HE RAN AWAY ☆ b.chan

02

Unfortunately, Rie’s joy and inner peace didn’t last long enough for her liking. A few hours later, a loud banging on the door had pulled her out of her well-deserved nap. Looking through the peephole, she noticed one man and one woman, standing straight, a serious expressions on their faces. They were dressed formally, and waited patiently, arms crossed over their chests. In the same position and with the same closed expression, they looked like clones. Rie forgot a second she had to open the door, and the woman knocked again. Guess she didn’t have a choice. They wouldn’t leave anytime soon.

She pulled the door open in a slow motion, her eyebrows furrowing more and more as she examined their faces. When she completely revealed herself to them, they smiled, or at least tried to - it looked so forced and tight around their lips. They weren’t here for friendly business, Rie sensed it.

“Are you Kwon Rie?” the woman asked, letting go of her fake smile. Rie replied with a simple nod. Saying one word could possibly sign her death, according to their faces. “Great, we were looking for you. Is Bang Chan here too?”

Rie swallowed a lump in her throat and rubbed her clammy hands together. “No, he left early this morning.” Why were they even here? “Can I help you?”

The man stepped forward, his chin high. “I’m sure you can. Can we come in?”

It wasn’t a question, and she knew it. They made their way into the apartment and settled into the couch, leaving only a chair for her. How considerate. She didn’t even know their names, nor why they were here, yet they had stolen her place on the comfortable couch. This was enough of a reason to kick them out, but Rie was a polite person, of course. At least she would try to be. Who knew what these two mobster-looking individuals could do to her if she showed any belligerence. Now was not the time to get kidnapped or tortured.

She plonked herself down on the plastic chair, crossing her legs to mirror the other woman’s action. A heavy silence settled in the air, and Rie wished she could have blown it away. But it wasn’t her turn to talk. She would stay silent, for once.

“If you haven’t guess already, we’re from the police.” Rie hadn’t guessed. They looked like mafia members, how could she possibly think about the police? “We’re looking for your boyfriend.”

“What happened?” she retorted right away, as she felt her stomach tie into a knot. What did they want with him? Did it have anything to do with this “important matter” he mentioned in his note?

The policeman joined the extremities of his ten fingers together, before clearing his throat. “He’s involved in a murder during a robbery in a store. It happened a few days ago. We found his fingerprint on the crime scene.”

If Rie had been pushed from the highest cliff, it would have had the same effect. Her knuckles turned white as tears filled her eyes. They were lying. No way they were telling the truth. After all, maybe he had shopped here before. There must have been hundreds fingerprints around, so why Chan? Why only him? Rage boiled inside of her, and her brain whispered to kick those liars out and insult them on their way out. But a small, minuscule part of her wanted to know more. Maybe she didn’t trust Chan as much as she thought. After all, she knew nothing about his past. What if he used to be a thief?

“We found his DNA under the victim’s nails. The store owner was shot three times.”

She shook her head, chasing away her doubts about her boyfriend. “No, you must be mistaken. Chan would never do that?”

“Are you sure you know him well?” The woman stared straight into her eyes, lips pursed in defiance. This question sent an electric shock down Rie’s spine. “Your dear boyfriend, well, he used to be a drug dealer. I’m sure you know nothing about that.”