A/N.

New characters.

Bae Sanha - Daeyeon's girlfriend.

Kim Giyeol - Daeyeon's driver.

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As I rushed to my desk I could see the curious gazes of the other workers in their workplace cubicles shifting from their computers to look at my rushing figure.

' Damn it! Late on Monday.' I thought as I sat on my desk. I hurriedly switched on the computer to work. Suddenly I felt a pair of arms wrap around me from behind for a hug. I was frozen before the familiar smell of her perfume made me realize that it was Grace.

She faced me and sat on the corner of my small desk of my workplace cubicle. She held my hands and looked at me. I sighed heavily realizing what she was going to bring up. The last time we talked was on Wednesday the 14th. I haven't answered anybody's calls apart from Hongbin's the last few days.

" Y/N I'm sorry for your loss."

I looked at the floor. I couldn't bear to look at her. I knew it would only make me feel worse.

" Do you want to talk about it? You know to let your stress out?Coz you know you can tell me anything."

She was right, apart from Jiyeon, Grace was my closest friend. She's always by my side. I could tell her about all my feelings but..

" It's okay Grace, I'm fine." I lied.

" No your not, your a very cheerful person, to see you like this is..."

" Hurtful?" I replied looking at her. She didn't respond but just had a look of hurt on her face.

" Grace it's fine, If I need to speak about it , I'll let you know okay? Besides, I'm at work, not a therapist." I joked, hoping that she would think that I felt better, basically putting my mask on. I adored the idea that she wanted to help me, it's just that I wanted to be alone right now.

" Sure." she replied softly with a weak smile and stood up. She smiled at me one last time before leaving to her desk. She was such a great person but I really didn't want her to intervene in my twisted emotional state right now.

I opened my latest design on the computer, I hadn't even finished half of it yet, of course I didn't, I was just moping around at home the last few days.

I felt so stressed now, so irritated. So much things were happening in my life, it was just too much for me to handle. Nevertheless, I had to move on, or at least try to. I continued to work on my design,but I couldn't help but think about how the case must be going now,I wanted to be at the agency, helping Hongbin, not here.

I suddenly remembered my dream, the wonderful yet painful dream.How Hakyeon was my burned and black heaven.

My phone started to buzz. I broke out from my thoughts and saw the caller,

Cha Jiyeon.

A light smile appeared on my face as I answered it. I could really talk to her now.

" Jiyeon?"

" Y/N! How are you?" she sounded so excited it cut through my depressed mood, making me feel more awake. I was alarmed.

" I'm okay. Jiyeon did something happen?" I asked concerned.

" Oh don't worry so much Y/N! I wanted to speak to you about something really important." her tone of voice reduced, she was serious.

"What?"

" WE HAVE TO GO DRESS SHOPPING!" she squealed again.

I kept the phone away from me and attempted to cover the speaker, I was surrounded with people giving me weird looks.

" Jiyoen! I'm at work! What the hell?" I replied pissed.

" Oh... sorry..."

" Dress shopping?" I questioned.

" Yeah! For Lee Hongna's wedding!" she squealed in excitement.

" The wedding." I replied softly remembering the invitation Hongbin gave me.

" She invited you right?, your going right?, "

" Yes and I guess..."I replied unsure.

" Okay here's what we are gonna do. Your finishing early today right?"

" yeah?"

" I'm gonna come to pick u up and we'll go dress shopping! Oh please say yes, we haven't gone to a wedding or done any dress shopping for a really long time!" she begged.

She was right. The last wedding I went to was Cha Jiyeon's wedding. Wow, it's been a long time. Smiling I decided to go.

" Okay Jiyeon. I'll come"

" Oh yes!See ya soon Y/N! I can't wait!"

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I managed to finish half of my design by lunch time. I couldn't work anymore, I kept seeing Hakyeon in my thoughts. Yesterdays dream kept haunting me, it was turning into a nightmare. But one sentence kept repeating in my head,

" I will always be with you Y/N, always by your side, in dreams and reality."

It was quarter to one in the afternoon.I was able to leave earlier these days as I did a lot of work the pass week. It was the attempt to make more time to spend with Hakyeon. Now I had the time, just not Hakyeon.

Jiyeon took me to a mall after I finished work. It helped me forget my worries for a moment. Apart from listening to music, shopping or going out with a friend helped me to forget reality for a moment. When we entered the dress shop the display of colourful dresses instantly made me forget everything I was depressed and worried about. I felt.... carefree.

" Jiyeon?" I looked at her as we entered the boutique.

"Yes?"

" What was Shin's reaction?" I smirked as I looked at her. She gasped and smiled as she looked back at me.

" Oh my god I totally forgot to tell you! I'm sorry!"

" I don't need apologies Jiyeon! Tell me!" I practically screamed at her in excitement.

" He was so happy. He was actually really shocked when I told him."

" Well I guess, I mean, your parents Jiyeon!!!" I squeezed her hands and she chuckled in delight.

" He hugged me for a really long time and his eyes were filled with tears. He kissed me repeatedly. I've never seen him so happy Y/N!" she smiled brightly as she recalled her memories.

" We went out for dinner to celebrate, but there are some food types I cannot eat now. But I didn't mind, it was a great night!" she finished as she made her way to a clothes rack and started to search through the dresses.

" Aww, I'm so happy for you guys!"I replied as I hugged her. She replied with a chuckle before replying,

" Thank you Y/N, now let's find some dresses!"

The boutique she took me to had the most beautiful and elegant dresses I had ever seen. There wasn't many people as the prices in this place were through the roof. I felt out of place. I wasn't very steady with money, I had enough to maintain my standard of living, but If I spent on something as expensive as this I would go off track.

My paycheck wouldn't be enough to buy even one of these dresses, let alone even a part of it. Why did she bring me to such an expensive place?

" Y/N you'll look perfect in this!"she squealed as she ran up to me with a light blue dress. It was beautiful but I stopped her.

" Jiyeon, why did you bring me here?I can't afford these dresses!" I whispered to her showing the tag of the blue dress she was holding.

She smiled back at me.

" Y/N, I'm going to get your dress for you."

" What no! I won't let you."

" Y/N stop arguing, your stressed out and more than the wedding, this is why I wanted to go out with you, I want to help you to feel better, so stop worrying and wear this dress!" she placed the dress on my arms and smiled.

  I smiled at her, she could see how stressed out I was, yesterday's dream was what had my mind confused now, Jiyeon wanted me to be carefree, at least for a few hours.

" But you..."

" Not another word! Go get dressed!" she smiled as she pointed towards the dressing rooms. Defeated, I scrowled at her playfully and walked to the dressing rooms with the expensive dress on my arm,part of me excited to wear the expensive fabric.

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" How's this?" I asked as I moved the curtain of the dressing room to the side and walked out, wearing the light blue dress which had thin straps and flowed down to my feet. It was slim and elegant,simple and sweet.

Jiyeon looked at me from where she was sitting, her eyes widened with joy as she squealed.

" Y/N that's so elegant! You look so beautiful!" she smiled and walked up to me, inspecting the straps and the back of the dress.

" Suits you well, do you like it?" She asked, an eyebrow raised, obviously she was in love with this dress.

" Well... I don;t know.."

" What do you mean ' you don't know'? You like this design?"

" Yes.."

" You like this colour?"

" Yes.."

" Well then you like it!" she squealed again.

I looked at myself in the mirror again, It was pretty, I looked tall and graceful. But I still wasn't sure.

" Y/N? You can't decide yet huh? Not sure?" Jiyeon smiled at me with her arms crossed as she sensed the doubt on my face.

" Yeah.."

" So what do you do to decide?" she asked.

" I..." I stuttered, sadness crept into me once more as I answered,

" I would ask Hakyeon.."

Jiyeon suddenly became angry. She was determined to keep my mind out of it. With out warning she took my phone out of my bag which she held and snapped a picture of me.

" What are you doing Jiyeon?"

" It's time you made your own decisions!" she snapped back at me, She held up the phone at me. It was clear from her face that she was hurt, the mention of her brother wasn't easy for her, especially when she cared for him so much, she always used to tell me that Hakyeon and my relationship was the best thing that ever happened in her world, the two best people she loved were together. Now my mentioning of him was hurting her from inside and she was determined not to show it.

" Do you like this dress?" she asked as she showed me the picture.

I sighed and replied, "No."

" Then try these on! I found some great stuff on those racks at the back." she replied as she went to the racks next to her and pulled out 4 more pre-kept dresses on hangers. She forced herself a smile and handed them to me. I decided to ignore her internal struggle and smiled back before going back to the dressing rooms. I knew if I hugged her now, she and I would just collapse just like at the hospital.

Dress shopping went well. After trying on tons of dresses I found one to wear for Hongna's wedding. Jiyeon bought herself one as well,she paid for everything this evening, my dress, shoes and even the snacks we had. At the end she did manage to make me feel much better,even though I couldn't get rid of my dull mood, she managed to help me lighten up, I had fun and I was grateful for that. After shopping I went directly to the detective agency, I couldn't help my curiosity.

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" Y/N! " I heard Hongbin's voice through the rush of the agency. It managed to instantly smile and waved my free hand which didn't have shopping bags on them. Even though I didn't know why,the mention of his name made me smile and feel better, better than ever before.

" Hongbin ah!" I smiled as I kept the bags on his desk and hugged him. His gaze instantly locked on the bags I had brought.

" I'm guessing your happy coz you went shopping?" he smiled as he raised an eyebrow.

" Well, yeah. I went shopping for a dress for your sister's wedding with Jiyeon. I feel much better than this morning now." I smiled as my hand reached inside the bag and pulled out a corner of the dress I bought. The dark blue fabric caught his attention before I put it back in. I wasn't going to take it out here.

" Wow, that colour. I bet it looks wonderful on you." he quickly looked down in embarrassment, I could see his cheek flush with a pink as his hand ruffled through his light brown hair,desperately trying to hide his blushing cheeks. I smiled at him,

" Um.. thanks Hongbin ah."

He suddenly remembered something as he looked back at he.

" Cha Jiyeon's expecting a child!" he exclaimed in delight,waiting to see my reaction.

" I know, I was the first one to know." I smiled to see him roll his eyes and chuckle.

" Of course, you two are like sisters, I should have thought!"he beamed back.

" Hongbin!" Ji Minwoo walked up to us, he looked at me and briefly nodded with a smile before looking back at Hongbin.

" He's here, we're waiting for you." he walked back towards the interrogation rooms.

Hongbin looked at me and sighed with a smile,

" Coming?"

" What do you mean? Who's here?"

" Daeyeon." he was quick to reply before heading towards the interrogation room.

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" He's my brother, how dare you suspect me." Daeyeon growled at Hongbin fixing a stare that clearly showed how mad he was.

I stayed and watched from outside again. My thoughts ran through what Hongbin told me at the cafe yesterday about Daeyeon. For some reason I doubted him. Naturally I wouldn't , but the story about his greed to take over the family business may have something to do with Hakyeon's murder. It was impossible to think that he would kill for that though.

" Daeyeon, where were you on Wednesday the 14th between 6.50pm and 7.00pm?"

" I was on my way to a dinner with a close friend." he replied.

" With whom did you go out with?" Hongbin asked.

" My girlfriend, Bae Sanha."

I could see Ji Minwoo noting down all the important information on a notepad as Hongbin continued the interrogation.

" Is there anyone else, other than Bae Sanha who can prove your alibi?"

" My driver, Kim Giyeol."

" Do you have any suspects, anyone who would have done this?"

Daeyeon leaned back on his chair , his arms crossed he thought fora few seconds.

" Moon Shin."

My jaw dropped. My eyes widened as I kept looking at Daeyeon, who had a stern but steady expression.

Hongbin leaned forwards, his hands clasped together, his voice low but loud.

" Moon Shin? Your brother in law?"

Daeyeon replied with a nod.

" He's got a certain greed for money. Even though I approve my sister's marriage, I wish father choose someone better. He did hope that he would get our family business with Jiyeon's marriage but that didn't happen. It may not be a solid lead, but if I had to suspect,it would be Moon Shin."

" Thank you for your cooperation Daeyeon." Hongbin stood up as he opened the door for Daeyeon. Daeyeon stopped near Hongbin and looked at him.

" Find the bastard that did this to my brother. He ruined everything for everyone."

Hongbin just nodded. He couldn't promise him anything. My gaze met Daeyeon's. He looked really upset. His sadness had made him mad. That moment I felt his pain, I couldn't doubt him, I did but I also didn't. I weakly smiled at him and he did the same before walking out of the agency.

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" If Daeyon's alibi checks out, our next leads Moon Shin."Hongbin replied as we walked towards our cars in the car park of the agency.

" I can't believe our suspects have narrowed down to those two.It's just not true."

" No one can be trusted in these cases. It's a hard truth we have to accept." He replied as he clicked the button on his car keys and was immediately responded with the light beep from his car which was next to mine.

" These days are filled with hard truths which we have to accept huh?" I scoffed as I looked back at Hongbin. He didn't smile back.

Instead he walked up to me and hugged me. It took me some time to figure what happened before my arms wrapped around him. My head against his chest, I could hear his heart beating. His soft breath against the light hairs on the top of my head. I closed my eyes and paid attention to my senses. I felt happy to be with Hongbin. I didn't know why but, I felt my heart lighten up when I'm with him.He made me feel happier and helped to heal the wounds in my heart.

I made my way on the hotel corridors. I was supposed to go home but I couldn't resist the urge to Hakyeon's hotel room. I knew I was asking for a emotional breakdown again, but I didn't care. I missed him too much to forget. I walked up to his room door. I turned the handle and it opened, It wasn't locked and it wasn't given to anybody. I cautiously walked in, it was pitch dark. My hand searched the wall next to the door for a switch.

The bright light blinded me at first before I got used to it. The room smelled of him, Hakyeon. His familiar scent ran through me making feel so happy.

I walked in to the living room. It was cleaned well. Luckily I didn't see any signs of struggle.. or even... blood stains....

The room looked beautiful. Some of his stuff was still here. The desk had his files scattered on it. The room was only half cleaned. I walked in to his bedroom to see a huge bed with a window next to it with a balcony. Opposite to the bed was a huge mirror on the wall and a life size cupboard next to the bed. It was a typical hotel room.

I couldn't help but pry around, searching for something of his.Everything was cleaned and was taken by his family. I found nothing.I fell upon his bed, eyes watery as I remembered him again. The sheets smelled of him. Even though the rooms was swept clean of his belongings and the living room was cleaned thoroughly, his familiar scent still hung in the air, making me feel like he was still here,still with me. I was crying.

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I went to my apartment to find a package waiting for me outside my door. Curious and tired, I took it into my arms and went into my apartment. It was late, I had accidentally fallen asleep on Hakyeon's bed for about an hour before waking up to a noise. I never found out what it was.

I ripped open the brown paper bag to find a huge photo album. It had a lock on it with a combination lock which consisted of 4 digits.A note rested on top of the album.

Dear Y/N ,

This was one of Hakyeon's belonging which we retrieved from his apartment. It's an album of you two so it's only right I give it to you. It belongs to you now, I know you'll treasure it for you always treasure memories. Jiyeon didn't want me to give this to you thinking that it would hurt you more. Please don't think like that, consider these memories as a strength, a strength you will carry forever. It will make you stronger honey. And I couldn't unlock it. I think you might be able to.

Love,

omonim.

I smiled as I looked back at the album. The cover had a huge title which was impossible to miss.

" My hidden paradise."

I looked at the lock. I had to figure out the password to enter. ' 4 digits? Maybe its a year...' I tried his birth year, my birth year nothing worked.Then I entered the year we went on our first date.

2014

I heard a faint'click'. The album opened. The first page had a picture of the both of us when we were small kids. I must have been about 6 years old.The first half of the album had pictures of our childhood. Gradually the pictures changed to those of his birthday parties where I would be sitting in a corner sulking coz I was lonely.

Then came pictures of my teens, when pictures were taken when our families went on trips together. I chuckled when I saw them. Hakyeon had his arm around me with a wink and I was rolling my eyes with my arms crossed.He loved to tease me by pretending to 'date me' those days. I must have been about 16 years old then. I hated it when he annoyed me in my teens.

Then I found a picture of prom, where I had taken a photo with a couple of my friends and my date. Hakyeon was standing next us with another girl he dated those days. I looked so happy and crazy, so fun and carefree, the happy virus, that's what I was in my friend group.

Then I found pictures of our first date. He took a picture of me that day and I covered my face. I saw the familiar restaurant in the background. The picture was taken when I had just given my order and I was sitting in front of him , covering my face.

I smiled again as I remembered how I scolded him about taking photos. I hated it and still do. The pictures afterwards were all of when we went out, the different places we visited and pictures of the stupid selfies we had taken, in some of them I made finger hearts while he made a heart above his head.

The last photo was of me. I was smiling at the camera, behind  me was the sea. We were at the 'hidden paradise'. The sun was shining brightly and I looked so happy. Under the picture was written,

' My light, my hidden paradise, Y/N.'

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" How was work today Y/N?" Hongbin looked up at me and smiled as he saw me walk up to his table.

" It was challenging as usual. Any updates on the case?" I asked.

Hongbin smiled at me, he was shocked.

" Wow, your confident. That's really good Y/N."

I shrugged my shoulders and smiled.

" I decided to make memories my strength, the drive to push me ahead."

" That's great Y/N. Actually I do have some new stuff to tell you. Ji Minwoo was working hard the whole day and managed to find info on Daeyeon's driver, Kim Giyeol."

" We're bringing him in for questioning, so far we only know that he's twenty three been working for Daeyeon for about 5 years and recently Daeyeon had fired him."

" Fired? Why?"

" I don't know, it's suspicious.We'll see when he comes."

I walked towards the coffee machine. We were waiting for Kim Giyeol to arrive, until then I decided to get a coffee. Last night I had fallen asleep with the album next to me. I was so tired these days I fell asleep when ever I could. My eyelids felt heavy as I set out a yawn, covering it with my hand. I failed to see that I was walking in someone else's way and I bumped in to him.

"I'm so sorry!" I apologized as I looked to see a tall, lean man. His black hair and his eyes matched perfectly. He looked like he was in his mid twenties. He wore a denim jacket over a white shirt with a black denim and sneakers. He was definitely not from here.

" It's okay." he smiled.

" Your not from the agency are you? " the words slipped out of my mouth.

" No, could you help me miss...?"

" Y/N, call me Y/N. And you are?"

" Kim Giyeol." he smiled as he shook my hand.

A/N 

Wow, REALLY long chapter sorry guys. ( 4133 words)I had no idea it was this long. I hope it was worth the wait.

I hope you enjoy this story and support it. Reads, votes and comments are appreciated. Thank you so much!