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"You're just like your mother, you disgust me." His father spat, grabbing his jaw with his hand, exerting a strong force in his grasp. Jeonghan winced in pain, his eyes closing shut and his mouth puckering against his will.

His tears rolled down his face, touching his father's hand. "You're a disgrace. Do you hear me Yoon Jeonghan?!" His father pushed him backwards, letting go as Jeonghan flew to the wall, his back crashing into it harshly.

As he coughed, his father turned to his array of weapons, unhooking his belt from the wall. While he did so, Jeonghan shivered in fear, his hands reaching for the gun his father had thrown on the floor earlier.

He dragged it slowly, keeping it behind him. His breathing slowed, little bits of air puffing out of him as his heart rate kicked up.

His father faced him again, caressing the belt as he came close to Jeonghan. Jeonghan stood up, his hands on the wall and the gun in his right.

"Don't come close to me!" Jeonghan revealed the gun, aiming it at his father's body. His fingers shook as they held the weapon. Jeonghan's father snickered, dropping the belt. His hands moved to his pants then to the button.

He unbuttoned them before zipping them down. "You need to be disciplined before you learn right?" His voice was lathered with both excitement and total vexation.

Jeonghan shook his head, his eyes welling up and his tears flying to his sides. "I said don't come close!" He yelled, his voice cracking.

His father simply smiled, walking closer anyways. "This is why your mother died. She never listened."

At the mention of his mother, Jeonghan closed his eyes, his finger wrapping around the trigger and pulling it back. The bullet ran out and within a second, the loud bang and force pushed Jeonghan backwards.

He fell on the floor, groaning as he opened his eyes to the sight of his father, now also on the floor, bleeding out. He crawled towards him, standing up before closing his eyes again, aiming for his head.

If he did this, he would be free. His father would never be able to hurt him again.

"I'm... sorry." He muttered before pulling the trigger again.

BANG!

Jeonghan jolted up, covered in cold sweat. The lingering nightmare making him shake. He hated the fact that his father still bothered him even from his grave.

He detested the nightmares that reminded him of his various cries and pleas. That reminded him of his mother and her death.

He got out of bed, trudging to the bathroom. He turned on the sink, cupping some water before washing his face with it. He stared into his reflection in the mirror once he finished, trying to return to reality.

It wasn't real. It was just a nightmare. His father was dead.

The monster was dead.

Jeonghan had killed him. A long time ago.

Jeonghan started to get ready for the day; brushing his teeth, showering, dressing up and making breakfast. He had decided to postpone his next murder to whenever the heat about Mr. Min's death calmed down.

However, he had other plans in mind. He had to somehow shift the blame to Mrs. Woo while still making sure she came out of it guilt-free and innocent.

It was going to be hard but he was smart enough to handle it. He had handled much harder tasks throughout his life.

His phone vibrated and Jeonghan's eyes narrowed to the device which switched on by itself while he ate his cereal. "What the fuck?" He uttered as he read the message.

Yoon Jeonghan, we need you at the station for further questioning.

They were calling him in again? After everything he'd done to point Seungcheol in the wrong direction? There was a problem and he was going to fix it.

He didn't care who he'd have to sacrifice.

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Yesterday

"Chan-ssi, you do realize by saying Jeonghan killed your father-in-law, you are also saying that he is the justice killer, correct?" Seungcheol asked, folding his arms as he looked at Chan, the atmosphere of the interrogation room as solemn as usual.

Chan nodded, chewing on his lower lip. "Yes, I am saying that. I've always gotten an off vibe from him. He never liked my father-in-law... or anyone else. Except Mrs. Woo, my mother-in-law."

"Even yesterday, he was in their house 'comforting' her before we even got there. So odd, so weird, definitely disturbing. There's something off about Yoon Jeonghan, sir."

Chan's eyes were filled to the brim with determination but also envy and hatred towards Jeonghan. He wasn't accusing Jeonghan because he had any evidence, he was accusing Jeonghan because he didn't like him.

He didn't like him at all. Seungcheol could see it clearly in his eyes. "Well do you have any proof? We work with evidence Chan, not with feelings." He reminded Chan who broke the eye contact, wandering off to the side.

"No... but, I just..." He suddenly went silent with no more to say. Seungcheol sighed, standing up. "It's okay, Chan, thank you for telling me your thoughts. I'll see what I can do."

As Chan left, Seungcheol sat back in the seat although there were no more people to interview, his hands positioned behind his head while he leaned backwards.

He closed his eyes, letting his brain think. He might've reprimanded Chan about gut feelings but most of the time, his cases ended up being solved when he went with his gut feeling and right now, his gut and his brain were only telling him one thing.

To look into Yoon Jeonghan further.

So that was what he was going to do.

Present Day

Seungcheol tapped his fingers together as he waited for Jeonghan to arrive. Later in the day, he was going to go to Mrs. Woo's house to ask her a few questions. He was still suspicious of her but he was also suspicious of Jeonghan.

He didn't know why. Jeonghan had an alibi and all but there was just something, someone, a voice at the back of his head telling him to dissect the entity that was Yoon Jeonghan.

The door creaked open and Seungcheol's eyes moved in the direction of the sound. Jeonghan walked in, dressed in a fluffy, white sweater and black cargos. The casual look made him all the more endearing and caused Seungcheol's doubt to dissipate each second.

"Hello." Jeonghan greeted, bowing towards Seungcheol as he stood at the edge of the table. Seungcheol stood there in awe of Jeonghan's beauty before coming back to his senses.

He pointed to the chair saying, "Please sit." Jeonghan nodded before taking a seat, arranging his hoodie as he did. "May I ask... why I'm here again?" He murmured, his voice showing signs of perplexity.

Seungcheol stifled a smile at Jeonghan's adorable expression, clearing his throat as he sat up. "Jeonghan-ssi, I need you to tell me everything you possibly can about your relationship with Mrs. Woo."

Jeonghan's eyebrows rose and for a moment, his clueless facade almost unmasked itself. Why did Seungcheol care about his relationship with the victim's wife?

Did he think that there was more to their closeness than what Jeonghan had told him before? Or did he think that maybe they killed Min Woojin together?

These useless links and baseless rumours were hindering Jeonghan's true mission. He needed to take out his next victim and he needed to do it fast. If not, he wouldn't be able to get Seungcheol's eyes off him.

"Mrs. Woo, like I mentioned the other day, is just a mother figure to me, that's really all of it. Nothing more to say." Jeonghan explained and Seungcheol nodded, placing his hand on the arm of the chair.

"When did you meet Mrs. Woo?" Seungcheol asked and Jeonghan shrugged. "About 10 years ago, when I moved to Seoul, we didn't really interact at the time but she did welcome me to the neighbourhood." He explained and Seungcheol jotted down some important information.

"Do you know Lee Chan?" Seungcheol questioned and Jeonghan sighed before nodding, looking visibly exhausted. Seungcheol leaned forward as the light illuminated his dark circles.

Why did he have dark circles? Was he not getting enough sleep? "Are you okay?" Seungcheol's worry shone through his simple words, his emotions overflowing with just one sentence.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just couldn't sleep well yesterday." He folded his arms as he yawned. Seungcheol's head tilted slightly as he stared at Jeonghan. "Why?"

"Oh... I have sleep paralysis, and insomnia." Jeonghan answered and Seungcheol's eyebrows raised, caught off guard by Jeonghan's answer.

He wondered what had really happened to Jeonghan in his life that made him so... vulnerable. That made Seungcheol so eager to hold him tight and show him what it felt like to be appreciated, to be worshipped from top to bottom.

"Jeonghan, you're here again?!" Joshua asked, his voice lathered in disbelief and shock as his eyes moved back and forth from Jeonghan to Seungcheol. Seungcheol sighed, falling into his chair.

Joshua just had to ruin everything, didn't he?

"I thought we talked about this, Seungcheol, that guy didn't even have any evidence." Joshua crossed his arms and Jeonghan's face scrunched. "Who...?" His tiny voice took up the entire room as the two went silent.

"No one." Seungcheol replied, glaring at Joshua who scratched the back of his head in realization. "Sorry."

"Josh, this is my investigation, can you stop fucking butting in?" Seungcheol begged, already exasperated. How was he going to get anywhere in this case if Joshua kept breathing down his fucking neck?

Joshua rolled his eyes, leaning against the door. "I'm trying to help, since you don't seem to be doing a very good job at it." His tone was snarky and was an obvious jab at Seungcheol's investigation.

"And you think you've gone anywhere with your Menacing Murderer? If you like Yoon Jeonghan, just fucking say it." Seungcheol stood up, ending the interrogation.

From now on, he would meet Jeonghan privately if there was any need and he would conduct his investigation on his own. No help from all these other people.

He had to do this on his own.

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Wonwoo knocked on the door of the Lee household. Waiting for a response with Mingyu right beside him. "Wipe that smile off your face, this is serious." Wonwoo scolded and Mingyu's smile faded in an instant, his hand folding as he maintained a serious demeanor.

After a few seconds, the sound of the door being unlocked could be heard and it opened, revealing a lady who looked a bit unkempt but they didn't judge her because they understood that losing a child in any way was stressful.

"Good morning Ma'am, we'd like to ask you a few questions about your daughter, we are the detectives that have been put on your case." Wonwoo explained as they displayed their badges. The lady took a minute to understand everything before she let them in.

The pair walked into the home which also looked a bit dirty with things scattered around the floors and dust piling up on the walls and ceilings. "We're here to do anything we can to help you ma'am, so we need you to be as honest with us as you possibly can."

The woman nodded, directing them to the living room where her husband was sat, dozing off. "Honey, the detectives are here." She informed him while they sat down and the man's eyes buzzed open, taking in the sight of the two.

"Are you going to find our baby girl?" He asked, his eyes looked red and a bit swollen and the tear stains on his face showed he had been crying. Mingyu nodded, taking out his notepad. "We're going to try our best to find her, Sir. You can trust us on that."

The man tossed an appreciative smile towards them, holding his wife's hand tightly. "Thank you." They both bowed making the pair smile, bowing back. "No, you don't have to thank us, you just have to help us, okay?"

Wonwoo glanced at Mingyu who looked like he was handling this situation much better than him. "Excuse us, I'm getting a call." Wonwoo lied, taking out his phone.

He got up from the couch, dragging Mingyu out of the living room while the parents waited patiently.

"What?" Mingyu asked, his gaze not leaving Wonwoo. "Nothing, just... how do you know what to say or how to act with so much... empathy?" Wonwoo inquired with a genuine curiosity.

He didn't really know how to feign concern and he took everything in his job seriously but just as a job. He never let himself get into the feelings. He was a detective who went purely by logic.

"Apart from the fact that I am literally an empath hyung, I also have gone through this exact situation and I know what it feels like." He replied and Wonwoo's face scrunched up, his head slightly tilting to the side.

"What do you mean?" He questioned and Mingyu gave a gentle smile, one that held and concealed a million emotions.

"My brother went missing a few years ago... and he was later found dead, so... that's why I know how it feels and I really want to help them." Mingyu answered, the mood becoming gloomy as they stood in silence.

"I'm so sorry, Mingyu." Wonwoo patted his shoulder, his touch conveying more than his words could ever do.

"If you're sorry, let's do our best to find Hyein, okay?" Mingyu wiggled his hand out of Wonwoo's grasp, using it to pat his shoulder too. Wonwoo nodded, a little smile on his face as he did.

"Okay."

Ⓒ︎OHWAYOHWAYOH
𝕾𝖙𝖆𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖉 - 11/11/2024
𝕰𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖉 - N/A

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