It didn’t take long after Haeun called Chanyeol and Jeonghan on a group call that they started looking into Sungjong’s transfer, only to find out that it was Kim Heechul that had initiated and approved the transfer. Jeonghan immediately put in a request for a search warrant for Heechul’s apartment, office, and financial records, while Chanyeol tried to divert Heechul’s attention towards Jaehyun’s murder in order to ensure that Heechul didn’t catch onto anything. Thankfully, with the urgency of the case, Jeonghan was optimistic that the search warrant would be processed fairly quickly. Even better, the medical examiner had found tissue underneath Jieun’s nails that was being processed to see if the DNA would match Junmyeon. 

Afterwards, Haeun had forced Baekhyun for the two of them to take a step back from the case and, instead, just focus on themselves. Baekhyun had practically stopped functioning for the rest of the day, though. He simply focused on going through the proper motions to pretend he was okay. Haeun dragged them out for a late lunch and then a stroll through the park before ending the day with grocery shopping and a take out dinner. He appreciated that she was taking care of him, distracting him to make sure he was okay, but he didn’t have the heart or the will to tell her the truth that he wasn’t okay.

Because of something that happened years ago, his friend was dead.

The man he looked up to for half his career was the man trying to frame him for murder.

The girl he thought was his friend was just using him and was, also, dead.

Everything could be stemmed from one decision he made years ago, and he couldn’t even pick someone who was a decent human being as a role model. Instead, Kim Heechul was a corrupt, self-serving man who could care less about his job as a police officer. 

It wasn’t until later that night, after Baekhyun and Haeun had a dinner that he never fully processed to be able to remember later on, that she sat him down with a cup of tea placed in his hands. 

“Okay, do I need to call everyone over for an intervention?” she asked. “Because I will.” 

“Huh?” he asked, looking away from the steam rising from the cup to look at his girlfriend. her lips quirked up slightly. 

“Baekhyun, you’ve been mentally absent ever since we found out about Heechul being Junmyeon’s father.” He just sighed. How was he supposed to tell her the thoughts running through his head since earlier that day? 

Apparently he didn’t have to because Haeun took the cup of tea out of his hands, set it on the coffee table, and took his jaw in her hands to turn his face towards her. “Don’t you dare even try telling me that everything that’s happened is your fault because you know better than that. You did what you thought was right back then, and it’s still the right call.”

“Yeah, sure, and look where that got us,” he scoffed bitterly, pulling away from Haeun’s grasp. “Jaehyun died, then that gang member, Soohyun, got caught up in the middle, and then Jieun died too. Not to mention all the people that got roped up in the drugs and the gang after Junmyeon created The Shuí?”

“And none of that was even remotely your fault. Who knows how many more people would’ve gotten hurt if he had kept on selling through the academy and had actually graduated? He would’ve been another cop with drug connections, and that would’ve been way worse.” Haeun shifted so she was kneeling on the sofa in front of him and wrapped her arms around his neck, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. He wouldn’t be able to move away from her unless he wanted her to fall over, and she knew that. 

Instead of pushing her away again, he leaned forward, settling his head in the crook between her neck and shoulder. Haeun settled back down, properly pulling him into a hug, and he wrapped his arms around her tightly. Baekhyun breathed in, the lavender scent - that had become so familiar over the last few weeks - soothing his nerves. Haeun ran a hand through his hair before letting it drop down so she could run it up and down his back. 

Rationally, Baekhyun knew she was right. He didn’t murder those people, cause Junmyeon to pull the trigger, and yet that’s what it felt like. The guilt was pressing down on his chest like vice, and he was suffocating. 

“I know, but that’s not what it feels like,” he murmured into her skin. He felt her shiver as his breath hit her skin, and he just pulled her closer to him. Haeun didn’t respond, but it seemed that she understood what he was feeling anyways because she hummed, but she didn’t respond until a few minutes after they’d been sitting in silence.

“Jeonghan might’ve been right,” she started. “We do need therapy.”

Baekhyun snorted. “Yeah, pretty sure we’re past the point of might. I have to go for police-mandated counseling, anyway.”

“Fair enough. I’ll make an appointment for myself after we sort this mess out,” Haeun spoke with determination in her voice. 

Baekhyun smiled, and a strange thought popped into his head. “Do you think our relationship is moving quickly?”

“Random, but no. I don’t.” The resolution in her voice prompted Baekhyun to pull back slightly to look her in the eyes. 

“Why?”

“Because we’re idiots, and we were for a very, very long time. If we had just spoken to each other civilly about everything like, I don’t know, four years ago, we would’ve started dating ages ago. Plus, it’s also the fact that you never told me that you knew I was your soulmate.”

“You’ve thought about this, huh,” Baekhyun commented with a slight quirk to his lips.

Haeun shrugged nonchalantly, but he could see that she was trying not to blush with the way her neck was turning red. “Blame Jeonghan,” she responded. “He tends to get very practical and very philosophical when he’s drinking and when he’s involved in my love life because he doesn’t have one of his own.”

Baekhyun barked out a laugh as he leaned in to kiss her briefly, relishing in the way her body arched up closer to his in response. “Alright, next time I see him, I’ll make sure to blame him for us not dating earlier.”

Haeun smiled against his lips. “Sounds great.”

The next morning, Baekhyun walked into the precinct with a renewed determination of getting his life b