You Said Remember Me

84

He pressed his ear against the door and glanced around before he grabbed the doorknob to feel that the door had been left locked. Clearing his throat Heechul ran against the door once and it flew open. Once inside he glanced at the cotton sticking out of the ripped sofa in front of the window before his eyes. Lights were off and the dust flowed down the air with the sunlight into the apartment. Closing the door behind him with camera in hand he turned the light on to find that it didn't make much of a difference from when the lights were off. Snapping a few pictures here and there he walked on.

"No pictures on the walls," Heechul said snapping another picture, "no homey decorations." he snapped another picture.

He stared at the worn out rug in front of him and the missing TV that should have been on the table before the couch. Three closed doors were at the wall to his left. Opening the door in the middle he found that it was the bathroom. A small toilet and a tub full of fungi. The sight made him want to lurch. Snapping quick pictures Heechul shut the door and went for the door to the right of it.

"My God..." he muttered when he looked in.

Art supplies lied in a mess on the table before him sprawled with scribbled out pictures. Switching the light on Heechul frowned when he took another step in. Victoria, Victoria, Victoria. Every one of the pictures that sat on the table were of her. In majority of the pictures were the two friends in Incheon, the professor that was murdered, the man he'd seen drive her home just yesterday, and Donghae and himself. But everyone of their faces were scribbled out.

Stalker.

The word appeared alone in his mind. Chief Kang had asked him to sneak into the stalker's home.

Snapping pictures here and there he backed out shutting the door behind him and the last door led him into the stalker's bedroom. On the table next to the made bed was a framed photo of Victoria Song. Above the bed was another framed photo of Victoria Song. Heechul glanced around and found another framed photo of Victoria Song.

"Are you really that dedicated?" Heechul asked to no one.

It was the first time in his life that he'd ever run into a stalker...or if he'd put it specifically it was the first time in his life he'd snuck into a stalker's home. Just seeing so many of Victoria's photos gave him the slight shivers. He never knew there was someone watching her 24/7 but now that he'd found this place he felt afraid for her.

He opened the closet and found it full of other framed photos of Victoria Song. Clothes hung on wooden bar, hangers neatly all next to one another.

"He sure is organized on one hand..."

Boxes lie on the ground full of magazines and photo books. Heechul reached for them pulling them out and skimming each one. Each photo book were photos and photos of Victoria Song. Seeing so many pictures made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. At the end of one of the picture books were a few photos of a purple house of someone and Victoria Song always standing next to each other, their faces full of expressions. Heechul made sure to take pictures of everything he saw and after stealing the last few photos he stepped out.

Before exiting the apartment he peered out through the peek hole to make sure that no one was in the hallway. When he was sure no one was there he quickly walked out and ran down the stairs this time.

/////

Donghae walked down the narrow roads with Lee Wei beside him. Cars passed by like traffic in Seoul, but not as much. Lee Wei looked around and led him across the street and into a neighborhood of close knit houses. They finally stopped at a small grey house with trees on both sides as if hiding the house.

"It's here," Lee Wei said.

Donghae nodded and followed after him. After knocking on the door a woman in her late 40's answered the door. Her fading hair was mixed with a bunch of white strands tied up into a bun. Lee Wei greeted her and asked to go in. Donghae watched as the woman eyed them suspiciously then finally allowed them in.

It wasn't an impressive sight. There was the kitchen, a few bedrooms, and the living room with a small TV and sofa. The blaring of the old static radio filled the house before the woman turned it off. She invited them to sit down on some home made wooden chairs.

Lee Wei began talking and the woman replied back in an unhappy manner.

"She says Ren Gei left her 3 years ago." Lee Wei told. "She doesn't want to talk about him."

"He left?" Donghae repeated. "Where did he go?"

"He kept talking about finding a girl so he left after taking some money from her," Lee Wei continued.

"But where did he go?" Donghae pressed on.

"South Korea."

Donghae ended the visit quickly, raced back to the hotel, and packed whatever he had. As soon as he grabbed a taxi he made the call to Chief Kang.

/////

Heechul walked in to find Chief Kang hanging up the phone. Placing a package of pictures on his desk Heechul stared at him.

"It's the first time I've come across something freaky like this in my investigating career that I've left behind. You don't want to skip looking at these," Heechul said and reached for the pictures he'd taken from the apartment. "I found these too."