Epilogue

While being in pre-trial detention, Joo Young had no desire to see anyone, especially Choi Young Sik and his wife, Madam Lee. So he was glad when they stopped trying to get a permission to visit him. He hated these people even though they made his life so good, or at least that's what all the people around him told him. While playing the role of Choi Hyun Sik, Joo Young had heard that he was extremely lucky to be born into such a family. But what these people did not know was that Joo Young was not born into this family at all. The burden of the secret that Choi Young Sik and his wife had thrown on him was a bit unbearable at times. The only thing Joo Young was really grateful for was that he met Ye Eun after entering this family's house. Normally, as an ordinary child, he would never had a chance to meet her. However, it was a bittersweet feeling as he was supposed to be Ye Eun's older brother, so could never show her his true feelings, which probably started to sprout slowly in him from the moment he saw her for the first time. Mainly because Ye Eun saw him killing this little kitten, her terrified face forced him to stop torturing the animals. Of course, Madam Lee thought it was her spanking and threats to be sent back that had worked the miracle, but it was not true. Joo Young stopped doing it only because of Ye Eun, so that she would stop being afraid of him, having nightmares at night... He wanted her to accost him, pull into playing and talk with him again. The year Ye Eun avoided him was the most painful time for him, even though he didn't quite realize it due to his young age. But when everything was finally back to normal, it seemed as if the sun had shined in his world again. When Joo Young was older he realized that his feelings for Ye Eun were not a brotherly affection, but a real love, the very same a man feels for this one and only woman. On the one hand, this love made him feel wonderful, but it also hurt deeply when Joo Young realized that he was Choi Hyun Sik now, her older brother. And as a brother, he couldn't show Ye Eun his love the way he wanted to. Joo Young had to make sure that no one would guess that his feeling was deeper than what a brother might feel for his sister. All in all, he would be happy to just be with her, but that changed when CEO Choi engaged Ye Eun to this nasty man. Jang Chang Ho. Joo Young hated this name a hundred times more than his 'parents'. It was then that he began to fear that this degenerate would destroy Ye Eun's beauty, both external and internal. And then Joo Young decided that he must save her from it. According to him, he did what should be done. Unfortunately, people didn't understand him, called him names, and would have lynched him if he hadn't been in custody now. In addition, Joo Young thought for a brief moment that felt again what he felt for Ye Eun. It happened while meeting detective Kim Soo Min. Each subsequent interaction with this woman made his heart pound again. That's why he chose her next, even though Ye Eun was his primary target initially. However, Joo Young hesitated for quite a long time, as he felt that was somehow cheating on his first love by taking an interest in detective Kim. But he couldn't hold back for long and decided that must have Kim Soo Min, and at the thought of how he would be able to touch her after making eternally beautiful, Joo Young felt his excitement growing. How many times had he touched himself at night, dreaming about this moment, having an orgasm each time. That's why Joo Young asked Dong Min to hack Soo Min's phone, that's why he followed her until that fateful night when, though with difficulty, but managed to kidnap her. When he then drove her to his home and put on the bed in the basement, he took advantage of the fact that she was still unconscious. Joo Young couldn't help but touch the wonderfully soft skin of her face, massaging her breasts through the fabric of her blouse... She was wearing pants, but Joo Young, through their denim material, was lovingly massaging the space between her legs with his hand, feeling that just by touching her, he came. And then Joo Young felt he wanted nothing more at that moment than to enter her hard and fast, and then he would fuck her so that she would ask for more. Joo Young wanted, with firm, brutal thrusts, to lead her to the same ecstasy that she brought him when he could touch her. Unfortunately, Soo Min had betrayed him in the worst way. She pretended to understand him, but was really buying herself time. And then somehow she cut off the straps that bound her wrists... Joo Young hadn't bound her ankles as an exception, and now knew he had made a mistake by treating her more gently than the others. She hurt him, ran away and then sent that other detective, Jung Hyun Woo. Luckily he dealt with him quite fast, but at that time Soo Min also called detective Min Joo Chan, that monster. How much he hated them all, especially her. Kim Soo Min... Now he just wanted her to suffer a lot. Joo Young would gladly tie her up and shove his cock whole into this bitch mouth, all the way to her throat, and hold it there for so long, stuffing her nose, until she suffocated. His cock hardened at the mere thought of such a wonderful revenge. However, Joo Young could only dream about it. He was locked up here now, and soon after going to court, he will be imprisoned forever.

Joo Young hated that thought, therefore, he did not want to see absolutely anyone. But that changed when Joo Young heard that Kim Dong Min wanted to visit him. He even asked for this himself so this man could be let in. His little Dong Min, whom he always wanted to protect from all evil. He knew seeing him would definitely make it all more bearable, however, he was afraid that this visit would make someone suspect that Dong Min had something to do with Joo Young's 'mission', so he had to ensure today that it was Dong Min's first and last visit. No matter how badly he wanted to see him again... Joo Young had to protect Dong Min, he was his hyung after all. Joo Young had decided so from day one, when he had defended his dongsaeng from one of those obnoxious guardians in that damn orphanage and had been given a hard spanking himself in his place. Now it should end exactly the same way—Joo Young had to take the punishment for the two of them.

"Dong Min-ah..." he spoke to him with a very gentle voice and face expression, when they were finally alone in the meeting room. "You do not even know how happy I am to see you..." he confessed. "But please, promise me that this will be your last visit. I don't want you to endanger yourself. Someone might connect you with me. And I want you to know that I haven't told them anything about you." Joo Young added at the end.

"Yes, I thought you would, hyung. You defend me just like you did then, in the orphanage." Dong Min replied, looking at him with a mixture of sympathy, gratitude and a tremendous sadness on his face. "Don't worry, hyung, you probably won't see me again, unless we end up in the same prison." he continued, causing a huge shock on Joo Young's face. "Hyung, I came to you to tell you that I am going to turn myself in. I will tell the police that I helped you, honestly." he added, smiling slightly.

"Are you crazy?!" Joo Young said indignantly. "You mustn't do that. You have a good life now, can't destroy it. I will take the punishment for it all as your hyung. And you will sit quietly and enjoy life for us both." he added in an imperative tone, but also full of care and fear.

"No, hyung. I deserved the punishment as much as you do." Dong Min replied in such a firm tone like never before, which also surprised Joo Young. "I broke the promise I gave myself a long time ago. I promised myself that even as a hacker, I would not use my skills to hurt someone badly, and certainly not to take someone's life." he continued, tears glazing over his eyes. "I didn't want to break that oath, but I was also unable to refuse you, hyung. Do you really think that I could live a normal life knowing that you will be punished for both of us?" Dong Min looked at him reproachfully. "If I won't turn myself in, I feel that I will kill myself because of guilt. Do you really want me to commit suicide, hyung?" he asked, feeling a bit guilty for playing on his feelings so much. But on the other hand, Joo Young hyung was doing it all the time, forcing him to help him playing this sick game of his, so Dong Min explained to himself that he was only repaying him.

"You don't have to confess or kill yourself." Joo Young spoke up, looking at him almost pleadingly. "You are like a real dongsaeng to me, I love you... You are probably the only person I want to always protect. That's why I can't let you suffer like this... Please forget about everything and live on... Do it for me, Dong Min-ah." and at that moment his eyes lit up with tears, which surprised Dong Min a lot. He had never seen his hyung so agitated before, and his heart ached at the sight of it. He felt that Joo Young was speaking honestly, but Dong Min couldn't undo his intention.

"Forgive me, hyung, but I can't fulfill this request." he replied, trying to appear unshakable. "I have fulfilled too many of your requests already and I can't do more. I must turn myself in for myself, for the sake of peace of my mind, so that I can live normally." he explained.

"Life in prison is not normal!" Joo Young rose from his chair, leaning on both hands, handcuffed. However, hearing the guard pounding on the door, hearing his screams, he calmed down and sat down.

"Even living freely, without punishment, I would feel like being in prison, so it makes no difference to me, hyung." Dong Min replied, keeping his tone firm. "I'm really sorry, hyung, but I have to finally do what needs to be done." he added, then got up, walked to the door and knocked on it. "End of visit, please let me out." he spoke through the door to the guard.

Joo Young got up abruptly from his chair and tried to lunge towards Dong Min despite his chained legs. Unfortunately, the guard who let Dong Min out of the room managed to grab him tightly.

"Calm down, Lee Joo Young, or you will be punished!" the man boomed at him so that he calmed down immediately and later Joo Young quietly went with him to the cell.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

At the beginning of the next week, a lot happened. Firstly, the court hearings of Cherry Blossom Reaper began, and with them a huge stir among the public. Although CEO Choi seemed to be completely cut off from his recent son and heir, the attorney firm representing the fashion house and the Choi family decided to represent Joo Young in court, specifically Jang Chang Woo himself as his lawyer. However, he did not try to prove his client's innocence, but to alleviate the punishment as much as possible, based on the preliminary opinion of the forensic psychologist that Lee Joo Young was not completely aware of what he was doing.

At the same time, Kim Dong Min, the same one who stayed with Lee Joo Young in a foster family after the Gwangju orphanage burned down, came to the Seoul police station and turned himself in. He confessed of being guilty of helping the Cherry Blossom Reaper, because Dong Min was a hacker with the nickname 'Void' and all the technical stuff—getting plans of the layout of surveillance cameras in the city, altering cameras' images, hacking systems in warehouse, hacking phones and installing tracking software on them, and so on—was precisely his doing. Dong Min explained that he was unable to refuse Joo Young's help precisely because he had burned down an orphanage in Gwangju 18 years ago and thus saved Dong Min and other children from the hell they were in. And as if to confirm his words, Dong Min brought his laptop with a lot of evidence that he was in fact a hacker. Therefore, he was arrested right away and soon joined Joo Young in court, sitting next to him in the dock, charged with aiding in the crime and hacking, which itself, of course, was also illegal.

Hyun Woo returned from hospital in Gwangju, his arm working as if he had never been shot. He claimed it was thanks to his mother bringing him her healthy and delicious food. Hyun Woo also said that had it not been for her, he would have discharged himself from the hospital on his own request the very next day after the accident. Soo Min came to Gwangju to pick him up as asked, and drove first to his apartment in Seoul so he could change his clothes, and then to the police station as requested. Soo Min asked worriedly if he would prefer to rest a bit before returning to work, but Hyun Woo stated that he had enough rest in the hospital and wanted to help Soo Min close the Cherry Blossom Reaper case and follow his trial. As one of the detectives in this case, as well as Soo Min, Hyun Woo was also summoned to court to testify.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On that day, exactly one month after they took up the Cherry Blossom Reaper case, Soo Min and Hyun Woo were just coming out of court after the final trial. Lee Joo Young was found guilty of course, but not entirely aware of his actions. Unfortunately, the final opinion of the forensic doctors clearly indicated his at least partial insanity, so instead of prison, he was locked up in a psychiatric hospital, but in a closed ward, and under the clear custody of the police. The court gave doctors a chance to undergo treatment, at the end of which Lee Joo Young will be examined again to see if the treatment will have any effect on him. If not, and Lee Joo Young continues not to repent, he will be imprisoned with a life sentence.

"A little bittersweet sentence, isn't it?" Hyun Woo asked as they descended the stairs and headed towards the parking lot.

"Yes, very much." Soo Min admitted, sighing heavily. "But that was the opinion of doctors. I don't really believe in Lee Joo Young's insanity and it seems to me that such a lenient sentence is mainly due to the fact that his lawyer was Jang Chang Woo, but well..." she added resignedly.

"Sunbae, don't worry so much." Hyun Woo replied, looking at her with a slight smile. "The most important thing is that he is closed somewhere. And jail is only a matter of time, I doubt the treatment will work miracles and Lee Joo Young will pass another test with a positive result." he continued as they stopped by the car. "The Cherry Blossom Reaper will be in jail sooner or later." added Hyun Woo, getting in from the passenger side.

Soo Min smiled as she took the driver's seat and put the keys in the ignition. She liked Hyun Woo's answer very much.

"You're right." she said, focusing her eyes on him, then reached out and patted him lightly on the shoulder. "And you know what? You can call me Noona. You deserve it without a doubt, Hyun Woo." she added, smiling a little wider.

According to her, she didn't say anything special, but his face lit up like the sun, and a wide smile immediately appeared on his lips.

"Can I really call you like that? Seriously?" Hyun Woo asked, not believing what he was hearing.

Soo Min rolled her eyes but shortly after nodded her head in reply.

"Noona..." Hyun Woo pronounced the word so subtly, looking at her with such adoration that Soo Min felt her cheeks flush slightly. However, what he did next touched her even more.

Hyun Woo leaned a bit towards her, raised his hand and touched Soo Min's cheek, and her heart immediately sped up when she felt this gentle caress and looked at his face so closely.

"I can finally tell you that when you are sober." Hyun Woo started, smiling slightly at her slightly confused expression. "Noona, I like you very much. And I hope that soon you will like me like this as well." he confessed with a more serious expression on his face.

For a moment Soo Min was unable to move and had to admit that she almost drowned in his eyes. However, his words sobered her immediately. She blinked several times trying to somehow process this confession. Finally, Soo Min closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deeper breath, causing his hand to slide off her cheek.

"Hyun Woo-yah..." Soo Min spoke finally, opening her eyes and looking at him. "It seems to me that I also like you very much." she said a bit cautiously and felt as shy as ever. She was 30 years old and now felt kind of like a teenage girl in love. "That's why I let you come into my heart." Soo Min added a little more confidently, almost flirting as she gradually regained her confidence.

"That's good, Noona, because I'm not going to give up on you." Hyun Woo replied in a more confident voice as well.

"Great." summed up Soo Min. "Now fasten your seat belts, because we have to go to the station." and with those words she stopped this romantic moment suddenly, but more because of her own shyness. Soo Min didn't know how this younger man could make her feel all fluttery with such innocent words and that gaze.

"You spoil the fun, Noona." Hyun Woo said, obediently buckling his seat belt, a bit grumpy, but it looked very cute to her.

Soo Min still couldn't understand the fact that Hyun Woo could be so masculine and after a short while extremely cute. She used to be slightly annoyed by the sweeter side of him, he seemed childish and irresponsible at the time, but now she loved each one equally and Soo Min was well aware that each of these sides made Hyun Woo a truly wonderful guy as a whole. But she didn't want to give him the feeling that he had won her heart completely. She loved to tease, be affectionate one moment, pretend to be inaccessible the next. Soo Min repeated this 'ritual' in every relationship she had been in so far and was not going to make an exception for Hyun Woo. Besides, while teasing him every now and then, she would be able to see his cute, grumpy face just like now. And Soo Min was not going to give up this sight, it cheered her up too much and gave her a fluttering heart.

"We will have fun as much as our heart desires. After all, we have a lot of time to get to know each other, right?" Soo Min asked, slightly laughing, also quickly fastening her seat belt and turning the key in the ignition, which woke up the engine. Then the car moved into the street and Hyun Woo grinned all the way to the police station.

~THE END~