05:00 A.M.
Tuesday, 1st December 2015.

Kim Yong-Sun's POV

I woke up to the distant sounds of endless clutters. I spontaneously ran my hand over the bedside although I knew my wife was probably out of bed. It was awfully cold and I missed her warmth. "Byul?" I called out her name but she was nowhere in sight. I picked up her crumpled dress shirt off the floor and I put it on right away.

She came into view soon after I fastened the buttons up to the last three. Her eyes widened in surprise but her guilty conscience briefly overtook them. Her pager taunted us as it beeped endlessly against her chest. She turned her back on me and I immediately glared at her back. "I told you, yeah? Sure, I'll be there."

She fumbled with her tie as she moved towards the balcony. She shut the sliding door behind her. I walked to our bed and I sat on its edge. I rested my elbows against my knees as I deliberately brought my palms to my face. It's nothing new. But then again. I could never brace myself enough, at the plain thought of losing her.

I had always hated her job. It almost took her from me. "Hey," she greeted me. She sounded close. I ignored her. "Did I wake you up?" I felt her breath against the back of my hands. She gently kissed them as she pried them open, little by little, at the same time. I gave in after some time and she gave me a few kisses.

"Byul," I moaned her name in frustration as soon as she ended the last kiss. She started moving back. I grabbed her tie. She could not get any further due to my strong grip. "Stay," I begged her as I looked into her eyes. She cupped my cheeks in her hands. She gave me a reluctant smile before she dived in for another kiss.

"I'm doing half day, Yong, I'll be back soon," she reassured me. I furiously shook my head at her poor attempt to reassure me. How soon is soon? The last one was a whole month. I shut my eyes as soon as I thought of the seemingly endless nightmare I went through a month ago. "You just got better," I begged again.

Moon Byul-Yi's POV

"You just got better," she repeated those words. I pulled her in for a tight hug. She started beating my chest, again and again, I took in her beatings. She had always hated my job, all the more a month ago. "I'm sorry," I asked for her forgiveness for the nth time but she failed me every time I did. I understand. I broke her.

The screams, the shooting, the sirens - they were vague. I thought it was a dream, however, her heart-breaking sight brought me back. I was told I was on duty when I was gunned down by a spree killer. I almost bled to death. I had no recollection of the event whatsoever but I remembered her. Her cries I woke up to.

I recalled the texts I received on my pager. I let my hands draw small circles on her back as I let my thought run over the possible event. It could be terrorists and, hopefully, this will be my last mission. I gave my resignation to the higher-ups a week ago, a few days after I woke up from the coma. The process took time.

"It's just for today. I'll be back soon," I reminded her. I was running my fingers through her hair when she looked up at me. We faced each other, longingly, each with mixed feelings. The faint cries from the baby monitor interrupted every last bit of our reverie. Ha-Neul was crying in his crib. "Just go," she sounded hopeless.

To Be Continued