I open my eyes. They're still heavy but I force them open. I look at the time on my phone and it's 11 to 4 in the morning. I shiver as it's more freezing on the floor. I look up at the bed and I see Yongguk's back facing me. He's probably just as upset as I am. I feel bad but I have no other choice. I stand up slowly as to not wake up the sleeping sergeant. I rip a piece of paper off the notepad on the table. I write a letter to him.

To Bang Yongguk
Between us... what is there...?
Are we... friends? lovers?
I need to leave
I'm sorry
Don't contact me...

Himchan

I leave the letter on the table. I grab my things and cover myself with the thick winter clothes. It's going to be a cold trip back to Seoul. With my navy blue duffle bag hung over my shoulder, I take one last look at Yongguk's sleeping face. 

'I'm sorry...' 

As soon as I close the door behind me, a person surprises me as he pops up out of nowhere. The hallway dissipates and I'm now not at the hallway with a dufflebag hanging on my shoulder anymore.

I wake up and I'm in my new apartment, lying on my bed with Jung Daehyun's face right in front of me.

"F-CK! DAEHYUN-AH!!"

"Sorry~~ Did I wake you?"

He gives me a smug look. I sit up and give him a strong push. He falls back on his and I curse at him. Revenge done.

"Don't do that! You know I hate being woken up like that, idiot!!"

"Sorry. I'm sorry. I just wanted to wake you up for breakfast."

"Breakfast?"

He quickly stands up and brings in a tray full of food. Kimchi Jjigae and enough side dishes to feed a family of 6. Daehyun places the tray on the floor and he brings in the small eating table. I slide out of bed and land of the floor, the food right in front of me. I can smell the sourness of kimchi and the spiciness of the red pepper. I stir the jjigae¹ and it's rich with lots of chopped kimchi and tofu. I haven't tasted it but the smell makes my mouth water.

"It smells good. What's the occasion?" I ask in a loud voice.

Daehyun comes back after rushing to the kitchen to grab our bowls of white rice and spoons.

"No occasion. It's just a thank you meal for letting me crash at your place during my break. Here you go~"

"Thanks," I tell him as I grab the bowl from his hand. "Oh yeah. When are you going back to the base?"

Daehyun's eyes look up at the ceiling and he tilts his head slighty. He starts counting in his head. I know this because that's his habit.

"I need to be back by the 10th. I only have a few days left. I'm visiting my mom today. You want to come?"

"Can't. I have a job interview."

"Job interview? What company?"

"Not a company. At the SMPA²."

"You're joining the local police force?"

"Yeah."

Daehyun puts in a huge mouthfull of rice in his mouth and looks at me from top to bottom, like he's inspecting me. I take a couple of bites and I crack.

"Why are you staring at me, man?!"

"You don't seem like the type to just be in a local police station..."

"Oh really? What do I look like then?"

"A NIS³ field agent."

➳➳➳➳➳

I'm now staring blankly at the envelope and certificate placed on top of the desk I'm sitting across from. The man behind the desk is the man handling the annual National Intelligence Service³ licensure examination*. He personally called for me and I thought it was just to receive my test results but it was for something I didn't think would happen to me.

"Congratulations on getting the highest score on the NIS exam, Mr. Kim Himchan!"

He takes my hand and congratulates me again and again. He keeps complimenting me and telling me that in all of his years of creating the exam with his team, I'm the only to ever get a 98.1% on it. The highest score they've ever seen was a 91.7%. My score took them by surprise.

"You clearly are a strategist. All of the cases we put in the exam were from actual cases solved by NIS  and you disected everything down to bone. This may sound too overboard but you're a genius."

"Uhm...thank you...?"

"Due to your excellent deductive skills as seen from this exam, the NIS called me to officially invite you to join as a field agent."

"A... a field agent? Already?"

"Yes. The top notcher of the licensure exam gets a position as a field agent. Of course, you're just a rookie since you'll need to be trained but it's a great start for a genius like you!"

I was uncertain whether I should be thankful or worried. This is all very new to me. I've never considered myself a genius. In fact, I wasn't that very good in school. But here I am receiving an honorary certificate and an immediate position in the NIS. This is exciting. An entirely new experience.

"If you accept, you'll be assigned a partner that will train you as well."

My life is finally taking off...

"I was told that your partner's name is Bang Yongguk."

...then I crash landed back to the pits of doom.

➳➳➳➳➳

It's the first day of my new life as an NIS field agent. I'm outside the NIS headquarters. It's a tall building with 21 floors at least. The building's glass reflecting the suns rays and nearly blinding me as I look up. The building is dark gray in color and stands taller than most of the surrounding buildings. This is where investigations take place and I'm going to become a part of it. I squeeze my palms and make fists. I breathe in and give myself words of encouragement as I take my first few steps inside the building. I scan my ID at the front door and it slides open. The inside of the building is massive and intimidating but I find it intruiging.

A familiar face greets me at the front of the reception desk. My new chief, Kim Byeong-ok. When I first met him, he was wearing a dark gray vest over a long-sleeved white polo. His hair sleaked back and a cigar between his fingers. He's an intimdating man when he stares down at you but he's been nothing but kind to me during my first week of my NIS training.

I run to him and bow politely.

"Good morning, Chief!"

"Haha, yes yes. Good morning, rookie. I see you've rested well. The training wasn't that bad right?"

"Not that bad, sir."

"Good! Since it's your first day here at the agency, you need to have a tour."

"Will you be touring me around, sir?"

"Me? Oh no, son, I'm a busy man. Your partner will be the one guiding you."

"Oh... my partner."

"And here he comes now."

In a plaid shirt over a white tee, black jeans held up by a leather belt, Bang Yongguk walks over with a bright smile on his face. 

"Kim Himchan, this is your partner. Bang Yongguk. He's a rank one field agent so he's not that much of your senior. He'll be helping you train for the field as well. Be kind to one another while I'm gone, okay? No rough housing." 

Chief gives me one last pat on the back before taking his leave. While the chief walks away, I sort of wish he'd take me with him.

"We meet again, Kim Himchan. You haven't changed since I last saw you at the cafe."

I give him a fake smile and I brush him off as I walk towards the elevators. I press the up button and the elevators are still at the 10th-above floors. As I tap my foot with impatience, I can hear Yongguk's footsteps get louder and closer to my range of hearing.

"Hey, Himchan-ah, don't be rude. I'm just playing..."

"We already know each other. I don't think self-introductions are needed."

I hear him sigh but I ignore it. He's going to be my partner but I'm not obliged to be nice. The elevator finally arrives. I step inside, and so does he. I press the button for the 18th floor but Yongguk beats me to it. Our fingers almost met but I quickly take my hand away from the buttons. The elevator doors close and I wait in silence. I'm not looking at Yongguk but I can feel his stare.

"Stop staring."

"How do you know I'm staring?"

"I just... I just know..."

He presses a button and the elevator stops. I freak out and try to find my balance after the sudden brake.

"Yah! What are you doing?!"

He slams his hand on the elevator wall and leans towards my direction. His face is now at an uncomfortable distance and I'm getting nervous... just like how I was with him two winters ago.

"I missed you, Himchan-ah..."

"Stop...don't..."

He leans in for what I think is a kiss. I close my eyes and my arms instinctively swing and my fist flies to his face and he cries out in pain.

"Holy sh--you okay?!"

"Damn! What was that?! Why'd you punch me?!"

"Well...why were you trying to kiss me?!"

"It was a joke! I'm joking!"

"What kind of joke is that, you ?!"

I press the red button and the elevator begins to move again. In a few seconds, the elevator reaches the 18th floor and I run out like a mad dog. 

"Kim Himchan, get back here!!"

➳➳➳➳➳

I take out a bag of frozen vegetables from the NIS field agents' lounge and hand it over to Yongguk who seems to be wincing in pain. His cheek appears to be red and swollen.

"I'm sorry..." I apologize.

"You should be--ack..." he rests the bag on his cheek and hisses. "I was totally kidding back there, you know."

"Uhuh..."

We're awkward again. Our relationship is very complicated because of our history together so I don't know how to address him. Should I go back to calling him Yongguk-sshi? No. Too formal. Yongguk-nim? No... definitely too formal. This is going to be difficult to establish.

"Kim Himchan..."

"What?"

"About... what happened between us... you know... years ago..."

My throat begins to dry and I cough. Are we really going to talk about us? 

"Kim Himchan... you know... I..."

"HEY! NEW GUY!" a new voice enters. "You're supposed to introduce yourself to everyone. Everyone's waiting. Get out here."

Yongguk and I exchange glances. I don't know what he wants to say to me and I'm not sure if I want to hear it but I guess it's best saved for later. I don't think words can save our relationship now. I can only see chaos.

➳➳➳➳➳

AUTHOR'S NOTES

[1] Jjigae (찌개) means "stew"

[2] SMPA = Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency

[3] NIS  = National Intelligence Service (of Korea)

*Everything in Korea has a lincesure exam. So it's good to assume even field agents have written exams.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. This first chapter went differently than I had planned originally. The elevator scene wasn't part of the plot I made but I thought it would be interesting to have it. LOL.

THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBING & READING! 

Special thanks to these voters that helped me: sakura9842, strangeneko, gabslanze, Angel_Inspirit_, imr321

Special mention to my other fic voters: GetYourCrayon13, yoosulover4ever, wondermikichan