He was cleaning the counter when he saw Jinki come in and sit at the counter like he always did after he was done with work. His eyes looked tired but there was a smile on his lips. He was dressed with his long grey coat and his suit underneath and he looked so much like the detectives you usually saw on TV that it made Jonghyun smile. Jinki sat and loosened the tie that was tied around his neck.

“‘Morning, Jinx.”

“Good morning, Jonghyun.” The other replied with a smile.

“How’s it going ?”

“Well. I’m tired but… happy.”

Jonghyun raised an eyebrow.

“Something happened ?”

“Not really, but everything went so smoothly today. It’s just... one of those good days, you know ? Or good nights, in that case.”

Jonghyun knew the feeling. There were days when everything went wrong and he just thought it would have been better to stay in bed… and there were other days. Days when every little things you did seemed to go extremely well and the world was in order.

“Want something to eat ?” He asked with a smile.

“Yeah, that would be nice.” Jinki replied with his usual eye-smile.

Jonghyun went to the kitchen to order Jinki’s meal and asked the cook to add extra food - like he always did - because Jinki ate a lot and he needed a lot of energy to fight crime and arrest criminals. And he also had a soft spot for Jinki. The detective was kinda cute.

“There you go.” He said when he put down the plate on the counter in front of Jinki. “Coffee ?”

“Yes, please.” Jinki said, smiling.

He ate quietly and Jonghyun took care of the other customers’ orders. When Jinki’s plate was empty, he heaved a contented sigh.

“I still can’t believe how good the food is here.”

“Why is everyone so surprised of the quality of our food ?” Jonghyun asked.

“You can’t blame them, diners are not known for having the best food around.”

Jonghyun frowned. It was true that most people he knew believed diners to be crappy places open 24/7 where suspicious-looking people came to eat. Him, on the other hand, had always seen diners as cosy places where he could get cheap food at any hour of the day or night. He thought diners were kinda cool, and he had always liked the atmosphere.

When he had come to Blue Night for the first time, he had fallen in love with the place. He had come there so often that one night, the owner said to him : ‘if you’re gonna spend every single night here, you might as well work… You spend more time here than my employees, and you love the place a lot more than they do.’

He had accepted his offer right away.

And this was the best decision he had ever taken. He loved working here, he enjoyed meeting new people every night. He was a very social man, he wasn’t afraid of talking to strangers, no matter how shady they seemed. This job was perfect for him, and he was perfect for the job.

“I heard you volunteered to lend money for the kid who robbed this place.” Jinki said, changing the subject while Jonghyun was still lost in his thoughts.

“Oh, yeah… Minho said he only did it because his brother was in the hospital. I have some money that I saved up for hard times... you know. I wanted to help.”

“I understand. That’s actually a pretty good idea. The kid had a pretty good reason to steal and I guess he needs the money more than we do… Minho and I want to help as well, so I guess we’ll join you on that one. I have some money on my own, and I know Minho does too.”

Jonghyun raised an eyebrow at that. He was a bit surprised that they agreed to lend money to a kid - a robber - that they had just met. He apparently not only caught Jonghyun’s eye, but the others’ as well.

But then, it wasn’t surprising. He was just a good kid stuck in a difficult position, and Minho and Jinki had always been two big softies.

“Really ?” Jinki nodded and Jonghyun smiled. “Awesome !”

Jonghyun saw the smile on Jinki’s lips fade a bit.

“What ?” He asked, frowning.

Jinki shook his head with a weak smile, staring at the cup of coffee in his hands.

“I was just… thinking. I must be really hard for him, to carry such a heavy weight on his shoulders at such a young age.”

Jonghyun smiled weakly, his eyes on the horizons. Outside, the sun was rising slowly and the dark sky was now lighting with beautiful shades of yellow and orange. How can such a beautiful world be so ed up at the same time ?

“The world is tough. Life doesn’t care if things are fair or not.”

“I was born in a wealthy family.” Jinki said, thoughtfully. “Before I got into the police I had no idea how other people - less wealthy people - lived.”

Jonghyun stayed silent at the confession, a little dumbfounded that Jinki was opening up to him like this. He had always been very secretive about his life and his past, and Minho was the only one who knew everything about him. Several times had he tried to get some details from Jinki, to no avail. Jonghyun was very good at making people talk, and yet, Jinki had managed to keep everything for himself. The man was like a wall, he never shared anything about his personal life.

So now that he was finally sharing something, Jonghyun was not going to interrupt him.

“When I found out… It was quite a shock.” Jinki said with a sad smile. “I tried to help, but for most people there is nothing I can do. My job is to apply the law and fight crime, not take care of the desperate victims of a tough life.”

They both stared at the sunrise through the diner’s window.

“It’s different with that kid. I can help him, and I know he deserves to be helped.”

Jonghyun nodded. He knew the feeling very well, he felt the same way.

“I wonder how you managed to be a cop sometimes… You’re way too soft.”

Jinki smiled and so did Jonghyun.

“I don’t know either.”

Jinki was one of the kindest human beings he had ever met and Jonghyun couldn’t help but admire that. It was hard to be kind in such a ed up world. Life was not easy, but Jinki had managed to keep that kindness, that innocence that defined him so much. Jonghyun loved him for that.

“This is so peaceful.” He heard Jinki say.

“What is ?”

“This. These moments I share with you after work, when the world slowly begins to wake up.”

Jonghyun smiled.

“Yeah… It’s nice, isn’t it ?”

They both kept staring at the sun rising in the sky outside the diner. The moon was going to sleep and so would Jonghyun in a couple of hours, when his shift would be over.

The night ended...

And it was the start of a new day.

See you tomorrow night.