I'd Take A Bullet For You

The Bedtime Story

The modern building in the middle of the busy Gangnam street stands tall and proud, providing the perfect façade to the illegal activities happening inside its premises. Seri walks into the lobby in smart attire with her heels clicking against the marble floor, armed with a fake ID and a polite smile, and is granted access by the guard who didn't bother to give her badge a second glance. Her expression returns to the usual nonchalance displayed by bored professionals on a daily basis but morphs into a grimace the moment her earpiece starts to crackle and whine inside her ear. She is standing in front of the elevators when she quietly sighs and murmurs, "Following up on that proposal on investing on more modern tech, Captain. This is getting out of hand."

Captain Pyo chortles on the other end before saying, "Unless you can provide the funds, Yoon Seri, that proposal of yours is staying a proposal."

The elevator pings its arrival the moment Hye-young's voice comes into her earpiece. "Successfully infiltrated the security room in the basement," the other detective reports, a bit breathless from what seemed to be a scuffle earlier, and Seri hears the clicking of the keyboard in the background. She walks into the empty car of the elevator and presses the button for the research and development floor. "I have paused all the CCTV camera footages. Unless some clever guard notices, you'll be fine for the meantime."

After saying a quiet murmur of thanks, Seri arrives at the sixth floor and strides into the huge laboratory with people in white coats busy tending to their individual stations. A feeble-looking scientist stops her by the door, making her hold up the health inspector identification card she faked, and he immediately steps back with wide eyes. She tells him to have every single person out of the room as she will be doing her investigation, and they all follow her lead without much protest. The moment the door clicks behind her, she asks Hye-young where she is.

In the basement of the building, the said detective is running while taking off her clothes piece by piece. She adjusts the wig that matches Seri's hair color and length on her head and rips off the security disguise to reveal the exact same outfit her friend has on. She tells her that she is on her way to the boss's office on the third floor when a guard standing on the other end of the hallway suddenly shouts to get her attention.

"Hey! Stop right there!"

"My mission will be delayed for a couple of minutes," Hye-young reports with chagrin evident in her tone.

With the sound of a fight happening in her ear, Seri puts on her safety gloves and proceeds to thoroughly sweep through the lab. She manipulates a handful of chemicals to create a trap for anyone who goes through the front entrance without her noticing before proceeding to the back end of the room. She carefully checks the concoctions being made on the stations and starts to get antsy as the seconds tick by without her finding anything substantial. Finally, she spots an unfinished batch of cocaine on a secluded station underneath an overturned, opaque bowl.

After placing a sample inside a clear bag and tossing it into her briefcase, she goes out through the backdoor just in time as a guard with a wild look in his eyes enters the laboratory. The yanking of the door triggers the trap she had made and starts a mild explosion that covers the laboratory with a white cloud and prompts the fire sprinkler system. She quickens her pace and murmurs, "I have been compromised. I'm on my way to the boss's office. Where are you, Hye-young?"

"Still in the basement," her partner answers. "Where do you want me to be?"

"In plain sight. Make sure they see you," Seri tells her as she pushes the door for the emergency staircase. She runs down the narrow steps and almost trips because of her heels. "I'm going down to the third floor through the staircase. Be as far away from me as possible. I'll take care of the files."