"Fall in." no sooner did the lieutenant finish the command that a line was formed outside the Dormitory, straight as if they were aligned with a ruler, heads up and ears awaiting new commands. "J2"

"Yes, sir."

"J2 and Alpha Team will rescue the last floor. Understood?"

"On it." Jung-Kook signaled for the team of twelve to follow him to the back door. The Law University Dormitory was well-known among the recruits, fot they exercised in that building during their 1L days. The enclosure between their dormitory and the Law University's was also what made their lieutenant accept the challenge. "We'll enter through the windows once we reach the rooftop. K3 will open the way, me and P1 will proceed."

"Come in J2."

"Go for." the boy responded, his hand in the air to stop all movement from his teammates.

"I'll put you on line with a woman inside."

"Copy."

"Can you hear me?" a feminine voice followed a switch in signal.

"Loud and clear."

"Our room number is 68. It's the only room occupied on our floor."

"Understood. Stay far from all the windows, we'll enter now."

"Wait!" Lisa raised her voice, which made the whole team who was preparing the equipment, stop on their tracks. "You're going to break the windows?"

"Affirmative. Now, please..."

"Wouldn't it be easier to just open them for you?"

All the team shared a look, unreadable through the uniform but from the width of the eyes perhaps it could have been amusement or even a silent laughter. Jung-Kook caught himself also forming a smile but soon corrected himself and at that sight, so did the rest. With a hand gesture, K3 equipped him accordingly.

"Are you able to?"

"Not sure, dude, I may not be able to reach them."

The brunette's fright had lessened during her conversation with the operator earlier, thus she had no issue exiting the bedroom into the living room and opening the way for the rescuers. The criminal who had placed a puzzle piece of a corpse at their door is no longer inside the building, and even if he were, Lisa heard the troops fill the corridors. According to her logic, they are more and stronger, and that eased her mind so much that her irony was back and ready to come to the surface.

"We're breaking in in 3..."

"Fine! They're open."

"We're entering at 3..." Ji-Min gave Jung-Kook a last nod to ensure that he was in position as they were hanging on the side of the Dormitory walls, "2..." and on the count of 1 they jumped through the window into the bedroom. There, Chae-Young finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Was it you I talked with?" but Jung-Kook only received a negative, wordless answer. He signaled for P1 to take care of the rescuee then walked into the living room.

A bark.

"It can't be..." he thought out loud, somehow captivated by the coincidence. The pet that detected him resembled the one he found just a night before in the parking lot. Regardless he felt confused when he noticed that nobody was in sight.

"P1 leaving."

"Copied."

Bathroom was the only area left unsearched. Still looking through the gun, he approached the door and was surprised to see it open. Inside, a brunette with her ear against the wall. In disbelief, Jung-Kook freed his head from the uniform, walked his hand through his hair and then pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What are you doing there?"

"Come." Lisa ordered, still unmoved.

"Are you trying to make a fool of me?"

"There's a sound coming from the other dorm room."

"Perhaps other students?" Jung-Kook suggested with a hint of arrogance, only to give in and press his head against the same wall to check. And indeed a faint knocking reached him, almost inaudible, truth is. But the girl's sense of attention almost made him reach a surprised state, considering that at their first encounter she was less aware of her surroundings.

"But no one lives there."

"Let's go." and as he said that, Lisa agreed with a tone of excitement, then saw him walking to the window.

"Dude," she corrected him, "the exit is that way."

"Dude," he mockingly pointed to the night sky, "we're leaving this dorm."

"But the knocking?"

"Other teams will check it."

"No," the brunette once again refused to follow his instruction. He, on the other hand, was ready to grab her and throw her out the window, but that would get him fired, if ever. "We need to check the other dorm. What if there's someone in there? What if it's the culprit? That's your job."

"My job is to get you out."

"Then get me out, if you can, Mister Muscle." she ironically asked as she walked towards the door.

"J2, what's your 20?"

The lieutenant was already losing his calm at the unknown he was facing. Jung-Kook had to think of his feet, and that resulted in him pulling out his earpiece and following her. However, she was stuck at the sight of it again, trying to figure out how to step over it without destroying evidence. It was a first for him too - seeing a dismembered torso left to rot in its own blood. But with a swing of his arms he jumped over. Lisa was unsure, she grabbed the puppy from the living room and struggled against her feet.

"Give me your hand." he reached over the corpse to grab her wrist. "At the count of three you jump and I'm going to pull you out." and within three seconds there she was, out on the hallway, perhaps too close to the hallway walls for she had been pulled too hard.

Unlike seconds ago, Jung-Kook saw her determinedly walk towards the neighbor's door. Truth is, Lisa was no longer fearful once she had him behind her. Shocked - she was, surely, at the sudden sight of the chopped body, but it's nothing she has not seen in her years of University, for they are often invoked to look at such things.

"Vacant rooms are not locked. It's probably open." she stated, reaching for the door handle, but Jung-Kook pushed her aside and so she was hidden behind his back as he entered first. Once they were in, Lisa checked the hallway once more then locked the door behind them.

Nothing was out of place, floors clean and neat and bed still waiting for occupants. The mattress was ironed and so white that it seemed not to obey the laws of physics, for you could see it without any light on. When Jung-Kook decided it was all clear, he lowered his gun. However, the puppy, still nested in Lisa's arms, began barking at the same place the sound came from, but he went ignored as the boy signaled Lisa to come near the window. He fixed his earpiece back on.

"K3, move the rope to the right until I stop you."

"On it."

"Stop." he ordered when he saw it align with the window. "Come here." he requested but Lisa was once again speechless and seemingly unable to move. "What's it, again? Do you hear another knocking?"

"We're jumping out the window?"

"Obviously not." he said, understandingly. "I just want to see the puppy, I was quite shocked when I found out it's him again."

Lisa stepped with uncertainty towards him and the open window, and somehow she relaxed when she saw that his words were sincere and he only took the puppy in his arms. Her body softened unlike her stiff and alerted posture minutes ago. Her wondering then began - was he the one that returned her pet the other day? If so, is he a student of the so-called military training center that neighbors her Law School? Jung-Kook saw it - she was unaware of her surroundings again - the perfect opportunity.

"So..." he began, "what's his name?"

"Oh, he doesn't..." but Jung-Kook slid his free arm around her waist and jumped to successfully end his rescue mission. His harness he secretly tied to the rope carried all three of them safely to the ground .

"Where's the pup?" She began looking for him as soon as she woke up.

"I can't believe you fainted from a barely fifty meters jump." Jung-Kook clicked his tongue in a mocking way.

"My bad, not all of us are bungee jumping enjoyers." Lisa rested inside an ambulance. The campus was filled by cars, reporters, policemen and whatnot, it was a total masquerade. Luckily enough, the ambulance was placed a little further than the heart of the show, for she wouldn't be able to hear herself otherwise. "Aren't you supposed to be on duty? Why are you here?" but Jung-Kook only avoided her eyes with a guilty expression. "Are you hiding?" she then laughed. "I'm gonna snitch!"

"Your puppy is here." he picked him up and laid him on her carelessly.

"Miss Manoban?" a middle aged man entered the vehicle. The boy intended to leave, but the officer stopped him. "You can stay, I'm just gonna ask some questions."

"Go ahead." Lisa fixed her attention on the dog biting her finger. The officer acknowledged her non-cooperative gestures but proceeded regardless.

"Can you tell me what happened? From start to end?"

"It was about a quarter past twelve. I noticed the lights went off, I checked with the other students and they all said the same thing, thus I assume it happened in the whole building." she recalled. She was still dressed in her short pajamas, and it was quite noticeable from how her limbs were brought together that cold bothered her. After all, it was night and the almost arctic air snuggled in through the half-open door of the ambulance. Jung-Kook followed the storyline closely as he searched for a blanket.

"After that?"

"We have speakers inside the building, they rang for a while then when they stopped we figured out we should go downstairs and join the other girls - our classmates. We were alone on that floor and it was quite...unfortunate." she did continue after her legs were wrapped up in a soft-feeling cover. Her rescuer made sure he tucked in the ends so that no air entered to shiver her skin anymore. "When we opened the door however, a torso was there. I almost stepped on it, to be honest. We were startled and simply went back in."

"That's all?" the officer questioned her honesty. He then sighed at her nod, it's the same as everyone else said. It's what happened, obviously, but there's no lead, and he is quite tired of hearing the same thing all over again. "What were you doing when the lights went off?"

"Looking outside the window...?" he noted down as she spoke. "I'm a suspect now?"

"Thank you for your time." he ignored her remarks.

After the officer left the scene, a nurse came in for a check up. Her state stabilized, thus allowing her to leave the ambulance. Outside waited her parents. Her mom's cheeks puffy and rough from dried tears. They rushed as soon as the news reached them, hence their presence. Her mom's heart dropped when they found her unconscious, sure thing, but relief filled her chest when her eyes opened, even more now that the nurse informed them she is entirely healed.

"Did you thank the young man?" her mom nagged. "He's been watching you for a while."

"I want to go home, please." she diverted the subject, remaining truthful about her intentions. "What did the dean say? Are the courses suspended temporarily? Whose..." but Lisa refrained herself from bringing such vulgar topics around her mom.

"The dean declared that for now it's better not to suspend any courses." Lisa's chin dropped at her mother's words. Her dad, however, developed the statement.

"He said the students will be transferred to the SUT dorms. There are a lot of vacant rooms."

"Well," Lisa concluded, "too bad for the foreign students. Let's just go home."

"No, Lily," her father stopped her, "they are yet to know who...and why the act happened, therefore you all are endangered. SUT is a top Special Forces training center, the Minister of Security concluded it's safer for all students to be under observation and protection first and foremost."

"Can we not just bring her home?" her mother asked, in a lower tone, watching as their surroundings emptied. She wished safety for her daughter and could probably not sleep peacefully knowing that Lisa has to sleep in the same buildings as those almighty men.

"Dear, I'm working 'till late at night." her father opposed it with an explanation. He, too, was bewildered by all that had happened but had to choose the option that ensured the greatest safety for their child. "Our complex is at the eastern margin of the city, also. I would be more relieved if our Lily slept near civilization."

"Should we hire a bodyguard?"

"Mom!"

"Dear!" the man argued, perplexed. "I think it's too much, but just think about it. She would also have to walk a long way everyday to go to the Uni. Wouldn't that put her through more danger, if ever?"

Those were struggles that had no place in Lisa's mind. Ever since she was rescued, she thought the issue through, and as time passed, a pile of questions gathered to give her a headache. The one that echoed the loudest was regarding the identity of the body, followed by the reasoning behind spreading the deceased's body parts like pieces of a puzzle. Now that she thought of it, perhaps they were placed strategically. That would make her somewhat related to the victim.

"Where are you going, Lily?"

"I just want to find Chae, I'll be back."

"Fine," her mother nodded accordingly, then grabbed her husband's hand, "We will talk to the dean, keep your phone close, and Li?" her other hand grabbed Lisa's, and gave her a worried squeeze. "Be careful, please."

The platform that used to be filled with half-asleep students rushing to courses was now covered in dim light and rectangular tents. Men with cameras on their shoulders, men with cargo pants marching around the dorms, men with suits giving statements, men with white collars. Camera lights, lamp lights, dim and not so dim lights, cold and not so cold lights, red lights, blue lights. A maze for one to be lost in, Lisa figured, but listened close to distinct chatter coming from each tent.

"My knees hurt, could you..."

Not Chae-Young.

"...somewhere, it's a pink diamond necklace, if I lose it..."

Not Chae-Young.

"...a glass of water, my throat is..."

Not Chae-Young.

"Do you happen to have a snack? I feel nauseous."

There she goes.

Lisa's hand uncovered the entrance and gracefully approaching a nurse was her unmistakable roommate. Lucky her - she fell asleep with her outside clothes on and did not have to walk around like a psych ward patient on the run like the brunette, whose white clothing did not help her beat the crazy woman allegations. However the fortunate part is that it did not take Chae-Young a long time before she recognized her.

"Li! I just woke up, my soul left my body when I jumped out the window, I swear! Are you okay?" her palms tapped the outline of the brunette's body, eyes waiting for any sign of pain in her expressions.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Did you talk to your parents?"

"No," the blonde shook her head, somehow the expression of gratitude for seeing her friend faded into one of regret and sorrow, "I only informed my sister, I don't know if I'm strong enough to talk to them without crying...Mom must be so scared."

"So..." Lisa, puzzled by her friend's explanation, began, "you think she'll be less scared if you don't talk to her?"

"I just don't know how to explain what's happening to her, yet." an honest confession, after which she occupied her seat on the chair. Lisa followed her action, rest sounds great right now. "What would I say? <Hey, mom! Just found a corpse at my door! How's the weather in Australia? Oh, no, we'll just sleep in a military base from now, don't worry...>"

"You can't just pretend nothing happened." she scolded but Chae-Young scrunched her nose and her brows approached in discomfort as her palms reached over her stomach to calm it. "What's wrong?" Lisa's hand caressed her back reassuringly.

"I'm really nauseous, I could use a snack."

Chae-Young's eyes looked deep into hers, the corners of her lips mischievously growing into a smile as she saw Lisa slowly give in.

"Fine! Keep this," Lisa handed the puppy she has been carrying all this time under her arm, "you two complete each other, miss puppy eyes."

"I love you!" the blonde screamed as she watched Lisa's body become lost in the rushed traffic of people outside.

*

"We have an appointment with Doctor Jung." Jennie announced as she approached a staff member. Tailing her, Lisa held her dog's carrier as she gazed mesmerized at the hallways of the famous hospital.

"This way, please."

The night before was white for all the students of the Law School, for the dormitory area passed as a crime scene and was not under investigation. A rapid meeting with the dean informed them about safety measurements such as walking in groups and avoiding dangerous areas. Thus, when Lisa mentioned having her dog checked and vaccinated, Jennie volunteered to accompany her. Furthermore, she even booked an appointment with one of the Vets that worked at her mother's hospital, which, as you can tell, was a piece of cake.

"Thank you, Jen." the younger could not help but feel gratitude towards her friend.

"Don't mention it!" she brushed it off, still unable to resist a proud smile that made her eyes vanish. Deep down, she was more than thankful she could help, even if it meant pulling some strings left and right. Both wished enclosure would arise between them, and something in this situation eerily signaled that it would. "You should also do a certificate of ownership while we're at it." She suggested entering the office of Vet Jung.

"Hi, girls! Oh, look at this distinguished gentleman! Can I?" she asked, looking at the carrier. At Lisa's affirmative response, the puppy was taken out and looked at with admiration by the veterinarian. "What a big tummy you have! But you are not exactly talkative, are you?" Then she turned to the two girls watching unmoved. At their exhausted appearance, she then spoke, 'He will be taken care of, you can take a rest outside!'

In a careless manner, they left for the empty chairs in the hallway. It was almost ten in the morning, they had little interest in how they appeared, whether they aimed correctly for the chairs or simply fell right beside them. Jennie was undeniably more put together, Lisa was wearing whatever Jennie brought for her to wear. Her entire closet was unreachable, somehow Jennie had the wisdom of spearing some clothes in her mother's apartment.

The silence between them was rather understandable, thus neither tried for a conversation. They cherished the moment of resting, living in sleep debt and tiredness. Jennie had a battle with unconsciousness trying to pull her away while Lisa kept her back straight to prevent that from happening. Guilt troubled her, and one of the reasons is that she was the reason behind her friend's exhaustion. Or behind Chae-Young's scare, for she would not get to see the corpse if Lisa had not insisted on opening the door beforehand. Or behind that boy's scolding because regardless if she showed it or not, she heard his lieutenant scream in his earpiece and perhaps her uncooperating got him in trouble. Moreover, she had not thanked him once.

"I am sorry."

"Oh, no! I'm fine!" Jennie assured her, breaking off from her sleepy position. "I'm sure you're also tired." she took a guess, and it was more of an obvious reality for all of them. Jennie's boyfriend insisted on walking them all the way to the hospital but Lisa still could not help but be aware of every movement happening around her. Paranoia became a more common way of Lisa's thinking in the past few hours.

"Jennie?"

"Yes, Li?" She welcomingly waited for a question.

"I'm lost."

"I'm sorry?" Jennie's eyebrows danced in confusion, for she couldn't figure what the brunette was referring to.

"I am lost."

"I know, Li. It can be quite frightening right now, but we will get through this. If you are open to talk about how you feel...I will listen! There's a good psychologist also somewhere around here, I can..."

"Jen."

"Yeah?" She stopped her speech hopelessly.

"About the dog." Lisa explained, "I am unaware of how to take care of him, he was a gift, he's cute but I have no idea how to raise him."

"You are such a bitch." she then furiously started but broke into laughter soon and at that sight Lisa also cracked a smile. Jennie was fondly in love with the childish manner of Lisa's communication, thus she cannot bear to blame her or be mad at all. "Here I was getting all worked up over nothing! Goddess, Li! I would give you a tip or two but I doubt my tiny dog's knowledge works here. But..."

"But?" Lisa's eyebrows jumped but her smile was yet to disappear. "There's a but?"

"My 남친 has a friend who has a friend who has a doberman, so I can do the work."

"Babe, I can do my own research."

"Excuse me, miss." The veterinarian appeared from behind the door. Lisa simply made eye contact to show that she actively listens. "For the ownership certificate...I need the dog's name."

"Oh..." she knew surely he had none. But for it was something special, she thought she could show some gratitude to wash away her regrets. She shall name him the first name he was ever called by. "Love."