„I’m dancing… in the rhythm of the Latin tango. And it’s dark around… only a small circle of light accompanies me in the rhythm of my dance steps. And… even if I feel that there is someone next to me while dancing, I realize so soon that I’m alone here: only me, rhythmically dancing, on a weird or imaginary dance floor and there is no alive soul here to see me moving in the rhythm of the music of life, practically dancing the last dance steps I’m still capable of, because …eh, life, what’s wrong with you?! You are so stubborn to let me alone in such a moment when I need a partner the most, a soulmate to accompany me on my last path on Earth… to another life…”

…and white flowers were left on a grave, by the shaking hand of a woman that was fighting with the avalanche of emotions that was stopping her breath. And that tender woman’s hand slowly shakes while leaving the huge bouquet of chrysanths on someone’s fresh grave, on the cold ground, next to that someone’s photo, whose face cannot be seen.

„I’m sorry,” SolHi whispered because she’d been who left the flowers on the grave, staring at the small red candle whose flame was dancing in the light breath of a gust of wind when next to that candle flame, only a few centimeters of it, it was seen the wrapper of another bouquet of white flowers, left also there, in a hurry, by someone who also passed by to say Goodbye to the one who died.

Then, kneeling in front of the grave, SolHi moved the second bouquet, carefully putting it further from the candle so as not to be destroyed, by accident, by the candle’s light, the beauty of those „goodbye my friend" flowers. Her left hand was again bandaged after she got a shoulder slip while the accident and her face, her neck, and her forehead were still having some traces of the wounds gotten while falling off the motorcycle. Then, her lips murmured: „is it better now, Oppa? Is it… there, where you are now, better than it was here? Are you happier now that you aren’t anymore with us? Don’t you miss us? Mmm?! Because we miss you a lot,” and SolHi burst into cry while taking Dja Iun’s photo off the grave and tightly holding it to the chest.

Suddenly, in her ear resounded Dja Iun’s voice: „come on, SolHi! Don’t move like a mollusk on the beach. Let’s go!”

Watching to her left, SolHi saw Dja Iun’s smiling face - of the Dja Iun, the teenager, being so happy while waving at her. Then, he suddenly turned with his back to her and started to run along that imaginary beach seen by SolHi in front of her eyes while her lips murmured: „bad guy! You went and you didn’t even think about what you left behind you! No, I won’t cry, as you taught me: I’ll be strong, I won’t ever cry, no matter what. But… this doesn’t mean I’m not mad with you.”

„Is it so?!?!” another Dja Iun answered her, that showed up there, squatting next to her and staring at his own fresh grave in front of which SolHi was kneeling, so suddenly. But this Dja Iun was older, with a stout glance - a hint that he passed through many difficult probations in his life: a life that managed, in the end, to erase that innocent smile off his face, painting a cunning one instead while his hippy clothes were giving to him a rebellious image. „And… what’s this time, Grunny? Why are you again upset with me?”

Without watching that new imaginary friend, SolHi said: „because you left. And… even if I know that you sacrificed for us, to be safe, I won’t forgive you ever for this because it hadn’t to be your death, Dja Iun. As I won’t ever forgive the fact that I ignored you so many times, that I pretended not to know about your feelings, that I didn’t understand you. Actually, I understood well everything you did or you told me, as I understood what you wanted from me. But… I’m so empty inside, Dja Iun. How could I love you when there is no place for love inside me?!”

Bitter tears flow again on her cheeks while she bents her head, kneeling and powerfully holding Dja Iun’s photo to her chest. „I’m sorry that I promised not to cry, but I can’t otherwise. I really can’t because my tears are as stubborn as you were in life and … they flow by themselves… on my cheek, while the fear sneaks inside me, the fear for what’s next in this life without you, Oppa. And it’s worse… knowing that you died because of me, that I have to see ghosts on cold nights even for you. Tell me, Dja Iun: will you appear in my dreams as Han YuSan does, asking me to pay for the fact that I had a second chance in this life because of you, or … will you be more generous as he is and you’ll ask me, in the end, to follow you… in that cold world where you are now. Or … is there warmer than it is here?! Is there quieter?! If so… tell me! I want to know this because is so cold here, Oppa, in this world where you aren’t anymore and I don’t have to whom to ask a bit of wise advice.”

After another cry, still holding the photo to her chest, SolHi wiped her tears and put the photo in its place, among the flowers, while Dja Iun’s helmet, the one he had used before death, was also there. Resting her palm on the helmet as if resting it on someone’s shoulder to give him some comfort, SolHi murmured in a sure voice. „But: I won’t give up, Dja Iun. Not until the guilty person for your death won’t pay for it, eventually. Trust me: I’ll make him pay and then… I’ll turn back here to tell you that you can be finally proud of me. And you will be, Dja Iun. You will be.”

Standing up and without watching back even for a second, SolHi went in a hurry, leaving the white flowers behind her, slowly blown by the wind, and the smiling Dja Iun, seen in that photo left on a cold grave that was announcing the end of a lighted road.

***

With his left leg in a cast and with the blanket covering him till up to the chin to keep him warm, DooSan was quietly sleeping while his rhythmical and calm breath was giving the sensation that he’s recovering already, after many days with fever, delirium, and many other bad symptoms. Now instead, he was well, thank God and even the doctors were optimistic about his recovery.

Eventually, he opened his eyes and looked around: „the same white ward,” DooSan thought, being already tired of seeing the same ceiling because he only slept lately and, even if he dreamt about this since he was hired in the prosecution - to have some free time for sleep, now that he could sleep as much as he wanted, he found the days extremely long and boring, feeling the pain in each bone and not only because of the accident, but also because of lack of motion.

But all this had an advantage: the fact that SolHi was near him, as a personal nurse, watching his sleep and making sure that he was recovering. Actually, SolHi was in the ward, and when DooSan awoke: she was sleeping with her head supported on the arm that was lying on the same bed as DooSan, but she was sitting on a chair after another long night when she took care of him because DooSan had had again fever despite all the medicine they gave to him. Because of this, SolHi chose to spend the night there, taking care of him by wetting a piece of cloth in cold water and wiping his forehead, his face, his neck, and his arms that were abundantly sweating.

And DooSan smiled: seeing her quietly sleeping and remembering fragments of the last night with her next to him while touching his forehead with the cold cloth. Now instead, she was so calm and this was so calming for him too because, despite the moments he raved and the bad moments he passed, DooSan had also had lucid moments even if he didn’t show it always and he saw her often crying while standing next to the window, with her back at him and this way she didn’t see DooSan awake, watching her.

But DooSan saw her and understood everything: he understood that someone died in that accident and it had to be Dja Iun because he was still remembering well the moment when Dja Iun’s motorcycle furiously hit the trunk, how he later flew in the air, hitting once again the asphalt and rolling on its cold surface where he also breathed his last breath.

This was the moment he saw before the accident. Later, he recovered his consciousness when they were already entering the hospital with the paramedics running while pushing the stretcher on which DooSan was lying: and he saw then the lights on the ceiling of the hall that were running with them. Then, he was hearing all the time someone’s voice that was telling him: „patient, stay focused! Do you hear me? Patient, answer if you hear me!”

DooSan was hearing him, but he hadn’t enough power to answer the paramedic, then to answer the doctor that told him the same and who after approaching DooSan with a small lantern checked the vital signals and especially the retinal dilation. And … that light… it was so bothering that made him close his eyes several times, despite the doctor’s efforts to open his eyelashes. Then, when the doctor finally moved that bothering light away, DooSan looked around, among all the doctors and nurses and all those seen there, and thus he saw SolHi - there, somewhere in the distance, running toward the stretcher while one of the paramedics was running after her, trying to stop her. And he felt sorrow for her, seeing her arm again bandaged, with the blue splint around her neck, and her face and her hands stained with blood. But… eventually, SolHi lost her short battle with the nurses that forced her to climb back on the stretcher for further medical investigations. Later, he saw her disappearing in front of him even if he wanted her to stay there, to make sure that she was alright because he intentionally frontally hit that mound of rubble, receiving all the power of the accident only to save her.

Suddenly, DooSan winced, remembering the moment of impact and that his body was still feeling, like a moment of inertness how he first hits something hard, and how he later rolls and falls into a small dug ditch.

He reopened the eyes after feeling that his dizziness passed and then he turned his eyes toward SolHi: in sleep, she turned her head toward him, and a rebellious strand of hair was falling over her face, getting to the base of her nose where SolHi’s warm breath was slowly moving it.

Hesitating at first, DooSan stretched eventually his hand and moved that strand of hair off her face, trying to see her better. Then, he touched her forehead where she had a wound covered with a patch, the color of the skin. „At least you are ok!” he thought, but he right away closed his eyes after withdrawing his arm, spotting SolHi awakened by his touch.

When she rose her head, she saw nobody around, even if she was sure that she had felt someone near her.

Seeing that there was nobody and that DooSan was still „asleep,” SolHi stretched her hand and touched his forehead. „Thank God, the fever is gone! After a nightmare night… it finally lowered,” she murmured, carefully covering him with the blanket.

Then, SolHi stood up, intending to go. But she stopped, feeling DooSan’s hand, grabbing hers. „Aren’t you asleep?” she asked him in a half a voice, after staring into his eyes.

„No. Actually, I woke up not that long ago.”

SolHi sat down again, insistently staring at him as if trying to understand how far his cunningness would go.

„What?” DooSan asked her confused, not understanding at all that session of „analysis” SolHi was having at that moment and whose object of checking was him.

„Did you awake just what or you weren’t asleep, at all? Aaa? Tell me, what and how much did you see?” and she fixed her glance into his eyes, an insistence that made DooSan look elsewhere while slowly squeezing his lips, a hint that he preferred to keep his thoughts only for him. „DooSan?” she insisted.

„Forehead, blanket, and …hand?” DooSan murmured barely heard.

„It means that you saw everything. But… you preferred to act the „fool,” SolHi growled, a little bit bothered by the fact that he „had dared” to deceive her.

„Why the „fool?” I was just trying to play the role of the perfect sick person, who I really am, actually, while you are my perfect nurse and…”

„Really?! Just say thank you to God because you are in a hospital bed. Otherwise, I would have shown you what means to take advantage of me,” she murmured, pretending to „hit” him.

„That’s not fair,” DooSan murmured, making SolHi stare at him in amazement.

„What exactly?”

„The fact that you don’t love me even when I’m sick. I just … need some help and … I don’t think that is that hard to turn me the favor.”

„Now is a favor?! Surprise me! Which one?”

„For being your partner in that race?!” and DooSan suddenly turned his glance toward SolHi, analyzing each movement of her facial muscles.

SolHi suddenly became sad as if she remembered the accident. „Ia, don’t take it personally. I was just trying to get some benefit from you,” DooSan murmured, trying to make her react.

„If you try to take advantage of others, it means you are fine,” SolHi murmured and she suddenly stood up. Before leaving the ward, she said: „forget what happened, Han DooSan, and stay away from what will happen from now on. And… this isn’t a favor that I’m asking only. It’s a fact.”

„To stay away of what? Ia, SolHi, what does this mean? What do you want to do, SolHi? SolHi!” But she exited without even looking back for a second. „Damn it! This woman will drive me crazy eventually,” DooSan mumbled unsatisfied, but even if he wanted to follow her, he realized that he can’t because of the leg.

SolHi instead, getting out of the ward, met Iun Marie. Seeing each other, both women looked with hatred at each other, but when SolHi intended to pass by without saying even a word to Marie, she suddenly grabbed her by hand, forcing her to stop and told her even if none of them looked at the other. „We must talk!” Marie said in a demanding and severe tone. After this, she turned back, walking on the same path onto which she came till there.

SolHi stood in the same place for another few moments while her lips were slowly shaking because of the negative feelings, caused by this unfortunate meeting. Eventually, she followed Marie.

***

Sitting face to face at one of the tables while each of them was trying to stay calm, Marie and SolHi finally managed to look into the eyes of the other one. But while SolHi was staring straight into Marie’s eyes, trying to make her understand that she’s not the old SolHi anymore, she was still seeing that the hatred from Marie’s eyes wasn’t gone yet and it was so visible. However, … it wasn’t bothering SolHi as it happened once.

„I’ll be short, Ian SolHi - leave DooSan alone,” Marie told her in the same severe tone that she had used to demand SolHi follow her when they met in the hospital hall.

„Why should I do that?” SolHi’s answer came, calm and sure.

„What?”

„I mean… why should I leave DooSan alone when he was the one who approached me first and he’s also who entered my house, insisting to live with me.”

„Ian SolHi!” Marie shouted, making the other clients of the coffee shop stare at them in amazement, and then, the same clients started to whisper about what could have happened between those two women that are arguing in front of them.

„What? Is it so unpleasant to listen to this, prosecutor Iun Marie? Aaa, sorry, I forgot this: ex-prosecutor Iun Marie,” SolHi told her in a slight mockery tone, but she was only trying to make herself visible in front of the woman that was considering her at that moment as she had considered her 7-years-ago - a nobody. „If you don’t believe me, you can ask your son. I’m sure he won’t deny my words.”

SolHi’s words made Marie ironically smile. „You grew up a lot, Ian SolHi. You learned to show your fangs.”

„Of course, I did. I had a damn good teacher for this because you took care to teach me such a painful lesson in my past. You know… those that one never forgets.”

„And… do you think that you didn’t deserve it? In that warehouse, my son died, because of you.”

„Maybe you are right, but… you did all those things without having at least minor evidence of my guilt. But you did it, anyway. Why?! Just because you had the power and the necessary influence.”

„As I can keep doing this. I can continue to fight with you till to take DooSan away from you.”

„I wish you luck then. But … I doubt that DooSan will listen to you,” SolHi said bitterly smiling.

„What are you planning now?” Marie asked, insistently watching SolHi who wasn’t moving her glance from Marie’s eyes and nor was intimidated by DooSan’s mother.

„Me?! Nothing. Actually, those who plan something are you and Han DooSan who I’m more than sure that he came into my house for something. He’s looking for evidence, isn’t he? If it is so, then… he can do it, but I assure you that he won’t find them ever.”

„Are you so sure about this?”

„Yeah. Because there’s no evidence. That’s why I’m sure. The only ones who don’t understand this are you two. But… I won’t waste time and energy convincing you of the contrary. You will convince yourselves, in time. Meanwhile: I have better things to do. Like… investigating the circumstances in which the recent accident took place.”

SolHi stood up, intending to go, but she stopped, listening to Marie’s voice: „are you that shameless, Ian SolHi? 7-years-ago, you took a son from me. Are you trying now to take my second son too? For getting revenge, won’t you leave me any alive son? What happened a few days ago…”

„He chose this: to be there,” SolHi said, calmly, watching Marie who continued staid without watching her. „And… DooSan shouldn't have been there that night. The only ones who should have died that night … it was me and Dja Iun, who actually paid with his life for saving us because I’m absolutely sure that the target of that accident… was my death of the prosecutor’s Han.”

„Target? What do you mean?” Marie asked confused.

„I’m not sure yet, but… I will find out. I owe this to Dja You because…and you should be grateful to that man and to kneel in front of him, thankful for the fact that DooSan is alive now. Dja Iun gave up on his life there to save us two. So, if you have complaints related to that accident, then go and call down DooSan for this. I don’t intend to answer for his actions or decisions too” and SolHi finally went away.

Marie powerfully squeezed her fists while watching behind SolHi: „you don’t even know how much I regret that you weren’t on that other moto and not with my son. Thus, my both sons would have been calm and avenged by now.”

***

Getting out of her car service, SolHi slammed the door because even if it had passed more than an hour after her meeting with Iun Marie, she was still feeling that she was burning inside. „Damn them all!” SolHi eventually murmured and headed toward the prosecution entrance.

Yoon Suk caught up with her a few seconds later because he was also turning back to work after having lunch. „Sombe, how’s prosecutor Han?”

„Better! He’ll be home in a few days.”

„What a release. At least you two got off easily because the other guy…,” but Yoon Suk kept silent, seeing the sadness on SolHi’s face that suddenly stopped. „I’m sorry, sombe. It was just a remark. I…”

„Don’t worry, Yoon Suk. You said nothing false. Well… Dja Iun for real had bad luck. Talking about the accident, how about the truck’s driver? Did he say something?”

„Nea! He insists that he doesn’t know anything… that he fell asleep while driving…”

„As if! I remember very well the moment of the accident and he wasn’t sleeping. It means he lies.”

„I know, SolHi, but… we can’t prove the contrary.”

„You can’t prove?!” SolHi ironically said. „If you can’t… I will. I’m sure that someone „ordered” us, and the fact that I and prosecutor Han are still alive can only be considered a simple „coincidence.”

SolHi suddenly turned her back to him, entering the building.

Yoon Suk suddenly ruffled his hair. „She’ll drive me crazy, for sure! In her place, one would have stayed quiet after facing death, but this one… she’s looking for it” and he followed SolHi eventually.

***

„I said no, SolHi,” Kan told her, practically yelling, after throwing a file on the desk.

„Why so, sombe? I just can…”

„I said no and this means no, detective Ian. It’s enough that you and prosecutor Han were there that night to involve you in the investigation too… an investigation whose victim you actually are.”

„Because I’m a victim of that accident I will investigate it very well and I’ll find the guilty one because I’m more than sure that not only the truck’s driver is guilty of what happened to me and prosecutor Han, or for Dja Iun’s death.”

„You’ll prove this!? How? Without evidence?” Kan told her ironically.

„Without evidence? What are you talking about, sombe? Dja Iun’s dash cam… I’m sure that there is everything related to the accident. Even if it was destroyed, its memory card…”

„That camera doesn’t exist, SolHi,” Yu told her calmly.

„Doesn’t it exist? I’m sure that Dja Iun had that camera. Ok, what about our dash cam? I’m absolutely sure that we have it.”

„It was completely destroyed in the accident,” Yoon Suk murmured. „We tried, but we couldn’t restore that video.”

SolHi suddenly burst into a hysterical laugh, taking everybody by surprise. „Do I am the only one who finds all these thumping? Dja Iun’s dash cam… „vanished” somewhere. Ours… well, „completely destroyed,” according to you. So… what about the truck’s dash cam? Don’t tell me that there wasn't any dash cam…?”

„SolHi, I think you should calm down,” Yu told her, approaching her and resting his palm on her shoulder while trying to make her calm down. „Things are really bad here after the accident. Especially those related to you and prosecutor Han. It can cost you your career.”

„Our career? Are you serious now, inspector? A man died and someone is trying to silence us by threatening us with our career? We did nothing illegal then to be afraid of this.”

„A motorcycle race during the night in an unauthorized place is considered illegal,” A Rim mumbled and it drove SolHi completely mad.

„Illegal? Race? What the hell are you talking about?”

„The speedometer on the dead one’s motorcycle stopped at 250 km/h after the impact, and this is… illegal, Nuna,” SuJin murmured.

„That truck was coming right toward us. At full speed,” SolHi yelled. „If Dja Iun accelerated was for saving us because the truck was heading straight toward us… he didn’t do anything to avoid us… he didn’t even press the brake pedal… he did nothing. That’s why Dja Iun had simply been blown there.”

„Not the same the driver says. He insists that your motorcycles appeared there so soon that he had no time to avoid the impact,” Kan yelled.

„He’s lying to us!”

„SolHi, do you think we didn’t investigate this? We did and what the driver says is true: there wasn’t any sign with „road in work” as you and prosecutor Han told us. And this is also seen on his dashcam … when he entered the road there wasn’t anything of what you said,” Kan said, this time calmer.

„And… why we can see this only in the video we took from the truck’s dashcam? Why Dja Iun’s is lost and ours is destroyed? That night … all over that road … there were flags and all kinds of metallic symbols informing about the work on that road. Doesn’t this seem weird to you? That only when the truck passed over there they weren’t seen there?”

„Detective Ian is right,” Yu said. „When the patrols and the ambulances got there, they saw those symbols.”

„Well?! It means that driver is lying,” SolHi again yelled.

„Wait a minute,” SuJin murmured, making everybody turn toward him. „The truck’s dashcam: on the images we got there’s no recording with the accident, only with the moment the truck enters the road.”

„What?!” Kan shouted. „How’s this possible?”

„Or… they „took care” of the registration and we won’t demonstrate this ever without the original, or…”

„Or, SuJin?” Yu insisted, watching his son.

„Or the memory card that police got was changed after the accident. And… I’m sure that the one with the accident was already destroyed.”

„Do you see, sombe? I was right, but you didn’t believe me,” SolHi murmured disappointed.

„The matter isn’t if we believe you or not, SolHi, but is if we can demonstrate this or not. At least we couldn’t check it till now. So… Yoon Suk, visit our driver in the jail and see if you can find out something from him. And you, A Rim, check please if the driver didn’t get a few million won as a „surprise inheritance.”

„I’ll take care of the street cameras. Maybe we can find some witnesses,” SuJin said.

„Perfect. We need this,” Kan said with satisfaction to see that this boy was getting better and better each day.

„I’ll take care of checking the place of the accident once again,” SolHi said in a sure voice and, after approaching her desk, she took the gun out of the drawer.

„You’ll take care of the gubbins, Ian SolHi,” Kan ordered her and he put a pile of paper in front of her. „Till we are back, I hope you’ll finish this… with the scissors and not using the machine.”

„Sombe!”

„No sombe. And… Yoon Suk, don’t lose her or you’ll pay for what she does. Did you get this?”

„Yep!” Yoon Suk cheerfully answered, saluting, a fact that made SolHi throw something against him, but the young detective only grinned satisfied.

When Yu and Kan left the office, SolHi tried to follow them, but Yoon Suk stepped in front of her. „Get lost, Yoon Suk!” SolHi hissed, madly staring into his eyes.

„Nea, thanks, but I have no intention to be „scraped” by detective Kan for letting you go. So… sombe, be nice and turned back to your place. Not for nothing, but that pile is waiting for you. And… shred it nicely, so to enter the garbage bag,” and Yoon Suk once again grinned, at all bothered by SolHi’s killing glance.

„Traitor!” SolHi murmured and she turned back to her place, taking the scissors in her hand and starting to furiously shred the paper, getting back her own for her colleagues' „betrayal.” But… none of them had the intention to give up, knowing that it was the best for her. The only one who wasn’t seeing this was SolHi.