Case 11: Strange Premonition

Wake up, sleepyhead" a loud voice beamed next to the detective as if to disturb her beauty sleep. Rae groaned and moved to the other side, to avoid Vicky's disturbance. However, Vicky has yet to give up. He finally revealed his ace card, he opened the curtain. The sunrays entered Rae’s room and blinded her eyes like a flashbang.

"AHHH!!! MADNESS!! CLOSE THE CURTAIN YOU BEAST!" Rae yelled annoyed.

"You're being dramatic in the morning" Vicky chuckled.

Rae opened her eyes slowly, she rubbed her exhausted eyes to adjust her views. Vicky is already in his blue sports jacket, strangely he looks pretty handsome. However, the detective knows she can't make the same mistake again.

"I already prepared our cereal,'' he said proudly.

"Exquisite, a big achievement I say'' Rae spoke sarcastically as she clapped her hands. “I heard the naught sound of a broken plate, excellent serving Mr. Vicky”. 

"There's nothing wrong about being proud about little things", Vicky scoffed shyly. 

As soon as Rae gets up, she eats the cereals that Vicky already prepared in the dining room. Rae noticed that Vicky was nowhere to be seen, he's probably in the bathroom to take a shower.

Just when she was about to rinse her empty cereal bowl Vicky came out from the bathroom. "Leave that be, I'll wash it. Shouldn't you get yourself a shower?" he asked her.

"Good point, but I'm not going to leave the dirty dishes to you. I don't want the God of Destruction breaking my bowls collection while I'm showering", Rae scoffed.

He looked pained and insisted on washing the dishes. I decided to have a quick shower, it takes about ten minutes for me to come out from the shower. It seems after washing the dishes, Vicky still enjoys his newspaper reading. There’s no indication that he has even touched his cereal.

"Blunder, why are you still reading?", she sighed.

"Oh, sorry", he folded his newspaper neatly and put it into his bag.

"You're still carrying newspapers in this modern age?", she asked him.

"Yup, I'm a traditional man.

It's kind of hard for me to shift from the old habits", Vicky sighed. He eats his cereal clean, Rae’s quite surprised he could finish his meals in a swoop. She washed the remaining dishes hurriedly and wore her detective suits. 

She always wears her trademark trench coat, she has them in her wardrobe in various colors. 

"I'll drive you to your workplace", Vicky offered with his hand gently on her shoulder.

"No need", I refused him blatantly.

"Are you sure? Look at the time, ''he gestured his index finger to his watch.

That's when she realized she might be late. She took up his offer, Vicky's face brightened and he seemed to be pleased. Vicky goes to the parking lot, Rae follows him obediently and quietly. 

"Hop right in,'' he smirked.

Rae hopped in next to the driver's seat. He stepped on the gas pedal steadily, after that the sound of the car engine soared. "So how's your father?" he asked out of the blue.

"My father? He's been working overtime in his New York law firm, what of it?'' Rae asked him back.

"Ah, I'm just wondering how's your father been"Vicky flashed a smile.

After smiling, his expression soon turned into a frown. He looks outside his car window in nostalgia.

"It's sad that everything will end soon".

"Huh?", she furrowed her eyebrows at him.

"Nothing" Vicky frown turns into a smile instantaneously I asked about what he meant. 

* * *

Rae walked fast to her detective agency. She checked the time on her watch. Fortunately, she arrived just on time, Troy approached her with a smug face and a soda can in his hand.

"The great detective is late for work", Troy scoffed. "What's the holdup?".

"Silence is gold,'' Rae groaned. 

"You're not being cute, Inspector", Troy pouted.

"I am no longer an Inspector and no I am not cute", Rae glared at Troy.

Just when she was about to lash at Troy, Jae Min came to them.

"Alright, that's enough, lovers quarrel?"Jae Min tease, he winked at both of them.

"Nonsense!", the rookie police and Rae shout at the same time.

"Oh right, I've been trying to contact Jae Sung's parents but they haven't answered my call", Jae Min switched the topic. "Should I call again?".

Rae shakes her head, "No, we have to go there directly. I think a warrant search is necessary in case the victim's family refuses to cooperate with the police".

"That's extreme", Troy doesn't seem to like the idea of warrant issues.

"Yes, my instinct told me to do that,'' Rae nodded proudly. "However, before that, I want to confirm something".

Troy and Jae Min look at me in anticipation of what Rae’s going to say next.

"Jae Min, I want you to investigate K University regarding our victim social environments and academics, speak to his friends, lecturers, ex, fling, or whoever knows him" I ordered the childish man.

"Ask Inspector Vaan to accompany you with your investigation to speed up our investigation progress".

He nodded obediently, he dialed Inspector Vaan. Inspector Vaan's meddling and eavesdropping habit reserve her breath and energy to explain the instructions repeatedly like a broken radio.

"Troy", I approached the handsome rookie police officer.

"I want you to check the victim's social media, his internet friends, his lover, his dirt, I want to know everything".

"Got it", Troy answered dedicatedly. "So how about the warrant?".

"You're coming with me to Yoo Jae Sung house, by the way, you're driving", she drags the rookie police with me.

* * *

"So, is this the place?" Rae asked Troy. She pointed to the luxury flat in front of them. There are multiple guards in front of the flat, dressed as men in black.

"Yeah, I got the address from Jae Min", Troy replied.

The guards' eyes followed our movements. Troy talked to the receptionist lady, he made the woman swoon over his charm, either he did it by accident or purposely. Rae just stands there patiently waiting for Troy’s charm tactics.

"So anyway miss May, as a police officer I am very worried about my victim's wellbeing. The fact that the victim's parents haven't contacted me still bothers me," Troy sighed.

"Oh, I heard something fishy is going on with that family", the receptionist woman gossiped. "Apparently the parents have been neglecting their child, which led him to be a narcotic dealer".

“Pardon me?" I widened my eyes in disbelief.

Troy looks surprised as well, but then again it's just a rumor. They can't accept what this receptionist woman said without concrete evidence. Troy wins her heart and asks the receptionist lady about the room number.

"Oh, umm their room number would be 3012, on the third floor,'' the receptionist lady said with a reddened face.

"Can you please lead us the way?" Troy asks with puppy eyes.

"Oh, sure" she blushed madly under Troy magnetic spells. 

"Oh great, here we go again" Rae rolled her eyes.

The receptionist woman called another staff to replace her place in the receptionist. They entered the elevator simultaneously, the receptionist woman used a keycard, and then they went up.

When they arrived on the floor, there's only one door in the middle which led Troy and Rae to believe that this room is probably a VIP or exclusive room.

"There's only one room on this floor?" Troy asked the receptionist lady.

"Yes, this floor was owned by the Yoo family,'' she confirmed.

"Affirmative, thank you for the help but I need you to get out of the premises. This is a private matter for the police", Rae scurried her away.

She didn't seem to be happy and glanced at Troy. She looked at Troy, somewhat begged to be saved by him. Troy smiled back, "I'll meet you later after this, okay miss?".

The receptionist woman's face brightened, she smiled dumbly from his obvious flirts. When she leaves the premises all she can do is shake her head.

"Troy, you womanizer", Rae clicked her tongue, possibly angry.

"What? There's nothing wrong about being nice to a lady", Troy defended his actions.

"You're giving her false hopes" Rae glared at the playboy next to her.

"Yeah but I doubt that I could date anyone right now,'' he trailed off with a sorrowful expression.

"Oh? Mind telling me why Troy?", she grinned at him.

"Oh well...", he looked down. "It's nothing serious, nevermind".

He looks rather strange and sad, Rae decides to stop the conversation midway and knocks on the door.

"Excuse me" the detective knocked three times while repeating the word 'excuse me' three times as politely as possible. She thought the third times a charm, that doesn't seem to be the case

"We're from the police, we would like to talk about Yoo Jae Sung", Troy followed her lead.

They don't hear a single soul replying to us, I decide to stick my ears to the door. Sadly enough they can't hear anything from behind the door.

"What are you doing?".

"Trying to find a life?" the detective replied the playboy unsurely.

They waited around ten minutes but no one opened the door for them. Rae searched for useful item inside her pocket. That's when she finds her old bobby pin, still stuck inside her pocket. Troy looks at her, puzzled, and jittery to the bones.

Not knowing that the detective plan an absurd idea to get in.