The incessant buzzing coming from the intercom woke Baram from her sleep. Kicking the covers off of her, the girl groaned loudly as she felt like there was an obnoxious elf running around in her skull smashing everything with a hammer. Dragging her feet towards the intercom, she glared at the image of Youngjae smiling widely at her shown on the screen.

Not bothering to greet the male at the entrance, Baram left the door to her flat open and threw herself back on her bed, face down first. Her hands covered her ears in a vain attempt to stop the ringing that was taunting her in her head.

“Rise and shine~” Youngjae greeted in a sing-song voice.

Hearing no response from the girl, Youngjae approached the kitchen counter, taking out a pot to reheat the hangover soup that he had bought on his way here. Giving the pot one final glance to make sure that the fire was not set too high, Youngjae padded towards Baram and purposely jumped onto the bed, causing the mattress to sink under his weight and make Baram bounce as a result.

Unhappy with the sudden motion that was causing the world around her to spin, Baram rolled over her body and crashed into Youngjae. Now that they were facing each other, Baram snarled at the intruder who had disrupted her much needed sleep.

“Nice try but you look more like a grumpy cat than a scary lioness,” Youngjae mused, poking her in the cheeks. “Come on, go wash up and then have some wonderful hangover soup.”

Pushing herself back up, Baram looked down at her body and realised that she was still wearing her clothes from yesterday. Suddenly feeling very sticky and gross, she scurried off the bed and stumbled towards the bathroom.

“I’m taking a shower.”

Soon the sound of running water echoed from behind the bathroom door. Rolling off the bed, Youngjae opened the door to the balcony to let in some fresh air. Stepping out, he eyed the bench, recalling how Baram had sent him a message of distress requiring assistance. When Youngjae and Yugyeom  arrived thinking that the girl was in trouble, they were left in disbelief when it turned out that she just wanted to use them as labourers to bring the bench up to her flat. Shaking his head at the memory, Youngjae leaned over the railings and observed the streets, his eyes landing on Eclipse. Biting his lower lip thoughtfully, he was lost in his own world until he jolted in the air from someone poking him in the ribs. Turning around, he scrunched his nose and pouted at the sight of a very entertained looking Baram, the scent of pine wafting in the air towards him.

“You need to sharpen your skills detective,” Baram mused. “Don’t want you getting stabbed in the back because of your carelessness.”

“Ha ha ha. Funny.” Youngjae deadpanned, purposely bumping his shoulders against Baram as he stepped back into the flat before coming to a stop as his eyes landed on the coffee table. “Since when are you a flower person?”

“I’m not—” Baram halted mid-sentence, her brows creasing in confusion at the sight of a single red chrysanthemum standing in a vase on her coffee table next to the cactus.

“I’m offended,” Youngjae declared as he headed towards the kitchen to turn off the fire. “That flower is too flashy, cactus will feel out-shined.”

“Cactus will survive,” Baram huffed as she placed her hands on her hips.

Staring intently at the flower that had suddenly appeared in her room, the way the red petals extended out reminded Baram of a certain red haired male; how his hair poked out in all directions after waking up. It may be because she was still feeling the effects of the alcohol she had consumed the previous night, but the more she stared at the chrysanthemum, the more she was reminded of Mark. That was when she recalled the passing comment he had made about her flat needing flowers and her requesting him to bring some the next time he visited.

“He remembered,” Baram exhaled softly, her lips curling into an unnoticeable smile.

Smelling the aroma of hangover soup, Baram snapped her head towards the kitchen and squinted her eyes in suspicion at the detective who had conveniently showed up looking all chirpy.

“How did you know that I drank last night?”

Placing the bowl of soup on the kitchen island, Youngjae patted the chair, urging Baram to sit down and eat. Keeping her expression stern, Baram sat down and picked up the spoon, carefully swirling the soup to let it cool slightly.

“Mark paid me a visit at the precinct,” Youngjae started explaining. “Said something abou