Case 7: The Childish Past

Back at the detective agency, the female detective was scolded badly by Inspector Vaan. He could only shake his head in disappointment while tapping his feet repeatedly every second on the ground.

"Losing your temper over a rookie police, this is very unlike you to let your emotion get the best of you!" he scolded her. "I already heard the details from your partner Jae Min, I also scolded Troy for his behavior but please don’t repeat this behavior ever again! Such commotion in public is unnecessary!".

"Yes sir! I do apologize, but not really" the female detective scowled as she bowed to him deeply.

“Ssh, Detective!” Jae Min sighed.

Inspector Vaan left the detective after that. Rae returned to her desk. Weirdly enough a new pair of office desks and a chair located across her. That space used to be empty and she enjoys the tranquility of having no desk mate in front of her.

All of the sudden, her assistant barged in from the outside.

"Oh welcome back Ms. Rae, I heard all the details from Taemin mum but-".

She shushed her assistant and asked him spontaneously, "Whose spot is that?".

"Ah, that is Troy place?", Jae Min spoke to her nervously.

The problematic Troy came back, it looks like he just came back from the toilet. The female detective glared at him in hostility. Troy just waved his hand still smiling, his reaction was the opposite of the detective.

Troy came closer to her, he bowed to her surprise.

"I'm sorry for what I did, I just want to tease you because you forgot me", Troy said apologetically.

"Sure", she replied short, still angry at him.

"I haven't introduced myself properly haven't I? I'm Troy from New York", he said excitedly. “Inspector Vaan told me that I will work with you for a while, so that’s why I brought a desk”.

"Alright, Troy from New York. How did you know about Taemin and Jae Min?", the detective asked him curiously.

"Because we're in the same high school, Taemin and I are one year older than you while Jae Min is our junior", Troy explained calmly.

"But isn't that high school located in Seoul? You're a New York boy right?" Rae asked again.

"I stayed with my relatives in Seoul, I’m half American, half Korean", he replied.

"How about now?".

"I have my flat, I decided to live in this city" he replied.

So Rae was in the same high school, she did not remember Troy at all. But then again her high school time wasn’t that memorable to her, she is friendless. She was surprised that Troy could remember her despite her thin presence back then.

"I lacked presence back then, and you still remember me, marvelous indeed" she shrugged sarcastically to Troy.

"Well different from someone who only focuses on one person, I always examine my surroundings including people around me", Troy chuckled.

That's partly true, she didn't care about other people most of the time but she still cared for her close friends. That’s because she’s not a pure Korean back then, she was being ridiculed because of her race. Additionally, Rae’s mother always had a knack to move between countries because of her job. Her deceased archeologist's mother is her source of inspiration and joy.

They were so close, her mother always asked her to go to the museum with her on weekends if she’s free. However, her job as an archeologist made her quite busy with excavation and fossil finding that she didn’t understand back then.

"Also also I remember you because you're clinging to Taemin like a puppy", Troy added. "I also remember how you broke your arm because you shielded Taemin from falling".

She blushed in seven shades of red, contemplating her life choices and how shameful she is in the past. Taemin was rather eccentric and careless, by the time that accident happened she found herself under Taemin with a fractured arm. she winced in pain as she waited for the ambulance to come.

"You don't need to be embarrassed, on the contrary, I admire your persistence", Troy smiles cheekily. "You must love Taemin from the bottom of your heart".

She is utterly speechless at Troy's words, she must have been crazy to shield someone who was far bigger than her but her protective instinct kicked in.

Before she realized it, she was awakened in a calming white room with Taemin next to her. Even though she fractured her arm, that was the moment Rae could get closer to Taemin.

"Ouch", Troy growled in pain while caressing his cut lips.

The female detective noticed how Troy felt slightly pained due to her earlier 'not holding back' punch.

"I'll fix you up Troy, it's my fault you're injured" she dragged him to her office seat and pushed him down to sit.

"What are you doing?" Troy asked dumbly.

"First aid", she ransacked her desk shelf to find a band-aid, alcohol, and cotton. As soon as she found a love pattern band-aid and other necessary items, I cleaned Troy cut, and of course, he shouted in pain.

"HEY! WHAT THE HECK!?", he distanced her hands from his lips as a form of self-defense.

"Sssh, you're making a huge fuss in my agency. Are you not ashamed?", Rae glared at him.

"Umm, okay", he went silent.

She tends to his injury and for the finale, she patched his cut lips with the love pattern band-aid.

"Does it have to be pink and have a love pattern?", Troy complained.

"That's the only band-aid I found, stop being so petty over a love pattern band-aid", Rae sighed.

Jae Min laughed like a child, he had this teasing look. He said that both of us looked like lovers in a quarrel.

"Lovebird".

"We're not lovers", Troy and she said in unison.

Just as they were about to discuss the case, someone called the detective's name. A gentle knock could be heard from the steel door.

"Someone is here to meet you", Jae Min walked toward the door.

"Who is it?" the detective asked her assistant. Jae Min peeked from the door. He asked the mysterious person identity.

"I believe it's a man named Vicky Wang", Jae Min answered.

"What? Why is he here?", she froze.

Her body got a little bit tense when she heard that unfamiliar name, Jae Min noticed her strange behavior and asked me.

"What's wrong?", he asked worriedly.

She shook my head and replied to him with a smile, "Nothing".

She left Jae Min and Park Troy, with heavy steps she walked toward the entrance. A certain familiar voice greeted the entranced detective, his heavy tone and pitch are too phenomenal for her to even forget, She is aware of the owner of this enticing deep voice who greets her with a sincere smile.

Rae opened the steel door with haste, that’s when she saw the man she hasn’t seen before for a long time.

"Hello Rae", Vicky smiled at her.