he next morning, the crime scene was swarming with police.
Yellow tape fluttered in the cold wind. Officers moved carefully around the body, cameras flashing, forensic teams dusting the area. Yet despite the chaos, there was an unsettling stillness in the air.
"Nothing suspicious so far," one officer muttered.
When Jae Ahn and Jongsuk were informed, they arrived immediately. They stepped out of the car together, faces serious, the weight of unfinished business hanging between them.
The girl's body lay near the roadside.
Jae Ahn crouched beside it, her eyes sharp and analytical.
"She doesn't look like she struggled," she said quietly. "No defensive wounds. No visible injuries."
Jongsuk frowned. "I'll check the surrounding area."
He moved away, scanning the ground carefully while the forensic team prepared to transfer the body.
"Take her to the lab. Full postmortem," Jae Ahn ordered firmly.
As the officers lifted the body, Jae Ahn's gaze drifted to the asphalt. Something caught her attention.
Tire marks.
She stepped closer.
"If there are tire tracks here," she murmured, thinking aloud, "then a car was involved. Either a witness… or the culprit."
"But how do we find which car?" Jongsuk asked.
Jae Ahn shot him a look. "Are you serious?"
He blinked.
"This is a local taxi tire," she said confidently. "Every vehicle leaves a slightly different tread pattern. And this one? It's different from regular cars."
Jongsuk's eyes widened. "Whoa… you're amazing. Just like before."
She paused. "Like before?"
Then she straightened with a small smirk. "Of course I'm amazing. Now focus."
They were about to turn when Jae Ahn suddenly froze.
"Wait."
"What?"
"Behind you."
Jongsuk turned.
A dark stain marked the road.
Blood.
"It's fresh," she said, kneeling beside it. "And it's not hers."
"How can you be sure?" he asked.
She gave him a sideways look. "Because she doesn't have a single external injury. Think."
Realization hit him. "So the culprit was hurt…"
"Exactly."
She reached for a sample kit.
But before she could collect it—
A shadow lunged from behind.
"Jae Ahn!"
Jongsuk reacted instantly, pulling her aside. The attacker swung a metal rod. It struck Jongsuk's injured arm — the same place that had been wounded before.
He gasped, pain flashing across his face.
Rage flared in Jae Ahn's eyes.
She pivoted sharply and drove her fist into the attacker's jaw with controlled force. The man collapsed onto the pavement, unconscious.
For a second, everything went silent except for Jongsuk's uneven breathing.
Blood dripped slowly from his arm.
Jae Ahn's expression changed immediately.
"You're bleeding," she said, voice lower now.
"It's nothing—"
"Stop."
She pulled out her handkerchief and tied it tightly around his wound, her fingers firm but careful.
There was something different in her touch.
"By the way…" she asked softly, not looking at him, "how did you get that cut yesterday?"
Jongsuk hesitated.
She glanced at him but didn't push. "It's fine. You don't have to tell me."
Then she stood.
"Let's find that taxi."
As expected, a taxi stand wasn't far from the area.
Most drivers denied knowing anything.
But then Jae Ahn spotted one vehicle with a cracked window.
Her eyes narrowed.
She remembered seeing broken glass at the crime scene.
She approached the driver.
"My window?" the man said nervously. "I don't know what happened. I drove that route around 2:30… maybe 2:45 a.m. Later I came back and it was broken."
"Does your taxi have a dashboard camera?" Jae Ahn asked.
"Yes, but I doubt it works. It was raining heavily."
"We'll decide that."
They took the camera and immediately headed to the lab.
At the forensic lab, the doctor collected the blood sample.
"We'll inform you once the results are ready."
Then he looked at Jongsuk. "Why are you bleeding?"
"It's nothing," Jongsuk replied calmly.
Jae Ahn glanced at him but said nothing.
Later, inside the car, she spoke quietly.
"We should go to the hospital first."
"I'm fine."
"You're not."
He smiled faintly. "I've survived worse."
She didn't argue further.
Instead, she said, "Come to my apartment."
He looked surprised.
"You're bleeding," she repeated, grabbing his wrist. "Don't argue."
At her apartment, Dohwan looked up — and couldn't hide the small smile forming on his face seeing them together.
Jae Ahn cleaned Jongsuk's wound carefully, wrapping it in fresh white bandages. Her movements were precise, but her eyes lingered longer than necessary.
"The dashboard camera," Jongsuk said quietly. "Let's check it."
She nodded.
They connected the device to her laptop.
The footage was blurry. Rain distorted the screen.
But then—
A figure appeared.
Someone dragging a body.
Jae Ahn leaned closer.
"Enhance it…"
The face wasn't clear. Just a shadow.
She adjusted the brightness, frame by frame.
Then—
The doorbell rang.
At the same time, her phone buzzed.
Blood test results.
Her eyes scanned the report.
Her heartbeat stopped.
The DNA matched.
The blood at the crime scene…
belonged to Jongsuk.
Behind her, the video finally cleared.
The blurred face sharpened.
It was him.
Jongsuk walked toward the door, unaware.
He opened it.
Police officers stood outside.
"Jongsuk," one officer said firmly, stepping forward. "You're under arrest for the murder investigation."
Silence swallowed the room.
Jae Ahn slowly turned.
Jongsuk turned too.
Their eyes met.
Shock.
Betrayal.
Confusion.
And something deeper — fear.
The storm had arrived.
END.