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Chapter Text

“You go first, it’s cold!“

“I will wait till you get inside!“

“I will wait till you get back to your car.“

“No, I will wait for you to get home safely.“

“It’s really cold, just go. I need you to be strong and healthy!“

“Just cook me chicken soup if I get sick.“

“I don’t know how to cook, you’ll need to teach me first.“

“If you invite me inside…“

Si Mok watched the scene unfolding in front of him without emotion. Which wasn’t exactly unusual for him. “Is this really what Yeo Jin watches every week?” he asked himself with a neutral curiosity. He checked his phone and scrolled up to double-check one of her messages. It was definitely the correct channel. Every Saturday and Sunday evening for the past month, she sat down to watch an hour of… this. He had to admit to himself that he didn’t expect her to like something with almost no plot. Couple of days ago, the policewoman practically ordered him to watch an episode, claiming that it was for his cultural enrichment and a “passive social interaction practice”. She then spent some time diving into an alleged drama behind the scenes, and claiming that this TV series was “the perfect rom-com brainrot”. He was too afraid to expose himself as even more culturally lacking to ask what a “brainrot” is.

Last Thursday, after their now traditional bi-weekly dinner, he just went to his car after quickly saying goodbye. If he was to take notes from the drama, he should’ve waited for his friend to get in the car, but she should do the same for him so… It is a classic example of a deadlock, he decided. Surely this is not what Yeo Jin meant when she said it will be good for his social ineptitude(not her words, exactly). This seemed awfully inefficient and potentially unhealthy for both parties, he decided after imagining them standing stiffly at a parking lot. It was January, the coldest time of the year. She was so thin that she was guaranteed to get sick if they tried saying goodbye like that. In which case, he would need to cook her soup, but he was in the same predicament as the heroine of the drama - he didn’t know how. Si Mok looked back at his work notes for the next week, following the episode with only an occasional glance. There were a lot of scenes repeated with different angles, and the background music frequently sounded like what he could describe as inspirational. In short, it was easy to follow while still progressing with his work at a good pace.

During his solo Monday lunch, the prosecutor crafted a long message to Yeo Jin. He wasn’t sure what feedback she expected from him, but he felt the need to let her know that he took her recommendation seriously. He didn’t feel as a right person to judge the acting or scenography, so opted for writing down his guess as to what had happened previously and what will happen next. A subplot concerning an obvious petty crime was used to stage the meetings between the main characters. Figuring out the plot so far was offensively easy with the amount of flashback scenes he saw.

“Aigoo, it’s a romantic comedy not a detective show, Mr Prosecutor! Just enjoy them falling in love! Winter is for cute dramas. I will recommend a crime show to you in spring.” - her response was puzzling. He read the message again, feeling a tightness in his throat, not for the first time since he met her. It was a feeling for some reason. One of these four sentences made him feel something and he couldn’t even say which one. At that though his eyebrows tightened too. For all the talk about his feelings’ existence from Yeo Jin, he still had trouble finding and naming them.

“Hello, Prosecutor Hwang. I didn’t see you earlier!” Kim Ho Sub suddenly showed up in front of him, carrying an empty plate on a tray. The prosecutor sometimes ate lunch with the investigator, but usually the latter was spending his lunch break networking with other employees.

“I didn’t see you either,” Si Mok replied dryly.

“Are you working through lunch again? You should relax on your break, Prosecutor Hwang!” Ho Sub sat down at the table, not missing any opportunity for a chat, even if it was mostly one-sided.

“No. Do you watch dramas?”

“Sometimes. There’s so much being made these days that I don’t keep up with all of them though,” the investigator responded without showing a trace of surprise. He was used to Hwang’s direct and random questions. In the end, they always led to a case. “Are you doing a celebrity case?” he leaned in excitedly.

“Do you watch ‘This Is Not Normal’?”

“Oh, there is a lot of gossip about the main cast, is it really about it?” Ho Sub’s eyes got huge. Si Mok thought that even if he was working on a case involving celebrities, he wouldn’t tell him, unless he wanted the whole office to know about it.

“No, so do you watch it?” the prosecutor repeated calmly. The other man’s expression changed into something unexpected, a mix of disappointment and… distaste? It was a rare expression on this usually happy face.

“Actually, I do.”

The silence stretched, both men unsure about what question will follow.

“What do you think?” Si Mok finally nudged the other man.

“What do I think? I will tell you what I think but you can never repeat that to my girlfriend,” Ho Sub whispered and continued, not expecting any response from Si Mok who didn’t even know up to this moment that he had a girlfriend. “She loves this shit. I have to watch it every weekend. I’m counting down the days till it finally finishes so it’s my turn to select something with an actual plot. The drama is more boring than a Monday morning! And it’s such a huge hit! Everyone loves it, but I swear this is the blandest, plotless…”

“Right!” Si Mok interrupted this passionate speech, his tone neutral but bearing a slight tint of excitement at finding a voice of reason in his collegue.

“Wait, do you watch it too?” Ho Sub asked in disbelief. “I didn’t know you watch dramas.”

“I don’t. A friend asked me to watch this one.” Si Mok clarified laconically.

“A friend? That is one bad friend,” the investigator quipped.

“It was Senior Inspector Han.”

“Really? Do you keep in touch? I haven’t talked to her in ages. Why did she recommend it? There’s so many great crime dramas, she should’ve recommended one!”

Ho Sub’s expressive face was pure surprise. He didn’t expect the stoic man to have any friends, if he was being honest. While their work relationship was good, he couldn’t remember even one time where Prosecutor Hwang asked him anything personal, or had a personal call during work, or well, anything personal to say. Asking about this damn drama was probably the closest thing to being friendly that he could imagine. On the other hand, there was a subtle something between those too back then. He remembered noticing it when they were working together on the special investigation, all cramped in that small room for hours. Those years ago, Prosecutor Hwang looked completely unprepared for a simple friendship, let alone acknowledging that perhaps a coworker has a tiny crush on him. Ho Sub, attuned to the subtleties of office drama, had his thoughts about it, although he figured that it’s probably for the better that Inspector Han’s feelings are so firmly unacknowledged. He already felt sorry for poor Eun-Soo, who was not subtle at all.

“Yes.”

“Sorry?”

“We keep in touch.”

“And she recommends you dramas, and you watch them?” Kim’s eyebrows raised, a curious smile playing on his lips. Actually, even this was better than that drama - entertaining a thought of those two somehow being friends. His mind couldn’t go any further past that. He really, really liked Hwang Si Mok; it was just really, really hard to imagine him doing anything romantic. Sure, he was somehow nicer and more open here in Wonju, but still so painfully formal.

“It was the first time. I don’t think…” Si Mok trailed, looking pensive, as if he was trying to solve a really difficult problem. “I don’t think I liked it.”

“We are the last two sane people in Korea then. I can’t believe Inspector Han...“

“She’s a Senior Inspector now.”

“Right. Senior Inspector Han is watching this. Times must be hard for her too,” the investigator nodded his head.

Prosecutor Hwang looked at him intensely, with a focus that felt slightly too strong for such a light topic.

“Why do you say that?”

“This drama is just pure fluff, no plot. I guess, it’s nice to watch after a tough day. My girlfiend says it helps her reset after work” Ho Sub said authoritatively. “She’s a nurse,” he added with visible pride. Maybe the whole of Korea had a difficult time now, that’s why they liked this. Yes, this must be it.

Hwang Si Mok sighed. Was it still bad for her? She rarely talked about her office when they met, dodging his questions and redirecting them to the topics she handled at work, instead of what she experienced from her coworkers. He kept writing to her about small things daily, hoping that it would make a change, but he was now realising that he never saw proof that it did. Was he taking the offhand comment of Ho Sub too seriously? They didn’t even talk, so how could this man know her state of mind better than Si Mok - who saw her so frequently, who wrote to her every day? Si Mok had a sudden urge to call her into the interrogation room, get honest answers, and plan to fix everything based on the transcript. He couldn’t even feel or recognize his own emotions, but he desperately wanted to make her less unhappy. The objective hasn't changed since autumn, but maybe his methods should. By his moral standards, she was a good person. It was only logical to want a good person to be happy, an ultimate good emotion as he understood.

Si Mok abruptly stood up, and Ho Sub did too, reflexively. They left the cafeteria together, and only after entering his office Ho Sub realised two things: Prosecutor Hwang remembered to say goodbye to him at the door, and that his question didn’t lead to a case at all.

Chapter Text

The office was still full when Si Mok was leaving. It was different than in Seoul where, half of the time, he used to be the last person leaving. Workload in Wonju was smaller, and inter-office politics were not affecting him much. With less people to accidentally anger, the work was progressing steadily and without surprises. Despite less pressure, Si Mok found himself thinking about Seoul more frequently than when he was living on the other side of the country. For all the overtime and constant apologising he had to do in the capital, he thrived in the more dynamic environment. He knew from the moment he left Seoul that the chances of going back were non-existent. Ironically, deaths among his colleagues didn’t bury his career as much as what happened with Woo Tae Ha. One more misstep and he’s going to end up with no income to support his huge mortgage for the flat that he didn’t even live in. His reputation was set in stone, a rigid troublemaker that should be given safe cases and kept far away from important people. Si Mok was well aware that his files had a “Proceed with caution” post-it attached to them and he fully expected his next post to be somewhere south in a rural area. He never had dreams of greatness or ambition to climb the ladder - his mother had spent years grilling into him the importance of staying low. “If you don’t learn to behave, your smarts won’t save you”, he remembered her exact tone even now. It was strange how he never appreciated being in Seoul while he was there, but now he could easily identify some type of longing within himself.

It was dark outside, a stark contrast with brightly lit office. Snow piled around the parking lot, a fresh layer already covering the cars. It was snowing constantly and the air was so cold that it almost hurt to breathe. Si Mok’s car was barely visible, and he made a mental reminder to come early tomorrow to dig it up. The car was almost always parked at the office, since it was just a short walk from his flat. Few weeks ago Yeo Jin asked him to list three things he enjoyed, and walking was one of them. He didn’t mind the cold air, it helped him think.

He walked briskly towards the nearest department store. Last time, he accidentally found inspiration in a women’s magazine. He hoped that this time a bookstore will also offer some help. He didn’t have friends outside of Yeo Jin, so there was no one to ask about cheering her up more effectively. As usual during winter, the store was packed. The prosecutor quickly found the magazine section, the snow on his coat still melting when he opened the first one. Love, sex, fashion. The next one tackled similar topics. He was sure that the last time he checked, there were some articles about quality of life… This time, nothing. Some mentions of Valentines. His shoulders dropped. He went in so confidently, expecting to find something as easily as the last time. It slipped his mind that magazines have to change topics, otherwise what would be the point of them? While the article on endometriosis was very informative, he doubted it would help him here in any way. The other topics were definitely, positively unhelpful and out of the scope of what was considered a friendship. He knew nothing about sex, and the article about “spicing things up” was so confusing that he didn’t know if he should read more or stop. Apparently, role-playing an arrest was something that people did for entertainment. He spent a short moment wondering what was the policewoman’s opinion on that. Fashion was even worse, Yeo Jin definitely had her own style. The thought of suggesting some help there was laughable even to him. He mostly wore what Prosecutor Seo forced him to buy years ago, when he was first working under him. It was the only time Prosecutor Seo looked genuinely happy about having Si Mok as a trainee. He rattled on about the importance of visuals, dragged him to trusted stores and made the younger man spend his first few salaries on formalwear. Si Mok checked more papers. On the magazine pages: more Valentines, love, robot vacuum cleaners for some reason, dating and even more love…

Just enjoy them falling in love!

He was reminded of her message. He barely knew what “enjoy” meant, and he definitely didn’t know what “love” was. But she enjoyed people falling in love? Nothing he can do here… except maybe tell her that Ho Sub has a girlfriend. She will like this piece of information that he acquired recently. If she enjoyed the romance in that bad drama, a true love story should be even more enjoyable. Si Mok nodded with great satisfaction at being able to have such a strong opinion all on his own. Tomorrow, he will interview Ho Sub. It wasn’t much, but it was something.

His plan failed miserably. Si Mok would find it frustrating if he could, but he was as usual completely neutral about Ho Sub being a social butterfly who couldn’t, even for one short break during the whole week, be alone. The prosecutor went as far as checking in the room next door when he went to grab a coffee on Friday, without success. The work week ended without further developments in this personal project. Ho Sub was not only in love, he was at the heart of the web of in-office friendships. Si Mok couldn’t help but marvel at this juxtaposition with him. He found this almost fascinating, how different their situation was and how he never noticed it until now. Was it his sense of superiority showing its ugly head again? Unattainability of his coworker and lack of other ideas made the issue slightly thrilling. In the sea of unexciting cases, it was something that offered a welcomed challenge. Every day that week, Si Mok spent lunchtime alone in the cafeteria, visualising praying the secrets of love out of Ho Sub and delivering them to Yeo Jin. He could clearly imagine her smile, and the way she would lean closer over the table, her slender fingers fixing hair falling forward before grabbing utensils to serve him more food. He felt a warmth spreading in his body at this thought, a sensation that he learned to associate with her.

The weekend was spent as usual - walking around the empty, frozen city during the day in lieu of exercise, and doing some light work in the evenings. On Sunday evening Si Mok kept the TV on after the news, and watched another episode of ‘This is Not Normal’. If he didn’t know that he missed the last two episodes, he wouldn’t even notice. The leads were talking so much about nothing that he kept spacing out, finding his current case about an illegal sale of Japanese rice more captivating.

Until, suddenly, they weren’t talking anymore. He glanced up just in time to see the male lead awkwardly lean towards the female lead, served from at least five different angles. The man kissed the woman, whose eyes stayed wide open as if in shock for the whole time. The scene repeated again from several different viewpoints, confirming Si Mok’s opinion. He watched it expressionlessly till the credits rolled in. At first he felt something heavy in his chest, a sensation that he recognized happening sometimes when he saw families doing mundane things together. He ignored the unnamed feeling, focusing on his observation of the woman’s reaction. He thought it’s a romantic comedy, and yet she didn’t seem happy nor was it funny. Shouldn’t kissing be a happy thing? He always assumed so, but if this was people falling in love it didn’t look especially enjoyable. Without any conscious effort, Han Yeo Jin came to his mind, with the same shocked expression while his own imagined self was kissing her. The drama was messing with his head; even in his mind he was presented with an absurd montage of different angles. Not to mention that he has never thought of being so inappropriate towards her before. Si Mok swallowed, taken aback at the unexpected image his brain created. He had to admit to himself it was a sensible prediction of her reaction. He has never kissed anyone, and considering the amount of articles he saw on the topic in the magazines a few days ago, it was not easy. He definitely would be as bad as the male lead seemed to be. He put a hand to his mouth, contemplating the thought. Just don’t kiss Yeo Jin - it was easy enough. It’s not like he was planning to do it anyway, he thought with a frown targeted at his own unruly mind. This random idea had never occurred to him before and never will again. He turned off the TV and focused on the rice case.

Monday morning Si Mok did what he would never admit to anyone, as it could be perceived as an obsessive behaviour. He came in early and proceeded to leisurely move the snow covering his car. He had a good view at Ho Sub’s parking spot. It was a matter of minutes before his colleague arrived, waving to him before he parked. Coincidentally, Si Mok’s car was sufficiently uncovered at this exact time, so both men walked together towards the building.

“Hello, Prosecutor Hwang. What a nice coincidence!” the investigator said happily.

“Yes. It was a coincidence” replied Si Mok neutrally.

“What a weekend, right? Record snow this year. I was afraid I would not be able to drive to the office today! But the streets are cleared, our city workers are doing an excellent job!”

“Yes. Do you have lunch plans today?” Hwang went straight to the point, almost afraid that they would run into a coworker who would steal Ho Sub from him. Perhaps last week made him a little paranoid, but it was all for the… He didn’t know why exactly it was so important, but he was determined to talk to the investigator today. There were over a hundred people in this building, each of them seemingly best friends with the other man, waiting in the shadows and behind the doors to talk to him. At least, that was the impression he recently got. He didn’t have a rich emotional life, but his imagination worked overtime.

“Me? The usual, nothing really…”

“Shall we eat together?”

“Sure, I will come to your office at noon,” Ho Sub replied easily, with a little surprise showing on his face. It was the first time in Wonju when Prosecutor Hwang proposed eating together. Normally, it was the other way around. It was heart-warming to see the stoic man finally reach out to him in such a friendly manner. Ho Sub wouldn’t have noticed this effort if it was anyone else, but the prosecutor was quite special.

They barely reached the corridor leading to their offices when they saw one of the assistants walking in their direction. She greeted Si Mok respectfully and smiled widely at Ho Sub.

“Hey, let's have lunch together! I have news,” she exclaimed, waving her phone. Ho Sub seemed to know what it was about, and clapped with excitement.

“Dear, I have plans, so let’s grab a quick coffee now! And tell me all about it!”

Si Mok entered his empty office. He was right. People were lining up to talk to Investigator Kim, it was not just his imagination. He pondered if Ho Sub was aware of being the office celebrity. Shaking his head, the prosecutor sat down, exhaling a relieved sigh.

Finally, it was time for the interrogation. Lunch break, that is. Ho Sub arrived at the neighbouring office punctually, and the two men were able to secure a good table near the cafeteria windows. Si Mok decided to approach this meeting as he usually did with the interviews - with the objectives ready and an outline of how it will go, but leaving space for improvisation. One thing that he didn’t plan was how to actually start the interesting topic(Ho Sub’s very personal love life) in a natural way. The prosecutor hoped for the good-natured man to start it on his own, as he talked a lot. There was a good chance he would provide an opening at some point. All the luck that was evading Si Mok last week must’ve been waiting for this day, because they barely sat down when the investigator offered a hook.

“Prosecutor Hwang, taste the omelet,” he offered while opening one of his lunch boxes full of homemade food. “My girlfriend is a great cook, let’s share.”

“Does she make lunch for you? I haven’t noticed before.” The omelet was excellent.

“Just for Monday. I stay at her place over the weekend. She doesn’t have a lot of time during the week.”

“How long have you been dating?” Si Mok jumped on the interview track.

“Just a few months. We celebrated our 100 days anniversary last month!” Ho Sub said with a proud smile. Si Mok’s face stayed passive, not recognising this great achievement. “We are still in the honeymoon phase, but I don’t think I’ve ever felt like this,” Ho Sub said while looking at his lunch with pure adoration.

“You said she’s a nurse. Did you meet at the hospital?” Si Mok asked, feeling that gathering information will be even easier than he thought. He took another piece of the omelet.

“No, it was a blind date. Our mutual friends thought we would hit it off. And they were right!” he said. Si Mok decided that this was a good sign, the other man looked like he was enjoying being in love. Stil, confirmation was pending.

“So you are in love?”

“Of course!” the investigator confirmed with his usual enthusiasm. ”How could I not be! My Ji Eun is perfect.”

“How do you know that?” Si Mok asked, having a small suspicion that it all may be just because of the amazing food.

“She is pretty and funny, she is so smart, she helps others, she cooks well, my friends love her, she is so…”

“I mean, how do you know you’re in love?”

“Prosecutor Hwang, you know…,” Ho Sub trailed off. He realised as he was saying it that Si Mok most probably didn’t know. The expectant, blank face in front of him confirmed his suspicions. He paused, considering this sudden interest of his ex-boss in this topic. It felt a bit like interrogation, but to be honest a lot of conversations with him were like this. What was it? Did Hwang Si Mok hit a midlife crisis and decided to explore his romantic side? The investigator didn’t know what was the proper reaction for such a question. He respected and liked the prosecutor, but there was always a distance between them. It was as if Prosecutor Hwang was hiding a secret, and not getting close and personal with anyone was his armor. Talking about falling in love, isn’t it something that everyone just knows? But it was in Ho Sub’s nature to help others with all his might, and if Hwang Si Mok had a question, there was no reason not to answer.

“First off, everyone is different. Most people…” Ho Sub started but was instantly interrupted.

“Please focus on your own experience,” Hwang Si Mok requested, making the conversation feel even more like a witness interview.

“Right,” the investigator cleared his throat before giving a chaotic speech. ”At first, it was casual. We went on a few dates, she was nice and pretty but it wasn’t love at first sight. I mean, not the kind that people on TV keep just having all the time. That has never happened to me,” Ho Sub took a break to scoop some food before Si Mok could gobble down the best stuff. ”But then, suddenly, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I just wanted to make her smile, and when she smiles I just feel like… it’s all fine,” he sighed with a smile. ”Ji Eun, she works so hard and I just admire her. Her success is as important to me as my own. I think.. falling in love has to come from respect, you know. And it’s so easy to talk to her! So, I kept thinking about her, and after every date I wanted to see her even more. It didn’t matter if we spent an hour together or a whole day, I just wanted more. I want her to be a part of my life. I want to tell her about little things. And things I wouldn’t normally do are not a problem when she asks. Driving an hour to see her for a short time while she’s at work? After a long day, we just want to rest a bit, don’t we? But I don’t mind. I would even drive to Busan for her, every day.”

Si Mok listened intently, despite the incoherence of the speech. While it could prove informative, it wasn’t exactly what he wanted to know. He regretted asking such a broad question. He should’ve trusted Ho Sub that he was in love when he said it. Also, he noted that driving to Busan and back every day would take the whole afternoon and a big part of an evening, leaving time just to sleep and work. Pretty useless.

“And of course, there’s the usual,” Ho Sub added awkwardly, instantly looking as if he regretted saying the last sentence.

“The usual what?”

“You know…” Ho Sub looked at Si Mok expectantly, but the latter shook his head slowly with a complete innocence. The investigator looked conflicted for a long moment, before continuing quietly. ”The physical aspect. I couldn’t get her out of my head. In the beginning, even accidental touch is a big thing, it’s a little silly when you think about it. Those simple things were running in my head as if they were something big. Right, falling in love is really special, “the investigator finished, the smile appearing again on his lips. ”That’s why people like to watch rom-coms so much, to remind themselves how exciting it is when you hold hands, or kiss for the first time. When I started to feel this way, I knew I was done. I fell in love.”

Si Mok nodded. He had no way of verifying if what Ho Sub just said was really how falling in love feels like. That’s why that question was completely unnecessary. Clearly, working in Wonju made his interview game weaker. He ate a piece of his own unremarkable kimbap.

“Her food is really good,” he said honestly, and the other man beamed. The rest of lunch passed by quickly. Ho Sub didn’t need a lot of encouragement to talk about his girlfriend, and Si Mok found stories from her work interesting. He usually visited hospitals for autopsies, avoiding the chaos of emergency rooms and inpatient floors. He started the conversation with a hidden motive, but found himself pulled into Ho Sub’s world, so different from his own.

On Thursday, Si Mok left work earlier. It was still snowing, and he expected that the drive to Icheon, where he was meeting Yeo Jin, would take longer than usual. He didn’t have any new ideas on how to make her happier. His usual, admittedly low-energy, self will again be the only thing he can offer. The little tidbit about his coworker’s love life wasn’t much. Truthfully, he probably enjoyed the chase for the story more than she will enjoy the delivery.

An hour and a half later, he arrived at the restaurant. Her car was already there, covered in a thin layer of snow.

Chapter Text

The restaurant was packed and warm when Yeo Jin entered. She left work early to be on time, expecting problems on the road due to the weather. The drive was slow but uneventful, and she arrived at the destination early for the first time since she started visiting Icheon.

“Their” table was taken, and she was led to another, smaller one. The woman looked at the snow outside and ordered a glass of red wine - something different for the wait. They were always staying almost until closing anyway, so it was hours away till she had to drive again. The wine was dry and she welcomed the taste. Lately, things have been better. New quarter meant new opportunities and a budget at work, and she was able to put one of her projects on the agenda for the next few months. Her new boss was the only person at the office who was open to her ideas, her colleagues still wary after the earthquake she caused last year. But slowly, things were turning around. She wondered if she'll be invited back to team lunches by the end of the year, or was it just her immortal optimism speaking.

She saw Si Mok's car rolling into the parking lot, turning smoothly to stop next to hers. Yeo Jin watched as he got out, put on a coat without closing it, and started walking towards the entrance. She always thought that he was handsome, and the layered look emphasised it. The man suddenly stopped after a few steps and turned back towards the cars. Her eyebrows raised when she saw him bending down to inspect one of her tires. He straightened, face unreadable, and walked inside.

Si Mok entered the restaurant, thinking about the state of Yeo Jin’s winter tires. He worried for no reason, because hers looked much better than his. Out of habit, he walked towards “their” table, realising halfway that it was taken by a loud family. He looked around and spotted his friend by the window, looking at him and waving slightly. She smiled and it felt like it was just for him. He bowed and made his way towards her, noticing her drink.

“Hi! You have to keep me company for hours now, I was feeling festive” she said while raising her glass. “Do you want one too?”

He nodded and she pointed to a waitress, silently ordering another glass. He couldn't remember the last time he drank wine. Long enough to forget the taste. He sat down, taking her in. She looked as he usually pictured her in his head - white shirt, short hair and her smile. She seemed relaxed and it crossed his mind that maybe he was overthinking Ho Sub’s comment about her.

“You look happy.”

“I was, until I noticed a suspect toying with my tires,” she responded with a mock seriousness.

He felt a small smile forming on his lips. She had a perfect view of their cars from here. The waitress brought his wine, and Yeo Jin used the opportunity to order food for them.

“I was just checking. The roads are bad,” he explained when the waitress left.

“Worried for my safety?” she teased.

“Yes.”

Yeo Jin's heart skipped a beat. Stupid, she scolded herself. She wanted him to care for her the way she did for him, so every little thing was an excuse to believe he did.

They sipped their wine, both hungry. Yeo Jin shared the details of her recently approved short-time project - a cybercrime prevention campaign focused on increasing personal security and raising awareness of scams like phishing among the citizens. She wanted to use social media of various government institutions to roll out a unified campaign that would educate netizens and encourage them to set up simple security measures, like Multi-Factor Authentication. All wrapped in a solid branding, with an animated character serving as the face of the campaign. Her work now was quite different from what she used to do when stationed in Yongsan. But with a recent, huge increase of crime happening on the Internet, it was time for the Police to start being proactive too. And her role was no longer about running the streets of Seoul and chasing the criminals one by one.

After Yeo Jin quickly showed him how to set up MFA in his banking app, Si Mok realised the importance of sharing the knowledge. It reminded him of how they used social media to look for Prosecutor Seo - new technologies were both dangerous and extremely useful. Introducing a character to represent the content on this topic was also a smart idea. He just had one concern.

“Are you going to draw the character?”

“Yes. Do you remember my sketches of you?” she asked innocently.

“I do,” Si Mok said but didn't comment further. Yeo Jin considered not telling him the truth, but he looked so horrified that she didn't want to risk him having a sezuire in a car later.

At this moment, their food arrived, and Yeo Jin's stomach growled. She didn’t eat lunch in anticipation of the feast, knowing that they'll sit at the table for hours. It looked and smelled amazing. Si Mok didn't move.

“It was a joke. We're going to commission all graphic design needed for the campaign. Jeez,” she said, laughing at the sight of him relaxing. It wasn't visible to a stranger, but she knew him well enough to notice. He picked up his chopsticks to serve her a huge chunk of the best meat, and looked at her with a tiniest smile.

“The wine…” he unexpectedly said while pointing at a corner of his lips. She understood immediately, and tried wiping it with a napkin. Red wine loved doing that to her.

“Now?” she pointed at her mouth expectantly, as if he wasn't looking at it already. He shook his head, his finger pointing again. She left an exasperated sight and used her phone as a mirror while removing the rest of the stain. The woman noticed that he was still looking intently.

“Still? I don't see it,” she pouted.

“No, it's fine now,” he responded, sounding surprised by the question, but still looking at her lips with scrutiny. She raised her eyebrows, waiting for him to look somewhere else, and breaking into a smile, feeling awkward. Finally, he switched his gaze to the side, tilting his head and looking somewhat indignant.

“Kim So Hub has a girlfriend,” he said abruptly. The woman didn't comment on the sudden change of topic, glad that he stopped staring at her in a way that she usually would interpret a certain way. But it was Hwang Si Mok, and his mind worked in mysterious ways.

“Really? Tell me about it. And if this is everything you know, I'm going to eat all the cabbage,” she threatened.

Yeo Jin was surprised when it turned out that the prosecutor knew quite a lot about Ho Sub's love life. She couldn't help but feel proud. Her situation in the aftermath of what happened was bad, but she wasn’t the only person who wasn't in the best spot. Even if it looked like nothing affected him, she still worried. Now, he had something like a real friend at his workplace, someone who he already knew and trusted. She shifted in her seat, one foot accidently touching Si Mok’s calf so lightly that she didn't even notice, engrossed in the conversation.

In the light-hearted mood, the evening passed by even faster than usual. When they were leaving, only the family occupying their usual table was still seated, as if to rub their win in the faces of the losers.

“I’m going to be early next time,” Yeo Jin whispered vindictively while picking up their coats by the door. That table was bigger and had the prettiest view.

“I didn’t mind the smaller table,” Si Mok replied honestly.

It was still snowing outside. This winter was already being called the Winter of The Century, thanks to its ruthless cold and endless, record snowfall. Yeo Jin and Si Mok spent a few minutes talking while brushing off the snow from their cars. When the routine cleaning was done, there was nothing else left to do than to say goodbye, again.

By Si Mok's logic, saying goodbye should be easier if you have more practice and are going to meet the other person soon anyway. But somehow, it was getting more difficult. This time, it was Yeo Jin who said goodbye first, after throwing her brush into the car trunk. Si Mok looked at her for the last time. She seemed happy and purposeful again. He bowed, satisfied, before getting into his car. She backed up first and left the parking lot, towards Seoul.

Si Mok stared at his dashboard. A thesis was forming in his head over the evening, and it was so unexpected that he needed a minute to process it. What Ho Sub said…

He wants to make her smile.

And when she smiles, it feels good.

It’s easy to talk to her, something unusual for him.

He respects her and wants her success. Perhaps even more than his own.

He keeps thinking about her.

He wants her to be a part of his life.

He doesn’t mind the drive just to see her. To be fair, he wouldn’t go to Busan and back every day, but he was pretty sure that one was a hyperbole.

He wants to tell her little things.

He wants to see her more, even now, when she just left after spending hours with him.

And what he realised today, quite inconveniently mid-dinner, he was attracted to her.

By Kim Ho Sub’s metrics, Hwang Si Mok was in love. He looked ahead with an expressionless face. It was a fresh theory. It needed observation and more data, there was no need to react in any way just yet. If it’s not true, ignore and nothing has to change - this was the most probable outcome with his damaged brain. And if it’s true, if he fell in love, he just needs to figure out how to fall out of love and nothing has to change. He was sure it was possible, some people did that multiple times in their lives. Of course, there was also another route. The one Ho Sub took. But it was riddled with so many unknowns and challenges, that Si Mok couldn’t even fathom being able to take it. Not to mention the impossible prerequisite: Yeo Jin wanting it too. He fastened his seat belt, backed up and drove towards Wonju.

Chapter Text

“Prosecutor Hwang, are you OK?” Prosecutor Choi asked, looking at the younger man over his plate. Everyone at the lunch table was looking at him.

Si Mok turned his head slowly towards his boss, blinking. He couldn’t sleep last night, tossing and turning, analyzing his thoughts and actions, building arguments for and against his thesis. He finally fell asleep around three in the morning and woke up with a headache a few hours later. He nodded silently, picking at his food.

“Are you not feeling well? You usually eat… quickly,” his boss repeated his concerns. Occasionally, he called his subordinates to lunch, to go over small tasks with them without a formality of his office. It was also his way of building connections between prosecutors in the office, as the lunch invitations were given seemingly at random.

“It's nothing,” Si Mok responded laconically, not seeing any point in mentioning the headache. There was nothing that could be done about it.

“Fine. Eat. You’re pale as a sheet. Try not to get sick next week, I need you to drive us to Seoul,” Prosecutor Choi said amicably, pointing broadly at the table. Si Mok accepted this without a trace of surprise on his face.

“Is this for a case?” he inquired. Other three prosecutors exchanged glances.

“No, it’s for the Ministry of Justice forum. They’re doing a conference on updated policies, for us and the Police. We” Prosecutor Choi pointed at the table again, focusing his finger longer at Si Mok. ”are going to participate. A small group from Wonju. What do you say?”

“Yes. How long is the conference?” He wouldn't mind a visit to Seoul. If Yeo Jin had time, he could verify his thesis quicker than expected.

“Just Wednesday. You know how these things go. There’s an after party, we do need to do a bit of networking, so don’t come to work looking like today. You’re the youngest here, so you’ll drive.” The other prosecutors nodded, each of them remembering their own turns at being a chauffeur. Prosecutor Kim was especially happy. Being only a year older than Si Mok, he used to be everyone's ride in such events for a long time. Finally, he will be able to relax and enjoy government-funded drinks.

Si Mok bobbed his head. When he lived in Seoul, he strategically stayed for such after parties just long enough for his boss to notice him. Now, this won't work. As a ride, he had to stay close to his chief, ready to drive back when requested - it could be anytime between six in the evening and two in the morning. Small chances of seeing his friend, unless she was attending too.

Yeo Jin was in a state of flow. With the new project, she wanted to prove herself. If she can't get her colleagues to be friendly with her, she will at least show her competence as a coworker. The new project energized her, and the beginning stage was exciting - before the graphics could be ordered, she needed to outline the strategy and scope of the educational content. She wanted to make a strong impression on netizens with a short but intense campaign. She was focused on her work so deeply that for the first time in months she didn’t notice everyone leaving for lunch, and then coming back. Finally, hunger won and she straightened, looking proudly at freshly written pages. She checked the time. By now, the kitchen should be fairly empty, post-lunch flood of people needing coffee already over. She stood up and checked her phone on the way, ignoring everyone ignoring her. She could play this game too. She had only one message and as expected, it was from Si Mok.

“Are you going to the Ministry of Justice forum next week?” as usual, no explanation given for his question. Was he going? The conference was mostly targeted at institutions in Seoul side. Half of her floor was going, including her. The representation from Prosecution was understandably much more scattered, with every office in the area sending few officials. Annual meetings like this gathered hundreds of people from the northern part of the country.

“Yes, you too? Shall we ditch the party? Nobody here likes me anyway ㄱㄱ”, she responded, hopeful that he won’t take it too seriously. She was allowed a bit of self-pity from time to time.

“I have to stay,” he wrote back when she was making her coffee in an empty kitchen. She sighed. No explanation given, but she had a feeling that if he could he would drop the dinner party after the lectures. At least there will be someone there to save her from standing awkwardly solo, even if for a short time. She just needed to stay long enough for her boss to notice her, and then she was free to go.

“How about an after-after-party?”, she kept her fingers crossed.

“I can’t”, he wrote back. “I’m driving the Deputy Chief Prosecutor,” another message followed instantly.

“OK ㅠㅠ,” she sent, her hopes shot down as quickly as they raised.

Si Mok was suffering through his first attack of insomnia in years. He has barely slept since meeting Yeo Jin on Thursday. The weekend dragged impossibly, and even a visit to an international bookstore didn’t help in distracting him. He regularly checked new books on international laws, but this time he couldn’t focus on anything. He didn’t even know why knowing if he was in love was so important. It didn’t really change anything within him, so there was no urgency in addressing it. Why was it making him so restless? A small malicious voice in his head whispered something about proving his humanity, but he banished it quickly. Feeling love or not, it didn’t matter in the definition of a human being.

He aimlessly walked by the relationships and self-help sections, but there was no book on verifying your feelings. There were plenty of books on love though, so maybe they would be useful later. Most of them had a woman’s face on a cover, he made an observation. Were women bad at love, or they simply cared more than men about educating themselves on the topic? He sighed heavily and left the bookstore empty-handed. After weeks of snow, he could finally see the uncovered sky. This weekend the streets were busy again, people loud and active as if powered by photosynthesis. His head hurt, and the sunshine after weeks of darkness was uncomfortably bright. On Sunday evening, he watched another bit of “This is Not Normal”, before turning it off after ten minutes with a neutrality presenting as annoyance. The main characters knew that they were in love so quickly and accurately, despite being barely functioning adults in other areas. Si Mok went to bed early, and did an exercise that Yeo Jin mentioned a long time ago: he analysed the sensation in his body and tried to label them. After listing a few areas that were tense, or hurting, or scratchy, he decided he was exhausted. After admitting it, he somehow managed to sleep the whole night without problems.

Monday filled him with enthusiasm, or he would label the sensation as such if he cared to do the exercise again. During the week he could just spend time working, pushing the thoughts about his feelings aside. He worked furiously and effectively, and in the afternoon he congratulated himself on making good progress, and managing his own mind so well. In just a couple of days, he expected to have the conclusion of his thesis.

On Tuesday, Si Mok kept the pace and considered his mind conquered, once again focusing it on what he (Si Mok) wanted to think about, not he (the brain) wanted to think about. He really convinced himself of having full control, until he met Ho Sub late in the afternoon.

“Hello, Prosecutor Hwang! I haven’t seen you this week anywhere, how are you?” Ho Sub observed happily, going down the empty staircase. He had his coat on, ready to leave the office.

Si Mok, who was going up, had a sudden urge to corner the other man and force the answers out of him. So much for the full control. If he believed in magic, he would accuse Kim Ho Sub of cursing him. How was it possible that the first time Ho Sub mentions falling in love, Si Mok is afflicted? His thoughts must’ve shown in his gaze, because Ho Sub’s smile dropped.

“Prosecutor, are you OK?” he asked, concerned.

“No, I’m maybe in love and I don’t know what to do, and it’s maybe your fault,” Si Mok almost responded, but he saved this unusual thought for himself. He excused himself before he could say too much. The investigator was one of the few people he actually wanted to build a good rapport with.

Finally, Wednesday arrived. Si Mok took special care of his looks that morning, remembering what his boss said before the weekend. He didn’t know why this mattered in his job, and he figured that Prosecutor Choi is a believer of “visuals”, like Prosecutor Seo. Dong Jae used to complain constantly that his trainee’s looks were wasted on the dullest personality possible. Looking in the mirror passively, Si Mok thought that the trajectory of Dong Jae’s career was proof that good looks won’t solve everything. If the “visuals” were so useful and important, why is someone who is handsome and tall working in an office with even less prestige than Wonju? Even having personality didn’t save Prosecutor Seo. Actually, it’s probably his personality that caused it, Si Mok reflected unkindly.

Picking up Deputy Chief Prosecutor, Prosecutor Kim and Prosecutor Lee took more time than expected, and they barely made it in time for the first 10 o’clock lecture. The Ministry rented a conference centre for the event, and the auditorium was almost packed when they entered, hastily taking the first free seats they saw.

The buzzing sound of over 300 people talking over each other soon stopped, and the morning block started. Si Mok tried to pay attention despite an early rise and lack of coffee. The agenda was packed and presentations fast, a stream of data recited by presenters without any space for questions. Like many meetings, this one also could’ve been an email, but Si Mok understood the real purpose of this conference. In the afternoon, after lunch, information will be exchanged between these hundreds of people, with a ripple effect going well into the year. Information learned and shared today will affect transfers between Prosecution and Police offices, and even priorities of some investigations. If he knew how, Si Mok would be networking tonight towards a transfer back to Seoul next year. Unfortunately, he had enough experience to know that he lacked the skills to pull it off.

Towards the end of the block Si Mok tried to find Yeo Jin in the sea of heads, but to no avail. He couldn’t network well, but he had another manageable task at hand - gathering more data on his own behaviour. In theory, an examiner and a subject of the experiment should be separate entities, but he couldn’t possibly ask someone else to participate. He glanced at Prosecutor Kim at his side, imagining his reaction to being asked to observe someone suspected of being in love. Si Mok didn’t know him well - he knew that the other man was well liked, competent and of a similar age. Prosecutor Kim also had a reputation of being an innocent flirt, at least that’s what Si Mok heard from his assistant. Actually, maybe he would’ve been a perfect help… The last presentation ended, and the whole room buzzed again. A slow movement towards the exits began, with coffee and snacks waiting on the other side.

They were still waiting to leave their row when he finally saw her. She was a few steps below, walking with a group of highly ranked police officers. Si Mok noted their ranks out of habit, assuming the oldest man to be the new Chief of the Intelligence Bureau, where Yeo Jin worked. The chief looked unassuming, especially compared to bulky and taller men surrounding him. With a smile, he was saying something to Yeo Jin who was walking beside him. At that moment, her eyes met Si Mok’s and they bowed to each other. The chief’s eyes instantly focused on him and Si Mok had a strong feeling that he was faced with a dangerously intelligent person. The smile not leaving the policeman’s face, he greeted Prosecutor Choi with a warmth that hinted at an already existing friendship. Two groups left the auditorium together, and introductions were made on both sides. The mystery man’s name was No Won Hae. No comments were made at Si Mok’s and Yeo Jin’s involvement in the downfall of their ex-bosses, but he was sure that this topic will be discussed later if the current bosses are indeed friends. One shared look with the woman told him that she was thinking the same thing. He didn’t see Prosecutor Choi observing them with curiosity, after noticing that his subordinate bowed deeper to a police officer than to his own boss.

The coffee break was short, just enough time to grab a cup in the overcrowded hall and head back to the auditorium for the second, longer block. Si Mok and Yeo Jin took the opportunity to sit together. It was strange seeing him like that, Yeo Jin thought. She got used to being just with him, and speaking freely without concerns about who may be listening. Especially here, with so many people who knew of both of them, it was tricky.

“How have you been?” he asked her, and she smiled at this. Clearly, he was reciting from a conversation script in his head, remembering her teasing him about etiquette. She knew he considered the question too broad and frequently unnecessary.

“Great, I went hiking on Sunday. Crampons and all. I think I got sunburnt,” she touched her nose as if to check the state of her skin, a small pout on her lips.

Si Mook looked closely. “A little bit,” he answered honestly. She looked as pretty as always, so he didn’t know why she seemed embarrassed about it.

The next presentation started, and they looked at the stage. Si Mok observed how conscious he was of her next to him - her left hand occasionally tapping on the little desk, her right making short notes from time to time. They reminded him of classical paintings he’d seen in history books - pale, with long fingers and natural nails. His thoughts drifted from the presentation, his imagination running a simulation of her hand in his. There was no real scenario in which he would have the opportunity to hold her hands like this and learn how it felt. He stretched his neck and looked up, clearing his mind.

Yeo Jin tried very hard to focus on the presentations. They all were fast-paced and one moment of distraction was enough to lose a big chunk of policy updates. Occasionally, she made notes, forcing herself to listen. She’d seen Si Mok every fortnight for the past months, so she had thought that she was an expert in pushing her little crush out of her mind when she’d seen him. And yet, sitting silently next to him like this was making her a little giddy. Maybe it was a different lighting, but he looked really exceptionally nice today. The worst part was that she could smell his cologne. Since she was young, her sense of smell was always the first one that signaled falling in love. The moment she felt that certain dizziness after hugging or being close to someone, she knew she was done. She exhaled slowly, thinking of this experience as a fortifying exercise. It was simple, the longer she spent near him like that, the more used to it she will get, and it will be easier to ignore it. Two hours of this torture should fortify her just right, right?

Chapter Text

They dragged their feet to a buffet lunch. The lines were already forming, so they waited at the back, Yeo Jin showing pictures from her recent hike. With an office job, she craved more physical activity, and the old hobby was perfect for it. Si Mok admitted that he had never been to Bukhansan; a national park on the outskirts of the capital. He has never hiked in his life.

“It’s always like that, those born in Seoul don’t appreciate it enough! You will have to go with me someday,” Yeo Jin offered enthusiastically. An image of him going uphill in a suit flashed in her mind. She didn’t remember the last time she had seen him in casual clothing, if ever.

“Can we wait until winter is over?” Si Mok asked sincerely, as if afraid she might drag him out of the conference center that very moment. “I’d rather not die.”

”Are you that clumsy? Actually, when we met, I think you tripped while chasing a suspect.”

”I didn’t.”

”Are you sure? I remember seeing you on the floor,” she teased.

”I didn’t. I was pushed. Because I was running first, and you were second, behind me,” he pointed out. She laughed.

”I don’t think that happened. I was the fastest runner in Yongsan station.”

He looked at her appraisingly. ”I run too,” he dead-panned. Yeo Jin was surprised.

”I have a hard time believing it. That would require taking a suit off.”

Si Mok was confused, he took a suit off every day after work. And he didn’t wear one during weekends. He said as much. It was her turn to appraise him.

”I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wearing anything other than a suit.”

They finally joined one of the shrinking queues to the buffet tables. A man joined behind them and greeted the woman, who looked at him with slight surprise.

”Hello, Senior Inspector Han”, the man said. ”You look like you already forgot me”, he added after noticing her expression. ”Senior Inspector Kim Tae Hwan. We met at a seminar in November. I must be pretty forgettable,” he said good-naturedly.

”No, I remember you. Senior Inspector Kim from Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency,” she recalled, and she introduced Si Mok. The policeman bowed pleasantly before switching his attention back to Yeo Jin.

They chatted in the queue, the conversation naturally flowing around issues of the Police. When they got their food, they split - Si Mok towards the table taken by his colleagues, after Prosecutor Choi gestured for him to join, and Yeo Jin to join Kim Tae Hwan. She couldn’t hide her happiness about accidentally avoiding an awkward lunch with her colleagues. She remembered Senior Inspector Kim, who was witty and amable, and most importantly didn’t hate her and would actually speak to her.

During lunch, Prosecutor Choi talked shop with other officials from the neighbouring prosecution office at their table. Si Mok’s eyes kept drifting towards Yeo Jin, a few tables away, for an inexplicable reason. He felt a tension that he couldn’t label. He knew she dreaded the lunches alone, so maybe this was happiness at seeing her enjoying her meal after months of solitude? She was laughing and talking animatedly, and he focused on the conversation at his own table, pushing the weird feeling aside. The prosecutors were exchanging anecdotes from field work, jokingly blaming each other for pushing uncomfortable cases to offices nearby.

After the meal and one more session of presentations, the drinks were served. The unofficial, and the most important, part of the day started. It was already dark outside. Si Mok’s colleagues had clear goals in mind and scattered after some time. Prosecutor Choi seemed to have a list of high-ranking officials on Prosecution and Police to talk to. Prosecutor Lee joined his friends from his previous office, and Prosecutor Kim went to enjoy the free drinks that he could finally taste. Si Mok couldn’t drink, not that he wanted to. It was hard to predict the effect of alcohol on him, so he avoided it in environments where he didn’t feel completely safe.

He waited enough time to make sure that Prosecutor Choi saw him around, and then decided to leave the giant room full of people. He grabbed a cup of coffee from one of the self-service tables and headed towards the exit, deciding to hide (even he couldn’t call it any other way) in his car. In the corridor, he met Yeo Jin. She was wearing a coat, her cheeks flushed.

“Are you going outside? It’s freezing,’ she said, visibly happy to see him again. She spent the last two hours at the side of her boss and didn’t expect to see Si Mok again this evening. Chief No introduced her to various members of the National Police Agency, who weren’t as cold towards her as people from her own department. Somehow, she ended up in front of the building, joining a few people for a smoke. Reminded of how horrible the taste was and how terribly cold it was outside, she was heading back when she bumped into Si Mok.

“I was going to wait in the car.”

She smiled in a way that he rarely saw. Maybe it was the alcohol she drank, or a setting so different than where he usually has seen her. It wasn’t her usual wide grin, but a much more demure expression. She looked him straight in the eyes so seriously that he didn’t know if she was happy or sad.

“Can I wait with you?”

He nodded instantly, but protested on second thought. “Shouldn’t you be networking?”

“I was. I should not push my luck, don’t you think? I will make my way back slowly,” Yeo Jin said, raising her chin. “Shouldn’t you be networking?” she asked cheekily, accenting the pronoun.

Si Mok nodded again, slowly and silently. She chuckled, understanding without words.

“If you share this coffee with me, I will show you a quiet spot that’s warmer than your car,” she offered, still cold from being outside.

She led him through the empty corridor, showing a wide window sill right after a corner. She was right, it was quiet and warm. She hopped on the window sill, extending her hand for the cup. Their fingers touched briefly and Si Mok thought that recently he had spent an inappropriate amount of time thinking about her hands. He leaned against the wall, looking at her. The glow from the streetlight filtered through the window, casting a pale light over her figure.

“Today was much better than I expected,” she said, giving him a half-empty cup back.

“What did you expect?” he questioned. He never expected anything from this kind of thing, so he was curious.

“I was so afraid of being an outcast. You know, standing alone in the corner and everyone watching me,” she said, not looking at him. It was exactly what routinely happened to him, but he never found it a problem. Once again he was reminded how different they are.

They talked about gossip Yeo Jin learned this evening. For an outcast, she gained a surprising amount of information in such a short time. When she asked the prosecutor to give some info in exchange, he had nothing apart from the gruesome stories he heard over lunch. It didn’t seem like the right time to share them.

“Hey, I told you so much. You need to give me something too,” she clicked her tongue, acting disappointed. She was sitting crossed-legged on the wide window sill, leaning against the wall, her shoes dropped on the floor. He offered his cup.

“Was my intel so bad that it deserves only a last sip of cold, burnt coffee?” she asked after looking inside, laughing.

“What would you like then?” he asked quietly, tilting his head. He was standing, still leaning against the wall, the width of the window between them. She knew there was no double meaning intended in his question, so she didn’t respond with the first thing that came to her mind.

“Something from you…”, she mused aloud, looking absentmindedly at his tie. She straightened after a moment, struck with an idea. “Next time I see you, wear something different than a suit. I need proof that you exist outside of it,” she said. Si Mok found this absurd request easy to fulfill, so he agreed. His phone buzzed, and he took it out to check the message.

“It’s Prosecutor Choi. We’re leaving,” he said after reading the text from his boss. She nodded sadly.

“I will leave too then. My boss saw enough of me already, there’s no point in staying if you’re not here,’ she said honestly. Si Mok felt a warmth spreading in his body, and for some reason a thought of Senior Inspector Kim still being at a party crossed his mind. But she was leaving.

“Do you want a ride? We’re going in the same direction,” he offered, led by logic and a knack for optimization. Wanting to spend more time with her was something that crossed his mind, just as an added bonus - at least that’s what he believed.

If prosecutors were surprised at seeing Yeo Jin again, they didn’t show it. They squeezed in the back, with Prosecutor Kim staggering a bit despite an early hour - it wasn’t even 10 o’clock.

“You can drop me at the Yongsan metro station”, the woman said as soon as they were all inside.

“Aigoo, what are you talking about, Senior Inspector,” huffed Prosecutor Kim from the back. “A beautiful woman shouldn’t walk alone at night. Right, Prosecutor Choi?”

“Let’s drive her home, Si Mok. Ten minutes won’t save us,” Prosecutor Choi responded jovially. He had a very fruitful evening. He watched in the mirror as the younger man nodded and continued driving, without asking for directions. Choi just heard from No Won Hae how these two were in the Council last year, how they seemingly shared a bond that ultimately tore down the council and saved a man’s life. The knowledge of the underlying dynamic wasn’t particularly useful, but it was certainly interesting. Prosecutor Choi worked with the quiet man for a short time, but it was enough to notice how withdrawn he was. It was hard to believe that he had a deeper connection with anyone, let alone someone so energetic and expressive like this woman.

The Deputy Chief still remembered the time when he deep-dived into the new prosecutor’s story. He didn’t pay much attention to him while reading his papers when the transfer to Wonju was established, but when the prosecutor was suddenly redirected to the infamous Council, he checked the documentation more thoroughly. On paper, Hwang Si Mok was a perfectly performing employee, except for the insane amount of minor insubordination warnings and formal apologies attached to him. Mostly, he stayed in his lane and did his job well. At first, Prosecutor Choi assumed the warnings were a typical case of bullying - paired with excellent marks and graduation with honors from Seoul University, he didn’t have problems imagining what kind of person Hwang Si Mok was and how he could annoy others in the office, resulting in tension.

What he found out after the first Council meeting sent shivers down his spine. It looked as if the younger prosecutor was chasing truth so doggedly that he drove his former boss to a suicide. Lee Chang Jun quite literally fell to his death in front of his employee, at some remote location no less. The whole thing sounded more like a drama plot than real life. And Lee wasn’t the only person who died - a wrongly indicted suspect killed himself too. Coincidentally, Hwang was also a leader of a team which turned out to consist of a murderer, and his close coworker ended up a murder victim. The casualty being none other than a daughter of a significant figure in the Prosecution. The unbelievable web of horrifying facts was spreading in all directions. Hwang Si Mok was the person who attended the autopsy of a woman who was his trainee for almost two years. What kind of man could do that? This unnerving fact was not known to the public, but a quick search of his name on the Internet mentioned what crossed his mind too: a psychopath. Choi Sung Hyung wasn’t a psychology expert, but this was his own suspicion.

It was rare for a prosecutor to have any online presence, but somehow, Hwang managed to turn himself into a public hero - the first page of a browser search was full of links to his heroic investigation and appearances in national news. Everything pointed in two directions at once, two different people - one who had a suspicious amount of deaths around him, and one who fought for truth, a beacon of rightfulness. In person, Hwang Si Mok was quiet, rigid and unremarkable, keeping everyone at distance. The most unnerving thing that Choi could say about him from his own experience was a complete lack of emotions showing on the man’s face. He observed the newcomer from a distance during his first weeks, and not only didn’t find anything suspicious - he didn’t find anything interesting at all.

Prosecutor Kim was leading the conversation with the policewoman while they drove through Seoul. A bit drunk, he was obviously flirting - a bad habit of his. Prosecutor Choi observed the profile of the woman, listening to her polite but playful answers. He didn’t doubt she had a lot of experience of handling such behaviour after years in the male-dominated field. Was she stupid, ignorant of Si Mok’s disturbing past, or knew something that made it all make sense? This question intrigued him. She seemed… normal, and yet she was obviously friendly, if not more, with the stoic man sitting next to her. Prosecutor Choi couldn’t imagine someone like her, bright and competent according to her boss, not questioning the deadly aura of Hwang Si Mok. Whistleblowing takes a lot of courage and belief in the rightfulness of one's decision, so he had a hard time imagining her as a malicious person. No, she wasn’t stupid. And she knew Hwang Si Mok for years, so she couldn’t be ignorant either. Which left the third option - she knew the truth and still wasn’t spooked by it. Choi Sung Hyung accepted that he will probably never learn it himself, fascinating as it was. He just needed to make sure he didn’t end up as collateral damage in Hwang Si Mok’s wake.

The car left the main road and turned several times before stopping smoothly at an unobtrusive corner. Not once Hwang Si Mok asked for directions.

“Thanks for the ride,” Yeo Jin said to Si Mok before bowing and saying formal goodbyes. She left the car, leaving an empty space. Prosecutor Choi slowly took the seat at the front and fastened his seatbelt. The car didn’t move, and he turned to prompt Si Mok. The man was staring ahead, observing as Yeo Jin quickly climbed the stairs to a terrace and disappeared in her flat. Only then, the car moved. Prosecutors Lee and Kim exchanged looks, smirking. Still a little drunk, Prosecutor Kim had a brilliant idea of entertaining himself by teasing the driver.

“Senior Inspector Han is so cool. Does she have a partner?” he asked, leaning forward to see Si Mok’s face better.

“I don’t think so,” came a calm answer. Kim sighed, disappointed in this lack of reaction.

“You’re friends, right? Could you give my card to her?” He tried another attack. This time, something akin to disdain formed on Si Mok’s lips. Prosecutor Lee snickered.

“Stop it! She has her eyes on him, you drunk mess.” Si Mok’s eyes darted to the rear mirror and back without a comment.

“Really? I thought she was into me,” Kim grumbled, slightly hurt. He wouldn’t mind Si Mok really giving his card to her. Their boss' chuckle was audible even in the back.

“That’s why you’re alone, you punk. You wouldn’t be able to read women’s feelings even if they were written on their foreheads. Drink less, you will see the subtle signs,” Prosecutor Lee boasted.

“Look at you! You got married last year and suddenly you’re an expert,” Kim retorted. The rest of the ride was filled with their banter.

Chapter Text

Si Mok was sitting in his dark living room. With new data from today, he didn’t have any more doubts. He was in love. The thought felt foreign, despite him toying with it for the past week. He never thought it was possible, but it won’t be the first impossible thing that happened since Yeo Jin showed up in his life. He buried his head in his hands, breathing deeply. He didn’t plan for this to happen. So he should… he should… manage it. Sometimes doing nothing was the best course of action, and he decided this is one of such situations. He recollected the moments when rouge thoughts took over his mind. It wasn’t that bad, he could refocus or ignore them quite easily. It wasn’t much different than not being in love. He stood up, heading for the shower.

On Monday morning Ho Sub dropped into Si Mok’s office to invite him to lunch. His girlfriend prepared his lunch, and he wanted to share it with someone who enjoyed the food as much as him. The prosecutor was especially chatty, as if good food gave him more energy to socialise. Ho Sub couldn’t believe the amount of gossip his old boss learned during his short visit to Seoul, along with remembering major policy updates in detail. The investigator was pleased that the invisible wall between him and Si Mok finally started to crumble. He loved socializing, and he was ready to invite another friend into his wide circle. The prosecutor seemed to feel much more comfortable in one on one setting than during group meetings.

During the week, Si Mok didn’t spend much time thinking about his new status of a man in love. He wrote his daily messages to Yeo Jin as he used to, and if he thought about her more frequently than before, it was not affecting his life negatively in any way. When one day his assistant received chocolates and flowers that took half of their office, he realised it’s Valentine's day. He didn’t care about things like that, thinking with contempt about consumptionism. An image of Yeo Jin receiving flowers from Senior Inspector Kim bloomed in his mind for some reason, replaced by an image of Yeo Jin receiving chocolates from Prosecutor Kim when he tried to force the first image out. He was looking at the flowers with such intensity, that his assistant moved them out of her desk and on a shelf behind her, guessing that he minded them being so on display.

On Thursday, when Si Mok sat down in front of Yeo Jin, back at their usual table, she stared at him. He kept his promise and dressed casual. He seemed so different despite only wearing different clothes than formalwear. He had a light navy blue sweater on, which in itself was surprising - for some reason she expected something grey. In suits, he looked serious and unapproachable. Now, she could only describe him with one word.

“Don’t get angry but,” she warned, squeezing his wrist shortly, “you look cute.”

He didn’t get angry, although he felt his cheeks getting warm in some unnamed response.

“Is that bad?” he asked, confused.

“No,” she responded. It did make him look more hugeable, and she suspected he would consider this a downside. “Just different.”

A dinner with Yeo Jin was, as usual, a highlight of the week for Si Mok. More energised, whether it was by quickly improving weather or bettering of the office dynamics, she described the effect of policy updates on her current projects in length. Her social media campaign was a small side task compared to the main topic she worked on - reforms within the Police structure and processes. Si Mok himself never worked on reforms - his work focused mostly on preparation and research for trials. In Wonju, most of the cases were about financial crimes related to production of medical devices and semiconductors, which were two huge industries in the area. Cases like this dragged millions of won into play, making companies fight tooth and nail for years. Slow progress, frequent change of representatives and huge amounts of paperwork made the cases unexciting even to Si Mok. Sometimes, it felt like he was repeating himself over and over again. He was learning to voice his preferences, and shared with Yeo Jin that he preferred shorter, smaller-scale cases.

“You’re such a dopamine seeker,” she judged him jokingly, smiling proudly at him having preferences. It was amazing seeing him open up to her over time. It was a win every time she learned something new about his personality, even as small as what cases he disliked.

“Says a person who goes alone to the mountains in the middle of Winter of the Century,” he said with a small smile.

“I won’t have to go alone soon. You promised to go with me when the winter is over.”

Si Mok spent the whole drive back to Wonju mulling over his feelings again. He has spent his whole adult life not caring about anything much, not paying attention to others beyond necessary interactions. Now, he was discovering within himself an extraordinary interest in another person. It wouldn’t be a problem if not for a small thing he realised today - it was getting more intense. When Ho Sub spoke about love, Si Mok imagined it as a toggle that switches from off to on. He thought that he was already past that moment, and he would stay stable in love until it switches back off for some reason. He expected to be able to manage that without much effort. But today, he surprised himself. He was definitely getting too obsessed with Yeo Jin’s hands, for starters. He lost track of how many times he thought about taking her hand in his during the evening, just because it was within his reach. And how he wanted to kiss a smudge of chocolate off her lips after the dessert. Or how he almost offered her a hug again in the parking lot, this time not for her but for himself. He was stopped only by his own inability to voice the wish coherently. She was his friend, and wanting to know her better was expected, but he had no doubts that his new desire to be closer physically wasn’t a part of a friendship contract.

He tried to brainstorm solutions to his problem, but lack of knowledge about socializing wasn't helping. He imagined that if he does nothing, at some point he will act on one of his desires, to an unknown reaction of Yeo Jin. Good chances were that it would be a very negative and fiery reaction, but still, he should verify it just for the sake of knowledge. In the past, people didn’t even think that air existed, assuming that if they can’t see anything then there’s nothing. This assumption slowed down progress for centuries. No, he wouldn’t want to assume anything just because his knowledge was limited. If, by some improbable chance, Yeo Jin felt the same, a whole new set of possibilities opened up. Two new tasks presented themselves. First, figure out how to predict Yeo Jin’s reaction in the potential case he actually does something with his feelings. Second, figure out the way to fall out of love, as a measure to prevent himself from doing something unwelcome that will ruin the only friendship he had.

Si Mok used a known and trusted source for his research - Kim Ho Sub.

“How do you know if someone else is in love?” he asked the investigator on Monday, while again eating the most amazing lunch food of his life. Si Mok figured that there was no time to waste for a smooth introduction of the topic.

“It’s tricky,” Ho Sub responded shortly. He was getting used to talking about feelings with this seemingly unfeeling man. It was refreshing to be able to have this kind of honest conversation. Somehow, Si Mok looked defeated despite no changes in his expression. The investigator had a risky idea. “Think about yourself. How can someone tell that you are in love?”

Si Mok took a long time to respond, looking at his plate as if to find the answer there. “I don’t think you can,” he finally said. Ho Sub was surprised that he even responded. So Prosecutor Hwang was capable of romantic feelings, he noted.

“See. Everyone’s different. Some people are obvious, others will never give a tell. There’s no rule. I could give you some examples, but it’s such a personal thing that I don’t want to generalize.” Ho Sub explained gently. “But, why are you asking?”

“Personal research,” came a succinct response.

“Is the “personal research” working in this office?” Ho Sub asked.

“What?” Prosecutor countered, as if this question wasn’t expected in this type of conversation.

“The woman you’re interested in. Do you want to tell me who she is? I can help you better if I know.”

“I never said I’m interested in anyone.”

Ho Sub sighted almost comically. The man was unnecessarily difficult. It was obvious that there was someone. Recently, he felt more relaxed around his ex-boss, and he looked at him critically, showing that he wasn’t fooled.

“I’m not going to tell anyone,” he said sincerely in encouragement. Now, he needed to know to satiate the curiosity. What kind of person would Hwang Si Mok like like that, to the point that he wanted them to like him back?

“It’s no one from the office.”

“So I don’t know her.” Ho Sub didn’t hide his disappointment. He stuffed himself with delicious kimchi for consolation.

“You do,” Prosecutor Hwang said with instant, subtle regret over his features. Ho Sub choked a bit, his mind working intensely. They didn’t have any common acquaintances and they lived in different parts of the city, so there most probably wasn’t any overlap in places they went to. It could’ve been someone from the hospital or field work, but Ho Sub worked fully from the office and Si Mok knew that. They didn’t even share any cases. In short, all the people both of them knew in Wonju were in this building. Unless it wasn’t someone from Wonju, Ho Sub realised.

“Do you mean Senior Inspector Han?” It was a long shot, but he didn’t have any other ideas. Ho Sub remembered how surprised he was when he learnt that the lone prosecutor kept in contact with her.

Si Mok nodded solemnly. He looked like he was admitting to some grave crime. Ho Sub noded too, with more enthusiasm. Right, it made sense. He pondered briefly if the prosecutor didn’t miss his window of time - she seemed to have a crush on him years ago. She probably moved on. Ho Sub didn’t have a heart to share this thought with the subdued man in front of him.

“Do you want my advice?”

Si Mok didn’t know what kind of advice Ho Sub could have based on only this information, but at this point anything was better than nothing.

“Just ask her out, go for dinner. With her, I think being direct is the best,” the inspector shared his wisdom proudly.

“We already do this,” came an unexpected reply. Si Mok shortly described the situation to Ho Sub, who was a great listener. By the end, Ho Sub had his own conclusion. He was afraid that Hwang Si Mok not only fell in love, he also fell into a much more dangerous place - friendzone. An idea occurred to him.

“Prosecutor, I’m having a birthday party on Friday. Some friends will come over, nothing big, just dinner and drinks. Would you like to join? With Senior Inspector Han. I would love to see her again. We had a great time together, despite… you know.” Ho Sub offered, hoping that this will be an opportunity to see them together. And even if Prosecutor Hwang was really friendzoned, it would be great to see Yeo Jin.

Si Mok didn’t show any surprise at this offer. It wasn’t exactly the advice he was looking for, but he trusted his colleague. Maybe he also needed more data, which was admirable and showed his competence. He liked Ho Sub but disliked such parties and decided that if Yeo Jin wants to go, he will go too.

“I will ask her and let you know,” he finally said. Ho Sub was delighted that the prosecutor didn’t refuse outright, the matchmaker within him stirring hopefully.

Chapter Text

Si Mok completely forgot to ask his colleague how to fall out of love. There was no opportunity during the week, and Si Mok didn’t want to chase the other man again so soon - it would look suspicious. Yeo Jin instantly agreed to go to the party, calling Ho Sub personally to thank for the invite. She also wrote to Si Mok that she will think about a simple present from both of them if he lets her sleep at his couch that night. The man accepted the offer. It was easier to buy bedding and towels for a guest than to figure out Ho Sub’s dreams. And the thought of Yeo Jin driving back to Seoul after a day of work and a party made him feel uncomfortable.

On Friday, he parked his car in an unassigned spot, leaving his own for Yeo Jin’s car. Getting out of Seoul on Fridays was much more difficult than doing it on Thursdays, and she arrived late in the afternoon. He let her into his flat, so she could change her outfit from too formal office clothes and rest a bit before they go.

She changed quickly into something that Si Mok has never seen her wear before - a dress. It was a simple, almost black, knitted dress with long sleeves. She sat down on the sofa. He was preparing a coffee, trying not to look at her legs. Great, so he was not only obsessed with her hands and lips, it was also her legs now. There will be no safe space in his brain soon. He really hoped that Ho Sub would have some effective advice after tonight. Yeo Jin showed him the small present when they were drinking the coffee, and soon they left the flat.

Only when she saw their reflection in the elevator’s mirror, Yeo Jin realised that they were wearing matching outfits. He had a similar simple sweater that last week (probably a bulk purchase), but the color was very close to the dark graphite of her dress. She turned to Si Mok to joke about them looking like a fashionable couple, but bit her tongue at the last minute.

They arrived at the party late, and Yeo Jin shot an astonished look at Si Mok the moment they entered the flat. There were around twenty people inside. The flat wasn’t huge, but it had a smart design - big living room and an open kitchen with a kitchen island. Mismatched low tables were set in the room, paired with all sorts of cushions and taking advantage of a sofa that was pushed against the wall, as well as the kitchen island. The apartment was bigger than what Ho Sub could afford while he was living in Seoul, and he clearly enjoyed having more space to host his friends. A low music was playing, barely audible over the buzz of conversations. Most of the people were sitting on the floor at the tables, and the rest were gathered around the kitchen island. Yeo Jin and Si mok entered just as the process of distributing food from the kitchenette to the tables was starting. A short, middle-aged woman was preparing the food and orchestrating the process with confidence and a smile.

Ho Sub greeted them with a grin, accepting the present and stiff birthday wishes from Si Mok, and hugging Yeo Jin like an old friend. It seemed as if no time passed between them. He quickly introduced them to Ji Eun, and led Yeo Jin to the sofa, leaving Si Mok to help his girlfriend in the kitchen.

Ji Eun ordered Si Mok to do all sorts of things for her, and he obliged simply because she didn’t give him any time to react differently. He chopped, washed utensils and vegetables and opened dozens of jars with banchan while she talked to him and pushed the dishes into the hands of anyone who was standing nearby. She seemed to know Si Mok already, and talked to him about her work as a nurse and how cooking helps her to relax. Her profession showed in her efficient movements, quick but gentle. He suspected she made him into her assistant to give him something to do, assuming correctly that he would be awkward and quiet with the group.

When both of them finally joined the table, Yeo Jin already migrated from the sofa and secured a table corner, deep in conversation with Ho Sub and some couple that Si Mok didn’t know. Actually, he didn’t know anyone at the party except for one woman from their office who worked in administration. He bowed to her shortly and sat down beside Yeo Jin.

The woman who was greeted by Si Mok watched him, surprised. She saw him frequently in the corridor while visiting Ho Sub’s floor or when he visited her department, but their interactions never extended beyond work-related issues. Some women in the office even had a bet going on when he first arrived: who gets a date first, wins. The bet quickly became forgotten, as the new prosecutor was impersonal and cold. Now it turns out he is not only a good friend of Ho Sub, but is taken.

The party was exactly like Ho Sub had described: dinner and drinks. From time to time, Ji Eun passed by and pushed bits of food on Si Mok’s plate, explaining the best combinations he should try. He quietly stuck to Yeo Jin’s side, who seemed to have no problems connecting with new people. Si Mok spoke rarely and mostly when prompted. A lot of conversations were happening around pop culture, a topic entirely foreign to him except for a couple of episodes of the drama he recently saw.

“...so that’s why I have to be a fan of Star Wars till the day I die. Without it, I wouldn’t have met the love of my life,” one of the guests finished his long and meandering story about how he met his wife, who was sitting at his side. “How long have you two been married?” he asked Yeo Jin, who raised her glass to hide the awkwardness the question caused.

“We are not married. We are not dating," she added before the second question followed. “We both used to work with Ho Sub,” Yeo Jin explained with a smile, hoping no more questions on the topic would follow. The man looked intrigued, but changed the topic. Yeo Jin suspected that his wife dug her nails into his leg to stop him from prying.

Late in the evening Ji Eun presented a cake for Ho Sub. He laughed like a kid, looking happy and embarrassed at the same time. Si Mok thought that only children got birthday cakes, and it looked like Ho Sub didn’t expect to get one either. Everyone seemed to enjoy the wild, colorful design of it, taking photos and commenting with awe. The cake didn’t look professionally made, but clearly a lot of care went into its creation. After declaring that Ji Eun is the best gift he received the past year, Ho Sub finally shared the cake with the guests. The crowd got louder before starting to slowly thin when midnight passed.

“Let’s go,” Yeo Jin whispered to Si Mok, putting a hand on his wrist.

“Are you sure? We can stay as long as you want.”

“I’m sure,” she told him. She was happy but exhausted. A long day at work and a frustrating traffic jam in the afternoon were taking their toll. She didn’t even drink alcohol beyond a few drinks when they arrived, afraid that she would simply fall asleep on the sofa or worse - on Si Mok’s shoulder.

The ride back was gloriously quiet after the hours spent in a busy apartment. They were lucky to find an unassigned spot near the entrance to Si Mok’s building. In the lobby, they met his neighbour - an older lady who took her dog out for a walk at the strangest times of day and night. Si Mok solved this mystery a few months prior: she was hiding smoking from her husband. `

“Mister Prosecutor! Hello!” she exclaimed upon seeing them. She must’ve done her own investigation, as Si Mok never told her about his occupation. ”Do you know that someone parked at your spot? People these days!” she added. She was always talkative and a bit too observant.

“It’s fine,” he responded, offering no details but predicting she will get them anyway.

“These punks! They park everywhere they can. Back in the day, we didn’t even have nice cars! You should call the Police! You are a prosecutor, you should do that!”

“It’s fine.” The elevator was taking awfully long, the man observed. At least Yeo Jin had fun petting the dog.

“No, let’s call the Police,” the woman insisted, searching for her phone. “You let them park once at your spot, they will start parking everywhere. We need to cut this before it grows…”

“I parked there. I got the authorization from the prosecutor,” Yeo Jin finally chimed in, winking at Si Mok. That’s an unfortunate admission, thought Si Mok mere seconds before what he was afraid of happening, happened. His neighbour directed her inquisitive gaze at the younger woman.

“Aigoo, and I was about to wake the whole neighborhood. You should’ve said something sooner. The prosecutor is so quiet. It’s the first time I see him bringing in a girlfriend,” she said sweetly, and they finally entered the elevator. Yeo Jin decided not to explain the situation. She was entering a man’s house at one in the morning. “Dear, do take care of him. He is so shy, you know…” she appraised Yeo Jin. “You’re so tall! I wouldn’t wear pants if I had legs like this either! Were you a model?”

“Me? No. Your dog is really cute,“ Yeo Jin dodged the question, trying not to take offense at the use of the past tense.

“This old thing. So, where have you been? It’s so late. It must've been a special occasion,” the woman inquired.

“Just out. Goodnight!” Yeo Jin escaped the elevator the moment the door opened. They entered Si Mok’s flat and took their coats and shoes off by the entrance.

“You should hire her as an investigator!” Yeo Jin proposed as seriously as he could, trying not to laugh.

“I will tell her to apply to the Police. Patrol could use someone like her,” he retorted. Si Mok gave his guest slippers that he bought just a day before. She was his first guest in Wonju. She slipped the shoes on, standing in front of him.

“Thank you,” she said simply, touching his arm. He mirrored her gesture before he could stop himself, and suddenly she was in his arms, hugging him. He put his hands on her back shyly, wondering what triggered this welcomed but surprising reaction. He wanted to hug her for weeks, and now achieved it by accident.

“It’s just slippers, and it’s not a gift,” he said blankly. She chuckled, and he felt it more than heard. He didn’t remember being so close to anyone ever before. When they hugged a few months ago, it was with their thick, winter coats on. Now, he could feel her warmth and the vibrations of her smile. It was better than he imagined. The material of her dress was so thin that he could count her ribs with his fingers if he tried to. Si Mok wondered if she felt how hard his heart was beating.

“Thank you for taking me to the party. I missed this,” she explained. The evening made her emotional and nostalgic for the past. She used to go to such parties quite frequently in previous life. Life before the Council fiasco.

“The food was good,” he said in a low voice, looking for something positive to say about the party. He wanted to prolong this moment as long as he could.

“Right, Ji Eun is amazing,” she replied, and remembered how impressed Si Mok looked with everything that the nurse put on his plate. “By the way, what was that? She kept giving you the best stuff. Don’t fall in love!” she joked, hitting him lightly in the back with a fist.

“There is no chance of that happening,” he murmured and pulled her closer, one hand traveling up to the base of her neck, sending shivers down Yeo Jin’s spine. The mood changed. She wasn’t sure if he did it consciously, but she wasn’t going to ruin a great evening by misreading the signs. She pulled back slowly, breathing the electric air.

“I should wash up,” she said, trying to relax the tension. He seemed flustered when he led her inside to give her towels.

Half an hour later, Si Mok left the bathroom and found Yeo Jin sitting on the sofa, her head leaning to the side on a small mountain of folded bedding he brought before, eyes closed. Her hair was slightly damp from the shower. She opened her eyes instantly when he entered the room, and quietly pointed to two cups on the coffee table. He joined her.

“I prepared the bed for you, I will sleep on the sofa,” he said, picking up his cup. Camomile. It reminded him of a similar setup years ago. How different the mood was now.

“Are you sure? I don’t mind the sofa.”

“I’m sure.” Si Mok didn’t know many ways of showing care for others, but he knew that giving them a better sleeping experience was one of them.

“Fine,” she agreed quickly before she suddenly changed the topic. It was a new habit that she blamed him for. “I’m glad you have a friend like Ho Sub.”

“Are we friends?”

“Of course! I’m pretty sure he thinks of you as a friend.”

He considered it, comfortable silence stretching between them. Si Mok didn’t mind being Ho Sub’s friend. Maybe he should offer to drop the honorifics next time he sees him.

Yeo-Jin put her empty cup back on the coffee table, the sound snapping Si Mok up from his thoughts. The woman stood up.

“I’m going to bed. Goodnight,” she declared, standing over him and mussing up his hair. He smiled so widely that it took her aback. She felt touchy-feely after a great evening so she dared to touch him more than she usually would, and his reactions were surprising. She half-expected him to cringe away, but this made her sensitive heart hopeful.

“You liked this!” she accused him in disbelief.

“Me?” he asked innocently, the smile already replaced by the usual passive expression.

“You definitely did!” she mussed up his hair again, this time more tenderly. He smiled lightly again.

“Cute. Goodnight, Si Mok.”

She left the room, closing the bedroom door softly. Si Mok set up the bedding on the sofa, wondering if it was a good sign that Yeo Jin found him cute. She called that old dog cute too. Another question to his friend, Kim Ho Sub. He laid down, staring at the ceiling and refusing to think about Yeo Jin in his bed. When he finally fell asleep, he dreamt of being in his office, surrounded by mountains of lunch boxes full of Ji Eun’s food.

Chapter Text

Yeo Jin woke up early and headed to the bathroom after enjoying just doing nothing for a while. Her host was still asleep on the sofa, covered with a duvet up to his chin. She tip-toed past him. He was still asleep when she came back and started preparing coffee as quietly as she could, knowing that the smell would probably wake him up. Yeo Jin thought that it’s not a bad way to wake up and he would probably like to watch the 9 o’clock news anyway. She poured a cup and looked over - he was sitting on the sofa groggily, wrapped in the duvet and only managed to nod when their eyes met.

“Not a morning person?” she asked, already knowing the answer. He shook his head without a word.

“Coffee?” came the second question. He shook his head again.

Only a long while later he started to look alive, and they watched the news before he dressed and they were ready to go for breakfast. The news ended on a happy note, showing aerial views of Suwon, a city near Seoul that recently finished a grand renovation of its old city walls. Yeo Jin was a morning person and was surprised to see the prosecutor, who always seemed in control, to be so vulnerable. When he finally started to look alive, Si Mok proposed a pho restaurant to warm them up before spending the day outside.

Wonju’s main attraction was the Chiaksan park nearby, but the steep trails were still muddy, so they decided to walk along the river in the city, enjoying the unexpectedly sunny weather. After a brutal winter, spring came quickly and even the mundane urban space looked a bit prettier than usual. They stopped at a shopping mall where Yeo Jin forced Si Mok to buy hiking shoes. He wasn’t convinced about buying them until the woman hit him in the arm and quite loudly commented that he’s not getting younger and healing a sprained ankle is not easy at his age.

It got dark early, and after a late lunch Yeo Jin had to head back to Seoul. They didn’t do anything exceptional that day. In fact, it was very close to Si Mok’s usual Saturday and yet, he decided he definitely enjoyed it. By the car, he tried to convince Yeo Jin to come in for one more coffee, but she refused with visible regret. She got into her car before she could hug him again, knowing that his nosy neighbor could show up any minute - he told Yeo Jin all about her during breakfast.

Yeo Jin drove without turning on the radio, allowing herself to spend more time than usual with her feelings. She didn’t know what to make of Si Mok’s actions anymore. He used to be so formal, but recently a few things have changed. Sometimes, the way he looked at her or the accidental but prolonged touches made her question if her crush was really one-sided. His response to the hug from the night before, the words he spoke, didn’t they mean something? Was he aware of how it could be interpreted?

Monday lunches together were becoming a new tradition for Ho Sub and Si Mok. Ho Sub’s wish to share his girlfriend’s food with someone who appreciates it was fulfilled by Si Mok, whose wish was to eat as many of the delightful treats as possible. In short, both parties were willing and satisfied by this setup, so much so that they finally decided to drop honorifics.

Si Mok ate with pleasure but there was an undercurrent of something akin to panic inside him. He fell in love so hard that he was drowning in it, and it was only a matter of time before he’s lost. He needed to stop the feeling before doing something really reckless. His mother used to say: “If you can’t feel anything, at least make sure you’re not hurting others”, and warned him frequently about using women. Si Mok stayed away from people just in case, until a few years ago. Now, he didn’t want to hurt Yeo Jin. The prosecutor waited patiently for Ho Sub to broach the subject, certain that the reliable investigator had some new advice for him after the weekend.

After discussing Ho Sub’s flat and his increasing costs due to going back and forth to visit his girlfriend more and more frequently, the man switched the topic smoothly to (unbelievable) Si Mok’s love life.

“By the way, about you and Yeo Jin. Are you not dating already?” the investigator asked directly.

“No. I don’t think so,” Si Mok responded with a shadow of doubt. Actually, what event triggers the dating stage? Did he accidentally start it and doesn’t know it? No, impossible, she would say something. The pool of panic increased a bit, adding non-consensual accidental dating to a long list of his worries.

“I will not tell you what to do, but if you want to, go for it. You two already looked like a couple!”

“Did we?”

“Yes. Even Ji Eun thought you two were secretly dating and you didn’t tell me.”

Si Mok frowned. He was starting to get a headache. He rarely reflected on his condition, but when he did it was during moments like this - when something so confusing to him was obvious to everyone else.

“So nothing happened after the party?” Ho Sub inquired.

Si Mok wasn’t sure what to say. They just came back and went to sleep.

“She called me cute,” he remembered. Ho Sub squealed.

“See! She likes you.”

“So, you think she would like it if I proceed?”, he asked matter-of-factly, in the same tone that he used when discussing his work.

Ho Sub was looking at him conflicted. Hwang Si Mok was not a normal person. This was true, and in his mind Ho Sub allowed himself to think about it without euphemisms. There was something different about him, and different people had more difficult times than others. Encouraging Si Mok may have a disastrous effect if Yeo Jin is not ready or willing to deal with the differences. The investigator sighed, making a decision. In the end, it will work as it’s supposed to. His role as a friend was to support them.

“I think she would.”

The prosecutor nodded, neither happy nor unhappy. In fact, maybe a little unhappy.

“Si Mok, if you don’t want to, you shouldn’t do it just because you think she may like it,” Ho Sub warned. Did he misread the whole situation, and the inexperienced man was feeling pressured to do something because it seemed to be the next natural step?

“There are things I want,“ Si Mok stuttered, tilting his head and looking somewhere to the side, his expression almost pained. Ho Sub wondered, not for the first time, what happened to this man in the past to be so distrustful and guarded. He decided to ask one day, but not at work - it seemed more of a soju topic.

“But I don’t know anything,” Si Mok admitted without shame. ”Can we explore other options? How does one fall out of love?”

Ho Sub was stunned. Only this man could suggest something like this so calmly, just after he was assured that his feelings are most likely reciprocated.

“To spare her pain if things go wrong?” the investigator guessed easily, having gone through such a thought process once in his life too.

“Yes.”

“That’s love. You love someone and you do your best. Sometimes it doesn’t work out and you end up hurting each other, and you take that experience and learn for the next time. Sometimes you don’t learn and repeat your mistakes, or get hurt in the same way. But even if it hurts, it’s still better to trust and try than not to,” Ho Sub replied with a monologue. It didn’t exactly answer Si Mok’s question.

“The probability…” he started, but stopped when Ho Sub rolled his eyes. He had never seen the investigator do that before.

“If you want to fall out of love, stop the contact. Stop it right now and eventually you will forget, “ Ho Sub said sharply. “But it looks like you care a great deal, and I think she cares too.”

Si Mok felt another wave of headache. What Ho Sub was suggesting seemed brutal even to him. How could he rob himself from having her in his life? She triggered all this, from the moment she invited herself into his car all those years ago to now, she was like sunshine lighting up the grey world around him. If he wanted to be dramatic, he would say that she saved his life. Si Mok decided that he’d rather try to do his best.

“If you don’t know, just ask. Talk to her. And if it’s difficult, write to her. Communication is the most important thing in a relationship. And you can always talk to me,” Ho Sub said with unexpected warmth after his previous comment. He regretted being so short with his new friend. He had never seen his ex-boss so doubtful and it threw him off balance. The investigator picked up the last piece of gimbap from his plate and gave it to Si Mok, hoping he would understand the apology.

Si Mok didn't risk angering Ho Sun further by asking for a different fall-out-of-love strategy. If someone as positive as this man was critical of this idea, it must be a really bad one. Staying in love it is, Si Mok decided.

The prosecutor spent the next couple of days in an unusual state for him. He was so unbalanced that even he was able to identify it - nervousness. If he understood Ho Sub correctly, he needed to tell Yeo Jin about this new feeling. This seemed doable, it was the great unknown beyond the confession that was stressing him. At work, Si Mok was always prepared - before the trials he did research, and before writing applications he absorbed all the available data about a case. Now, how could he prepare? The study of love seemed to include only practice, which Si Mok considered unfairly cruel for the first-timers. Occasional waves of headaches accompanied his doubts. Unfamiliar with such self-doubt, he had no strategies for dealing with it. His head seemed like a ticking bomb, ready to go off. It's been a long time since his last seizure, but Si Mok remembered it well enough to know this: the attack will come, sooner or later.

He walked to work every day and his current cases didn't require him to leave the office, so at least he could avoid driving the car. At work, every time he felt a ripple of pain, he begged his body to hold on and not betray him publicly. On Thursday, he felt better - he woke up determined to talk to Yeo Jin as soon as possible, not seeing a point in prolonging this torture.

It was on Thursday just after lunch when Yeo Jin called Si Mok to cancel their evening dinner. He picked up the call at his office, mindful of his assistant’s - Miss Park - curious gaze. He never got calls on his private phone.

“Hi, I was afraid I won’t be able to catch you before you leave Wonju. I can’t make it to dinner tonight, “ she told him apologetically. “I just got invited to work dinner with the team, and I should go. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,“ Si Mok responded, feeling heaviness that had nothing to do with a post-lunch glucose spike. He knew how much Yeo Jin wanted to be back on good terms with her teammates. This was probably the first invitation she got since the new boss arrived, so it was obvious to him that it’s the right decision.

“Can we reschedule? How about Saturday, are you free?”

“I’m free.” Si Mok didn’t add that he was free every Saturday. And every Sunday. He never had plans other than cleaning, reading and doing some exercise or walking during colder days. A memory flashed in his mind - watching news with Yeo Jin on Saturday morning, and her exclaiming how walkable and pretty Suwon looked. Si Mok visited the city once in school, but he didn’t remember much. “How about meeting in Suwon?” he proposed, feeling Miss Park’s gaze on himself again.

“Why not!” said Yeo Jin, sounding significantly happier than a moment ago, making Si Mok quite satisfied with himself. “Sightseeing and chicken then! Send me the details, ok?”

He agreed and ended the call. His assistant finally had enough decency to at least pretend to be focusing on her work.

Si Mok used the upcoming trip as a pretext to visit the bookstore after work. On the way, he wondered if it meant that he actually liked bookstores - researching Suwon could be done with a quick session on the Internet. He flipped through several guides, getting the feel of the city. Yeo Jin’s comment about chicken made sense now - there was a whole Chicken Street in the city, with over a dozen traditional restaurants serving this meat. She usually made Si Mok buy her beef when they met. With a rough plan in his head, he headed back home.

On Friday, Si Mok asked Yeo Jin how the work dinner was, almost crossing his fingers during lunch in anticipation of a positive response. She quickly wrote back an ambiguous message: “not bad not good”. He decided to pry for more details on Saturday.

Yeo Jin was eating her Friday lunch alone, which was surprising to no one. If they didn’t have plans for Saturday, she would regret cancelling her dinner with Si Mok for the work dinner the day before. Clearly, she was invited because her boss pressured his subordinates to include her. He wasn’t present at the restaurant, but nobody was stupid enough to believe that the Chief of the Intelligence Bureau wouldn’t learn about the defiance. At the bar, nobody was overtly mean to her, but it was awfully easy to achieve considering that no one spoke to her. But not all was lost, Yeo Jin thought, clinging to the fact that at least her glass was filled with soju every time they did shots. She wasn’t used to drinking anymore and spent Friday morning feeling miserable. She looked outside through the kitchen window; it was sunny and the weather forecast predicted an even warmer weekend. Few hours before the end of her shift Yeo Jin was already ready to start the weekend and spend it outside. She was supposed to meet Si Mok around eleven - early enough to grab brunch together before spending the day walking around.

The thought of seeing him made her smile unconsciously. She tried to stop her imagination from running wild, but it was stronger than her. The way he held her last week after the party has woken up hopes which she buried a long time ago. Her week was filled with restless nights full of “what ifs”, all building on that hug, bringing back memories of recent times when she caught him looking at her almost hungrily. They never talked about dating, romance or their past relationships. It was hard enough to get any personal info out of Si Mok, let alone something so intimate as this. And he never asked her either. Maybe she was so obviously single that even he knew it without asking, she snickered. Yeo Jin suspected that he was completely inexperienced and, most probably, disinterested in the topic and yet… hope dies last.

Chapter Text

When Si Mok arrived at the agreed parking lot in Suwon, Yeo Jin’s car was already there. She greeted him from inside her car when he approached, silently appreciating his outfit. Men in pullovers were her weakness. She got out and joined him. Si Mok informed her that the first stop on their self-organised tour was a recently opened building that was a modern crossover between library, bookstore and a shopping mall. He recited some more statistics that he remembered from the guide books he read. Yeo Jin was perfectly fine with him assuming the role of the tour guide, it was a nice change to be just a follower for a day. They walked briskly in the cold air of late morning that was quickly warming up. It was promising a warm, sunny day.

“Wow, this is amazing! I didn’t know there’s something like that in Suwon!” exclaimed Yeo Jin the moment they entered the mall.

“It’s new. There’s a cafe upstairs,” Si Mok said, pointing at the balcony ahead of them. They could see the tables surrounded by bookshelves through the glass railings. They directed their steps there.

“You really like books, don’t you?” asked Yeo Jin, astounded by the interior. The huge building was indeed half-shoping mall, half-bookstore, with shelves reaching impossibly high. The interior was sleek, contrasting nicely with the warmth of wooden constructions and colorful book covers everywhere.

“Do I?” Si Mok looked thoughtful. “Actually, maybe I like bookstores,” he finished the sentence with uncertainty. Yeo Jin noticed a long time ago how hesitant the prosecutor usually was when voicing his preferences. Even now, his statement sounded not far from a question. Yeo Jin patted him on the back with encouragement while they were climbing the stairs. He just needed a little more practice to be more sure of himself.

“It fits you. You should get a book here, as a souvenir from Suwon,” she offered.

They ate a small brunch with coffee at a cafe, observing people below, trying to guess their professions. Due to their jobs, their imagination was running towards shady scenarios. After Yeo Jin claimed that an unassuming woman in a jersey jacket was an undercover cop tailing another client, Si Mok, almost smoothly, changed the topic.

“How was the work dinner?” he asked, without diverting his gaze from the crowd below.

“Not bad. Everyone mostly ignored me. I was invited, so that’s good. But I’m pretty sure the Chief told them to,” she responded. Si Mok noted that she didn’t seem very unhappy about it.

“Is his meddling making it more difficult for you?”

“Not really. I’m sure they were annoyed, but they didn’t really show it. If he forces them to invite me a few more times, we will be best pals again,“ she said with a sardonic smile. “I’m sorry I had to cancel our dinner because of it.”

“I’m not,“ Si Mok said, and provided the explanation only when she turned to him with visible hurt. “I get to spend a whole day with you instead of just a few hours,” he looked straight at her.

If they weren’t in public, Yeo Jin would have hugged him right at that moment. It has always melted her heart when the usually guarded man unexpectedly said something so personal and direct. She opted for squeezing his hand on the table, and was surprised again when he held it, prolonging their touch. His gaze was searching her face, clearly hoping for some kind of response.

“Well…you’re always welcome, you know,” she finally uttered. It caught her off guard, how romantic it all felt, and how close this was to a date. “Let’s go explore,” the woman added, changing her tone to a playful one. He nodded with his standard unreadable expression and slowly removed his hand.

They lingered a bit at the bookstore, walking through the sections and admiring the modern architecture. On the way out, Yeo Jin pointed at the mystery books section at the bookstore. The books were hidden in paper bags that had labels with several keywords, including genre, trigger warnings and a quote.

“Our souvenirs! Look, you need to select a genre. I’m going with “philosophical sci-fi,” Yeo Jin said after explaining the concept, and made her decision instantly. It was a safe choice for her. Si Mok took a bit longer. He rarely read fiction.

“Unreliable narrator,” he finally stated, picking up one of the books that was also hinting at being about a crime. They argued a bit about paying for the items, and Si Mok let go when she threatened to draw him another picture as a present if he won’t accept the book.

They spent the day walking on top of the old walls surrounding the heart of the city. It was a beautiful Saturday and the downtown was full of people enjoying the weather. Si Mok’s eyes lingered on couples of all ages around them, wondering if he and Yeo Jin look like a couple to strangers too. Yeo Jin told him about dramas that were recorded in the spots they passed by, and she took plenty of pictures of the sights. When she asked for a picture of her, he took it with his phone. Yeo Jin smiling in sunshine, with a fortress in the background - he considered it perfect.

They went to a chicken restaurant only after it got dark, devouring the meal with satisfaction.

“My online campaign launched this week,” Yeo Jin pulled out her phone after she finished eating, and showed Si Mok some posts. “We had a good start. The mascot got positive feedback, and we have decent traffic on the website with cybersecurity guides.”

“Is the mascot a rodent?” Si Mok asked, looking at the screen.

“It’s a capybara. It’s super cute,” she pouted her lips, her tone feisty. It seemed like he wasn’t the first person to react this way.

“Yes,” he agreed instantly, convinced by one look at her face. She was super cute. “Can you send me the website?”

“Sure. By the way, do you have any social media?” Yeo Jin suddenly asked.

“I don’t.”

“That’s what I figured. Shame, I could use some more likes here,” she wiggled eyebrows at him, but he didn’t react. His online presence was already compromising enough if someone wanted to look into him. “And of course, you’re missing important updates from me. For example,” she pointed at the picture of her he took and sent her earlier, “maybe I will post this later. Too bad you won’t see it, along with all the other exciting updates you’ll miss.”

“Isn’t it safer from the cybersecurity standpoint to not have social media?”

“It is. But I like to brag,” Yeo Jin replied. It wasn’t entirely true, she rarely updated her accounts and mostly with photos of nature from her hikes. But it was a great day, and the picture was nice.

They left the restaurant after a couple of hours. It was dark but unusually warm for a late winter day like this. They walked through a park, heading towards their cars outside of the city centre, taking a longer path than necessary. Their conversation got quiet and subdued, both of them slowing down, wanting to prolong the time together. Si Mok realised that in a short while he will have to say goodbye to her and he didn’t manage to tell her how he felt. During the day he forgot that their time together was so limited, pushing his objective to a later time, hoping for a more convenient moment to say something so serious and potentially breaking their friendship.

He didn’t think much about it, feeling the pressure of time. He didn’t want to miss an opportunity, and he planned on doing this anyway. They were walking closely side by side, so he impulsively took her hand, surprised at how cold it was compared to the morning. She didn’t pull the hand out nor made a comment, and they continued their walk through the dark and quiet park. The path was almost empty, only a lone jogger passed by them. Si Mok didn’t know what to say and if the gesture was unambiguous enough, and for some reason he couldn’t force himself to look at her. He wanted to know what she thought, but at the same time was afraid of knowing. In hindsight, the gesture seemed too juvenile. He should’ve prepared a speech, he realised. Now, he was at a loss for words, barely able to breathe evenly. He was so confident in his eloquence and wit that it didn’t even cross his mind that he would go blank like this.

Yeo Jin’s heart skipped a beat when Si Mok suddenly took her hand. The atmosphere was electric, charged with something unspoken for some time now - but she hadn’t expected him to be so bold. She could count the times he had initiated physical contact on the fingers of the same hand he was holding now. She waited for him to say something, but he kept mum, not withdrawing his hand even when someone passed by them. She could no longer convince herself that his behaviour was just friendly.

“Si Mok,” she quietly spoke first after a long silence, “are you aware what it looks like?” She raised their joined hands a little.

“What does it look like?” He wanted to tell her what he meant, but the words failed him. There was no previous experience to draw from to explain it well. He reprimanded himself again for not thinking it through.

“It looks like you want to be more than friends,” Yeo Jin replied, her voice calm, neutral. They stopped walking, their hands still joined. Inside, she felt as if she was jumping from a cliff. It was scary, but liberating. Outside, she was channeling Si Mok’s calm. It was time to let go, once and for all, of doubts that haunted her. She’d spent so much time in love with him, there was nothing else left than to know if he felt the same. Whatever comes next, she can deal with it.

“This is correct,” he said, amazed how easy it was for her to describe the multitude of his feelings and desires in a succinct way. She turned to him, a smile slowly showing on her face. His face stayed neutral, as if they weren’t discussing their most intimate feelings. After years of knowing him, it didn’t bother Yeo Jin one bit.

“Me too,” she responded simply, leaving no doubts. She knew the conversation sounded like a bad script, but at least it was happening outside of her imagination. She waited for his reaction, searching his face in the semi-darkness surrounding them. For some reason, she felt it was crucial that he takes the initiative.

Si Mok didn’t say anything. Instead, he took her other hand and looked down for a long moment, before lifting his gaze, meeting her eyes. Yeo Jin’s heart was beating harder than during any of her recent hikes. She gave a miniscule node. He was going to kiss her, she knew it. She fantasised about it so many times, and now it was going to be a reality.

He leaned in hesitantly despite her encouragement, and kissed her quickly - just a peck, barely giving Yeo Jin time to register the sensation of his lips on hers. He moved back before she could react. When she opened her eyes, he was looking at her as if he was waiting for her to run away, squeezing her hands a bit too tightly for her comfort. It was almost funny how nervous he looked now, after everything they had been through together. Yeo Jin changed her mind and decided that he needed a bit of help in taking the initiative, and put her hands on his face before kissing him back. She kissed him slowly, and he responded obediently by mimicking her. Her hands slid to his chest and she could feel him gradually relax before Si Mok wrapped his hands around her waist to pull her close, and she lost track of time.

When they pulled back, he wore a tiniest smile and looked proud, still not letting go of her waist. She couldn’t help but smile too.

“I didn’t know a public display of affection was your style, Prosecutor Hwang.”

“There were no opportunities for a private display of affection,” he dead-panned.

“True. We will have to work on that.”

Chapter Text

The whole cafeteria was looking at them. Ho Sub just squealed so loudly that for a moment Si Mok thought that he morphed into a seagull. They both bowed apologetically in the general direction of other tables before leaning towards each other. Few smirks, raised eyebrows and curious murmurs later the attention was off them, and the normal buzz of conversations returned to the cafeteria.

“I’m sorry. Si Mok, you’re a man of action!” whispered the investigator, giggling as if he won a moderate prize in a lottery. Si Mok observed him stoically, although he could feel a smile forming on his lips. It was… nice, having someone react so enthusiastically to stories from his life, he thought.

“You advised me to go for it.”

“I just didn’t expect you to actually do it so quickly,” Ho Sub tried explaining, hoping that his lunch partner wouldn't ask more questions. While the prosecutor was always clear and firm in his opinions, his demeanor was generally considered meek by those working with him. Ho Sub estimated it would take Si Mok two to three business years to kiss Yeo Jin.

“So, you’re dating,” Ho Sub said proudly. Mentally, he added another success story to his match-making abilities, although his input was rather small this time.

Si Mok nodded, looking to the side before his gaze dropped to the food adoringly. He had no problems labeling this Monday as a great day. He was in love and dating, talking about it with his friend over a heavenly lunch. All of this would have sounded absurd to him just a month ago.

After lunch, Si Mok was called to the Prosecutor’s Choi office. It was an unexpected appointment, as Si Mok rarely worked directly with the chief. When he entered the office, Choi’s assistant brought him coffee unprompted - black with a bit of milk and no sugar, just as he liked. It was a subtle sign that Hwang Si Mok wasn’t the only person in the office that was paying attention to details.

“Sit down,” Prosecutor Choi ordered without flourish. When Si Mok obliged, he continued, “How long have you been here, Prosecutor Hwang?”

“Nine months, sir”, Si Mok replied, making a move in a game that he knew his opponent predicted already. He had no idea what this meeting was about. Their quarterly meeting wasn’t supposed to happen for another month. There were no cases in need of consultation, there was absolutely nothing out of order needing fixing in his work.

“What are your ambitions, Prosecutor Hwang?” the boss asked nonchalantly. Si Mok’s conversations with his boss were frequently chaotic, so such a question wasn’t out of the ordinary. Prosecutor Choi seemed to be a fan of a strategy of an attack on all fronts. Si Mok didn’t respond.

“Do you want to sit at this desk one day?” his boss inquired, tapping his finger on the title accompanying his name on the badge standing at the desk. Si Mok kept silent. He wasn’t suited for long-term people management, and such a high role included plenty of people managing.

“I wish to use my abilities well as a prosecutor,” he finally responded with something lazy but safe. Prosecutor Choi looked bored. Again, this non-committal answer was expected.

“You know that we move prosecutors every two years or so,“ Choi said, resigning from trying to get more information out of his subordinate. “But I will be honest with you. I looked at your papers. Your work history, your cases and recommendations from previous bosses,” he paused for a reaction that never came. No microexpressions crossed Hwang Si Mok’s inexpressive face. “You have too much potential to waste it away on routine, long cases like we have here. After this post, you’re set for promotion.”

Choi looked at him for a minute, but this unnerving strategy wasn’t working on anyone else in this room but him. Si Mok didn’t react, as this wasn’t news to him. They already discussed it during their recent meeting, so bringing it up again seemed like a waste of time.

“I have an opportunity for you. A post has opened, and despite your short time here I think you should try for it. Sure, we can wait another year if you want to, but consider. There’s no guarantee of something so good opening soon. Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the First Criminal Division, how does it sound? It’s a promotion, and it will open the doors to move to Special Investigations later. You will have my full recommendation.”

Only then the younger prosecutor reacted. A tiny frown appeared.

“Is Prosecutor Kim changing position?”

“No,” Prosecutor Choi responded, waiting for the inevitable next question. The young prosecutor didn’t refuse outright, which meant that he was interested. Hooked, thought the chief.

“Then which office is it?”

“Our one and only Busan. You already worked in the capital, so you should be more than fine there.”

Si Mok looked at the map hanging on the wall, as if he was checking the distance between the cities. It was a useless gesture; he knew the exact distance and time it took to travel from Seoul to Busan. Three hours by train, more by car depending on the traffic.

Choi Sung Hyung was surprised at his subordinate's reaction, who was looking at the map in the most intense display of emotion that Choi ever saw from him. He looked sad in a calm way, like a person who was about to go to a beach but it started raining. Did he miss something? Prosecutor Hwang was a certified loner estranged from his family, Choi was sure of it. And it wasn’t even that far away, his last post in the south had much worse connection with the capital, if this was important. This was a complication in the perfect plan of distancing himself from the problematic prosecutor. If Hwang Si Mok takes the position, they will both gain, Choi thought. Busan also gave infinite opportunities to make noise, if this was what his weird subordinate wanted.

Since their recent visit to Seoul, Prosecutor Choi was contemplating over what to do with this dangerous man working under him. Choi had a good, albeit unremarkable, career and he wasn’t planning on sullying it with an inter-office scandal breaking out towards the end of his working years. With someone like Prosecutor Hwang, it was a matter of time. How many people in his office were truly honest? How many had never bent the rules, never looked the other way? Choi couldn’t vouch for each of dozens of his subordinates, and he wasn’t going to wait patiently for this time bomb to explode in his hands. He had nothing to hide regarding his own integrity, but any bigger problem below him would force him into the shame of resignation.

Prosecutor Hwang was a good employee suited for this job, so the chief didn’t feel particularly guilty for speeding up his career at the cost of more experienced candidates. The caveat was that for an early promotion, he needed Hwang Si Mok’s enthusiastic, formal application. The position was in a grueling division but overall attractive for someone without ties, so Choi didn’t expect the slightest problems here. Of course, it wasn’t so easy. The problematic prosecutor wasn’t called problematic for no reason.

“Can I think about it, sir?” he asked, the sadness on his face untraceable in his voice.

“Come to my office on Friday. With or without the application,” agreed Prosecutor Choi. There was no point in trying to convince the other man. Clearly there was some obstacle that he needed to process. “I will send you the details by email. You can go.”

Prosecutor Hwang stood up and barely bowed before leaving the office.

Si Mok’s head was touching the cold tiles of the men's bathroom windowsill, his face sweaty after the shock his body just went through. He had barely made it from his boss’ office to the nearest bathroom before the attack came. Despite a few months’ break, the pain was as familiar as ever. High pitched sound, gasping for air, wanting to split his head open to free it from the insane pressure, it was all like a clockwork. He could easily imagine his internal, invisible time bomb resetting itself, already ticking down towards another time, another horror.

The pain subsided and Si Mok started noticing his surroundings again. Someone loosened up his tie, and now he remembered that a stranger’s hands guided him towards the window before patting all his pockets. He opened his eyes, bracing himself before the inescapable exchange.

“Are you OK? Do you need any medicine? Should I call an ambulance?” asked a concerned voice. A prosecutor that Si Mok knew only in passing was looking at him with eyes wide open. Si Mok shook his head with as much energy as he could muster. It was a mistake, because he instantly felt nauseous.

“Prosecutor Hwang, how many fingers do you see?” another pale face appeared. It was Prosecutor Lee, who Si Mok recently drove to the conference in Seoul. He waved his hand in front of Si Mok so quickly that his nausea intensified.

“Three,” he said hoarsely after swallowing with effort. If he vomits, they will definitely call an ambulance. Luckily, it looked like he half-guessed correctly, as the two men looked significantly calmer.

“Do you need anything? Coffee?” asked Prosecutor Lee, now more steadily.

“I’m fine. I apologize,” Si Mok stood up shakily and leaned against the wall. It must’ve looked really strange when he was kneeling on the floor, pressing his head into the cold tiles. He would be angry with himself if he could, but he just felt overwhelming tiredness. It was a short, but strong attack, and having witnesses made it much worse. The two men were looking at him expectantly.

“It’s nothing, I’m fine. Thank you for your help,” he said drily, fixing his tie as much as he could without looking in the mirror. He didn’t want to see how he looked right now. He’d seen enough in his coworkers’ eyes to make an educated guess.

“Here,” Prosecutor Lee gave him a wet towel, pointing at his face. Si Mok bowed slightly while taking it and wiped his face, waiting for them to leave. The men didn’t move.

“Do you have epilepsy?” Lee asked suddenly, and the other man cringed at the personal question. Si Mok opted for an ambiguous head movement, hoping that it would be enough to stop more questions. Miraculously, it worked. He really must look horrible for them to take pity on him so quickly. Prosecutor Lee moved closer, fixed Si Mok’s tie with expert hands, mechanically cleaned up non-existing dust from his shoulders, and finished the process with a strong pat to his arm. It reminded Si Mok of Yeo Jin, so he labeled it as a friendly gesture.

“I’m fine now,“ he repeated, but in the end Prosecutor Lee decided to accompany him to his office door, just in case. The other man left them alone, and Si Mok could only hope that he was as discreet as Prosecutor Lee seemed to be.

Back in his office and somewhat back to his usual self after a strong coffee, Si Mok absent-mindedly moved his mouse in a circular motion, pretending to work. If Miss Park noticed anything amiss with him, she didn’t comment.

Si mok knew what caused the attack. The proposed early promotion was like a gift too good to be true. Criminal divisions were infamous for the heavy workload and violent material, especially in big cities, but it wasn’t something that bothered him as much as others. Most of his work was like that, before the few white-collar cases he tackled towards the end of his post in Seoul. And the Council, of course. As Prosecutor Choi said, moving from a Criminal Division to Special Investigations Division wasn’t unattainable if he ever wished to focus more on bigger investigations. The promotion to Deputy Chief also sounded good. Management, but still with enough space left to have investigations on your own. Hwang Si Mok couldn’t help but admire how well his boss had picked the spot for him.

The problem was, Si Mok didn’t want the position. Not if it meant moving to Busan. He knew it instantly, the only reason he didn’t refuse outright was because the headache was already building and it would take more time to explain his refusal than to simply postpone it. Si Mok’s whole adult life was built around doing his job well, and going where he was ordered to in a belief that he was working towards the good of society. Now, for once, he wanted to put his own preference over the orders, even if it meant refusing a very attractive promotion. He wanted to stay in Wonju for as long as he could. If they move him far away the next year, he will at least have a year more of closeness to Seoul that finally meant something to him. And Wonju also started to find its place in his heart. For the first time in a long time, Si Mok felt close to someone. Not only Yeo Jin, but Ho Sub too. Someone could say it was only two people, but it was infinitely more than just a few months ago. By some impossible luck, his life stopped being about paying back a debt of his existence, and began to be about simply living it. He remembered the lunch that seemed so far away now, and the warmth he felt at the investigator’s expressive reactions. It was astonishing that it was this “heart over mind” revelation that made his nervous system short-circuit.

Si Mok spent the week without thinking about the issue anymore. Knowing so clearly what he wanted was liberating. He will wait till the standard end of his post in Wonju, and see what happens next, case closed. He also has spent little time thinking about the attack witnessed by his coworkers. He would've known by now from concerned Ho Sub if there would be any gossip about it.

In the evenings, he read the mystery book that he got in Suwon. It was “Lolita”, a controversial book that even he had heard about, and indeed it had an unreliable narrator, on top of a disturbing theme. Lies, abuse, manipulation and all kinds of crimes were part of Si Mok’s daily work, but he wondered how such a book was perceived by people whose paths have never crossed with criminals. On Thursday, after finishing the story, he decided to get another mystery book during his weekend visit to Seoul, this time promising himself to choose something guaranteeing a lighter topic. He was sure that Yeo Jin wouldn’t mind dropping by a bookstore.

The thought of spending the whole weekend with her was at the back of his mind constantly throughout the week. They texted about it and made little plans every day around lunchtime. Si Mok was almost sure that he was excited, even if he didn’t exactly feel it the way others seemed to. Yeo Jin invited him under the condition that he will go hiking with her on Saturday, and he agreed instantly. He liked everything about this idea.

Si Mok started Friday with eating the frog. He went straight to his boss’ office and was let in instantly. Prosecutor Choi’s happy expression changed immediately when he noticed that his guest was empty-handed. He gestured towards the most uncomfortable seat in his office, and raised his eyebrows expectantly.

“I decided not to try for the position you mentioned,” the younger man said without preamble. The chief looked at him with visible anger.

“Why? Is it too perfect for you?” he asked sarcastically.

“Personal reasons.”

“Will the personal reasons be gone next year when you’re moved to, say, Jeju?” Prosecutor Choi asked, the question sounding much more like a threat than he intended. It baffled him that Hwang Si Mok, who had no personality, had personal reasons. But the chief was an experienced man, and this failure to move the nosy kid away was just another thing that he knew he will have to accept. The anger started to leave him as quickly as it appeared. Meanwhile, Hwang Si Mok had no shame, because he actually smiled. That is, the corners of his lips moved upwards for a split second.

“I hope not.”

Prosecutor Choi sighted, looking at the map on the wall. He seemed to have calmed down quickly. In the silence stretching between them, Si Mok almost asked the question that he already knew the answer to. There was no need to say it out loud, it would only put a bigger mark on him. They both knew why he was given this opportunity, and as long as it remained unsaid they could maintain the status quo. Si Mok had a sensation that he couldn’t quite name, but it felt as if the knowledge weighed more than iron, pulling him down. How heavy will it get by the end of his career? He sat with such thoughts for a while, waiting to be dismissed. Finally, his boss returned his gaze towards him, face as neutral as Si Mok’s. They were both learning from each other and of each other.

“You can go. Keep up the good work,” Prosecutor Choi said, not unkindly.

Si Mok stood up, bowed a bit deeper than when he entered, and left the office. He ate the frog, now he had only one more workday to go through and then, finally, the weekend.

Chapter Text

Yeo Jin was squatting on a pavement, inhaling deeply cold, fresh air, a backpack at her side. It was still quite early. Late enough for serious hikers to already have started hiking, but early enough for families not to have arrived yet. The woman sipped coffee from the paper cup with a logo of the closest cafe, watching the parking lot in front of her expectantly. She came by bus and was waiting for Si Mok, who should arrive from Wonju any minute now.

Yeo Jin felt a bit nervous. She was excited to see him, but also unsure what their friendship-turned-dating will look like. Especially the physical aspect. When they kissed, it was dark and they spent the whole day together, easing into each other’s presence. Now, it felt unreal and out of character for him to reach out like that. Will he continue to initiate touch or was it just a rare moment? Yeo Jin groaned, feeling like a teenager while thinking about the evening ahead of them. Si Mok immediately agreed to her invitation to spend the night, but she wasn’t sure if he realised that she wanted him to sleep in her bed. With her in it. At the same time. He probably just thought she offered so he can save some money by sleeping on her balcony. She sighed, wondering what happened to the confident woman she used to be in her twenties.

A low rumble of an engine caught Yeo Jin’s attention. The prosecutor’s car rolled smoothly into the almost empty lot, parking with precision at a place closest to her. She stood up, walking towards his car with a smile that she couldn’t stop.

Si Mok got out of the car just as she was approaching, and all her worries about him not initiating touch disappeared immediately. His face was neutral as usual, but he extended his hands to her in an unmistakable gesture. Yeo Jin walked straight into his hug, laughing to herself.

“Hi,” he said neutrally to her ear. She really shouldn’t have worried about being awkward.

“Hi. Did you sleep well?” she responded, pulling back a bit to look at him. He looked rested, despite having to wake up early to beat the morning traffic between Wonju and Seoul.

He nodded, his eyes falling on her lips. Yeo Jin smirked and looked around. They were alone. She leaned in and kissed him, to the immediate, enthusiastic response.

“Good, we have a demanding hike today,” she whispered after a while, smiling widely.

When Yeo Jin said it was a demanding hike, she wasn’t joking. Si Mok was wheezing after the first hour of a steep trail, thinking about how weak he was. They were resting at a small natural platform between stairs and… more stairs.

“I thought I’m stronger. I run twice a week,” Si Mok complained in a deep voice between gulps of air.

“You are. Hiking is just different from running. Look how far we are already!” Yeo Jin patted his back, and showed him a map on her phone. She used an app that showed their trail and current position in the Bukhansan National Park. located close to Seoul. Si Mok squinted and leaned in.

“Our average velocity is 1.5 kilometers per hour!” he stated in disbelief when he noticed the stats displayed under the map. At least as much of disbelief as he was able to convey. The woman laughed out loud. He was too smart to be played like that.

“OK. You are not fit, ajhussi,” she joked, and laughed again at his offended expression, “but we can fix it. You just need to hike with me sometimes.”

“I need to survive this one first.”

“Well, at least there will be a prosecutor and a police on site if anything happens to you.”

Si Mok exhaled loudly, his heartbeat slowly coming back to a resting rate. Not for long, but it was something. He stood up, grabbed Yeo Jin’s hand and led her towards the steps, as if she was the one that needed resting.

Two hours later Si Mok decided that he definitely likes hiking. After the infinite stairs miraculously finished, the trail became a hilly path that offered beautiful, quiet views of mountains and Seoul below. On the way, they barely saw anyone - as Yeo Jin explained, the steep beginning of the trail discouraged almost anyone from using it. Si Mok wasn’t surprised.

But it wasn’t the lack of people, or the silence around them that made Si Mok like hiking. It was, of course, the meal. They were sitting near a cliff, their backs touching a huge stone behind them. In front of them, the remains of a picnic they just finished were laying and further ahead - a beautiful panorama. After the intense exercise, a simple kimbap tasted even better than Ji Eun’s delicious lunches.

Enjoying the views and sitting close for warmth, they talked about the past week. Yeo Jin agreed that the promotion proposed by Si Mok’s boss seemed very strategic. She tried not to worry too much about what it may mean, telling herself that Si Mok was a grown up man who can handle his career. They gathered their stuff when more people started passing by, and continued the long hike.

By the time they came back to the parking lot, the sun was setting. Their hike looped around several mountain tops, offering perfect views for the price of a steep way up. They spent the last hour of descent discussing food with all the seriousness of hungry people. Their imaginary order grew longer and longer with ease, as none of them had any restrictions. When they finally reached the car, Si Mok’s stomach growled when he noticed the cafe at the parking lot.

“Let’s get something small before we go,” he proposed. Hunger was a feeling he was easily able to recognize.

“Sure,” Yeo Jin responded, glancing at her sports app and then mischievously back at Si Mok “we are a few hundred meters short from a very nice round number, maybe we should go around the parking lot first? Personal record?”

Si Mok almost didn’t react, but she knew him too well not to notice fear in his eyes. He looked spent, so she took pity on him.

“Let’s get something warm. I will drive,” she patted his back gently.

A cup of coffee and hot noodles later, they were back in the car, energized. There was always traffic in Seoul, even on the weekends. They crawled their way through the city, discussing the news on the radio. An extraordinary warm spring was forecasted, and Yeo Jin felt elated at the thought of being able to move more outside. To see some colors outside of the grey office.

“I hope I didn’t discourage you today. The hike was quite long,” Yeo Jin commented while they waited at an especially long red light.

“No,” Si Mok replied shortly. The silence stretched. “Let’s bring more food next time,” he added.

Yeo Jin smiled, content.

After arriving at Yeo Jin’s place, they quickly showered, both hungry and conscious that if they sit down for too long, they may not get up. An hour later, they were outside again, this time walking hilly streets of Seoul in search of something hot and filling. They found a cozy restaurant, and Yeo Jin was immediately transported to their last meeting before Si Mok was transferred to Wonju. It seemed like a different life to her.

This time, they ate and drank happily, already making plans for the next trip.

“I’m good at hiking, so I will plan the perfect route, obviously,” stated Yeo Jin confidently after her second beer. “You’re good at eating, this means you will be responsible for provisions.”

Si Mok didn’t comment on the fact that being physically strong had nothing to do with the ability to read a map. He was a bit drunk, and he simply missed it.

“I will ask Ji Eun…,” he said slowly, noticing an elated look on his date’s face. “ for her kimbap recipe”, he finished. Yeo Jin looked at him, her smile faltering a bit.

“Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime, right!” she responded with faked enthusiasm. She extended her hand to squeeze his, and added, pleading, “Be sure to practice a lot.”

The man laughed. Yeo Jin was barely tipsy, so she was sure it wasn’t her imagination. He laughed quietly but audibly. She never saw him so free and relaxed, and she joined the laugh with tears in her eyes.

The streets were still busy with people when they walked back to Yeo Jin’s apartment, happy but tired after an intense day. True to their professions, they decided to watch late night news before going to sleep. Somehow they ended up cuddled on the sofa, comforted by each other’s presence while learning about today’s world’s tragedies. When the news ended Yeo Jin realised that Si Mok had simply fallen asleep.

“Aigoo. I think it was a bit too much for you,” Yeo Jin murmured with a smile while putting a warm duvet over him. He looked adorable, and it wasn’t only because of the duvet full of Pokemons that was wrapped around him. She considered just staying there with him, but she had spent too many mornings feeling like shit after sleeping on that sofa to risk it again.

Si Mok woke up to the sound of the refrigerator buzzing loudly. It was dark, and he groped for his phone to check the time. When he found it on the coffee table, there was a post-it note stuck to the screen. “Come to bed?”. It took him another moment to realise that he was in Yeo Jin’s apartment and he must've fallen asleep sometime in the evening. He checked the time - 2AM. Si Mok raised to a sitting position, already feeling a pain in his legs. He looked towards the bedroom and its open door. Should he come in in the middle of the night? Wouldn't it be surprising, even if she invited him?

Si Mok raised and dragged his feet to the bathroom to brush his teeth, spending the whole time trying to make a decision. He suddenly remembered Ho Sub's words about communication. When in doubt, just ask. The prosecutor washed his face and made his way to the bedroom through the dark apartment.

Yeo Jin was sprawled on her belly in the middle of the bed, taking as much space as possible with her stretched limbs. Si Monk kneeled near the bed and shook her arm delicately, before he could overthink the whole thing further. She stirred immediately, a policewoman used to being woken up in the middle of the night. She groaned and rubbed her face, slowly focusing her gaze on him.

“Can I come in?” Si Mok asked when she seemed conscious, whispering for no reason. She was already awake, looking at him slightly offended.

“Of course, come here” she mumbled, her voice hoarse from sleep. She smiled, half awake.

Yeo Jin shifted the covers and patted the mattress between them, not moving from her position in the middle of the bed. There was less space left for him here than on the sofa. Si Mok considered commenting on that, but decided against it. At least it looked like she was planning on sharing a bit of the covers with him. He had never shared a bed with anyone before, perhaps he should’ve brought his own bedding? When he laid down on his back, she reached out to the other side of the bed and smacked him in the chest with a spare pillow. He took it, grateful for the upgrade despite the rude delivery(he woke her up in the middle of the night, after all), and propped it under his head. Yeo Jin's hand stayed on his chest, making him suddenly very conscious of what was happening. When he stopped moving, she closed the small distance between them and glued herself to his side, and he covered her hand with his. Yeo Jin practically purred and immediately started dozing off, unfazed by the new sleeping arrangement.

In contrast, Si Mok’s heart was racing, and he focused on the woman's relaxed hand in an attempt to calm himself down. She was already back in the world of dreams, her face neutral and so warm and real on his arm. Si Mok traced the length of her slender fingers with his. His chest tightened when he put her hand down, his pulse stable again. His mind wandered to a memory of another hand, a hand that he destroyed in a fit of anger when he was a teen. Si Mok had never imagined himself doing something so brutal ever again, and yet he was astonished at such an extreme display of trust from Yeo Jin. Here she was, sleeping calmly after inviting him to join her in the most vulnerable state. Someone to feel so completely safe with him was another thing that he had never imagined happening. Si Mok felt a sudden urge to sneeze. He breathed deeply, trying not to wake Yeo Jin up. Sneezing in the middle of the night into someone's ear didn't seem like a good idea. In and out, he breathed, but the tightness in his brows, nose and eyes wasn't going away. He covered his eyes with one hand in an attempt to relax the muscles. When he touched his face he felt it was damp - something that could only be tears was slowly streaming from the corners of his eyes towards the ears. Si Mok turned his face away from Yeo Jin, irrationally afraid that she would sense the tears. Crying in bed during their first night together sounded even worse than sneezing. Even if they were the first tears of overwhelming happiness in his life.

When Si Mok woke up, the bedroom was empty. It took him a minute to remember where he was and why he was there. Hiking, Seoul, Yeo Jin. He looked at the clock, listening to a low sound of music coming from the living room. Nine o’clock, Yeo Jin was probably on her second coffee already. He felt so… at home. It was a strange thought, he considered - he had never felt at home in his own home, even - especially - when he was a kid. Si Mok raised slowly, feeling every muscle in his legs and back. His thoughts, usually so organised or at least sensible, were chaotic. For some reason he thought about how lucky he was to be so close to Seoul, really, in his position it was impossible to get closer than this. Another thought diverged from this one - if he will have to move again…

Si Mok stood up and quietly walked through the door. Yeo Jin was curled on the sofa, reading a book, so engrossed in it that she didn’t notice him. The coffee table was a colorful mess of paper and books and pens. The thought came back to Si Mok. If he had to move again… he would find a way to see her, even if it meant going to Busan and back every day.

THE END