Taking his hand with a smile, “Namjoo.”

“I heard you got signed up as the Detective’s partner,” he commented, “how’s it going?”

Clasping onto her own hand she slightly glanced back in Luhan’s direction, “All right, I suppose.”

“I heard even the other detectives have a hard time with him.”

“Why?”

“He’s too independent, I suppose,” Hyuk shrugged, “guys don’t really like it when someone else acts like they’re bigger.”

“But Luhan’s not like that,” Namjoo shook her head. “I mean, I’m sure he’s a nice person.”

“Anyway,” he switched the topic, “there’s a gathering for new recruits this weekend. Will you be coming out?”

A gathering meant alcoholic beverages and if a superior handed a drink over to her she wouldn’t be able to refuse. Just thinking about it made Namjoo shudder in nervousness. If she got drunk she would definitely not be able to see where she was going nor would she be coherent.

“We’ll see,” Namjoo tried to ease an unwilling smile on.

“Namjoo!” Luhan called from behind.

Namjoo swiveled her body his way then back toward Hyuk, “Looks like I gotta go.”

“Take it easy,” Hyuk advised, “don’t let him push you around.”

Luhan wasn’t a gruff person and he wasn’t rude. A person who saved lives and kept citizens safe would in no light be stuck-up or unreasonably impolite. These thoughts raced through Namjoo’s head as she partially limped toward him.

“You should have stayed back if you can’t even do a simple thing like walk,” Luhan muttered as they started toward the front door. “What an inconvenience.”

“Sorry.”

“You just better not get in my way,” he grumbled, holding the door for her. Though it was a simple gesture, Namjoo’s heart immediately lightened up and she smiled at him as she walked through.

“Thanks.”

Mumbling something incomprehensible underneath his breath he unlocked his car. Without waiting for her, she listened to him open the door and got in. Namjoo was even more certain that even if Luhan pulled off a cold front, there were layers of warmth underneath.

=====

The radio was cracking, flowing with static voices, yet somehow Luhan understood all that was being said. Namjoo watched in awe as he drove with one hand and held the receiver with the other, speaking into it as earnestly as if he was talking life and death. The car sped up and they were racing through the streets, zipping between cars just a few seconds later. The gravity pushed Namjoo back into her seat and she clutched onto the seatbelt.

Everything flashed by in blurs from the windows and Namjoo furiously blinked for better focus.  It was impossible. Until the car stopped she listened to the wheels grind against concrete and the air scream into her ears.

“You better not get in my way,” Luhan warned before getting out of the car. Namjoo listened to him step out and close the door, but remained in her seat to re-gather her senses. It felt as if she’d been forcefully warped through time at the insane speed of light. And she thought, this was how it was to be blind; not see anything.

A knock on the window made her jump in her seat and she immediately released her buckle. “What are you doing?” Luhan demanded impatiently. Stepping out on her weak legs she muttered an apology and heard him turn to walk away.

“Detective!” someone shouted, his light, but loud footsteps rushed their way.

“What’s going on?” Luhan questioned. Deeply inhaling Namjoo readjusted her glasses before spotting Luhan’s figure and stepped toward him.

“It’s just a little standoff with a thief,” the man replied.

“What happened?”

“Big Madam was shopping at the bookstore when her bag was snatched. A couple of guys tried to stop him, but he pulled out a knife and cornered himself into the bookstore with the owner.”

“Big Madam?” Luhan repeated.

“Means she’s a woman of stature. We better retrieve her bag back,” the officer explained skillfully before his eyes darted her way. “Who’s this?”

Luhan turned to glance at her then away, “New partner.”

“Oh, I see,” the other man didn’t sound very interested, but he nodded toward her with a smile. “Come this way.”

Without clarifying anything more to her, Luhan left her to follow them as if it was her job to keep up. Namjoo was still trying to figure out where they were. The bright lights hitting her eyes made it hard to read the signs hanging along the corridors. She could tell that the halls were wide and spacious and had been abandoned in the meantime. The others moving around all wore uniforms that identified them with their police jurisdictions.

“Chief!” Luhan shouted and when Namjoo turned at the sound of his voice from observing her surroundings, her idol was out of sight. A signal of panic turned red inside her brain and she spun around in search of him. Splashes of bodies of black and blue were all she could see. Splitting up from the group she walked off toward the empty portion of the hall and recognized the place as the metro station. Every time she came here with Kai she always stopped at the snack bar ahead to buy her usual rice rolls and warm drinks.

Soft chatter resounded around her and Namjoo continuously walked around, turning every which way. She didn’t quite know what she was doing or where she was going. The soft chatter dispersed within seconds and she spun around, surprised at the sudden shouting. The crowd she just ditched were all moving around, each individual finding their own places.

“Get out of there!”

“Move!”

Namjoo squinted her eyes for better view of faces then she heard it. Stampeding footsteps behind her. Pivoting around she spotted a lone individual rushing at her. His body was a big blur of gray and his face a smudged beige. Who was he? Why was he running her way?

“What are you doing? Get out of there!” a male voice screamed from behind. It finally clicked inside her mind that this was the man who’d stolen Big Madam’s bag. As he charged at her Namjoo’s foots grew roots into the floor. Heart racing and mind screaming, all her senses blanked. He was point-seconds away from colliding into her and when it registered in her mind that he intended to hurt her instead of running around her, her lips parted to scream.

In that very moment her body swung with force, something clamping around her body. The force of the thief’s body slammed into her and they all collided onto the floor. The sound of something iron or metal clinked against the tiles. Before Namjoo could submit what happened into her brain, the other officers rushed forward; their voices raised and footsteps echoing in her ears.

Stunned, she lay on the ground motionless. So many blurs around her that she couldn’t tell what was happening. A hand grabbed her arm hoisting her limp body up.

“Damn you, Namjoo!” Luhan screamed in her face. Shoving his arm out, he continued to yell at her, “Do you know what you just did?! I told you not to do anything uncalled for! What were you doing out here?!”

“Detective, you’re bleeding,” someone spoke. Narrowing her eyes she saw the fading color of red pouring from Luhan’s arms. From beside them, officers wrestled to put the thief into handcuffs. Namjoo listened to their groans and grunts while replaying what just happened inside her mind. So it wasn’t just something that had clamped around her body, but Luhan saving her life…yet again.

Namjoo opened to speak, but stumbled a step back and slipped to the floor. A recognizable sigh flew from Luhan’s lips and he grumbled, “Really…”

Embarrassed, Namjoo tried to push herself up but when her weight shifted onto her injured ankle, dropped back down. In the end another officer had to help her back to the car when Luhan stubbornly insisted that they weren’t seriously injured. As per usual, he’d gone ahead without her.

Opening the car door for her, Namjoo heard Luhan say to the officer as she sat down, “Sorry for the trouble.”

“Don’t mention it,” the officer nodded and closed the door.

As Namjoo pulled the seatbelt over her she could feel Luhan scrutinizing her with his stare, “Seriously, can’t you do anything right?”

=====

Namjoo found herself sitting outside the E.R. waiting for Luhan’s arm to get treated. Leaning forward she ran her hands over the gauze the nurse had wrapped around her ankle and winced at the pain it gave her from the slightest movement. Sitting back she stared toward the doors, hoping Luhan hadn’t been injured too bad. Now she felt sorry that she’d caused him injury from saving her.

“You should have been more careful out there,” she hit herself on the head and bit her lower lip. The doors finally opened a minute later and Luhan walked through while slipping his jacket back on.

Pulling herself up, she asked, “Are you ok?”

“Did I lose my arm or something?” Luhan asked. “Don’t overreact.”

A smile grew on her face, “That’s good. Sorry, for wandering off back there. I should have been more careful.”

Namjoo waited for him to tell her it was all right and that at least she knew, but he said nothing. She still ended up waiting for some kind of remark.

“I’ll go check our bill.” Was all Luhan said to her then turned to walk away. Namjoo stared after him and sat back down, wondering if he was really angry with her. What should she do to apologize? Make a compromise? Food?

“Namjoo!” She turned at the sound of the voice and thought she was hallucinating for a moment. When the voice neared she recognized the footsteps.

“Kai?” She ran her eyes over the blurred figure, slightly recognizing the hair. “What are you doing here?”

“I heard you were injured.”

“Who called you?”

“The nurse, you dummy,” he reached down to feel her ankle. Grabbing his shoulder to maintain her balance she flinched and quickly stepped back. “I have friends here, don’t tell me you forgot.”

“Ah…that’s right,” Namjoo recalled, nodding her head. Of course, Kai had a wide network of acquaintances who worked in the medical field. “But…they know me?”

He only gave her a sly smile, “Can you walk?”

“She wrapped it kind of tight. Can you fix it?” Namjoo asked. Kai pulled her to sit down and sat down along with her, pulled her feet up, and propped her legs up onto his thighs.

“So what did you do this time?” He wondered. “You been chasing after someone?”

“I got tackled.”

He paused, “What?!”

“It was my fault.” She explained then said shyly, yet proudly, “Luhan saved my life again.”

Kai shot her another glance before adjusting her gauze and put her feet down before pulling her up with him. “Lets go.”

“I still have to wait for Luhan,” Namjoo stopped him. “He went to check our hospital bill. He got injured because of me. I can’t just leave before him.”

“All right,” her friend gave in. It didn’t take long for Luhan to return from where it was he’d gone. “That him?”

Namjoo turned to glance down the hallway, recognizing Luhan’s black jacket. A smile popped onto her face and nodded. When Luhan neared she asked, “How much was it?”

“The Chief will take care of it,” Luhan spoke, his eyes on Kai.

Forgetting to introduce them, Namjoo told, “You can go ahead. I’ll be going home with a friend, so I won’t hinder you the rest of the day. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Turning around she tugged on Kai’s arm before limping forward, wincing every step of the way.

“For God’s sake,” Kai turned around, “how much does it hurt? Eight?”

“What?”

“From one to ten, how much does it hurt? You can barely walk. How did you fall?”

“Well…I guess it’s around eight…” Namjoo mumbled and let out a shout of surprise when he suddenly lifted her up. “Wait…Kai, no.”

“I’ll get you some ice to put on that,” he told her, “so if you would stop slowing me down.”

Namjoo clutched onto his arm, both embarrassed and shocked by the sudden move. Her heartbeat increased and a nervous tone of pink grew among her cheeks. She glanced back toward Luhan then turned back to Kai, wondering if something was wrong with him…or her.

=====

If Namjoo saw the smitten look on his face she would know, but she couldn’t see it. Kai didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed by the fact.

The way she talked about Luhan bothered him. She admired him too much and he didn’t think Luhan deserved all that admiration Namjoo showered him. He wasn’t a God, he was just simply doing his job – saving her that night. Sometimes he wished he would have stopped her from going to the Police Academy. Then she could be right here by his side.

The first time he met Namjoo he knew Hong Jae didn’t deserve her, but Namjoo had been head over heels for him. Humor and an outgoing nature had been Namjoo’s most prominent features. She was always the glue that bounded their group meetings, made everyone laugh and forget troubles. Namjoo had been a very bright person who always sought for more than what the world offered. Her motivation was oceans wide and her enthusiasm full of determination.

Now, everything was Luhan this and Luhan that. Her world circulated around him. The humor and her outgoing nature buried under fear. Because no matter what happened and no matter what she did, she was destined to lose her eyesight. If Namjoo looked outside of the box where she held Luhan deeply, she would see him.

Kai could tell by the way Namjoo spoke highly of Luhan that if she continued to be near him, it would become more than just admiration. Namjoo wouldn’t just want to thank him, get to know him. Soon, she’d find it hard to even leave. She was naïve and foolish, but Kai didn’t have the heart to tell her the words right to her face. He knew well Namjoo had placed a false hope on Luhan and it was all she had going for her before going blind. What was left for him to do was support her, encourage her to be happy before getting her to submit to low vision therapy where she would learn about her new world.

“Where are we?” Namjoo asked when he stopped the car.

“My place.”

“What?” she was surprised. “Why? I thought you were taking me home.”

“What are you going to do at home in that condition?” Kai asked, unbuckling his seatbelt and taking the keys out of the ignition. “I’ll feed you and you can relax, maybe even nap. Then I’ll take you home when I feel like it.”

“Kai,” she complained, but he was already out of the car.

When he opened the passenger door Namjoo continued, “Just drop me off at home. I could sleep the whole day and order delivery.” She leaned further back into her seat when he leaned over to release her seatbelt.

“Delivery?” he repeated. “Are you not scared the delivery boy’s going to mug you? You’re going to fight in that condition?”

“Not all delivery persons are male,” Namjoo stubbornly pointed out and complained when he tried to lift her, “Kai, come on, stop.”

“Unless you can fight me, you’re still in no condition to do anything by yourself.” He stated, kicking his door closed, locked the doors and started toward his apartment building. “Your ankle needs rest. Why can’t you just relax?”

“Well duh!” Namjoo exclaimed, clutching onto his shoulder. “I told you I was going to sleep.”

“Doesn’t look like you’re ready to sleep,” he walked into the building. “You can fight me inside.” 

***Aww man ;~; Spring break is over, classes start again tomorrow ;~; That means slow updates.