So sorry about not updating until now, I just had a ton of uni work. 

Hope you enjoy!

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The drive back to the station was conducted almost entirely in silence. The other officers had insisted that they didn’t drive so they both sat in the back of a police car, staring out of their respective windows.

It was confirmed that Miss Kim was now a key suspect as a photo of her was presented to the shop keeper to confirm identity. So they had made a major breakthrough with the case. But Hyesung didn’t want to think about the case now.

He felt torn. He felt tired. But also, he felt angry. Everything had gone wrong since he had gone back into the field. After months of desk work and cautiously imagining what it’d be like to go back out there, he had hoped for something easy, for someone easy and neutral and distant. Why did this have to happen now? Why so soon? Why didn’t Eric understand?

He sighed silently. This wasn’t Eric’s fault. He knew this, but found it hard to accept.

He felt torn. His head knew what these feelings were, it had experienced them before. It had experienced them for eight years. Eight ing years. And it knew where they would lead. They would lead to hurt and heartbreak and disappointment and emptiness. Well that’s what happened last time, why wouldn’t it happen this time too?

Yet his heart also knew these feelings, and it also knew the hurt of the past but it was willing to forgive and try again. The feeling was so euphoric that nothing else mattered and it just wanted to grab the moment with both hands and run.

Okay he was being dramatic. Really he just didn’t want to be hurt again and felt like he hadn’t got over the last time yet. Why did this have to happen now?

***

As soon as they back to the office a meeting was held. They were to find the address of Miss Kim and move to arrest her as soon as possible.

While the meeting was being held there was a knock at the door and a young officer came in and asked the Super Intendent to come out of the room for moment. The other participants of the meeting sat in silence, confused about what happened. Was it something about this case or another one? Hyesung glanced around the room, surprised to find that everyone was looking a lot less tired than he felt. He sat up straighter in his chair suddenly self-conscious of his posture. He shouldn’t be this tired, he needed to do his job well. He didn’t need the emotional turmoil that was going on inside him right now. Anger flared in him again.

The Super’ came back in, an odd expression on her face.

“John Lee’s body has been found in his house.” She said. Sense of understanding radiated around the room, they knew what this meant. Hyesung and Eric glanced at each other, remembering the house they went to. Suddenly the awful smell made sense.

“We had discovered a body there not long after DS Shin and DS Mun investigated the house, however his identity was only confirmed today. Lee’s thumb and forefinger on his right hand had been removed posthumously.”

Silence remained throughout the room as everyone processed this information.

“It has been estimated that Lee had been dead for almost a year.” Now the sound of murmurs began. They had been played. The murderers had killed three times now. But why? Hyesung thought. What were they achieving, what was their motives?

The meeting adjourned.

***

The coffee machine coughed into life, obviously only surviving on its last legs. Hyesung rubbed his eyes as he stood alone in the small kitchen-like room in the office that stored only coffee, tea and cheap snacks. It was going to be a long night. The door opened behind him. He didn’t look, hoping it was Dongwan or anyone else. Just not that person. But of course, Hyesung was never that lucky.

“You okay?” Eric spoke first, glancing at Hyesung whilst he got mug out of the cupboard.

“I’m fine.” Hyesung replied sharply. He didn’t want to be around him. His frustration was growing.

“I asked the Super’ why she didn’t tell us that a body had been found at the Lee’s house when they first found it, she thought we already knew.” The annoyance was clear in Eric’s voice. His partner sighed loudly at the news.

“I’m not surprised honestly.”

Neither spoke for a while. Hyesung just waiting patiently for the machine to work so he could get out of there as soon as possible as he could sense that Eric was thinking of what to say to start a conversation. Too late.

“Are we going to ignore what happened between us again?” Eric asked flatly. That was it.

“What do you want from me Eric?” Hyesung spun around to face the other man. “Don’t you understand how unprofessional this is? Don’t you understand the complications this brings?”

“I- “

“No you don’t! I have lived this before and I know that being involved with your partner is not a good idea!”

“But you weren’t involved with your partner.” Eric snapped.

“What?”

“You just loved him from afar whilst he ignored you and betrayed you.”

Hyesung stared, his face like stone.

“I’m here Hyesung. I’m here and I want you and you want me. I am not like him!” Eric stopped himself from shouting and took a deep breath.

“But what am I supposed to do with that?” Hyesung began forcefully. “Where are you trying to take this? Why me? Why now?” his voice trailed off. “What am I supposed to do?”

Eric looked at him softly then.

“Nothing.” He took a step towards him, cautiously, hoping Hyesung wouldn’t back away. But he didn’t, he just looked at him. Eric took another step until he was stood directly in front of the other man. “You don’t have to do anything, and I’m sorry if I’ve been too… persistent. And we’ll take this wherever you want and whenever you want. But why you?” Eric brought his hand up to cup Hyesung face gently. “Because I’ve never met someone as perfect as you before. Because you make me want to do the most ridiculous things but mostly because whenever you’re not around I can’t stop thinking about you and when I’m with you I feel something indescribable.” His eyes washed over Hyesung’s face, drinking in this beautiful man before him. “But I don’t want to let this go because I know we have something special.”

Hyesung stared at his partner, a million emotions swirling around his body. But amidst the confusion, a prevailing sense of warmth spread through his body as he listened to Eric’s words. He knew his heart had won this time.

“I don’t want to let this go either.” He whispered.

“Shall we do this?” Eric whispered back. Their foreheads were now pressed together as they shared this moment. “Slowly, one step at a time.”

Hyesung felt his heart beat faster as he focused on the words being said. He couldn’t speak. He nodded.