#117.

The room was filled with hot air. The smell of sweat and bodily fluids permeated the air, and the bed sheets were damp. Faint moonlight streamed in through the curtains, dimly illuminating the silhouettes of the three people.

Kang Ji-won was lying comfortably on the bed. Her chest was now rising and falling slowly, regaining stability. Sweat-soaked hair was softly scattered on the pillow, and her skin glowed subtly as the heat subsided.

Her half-closed eyes were full of satisfaction, and a faint smile lingered on her lips. A light breath escaped from between her lips, and her hands were gently placed on the sheets. The tension had completely left Kang Ji-won’s body, as if she were melting comfortably into the bed. Her expression was a mixture of deep satisfaction and fulfilled desire, with a lingering afterglow of the passionate moments just passed.

Soaked in satisfaction, Kang Ji-won lay on the bed, watching the scene unfolding beside her. Her gaze was fixed on Park Min-ah and Lee Han. Right next to her, Park Min-ah was lying face down on the bed, moving her body in rhythm with Lee Han. Kang Ji-won could clearly see Park Min-ah’s back arching like a bow and her sweat-soaked skin glowing subtly. Kang Ji-won noticed even the way Park Min-ah’s fingers gripped the sheets tightly, turning her knuckles white.

,Ah… more… ah…, Kang Ji-won smiled as she heard Park Min-ah’s moans gradually rising. As she reached her climax, Kang Ji-won watched closely as her whole body trembled violently. Kang Ji-won felt a warm feeling as she watched Park Min-ah’s back arch even deeper and her hips lift high and move convulsively.

She watched as the momentary tension subsided and the strength drained from Park Min-ah’s body. Kang Ji-won watched her gently collapse onto the bed.

Witnessing all of this, Kang Ji-won felt a deep sense of satisfaction once again. A soft smile played on her lips, and her eyes were full of warmth and intimacy. Kang Ji-won slowly reached out and gently stroked Park Min-ah’s shoulder. All three of them felt each other’s presence, sharing the intimacy and satisfaction of this moment together.

Only the rough breathing of the three people filled the room. Their skin was glistening with sweat, and each other’s body heat felt intense. The lingering scent of desire still lingered in the air.

Lee Han spoke first. ,The bed seems a bit small… Don’t you think it would be better to get a bigger one?

At his words, Park Min-ah raised her head and smiled. ,Yes. Let’s go see beds together later.

Lee Han seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. His eyes shone sharply. ,Maybe… it would be better to just combine into one house?

Kang Ji-won and Park Min-ah looked at each other. Expectation flickered in Kang Ji-won’s eyes. She held Park Min-ah’s hand tightly. ,How about it? We…

Park Min-ah seemed to hesitate for a moment, but soon nodded. ,Okay.

Lee Han’s gaze turned to Kang Ji-won. His voice suddenly lowered. ,Ji-won-ssi… You still have the recording you made before, right?

Kang Ji-won’s expression instantly hardened. Anxiety and fear flashed across her eyes. But soon she quietly nodded.

A smile spread across Lee Han’s lips. ,Send me that file. I think there’s a use for it.

Kang Ji-won’s face turned pale. Her fingers clenched and unclenched the sheets. Lee Han seemed to be enjoying her reaction, but soon his expression softened.

Lee Han slowly approached Kang Ji-won. His hand cupped her cheek. ,Don’t worry. Nothing will happen.

His lips gently touched Kang Ji-won’s lips. It was a deep, intense kiss. Kang Ji-won felt the tension slowly leaving her body.

When the kiss ended and Lee Han turned his head, he met Park Min-ah’s gaze. A flame of jealousy flickered in her eyes. Her lips were slightly pouting.

Lee Han smiled and turned to Park Min-ah. ,Min-ah-ssi, are you jealous too?

Park Min-ah tried to turn her head away, but Lee Han’s hand grabbed her chin. He slowly pressed his lips to Park Min-ah’s lips. At first, he kissed her lightly, but it gradually deepened.

When the kiss ended, Park Min-ah’s eyes slowly opened. The shadow of jealousy had disappeared from her eyes. Instead, they were full of satisfaction and desire.

,Now, will you do me a favor? Lee Han’s voice rang out softly.

The two women nodded. Their eyes were filled with absolute trust and obedience to Lee Han.

—

Lim Ha-yoon carefully examined the documents spread out on her desk. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly. She felt like something was missing. It was as if the cases had been closed too quickly and too neatly.

,Strange… she muttered quietly.

Most of the reported cases had ended in disappearance or death during the investigation. Lim Ha-yoon’s fingers slowly scanned the documents. Her intuition was telling her something.

,Lee Han… I think he’s the key to this situation.

Lim Ha-yoon raised her head and looked at the team leader’s room. She saw the team leader’s stern expression. She felt like she would be scolded again if she left early today. She sighed and checked the time.

,I should go around dinner time.

Lim Ha-yoon took out her cell phone and sent a message to Lee Han.

,I would like to visit you this evening. Is that okay?

After sending the message, she turned her gaze back to the documents. But her mind was already filled with questions for her meeting with Lee Han.

While Lim Ha-yoon was focusing on the documents, someone’s hand lightly touched her shoulder. She raised her head and saw Park Ho-joon. His eyes glanced at Lim Ha-yoon’s documents, but he didn’t say anything in particular.

,Ha-yoon-ah, Park Ho-joon’s voice rang out softly. ,How about dinner tonight?

Lim Ha-yoon felt like her breath caught in her throat for a moment. She felt Park Ho-joon’s warm breath lightly on her ear, and her heart began to pound at that moment. Her mind became confused. ,What should I do…

At that moment, Park Ho-joon’s cell phone rang. He gestured to Lim Ha-yoon to wait a moment and stepped aside to answer the phone.

Lim Ha-yoon tried not to listen to his conversation, but she couldn’t avoid the voice that entered her ears. It was a woman’s voice. Her heart sank heavily. ,His wife…

Bitterness filled Lim Ha-yoon’s heart. She bit her lip tightly. The momentary sweet expectation collapsed into the bitter taste of reality.

Lim Ha-yoon quickly regained her composure. She began to organize the documents and packed her bag. There was a sense of haste in her movements.

Before Park Ho-joon finished his call and returned, Lim Ha-yoon was already leaving. Her steps were quick, and there was tension in her shoulders.

Inside the elevator, Lim Ha-yoon took a deep breath. Sadness flashed across her eyes, and a corner of her heart sank heavily. ,Again like this… Why am I doing this?

She looked at her reflection in the mirror. She quickly wiped away the tears that had formed in her eyes with the back of her hand. Self-loathing washed over her, but she shook her head slightly to shake off the feeling.

After leaving the building, Lim Ha-yoon headed to her apartment. Park Ho-joon’s image and his wife’s voice were still lingering in her mind. But she consciously pushed the thought away. Instead, she tried to focus on the investigation.

As she hurried along, Lim Ha-yoon thought about her meeting with Lee Han tonight. Complex emotions were still present in a corner of her heart, but she tried to ignore them as much as possible. ,I have to find something this time, she vowed in her heart.

As she entered the apartment complex, Lim Ha-yoon’s steps quickened. The closer she got to the management office, the faster her heart beat. Anticipation and tension about the information she would get from her meeting with Lee Han alternated.

When the management office door came into view, Lim Ha-yoon took a deep breath. But as she approached the door, something unexpected happened. The door suddenly opened and a woman came out with a child. Lim Ha-yoon stopped walking for a moment.

Okay. I will revise and rewrite that part for you:

Her sharp intuition began to work. She felt that the woman’s appearance and the child’s presence were somehow out of place in this situation. Lim Ha-yoon’s eyebrows moved slightly, and her gaze quickly scanned the woman and the child.

The woman’s face was flushed, and her hair was slightly disheveled. Lim Ha-yoon’s eyebrows rose slightly. ,Why is she in such a hurry? she wondered.

The woman grabbed the child’s hand and walked away. Lim Ha-yoon watched their backs for a moment. She noticed that the woman’s steps faltered slightly. It was as if she had lost strength in her legs. The child was matching her pace, led by her mother’s hand.

Lim Ha-yoon shook her head and tried to shake off her suspicious thoughts. She took a deep breath and opened the door to the management office. As she entered, she felt a strange heat and a subtle scent. She frowned slightly. ,Do they use a unique air freshener…

Lim Ha-yoon wrinkled her nose slightly. This smell was clearly not just a simple air freshener. There was something more complex and subtle scent lingering in the air. Her instincts seemed to be warning her of something, but Lim Ha-yoon pushed the thought deep into her mind.

Instead, she straightened her shoulders and calmed her breathing. Now was not the time to be swayed by emotions. Her eyes shone coldly. There was a determination to pursue only the truth of the case.

,Hello, Lee Han-ssi, Lim Ha-yoon greeted him.

Lee Han greeted her with a bright smile. ,Welcome, Detective. Please sit this way.

He led Lim Ha-yoon to the sofa. Lim Ha-yoon looked around and slowly moved her steps. Her sharp eyes scanned every corner of the office. She seemed to be trying to find something strange, but on the surface, it was just an ordinary office.

,Here, please sit down, Lee Han pointed to the sofa.

Lim Ha-yoon carefully sat down. Her eyes were still looking around, and the subtle smell from before lingered at the tip of her nose. But she didn’t say anything. Instead, she looked at Lee Han and tried to start the conversation.

Lee Han gave Lim Ha-yoon a apologetic look. ,I’m sorry, Detective. I carefully reviewed the past records, but I couldn’t find anything special.

Lim Ha-yoon’s eyes wavered for a moment. Her lips drooped slightly, but she soon regained a calm expression. ,I see… Thank you for your hard work.

Lee Han looked like he was contemplating for a moment. Then he carefully opened his mouth. ,However… there’s one story I heard recently that bothers me.

Lim Ha-yoon’s ears perked up. ,What story was it?

,Well… Lee Han continued slowly. ,One of the female residents told me that she had reported something to the police a while ago. She didn’t tell me the details of what happened, but it seemed quite serious.

Lim Ha-yoon’s eyes sharpened. She was listening carefully to Lee Han’s words. She realized that this information matched the counseling center records she had.

Lee Han continued to speak. ,She said that after reporting it, she felt a strange atmosphere in the apartment. She seemed to be feeling uneasy about something.

Lim Ha-yoon tilted her head slightly and fell into thought. It seemed like puzzle pieces were starting to fit together in her mind. ,Did you hear any more details about the report?

Lee Han shook his head. ,I’m sorry. I didn’t hear anything more than that. She also seemed reluctant to say anything more.

Lim Ha-yoon took a deep breath. It seemed that this information could be a new clue in the investigation.

Lim Ha-yoon paused for a moment and then carefully spoke to Lee Han. ,Lee Han-ssi, is it possible to meet that female resident? I would like to hear her story directly.

Lee Han’s expression hardened. ,That’s… there’s a privacy issue…

,I know, Lim Ha-yoon quickly interjected. ,But this is a very important matter. I promise absolute confidentiality. I will meet her personally and unofficially.

Lee Han hesitated. He tapped the desk with his finger and pondered.

Lim Ha-yoon smiled gently and continued to persuade him. ,It’s for the safety of the residents. We all have the same goal, right?

Lee Han let out a deep sigh. ,Okay. I’ll ask her. But I can’t promise anything.

Lim Ha-yoon’s eyes lit up. ,Thank you so much, Lee Han-ssi. It will be a great help.

She stood up and extended her hand to Lee Han. ,Thank you so much for today.

Lee Han nodded lightly and took her hand. ,Be careful on your way, Detective.

Lim Ha-yoon gave a final grateful smile and left the management office. The moment she closed the door, her expression turned serious. Plans for the next step were already forming in her mind.

Not long after Lim Ha-yoon left the management office, the phone rang. Her heart started beating fast when she checked the name on the screen.

,Yes, Detective Senior, her voice trembled slightly.

Park Ho-joon’s voice came through the receiver. ,Where are you? You suddenly disappeared.

Lim Ha-yoon hesitated for a moment before answering. ,Here… I’m at the apartment.

There was a moment of silence. ,Are you still investigating that case? Park Ho-joon’s voice was filled with doubt.

,No, it’s just… nothing, Lim Ha-yoon answered hastily.

Park Ho-joon’s voice sounded slightly displeased for a moment, but soon brightened. ,Really? By the way… Don’t you want to come see my room today?

Lim Ha-yoon’s heart sank once again. She bit her lip slightly. Her reason screamed ‘No,’ but her emotions were already drawn to his words.

,That’s… she hesitated, but her steps had already begun to move.

,How about it? I’ve prepared some wine too, Park Ho-joon’s voice gently lured her.

Lim Ha-yoon took a deep breath. Desire and reason fought fiercely in her mind, but in the end, desire won.

,…Okay. I’ll go, her voice was small, but there was anticipation in it.

After hanging up, Lim Ha-yoon looked up at the sky for a moment. Complex emotions flashed across her eyes. But soon she shook her head and moved her steps to the address Park Ho-joon had given her.

Her steps were quick, but deep down, anxiety and anticipation were still mixed together.