Haeun struggles to open her eyes and by instinct, she reaches out to wrap her arm around whatever was close to her – which would usually be Lucas. The warmth radiating was similar but the scent was definitely different. Finally, does Haeun open her eyes and she’s surprised by the sight that greeted her. She’s met with Taeyong’s sleeping figure as he gave off a low snore. She sits up quickly – a bit too quickly and feels her head pounding for a moment.

Her eyes scan around and she realizes she’s in the detective department still. Her panic level goes down and it gives her a chance to think properly. “Right… I fell asleep,” she mutters and looks back at Taeyong’s sleeping figure. Her eyes rest on his figure and she has to admit, he still looks good. Taeyong didn’t have Lucas’s figure but his sharp jawline was something that Haeun couldn’t resist to trace her fingers along. He stirs in his sleep and Haeun quickly pulls her hand back. Slowly, he opens his eyes and smiles when he sees Haeun awake.

“Morning, Haeun,” he speaks and she notices the dryness in his tone. “Did you sleep well?” He yawns and sits up, rubbing his eyes. “I couldn’t leave you alone after you slept. I got worried.”

Haeun nods her head and clears before proceeding to stand up. “Thanks… For keeping me company,” she heads to her locker and searches for some spare clothes. “I’m going to go and wash up first,” she was about to leave when Taeyong calls out for her.

“Wait, Haeun,” he stands up. “The hot showers haven’t been fixed. My place is just a 5-minute walk, you’re welcomed to use my shower.”

This was how Haeun ended up inside Taeyong’s house. It wasn’t big and grand but it wasn’t that small either. Haeun was certain the house was too big for him to live all alone and continued to compliment how tidy and arranged everything was. “Your girlfriend is so lucky to have someone like you,” she smiles once he brings her to the living room. He doesn’t answer to her comment instead, he points to the bathroom upstairs. However, before she heads up, she asks him a question.

“Could I borrow a shirt?”

As Haeun finishes her shower and headed downstairs to join Taeyong for breakfast, she gets a call from Lucas. “Hey, sorry. Work,” she says immediately. “I know. Just here to check up on you. Have you eaten breakfast yet?” Lucas asks and she hears the sound of the television. Haeun dries her hair off with the towel, “I’m grabbing something with Taeyong. I don’t know what time I’ll be home, Lucas. Are you alright on your own?”

Lucas sighs and nods his head. He knows how much Haeun prioritized her work – she had only been back for a month so her excitement was still running high. Yet, Haeun worried over him even when she had so much on her plate already. “I’m fine,” he rubs his nape. “I’m thinking of getting a part-time job nearby for night shifts. Just so I could pay something back to you for your help.”

“Lucas,” Haeun makes her way down the stairs. “You don’t have to pay me anything. What’s important is your safety and comfort. That’s all I want. You can stay with me for as long as you like when the case is over, I mean it.”

“I can’t stay one roof with you without having any of my own allowance, Haeun.” He chuckles as he takes a sip from his glass of apple juice. “And I can’t stay with you forever either…” Something about that sentence made his stomach curl and not in a good way. “Just… Just work hard and don’t forget to eat, alright? Text me when you come home.”

“Okay…Okay, you take care of yourself as well. Love you,” her eyes widened at the last phrase. An old habit of hers. Perhaps hearing Lucas’s voice made her forget about their past. She hears him give off a low chuckle.

“Love you too,” Lucas replies and the line goes flat.

Taeyong places the bowl of cereal in front of her, “Take your time to eat. We don’t clock in for another hour.” He pulls a chair and sits in front of her with his own bowl. “Was that Lucas you were talking to?”

“Yeah,” she answers and takes a mouthful of the cereal. The towel was placed on her shoulders to prevent her shirt from damping. As Haeun aimlessly scrolls through her phone, she doesn’t catch Taeyong’s eyes that were watching her. He observes how her eyes twinkle when she chuckled over some funny photo or video and how his shirt seemed to fit her almost perfectly – he didn’t need that shirt anymore.

“Taeyong? You okay?”
When she talked does he finally break out from his trance. 
 “You aren’t eating.”

He feels his cheeks burning and quickly looks down, focusing on his bowl of cere