It was dark when Nora woke up. Her only window was blocked out by the heavy sheet that split her small room in half, and it was thick enough to leave Nora in a daze when she opened her eyes. How long was she out? After scrambling over her futon and the mess of clothes scattered on the floor she reached the sheet and ripped it open, letting orange light spill across her face.

She didn’t like that color. It meant she was down for too long.

After a few minutes of scrolling through her phone, Nora forced herself to get up and find a pair of clean pants. It was a difficult task. Laundry day was a few days ago, and she hadn’t bothered to catch up. She’d have plenty of time to do that now that she was in between jobs, obviously, but the thought of dragging her basket down the street to the laundromat wasn’t a pleasant one. After sniffing around for a clean button up and brushing her teeth in her closet of a bathroom, she decided to hunt for some food and made her way to the late afternoon of the outside world.

She was met with Katherine. Again. Her clothes had changed, and she looked much neater, but her expression had darkened significantly. Nora didn’t have to think too hard to guess.

“You haven’t heard from her?”

Katherine nodded grimly.

“She wasn’t with any of her friends last night. No one saw her,” she said. Her voice sounded dead. Before she could say anything else, tears started to well up in her eyes, and she quickly wiped them away.

“Nothing happened to her, right?” Katherine finally choked, “If anything happened to that idiot, I- I don’t know what I’d—.”

Nora glanced up. The sun was hovering at an angle that suggested it’d get dark in a few hours. Savannah should have been home by now. She would have at least called.

“She better just be angry,” Katherine was trying her best to keep her composure, but it was slipping, “She better be upset with me. I can’t believe I- I hurt her so much that she wouldn’t bother to call. I’m so stupid.”

Nora patted her back and tried to assure her, “She’s going to be fine.”

“She better be,” she seethed.

They looked down at the empty courtyard half-expecting the fool to stumble in, and when she didn’t Katherine couldn’t take it anymore. She was dragged into her own grief and sobbed. Nora pulled her into a hug to calm her down.

“She’s safe. She’s okay,” Nora kept repeating, and after a while both of them realized those words were said more out of hope than knowledge. After a few minutes Katherine straightened, wiped her tears, and coughed her worries out.

“Let’s go to the station,” Nora said, “See what we can do.”

Katherine nodded.

“Even if she’s out there fooling around, it’ll be best to report it,” she explained.

And Katherine responded, nodding more, “Just in case.”

“Yeah. Just in case.”

Nora let her go inside to grab her purse, and not a minute later the two were on their way.

The substation hadn’t missed her. Upon Nora’s arrival back into the front lobby, the receptionist, a face different from the previous night, immediately frowned. Before she could ask, Nora announced herself.

“I’m reporting a missing person.”

The receptionist looked hesitant, her eyes flitting between her and Katherine. Nora knocked on the desk to grab her attention.

“Hey. You know I’m never here to mess around,” she said.

“That’s not what I heard. Detective Moon wasn’t quiet about last night….” The receptionist’s voice trailed when Nora frowned.

Nora coughed and changed the subject, “Her daughter didn’t come home.”

“Savannah?” The receptionist’s eyebrows furrowed.

Everyone knew everybody here, and Savannah was notorious. At the recognition, Katherine leaned forward.

“You didn’t see her, did you?” Katherine asked.

When the receptionist shook her head, Katherine began to tap her fingers anxiously on the counter. With a nod from Nora, the receptionist opened a side drawer and pulled out a form.

“When did you see her last?” she asked, handing the form over to Katherine with a pen.

“Well—”

The two began talking, and Nora let her mind wander from their conversation. She’d heard it before, and what she didn’t hear she had figured out. She looked over Katherine’s shoulder at the missing person’s form, a sheet of paper she was somewhat familiar with but would rather not be. This wasn’t the first time someone had left home. Her eyes flitted through the entries as her neighbor filled them out, and by the time it was completed the conversation had taken an expected turn.

“She might just be out,” the receptionist suggested, “Isn’t she a free spirit? The officers here normally see her on their late patrols.”

Kathrine knew all this and frowned, “This is different though, isn’t it? She’d at least call—”

“Her phone’s off, so it’s normal that she didn’t. She’s an adult now. Cut her some slack.”

It seemed like the receptionist had her own ideas about what happened. Katherine was almost convinced- she desperately wanted to be- but still…

“But—”

Before Kathrine could argue again, Nora knocked on the counter again.

“Just take the form,” Nora said, passing the paper over, “File it. It’ll take you a second and it’ll make everyone feel better.”

Seeing that Nora was taking the lead, the receptionist decided to do what she was asked. She took the paper from Nora’s fingers and sifted through it, and after stapling a few other pages to it she got up to leave the desk when a door behind her opened.

Out stomped Detective Daniel Moon dressed in similar fashion to last night’s escapade, exchanging a dark bomber jacket for a red flannel. His hair was unkempt. His eyes still held heavy bags, as if the sleep he had gotten wasn’t nearly enough. And he was still stressed, still exhausted, still cranky.

“Where’s Detective Jin?” he asked the receptionist, not looking up, “He’s supposed to be here, isn’t he?”

Ah. Detective Jin.

“He’s notorious for keeping his own hours,” Nora told him before the receptionist had the chance to answer, “He probably left when he got bored.”

“I haven’t even started my shift yet—”

The detective stopped talking and looked up. At the sight of the girl in front of him, he snarled, and Nora did her best to pass him her cheesiest smile.

He wasted no time with her.

“What did I tell you this morning?” he asked.

“Wasn’t it something like ‘don’t let me catch you here again?’”

“So why are you in front of me?”

It was a question made out of frustration. They both knew the answer.

Nora pouted, “I’m awful at following directions. I’m sorry.”

He huffed.

The detective plucked the papers out of the receptionist’s grasp, motioned her to sit back down, and leaned on the counter as he looked things over. Katherine’s eyes passed scattered gazes to him, not recognizing the man who just took her daughter’s case into his hands.

“This is Detective Moon,” Nora introduced, and she clasped her hands.

“You’re the new detective that came a few weeks ago? I’ve heard a lot of things about you,” Katherine said, trying to put a good word in. The detective noticed the subtle flattery and didn’t let it get to his head.

“Good things, I hope?” he still asked, out of politeness.

Katherine nodded. When he didn’t say anything else, she pinched Nora’s side and sent her signals with her eyes.

“He’s good, right? He’ll find her, won’t he?”

Nora gave her a nod. She knew his track record well enough to be somewhat confident in his conduct. After another moment, however, she wasn’t sure. The detective finished reading the last page, and a small, almost unnoticeable sigh escaped from between his closed lips. His thoughts betrayed him.

“A runaway? She probably doesn’t want to be found.”

She didn’t like that. His eyes were wavering, taking small glances at the mother and gauging her panic level. If this wasn’t serious then why bother putting the effort in? She’d probably make her way home soon, right? Before he could voice his opinions, Nora sunk her teeth into him.

“You’ll look for her, won’t you?” Nora asked.

The detective was going to answer, but the door behind him opened again, this time beckoning the entrance of Officers Gu and Yoon.

“Nora!” Gu smiled. His excitement made Daniel scowl.

The two were dressed in full uniform, bright fluorescent vests and shades of blue, probably on their way to a scheduled patrol. They welcomed Nora back with open arms, and she nodded her greetings in return.

“It’s good to see you out here,” Yoon said, “I was hoping you wouldn’t be behind those bars still.”

Nora laughed, ignoring the puzzled look Katherine was giving her.

“Did you get in trouble again—?” her neighbor started, but Nora interrupted her.

“This isn’t about me, this is about Savannah.”

“Savannah?” Gu asked.

He took the papers from Daniel’s hands, pages that the detective seemed happy to part with, and after a quick look over he shook his head.

“She’s always causing trouble, isn’t she?” Gu mumbled.

Daniel turned to Nora, “Does she get that from you?”

Nora smiled. It wasn’t a warm one.

The officer passed the forms back to the receptionist and allowed her to file them, and he prompted Katherine to tell her story again. A mother-daughter fight. A girl who was prone to parties and wandering. A missing phone call. The more he listened, the more the detective was convinced that this was just another tantrum thrown by a reckless teenager, and Nora wished to agree with him but decided that she wouldn’t give him that benefit.

After the explanation, Yoon frowned and said, “I think I saw her last night.”

Some good news.

[A patrol down the windy ways of Wonsung-du. About an hour before a false alarm rings out from a nearby penthouse, two uniformed officers walk past mom-and-pop stores and sample food from nearby stalls. They leave their car a few blocks over- the street is too tight for it, and it’s a nice night for a walk.

After stopping by the corner store and shooing some rowdy kids home, Officer Gu and Yoon spot a girl huffing her way towards them. She’s dressed in bright colors and skimpy clothes, her bleached hair styled loosely over her shoulder. Yoon grumbles under her breath at the sight, more out of jealousy than contempt, and calls out to the girl when she’s close enough.

“Stay out of trouble, Savannah.”

Savannah spits out “not you too” but continues on her way, her tall heels clacking up a storm on the pavement.

“Get home early tonight!” This time, Gu tries. He’s ignored.

They watch the girl turn the corner and head off into the direction of the night clubs, exchanging sighs. Kids grow up so fast, don’t they? Gu berates her for running to the clubs so soon after her graduation, but Yoon defends her, saying it’s best to have fun while she can. That’s all they think of the girl and continue on their way.]

Gu gasped, “You’re right! We saw her near Paul’s last night. When was it?”

“Around ten, I think,” Yoon said, “Before….”

They all turned to Nora. She shrugged the attention away.

“Anyways, that was nothing out of the ordinary, right? She’s usually out at that time, so that doesn’t say anything about why she didn’t come home,” Yoon continued. Gu nodded.

The hope was brief. What they knew was that Savannah had left for the clubs, and her friends couldn’t vouch for her whereabouts. Katherine let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and let worry consumer her again.

“It looks like they’ve got this handled. I’ve got paperwork to file.”

Meanwhile, at the end of the group, the detective was slowly fading. He managed a small turn towards the back door, making up his mind that he wasn’t needed, but his attempt to peel away was felt. The officers mimicked his turn, opening their small circle to make him more available, and Nora raised her eyebrows at him. He was the detective, after all. If anyone here was going to investigate what happened it would be him, regardless of if he felt the endeavor was useless or not. He caught their subtle glares and froze awkwardly, conflicted. Should he keep his good detective persona or rip away from the group completely?

Nora answered for him. She glanced at the clock on the wall, “Katherine, Lionel should be out of school be now. Go home and wait there. I’ll look for her.”

She snaked past the officers and latched an arm around the detective.

“With him,” she smiled, “We’ll go together.”

“I’m sorry, what?” the detective asked, but he wasn’t graced with an answer. The officers goaded him with praise before he could argue.

“What a good detective!!” Gu cried, patting Katherine’s shoulder, “Don’t worry, he’s from the big city. He’s got a lot of experience under his belt, so finding your daughter will be easy.”

“That’s so true! It’s not like he’s got anything else to do right now,” Yoon added, “Right?”

When he didn’t answer, Nora pinched him, “Right? Let’s go.”

It was getting late and standing around wasn’t going to solve anything.

Katherine started to protest. She wanted to get involved in the search, an attempt to save her own sanity and not be stuck at home wondering, but Officer Gu chimed in, “Wait at home in case she comes back. Officer Yoon and I are about to start our patrol and we have to make a few stops, so we’ll ask around.”

It took a few minutes, but they managed to convince her to go. Nora promised she’d have news when she came back and wouldn’t rest without it- with no job to go to, she suddenly had more free time, and it wouldn’t hurt to do some walking. They walked her out of the building, Nora with her small gaggle of officers and a reluctant detective being dragged with, and they watched as she scuttled around the corner. Once she was out of sight they sighed collectively.

“The girl ran away,” the detective announced, slipping his sunglasses over his strained eyes, “I’m saying that right now.”

He was half-expecting rebuttals, so he was surprised when the group nodded with him.

“Let’s hope so,” Officer Gu said, “but we’ve still got protocol to follow.”

When Daniel huffed, annoyed, Nora raised an eyebrow.

“What, is following protocol hard for you?” she asked him, “You think because you got sent to the outskirts you get to act however you want?”

The question stung, and the officers looked away, pretending like they didn’t know what she was talking about. The detective’s glum look darkened.

“Don’t you start that again,” he grumbled. Noticing that she was still latched onto his arm he smacked her off, “and let go of me. I’m not going anywhere.”

Good. She grinned, satisfied.

“Well, if she did run away, then finding her will be easy,” Yoon said, “but if she didn’t… we’ll find out the more we look.”

That was true. Protocol was protocol for a reason. With a case on file, the detective had no choice but to set out and start searching, even if that search wouldn’t take him very far. He was averse to useless work, but work was still work. He’d much rather be out than sitting behind his desk with stacks of files to sort through.

Nora appreciated the turn his thoughts took. He was a good detective for a reason, and she would hate to see his previous reputation outdo him when it was needed.

“You said you saw her at the corner store?” Daniel asked, “I’ll start there. See if I can pick up a trail.”

It was a good start. Nora wanted to follow him, but he glared.

“If she follows me I swear to god—”

She guessed not. She smiled as if she didn’t hear a thing.

“We were heading over there anyways, but it might be better if you went,” Gu said, almost sheepishly, “We got a call.”

Yoon gave a wry smile, “Mm. Neighborhood Watch. Please go for us, Detective Moon.”

Mm indeed. Nora’s eyes glazed over, “Ah. The Watch.”

She exchanged a knowing glance with the officers, one that the detective missed. It seemed he hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting them yet.

The Watch was a self-established squad of older women (and one man) with too much time on their hands. They stood more vigil that the officers themselves, patrolling their small collection of streets from the corner store to the reaches of Wukong Street, the border of the nightlife district they deemed themselves too pure to cross over. Their vigilante status was prominent, but it was easily overshadowed by their gossip agenda. They could give Nora a run for her money in terms of muckraking. If anyone had seen Savannah carve an angry path to the clubs and had anything to say about it, it would be them.

So Nora, unwillingly, declared, “I’ll go too.”

Daniel frowned, “I’m not taking you anywhere.”

“You don’t have to. I’ll follow.”

He grunted in disgust and turned to leave without her, but Officer Gu patted his shoulder.

“No. Take her,” he advised, “If you don’t, they’ll eat you alive.”