AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Mass chapter mission time! Support me in win win by unlocking the privilege chapters to get mass releases. MR will be given based on the following conditions:

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1000 privilege chapter unlocks= 3 extra chapter mass release

5000 privilege chapter unlocks= 5 extra chapter mass release

10,000 privilege chapter unlocks= 10 chapter mass release.

This is applicable for every month! Please do support this book by buying as much privilege chapters as possible

Also, mass release of five chapters on Monday (9th August) as a gift from me :3

....

"So who gets to question whom?" Jiwoon asked. They had filled each other in with their findings and were already prepared to take either of the suspects down.

"Rock, paper, scissors?" Jina asked. "Winner gets to be the aggressive bad cop and choose her suspect."

"Cool," Jiwoon said. "On three. One...two...three…"

"Rock, paper, scissors!" Both of them chanted in unison before laying out their moves. Jina played scissors while Jiwoon played rock.

"I win," Jiwoon smiled. "I get the rich woman."

"Do I have to get the brat?" Jina moaned. "It's bad enough I have one as my neighbor!"

"Where is the doctor anyway?" Jiwoon asked. "I thought he'd be excited to see this."

"Probably rotting in hell right now," Jina scowled. They were making their way towards the interrogation chambers. The suspects were kept in two separate rooms, isolated from everyone. The two detectives nodded at each other before walking into their designated rooms, ready to question the possible culprit.

Jina entered the room where Hyojin was handcuffed. He had his head buried in his hands and was distraught. The room was scaring him because the walls were completely dark. Moreover, unlike other rooms, this one had no glass window either. It was a specially designed room which was used as a psychological ploy to prey on the suspects' minds, especially the ones who were resisting to reveal information. The more a suspect felt uneasy and scared, the easier it was to make them talk.

While Jina did not approve of this practice, it was a common practice which she had to resort to because the justice for victims was more important than a potential criminal's comfort.

She let out a loud sigh.

"This is barbaric," she said, feeling outraged. "How could the guards just leave you like this?"

Hyojin looked up to find the pretty detective giving him a look of pity. She seemed to be sympathetic to his pleas.

"And you're barely an adult!" she went on, her voice tinged with a hint of pity. "Leaving you in handcuffs...Ugh! The police officers can drive me crazy at times."

"Look, I'm not saying anything!" Hyojin exclaimed. "I know you guys very well. You're trying to frame me! But I'll be mum! I won't say anything."

"You don't have to," Jina told him kindly. "I know it's hard on you-"

"You're not the one in handcuffs!" he snapped at her. "How could you just arrest me like this?"

"I'm sorry for the trouble," Jina said sincerely. "But we're tied by the law. It was mandatory to bring you in. I tried to stop them but it was the Commissioner's orders. We can't refuse him. But I'm sure you understand that. After all, you can't go against your mom either, can you?"

Hyojin did not speak but kept his lips shut. He looked down at his cuffed hands, fidgeting in his seat. Jina put her file away and leaned forward.

"Look Hyojin," she began. "I know your pain. You just lost someone you love. I'm sure Rachel's death was devastating for you. After all, you guys were considered to be the best couple-"

"I loved her!" Hyojin claimed. "I really did! I loved her for years but I didn't get the guts to ask her out. I wasn't worthy of her then but after my parents became rich, I asked her out. We were in love. Deeply in love! You have no idea at all. And yet, you're accusing me of killing her? Bullshit!"

He was looking at her directly in the eye, angered by the accusations charted against him.

"Love…" Jina trailed off. His words triggered something in her mind and she was reminiscing about the little boy with whom she had once shared an innocent love.

"If you knew that night would be the last time you'd ever see her," she began. "What would you have said to her?"

Hyojin looked at her with a mixture of surprise and to some extent, pity.

"I…" he trailed off. "I wouldn't have left then. I would have stayed by her side to protect her. I'd have fought the killer off if I had to. But I wouldn't have let her go. Never!"

"Easy to say," Jina mused. "Hard to do."

"You're saying as if you let go of someone!" Hyojin sneered. "It's the good cop-bad cop routine, isn't it? You're the good cop who pretends to be sympathetic-"

"The boy I had loved was buried alive in the cold snow by his own father," Jina said in a thick tone. "For months he was abused and tortured until he could no longer even walk. You see, he was an illegitimate child and the father was obsessed with his own image. A famous doctor like him shouldn't have a bastard child. Funny isn't it?"

She gave him a small smile. Hyojin blinked at her brutally honest feelings and was softening a little. Even though it seemed that she was trying to make him talk, there was an unmistakable pain in her voice which he was very familiar with.

After all, he was also going through the same.

"I couldn't protect him," Jina revealed. "He died a slow and excruciating death. By the time he was found, it was too late. He was gone."

"Just like Rachel," Hyojin muttered. Jina nodded.

"Yes," she agreed. "Just like Rachel. In fact…"

Jina hesitated before putting a photo in front of Hyojin. He stared at it, horrified at the state of Rachel's corpse.

"This…" he whispered. "What…"

He was now feeling extremely sick at the state of Rachel's body. Her once beautiful face...her luscious hair...all of it was totally annihilated.

"Whoever did this had poured out his or her hatred in the ugliest way," Jina said in a bitter tone. "We hid these pictures from the media but as her lover, you deserve to see them. Look at what happened to her! She was probably rude and obnoxious but do you honestly believe that she deserved to die like this?"

When Hyojin was silent, Jina pressed on. "Hyojin, this is the same girl whom you love so much that you forgave her infidelity!" she pointed out. "You met her on the night of the murder and you can't even deny it coz it's on camera. But if you tell us the truth, we can catch her killer. Look at these marks…"

She pointed at the bite marks. "These are done by a German Shepherd!" she said. "That really does put you under suspicion here! You own one too. Moreover, your father owns a telehealth company! You have access to the chemicals which killed Rachel!"

"Are you saying I killed her?" Hyojin demanded.

"I'm simply pointing out how you will be accused of doing so," Jina corrected him. "But I want to help you, Hyojin. I can free you but only if you tell me the truth about that night. Please, Hyojin. Tell me everything that happened between you two after you guys got together. And did she ever tell you anything? Anything about someone who might try to harm her? Anything?"

Hyojin bit his lip. He was still staring at the picture. The burnt corpse was once the love of his life and it was hard to imagine the torment she had gone through. He clenched his fists together and took a deep breath.

"A week before her death, Rachel called me to her mansion," Hyojn began. "I remember it very well…"