"Where are we going, Alina?" Daniel asked, eyes narrowed as he watched the rundown buildings pass by through the car window.
"Got a lead on the new case," Alina said coldly, hands tightening on the steering wheel as she turned sharply into a narrow, dimly lit alley. Her jaw was set. Her expression-stone cold.
Daniel's heart sank.
He had known this girl since they were kids. He had seen that look in her eyes before. And he knew one thing for sure.
When she got that look, nothing could stop her.
"You know we can get into serious trouble for going alone like this, right? Brother Yuhan's going to kill me," Daniel muttered, his voice low but laced with concern. He glanced sideways at his friend. He already knew this was a losing battle.
But who was he kidding?
"That'll only happen if I don't catch those bastards," Alina snapped, parking the car with a hard jerk in front of an old, rusted factory gate.
Without another word, she stepped out of the vehicle. Daniel followed, reluctantly but with resolve, both of them reaching for their Glock 22s tucked beneath their jackets.
Alina motioned with a hand signal. Daniel nodded. Silence wrapped around them like a thick shroud as they crept towards the back entrance.
"How many did the informant say?" Daniel whispered, his voice barely audible.
"Eight. Maybe more."
They moved slowly, every step calculated. The area around the factory reeked of dust, oil, and something else-something rotten. A faint flicker of light streamed in through cracks and holes in the roof, casting eerie shadows on rusted machinery and broken crates.
The air was heavy. The silence... too silent.
They were walking straight into a nightmare. And they both knew it.
They looked around. The interior was dirty and almost dark, except for the areas lit by the light streaming through the holes in the roof. Old machines stood in the corners, indicating the factory had been closed for a long time.
Suddenly, they heard a girl's shout coming from the other hallway. Both of them ran towards the sound and witnessed five men holding two girls down on a blanket. The girls were in their undergarments, trying to fight off their attackers, who were laughing at their misery.
The girls were bleeding from various body parts-their noses, mouths, and one had bad bruises all over her neck and chest. Three men stood by, watching and recording the scene on their phones. It was clear what was about to happen, and that was enough to make Alina lose her temper.
She pulled out her gun and aimed at the roof, shooting it. The men in the room were alerted and looked towards the sound. Their eyes widened as they saw both the cops pointing guns at them.
"Let them go!" Daniel shouted, his face rigid as he scanned the men. One of the girls managed to escape the hold due to the distraction and ran towards Daniel, who pulled her behind him and handed her his jacket.
All the men pulled out their weapons-some had bats, others had knives but none had guns. Unfortunately for the police officers, the men still held one girl captive. A man now held her up with a knife at her throat.
"Stay back," one of the men with a metal bat yelled at the police officers. "Listen, it's better you surrender without making it difficult," Daniel said.
"Fuck off," another man said and charged at Daniel. Before he could reach him, a bullet to his thigh made him scream in pain. Daniel looked at Alina, who still had her gun pointed at the guy on the floor, holding his thigh and screeching in pain.
She had managed to hit the bone precisely. She looked at the guy and smirked, though she was visibly pissed.
She then pulled the gun up and, within the next ten seconds, shot almost all of them in their limbs, making them fall one by one. Only two men were left. Alina turned towards the guy holding the girl with a knife.
The man's hand was trembling, making it clear to her that this one would be easy. She smirked at the thought.
"Stay back," the guy said as Alina moved forward. The knife pressed down on her neck harshly but didn't draw blood. Alina's grip tightened on her gun.
"You realize if you hurt her just a bit more, I'll kill you, right?" She said calmly. The guy was about to panic but tried to act tough. "Y-you can't kill me! Y-you're a police officer," he shouted, moving backward with the girl. The girl showed restraint against his movements, looking at Alina with pleading eyes. Alina's eyes, however, were fixed on the guy, who looked scared but still tried to act tough.
"Why not? Who's going to know anyway? Right, Scooby?" Alina said, smirking, and turned to look at Daniel. Daniel had just cuffed the other remaining man to the floor after tackling him unconscious and looked up. "Of course. We can shoot all his limbs first, then bury him alive," he said with a devilish grin, standing up.
Alina turned back to the guy. "How about we get it over with? I'm bored already," she said, her smirk replaced with an angry glare. "You have 3 seconds of your life. Any last words?" Alina said, approaching the guy. The guy was shaking, and even the girl was intimidated, whimpering slightly.
"3,"
"2,"
She aimed right at the guy's head. "1," and she had just put her finger over the trigger when the guy pushed the girl towards Alina and ran towards the exit. Alina immediately caught the girl.
"Scooby!!" she said to Daniel, who took the girl, calming her down as she ran after the guy.
Alina sprinted out the door, her eyes scanning the surroundings for any sign of the fleeing man. Spotting him at a distance, she charged forward with renewed determination. The man glanced back, cursed his fate, and veered left into a narrow alley in a desperate bid to shake his pursuer.
However, Alina was too fast, and the man's attempt to lose her proved futile. They maintained a considerable distance, with Alina closing the gap as she ran with all her might.
As the man crossed a road, Alina followed suit, only to be halted by a green signal that allowed cars to flood the intersection. She groaned in frustration, watching as the man huffed in relief and picked up speed.
Alina's gaze was fixed on the signal, her anger growing with each passing second. Just as she thought all hope was lost, fate intervened. The man tripped over someone's foot and crashed face-first onto the hard concrete.
She seized the opportunity, sprinting towards the man as the signal turned red.
Alina leaped over the man, who was struggling to get up, and pinned him to the ground. The man's nose was bleeding profusely. Alina turned to thank the person who had inadvertently tripped the man, but the stranger was already disappearing into the distance.
The man wore a mask, exuding an air of elegance. Alina caught a glimpse of hazel eyes, though the distance made it hard to be certain. The man was dressed in a long navy blue coat and black jeans, his attire stark against the chaotic surroundings.
He gave Alina a small salute before turning to leave. Alina nodded slightly in acknowledgment, her hands slipping into his pockets as she watched the man disappear into the crowd.
________
"How many times do I have to tell you to inform me before going on these hunts?" Yuhan's voice was laced with frustration and concern as he yelled at Alina over the phone, his breathing heavy.
"Oh, come on, brother, we both know you'd never let me go," Alina replied, her tone laced with amusement. "Plus, see, I got all of them. Us! Right, Scooby and I both got them." Alina's words were abruptly cut off as Daniel smacked her on the head, prompting her to correct herself.
They were still at the scene, surrounded by the chaos of the aftermath, but backup had arrived to take the men into custody. The commissioner, who had been speaking with them, handed Alina the phone with a chuckle. "Please take this. I don't want to face an angry Yuhan."
Alina winced as he took the phone. "Please, brother, I'm sorry. I'll tell you next time," she whined, trying to placate Yuhan's silence. Daniel struggled to stifle a laugh at his friend's predicament.
Yuhan sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, his concern evident despite the distance. He knew Alina well enough to realize that she'd never inform her again, so he let it go.
"Yes, brother, not a scratch," Alina assured him. Yuhan's voice was barely audible as he mumbled something about coming back soon before cutting the call. Alina let out a sigh of relief as she handed the phone back to the commissioner.
______
As soon as Alina and Daniel stepped into the station, a wave of cheers erupted around them. Applause echoed off the walls, the sound bouncing like victory itself. Colleagues rose from their desks, some clapping, others whistling and calling out their names.
"Way to go, Alina!"
"Nice work, Daniel!"
The two exchanged modest smiles, nodding in appreciation. Alina basked in the warmth of the moment, her adrenaline still humming from the chase, the investigation, and the fact that justice had finally been served in the gang rape case they had been working on for months.
Alina's eyes scanned the room instinctively, drawn to the one person she knew would be sitting exactly where he always was-Yuhan. And sure enough, there he was, hunched over his computer at his usual desk, the glow of the screen lighting up his sharp features. His hands moved across the keyboard with a practiced rhythm, but Alina knew he had felt his gaze.
Their eyes met.
Time seemed to pause.
For just a fleeting second, the noise of the station faded. The cheers, the laughter, even Daniel beside him-all became a blur as Alina's heart gave a small, involuntary stutter. There was something unspoken in Yuhan's eyes-pride, maybe? Relief? Or was it just... tiredness?
But before Alina could decipher it, Yuhan broke eye contact and looked back at his screen with almost calculated precision, as if the spreadsheet suddenly required his entire existence.
The silent dismissal hit Alina harder than she expected.
Her smile faltered, lips curling into a pout before she quickly masked it. It wasn't the first time Yuhan had pulled this cold stunt. But somehow, it always stung like the first time.
Still, Alina refused to let it ruin the moment. She made her way to his desk, brushing past several shoulders and slapping a few friendly backs on the way. But when she reached his seat, she stopped mid-step.
There it was.
A small bottle of banana milk sat neatly beside her files.
Unopened. Cold.
Her eyes widened slightly, and a warmth spread through her chest. It wasn't just any drink. It was her favorite-the kind she always reached for after a stressful case. No note. No name. But she didn't need one. She knew exactly who had left it there.
Without thinking, Alina turned around, and this time, she didn't hesitate. With a wide grin splitting her face, she rushed straight toward Yuhan's desk, ignoring the startled glances from nearby officers.
"Brother!" she burst out, launching into a tight hug from behind, wrapping her arms around Yuhan's broad shoulders. "You're the best! I knew it was you!"
Yuhan groaned loudly, throwing his head back in exaggerated annoyance. "Aish, get off me, you brat. People are watching."
"I want them to watch," Alina laughed, squeezing tighter. "Let them know my brother loves me!"
The station erupted in soft laughter at the scene. Their playful bickering had become something of a running joke in the precinct. It was common knowledge-Alina's loud affection and Yuhan's grumpy older brother act were inseparable, like thunder and lightning.
"Act your age," Yuhan muttered, but Alina caught the faint upward tug of his lips.
She was about to pull away when a voice interrupted them.
"Alina," one of their colleagues called out, walking over with a puzzled expression. "There's someone here asking for you. Said his name's Yug. He's waiting outside the station."
Alina's entire demeanor shifted.
"What does he want now?" Alina muttered under her breath, exasperated. Her hands balled into fists for a brief second before she ran a hand through her hair, clearly trying to rein herself in.
Yuhan turned, his eyes darkening instantly. "Yug? That bastard's back?"
Alina didn't answer, but the silence was loud enough.
Yuhan stood up halfway from his chair, his jaw tightening. "You want me to go?"
His voice was sharp. Low. Dangerous.
Alina turned to him quickly, alarm flashing in his eyes. "No, brother. Last time, you almost broke his face with one punch," she said, half-joking but mostly serious.
Yuhan scoffed, folding his arms across his chest. "And I regret not making it two."
Daniel, who had been quietly watching from nearby, raised an eyebrow. Alina shook her head slightly at him, silently conveying, not this time. Daniel simply nodded, leaning against the desk casually, but Alina could tell he was ready to step in if needed.
"My mess, my problem," Alina muttered, more to herself than anyone else. She picked up his jacket and sighed heavily.
As she walked past Yuhan, the older man reached out and grabbed his wrist, just for a second.
"Don't let him mess with your head again," Yuhan said quietly, his voice stripped of sarcasm now. "He's not worth it, Alina."
Alina didn't respond. She just gave a small, grateful nod and slipped out of the station.
"And suddenly, you know-
it's time to start something new and trust the magic of new beginnings."
