FOX IN A SUIT

Chapter 7: The Collector's Quest

Detective Jiyeon woke up, her heart beating. As she sat up, gasping for air, her brow was wet with sweat. She tried to get rid of the frightening feeling by telling herself it was just a bad dream.

In her dream, she was in a dark lane and faced a twisted version of Detective Oh. As she said the magic to protect herself, the charm gave off a strange light that surrounded her and overpowered her instead of driving away the darkness.

Jiyeon knew she wasn't special and was just a normal person. Recent events have been very strange. Taking care of gumiho, old objects, and dark forces was not at all what she usually did.

A weak whisper was heard in Jiyeon's ear as she tried to calm her racing heart. "Detective Jiyeon," someone said, "the chief needs to see you."

Jiyeon woke up all of a sudden and found herself slouched over her desk. Officer Han-neul Oh, who was her partner, stood next to her and looked worried.

"Han-neul, what time is it?" she asked after wiping her eyes.

"It's morning," he said in a quiet voice. "Chief Cheong wants you in his office. It's about the missing amulet."

Just thinking about the charm brought back a lot of memories. The bright jewelry, the scary figure that came out of the darkness, and the blinding light—it all seemed like a dream.

Still, Jiyeon got up and followed Han-neul to the chief's office, even though she was tired. At this late hour, the station was quiet. The only sound was the soft hum of the electric lights.

Chief Cheong stood there with a serious look on his face. As she walked in, he said, "Detective Jiyeon. I've been looking for you."

Even though she had been sleeping, Jiyeon tried to gather her thoughts. As she took a seat across from him, she said, "I'm sorry, Chief. I think I fell asleep."

As Chief Cheong leaned in close to the desk with his hands firmly on it, he fixed his focused gaze on the person he was after. "I'm sure you know what happened with the lost amulet," he announced. "That you're supposed to be guarding."

While nodding, Jiyeon felt a pang of guilt in her stomach. The amulet was given to its rightful owner, the "witch" named Celeste.

"I need answers, Detective," Senior Chief Park said firmly. "What happened? Where exactly is the amulet right now?"

Jiyeon stopped because she wasn't sure how much to say. She wasn't sure if she should tell the chief about the supernatural incident she had witnessed last night.

"I..." she paused, barely audible. "I'm not sure, Chief. The last thing I remember is being hit and losing consciousness."

Chief Park's face softened a bit, but his eyes stayed a little suspicious. He leaned back in his seat and said, "I understand. This problem needs to be looked into. The amulet is a very important artifact in the museum, just like any other artifact in there, and the culprit who took it must be punished."

Jiyeon nodded, feeling the weight of the situation fall on her. She was set on finding the Fox in a Suit, the mischievous thief who started it all.

***

Minwoo was working behind the counter of Moonlit Pages, a cute little bookstore that he had come to love as a safe place. Sunlight came in through the dirty windows in the morning, giving the shelves full of old books and other things a cozy warmth. It was a peaceful moment that was a welcome break from the chaos that had taken over his life.

As Minwoo moved old leather-bound books around, he couldn't help but think about what had happened the night before. After the fight with Celeste, the Nokdukk, and the risky game of cat and mouse with Jiyeon, he was on edge. He knew that lowering his shields wasn't a good idea, especially since the amulet's powerful energy was still at work.