Work Text:
It all started with three typo mistakes by Assisting Officer Kim.
Assisting Officer Kim is a meticulous woman. One of the best he ever work with. She started all of her reports by writing it by hand before typing it out on the computer. Regardless of how short the report is, her first draft will usually span into five to ten pages which later undergoes her heavy editing. For her to miss a spelling error is rare. And to miss three of it is even rarer.
The typo mistakes made Prosecutor Hwang Si-Mok’s forehead creased in confusion. It is a simple document, just a two pages report which he needs helps with while he works with other cases. He held out the report, head tilled. Perhaps he misread it. The typo remains.
“Assisting Officer Kim, there are three typo errors in your report.” confusion colour his voice as he hands her back the report. He is not angry with the mistakes, merely bewildered.
She looked up from her phone, and he took notice of the dark circle under her eyes, her high necked collar and long sleeves blouse. The air today is humid and hot, as it is well into the summer season. Her choice of dressing today further perplexed him.
“I’m sorry Prosecutor Hwang. I’ll look back into it.”
She took the document from him, her sleeves pulled up with her hand movement, and he caught sight of dark bruised around her wrist. Before he could ask further, his phone vibrates with an incoming call.
The next day Assisting Officer Kim called in sick.
Han Yeo-Jin basically volunteers, almost begging for the assignment to collect the confidential document from Wonju Police Station. The reason partly due to the cold treatment she received at National Police’s Intelligence division and she is dying to go out from the stifling office. The main reason, however, she already making plans in her head to stopped by Wonju Prosecutors Office for a quick lunch with Prosecutor Hwang the moment she heard about the assignment.
Giddy that Chief No Won-Hae almost indulgently allows her for the assignment, she gets back to her desk to clear up all the pending task. She better finished up all of her works so tomorrow she could spend the whole day at Wonju.
Fingers dancing, she typed away her reports.
His phone vibrates. Absentmindedly, he slides to answer. "Yes."
“Will you be free tomorrow Prosecutor Hwang?” Han Yeo-Jin’s familiar voice filtered through his phone speaker. The pen that twirls between his fingers stopped. He looked up from the book he is reading, giving her his full attention.
“Why?”
He heard the loud exaggerated sighed she gave him, her tone as she replied to him is light; almost happy. “I’ll be stopping by Wonju tomorrow. Around nine? So, do you want to meet up? For lunch or maybe dinner if you are busy?”
“Lunch. I need to stop by Assisting Officer Kim’s house tomorrow morning. She called in sick today.” The line went silent. He pulled away from his phone, looking into the screen to check if she is still on the line. The call screen is still on. “Hello?”
“Ah, sorry. Are you going to visit her?” her voice dropped low, the upbeat pitch that she used earlier gone.
“Yes. I need to check on her.”
“Don’t forget to bring some fruits with you when you visit her.” The cheerful tilt of her speech sound forced.
Without him noticing it, his lips turned downwards. Feeling the need to explain, he states his observation evenly. “It is not what you think. Assisting Officer Kim never called in sick. Yesterday she wore a high neck blouse with long sleeves - ”
Senior Inspector Han Yeo-Jin must have known where his thought is heading. Smoothly, she concludes what he is thinking. “- and it’s now already in the mid of summer, which is definitely unusual. Aigo, could she really be sick? No, you must have noticed something. Do you think she is being abused? By whom?”
“No, she got a bruise on her wrist. Someone gripped her hard enough to leave a bruise. She has a boyfriend according to Investigator Kim Ho-Sub.”
Over the line, he could hear her sigh. “Can you text me the location of her house? I’ll meet you around the area for lunch."
"Yes. I'll text you the location."
Again, the line went silent. In his mind, he could see her small smile. "Take care of yourself, Prosecutor Hwang. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yes. You too.”
He continues staring at his phone even after the screen went dark. Looking into his reflection, he realized that he is smiling.
Han Yeo-Jin throws her phone away from her watching it skid on her bed, stopping a few inches before the edge.
Stupid.
She chides herself, burying her face into her pillow. Her face flushed as her heart thrashing behind her ribcage, threatening to burst out from her breast. She is familiar enough with the ugly feeling that passed through her earlier.
Jealousy.
Han Yeo-Jin is jealous of the unknown woman named Kim.
“It is not what you think.”
Is she so transparent that even Hwang Si-Mok had noticed her reaction? Even the idea of him knowing how she feels made the telltale heat of embarrassment creep up from her neck to the tips of her ears.
Transparent enough that he needs to correct her.
To reassure her.
She pressed her lips together before her impassive façade cracked as her lips curved up into a smile.
That Hwang Si-Mok.
He arrived at Assisting Officer Kim’s house by eleven o'clock. Remembering Senior Inspector Han’s words, he stopped by the closest fruit stall for something to bring while visiting. His phone beep. A quick glance shows that Senior Inspector’s Han had texted him the name of the restaurant where they will be having their lunch. He replied her with a brief text and his location.
I'll be there in ten minutes.
Immediately her reply popped in. Don't be late. I'm hungry. ;P
Taking note of her reply, he briskly he walked towards the end of the corridor. Before he could knock on the door, the hushed argument from behind the door stopped him short. A startled yelp and the noise of flesh hitting flash pushed him into action. Loudly knocking on the door, he called for Assisting Officer Kim and argument escalates. It took him by surprise when the door suddenly open and Assisting Office Kim bumped into him. Her escape was cut short when the man behind her pulled her back in by her hair ignoring her cry in pain. Instinct kicked in, Hwang Si-Mok quickly stepped in between the domestic violence, his hand reaching out to free his assistant.
"I knew it! You are cheating on me! You slut!"
His usually composed assistant was sobbing her reply fanatic as she tried to free herself. "No, no! Please! Prosecutor Hwang!"
Hwang Si-Mok throws in the first punch, his fist connects soundly on Assisting Officer Kim's boyfriend nose. The pain must have been blinding that immediately he let go of his girlfriend. Hand outreach, Si-Mok pulled the clearly traumatized woman behind him before pushing her away towards the still-open door. "Go, call for the police." He watched her run out from the apartment, shoes are forgotten in her rush.
Turning around, he saw Assisting Officer Kim's boyfriend came at him, a knife in his hand. His reaction must be slow enough that the impact sends him breathless. He pushed him away before he took notice of the knife sticking out from his chest. The pain sends air whooshing out from his lips, perspiration beading on his forehead as the wound from the stab registered in his mind. The sound of his heartbeat is like a war drum, pounding in his ears and almost deafening in its loudness. Distantly aware that he needs to stop the bleeding, he reached up. Hands cold, fingers clammy, he held into the knife as he tries to keep it in place. Losing the fight with gravity, his legs buckled, knees hitting the wooden floor. He is aware enough to know that he had fallen into shock.
There is horror flashed across Assisting Officer Kim's boyfriend's face as he looks down into his own hand, wet with blood. He reached out, his whole arms shaking as he braced him by his shoulder before helping him to lay on his back.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I... I didn't mean too."
Clearly terrified, he wiped his bloody hand on his shirt before he turned around and fled. Hwang Si-Mok watched in a detached manner as the main door slammed close, the pain throbbing almost violently now that he acknowledges it. His phone vibrated in his pocket, pulling him out from the waves of his agony. He ignored the slick blood which covers his hand, reaching for his mobile from his pocket.
Senior Inspector Han Yeo-Jin
Shaking finger slide to answer. Trying to speak sends blood flowing into his lungs, drowning him. He could faintly hear the sound of her voice calling for his name, first cheerfully before turning into panic when he did not answer her. Swallowing down, he could taste the metallic tang of his blood. He ignored the taste as he tries again, bringing the phone closer to his ear. He could feel his thought slipping out from him just like sands in between his fingers. The last grain of his thought was her frowning face.
She will be worried if I didn't answer her.
Han Yeo-Jin tapped her fingers on the dining table, drumming against it in a toneless tune when she took another glance at the watch.
Fifteen-minutes.
Its already been fifteen minutes and Prosecutor Hwang is still nowhere to be seen. She reached out her hand for the glass beside her for a quick sip to calm her nerve. Before she could do so, the glass crack.
And her lips turned downwards.
She is already rushing through the restaurant as she calls him.
“You shouldn’t lay a hand on him.” She gritted out the words, her hand clasped together in front of her. She could feel pinprick of tears from the back of her eyes, but there is also the burning inferno in her chest, scorching her. She realized she is shaking all over as she bit the inside of cheeks to stop herself from screaming. Or to burst out crying. At that moment, the line blurred.
The man before her bowed his head. His hair falls over his eyes, curtaining his eyes.
“I’m sorry.”
She slammed her fists on the table at the admission. The impact shot up through her whole body, the pulsating throb from her fist barely registered in her mind. It was then Han Yeo-Jin become aware of the wetness that touched her lips, and the water drops on the investigation table are none other than her tears. The realization made her cry harder; now, the tears streamed down her cheeks unchecked. She hates herself for showing him the chink in her armour, her worries and her sadness.
All of that feeling in her made her turned to her anger. Anger is familiar. A far safer territory for her. She used her anger which coursing through her like a whip and lashed out. "You left him there to die! You stabbed him and you left him there! And you are sorry!"
The interrogation door slammed open as two officers rushed into the room. One tried to pull her away from the room before she held out her hand to stopped him.
And she was reminded of another time she lost her temper in the interrogation room. His hand as he touched her arm to calm her down, in his silent way asking her to sit and she choked back another sob.
Just a moment.
She needs a moment to collect herself, to pull enough resemblance of control.
Her hand trembled as she wiped away her tears, and almost by invitation, the memories flashed before her; paralyzing.
The metallic tang of blood was overwhelming, filling the whole room and Hwang Si-Mok laying on the ground, breathing so shallowly as he drowned on his own blood. The red of his lifeblood glistened in the dimly lit room, pooling underneath him, colour unnatural against the white of his shirt. His hand motionless and still holding into his mobile, the screen blaring with her name; illuminating his too-pale face.
Too still to be alive.
“If he dies,” even as she said it, she could feel herself chocking at the possibility, her vision blackens for a moment. She anchors herself to the edge of the table, knuckles white as she grabbed into the wood. Her nails leave trailing marks on the desk. With deliberate care, she took in a bracing breath, straighten up in her seat and squaring her shoulder all the while praying for strength. Chin up, she continues.
“- I’ll end you myself.”
Han Yeo-Jin let the officer lead her out from the room.
Premonition.
That what it was.
The crack glass is a premonition.
She should know better. She should call him earlier. She should…
She stopped herself. There is a lot of things that she should do but didn’t.
What she didn’t do made him died for the one whole minute thirty-three second on the operation chamber. They lost his pulse once. And he lost almost two and a half litres of blood.
Just the notion of him not making through it all dries her throat, ice racing through her spine; chilling her. Despite the feeling in her bones, her palms become clammy, the pounding of her pulse deafening in her ears.
Han Yeo-Jin is aware enough to recognize the beginning of a panic attack. She tenses her arms muscle before relaxing it. She did it again to all her muscles, grounding herself to the feeling in her fight against her panic attack. She can’t lose to her thought. Right now, she is needed here. With care, she takes his hand in hers, leaning her cheek on it for empty support.
The warmth of his hand is reassuring.
The beeping of the heart rate monitor filled the ICU room.
His rental apartment smells like him. Heart heavy, she made her way into his bedroom for his basic toiletries and something for him to change into when he wakes up.
If he wakes up.
For the first time that day, she let herself to freely cry, to not feel any self-reproach at her weakness. Holding into his sweater, she took in her cheap comfort in his lingering scent.
She learned it in a hard way.
But the fact remains.
Han Yeo-Jin loves Hwang Si-Mok with her whole heart.
And it is ok if she is more invested in him.
She rather has all of that than not having him at all.
He woke up after two weeks.
The sun shone brightly, peaking through the sheer curtain. Lazily the wind blew into the rooms making the curtain dances. Outside, the sky is a clear blue canvas, not a hint of cloud nearby.
And Senior Inspector Han Yeo-Jin is crying.
“I called you. And you didn’t answer me.” Crybaby, that what she is right now as her words jumbled with her sobs. “You always answer my call. But the line was silent. You did pick it up, but you were silent.”
Hwang Si-Mok was silent at her admission before his eyelids fluttered close. She let go of his hand, wiping away the tears from her cheeks. Busying her hand, because she needs to do something before she broke into another embarrassing waterworks, she tucked in the thin hospital blankets around him.
“I had trouble breathing.” His voice crocked as he speaks, eyes open only half-lidded. His vision swarms before him, but he can see her blurry silhouette. It took him a few blinks to clear out his vision. Even with the painkiller in his system, making him drowsy; he could see the puffiness on her face and her swollen red eyes. Without words, she brings the cup with straw towards him for him to sip.
“It was painful.” His next sentence flows smoother now his parched throat was deal with. Her free hand pushed back his hair from his forehead, and he closed his eyes, savouring the sensation. Her fingertips are cold, slightly shaking as she card through his hair. She must have been terrified. At that knowledge, he continues, “Remind me of the time when you hit my back.”
This time the tears that flow down her face is filled with gratitude as she laughs silently, eyes taking in the serenity on his face, the smile in both his eyes and lips.
When he held out his hand, without hesitation, she took it in hers. On impulse, she pressed a kiss into his palm.
For the first time in two weeks, Han Yeo-Jin finds it within her to smile.
The relieve overwhelm her enough that she abandon her caution and hesitation, pressing a soft kiss on his forehead.
"Thank you for waking up. I had missed you a lot."
In his usual maddening way, he replied with a soft "Yes."