Police Station

"Ma Ri?!"

With the CCTV situated right above the wall, the lady is facing, I know for sure that it is her. But why is she here? She woke up really early for her job interview and that's what her note said, right? So why on earth is she here in a police station along with a bunch of girls busted in the anti-prostitution operation?

I scoot closer to the monitor and try to figure out what's happening. Unlike the other girls, she did not put anything to hide her face. I mean, it's normal for anyone who has been caught in an embarrassing situation like this to cover her face. Anytime now, the Media (newspaper outlet/radio/tv network) will arrive to report the successful operation. You won't want your face to be plastered anywhere.

The door of the room opens and I jerk up to meet the officers coming in. The young police officer a while ago, Jun Ki, is with two young police officers who have just arrived from the operation.

"Assistant Policeman Kim Yeong Ho, at your service, Sir!"

"Assistant Policeman Geum Ji Sook, at your service, Sir!”

I salute back and glance at the monitor again briefly. When I look back at them, I am surprised to see Yeong Ho over my shoulder already. He looks at me with eyes full of amazement as he studies my physique. Looking at my thighs, my arms, my back, my chest, and then at my face. He also raises a hand to check my height.

"Wow! So the movies aren't wrong after all! Seoul detectives are really charismatic and powerfully built!" His eyes twinkling with admiration.

I can only give a slight shake of my head. No. Not all Seoul detectives are charismatic and have great built. But of course, they are physically fit.

"Seoul detectives are also known to be charming with women. Do you have women around you too? How many?"

"Officer Kim!" Jun Ki butts in.

"I'm sorry! I'm just so excited to meet a Seoul detective," Yeong Ho apologizes, still giggling, then he goes back to his position, next to them.

I clear my throat and say it's alright, then I turn my attention to the monitor once again.

"Are these women from the SPA you raided?" I ask.

"Yes, Sir. It looked like a small SPA but there are actually many rooms inside. We got around sixteen girls. Aigoo! How could the people they live with, let them do that kind of job?" Yeong Ho replies, shaking his head. The same thing I said a while ago. I clear my throat again and think of Ma Ri.

"What about her?" I point at the screen.

"Ah, she's one of them too," Yeong Ho replies nonchalantly.

"But, I don't think she's one of them though," Ji Sook muses.

"Yes. She's not one of them," I say in affirmation to what he just said, a comment that makes them stare at me curiously. Without explaining further, I tell them to get her out of there and take her into the room. They follow immediately even though they are confused.

I watch them approach Ma Ri from the monitor but it seems that she refuses to come with them. Based on her hand movements, she and Detective Pyo are having an unpleasant conversation. When Yeong Ho and Ji Sook arrive back, they tell me that Ma Ri refuses to come. She thinks that they would put her in a room and do something inappropriate to her. I huff sharply and go out of the room myself. Risking my appearance. I put on my white mask and wore my cap.

Ma Ri is exclaiming when I get inside the office.

"Why should I hide my face? I didn't do anything wrong!" I hear her say.

"Alright, go and expose yourself in the media!" Detective Pyo says in resignation.

"The hell I care! I'm not guilty of anything! Instead, I will tell them that you drag an innocent person here."

"Woman, we saw you inside a brothel SPA," Detective Pyo is not backing down either.

I cannot take the scene anymore so I cross the room immediately and take her by the hand abruptly. She shrieks and pulls her hand away. Detective Pyo looks startled as well but he gets the message after glancing at his junior detectives.

"Yah! Don't touch me!"

I pull her again but in vain. Ma Ri is a strong woman, I can feel it from her pull. I don't have any way to make her come with me as she cannot recognize me a bit. Without a choice, I hover down at her side to lift her up and carry her over my shoulder.

"Yah! Put me down! Put me down!" she shrieks while punching my back.

I take her to the CCTV room right away before I suffer from backache and put her down in the reclining chair. I step back immediately.

"YAHHH!"

I take my cap and mask off before she comes running to me. My appearance stopped her from attacking me.

Her mouth opened in surprise, "Tae Yoon?"

I stretch my back and look at her, "You are seriously as stubborn as a bull."

"What are you doing here?" she asks me, her eyes wide with surprise

"No. What are YOU doing here?" I ask in return.

"You know each other?" Detective Pyo asks.

We glance at the door and there, Detective Pyo and his three juniors are standing. I give him a nod as an answer while Ma Ri plops her back down the seat.

"I think there is just a misunderstanding here," I explain to them. There is no way that Ma Ri is one of the sex workers. She had just arrived a few days ago and left only once without me.

"But I caught her inside the SPA, Detective Ri," Detective Pyo says.

"Correction, you just saw me in a room with nobody else but me," Ma Ri says as she straightens her back up again.

"She might be waiting for a customer," Detective Pyo insists, looking at me instead of Ma Ri.

"In a small room with a single hospital bed and a mannequin, you sure?" she argues.

"If not, she could actually be a pimp," he insists to me.

"A pimp?" Ma Ri exclaims ridiculously, releasing a scoff-like laugh. She stretches her right shoulder and mutters to herself: "Ayst! Sapakin ko na kaya 'to?"

Which of course, I do not understand.

She glares at him which he returns with a challenging stare. I guess I have to come in between them before anything happens. I turn to Detective Pyo.

"Okay, stop. Like I've said a while ago, there's just a misunderstanding here. I know her and she's not like what you're thinking, Detective Pyo," I say.

"Alright! If you insist, Detective Ri. But, she could be charged with police assault."

My brows furrow and I quickly glance at Ma Ri questioningly. She replies with a shrug and then turns to Detective Pyo.

"Yah! I did that as self-defense!" she snarls at him.

"I have two witnesses," Detective Pyo says to me, ignoring Ma Ri's claim again.

Yeong Ho and Ji Sook nod and tell me their version of how they saw detective Pyo on his knees. But they couldn't finish the whole story because Detective Pyo stops them immediately. Flushed with embarrassment, he speaks: "The thing here was she assaulted me when I was in my most vulnerable state." Then he stares at the two furtively such that they affirm with quick nods.

"The thing here was even you're prepared, I might still have knocked you down," Ma Ri butts.

I glance at Ma Ri snappingly, a gesture instructing her to stop talking. We are still in the police station after all. She plops sulkily on the chair. I turn to Detective Pyo again.

"Are you serious about charging a woman with assault?"

He lowers his head quietly. Charging Ma Ri with an assault will only make him look incompetent. He is in front of his juniors so I believe he will not like to be degraded. When he did not speak, I consider it as no.

"Now, can we get a little privacy here? I want to talk to her alone," I say to them.

As soon as the four of them closed the door behind us, I snatch another chair and face Ma Ri. She darts her eyes off somewhere and presses her lips tightly while I give her a quizzical gaze.

"You said you have a job interview today."

"Yeah, I do."

"You said you are a professional."

"I am. I'm a professional nurse."

"But what does a professional nurse doing in a SPA instead of a clinic?"

"Getting a massage?" she replies curtly.

I stare at her hard, telling her I won't give a bullsh**. She glances at me finally and throws her hands in the air.

"Okay! I went there for a part-time job. I did not know that there's something anomalous happening there. I am completely innocent."

"Part-time job? But you just had your job interview."

My brows furrow, why does she need a part-time job?

She sighs gravely and stares on the floor. She says, "Something happened so... it may have to take a few weeks before I get my job in the hospital. "

When she looks up at me, my heavy stare prods her to continue.

"I lost all my portfolio and my ID's when I got here. So while waiting for my new documents, I have to earn money for my daily expenses. And, of course, to be able to pay you."

I sigh with disappointment. She should have told me about it from the start. We are living in the same house but I do not even know this. I feel so irresponsible to let this thing happened to her. Imagine, she almost gotten herself into the prostitution ring!

"You don't have to find a part-time job. Stay home and just wait for your documents to come. You can pay after you got the job."

"That's easy to say. But I need to have money too. I need money to go out. To buy things that I need and I want."

"How much? I'll give you the money you need."

She freezes when she hears me say that. Her face, ghostly. Her eyes, expressionless. Then she stands up silently and walks to the door.

"Hey, where are you going?" I ask her.

"Restroom," she replies coldly without even bothering to look at me.

When she opens the door, it reveals Detective Pyo and his juniors' heads plastered outside the door, listening. They disperse immediately, acting as if each of them is busy on something. And then Ji Sook presented himself to guide Ma Ri in the restroom.

Detective Pyo and his two juniors come inside the room after Ma Ri left. Yeong Ho shakes his head and walks closer to where I sat.

"How could you say that?" He asks with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"Huh?" I ask, confused.

"She's upset," Jun Ki replies.

"I did not do anything," I tilt my head curiously and glance at detective Pyo.

"You asked her how much she needs," he says to me.

"Because she said she needs money," I reply, almost pouting.

"Aigoo! I knew it! You're the second type of Seoul Detectives I've watched in the movies. The tough and cold to women," Yeong Ho states, shaking his head.

I stare hard at him and ask how did I become cold by offering to help her financially? He clears his throat as if preparing for a speech.

"You see, Detective Ri. Women, just like us, have their own pride. That woman, Ma Ri, looks like she's not one of those women that would slack around and accept anyone's money. Even though it's done with a good motive, you've hurt her pride by asking her how much she needed."

A breath leaves me and I slump in my seat. Did I really hurt her? I lift my face in the direction of the door and think of Ma Ri.

Looking back at them, I ask softly: "What should I do then?"