Yoo Jung can see the way that Ji Hye looks at Eun Hyuk, sees the look in her eyes that she sees in Ji Wook’s eyes when he looks at Bong Hee.

She remembers looking at him that way, too – and now that she sees Ji Hye looking at someone that she finally has come to accept that she likes, she’s discouraged. She’s usually confident, but now she’s watching them walk together ahead whilst she’s left to walk behind them. Eun Hyuk is laughing and smiling, and Ji Hye is clearly trying to play hard to get, but the smile that plays on her lips as she looks at him, it’s obvious she’s interested.

She clears , and they both turn to her and she forces a smile. “I’m going this way. I’ll see you at work tomorrow, Prosecutor Na.” and heads off. She doesn’t respond when they try to call after her, instead furiously trying to pretend like her eyes aren’t stinging, like there aren’t tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She’s fine. She’ll be fine.

It’s not until she’s back at home that she lets herself be sad, because when the door is locked and her shoes are off, and she’s finally in her pyjamas and in bed is when she lets it go. Her eyes shut to stem the tears, but they somehow find their way out instead. She eventually gives up trying to fight them, instead turns onto her side and hates herself for getting upset over someone like him. He had abandoned her just like Ji Wook had – both at the same time, both for the same reason. And whilst she wants to drown in the emotions for longer, she knows she has work tomorrow. She can’t.

…

When she goes to work the next morning, Eun Hyuk is at her desk and he’s holding out an envelope to her with a smile on his lips. Her heart jumps at it, and she responds perhaps a little too fast because her hands reach up for the envelope just a second too soon and their hands touch briefly, but it’s not long enough for her to feel alarmed by it, and Eun Hyuk doesn’t look too affected either.

It’s when Yoo Jung looks up again and Eun Hyuk isn’t gone that she becomes suspicious. “What are you still here for?”

Eun Hyuk is silent for a moment but quickly takes a seat on the closest chair, taking a side glance towards the file he’d just handed her. “We’re going to work on it together.” He looks at her for a moment, before he reaches to the file again and opens it for her, taking out the objects inside.

Instead of the expected file, there was a sheet of paper with a printed board game. Yoo Jung raises a brow at it, looks at him and then back at the paper. She leans back on her chair, pushing the paper away and towards Eun Hyuk.

“I’m too busy for this.” She tells him, and turns back to her laptop, switching it on and tapping her fingers on the keys impatiently, waiting to log in quickly. Eun Hyuk’s smile slips a little, and he puts the paper away before he stands up. He bows to her in silence, and leaves the room.

Yoo Jung watches him leave, and shakes her head. She leans back against the chair and sets her hands down on the desk, running her fingers over it momentarily. When the laptop lights up with the case she had been previously skimming over, she clears her mind and forces herself to forget what had just happened. It’s not long that she can have that mindset, because a text lights up on her phone and she checks it without thinking of who it might be.

Eun Hyuk: Sorry! Thought that you might be free and made a mistake (❁°͈▵°͈)
Eun Hyuk: Probably would’ve been a lot easier to ask here. When are you free?

Yoo Jung stares at it, and presses her lips together tightly. Perhaps she hadn’t offended him by sending him away after the effort of coming to the Prosecutors office.

Yoo Jung: I’m free tonight. Let’s meet outside my office.

She sets the phone down, lifting her hand to her forehead and sighing heavily. She lets her hand fall, sees her phone light up with another text – one that is happy this time, and with the following message being:

Eun Hyuk: っゝω・)っ okay!

Yoo Jung lets out another small sigh, but smiles nonetheless. Turning back to her laptop, she begins reading throu