On The Job

When The Sun Shines

 

"I'm sorry...what now?"

 

Hyuk was looking at Kim Sun Hee with wide eyes of disbelief. Did he hear her right?

His peripheral vision could still see some of his colleagues piling up by the sides, watching with curiosity and whispering eagerly. For a split second, he was annoyed at how his co-officers (even the superiors) acted like old ladies happily gossiping in front of him. 

But that didn't matter right now. 

Sun Hee was staring at him, opposite his desk. She was such a contrast from the department's prim and proper atmosphere -- wearing pastel colors, large sunglasses, and that designer bag. She folded her arms in front of her chest.

"You heard me," she told him. 

Hyuk leaned forward, keeping his eyes on her.

"So...you want to stay here, in the department?" he asked.

"Yes."

"All day?"

"Yes."

"Why again?"

The actress took off her sunglasses, astounding the officers nearby with her beautiful eyes. Still, she kept her gaze nailed at him.

"Because I missed you."

Woah there. Wait, what? Huh?

She broke into laughter and took off her glasses. "I'm kidding," she said, "Because I have no work today and Jin Hae is nowhere to be found and frankly, I don't feel safe." The actress shuddered, but kept up her indignant look. "You said that I can come to you, right?"

"But...you'll stay here all day?" asked Detective Lee, "I have...work."

"I know that," replied Sun Hee, "I'll follow you."

There was a collective expression of surprise in the office. Hyuk looked over Sun Hee, eyeing his co-officers and superiors, silently asking them to leave. But no, the station wasn't going to miss out on this -- not when a pretty actress demanded she stay with one of their detectives. 

"Miss Sun Hee, I might have an operation tonight -- "

"Would you rather I get kidnapped again?"

That hit him.

He could see his colleagues nodding in agreement with the actress (What the hell are they even doing here? Don't they have jobs?). True enough, he did vow that he would never leave the actress again after that kidnapping incident. But did that also entail that she come along with him?

"I haven't been sleeping well since that night," continued Sun Hee, "And I'm pretty much alone today. It would mean a lot if you allow me. I mean, I don't know what might happen." 

She said these words with a pitiful look in her eyes. Hyuk knew well that she was sort of acting, but he could see his colleagues silently judging his hesitation. If he said no, he was sure that an uproar would ensure and the actress wouldn't let his conscience rest. 

Besides, how bad could it be?

Pretty bad.

"Detective Lee, what are you waiting for?"

DA Park's sudden entrance caused the others to scramble back to their seats. He approached his desk and greeted the actress, who in turn bowed to him as well. 

"I'm just thinking about her safety," he replied, "I have a covert op tonight and I don't think she should come --"

"I'm not going to bother you," Sun Hee said immediately, "I'll wait in the car or something. Believe me when I say I'm not going to ruin whatever operation you have. I just have to be with someone. I can't be alone."

"Well there you have it, Detective Lee," said his superior, "As long as the actress stays out of the operation, she'll be fine."

Hyuk stared at his district attorney.

"Wait, you actually want me to bring her?" 

"Yes. She needs your protection, remember?"

The detective felt like he was in the middle of a bad joke and no one bothered to tell him about it. Sun Hee was just waiting for his answer and so was his DA. Were they planning something? What?

"Alright then," answered Hyuk, giving up, "But when you're with me, you'll have to follow what I say. Do we have that clear Miss Sun Hee?"

"Of course. I'll be good."

She was looking at him like she meant business. Hyuk couldn't be too sure; he was so used to going to Kim Sun Hee's turf, the idea that she would be invading his world was new. She would see him work, function, and...all that. 

"Start by sitting on that chair then," he said, pointing at the chair in front of him. He then looked at the people surrounding them. 

"What?" he asked them loudly. Immediately, the people broke out and got back to their jobs, pretending to answer the phone or typing on their computers, leaving Sun Hee, DA Park, and the detective. Even the district attorney cleared his throat, bowed to the actress, and let them be -- a secret smile on his face.

The actress looked around, clearly observing her new surroundings, and eventually sat down on the chair. She took out her phone.

"Don't mind me, Detective Lee. I'll just sit here," she said, "You go about your business."

True to her word, she busied herself with her phone -- clueless to the fact that the entire station was watching her. Even the detective was speechless, but he can't stay like that forever. He had cases to attend to.

Without another word, he buried himself with his case.

He didn't know that Kim Sun Hee gazed at him secretly as he worked, hoping he wouldn't see through her.

 


 

[Last Night]

 

"You are mine, Kim Sun Hee."

 

She repeated the recording over and over again, just to be sure.

Anyone in the right mind would immediately delete messages from a creepy stalker. Besides, the police already had a copy of the phone call; there was no need for her to bother herself with it.

But she just wanted to know the voice.

"You are mine, Kim Sun Hee."

It was a deep voice. She tried recalling memories to see if they fit, but deep inside, she wished it didn't. Her suspicions, however, were almost always right. If that theory applied to her case, she was in big trouble. She did no crime, but the past haunts her.

Sun Hee wanted to know more about her stalker case. Detective Lee, however, was being very careful with the details. She figured he must've thought it was better if the dirty details were kept from her. If so, that was touching, but not what she needed. She had to get some details.

She wasn't sure.

But she just needed something.

 


 

Sun Hee watched from the other side of the two-way mirror as Detective Lee questioned one of his suspects. She knew the criminal couldn't see her, but she could see his back and Lee Hyuk just staring him down.

So this is what an actual interrogation looks like.

The speakers told much of the conversation between Hyuk and his suspect. If Sun Hee was not mistaken, it was about drug charges combined with abduction and possibly, hazing. From where she stood, she could see the man was unable to look at the detective. Lee Hyuk spoke softly, but it wasn't the type of tone that assured suspects positively.

If anything, it made them shiver with fear.

"...if you don't say anything, I might as well could just leave you here to die."

Yikes.

No wonder they called him the Grim Reaper.

She crossed her arms as she watched him. Despite the fearful persona, she could see that he was very dedicated with his job. His eyes showed that he wouldn't stop at nothing until he gets what he wants. Unlike the officers she saw on TV, he didn't freak out or go wild on his suspects. His approach was calm, cool, and very scary.

The door behind her opened.

"So, that's still going on."

Lee Hyuk's hoobae, Soo Ok, went inside, holding more case folders and setting them on the metal table. Sun Hee decided that she liked the detective's intern; he was nice, cute, and very polite. 

"Does he always interrogate like this?" she asked, "In such a quiet tone?"

"The quiter, the deadlier, he says," explained Soo Ok, filing his papers, "To be honest, he does a much better job compared to our superiors. Whenever he's free, our inspector would direct him to do the interrogation."

"How do those usually go?"

"Most of the time, he wins," said the hoobae, "In fact, he was the one who got the confession out of your stalker."

Sun Hee's attention was immediately grabbed by Soo Ok's off-hand comment.

"Oh, really?" she asked, "What did he find out?"

The hoobae looked at her. "I thought Detective Lee told you about it already, Miss Sun Hee?"

"He did, but I want to know how the interrogation went," she said, "He never really said much. All he said was that I had a network of stalkers or something like that."

"Ah, well nothing much happened, except that Go In Sung -- "

"Go In Sung?"

"The stalker."

"Oh okay. Continue."

"Well, Go In Sung didn't budge to anyone before Detective Lee came in. He confessed that he was a stalker, but that was all that he said. When Detective Lee came in, he was no match for the Grim Reaper," explained the intern, "Eventually, he spilled that he was getting paid by an unknown boss they call "Sir Boss," which pretty pathetic if you ask me. They were just contacted to follow you around and got paid for it."

"So the kidnapping?"

"Part of the package deal, apparently. They were supposed to drop you off somewhere far -- a pickup point -- I think. But it was fortunate enough that Detective Lee stopped them," finished Soo Ok, "That would've if he didn't."

She nodded slowly, still thinking about the information. "That's right," she said, "So, do you guys know who Sir Boss is?"

"Nope. The stalker doesn't either."

"Huh."

So, they don't know. 

She could feel her spine tingling in fear, but she stopped herself.

"Don't worry Miss Kim; I know Detective Lee will do something about it. I've only been here for a few months but I know that if he wants to finish something, he will," assured the intern, "He's that dedicated, especially when it's a special case."

"Special case?"

The intern laughed as he excused himself from her presence. He didn't answer her question and she had no one to talk to again. 

She looked at the detective.

There was something interesting in how he eyed a criminal. It was far different from how he would look at her. She sighed as he closed his case folder and looked at her (well, at her direction anyway. He was probably just staring at the mirror).

Part of her wished that how he stared at her was different from how he stared at the rest -- criminal or not. 

 


 

"Why are you doing this alone again?"

 

Lee Hyuk strapped his seatbelt on and place the key inside the ignition. Beside him, Kim Sun Hee was looking at him with curiosity and confusion. He sensed that she was genuinely interested in what he was about to do -- despite the dangers.

"Sometimes, covert operations are best done alone," he explained, "Especially if it's undercover work."

"So who are you checking out today?"

"Some suspected drug dealer. The usual."

"Huh."

She paused for a moment. Hyuk wondered what she was thinking about the job as of the moment. Hours ago, she watched him do an interrogation, file papers, and list down potential suspects for a cold case. He thought she would get bored with it, but surprisingly, she made it through the first half of the day. Whenever she did get bored, she would stand up and disappear to nowhere.

Apparently, she would spend time socializing with "fans" -- aka the people in the station. 

She was a social butterfly.

Now, here she was, strapped safely beside him and about to join him in a solo undercover operation.

"Where are we going again?" she asked him.

"To this bar downtown."

"Is it classy or trashy?"

"In the middle, I guess."

He saw Sun Hee mull over it then look down at her clothes. Immediately, she took off her jacket, revealing a white sleeveless dress and belt to match. For some reason, that caught his eye.

He immediately started the car.

"Remember our deal, okay?" he told her, distracting himself, "You stay in the car."

"Wait, why do I stay in the car? Can't I have a drink?"

"I can't let you out of my sight."

"You will be leaving me in a car! I might as well enjoy a bit."

"But you said you'll stay in the car."

"Have you tried staying in a car?" she argued, "I promise I won't do anything wrong. I'll just sit there in the bar. You can see me. Unless you're planning to, I don't know, arrest the man already."

He made a right. "Not really. It would be better if I could, but the intel matters more."

"So, let me stay in the bar," she begged him, "Please."

He stopped in the middle of the intersection as the light turned red. Detective Lee glanced at the actress, who was pouting her red lips. For a second, he found himself staring at her. The feeling was quite new, yet not so much. He had always been staring at her, but this time --

A car horn disrupted his thoughts. 

Hyuk stepped on the gas.

"Please, Detective Lee," she continued, "I'll drink but I won't get drunk!"

He sighed.

"Okay, okay," he told her, "As long as you behave and stay within my line of sight. Just one drink."

"Two."

"One."

"Two!"

Arguing with her was somewhat annoying, but he was getting used to it. It's been months since he first handled her case and ever since, he's gotten used to setting her down while she struggles from his grasp. On some days, he wished she would just agree, but there were days when he'd know Sun Hee wasn't Sun Hee unless she heads with him. 

He smiled secretly as he said no more. 

 


 

"You heard me. No invite, no access."

 

Hyuk cringed as he watched the man two people in front of him get denied access from The Crow -- a high end bar in Gangnam. Apparently, Inspector Jung wasn't lying when he said the suspect would only hang out in bars with stronger securities. The man who was rejected was the fifth one in line. It was obvious that The Crow knew how to weed out the strangers. 

He gulped. 

"Invite?"

The two men in front of him searched their pockets for the said invite. One of them pulled out a gold card and handed it to the bouncer, who took it and ran it through a scanner.

Oh my god, there's a scanned invite. 

Detective Lee found himself walking out of the line, problematic. 

God, how could I not think about the scanned invite? he complained to himself. He put both hands on his waist as he racked his brains. If I don't get in this one, I might never have the chance to find the intel. It's a wasted opportunity.

He kicked a nearby rock in frustration, rubbing his forehead. 

"Hey."

Kim Sun Hee was approaching him with an ice cream cone in hand.

"Wait, where did you go?" he asked.

She took a bite and pointed to a shop across. "I got ice cream," she said, "You were taking too long. What's wrong?"

"I can't get in."

Sun Hee raised an eyebrow at him. "What? Aren't you supposed to be good with gaining access to stuff like these?"

His face reddened. Lee Hyuk felt embarrassed and helpless already; the actress pointing out his lack made things worse. Sheepishly, he scratched the back of his head. 

"I didn't know there was a scanned invite," he admitted, then he heaved another frustrated sigh, ruffling his hair, "I should've figured that out earlier. Now I might miss out the chance to see this Ji Jong In."

"The drug dealer."

He nodded.

"Is there no other way? Don't you have a fake invite?"

Hyuk looked at her, irritated. "I don't think I'd be all helpless here if I had one," he said cooly. The actress noticed his sort of snappy tone; she placed an arm on her hips.

"No need to be snappy with me, Lee Hyuk. We'll find a way."

"How? Do you see any other way?"

While the actress scanned her surroundings, it was only then Hyuk realized that she called him Lee Hyuk. She often addressed him as Detective Lee; hearing her call him that gave him an odd feeling. But now was not the time to be distracted. If she couldn't offer him any second way out, he might as well give up on this mission and just --

"What's that?"

She was pointing at The Crow's second entrance where another queue stood. 

"Is that connected to the bar?" she asked again.

"It's the second entrance."

Without another word, she proceeded towards the forming queue, heels clicking furiously. Hyuk had no choice but to tail after her.

"What are you going to do?" he asked.

She didn't answer. Instead, she went towards the big sign and read what the event was. While she did that, the detective noticed that most of the people in the queue were in pairs. Unlike the first entrance (which was a mix of groups, couples, and singles), this one looked like a line just for couples. He wondered if this was a couples-only type of entrance.

Sun Hee finally looked at him.

"I know how you can get in," she told him, then she pointed at the line.

"What is this for?"

"It's Couples' Night in the Crow," she answered, pointing at the sign, "Couples get a 50% discount in the entrance. You say this is the second entrance, right?"

"Yeah."

"It should be simple then. You fall in line here, pay the fee, get inside, and search your way towards your dealer."

"Okay that sounds like a plan," he told her, "But this is a couples' line." He indicated to the line of couples giggling and flirting. The actress did not speak and chose to stare at him. Hyuk wondered why she did so. She just crossed her arms and tapped her feet, looking at him, as if she was waiting for him to find something out. What did she -- ?

"You," she said pointing at him, "Me," then she pointed at herself.

"I'm an actress, you're an undercover detective," continued Kim Sun Hee, "Now do the math, Lee Hyuk. What do you think?"

He just stared at her. Eventually he got it.

Hyuk's eyes widened. "No, that can't be a plan -- "

"How can it not be a plan?" whispered the actress furiously, "You want to get inside this bar and here's a second entrance. You have an actress with you who can play as your girlfriend so you can get inside said bar. We'll just pretend that we're a couple. How is that not a plan?"

"It involves you."

"What? Am I not good enough for you?"

She seemed affronted.

"No, it's not like that," ammended the detective, "I...I just...it means I have to use you. We talked about this. I said that you would stay out of operations -- "

"But you need to get this done, remember?" reminded the actress, "You need that guy."

"But I have to -- "

"Think about it this way: it's my sort of thank-you for protecting me," she said, "Once we get inside, I'll just hang out in the bar like I promised. We'll just have to pretend that we like each other until we get pass the guards. After that, you do your thing and I'll do mine."

Sun Hee was staring at him, almost as if she was silently telling him off for being stupid. Admittedly, her plan made sense. It was the no-nonsense plan that could get him inside and close to Ji Jong In, the infamous drug dealer. But there was something about the "Let's pretend!" part that made him uneasy. 

Still, a job's a job.

The Violent Crimes detective gazed at his ward.

"Alright, you have a point," he told her, "So, how are we going to do this?"

There was a twinkle in the actress' eye as she quickly wrapped an arm around his, gently pulling him towards the end of the line.

"Trust me on this, honey," she whispered in his ear, suddenly planting a kiss on his cheek for the nearby guards to see. 

 

Hyuk was thankful it was dark; otherwise, everyone would've seen his reddening cheeks.

 

The night was young, but it was going to be one his longest.

 


 

A/N: I'm sorry for cutting it here, but it felt right. And besides, the next scene would be a long one. Interesting and very long. I told you, I'm a er for cliff hangers. Still, it makes you excited for the next chapter, right? Forgive me, but this author-nim is a big fan of suspense. 

See you next chapter!

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margaritarita
#1
Chapter 40: set on reading your scarlet heart ryeo fanfic now ! gosh, i just can't believe how many memories of the good old days flood back when i read the foreword.
margaritarita
#2
Chapter 40: literally the best story ever ! i felt so empty when the drama ended (yes i watched it in 2023kkkkk), but this fanfic is the very extension of the drama. you couldn't have done a even better job. thanks for all the joy it's brought me in the past few days!
Locaporkdramas42 #3
Que hace plagg de miraculous en la foto
HanInYoo
#4
Hey hey hey!!! Remember me?? XD I commented a lot when you were active on this story xP Anywaysssss DID YOU SEE!! Both of them are in a new drama!!! And strangely, it has somewhat YOUR STORY FEELZZZZZZ KDBSOANSKSNSISBSK!!! I'm falling in love with that drama! And thinking about this story time to time when I watch that drama xD I feel like rereading this once that drama ends xD

Hope you have a gread day Nini!!
convrzhigh #5
Chapter 40: after watching touch your heart ep6, i had sunny and grim reaper withdrawals so i went ahead and searched up fics and found this masterpiece. thank you so much for writing this gem!!! ♡
gitanovianti #6
Good news!
Lee Dong wook and Yoo In Na will be a couple again at TvN new drama, Touch your hearts
and it has Wang Yeo and Kim Sun feels! Aaaaaa I can not wait to watch it >__<
Debloone #7
Chapter 40: This is a gem of a story! Your writing drew me into their world. It's so hard to allude subtly yet obviously to Shin and Eun Tak, but you did it with such finesse. The cliffhangers and pacing of the story were perfect. Thank you for this wonderful work! My favourite parts were the conversations Hyuk had with his mysterious friend at the bar who always had hard-boiled eggs ;) So clever.
dreamerc #8
Chapter 40: I absolutely love this story. I started and just could not stop! It was brilliantly written and all the emotions were portrayed so well. My favourite chapters were definitely when hyuk ans sun hee were confession to each other. Totally gave me butterflies.

And the character connections and how they tied in together were integrated so well!

Looking forward to reading your other stories !
hikaru_dawn #9
Chapter 40: Thank you for this story <3 Ahhhh it wouldve been nice to have Kim Shin and Eun Tak too...thank you
hikaru_dawn #10
Chapter 13: Sunny and Lee Hyuk are cute..too cute