““Food’s here!” Yerim hollered as she entered the meeting room.

“Gosh! Why are you both wet?” Johnny nagged when he saw the two of them coming in.

“I got his jacket! He’s way more drenched than me,” Yerim shrugged casually as she took off Jaehyun’s jacket.

“God, go change your clothes! You’ll get sick! Doyoung and I will cook the udon,” Johnny fussed.

“I don’t even have a change of clothes. It’s okay, I can stand the cold. I’m hungry, let’s just cook the noodles!” She grinned nonchalantly, jiggling the plastic bag on her hands.

“You’ll get sick if you don’t change out of your clothes. I have four spare sweaters in my locker. I’ll grab one for you,” Jaehyun responded quietly before anyone could retort.

“Oh? Great!” Yerim followed him casually into the locker room after dropping the plastic containing their food on the table.

“This one won’t be too loose on you, I guess,” Jaehyun said, handing her a blue sweater with the KNPA logo on it.

“Oh ho… From the days back in the academy?” Yerim whistled.

“Just go change! I’m changing here!” Jaehyun retorted back playfully.

___

Jaehyun paused in his track when he saw Yerim emerged from the female restroom with her hair semi-wet, wearing his sweater, and he swore to God she looked damn good in an ugly blue sweater. How come? That’s unfair. He always looked bleak and unattractive in that ugly blue shade. And her? She’s breathtaking.

He shook his thoughts away, there’s no way he could think of her in another light aside from being colleagues when they’re deep into a murder case.

“Guys! The udons are ready! Come eat!” Doyoung hollered from the meeting room.

“Oh! Hot udon! Let’s go!” Yerim grinned, looping her arm around his casually, pulling him into the meeting room.

Jaehyun was thankful that Doyoung was already holding two bowls in his hands so Yerim could untangle her arm from his.

“Thanks,” Jaehyun muttered to Doyong before taking a seat.

“Anyways, Kate, eomma called me,” Youngho said casually as he waited for his udon to cool down a bit.

“About?”

“She wants you to go home,” Youngho shrugged.

“You don’t live at home?” Doyoung raised his brows in confusion.

“I’ve been staying at oppa’s place more often, remember? I guess eomma wants me to commute from home to here every day. Aish, it’s tiring, though. I hate subways during rush hour,” Yerim grumbled before slurping her noodles.

“Do you want me to pick you up then?” Jaehyun asked softly.

“Eh?”

“I mean, I have to pass your neighborhood to reach the precinct,” Jaehyun shrugged before taking a bite of his sausage.

“Oh, you can do that?” Yerim replied, not knowing why she’s whispering but Jaehyun is speaking so softly amidst Doyoung and her brother chattering so she followed suit.

“Of course. It’s not like I have to make a detour,” Jaehyun shrugged.

“Cool! Thanks, oppa!”

“No problem,” Jaehyun smiled.

“Ya, Kate, do you want me to call eomma back saying that it’s difficult for you to commute?” Youngho asked.

“No need to, oppa. I got the problem settled.”

___

“Guys, guys, gather ‘round!” Doyoung hollered. It’s already past lunch time and Yerim had gone back to the confine of her morgue.

“Yeah?”

“Since the list of names from Officer Lee proved that no one is a probable target, we need to think of another thing,” Doyoung proposed.

“But what?”

“That’s why I gather all of you, duh. Make your brains useful, guys. Anyway, is there someone you dubbed as suspicious, Jay? You’ve gone on several trips with Yerim didn’t you?”

“Aside from that pharmacist, no.”

“Why him again?” Youngho asked, sitting on top of Doyoung’s desk.

“He’s very interested in Shim Yonghee’s case. His body language seems tense, as if he was hiding something. But I don’t know. He could be tense because he was nervous of talking to authorities. I didn’t see him that often so I don’t know for sure.”

“Should we visit the pharmacist again, then?” Doyoung asked curiously.

“Right now?”

“Of course! The rain has stopped. We got nothing to do as well,” Doyoung shrugged.

“Well, I have a meeting with the chief in half an hour,” Youngho shrugged.

“Fine, I’ll go with Jay. Do you want anything, though?”

“Mmm, maybe some Advil? I’ve been having headaches lately so I’m running out of stock,” Youngho confessed.

“Ya, I was thinking of offering you food, not medicine. John, don’t stress about this case too much. Relax, okay? We got your back. Okay, Advil for you. Did Yerim want anything? Or better, should we drag that girl with us?”

“Why are you dragging my sister around? Ya, Kim Doyoung…”

“What? She’s a good source of entertainment. I want a younger sister now because of her!” Doyoung laughed playfully.

“Should I call her?” Jaehyun asked, breaking their bickering.

“Yeah, yeah, go ahead. And you, Johnny Seo, just go to your god damn meeeting. Bye!”

Jaehyun shook his head as he took out his cellphone. He was about to dial Yerim’s number when he actually got an incoming call from her.

“Oh? She called. Wait. Hello?”

“Jaehyun oppa! Is there anything fun to do there?”

Jaehyun chuckled, “I was about to call you. Doyoung and I are going out. Wanna come?”

“Yes! I’ll go upstairs now!”

“She’s coming with us,” Jaehyun informed Doyoung who nodded excitedly. He, himself, is curious to see how Jaehyun and Yerim worked together. Those two maknaes have an unbelievable amount of chemistry between them. It didn’t take long for Yerim to join them, ready for a surprise visit to the pharmacy.

“Let’s go! The rain has stopped, right?” Yerim grinned, looping her arms around the two taller guys, dragging them out of the precinct.

“Yup. Wow, feels nice to be out,” Doyoung commented.

“Ugh, I love the smell of the ground after a rain. Can you smell the grassy scent? I love it,” Yerim giggled.

“Petrichor,” Jaehyun said softly.

“Whaaa?”

Yerim laughed at Doyoung’s confused face on the weird English word Jaehyun just said.

“Petrichor. It’s an English word for the smell of rain,” she explained.

“Wow, you English speaking people are creative. We just called it rain smell here,” Doyoung laughed.

Jaehyun shrugged as he let himself be dragged by the girl next to him into the pharmacy.

“Welcome to Aqua—Oh! Officers!”

Yerim grinned at the friendly young pharmacist. Jaehyun stared at, what was his name again? Jaewon?

“Hi, Jaewon-sshi!”

Right, Jaewon.

Jaehyun and Doyoung shrugged as they followed the girl.

“Back in here again, ma’am?”

“Yeah, a friend in the precinct need some Advil. And oh, meet Detective Kim Doyoung! No, he’s not the one who needs the Advil, he just wants to join me here,” Yerim smiled, pulling Doyoung to her side. She then glanced at Jaehyun, as if signaling him to talk to Pharmacist Seo who was busy organizing some boxes.

Jaehyun gave her a short nod and walked towards the old man as Yerim and Doyoung made small talks with Jaewon.

“Wow, new stocks?” Jaehyun asked casually.

“Hello, Detective. Yeah, it’s the time for our monthly stock-up,” Mr. Seo answered.

“Is it just the two of you working here? Isn’t it tough? I mean, there’s tons of medicine here,” Jaehyun smiled, feigning curiosity.

“At times, yeah, it’s hard. But I’ve done this for more than 10 years so I’m used to this. Although I probably should hire another staff because poor Jaewon had to work long hours because of these,” the man laughed.

“But at least the business is thriving, eh?”

The old man laughed, “That’s true. Anyways, are you guys having a break or something?”

“Us? Actually, we’re not that busy that’s why we could walk around like this.”

“Oh? I thought you guys were still in that case with Shim Yonghee?” the man stopped his stacking actions and turned to Jaehyun curiously.

“The prosecution office took over the case. I mean, the case is going nowhere and our team leader decided that it’s better for the prosecutors to take over so we can deal with other cases,” Jaehyun lied smoothly, watching as Mr. Seo’s face morphed into confusion.

“Oh? Uh, I wish your team the best of luck then, Detective.”

Huh?

Jaehyun smiled back at the man as he walked to his colleagues, head filled with thoughts.

“Done?”

Yerim nodded, looping her arm around his as they walked out of the pharmacy following Doyoung who already walked out with Youngho’s Advil.

“Should we get something on the way back?” Doyoung looked back to the younger two.

“Bubble tea, maybe?” Jaehyun raised his brows.

“Oh, that sounds nice!”

“Okay, bubble tea it is,” Doyoung chuckled.