Chapter Text
She had always known, of course she did. But it was not something which had an impact on her lived reality or daily life. It was effortless to relegate the fact to the deeper recesses of her mind.
She had been given a rare ability, and had prioritized mastering it for her goal of public service than the more mundane need of settling down with a partner. That was not to say she had no dreams of a family of her own, but familial and other social obligations, plus the weighty responsibilities of work already ensured a fulfilling life.
Not only that, she had simply never met anyone she wanted to be with, man or woman.
That was before Kang Gil Young.
The records in her file spoke of a frequently reckless, violent and quick-tempered lone wolf. At times heedless of the chain of command. No stranger to disciplinary committees. The same file, however, also had her as an exemplary investigative detective. Proactive and persistent.
Detective Moo had taken a look at her application and file and decided that yes, they would accept her into his team. He said she reminded him of himself and if given the necessary support and trust, perhaps her problems with hierarchy could be mitigated. They certainly needed her diligence and quick-thinking.
A female detective in serious crime was still uncommon, and they had actually hoped for one in the Golden Time dispatch team, especially for cases which involved women as victims and survivors. She was just what they had needed.
Kwon Joo trusted Detective Moo and believed his judgment to be correct.
All of them would be proven right.
Kang Gil Young had proven herself a good fit for and valuable addition to their team, just as Detective Moo had predicted. Despite the impressions her file might denote, she was not unmindful of orders or authority when she perceived them to be proper and rational. A mindful team player when required of her.
Her sharp instincts, intuition and martial prowess were also good matches with Detective Moo’s, and he was highly satisfied with her relatively easy slide into existing team rapport and dynamics.
The biggest change Kang Gil Young brought into Kwon Joo’s life, however, was not competency in her duties but a quality infinitely more personal in nature.
She had seen her photo in the file, so she knew Detective Kang was a beautiful woman. Knowledge and lived experience, however, could be completely different in reality.
Kang Gil Young was not someone who ticked off the requirements of the conventional beauty standards of their society and time, but someone who went beyond it.
How her beauty shone through the minimal make-up, the way she carried herself, her dedication to her responsibilities. The grace and strength she embodied through her every movement.
It was bewildering, to be so enamoured with another person. Another woman.
When her mind was not preoccupied with the demands of work and the required focus for it, she would find her attention straying towards Detective Kang. She stood out, and even more so in a sea of men which was the serious crime division.
All that, however, could not explain the fascination Kang Gil Young held for her. Why her eyes would automatically land on her whenever there was a team meeting or gathering.
The building desire to know more about what made Kang Gil Young tick. To just bask in her presence. How calmly soothing she found her voice. Whether she felt as strong as she looked.
As rusty as she was at matters of the heart, she was nonetheless cognizant of the reality that she was falling for Detective Kang. When her heart acknowledged that thought, it had stopped her short for a moment but she moved past that easily enough.
What did it matter that Kang Gil Young was a woman? It made no difference to her heart. That was good enough.
After all, it could only be unrequited. Even that would not be something to agonise over, however.
In her line of work, filled as it was with human atrocities and tragedies, the blooming of love and desire were a beautiful gift, and instead of fretting over it, she simply wanted to embrace and allow it to fill her up.
Detective Kang was alone in a new city, and as her colleague and superior, Kwon Joo had thought she should make their new member feel welcomed, regardless of her own developing feelings and would regularly extend invitations to social activities towards her.
When her schedule allowed for it, Detective Kang would even accept.
They got on well and clicked together seamlessly. Theirs was the flourishing of a warm and deep friendship.
Nine months in, their relationship took a momentous turn.
Kwon Joo supposed it was just par for course that someone like Kang Gil Young would be stubborn, like a few other members of her team, Detective Moo included.
Still, to see it happen in real time with glorious Technicolor was somewhat frustrating, even for someone as even-tempered as herself.
That particular day had seen another tricky incident dropped onto their lap but fortunately, everyone came out relatively unharmed from the whole debacle, and the Golden Time team successfully closed yet another case.
Detective Kang had sustained mild injuries, yet had declined to be examined further at the hospital after receiving only rudimentary care from emergency services. She had insisted that an early night’s sleep would be good enough.
Detective Moo had simply let her off before her shift ended, much to Kwon Joo’s consternation. She should have been ordered to go to the hospital. It was just as well that she had the next day off.
As her own shift ended, she messaged Gil Young, intent on bringing her dinner and checking up on her well-being.
It was nearly eight in the evening when she reached Gil Young’s apartment, which she had visited a handful of times before.
She was ushered in after only two rings of the door chime. To her relief, Detective Kang looked much better than the last time she had seen her only a few hours before. “Gil Young-sshi, I brought dinner. I hope you won’t mind me inviting myself to share it with you,” she declared easily.
She received a beam in response. Her smile, a rarity while they were at work, never failed to cause her heart to flutter.
To distract herself, she added in admonishment, “You should have gone to the hospital for a check up.”
“It’s fine. Don’t fret, Kwon Joo-sshi. This is nothing. I am used to it,” Detective Kang brushed off her concern. Taking the takeout food from her extended hand, she moved towards the small kitchenette.
Kwon Joo followed, but could not help but to continue, “Gil Young-sshi, you need to take better care of yourself.”
As she arranged the food and utensils for two on the small dining table, she looked up at Kwon Joo and grinned unrepentantly, “I am. Stop hounding me and come sit down for dinner before the food gets any cooler.”
They worked together in tandem for the minor clean-up after their simple dinner. It was a shared quiet chore she had revelled in.
After they were done, Kwon Joo was chased into the small living room and she sat waiting on the sofa while Detective Kang prepared their drinks.
“Thank you,” she said as she was passed her herbal tisane. A glance at Gil Young’s drink had her commenting, “Coffee? At this hour? I thought you said an early night tonight?”
Kwon Joo only received a tiny smirk in return, as she took a sip from her mug before replying, “It is unlike you to be so naggy, Kwon Joo-sshi. This is decaffeineted, no worries.”
“I am sorry,” she apologized sincerely, knowing that she was slightly overboard with her concern.
She turned towards Kwon Joo, a smile playing at the corner of her lips, “Don’t be. I was just teasing. I do appreciate the concern even if I do think it a tad annoying.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you are insufferable, Gil Young-sshi?” Kwon Joo side eyed her, a teasing smile on her own lips.
“I got that all the time from Go-sunbae,” she admitted, a wistful, far away look in her eyes.
Kwon Joo could only stare at her, entranced by the lines of her beautiful features, which at that moment was haloed by her seldom expressed vulnerability. She returned Kwon Joo’s gaze, and she lost count of the minutes as they simply stared at each other. Something shifted in the air.
She could feel and hear her own heartbeat increasing its tempo. The sofa they were on was only a two seater but Gil Young scooted closer, and taking the mug still in Kwon Joo’s hands, removed it from her grasp and put both mugs down on the coffee table.
Then, Kwon Joo realised that she could hear Gil Young’s racing heart too. Unconsciously, she leaned forward, lips parted minutely.
Her eyes roamed Kwon Joo’s face and in a half whispered voice, she asked, tone uncharacteristically careful, “Kwon Joo-sshi, has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?”
Kwon Joo shook her head but before she could put her answer in words, her hands came up to cradle her face, soft and hesitant.
Their faces were only inches apart and she could see uncertainty in the depths of her eyes. Kwon Joo raised her hand to lay it atop hers, stating gently, “You are the gorgeous one.”
The touch of her lips on Kwon Joo’s own, tentative and light as a butterfly, provoked an answering ache in her heart. Desire and want flushed through her body.
She clutched at Gil Young’s shoulders and pressed her parted lips firmer against hers, deepening their kiss.
Three months after that night, she moved in with Gil Young. While they did not intend for it to be a secret, no one, not even her parents, had pried. If anyone had asked, they would have been forthcoming with their relationship. However, it would seem that none of those closest to them had thought anything out-of-the-ordinary, or curious enough to voice their reservations.
It was just fine by them.
One day soon, however, she would tell her parents. She could not be sure they would approve wholeheartedly but she at least knew they would be supportive, in time.
For now, she simply wanted to delight in the love they had found between them, treasured and all too precious.
All that, however, would change in the aftermath of the assault case on Mo Tae Gu, the heir to one of the wealthiest men in their city, country, even.
Neither of them could have foreseen nor predicted the tempest he was intent on bringing into their privately tranquil lives.