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Conversations in the Rain__________________________

"She's not wrong, I guess..." I muse to myself, watching Tammy from the corner of my eye. How did she know? Is she a psychic? I shake my head. No, she'd definitely mock me for thinking that.

Still, I can't help it. "What kind of wife do you think I'll end up with?" I ask, half-seriously.

Tammy coughs out a puff of smoke, her emerald eyes narrowing. "What?" She raises an eyebrow. "You think I'm psychic now? That's a dumb conclusion. And if you're asking me—someone like you? You won't even get a wife. Maybe a..." she pauses dramatically, "...nah, you'll probably end up with someone worse than a slut."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Ignoring her prediction, I change the subject. "You seem familiar with... addicts. Not that I am one. At least, not in this life."

She eyes me up and down like she's seeing something I can't. "Kinda," she shrugs, half-hearted. "Comes from experience. I used to be part of the so-called justice force back in the day."

"Justice force?" I quip, leaning in. "Like Avengers? Or Justice League?"

Her face deadpans, her cigarette dangling from her lips. "What?" The weight of my disappointment sinks in, and she waves her hand dismissively. "Nah. I mean the police, dumbass. Not exactly a cape and mask situation."

"Ah." Reality crashes in, dampening the small hope of chatting with a superhero. "Justice force... Really?"

She glares at me, her annoyance palpable. "Yeah, well, I don't really like saying 'police' anymore. Bad history."

"Bad history?" I ask, curious now. "Care to elaborate?"

She stares into the distance, biting down on her cigarette like she wants to chew it to pieces. "I don't believe in their way of justice anymore."

I nod, intrigued by the sudden vulnerability. "Yeah, I get that. Cops claim to keep the peace, but sometimes it's just about keeping the status quo."

She chuckles bitterly, flicking ash into the wind. "Exactly. They're all about 'right and wrong,' but when someone actually tries to enforce real justice... well, let's just say I got kicked out."

Her words hang in the air, heavy and full of meaning.

"What did you do?" I ask, half-expecting her to brush it off.

"Are you really not going to drop this off?"

"You slap me at least tell me about yourself."

She sighs, "I shot someone."

I blink. "Wait—what?"

Tammy doesn't flinch. Her tone remains as flat as the cigarette she crushes under her heel. "A rapist. He survived, but not worth the breath he took. And, naturally, the 'justice force' wasn't too happy about that."

I stare at her, stunned. A million questions swirl in my head, but she waves her hand, cutting me off. "Don't worry, little tutor, I'm not some cold-blooded murderer. He lived... for better or worse."

"Did it make to the news?" I ask, recalling vague headlines but nothing concrete.

"It should've," she mutters. "A female cop shooting a criminal—one pull, and suddenly I was the topic of every damn talk show for a year. But, looks like, you missed all of that."

I shrug. "I'm not big on news."

"Typical," she mutters, lighting another cigarette. "Still, it was a shitstorm. It's not like we carry guns every day, but when you do, the world goes nuts."

I let the silence linger, watching the cigarette smoke spiral into the evening air. "So, why'd you become a cop in the first place?"

Tammy leans back, taking a long drag. "It was my dream, you know? To help people. Keep 'em safe." She exhales slowly, watching the smoke disperse like lost dreams. "But after they kicked me out, I realized... maybe being a cop was never the goal. Maybe I just wanted to protect people in my own way."

Her words are sincere, I can't reply.

She says, her voice hardening. "But I moved in with my cousin after that. Mei... She needed someone to protect her."

"Mei?" I repeat.

Tammy's hand trembles slightly, gripping her cigarette tighter. "Yeah. When I heard what happened to her, I knew I had to come. She's been through enough. More than you or anyone knows."

The rain begins to patter softly, but neither of us moves. Her words hang between us, the gravity of her pain palpable.

"And... the man?" I ask cautiously, sensing a deeper story.

Her green eyes flicker with something dark, something dangerous. She drops her cigarette to the ground, crushing it again beneath her boot.

"Forget I said anything," she snaps, standing abruptly. "This conversation never happened."

Before I can respond, Tammy turns on her heel and starts walking, the rain soaking her as she disappears into the night.

I sit there for a moment, rain drizzling down, unsure whether to follow or let her be.

Then, my phone vibrates. It's a message from Sohee.

"Sunbae, can we meet in the lobby?"

I stare at the screen for a moment, then sigh. "Of course," I reply.

As I get up, the rain starts to pour.