"She's mine."

Hyuk didn't know how he managed to get those words out, but it didn't matter.

Nothing mattered anymore, except one thing.

Sun Hee's eyes were nailed at him. He could see the fear and worry in her eyes, even a dash of surprise at his sweeping declaration. But she was still struggling at the hands of her captors. 

"You let her go," he demanded in a dangerous whisper, "Let her go and I won't shoot."

His hand was already wrapped around his gun. He wouldn't shoot if it can be helped, but if those men laid a hand on her, he wouldn't have a choice. 

Hyuk found it odd, however, that they weren't as hostile -- the masked leader in particular. In fact, he was just staring at Sun Hee, then at Hyuk. Was he trying to understand something? Only his men raised their defenses, ready to attack the detective and his colleague at any second. 

The sound of sirens grew louder and so did the shouting of the police. Detective Lee kept his stance, his eyes on the girl.

His girl, as he claimed.

He could sense their attack and Hyuk was already bracing himself. One of the gangsters had an ice pick on him; if the detective were to be hit by that, internal bleeding was a possibility. But that wasn't important. At that moment, Lee Hyuk was okay with the idea of bleeding inside -- as long as they didn't hurt the actress in the process. Because if they did --

They would be dead.

As the group was about to charge, they suddenly stopped.

Hyuk didn't hear it, but the masked leader mumbled something underneath his hood. He was trying to get a good look at him, thinking there was something familiar about him. But before Lee Hyuk could react, the gang moved as one in escaping, running ahead. It was only then the detective could hear the running from behind. 

The team had come. 

The thugs holding Sun Hee pushed her roughly aside, running as the police pursued them.  One of them, however, seemed to gained interest in her, pulling her with them.

Of course, Hyuk wasn't going to let that happen.

Immediately, he rushed to Sun Hee's aide, throwing a flying kick at the gangster. He pushed Sun Hee aside and started beating his opponent senseless. The gangster, however, struggled against his grip, punching him squarely in the jaw. Hyuk stumbled backwards, but got up on his feet before the man grabbed Sun Hee again. 

Ju Han was about to join in the fight when he was tackled by another gangster. Hyuk had no time to help him; he had to get to Sun Hee, who was busy scratching her pursuer with her nails. He threw himself at the man to get him off Sun Hee and threw another punch. For some reason, the gangster would not get knocked out.

Was he on steroids or something?

"AHHHHHHHH!" came a shrill scream.

He didn't see it coming, but Sun Hee just entered the picture, holding a small slab of concrete and giving the gangster a good whack on the head. She was about to hit him again, but Hyuk stopped her, grabbing her arm.

"He's out," he said.

"But he needs to die!"

"No, he doesn't!"

"Let me at him!"

Sun Hee was so furious, wriggling her arm against Hyuk's tight grip. She really wanted revenge, but he knew that she'd be in worse trouble.

Before she could cause anymore damage, he pulled her in his arms, holding her tight. Amidst the chaos -- police pursuing the gang and screaming everywhere -- Hyuk protected her. He gently pushed her head against his chest, one hand on top of her hair as he allowed the others to chase. He didn't want to keep Sun Hee out of his sight. 

"You," he whispered, "Stay with me."

She stopped struggling. 

Sun Hee cringed as the emergency room nurse dabbed antiseptic on her wound. This was the third open wound and she still wasn't used to the sting. 

"This is the last one," assured the nurse, "You're quite lucky you won't need stitches for any of your wounds. And your face is free from scratches too! Lucky girl, you are."

She was a middle-aged nurse who reminded Sun Hee strongly of her mother. As she continued rubbing some more antiseptic on Sun Hee's arm, the actress bit her lip, trying to ease out the pain in her body. 

This day turned out so drastic. When she woke up, she thought she'd just have a date.

Who knew she'd end up in an emergency room?

Once the nurse placed the last piece of gauze, Sun Hee sincerely thanked the ahjumma for her hard work. The nurse, on the other hand, advised her to lie down on the bed for a while and clear her head. "Forget what happened, dear," she said, "You'll rest better." With a smile on her face, the nurse bid her goodbye and attended to the other patients. 

It was easy to forget the mere fact that gangs attacked the mall out of sheer boredom. Granted, it was scary, but Sun Hee had seen far worse things. 

Speaking of worse things...

She followed the nurse's advice and rested her head on the hospital bed's pillow. Sun Hee's brain still whizzed with what just happened -- not with the gang thing, but who she ran into.

Could it be -- ?

No, Sun Hee. Not now. No. It couldn't be, she told herself, Don't think about that. 

The unpleasant tingling came back to her spine, making her shudder. She needed to shoo the bad thoughts away; otherwise, the nurse's advice to rest would just be a waste. She opened her eyes again, staring at the ceiling, and took deep breaths to calm herself. Unfortunately, that bothering thought came back, causing her to have a mini panic attack.

Sun Hee, calm down. Don't think.

She was having a hard time breathing, her eyes wildly looking around.

Then, it stopped at one familiar image situated meters away.

Lee Hyuk was in deep conversation with the doctors. He had taken off that black jacket and was donned in his ripped shirt. She could see that he also had gauzes on his arms, but he was not bothered by it. He was too busy with the doctor, probably asking about the other patients. 

Eventually, he noticed her stare. His eyes met hers.

In an instant, she remembered what he said.

"Stay with me."

In the middle of the turbulence, she was comforted by the mere fact that he was there, that he held her tight. The morning saw a rocky start for the both of them. She never thought it would end with him protecting her. 

There was something different in the way Lee Hyuk stared at her.

She couldn't point at it, but it was definitely different.

Sun Hee was too distracted, she didn't notice that her heartbeat slowed paces. 

Lee Hyuk felt that soreness everywhere, but he was no stranger to pain. He was used to it.

That's why at 12 midnight he was still busy at the station, filing overtime as he finished reports over today's "gangsters-raiding-the-mall" debacle. The few gangsters left behind were rounded up and being questioned by the staff as he was typing on his computer. So far, the reason behind the raid was pretty stupid: it was just another scare raid -- the gangs were bored and they just wanted to terrorize for fun. 

They were still trying to figure out which gang leader set this up. 

"Hey."

Hyuk looked up and saw Ju Han, limping and holding his bruised arm. He had just locked up one of the crooks in one of the cells and was capping off his day. Ju Han did a great job in subduing the rest of the gangsters, using a perfect balance of sheer force and wits to get them into the police cars waiting. He received praises from Head Inspector Jung and was applauded for his quick singal to the team.

But for Hyuk, he messed up on one thing. 

"I heard you were looking for me," he said, "Soo Ok said."

Hyuk then shut down his computer. "Follow me then," he said, indicating to the nearby fire escape. It was always the best place to hold a private conversation. 

The unknowing Ju Han followed Hyuk as he opened the fire escape and entered, to be greeted by the star-filled sky. It was pretty quiet outside since most of the people were inside, doing their jobs or asleep. Once Ju Han shut the door behind them, Hyuk attended to business.

Without warning, he punched Ju Han in the face.

"OUCH!"

Ju Han grabbed hold of the railing as his one hand clutched his jaw. Angrily, he stood up to Hyuk.

"What the hell was that for?!"

Lee Hyuk rubbed his sore knuckles.

"No offense, but that was for today," he calmly explained, "I cannot believe you charged at those thugs with Sun Hee in tow. You should've brought her to a safe place before you go running at them. You almost got her killed."

"I was trying to," reasoned Ju Han, still rubbing his jaw, "But she wanted to come."

"So you let her?"

"I couldn't shake her off."

"Then you should've!" exclaimed Hyuk, "For Pete's sake, you're a cop. You know that taking civilians with you while you deal with criminals is never the way to go. But you had to bring her with you."

"I wanted to keep an eye on her!"

"And look at where that led you."

Hyuk glared at Ju Han. It was fortunate that the latter didn't think of retaliating; Hyuk was already in bad shape, he gave all the effort in that punch already. 

"She almost got herself killed, thanks to your mistake," continued Hyuk.

"It was not my intention."

"She always has to be safe!"

His voice sounded so infuriated, even he was surprised with himself. But Hyuk thought it wasn't the right time to scold himself. He had to settle things with Ju Han. 

"Wow, you're passionate, aren't you?"

Ju Han was still touching his aching jaw as he leaned against the railing. 

"She's my date, my responsibility," he continued. 

"You didn't even take care of her."

"Okay, hold up."

The inspector looked at the detective suspiciously. Hyuk didn't know why Ju Han was staring at him like he was trying to figure him out. He remained calm, despite the growing indignant attitude inside him. Ju Han's eyes lit up as he pointed a finger at Hyuk. 

"You like her, don't you?"

"That's not the point."

"But you do."

"So what if I do?"

The comeback was abrupt, but there was no turning back. Ju Han's jaws dropped at the sudden revelation, but immediately collected himself. 

"You...like Kim Sun Hee."

"Again, that's not the point."

"What is your point then?" asked Ju Han, "Hmm, maybe something like this: 'Hey Ju Han, you messed up big time in protecting Kim Sun Hee. Oh and by the way, I have feelings for her so maybe stop dating her?' Is that it?" 

It sounded so wrong when Ju Han said it. Hyuk, however, cannot deny it at all. 

When Ju Han realized what Hyuk's silence meant, he scoffed. "That makes sense," he continued, "So, what do you want now, Detective Lee? Do you want me to stop pursuing Sun Hee because I didn't take good care of her or because of something else?"

Hyuk could sense Ju Han's sudden hostility. Before he could answer, the Inspector cut him off.

"You're right when you say that I made a mistake with Sun Hee today and I apologize. I was reckless, but know one thing," said Inspector Cha, "I'm not going down that easy, Lee Hyuk. You know how that is." 

"I know."

Hyuk stood his ground and looked at Ju Han -- from one man to another. There was definite tension between them, just like their old days at the police academy. In a way, Detective Lee was grateful he need not say what was on his mind; Ju Han got that. He sincerely hoped that Inspector Cha also got his second point. 

But really, all of it depended on her. 

"We're glad that nothing happened to you, Miss Kim. But my, what is it with you and trouble, huh?"

Sun Hee pretended to be amused with DA Park's comment as he took her witness' statement. She was the last on his list so he was definitely worn out. She figured his supposedly funny remarks were just part of the worn-out feeling. After all, he wasn't looking any younger.

"I know," she said, "I guess trouble finds me always."

The district attorney chuckled as he finalized her statement. It was already past midnight and she wanted nothing more than to wipe her makeup off, pour herself some tea, and try her best to go to sleep -- shake off her fears and suspicions. She yawned again, hoping the DA would get the sign that she was tired and it was time for her to go home.

"Alright, I guess that settles it," he announced, "Thanks so much again, Miss Kim."

"Anytime, DA Park."

"Time for you to go to sleep, then. Do you have someone driving you home?"

"Uh...I'll try to call my friend Jin Hae. I hope she's still awake."

The DA nodded and said his goodbyes, indicating it was her time to exit. With a smile on her face, she took her handbag, cringing at her sore arms and bid the man goodbye. On the inside, however, she was kinda annoyed that they asked her to come over when they knew she was at the hospital. Then again, she was doing her responsibility as a citizen. 

She pulled out her phone and scrolled down for Jin Hae's number. Knowing her bestfriend, it was unlikely that Jin Hae was still awake. She hadn't even let her best friend know that she was involved in a gang-related attack. If she was right, Jin Hae would probably be knocked out and sound asleep.

Sun Hee could try to hail a cab, but today's shenanigans triggered her trust issues. For all she knew, someone could try to have her kidnapped again and she didn't want that. She has had enough of all the damsel in distress episodes. 

Great, how am I going to get home?

Once she got out of the station, she saw a familiar figure standing outside.

Outisde of his uniform or typical dark leather jacket, Lee Hyuk looked like your regular boy next door (injured yes, but still like the boy next door). Just like her, he was sporting a few patches of band-aids and gauzes here and there, but he seemed alright. Hands shoved in  his denim jeans, he was obviously waiting for someone. 

When he looked at her and stared, she figured out who he was waiting for.

"Hey," he said, "Is Jin Hae going to pick you up?"

She wanted to ask about his bleeding knuckles, but his silence was pressing. "Uh...I don't think so," she answered, "I might have to hail a cab."

"I can drive you home."

He approached her, taking out the keys from his pocket. "I don't think I can let you go home alone tonight," he said, "I'd be an idiot if I did that right after you became a part of gang-related troubles and stalked just days ago."

Just a week ago, he was stone cold and unreasonable. Now, here he was, back to his sort-of friendly self, but with a dash of warmth that seemed unfamiliar. 

"Sun Hee!"

Before she could take on his offer, she turned around and saw Ju Han running towards them but stopping in the middle.

"Are you going home?" he asked, "I can take you."

There was a sharp intake of breath somewhere. She could sense Lee Hyuk also gazing at his colleague. Sun Hee glanced at him and saw that he looked a bit annoyed with Ju Han, but she couldn't ask about that right now. 

It definitely was a sight: Kim Sun Hee stood in the middle of the two officers, both of them asking her to ride home with one of them.

Ju Han took another step closer. The past days were quite something with him (albeit there were awkward moments here and there, especially during their date); he was a nice guy and he was interested in her. Their White Week taught her a lot about Cha Ju Han, especially his confidence and insecurities with Lee Hyuk (they've been through a lot, apparently).

But she was not sure yet.

"Stay with me."

She suddenly felt the close presence of the Detective. He was standing beside her, only inches away. He was that close that she heard his quiet yet firm whisper. 

To be sure that he was the one who said it, she glanced at him again.

He was looking down at her, those eyes slightly covered by the disarray of hair. She could see sincerity written all over it. Plus, his slightly parted red lips indicated that he just spoke.

She looked at him, then at Ju Han.

"Just stay with me."

Lee Hyuk repeated  his words and this time, his conviction caused shivers up Sun Hee's spine.

It was a simple dilemma: who should she ride home with? Bystanders would've wondered what three people were doing in the middle of the police station -- the girl in the middle, a detective beside her, and an inspector waiting for an answer inside. But for Sun Hee, there was something different. Ju Han had always liked her, he said it himself.

But why was she getting a different vibe from the detective?

"Stay with me."

Of course, the solution was clear.

A/N: The Holy Week is coming up in my country and I cannot wait for it. Apart from more time to rest and relax, I also have all the time in the world to watch kdramas and brainstorm more ideas for this fic. I have a lot actually, but I don't want to take too long. I hope you're enjoying it so far. Don't worry. Sunny and Grim Reaper will be facing bigger changes soon. And to the question "'Is So Min Eun Tak?" Yes, she is the reincarnated version of the Goblin's Bride. One my helpful readers told me so :D

Don't worry dear reader, the next chapter -- how do I begin -- I don't know. Everything's going to explode, I guess.

You'll see.