Chapter Text
Gil Young could hardly believe it. Here she was sitting beside Kwon Joo in a private room in a high-end restaurant, their host for the evening Mo Tae Gu, a man she had hoped to never have to lay eyes on again.
A day which had started off lovely ended with her protective instincts on full-power mode.
*** *** ***
Given the requirements of their job, they did not often travel far even on their days off. Unless Kwon Joo - or rarer, her - had particular places or activities they wanted to visit or try, more often than not, they would be found at home, or at favourite haunts in the city.
When they were chanced upon by Mo Tae Gu that afternoon, they had been tucked away in a corner at their favourite cafe, sipping on their preferred beverages and engaging in the occasional casual conversation.
He approached just as they were preparing to leave, slotting in smoothly, “Senior-Inspector Kang, Detective Kang, what a lovely surprise. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.”
He had stayed and chatted, sidestepping their desire to leave, instead pressing an invitation to dinner upon them. He had maneuvered it such that it had been difficult for them to decline.
She did not like the covetous way Mo Tae Gu looked at Kwon Joo. Intense. Devouring.
The slow, deliberate ways he slid his gaze up and down Kwon Joo, as if trying to commit each feature and contour to memory.
His penetrating gaze veiled something dangerous behind them, ugly and threatening. It made the hair at the back of her neck stand on ends.
And then there was the resemblance to Choi Yoon. It gave her unpleasant shivers how alike they looked. However, it was not too difficult a task to separate them in her mind.
Mo Tae Gu carried himself with the arrogance of someone privileged. Marinated in wealth and the hypocrisy of those who wield power. His mannerisms, the way he spoke, dressed and moved reflected his upbringing.
How the words which dripped from his lips sounded courteous and cultured, yet insincere. Or they concealed an unwelcomed intention. His mannerisms also seemed deliberate, a way to bring attention onto himself, smooth and elegant.
Perhaps there were those who would find those qualities attractive but she could only scrounge up contemptuous disinterest.
In stark contrast with Choi Yoon, who was graceful yet rigid, always shrouded in the shadows of sadness and solitude. Each word out of his mouth suffused with frankness, undergirded by grief. Pain and regrets she could commiserate with.
It made her miss him and she made a note to herself to call him later.
*** *** ***
Dinner was surreal and discomfiting. Mo Tae Gu seemed keen to impress, though for what purpose, she could not get an immediate handle on.
He had chosen something safe - traditional Korean fare - but on a level she had never tried before. Too bad she could not invite Hwa Pyeong along. She was certain he would be impressed. She, not so much.
Gil Young had enjoyed the delicious food unreservedly, she just wished it had been with better company.
As dinner progressed, his intentions were revealed layer by torturous layer. The naked interest and attempts at flirtation did not go unnoticed, so brazen was his behaviour.
“Please call me by my name. May I call you Kwon Joo-sshi, Senior-Inspector Kang?” Mo Tae Gu had intimated in a husky tone, unabashedly forward.
“That would be highly improper, Representative Mo,” Kwon Joo deflected without missing a beat, attempting to downplay her rejection of his advances. “We are barely acquaintances.”
He attempted a sheepish grin but only managed a facsimile of a dressed up smirk , “My apology for the forwardness, but I hope to deepen our acquaintance and look forward to the day when I will be given the privilege.”
His polished words and demeanor irked Gil Young, and she put a hand on Kwon Joo’s knee, under the cover of the table, giving her a light squeeze as a gesture of comfort.
Kwon Joo had a polite smile decorating the curve of her lips as she answered, “I am sure Representative Mo is a very busy man. Alas, as serving public servants, we are often pressed for free time as well.”
That was a nice way of saying ‘no interest’, Gil Young thought. Kwon Joo always had a deft, diplomatic way with words, yet no less authoritative.
She was less jealous than simply incredulous. Offended. While she knew Kwon Joo liked men well enough, she highly doubted Mo Tae Gu was her type.
Too charming, too flamboyant. Mo Tae Gu reminded her of a strutting peacock. If he did not annoy her so much, she might have laughed.
Objectively, as a conventional couple, they made a striking pair and even educational background-wise, a lovely match. She might be loath to admit it, but being wealthy and good looking were always advantages.
Nonetheless, she had absolute trust in Kwon Joo and their love.
Not to mention the fact that she could see that Kwon Joo was uncomfortable with the attention showered on her. It would not be something apparent or noticeable to others, because Kwon Joo was normally highly composed and few things ruffled her feathers, but the rare telltale signs were there.
The cadence of her voice grew just that higher pitched, the barely there lines near her eyes deepening. The emphasis on and enunciation of the words in her replies.
After nearly a year of close work and personal interactions, Gil Young had a good grasp of what made Kwon Joo tick.
Gil Young did not like it any better when his attention was turned to her. Something did not sit right and she chafed under his slithering gaze, coldly ravenous. And he was equally solicitous, though unlike Kwon Joo, she could care less what he thought of her rude responses.
She could be blunt and rough-around-the-edges with people, but she would also temper them as necessary. With Mo Tae Gu, however, she would have liked to be insulting but highly constrained by their social circumstances, she had very reluctantly deferred to superficial politeness of the lowest denominator.
He did not seem deterred, and plied her with as much compliments as he did Kwon Joo. What game was he playing? By this point, his intentions had gotten slightly blurred due to the way he spoke to both of them, not only Kwon Joo.
It was not possible he was interested in the both of them the same way, right? It seemed beyond preposterous and greedy.
After everything she had experienced, she dared not discount things beyond her own logic, however. Yet, she was loath to dedicate more than even a second’s brain cell to a man like him.
Mo Tae Gu concerned her deeply. Men like him could be dangerous. For the moment, they could not be certain what risks he posed. Kwon Joo did not need the extra hazard in her life, neither did she.
They dealt with dangerous situations and people daily, yet Gil Young could not have imagined that they would need to face it once again in a personal capacity. And just when she thought her life was finally getting a beautiful ray of sunshine in it.
Kwon Joo did not like the circumstances surrounding him any better than she did, but they did not bother to discuss it much. They had no intention of allowing him to take up more of their precious time than was absolutely necessary. After all, he was less than a nobody to them and they would like to keep it that way.
She had a premonition that this would not be the last they would see of Mo Tae Gu, despite the disparate worlds they lived in. A deep sense of foreboding lingered long after that dinner.
When not even a week had passed before he appeared in front of them, it was still disappointing that her instincts had once again proven to be accurate.