

"You said we have stuff to discuss?" Hyejun starts.

"You said you had info regarding my case," I press. "Well, I'm all ears."

"So that's why you wanted to ride with me." His side profile reveals a hint of a smile. "Here I was thinking you liked me."

"You're hilarious," I deadpan. "Spill."

"So, the reason why I was MIA for a week was because the guys and I had a closer look at the letter that was sent to you. I know we sent it too forensics and two hand writing experts but the Detective suggested that we do a further analysis before we ruled out anything."

"You're talking about the alleged letter by Kai?"

He nods. "That one." He glances to me. "Are you ready for what I'm about to tell you?"

At this stage in my life, nothing can shock me or strike me as surprising anymore. I found out that the guy I considered to be my boyfriend is somehow involved in the mafia, Lisa is a gang leader, some psycho allegedly affiliated with Kai wants my head and he or she may or may not be holding him hostage,

"I'm ready," I sigh. "I received the a dead rat as a gift and now my tires are slashed. Nothing can shock me anymore."

"I'm sorry about the tires," he says apologetically. "I know how much your car meant to you."

"My car was my baby," I shrug. "But I guess I have to find a new one." A new one I didn't even plan for.

"I'll speak to the Detective and we'd arrange for a temporary car to be brought to your residence on Monday."

"You don't need to do that," I object. "Seriously, I can arrange something with Rosé and we'd figure it out."

"I insist. You're still a victim and a witness in high profile investigation." He points out. "I would have said you'd ride with me but we have to be discreet since you drop Ella off in the mornings."

"True and thank you," I answer warmly. "I really appreciate it."

"No problem."

We make a left turn. "So, we combed through the evidences that we have thus far and the Detective stumbled upon a file that was buried under tons of paperwork."

I nod and he continues. "The file contained a sworn statement written by a woman and her handwriting matched the letter that you received in the mailbox."

I blink in disbelief. "Really?"

"Really." If the handwriting is a match to this woman then maybe she's the key to all our questions. "At first I couldn't believe it, but then we had them examined by another set of handwriting experts and it was a match, an unmistakeable one."

"Then that means she's the one who sent it and she's the key to all this."

He sighs deeply. "This is the part where it gets tricky. The woman's name is Jung Soojung and she was arrested on a misdemeanour charge five years ago."

Jung Soojung?

"The name doesn't ring a bell." I've never heard of Jung Soojung before. To be hinest, I've never met someone bearing the name Soojung before. It sounds like a rich kids' name.

"I thought as much. We search our database for a Soojung, even going through cell phone records and phonebooks but we didn't find a Soojung. It's like she never existed. I don't know why she was never put into the system, but she wasn't. There was no picture of her taken and no fingerprints or DNA sample."

He reduces the volume of the radio. "She was arrested but was let go immediately as no charges were pressed, so that explains the reason why her picture wasn't taken."

Great, another dead end. "So what you're saying is Jung Soojung, whoever she is, wrote the letter and there's no record of her whatsoever? No pictures, no phone records, no nothing?"

He nods. "Exactly."

But why would Jung Soojung send me a fake note stating that Kai is okay? Is she holding him hostage? Do they know each other?

"Why would she send me a fake note?" So many things are not adding up and this new twist to the mystery is taking us 30 steps back. "I don't know her and I never heard of Kai saying he knew a Soojung."

Then again, I never knew Kai as the type to have friends. He was a sociable guy but he didn't have friends. He was always codial and diplomatic when handling people–it comes with the territory.

Kai hid a lot of things from me so I wouldn't be surprised if he knew a Soojung.

"I don't know why she would send a fake note to you and what her objective is, but trust me, I'll find out." He answers, his voice determined. I see the familiar glass, double doors of the station and sigh, feeling even more confused and dissatisfied.

"We're here."

I see Lisa's Veyron pull up beside us and I brace myself for what I'm going to tell the Officers and Detective.

Slashed tires and now a Jung Soojung is being added to the already fucked up mix. Unbuckling my seat belt, I let the cool air hit my face in full force and side step the car, staring straight ahead at the station.

I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing and being inside a police station.

"Jen," I hear my sister's voice call out as she rushed to my side. "I took a ride in Lisa's Veyron and it was so cool," she gushes. "We were going so fast, like really fast," she explains animatedly. "Faster that your car's ever gone and Lisa rolled down the windows and let the wind slap us in the face!"

She continues. "Then she showed me the center thingy with all the cool buttons."

"That's great," I say with a small smile. "Did you have fun?"

She nods vigorously. "I did. I wish I could ride in it everyday."

"I won't mind," Lisa says, approaching us. "I've never had a younger sibling before and you're definitely cool. It was fun riding with you and I'd love to do it again." They high-five each other. "But ultimately the decision is left to your sister."

Ella gives me her signature pout, the one she sports anytime she wants something from me. "Pretty please with ice cream and syrup pancakes."

"We'll take about it later, I promise." I give her a look that tells her not to argue with me.

"Fine."

Lisa stares at me with concern. "Are you okay, Princess? You seem troubled."

There's trouble alright, but I have no idea who's starting the pot.

"I'm fine. I'm not a fan of police stations is all."

This Friday is definitely one for the books.