DECEPTIONS OF THE DARK

iving the exterior a desolate appearance that contrasted with the vibrant life inside. He nodded at the bartender, taking a seat at the counter. The bar was alrea

on had taken longer than expected, and he couldn't shake off the unease he felt about the case. Damian, his partner, ha

h girl," probably not involved in the crime. Kevin wasn't so sure, but he couldn't ignore his partner's skepticis

away the thoughts of the investigation for the moment. He ordered some food and a drink

itress approached with a

she asked, placing the ite

t com

laughed, a few strands of blo

d, but no one

o laughter. Kevin turned to look at them, a

ould give lessons on it. All they've

from the universit

etter eat those before they get cold." She flashed him a wide smile

f she had been flirting with him, but he wasn't adept at deciphering such signa

se. Ms. Yoon had seemed very different from her son who appeared to be utterly devestated. Rowoon had mentioned that she required sedation, which could explain some of

ulling one of the girls out of her chair. A mental ala

should stay here," one

et alone make a rational decision about going home with that man. She might not appreciate Kevin's interference lat

e. He returned the wallet to his pocket and approached the group casually. "I don't think

our business,"

rl along, but Kevin stood his ground. He couldn't be easily pus

should be thanking me. I'm preve

you, the f

seemed to anticipate his opponent's actions before they even happened. With a swift duck, Kevin delivered an elbow jab to the man's gut, causing him to grunt and stagger backward. Undeterred, th

bout tha

gged. "I'll just a

the floor. "Apologize to these nice people an

pushed him back down. "Apologize first. I don'

pushed him down with more force. "Don

out keeping him down until he apologized properly, but decided against it. The man st

out it if I were you. Jus

door swung shut behind him. The waitress exhaled audibly, relieved, and hurried to set the

e asked in a hushed voice, gestur

able of handling the situation. He pointed to the slightly more co

live?" he asked,

he lives. I've never been to

s her

ed, clearly drunk. "It's a funny st

eed her real name.

xicated state prevented her from providing any useful inform

the questi

o condition to take a cab. The only remaining choice was to take her to his apartment. He held her up slightly, allowing her to stumble alongside him on the sidewalk. At this pace, they would be fortunate to arrive ho

tered to himsel

collapsing onto the sidewalk. Kevin

l swaying in her

oing to be

esulting in a random bobbing motion that caused

any clues about her identity. He simply wanted one thing, anything, th

himself. Perhaps after he settled her in bed, he could search her belongings. If she went out drinking, she must have brought some money with her. Hopefully

without having to contend with an angry man. It was best to let him go home and lick his wounds. Hopefully, in the morning, he would realize that he had narrowly escaped a dangerous situation by not takin

evin inquired, trying

pened, attempting to form words, but no sound emerged. She m

do yo

ponse. Kevin began to wonder if she would say anything at all w

e was incapable of taking a cab. His only option left was to take her to his apartment. He adjusted his grip on