Fallen Angel | k.sj

Chapter 23

Cheonsa POV

I floored it all the way to the convenience store.

I turned on the police scanner.

"I need some units, a murder suspect was spotted at (convenience store name) near the blockaded areas. Try to arrive as soon as possible. We're making an arrest no matter what."

I knew that her parents on the other line might've been uncomfortable about this, but at this point, it was just about getting Misun to the station. She was her brother's weak point and she would be easier to crack. Separating the two would cut their connection and coordination.

As we got closer, I slowed the speed of the car so as not to scare her off. 

I parked the car a distance away from the convenience store checked Seokjin's phone to make sure she was still there. Thankfully, she was.

The thing was, I didn't want to storm into the store because if she had a gun on her, she would easily use the store clerk as a shield to escape. I needed her out in the open. Doing so would provide time for the other officers to surround the area.

Luckily, she seemed to be taking more time in the convenience store than expected so we had plenty of time.

Seokjin grunted beside me, "Do you think that he's here without Minchul knowing?"

I furrowed my eyebrows, "What makes you think that?"

"She's taking way too much time in there. He's older than her and obviously seems to guide her. Maybe the reason we haven't caught them is because he's forcing her to stay inside while he quickly goes to grab necessities without getting caught. Maybe she needed an escape. Why else would she call her parents?" He theorized.

Their parents on the other line seemed to gawk at the hypothesis. I couldn't imagine how they were feeling about all of this. Their beloved children who always did what was right are now being wanted criminals. 

"Is my baby okay? Where is she?" 

"Missus Choi, from what I can tell, Misun is still inside of the store. What we'll need you and your husband to do is call out to her. She'll obviously try to run away from us or shoot, but Detective Kim and I aren't armed. We're hoping you can get through to her and deescalate the situation," I explained. 

There was a sad sob from the other line.

My heart broke. They were good people. They never held ill-will towards people so much that they'd act maliciously. They were just parents trying to give their children the best. If only their children saw that and helped them in meaningful ways instead of hurting them even more this way.

What was especially sad was the fact that while they were in denial, there was obvious disappointment in their voices. More than that. What would they do when they found out it was true? That their children were cold-blooded killers. Would they blame themselves? Would they still defend their child? Or would they go for justice and abandon their children for their wrongdoings even though they are their children?

Seokjin tapped me aggressively and pointed to a figure in the doorway.

Showtime.

Seokjin was going to stay in the car because of his arm, but he gave me a quick kiss and told me to be careful.

I got out of the car and approached the door slowly. I was still in her blind spot and she wasn't looking up so she probably wouldn't notice anything yet.

"Misun!" I shouted.

Her body went rigid as her head snapped upwards in attention at me.

Fear and regret flashed in her eyes.

"D-detective Hwang, what c-can I help you with?" She stammered.

I narrowed my eyes, "You know exactly what."

Her lip quivered and I swear she was about to cry, but instead she did exactly as I suspected her to. She dropped her groceries and pulled out a gun.

"Be careful Cheonsa. If you don't act quickly, she'll shoot and we'll both be dead again."

"Jisol, shut up and let me do my job," I hissed.

I looked at Misun gently. She was a killer. I'd never deny that. I would never defend her actions or call her a sane human but in that moment, all I saw in her teenage eyes was fear.

I took one step closer to her.

"Don't come forward, Detective. I'll shoot," she warned.

I took another step forward, warily watching her arm, "You might, but you're surrounded Misun. No matter what you do, you'll be caught. There's nowhere to run away."

I took another step.

She tightened her grip on the gun, and her thumb hovered over the trigger, but she had no intention of shooting it.

At least I hoped.

I took another step closer. Now I was close enough that the gun was slightly pressed against my stomach.

"I don't have a gun on me Misun, but I do have some people who want to talk to you," I said.

I showed her the phone and put it on speaker.

"Mister and Missus Choi? I'm with Misun."

Her stance faltered.

"M-mommy? D-daddy?"

"M-Misun it's me, honey. D-don't do this. P-please. W-we didn't r-raise you to hurt others l-like this. D-detective Hwang wants to help you. D-don't do something y-you'll regret. P-please M-Misun."

Tears welled up in Misun's eyes.

"Mom..." she choked back a sob.

"M-Misun, it's dad. Listen to your mother and the Detective. I can't have my precious baby girl getting hurt or hurting someone else. I didn't teach you this. I know you're a sweet girl who was blinded by anger and adversity, but this isn't the way. No one should get hurt."

"D-dad..." she was full-on sobbing.

"Misun, please. Don't do this. Let's end the cycle," I said, grabbing the muzzle of the gun.

I quickly ripped it from her grasp and tossed it to the ground.

Her knees buckled and she fell to the ground.

"Do it now!" I ordered.

Officers moved in quickly and put her in cuffs as they read her rights.

Her parents were crying on the other line which only made Misun weaker. I told them to come to the station before hanging up.

The officers put her in the car and instantly drove off. 

Seokjin had come out of our car and slowly made it over to me. He wrapped me in a big hug and had the widest smile plastered on his face.

It felt unreal. There was this extreme relief inside of me. I couldn't explain it.

"Yuri, Haewon, and especially Jaehwa say thank you."

I felt immense pride.

But the moment was short-lived as I noticed the gun that I had kicked away earlier.

I picked it up with my sleeve and examined it closely. On the gun were stains that looked relatively new. It was splattered over the gun. And on the side of the gun was plastered a familiar symbol to represent the gun type.

My eyes widened in shock, "S-Seokjin..."

He looked at me with wide eyes, "Is it?"

I don't even know how to describe what I was feeling. Relief, euphoria, emotional, maybe all of the above. 

But what I did know was this...

"I think it is. I think we found the murder weapon."