Andy lay lazily in the shade of a tree, losing track of time to the rhythmic sound of gentle waves meeting the shore. He let his palm feel the warm grainy sand which was a heat source against the cool sea breeze. Time slowly ticked away, until an ever so familiar footstep drifted into his ears. The sound stopped right before where his head was resting. A smile spread across Andy’s face.

“Hi Jin,” Andy correctly named the intruder before his eyes were even opened. Junjin smiled, satisfied. He stood for a while longer, studying the face of the man he adored, until Andy opened his eyes.

“This is how you spend time now? Nine out of ten times I am back, you are here,” Junjin moved beside Andy and sat down. He shifted to the city with the hyung 4 months ago. The 3 older ones had graduated and started working while he, being in the special cohort, began embarking on his internship at a police box. Still a cadet, he had classes fortnightly at the academy, but he travelled back more often than his classes required because his heart was here, stolen by Andy.

“Not like there is anything I can do in the dorm anyway,” Andy sat up. The school administrator had not assigned him with new dorm mates yet. But this solitary was not all bad. The suffocating veil of his hidden friendship with Junjin was finally lifted, temporarily. Since knowing Junjin, their relationship had always been bizarre. Junjin initially avoided him but pretended they were on okay terms in front of the hyung. Suddenly, the man just disregarded him altogether regardless if the hyung were around. Then, this very same person proclaimed he wanted to befriend Andy but could not do so in front of the hyung. They had grown pretty close since, their friendship was something that only belongs to them, untainted. But this can’t go on forever right?

Junjin shivered a little, not yet accustomed to the cold sea breeze. He blushed immediately when Andy scooted closer to him to keep him warm. He turned his face slightly away from Andy to hide the flushed.

“How’s work in the police box?” Andy asked.

“Helping old ladies with their missing pets, patrolling the streets, breaking up neighbourhood hoodlums’ fights, report lodging,” Junjin recited. “Nothing interesting, unlike the hyung.”

Andy laughed lightly at his friend’s grumble.

“On the brighter side, you are experiencing real work a year earlier than cadets your age. And 8 months later, you will be able to join a unit you want,” Andy replied. Eric and Dongwan might have been legends in the police world, but the rest of the dorm mates aren’t too bad themselves. They have their own achievements and popularity in school.

A unit he wanted...The thought played in Junjin’s mind. He swallowed bashfully before trying his best to sound as nonchalant as possible when he asked, “Which unit do you plan to go to after you graduate?”

“Special crime,” Andy answered without needing to think through; his answer surprising Junjin. The special crime unit was where Eric and Dongwan were. But Eric and Dongwan were exceptions. They were prizes to the police force and the unit took them in because they were singled out as future leaders. Other than them, the special crime unit only takes in exceptional and experience police.

“How else would I get to spend time with hyung?” Andy faked a groaned after hearing Junjin's gasp. “I’ll just study really really hard for it. And if I don’t get in after I graduate, I’ll continue to work really really hard to get in.”

Junjin nodded. He was aware Andy did not get to meet Eric hyung the past few times he travelled to the city because the older one was always working. Does that mean he has to work really really hard too? How else would he get to spend time with Andy if the younger one also got into special crime unit?

Andy studied Junjin’s daze expression with a light smile. It was remarkable how their friendship had evolved in the past 3 years 4 months. These 2 years away from the hyung would be a respite for their closet friendship. But the day when they can talk freely in front of the hyung will come right?

“What is in your mind?” Junjin took a side long glace at Andy.

“Nothing…” Andy gave him a covert smile.

***

The office was almost empty at the unearthly hour. The only sound other than the frustrated grunt of the detective was the ticking of the clock as each second pass by.

Dongwan leaned against the desk, his eyes hard on the scribbles and arrows drawn on the whiteboard, depicting the intricacy of the case he had on hand. He sighed, raking his fingers through his hair before reaching for the case files and flipping through them for the hundredth time.

The light along the corridor flickered to life. Eric walked into the office shortly, with two take away bags in hand.

“Jajangmyeon,” Eric announced and placed the bags on the desk nearest to the door.

“Thanks,” Dongwan mumbled, putting down the files and walking over to have his very late dinner. Despite his stress, he felt truly blessed to have Eric always by his side. His lover had rejected several offers to other prestigious units just to be with Dongwan, despite advice and counselling from the principal and teachers of the cadet school. And that itself meant Eric was giving up on his chance to lead a department of his own in the future despite his capabilities and potential.

“Junjin messaged me,” Eric said. “He wants to join me in the special crime unit in the future.”

“Join you or join me?” Dongwan sniggered, thinking that Eric was bluffing him. He snatched Eric’s phone over to make sure the message Eric was flashing to him was not bogus when Eric raised his phone to show Junjin’s message. Junjin clearly wrote that he wanted to be in the same unit as Eric to learn from him.

“Now I know why you are always so worked up whenever Andy approached Minwoo before you. I feel so betrayed by Junjin!”

Eric laughed, glad that he managed to get Dongwan’s mind off the stressful matter for a while. But Junjin’s message was even weird to him. The younger man was his partner in crime when they prank Dongwan and Minwoo, but who Junjin really looked up to was Dongwan.

“Any new findings?” Eric asked when he was done with his dinner, if a meal at 2am can be considered dinner. He turned to the whiteboard when Dongwan shook his head. There were at least a dozen names of famous chaebols and politicians scribbled, all of them suspects to the crime on hand – a murder as a threat to a senator, warning him not to implement a policy.

“Who will benefit most if this is not implemented?”

“Too many of those selfish bastards,” Dongwan sighed. “It is hard to single out any of them.”

Eric continued to study the information on the whiteboard.

“What if the motivation is not a benefit but fear?” Eric proposed a new angle to look at the case. The chair gave off an ear-splitting screeched when the tall man stood up abruptly and strode over to the case files. He scanned through the photos of the crime scene and evidences gathered. “CCTV footages deleted, no fingerprints or anything abnormal; no witness too.” Eric raised his head to Dongwan. “As much as the chaebols and politicians are powerful people, Senator Kim is a powerful man too. How would anyone get the opportunity to do all these in a single night?”

Dongwan met Eric’s gaze and stayed there before leaping up from his seat and rushing over to read the case files with Eric. After a few more hours of analysing facts and hypothesising, the couple finally decided to rest when people started turning up for work.

“I will arrange another interview with Senator Kim again. Thanks Eric,” Dongwan mumbled to his sleepy boyfriend.

“Do you have to be so formal with me?” Eric smiled sleepily before resting his head on his cross arms above the table. Dongwan looked at the handsome man lovingly. Eric could be a leader to another prestigious department in the police force, but he just devoted all his time in helping Dongwan with his career. Despite his talents, Eric was a simple man with simple desires in life.

Dongwan gently brushed Eric’s fringe out of his face.

“I love you,” he whispered to the sleeping Eric.