Chapter Text
FIVE HOURS AFTER — Monday, January 19th, 2026. 5:12 a.m.
Lily knew something was meant to go catastrophically wrong the moment she was able to go to sleep early for the first time in over a year.
That is, if going to sleep at one thirty in the morning is considered early. She had decided not to dwell on it, after all, Yoona had told her she could take Monday off, which meant she could go to sleep whenever she wanted after doing whatever she wanted.
Even if the whatever in question was rereading Dr. Michael H Stone’s articles and color coding notes on the 22-level forensic psychology hierarchy.
That should’ve been the first indicator that something was about to go terribly bad. Why would she take notes on it, again? She memorized the entire thing 8 years ago during her days as a student and then had to relearn them for her exam to be able to join the field as a behavioral analyst.
She didn’t have time to argue with herself on her nonsensical decisions due to the vibrations coming from her phone, buzzing under her memory foam pillow. A groan escaped Lily’s lips as she read the name that greeted her through the vibrant light of her device.
Det. Sgt Seol.
She tried to not roll her eyes at the titles Yoona had added to her contact name when Lily asked for her number. Apparently, if Lily saved her as ‘Yoona’ instead of Detective Sergeant Seol, there would be doubts on her professionalism.
Lily had counterargued that there would never be a logical reason for anyone to doubt her, there clearly was a reason why Yoona was the most respected detective in their division, but a stern look from the younger girl was enough to shut her up.
“Seol?” Lily asked. She tried her best to sound professional, but she was sure she sounded as pathetic as she looked, lying in bed wearing a baggy Gorillaz shirt as her grown-up-profiler nightdress.
“Morrow. Are you free to come to the station? We’ve had a suspect waiting for interrogation in room six since 4 a.m but Kim is busy in another state and can’t make the drive,” Yoona explained.
Wasn’t this supposed to be my day off? She childishly thought of replying. Instead, she said “I’ll be there in twenty.”
“Make it fifteen,” Yoona said before hanging up.
Lily didn’t hesitate as she got up from her bed and walked to the bathroom. The reflection that looked back at her through the mirror while she brushed her teeth was one of a sleep deprived woman who maybe should've listened to her high school counselor when he advised her that becoming a librarian might be easier than spending years studying psychology and then getting a master’s degree in forensic psychology, specializing in interrogation analysis.
She spat into the sink and rinsed the foam from her mouth, an exhausted sigh leaving her when she remembered that she wouldn’t have time to shower if she wanted to arrive early to the station as Yoona had asked.
She carefully brushed her hair and settled with putting on deodorant twice, once after putting on her work clothes, and another time after bathing herself with an insane amount of perfume.
Lily walked out of the bathroom and stared at the mess before her. Her apartment was small enough that the kitchen didn’t have a door and whenever she laid down on her bed she could have a clear view of the refrigerator and its annoying bright light that gleamed at her as a way of mocking her terrible choices on living spaces.
Which, as she had explained to her parents millions of times, wasn’t really her choice — it just happened that the only apartment she could afford that was closest to the station was the same size as a shoebox.
“You get what you can have, not what you want to have,” she reminded herself as she walked to her closet, trying to not step on the research papers that were scattered on the floor along with the unwashed cups of coffee and clothes from the past few weeks.
She didn’t know which one was worse: her job not giving her enough time to have a social life or her job not giving her enough time to wash the dishes and clothes that have been rapidly increasing into a pile by the day.
Lily grimaced as a memory, that had been long pushed down to a vault that was never to be opened again, bubbled up to the surface of her mind. She remembered soft hands caressing the naked skin of her back as the woman laying behind her whispered “I could get someone to come clean your apartment while you’re busy with your master’s degree. You wouldn’t have to pay a single thing. I’d cover it all.”
Lily did her best to push the memory as far away as she could before grabbing her tattered pair of combat boots. As she put them on, Lily felt a slight chill run through her body. She didn’t know if it came from the freezing winter cold or from the fact that she was asked to go to the station on her day off.
What could the suspect have possibly done? All the different cases she had assisted on ran through her head. Was it arson? Murder? Kidnapping? All three at the same time? Goosebumps rose along her arms. She walked back to her closet and grabbed the first coat she saw.
Lily liked to think she was confident in her abilities. She knew how to get under the suspect’s skin and dig deep into their brain until she got exactly what the detectives were looking for. Was the suspect abused as a child? Had they shown violent tendencies during their youth? She could find it all within hours — two days at most if the suspect didn’t want to cooperate.
And yet, a strange feeling of anxiety rose up inside her as she opened the door to the station. She noticed the eyebags of her coworkers that were sitting at their desks, had they decided to spend the night there or decided to wake up early she didn’t know. What she did know were the looks they had on their faces. Their expressions were decorated with fear and shock.
Some of them looked pale and had gone nonverbal, others, such as the media liaison Jang Kyujin, were whispering to their desk partners, moving their hands as they talked, clearly agitated. As she walked past them, she could hear parts of the conversation.
“They’re saying it was 8 times.”
“She left the body out in the street. She wanted the officers to find it.”
“We should’ve seen this one coming, wasn’t one of the guys we brought in last month saying he was terrified of her killing him for not doing his part of a deal? We just hadn’t put a face to the name.”
Lily kept her head down as she walked through the bullpen, only looking up to reply to the people who greeted her with the occasional “Morning”. She quickly pulled her phone out from her coat’s pocket to check the time that threatened her with a bright 5:28 am.
Great, she had arrived twenty one minutes after Yoona’s call. The younger girl was definitely going to greet her with nothing but a scowl and case file thrown into her hands.
She slipped her phone back into her coat and tightened her grip on her messenger bag’s strap. Lily made a sharp turn to the right, just past the evidence rooms, and found the staircase that led to the lower floors. Her heart began to beat faster with each step she took.
The cold white light that shone from the old bulbs hanging from the ceiling made the stairwell feel colder than it already was. She noticed one bulb that was dimmer than the others and made a mental note to tell one of the secretaries to pass it along to the maintenance crew. She always felt like she was alone in the world whenever she took these stairs, especially due to how isolated the place was.
The interview rooms were located on the lowest level of the building, a floor below the evidence rooms and the detectives offices, and in the same section as the holding cells. The main thing that made this floor different from the rest was the keypad door that kept unauthorized personnel from entering. Not like anyone would ever try, anyway. Lily had heard of every single ghost story her coworkers constantly made up about the lower level.
“If you’re in the stairwell past three am, you’ll be able to hear the tortured screams of a woman killed by her own daughter.”
“I’ve heard that they haven’t changed the lightbulbs since the ‘70s because the man who installed them put a curse on them. Anyone who tries to fix them drops dead.”
One of the main things Lily learned in college? People can make anything sound real enough if they’re committed to the story... or if they’re bored.
The keypad door wasn’t there to stop people from entering a floor supposedly haunted by the ghosts of criminals. It was more of an alarm, letting everyone know when someone accessed or left the section. That way they could keep track of which agents had close contact with the suspects and witnesses.
Lily quickly typed the code into the pad, and the door opened with a roaring sound that resembled a wounded animal more than a high-tech alarm. She guessed that if the loud sound didn’t let Yoona know of her arrival, then maybe the blinking red light above the door would.
The long hallway stretching before her felt as intimidating as it always did. The air down there was always colder, like the floor was trying to keep a decomposing body unnaturally preserved. Lily didn’t want to think too long about the analogy.
She didn’t want to know if the decomposing body was hers or the suspect’s.
She took a deep breath and made her way down the hallway, trying to ignore the way the energy shifted whenever she was in this section. Lily slowed to a stop when she found Yoona waiting outside interview room six. She nodded toward the uniformed officer who leaned against the wall directly across from the door, posted there to keep watch over the room.
“Seol—God, I’m so sorry, I tried to get here as fast as I could,” Lily began.
“No need for explanations, Morrow. It’s alright. Today should’ve been your day off. I understand the situation,” Yoona replied, a sympathetic look taking over her face.
Lily nodded as she ran a sweaty hand over her grey coat. It didn’t matter how cold it was on the lower floor, her nerves would always make her sweat.
“How, um… how’s everything with Jinsol?” Lily attempted, and obviously failed, to make small talk. It was blatantly clear she had said something wrong the moment she saw the young detective’s reaction.
Yoona stilled, her eyes widening for a second before returning to her calm demeanor. Lily decided to ignore it, even looking away when the younger girl swallowed hard. It was one of the downsides of her abilities: she was good at reading people, she just sucked at talking about others’ feelings and situations without sounding awkward or indifferent.
Well, at least there had been one person she had been able to talk to without second guessing herself or overthinking the conversation. As she should have expected, that relationship had ended in utter chaos. Lily looked down. Now was not the time to think about someone who was out of her life, and someone she intended to keep away forever.
“We don’t have time for small talk. Our POI is in there,” Yoona replied, nodding toward the door beneath the IR-6 placard.
“Yeah, right. Sorry.”
Yoona opened the case file and placed the sheet with the police report and timeline of events over the page with the suspect’s picture and description, not giving Lily a chance to look at the person who is about to be questioned.
“Male victim, found at 3:12 a.m, with an estimated time of death around midnight. A middle-aged man, forty two years old. Name of Choi Minhyun. A college professor, left in the middle of the road right in front of his house. Eight stab wounds,” Yoona paused, taking a deep breath.
“It looks like it was the murderer’s first kill. The first seven were too shallow to get the job done. Some of them are seemed slightly crooked. The decisive one was to the throat. It was enough to make the man asphyxiate on his own blood.”
Lily swallowed.
“Any witnesses?”
“None so far. A neighbor coming back from visiting a relative at the ER found the body, but didn’t see the killer.”
“Then how do you know we’ve got the right person in there?” Lily asked.
Yoona shrugged. “The victim’s DNA was on her. She was found two blocks from the scene, blood spattered across her blouse and hands. No news on the weapon used, though.”
Lily frowned. “Blood on her hands? Are we thinking she tried to stop the bleeding? Or are we leaning toward the idea that, due to her inexperience, she didn’t know where to cut and got caught in the spray?”
“Most of the blood was concentrated around the neck wounds. The throat area was completely covered,” Yoona explained. “We can’t tell yet if the blood on her hands was transferred from contact with the body while attempting to stop the bleeding, or if it came from the arterial spray when the throat was slit.”
The detective sergeant let out a breath and pulled a photograph from the file, handing it to Lily. “You should probably see the scene to get a clear idea. Fair warning, it’s pretty brutal.”
Lily silently prayed to whichever god might be listening that her hands weren’t sweating as she took the photograph.
The image made her heart drop for a split second. Experience in the field and the inspection of countless crime scene photographs hadn’t helped dull the reaction. The sight of a dead body never lost its ability to make her stomach tighten.
The victim, Choi Minhyun, lay in the middle of the street outside his home. His white dress shirt had been almost completely saturated with blood. Seven stab wounds were visible across the abdomen and upper chest, several of them slightly irregular in angle, suggesting hesitation or lack of precision when the blade was withdrawn. The pattern of the wounds hinted at inexperience. Some penetrations appeared shallow, while the others had been delivered with uneven force.
Dark streaks of blood ran downward from the neck across the collarbone and upper chest, partially obscuring the injuries to the torso. The wound to the throat immediately drew Lily’s attention.
A deep incised wound cut across the front neck. The surrounding skin, collarbones, and part of the upper chest were coated in blood, consistent with arterial spray from a severed vessel. The killer had clearly realized, seven stab wounds too late, that a slit to the throat would end things faster than repeated attempts at getting the job done through the victim’s torso.
Dried blood stained the victim’s lower lip, it looked dark and almost black in the photograph. The staining suggested he had aspirated blood as his airway filled, making it likely that the cause of death was a combination of rapid blood loss and asphyxiation.
Lily mirrored Yoona’s earlier gesture and let out a slow breath before handing the photograph back to the younger woman.
“The wound patterns suggest that the attacker struggled to make the initial wounds lethal,” Lily said quietly. “That usually points to panic or lack of experience and previous planning. The throat cut looks more decisive. It could mean the offender realized the previous attempts weren’t working and escalated.”
She continued. “If the POI in there did it,” Lily gestured toward the interview room door, “she probably didn’t expect it to go that far or for it to take too long. Especially due to the scene hinting at very little, if any, planning. It’s rarely this messy when someone plans a killing.”
Yoona nodded. “Yeah. Kim and I discussed it earlier over the phone. Our working theory is that it was either a first offense or an impulsive act. The scene shows too many signs of disorganization to indicate any real planning went into it.”
“That’s where you come in, Morrow,” the younger detective said, sliding the photograph back into the case file and handing the closed folder to Lily.
“Our suspect has been in there for—” Yoona glanced at her watch, “Almost two hours. Plenty of time to come up with a story about why she’s not our POI.”
“You’re right, it is plenty of time to come up with a story,” Lily said. “Which works in our favor. Rehearsed narratives rarely hold up under pressure. Once the structure starts to break, the inconsistencies become much easier to identify.”
“Good. That’s exactly what we need,” Yoona said as she guided Lily to an unmarked door beside interview room six. She pushed it open. “Observation room. I’ll be here the whole time during the interview. If you need me, or if I need you, I’ll knock on the glass.”
The younger woman gestured toward the large pane of one-way glass that overlooked into the interview room. “You might want to take a look before you go in.”
Through the mirror, Lily studied the suspect’s posture. The woman’s arms were bound by handcuffs, arms resting on the desk as she slouched in the metal chair, her head bowed low enough that her black hair fell forward and completely hid her face.
She remained silent for a while, observing the woman and trying to interpret her posture. Was she slouched out of boredom? That might suggest indifference toward what happened, perhaps even a lack of empathy for the victim. Or was she hanging her head in shame? If that was the case, she might be willing to cooperate.
Lily watched for another second before noticing the slow rise and fall of the woman’s shoulders.
“Great,” she muttered. “She’s asleep.”
“Then you’d better wake her up,” Yoona replied.
Lily nodded, adjusting the strap of her messenger bag and tightening her grip on the evidence file. “Right. See you on the other side.”
She took a few steps toward the door before pausing and turning back. “Well—you’ll see me on the other side, I won't be able to see you… for obvious reasons.”
“Lily.”
“Yeah?”
“I’ll have your back. Just go in there and do what you do.” Yoona held her gaze.
Lily let out a slow breath before pushing open the door and stepping out of the observation room. She walked down the short stretch of hallway toward the door marked as IR-6. As she approached, she offered a small smile to the uniformed officer still posted across from the door before reaching for the handle, letting her fingers brush the cold metal.
She pushed the door open, and the air of the room hit her like a wave. Still, cold and unyielding. A freezing room keeping a decomposing body unnaturally preserved.
She truly hoped the body wasn’t hers.
Lily stepped into the room, setting her messenger bag down by the door. The interview room resembled the other rooms in the station. The space was sterile, washed in the harsh glare of a single overhead white light. The walls were a neutral grey, completely bare and uninviting. A single metal table sat in the center of the room, two metal chairs faced each other directly across the table. The suspect occupied one, still slouched and silent, her black hair falling forward to obscure her face. Her hands bound by handcuffs.
The one-way mirror was placed in front of the desk and chairs, and small cameras dotted the ceiling, silently recording everything that went down in the room. IR-6 smelled of disinfectant, making the space feel clinical, and faintly, Lily caught the lingering trace of her own perfume, almost entirely gone. So much for using nearly the whole bottle after skipping her shower.
Lily placed the evidence file on the table. “Before we begin, I need to make sure you understand your rights. The officer who detained you should have already explained this, but I’ll go over it again. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, an attorney will be provided for you. Do you understand these rights?”
The woman remained silent. The only change was the rhythm of her shoulders rising and falling. At least she’s awake now, Lily thought, her eyes tracking the subtle tension in the suspect’s posture. The woman had stiffened at the sound of her voice, though Lily barely registered it, she was used to that reaction. Most people tensed up when reminded that their words could be used against them in court.
“Ma’am, do you understand these rights?” She asked again, her voice calm but firm.
Lily didn’t like leaning into the good cop, bad cop stereotype. She wasn’t even a cop to begin with. And yet, something inside her, something she didn’t quite understand, pulled at her heartstrings. Maybe she could be gentler. Try to show the humanity the woman lacked.
Even if the woman before her had brutally murdered a man in cold blood.
“Woah… it’s really cold in here,” Lily said, her eyes sweeping over the room’s grey walls. “There isn’t even a heater. Have you just been sitting in this freezing room for the past two hours?”
A sharp knock against the glass draws her attention. It’s clearly Yoona, reminding her to stay on track. Lily turned toward the one-way mirror, she couldn’t see the young detective sergeant, and yet she felt the authority of her presence, the weight of her glare pressing down on her.
Lily didn’t have time to ruminate on her own stupidity before a soft chuckle escaped the woman behind her, freezing her in place. She didn’t even have to think too much about the sound to recognize it. She used to hear it everyday. She still dreamed of it.
Her chest tightened, goosebumps prickling her skin. She didn’t want to turn around. She didn’t want to face the woman sitting on the metal chair, her hands bound by handcuffs. She couldn’t let this be real.
“I thought the coat I gave you was supposed to keep you warm, Lily.”
Oh Haewon’s voice slammed into her chest like a bullet, shattering every wall Lily had spent a year building, just like it always did. Her stomach lurched violently, bile rising to her throat.
Haewon always had that power. She made Lily’s world stop without giving her a chance to resist it.
The decomposing body is mine.
Lily spun around, a frown taking over her features. She moved to the desk and flipped open the evidence file, and right there, on the very first page, she’s greeted with the sight of Haewon’s photograph and description.
“What? You can’t talk now? You seemed quite chatty just a second ago,” Haewon drawled, a small knowing smirk adorning her face.
Before Lily could respond, IR-6’s door swung open. Yoona stood in the doorway, a confused look in her eyes. “Morrow. A word,” the younger detective said, her hand still on the handle, her gaze fixed on Lily. Through her peripheral vision, Lily could see Haewon seated in her chair with a smile on her face, as if she were the live audience at a comedy show.
Lily was quick to walk out of the room. Yoona closed the door without looking back at the black haired woman who leaned back in her chair to try and get one last peek at the show.
Lily’s heart pounded in quick, uneven beats. “Seol, listen—” she began.
“Where do you know that woman from?” Yoona interrupted.
“No, listen. I don’t even know her. Not really,” Lily explained. “She’s just an acquaintance.”
Yoona sighed, running a hand through her hair.
“Most people don’t wear their acquaintance’s clothes, Morrow.”
“No, you’ve got it all wrong, Yoona. Please,” Lily’s professionalism slipped away as she said the detective sergeant's name, pleading for her understanding. “I met her once and she gave it to me cause it was cold. That’s it. It’s not what it looks like. I would never—” she stopped herself before she could finish her statement.
She would never what? Associate herself with the woman sitting inside the room?
Be in love with her for three years?
Both truths were hard pills to swallow. Lily didn’t know which secret scared her more. Being in love with a woman or the woman being Oh Haewon.
Yoona shook her head. “Lily, I’m trying really hard to understand the position you’re in. But you have to understand the ethical implications of this. You can’t have a personal history with a suspect, it could compromise the entire investigation. I can call Jiwoo right now and ask her to take your place tomorrow,” Lily could tell she was trying her hardest to be empathetic, even letting their professional titles drop for a moment.
“No, don’t. Just supervise me,” Lily said quickly. “Stay in the observation room the whole time, pull me out of the case the second I cross a line, but don’t do it yet. She knows me, that’s exactly why this works. She’s going to keep talking because she wants my reaction. If you put Jiwoo in there, she’ll ask for a lawyer or go silent.”
Lily held Yoona’s gaze with as much composure as she could manage despite the circumstances. “I’m the only one she’s going to talk to, and deep down you know it, too.”
Yoona shook her head, exhaling through her mouth. “And what happens if one of my superiors finds out? You know I have a position to protect as a detective sergeant.”
“You saw her in there, Yoona. She’s enjoying this. This is all a comedy show for her,” Lily gestured toward IR-6’s door. “And right now, I’m the only person she cares about performing for. If you put someone else in the chair before her, the show ends. She’ll shut down, again.”
“Just let me do the interview. I know I can get through her,” Lily added.
Yoona stared at her for a long moment before sighing. “Fine, Morrow,” she muttered. “But the second this stops being professional, you’re done and Kim comes in. Understood?”
Lily gave a small nod. “Understood. Thank you, Seol.”
She watched Yoona take a deep breath before turning toward the observation room, opening the door and stepping inside without another word. Lily remained outside for a few seconds longer, trying to steady herself before going back into IR-6.
She knew she was more than capable of handling this job. It wasn’t her first time trying to get through a suspected murderer’s mind, and it certainly wasn’t her first time trying to understand what Haewon was thinking.
All she had to do was find the point where those two things met and follow it to the truth. And yet, a small part of her brain was screaming at her to run, to leave the lower floor, return to her messy apartment, pack a bag, and disappear forever. She still couldn’t comprehend how Haewon had ended up in that room.
Sure, Lily understood the type of person Haewon was. She could name the reasons for the alcohol, the drugs, even the strange habit of keeping a gun next to her bed at all times.
She had just never believed Haewon capable of murder.
But then again, Lily hadn’t fully lied to Yoona. She had never truly known the woman. No matter how hard she had tried to. No matter how much Haewon had known about her.
Lily’s hand hovered near the door handle. For a split second, she hesitated. On the other side of that door sat the woman she had spent three years loving. She forced a slow breath into her lungs, willing her pulse to settle.
None of this was about the past. It wasn’t about the nights she’d receive texts from Haewon, always sent from a different number—another burner phone she would inevitably discard. It wasn’t about the secrets Lily had whispered to her during the nights she arrived at her old apartment exhausted from studying. And it certainly wasn’t about the nights Haewon had spent in her bed, touching Lily as if she was the only God she believed in.
Lily’s fingers curled around the handle before she could give herself the chance to hesitate again. She pushed the door open. The sterile light of IR-6 washed over her the moment she stepped back inside, the interview room looked exactly the same as it had when she entered the first time.
The only difference was the way Haewon was looking at her.
Lily could feel Haewon’s eyes following and tracking her every movement. She forced herself to look back as she sat down on the chair opposite her. Haewon’s eyes glinted with a fire Lily recognized completely. She had pictured them countless times during her sleepless nights when the only sounds filling her apartment were her unsteady breaths and almost silent moans.
Haewon titled her head to the side, studying her with something that almost resembled fondness. “I hope I didn’t get you in too much trouble, Lily.”
“It’s Agent Morrow,” Lily said, her voice flat.
“Right, sorry. You’re a professional now, Agent Morrow,” Haewon replied with an almost mocking smile.
“Do you understand why you were brought in today?” Lily asked.
Haewon shrugged nonchalantly, her expression bordering on boredom. Without looking up, Lily opened the evidence file and slid a photograph across the table.
“This man was murdered tonight, shortly after midnight. Do you recognize him?” She asked, eyes burning into Haewon’s.
Haewon glanced at the photograph for a few seconds and then leaned back in her chair. “No,” she replied. “But he looks like a nice guy. It’s unfortunate he’s dead.”
Lily’s jaw tightened. “Is this a game to you?” She asked, her tone sharp. “You were apprehended with the victim’s blood on your hands and clothing.”
“Take a better look,” she pushed the photograph closer to the woman.
Haewon studied the picture in silence for a few seconds before lifting her gaze to meet Lily’s. There was something in her expression, something unreadable even to Lily. It made anger pulse through her veins.
“You worry too much, Lily.”
The words struck like a bucket of ice water poured over her head. Every nerve in Lily’s body snapped awake.
FOUR YEARS BEFORE — Friday, October 7th, 2022. 11:48 p.m.
Lily considered herself a decent person. At least, that’s what she kept reminding herself as she waited for Jinsol inside the sketchy club she had insisted on going to. She was being a decent person by waiting for her friend while she danced in the middle of the floor, sandwiched between two strangers who looked like they were one drink away from passing out.
She was also a decent person by not drinking and choosing to stay sober so it would be easier to stay safe when they ordered their Uber back to their shared apartment. Lily tried to ignore the voice in the back of her head, the one telling her she should already be back in bed, curled up with a historical fiction book while listening to her Taylor Swift playlist.
Instead, she found herself in a room where the bass-heavy music made the floor vibrate beneath her feet, forcing her to lean against a wall to keep from getting dizzy. Neon lights flickered across the crowded room, washing everything in shifting shades of red, blue and purple. Lily did her best to ignore the smell of cheap alcohol, sweat, and something else she couldn’t quite place… and didn't think she really wanted to.
She glanced toward the club’s exit before looking back at the dance floor, where Jinsol still was, completely lost in the music. A sigh slipped past her lips.
Yeah. She definitely was a decent person.
Another wave of bass thundered through the room, the vibration causing the glasses to rattle behind the bar. The crowd seemed even thicker now, bodies pressing close together as the air grew heavier with sweat and alcohol. Lily rubbed her temple, trying to ignore the dull pressure building behind her eyes.
She let out a breath and pushed herself off the wall. Deciding not to ruin Jinsol’s night, she sent her a quick text.
Stepping outside for a minute. Need some fresh air. DON'T DISAPPEAR!!!!!
The message appeared as delivered almost immediately, despite Lily’s doubts that the place even allowed enough signal to get through. She carefully wove through the crowd, making her way toward the exit. Lily kept her head down as she walked, trying to ignore how her arms kept brushing against the sweaty skin of strangers.
As she reached the exit, the cool night air washed all over her. Maybe she shouldn’t have worn the tiny black dress she had on, it was too cold outside for it, but it was also too late to regret another one of her decisions she had made tonight.
Lily stood outside the club in the narrow alley beside it, rubbing her arms for a moment in a futile attempt to keep the cold away. The first thought that crossed her mind was that this place would be a perfect spot to commit a crime.
God, her midterm exams had really fucked her up. She couldn’t even escape Threat Assessment and Risk Analysis on a Friday night.
The second thought that crossed her mind was that the smell of cigarette smoke was too strong for an empty alley. Lily squinted in the darkness, trying to see where the smell was coming from.
That was when she saw her.
A woman leaned against the opposite wall, a cigarette glowing faintly between her fingers. Her eyes were already fixed on Lily.
And God, was she beautiful.
Lily did her best to look away as fast as she could. Maybe if she tried hard enough, she could run straight back into the club and pretend she hadn’t seen her. But instead, Lily just stood there, her gaze dropping to her boots.
The silence between them stretched for a moment. The stranger took another slow drag from her cigarette.
“Hi,” the woman said.
“Oh—hey. I didn’t see you over there,” Lily replied, her hands tightening around her arms, still trying to stay warm. A bright smile spread across the stranger’s face.
“I like your dress,” the stranger replied.
“Thanks, uh. A friend got it for me for my birthday. It was really thoughtful of her. It’s really pretty and comfortable—“ Lily stopped mid ramble. One look into the woman’s eyes was enough to let her know the comment wasn’t just a compliment. She definitely had other intentions.
At least Lily was good at that. If she couldn't do much else, she could at least read people.
A small laugh escaped the woman’s lips as she stubbed her cigarette out against the wall and walked toward Lily. She was wearing black pants and a long-sleeved black shirt, a grey coat hanging loosely from her shoulders, far warmer than anything Lily was wearing. “I’m Haewon,” the beautiful woman said.
“I’m Lily,” she replied.
“Lily,” Haewon repeated. Lily felt as if her name had been created just for Haewon to say it, like it was something holy that only Haewon was allowed to speak.
”Can I buy you a drink?”
“Sorry, I’m not drinking tonight,” Lily said, internally cringing at how stupid she probably looked and sounded. A master’s degree student wearing a dress that was far too short for the autumn cold, turning down a drink from a gorgeous woman.
Haewon gave her a soft smile. “I understand,” she said quietly. “What are you doing tonight, then?” Haewon asked, placing a hand on Lily’s arm.
Lily swallowed hard and looked down at Haewon’s hand as it softly rubbed her arm. “You can tell me if I got the wrong idea,” Haewon whispered. “I’ll leave you alone.”
Lily looked up to meet the dark haired woman’s eyes. Noticing the streaks of fire dancing within them. “No, you don’t have the wrong idea,” Lily replied in the same whispered voice, though hers came out more breathless.
“Good,” Haewon said.
Then, Haewon brought her free hand to Lily’s cheek, her touch warm against the cool night air, and pressed her lips against hers.
The faint taste of cigarettes and cheap alcohol lingering between them. Lily’s hands instinctively moved to Haewon’s hair, deepening the kiss, fingers threading through the soft strands as a whimper escaped her when Haewon broke the kiss for a brief moment to take a breath.
“No, wait,” Lily whined.
The dark haired woman chuckled at Lily’s eagerness and slid her free arm around Lily’s waist, drawing her closer until there was no space left between them. She kissed her again, and Lily’s hips instinctively buckled against Haewon’s, searching for any kind of friction she could get.
Lily felt completely out of her element. She excelled brilliantly at studying. Anything that entailed memorizing criminal terminology, acing her midterms, and absorbing every fact a textbook could teach her. What she didn’t excel at was making out with strangers outside clubs, where anyone could see her. Where Jinsol could see her.
Most of the women Lily kissed were visitors passing through Seoul from other states, women she would never see again. That was safe. They could never share her secret with anyone else. But this was different, and the thrill of the danger only made it more intoxicating, she couldn't help how turned on she felt.
Haewon noticed her eagerness immediately. With an easy confidence, she settled her leg between Lily’s, the contact made Lily’s breath hitch as she leaned into Haewon without thinking, mindlessly grinding down on Haewon’s thigh as they kissed.
The world around them seemed to stop, leaving Lily no chance to think, let alone resist the pull Haewon had on her.
The moment shattered when Lily felt her phone vibrate. Reality crashed back all at once. She pulled away from Haewon, wiping her lips with the back of her shaky hand as she tried to steady her breathing. Her heart was still racing as she unlocked her phone and saw Jinsol’s messages waiting for her.
lily where are u
i want to go home now
our midterms left me too tired im literally falling asleep
this was a bad idea
:((((
“Fuck,” Lily muttered under her breath.
“Do you have to go already?” Haewon asked quietly. Her hand still rested on Lily’s waist, her thumb brushing slow absentminded circles against her skin.
“Yeah, I’m sorry,” Lily answered as she took a step back, the warmth of Haewon’s body disappeared, and the autumn cold rushed in to take its place, raising goosebumps along her bare arms.
Lily moved past Haewon and started toward the club’s entrance. She had barely taken a few steps when she felt a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.
“Here, take this. You’ll freeze before you even make it home” Haewon said, slipping off the grey coat from her shoulders and draping it around Lily before she could protest.
Lily turned back to her, confusion evident in her expression. “But… how would I give this back to you, though?”
“It’s fine,” Haewon replied. “I can manage without it.”
Lily shook her head. “No, I can’t take it from you—” Haewon cut her off with a quick peck to the lips.
”You worry too much, Lily,” she said, before turning and walking away. She passed the entrance of the club and disappeared down the dimly lit street. Not looking back once at Lily.
Lily watched her go until Haewon’s figure dissolved into the darkness of the night.
FORTY FIVE MINUTES BEFORE — Monday, January 19th, 2026. Midnight.
The woman knows she shouldn’t be here.
Deep down, she knows this isn’t the right thing to do. And still, she walks toward the man’s house, taking her time as her eyes wander across the quiet street.
A feeling of nostalgia settles in her heart. She had gotten used to her new life. The woman had left this place and moved somewhere people would never know where she came from.
A Neighborhood where the houses aren’t small and worn, but instead built to show off wealth and power.
She should have known money wasn’t forever. If she had remembered that, maybe she wouldn’t have to do this.
By the time she reaches the front porch, the man is already sitting there.
That makes things easier. She wouldn’t have to break into the place.
The man recognizes her immediately, of course he does. He watched her grow up.
He asks the woman if she’s okay. If someone is following her. That would be the only logical reason she’d ever reappear in his life. The man hadn’t seen her in ten years.
She looks pale. There’s something in her eyes. A hint of fear resides in them, it makes the man think she has seen a ghost.
Concern crosses the man’s face as he stands up and gets closer to her.
He stops abruptly when he notices the knife in her hand. It shakes in her grasp.
Is she trembling out of fear or excitement? The woman doesn’t know.
He asks her again if someone’s following her. If there’s anything he can do to help.
The woman shakes her head.
“It’s better if you just let it happen.”