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You ran out of the door, locking it behind you as you raced down the stairs. This was the worst day to be late. You had an interview today that could give you your first promotion that you so desperately wanted. You were seriously considering hauling a cab but you couldn’t find your wallet in your purse.
“Damn it,” you muttered under your nose, you must have left it inside. You ran back up, opening the door in a hurry and making your way to the living room where you thought the wallet could be. You looked everywhere. The dining table, kitchen island, even the coffee table. You were currently rummaging through the couch and checking in between the seat cushions when you heard quiet footsteps.
You felt chills go down your back.
Now, if you’d turn around right now, would there be someone standing? Or perhaps you’d just see your empty living room. That must be it, right? You must be hallucinating or something. Yeah, that’s it. You were stressed from work and you started hearing things. Maybe you should call in sick and postpone the interview…
While you were having this little pep talk, you heard more footsteps. Ok, you should probably turn around.
You whipped your head to the side and spotted one of your neighbors standing there with a ceramic pot in hand.
You let out a shriek, heart almost skipping out of your chest at the sight. Taking a few shaky steps back, you looked him in the eyes.
“Mr. Choi. W-what are you doing h-here?”
“Hmm,” he smirked, pretending to think, “I’m just here to say hi.”
“Okay. Then why are you holding my flower pot?”
His expression suddenly hardened as he started getting closer and closer, rapidly shortening the distance between you and effectively cutting off any of your planned escape routes.
“You got me there. I’m sick of you women being in business, that’s a men’s field. You are supposed to stay home and cook, not run around meetings,” he seethed.
You had to suppress the urge to kick him in the nuts. If it were under any other circumstances, you would have done so already but frankly, you feared your life right now. You wrapped your hands around your shaking form, controlling your breathing and waiting for your heartbeat to slow down.
The man seemed drunk, you weren’t sure if trying to reason with him would do any good but you had to at least give it a shot.
“Mr. Choi,” you started with a forced friendly tone, “everything’s alright. You’ve had too much to drink so let’s get you back to your apartment to rest, okay?”
The old man pretended to think for a moment, but when the sinister smile reappeared, you knew it didn’t work. You had to come up with something. Quick. You didn’t feel like dying today so you decided on the first reckless thing that came to mind.
You weren’t going down without a fight.
“Heeelp,” you screeched at the top of your lungs as you rushed straight at the man, knocking the pot out of his hand as it shattered on the floor. Your eyes were widened in fear but at least you had the weapon out of the picture.
“You, you bitch,” he groaned, feeling disoriented from it all and this was when you chose to strike again.
You felt the adrenaline rush through you as you pushed the man with all your strength, making him fall against the table and let out a string of colorful curses.
You caught him just in time before he fell over, you didn’t want to kill him but you were afraid that he would just go after you if you ran out right now. You kicked him multiple times, and punched him a little too, feeling your face heat up from the fear and exhaustion. Slowly, you stopped paying attention to him but that was a mistake.
That’s when he struck again. He came at you with a shard of the ceramic pot, waving it in front of your face.
You screamed in horror, quickly backing out and making a split-second decision. You decided to flee. You ran out of the living room, heading towards the main door and slamming it shut behind you. You would love to lock it but sadly, you didn’t have the key.
You ran down the staircase, taking two stairs at a time and almost tripping in the process before you finally got to the street. You saw a young man walking by and you ran to him with a fear-stricken face.
“Please, help me, sir. T-this man, he attacked me. He’s i-in my living room a-and I left my phone inside.”
You tried your best to explain but with how you were shaking and stuttering, you weren’t sure if he even understood you.
The man looked at you, visibly confused at first. He looked like he was in his early twenties, clad in slacks and a tucked in button-down with a coat thrown over. His brown hair was parted in the middle, revealing his forehead.
“Miss, are you ok? Did he injure you?” he asked, putting his arms on your shoulders and examining your face.
“N-no, I’m fine, I managed to outrun him but I’m not sure if he’s still in my apartment or not. H-he seemed really d-drunk.”
“Okay, listen to me please. I’m an off-duty officer. You will wait outside, preferably on the other side of the street while I will go inside and try to restrain the man.”
You wordlessly nodded, surprised by the fact that he was a cop. I mean, what were the chances?
“Which apartment do you live in?” he asked. “The one at the very top. Number twelve.”
He pulled out his gun from the inside pocket of his trench coat, slowly stepping inside the building and taking out his transmitter.
“This is officer Lee Minho. We have a case of assault on _____ street, 25. Top apartment, number twelve. Man, possibly under the influence of alcohol, attacked a woman in her own apartment. His state is unknown, I repeat, state unknown. Backup requested, bring a medic, the victim is visibly shaken up but hasn’t sustained any major injuries.”
He crept in stealthily, switching into professional mode as he walked up the stairs towards the top floor as you instructed him. In the meantime, you crossed the empty street to get to the other side in fear of Mr. Choi escaping the officer and coming for you. You watched his retreating figure until it disappeared completely. You hoped he would be okay, there was no telling of what your drunk neighbor could do.
Minho was at your apartment door. It was closed so he wasn’t sure if it was locked or not. He decided that announcing himself would be the best option so he knocked on the door.
“This is the police, I’m coming in,” he shouted, tightening his hold on his gun and putting his finger around the trigger. He opened the door and walked in. The place was a mess, everything seemed out of place and he had a feeling it wasn’t your doing. He made his way through the clutter, perking his ears for any sound of the drunk man.
Suddenly, he heard heavy footsteps and before he could even react, the man jumped him, throwing him to the ground. He could smell the alcohol on him, clear as day as he momentarily struggled to get out of his lousy grip. He managed to bring him down, wrapping his legs around him and turning around, switching the positions.
Now he was the one on top. He placed his gun back in the holster, laying the wrestling man on his stomach and pulling out cuffs.
“You are under arrest for assaulting a civilian as well as an officer. You have the right to remain silent. Everything you say may and will be used against you in court.”
Just then, three more officers rushed inside.
“Damn, Minho. I thought you were off duty today,” one of them chuckled.
“Yeah,” came his curt reply, “I thought so too.”
“C'mon Jisung. Help me pick him up,” he looked at his colleague.
“Sure thing.”
They both hoisted the man up, getting him on his feet and walking him out the door.
When they got on the street, Minho saw two police cars with the sirens still blasting and he spotted you talking to detective Chan, and Jeongin, the medic.
Chan was just wrapping up the quick questioning.
“Oh hey, Minho. We just finished here. Jeongin will have a look at her and disinfect the minor wounds she has and then we’ll probably take her to the station to file a report.”
“Mhh,” he muttered.
You were seated on a foldable chair with Jeongin kneeling in front of you, first aid kit sprawled on the pavement. He has just finished disinfecting the scratch on your cheek and applying some soothing creme on the bruises on your collar and arms.
The smiling boy was very kind, engaging in a conversation with you the entire time and cracking jokes every now and then.
A rather grumpy-looking Minho (you learned his name from Jeongin) came and muttered to the boy, “are you finished? We will have to take her to the station soon.”
“Don’t take it to heart,” he whispered, “he’s cranky like that all the time.”
The officer shot him a glare before walking to the other officers and discussing the case.
“Okay, I’m done here. They’ll take you to the station to file a report and then you will be free to go,” he gathered his supplies.
“You won’t be coming?” you asked, slightly disappointed.
He shook his head, “I’m not a cop, just a medic in training.”
“Oh. Okay, thanks a lot,” you smiled.
“No problem.”
“So, miss L/N, have a seat,” one of the officers pointed to the police car, “and don’t worry, you’ll be riding separately from him, ok,” he hushed when he saw your panicked expression.
You stepped into the vehicle, putting on the seatbelt as Minho sat behind the wheel and the officer you just spoke to took the passenger’s seat. You later heard Minho address him as Jisung.
When you arrived at the station, you could see the other car got here a few minutes before you as two other officers dragged a resisting Mr. Choi inside.
“Brr, he must be completely out of it,” Jisung shivered, making you laugh at his antics.
You were led inside, taken into one of the offices where you were questioned in more detail by Chan, the detective in charge.
He asked you to recite the whole story, starting from when you left in the morning to you running into Minho on the street. You explained how you forgot your wallet and had to run back to retrieve it. You must have forgotten to close the door behind you since you were in such a hurry.
You heard footsteps so you turned around and saw your neighbor, who you immediately recognized was drunk and tried to talk him out of it.
You then pushed him against the table, fought for a while, and ran out. From there, he heard the story from Minho himself. The man was walking down the street when you came rushing out of your building with a horror-stricken face and begged him to call the police.
“And there were no serious injuries on your part, right?” he asked.
“No. Only a few scratches and bruises.”
“Ok. They should be soon finished questioning Mr. Choi. Depending on that, you may have to go to court,” his face held some pity as your eyes widened.
“But I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?” you inquired. If you understood correctly, what you did was basic self-defense.
“Don’t worry,” he looked you in the eye, “you didn’t do anything wrong but that bastard may say something different. But I’m pretty sure there’s enough evidence to accuse him of assault.”
“Ok.”
***
They kept you at the station until four pm, the interrogation of a now sober Mr. Choi seemingly taking longer than expected. You could hear the aggravated groans from the room as if he wasn’t agreeing with what was being said.
You were nervously fiddling with the hem of your blouse, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep. Except you didn’t want to go back home. The memory still too fresh, not to forget the fact that your place must surely be a mess. Things were thrown out of their place, flowerpots, and plates in shards, and the glass coffee table damaged beyond repair.
You weren’t sure what would happen, you didn’t have anything with you - the only thing you brought was the ID card that was hung around your neck on a lanyard. Your phone, wallet, basically your entire purse was left at home.
And how would you even get back? You didn’t have any money to purchase a ticket or get a cab. You felt exhaustion roll over you in waves as you slumped down into the chair, feeling more pathetic than even. You just wanted to sleep. A single tear rolled down your cheek but you quickly wiped it off, hoping nobody saw.
To your horror, Minho was standing in the doorway, his eyes on you the entire time watching you like a hawk.
You felt heat rush to your cheeks at the officer catching you crying, it was already embarrassing enough that he had to witness you running out of your house and throwing yourself onto him, begging for help.
But you guessed he’s probably used to it at this point, being a policeman and serving the civilians. He must have seen many instances of scared people who looked up to him for help.
Your anxiety was through the roof, still not feeling like returning to your chaotic flat. You didn’t even have your keys for god’s sake. Did they even lock the place?
Minho could sense how nervous and impatient you were. He wanted to somehow comfort you, the sight of your fear-stricken face from the morning still fresh in his memory, but he wasn’t exactly the best at it. He knew he came off as cold, even rude maybe but that was just the way he was. He opened up a lot more once you got to know him.
He watched you wipe your tears, trying to suppress the onslaught of emotion but he didn’t expect him to look up and directly ask him, “d-do you perhaps know, h-how I’m supposed t-to get home? I don’t have anything on me, phone, wallet, nothing.”
He watched you hiccup before answering. “It’s ok, I’ll give you a ride so don’t worry.”
“Thanks,” you mumbled, “Oh god, I don’t want to return to that place,” you whispered, more to yourself.
Except he heard you. It was quite understandable actually, he wasn’t surprised you didn’t want to spend the night at that place alone. He was about to offer you something but stopped for a moment. Would he be overstepping boundaries?
But when he saw your terrified face, he decided it was worth a shot.
“You can stay at my place if you want. I mean- after what happened, anybody would be scared to be alone, you know-”
Omg was he rambling? You had to suppress a giggle at how flustered he became.
“It- it wouldn’t be a problem? I just… I really don’t wanna be alone tonight.”
“Of course, that’s understandable. The team sealed your door but we could go get your stuff first thing in the morning,” he finally looked up to face you.
“God, would that really be ok? Thank you, I’ll owe you big time-”
“Minho. You can call me Minho.”
“Okay. In that case, call me Y/N.”
***
You waited for fifteen more minutes, give or take until detective Bang emerged from the room. He politely smiled before whispering something to Minho and running off.
“Okay. so we’re good to go,” he remarked, motioning for you to follow him. You trailed after him, trying your best to keep up with his brisk pace. He led you to the elevator which would take you to the underground parking lot. It was awfully quiet, the place being nearly empty save for the few cars scattered around.
It made you wonder, were you perhaps too quick to trust this man?
You shook your head, it was nonsense. It’s not like you had a better option. Plus, he was a cop. A cop that helped you while he was off duty.
Whatever. You preferred to trust him rather than spend the night alone in your empty apartment with broken things everywhere.
You got so lost in thought, you completely zoned out, Minho watching you from the other side of his car with concern.
“Everything alright?”
“Oh… yeah, everything’s fine,” you embarrassedly looked at your feet, evading his gaze.
He let out an amused chuckle, going back to the passenger’s side of the car and opening the door for you. You stared at him, confusion evident on your face as he pointed inside.
“Will you get in or should I carry you in there myself?”
There wasn’t an ounce of hostility in his tone, only amusement as you finally scurried and took a seat, slamming the door with heated cheeks.
You took a deep breath, the car smelled nice. It was a sleek black Passat, with tan leather seats. You could tell he cared about the vehicle, he kept it in pristine condition, not a speck of dust in sight.
He put the key in, roaring the engine to life, as he backed out of the spot and headed towards the exit.
The car ride was for the most part silent. Not in an uncomfortable way, but you felt like you should break the ice somehow. You looked at Minho as he calmly switched lanes, not once tearing his gaze from the road, his breathtaking side profile on full display, the curve of his nose pointy, and his lashes inky black.
But he must have noticed you staring at some point. “Do you want to ask me something?”
The question startled you at first but you realized you had plenty of things you wanted to ask.
“Tell me about yourself.”
He didn’t even bat an eyelid.
“As you probably know, I’m Lee Minho. I’m twenty-two years old and I’m a cop.”
Well…that sure was…descriptive.
But you’d be lying if you said that his age didn’t surprise you. He looked very young, there was no denying that, but you somehow didn’t expect him to be that young.
“Well,” he urged you, “it’s your turn, kitten.”
You tried to not seem shocked at the pet name he used but it was proving to be harder than anticipated. Minho couldn’t help it anymore, he burst out laughing at your tomato face.
“I’m just kidding Y/N. No need to take everything so seriously,” he chuckled, urging you to go on.
You huffed angrily, turning around and facing the window. You felt embarrassment coursing through you. Why was he so damn cocky all of a sudden?
After you finally arrived at your destination, Minho pulled over and parked in front of a modern apartment complex. He wordlessly led you to the entrance, swiping out the keycard and pressing it to the sensor.
The door opened with a beep and you were welcomed to a clean and minimalist front hall that led to an elevator and a staircase.
Minho walked to the elevator, pressing the call button and waiting for it to come. The both of you stepped inside and he pressed the floor number as the doors closed and the lift took you up.
When it stopped, you got off and walked to the front door of his apartment. He slipped his hand in the pocket and pulled out the keys before sliding them in the lock and successfully opening the door.
“Welcome to my humble quarters.”
You let out a chuckle at that, stepping in and taking off your shoes. The apartment was sleek, minimalist, clean, and screamed accomplished person. Just like Minho.
“Here’s some slippers. You can go sit on the couch while I try to find some stuff I can lend you. Do you want anything to drink?”
“Umm, a glass of water would be great,” you took off your coat and placed it on the hanger near the door.
Minho went to the kitchen to fetch you something to drink and in the meantime, you looked around his place, in awe at how clean it was. It was so different from your place which was always messy, had dirty dishes in the sink, and heaps of unfolded laundry all over the place.
But that all came at a price. Your apartment, albeit messy, was very cozy, pretty much showing everyone who you were as a person from just the decor alone. Minho’s place, on the other hand, seemed so empty, void of emotion, and void of care or love.
It was obvious the man didn’t spend much time here, using the place primarily for necessary functions like sleeping. It lacked the homey feel and by judging the place alone, you’d say Minho was a lonely man.
“Do you want anything to eat?” came Minho’s call from the kitchen.
“No thank you. I’m fine.”
“Here you go,” he placed the glass on the coffee table in front of the couch you were seated on.
“I’ll go change and bring you something to wear,” he muttered.
You nodded, picking up the glass and taking a sip. You groaned, the water gliding down your throat and cooling you down from the inside. You forgot when was the last time you drank something. Probably when you arrived at the station and that was hours ago.
After a few minutes, a sweats and t-shirt clad Minho appeared in the doorway of his bedroom with a few items of clothing in hand.
He looked very different from before and his hair wasn’t styled anymore, giving him that effortless casual look. If you were being honest for a second, he looked like boyfriend material™.
You avoided looking him in the face, feeling the heat migrating to your cheeks at how handsome he looked. Luckily, he seemed preoccupied and didn’t look like he noticed you heating up like a highschooler.
“Here. I’m not sure if they’ll fit you properly but it’s the smallest I have,” he handed you the black pair of sweatpants and a white t-shirt.
“Thanks, I’m sure it’ll be fine. Can I use the bathroom and change?”
“Sure thing,” he pointed to his bedroom, “it’s the door on the left.”
“Thanks.”
You walked into his room, immediately noticing the wooden door to the ensuite and closing the door after you. Facing the sink, you started to strip until you were left in your undergarments. You freshened yourself up with some water before finding a small towel in the cupboard under the sink and drying yourself with it. You pulled on the sweatpants and t-shirt, marveling at how soft and fluffy it felt after spending the entire day in uncomfortable sweaty clothes at the police station.
You shivered at the memory from the morning, remembering in detail how scared you were. I’m safe now, there’s no need to worry, you thought.
Switching off the light and unlocking the door, you stepped out of the bathroom and headed to the living room.
Minho stood in the kitchen, rummaging through the fridge before pulling out some packaged meat.
At the sound of your footsteps, he turned around to face you, a ghost of a smile gracing his lips.
“You don’t mind steak, do you?” he questioned, waving the box of finely cut sirloin in one hand.
“Sure, I’d love some. Is there any way I can help you?”
He pondered for a while before muttering sheepishly, “would you mind peeling the potatoes? I’m not very good at that and always manage to cut myself.”
You had to suppress the urge to laugh. This was so unexpected…and cute. You hated to admit it, but it made the whole situation a whole lot funnier.
“Of course. Where’s the peeler?”
“In the drawer under the sink,” he pointed to the left of you.
You spent the next thirty minutes prepping for dinner, for the most part silently but Minho threw in some jokes here and there. You could see he was trying his best to ensure you are comfortable and you’d be lying if you said it didn’t make your heart flutter at least a little bit.
“You know,” you suddenly spoke, “I’d never peg you to be the cooking type. You strike me more as the I’m-gonna-order-takeout kind of guy.”
“Well,” he chuckled, flipping the steaks in the pan, “You should know I make the best steaks from the whole department. Jisung and Hyunjin always beg me to make them some.”
“Okay sure. We’ll see how good your steaks are.”
“You’re on,” he laughed.
“Holy sh- you were right. It’s delicious,” you groaned, the piece of meat practically melting in your mouth as you spoke.
“Tell me. Tell me your secrets!”
“It’s not that hard, to be honest. I always add a grated pear, some soy sauce, ginger,” he started listing the many ingredients that he believed made up a good steak recipe.
You stopped listening to him midway, instead focusing on devouring the mouthwatering treat before it cooled down.
Shoving a potato down your throat, you finally spoke up about what was on your mind for quite some time now.
“I really want to thank you Minho. For helping me in the morning, for letting me stay here, and for being so accepting and kind. I’m not sure what I would have done without you.”
“Y/N,” he grabbed your hand, looking you in the eyes and drawing soft circles onto it, “it’s fine, don’t worry about it. Anyone would have done the same. Plus, it’s nice to have some company for once,” he winked.
“Yeah, I guess it is.”
***
Tic tock.
The grandfather clock in the room kept ticking, something which you usually wouldn’t mind but now was serving to fuel your anxiety.
You lay in Minho’s bed, tossing and turning for god knows how long as you desperately wished to finally fall asleep, straight into the arms of slumber. Except you never did.
You rolled to the side, checking the time. It was one am. You could hear Minho softly snoring from the living room, remembering how he kindly offered for you to take the bed.
–Three hours ago–
“So. You’re probably tired after everything that happened today. I’ll go change the sheets so you can go to bed.”
“Wait, wait wait,” you stopped him, “where will you sleep?”
“On the couch. Duh.”
“Now this is where I say no. You don’t have to change the sheets cause I’ll be sleeping on the couch.”
“No, Y/N. Don’t be difficult, I’ll prepare the bed for you so you can get a good sleep, god knows you deserve it.”
“Minho,” you attempted to sound stern, “please. You’ve done so much for me already. I’ll be fine with just a blanket and pillow.”
“Y/N,” he said warningly before he let out a sigh, his expression softening, “please just let me change the sheets. I really don’t mind sleeping on the couch. And that’s not negotiable,” he added with a sly smile.
You just stared at him, opening your mouth to retort something witty but closing it shut when nothing came out. Minho dove back into the room, pulling off the sheets and changing them for a pair of new ones, freshly from the wash.
You thanked him multiple times before brushing your teeth and heading straight to bed, You dove into the sheets, feeling like you would fall asleep in seconds, except you weren’t able to succumb yourself to slumber. You kept rolling around, trying to find the comfiest position but no matter what you did, you couldn’t fall asleep.
***
You really didn’t want to bother Minho but like that, you weren’t going to get any sleep. It seemed like you were still frightened from the incident, the bedroom right next to the living room suddenly feeling a little too lonely for your taste.
You threw your legs over the bed, slowly standing up and carefully walking to the door. It was dark, the only light coming from the moon from behind the blinds. With only the moon’s glow to lighten your path, you wandered into the living room, immediately spotting a snoring Minho on the couch.
He looked so peaceful, a stark contrast to the professional cop™ you saw this morning. He was on his back, lips slightly parted and chest heaving up and down as he took deep breaths. You felt really bad for waking him up but you figured he’d be more pissed if he found out you hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep.
You kneeled in front of him, softly grabbing his arms and shaking him. Your attempt at waking him was futile at first, so you decide to up your game by tickling the flesh of his neck lightly.
He visibly frowns, tossing for a bit before his eyes shoot open in surprise. You mirror his expression, not actually thinking this through so you just settle on blurting out the truth.
“I'mtooscaredtosleepalone. Can you come sleep next to me please?” you blurted, eyes closing in embarrassment as you looked at the floor.
But then Minho started laughing.
It was an (insanely attractive) raspy chortle and it made you look up at him.
“Seriously? Of course, I can come. Is it because of what happened or cause you’re in a new place?”
“No, it’s because of what happened. I usually don’t have problems sleeping outside of home.”
He nodded in understanding, sluggishly standing up and giving you a hand, helping you up on your feet. The both of you walked to the bedroom where Minho collapsed on the bed pulling you down with him as you giggled.
He smiled in response, dragging the cover over you so you’d both be covered as he did something unexpected. He pulled you into a hug, wrapping his arms around your waist and resting his chin on the top of your head.
You had to suppress the squeal as you just lay there, feeling warm and safe in his embrace.
“Is this okay, Y/N?” he asked with a hint of concern, still making sure this was fine with you.
“Yes,” you squeaked, pressing yourself closer to his chest and inhaling his scent. Damn. He even smelled like boyfriend material.
“This is just so you don’t feel afraid,” he muttered, more so trying to convince himself as you absentmindedly nodded.
Sleep came quickly while you were in his hold, finally feeling protected as you allowed your eyes to close, letting slumber pull you in. When he heard your soft snores and felt your heartbeat against his, Minho smiled, falling asleep soon after.
***
You awoke to the sunlight coming into the room through the blinds as you yawned and stretched your limbs. You noticed that Minho wasn’t lying next to you, meaning that he already woke up. Blood rushed to your face at the memory of last night.
You slowly stepped into the kitchen spotting Minho right away. He was making breakfast, whistling a tune as he managed to further convince you he was boyfriend material™.
“Oh, good morning Y/N,” he chimed, flipping the pancake and returning to whistling the cute melody.
“G-good morning, Minho. You need any help?” you questioned, mentally slapping yourself for the stutter. If Minho could act like nothing happened, so could you.
“If you could take out some berries and whipped cream from the fridge, it would be great,” he smiled, pouring more batter on the pan.
“Sure.”
You rummaged through the fringe until you finally found a can of whipped cream and a small container with blueberries.
“Should I set the table?”
“That would be great. The plates are in the cupboard above the sink.”
“Thanks.”
You grabbed two plates and two forks, setting them on the table as Minho brought over a plate stacked up with his freshly made pancakes. You could feel your mouth salivating at the sight, they looked absolutely delicious.
Minho placed three pancakes each on your plates, topping them off with some whipped cream, a handful of blueberries, and a dazzle of maple syrup.
“I present you the Leeberry pancakes. A classic in the Lee family.”
“Leeberry? Seriously,” you chuckled.
“Well. I may have made that up right now,” he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck, making you laugh.
“Minho.”
“Yes?”
“Thanks. For everything. And I’m sure they’ll be great,” you smiled.
“Your welcome. I sure hope you like them.”
***
After breakfast, Minho received a call from Chan. The detective said that Mr. Choi denied what you said and was going to challenge you in court.
When Minho told you that, you could feel yourself beginning to panic. Court? You’d have to speak in front of a judge? How would you even manage?
He must have noticed your panicked expression as he turned to face you and tried his best to calm you, explaining the situation as well.
“Look, there’s nothing to be afraid of. That bastard’s just making it worse for himself. I’m literally your witness and I’ll testify for you. I’ll even help you get a lawyer, ok?”
“Okay,” you whispered, your beating heart starting to calm at his reassuring words.
“How about we go to your apartment now? Chan will text me once he knows more info about the whole situation.”
***
The two of you arrived at your place. Minho parked the car on your street as both of you made your way to the building. You rang your landlord, hoping that he’s at home right now but it seems like luck wasn’t on your side.
You tried again. And again. But after the fifth time, Minho began to pull you away, suggesting you return tomorrow. You would’ve agreed if it wasn’t for your phone and wallet still stuck at your place.
You were beginning to walk away, convincing yourself you’d come back the next day and everything would be fine but it still made you nervous to be this away from your phone for so long. Hell, you haven’t even notified your boss about what happened so she must have thought that you just rainchecked her.
But then, Mrs. Kim, your lovely neighbor, rushed out of the front door.
“Oh, hello miss L/N.”
“Hello, Mrs. Kim. Would you mind opening the front door for me? I don’t have my keys on me at the moment.”
“Of course, honey. Did something happen? I saw the police in front of your apartment yesterday,” she looked at you with concern.
“Yeah, Mr. Choi attacked me yesterday so that’s why. But everything’s alright now,” you quickly added at the sight of her worried face, “it’s just that my keys are inside.”
After your reassurance, she waved you goodbye, looking Minho up from head to toe, as she got in her car.
You both walked up the stairs, stopping on the second floor where your landlord, Mr. Jeon lived. After ringing the doorbell multiple times and nobody answering, you decided to at least go up and see if your apartment was at least locked.
You could hear noises which surprised you. Your apartment was the only one on the fourth floor so why would anyone be there?
“Mr. Jeon?” you asked confused as to why your landlord was up there, standing in front of your apartment with a maintenance guide.
“Hello miss L/N. I tried to call you multiple times but you wouldn’t answer. I heard from Mr. Kang today, that the police were here and that you were taken to the station so I used the spare key to get in and check on you. The heating system was shattered so I called someone to fix it.”
“Oh…yes. Right. It was Mr. Choi.”
Upon the frown he displayed, you elaborated, “he attacked me yesterday in my own apartment. Probably drunk. The police detained him already. That’s why my place is a mess,” you pointed to the shattered plates all over the living room floor.
“Oh my god! That’s horrible, are you okay?”
“Yes, it’s fine. I just didn’t have anything on me yesterday so I couldn’t return. My purse is still inside,” you explained, before remembering that Minho was just standing there.
“By the way Mr. Jeon, this is Lee Minho, Minho - this is Mr. Jeon,” you tried to introduce them, wincing at how awkward it sounded as both men shook hands. But it seemed like Minho didn’t mind, getting straight to business as usual.
“Mr. Jeon, you said something about the heating system being broken-”
You gasped, previously not registering that as your landlord gave you a look of pity.
“Pretty much. The control panel for your heater was completely destroyed so the heating doesn’t work in your apartment.”
“Oh no! Can it be fixed?” you asked in a panic.
“Yes, but it will probably take up to two weeks for the heat to be running again. I suggest you stay somewhere else for the time being.”
“Okay, thank you. I’ll book a hotel-”
“She’s staying with me, don’t worry. We’re just here to retrieve her things,” Minho cut you off, sending you a glare when you opened your mouth to protest.
“That’s wonderful. Thank you for taking care of her.”
***
You were in the car, Minho was driving you back to his place after you picked up all your necessities from your apartment. A part of him felt sad that he wouldn’t see you walking around in his clothes but it couldn’t be helped.
You had 17 unread messages and five missed calls, almost all of them from your boss. You bit back a scowl at the prospect of calling her but you knew it had to be done.
“Who is it,” he asked from behind the wheel, eyes straight ahead and focused on the road. You were glad he wasn’t a reckless driver.
“Just my boss. I was supposed to have an interview for a promotion yesterday. She must be going nuts.”
You dialed her number waiting for her to pick up. When she answered, it was hell. She screamed at you for two minutes straight before she gave you some room to explain yourself. You recited the whole story to her, from back to front, only sparing the fact that you slept over at a cop’s apartment. She finally reluctantly agreed to postpone the meeting by two weeks.
He parked the car in the familiar driveway of the apartment complex, leading you back inside. You rode the elevator to the fifth floor and Minho pulled out his keys to open the door.
The sight of unwashed dishes and slightly disheveled things welcomes you with an eerie familiarity, given you’ve only spent there one night so far. After pulling off your shoes, you disposed of the cloth bag with all of your necessities from your apartment and plop on the couch.
Minho laughed at your antics, joining you with the remote in hand.
“What do you want to watch?”
“Anything really, maybe a rom-com?”
“Sure.”
He scrolls through the Netflix recommendations before he lands himself on a rom-com where the main character’s a cop.
“Well, that’ll be funny.”
“Sure. You wouldn’t believe how inaccurate these are,” he chuckled, pressing start.
The movie was really crappy, the sappy love scenes meddling with the attempted crime-centered ones. The worst part was definitely when the male lead, who was an officer was talking to the female lead.
“Arrest me, officer,” she whispered, looking at the man from under her long eyelashes.
You had to suppress a laugh at the cheesy scene, your joy multiplying after Minho grabbed the remote and paused the movie. He launched into a full-on explanation of why this scene wasn’t realistic and how it would never happen.
“No cop would ever do that. He cannot legally use the handcuffs from the police for stuff like that.”
Taking a deep breath, you tried to calm yourself, taking a sip of water to wash down the salty aftertaste of microwaved popcorn. Minho was still voicing his opinion on the movie, making you fall into another fit of giggles which he promptly joined too.
After that, you both headed to bed, a mutual agreement between you that you sleep on the same bed but don’t further discuss it. Although it was only two days that you knew him, you couldn’t deny how your heart would beat in his presence or how safe you felt in his arms.
***
Six days later, you woke up to the day of the court hearing. You were stressed for the entire previous day, your mind refusing to let you sleep until you were in Minho’s safe embrace. It was getting quite worrisome - the way you depended on Minho for everything, like getting a good night’s sleep.
When he woke you up at seven am to give you enough time to prepare, mentally and physically, you started to panic, rambling about how you’d mess up or say something you shouldn’t. Minho comforted you, he believed you could completely trust Seungmin to handle everything as he set the plate of scrambled eggs in front of you. He went to brew you a coffee, then placing it on the table and claiming you’d need all the caffeine you could get with a cheeky wink.
You dressed in a minimalist dress with a suit jacket, brushing your hair and tying it up in your typical updo. You figured your neck would get all sweaty if you kept it down.
Minho reemerged from the bathroom, sporting black slacks and a tucked-in white dress shirt. A thin chain adorned his neck and his slim fingers were home to a few silver rings.
Okay…he looked smokin hot.
You tried your best to not be obvious, quickly scarfing down the food to distract yourself. The hearing was scheduled to start at eleven AM but you were asked to come at ten so you could discuss some matters beforehand. You felt the sweat run down your neck, not liking the fact that you will have to talk in front of so many people, your hands nervously clutching both yours and Minho’s subpoenas.
***
“All rise.”
You placed your hands against the table, pushing yourself up into a stance.
The judge went over the basic evidence of the incident before allowing the prosecution, aka Seungmin (and you), to present your story.
You were glad Minho told you to choose Seungmin. That boy had the memory of an elephant and could argue like a pro, constantly badgering the defense attorney of Mr. Choi.
He had just finished asking your neighbor, who was on the stand, about his alcohol tolerance and history of violent outbursts. The man turned red, turning into a stuttering mess and attempting to deny the accusations but Seungmin was unrelenting, not showing an ounce of mercy to the man.
You were then called on the stand. Making your way up, you were supposed to take the oath.
“I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”
Your voice, albeit still shaky, held determination as you looked into the audience, spotting Minho in one of the seats, sending you a quick thumbs up.
The defense attorney, Mrs. Kim, started to ask you questions. Ranging from why you left the door open to who was the first to come forward when you fought.
“Tell me miss Y/N… Why didn’t you scream for help or call the police right away? You claim to only have wanted to escape but from what I’m hearing, you stayed behind to deliver some punches-”
You were about to seethe back your response to her ridiculous question but Seungmin was already taking care of it.
“Objection, Your Honor. Badgering of the witness.”
The judge pondered for a few seconds before spitting out, “sustained.”
Mrs. Kim had no choice, but to rephrase her questions and let go of her rude tone.
“Is it true that you didn’t leave immediately upon seeing my client in your living room?”
You took a deep breath. “Yes. When I saw Mr. Choi standing behind me, I first tried to talk him out of whatever he was going to do but he was drunk and didn’t listen to me. He started spatting some sexist remarks and he held in his hands one of my flower pots.
He seemed like he was about to throw it at me so I jumped him, pushing him on my dining table so he’d let go of the “weapon”. I wanted to flee as soon as possible but I knew he’d go after me if I just ran like that. He’s obviously stronger than I am. I screamed for help many times, I guess nobody heard me though. While I was trying to think of what to do next, he came at me with a shard from the pot. That’s when I decided to just take my chance and flee. I crashed into officer Lee and from there on, you already know the story.”
After your testimony, the defense had no more questions so you were free to sit back in your original spot next to Seungmin.
A few minutes passed, and Minho took the stand as a key witness. He took the oath, just like you, and proceeded to answer the defense’s questions.
“So, Mr. Lee, you were off duty when miss L/N ran out the door and asked you for help?”
“Yes, she almost fell over and started to hastily explain the situation, panic evident in her face.”
“Did she know you were a policeman? I mean… you want us to believe, that an off duty officer like yourself was just strolling around-”
“Objection! Argumentative,” Seungmin protested, cutting the attorney’s attempts short.
“Sustained.”
Minho answered a few more questions, even looking at you once or twice to give you a ghost of a smile as he patiently answered the attorney. After he was taken off the stand, the judge took less than fifteen minutes to come up with the verdict.
She hit the gravel multiple times, ordering you all to stand up before reading the verdict.
“The court hereby finds Choi Minhyuk guilty of assaulting a civilian as well as an officer. He will be further trialed to determine the extent of his punishment.”
As to not look unprofessional, you withheld the urge to squeal and throw yourself on Seungmin, settling on shaking his hand and thanking him profusely.
When you stepped out of the courtroom, Minho greeted you with a smile and a featherlight kiss on the forehead, congratulating you on the win.
“We should go get something to eat. You must be hungry,” he dragged you through the crowd of people, heading towards the underground parking lot.
“Yeah, I’m starving. I’d eat a shoe,” you mumbled, and as if on cue, your stomach grumbled, setting Minho into a spree of giggles.
He opened the door of the car for you, like a true gentleman, and closed it behind you before stepping to the other side and slipping in.
You quietly sat there for a while, pondering on what would happen to you guys now after the hearing was over. He wasn’t morally obliged to do anything for you anymore, the heating system in your apartment being finally fixed today. You’d probably return to your empty apartment tonight and resume your lonely life.
It seemed like something wayed on Minho’s mind too, as he didn’t start the engine right away. Instead, he turned to face you and grabbed your soft palm in his before asking the question that had lingered on his mind all day.
“Y/N, I know that now, after the hearing is over and your heater is fixed, we technically have no reason to see each other…but I was wondering if you’d mind,” he took a deep breath, doubting his decision to ask you for a moment but deciding that it was too late to go back on it, “if you’d go on a date with me. For the past week, you’ve shown me how to enjoy myself and frankly, I really enjoyed your company. I’d love to get to know you better but if you don’t wan-”
You cut him off by pressing your lips to his, mending them into a chaste kiss. Minho was surprised, but after a few seconds, he didn’t hesitate to kiss back, placing his one hand on your waist in an attempt to pull you closer, and the second one going straight to your face, stroking the apple of your cheek.
The awkward angle proved to be a bit of a bother, as the two of you slowly parted after staying in such an uncomfortable position for so long. But If you had the choice, you’d still kiss Minho every time.
When your lips met, it felt like you were on cloud nine and you could have sworn you saw his eyes sparkle like they held entire galaxies in his orbs.
“Soo…I guess that’s a yes?”
“Of course it is you doofus. I’d want nothing more than to go on a date with you,” you whispered with adoration.
Finally, it felt like you found the missing puzzle piece in your life. The unpredictable spark that gave your something to look forward to every day. Or rather someone.