Chapter Text
/A deluxe taxi suddenly explode late last night in an unexpected accident. The driver died on the scene—/
Prosecutor Kang Hana suddenly found herself fallen spreadlegged on the floor, just as she had been walking past the break room. She turned her head towards the television placed in the room as the screen was sharing news reports of an incident that happened the day before. Hana suddenly found herself feeling disorientated as her sight and hearing refused to make proper sense.
Is this real? Or is this a nightmare?
"Oh, Prosecutor Kang! Are you all right... wait, you're bleeding! Let's get you to the office—"
Even as she was being helped get on her feet and taken to her office, Hana could feel nothing as she grew more and more detached to the reality around her.
Was this a dream? Tell me if this was a dream! If this was just a trick of her mind she wished that someone could wake her up from this nightmare!
She wanted to believe that this was a bad dream. But here she was... at the Northern Prosecution Office—her office—with her colleagues surrounding her and staring back at her looking worried. If this had been a dream, she should have started to waking up now with the amount of thinking she was doing in her head.
Yet... if this was real...
No, it shouldn't be possible! The news earlier! That deluxe taxi that exploded... there's no way that it could be a coincidence. But—It can't be!
Mr Kim Dogi can't be dead!
×××
It felt as if it was just yesterday that she had to face the fact that her former investigator, Mr Wang Minho had died while on duty. It's been a long while since she last thought about the incident—the case that eventually led to the death of her colleague.
She had mostly blocked the memories away—what she felt while clinging onto Mr Wang's dead body that continued to grow colder and colder. She had almost forgotten how despairing it felt, not knowing what else she could do to find justice for her investigator as well as the other lives that had been taken by those wretched Gu twins. Her despair at how the law she used to believe had failed to give her a way to find the needed evidence to allow her to arrest Gu Yeongtae, had almost plunged her into complete darkness—until Mr Kim offered his hand to pull her out from her despair.
Back then, Mr Kim Dogi had been her saviour. If not because of him, she would've truly decided to quit for real... right after attending Mr Wang's funeral.
Because of Mr Kim, she had been able to get back on her feet to fight back. Even when she hadn't completely left all of the tasks of fulfilling her 'revenge' on Mr Kim, she had regained a new strength to pursue justice the way she used to... before Mr Wang died. Thanks to that, with help from the Rainbow team, Detective Park and her own team, they managed to get Baek Sungmi and all of her minions locked up behind bars. And even as her confidence had started to falter and brought back the lingering temptations to finally step down from her position once everything was over, she ended up denied of that and given a new mission and purpose to keep on fighting.
She was able to hang on until now because Mr Kim was by her side. Because she knew that she still have someone she could depend on aside from herself. And that there are still people depending on her to keep on fighting.
But what should she do now when the man who had given her so much strength was no longer by her side? Hana turned her eyes to her desk where her phone was... and contemplated giving a call to Mr Jang. Despite that, she was reminded of something that she's been told about quite recently.
There seemed to be some kind of unknown entity who was after the Rainbow Taxi people. That was what Mr Jang and Mr Kim had deduced after noticing that some of the villains that they've punished were met with some mysterious deaths after they were done with their cases. It seemed that her bad feeling after hearing about the things that had happened in Vietnam was right on track.
Back then she was told to cease direct contact with them, in case the mysterious entity who had been watching the company in secret starts noticing her connection to the Rainbow Taxi. It was to keep her safe, in case those people would start targeting her as well. Mr Jang had reassured her that they'd be careful... Mr Kim told her that he'd be vigilant. But after just now—?
"Prosecutor Kang, are you really all right?"
Hana looked up to see both So-eun and her current investigator, Mr Han, standing in front of her desk... looking so worried about her.
"Perhaps you should call it a break and go home early today," said Mr Han as So-eun nodded her head in agreement. "I'll take care of the remaining interviews today and compile them for you afterwards."
"I'll also help out... and you might as well take it easy today. You need to rest your arm at least," added So-eun as Hana looked down to see her bandaged left arm. She must've hit her arm on something pretty badly earlier when she fell.
"Huh..." she gasped. "I suppose you're right. But I don't think I'm in the state to even be able to drive home by myself right now..."
It's true. Her legs still felt so weak. And she feared that she may start having a panic attack once she was at the wheel...
"I'll call a taxi then, and I'll have someone send your car back to your place after that," said So-eun before both her assistant and investigator rushed out to complete their errand.
Because of that, neither Mr Han nor So-eun had noticed how pale Hana had suddenly become at the mention of the word 'taxi'.
×××
She managed to reach her apartment safely, though it was still quite a struggle for her to do it. Hana fumbled for her keys as she kept having some trouble even getting her apartment door open. She collapsed on the floor as Hana started to cry uncontrollably, as all of her repressed emotions began to burst out. What was she supposed to do now? What should she do?
"I can't do this alone, Mr Kim! I need you!"
Hurried footsteps suddenly rushed to her side as Hana felt firm hands taking hold of her arms. The sensation felt so familiar that her heart almost stopped beating out of surprise. She even forgot that she had been crying so much out of shock!
Hana turned her head to look at the person who had come to her rescue... and she couldn't quite believe her eyes.
"Mr Kim Dogi... you're really here, aren't you?", she asked weakly as the man in front of her nodded his head firmly.
"Yes, this is me... Hana. I'm still alive," said Kim Dogi as Hana immediately lunged at him to wrap her arms around his neck.
"Oh, thank goodness... you're alive! I'm so glad you're alive!" cried Kang Hana as the two clung onto each other tightly, as if afraid to lose the other the instant they let go...