Archive of Our Own ^beta

“...Who could refrain,
That had a heart to love, and in that heart
Courage to make love known?”

― William Shakespeare, Macbeth

Han Joo Won is annoying.

That’s what Jae Yi thinks to herself when the silly man steps through her butcher’s shop with a disapproving air about him. In his arms is a large crate of soju bottles, the green plastic spray-painted with a white line on the side. (This way, Jae Yi can tell which crates belong to her and which belong to the new market a few streets away). Joo Won clatters the crate down heavily onto the nearest table with too much force. 

“Yah! Be careful,” she scolds him with a knife pointed in his direction. 

But he ignores her. “You told me to get soju when you already have enough.”

Okay, annoying is a little harsh. Han Joo Won can certainly be plenty annoying, even infuriating. But recently, he’s been more difficult, in an endearing way. Joo Won is an odd creature: elegant without grace, intelligent but in need of social smarts, precise but lacking in tact. He’s a good egg, even if he pouts too much. 

“Nag, nag, nag,” she tuts. “It’s a good thing you did, Ji Hoon-ah is bringing some of his friends tonight. You remember them, they love to drink.” Joo Won’s grimace is enough of an answer, no one could forget Ji Hoon’s other friends. 

Joo Won unpacks the crate, the glass bottles rattling and clinking with each careful placement. Jae Yi cuts into more meat, preparing for a long night of collective friendship and laughter. She was looking forward to it, as it has been the routine for many years of her life but it doesn’t mean she’s not tired. 

“Will you be staying?” She asks, not taking her eyes off the cutting board, running the blade across her gloved knuckles as she makes incisions into the fresh pork. Joo Won doesn’t answer straight away. He often doesn’t, as he needs more time than most people to think of his reply and that’s okay. 

“I’m not sure…”

“Ahjussi will be attending this time,” Jae Yi says, still looking down at the meat. They both know who she’s referring to and why. 

“Why would I-?”

“Come on, Joo Won-ssi. You won’t have to stay long, you can sit in your usual seat and have your usual boring conversations with Dong Sik.” Joo Won’s mouth opens to defend that his conversations are, in fact, not boring but Jae Yi cuts him off before he can. “That way, you won’t be stuck with Ha Eun-” Ji Hoon’s rather excitable girlfriend, who has an unfortunate fascination with Joo Won, “- what was she saying last time? I can’t re-”

“-She spent two hours trying to convince me to become a… ‘idol’?” 

Jae Yi is seconds away from laughing the street down when the sound is interrupted by someone else’s equally loud laugh. 

“Han Joo Won-ie, don’t look so offended! It’s a compliment.” Dong Sik walks in casually with shoulders shaking and every tooth on display.

Jae Yi would have to be blind not to notice how Joo Won both straightens his back and relaxes it as he turns to find the other man. She also didn’t miss the twinkle in her old friend’s eye as he greets the youngest in the room. 

“Lee Dong Sik,” the name sounds rather nice when Joo Won says it, especially when spoken with that signature annoyed tone. Dong Sik seems to agree if his grin is anything to go by. But that is nothing new. “It’s not appropriate nor a compliment.”

“Jae Yi-yah, can you believe this young inspector? He doesn’t like people thinking he’s handsome.” Dong Sik counters with a teasing sigh.

She doesn’t answer him, only offering a tight smile that he’s not even looking at. Dong Sik and Joo Won have invented a tiresome routine of using her as a canvas in which they throw paint, hoping to decorate the other in their favourite colours. In other words, they flirt through her. Sometimes she indulges them but today wasn’t one of those days. 

“Jae Yi-ssi!” Joo Won protests, his silly face dumbstruck with the horror that Dong Sik dared to call him handsome. It must be the best day of his life. Despite the showy display of false disapproval, he seems to come to life: excited and exasperated. She hates to admit that it's a look that suits him. 

He’s looking at Jae Yi as if she cares to help him. She glares in return and he sighs. “Lee Dong Sik-ssi, I don’t want Ha Eun-ssi thinking I’m handsome.”

“But it’s true, what are you going to do about it?”

That shuts Joo Won up and Jae Yi isn’t surprised, it even caused her to raise a brow. The old fool was getting braver with age. Joo Won is quiet for a long time after that, busying himself with sweeping and cleaning, whilst Dong Sik chats merrily as he helps Jae Yi prepare the evening’s food. Jae Yi wishes she didn’t notice the sweet little looks they give one another, or how brightly Dong Sik is smiling these days, now that he’s more settled and healed. She also can’t help but notice how he smiles most genuinely when Han Joo Won is the reason he’s happy. 

These days, even Joo Won smiles softly. Although, the smile is much smaller and far less often. But that doesn’t mean his eyes aren’t a poetry book of love stories and after each stolen glance, he adds another line to his sonnet. In general, these days, he’s softer all around. Less tailored suits and leather shoes, more wool and rosy cheeks, hands often full with something just to help someone else out. He stands tall without arrogance. His fringe is floppy and his face is often unable to hide a special fondness that is reserved for just one person in particular. 

That person has managed to distract himself from helping with the food. He is currently far too busy teasing the poor Inspector Han. He’s got the disinfectant Joo Won has been using to clean down the white chairs. It was a silly attempt to get the other man riled up, it works every time and soon, Joo Won is in his personal space trying to get the spray bottle back. 

Jae Yi sighs. They wouldn’t even notice if she left the room. 

Dong Sik is laughing but the sound is cut short. Joo Won has backed him against one of the tables, his fingers gripping the other man’s wrist, their faces far too close. They pause, eyes staring, hoping, wishing for the other to do something. Jae Yi looks away, giving them some privacy, forgetting that it's her shop and she can do what she pleases. 

There’s a mumble of words that she can’t hear and an exhale. Dong Sik lets his Han Joo Won have the spray bottle. He sheepishly walks away with a blush, retreating to safety next to Jae Yi- having bitten more than he can chew. The silly ahjussi does that often. He underestimates Joo Won’s ability to stand up to a challenge, just as Joo Won underestimates Dong Sik’s ability to be purposely obtuse. 

Jae Yi might have to bang their heads together. 

“Jae Yi-yah, tell this foolish man that he’s being-”

“Tell him yourself, Ahjussi. He’s your partner,” Jae Yi says quietly, so only the older man can hear her. 

He gives her a hard look. She smiles in return. 

The evening continues very much in the same vein. More of the usual faces arrive in dribs and droves until everyone is crammed inside her shop. It looks much nicer these days: expanded, repainted, redecorated with new furniture and tools. It is welcoming and modern, a much happier place to spend her time. Her mother would be proud. 

She’s enjoying herself. The group is getting along with the usual quick banter and gentle concern. Ji Hoon and Ha Eun only brought two of their less annoying friends, so hopefully, this time, there won’t be any embarrassing drunken tears. Ji Hoon also made the clever decision of sitting Ha Eun away from Inspector Han. She doesn’t fancy him, per se, her interest seems to be more along the lines of a science experiment. As if she views Joo Won as an unusual soul that could be so much more than he is if he followed her step-by-step guide. There’s no malice in her actions, more naivety. It’s a foolish endeavour, Joo Won is not the kind to take life advice from those he does not respect… and he doesn’t respect many.

It’s cramped tonight. Do Soo and Seon Nyeo are sharing parenting advice with Gwang Young and his wife Hyun Jung. The little toddlers play by the entrance (the doors locked with the key safely on top of one of the fridges). Ji Hwa is rolling her eyes as Kwak Oh Sub tells their new transfer horror stories from the past. 

Dong Sik had been beside Jae Yi, helping her bring out the dishes and organising the alcohol. But he made the mistake of giving Joo Won a plate and the fool let the inspector touch his hand. They’ve now been talking for ten minutes: knees and shoulders touching as they converse quietly, faces bent so mouths can whisper against ears. 

Jae Yi is about to ask him to help her bring some more meat over when Dong Sik abruptly sits back. 

“Hoel! You’re calling me stupid to my face!” He exclaims loudly, causing everyone to stop their conversations. The room stills as they silently try to figure out what’s going on. 

Joo Won doesn’t seem to notice their audience. Instead, he feigns confusion with a slight tilt of the head, fingers finding his shot glass. He fakes a sigh. “No, I’m not calling you an idiot. I’m simply equating you to one.”

He raises the shot glass to his lips, eyes alive with unbridled intensity. His lip twitches. Dong Sik laughs- no, he cackles, throwing his back until his entire neck is exposed with the force of a Jack in the Box. His shoulders are shaking and a hand clutches Joo Won’s arm for balance. His laugh is blazingly warm like a gas fire: exploding through the entirety of Manyang. Jae Yi’s never seen her friend like that before, she feels herself smiling.

Dong Sik rocks back, bumping his elbow against Joo Won’s waist. For less than a second, it looks like he might rest his head against the inspector’s broad shoulder. 

“Fuck you,” he says with a sweet smile and Joo Won stares open-mouthed, eyes burning like stove-top fires. He downs his shot before his happiness takes place on his lips. 

The room returns to its former splendour. From her vantage point, only Jae Yi can see that Dong Sik whispers something to his former partner and that Joo Won’s mouth twitches before he answers by tracing a secret message on Dong Sik’s back. 

After that evening, Jae Yi had been half-expecting to hear some good news. Finally, Dong Sik and Joo Won stopped being dense for two seconds and sorted themselves out. She wasn’t the only one, Ji Hwa and Ji Hoon both gossiped with her, commenting on how extra chummy the two men have been as of late. Only Jae Yi knew that after waiting for everyone to leave first, Joo Won walked with Dong Sik back up the hill to the older man’s house, arms swinging close by their sides and fingers grazing. 

So, when Han Joo Won showed up at her shop a week later, frowning more than usual, she was surprised. 

“Joo Won-ssi, what are you-?”

He held up a puzzle book as an answer. 

It wasn’t out of the ordinary for Joo Won to come to Jae Yi’s by himself. It started a few years ago and at first, it freaked Jae Yi out so much that she had to ask Dong Sik what it meant. He just smiled like the news brought him an unparalleled joy and answered: “Han Joo Won-ie doesn’t spend time with people he doesn’t want to.”

“Like a cat,” she laughed out her reply. 

But it made sense after that, everything falling into place like the final ingredient added to a jjigae. Han Joo Won reminds Jae Yi of a stray cat that bothers a neighbourhood: sticking its nose in kitchen windows, garden bins, and even jumping gates. Some residents of the neighbourhood pay it no mind, letting it control the pests, whereas others shoo it away with a broom. There are even some that leave out a food bowl. But only one is allowed to scratch its chin and see its belly.

In Jae Yi's case, the stray hissed at her whenever she went near it and rifled through her dumpster for scraps. So, for a long time, she sneered in return. But Jae Yi isn’t made of stone, she’s able to forgive when it’s deserved. 

Joo Won has spent many years as a stray roaming the streets, deliberating if he wanted to be adopted. It would seem he’s finally made up his mind. 

She pulls up a chair next to the stray, pouring them both a cup of tea. Joo Won thanks her quietly but his mind seems to be elsewhere. He opens up the puzzle book he brought with him and pulls out a pen from his breast pocket. As it turns out, they are both very good at puzzles. Jae Yi never struggles with the crossword section, whereas Joo Won, is a quiz kid with sudoku. It’s an odd thing to have in common but it’s still a nice pass time: a simple task to keep their minds busy and the conversation swift, as neither of them is naturally gifted at small talk. 

Jae Yi waits patiently. Like any cat, Joo Won will come to her eventually. 

“Jae Yi-ssi,” he says quietly, right on cue.

“Yes?”

“Do you…” He sighs, tapping the pen against the book. He bites his lip before giving in. “Do you ever find it hard to understand what Lee Dong Sik is trying to say?”

“No. But I can understand why you would.”

He nods, his poor little face scrunched into a deep frown. Jae Yi feels compelled to slap the pitiful expression away. He continues to fidget, tapping the pen against the table with no sense of rhythm. After a moment of silence, Jae Yi takes it off him. 

“What has Dong Sik said that has confused you, Joo Won-ssi?”

He shifts uncomfortably, rolling his neck and massaging his ring finger. It wasn’t like him to be so animated as he is naturally a still person. It must be Dong Sik’s influence over him. “The other night… I walked Dong Sik-ssi home,” he pauses as if expecting her to be scandalised by this news. She just nods as encouragement for him to continue. He sighs once he realises she already knew. “We were talking-” he frowns even more. “In his b- living room and I…” He groans, his hand balling into a tight fist. 

“You don’t have to tell me if it’s too embarrassing or… private.” 

“Private?” Joo Won scoffs at the word. Good thing for him that she knows he’s not scoffing at her, otherwise… Well, he knows how to use the door. “It’s the opposite of private.”

“What is?”

They both whip around in shock and relax in sync when they see Ji Hwa closing the door. She’s smiling pleasantly but her raised brow indicates she knows something is wrong. Jae Yi and Joo Won must look like co-conspirators paranoid that their latest scheme will be discovered.

A sheepish and childish expression appears on Joo Won's face as he picks at his nails with pink-tip ears. Jae Yi shakes her head with worry. “Eonni, what are you-?”

“I’m waiting on a report,” Ji Hwa walks over to their table with her usual confident stride. Her sharp eyes are taking in every detail, annotating it and filing away in case she needs it later as evidence. “So I thought I would have some food with you.” 

She takes her seat. “Hello, Han Joo Won.”

Joo Won bows his head with a tight smile that barely finds a home on his face before he’s frowning again. Ji Hwa rolls her eyes, crosses her arms and seems to jump right back into work mode. “What’s happened?”

Before Joo Won has a chance to run away from his problems, Jae Yi answers for him: “We were talking about Dong Sik.”

The alarmed wide-eyed stare she receives is worth it. Joo Won may come across as a bitter stray that hisses and bites but really he’s a lap cat that wants hours of pampering and love. 

Ji Hwa shares a look with Jae Yi, trying to gauge what context they were discussing Dong Sik. “Oh?” She asks with a forced lightness to her tone. 

Joo Won sighs loudly, as Jae Yi nods to her older friend. “He has confused Han Joo Won.”

Ji Hwa proves herself a cup of tea and lets out an exasperated sigh. “What’s he done this time?”

The two older women wait patiently as Joo Won fidgets with the rim of his mug before he takes a sip and gives in. “Ji Hoon-ssi’s thirtieth birthday party is this weekend.” They nod with acknowledgement and encouragement, “and Dong Sik asked me a while ago if I was going with anyone. I said I didn’t have anyone to go with because we’re all going. Every one who would be invited is invited, so why would I bring anyone else?”

Ji Hwa nods, “makes sense.”

Joo Won frowns, clearly thinking ahead of the story. He shakes the thought away and continues, “so, when I said I didn’t have anyone to bring, Dong Sik just smiled at me and said ‘yes, you do.’” 

His face scrunches up again into another deep frown. The blush on his ears has now spread to his cheeks. “So, I thought we were going to go together.”

Jae Yi and Ji Hwa share a glance. Ji Hwa frowns with concern and adds softly, “I can see why you thought that.”

Joo Won is massaging his ring finger again before he sighs trying to suppress his bubbling emotions. “He didn’t. When I was at his house the other night, I asked him what time I should pick him up… he just looked at me confused.” 

He laughs without any joy and rubs a hand over his face, the fluorescent lights catching the swell of tears at the edge of his lashes. “He then proceeded to apologise and say he’s bringing a ‘colleague’,” Joo Won spits the word out like its poison. “He never mentioned being that friendly with any of his colleagues.”

“Lee Dong Sik, that idiot.” Ji Hwa tuts, shaking her head. 

Joo Won is clenching his fists again. Jae Yi almost wants to pat them. She sighs, willing to play devil’s advocate, needing someone to be on Dong Sik’s side. He was an idiot, that wonderful friend of hers. A fool, really, not much better than the impulsive Han Joo Won he’s so fond of. He does some… unfortunate things in an odd attempt to protect his feelings. It’s as if he’s been unhappy for so long that he doesn’t know how to allow himself to be content. But he wouldn’t intentionally hurt Joo Won, that is certain. 

“Did you confirm it with him between those two conversations?” 

Joo Won’s already large eyes widen, “no, I thought we-”

“Maybe that’s why there’s confusion,” Jae Yi adds gently, “because you didn’t confirm.”

Oh, no. That only seems to have upset him further. 

“I can see why Joo Won didn’t feel the need to.” Ji Hwa adds quickly.

Okay, Jae Yi feels slightly bad because, now, Joo Won does look like he’s going to cry. Instead of giving in to him, Jae Yi adds: “Eonni, you know how Dong Sik can be.”

“What does that mean?” Joo Won asks, teary eyes darting between the two of them. 

Ji Hwa smiles softly at him with the same fondness she gives Ji Hoon. “You know how you sometimes need people to be direct with you, Han Joo Won?” He nods. “Well, sometimes, Dong Sik requires the same amount of directness. He doesn’t like to assume, especially when it comes to you.”

Joo Won sinks into his chair, deflating despite how normally straight-back and tight-lip he is. “Because of our history.” He adds with a faraway look. Gosh, Jae Yi almost feels sorry for him. He blinks and searches for confirmation from the women next to him, they both smile as they nod. 

Joo Won slumps further into his seat.

He fidgets, massaging his ring finger once more before running a hand through his hair and staring up at the ceiling. It’s odd seeing him so… relaxed but on edge; comfortable enough to show this side of himself. It feels like a privilege. But it’s not a surprise that he’s becoming more animated, especially as he spends all his free time with his former partner. Joo Won is most himself when he’s with Dong Sik; the older man doesn’t even need to be in the same room, if he’s with him in spirit, Joo Won lets go of his façade. 

He bites his lip. “I wanted us to go together. I thought maybe…”

He doesn’t finish his sentence. He doesn’t need to, as they all know what he’s been wishing for.

Jae Yi catches Ji Hwa’s worried gaze. Silently, with a tilt of her head, she asks for her opinion and after she receives a cautious nod, Jae Yi asks: “Does Dong Sik-ssi know how you feel about him?”

Joo Won sighs and sits back up, sipping his tea. “He’s smart, so probably. There’s been- we’ve…” He clears his throat. “But I’ve never said it in so many words and he’s never asked… so… I guess not.”

The three of them continue to drink their tea. Jae Yi doesn’t like sitting for too long in the weight of someone else’s sorrow, she has more than enough of her own. So, she gets up and retrieves some leftovers and prepares the food. Why be sad on an empty stomach when you could be sad with a belly full?

“Are you still coming? I know Ji Hoon-ah wants you there,” Ji Hwa asks.

Joo Won doesn’t answer straight away, which is not unusual. After a moment or two of silence, Jae Yi looks up to see that Joo Won was staring at her with a very determined look. Oh no, that can only mean trouble. He raises a brow in a way that begs: please come with me.

“No.” Jae Yi points her knife at him. 

Dong Sik… You silly, silly man. 

Han Joo Won, the equally silly bastard, visibly deflates and then has the nerve to pout. How does Dong Sik say no to that face? With difficulty, she presumes because it’s working even on her. Ji Hwa is laughing behind her cup, making it all worse. Why did Jae Yi have to be a nice person? 

“Fine,” she groans and Joo Won’s stupid face does the closest thing to a smile it can manage. “You can pick me up. That way, I won’t have to waste money on petrol.”

He’s nodding enthusiastically. She raises a brow and points her knife at him again. “But I’m not there to keep you entertained or pat your back when you get jealous. Okay? I’m there for Ji Hoon-ah.”

She should have threatened him with a bigger knife because that’s exactly what ends up happening. 

Joo Won arrived outside her shop fifteen minutes later than the time they agreed on. His car is often in a good condition but tonight it is immaculate, like a swanky western advertisement with a ‘hit’ actor and a nameless model. Out of the two of them, Jae Yi prefers to think of Joo Won as the model. It’s a fanciful thought that’s supported by how he’s dolled himself up: serious, in all black, expensive fabrics, just the right amount of product in his hair, pointed-tip boots, all topped off with a ridiculous wristwatch.

Jae Yi is wearing one of her nicer dresses. Green and flowing, with an extravagant collar and dramatic sleeves. She’s even got her new shoes on. Joo Won doesn’t even bother to give her a second glance, he’s too busy checking for messages he won’t receive and searching for a face that won’t appear. Jeeze, some people are so self-centred. 

They arrive late and Jae Yi has a sneaking suspicion that he’s done it on purpose. They pull into a busy parking lot in a quieter outskirt of Seoul and after finding a space big enough for Joo Won’s ridiculous car, Jae Yi bobs and weaves between the cars trying to catch a glimpse of their friends. They find them huddled together under a concrete awning, which dramatically sweeps over the entryway, protecting the patrons of this establishment from the trickling rain. The group are chatting between the concrete pillars soaked in the light of neon signs adorning the multistorey building. 

Ji Hoon is the first to spot them. He beams when he sees them both - dimples galore - every tooth on display. He skips to the edge of the awning’s cover and waves full-heartedly. “What time do you call this?”

“Don’t blame me, Joo Won-ssi has forgotten how to drive,” Jae Yi complains, shooting Joo Won a teasing smirk which he doesn’t seem to notice. She tries to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach, the itching worry that something is about to happen.

“Noona! Don’t be mean, Joo Won-ssi drives so carefully these days. It must be all the elderly he saves-”

“Or he’s spent too long driving Dong Sik-ssi around,” Ha Eun teases with a beaming smile, her hand cupping her mouth to add some extra flare to her stage whisper. 

“Aish, who are you calling old?” Calls the man in question from where he was talking with Ji Hwa and what looks like his plus one. His features erupt into a dazzling smile and only seem to grow when he spots Joo Won, “Am I old, Joo Won-ah?”

Jae Yi doesn’t see or hear what the inspector replies, as he’s standing behind her almost acting as if she were his sword and shield. Instead of overseeing his silly problems, she focuses her attention on the birthday boy. “Here you go,” she hands Ji Hoon a large gift bag.

Ji Hoon takes it enthusiastically and the others gather around as the bag clinks with the clatter of metal. Ji Hoon pulls out the contents: inside is a set of high-quality knives inside a wooden knife block. Yes, they were ones Jae Yi had been using for a little while but they were still in brilliant condition. She may be a butcher but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t treat her equipment with the same respect as any Michelin star chef. 

Ji Hoon frowns. “Your old knives-”

“Yah, don’t be ungrateful namdongsaeng! It took me a day and an age to sharpen them.” Jae Yi and Dong Sik smile, before laughing the same laugh. They continue to giggle as Ji Hwa takes the gift bag from her brother for safekeeping, giving him a knowing smile. He does an… okay job at hiding his disappointment. What a baby. 

“Here.”

Suddenly there’s an arm in front of Jae Yi’s face and it takes a blink and a second for her to realise that Joo Won is holding something out to Ji Hoon. There, in his hand is a chunky black box, quite small in size and luxurious in texture and quality. 

Ji Hoon gasps as soon as he sees it. “Joo Won- What is-?”

He takes the box with great excitement, barely containing himself as he opens it up and is stunned into silence as he sees the goods within. Inside, between plush cushions, sits a sleek black watch with a black strap and bright white numbers embellishing the face. It looks ridiculous and extremely expensive. Dong Sik inhales, “is that your-?” 

“Yes.” Joo Won answers, voice barely above a whisper. 

“Heol!” Ji Hoon curses a few more times, barely able to contain his excitement. “Joo Won-ah, I can’t accept this! This is-”

“Would you rather I throw it away?” Joo Won asks, completely deadpan.

Ji Hoon erupts like a frizzling bottle of bubbly, overspilling as the cork is popped. He dives forward and engulfs Joo Won in a tight one-arm hug. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” 

There’s a smattering of laughter from the rest of the group, which only grows as Joo Won leans as far physically possible away from the hug. He is definitely a cat. Ji Hoon laughs loudly as he lets the older man go, particularly bouncing back his girlfriend to show her his new priced gift. She helps him put it on and as she adjusts the band, the rest of her friends arrive with a loud cheer of excitement. 

“Hello, by the way.” Dong Sik says quietly as he bumps his shoulder with Joo Won. The younger bows stiffly causing Dong Sik to tilt his head amused but baffled nonetheless.

“Did you-?”

“We’ve not been introduced. I’m Inspector Han Joo Won.” Joo Won side steps Dong Sik to address the quiet man who has been patiently waiting.

He wasn’t that much older than Dong Sik, maybe nearing his fifties. He seems friendly, with round cheeks, short hair and gold circle frame glasses. He’s also shorter than Dong Sik, perhaps closer to Jae Yi in height and as Joo Won stands before him - straightening his back and squaring his shoulders - he looks tiny. 

“Han-?” The man smiles despite Joo Won’s painfully obvious intimidation tactic. The older man - who is lacking his own sense of tact - grins at Dong Sik like they’re old drinking buddies with a shared secret. Dong Sik groans quietly from Jae Yi’s side. “It’s a pleasure to meet you! I’ve heard so much about you.”

“And your name is?” Joo Won without much enthusiasm but anyone could see that he is taking in every single piece of information there is to know about the man before him. 

“Oh, sorry,” the man eagerly wipes his hand against his trouser leg before he extends it. “Park Ho Seok. It really is nice to meet-”

“Joo Won-ssi!! You look just like Beomgyu!!”

“No, he doesn’t! He looks like Jin Young!”

With that, Joo Won is dragged away by a gaggle of over-excited twenty-something year-olds. They pass him around like he is a shiny new toy made pretty for their amusement. Jae Yi’s stomach twists as she observes how Joo Won is trying to converse with the group and failing, looking absolutely lost. She’s not sure if she’s okay with what she’s seeing. 

Ho Seok breaks some of the tension as he laughs amicably, “he seems very popular.”

Dong Sik nods his head in agreement but his eyes are glued to a man they’re discussing. Like homing pigeons on their way back from a long journey, the two of them find each other over the crowd. Dong Sik slowly smiles as if he is a shark trying to dazzle its next meal. The younger man raises a brow with interest. 

Jae Yi doesn’t have a good feeling about this.

Joo Won stalks back - Ji Hwa and Ji Hoon helping him escape without desperate hands keeping him in place - and lets his eyes drag like nails against skin over Dong Sik. When he finally approaches, he pauses and Jae Yi tries not to roll her eyes at how obvious they’re being. 

“Nice jacket.” Joo Won comments, although it sounds more like a sneer than a compliment. He eyes Dong Sik’s outfit one more time and Jae Yi has a sneaking suspicion he likes what he sees. Very much so.  

Dong Sik stands with a straight posture and a confident aura. He eyes the man in front of him like he is a challenge with an easy win. He’s wearing trousers that are slightly too baggy and long, falling loosely around his white Converse trainers. Hanging over the trousers is a very nice looking crew neck cream t-shirt. It’s slightly tighter than anything Jae Yi has seen Dong Sik wear before and is successfully hinting what good shape he has kept himself in. He covers himself with a slim-fit leather jacket that skims the tops of his thighs. Jae Yi remembers seeing Dong Sik wear that jacket the night Joo Won- 

The inspector’s jar clenches. He looks like he enjoys what he sees so much that it only angers him. 

Oh, dear.

Dong Sik smirks. “Nice shirt.” 

This is the first time Jae Yi pays proper attention to Joo Won’s attire. He reminds her of a character from an American nineties TV show: his black cotton trousers are tightly hugging his strong legs, tighter than anything she’s seen him in before and sitting high on his waist. Tucked into them is an almost dramatically baggy black skirt, sleeves rolled up and two buttons left to hang wide open, exposing a tasteful amount of collarbone. 

Dong Sik presses his lips into a fine line.

Jae Yi doesn't normally care about these kinds of things but she's got to admit that the two of them look good together. With their dark clothes and complimenting style, they have an air about them that screams metropolitan and fashionable. They’re a handsome couple. And Ho Seok… well… he looks like he could be their tax attorney or if Joo Won's glare has any say in the matter... their divorce lawyer. 

“So,” Ji Hoon calls loudly. “Karaoke, anyone?”

Jae Yi adjusts the hem of her dress. It’s going to be a long night.

“They sell cocktails!” Ha Eun says excitedly as the group crams into the private room inside the karaoke bar. They had all chipped in to get the largest room and to decorate with silver bunting and pink balloons with white plastic string hanging down from the ceiling. 

“Should we get a round?” Ji Hoon asks the group, eyes alive like a twinkling star as he examines the drinks menu. 

The black leather booth they’re all sharing is U-shaped and slightly uncomfortable. In the middle is a large table full of food and presents. Joo Won sits at the end of the booth next to Jae Yi with an impossibly straight back; his arms are folded against his chest with a rather petulant look. Especially as his displeasure is directed at poor Ho Seok. Jae Yi shoves a drinks menu into his hands.

Ho Seok sits awkwardly with Ji Hwa as Dong Sik has stepped out to use the bathroom. Ji Hwa asks the man next to her something which causes him to smile and nod his head with rosy-pink cheeks. He seems genuinely sweet. Dong Sik doesn’t do just sweet. Ji Hoon then asks loudly, “Ho Seok-ssi, did Dong Sik-ah tell you what he wanted to drink?”

“He’ll have a Moscow Mule,” Joo Won answers without looking up from the drinks menu. “If they don’t have that, get him a Tom Collins.”

“Oh. Okay…” Ji Hoon catches Jae Yi’s eye, with a twist of his lip (an expression that makes him look far too similar to Dong Sik) he nods his head to this interesting information, and then grins like Joo Won is the biggest doofus he’s ever seen. Jae Yi smiles with him and can’t help but agree. 

Ji Hwa is also unable to suppress a grin. The birthday boy’s smile has quickly blossomed into a sharp bark of giggles, Ji Hwa gives him a pointed frown and as Joo Won looks up, she slaps her baby brother’s back. Together, they pretend to be attending to an awful coughing fit. “And what are you drinking, Han Joo Won?” She asks loudly, trying to drown out the sound.

“He’ll have an Old Fashioned,” says a bemused voice.

Jae Yi and Joo Won turn in sync, behind and between them, Dong Sik is leaning against the backrest of the booth. His laugh lines deepen when he smiles, his whole body radiating with his signature mischief. He lowers his head, so he’s irritatingly close to the man his eyes twinkle for. 

His lips tighten into a thin line, trying to hold back how smug he is with his own wit. It’s certainly the happiest he’s been all night, so far. Joo Won, however, is glaring. In response, the older man flutters his lashes in a ridiculous display that only his equally ridiculous inspector seems to understand. 

Joo Won leans back after taking a few seconds longer than anyone else to notice how close the pair are. They share a look that might take Jae Yi the rest of her life to decipher, so she doesn’t even begin to try. Why bother? It’s only Dong Sik and Joo Won delaying the inevitable. 

Whatever telepathic conversation they’re having seems to make- actually, Jae Yi isn’t sure how Joo Won feels. He seems to be caught between two desires: either, he wants to headbutt Dong Sik or kiss him. She imagines it's the latter if Dong Sik’s growing smirk is anything to go by; he was always much better at decoding Joo Won’s encrypted messages. 

How could he not be? He’s long been the loyal patron and eager addressee of all of Joo Won’s funny quirks.

The nitwitted inspector’s face twitches like he can’t believe what he’s seeing. Dong Sik seems to be endeared. He finally gives up on whatever it is they’re doing and looks back to Ji Hwa. Pompously, he declares: “No, I’ll have a Manhattan. ”

“Joo Won-ah,” Dong Sik gasps, his hand clapping Joo Won’s shoulder with a telling familiarity. His fingers find his collarbone through the expensive fibres of his shirt. Joo Won looks like he’s stopped breathing, his ears are a rather sweet shade of absolutely devastated pink. “Remember what happened last time you drank-”

“How is this any concern of yours?” Joo Won counters in a deadpan voice. His eyes are critical, eyeing Dong Sik's hand as if he were a health inspector doing an annual check-up on a difficult restaurant: cold, unfeeling, analytical, like he expects to be disgusted.  

How petty. Maybe the bar sells eggs.

“Well…” Dong Sik does a brilliant job of hiding his bruised ego. Instead of allowing the twitch of a frown to consume his features, he distracts himself with a showy display of fixing Joo Won’s collar. 

The younger of the two can’t conjure up the strength to move; he’s been rendered statue-still, annoyed out of his mind. Dong Sik smirks like he knows Joo Won better than the man knows himself. “You know when the daffodils bloom.”

Jae Yi blinks. What an odd thing to say. She racks her mind trying to connect dots when her memory is jogged by Dong Sik’s filthy smirk-

January. February. March. April. Those are the months when the daffodils bloom. One. Two. Three. Four. 

1.2.3.4: the keycode to Dong Sik’s house. 

Joo Won seems to understand the cryptic message immediately. The implication of what is being offered - what is being implied - is just there for any of the group to decipher if they pay enough attention. The silly ahjussi is certainly getting brave in his old age! To invite Han Joo Won over like they’ve done that before-

Joo Won scoffs and with the raise of his chin, he unpleasantly sets his face with a stubborn expression. With this grim attitude, he's able to protect himself from any unfortunate happenstance, like the awful reality of… being happy, letting his anger go or - god forbid - communicating. He looks emotionally constipated, his features tight with his jaw clenching like if he were to relax, he might stumble and fall for Dong Sik all over again. 

“Three’s a crowd.” He sneers with a long hard stare. 

Dong Sik pushes off the back of the settee, sighing as he leaves, letting it go.

Without a doubt, Han Joo Won is annoying. 

He’s even more annoying when he’s been drinking. Especially when he’s drinking because he’s love drunk on a man who is currently watching the inspector from afar.  The hours have ticked by painfully slowly but also have disappeared within a flash. 

Even though Jae Yi finds his pain slightly silly (he could talk to Dong Sik instead of avoiding him), she’s not a stranger to what he’s experiencing. Sure, she’s been in love (or something close to it) before, so she knows it hurts. It would seem that Joo Won doesn’t know this and is experiencing love’s ache for the first time. Well, his actions are certainly supporting this theory. 

He’s been drinking heavily ever since they ordered the first round of drinks. Multiple people have - multiple times - asked if he’s okay or warned him to slow down but the inspector insists he has a high tolerance. He’s not lying, he has drunk more than anyone and yet, is still able to hold a conversation. So, there’s that but it does very little to soothe the gradual tightening in Jae Yi’s chest. Dong Sik hasn’t been much help; it’s obvious he knows something is wrong and instead of asking Joo Won directly, he has resorted to becoming a nuisance. He’s extra bubbly, cracking more jokes and teasing Joo Won like they don’t have an audience, all because they do have an audience. 

At one point, Jae Yi was given a blissful intermission when Joo Won had briefly unglued himself from her side. He left to go do something or another, and as Jae Yi was chatting with Ji Hwa, they slowly noticed that Dong Sik was no longer in the room either. Before they could ask the rest of the group if they knew where they were, Joo Won burst through the door: lips pink, eyes pink, downing the rest of his drink like he wanted the alcohol to kill something inside him.

Dong Sik followed a few minutes later, not looking much better. 

After that, Joo Won drank as if it were the cure to the poison festering from within. This has been the ongoing affairs of this evening: Ji Hoon has been doted on and plastered with alcohol and food, whilst Joo Won sits solemnly by Jae Yi’s side steadily drinking more and more. Ji Hwa and Dong Sik are chatting happily with the ever-smiling Ho Seok, who is graciously ignoring the daggers being sent his way. Jae Yi has never seen Joo Won drink so much and every time she encourages him to instead eat or drink water, he’s dragged away by the posey of drunken fools who are all egging him on.

Joo Won has made a few attempts at starting a conversation but it hasn’t laboured much love between the pair. As Jae Yi comes to terms with the fact that this is her evening, she asks him how he intends on taking her back home, he agrees to pay for a taxi.

Jae Yi is… bored. 

That was until a pink-cheeked Ji Hoon beckoned a tipsy Joo Won over and after drinking only half as much as the inspector, he's twice as inebriated as him. He slings a gangly arm over Joo Won’s shoulder and pulls him close. The alcohol must be working because the inspector lets the taller man talk animatedly close to his ear. They stay like that for a while, giving Jae Yi the time to sit with her friends and breathe a sigh of relief. The two men stay close - sharing secrets and bitchy comments - and even on one occasion, Ji Hoon got the miserable inspector to smile like what he had said is genius. 

They make a comical pairing. A comment made by Ho Seok from his corner by Dong Sik’s side, smiling with rosy cheeks like the juvenile antics of the youth is just an amusing sitcom. Jae Yi has to agree with that sentiment; standing together just outside the light of the projector’s glare, Ji Hoon is whispering something probably incoherent against Joo Won’s temple. The older and shorter man seems to be considering everything Ji Hoon says with a great degree of seriousness as if they’re discussing a great scandal and how they will uncover it. With Joo Won - stern and serious - dressed in all black and Ji Hoon - cheerful and giggling - in pinks and creams, it is a very funny sight. They are chalk and cheese. Dong Sik sips on his second Moscow Mule and grins like the sight is the sweetest thing he’s ever seen.

“Oppa! Oppa, they have our song! Come sing with me!” Ha Eun calls from the centre of the spider’s web of friends. There are murmurs of excitement and encouragement from the gaggle of young women. Ji Hoon doesn’t look too pleased to have his immensely important and totally top-secret conversation interrupted. The two men continue to converse and slowly Ji Hoon pivots them away from the group. 

“Oppa! Don’t be mean!” Ha Eun exclaims and stomps over to her very tall boyfriend. She hits his arm without much force. 

Joo Won holds a hand out to put space between the pair, still under the weight of Ji Hoon’s arm on his shoulder. “Ha Eun-ssi, stop. That is assault.”

“Yeah, Ha Eun-ie, you’re in a room full of officers, you’ve got to beha-”

She hits him again, harder this time. 

Ha Eun drunkenly yells all of her complaints whilst Ji Hoon laughs loudly and Joo Won tries to stop the pair from actually hurting each other. The bench of 'elders' laugh gaily from their corner, overseeing the affair like they’re the royals and the group in front of them is a group of actors here to entertain the court. But the noise gradually crescendos to a peak so loud the music can’t even cover it. 

“Yah! ” Dong Sik shouts and the group freeze and immediately becomes silent, slowly facing him with bashful fear. “Why don’t you pick something for Han Joo Won-ie to sing,” he grins like he’s the smartest man to ever live. The group turns to look at Joo Won, who just glares. 

Ji Hoon gasps, “please! Joo Won-ah, please, we can sing something together!!”

“Oppa! But- But I wanted to sing with you.”

“I’ve been singing with you all evening, jjing-jjing-i.” The two men scoff and try their best to stifle their laughter, all the while, Ha Eun pouts and sombrely sulks. The birthday boy softens, giving in enough to try to reach a compromise. “Let me sing with Joo Won-ie before h-he runs away. Please?” 

He pouts and rapidly flutters his lashes. Joo Won frowns disapprovingly at his behaviour but still hasn’t moved out from the embrace. Ha Eun only concedes after numerous of her friends beg her to let them hear Joo Won sing. She rolls her eyes and takes Ji Hoon's glass from him, downing his drink in a rather childish display. 

With that, Ji Hoon ushers a stumbling Joo Won back over to where the girls have been hogging the tablet for the karaoke music. The pair stand hunch over as they scroll through the wide selection of music from a variety of genres and countries. They seem to start bickering when Ji Hoon suggests they sing a WayV song together. They continue to bicker like siblings - and at one point, Joo Won swats Ji Hoon’s hands and yanks the tablet away - causing the group to laugh. 

“I’m not singing that shit!” Joo Won complains, every other word is spoken in English.

“Oh no,” Dong Sik whispers from Jae Yi’s side. Ji Hwa elbows him gently for him to continue. “If Han Joo Won drinks too much he starts speaking in English… sometimes Japanese… one time in Mandarin.”

He blushing. Jae Yi doesn't even want to know-

“How do you know so much about Inspector Han’s drinking habits?” Ji Hwa smirks and Ho Seok laughs slyly. 

Dong Sik doesn't answer that and he doesn't need to because their attention is drawn back to the bickering babies up front.

“Do you know the lyrics?” Joo Won asks impatiently.

“Yes, yes-”

“In English?”

“Aigoo, Han Joo Won-ie!” Ji Hoon complains. “I said yes already, play your song.”

With a huff and a resentful glare, Joo Won decides to give in. The speakers fizzle alive and the room seems to darken as the sound of a mid-tempo piano melody plays through. A part of Jae Yi prickles as she recognises the song but cannot place where from. It sounds dated as if it were from a different decade and definitely not Korean. Perhaps, it's something her dad used to listen to. The shrill power ballad consists of an electric guitar ringing out as it compliments the overall melody of the piece. Which swells and intensifies, building almost like a grand reveal; the drums heighten the anticipation until-

Han Joo Won sings. 

“Aish! Why does Joo Won-ah get to be handsome, an inspector and a good singer!” Ji Hoon yells. 

Jae Yi glances at Dong Sik who is smirking like he already knew this information and is very pleased with how well his plan has turned out. Joo Won continues drinking between each line.

“He’s just like Park Jin Young!” 

They two continue to sing together, although Ji Hoon is slightly off pitch and out of time. As it turns out, he doesn’t know the words as well as he made out. Not that Joo Won seems to notice, he’s paying an inhuman amount of attention to making sure he gets every note right; it’s annoying that he’s managing it tastefully. He’s definitely a pain and for some reason, now that Jae Yi knows he can sing like a pretty little prince, she dislikes and likes him even more. Aish, some people. 

Ji Hoon pulls Joo Won into another slightly awkward one-arm hug and he sways their bodies together in time with the music. They look like drunk uncles at a wedding with a brood of nieces and nephews cheering them along as they make utter fools of themselves. It’s without a doubt one of the funniest things Jae Yi has ever seen. Of course, Joo Won is deeply upset. 

“You’re just, just, just wasting time,” Joo Won sings and pushes the younger man away. This gains a round of laughter from everyone. 

“Something happens,” Jae Yi still can’t place where she knows the song. It’s harder for her to fully catch the words when the glittery pink microphone that Joo Won is currently frown-singing into (like he intends on destroying the blasted thing as soon as he’s done) has a built-in autotune function. One of the girls turned it on a few hours ago and - despite Joo Won not needing it - it has been left on, meaning his voice is being distorted in an odd way. “And I’m head over heels.”

Jae Yi glances at Dong Sik to see the man rolling his eyes. He smiles and excuses himself.

“I never find out until I’m head over heels.”

He quietly and shyly tries to get past the court jesters but he’s suddenly being tugged back. Han Joo Won has a thing for grabbing Dong Sik; it doesn’t take a genius to figure that out, he’s been like this since he returned to their little family years ago. According to Dong Sik, he was even worse before. He grabs, pats, pulls, holds, and traces, all without any regard for the older man’s personal space. 

“Joo Won-”

“Dong Sik!!” Joo Won almost yells, apparently too drunk to remember that he’s actually angry with the older man. “Sing with me- you wanted to be a singer. Remember? Remember when you sang to me and- then you- we did th-”

“Han Joo Won.” Dong Sik warns, suddenly looking very sheepish. He lowers the microphone from Joo Won’s mouth, so their secrets aren’t broadcasted to the entire establishment.

Joo Won takes Dong Sik’s hand and with great effort, tries to drag him over to the tablet. “Come on, they might have your favourite-”

But he stops when he spots Jae Yi sitting near the device. “Jae Yi-ssi, you can sing. Join us!” 

“Joo Won-oppa, is Jae Yi-ssi your girlfriend?” One of Ha Eun’s friends asks cheekily and suddenly the room feels like it’s been flipped onto its head and entered a weird alternative universe.

Joo Won pauses. He looks completely baffled before he faces Dong Sik and for whatever reason, he bursts with a booming laugh, his head falling back and his spine curling in on itself. “Why? Does she look like my girlfriend?” He asks but his eyes are on Dong Sik alone like this is the funniest thing he’s ever heard. 

Jae Yi sinks slightly from the tension. Dong Sik doesn’t smile or respond, he just picks up his packet of cigarettes and his lighter. He’s quiet as he leaves the room without a second glance back at the inspector who watches him go. Joo Won's smile crumbles away and his eyes seem to widen as if he’s been stabbed in the heart. The weight of their silence is insurmountable. 

Jae Yi joins Dong Sik outside as he smokes another cigarette, rapidly making his way through the pack. She holds back long enough to watch a good-looking young thing ask Dong Sik for a light. They chat genially and when the younger man’s friends call for him, he gives a flirtatious smile before jogging away. Dong Sik doesn’t bother to hide his smug satisfaction.  

“Ho Seok-ssi seems nice.” 

Dong Sik jumps and turns to face Jae Yi. He straightens his back, guarding himself for a conversation he knows is coming but doesn’t want to have. “So I’ve been told,” he sighs before taking another drag. He can fool poor Han Joo Won but Jae Yi knows that there’s something more to the reason why Ho Seok was Dong Sik’s plus one. 

“How long have you-”

“Come on, Jae Yi-yah” He groans loudly, letting his head tip back in a dramatic fashion. “Why would I be interested in someone else when…”

The words are caught but he doesn’t need to say them.

Jae Yi helps him anyway. “When Han Joo Won is…?” In the world? In your life? Is infatuated with you and acting like an idiot because he thinks you might not feel the same way? The person you’ve fallen so completely for.

“Yeah…” He whispers as he exhales the smoke from his cigarette with a lonely lover’s sigh.  

His eyes look off to the distance and his eyes fall far away. He is incandescent; his heart sending mystic messages to its other half, like children whispering secrets through a tin can telephone. It’s a shame that his other half is currently steaming drunk and unable to receive his messages. 

One side of Dong Sik’s mouth raises before the other into a smile that seems as delicate as the petals of a mugunghwa. He bites down on his lip as if he’s afraid that if he were to open his mouth, his love will overflow and cascade down like the currents of the Gyeongju’s waterfalls. It’s a beautiful thing - this shyness - that blossoms from a bashful place within her friend. It is as tender as the first signs of autumn: morning dew hanging off blades of grass.

She’s seen Dong Sik love before. There aren't many people who have loved as much as he has. But she is very certain that this is the first time she has seen him in love. He loves Han Joo Won in a life-altering way and no matter how much he keeps his mouth shut, the trickling current of his feelings will erode through his defences. 

It started as the drips of melting ice and throughout the years it has swelled into streams, rivers and levees, crashing down like waterfalls, but only shown through tears and promises. She’s sure that if he doesn’t speak of it, one day, it’ll become a sea, overwhelming him with waves and tsunamis. 

 “So why-?”

“Ji Hoon-ah wants to take a step back from his role in the police force. He told me a few months ago but didn’t want everyone to know because he’s still working through it. Ho Seok-ssi works with our probation officers at the youth centre. So I brought him here to meet with Ji Hoon on a more casual level. I didn’t think-”

“Does Han Joo Won know?”

Dong Sik gives a solid nod. “Hmm. I told him earlier this evening but…” he drags his teeth over his top lip in a nervous gesture. “He’s got in his own head about what this night meant. He said I should have cancelled on-” he sighs. “He doesn’t like the idea that I’m putting Ji Hoon-ah before him.”

“I didn’t know he could be so jealous,” Jae Yi grimaces. She’s always found jealousy to be an unattractive trait from anyone. Dong Sik, on the other hand, is trying to hide the filthy grin dominating his blushing cheeks. Of course, he doesn't agree. Useless. Utterly, completely useless. No wonder he’s so far gone for Inspector Han.

“So what are you going to do about it?”

As they step back into the room, things seem calmer than how they left it. There are less dancing and singing, far fewer younger girls preening over Joo Won, and much less alcohol being consumed. But that doesn’t mean what they get is much better. Ha Eun and one of her annoying friends are holding hands as they sing a duet, completely tone-death and with no sense of musicality. Ji Hoon and Joo Won are slumped on the far end of the black booth, resting against each other seemingly asleep with a big brother, little brother sweetness. Ji Hwa is taking a picture. 

All seems to finally be settling down when Ho Seok calls for Dong Sik’s attention and Joo Won stirs awake. The inspector’s tired eyes rapidly blink and scan the room with a disorientated dizziness. Jae Yi’s chest tightens, it feels like the seconds before a newborn baby screams after being disturbed. Joo Won scans the room in a blind panic until he finds Dong Sik and relaxes. But as he exhales, there’s that awfully sorrowful frown again, he pouts with a sober man’s determination and decides to stand with a drunk man’s wisdom. 

“Yah! ” He says suddenly and loudly. “Ha Eun-ssi and…” he points with disinterest, “whatever your name is. Neither of you can sing. I-I’ll do it.”

The girls awkwardly comply, their disappointed murmurings echoing distorted through the microphone. Ha Eun laughs with disbelief but doesn’t fight her corner, she instead hands Joo Won the glittery pink microphone. The foolish inspector stumbles slightly as he reaches the tablet and scrolls through the song selections. “I should stop him,” Dong Sik says to himself but it’s already too late. 

Loudly, ominously, the humming of 80s bass booms through the sound system. Dong Sik sighs next to Jae Yi, knowing the song straight away. As the notes carry on, Jae Yi starts to recognise it as well. Luckily for the situation at hand, her dad was a big fan of American and English new wave music. The distinctive tuning on the guitars jogs a memory from decades gone by of family trips to Busan’s beaches. 

There’s a tittering of drums and then Joo Won is singing. 

Well… he’s more mumbling, his mouth not quite finding the rhythm. But as he reaches the second verse, he finally finds his words. “Watching, I keep waiting, still anticipating love.”  

Oh. god. 

“Never hesitating to become the fated ones.” 

Earlier, it had been annoying but cute watching the stoic Han Joo Won sing and sway with a very bubbly Ji Hoon. But now, it’s so much worse as he’s the only one singing without his volunteer backup dancers and guest vocalists to encourage him. Here, in the blue light of the projector with bunting and deflating balloons above him, stands the dire sight of Inspector Han Joo Won singing a ballad. 

He continues to sing in English, his words slightly slurring. “Turning and returning to some secret place to hide.”

“Watching in slow motion as you turn to me and say.” Jae Yi turns to Dong Sik, surely he’ll do something to stop this. But the older man doesn’t look like he’s breathing, completely horrorstruck as he wipes a hand over his mouth. Jae Yi has a feeling that there might be a reason Joo Won chose this song. 

“My love, take my breath away.”

Some of Ha Eun’s friends applaud Joo Won as he hits a rather pleasant note. But no one else can share their excitement. It feels like they’re in the middle of a field overlooking a packed train station and in the distance, a steam train is chugging along, pumping black smoke and soot into the air, and ever so slightly but surely, it is derailing. Han Joo Won is surely going to fall off the tracks. 

“This is Inspector Han?” Ho Seok says suddenly from Jae Yi’s side. She jumps, taken by surprise and the kind man smiles his apologies. Dong Sik doesn’t seem to notice, he stands transfixed on Joo Won, unable to take his eyes off an incoming disaster. 

“Oh, er, yeah.” Jae Yi answers for him. 

Ho Seok lets out a sound of astonishment. “Aigoo, Dong Sik-ah, he’s nothing how you described. You sure you’ve got the right man?” Ho Seok laughs loudly, causing Joo Won to miss a couple of words. Dong Sik is still watching him, his eyes are a disco ball of glitter, overcome with wonderment and despair. Clearly, this song means something to Joo Won and Dong Sik that the rest of the group knows nothing about. 

Jae Yi laughs awkwardly, “he’s not normally like this.”

The song ends and everyone (apart from Dong Sik and Jae Yi) gives a polite round of applause. Not that Joo Won seems to notice, his eyes are only for the man he’s singing for. They seem to be conversing without words, eyes intense with emotion Jae Yi can’t quite place and as Dong Sik shakes his head, Joo Won lifts his chin with an unattractive determination. His lash line looks wet as he scrolls through the tablet again. 

“Joo Won-ah, stop. You’ve done enough,” Dong Sik says slowly but his words go unheard and his warning disregarded as his partner starts playing another song. 

As a piano melody plays, Jae Yi’s heart sinks. The beat and chords screech through the cheap speakers; she can see the train bending and unbuckling under its weight: wooden carriages splinter, windows smashing, the coupling rod snaps, the steam whistle shrieks. Jae Yi is stunned into silence, only able to watch as the train falls off its tracks. 

 She knows this song, as do most of their friends. Joo Won finishes his drink and stumbles with the ridiculous pink microphone flashing in hand. He sniffles into it and seems to get ready for battle. The female vocalist’s voice rings out and for a while, Joo Won stares at the screen, words turning to yellow as they are sung through the backing track. It’s horrendous. Jae Yi feels like a bystander with a half-filled first aid kit when they needed crews of ambulances: useless and afraid. 

Joo Won sniffles again, wiping his cheeks and finally sings. Although, his voice wobbles. “Once upon a time I was falling in love.”

His voice catches, “Now I’m only falling apart.”

“Is he okay?” Ho Seok asks, sounding genuinely worried. Jae Yi doesn’t have the voice to confirm the obvious. 

“There’s nothing I can do, ” Joo Won’s voice sounds rough like sandpaper. “A t-total eclipse of the hea- ”

He doesn’t finish the sentence, instead, he’s wiping a hand over his face, it looks wet in the projector’s glow. He sways slightly on the spot, all the passion within the backing track is completely lacking in his performance. The song pauses for a brief instrumental, in which Joo Won takes the time to breathe through tears. “Once upon a time there was light- ” his voice catches again and soon he’s crying through his words. “But now t-there’s only l-love in the dark.”

The train crashes, skidding towards the station and they all wait with bated breath for impact.

He lifts the microphone to his lips but the only sound that escapes is a whistling of sobs. It’s an awful sound, utterly heartbreaking but made all the more embarrassing because the autotune is distorting his cries. In any other situation, it would be hilarious but now, it made Jae Yi want to throw up.  Joo Won’s shoulders shake and crumble in on themselves, his back arching like a frightened cat. His features crumble and from his closed eyes, crystal tears trickle down as beautiful as the rain outside.

Everyone is silent. No one moves. 

Until Dong Sik rushes over to Joo Won, his loving hand finding its beloved. He stands in the light of the projector, the lyrics creating ghosts and shadows over his face and hair. Joo Won’s shoulders don’t stop shaking as Dong Sik caresses them, one hand finding the back of the younger man’s neck. He brings their faces close and despite the rest of the song playing loudly, he whispers in Joo Won’s ear. His hands soothe as words remain unheard from anyone other than their intended. 

From where Jae Yi is standing this looks like pure love. A tentative, caring, protective, patient kind of love that makes Jae Yi ache because Joo Won doesn’t realise that he has it. 

Dong Sik continues to soothe but then with an abrupt frizzling in the air - a sense of foreboding - Joo Won ascends and rises until he’s staring at the older man with an incensed rage. With a tongue as sharp as knives, he whispers some words that taste like venom. Dong Sik looks taken aback, especially as Joo Won steps away. 

There’s silence before a derailed train makes contact but when it collides, it is thunderous. 

“Why did you say it if you didn’t mean it?!” Joo Won explodes.

The end of the song plays out, it’s only just loud to muffle the sound of Joo Won shouts. He becomes more animated as his anger seethes, all of his outrage directed at Dong Sik through fat tears. He wildly gestures toward poor Ho Seok causing the man to shift uncomfortably by Jae Yi’s side. Dong Sik’s loving hands try to soothe and his words try to explain but it doesn’t work. The platform crumbles and shatters, the firebox inside the engine has caught fire, and everything is ablaze. 

He’s no longer listening. 

Joo Won sloppily grabs the lapel of Dong Sik’s leather jacket, swaying on the spot and cries: “That meant something t-to- I don’t do that with anyone- why did you do this?! ” 

Before it looks like he can either kiss or kill his partner, Joo Won storms away, past Jae Yi with a breeze of wind trailing behind him and a crash sight to clean up. 

“Joo Won-ah!” Dong Sik calls after him and follows. Jae Yi blocks his way and Ji Hwa is already on her feet, there was no way this was going to end well if Dong Sik chased after Joo Won. 

Jae Yi grabs Dong Sik’s arm, not letting him pass her. “Leave him, Ahjussi. I’ll go-”

“But-”

“Stay. It’s okay, I’ll keep an eye on him.”

Jae Yi finds Joo Won in the corner of the lobby, crotched down by the fake kentia palms in their ugly grey pots. After some gentle coaxing and shouting at a group of laughing teenagers, she finally manages to usher Joo Won outside. 

“I need a c-cigarette,” he slurs as they stumble out of the lobby to the concrete steps that look out on the street below, passing a squadron of office bodies smoking plumes of blue-white smoke. The nighttime rain beats down on a cramped city street; a symphony of pitter-patter composes a masterpiece of watercolour puddles, reflecting bleeding neon lights. The overhanging awning is able to protect the top step from the rain.

“You don’t smo-” 

Joo Won stumbles rather pathetically, his arms circling like propellers on one of those twin-engine jets rich people use to go on day trips. Jae Yi's arms jolt up to catch him like saving a newly-walking toddler and their soft crown. The idiot makes a soft exhale as he falls forward - slumping against the chrome railing - his torso hanging over before he sways and straightens himself. Safe but stupid. 

“Sit,” Jae Yi exhales with an annoyed click of her tongue. She shoves the idiot to the ground and he flops down with a heavy mass of limbs. Joo Won blinks comically, taken aback to be sitting down, his mind five steps behind his body. 

“Take.” She unscrews the bottle of water she had the foresight of taking from the room. “Drink” and hands it to him. 

“I can u-understand more - two- three words.”

Jae Yi sighs as Joo Won takes very tentative sips. She soothes her skirts before sitting down next to him, bunching her layers around her legs. Joo Won continues to drink in silence, allowing the noise of weekend affairs to add weight to the already humid night air. In a very uncharacteristic move, he rests his head against the chrome railing. Rogue waterdrops kiss his hair adding to the sweat on his brow, soaking it into a mess of product, fluff, and damp pointy spikes. He looks rather boyish like this; it suits him. 

Just when Jae Yi thinks he’s fallen asleep, Joo Won mumbles: “Why are you being nice to me?”

He glances at her, his eyes barely open but always so suspicious. Jae Yi massages her palm, overcome with blooming self-consciousness, she waits for a beat before the words find her. “I don’t like seeing cats stuck out in the rain.”

“Jae Yi-ssi,” Joo Won - with what looks like an arduous effort - moves so he’s slumped forward. His hair is sticking up in a cluster of hedgehog spikes. He squints at Jae Yi as if she was a suspect. “Are we… friends?”

Before she can reply, a group of uppity socialites clatter past them on the street below. Their squeaky shoes and designer smiles act as a pin to a balloon, popping any sense of ease. They’re a wall of noise and fuss, pausing to check their phones for directions. It only takes one - it always only takes one-  before they’ve all spotted Joo Won and Jae Yi. Like seagulls flocking to a child’s bag of chips, they snicker loudly at Joo Won’s obvious drunken state without any tact. Some unkind words are heckled their way before the group continue their parade down the street. 

Jae Yi has the boiling urge to throw her new shoes at them. 

Oh.

“Yeah, I think we are friends.”

“I have a friend,” Joo Won frowns as if the concept is totally foreign to him.

Jae Yi rolls her eyes. “Han Joo Won, your friends are currently singing karaoke, worried about you.”

“Oh.” He blinks slowly, all of his brain cells working overdrive. He tries to stand, “I should go- apologise to Ji Hoon.”

“Oh no, you don’t. You need to sober up first.” Jae Yi keeps him in place with a hand against his shoulder, which isn’t very hard as he’s currently as strong as a ragdoll.

Jae Yi listens to her new… friend Han Joo Won sip on his water and sigh heavily. With each breath and drip of rain, he sinks further into his thoughts, the alcohol and adrenaline wearing off just enough that he’s able to process his pain. He’s frowning again with the same melancholy he exhumed in Jae Yi’s shop only a few days ago. Claustrophobic is his burden: the weight of his love bringing him down. 

His eyes glitter and shine. It’s enough to make anyone believe that true romance can’t be achieved these days. 

“Dong Sik really brought someone else…”

Jae Yi doesn’t have a reply to that. Yes, Dong Sik brought someone else when Joo Won thought they were attending together as an official couple. Yes, he shouldn't have done that. But it was clear to everyone and the dust on the walls that Dong Sik and Ho Seok were not interested in each other. Even Joo Won knew that deep down but perhaps the need for his love to be taken seriously is enough to render him silly. From what she knows of the inspector and the years he’s spent dutifully at Dong Sik’s side, he’s not very good at dealing with rejection. Not that Dong Sik would ever dare reject him.

Lee Dong Sik. The silly ahjussi was just trying to help a friend out, he clearly didn’t think Joo Won would react in this way. He wouldn’t have done it if he had. She might just have to bash their heads together if Ji Hwa isn’t already chewing Dong Sik’s head off for her. 

Joo Won sniffles loudly, wiping tears from his face with the back of his hand. Jae Yi tentatively, cautiously, like petting a stray cat for the first time, places her hand on his back. He jumps from the contact but they wait, both awkwardly taking in the fact that Yoo Jae Yi is choosing to comfort Han Joo Won. After the surprise subsides, they don't relax, per se, more stiffen into it. But she pats his back despite the awkwardness and he seems to appreciate it nevertheless. 

Joo Won clears his throat, “this… isn’t what I thought my life would be like.” 

“What did you think it would be like?”

The rain is coming down harder now. Joo Won sniffs away more tears and he sighs, looking out at the street in front of them. There's a couple under an umbrella carrying a dog, laughing as they feed it treats, and further down the way, a drunk group of girls are screaming as they stumble into a taxi. There are other faceless people outside of their field of vision and they can hear the distant sound of their voices. But directly opposite them on the other side of the street, two men are standing huddled together under hoods sharing the flame of a lighter, they stay close as they exhale smoke into the rainy night. It’s them who Joo Won frowns at, worrying his bottom lip like it hurts to look at them or as if they’re conjuring up a memory. 

“I-er didn’t imagine I would be sitting crying on the floor- at karaoke of all things…” His voice is even deeper after three-too-many drinks and singing like he’s on a talent show. But it’s the touch of gloom that makes his chin wobble. He speaks quietly like he’s sharing a secret, Jae Yi almost doesn’t hear him. “I was meant to follow in my father’s footsteps… The job, the wealth, the wife…” 

Joo Won stares up at the night sky. His large eyes reflect the city lights, tears morphing them into a milky way. He seems sweet like this: docile without his guard keeping him in check. Jae Yi imagines this is the side only Dong Sik gets to see. Joo Won’s eyes spill drunken tears, beautiful like the Banpo Bridge. What a precious fool. 

“It should have been you, Jae Yi-ssi. You should have been the one I fell in love with but- but…”

“You don’t have to explain yourself.” 

She continues to rub his back. He feels so… human like this: shaking and hiccuping through his tears. So fragile, full of mistakes and vulnerabilities; emotional in a way only Dong Sik can inspire. She tries to pat them away but is keenly aware that the person who can soothe Joo Won is the reason he’s crying. She tries to calm him either way, even though it doesn’t come naturally to her. Everything in her just wants to shout that he needs to communicate if he wants to get what he wants. But he seems too vulnerable right now (finally showing his belly) and if she were to be harsh with him, he might walk into traffic.

He coughs and gags and Jae Yi instantly moves her good shoes away from him. He doesn’t notice and even drinks some water without her needing to say anything. He looks like a right state when he turns to her, all big eyes and messy hair, his skin shiny from sweat. He reeks of alcohol, his fancy shoes are getting wet.

“You’re pretty.”

She blinks. 

What?  

“Really smart, and suc- successful but… nothing. I don’t feel… that for you.”

Thank fuck for that. 

Her arm is getting tired from the continuous circular motion. Joo Won hugs his knees to his chest. “Do you feel that way about all women, or just me?”

“All of them. I know when they’re pretty but…” He shrugs.

Jae Yi nods. “So, you like men-”

“Dong Sik.”

She can’t help but smile, he’s cute when he talks so openly about his feelings for Dong Sik. It’s a shame that it takes the cusp of alcohol poisoning to get to that point. “Yeah, Dong Sik.”

“No,” his jaw tightens like he’s frustrated that she doesn’t understand. “Only Dong Sik. I’ve never liked anyone before- no… not like. Love. I’ve never loved anyone before. Only him.”

Oh. Well… That explains a lot. Joo Won is in love with Dong Sik and is fully aware of his feelings. Jae Yi lets that information settle between them, she doesn’t need to ask for clarifying answers of how, when, why, what… No, it’s not her business to know how long he’s known his feelings were deeper than a mere fancy or infatuation. 

It is clear enough from Joo Won’s behaviour that no matter the length of his affection, he feels it deeply. His love was once a guarded bottomless pit inside his heart that he saved for someone special. Of course, it is Dong Sik to be the one to fill it. No one else could match up to the intensity of Joo Won’s love. He’s a special someone, indeed. 

Only him.

“Joo Won, you said you didn’t think your life would be like this. But do you want the alternative?”

He rests his temple on his knees, keeping a tearful eye on her. He considers her question with sincerity and a serious disposition that seems impossible from someone so drunk. He thinks and whatever life he sees when considering the alternative deeply upsets him. Jae Yi squeezes his shoulder. 

“No.”

There’s a relieved sigh sharply ringing out from behind them and Jae Yi turns, only to find Dong Sik teary-eyed, watching them from the entryway. He blinks away his emotions when he meets Jae Yi’s watchful gaze. Funny, it used to be Joo Won that he hid his feelings from and Jae Yi he was honest with. 

Jae Yi gives him a pointed look. Come get your man. 

Dong Sik nods.

“Come on, Joo Won-ah. It’s home time.” Dong Sik calls out with the patience Jae Yi is slowly losing. Before she can ask, Dong Sik adds: “Ji Hwa’s taking you back.”

Joo Won twists to see who’s talking with a laziness that’s unlike him. Jae Yi watches him as his eyes light up upon seeing Dong Sik leaning against the concrete pillar with his hands in his pockets. Jae Yi follows his eye line trying to see what he sees. To her, it’s just her friend, standing with bad posture in a nice outfit. He looks a little tired and emotional but good; they all know he’s faced worse than whatever is going on between him and Joo Won. If anything, he seems relieved that his biggest headache is Han Joo Won again and that this time, he’s a headache for all the right reasons. 

Jae Yi looks back at her other friend. He doesn’t seem to see just Dong Sik… he sees the past, the present, and his future. 

Dong Sik smiles with a tenderness he only has reserved for Joo Won.  

Joo Won blinks and remembers that he’s angry. “Oh, it’s you.” His voice is hoity, tight and still slightly slurring. He turns away and folds his arms in front of his chest like a scorned lover. Jae Yi lets that realisation settle, it makes sense now. 

“Joo Won-ah,” Dong Sik elongates the vowels in Joo Won’s name, and with heavy steps, he makes his way over to his stubborn drunk fool.

“No, no.” Joo Won protests, directing his very deep and loud voice to the street in front of them. Thank god it’s not busy right now. “Your friend must be lonely without you, wouldn’t want to upset your friend. Go back before they-”

Dong Sik bends at the hip and leans over Joo Won until his head is next to the man below him. Joo Won looks up at Dong Sik like he is the sun, stars, and every sky in every galaxy in every universe. He is utterly bewitched… it suits him. Dong Sik rubs his hands up and down Joo Won’s arms, talking calmly in his ear. “I’m taking you home, Joo Won-ah.”

It’s beautiful how quickly Joo Won softens for him. Jae Yi doesn’t think she’s ever seen someone so under another person’s spell. Joo Won nods and tries to pull Dong Sik into a hug, hands uncoordinated as they fail to cradle Dong Sik’s face. The wet concrete and glass of Seoul’s streets seem to stand a little smaller and friendlier when Dong Sik blesses them with his laugh, and this time, even Joo Won’s baritone hum joins in creating a melody so charming, that Jae Yi feels like she should look away. So, she does, smiling.  

Jae Yi helps Dong Sik lift Joo Won until the younger man is safely and unashamedly hanging off his partner. Hands clutching, hair spikey, cheeks rosy.

“Thank you, Jae Yi-yah,” Dong Sik mumbles against Joo Won’s temple (the very drunk young inspector has pressed his face against the older man’s, trying to steal a kiss). Dong Sik suits the bashful and rather sweet blush on his cheeks.

“Good luck.”

Jae Yi waves them goodbye with the promise of seeing them both soon. Like a little kid, Joo Won waves for longer than necessary. With each stumbling step, his arm wilts in the air like the last of the summer’s sunflowers. Good thing Dong Sik has an arm around his waist to keep him from landing on his face. 

On the edge of the car park, adjacent to the multi-story building, engulfed in the glow of the neon signs, Joo Won abruptly stops them before they reach his car. New lovers, old friends, blanketed together in the warmth of the magenta light, Jae Yi thinks she might just remember this sight for the rest of her life. Joo Won buries his face in the crook of Dong Sik’s neck, holding on tightly, and proclaims loudly: “Jae Yi-ssi is my friend, Dong Sik. Just my friend.”

Dong Sik pulls him closer and pats his back. “I know, Joo Won-ah.”

“I’m tired, Dong Sik-ssi.”

“I’ve got you.”

From that night onwards, there is a mutual agreement that no one - under any circumstance - is ever going to let Joo Won live his drunken shenanigans down. 

It’s truly a surprise that he’s able to show his face in Manyang at all. But either through a lack of self-awareness or sheer determination, the young inspector doesn’t hide away. He sits in his usual spot with Dong Sik by his side and gets relentlessly teased for weeks straight. (Only Jae Yi gets to see that Dong Sik rubs circles against Joo Won’s lower back whenever it becomes too much). He eats the same food and drinks the same alcohol. Dong Sik’s shoulder is still pressed against his, they still talk quietly. Oftentimes, whispering in the other’s ear and when Dong Sik asks a private question, Joo Won answers with a message traced against his back. 

Just like before.

All seems the same if one isn’t paying attention. But this is Manyang and there are eyes everywhere. This is how Jae Yi knows that things were most certainly not the same between her two friends. Weeks after the ‘night Joo Won became an idol’, Jae Yi is picking up deliveries on her moped when she drives past the old fishing lakes near Dong Sik’s house. There, almost hidden amongst the reeds, is Han Joo Won’s obnoxiously big car and standing by the driver’s side, leaning through the window is Dong Sik. 

Jae Yi stops to say hi, the words about to leave her mouth when Joo Won smiles at something Dong Sik’s said. He pulls him in by the collar and kisses him firmly. Jae Yi looks away, awfully aware of the awkward situation she is in: if she were to leave or make too much noise, they would spot her trying to hide from them. So, she waits and waits… and waits. Only when she hears laughter and the engine running does she look back at the two idiots. 

Dong Sik’s walking back up the hill with a large overnight bag slung over his shoulder. He turns back to the car and waves, utterly smitten. 

Jae Yi doesn’t mention it. She doesn’t ask Dong Sik how Joo Won is, nor does she try to find out what happened that night. She doesn’t need to, her friends are clearly happy and have finally sorted out their misunderstanding. So, she doesn’t say anything. 

But that doesn’t mean Ji Hwa is so inclined to do so. One day, after weeks of quietly observing from the side, she slams a stick of concealer onto the tabletop and with one finger, pushes it towards Dong Sik. 

The three of them are having lunch together. Jae Yi has just cleaned up after the morning rush, closing up shop for two hours so she can have food with her friends and restock. There’s silence. Jae Yi and Dong Sik stare at the concealer with mouths full of rice. 

Ji Hwa smiles, “if you’re going to keep showing up with those on your neck,” she points to where Dong Sik’s t-shirt is barely covering a love bite, “people might start gossiping about you-”

“I can handle it.”

Considering the warm weather, Dong Sik’s choice of attire did not do much to hide the marks away. The one near his collarbone wasn’t really the problem, as it was only visible when he moved his shoulders. The real issue lay with the dark purple and yellow love bite at the top of his spine. It doesn’t leave much to the imagination.

“Oh, I know you can,” Ji Hwa continues to eat her lunch. “I was more worried about poor Inspector Han. We’ve been teasing him so much recently, it wouldn’t be fair-”

“Okay, okay. I get your point. Loud and clear.”

He pockets the concealer. 

Ji Hwa softens and smiles genuinely at her oldest friend. She asks sweetly, “are you happy?” despite knowing the answer. 

Dong Sik tries and fails to hide a grin. Pink and pretty, he chuckles: “really happy.”

As the warmer months cool down and the leaves change colour, it became more commonplace to see an obnoxiously large car parked next to Dong Sik’s. In the early hours of the morning, they could be spotted walking, talking and most notably, laughing, as they make their way back from a jog. In the evenings, it was guaranteed to find them drinking with friends and writing secret messages against the other’s back. 

And as the cooler months became freezing, it wasn’t unusual to see the pair walking with red noses. Dong Sik’s hand is always safely held in Joo Won’s pocket. Then just as the ice melted and the flowers bloomed, the sight of two house slippers by the front door, two toothbrushes in the bathroom, and two mugs on the draining board became a permanent sight at a certain renovated Manyang house. 

Photos on the walls. Dinner parties with friends laughing in the living room. Plants in their pots. Shared clothes all year long. Individual armchairs with blankets draped over the back. A sofa to share on quiet evenings. Endless teasing and memories to reminisce over for years to come. Even a real stray cat found its home on the living room rug. 

Jae Yi watched it all, catching glimpses and snapshots, like flicking through a loved one’s photo album. 

Yes, Han Joo Won is annoying. He makes Dong Sik blush like a teenager and laugh like a dirty old man. He spends far too long polishing the spoons after another group dinner and always has an opinion about Jae Yi's organisation skills. (They've agreed not to bring up the topic of driving). He's always the first to arrive and the last to leave. He's often the reason Dong Sik is late, wearing a turtleneck and a smile that lights up even the darkest of nights. 

He works himself too hard and sometimes skips meals. But he never misses his and Jae Yi's morning puzzle breaks together. Jae Yi supplies the food and he, the puzzle book and pens. They talk about Manyang and work, sometimes Dong Sik and little Gamcho, the cat. Joo Won named the little thing Liquorice but Dong Sik still struggles to pronounce it. So, over time, the name has changed to Gamcho, much to Joo Won’s annoyance.

(“Lee Dong Sik-ssi! Stop calling the cat by the wrong name.” Joo Won snapped one evening as the group enjoyed snacks and a movie. 

Dong Sik popped a dried chilli edamame bean into his mouth and crunched down hard onto it. He shrugged with a smile tugging at his lip. He plucked the empty bowl off Joo Won's lap and poured them more popcorn. “But Gamcho is better than what you came up with.”

Joo Won bolted upright - causing others in the group to groan. Here they go again - and turned to face his partner, completely outraged. “It’s the same name! Just in a different language!”

“I think this suits her better.” Dong Sik adds and hands Joo Won the bowl. His partner accepts it with his mouth wide open, dismayed by the sheer audacity of this man. Gamcho was currently fast asleep on the stairs, having spent hours disapprovingly overseeing the movie night in her home with a quiet disgust. She reminds Jae Yi of a certain someone. Her little black ears twitch as her silly owners argue about her.

“Lee Dong Sik-ssi!”

“Nag, nag, nag,” Dong Sik complains without any real irritation. “You’re always complaining about something!” Before Joo Won could add his counterargument, Dong Sik, in front of everyone, and with the biggest mischievous grin, grabs his inspector by the chin, pinching his cheeks and plants a big kiss against his lips. 

There’s a chorus of laughter and groans, Jae Yi just rolls her eyes. Joo Won seems to be stuck in place, shocked into paralysis. When Dong Sik pulls back, Joo Won falls with him, blinking back into reality. The older man strokes his lover’s cheek and asks quietly, “doesn’t Gamcho suit her?”

Joo Won sighs and agrees. Dong Sik squeezes his lover’s shoulder and whispers so only Joo Won - and Jae Yi - can hear him. “Are you actually upset?”

The younger of the two has that look in his eye again: he’s fully aware he’s being difficult and loves it. He shakes his head and the two idiots smile like it’s a love confession. Ridiculous. Both of them. Utterly ridiculous and so perfectly suited for the other.)

Joo Won and Jae Yi spend their puzzle mornings often discussing their friends' lives and sometimes they even ruminate over the past. He doesn’t divulge too much information about his budding relationship, not that he needs to, whenever Dong Sik picks Joo Won up, the younger man smiles like every heroine from every romance novel ever. Jae Yi finds the sight to be lovely… even if it is a bit discombobulating. She still isn’t used to it.

As the months flew by and the seasons changed, Jae Yi witnessed how her friend's lives changed: Ji Hwa got a promotion, Gwang Young and Hyun Jung are expecting their second child, Ji Hoon and Ha Eun decided to break it off, Joo Won takes Dong Sik on weekend trips to Busan and Dong Sik takes him to the lake house. Every changing detail made Jae Yi think about her own future, what she wanted to look like and where she wanted it to be. 

She never expected to stay in Manyang for so long. She doesn't know where she'll end up and that's okay. Here, in Manyang, with all of its complicated memories and awful history, she’s found a family. She never expected to have such a large one. It expands past the boundaries of her mother's shop and flows through the streets, connecting hearts together like strings linking locations on a map.

She never expected to find fulfilment in her job. She didn’t expect to have a new number in her phone from a very cute pharmacist, waiting for her to respond to a text regarding next Friday and drinks. She certainly never expected to have Han Joo Won of all people coming to see her (by himself) regularly and asking her about her plans, wanting to know the answer. 

She never expected Joo Won to be a part of her family.

Sure, Han Joo Won is annoying. But Jae Yi is happy he decided to return to Manyang all those years ago and is even happier that he chose to stay. 

Today, the autumn sun is high in the sky when she waves goodbye from the entryway of her shop. She watches bemused as a stoic Joo Won jogs up the street to greet his Dong Sik. The older man is shaking his head and laughing, looking carefree and splendid in the sunshine. The two of them wave goodbye to Jae Yi: Joo Won’s hand barely raises from his pocket, whereas Dong Sik’s arm is high in the air before offering his hand to the young inspector. Joo Won eagerly takes his partner’s hand and they bicker loudly all the way up the hill to their house. 

The future has many uncertainties and unknowns. Jae Yi knows this and welcomes most challenges with ease. But there was one thing for certain: Manyang hasn’t looked so bright and so welcoming since Dong Sik’s Han Joo Won returned; the little stray finally found its home.

For that and so much more, Jae Yi is thankful to have Han Joo Won as her friend.