Joohyun's avoiding Seungwan. Neither of them know why. Wait, that's a lie--Joohyun knows exactly why she doesn't want to accept the reason (something that rhymes with blue hurl because the thought is going to make her hurl up her own stomach).

She's hiding in the break room when there's a knock on the window and she looks up to find the person of her thoughts there.

"Squirrel?" Joohyun mutters and quickly slides the glass open. "What are you doing here?"

Joohyun easily tugs her in before going back to lock the door to the room.

"Just wanted to come and see for myself the look on your face when you find out you lost our game, is all."

Joohyun scowls, checking the time on the clock sitting on the wall. "There's still a few more hours until it's over. You're only two points ahead of me and I can easily make that up in that time."

Seungwan shrugs playfully before her expresion sobers and she gets a bit closer to inspect her face. "Have you been taking good care of them?" she asks about her injuries.

"Yes," Joohyun sighs and instinctively glances at the mirror. There's only a couple scrapes now, luckily she didn't need any stitches. 

"If you run out of Hello Kitty bandaids, I can get you some squirrel ones," Seungwan grins. "I use them all the time. We could be matching."

"Shut up," Joohyun scoffs. "I don't want to match with you."

"Who else then?" Seungwan purses her lips and casually says, "Maybe that Detective Son friend of yours?"

"Huh?"

"Are you avoiding her?"

"What?" Joohyun blinks. How the hell does she know that?

It's as if Seungwan knows exactly what Joohyun's thinking and replies, "She might've mentioned it to me."

"What, are you guys best friends or something?" Joohyun grumbles, not really sure if the pang of jealousy is towards Seungwan or the vigilante.

"No I just bumped into her last night, um she was getting followed by some creep," Seungwan lies quickly.

"What? Is she okay?"

"Y-Yes! Yeah she's totally fine now. Don't even worry," Seungwan chuckles nervously and brings a hand to cup the back of her neck habitually. "So um... Are you? Avoiding her, I mean?"

Joohyun frowns and squints her eyes at how suddenly shy and nervous the Squirrel is acting--it's definitely not like her. "No, I've just been busy with work and beating your in our game."

"You're not gonna win, you know. I think we should just end it here, Detective."

"Absolutely not."

"I don't want something else happening to you," Seungwan argues. "I'm not playing a game with your life on the line."

"That's just part of the job, Squirrel. You know as well as I do that there's always a risk," Joohyun says as she takes a seat in the couch and lets Seungwan slowly make circles on the ground with her pacing.

"This silly game of ours has made you exhausted, Detective Bae. Maybe if you weren't playing it the other day, those thugs wouldn't--"

"Wouldn't what?" Joohyun interrupts. "Seulgi and I didn't have our guns but they did and one of them also had a knife and something we have no idea how lethal in some syringes. Tired or not, if it weren't for you--"

"No," Seungwan grunts out, stopping her pacing and stomping her way over to the couch. Joohyun lets out a little gasp when the vigilante is suddenly in her space, her arms bracketing her face and her hands pressed against the wall that Joohyun finds the back of her head trying to go through because she's just so close; it's really not helping the fluttering butterflies that entered her stomach the second she saw the Squirrel today.

"S-Squirrel--"

"Don't even finish that sentence, Joohyun," Seungwan grunts out and Joohyun subconsciously shrinks, digging herself into the pillows of the couch and instinctively bringing her hands to hold back the other's shoulders. 

Joohyun feels the cool material under her palms and grips it tightly. "It's true, Squirrel. I would be dead right now if it weren't for you. There's nothing I can give to repay you for that."

Seungwan's gaze falls to her lips. "I can think of an idea."

Joohyun finds that her hands have released its hold on Seungwan's suit and have somehow trailed up the sides of her neck. Her gaze flickers from her left to right eye, making certain that the other's own are trained on her lips. 

I think she wants to kiss me, Joohyun realises. 

Joohyun's head lifts slowly from the wall and she gulps at the way Seungwan bites down on her bottom lip. She wants to replace the Squirrel's teeth with her own and the image makes dry up.

They're leaning in and Joohyun feels fire in her bones and electricity beneath their mouths before they even touch. The air grows hot and almost fatally thin; they're in their own bubble of heat despite the cold air coming in from the still open window. Joohyun feels her ankles freezing in the breeze but has no mind down there when up here, she feels Seungwan's hot breath on her lips.

Suddenly, there's a banging outside on the door and they both jump apart at Seulgi's voice, "Unnie are you in there? I'm hungry..."

"Uh," Joohyun starts and flushes when she spots the Squirrel's dark orbs still trained on her lips. She has to turn her head to hide the blush and faces the door to reply, "Yeah, sure! Sorry, I was um... I was fixing my clothes."

"Why?" she hears Sooyoung's voice now.

"Uh... My bra went undone." Joohyun calls back and quickly pushes the Squirrel towards the window.

"'Bra', huh?" Seungwan whispers mischievously. "I can help."

Joohyun rolls her eyes and opens for a snarky response when Sooyoung says, "Okay well, have you seen Seungwan? My shift's almost over and I need to meet one of my boyfriends!"

It's still the holidays, today being New Year's Day and though Seulgi and Sooyoung are supposed to be on holiday leave, Sooyoung's been popping in for a short five hour shift (she does next to no paperwork though) while Seulgi's decided on coming in because of their newfound knowledge that their Captain could be a traitor. Seulgi doesn't want Joohyun to deal with that alone. Though, Yeri hasn't shown up since they found out about her and Joohyun has made a mental reminder to check in at her apartment but she's a bit nervous to face the possibility that Yeri could actually be a traitor.

"I'm gonna go," Seungwan hastily mutters and Joohyun all but pushes her out of the window, sliding it shut with a huff. The cold chill outside isn't enough to cool the burning in her cheeks.

Joohyun gets back to her seat just in time for Seungwan to waltz into the bullpen, concealing her panting breath as best as she can.

"There you are!" Sooyoung calls out at her desk with a groan.

"Hey, sorry I was--"

"Don't care!" Sooyoung says and clicks the cap of her lipstick closed. "I have a party to get to."

"Didn't you just go to one yesterday?" Seungwan watches helplessly as Sooyoung grabs her bag and hurries out.

"That was for New Year's Eve. This is for New Year's Day," Sooyoung replies and brushes past her with a brisk clack of her heels she's suddenly wearing.

"Seulgi," Joohyun whispers across her desk as Seungwan sits alone across the room, "I was thinking of going back to check out the basement at Son Industries."

Seulgi shakes her head immedaitely at that. "Unnie, we just got attacked right outside the building and I'm pretty sure it's got something to do with Mr Son's dislike for you. The thugs were only trying to kill you not me. This is a bad idea."

Frowning, Joohyun huffs and whips out her phone. "Fine, I'll just ask the Squirrel then."

"W-Wait, you should ask the Bunny instead. I'll give you her number."

Pausing as she brings up the Squirrel's contact, Joohyun asks her, "How did you already get it from Seungwan?"

Joohyun hasn't given it to Seungwan yet.

"Uh..." Cue Seulgi's bad lying skills that somehow convince a seasoned detective. "I just asked her for it? Maybe she got it from the Blue Squirrel?"

Truth be told, Seungwan texted her the Bunny's number right after she dropped them off at the hospital. Seulgi didn't even have to ask, Seungwan told her it was just in case she couldn't come herself to help out or if Seungwan's also in trouble.

"Alright, I'll ask both of them then," Joohyun says after Seulgi sends her a number she already recognises.

"Hold on, do you really need them both? And, don't you want to keep the Squirrel away from your case? I mean, you guys have that little competition going on, don't you?"

"You know about that too?" Joohyun pouts and Seulgi only manages a nod. Joohyun really was trying to be discrete about it.

Joohyun doesn't pretend to save the number in her contacts, knowing she'll never have to actually text herself because it'll just pop back up on her phone through her other number anyway. 

(you):

I need your help.

squirrel:

what's up?

It's for a case.

oh? given up on our game have you?

No. This is seperate. I doubt it'll be solved by the end of the day.

It doesn't count.

okay what is it?

Meet me at Son Industries in Myeong-dong.

son industries?

what exactly are you looking for?

I'll explain it later.

alright, i'll pick you up

What?

No, I'm just going to drive and meet you there.

and what if those thugs are there again and recognise your car?

Only because you stomped all over it.

it's about a half hour drive isn't it? i can get us there in ten.

oh and i'll buy you a new car

You don't have to do that, it's fine.

oops i just ordered it

What?

man how the hell did that happen?

You did not.

my thumb slipped!

And it just accidentally ordered a whole damn car?

ah my card got charged already!! dang that

Squirrel.

i'm rich remember? it's fine detective

come meet me outside in the south alley

Are you already here?

almost

Don't be texting and gliding, Squirrel.

i'm not! i swear!

anyway, i'm here so hurry up

Joohyun blinks at that and quickly sends back a confirmation before looking up and making up an excuse to Seulgi. She doesn't even notice the fact that Seungwan's not sitting at her desk anymore before she quickly walks out of the building.

"Should I have a brought a seatbelt?" Seungwan asks.

Joohyun's on Seungwan's back, almost choking Seungwan with the vice-grip she has around her neck. Luckily, it's not snowing or anything but Joohyun's ing freezing and the vigilante's not making it any better when she drops her arms all of a sudden. Joohyun lets out a blood-curlding scream into Seungwan's ear that is quickly muffled by Seungwan's hand over her shoulder as she lands somewhere in a deserted street.

"We're here, Detective," Seungwan tells her and she only realises then when she spots the pink flush on Joohyun's face that she'd muted her scream using her fingers and not her palm. "Ow!" she cries when Joohyun bites down on her fingers. "S-Sorry," she utters and quickly retracts her fingers out of Joohyun's mouth. To be fair, her fingers don't really feel any change in temperature what with the heaters inplemented in her suit (though, a part of her wishes she could've experienced the warmth of Joohyun's mouth) and Joohyun's flailing on her back made it hard to angle her hand right.

"You better have washed your gloves," Joohyun grumbles, brushing past her and peeking her head behind a wall to see that they're right next to Son Industries. 

"So," Seungwan says and Joohyun jumps at the sudden proximity of the voice. She scowls as she sees Seungwan latched to the side of the wall just so that her head can appear right above Joohyun's, also with her face poked out to look at the building. "How do you wanna do this? People are gonna recognise me. It's gonna be hard with my mask on."

"Take it off then," Joohyun deadpans but adds, "There's a private elevator that goes straight from the lobby to the top floor. We'll use that one, it's in a little corridor to the left of the lobby when we walk in."

"Okay, but how am I even going to get into the lobby? Those are metal detectors aren't they? And you're carrying your gun too."

Joohyun whips her head up and Seungwan peers down, finding them at a familar position with their noses almost touching. "Just let me deal with it, I'm the professional here, remember?"

Seungwan doesn't know what she'd expected Joohyun to pull but it certainly wasn't this.

The vigilante's waiting outside in a bush as she watches Joohyun walk through the doors, immediately setting off an alarm. Joohyun hurriedly falls to her knees and cries out to the security guard before her, "She broke up with me!"

"Ma'am are you carring a weapon?"

"Of course I'm carrying, I'm a cop!" Joohyun wails and she's a complete mess on the floor. In a choked sob, Joohyun haphazardly throws her gun into the doors, causing the alarms to set off again in a loud, ringing blare. "Son Seungwan broke up with me!"

The woman at the front desk stands up and there's a few more security guards now as they all hover awkwardly as Lisa attempts to soothe the seemingly heart-broken Joohyun. They manage to lead her over to a seat in the corner of the lobby and Seungwan takes this chance as the alarm is still ringing to slip past the doors and into the corridor Joohyun mentioned. 

"I'm--I'm sorry," Joohyun hiccups. "Is Seungwan here? She's not at work I need to talk to her."

"Ma'am I'm going to have to ask you to leave," the security guard tells her firmly but Lisa is quick to jump between them.