Do Hyun look at Chae Min smiling as he sees the suspicious and deep look he was giving. "Ohhh that scary but Hello there. We meet again." Do Hyun said smoothly, a half-smile tugging his lips.
Chae Min leaned back in his chair, calm on the outside.
"Well, it's rare to see a student skip introductions and jump into faculty offices or even class."
Do Hyun chuckled and stepped closer.
"Oh, I'm no student, Professor Lee. But I think you already know that." Chae Min smirks on hearing it.
Their eyes locked — silent tension filling yet again in the room like a ticking bomb.
Chae Min didn't flinch. He tilted his head slightly and offered a small, unreadable smile.
Chae Min:
"Then tell me, what does an undercover officer want from a college professor? Arrest me or finding information?"
Do Hyun stepped closer to the desk, his tone calm but laced with intent.
Do Hyun:
"I could say I'm here for architecture… but we both know I came for answers."
He placed a folded paper on the desk the DNA report.
Chae Min glanced at it, not reaching for it.
Do Hyun said lowering his voice :
"The hair from Xiu Min's clenched fist and I know you know who I am talking about. It wasn't just any strand. It's yours… Professor Lee Chae Min. Why is your personal belongings there in a murder space?"
A long silence.
Chae Min finally leaned forward, hands folded on the desk.
Chae Min replied coldly:
"You came all this way for a hair?"
Do Hyun:
"I came for the truth Mr Lee. Whether you give it or I pull it out of you piece by piece... that depends on you.But that is what I came for."
Outside the office, Ha Rin leaned quietly near the corridor wall, earphones in but no music playing. She held a notebook, pretending to wait for a consultation.Her lollipop slowly melted in her mouth as she observed the closed office door, brows furrowed.
Ha Rin talking to herself :
"That student,why did he go to the professor office on his first day? Are they close? I don't think so. And Chae Min... he's too calm. Something's off. Way off."
She glanced around the hallway, noticed two unfamiliar men loitering not far,plainclothes agents.
Ha Rin whispers :
"Are they watching him too?"
Her grip on her notebook tightened and left the scene to avoid being caught.Back Inside Chae Min's office,the conversation between the two continue.
Chae Min stood now, facing Do Hyun directly.
Chae Min:
"You want the truth? Be careful, Officer. Truth comes with blood… and blood stains everyone,so don't come in close to avoid getting hurt."
He stepped closer, staring straight into Do Hyun's eyes.
Chae Min whispers:
"And I don't plan on stopping."
A beat passed. Then Do Hyun slowly smiled.
Do Hyun:
"Good. Because neither do I."Do Hyun remained standing, his hands casually tucked into his pockets. The atmosphere was heavy, tense ,two men on opposite sides of the law but bound by a shared enemy.
Do Hyun breath down and then said:
"I didn't come here to arrest you… not yet."
Chae Min raised a brow, amused.
Chae Min:
"Oh? How generous."
Do Hyun:
"We've been digging. There's something deep and filthy inside Keunsa Financial Groups and we have been trying different means to bring them to justice but thanks to corruptio, it is too difficult and you're already neck-deep in it.Our Unit was to use a bait to find out who is going on in there and that is where you show up"
He placed a flash drive on the table.
Do Hyun said firmly:
"We want your help to bring them down, you can decide on what to do with it. If you know anything or have any evidence,I am here close to you and watching you from now on."
Chae Min looked down at the flash drive, then back at Do Hyun with a cold smirk.
Chae Min:
"You think just because we want the same target, I'll play by your rules?"
He leaned in slightly, voice darker.
Chae Min:
"Let me be clear,your deal doesn't stop me from killing. If anyone gets in my way again… they die."
A flicker of tension passed through Do Hyun's expression, but he didn't break.
Do Hyun lean closer to Chase Min and said calmly:
"Then I'll stop you. Every time. I will always be with you."
Chae Min smiled and said:
"Are you proposing to me?"
Do Hyun stepped back toward the door and said :"maybe."
Do Hyun:
"Help me finish this, Chae Min. After that… I'll decide what to do with you." "I will think about it ", Chae Min said.
As Do Hyun was done talking with stepped out of Chae Min's office, Ha Rin stood a few meters away, blending into a group of students. Her eyes followed Do Hyun coldly as he met up with two men near the entrance of the staff building. She waited just a moment longer, then with a swift glance around, she stepped forward and slipped a brown envelope under Chae Min's office door, then hurried away before anyone could notice.
Inside, Chae Min had barely sat back down after the tense conversation when he noticed a shadow pass under the door followed by the soft sound of paper sliding across the floor.
He stood immediately, opened the door and nothing was seen. Just students greeting him,passing by, chatting, laughing, walking to their next class.
His eyes scanned left and right, but whoever left the envelope was gone.
He looked down and picked it up. His fingers ran across the seal with a mix of curiosity and caution. He stepped back into his office, locked the door, and sat down. Slowly, deliberately, he opened it.Inside were photos. Grainy but clear enough, photos of him walking down a dark alley, wearing the same black outfit he wore the previous night. One of the photos showed him entering his building, another showed his blood-stained hand as he adjusted his mask.
Chae Min's jaw clenched as he sees the photo. He had previously suspected someone was following him any time he went out for search and kill but didn't put it to notice and this,a picture of him. A black mailing.
Then, a single slip of paper fell out between the photos.
In neat handwriting,a handwriting he is somehow familiar with:
"Meet me after school in the restaurant near the front gate."
He stared at the note, then at the photos again. His expression turned grim whoever sent this was watching him closely.