There is silence in the office. Kan’s whole team is very focused on their work. Suddenly DooSan threw the pen on the table, cussing short and clear, a sign that things become complicated. The others in the office glanced at each other, shrugged, and turned to their things, but when DooSan mumbled: „Screw you, moth…!” he managed to irritate SolHi.

„Prosecutor Han, if you have something to say then say it, loudly. Don’t mutter the words or others can think that you are talking about them.”

„Ia, SolHi, don’t pour oil on the flames,” Kan tried to calm her down.

„Why so?! Just because mister prosecutor has the habit to…”

„Good morning!” was heard behind them and all turned to see who entered. It was prosecutor Iun Min Hiok, a man about 40 and the only one with whom DooSan was on good terms within the prosecution because even if DooSan wasn’t a hostile person or a man who was itching for a drubbing, due to that he was the son of the ex-General Attorney and that he later brought SolHi to work with him, while others knew very well that she’s still a suspect in Han YuSan’s murder case, made him have a few friends only and a lot of enemies.

For Min Hiok instead, all the gossip was just gossip because he preferred to know the real character of the people with whom he met and not to go by appearances. It was so too when he first met YuSan: they became friends immediately despite the fact that the other prosecutors didn’t wear YuSan for the simple fact that he was Iun Marie’s son, an ex-General Attorney who still had a lot of relationships within the Prosecution and Government.

But the friendship between YuSan and Min Hiok didn’t last long: YuSan worked as a prosecutor only for two years. After his death, everybody simply seemed to have forgotten him as if he never existed. Min Hiok instead didn’t forget him and he still hoped that someday YuSan’s murderer will be found and punished, because such a good friend as YuSan had been wasn’t easy to find. But … time passed, new evidence couldn’t be found, no matter how much he tried to find it. Then, Ian SolHi was found innocent and released. Even so, to Min Hiok all these seemed a likely story, but he decided to wait and to see for what was coming. But… all just had been long waiting.

His eyes, focused on SolHi, who was with her back at him, were telling a lot: about bewilderment to still see her there and questions related to why DooSan was keeping her close to him. He had been awakened from the daydream by a paper ball thrown by DooSan, a ball that Min Hiok grabbed on the fly. „Oh, prosecutor Iun Min Hiok, you are still good on it,” DooSan tossed him. „More than twenty years had passed since you don’t play, but you still can grab a ball. Nice habits you had and reflections.”

„But your reflections seem to be dead, long time already,” Min Hiok said while grinning and threw the ball toward DooSan, who bent and the paper passed over him. These kinds of innocent games weren’t something new seen at the two old friends. That’s why others weren’t paying attention to such small innocent jokes that they did to each other.

„And yet, prosecutor Iun, to what do we owe the honor to see you in our office?” A Rim said it in a sweet voice, a sign that prosecutor Iun was a person of her interest, but when she noticed Kan piercing glance, focused on her, she just grinned at him, said something „pleasant” about him, and went back to work.

„Me? Why I am here? I have a job for you.”

„Job? What kind of job?” DooSan said, approaching Min Hiok and taking the file from his hand. „A missing with no trace?”

„Exactly. And others, who are sitting above us, want to close this case as soon as possible and the one in charge of this it’s me. But…”

„…but this seems to you stinky, but while you can’t act openly you chose us as your patsy, in case something goes wrong. Am I right?” DooSan said, grinning, a sign that he also disliked his joke, but it was the truth.

„What do you lately eat that you are so good at guessing?”

„Humans,” SolHi said suddenly, without watching them, and DooSan frowned, listening to her commentary. Min Hiok sniffed at her, then he stared at DooSan’s grimace. Then, he had been even more surprised to see the forced grin on SolHi’s face and he understood that something damn good happens between those two.

„You two what, are you dating now?” Min Hiok said, and SolHi, who was drinking some tea, drowned and, coughing, she splashed everything around. „And … I was right,” Min Hiok mumbled, somehow amazed and unpleasantly surprised.

„Prosecutor Iun Min Hiok,” DooSan started his speech in a serious voice, and his friend understood that DooSan disliked his joke.

„Yes, yes. Let’s go back to business: you have here a few details that I could gather. And… you have three days for this, to solve this case or I’ll be forced to close it.”

„Three days? Do we look like vampires or what?” Kan asked, testy. „Who finds evidence in three days when others didn’t find them in months?”

„In a day, you meant. I got this case yesterday,” Min Hiok added.

„What? Did they give to you the case yesterday and they are asking you to close it today?” DooSan said, looking through the evidence brought by his friend. „Someone important involved in this?”

„No, from what I could find out. But yet … that young lady is not to find: she didn’t leave the country, her friends don’t know where she can be and at work: she didn’t show up. Boyfriend? Well, I didn’t find one.”

„Family?” inspector Yu asked.

„Only a very old grandmother and from what I can guess: she has no idea about what is happening. So, to find the girl, I’d prefer not to kill others,” he said, a hint that DooSan’s team was good to get into trouble.

„And that hint was about us,” SuJin mumbled, frowning, but he received an elbow from his father, which made him keep silent.

„So? Can I count on you?” Min Hiok asked, staring at DooSan, who was still silent, looking through the file.

SolHi stood up and headed toward the door. Suddenly, she stopped, approached DooSan and Min Hiok, and took the file from DooSan’s hand. „I’ll take care of this,” she said and sat down at her desk.

„Ia, Ian SolHi, and since when you decide by yourself what case to…” DooSan said, upset, that she decided to break his rules.

„Since you are waiting for supplications?!” SolHi said shortly and her remark hit the target: DooSan stopped, imitated a punch, but he quickly calmed down and grinned at Min Hiok: „we’ll take care of this and first I’ll kill her,” DooSan said and Min Hiok smiled.

„I have no doubt about this. Keep up the good work!” he said and turned his back to them. Before leaving the office, Min Hiok turned and glanced at SolHi, thinking: „at least, this case will help me to find out more about her,” but he closed the door behind him, seeing DooSan staring at him. However, Min Hiok took care to slam the door, showing DooSan that he disagrees with his manner of „doing the things with SolHi.” DooSan wanted to approach the door and say something nice to his friend, but hearing his voice „my fault,” he turned to his desk, nodding in reproach. But soon after he stood up, approached SolHi’s desk, and „picked up” the file from her hands. „I’m the boss here,” he growled and SolHi stared in amazement at him.

„If you say so,” she said and started to check something in her laptop. DooSan turned to his desk, reading the details of the case: „Kim Ha Na. 20-year-old. A second-year student at the Faculty of Arts, Hankook University. According to her friend’s declaration, who lodged the complaint, a certain Park Yu Ra, Ha Na doesn't answer the phone or the text messages for about 4 days already. And this means that…”

„…the 48h considered as vital and when she could be found alive are gone,” Yoon Suk said. „Damn it! Should we look for her body then?” Instead, Kan hit him with the file and grinned at him. „What? Am not right or what?”

„Yes. You had been wrong. Till new evidence, to show that she had been killed, nobody can name a „missing girl,” a body,” DooSan said. „So, let’s focus on finding her as soon as possible. Preferable, alive. And: detective Kan, SolHi, take the declaration of her grandmother, but if you can also find out what her granddaughter is planning and what she was doing lately that she’s missing now and so suddenly, it'll be great.”

Kan and SolHi answered at the same time. „Got it!”

„Detective Oh, inspector Yu, check among her friends, colleagues, ex-lovers. There must be someone who had something against her or to want her missing and more than this: I need to see that Park Yu Ra and to find out why did she wait four days to announce Ha Na’s missing. And you, SuJin, check for her social media: the online will always have something to show us.”

„Count on me!” SuJin said and started to work.

DooSan let the file on the desk and, supporting his hands on the desk, he looked at the others who were still waiting: „what are you waiting for, gentlemen? A special call for war?”

SolHi, grinning, stood up first and, taking her gun from of the drawer and the phone from off the desk, she said while leaving the office and without watching DooSan: „a flying horse, but we aren’t that lucky - he’s sitting now at his desk and gives orders to us.”

Kan scratched the back of his head and followed SolHi.

DooSan grimaced, unpleasantly surprised with SolHi’s remark, but he said nothing because he understood that he deserved those words: he tried to command like a boss, but he walked too far.

„We are gone too,” Yu said and, while the inspector passed in front of DooSan’s desk, he saw the cunning grin on the inspector’s face.

DooSan slowly sighed, sat down, slowly hit thrice with the forehead on the desk, then, he sat normally and turned toward the window, mumbling: „well deserved, Han DooSan. Next time think twice before opening your damn mouth.”

***

„Was it absolutely necessary to be that rude with prosecutor Han?” Kan scolded SolHi while they were advancing onto a poor neighborhood of Seoul, climbing on a slope, enough difficult to walk onto it, and because of this Kan was often sighing, a sign that he got tired.

SolHi was a few meters in front of him, quickly climbing the slope. „And why not do this? He deserved it. He asked for it.”

„Because he’s your boss?! Or what, did you forget this?”

„No. How to forget it when you remind me this all the time?! Let’s say I disliked the tone of his voice while talking to us. I hate when he’s trying to show us who’s the boss in the office and he does it deliberately. And… where the hell is that house? It should be somewhere here…”

„It should be, but it probably has the same damn character as you have, and … prosecutor Han, trying to take my breath,” Kan mumbled, stopping and looking to gasp for the breath.

„That’s a damn good sign to stop drinking, smoking, and … looking for women. You should try some sports instead,” SolHi tossed him, looking around to understand where can be the address they were looking for.

„I better stop breathing than to leave these three habits away. I gave up on enough things in my life. At least to have these two… well three pleasures,” and he finally managed to get next to SolHi.

SolHi suddenly turned to him, taking Kan by surprise. „You should have thought about pleasures while being young. One, when he’s young, get married, has children only to have with what to boast at an old age.”

„Are you rubbing salt on my wounds now?”

„Did I? When?”

„Forget about it! If to listen to you…” Kan took a few steps in front, but he suddenly stopped and turned to SolHi, who was staring in amazement at him. „If I’d had another job: something in an office and not wandering around, on the hell’s paths, with you, maybe I’d have got married. And I’d have had children too. But so… So, learn from my mistakes and get married while you still have the chance because an old and single man is a thing, but single old women use to gather around a lot of cats and to piss off old and lonely men, like me.”

„Was this a hint for me?” SolHi pierced him with her glance.

„A hint? Why a hint? I think I said this enough clearly. Maybe if you start to live with someone…” but his remark made SolHi frown. „Forget it and… where did you say that address was…” and he turned his back again to SolHi.

SolHi followed him, mumbling: „it seems that someone couldn’t keep his mouth shut and started to tell others about his new house. Well, Han DooSan, wait! I’ll lay my hands on you,” SolHi said, testy.

***

„Who did you say that is living here?” an old lady asked SolHi while trying to stretch her back and she was also talking enough loudly because she had problems of hearing because of the age.

To answer to her, SolHi saw herself forced to raise her voice. „Park Yu Ra. According to the documents, she’s living now at this address.”

„Park Yu Ra?! No. This is the first time I hear this name and I’m living here for 50 years already. From what I remember nobody from those who lived here had this name and in this house I live only with my granddaughter and her name is Kim Ha Na.”

Kan and SolHi exchanged glances. „And… by chance, didn't Ha Na lately come home accompanied by someone? I don’t know: some friend or a young man she presented as her boyfriend?” Kan asked.

„Not from what I… aaa, wait. Yes, she came. Ha Na presented that young lady as her colleague. I don’t remember her name, but that girl was medium height as the detective is, a little bit chubby and blonde. Ha Na told me that they work on a project together and they stood here for a few days.”

„And … grandma, didn't you sign, then, any document? A kind of declaration or maybe an approval for that young lady to change her address here?” SolHi asked.

„No. Nothing else. Except for the paper for my retirement payment.”

„The paper for your retirement payment? Don’t they transfer it to your bank account?” Kan asked, in amazement.

„Yes, but Ha Na said that those are normal formalities for raising the pension and that’s something that authorities do before elections.”

Kan and SolHi again exchanged glances. „Did we have elections recently and I didn’t know about this?” Kan mumbled.

„Yeah. Three years ago,” SolHi said in mockery. „But … I doubt that a lone wolf like you remember this,” she kept silent, seeing Kan’s sour face.

„Why are asking, miss?” the old lady asked. „And … why so many questions? Did something happen to Ha Na?” and the old lady started to get alarmed.

SolHi hurried to calm her down. „Hey, grandma, don't think so! Just: routine. There had been some mistakes at the Bureau of Records and we have to check it. We… are done here. Have a nice day.”

„You too,” the old lady said and she entered the yard.

When she was far away from the two detectives, SolHi mumbled: „what the hell are those two „friends” planning?”

„Isn’t it obvious? If Kim Ha Na dared to lie to her grandmother to help her friend to change the address it means that the other one is in trouble. If not both of them. I only hope not to get us in trouble that stinks, like the last time. I still feel the smell after our last case.”

„Did you try to use a good shampoo?” SolHi said in mockery. „I heard that it does wonders!” and, smiling, she passed by Kan.

Kan grimaced and murmured, testy: „who’ll need shampoo are you and prosecutor Han because you are doing things that in the end definitely will stink. I hope only not to kill us till then or to drag us in the same stinky swamp you decided to swim into.”

***

„Park Yu Ra? Miss Park?” DooSan yelled, after knocking several times at her door, but nobody opened it. Then, DooSan looked at Yu and Yoon Suk who were with him. „Are you sure that it is here?”

„Yeah. Absolutely. This is the address she registered a few days ago at the Bureau of Records,” and Yoon Suk showed him a photo with the information he had on his mobile phone.

„Then I get nothing. In the file, prosecutor Iun gave us, it was written that Park Yu Ra and Kim Ha Na live at the same address.”

„It means that one of the two is lying: I don’t think that living at the same address she didn’t realize that her friend was missing and for several days.”

Kan and SolHi showed up, climbing the stairs in a rush. „The manager says that Yu Ra didn’t leave her apartment today and that she has to be inside. While Ha Na: she had never been here,” SolHi said, hardly breathing after the run on the stairs.

„It means that what inspector you said is right: the two are planning something and…”

A loud noise of falling things was heard coming from the apartment and this made everybody wince. The detectives took off the guns, and SolHi knocked once again at the door. „Park Yu Ra! Open this door! Open it! The police! You have 30 seconds to open it or we’ll open it by force!”

„Without an order, we can’t enter, sombe!” Yoon Suk whispered.

„Then, I’ll get one,” DooSan said. „SolHi, open that door, at any cost,” and he took a few steps away, making a phone call.

„Move aside!” Kan demanded and SolHi took a few steps back. When Kan was about to kick the door, they heard the screams of Yu Ra, coming out from the apartment. Kan took off the gun and shot the lock that was thrown on the floor and Kan opened the door by slamming it.

They stopped at the door, seeing Yu Ra on the floor, bleeding, after being stabbed by a young man who was about to jump through the window.

„Don’t move!” Kan yelled, but the young man left the room, jumping through the window, despite that Kan shot a bullet that hit the wall.

Approaching the window, SolHi saw the young man descending on a bar and he was doing this so quickly and without fear. „Damn! We are losing him!” and she ran out of the apartment, followed by Yoon Suk.

DooSan kneeled next to Yu Ra, checking her pulse: „she’ll live! Press that wound, detective Kan and call for help! We’ll take care of that bastard! Everybody to follow me to…” but, looking around, he saw that the others weren’t there. So, he also rushed out of the apartment.

„Damn it!” Kan yelled, furious, and, taking his phone out of the pocket, he dialed 112 while mumbling: „these think that I am a damn old dog or… hello! Detective Kan Gi Yon, police…”

***

Stopped at a crossroad, after running toward there, SolHi looked carefully around, but everything seemed quiet. DooSan, inspector Yu and Yoon Suk showed up from different streets and approached SolHi.

„It seems that we lost him! I don’t know how he does it, but he’s damn fast and…” Yoon Suk said, but he kept silent and looked at the roof toward which SolHi was pointing.

„There he is! Let’s split up! We’ll have more chances this way. Prosecutor Han, follow me!” and she ran away. A second later nobody was left at that crossroad.

Still staring at that roof on which the young man was running on, SolHi noticed that he was heading toward a crowded area of the City: „Not to the markets!” she heard Yu’s voice, yelling in the headphones. „Don’t leave him to enter Itaewon market or we won’t find him ever.”

She and DooSan turned right on a narrow and aside street, considered as a short path to Itaewon. Suddenly, she stopped and looked around and she saw, not that far from them, things built one upon the other and she tapped DooSan on the shoulder, pointing toward that place.

„What are you planning?”

„Following from below, we'll lose him. Someone must climb on the roof and follow him from above.”

„Are you crazy? Roofs…”

„…are my favorites, remember?! I lived for years on roofs. I know them very well and I’m not afraid of them. So, stop saying nonsense and help me!”

„Damn it, SolHi!” DooSan said and intended to hold her in arms to help her climb.

„What are you doing?”

„I’m trying to help you to climb.”

„We are not on our honeymoon, prosecutor Han, to hold me into your arms. Just … stay still! I need a „trampoline,” not a groom. Oh, Gosh!” and she took a few steps back.

DooSan grimaced and stood still. SolHi ran toward him. Getting one step from DooSan, she jumped, stepped first on his palms, gathered together, then on one shoulder and grabbed the edge of a big box and, supporting herself on it, she managed to climb it, then to get on the roof and, looking around, she saw the young man they were chasing jumping from one roof to another. „We have a cat here,” she mumbled in the headphones. „But others also have cat instinct, idiot. He’s heading toward the Eastern area of Itaewon. See you there,” and she rushed after the man.

Yu stopped in place and looked around. In the end, he saw SolHi on the roof. „She definitely lost her mind!” and he turned left at the next crossroad.

„Yoon Suk, turn left!” SolHi yelled in the headphones. „He wants to descend at the crossroad with Itaewon 26 Gil. If he makes it and enters the touristic area of Gyeongbokgung Palace, then he’s gone!”

„Sure, sombe, but … damn it!” Yoon Suk yelled, seeing SolHi jumping from one roof on another one. The distance between the two roofs wasn’t big, but even so, SolHi was forced to roll on the ground after landing from the jump. „Sombe, are you alright?” she heard Yoon Suk in the headphones.

„I’m fine, but … I don’t see him anymore,” she said after standing up. „45 degrees on your right,” she heard DooSan’s voice in the headphones. „He turned to Bogwang-ro 55 Gil.” Looking in that direction, SolHi saw the guy slowly advancing on the roof, being convinced that the detectives lost his trace.

„I have him!” she said and started to run again. The roof, on which SolHi and the man are, is enough wide, with different areas to walk on them to get from one roof to another one because that area is one with a large number of buildings built in a row.

To shorten the distance between them, SolHi turned right, passing by a small air shaft. Then, she sneaked up behind the billboards and, getting not that far from the guy, she saw him stop at the edge of the roof, looking around the check if there was someone following him. SolHi hid and without seeing her, he smiled, but he didn’t manage to get on the other roof because suddenly, SolHi jumped over him, intending to put him to the ground. However, she didn’t calculate the distance and, being both on the edge of the roof, they both lost balance and, still grabbed one on the other, they fell off the floor over a pile of garbage bags that were on the narrow street between the two buildings. After this, because of the inertia force, both rolled on the ground, forced to release the other.

When to run, the young man saw DooSan showing up at the end of the street. Behind them, the street was blocked by a wall. He looked again at DooSan, but there was already inspector Yu too. To climb the wall wasn’t that easy because of the lack of bars and because SolHi already stood up, intending not to leave him run away.

SolHi stared at him while touching her right shoulder because she felt the pain after the falling. But even so, she grinned seeing the young man preparing for a fight: „what, Jerry, did you fall in your own trap?”

The young man only smiled with irony and attacked her. SolHi moved aside and he passed by her. Noticing Yu, intending to approach them, SolHi said in the earphones: „he’s mine, inspector! I intend to change today the end of the story Tom and Jerry and to show to this mouse what means to pay for sins,” and, suddenly, she managed to punch the man’s nose.

Because of the blood that flew suddenly from his nose, the man stumble, but he managed to keep his balance and, in the end, he again attacked SolHi.

They exchanged punches and kicks, throwing the other to the ground. At a moment, both jumped in the air, intending to punch the other’s face, but, in the end, they punched each other’s shoulder, forcing the other one to move back.

Because she had been hit in the same shoulder she had dislocated when she fell, SolHi grimaced and mumbled: „damn, Jerry! I swear that I lay my hand on you and then…” but she fell into her own trap when she thought that the young man had decided to give up - both stared at each other for a few seconds. Then, SolHi took off the cuffs from her back and stepped toward him, reading the Miranda warning: „you have the right to…” but she laid on her back, avoiding the punch. Then, she quickly moved back, and right away she ran toward the wall, stepped on it, and jumped over the guy, landing on his shoulders. But he managed to grab her legs and she was forced to lay upside down because he was taller than her and he managed to immobilize her.

DooSan jerked the gun out of Yu’s hand and removed the safety lock. Then, he started to walk toward the two. „To the ground!” DooSan told the guy. „Don’t make me shoot!”

„As if you’ll shoot while she’s with me!” the young man growled and stared at DooSan out of the corner of his eyes. SolHi took advantage of this movement and, making an abdominal, she punched the guy’s face once again. He hit her with the elbow in the knee, forcing her to scream.

„I told you to let her go!” DooSan yelled. „One… two…” but the young man didn’t care about this: he threw SolHi against the wall and she felt well the hit. But she managed to crawl on the ground, trying to grab the man’s leg while he intended to run. Feeling the touch of her hand on his ankle, the man tried to kick SolHi’s head: she rolled on the ground and he hit the ground. Then he managed somehow to climb on the bags with trash, to escalate the wall, and to get on the roof.

DooSan shot twice but didn’t hit him and the young man wasn’t seen anymore at the edge of the roof. „Help me!” SolHi yelled. „DooSan, help me or we’ll lose him!”

„It’s too late already! We lost him!”

„Not while we still can get him. More than this, inspector Yu and Yoon Suk are following him from below. If I get again on the roof…” but she screamed when DooSan touched her shoulder.

„You barely keep on your feet, SolHi,” DooSan mumbled, furious. „Don’t make me put the handcuffs on you and follow me. First, a doctor must see you!” he put her coat on her shoulders, and, holding her from the arm, he forced her to follow him. While following DooSan, SolHi looked back, but there was nobody on that roof.