Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Just fucking answer me!" she shouted as she thumped the desk with her fist, knuckles whitening, making the interrogated one flinch, and returning its slump demeanor and its blank face directed to the one-way mirror behind the detective.

"Ugghh... I'm done with you. You know what? You'll live here for the rest of your life. Mark my words," she warns as she gathered all the evidence laid out on the table and placed it back into the highly secured metal briefcase. "Nothing but concrete walls, metal doors, and chains to keep you company." She taps her ID and the door slides open.

Men clad in black came rushing in as the investigator finishes her line of questions and exited the room. They pin the head of the new prisoner on the table while pointing their firearm directed to it. Others re-attach the restraining device back on its wrist. The person was escorted back to his cell.

 ~x~

"I'm sick of playing games. After years of investigating Mint Eye, we still don't have a proper lead on where their main lair is," MC complains to her workmate, Jumin, as she slugs another shot of vodka and tops it on the bar.

"I know you're a great detective MC," Jumin complimented her. "But in your line of work, you should kill your emotions. It will drive you insane if you linger on that hatred and frustrations you are holding," Jumin explains as he drinks his iced wine.

"Whatever. You're not holding this case and you don't know how to feel, how I feel," she raised her shot glass requesting for a refill of her alcoholic beverage. "I don't want to think about it anymore. I’m taking a long break after this case is closed. It’ll ruin my reputation if this comes unsolved.”

“You really need one right now though. I know a resort at my disposal if you want to break free from stress. You’re becoming irritable as the day passes,” He offers as he requested the tab for the drinks.

“You don’t have to pay for everything. I’m the one invited you to drink.” MC says swathing Jumin’s hand before he grabs his wallet. Jumin looked at her with his renowned stoic face and she immediately knew that he is not up for an argument.

“MC, let Driver Kim send you home. With the amount of alcohol you just drunk, I’m pretty sure you will not be able to walk straight to fetch your car all the more so is driving.” Jumin immediately called his driver before MC rebut the suggestion. “If you’re worried about your car, I’ll pay for the overnight parking so that you can pick it up in the morning.”

 ~x~

City lights of Seoul zoom past as the car sped up on the fast lane. The drive was short enough before MC starts to slumber. She thanked Driver Kim before she heads out grabbing her bag and a handful of files to study through the weekend.

As MC came to her floor and walked in front of her studio, she grabs her keys inside her bag only to find out that it was left unlocked. All her senses now are in full alert, all the alcohol in her system suddenly evaporated as she grabs the potted plant that is displayed on her front porch.

She pushed the door with her right foot with the slightest sound she could make and tiptoed inside while examining every furniture if in place as she left in earlier. Her eyes are squinting in the darkness, anticipating for any movement in her vision until someone tapped on her shoulder. MC jolts in surprise as she swung the potted plant over her head to her back only to be blocked by the figure.

“MC! What are you doing?” the blonde-haired individual questioned her with a puzzled look illuminated by the lights outside the studio.

“Yoosung! I don’t know you’re here. I thought you’re coming back next week,” she replied putting down what she was holding to the floor.

“Wow. That’s how you greeted your boyfriend now. I called and texted you a few hours ago. I assumed you haven’t read it,” he responded with a tinge disdain.

“Sorry, I was busy with work, you know that. And you also knew that leaving the door unlocked is a grave sin. I thought for a minute that someone has broken in.” MC gathered the discarded files and bag outside and locking the door this time.

“Yeah, you and your work. I feel like a mistress to your work,” he protested with a hint of jealousy.

“Ditto. That goes the same to you with your study, though watch your words dear, its paramour or concubine, not a mistress,” you countered playfully. “Anyways, have you eaten? I can reheat some of the leftovers I cooked this breakfast or we can order pizza or anything,” she offers as she goes to the kitchen to retrieve some leftovers from their fridge.

“Pizza! I haven’t eaten those in years! Try Pizza Hat or Don’t Me Know,” he requested excitedly. “I’ll just unpack my baggage in and put it in the closet,” he hugs her at the back and sniffles her scent from her neck. “You reek of alcohol. Have you been drinking?”

“I just took a couple of shots after work. It’s been a long day and one of my cases haven’t moved an inch yet. It may affect my career if it drags too long.” MC turns and hugs Yoosung tighter while burying her face in his chest, inhaling his scent. “I miss you so much. I wish you won’t leave this time,” she pressed her lips to his clothes. “I miss this.” She snuggles while running her fingers up and down on his back.

“Me too.” Yoosung inhaled her sweet scent through her hair. “But you really need to have a shower or I could run you a bath,” he proposed sensually as he can.

“A bath please.”

 ~x~

The two of them ate the pizza they ordered while they were cuddled up on the sofa. Legs are entwined together while MC’s back is pressed against Yoosung’s chest. The sound emitted by the television fills up the sound of the apartment as they catch up with each other updates of what they have been doing.

“The heat there is very suffocating but my team is very accommodating as we gather enough data and samples to test it back here.” Yoosung narrated his tryst in Arizona as they studied the animals and their habitat for his dissertation for a doctorate degree. “How about you? I know that you can’t disclose the facts of your investigation but at least give me some hint.”

“There’s nothing much to tell," she breathed. She knows too well that Yoosung would only press further and decided to give the details up to the extent she was allowed to. "You know the case I was handling before I transferred here in Seoul?” she inquired.

Yoosung nodded. “The biggest case in the country for having the largest illegal drug den, yes. Why’d you ask?”

“Well, we haven’t got anything to start on. We caught a suspicious man who is presumed to be the main hacker of this organization but with every threat laid upon him, he still doesn’t utter any word and it’s driving me crazy!” Thinking about it makes MC's blood boil. 

“I know you can do it. Maybe not tomorrow but soon. You’re not called the “best detective” for nothing.” He kissed her hair as he flipped her and she was now at his mercy. He looked at her face, amethyst-colored eyes peering her as he pressed his lips against her. The sweet chaste kiss turns into something different as he licked and bit her lower lip asking for entrance. MC moaned to giving a pass to his tongue as they elicit a dance inside their mouths. She missed this. She missed him. Before anything goes heated, Yoosung broke off the kiss as he continues peppering her jaw and her neck open-mouthed ones.

“I think we should continue this on the bed,” MC nodded as Yoosung slid his hands under her knees and brought her bridal style. He makes a bee-line to their bedroom and he lays her down. He continues his unfinished business biting off her skin near her collarbone enough to break off the skin that will surely leave a mark.

Before they continued further, MC’s phone rang sending the two to a halt. MC sat up at the edge of the bed. “Sorry, detective never sleeps.” She rolls off and reached her phone to the bedside table.

“Yes, Chief… What? How did that happen? With all the security? Okay, I’ll be there, just give me a moment.” She hangs up throwing the phone to phone to the bed and flops to her front burying her face to the pillows. “Arrrrrrrrghhhh!”

“MC, what happened?” Yoosung coos giving a rub to her back.

“The main hacker escaped.”

Chapter Text

“You mean the person you just told me a while ago?” Yoosung asked and he didn’t need a response to know how infuriated MC was. He has seen this side of her so often when things go south with her work. He thought that maybe he should be immune to this “Work First Policy” but he was jealous with the time she gives to her duty. Although MC reminded him for a thousandth time that he need not to feel this way, but the logical part of him thinks it is unfair of her. But he dearly loves her. He always do.

After composing herself, MC scrambles up and dash in front of her closet, change her clothing and put on a coat. Yoosung hugged her from behind intending not to let her go. MC twine her hands with his as she turns around to give him a quick peck on his cheek. “Yoosung, I promise that I will make it up to you after I attend to this problem. I’ll request for a weekend off up until Tuesday. We can spend the vacation on Chief Jumin’s recommended resort if you want to.”

“That guy again?” Yoosung loosened and drops his hands from her waist. MC looked at him directly, studying his facial features. “MC you know how I feel about this guy,” he continues. Yoosung brows furrowed at the thought. The person he rivaled with for MC but fortunately enough that he won. It was the greatest achievement he could have, more than being a top player on LOLOL, graduating early and being the top of his class combined.

“You know, I like the face you make when you are jealous but breaking news, you’re still number one to my heart. No one comes second,” she paused.  “Well except you make pizza a person then you have a formidable enemy.” She giggled. Yoosung face softened and returned the hug tightly this time. “Remember that.”

“I know.” Yoosung relaxes on what seems to be tension building inside of him and presses a kiss on MC’s shoulder. “And I am thankful for that. Let me at least drive you there. Please?”

MC nods. She really loves how Yoosung is very much caring for her. His presence alone recharges her batteries to continue her draining work. She was not going to admit it to Yoosung on how she really is stressed because he might force her to stay at home and doing nothing is not far off better than doing her passion, which is, solving crimes.

 ~x~

The drive was fast enough since the main street is like a modern day ghost town at this time of day. MC was about to tell Yoosung a horror story about what she has watched during her break time but then suddenly decides against it. Safety on the road comes first and she doesn’t want Yoosung to be distracted. She rested a bit thinking that she won’t be sleeping until she know the full truth about the escape. It was 2:34 AM when they arrived to the police station.

Yoosung opened the door for her as they parked in front of the station. “I might be here after two hours, the latest. I think you should go back to sleep, you just got home from a 13-hour flight,” she informed knowing that there will be rebuttals from him.

“I’ll just sleep in the car and wait for you. Please, I’m alright,” he blinks too many times, exhaustion is evident on the way he looks. “I’m okay. I will not allow you take a cab after this. It’s still early.” He pleaded. MC knows how selfless Yoosung is when it comes to her safety.

“But you will not feel comfortable sleeping here. I have my car parked near the bar which is just a walking distance from here.” She offered but she knows Yoosung will be stubborn enough to bite the bait.

“Please, it will be just for two hours. I assure you, I’ll be fine. I am not a kid anymore.” He held MC’s hands and placed a kiss over it and put both on his cheeks.

MC could feel the longing radiating from her hands through his cheeks. She really feels the same for him. She closes her eyes and grabs Yoosung’s head so that their foreheads were touching. “Okay, I’ll be quick. Please get some rest too. I’ll make it up to you. I just need to know what happen and request a break from them.”

MC retrieved her file case from the passenger seat and gave Yoosung one last peck on his cheek before saying goodbye. “Please, get some rest while I’m gone,” she requested. Yoosung nods and opens the door to the backseat to lay his body, finding comfort to get some nice nap.

 ~x~

MC enters the building and directly goes to her office. Her workplace doesn’t have much files cluttered on top of her table compared to her other colleagues. This is partly due to her recent transfer to this station and to some extent, she finishes her work faster than them do. This is not something she loves to brag about. She is very cautious to the peering eyes of her workmates not because she wants acceptance from them as her level but she’s afraid that at the end of the day, they might backfire her.

She looked through to the report enveloped on top of her desk. She skims scrutinizes for the general idea on how the hacker escaped. The narrative concluded that the hacker himself planned the escape but MC thinks otherwise. She immediately called Jaehee, the head of security team, to confirm her speculation.

“Good morning, Miss Kang!” she greeted, to cheery from her usual tone. “I have a couple of questions to ask you.”

“Is this about the statement we made on the escape of “Unknown”?” her inquisitive voice is too obvious through the phone line.

“You got it right! Based on the photographs and the original cell schematics, there are only two ways of he could have break out, the door and the window. Your team deducted that he escaped from the window just because of three metal bars, one was cut off. Based on the hacker’s body size, my guess is that he could not fit in those unless he broke some of his own ribs or removed one of his upper limbs. There is no balcony to support him from falling from a 30 meter high building and the tree behind his cell has no broken branches to limit the momentum of his flight down to make himself alive.”

“And your theory is…” Jaehee pressed on.

“There is an accomplice inside the prison.” MC responded to her with conviction.

“You know, it is not probable that anyone can just break in the security system…”

“But it is possible,” MC cut her off. “Send me a list of all the security team who entered the building for the last five days.”

“Got it, I’ll send it to you in a minute. I just need to get a hold of my computer.” MC can hear that she rushes to her office.

“Thanks, Jaehee! One more thing. You owe me a movie if my theory is correct.”

“Then that makes it an eight-hour movie marathon. I think my bonus pay will just go to the hungry eyes of yours,” she joked.

“Anyways, I’m taking a short break. Yoosung just gets back from his research abroad. Could you make a request from Jumin? Thanks!”

“W-what? W-wait…” MC hangs up her phone before she let Jaehee finish her response.

~x~

MC looks through the list that Jaehee sent. She filtered out all the redundant visits and limited her data into thirty-two employees. She pulls out all the information of each person from her database.

From her thought process, she’s aware that some security cameras inside the building are decoys to fool everyone to be watchful of their actions. The accomplice must have known either all the fake ones or pretended to be one of the security team. A great actor. She believes that the broken barrier was not a ploy of the escapee but of the accomplice. She discerns that a person might have come from above the building. A person light enough to be supported by ropes and small enough to fit through the window.

MC flipped through all the profiles that fits all the category. She stumbled upon a male with noticeable red hair with honey gold eyes. “Saewon Chan,” she mumbles. MC immediately called Jaehee to confirm her speculation. “Jaehee, can you connect me to the National Registry?... I think I found our guy.”