Chapter 57 - Not an accomplice or killer

Ahn Hana picks up the chopsticks and digs into the shrimp soup. It is better than the last time. She gives him a small compliment. All of her normal actions are sinking his heart deeper into his stomach. Normal smile. Normal talks. But, nothing is normal about her. She seems like a total stranger. A new person.

They chat about normal things. Bo Ji-Won talks about her marriage and her balding husband. Jung Kwang-soo teases her for her new look and says that she should marry him since she became more beautiful. She laughs and shakes her head. Three friends talk about the past before everything changed in their lives. Do Sejin listens quietly. It's already morning.

*Ting Tong*

It's the cops. He has called them because he knows that he has to. The investigation has little progress after Ahn Hana's disappearance. Since she has come back, they would have found her anyway.

"Miss Ahn, what happened that night?" The detective asks her straight away. She glances at Do Sejin once. A small smile appears on her lips.

"I was punished for letting my heart swayed by someone else." She answers the detective honestly.

"That is all."

The detective keeps a poker face. He has never found this woman normal since the day he met her. Something about her is just disturbing. "How did he punish you?"

She leans back on the chair, feeling the pressure on the stars on her back. She won't say it.

The detective finds her response normal. A lot of victims doesn't like talking about what happened to them. He can't let her without knowing. He decides to ask other questions.

"How did you escape that night?" The detective asks her quietly. "Miss Ahn, were you with killer all this time?"

***

At dawn, she opens her eyes. She touches her belly. Ha-Neul. She gets up. Her back feels numb. She finds clothes and some cash in the wardrobe. She takes only enough cash that Jung Kwang-soo won't notice. She wears his old faded clothes. She walks out of the bedroom and finds Jung Kwang-soon on the couch, unconscious. Before she leaves, she doesn't forget to take the knife.

The guards are in the same condition as Jung Kwang-soo. She knows that the cameras aren't working. She is taking a risk. If she meets the killer on the way, she doesn't know what will happen to her. She is just following her instinct. A blind bet on her luck.

She makes it to the road. She takes the first bus that she finds. Layers of men's clothes, she looks like a little runaway from home. She can feel the glances. She boards off the bus in the next stop. She goes to the alley and cuts away her hair to make her look like a boy. She buys a hat, new male clothes, and a mouth mask. She changes her clothes in a public washroom and boards another bus to the nearest seaport.

***

"No, I wasn't with him." She looks down at her fingers longingly. "I was on a vacation."

Thank god. Do Sejin closes his eyes. She has been on a run. That's a lot better than being with the killer.

"Can you tell us anything about him?" The detective doesn't find this conversation helpful. "Height? Weight? Age? Skin color?"

"He is a few inches taller than Do Sejin. He is physically fit. He is a few years older than me." She shrugs her shoulder. "I have only seen him nȧkėd once, but I was way too drunk to remember his skin color. It's been more than 10 years."

"When did you come back?" Seeing that she has no intention to talk about certain things, he decides to ask her in a roundabout way.

"I came back yesterday evening." She tells him, "I went to my parents' house first. I met Do Sejin there."

The detective scribbles it down on his notebook. Something is better than nothing. "Why did you leave without telling anyone?"

She purses her lips. No intention to answer. The detective asks her a few more questions. He warns her that she is helping the killer by not revealing her whereabouts in the previous year. They need to verify, but she says nothing.

"I am not an accomplice or killer." She finally opens her mouth to speak. "Knowing my vacation spots will not help you. The killer had no idea either. If he had some idea, I wouldn't be here talking to you."

The detective yaps for a little more to make her reveal more about the night and her vacation, but little did it help him. He gives up in the end and leaves Do Sejin's house.

"Drop me at my home, Kwang-soo." She stands up, getting ready to leave.

"Wait." Do Sejin also stands up. "You can't go back there."

Bo Ji-Won also agrees with him. "Hana, we don't know whether the killer will come back or not. It's not safe for you to stay alone."

"I wasn't alone that night," She squints at her. Jung Kwang-soo feels heavier when he hears her words.

"Hana, I am sorry for not being able to protect you that night." Jung Kwang-soo apologizes to her.

"Because of me, you had to go through something horrible."

Ahn Hana looks at her friend. Jung Kwang-soo has been deeply affected. No matter what she says, he will keep blaming himself.

"Don't blame yourself." That's all she says regarding that night. "I will take a cab and see you at the office."

"You can't go back there." Do Sejin could speak of 1000 better reasons for her not to go back there, but she wouldn't accept them. "It's been a year. There was water leakage. They started reconstructing that apartment building recently. It's not complete yet."

Bo Ji-Won nods her head. "I heard about it. Jung Kwang-soo took care of your things. You can stay at my place until when the reconstruction is going on."

Ahn Hana creases her brows. She didn't see this coming. "I won't stay at your place. You will nag me to death."

"I won't." Bo Ji-Won shows a warm smile. "I do want to conduct a thorough check-up of your body."

That's enough reason for Ahn Hana to reject her offer. She will never go to Bo Ji-Won's house.

"You can stay at my..." Jung Kwang-soo hesitates. He isn't sure whether she will be safe with him or not. Then, some woman visits him every night because he doesn't like to be alone anymore after that day. "Do Sejin, let her stay at your place."

She frowns deeper. "I can rent out a different place or go to a sharehouse."

"No, no, you can't." Do Sejin smiles at her cordially. "I was also thinking of finding someone to share this apartment. You see, apartment rent is high. My salary isn't high. You have just returned from a long vacation and it will take some time to go back in the field. How about we share this apartment and the rent?"

She purses her lips. She doesn't like this option.

"I won't bother you, mentor. There are two rooms." He looks at her seriously. "Finding a new apartment or a share house in a short time will be difficult. Stay here until then."

"I also think that this is a good idea. Going to a new place or a sharehouse is not safe." Bo Ji-Won takes her hand. "Hana, Do Sejin's place is in a good area. It's close to the office, unlike your apartment. It's close to my place too. Jung Kwang-soo is living two blocks away. Isn't it perfect? We can all feel better if you stay close to us."

Ahn Hana gives in to her friends begging. "Alright."

Do Sejin relaxes his tensed shoulders. He didn't think that it was possible that she would agree. But, thanks to Jung Kwang-soo and Bo Ji-Won, she will live with him from now on.

He plans to lure that killer into a trap using her.