1.1 | Adrift ⌞seonghwa⌝ ✓

03 | classified

record 03...JUNE 12

11:02 AM

SEONGHWA DESPISES CAPE FREEWELL. He hates every single thing about it, the quiet, the rude people, and the cramped police department downtown. The red brick building was awkwardly stuck between a small liquor store and a coffee shop. The street in front of the department only had few cars parked in front of the meters. 

The town, if you could call it that, is dead and empty.  

It is so quiet aside from the fans blowing hot June air around at full blast and idle chatter from those working. 

"Yeah, so we'd usually have you filing reports in the cabinets or something but–" Officer Amit Kanti looks down at the cast on Seonghwa's right arm. "–since you're injured, we'll just have you answer calls for today." 

Seonghwa makes sure his face doesn't show how much he hates the idea, lips in a line. "Alright." 

After Officer Kanti leaves him alone, he lounges into the desk chair with a deep sigh and massages his temples. His first week in town did not go over smoothly. 

He struggled to unpack with one hand, unwilling to approach his neighbors for help. He had a breakdown at the beach and got into an argument immediately afterward. On top of everything else, the hospital would be sending mail about the bills by the end of the month. 

His life is falling into shambles and the worst part is that he can't blame anyone other than himself. If only he had made better decisions he wouldn't be here right now, he wouldn't be so full of regret, and his best friend wouldn't be stuck in the hospital. 

A few other officers and other personnel make their way in and out of the building, shooting surprised glances at a bored Seonghwa every now and then. He hears a couple of them murmur and chuckle about desk duty at his expense, which only puts a tick in his jaw. 

Luckily, the phone finally rings after almost thirty minutes of Seonghwa staring blankly at the dirty ceiling tiles.

"Cape Freewell Police Department," he murmurs flatly. 

"Hey, let's go see the fireworks on the fourth of July," a voice says back with happy laugh. Gross.

Without answering, Seonghwa hangs up with a roll of the eyes. Of course the first call he answers is from someone with the wrong number. Why did he expect anything different from such a small boring town?

 For another three or so minutes he rests his head on the desk, listening to the sound of the fans running and muted conversations. 

He hears a door creak open and looks up as Captain Isaac Briar and Detective Luiz Armando leave the Captain's office, expressions grim as they exchange hushed whispers. The atmosphere seems to change, the rest of the small department watching them with looks of pity as they leave for their lunch break. 

"It's really jacked up," one officer says, arms crossed. "A cold case suddenly opening up again like that...can't be easy especially with the media finding out." 

Seonghwa is definitely listening now. He hadn't heard anything about a cold case, he didn't have a T.V. or any contacts in town quite yet. Maybe Cape Freewell is not as quiet as he initially thought. 

Officer Kanti bites his lip. "Damn, but imagine having been there. Mrs. Evans's kid found the body while playing on the beach. Hope he's doing okay." 

"Yeah." 

They stand from their seats, the conversation ending on a bitter note. Seonghwa frowns as he takes in the information, curiosity peaked. His foot is tapping on the tiled floor anxiously as Officer Kanti approaches him with several files in his hand. 

"Hey, can you make a couple of copies of these? They're some reports for the Captain about the burglaries that have been happening around town. Just leave them on his desk when you're done." 

"Yeah sure," Seonghwa replies, taking the files with his uninjured hand. Officer Kanti nods gratefully once before leaving the station to join the rest for their lunch break. 

From his understanding about Cape Freewell, there were only a few places to eat so they were probably at one of the nearby seafood restaurants. Most of the department left other than a couple of officers that stay behind. He would have went too, but the idea of sitting at a table full of people he just met was enough to keep him away. Especially considering how the last week went. 

After running the necessary records through the copy machine, he neatly sets them on Captain Briar's desk. The wooden surface is buried under piles of files and papers. Seonghwa shifts some out of the way to make enough room for the documents when one stack of papers catches his eyes, illuminated by sunlight peeking through the blinds. 

"CASE 02: JODI HILLMAN" 

After quickly skimming through a few lines of text, he realizes this is the case file that the officers were gossiping about. 

If this the second case, what happened with the first? 

On an impulsive whim, he snatches up the case file and runs it through the copy machine while the office is mostly empty. He realizes how much trouble he could get in if they ever were to find out he was making copies of classified documents. 

Still, he can't let it go. He never could. He knows too well that lives hang in the balance the longer a case goes unresolved. Judging by the state of this department, they would never figure it out.

With a deep breath and strengthened resolve, Seonghwa returns to his desk and carefully hides the folders in one of its drawers where no one can see. He promises himself not to get too involved unless it's necessary, but he would not be able to sleep if he didn't at least know what was going on around him. 

He takes a deep breath of relief when no one notices his extended absence. He continues  answering calls for a few minutes. Luckily, this time they seem more normal, consisting of reports about a robbery that happened last week and drug complaints. 

Shortly after hanging up one call and writing down the details, an officer nears Seonghwa's desk holding a cool bottle of ice water. 

"Here," says Officer Evans, placing it next to his hand. "A part time worker from the coffee shop next door brings us water everyday, especially in the summer. It's way better than the water from the dispenser." 

Seonghwa smiles somewhat genuinely for once and begins to open the bottle. The heat is borderline unbearable. 

"Thanks, I'll be sure to remember that." 

By the time Seonghwa gets back home, he regrets his decision not to eat with his new colleagues. He already knows without looking that the fridge is empty again. He had only purchased enough to eat for a couple of days to save some cash. 

With a sigh, he stores the case files in his temporary, makeshift office: the kitchen counter. Soon after, he rushes to catch a bus to the grocery store before they stop running.  

He knows that when he returns, he will look at that file in depth until he finds every last secret.