Even if he thought that the cold water won't cool him to the core, DooSan was yet amazed to feel himself calm down, especially how the wounds that burnt him a lot were also calming down. Then, a long time of calmness took over the surroundings, time while the cold drops of water were dropping from the shower and were running all over his naked body while DooSan was squatting in the bathtub, with the knees touching his chest and leaving that cold water to wash him somehow of pain and sins, to bless him.

And… that desire of being blessed wasn’t something new, for that immixture of news, which he found out in one single morning, made him confused, made him feel that he wanted to vanish for a while, for the guilt suddenly took the place of the regrets, of the remorse, of the desire of taking revenge and all this happened because of that document that kept a lot of secrets inside it, hidden from him for 7 years already.

„If she hadn’t kept silent then,” murmured DooSan, watching those water drops that were running down his body and were later falling into the bathtub. „If she had told me about this then, maybe she wouldn’t have suffered so much. Maybe both of us wouldn’t have suffered so much all this time.”

„Or maybe you wouldn’t have gotten to know her as you know SolHi today,” he heard again Kan’s voice in his ears and this made him bitterly smile as he did when he and the detective were sitting on the ground, on that country road, between two lavender fields when their minds and their souls were already calm after sharing kicks and punches inside of that abandoned warehouse. But even so, they still had deep wounds on their faces and all over their body.

„Yet, Kan… maybe would have been everything different,” said DooSan as if trying to continue his thought.

„Do you mean that would have been better to live without knowing each other?” said Kan, watching him like a father.

DooSan instead didn’t rush to answer. But with the arms laying next to his body and with his palms resting on his knees while his eyes were staring at the lavender field seen in front of him, he was thinking over and over again about that idea. „No,” he said eventually. „Maybe I would have loved her long ago and we wouldn’t have wasted so much time in regrets, pain, and remorses.”

„To love her?”

„Mmm, to love her. Even if I ended up hiding this of the world and to lie myself and even her.”

„A sweet lie known only by the heart,” said Kan, smiling.

„That’s right. A lie invented by the mind, but lived in silence by the heart.”

„And the heart is SolHi?”

„No. Both of us, for we both suffered a lot, even if having completely different pains in our souls.”

„Yet, it can’t be compared.”

„The pain?”

„Mmm, for while you were feeding your pain with hatred and desire of getting revenge, SolHi was fighting to live and this „fighting” isn’t random and I think that isn’t necessary to tell you why I said so.”

„No, it isn’t necessary. And… I also had part of my guilt here. Maybe because of me, she has been forced to suffer and to fight so much.”

„No, prosecutor Han! You shouldn’t blame only yourself right now. SolHi has also her part of the guilt,” and this made DooSan stare at Kan in amazement. „I mean here that she hid what she lived.”

„Do you mean the rape?”

„Not only. Actually, I’m not that sure that she knew about the rape.”

„What?” shouted DooSan in amazement. „What do you mean with „I’m not sure that she knew?” You just said that she didn’t want that what she lived to be known. More than that: you just showed me that medical report.”

„Yeah, but yet: I’m not sure that she knew about this right from the beginning. I think she found out later about this… from memories and that her friend, Pack Mina, hid this for protecting her, for… maybe you don’t know this, but after what happened in the Emergency Room, when you tried to kill her, you didn’t see her than about a year after. Me instead, the prosecutor in charge at that moment, and her friend… we saw her often and she was really in a deplorable state of mind. There have been days when she cried a lot. There have been days when they fed her by force because there were days when she didn’t want to wake up.”

„Like when her mother died.”

„Recently?”

„Mmm. She slept for days after that. And also Mina told me that’s not the first time SolHi did that. But I never asked her or myself when that other time was. If I had done this…”

„It wouldn’t have helped you in anything, for, as long as SolHi chooses to live everything in silence and to hide her problems from the others, it’s very difficult to find out what is in her soul.”

„Yet, Kan… I should have at least found out more about her. To know her. As you said before punching me.”

„Actually, the first to punch me has been you.”

„Well deserved by the way,” and both laughed. „Only look at us: we look like after the war.”

„Rather like two high school kids that fought for a girl that won’t have ever at least the minimal idea why we did that. I hope so. Otherwise, as I know SolHi, we won’t have only our nose broken and a few bruises. It’s for sure that the firemen will be necessary to rebuild us from pieces.”

„You tell me this?! You should have seen me the first night I showed up in her apartment and I told her that since that day we’ll live together. Brr, I don’t even want to remember that night: it has definitely been dreadful. My skin still scratches me only with thinking about this. But… this isn’t everything I’m afraid of, for she has that extraordinary ability to look damn cool after making everybody look like after the war. But she even after the fight looks like she just got out of the jacuzzi - fresh and… a real bomb.”

„Did you see her?”

„What?” asked DooSan extremely amazed and not understanding at all what Kan meant.

„How she looks after getting out of a jacuzzi. I bet she’s definitely a clock bomb,” and Kan innocently looked at DooSan.

But such words awoke the rivalry inside of DooSan, like his manhood instinct. „Did you lose your mind?” DooSan shouted, with wide-open eyes and looking like a cat ready for a fight.

Kan instead laughed, backing off when he saw DooSan looking like an animal ready to defend her female. „Calm down, prosecutor, I’m not entering someone else’s territory. SolHi is only like a daughter for me.”

„Aga, you have damn good eyes for a simple „daddy,” DooSan snarled.

„Daddy-daddy, but I still see well. More than this: it wouldn’t have been the first time seeing a fashion show with SolHi like the main model.”

„A fashion show?” asked DooSan confused.

„Don’t tell me you have forgotten already how she was dressed the first time you saw her in the police section?”

„Well, dressed… is a big word for describing what she wore that day,” mumbled DooSan, scratching the back of his head. „As far as I remember, she was wearing only a towel, after getting out of the… shower. A towel that later has been lost somewhere,” and he cleared his voice, trying to chase away the shame, for he felt a little bit clumsy talking with Kan about such private things while he had considered the detective being a rival not that long ago.

„It means you are damn lucky if you saw her like that only once. We were meant to „bear” not once because of her. I remember that one year ago, she ran on the street, after a trickster, wearing only a swimsuit… a damn two pieces one, for she saw him trying to steal something while she was at the pool. She forgot about everything that day and the ones who had to listen to the captain’s shouts and screams have been we, her colleagues, for she… was out of service that day.”

DooSan smiled: „you only heard shouts, but… I feel cold sweat on my back each time I hear the shower. I swear that my blood freezes in my veins of dread that she’ll forget one day that I’m living with her and she’ll get out of the bathroom wearing only… the clothes she wore when she has been born.”

„You can solve this problem very simply,” said Kan, grinning. Then, he winked, a thing that amazed DooSan even more: „as I said - it is damn simple: leave the apartment and you are out of danger!”

„Aga! I’ll leave my place for another only in your dreams,” and both of them burst to laugh. Then a short period of silence took over them, time while only the noise of the wind dancing with the lavender blades was heard around. Then, the barely heard voice of DooSan was heard: „Detective Kan!”

„Aaa?” asked Kan in the same tone while both of them seemed to be immersed in dreams while staring at the purple flowers dancing with the wind.

„May I ask you a favor?”

„About what?”

„Find out who’s SolHi’s baby’s father. Do this for me.”

Kan turned his head toward DooSan and stared at him in amazement. „What for?” he asked eventually. „Do you think that he has been involved in the 7 years ago events?”

„I don’t know, but… after I had read that medical report, I’m more tempted to think that he might be involved. Otherwise, I can’t explain the reason why she has been kicked so brutally in the stomach by that maniac: not the other that to lose her baby. But… it must remain a secret. At least for the moment.”

„Well, this „only between us” will be damn difficult, for… as far as I know SolHi, her „dog’s nose” will alert her right away.”

„Not if she won’t be around you.”

„As I said and I repeat: it’ll be damn difficult. More this with keeping her away from work or keeping an investigation secret from her.”

„Yet, we must do this. To be honest, I saw captain Lee this morning and he thinks like me: that SolHi must stay away from this investigation.”

„Because of Min SinJu?”

„Did you already find out?”

„It hasn’t been difficult anyway. Actually: the same captain Lee told me about this - yesterday when I’ve been in his office. And… to be honest, the idea of „keeping you two away from this investigation,” has been mine actually.”

DooSan pierced him with his furious glance: „ok, I understand why SolHi must stay away from this. But: what’s your problem with me?”

„With you?! Nothing important: I just want you to keep an eye on SolHi all the time, for we both know that she’s no angel and that she won’t stay calm, and if you are involved in the investigation, you won’t have time for her. More than this: Min SinJu hates you too. Let’s not forget the accident when Iu Dja Iun died.”

„Trust me: this isn’t something I can forget. Anyway: I think it’s the time to let the clown that lives inside me be free,” and DooSan grinned.

„This means SolHi will have a lot of problems because of you.”

„Did you doubt about this?! Otherwise… I can’t handle her. But… if I give her a rough ride, the success is mine for sure,” and DooSan winked at the detective.

But… at that moment, while being in the shower, he thought that he chose a damn difficult mission actually. More knowing SolHi around him, and this made him understand that what he felt for her was more than a simple attraction: he wanted her and it was so difficult for him to abstain from touching her, kissing her, having her all the time next to him. But yet: he had to do that, for it was her safety at stake and he couldn’t afford to lose her. Not her too.

***

Even if he tried hard, DooSan didn’t manage to keep SolHi in the house. He even tried to play the role of the sick man, that the bruises and the wounds hurt him and that she had to take care of him as he took care of her one night ago.

SolHi instead, knowing very well that he was just pretending, told him clearly and shortly: „if something bothers you, go to the hospital! I’m a detective, not a nurse!”

This made DooSan suddenly sit on the bed, on the same bed on which he had rolled back and forth pretending to feel so bad and crumpling it, despite the fact that SolHi tried to perfectly arrange it, for she recently had the fad of everything being perfectly arranged next to her.

More than that: after the incident with the motel, DooSan noticed something strange about her - the fact that she was noticing if an object wasn’t perfectly sitting in a place and she tried to leave everything shining and in perfect condition behind her - like a real maniac, something that actually preoccupied him. But… even if he noticed this, he didn’t know how to tell her about this because he was afraid that she’ll have other crises. That’s why the only thing left was to follow her all over, like a trustful puppy.

„Why are you after me even in the street?” she hissed through her teeth, being in the street and noticing DooSan one step behind her.

„Why? Do you have hidden secrets from me?”

„Of course, I have. Or what: did you already forget why did you come to my house?” SolHi trod on his toes.

And… even if DooSan wanted to tell her something well deserved, he had decided yet that it wasn’t the right time. So, he grabbed her arm and pulled her over him, telling her that it was the perfect time to work if she was stubborn and she didn't want to stay home. Or what: does she want to live at his expense?

This made SolHi loudly laugh, stopped right in the middle of the street, and her laugh has been hysterical at first, something uncontrolled. But later, seeing the confusion on DooSan’s face, who had no idea how she could laugh like that, SolHi fell prey to the same wave of sudden emotions awakened in her soul somehow unexpectedly and she laughed with all her heart: childishly, sweetly, so kindly and sexy at the same time, as it seemed to DooSan.

But at the moment DooSan took a step toward her, SolHi kept silent and stood on guard, for she thought that DooSan will play with her one of his usual childish games: grabbing her by the throat with the arm wrapped around her neck, forcing her to „fight” thus with him.

What DooSan did, however, took her completely unprepared and amazed her so much, for instead of grabbing her by the throat and forcing her to follow him, he kissed her: right in the middle of the street.

At first, DooSan grabbed her both cheeks with his palms and deeply stared into her eyes while SolHi was quickly blinking from her eyelashes, trying thus to come to her senses. But her breath interrupted, seeing him closing his eyes, to later feel the sweet-salty taste of his lips on hers - sweet: because of the kiss, salty - because of the fresh wound on DooSan’s lips, about which it seemed that he had forgotten.

Then, without giving her time to come to her senses, DooSan grabbed her hand and forced her to follow him to the car, to later force her somehow to enter, for SolHi was so amazed and somehow dumb, as if unable to think by herself.

Only when DooSan tied the belt around her waist and turned the engine on, did SolHi hiccup, and this made DooSan laugh: „it means that my attempt of scaring you worked,” he mumbled happily. After that, he pressed the gas pedal and went away, but still with that smile painted on his face.

***

SolHi’s „fright” didn’t pass even being already in the office, for after DooSan practically forced her to sit down, he put a pile of files in front of her, documents brought there by A Rim. Then, seeing SolHi furiously staring at him, he slowly bowed toward her as if intending to kiss her and this made her withdraw a little, covering her mouth with both palms.

„I’m glad you learned the previous lesson,” he said grinning. „If not, just tell me, and it’ll be my pleasure to teach you the same lesson one more time. So, be a good girl and sort out these files: alphabetically, then chronologically, then by name, and… I’ll think about how to sort them later.

„Ia! Han DooSan!” suddenly SolHi shouted, coming to her senses.

DooSan instead didn’t freak out: he put his palms on her shoulders and forced her to sit down. Then, he stuck his forehead to hers and whispered: „are you sure that you want to try my teaching methods one more time? I’m not against it, but… we aren’t alone here,” and he grinned, staring at SuJin and A Rim, who were staring at them.

„Damn you…,” SolHi snarled and turned her head so suddenly toward him that her lips almost touched DooSan’s cheek. Then, she withdrew her head and covered again her lips with both palms.

„It means you learned the lesson,” he happily said. „Then, I can turn back to work.” But half away to her desk, he turned toward her and chewed her out: „not even one step away from that desk without telling me first about this.”

„This is already tyranny!” she hissed through her teeth.

„Then, go and round on me! But… I assure you that you will only waste your time.” Then, comically shrugging, he headed toward his desk.

But… the „eagles” of his office were keeping on their toes: still staring at SolHi, who started to throw the files on the other desk to make some place on her desk, A Rim moved her chair next to SuJin’s, who was staring at DooSan, for… he found DooSan damn happy that day.

Actually, it was so, for while preparing for work, DooSan was so happily smiling, and this enraged SuJin: damn much actually, for… you see, „how the prosecutor „dared” to enrage his beautiful Nuna?!” More than that: „how did the rival dare to demand his Nuna to do something?”

But he right away came to his senses from his little jealousy session when A Rim slapped the back of his head, seeing that he wasn't paying attention to her. „What’s wrong with them?” A Rim asked curiously, motioning toward DooSan and SolHi, and being at all bothered that SuJin was now upset with her for being slapped by her.

„Wherefrom should I know that?” SuJin hissed through his teeth and pushed A Rim’s chair with his leg, turning her back to her desk. Then, SuJin put his headphones on his head, mumbling something barely heard and he also started to throw things on his desk as SolHi was doing as if imitating her.

But that jealousy was something DooSan liked, for… you see, he not only once „suffered” because of SuJin, who was hovering around his „beautiful Nuna.” all the time. That was the perfect time to return like for like to his „rival.”

***

„And… what are we doing here?” Yu mumbled, pulling the latex gloves off his hands while staring around at the club that seemed abandoned even if only one night ago that club was full to the brim with clients.

„Zombies, and if we can get with their nest, better,” said Kan in a joke.

„Nice as always,” snarled Yu and started again to try to put a quart into a pint pot, for it was clear as mud that there wasn’t anything left for them. Or at least this was what he thought. Eventually, tired to look through all the corners and even under the mats, being convinced that the forensic doctors checked everything, Yu decided that it was the perfect time to also have some fun.

Thus, he approached Kan and touched the detective’s cheek with his: so romantic that Kan jerked in the air, feeling him next to him.

„What’s wrong with you, old goat?” Kan gnashed his teeth. „Have you lost your mind in your old ages or what? That’s why you try to exchange the camps?”

Yu grinned instead, slowly bowing toward Kan: „of course, not! I was just trying to show you that we can act otherwise and not using violence. So, tell me: who caressed your snout so sweetly this morning?”

„Aaa, this one! Let’s say that we had a damn interesting talk with prosecutor Han.”

„Great Guns!” shouted Yu, covering his mouth with his palm and wide-opening his eyes in amazement. „And… does SolHi know about this?”

„About what?”

„That you are trying to steal her… man?”

„Ia,” Kan shouted so loudly that even the windows clanged. „You definitely lost your mind, old dude. You should do your job as well as your tongue works, rather than talking nonsenses.”

„I do this, don’t worry. But… I’m sure that we don’t have anything else to find here,” and Yu supported his palm against the wall like any other normal people that looked for a rest. But… that wall seemed not to root with the inspector and when it rotated, half opening, Yu turned upside down, rolling on those few stairs that descended in the underground.

Seeing this, Kan rushed toward that half-open „door,” staring at the darkness seen behind the wall. But it was so thick that it could be easily cut with a knife. „Are you alright?” Kan asked eventually, barely heard. But… he heard no answer. So, he decided that it’ll be better to make some light and he turned on the lantern on his mobile phone.

But he right away fell on his butt, squeezing his phone, when a shock-headed and bloody nose mummy appeared in front of him: Yu, for when he rolled on those stairs, he broke his nose, hitting the floor and the hair bristled on itself.

Yet, Yu decided that he had to at least keep up the „appearances” even after that „mama! The Grim Reaper himself!” whispered by Kan. So, Yu slowly arranged his clothes, passed his fingers through his hair, trying to make it look at least normally, and, after that, he took the kerchief out of his pocket and stuck two of its corners in his nostrils to stop the bleeding. After that, he so calmly whispered: „let’s go!”

„Where?” asked Kan in a half a voice, for he felt cold sweat drops running on his back and he didn’t know why.

„In the underworld! I came after you!” Yu wasn’t late to answer. „I mean… to see SolHi’s basement, for… this was what we were looking for, right?”

Kan only slowly nodded yes and gave his mobile phone to Yu, for the inspector tried to turn on the lantern on his mobile phone, but he realized in amazement that he couldn’t, for he broke his phone while rolling on those stairs.

Yu hesitated if to take Kan’s phone or not: not the other, but he was afraid that he could break that one too. Yet, to turn back to that damn dark place where he broke his nose and his phone, he didn’t want. At least not groping. So, he took eventually the phone and he has been the first on descending those stairs. But he did this very carefully, for he cared more about his old bones than about Kan’s phone.

Kan instead, behind him, first largely crossed, saying, in his mind, all the prayers he knew, all not longer than two sentences, for he hadn’t time in his life to learning something more, and all of them sounded the same: „God, bless me! Bless me, God! Don’t let me with the devil!” But he jerked on his feet, and rushed to descend those stairs, as if counting them, hearing Yu yelling at him: „are you coming?”

***

„Here’s nothing more than mice and the underworld,” mumbled Yu, pulling the corners of the kerchief out of his nose, and he did this being somehow upset that they didn’t find anything even there. Not even in the booth mentioned by SolHi, they didn’t find traces: not even blood, for it was cleaned better than in a pharmacy.

„They knew!” murmured Kan, squatting and looking carefully around.

„What exactly?”

„That we’ll get eventually here too. That’s why while we’ve worked up, looking for evidence, they took care to make the evidence from here vanish.”

„Yet… maybe they dropped something.”

„Less probably. These are professionals, dude, not like those from „The Night Sun.”

„Do you think so?”

„I’m sure, not only think,” Kan said, feisty, standing up and looking around. „Otherwise, we wouldn't have found that young lady inside of the trash can.”

„Nam Yun Ho will be responsible for her eventually. I’ve heard that Captain Lee interrogates him right now and that he intends to make him recognize everything, including the rape and that young woman’s death.”

„And I don’t doubt he’ll make it. But… I don’t know why I have the feeling that she didn’t die because of Nam Yun Ho.”

„No? Then?”

„We’ll see after her autopsy, but I think an overdose killed her, and not the wounds provoked by the hits. But… even so, Nam Yun Ho won’t talk his way out, for the fact that he brutally hit her and that he raped her is a true fact. More than that: he must pay for what he did to SolHi.”

„Talking about SolHi: how is she?”

„Better. Or at least this is what she tries to show to the others. But… I’m sure that prosecutor Han will take care of her. By the way: not a word to her that we found the basement or I break your neck too beside the nose. I don’t want her here to live once again what happened last night.”

„Do you mean the fact that she was about to throw herself through the motel’s window?”

„Where from do you know this one too?! Aaa, your beloved son told you.”

„Who else?! Actually, prosecutor Han was who told him to check the cameras and to take care to „clear” the evidence, everything that could involve her in other stinky things, for there are too many that want her in problems.”

„If you refer to San DuSik, forget about it! He has better things to do right now!”

„Like?”

„To wave his tail in front of the General Attorney. He looks for a warm place.”

„In the Eastern Prosecution?”

„Yep, but there’s someone else assigned there already: Ko Man Shik.”

„That jackal??”

„At least he’s a fair jackal and he does his job well. I didn’t hear to be corrupt.”

„Maybe you’re right, but… I didn’t see him since Han YuSan died. Maybe something changed since then.”

„Talking about Han YuSan,” mumbled Kan, trying not to lose the right moment: „do you know if he had a girlfriend at that moment?”

„And… where from should I have known that?! I wasn’t his nurse. If he had one, he didn’t tell us. Not after what happened with his ex.”

„With the ex?”

„Mmm! Actually, she’s also a prosecutor. And… as far as I could hear, the lady was in love with Han DooSan and not with his brother. That’s why, she and Han YuSan canceled the wedding eventually.”

„What?” squawked Kan. „Did Han DooSan have an affair with his brother’s woman?”

„Not that much and… stop squawking or you’ll frighten the mice,” Yu teased him. „As far as I know, prosecutor Han DooSan told the „fiance” that he never felt anything for her. He even tried to make her change her mind. But she threw out a feeler and, thinking that she can make him fall in love with her, she entered his bed one night. I don’t know till what point they got that night, but the matter is that prosecutor Yun Marie, the YuSan’s mother, saw her doing this and the weaving tongues say that it’s because of this her son canceled the wedding later.”

„Hul! SolHi for sure doesn’t have to know this. Otherwise… she for sure breaks prosecutor Han’s legs.”

„And she’ll leave us tongueless eventually. Let’s not forget that she hates everything related to prosecutor Han.”

„Depends on the meaning of the word „hates.” Yu stared at him in amazement. „What?” asked Kan.

„What the hell are you planning?”

„Me?”

„You! And I don’t know why I have the feeling that prosecutor Han DooSan is also involved in this. So… if you don’t want to see me running to „whisper” to SolHi everything about your „plans,” you’ll better tell me what’s going on here.”

„Old fox!” Kan hissed through his teeth. „There’s nothing you can’t smell,” Kan added and turned his back on the inspector.

Yu only happily grinned: he once again reached his goals. But he suddenly stopped, seeing Kan rotating on his heels and heading toward him. But Kan passed by him, despite the fact that the inspector thought that he’ll feel the sweet caress of his colleague, knowing him damn swift to anger. But who actually felt Kan’s anger, has been the head of a bear toy, forgotten there by „accident.”

However, even if he wanted to kill the one who spied on them till that moment, Kan managed to calm down a little bit and, before trampling under feet the head of the bear, Kan first stared into the bear’s right eye, that was barely seen blinking: „don’t worry, you, the one behind the camera: I’ll find you, and when I have you in my paws, I swear you that you’ll regret having born on this earth,” snarled Kan and, after that, he broke the bear’s head, destroying the camera too.

***

SinJu ironically smiled when the image that was seen on the screen of his mobile phone suddenly turned off. After that, he deeply inhaled the smoke from the ICOS, releasing the smoke seconds after this.

„So, they also found out that hide-out!” he murmured unsatisfied. „Damn dog! Nothing escapes from his smell.”

„I’m sorry!” the driver murmured and the guilty was felt in his voice.

„What for?”

„It has been our fault that they found that hide-out too: when Nam Yun Ho got detective Ian, he chose namely the basement to vanish with her. It seems that Ian SolHi remembered about this and told others too.”

„Nice then! I thought that it’s too weird for the police to find two of our better-hidden places so easily.”

„Yet, what should we do with Nam Yun Ho? As far as lawyer Ian told me, he threatens us with revealing our secrets if we don’t help him to avoid going to jail.”

„He’s not the first either the last one threatening us.”

„Then?”

„Help him to follow the truck’s driver. He has been the one who helped us with Iun Dja Iun’s „accident.”

„Yet: it seems risky to me to both of them die the same.”

„What I think is that’s an excellent idea, for… as simple and similar the things seem as tricky the job is.”

„Hide the things at sight if you want them safe.”

„Right. That’s why: give the policemen something to do. Meanwhile: take care of the other job, for it’s more important and urgent now.”

„Got it, boss,” mumbled the driver. After that, he turned the engine on and they left the parking lot of Min SinJu’s nightclub. But their final destination… was something secret.