Mission J

It wasn’t long before the strange girl started gathering her things.

“I gotta go,” she breathed. She shoved her arms into her jacket sleeves and shrugged her jacket on. “I have another class today and then have to go straight to work…”
She rambled on as she continued scrambling to gather her things. “Seriously, why does it have to be a Thursday?”
I gave her a sympathetic smile and picked the newspaper up from the table.
“Don’t think about it so much; the day is half-done.” I told her, trying to sound optimistic though I still didn’t fully know what she was really dreading.
The girl moaned and groaned for a little bit before hoisting her bags over her shoulder.
“Not much complaining will do, right?” she sighed. “Oh well, best be heading out now. Nice talking to you.”
She gave me a wave before rushing out the café.

I sat still for a moment, oddly feeling alone after all that talking. Strange how quiet the whole place seemed to get…

I glanced towards the window, discretely looking over to the suspected detective through the reflection of the glass. He looked a bit tired; his posture slouched slightly with his arms resting on the table in front of him. He was fiddling with something in his hand, turning and flipping it with his fingers. It wasn’t until I saw him flick it open did I realize it was a cell phone.
I turned my eyes away from the windows and opened the newspaper again to that tasteless article on Seo. It shouldn’t be too long now; the man was clearly starting to be impatient…
I nearly let out a smile that tugged at my lips when I felt my silenced phone buzz on my lap, vibrating in notification of an incoming call. Without lowering the newspaper, I glanced down to look at the caller ID.

Detective Paek

I let it ring, having no plans to out myself just yet. I wasn’t exactly ready to bring myself forward quite yet. The buzzing ceased and I saw a red light blink at the top of my phone, notifying me of a missed call. Not bothering to do anything about it, I continued to ‘read’ the paper. Though I had pretty much accepted the man’s identity as the detective, I wanted to make sure his reasons for showing up so early was just anxiety or his attempt to get control over the suspicious situation I had created for him. Which would be perfectly understandable; doubt and suspicion would be my first reaction also…

“…Ah, hello. This is Paek calling; we talked earlier…”

I stayed still as I heard the man speaking from his seat few feet behind me, his voice drifting over the comfortable café banter. I frowned, listening carefully. He was leaving a voicemail? While it was nice to have the target identity confirmed and doubly confirmed, he better be choosing his words selectively now; you never know who’s listening.

“…I just thought you should know that I have arrived at the café you mentioned; I know I got here earlier and uh, well now I’m waiting…I, uh, know you said noon but I thought I would come earlier and wait--- not that I suspect you or something…”

I raised an eyebrow, not particularly impressed. Well he was careful with his choice of words, but he was in no means graceful about it.
Lowering the paper, I looked over my shoulder and stared at the man directly.

Detective Paek looked rather flustered now, his body turned towards the window as he cradled his cellphone to his ear. He was still rambling awkwardly, attracting attention from the people sitting around him. That was no good.

I sighed and folded my paper quickly before getting up from my chair. I gave myself a careful pace as I turned and approached the man. He didn’t even seem to notice me approaching his table, as he was still trying to save the train-wreck voicemail he was leaving.
“I’m not saying you should hurry, because I can wait just fine. But I’m ready and waiting whenever…” he was struggling.

“…Mr. Paek?” I cut in hesitantly, putting on the most innocent voice I can manage.

The detective stopped talking and looked up at me, a startled look on his face.
“Uh, yes?” he said.
I blinked, smiling brightly.
“Oh, it is you!” I gasped excitedly. “How have you been? It’s been awhile!”
Detective Paek stared at me, clearly confused.
“…yes, yes it has.” he managed to reply.
I sat down in the chair across from him, keeping that fat smile on my face.
“Gosh, who would’ve thought I’d run into you, at a café of all places! Have you tried the chai tea here? It’s so good; especially if you have a sore throat like I did this morning. Oh and I hear the sandwiches here are pretty amazing also!” I chattered on. “I think this is my new favorite place. I should come here more often.”

I could tell by the look on his face that he was almost taken aback by my energetic intrusion. I wondered if that was what I looked like earlier with the girl.

“You look kinda skinny; have you been eating regularly? Have you been busy?” I continued with my senseless rambling. “That’s no good! Health must come first!”
Detective Paek frowned, the confusion only growing deeper in his expression. I took a quick glance around and saw that most people seemed to have lost interest. Good; all this talking was tiring.
I sighed, shaking my head before moving on.
“Oh! Thank you for hooking me up with an interview with your office today.” I said. I chuckled under my breath and shook my head. “But I woke up too early today and ran out thinking I was late. I didn’t even bother checking my phone or anything. Stupid, right?”
I flicked my phone open and held it up to the side of my head.
“Duh,” I laughed, tapping the phone lightly on my temple with the screen facing the detective. “I set an alarm…for nothing!”
I let the phone linger for another second to make sure he saw his name under the missed call. Detective Paek’s eyes flickered over to the phone, staring at the screen I was showing him. His eyes widened and flickered up at my face. Without breaking my act, I gave him a discreet nod.
“Oh, sorry; weren’t you on the phone with someone?” I asked casually, nodding at the forgotten phone in his hand. “You don’t want to leave them hanging.”
Detective Paek looked down at his phone in his hands and blinked, before looking back up at me again.
“Oh…I can call them back later.” he said dismissively, shutting his phone.
I raised eyebrow. That was going to be one long voicemail I didn’t care to listen to. Casually, I gave him s mall shrug.
“Okay then.” I said. I glanced at my phone and ‘checked’ the time. “I think I’m going to start heading over to the office now. Do you mind giving me the easiest way to get there?”
I smiled innocently, giving him the lead I hope he caught onto.
Detective Paek nodded and pocketed his phone.
“I can actually take you there. I brought my car.” he said.
“Oh? That would be great, actually…” I said. But then I frowned. “But weren’t you waiting for someone?”
The detective winced a bit and got up from his seat.
“Ah…don’t worry about that. I think they will be a no-show.” he told me. “Here, follow me.”
I shrugged and allowed the excuse before getting up myself. Without saying anything else, I followed him out of the café.

Once out of the café and away from the windows, Detective Paek turned to me.
“My car is parked just a bit further down the street.” he said.
I nodded, silently following.
We got to his car quickly enough as he had promised just a few yards up the road. He stepped out onto the street and opened the care from the driver’s side.
“Please, go ahead and get in.” I heard him say.
I stopped in front of the passenger door, leveling him an even look.
“Credentials.” I said.
Detective Paek straightened to a stand, giving me a confused look.
“Pardon?” he asked.
“Badge, ID. Something with a picture you confirm your identity.” I said.
The detective blinked at me, looking puzzled with my sudden demands. But he reached into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out something that looked like a wallet.
“Here,” he said, tossing it over the car.
I caught it and flipped open the leather covers of what I realized was an ID badge holder.
A slightly younger image of Detective Paek Sang-Ook stared up at me in a serious, smile-less picture. Beside it was his work title as Detective of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. A second careful scan told me it was real.

“Is that all that you need to see from me?”

I glanced back at the driver’s side of the car, where the detective was standing and his arm resting on the roof of his car as he calmly waited. It was somewhat surprising that I didn’t detect any irritation from him; in fact, he seemed perfectly patient.
Giving him one nod, I opened the car door and slipped into the passenger side seat. Detective Paek followed, settling into his driver’s seat. I waited for him to close his door before handing back his ID.
“I apologize for this furtive arrangement in our meeting but I had to be careful, especially with this case.” I spoke sincerely.
Detective Paek nodded, returning his badge into his inner jacket pocket.
“I definitely understand. Mr. Seo’s case is especially vulnerable to the media. We want to try to contain much of the story so we can minimize the backlash to his career.” he said. “I also have been told that because of the need for discretion, it was you who was chosen to take this job.”
“Yes, that is true.” I said. “President Chung knows me from an old job I had completed for him a year prior.”
“And if he brought this job to you, I can assume he trusts you a great deal.” the detective said, though his tone was reserved.
I gave him a small smile, immediately picking up on his hesitation.
“But you don’t trust me.” I concluded.
Detective Paek nodded.
“I’m sorry but his trust in you isn’t enough for me to be convinced.” he said.
“No, it’s fine. That is both smart and reasonable.” I told him. “We’re strangers that just met. And I am sure you did your best to try to find out as much as you can about me before today. In your occupation it must be hard to let in an unknown outsider to get involved in any of your cases, especially one as gruesome as this.”
Detective Paek nodded slowly, his eyes downcast.
“I appreciate your understanding.” he said.
I studied him from the side briefly before I went on.
“Well, that is only one of the points to this meeting.” I said. “If this case is to be resolved quickly and efficiently, we’re going to have to have some extent of working mutuality. For that, trust and cooperation is vital, for both you and me.”
I paused, thinking quickly and added.
“I think it’s my turn to return the favor.” I said. “Ask me anything to get to know me, and I’ll answer to the best of my ability and your interests. But before all that…”

I pulled out the newspaper from where I had it tucked under my arm and opened it to the glaring article on Seo.
“We should talk about that containment of the case.”



“To be clear, I have no intention of taking over the investigation, or to do your job,” I said. “My job is strictly to keep Mr. Seo safe.”

We were walking along the bay and surprisingly, there weren’t many people around to listen in on our conversation. The only people there were a few joggers and older ladies talking as they walked. None of them looked to even care about our business. Nevertheless we kept a safe distance from other people to ensure that our conversation remained private.
Detective Paek sighed, tiredly rubbing the back of his neck.
“I appreciate that standpoint.” he said. “But to be truthful, the investigation has already started to slow, as we have no witnesses and very little to go on to even come up with a list of suspects.” He shook his head, his expression slightly troubled as he stared down at the newspaper article. “And the tabloids are already grabbing onto strings of stories. I hate to say it but I can’t stretch my attention to the prying media.”
“I wouldn’t worry so much about the article.” I told him. “From what I read, all they stated were truths that you have already come forward with and just guesses as to what happened to the girl. They don’t have anything that could cause harm to Mr. Seo or the case.”
“But they are only going to become more persistent. And if we don’t give, they will weave something together.” the detective said. He then turned to me. “I know this is all of the sudden, but would you be willing to keep your eyes open for anyone prying into this business on Mr. Seo’s side?”
“I can’t see the stalker coming out as a frontline threat so sure, I can add tabloids to the list.” I said, though I dreaded that thought. “I’ll be sure to report everything I find suspicious to you.”
Detective Paek nodded, looking somewhat relieved. But then his eyes fell back down to the news article.
“I wonder…” he said out loud. “If Jae-Sung has seen this yet.”
I frowned, catching a hint of worry in his tone.
“Detective Paek,” I said. “Is this a type of article that is troubling to Mr. Seo?”
“Ah…well, the article itself isn’t anything surprising. He has already told us about how she---the victim, had managed to break through the guards to reach him that night. We also discussed the involvement of his stalker in the murder.” he said.
“Then why…” I started.
Detective Paek stopped walking, paused a minute before turning towards me.
“Because…he met the victim’s mother.” he said.

…I didn’t see that one coming either.

Detective Paek continued.
“It was yesterday afternoon, and by some crazy chance Mrs. Kim Yoora ran into Jae-Sung in the park her daughter was murdered in.” he said. “He called me to have her driven home safely.”
I was stunned, and I couldn’t help but feel for Seo. But what the hell was he doing near the crime scene?
When I didn’t speak, the detective went on.
“Meeting each other seemed like it was a shock to both of them. But it’s what Mrs. Kim told me on the way back that concerns me.” he said.
“What did she say?” I found myself asking.
“She told me about Jae-Sung. How they talked briefly in the park. I’m not sure why she told me all this, but she told me that while she cried, he just sat by her and didn’t say a word. He didn’t try to say things to make her stop crying but she said it was strangely the most comfort she had received in the past few days.” he said. “But she was worried even in her grieving state that Jae-Sung may be holding everything in.”

The heavy weight that had found itself in my chest only sank deeper.
“Worried,” I echoed.

“Well, she didn’t say it exactly like that, but her words were ‘I wonder if he is always that steeled. He let me cry like that, but I wonder if he allows himself to deal with all this.’” he said. He turned around and took out to the bay with a thoughtful expression. “I told her that her grief was greater than Jae-Sung’s; that’s it’s tough for him but he didn’t lose a daughter. I didn’t say it to downgrade what he must be going through, but I thought it wasn’t fair to see their burdens as the same. And to that she said this.”
I stepped forward to I was standing right next to the detective, waiting for him to tell me what the mother had said. The thoughtful expression didn’t disappear as he spoke again.
“She told me he was there to see if this was real; said he was there for the same reason she went there as well. And that if he didn’t feel guilty, he wouldn’t have been there.” he said.
“Guilty? How would she know if he felt guilty?” I questioned.
A wry smile tugged on his lips and he sighed.
“She said a mother knows these things.” he said.

I didn’t say anything to that; I found myself thinking about Seo’s standpoint in all this. He hears of a brutal murder of one of his fans and the next thing he knows he is the main suspect. Without much break he finds out that he has a stalker. Within days of that he comes face to face with the victim’s mother. Everything must seem out of control to him… having everything thrown on him like that at once.
Suddenly I felt a huge injustice against Seo.

“If you knew the stalker was already involved in this case, why even suspect Mr. Seo in the first place?” I asked. “It makes no sense for him to be the killer. If he really does feel guilt for the murder, he does so wrongfully so and because of the accusations pointed towards him.”
“I know, and for that I am sorry. But my partner and our higher ups wanted to cover all possible grounds.” Detective Paek said. “Also, he is the only definite part of the case and I thought we could at least get started on a lead. But he didn’t even know about the stalker until that incident in the agency.”
It was quiet again, both of us deep in thought. I sighed, rather disturbed at how quickly this case was growing cold. If it was such a brutal murder, there had to be something left behind in the mess.
“There must be something to trace, whether it is on the victim, in the letters, the box.” I said. “Especially if this was a job of crazy stalker, who was most likely acting out of blind rage.”
This time, Detective Paek sighed, turning back to the bay.
“Our thoughts exactly, but so far nothing has turned up. And we only have a few more tests we’re waiting on.” he said. He then glanced at me. I could see that he was studying me.

“So…you just go by ‘K’?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said.
“No last name?” he pressed.
“None that would be on record somewhere.” I said.
“Alright then…how old are you?” he asked. “You look younger than I thought you’d be.”
“Old enough.” I said.
He frowned, his brows knitting together.
“And what is it that you do?” he asked. “Are you part of a hired guard company, or military associations?”
“No to any of those options.” I replied. “For now, what I do is protection details of a certain high profile subject.”
“And what have you done in the past?” he asked.
To that I had to smile. This is what I get for taking on a detective for a game of 20 Questions.
“I assure you Detective Paek that it isn’t in the interest of you or this case to have my complete résumé.” I told him. “In fact, I think we should stick to the current case.”
“Ah, I didn’t think I would get direct answers anyway,” he said dryly. “Fine; why couldn’t we have this conversation in my office back at the station?”
“Simply because in the case that the stalker is watching, I will most likely be seen with Mr. Seo in some way.” I replied. “It may take a while but in the case that I am discovered, I don’t want to be traced back to the police. That could be detrimental to the case and the stalker may react and add to the body count.”
“But you being seen with him could also have that same affect.” the detective said. “Any changes in his daily lifestyle could trigger another attack from the stalker.”
“That is why I was hired and not some bulky bodyguard.” I said. “I’m aware of the fact that this job requires full discretion. I’ll keep myself close to him without outing the fact that he now has a hired bodyguard.”
“And what if there is a direct attack to Jae-Sung?” he questioned.
“I’ll take care of it.” I said.
“How?”
“Detective Paek, I am always prepared for anything.” I said confidently. “I am confident that I can do this job. If Mr. Seo will let me work by him, he will be the safest man alive.”

Detective Paek gazed at me, seemingly studying my face. He didn’t seem to trust me completely yet, which I thought was fair; I hadn’t really proven my loyalties yet. So I just stood there with the most earnest face.
Finally the man let out a weary sigh.
“The answers you have given me doesn’t really help me see that you’re trustworthy.” he said. “But you haven’t done anything to indicate that you can’t be trusted.”
I breathed out silently and nodded.
“After last night’s meeting, it was agreed that Mr. Seo will use the next five days as a trial period.” I said. “On Monday he will decide whether or not I will remain on his protection.”
A frown found its way on the detective’s face.
“I didn’t hear about that plan.” he said. “Is it alright for such calls to be made?”
I forced myself not to grimace.
“While I’m confident that I can do the job, it seems that he is not comfortable with the current arrangement.” I told him. “Ultimately, it’s his choice. I have no say in whether I stay or go. But during that time, I am fully responsible for his safety. You can use this arrangement to get to know me and my methods before deciding if you can trust me or not.”

Detective Paek looked thoughtful, his eyes falling back to the newspaper in his hand. It was a few moments before he turned fully around towards me and spoke.
“I’ll accept that.” he said finally. “I just want to make one request.”
I nodded.
“What is it?” I asked, slightly bemused.
“During the next five days, keep an eye on Jae-Sung, make sure he’s doing okay.” he said.

Something about the way he said this didn’t sit right with me. He must’ve seen some confused expression from me because he went on.
“There is one more thing you should know regarding Jae-Sung and this case.” the detective said.
I waited for him to tell me what it was. His expression darkened and his brows drew closer together in a troubled looked.

“The contents of the box…Jae-Sung saw what it was.” he said.