CHAPTER 14: PRECIOUS LIVES

As Police Officer Sam drives the car, Min-ho remains speechless, feeling unnecessarily uncomfortable. Arya looks out of the window on the rainy day with a huge smile, lighting up her face.

Sam groans, "Haaa! Where did you guys go, or were you dating?"

Min-ho, with a shrugged face, responds, "Excuse me, sir! Don't you even dare to ask personal questions as you are a police officer. There is no choice left but to shut your mouth. We are not dating, we came for shopping."

Sam laughs,"Wow! This young boy reacts so much, either due to his father's death or because he can't shut out the comments from netizens on social media. I am sorry for entering into your personal space, Min-ho, but I must inquire about Arya's life because some people who recently ended their lives were in Arya's presence. That's what inspires me to ask questions like this."

Arya turns her head straight to Sam, saying, "Sir, whatever you said right now is so true, but I am just a teen girl who gets bored with high school life. I don't have any grudges with anyone, and you must note that those who died in front of me were not even talked to properly. If you want to arrest the person behind these deaths, then you must dive into the sea of the internet to find out the culprit who uploads those personal videos of suicidal people."

Sam, with a serious tone, says, "I thought you were good at studies. Well, you are analyzing the cases well. I have just started the case to gather more details on the culprit. I tried so hard the entire day, but I couldn't find a single clue."

Min-ho shifts from the back seat to the front and says, "Sir, in my opinion, he must be a clear-cut smart criminal who knows how to control the internet world. He spies on his targets, obtains their dark videos, and after blackmailing them, they end their lives. These videos still circulate on social media. It's a real murder, but it appears as if it's not. That's the harsh reality."

Sam rolls his eyes and speaks, "I thought you guys were just teens, but you're discussing like real detectives. Whatever you said is true, but no one admits it. So, I need your help.

Arya, in a confused state of mind, asks, "Sir, how can we help you? We're just high school teens."

Sam responds, "Huh! The killer makes individuals die in front of you. He is someone close to you. Will you guys join with me?"

Min-ho raises his hand, saying, "I don't know about Arya, but I definitely want to support you, sir, as I lost my own father. I will stand with you, sir!"

Arya nods and says, "In order to prove my innocence, I also support you, sir!"

The phone rings, and the three of them search for their phones, but Arya signals that it's hers.

Arya answers the call from her mother, "Hello, Mom! We are on the way home. Within ten minutes, we will be there. Did Father arrive?"

Arya's mother responds, "It's raining heavily, so I called you. Your father is still at the hospital, so come safely with Min-ho."

Sam, with a casual voice, asks, "Are you guys living in the same home? Are you guys relatives or anything else?"

Min-ho responds, "Ahh! Arya is my cousin, as she is my uncle's daughter. I came to know about it after my father's death."

Arya interupts, "Sir, stop at that signal itself. We will reach our home."

Sam drops them off and offers them an umbrella, saying, "Take care, guys, and call me if you get to know anything related to the case. Okay? See you guys."

Min-ho and Arya thank him and both say, "Yes, sir! We will."

Sam, on his way home, receives a call from his colleague about a woman who ended her life a few hours back. He drives his car straight to the incident.

As Min-ho and Arya are on their way home enjoying the raindrops, Arya notices a carpenter using a tree-cutter machine to cut wood. They make eye contact, causing the carpenter to behave abnormally. Arya heads straight home.

The carpenter opens the social media for a live video, saying, "We are getting punishment for our sins."

Then, he places the tree-cutter machine on his head, slicing it, and red blood splatters over the phone and nearby objects. The blood slowly mixes with the rainwater.

People who watched the live video were shocked by the carpenter's brutal suicidal death. Netizens in the comments section went crazy over the live video.

Min-ho knocks on the main door with the purchased items, and Arya's mother opens it with a relieved face, saying, "Thank God you guys came. otherwise, my husband would scold me like nothing. Ushh! Freshen up, guys! Join for dinner soon."

Both head up and run to their rooms, change their clothes, and come out for dinner.

Min-ho notices Arya wearing Indian pyjamas and says, "So cool, your outfit. Where did you buy this?"

Arya's mother smiles, "It's an Indian outfit, and we got it from the country I was born in."

Arya interrupts, "It's India."

Min-ho signals okay, and the trio enjoys dinner together.

After finishing her dinner, Arya asks her mom about her father and Granny's health. Arya's mother responds, "Your father called me half an hour ago. He said he is fine, and he informed me that Granny has viral fever, so he admitted her to the hospital."

At Seo-joon's mansion, he diligently draws a picture of Arya, putting in a lot of effort and spending hours creating a beautiful artwork. After finishing the painting, he smiles with happiness. Checking the time at 2 o'clock, he covers the painting with a gift wrapper and goes to sleep.

At police station, officer Sam, without sleep, watches the CCTV video of an unknown woman's death and tells his colleague, "I am literally drained today. Two suicidal deaths, and this carpenter guy went through something too brutal. I am trying to focus on a case, and suddenly two or more cases come up just to ruin my mood. Why are people ending their precious lives?"