He taps the microphone in front of him, taking a deep breath and adjusting his posture so as to appear presentable. The flashes from the reporters' cameras blind him momentarily, taking him out of reality, making his consciousness float around the room. He sees them typing away on their laptops, jotting down on their notebooks, thrusting out their recorders or coming up with various questions they would throw at him. He looks at the clock, thinking how this case had so many things buried deep within, and it only took them days for them to unravel years' worth of resentment.

The case has blown to a bigger one once it reaches the public's eyes and ears; the domino effect bringing down the Kang family's empire, the dirty secrets and lies come spilling out without being held back. Embezzlement, money laundering, corruption, and the list goes on. The biggest hit was received by the head of the Kang family, who had passed away, and the first son, Kang Yoochan. It looks like the public won't give them a rest for the time being. The public is enraged at the case involving Jeong Yunho's employees, putting the blame fully on the authorities for letting these things go on behind their backs. Only a few are siding with the authorities, and even less are after knowing that the judge had been bribed to deliver a false outcome in the court four years ago.

In the conference room he is about to give a wrap-up on the case to the reporters. And to apologize.

All through the assembly, his mouth moves on its own accord, speaking based on the script he has rehearsed for a million times. He tries to keep a steady tone, accepting questions from the reporters as they shout on top of each other, willing to get the juiciest bit of news from him. He answers them truthfully, his heart still feeling the physical pain as he mentions the victims' names and even, never before, the suspects' names. The mechanical clicking of pens and keyboards fill his ears, making him disorientated. He doesn't even hear what comes out of his mouth properly, the words tumbling out like he was a robot programmed to only say those particular ones. He manages to catch certain phrases, but it seems that he has done a good job as people seem satisfied, nodding along as they pack up their equipment, ready to write up news that will be released officially to the public.

"...a plan to avenge for their friend's death..."

"...first aimed at their family members, destroying them along the way..."

"...forced the police force to play their game..."

"...the respective suspects will be rightfully punished..."

"...brings light to mishandled cases before..."

"...we will be more attentive..."

"...will not disappoint the public..."

"...need to make sure that everything is handled as transparently as possible..."

"...will not happen again..."

"...we apologize for causing worry..."

He steps out of the room, finally managing to properly inhale, feeling like he had been holding his breath as long as he was in the room. Younghyun comes over to him, handing him a can of coffee, and he accepts it. He puts his elbow on the table, resting his forehead against his palm as his mind flashes back to their timed pursuit to find the last victims, feeling as if the adrenaline is still pumping through his veins. Still thinking it's his past memories that's making him feel agitated, it takes him a few seconds to discern that a police officer is shaking his arm, mentioning something frantically about Jeong Yunho in his cell.

"Sir, it's Jeong Yunho-"

"What's wrong with him?" he asks, but never stays to get the answer as he dashes towards the cells, unsure of what he's supposed to expect.

Maybe it's the adrenaline pumping through him, but he feels like he's still full of energy as he arrives at the cells, the door immediately unlocked to let him in. He stands near the entrance, looking down on the floor and the scene in the cell. The person on the floor looks somewhat peaceful, curled in a foetal position, looking like he was only sleeping. His chest remains stiff, no signs of breathing seen. No visible blood spotted, yet it seems like the most gruesome crime scene he has ever encountered. Subconsciously, he looks around the cell but he knows that he wouldn't find anything out of the ordinary. No message left, no clue left.

He turns his back to the dead person on the floor before he instructs the others to find the cause of death and deal with the deceased. Then he walks away from the scene, ready to be swathed in the complicated layers of the case; a case that he will never, ever forget in his lifetime. The names of the victims and suspects had made a permanent mark in his brain and his heart, and no amount of time will ever be able to obliterate them.

---

Several weeks after final victims were rescued

Yeosang helps Jongho to get on his wheelchair, being careful as to make sure the youngest will not be uncomfortable. Behind them, Hongjoong and Mingi alight the car, smoothing the creases on their suits as they breathe in the cold wintry air, their lungs feeling as dry as the expressions they put on.

It was only two days but they had scars that marked them for a lifetime, having been stripped off from their colleague that they haven't even known for long and left reminders of what happened on their family members. The suspects were caught, but the aftereffect of the arrest seemed negligible now that the damage had been done. They were affected heavily, even though they had no clue as to why they were dragged into it. As much as they weren't directly involved with the case, they feel that they can't put the blame on the suspects entirely. They don't condone it, but somehow they understand why they did it. It took mountains of apologies and explanations from the detectives working on their case for them to come to terms with it.

The suspects' lives had been ruined, and they turned it on to the others.

They would never have thought that they would feel the least bit pity towards the suspects, after all they've been through. They still couldn't forget the hellish ordeal, but knowing Choi San went through a similar situation, a reflection of what they were put through; it made them wonder how it's possible that they were related to such inhuman people, their own blood, their own brothers. Their families had destroyed their lives, and it was time for them to pay the price.

Jongho has been going for therapies, and although he will need a much longer time to heal completely, the progress he has been making so far is good. He no longer throws tantrums or experiences hallucinations, although sometimes he does get quiet that it makes the others worry. He still needs aid to move around, the pressure still pressing down on him, but at least they're glad to know that they haven't lost him forever. The youngest needs a lot of care from the people around him, and Hongjoong, who lives alone, has volunteered to take care of him. Although he doesn't talk much, Jongho has been resolute in denying a visit to his brother, and even his parents couldn't change that. He refuses to even lay his eyes on his disfigured brother, mumbling a 'you deserve it, you animal', before turning quiet once again and is brought away by the rest.

Yeosang has tried to resume his life as normal as possible, although he decides that his life before was never anything near normal. He comes from a crazed family, and he never felt safe around them; his home was hell for him and he was glad to be able to run away from it. Leaving the house when he was 19 was the best decision he ever made, and he never regretted it one bit. The only thing he regrets is being related to a monster, a monster that had ravaged San, Wooyoung and Yunho's lives. His hands were what destroyed them, before it all came back to bite him back. He does visit his mother once in a while, knowing that the woman was the only one who cried for him when he left. His mother is only a living corpse now, and it pains him to see her in that state. He leaves her under several caretakers, feeling like he's only making himself suffer when he lays his eyes upon a mother he no longer recognizes.

Hongjoong and Mingi have returned to their previous lives, the effects on them - besides the scars they acquired near their lips - seemingly minimal. All of them have resigned from the company, fully aware that staying there would only enforce bad memories. It still makes them paranoid thinking how they were really recruited to the company just for the sake of them being punished for what they didn't do. They are taking a break from any work, and there are talks among them that some might even take another direction in their career, or try other jobs that are not in line with what they did at the company before. Plus, the company is in a huge turmoil, as the news about the only heir to the company has been arrested travelled around the office.

The company might also sink further, because they had received news that Jeong Yunho was found dead in his cell, while he was waiting for his arraignment.

No one knew whether there was foul play involved or it was an act of suicide, but according to the police, there were traces of cyanide found in his body. He was found to have ingested the substance around the time that he was served food, so they had suspected someone mixing it with his food. However, there weren't any evidence that cyanide was placed inside the food when it was prepared outside. They concluded that the cyanide was already inside the cell, which brought to the question on who could've put it inside, or how Yunho had managed to sneak it in. No one could answer the question, so they only painted him as a criminal that wanted to escape the oncoming punishment and embarrassment he would have to face, and that he had decided death was a faster way out. Some even speculated that maybe the ghost, Choi San, made him do it.

The reason? No one dared to answer.

The other suspect - Jung Wooyoung - was later found unfit to sit for trial, so he was sent to a mental facility instead. In a sick turn of events it was the very same facility San was admitted to. It was ruled that he was no longer in his right mind, that whatever he did was being justified by his distorted view of the world. Even when the news of his friend, Yunho, found dead reached him, he didn't react in any way, as if he was only waiting to hear about it. It was as if the wires in his brain had finally snapped after he declared the game was over, considering how when the detectives had paid him a visit at his cell, he showed no bit of recognition. It was hard for them to believe that this was the same person that left them cryptic messages and had them running around trying to solve his puzzles, rocking the whole station even when they had his hands cuffed. They sent him off to the facility, not deemed a threat anymore.

All four of them have decided to pay a visit to Seonghwa today, as they haven't been able to for the past weeks, still trying to get back their lives on track. The trip did make them closer, as they found that they spent more time with each other more than all the time they did in the company. They feel more connected somehow, as if the bad experience was what had bonded them. They could never have guessed what connection they had before, and now it seems that they have finally made one.

They stroll among the flowers about to bloom once more and green leaves dusted with snow at the memorial park, enjoying the scenery spread out as if they wouldn't have tomorrow to gaze upon it. They were shown that life is indeed fragile, that one wrong decision or feeling involved would easily shatter it. They find themselves appreciating their outside lives more, and not simply be trapped behind their desks at work, turning a blind eye towards what's going on with the world. The sun is shining brightly, reminding them that they still have another day to live through, that they shouldn't waste it. There is a prominent mist hanging in the air, as if enveloping them in the arms of some unknown entity, comforting them.

Life must go on, even though some have stopped.

They ascend the stairs, while Yeosang helps to push Jongho's wheelchair on the ramp, meeting the other two in front of the entrance. In the columbarium, they find the hall located on the second floor, where Seonghwa was laid to rest. As soon as they arrive in front of his niche, Hongjoong and Yeosang are the first to burst into tears, delivering their regrets of not treating him better when he was alive. Mingi gives them their time in front as he stands further back with Jongho, wiping away his own tears. Jongho's face remains hard but his tears are pooled, seconds away from cascading down his cheeks.

In his niche, there is a picture of his family placed inside, which apparently only consists of him and his twin, and their mother. There is no father figure in sight. Beside the framed family picture, a picture of him with a girl, they had come to know as his girlfriend, was propped up. Seeing this, Yeosang rubs the heel of his palm against his eyes, the flashbacks of the last time he was with Seonghwa, and the messages he had received on his phone, that he couldn't open. Although he tries with all his might to appear strong, ever since that day, he keeps blaming himself for his death. No amount of words could convince him otherwise, and right now he doesn't know what to do.

"It's not your fault, and it will never be, Kang Yeosang," Hongjoong reminds him, his voice soft as he rubs a hand on his back. "You know he won't blame you for it." He turns back to the picture of Seonghwa and his family, "because that's who he was. Park Seonghwa was a nice kid, and he wouldn't complain even when things are hard on him. Even when I overworked him, he kept repeating that it's fine, it's fine, it's fine. I ignored it when he looked sick, because he told me that he was fine." He chuckles, one laced with pain, "That fool could only say the truth only when he was drunk. He's the type of person who would take the blame for others because he didn't want others to get hurt. An angel, he was. And is. Park Seonghwa, I hope that we don't meet in the next life; you deserve a better life."

If the redhead thought that his words were comforting, it's only the opposite. Yeosang cries harder, until he feels that he can't breathe normally. He is gasping for air so he runs out of the hall, to somewhere the rest don't know. Hongjoong is about to chase after him, but Mingi stops him.

"Let him be, he needs time."

"Ah, this darn mouth of mine. I really don't know how to care for other people's hearts do I?" he slaps a hand to his mouth. He scratches his head, "It's hard being nice."

"You're getting there, Kim Hongjoong. You're much better than you were before," he gives a sincere smile before turning to the niche once again. He says, although quietly, "I know you probably can't hear this, but I'm getting married next month." A slight blush creeps up on his face. "My fiancee and I settled with the argument we had before the... trip," he says guiltily. "I wish you could attend the ceremony. I'm scared of ghosts, but I'll make an exception for you, Seonghwa. You can show up at my wedding and I'll be more than happy. It would be better if you bring some gifts though, I'd probably need some new house appliances now that I'm moving out of my house-" he stops talking when he feels a hard slap on the back of his head. "Ouch, what was that for?"

He whirls around to see the redhead narrowing his eyes at him. "What do you think you're doing, asking for gifts from him? You really have no respect, do you? You're supposed to be offering them gifts and not the other way round. You're really-" he pinches the man's ear, in which he has to reach out as he's shorter. Mingi yelps while saying, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm just trying to lighten the mood."

They stay fighting with each other but freeze when they hear a laugh, coming from the youngest on the wheelchair. It starts slow but soon he's almost doubling over; they have to wheel him out to avoid disturbing the others in the hall. As soon as they're outside, Mingi and Hongjoong smile at each other, like a father proud of their son.

"Choi Jongho!" Mingi exclaims, touched before hugging him. He crouches and levels his eyes with the youngest's. "You actually laughed, didn't you?" When he receives a slight shrug and a nod, he hugs him once again, "Yah, Kim Hongjoong, I made our youngest laugh. We haven't heard him laugh in weeks!"

"Technically, both of us made him laugh," Hongjoong rolls his eyes, but smiles brightly soon after. "We need to find Yeosang and tell him this."

It takes them a while to find Yeosang standing in front of a different niche, head slightly bowed. As they approach him, their faces fall as they read the deceased's name.

As he hears them coming from behind, Yeosang utters, "I figured that I would apologize now that we're here. He was only a person that had his life taken away just because he was doing his best to live."

They gather in front of the niche, bowing their heads in unison as a sign of respect. Their eyes fall on the only picture in the encasing; a picture that bears one person that they thought they knew and another two that they never knew they were connected with. They look at his name inscribed on the casing - Choi San - a name that they will remember forever.

After they are done with the visit, they exit the columbarium, separating at the entrance; Yeosang and Mingi, Hongjoong and Jongho.

In the distance, two figures observe them, their expressions unable to be perceived. Both of them are wearing suits, white flowers tucked in their breast pockets. The edges of their figures made it seem like they're merely a mirage; an illusion.

The taller man turns to the one beside him before asking, "Are you ready to go now?"

The silver-haired man shakes his head slowly before muttering, "There's still one place we have to visit."

Together with the cars that had brought the four ex-colleagues that have finally left the compound, the two make their way into the fog, their figures turning into shapeless shadows. They are then brought away by the wind, bit by bit. The only proof of them being there is the white flowers that have fallen to the ground, if anyone would care to pick them up or give them a second glance in a garden full of flowers that will soon bloom. As soon as they are gone, words whispered float in the air.

"Here I lie, and here... I lie."