skydive

t.h.r.e.e

Jung Daehyun had lost his sister.

She'd been taken by someone. They'd tortured her. They'd killed her.

She had been his responsibility. Their parents were still in Busan. The two of them had moved to Seoul for better education. Daehyun had dropped out to work and raise money to help his sister. She'd dreamed of being a veterinarian.

Daehyun had gone out for drinks one night, leaving her home to study. Someone had left him an envelope, with pictures of his sister, tied up and beaten. It only got worse from there.

He was sent on a wild goose chase, trying to find both his sister and the cruel human being who was hurting her. Everything he'd found was pointing to one or more of the members of B.A.P. He'd joined them to get his revenge.

"I think it's Himchan." They were sitting at a table in the lounge.

"What makes you think that?" Hyemi asked. "And why would they do this? What connection did you have with them before you joined?"

Daehyun was silent for a while. "I did anything I could for money. Including working for some questionable people." He sighed. "My main customer happened to be a rival gang. I guess that pissed a few people off. Himchan included, apparently."

"But torture and kill your sister?" Hyemi was having a hard time believing that.

"You underestimate Seoul's greatest hitmen." Daehyun muttered.

Hyemi sighed. She was starting to realize that Jongup had left a lot out when he'd talked to her. She didn't know why she felt so surprised.

"I'm beginning to think the same thing."

"I can help you." Daehyun said after they sat in silence for a while. "You want to take them down, stop them before they get any worse. So do I. If you can promise I walk out of this justified and innocent, I'll do whatever you need me to do. I'll tell you all of their plans, every detail."

Hyemi mulled it over for a long time. There were a lot of ways this could go wrong. Trusting Daehyun could potentially be the worst thing she could choose to do. But if he was telling the truth and willing to do whatever he could, then he'd be a great asset to the case.

Was that a risk she was willing to take?

"You've got yourself a deal."

After the less than successful conversation with the guys of B.A.P, any news was good news. When the captain found out they'd somehow made an ally through Daehyun, he was getting hopeful.

"We're making the world a better place, detective." He said, giving Hyemi a pat on her back after she'd explained the deal.

She wondered who they were making a better world for.

All she could think of was the only family she'd ever had, rotting in a jail cell. Or worse.

Later that night, Hyemi walked into her apartment feeling exhausted. So exhausted, that she didn't notice the light was on in her kitchen at first. When she did, adrenaline began pulsing through her veins. Slowly, she pulled her gun out of the holster and walked towards the kitchen very carefully.

It was Jongup, leaning against her counter with his arms crossed.

"You didn't tell me you were going to start investigating us."

"You didn't tell me you've been going around killing people." Hyemi kept her gun pointed at him. For some reason, her mind had come to the realization that he was fully capable of killing her. Right here, right now. He had every reason to.

One side of Jongup's mouth lifted up into a smug smile. "You say that like you didn't already know."

"I had always been hoping it wouldn't come to that." Her hands were beginning to shake.

"You live in a world of denial, then." Jongup pushed himself away from the counter, coming to stand in front of her. He glanced at her gun, but didn't look cautious. "You won't shoot me."

He was probably right. But she wasn't about to give him any kind of satisfaction.

"Did you come here to threaten me or something?" Hyemi demanded.

"No." Jongup's voice remained calm. "I came to tell you that if you're really going to do this, be prepared for the worst. I know you. You'll want to protect everyone. But you can't. Someone will get hurt." His gaze was piercing. "And it might just be you."

Hyemi hesitated. "That sounds a lot like a threat."

"More like a promise." Jongup began to walk towards the door. "I probably won't be back for a while. I'm sure you understand."

Daehyun called the next morning. They'd moved their location for meetings which meant they wouldn't be at the club anytime soon. Hyemi suggested keeping the location a secret for now, to make sure Daehyun could keep their alliance a secret for as long as possible.

"He's really angry. He keeps saying you've betrayed them again? Can I ask what happened the first time?"

"It's a long story. Let's just say I made some promises but didn't keep them and Himchan will never forgive me."

"Sometimes we have to do things that are important to us, despite what the people that matter to us say." Daehyun said.

Hyemi paused then asked, "Are you trying to comfort me right now?"

"Well, it's just something I had to tell myself a lot since I'd dropped out of school. It's nice to say it to someone else."

Hyemi smiled. "Thanks, Daehyun."

"I've got to go. We're supposedly making a deal with a few business owners around the new location. I'm not entirely sure what that means."

Hyemi's heart sank. "I can't imagine it being anything good."