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Joshua's hand moved to his heart as he took in deep breaths, trying to understand the situation. His eyes glossed over the obvious evidence, a sharp sting in his heart as he leaned over.

It felt like he had just been stabbed from the back straight to the heart by Jeonghan who had been waiting inconspicuously with a knife right behind him.

Everything was fake. All his smiles, all his tears, his concerns, his worries, his anger, his eagerness. Everything was fake?

Did he even love Seungcheol?

Had Joshua spend such a long amount of his life loving a monster?

Joshua stood there appalled, dumbfounded and nonplussed. He didn't know what to do. Yes, he was a detective so he should've reported Jeonghan immediately.

But this wasn't just Jeonghan. This was the love of his life. This was his best friend.

What was he supposed to do?

Joshua only noticed he was crying when his droplets hit the floor, forming a small puddle. He wished there was something he could hold on to, to try and believe that Jeonghan was innocent.

But there was nothing, nothing anymore.

Joshua dragged his phone out of his pocket, switching it on. He went to his contacts and immediately called Jeonghan.

As he faced the board, he lifted the phone to his ear but that was when he heard another phone ringing out.

Joshua's breath hitched, his grip faltering as his body shook. A whimpering breath escaped his lips as he turned around slowly, Jeonghan coming into his line of sight as he did.

Joshua's heart dropped as his eyes finally mapped out the gun in Jeonghan's left hand, pointed right at him.

"You don't understand Joshua, please don't do anything stupid." Jeonghan's voice was desperate, he was begging.

Joshua stepped backwards, colliding with the board behind him. "Why would you do this?"

Jeonghan closed his eyes, tears dropping down his face. Joshua couldn't believe him. Not anymore. He couldn't believe anything Jeonghan did anymore.

What if it was fake? Again?

"You don't understand Josh." Jeonghan repeated, irking Joshua who moved to the side, pushing the board forward.

"What more is there to understand Jeonghan?! You're the Justice Killer, you're the one killing all these men!" Joshua pointed to the board as Jeonghan slowly shook his head.

Joshua's eyes started to water again, turning red slightly as he took a deep breath. "You're a monster." He exhaled in a deep voice, almost as if he didn't want to hear it either.

The gun dropped out of Jeonghan's hands. Joshua's words like bullets to his heart, hurting him immensely.

If it had come from anyone else, Jeonghan would've understood but this was Joshua, his best friend. Joshua who had always been by his side, now thought he was a monster.

Seeing Jeonghan's reaction, Joshua took a few steps forward, rage caging him tightly. "You're the one who kidnapped Seungcheol... right?"

Joshua awaited a response from Jeonghan but somehow, his silence was a dead giveaway.

Joshua scoffed, another tear falling as he glared at Jeonghan in nothing but disbelief. "Is this how you want him to love you? By fucking hurting him, kidnapping him, is this how you want him to love you back?!"

Jeonghan flinched as Joshua's voice unexpectedly rose and that was when he saw the man's true rage. It boiled down in his eyes, a feeling, an expression from Joshua he had never seen before.

"Do you understand what you've just done! Do you understand the amount of shit you've just put yourself in?! You're killing-"

"Rapists! Joshua... I'm killing rapists."

The name Joshua suddenly felt new and cold, like their friendship was only hanging by a few threads now.

Joshua looked at Jeonghan's expression. One that was filled with frustration, regret, sadness and anger but did it matter? It was probably fake anyways.

"And how do you know that?" Joshua asked, crossing his arms.

Jeonghan closed his eyes, letting out a deep breath. "What the fuck does that mean?"

Joshua avoided eye contact, his pupils drifting to the side. "What?" He asked, knowing he had just asked something stupid.

"Why the fuck would these women lie? I made a safe place for them, a private safe space for them and you think they would just come on there and lie?"

"Listen, I know, I fucked up, I lied to you, I'm a horrible person. I know that." Jeonghan's voice cracked and croaked as he cleaned his tears.

"But these men, they're not good people, so stop acting like they are." He gestured to the board and Joshua sighed, turning away.

"And you are?" Joshua's words were deliberately harsh and his delivery was targeted. He didn't hate Jeonghan, he thought he did but he didn't.

He wanted to hurt Jeonghan in the same way Jeonghan had hurt them.

"At least I'm trying to give their victims justice!"

"That's why we have the legal system Jeonghan, that's not your responsibility!" Joshua turned back to face Jeonghan, the gap between them symbolising their straining friendship.

"And what the fuck has the legal system done? You think some of these women didn't report to the police? Because they did! You think they didn't go to court? They did! And what happened? Nothing!"

Joshua shook his head, walking closer to Jeonghan. "You have one day to release Seungcheol and a week to go to the station and turn yourself in."

"Joshua." Jeonghan called desperately, like it was his last chance but Joshua ignored him, walking off.

"If not, I'll do it for you."

With that, Joshua walked up the stairs, leaving the house and not looking back.

He couldn't trust Jeonghan anymore. He just couldn't.

Jeonghan dropped to his knees. His hands on his laps as he looked at the board and looked at the chaos that followed him and suffocated him slowly with no mercy.

What was he going to do?

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Mingyu and Wonwoo follow the tracker placed in the front of the car with Mingyu driving as fast as possible while their backup behind them they to catch up.

"Have they found the identity of the person?" Mingyu asked, his gaze focused on the road ahead of him. Wonwoo nodded, opening the profile.

"His name is...", Wonwoo's eyes went over the information, "...Park Otaek?"

Mingyu instantly felt a sense of familiarity as if he had heard that name before but he couldn't find out where he's heard it from.

Wonwoo went back to the tracking app before the phone rang, an unknown number coming through except it was the same number Hyein had used to call them not long ago.

Wonwoo picked up the phone, answering the call without wasting a second. "Hyein?" He called out in a whispered voice in case she was with her kidnapper.

"He's put me in the trunk... I don't know where he's going." She sounded terrified and scared for her life. She sounded like she knew she was going today but Wonwoo wouldn't allow that and neither would Mingyu.

Wonwoo quickly connected the phone to the tracker, displaying it on their screen.

"Hyein, do you know what type of car you're trapped in?" Wonwoo asked, impatiently as he tried his best to maintain his composure.

Hyein took a few breaths before replying, "Red Toyota."

Wonwoo zoomed into on the tracker, showing the road. "Do you remember the plate number or anything concerning the car?" Wonwoo asked while he simultaneously reached out to the police in that area.

"I don't know the plate number, sorry... but the car... the car has no right side mirror."

Wonwoo could tell she was starting to lose oxygen. She could faint any minute. They needed to find her and they needed to do it fast.

"Hyein, stay with me okay? Is your kidnapper's name Park Otaek?"

Wonwoo's right leg shook and Mingyu's bit down on his lip while they waited for Hyein to reply. After a while, her voice was finally heard again.

"Yes." She breathed, her voice shakey and cracked.

Wonwoo checked the tracker one more time and then faced the road just as he saw a red Toyota afar, taking a right turn.

He looked at the tracker which beamed at the car. It was that one. That was Hyein.

"Mingyu. Drive!"

With a big smash to the accelerator, the car picked up the pace following the red Toyota diligently.

Whoever Park Otaek was, he had certainly figured out that the police were chasing him so he took another big turn.

Wonwoo scoffed at the boy trying to be smart when he wasn't. "I need police stationed at Otaek's house and I also need that house to thoroughly checked."

Wonwoo relayed instructions to their backup and saw a followup as two cars continued on the right path to Otaek's house.

Mingyu could feel his heart beating so fast. All he wanted was for Hyein to be safe. She didn't deserve any of this.

As Otaek took one last turn, it became obvious to Mingyu and Wonwoo where exactly he was going to.

The Han River.

As the chase continued, they saw Otaek drive straight down the Han River bridge, stop his car, open trunk and take Hyein out.

Mingyu immediately hit the brakes, stopping the car and it came to a halt with the tires screeching against the tarred road.

Wonwoo hopped out, followed by Mingyu and other policemen, all of them with their tight grips on their guns in their pockets.

"Let her go and you won't die." Wonwoo threatened before telling the men to keep their guns down.

Otaek smirked, choking Hyein with a tight grip as she woke up, coughing. "Do you think I'm scared of you guys? Huh?"

"I'm not scared!" He yelled, throwing tantrums like a little child.

"I'll push her in!" He walked back till he hit the railing, bending Hyein over. Wonwoo took a few steps closer but he pulled out a gun from his pocket, aiming it at Wonwoo.

"Don't you fucking dare come close!"

Wonwoo kept his two hands up, staying in place. He signalled Mingyu with a look as Otaek put the gun to Hyein's head.

"Don't kill me please! I'll shoot her! I swear!" He pushed the gun deeper into her head as she whinged in pain.

Wonwoo took another step towards him and Otaek took another step backwards. "Otaek-ssi, you don't have to do this, okay? Just let her go and we'll let you go."

Wonwoo tried to convince the boy who closed his eyes before shaking his head. "I'm sorry." He pulled the gun away from Hyein and faced it to Wonwoo, attempting to shoot but failing as the bullet hit one of the other officers.

In that moment, Mingyu took out his gun and aimed it at Otaek but as he shot Otaek, Otaek managed to pull the trigger once again.

The loud bang and the hit of the bullets made other pedestrians duck for help while some of the officers lost balance.

In a swift moment, Wonwoo, who didn't realize Mingyu had been shot, ran as fast as he could and grabbed Hyein out of Otaek's grasp.

Otaek fell over, straight into the river. Wonwoo hugged Hyein, offering her some support before he turned around and saw Mingyu on the floor, bleeding out.

"Mingyu! Kim Mingyu!" He gently pushed Hyein to the other officers before running to Mingyu's body.

His eyes fell to the bullet wound in Mingyu's abdomen. He had been shot. That bastard has shot him. "Is she safe? Did you save her?" Mingyu asked, coughing out some blood.

Wonwoo inhaled, trying to stop himself from crying. "Hospital now!" He yelled as he noticed Mingyu losing consciousness.

He carried him up with all his might and rushed to one of the cars, getting in quickly.

He wasn't going to let Mingyu die.

Not now, not ever.

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