Erased (Chaelisa Au)

Chapter 12: Rescue

I don't own this story .

The entire building was being engulfed by the flames. Lisa wasn't entirely sure how she managed – she reasoned it was probably thanks to the adrenaline rushing through her veins then – but she soon found herself outside Jeongyeon 's apartment. Fire licked the sides of the frames and when Lisa kicked down the door she found herself being greeted by a blazing inferno.

The fire started here. Damn it, Jeongyeon !

Lisa didn't spare a thought on what might happen to her, all she could think about was how she didn't want to lose anyone else. She rushed towards the flames and past it, running towards Jeongyeon  was laid unconscious just outside her bedroom door.

Lisa rushed to her, kicking some small black device on the floor along the way. She made a detour two steps away from Jeongyeon  to pick it up, recognizing it was her father's phone. She quickly shoved it in her jeans pocket – there will be time for that later – before going straight to Jeongyeon 's side.

Lisa coughed out, the heavy smoke in the air was starting to suffocate her too but she fought off any thoughts about dying then or failing to save Jeongyeon . "Jeongyeon … Jeongyeon !" Lisa shouted, shaking her a bit to see if Jeongyeon  would respond.

"Mmmmm… Limario…" Jeongyeon  replied, coming in and out of it. While Lisa was relieved that Jeongyeon  was indeed still alive, she was painfully aware of the struggle she'd have to face to get her out to safety.

But as if her prayers and wishes were answered, she saw the wall behind her, the one that separated Jeongyeon 's and her neighbor's respective living rooms, being brought down by an axe.

"JEONGYEON !" she heard Nayeon say, breaking through the escape path she carved for herself. "Manoban! What are you doing here?"

"Forget about it… can you help me get Jeongyeon  out?" Lisa asked in between coughs.

"Yeah, yeah. I've got her." Nayeon said as she rushed to her side and begun to help Lisa get Jeongyeon  up. "Help me get her down then get out of here, you hear me? We can't let the authorities catch you. Jeongyeon  would kill me."

Lisa simply nodded, not wasting any effort in asking what Nayeon said. It was a struggle for the two of them but they managed to get Jeongyeon  down. Nayeon showed the side entrance she sneaked into. "You know I'll get the credit for this and you don't even care, don't you?"

"Don't be an idiot and just get her out." Lisa replied flatly and Nayeon nodded.

"I've got her, and Lisa? I believe you." Nayeon then found herself saying.

Lisa watched as Nayeon started heading to the closest exit, some silhouette from the far side of where Nayeon was standing indicated that actually trained firemen were on it too. Lisa soon found herself running out the exit Nayeon showed her before her path was completely blocked.

And Lisa kept running until she was a good distance away, fishing her burner phone and calling Ji hyo 's number before collapsing.

When she woke up she was once again in the office of the hodge-podge investigative team. She was on their loveseat, a tiny oxygen tank to her side as she noticed the mask attached on her face. "Got to say Tzuyu, you never seem to amaze me." she then heard Ji hyo say as she noted Lisa waking.

Somehow Lisa knew she was alive Because  of some quick thinking from Tzuyu. She coughed a bit more as she pulled her mask down, getting up a bit, wanting to say something.

"Relax Lisa, we got you. Don't worry about it. Rest now, we can talk later." Mina  then said, rushing to her said and placing a hand on her shoulders as she ushered Lisa to lay back down.

Lisa didn't resist much, her body craving rest.

But it didn't stop her mind from thinking, it didn't stop her instinct from knowing, this was planned.

The same man who killed her father, who killed Chaeyoung, and Sana , and that girl Jisoo, and who framed Baekhyun  and many more innocent people, he did this to Jeongyeon .

And Lisa knew and understand three things from that.

One, Jeongyeon  was targeted Because  she came across something.

Two, he had followed her home, and he possibly dropped the phone to get it far from himself and hoped it got destroyed.

And three, this was far from over.

He played with their lives for far too long.

Lisa knew, she won't stop until he takes this man for good.

"Jeongyeon  saw him, she had to. Or possibly ran into him or gave him a reason to kill her." Lisa had said that morning as she they talked about whatever new piece of info they managed to get.

Mina  had been quick to note anything and everything down, just in case they miss something in their discussions that proved to be crucial. She also recorded their conversation on the phone and was currently listening to it, her earbuds on, as she and Tzuyu headed to the hospital. Lisa was out on her own, digging for some clues, and Ji hyo  was following a lead on the name Lisa had given them.

Some guy named Kim suho.

"No prints on the phone, he was careful with that as much, but he made it a point to have Jeongyeon  stay at home by texting her as you on that phone." Ji hyo had then said. "He probably left it in the hopes of getting it destroyed or framing you as the culprit even more if the phone was found."

"Wait, why do you think Jeongyeon  saw him?" Mina  asked then.

"Well, if he followed us the night before and wanted to plant the phone as evidence against me, he could have just killed Jeongyeon  that night, make sure we both were knocked out or something. I'll wake up to a dead body or get waken up by to get detained by the police already if he causes enough noise to wake the neighbors. It would have been perfect, everyone was sleeping, and no one, not a single soul would have noticed him. So why didn't he?"

"Ah, that's why you think they saw each other that morning and Jeongyeon  must have done something to make him think she knows where you were." Ji hyo had then replied.

"I need to know what Jeongyeon  found out." Lisa then replied. "You're right after all, I think the person framing me knew my work schedule. Maybe that's why he thought Jeongyeon  would be a threat to her one way or another."

Mina  paused her recording and took her earbuds off as they finally reached the floor where Jeongyeon  was being kept. Due to her connection to Lisa as a coworker and as the only person who visited her when she was hospitalized, the authorities were all keeping an eye on her.

"Poor gal. Are we sure that they're accomplices though?" one of the officers outside Jeongyeon 's door said.

"That's the only thing that fits." the other officer replied.

Idiots. Mina  then thought to herself as Tzuyu flashed her badge. The two officers looked at each other and let them pass.

The lights on the room were off, with the window slightly open, letting in a gentle breeze inside. Jeongyeon  was currently all covered up under the bedsheets.

Mina  was about to approach her when Tzuyu stopped her. "What?" she asked and Tzuyu raised one finger before pointing to the IV drips, one of the needles hanging on the side of the bed.

Tzuyu stealthily approached the bed and swiftly pulled the covers down, revealing a girl who had yelped before pulling the covers on herself. She was dressed in a hospital gown, complete with a fake blonde wig.

Tzuyu tore the pillows away from her and pinned her down to the bed in one swift maneuver after she tried to escape. "Jeongyeon ." was all Tzuyu had to utter and the girl before her started squealing the answers Tzuyu was looking for.

"Gone, said she needed to meet with someone." the girl said before trying she best not to shout as Tzuyu twisted her arm. "I really can't tell who! Please!"

"Is it who we think it is? It's okay, we're her friends." Mina  then said.

"Then tell your friend to let me go!" the girl whined, trying her best to keep her voice low.

Tzuyu relented and once she did, her turned around to face them properly. "Name's Nayeon, by the way, Im Nayeon ."

"Look, we need to get in touch with Jeongyeon . She might now who's trying to frame Lisa."

"Yeah, like I said, she left. She called me here to pretend to be her for now. She said she needed to reach her too."

"So do you think they're on the way to meet each other?" Mina  asked before hearing a tsk from Tzuyu. "What is it?"

"Too risky. Let's hope for a pay off if they do." she whispered.

"What's going on?" Nayeon  then asked. "Maybe I can help? I want to help. Lisa risked her own life to save Jeongyeon  after all."

"I don't know. Do you know the place they work?" Mina  then asked.

"I do. I'm the manager, my dad's the owner." Nayeon  then replied and Mina  couldn't help but believe their luck. She grabbed Nayeon by the shoulders and looked straight into her eyes with a smile.

Honestly, Mina  could just hug her at that moment.

"Yes!" Mina  exclaimed. "Did you notice anyone weird snooping around where you work, say maybe sneak in the offices or something? We're looking for any person with access to your employee's schedules that were not supposed to have that access."

"No one suspicious has been around, I would know. Besides, I'm in my office most of the time and that's where I keep the complete schedule." she replied, looking at Mina  curiously.

"Then did anyone visit you in that office?" Mina  followed up, releasing Nayeon .

"Oh, just the councilman of our district. He's been a patron at our restaurant for the longest of time. He helped my dad open the place." Nayeon  answered truthfully. "He's rarely been there but he has shown up the last two days, mostly talking business."

"Your councilman… who's the councilman on your district? Is it a guy named Kim suho?"

"What? No, his name's Kwon Ji yong, GD for short. Who's Kim suho anyways?" Nayeon  replied.

Mina  frowned. That name didn't really ring any bells for her.

But then Tzuyu fished for her phone and proceeded to call Ji hyo . "Come on, we've got to move." she whispered and Mina  followed her.

It seemed Tzuyu has found the clue she needed from Nayeon 's reply.

Lisa checked the message on her burner phone, a simple flip phone that reminded her of her old one. Jeongyeon  said to meet under the Krog Street bridge, dark, a bit grungy in its vibe, but perfect for concealed meetings.

Jeongyeon  was about to ten minutes late already and somehow Lisa felt sick at the thought that she might have fallen into a trap.

So she tried to remain as vigilant as possible.

She had a few first degree burns from the fire, her body ached and her skin still stung a bit but otherwise she was okay. She was still coughing a little too, but she was alive for now.

Lisa held her father's phone in her other hand, clutching onto it tightly, her thought still on the text the murderer sent using his phone.

The gall of that man who killed him.

The audacity really. The wallpaper on his father's old BlackBerry was a picture he took of Lisa and her friends during her birthday. Sana was there, standing between Jennie and Dahyun to Chaeyoung's right. Chaeyoung herself was standing next to Lisa, smiling lightly as she turned to look at Lisa who tried to pretend she was annoyed for her father being all persistent about taking the photo. To her left was Sehun, trying to make pull Lisa's cheek so she would smile.

Two of the people he wronged was there on the screen, calling out to him, making him remember his crimes.

But that didn't even stop him.

He didn't care.

They were just ghosts to him.

Lisa still wasn't sure who he was, but she swore he would pay. She was keeping faith in Tzuyu, Mina , and Ji hyo , faith that they could uncover the truth behind everything. She was very much annoyed to find out that Suho didn't keep any social media accounts – but then again, she didn't either – Because  then it could have been easier to reach out to him and find him.

And now Lisa had to think about some stupid councilman she didn't know. She never really paid attention to politics on any scale of government, so how the hell would she know who this Kwon Ji yong was? Tzuyu sent her a text that simply asked her if the name sounded familiar.

The answer was no, obviously.

And Lisa would think that it was someone she knew who and that name wasn't their real name, but then again he's a politician. He couldn't use a fake name and hold office.

Lisa checked her phone again.

Fifteen minutes now. she thought to herself as she started feeling antsy.

She was about to leave, thinking it would be for the best, but then she caught a glimpse of Jeongyeon  running towards the dark shadows the bridge offered Lisa. "Sorry Limario…" Jeongyeon  said as she tried catching her breath. "Still nearly got toasted, you remember, you were there… Had to make sure I wasn't being followed for my grand escape. Besides, cardio was never my strong suit."

"No worries. How are you, Jeongyeon ?" Lisa asked.

"Not gonna lie, I had better days." Jeongyeon  replied. "But I had to see you, I needed to tell you something."

"That someone was in your apartment, that someone is potentially the same person who framed me, and that he texted you from my dad's phone?" Lisa provided.

"How did you know?!" Jeongyeon  then replied. "Now I feel like this meeting was a moot point."

"I found the phone which was thankfully not destroyed yet." Lisa replied, showing her the BlackBerry. "Listen, Jeongyeon , do you know anyone named Kwon Ji yong?"

"Yeah, the councilman. He's quite handsome, but there's this weird look in his eyes, I don't know, just don't like him."

"You've met him?" Lisa then asked. "How? Where?"

"At the restaurant. He was there that afternoon, I saw him in Nayeon's office before heading out with our take-out pizza, such a shame really. I got your faves too for the half of it."

The pizza! That could have clued him in if he found out from anyone else what it was!

"Jeongyeon … I… I think he's the guy we're after. The one who tried to kill you last night." Lisa then said, "Do you know how he looks like?"

"I can look him up, I'm sure he's got a pic online." Jeongyeon  then said, before fishing for her phone.

But before she could even finish typing the name, Lisa heard the sirens that were suddenly closing in on them. Both she and Jeongyeon  stayed alert, seeing officers flood them on both sides of the street. "Lisa Manoban, you're under arrest for your father's murder, attempted murder of your accomplice, and arson." she heard someone on a megaphone say.

And Lisa knew resisting was futile, but Jeongyeon  still tried to fight back some of the officers.

But she was immediately overpowered.

Damn it! We're so close…

Lisa relented, it would be for the best if she didn't fight back. "I'm sorry, Lisa, I'm sorry. Someone must've seen me and I wasn't able to shake off my trail." she then heard Jeongyeon  say.

Lisa simply shook her head. "Call Park Ji hyo , she's a PI. Tell her I need a lawyer." Lisa said as a detective cuffed her. They were ushering her away from the dark shadows under the bridge and out into the bright of day outside when Lisa stopped and turned to Jeongyeon .

"And thank you, thank you for believing in me." Lisa then added, just in case she never gets the chance to say it again.

Lisa saw Jeongyeon  smile sadly at her. She was trying her best to stay strong and show she's still determined to help Lisa before the detective who cuffed her pushed her towards one of the police cars waiting for them.

Damn it. Damn it all. Lisa thought as they walked towards the car.

It would be really nice if you work again.

One more time.

Come on universe!

One more time!

Just as she was about to enter the car, Lisa saw the gathering crowd around the bridge.

That's when he spotted him.

A well-dressed man in a suit, a hat angled in a way that most his face was being covered.

Except for that self-satisfied smirk on his face that Lisa wanted to wipe off.

It was him, the man he was looking for.

If only Lisa could see who it was.

Damn. Damn it! Lisa thought, shrugging off the detective and deciding to make a run for it towards that man.

The officers on the scene were quick to respond in trying to detain Lisa but Lisa wouldn't let herself be deterred from reaching her goal.

She was close, so close.

Come on!

He was right there, right within reach.

One more time!

Lisa shouted out loud as she felt her frustrations overwhelm her. Fire and fury filled her as she rushed to get free.

Please!

She needed to see his face.

Because  past or present she'll expose him.

One last Revival!

"One last time!" Lisa shouted out loud as she started to get over powered.

And just as she was about to be shoved inside the car, everything in front of her disappeared.

Lisa felt some force pulling her, something like gravity snatching her in that moment and placing her someplace it deemed fit.

And when lights started to fill her vision again, Lisa had to blink a few times before the scene before her made any sense.

"What's wrong?" she heard Chaeyoung ask, as she squeezed Lisa's hand to get her attention.

The two of them were in the science museum, standing in front of the evolution exhibit.

Lisa stared at her speechless as she was taking everything in. Chaeyoung's smile, her blue eyes, that little scar on her forehead, everything about her that she thought she would never get to see again.

Truth be told, just the fact that she could feel Chaeyoung's hand holding her own was a little too much for Lisa to process at the moment.

So much so that she couldn't do much of anything else but pull Chaeyoung into a tight embrace, taking Chaeyoung by surprise as she held onto her for dear life. "Lisa, are you okay?" Chaeyoung asked.

And by God, Lisa missed her voice.

"I'm perfect." Lisa murmured as she leaned onto Chaeyoung's shoulder, still not letting her go. She felt Chaeyoung hold her close as well, resting her head on Lisa's own.

Lisa wished she could freeze time just then. Because  she knew this moment she was reliving, she knew she barely had anytime left before the moment Chaeyoung disappeared.

"Oh-hooo, what do we have here." they then heard Jennie say.

Right, they arrive at this point. Lisa thought as she reluctantly let Chaeyoung go.

"Hope we're not interrupting anything but the party got boring." Jennie then said with a suggestive tone.

"Wow, Lisa, didn't know you're so brave with openly displaying your affection for Chaeyoung like that." Sana then commented, making Lisa blush deep red as she briefly looked away.

"Okay, you two, behave. Don't tease." Dahyun then said. "And that includes saying your thoughts out loud, Sana ."

"Sorry, I'm just admiring the bravery." Sana then replied.

"I suppose we should all go out to dinner then? The place is closing soon." Lisa then replied, remembering how their conversation went the last time around.

But before they could even suggest going to the place she knew her friends would decide on, Lisa decided to make a different suggestion instead.

Because  she was dead-set on changing everything she can this time around. "How about that Thai place a few blocks away?"

Sehun, on the other hand, just looked at Lisa curiously. "You hate Thai food. You're not fond of their spices."

"I can always try new things." Lisa quickly replied. "'Sides, I'm sure I can find something on the menu that would suit me fine."

Sehun  simply nodded although it didn't seem like he fully bought her reasoning. "Hey Lisa, can you show me the restroom before we leave? Don't want to get lost."

"Uh, yeah… sure…" Lisa replied, reluctant to leave Chaeyoung's side.

Still, she went with Sehun  alone as the two hurried to the restroom near the stairwell leading up to the astronomy room. Sehun  stopped just in front of it, turning to Lisa with a serious look on his face. 'Who are you?" he then asked, catching Lisa off guard with his question.

But then Sehun  explained himself. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that you're changing a lot for the better, if you are Lisa, but lately you haven't been acting like yourself at all. I thought I was crazy when I started to notice it a few weeks ago, but more and more the change just seemed too drastic, I can't help it. I reasoned to myself it's Because  you're starting to realize your feelings for Chaeyoung, but now… something's off, I don't know what, but I can tell there is. So, what's going on?"

"Sehun …" Lisa started to say, still speechless as she wracked her mind for an answer that didn't make her sound crazy. "I… I…"

"Who are you?" Sehun  repeated.

And Lisa found she couldn't quite find the words to answer.

Because  who had she become at this point?

Sehun  was right in saying she wasn't who she was before.

So who was she now that she's relieved her past multiple times now?

And just who was she going to be?

The same Lisa who failed?

Or the one who succeeds?