Jiwoo's lips looped into a satisfied smirk at her response, and he could feel the relief washing over his senses like waves crashing over the scattered rocks on a shore. He didn't know what to expect, only banking on a sheer veil of hope that she would coordinate with him. "Seohyun, do you know why I asked for your help?"

No. She pursed her lips together, trying to come up with an impressive guess rather than just a flat denial. Jiwoo bent his head to the side, amused at her profound stirring of thoughts.

"I trust you." Jiwoo beamed a genuine smile this time, one that carried warmth rather than his signature cockiness. "You're a capable woman, Seohyun. I don't think I'll forget how you were able to retrieve that bullet during our early encounters." Seohyun opened her mouth but no words came out, she was left speechless at Jiwoo's sudden change to a welcoming demeanor.

"Speaking of the bullet..." Seohyun's eyes stretched open as her thoughts clicked into action. "I found the bullet hidden in another doctor's office. It's something I haven't told anyone about." Jiwoo's ears perked up at the statement. He held himself back from asking about the suspect and rushing to gather the necessary warrants that would help him easily investigate the case.

"That's damning evidence... It supports my theory that there must be a mole working in your hospital." The hidden security footage, the listening device, it would explain how someone was able to control this case in their favor. Jiwoo stood up from the sofa and ushered his guest to follow him. "I would love to investigate this myself, but too many eyes are watching. We need to assume whoever is behind this is two steps ahead of us." Jiwoo sauntered to the back of his desk, and leaned against the edge of the table. 

"You want me to be your eyes and ears... since I practically live in the hospital?" Seohyun stopped by his desk, observing how his skin drank in the light peeking through the blinds of the windows. His pillowy lips curled into his infamous smirk that charmed any girl who caught a glimpse of him.

"Looks like my wits are starting to rub off on you, but it took you long enough with the hints I'm spoonfeeding you." Seohyun shot him a glare, provoked at his constant mockery that seemed like an accessory he hauled around wherever he went. "The point is, you blend in Seohyun. If I went there to investigate myself, I'd stick out like a sore thumb. You on the other hand, as long as you aren't obvious, anyone would just think you're another busy doctor bustling around."

"But I'm being marked. You saw the threat, right? Their eyes are practically fixed on every move I make." Jiwoo stayed silent as if he wasn't bothered the slightest to the alarming argument she disputed.

"Seohyun, do you want to know exactly who serial killers target?" Jiwoo's eyes were cast on the bulletin board hanging in front of him. Papers were messily plastered all over the board, covering every inch of the surface. And a red string was connecting pictures and articles scampered all over the place, creating one huge entwined web. "They target people they know, people who are... vulnerable."

Seohyun followed where his intense gaze was pointing at, and she felt her nerves shudder as she had a closer look at the board. Photos of mutilated bodies and dull faces of women were dashed all over. She was used to seeing blood and all twisted forms of the human body, but she never witnessed the disastrous state of how a human being was handled this way. It's like a child played with scissors and cut anywhere without giving it a second thought.

"All of these women have something in common. They're all young ladies who came from a remote province, either still in university or fresh graduates." Jiwoo paused, before adding, "And the worst part? They have no family connections."

"Seriously?"

"Exactly, the master behind this has cherry-picked these young girls who aren't just vulnerable, but have no support at all. Don't you think more outrage would've been caused if multiple family members came forward to pressure the investigation? And for them to work almost so flawlessly..." Jiwoo kept a glint in his eye as he pieced together the hidden secrets of the puzzle, the light reflected in the irises like a northern star. "There's no way it's just one man. This is a team, a team that most likely has connections."

Seohyun stayed quiet, internalizing the specks of information that came just like mere tattered fabrics of a dress. They were still in the beginnings of discovering the world of murderous intent. "Isn't that..."

"Surprised you remembered her face," Jiwoo mused, but not a single drip of playfulness was etched in his tone. Seohyun's stare was stuck on the photo of a young student. In the mundane photo, her face was grim; as if she had known what fate had bewitched her. Her eyes were dark and lifeless but bore into Seohyun's soul helplessly.

It was just a moment, but how could I forget? Flashbacks of that night ruptured her mind. She remembered the pained face of the young woman as the man dug his knife deep into her throat, and how she wiggled helplessly out of his strong hold on her. Guilt seeped into Seohyun's pores, wistfully wishing of how she could've thought of a better way to rescue her.

"The pocketknife you found the day after that incident matches the one from an earlier incident. I think it's fair to say that it is connected to all of this madness." Jiwoo sighed, suddenly overwhelmed by the case in his hands. After relaying parts of the ongoing investigation to Seohyun, it was only then did he realize what he was dealing with. For the first time, Jiwoo felt unsure, almost uncertain of how this would play out. 

"Seohyun, you're a skilled doctor climbing the heights to a successful career, and you have a brother who works in the police force." Jiwoo chuckled, his compliments felt more than just a vain attempt at reassuring her. She's smart and quick, the only thing stopping her is...  "If you don't trust in your own abilities then... have faith in me."

"Strangely enough, I've always believed in you."

Seohyun turned her head up at him, stunned at his sudden remark. She wanted to tell herself that it was just a ploy to charm her like how he's hypnotized other women under his spell. But she wanted to be selfish. She wanted to trust him, and bask in the warmth his words provided.

It was then, Seohyun realized how close she was to his face. She watched as his eyes danced under the streaks of light entering the windows like fireworks painting a black canvas. Her gaze faltered down and she observed as his lips curved into a slight grin. They were a shade of soft red that reminded her of a delicate rosebud. It looked soft and plush that Seohyun almost wanted to reach out with a finger and gently tap it to check if they truly felt the way how it looked.

Jiwoo snapped his head down at Seohyun, and his mouth parted to a full-on open smile. "Now, now, don't get ahead of yourself. Are you that desperate to have a taste of my chapstick?"

A flash of panic struck across her face after she was caught gaping at him, but then it washed away with a poisonous scowl at his teasing remark. Don't make me slap you again!

"Jiwoo!"

The two swerved their heads to where the sound came from. The office door flared open, slamming the wall. Eunho emerged with a startled expression painting his face. He raised his eyebrows, surprised to see another party engulfing Jiwoo's office. Seohyun quickly backed away from Jiwoo as if he was a contagious disease, eliciting an awkward reply from Eunho. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything... special." Eunho shot a knowing look at Jiwoo, who rolled his eyes.

"Not at all, Eunho. Well then, what is it you came here for?"

"Come, you need to take a look at what I found." Eunho nudged his head out, signaling for Jiwoo to follow along. Then he left the doorway just as quick as his sudden appearance. Jiwoo ushered for Seohyun to follow, not wanting to offend his guest for coming all the way to meet him.

They steered through multiple halls as if they were navigating a maze, and Seohyun felt out of place tagging along. I'm a doctor... in a law firm, of course I'd be out of place! Finally, they arrived at a room where Eunho had slipped in. Seohyun stopped in the hallway, unsure as to whether she should follow them inside.

Just as Jiwoo was about to enter, he glanced at the timid doctor standing idly. "Seohyun, it's fine. You're my eyes and ears, remember? Might as well know the same things I do." She reluctantly followed them inside, closing the door behind her.

The room was dim, almost pitch black as if they were sucked into a black hole. A long table centered the place, illuminated by a large blacklight that gave off a blue shade. Eunho arched an eyebrow as Jiwoo brought in Seohyun, but Jiwoo pulled on a face that screamed 'Drop it and go on with it.'

Strapping on a pair of latex gloves, Eunho picked up the leather gloves sitting on the table. "Remember these leather gloves that came from Prosecutor Yang?"

"Yeah, I know. No fingerprints were detected to match any listed suspects," Jiwoo reminded him with a grimace pinned on his face.

"Well, you see here, I thought it would be a good idea to use the blacklight. Who knows, maybe a couple of stains will tell us something." Eunho brought the gloves closer to the light, but all it did was cast a purple tint to the worn-out leather. "Now, I know what you're thinking, 'This is pointless, I see nothing.' But take a look at when I do this."

Eunho carefully flipped the gloves inside out, revealing the thin black material sewn in. Seohyun's mouth opened to a soundless gasp, before blurting out, "I think I've seen that before!"

There was a symbol on the edge of the gloves, glowing like an unusual nightlight. A bold circle encompassed an intricate design. Lines spiraled into a curve from the center, shooting in four different directions like a clover. "You have?" Eunho whipped his head up at her, perplexed by her sudden outburst. "From where?"

"I can't pinpoint it... but it's so familiar, I swear I've seen it before, like a momentarily glance. Perhaps around the time, I started my residency?" Seohyun let out a frustrated sigh, beating herself up for her jagged memory. 

"So you mean, at the hospital?" Jiwoo questioned, intrigued at her response.

"Yes. No doubt, it was at the hospital. But I just can't seem to recall it..."

* * *

"Ugh, I feel like my neck is about to break into two." Seohyun rotated her head, the crackling of her neck fizzling in her ears. After spending 8 hours conducting a Whipple surgery, she felt like she could finally breathe again when it was over. The air felt fresher after spending so much time in the operation room where the atmosphere became stifling and musty.

Dr. Kim chuckled, adjusting his lab coat as they rounded the corner of the hallway. "Hey, not my fault! You're always too tough and hard-boiled to decline a 15-minute break." Seohyun scrunched up her face at the thought. She rarely took breaks, it itched her mind to leave a task undone and cater to her desires. As much as being in there would easily make you go insane, she would've lost her mind if she took a time-out for even the slightest moment. "I'll catch you later!" Dr. Kim hollered to Seohyun before promptly sliding into an elevator.

Seohyun offered a wave and a small smile, before continuing her way to her office. He's probably off to canoodle with his girlfriend. Seohyun scoffed at the idea before her wandering thoughts were interrupted. "Hey!" All her documents whisked to the floor and her clipboard smacked on the ground.

"I'm so sorry!" Seohyun bent down to gather the pages of scrambled papers before people would step on them. Annoyance seeped into her pores and she could feel her head writhing up like a skillet on high heat. It took everything in her from reaching a scalding point and lashing out on whoever bumped into her.

"Seriously? Jisu?" Seohyun didn't mean to sound off so vexed snd irritated. But all the little perks and faults she counted on Jisu seemed to stack up into an overpowering pile that tipped Seohyun off. She was like a spark of a match, on the verge of kindling a rage of flames to consume the whole building.

"I-I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to crash into you like that." Jisu's fingers swiftly plucked the sheets on the floor, handing them to Seohyun before getting up. She inhaled a deep breath, holding in any wrath that was threatening to spill out of her mouth like a faucet overflowing with a fountain of water.

"Please, be careful next time." Seohyun hurriedly left, eager than ever to reach her office before she'd cause a scene. Her relationship with Jisu was failing, like the wings of a bird gradually breaking down to a tumultuous crash on the earth. She was distancing herself from Jisu, and it wasn't by accident.

Plopping all her things on top of her desk, Seohyun released a sigh that carried off the weight on her shoulders. She felt relieved to be hidden from the public eye, shielded by the comforting shell of her little office. "I'll call Seojin to let him know I'm done for the night." She reached into the deep pockets of her lab coat for her cellphone, but felt something else instead. "Weird, is this a candy wrapper?"

Fishing out the item from her pocket, Seohyun squinted her eyes at the piece of torn paper in her hand. She studied it carefully, trying to work out what was written with the messy handwriting as if someone had scrawled it in a hurry.

Come by at this address, tonight at 11 pm.

-J

She flipped the measly paper around to see if there was anything else written on it. But there was nothing else except for the address scribbled in the same hasty fashion. Seohyun thought for a moment, having an internal dilemma as to whether she should show up or not. Although it was unfamiliar, she knew this wasn't far from where she was.

"J... J for Jiwoo?" He was the first person that popped into her head like a balloon; she didn't know anyone else who would pull up a stunt like this. "Well, as they say, there's no harm in trying!"

* * *

Seohyun peered down at the small chunk of crumpled paper in her hands, then glanced back up at the unfinished construction site towering in front of her. She had crossed paths with a young boy who cautioned her about the isolated area. Seohyun was surprised he knew she wasn't familiar with the street, but paid no heed to his warning.

"Is this a joke?" The street was desolate and empty as any desert. The avenue was barren of noise, as if every murmur and rustle was stolen away in the night. The sky was empty, not just of stars and clouds, but of the moon as well. The stillness of the atmosphere pressed on Seohyun as if it was trapping her in a box. The kind of silence that trickles right before you get knifed from behind.

Seohyun was about to retreat when from the distance came a series of shuffling within the construction site. It was like the sound of people scuffling around the dirt in an awkward beat. It grew louder, then softer, then louder again. It's probably just a bunch of cats, stop being so paranoid.

"Mmph!"

Seohyun stopped just as she was about to round the corner. A soft whimper called out in the wind; it was almost too gentle to be heard. Seohyun felt a shiver rattling her spine, and her blood chill like ice in her veins. She couldn't come up with any more excuses that could justify that sound. No doubt, that can't be some cats.

Seohyun gripped the sling of her crossbody bag, rapidly chasing back to the open entrance of the building site. "What?" She blinked multiple times, swearing on her own life that a swift movement caught her eye in the depths of the ugly skeleton of concrete. Tightening her hold on the sling of her bag, she heaved her chest in an attempt to relax the tension in her muscles. She felt vulnerable, but the curiosity compelled her to face whatever may be in there.

She gradually trudged inside the building site, every step stripping away an ounce of confidence that peeled off like a sticker. Pressing her lips to a thin, straight line, Seohyun entered the unfinished skyscraper that seemed to devour her entirely into a shroud of darkness.

That's when she heard it again.

Following the rough scuffling of footsteps that brushed the ground, Seohyun worked her way up a flight of stairs. As she got closer, she could hear the raspy grunting and muffled sounds that seemed like someone was talking to a pillow. After she reached the next floor, her ears cringed at the sharp sound of footsteps ruffling behind her.

She quickly raced to a pillar, careful to mute her steps. With her back pressed against the cold, bare concrete, Seohyun prepared herself for what she might see next. Slowly, she poked her head from the pillar, but nothing could've prepared her for what she was about to witness.

It's like déjà vu

A replica of that night in the open street

Hello dear readers! Things are starting to fire up! What were your thoughts on this chapter? Did you guys enjoy it, was it good enough? I would lovee to know what you think about this so please leave some comments below! I felt like some scenes felt awkward or didn't flow well, but I hope that's not the case. Any constructive feedback is welcomed as well! And as always, do please strike the little star button to make it light up as a way to show some love for this book! Thank you all so so soo much for supporting my novel, I hope you all enjoyed this, have a great day! Cheers~