Chapter Text
Next morning:
In- Youp is waiting for Jongdae at the subway station. Jongdae sees him standing in the designated spot. He call him.
“Hello, listen to me carefully. There is a restroom to your right. Once you go in, you will find a yellow bag under the sink. Dump the money into that bag. Did you understand?”
“Yes I did.”
“Then go the other side. Get on the train to Incheon and leave. Now hurry up or you miss the train.” says Jongdae and cuts the call.
In- Youp gets into the train and sits. Jongdae watches him. Just as the train starts , he goes to In- Youp and smiles looking at the bag. In- Youp understands and leaves the bag next to Jongdae who picks it up.
“Who are you working for? Tell me. I will give you more money than this.” says In-Youp. Jongdae opens the bag and checks for the money. Seeing it he leaves. In - Youp signals his men who are in disguise to follow Jongdae.
While running away from In-Youp’s men Jongdae sees Jungwoo sitting in one of the benches on the opposite side of the subway. He had already told Jungwoo to bring a blue bag. When Jongdae meets him at the station, Jungwoo will pretend not to know him. So now Jongdae exchanges the bags with Jungwoo and signals for him to leave.
After Jungwoo leaves, Jongdae tries run away with the empty bag only to be caught by In-Youp’s men. They take him away to an abandoned building and beat him up. They are not able to get anything from Jongdae. One of the men calls In-Youp and informs him.
“Sir, there is no money. He confessed everything. He was on his own. He was working for JinKi and found out about you. He doesn’t even know you. He doesn’t even know your name. He got your number from JinKi’s SIM card.”
“Okay finish him off. I will pay you for it. Don’t call me ever again.”
The man shoots Jongdae thrice. When he falls down the men run away. Jongdae tries to look at where they were running and he sees Sehun. Sehun comes closer to him and asks, “Did you ever think of me? Even once?”
Jongdae is bleeding profusely. He pleads, “I didn’t do anything.”
“You claimed to be my friend Jongdae.”
Seeing Sehun closing on him, Jongdae is frightened. He backs off and slips from the edge of the window sill. He falls down to his death as they were in the tenth floor. Both the men who were running down the stairs trip and fall down. One of them dies instantly.
Meanwhile:
Jungwoo rushes to catch a train to Busan. Jongdae has told him to get on the train and not to wait for him, incase he doesn’t make it before the train leaves. Jungwoo keeps looking out for him. As the train leaves the station, he cries silently. He checks the bag to find it filled with money. Jungwoo understands that Jongdae had paid a price for his freedom and had really loved him.
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Chanyeol questions the eyewitnesses and one of them tell him that Jongdae had called out for one Wu Shixun before he breathed his last. Kyungsoo who was listening is curious about the name. Just then Jongin walks in.
“Sir, I got a call from the hospital. One of the men survived. We can get his statement now.”
“I will go. You and Chanyeol go and meet Choi Minho. Jongdae mentioned a Wu Shixun before he died. Find out who he is. When you find him, bring him in.”
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At the hospital:
Kyungsoo meets the injured man.
“You better confess. It’s in your best interest to cooperate with us. Or you will be locked up.”
When he doesn’t answer, one of the officers slap him. A nurse protests but they send her away.
“I am going to arrest you for Jongdae’s murder. You will get a death penalty for killing him. I guarantee. He was a police witness. You got caught red handed. Think about it and cooperate. I’ll save you. Tell me who hired you to clean their mess.”
“So you won’t talk? Jaehyun arrest him and bring him to the station.”
“Sir, the doctor will not discharge him.”
“I don’t care. I want this man in my custody today. Do whatever it takes.”
“Sir sir, I will talk. It’s Hwang In-Youp.”
Kyungsoo stops to turn around. “Tell me everything.”
Jongin calls Kyungsoo from Minho’s club.
“Sir, there is no Wu Shixun here. Some said that there was one Shixun but he had ran away. Few years ago.”
“Where to? Someone must know. Maybe he is still there. They are trying to protect him. Do one thing, ask Jaehyun to come there and keep looking. And you return to the precinct. Gather a team and meet me at Hwang In-Youp’s house. It’s urgent.” instructs Kyungsoo.
“Yes sir.”
At In-Youp’s house:
Kyungsoo, Jongin, Chanyeol and three constables go to In-Youp’s house. His manager lets them in. While waiting in the living room, In- Youp appears calm.
“Hello sir.” he addresses Kyungsoo. “What brings you here?”
“Mr. Hwang, I’m here to arrest you.” says Kyungsoo.
“What?” He gets the paper from Kyungsoo and reads it. “On what basis?”
“For getting Lee JinKi and Kim Jongdae murdered. You know Choi Siwon whom you hired. He gave his statement today. You have been implicated. You have to come with us.”
In- Youp tries to call someone. Kyungsoo instructs Chanyeol to take away his phone.
In - Youp is shocked and sits down on the sofa. Kyungsoo asks Jongin to arrest him.
“please stand up.” says Jongin
“Sir can we talk?” pleads In-Youp to Kyungsoo.
“Go ahead.”
“Sir, in private.”
“No. Whatever you have to say, say it in front of everyone present here.” says Kyungsoo.
In-Youp swallows hard. “He was blackmailing us. It all started three years ago. Cha EunWoo, our friend Mark and I went out one night. We were going to a party. Mark knew JinKi. He took us to Hotel Rest Inn. So we went to the hotel while Mark called JinKi. We picked up a male escort from there. I wasn’t happy about it.”
“Do you remember the guy’s name?” asks Chanyeol.
“Yes sir. Wu Shixun. Mark couldn’t contain himself seeing Shixun. He tried to forcibly kiss Shixun in the backseat of the car.”
“What happened next?” asks Jongin.
“I don’t know sir. Probably the backdoor wasn’t locked properly. It suddenly opened. Both Mark and Shixun fell out of the running car and landed on the road, while EunWoo took a sharp swerve. Their heads hit the tarmac. It was an accident sir. We stopped the car immediately and ran to them. Seeing Mark still conscious we carried him immediately and put him the car. We placed him the back seat. EunWoo tried to go back to attend to Shixun who was still lying down on the road alive. But I stopped him. I was scared that we will get into trouble because of that escort. EunWoo was begging me to carry him too but I refused. I convinced him to call JinKi. Told him JinKi will take care of him. We left immediately.”
In- Youp pauses and closes his eyes. Then he opens them again and continues. “After a week, JinKi called EunWoo. He sent him a SD card. It had a footage from the CCTV camera at hotel Rest Inn. Three of us were visible in it. We were seen leaving the lobby with Shixun. JinKi told us that Shixun had died that night. He had buried his body somewhere.”
“Where’s the SD card?” asks Kyungsoo.
In-Youp brings it from his study and plays it on his laptop. As soon as Kyungsoo sees Shixun, he recognizes him. He gasps out of shock.
“I know him. He’s the one who has been helping me with the case.” Kyungsoo tells Jongin and Chanyeol.
“You mean Shixun is alive?” asks In-Youp.
“Yes Mr. Hwang. I have met him several times. I think JinKi and Shixun have conned you.”
“But sir, why would Shixun help you if he was involved with JinKi?” asks Joingin.
“Only he can answer that” says Kyungsoo.
Kyungsoo looks at them and asks them to go to Hotel Rest Inn.
“Shixun must still be there. Nowadays he calls himself as Oh Sehun. Get him to the precinct immediately.”
“Yes sir.” They leave.
“Mr. Hwang let’s go.” Kyungsoo tells In-Youp l
Kyungsoo drives with In-Youp in his car. They take the route via the Han River.
“If you had informed the police right away, in the beginning, we could have saved many lives.” He tells In- Youp. “Probably even your friend EunWoo too. What did all of this lead to?” asks Kyungsoo to In-Youp.
Suddenly he sees someone on the backseat of the car. Kyungsoo catches Sehun’s face on the rear view mirror. Sehun is sitting in the backseat. Kyungsoo turns back to see the seat empty. In-Youp screams and Kyungsoo turns in front just in time to see Sehun standing right in the middle of the the road. Kyungsoo is shocked. In-Youp swerves the steering wheel as Kyungsoo is frozen momentarily to avoid hitting Sehun.
The patrol car hits the railing and falls into the Han River. While the car is sinking, both Kyungsoo and In- Youp struggle to get out. The back up patrol car which was following them, stops and the cops get out to see. They immediately call for rescue.
Meanwhile the car sinks to the bottom. Kyungsoo tries to pull In- Youp, but he realizes that he is dead as his head is bleeding. Kyungsoo tries to get out but the door is jammed. That’s when he sees Sehun swimming towards him. Sehun swims to him and rescues Kyungsoo. He pulls Kyungsoo who floated up. As Kyungsoo reaches the top, Sehun sinks to the bottom and he mouths thank you. Kyungsoo is rescued by the police team. They cannot find Sehun.
Few hours later:
Senior Inspector Yixing questions Kyungsoo.
“Sir, I think I was the only one who could see him.”
“Are you alright Kyungsoo? Do you even know what you are talking about?” asks Yixing.
Kyungsoo is silent.
“The next thing you will tell me, is that you saw a ghost and not him. Don’t misunderstand me. The department and I highly value you. Sadly, there is lots of talk going on about you, that can ruin your career. Your subordinates have been saying that you don’t sleep. That you drive around all night. That you keep talking to yourself.”
Kyungsoo remembers the weird looks he used to get from people around. Yixing continues, “think about your future Kyungsoo. If this statement is recorded in your official report, you know what will happen. You will end up as a laughingstock. Take a break for two months. I think you need it.”
“But what’s happens to the truth sir?” asks Kyungsoo.
“The truth is this. Hwang In- Youp decided to end his life instead of going to jail. Cha EunWoo died in a car accident that can be termed as engine failure. And the two men blackmailing them are dead. Case closed. This is the truth and your official statement. Am I clear?”
“Yes sir.” says Kyungsoo.
“Good. Now you can leave.”
Kyungsoo leaves Yixing’s cabin. Everyone looks at him weirdly.
While walking, Kyungsoo remembers Sehun’s words. Sehun said he was waiting for him. Then Kyungsoo remembers Baekhyun’s words that disturbed spirits are attracted to people in pain. They feel a kindredness. He realizes that he was talking to Sehun’s spirit all the while. Sehun’s spirit had helped him to expose his untimely death. Kyungsoo drives to Sehun’s spot. Kyungsoo sits on the rocks in Sehun’s favorite spot. He remembers Baekhyun’s words that only trapped spirits can manifest themselves in human form. Kyungsoo cries for the injustice meted out on Sehun. Then he sees tall grass near the rocks. He remembers that Sehun’s body was not found. He finds a rod nearby and starts digging.
After a while he hits something. He moves the dirt to find a skeleton of a hand. In one the fingers he sees a metal ring. He recollects Sehun wearing it. He had found Sehun’s body. The forensic team is called. They confirm that it was indeed Sehun. Kyungsoo goes home and sleeps.
Two days later:
While trying to find something in the closet, Kyungsoo comes across an envelope addressed as Daddy. He remembers Suho’s words that HaeChan was trying to talk to him. He reads the letter. The letter reads:
“Hello Daddy, I miss you. I know that you miss me too. What ever happened on that day at the beach, it was not your fault. It was entirely my fault. I am sorry. There was nothing you could have done to change it. This is what I have been trying to tell you. Please don’t blame yourself. It makes me sad. Please don’t fight with Appa because of me. I can never be happy if both of you are unhappy and cannot move on. Daddy do you remember? You always wanted to see me happy. I know I can count on you to make everything better. You are the best daddy in this world.”
Kyungsoo cries profusely. Meanwhile Taeyong drives Suho back home. Suho finds Kyungsoo crying and HaeChan’s letter. He realizes everything. Suho hugs Kyungsoo and consoles him.
Two years later:
Kyungsoo and Suho visit the beach again. This time with their twin boys. They are happy now. Suho looks up at the sky. He sees a white cloud. He whispers into Kyungsoo’s ears and he too looks up. They smile as they know that their HaeChan is watching them.
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