"The first one to fall unconscious loses."

It was a stupid decision -- Hyuk knew that. Anyone in the right mind would say no to this proposition; they were protecting a woman from a stalker. They had to be sane at all times. But for some stupid reason, Hyuk was sorely tempted to take on the challenge. 

Maybe it was because Ju Han was pushing his buttons.

Ever since they arrived at the latter's apartment, Hyuk could sense his old school nemesis trying to one-off him, especially with Sun Hee. He treated her so well, it was so obvious he was trying to earn points with the actress. It didn't help that Sun Hee was clueless to these things (or maybe she was enjoying the attention).

Hyuk noticed that Ju Han made it a point to leave him behind -- and it was starting to get on his nerves. 

Still, seeing Sun Hee laugh and break away from the shocked exterior was a relief for the Detective, even if Ju Han was the cause of her laughter. He just had to put up with his colleague's cockiness. But when Ju Han was starting to question his capabilities, Hyuk sensed the competitiveness making a comeback. He knew he had to be the bigger man; they've been out of school for years now. 

He was going to be the better man.

So when Ju Han started talking about their police academy days and hinting that he was the better student, Hyuk was already faced with a challenge. Ju Han was trying to impress Sun Hee with stories of how he almost beat Hyuk at drills and decoy cases. Of course, the latter had to keep himself from fighting back (although he did defend himself every now and then). But he kept his temper.

Hyuk congratulated himself for keeping his cool.

But when Ju Han suggested that Sun Hee stay in the master bedroom while Ju Han took the couch, he sort of lost it.

"You said she can sleep in the guest room," he argued.

"But I didn't think you'd be coming," retorted Ju Han, "You've seen the room. It's pretty cramped now if you're going to stay there too. She can have my room and I'll just sleep on the couch."

"Inside of the room?"

"She needs someone to watch over her."

"Why does it have to be you?"

"Would you rather it be you?"

"Boys."

Sun Hee was sitting on a chair, leaning on the countertop. Her second bottle of beer had already loosened her up, washing away her shock from what had just happened. She was casually looking at her bottle, slowly regaining her old self. 

"I can sleep on that couch," she said, pointing at where both boys sat, "If it will make you both feel comfortable. I don't want anyone arguing because of me."

"No. I'm not letting any woman, let alone a victim, sleep on my couch," insisted Ju Han, "It just seems that Detective Lee over here really doesn't trust me." That suspicious glint in his eye, however, made Hyuk not even trust him more. "Besides, I've heard that you once slept in the same hotel room together. Nothing happened, right?"

Ju Han was gazing at Hyuk.
 

"Right?"

The detective crossed his arms over his chest.

"Of course," he replied, "But that's not license to sleep with her...I mean, beside her. Or in any closed quarters."

"That's not fair."

"Why do you keep on insisting?"

"Why are you so bossy?"

They argued for over five minutes. In the end, Ju Han realized the arguing won't stop so, he came up with the drinking game. It sounded stupid already. For Hyuk, it was obvious that his colleague was just messing with him.

"Okay then," he said.

So why did he say yes?

Sun Hee groaned as she watched Ju Han pour Hyuk another shot, a mocking smile on his face. She had already lost count with the bottles they had.

Admittedly, it was fun to see both boys so competitive. They had been at each other's throats ever since they first arrived -- Ju Han being the cocky one, Hyuk being the subtle guy who'll explode any time soon.

But this drinking game...it was getting out of hand.

From the edge of the counter, she watched as both Hyuk and Ju Han down another shot, the former smacking his lips while the latter sighed loudly, grabbing another bottle. Ju Han had already taken off his shirt and was obviously woozy but still laughing his head off. Hyuk, on the other hand, took off his jacket, loosened his tie, and opened a few buttons of his shirt.

Unlike his friend (or enemy), however, he wasn't being too loud. 

But he was starting to look cocky. 

They've already done quite a few stupid things already. During the first rounds, it was just a bunch of teasing and mocking from Ju Han's part while Hyuk tried to defend himself again. Three bottles of Soju later, Ju Han was already singing the national anthem while Hyuk said "Shut up," one too many times. And now, here they were.

"AH!" exclaimed Ju Han as he set another shot down, took the bottle, and smashed on the edge of his counter, laughing manically. 

"Ah Cha Ju Han!" exclaimed Sun Hee, about to approach him, "Are you hurt -- ?"

"Don't," Hyuk said shortly, blocking her with his arm, "He's fine."

"How can he be fine? He's falling all over the place -- "

"As he should," said Hyuk, smirking and taking another bottle.

"Are you mocking me Lee Hyuk?"demanded Ju Han, standing up from his chair, pointing a finger at the detective, "I'm going to win here. I'm not going to vomit. You're going down, Little Miss Fairy Princess!"

Hyuk banged the glass on the counter, startling Sun Hee. Judging from the look on his eyes, Ju Han said a trigger word. Obviously, it was Little Miss Fairy Princess. Unfortunately, Ju Han also noticed, but unlike Sun Hee, he wasn't shocked or scared.

He was laughing. 

"What's wrong Fairy Princess? Scared to hear your old nickname?"

The Detective stood up abruptly, glaring at the inspector. 

"Shut up."

"Oh look, he's going to lose it," taunted Ju Han, "I can see it in his eyes. Hyuk's going to lose and he gets to sleep in the couch while...I have fun learning more about Sun Hee."

Lee Hyuk was slowly advancing towards Ju Han, looking dangerous. Sun Hee also got up; she didn't want any fight to break out. It was fortunate that she didn't drink more than a bottle; otherwise, she would've let the fight break out. 

"Hyuk," she said, holding his arm, "No."

But he didn't listen. He removed her hand from his arm, smirking. "He's always like this, trying to one-up me," he explained slowly, "I'm not...going to let him one-up me again."

"Detective."

He looked at her with those lazy eyes. "Sun Hee, I'm...fine."

Hyuk dragged himself past her, shocking the actress. He was obviously going to punch Ju Han or something, but that fact didn't sink in. The mere fact that Detective Lee called her by her first name overwhelmed her. She was too flustered to notice Lee Hyuk advacing towards a very drunk Ju Han (he was starting to burp out the alphabet backwards), a deadly look in his eyes.

"You," he said, grabbing Ju Han by the collar.

Sun Hee was suddenly alerted.

"Hey, hey."

Ju Han pushed Sun Hee away, staring at Hyuk in the eye. He smirked too, his hand caressing Hyuk's smooth cheek.

"Ah, now I know why girls like you," he slurred, "Look at you...disgustingly handsome."

"You...shut...just sleep here."

"You think your bloody red lips are enough to seduce me or something?"

Oh my god, what are they going to do?

Ju Han's hands squashed Hyuk's face together. "Ah you're so digustingly good looking, it's unfair. Is that how you got the top badge?" he asked, "You know what I'm going to do to you, Lee Hyuk? You know what?" He raised an arm, his hand forming a fist. "You know what I'm going to do?"

Hyuk smiled. "Try me."

And just as Ju Han was about to punch, he fell to the floor in between Sun Hee and Hyuk -- unconscious. Sun Hee panicked, thinking the inspector hit his head and was suffering from a concussion. But when he let out a small snore, she figured that he succumbed to his drunkenness. 

"Ah, Inspector Cha!" she exclaimed, kneeling beside Ju Han, and helping him get up. 

A hand tightly held her shoulder and gently pulled her away from the Inspector's slumbering figure. She was surprised when Hyuk pulled her up. He had that dazed look in his eyes as he held her shoulders.

"Detective Lee?" she asked.

He said nothing. Hyuk just stared at her with such intensity, Sun Hee broke a sweat. He didn't have that passive look he always had; instead, it was a cross between drunkenness and...was that determination? 

"Lee Hyuk?"

Was it her imagination or was his face slowly advancing towards her?

Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god.

What was he going to do?

For a moment, her heart stopped. She could feel her breathing cut short, her body so rigid as she wondered what Lee Hyuk was about to do next. All she could do was close her eyes.

Thud!

When she opened her eyes, Lee Hyuk was nowhere to be found. She looked around and saw him on the floor, lying on top of Ju Han's unconscious figure. The detective joined the inspector in his peaceful slumber. 

The actress stared at the sleeping forms of the men supposed to protect her. They looked like children -- so innocent and pure -- as they snored on top of each other. 

Three hours ago, she encountered another message from her stalker (and her suspicions were getting worse by the second). Four hours ago, she was revelling at the number of chocolates she got for March 14. She thought it was a small pile, but she was grateful for the support. Now, here she was, an hour before midnight and staring at the unconscious figures of two beautiful boys. 

It was a y way to say hello to White Day, but it was way better.

I don't want to remember last night. Nope. Not at all. I don't want to risk it. 

Hyuk rubbed his forehead, trying to get rid of the image he could remember from last night's shenanigans. To be frank, he couldn't recall much. All he knew was that he made stupid decisions.

The mere fact that he woke up three inches away from Ju Han's face was proof.

He couldn't remember how he ended up wearing just his white shirt and some sweat pants. Hyuk decided that he didn't want to recall, because if he did, he'd end up remembering how he ended up face to face with Cha Ju Han.

He suddered.

No, no you have to forget that.

He dragged himself towards the kitchen. The pain in his head was still throbbing; he needed a pick me up to get rid of the hangover. 

Wow, that smells good.

There was a savory scent wafting in the air from Ju Han's kitchen. For a moment, Lee Hyuk felt like he was back home, his mother's cooking filling the air. He peeked in the kitchen and was stunned with the sight.

Her hair was pulled up, exposing her slender nape. Her back was turned to him, but he could see that she was cooking what looked like fried rice. On the table were breakfast staples and what looked like pancakes and eggs. 

He watched her take a sip of the soup cooking next to her, back away for a bit when the sizzling got too much, and exclaim that everything tasted delicious.

"Ah, okay. I got it right!" she said. She ladelled some in bowls and turned around.

It was like a scene out of those dramas Jae Eun and his bosses loved to watch. Whenever the hero sees the heroine, there's always sparkles, air, and additional effects that make the scene so dramatic. Cue in some sappy and cheesy music. 

But it was just like that.

The sun hit Sun Hee in the right places, causing her eyes to sparkle and bringing out the color of her hair. 

Finally, she noticed him.

"Well there's our rockstar," she greeted him, laying down the bowls on Ju Han's countertop, "Looks like you had a good morning. You already had a good night."

Hyuk sat down on the coutner, running a hand through his hair. She set down a plate in front of him, holding a spatula as she stared at him. He noticed that she seemed to be waiting for something.

"What?" he asked.

"Aren't you going to ask what happened last night?"

Sun Hee looked as if she knew something. Remembering how he woke up beside Ju Han, he decided he didn't want to venture that far. 

"No. I don't want to know."

She smirked.

"Fair enough," she said, returning to her cooking, "You guys cracked me up last night. I guess that's a good gift for today."

Without thinking, Hyuk speared a piece of meat from the plate and started chewing, hoping to distract himself. Fortunately, his meat was delicious and very much savory. It was so good, he speared another piece and ate it with the rice. It was heaven on a plate. 

"Don't forget your coffee."

She put down a cup of black coffee in front of him.

"I don't know what your coffee preference is, but knowing you, I'm guessing it's black," said Sun Hee, "If it's not, there's creamer and sugary nearby. I hope Ju Han doesn't mind that I raided his fridge."

He looked down at the solitary cup of coffee, inhaling the wonderful aroma.

"I do like it black," he remarked.

A satisfied smile spread on the actress' face. "That's good to know," she replied, "Now I can truly be a domesticated type of girl."

She did look like a domestic princess in that apron she got somewhere in Ju Han's kitchen. Hyuk watched her as she turned off the stove, set aside Ju Han's portions, cleaned his sink, and pour juice to drink. It was odd to see the entitled and bossy Kim Sun Hee doing all these hard work. 

"Why are you doing this?"

Sun Hee was startled with the question. Hyuk figured he must've sounded rude, but just wanted to know.

"Is there something wrong?"

"No. I just...I'm just curious."

She bit her lip as she closed the faucet. "I...I guess this is my apology for how I've been treating you recently," she answered, "I mean, I know it's all my fault -- the kiss and getting drunk and everything. I haven't been much of a good...uh...ward or client recently so, take this as my apology for everything."

She heaved a sigh. "My little crush on you overtook everything and I'm sorry," she continued, looking at him with such sincerity, "I promise I'll be good from now on. You can bet on that, Detective Lee."

There was a pause before she smiled at him and went on with her work. While Sun Hee loudly wondered if she had to wake Ju Han up, the detective thought about two things:

FIRST: she admitted her little crush on him (although Hyuk had already an idea about her liking him). This was the first time she said anything directly.

SECOND: as she scrubbed the plates, he wondered about "the good gift" part she mentioned. He knew that it was not her birthday today (he really didn't have an idea, but she mentioned it was during the winter), so why would she want a gift?

His eyes fell on Ju Han's calendar. It said March 14.

The memory of the chocolate she gave last February 14 came back to mind.

He watched Sun Hee as she tunelessly hummed a song and took a spoonful of rice. There was a feeling inside of him that knew what he had to do. Before, he would've brushed it off. 

But not today.

[ 1 HOUR LATER ]

Hyuk stared down at the box that he held. The sun reflected the glitters from the supposed fancy wrapping. It was the right wrapper for the chocolate inside (white chocolates with choices of strawberry or caramel filling). This wasn't his first choice, but he was glad that he got this instead.

How long has it been since he last gave a girl chocolates on White Day?

It was funny how he realized stuff about himself in such a situation. It was also funnier that a stranger made him realize said stuff.

A high school student, for that matter. 

But more on that later. For now, he had one goal in mind.

It was White Day and he had a special delivery to do.

[ 5 HOURS LATER ]

"...that Detective Lee is worse than a woman! I don't get him!"

Sun Hee threw her bag on the sofa as Jin Hae gazed at her with such confusion. It didn't occur to her that she had just come home a day after she was harassed by the stalker again. Today's shenanigans overtook her mind - it was weird. Ju Han and Lee Hyuk, both of them were weirding her out. She heaved a sigh and closed her eyes.

"I mean, how could he just leave like that?" she conitnued, "And that look on his face. I don't get it. I really don't get it. What did I do again?"

Jin Hae sat beside her. "What do you mean?" she asked, "Did you piss the detective again?"

"That's what I don't get. I don't know if he's pissed. It's like...he's different? Annoyed? Maybe he's tired of me?"

Jin Hae frowned. "Huh, that's weird," she said.

"Tell me about it."

"No, that's not what I meant."

Sun Hee peeked at her friend. 

"What?"

Jin Hae scurried to Sun Hee's countertop to retrieve a box. She gave it to the confused actress.

"What's this?" asked Sun Hee, "Fan chocolate?"

"No," replied Jin Hae, "The detective dropped by an hour ago. He told me to give that to you. That's why I was anticipating your return."

Confused, Sun Hee ripped opened the wrapper and saw an expensive looking box filled with chocolate (white, filled with strawberry or caramel, apparently). There was no note, no other thing whatsoever. It was just a box of chocolates.

"He gave this?" 

"Well duh. Unless I was seeing a ghost, he definitely came here to drop those."

"Did he say anything?"

"Nothing. He said it's for you -- that's it," Jin Hae replied, "I was thinking that maybe you guys finally got together or something, because why would Lee Hyuk -- the most enigmatic handsome guy in the universe -- all of a sudden give you chocolates? On White Day?"

Sun Hee stared at the box, racking her brains. It didn't make sense. Just a couple of hours ago, the detective became strange. This box of chocolates was strange enough, but he seemed like he resented her a few hours ago. She remembered the look on his eyes when he left her and Ju Han. She wondered if that was annoyance or...was it hurt?

The box of chocolates was definitely saying something.

"Mister, I think it's pretty obvious, already."

Hyuk messed his hair up as he threw himself on his bed. He had just called the station to inform them that Kim Sun Hee was safe and Inspector Cha Ju Han was the one who took her home. He also told them he won't be coming in for the night shift and will show up tomorrow for the interrogation. He was too tired, he could barely stand up anymore.

That and the fact his emotions were messed up.

There was a heavy feeling in his chest as he remembered that image of Sun Hee and Ju Han hours ago. It wasn't supposed to trigger emotions, but it did. It was one of the reasons why he felt so...unpleasant. 

"I wouldn't lie to myself any longer when I know the answer."

That girl's voice kept coming back to him.

He grunted as he his side, trying to keep the feelings subdued. There was no point in trying to bury them anymore or brushing any of them off. She was right when she said that he knew the answer. It was useless to play dumb. 

"You know it, right Mister?"

Hyuk heaved a frustrated sigh.

I do.

Lee Hyuk knew full well that he liked Kim Sun Hee -- more than ever.

A/N: Aisht, it took so long. I'm sorry everyone, but here it is. :) I hope you're all having a good time. Me, I'm stuck worrying about BTS tickets. HAHA. I don't know if my friend got us the tickets we needed and I'm so nervous. But anyway, here's a new chapter and I pray all of you are having lovely days. Let me know what you think!