"No. Absolutely not!"

Jackson might have expected that answer. What else could he have heard? How else could a man react to a question like Oh hey, listen: I dug up a case from three years ago, and since we're on our way to the hospital, can I question your nephew because there's a good chance he's a potential witness to the murder of one of the most influential business man in South Korea?

Sung Hee's fists clenched on the steering wheel. Jackson knew her as a woman with a very calm nature, always greeting visitors to the station with a smile on her lips. Today was the first time he'd seen her annoyed.

"Noona, I know it sounds bad -"

"Really?" She raised her voice, taking her eyes off the road for a moment. 

"Noona, the road!" 

The drive to the hospital passed in broken sentences and non pleasantries. When the car parked in front of the building they were heading to, neither of them got out right away - letting their emotions drift away.

Sung Hee was the first to break the tense atmosphere. "Jackson. I like you, I really do. You're a good kid." After the shouting from five minutes ago, Jackson wasn't so sure anymore. "But do you realize what you're asking me to do now?"

Unfortunately, he did know.

Sung Hee's nephew, Sung Chan, had been in the complex for three years. He ended up there after not coming home one day from going out with his friends, and when he finally stood in the doorway of his house, he was shaking all over and couldn't get a word out. From that moment on, panic attacks, fear of contact with people and night terrors began. His parents decided to put him in the hands of specialists at the hospital's K&B clinic, which is said to have the best psychologists and therapists for children and teenagers. Coupled with his love of baseball, Jackson tried to connect the dots with the newest found evidence, thinking it couldn't just be a coincidence. His suspicions and facts overlapped all too perfectly.

That's why his heart ached when he told Sunghee about his suspicions, expecting only outrage.

"I know. And I understand. Honestly, I feel like the biggest in the universe." Jackson thanked in his soul that the woman had calmed down enough to listen to him. "But please believe me that I'm not doing this maliciously or with selfish intentions. I know the boy was in a difficult situation and if I could have helped him, I would have done so right away." He took a deep breath, carefully considering his next words. "But if there's even a shadow of a chance that what I'm working on and what happened to him are related, then he might be able to help someone who is also suffering from the same thing." 

Sunghee closed her eyes, sighing. Clearly she too was thinking hard about what to do in this situation. She looked at the man. "I understand your frustration. I also understand that you're doing this in the name of good cause. But remember Jackson, even if I agree - the final decision will be up to someone else. The doctor, the legal guardian and Sungchan himself. I will not be able to help you in this situation."

It wasn't a yes. But it wasn't a no either. There was a spark of hope in his eyes. "But does that mean I have your permission?" he asked in desperation. 

Sunghee could only sigh. "Only because I know what kind of person you are."

"Thank you Noona!" He said loudly and gave the woman a firm kiss on the forehead. "You're the best!"

"Yes, yes... Don't be so happy." Sung Hee warned him, giving him a snap on the cheek. "You still have the steepest staircase ahead of you."

And steep the stairs were. After walking through long corridors, the two finally reached the psychological and therapy wing, where Sung Hee led them to the room in which her nephew was located. Looking through the glass door, near one of the 2 beds (probably belonging to another patient) stood two adults, looking like his parents, and a girl dressed in scrubs and a white doctor's coat. In front of them, on the bed, sat a boy who did not look more than 14 years old, dressed in tracksuits. His head was lowered and he was clearly not interested in what the adults were talking about. 

Jackson gulped. This would be one of the toughest conversations he would have as a police officer. With a glance at Sung Hee, he let her enter first then slowly followed her into the room. All three of them turned towards them, the parents' smiles immediately disappearing when they saw that a stranger had come in.

An older woman, presumably his mother, the boy's shoulder. "Look Chan, auntie has come. Hi Sung Hee." She said, greeting her sister with a hug. Then she looked suspiciously at Jackson. "Who are you sir?"

Jackson snapped out of his nervous trance for a moment and started looking for his ID. "Ah, yes! Good morning!" He pulled the badge out of his pocket and showed it to everyone around him. "Detective Jackson Wang, SPD." 

Hearing the police department, everyone except Sung Chan immediately bowed. When the parents were too busy figuring out what the police officer was looking for here, a female hospital worker extended her hand to him. "Hello, I'm Dr. Jung Wheein, a psychologist." The girl looked so young and adorable that Jackson began to grin stupidly, trying not to look at her super conspicuous dimples in her cheeks. With such a radiant face, it's no wonder she works with kids.

After exchanging formalities and greeting the concerned parents (and the boy who was ignoring everything), the moment that twisted Jackson's gut came. In a controlled tone, the brunet outlined what the situation was like-about the potential murder and the 14-year-old's likely role in it. Sung Hee watched the whole situation from the sidelines, clearly apprehensive of her sister and brother-in-law's reactions, Dr. Jung listened intently and nodded, while the mother made her eyes bigger and bigger, gasping with each new piece of information. Father's fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles were white. Sung Chan did not speak once or react in any way. 

To say that the effect was not the best would be an understatement. Using the words your son, murder, and witness in one sentence triggered the father's anger and for a few seconds of inattention, Jackson was lifted off the floor by his collar by an older man. The mother was held down by her sister.

"How dare you even throw our child into such a serious matter! He didn't do anything! You have no evidence that he saw anything!"

Had it not been for Dr Jung's intervention, the man would probably have hauled Jackson to the floor. After leaving, he began to pour his frustration on the psychologist, who tried to calm him down by reminding him that loud arguments do not do well for his son's mental health. 

Out of the whirlwind of insults, attempts at explanations and resentments, a whine that Sung Chan let out broke the cluster of adults. The boy was sitting hunched over, his head tucked between his knees, holding tightly to his hair and rocking as if he had orphan condition. Dr Jung reacted immediately and pushed everyone out of the room-with incredible strength and courage for someone who was maybe about 160 cm. 

Now back behind the glass door, he managed to see Dr. Jung calm Sung Chan down before the parents went back to hurling insults in Jackson's direction, which he took in stride. He expected it to not be easy and knew he was expecting a lot at this point. 

Sung Hee somehow managed to pull them away from the detective, but they still managed to shout out that they weren't going to hand over their son anywhere without a warrant. He didn't have time to explain to them that the witness himself was consenting to the interrogation, they were already far down the hallway. Sung Hee threw him a hopeless look over her shoulder.

Jackson sat down on the nearest bench and massaged his face. It had gone pretty bad for him. But he had expected this result. After dropping such a bomb, everyone would feel uncomfortable and hostile. But this was putting him at a dead end. He himself wasn't sure why he'd jumped headlong into the sun, but if his suspicions were correct- this boy could be the start to solving the case.  If, of course, he at least had a chance to talk to him-and that was out of his control. Jackson closed his eyes and tried to move through the fog of thoughts.

What would Joohyun say? Should he keep digging? Is this really a case without a solution?

"I'm so sorry for them." A woman's honeyed voice snapped Jackson out of his train of thought for a moment. To his left stood Dr. Jung with two cups of coffee from the vending machine. She looked at the bench and automatically Jackson moved to make room for her. He accepted the drink as well. "Sung Chan's parents can be temperamental. You're not the first to be the target of their brawls."

Jackson took a sip. It was the first time coffee from a vending machine wasn't watery. They must have great vending machines. "I didn't mean to offend them."

"I know, but you have to understand that every parent will stand up for their child, no matter if you come with good intentions. Believe me, I struggle with this every day." She replied, brooding while taking a sip of drink. 

After a moment of comfortable silence, Jackson decided to try a different approach. "How long has Sung Chan been here?" It came out a little cheeky, but he was running out of options at this point, and he didn't want to get his parents in even more trouble. "If you don't mind me asking."

Wheein laughed. "Now you're going to question me?" Seeing the panic in the detective's eyes, she immediately started waving her hand. "Just kidding. You're welcome to ask questions. I'll answer the ones I formally can." The man visibly breathed a sigh of relief, as she began to talk. "Sung Chan was admitted to the clinic about a year ago with suspected PTSD and severe anxiety. His parents didn't bring him in earlier because they thought at first he was making it up and then they relied on the teaching staff at Sung Chan's school. They waited about two years," Jackson felt a shadow of spite for the ignorance shown by the boy's parents. "When we started working with him, he wouldn't say anything. He relied on nonverbal associations and gestures. It was only after a few months that he started talking to the staff and other patients. To this day, however, we don't fully know what triggered his anxiety, as this supposed situation or thing triggers his anxiety."

Jackson listened intently, noting in his mind. "Do you think the reaction he had today is related to what may have happened to him three years ago?"

"Of course. Psychics can be stimulated by a variety of factors. I suspect his biggest stimulators are loud noises and aggressive behavior. His parents often argue in his presence, and even though I know they are concerned about his condition, it is hard for them to understand that the way they talk to each other might bring him to mind the events he experienced." 

Loud noises and aggression. If one insists it could be subsumed under gun shots and threats. But he couldn't draw conclusions without hearing the testimony first. "Dr. Jung." He turned to the woman in the seat. " I realize that my reasons will seem ridiculous and impertinent. But the evidence I found, the potential evidence in the case, and the information I received from Sung Chan's aunt, coincide with the likely version of events. So I had to try. I'm not doing it because I'm bored or because I was told to - I'm doing it because the loved ones of the victims of this case continue to suffer. So if there's a chance I can help them a little, I want to try. I hope you'll forgive me for this rudeness." He asked, lowering his head as a sign of respect.

Whee In was about to reply when the door behind her swung open and Sung Chan came from behind it. The two adults looked at him, expecting what he would say. He looked slightly abashed, avoiding full eye contact.

Wheein grabbed his arm, his elbow with her thumb with unusual gentleness. "Chan, are you okay?"

"Yeah." The boy replied quietly. It was the first time Jackson had heard his voice. "Where are my parents?"

"Your aunt took them out for some fresh air." Probably so they can cool off. "You want me to go get them?"

"No." Sung Chan's voice showed no emotion. "Actually." His eyes landed on Jackson. "I wanted to apologize to you, sir."

Now it was Jackson's turn to feel embarrassed. "No, you don't have to apologize! Nothing has happened. I'm the one who shouldn't be imposing." 

The boy continued to look at him with a blank stare. "But I want to apologize for them. It was wrong of them to treat you that way." He scratched his neck and wandered somewhere with his eyes. "Well... I also wanted to apologize...for my behavior."

Jackson's heart clenched at the purity. "Sung Chan! You have nothing to apologize for. I know it's not comfortable for you either." Jackson offered the boy a sincere smile.

"Sung Chan, would you like to say something else?" Whee In interjected. 

The boy finally lifted his gaze and removed his hands from the pockets of his sweatpants. "Actually, I wanted to talk to that police officer."

Jackson felt as if someone had brought him back to life after CPR. And with that request, a green light flashed on in his head.

»»————-　　————-««

The center was one day away from opening. Watching the interior design guys put the finishing touches on everything, Junmyeon looked at the inside of the building like a proud parent looks at a child. Not that he built it himself, that applause was due to the entire team, but still. The diamond chandelier was already hanging in the main entrance hall, the decorations were almost all set up. Fresh flowers were expected on the morning of opening day, as well as artwork for the auction. Everything was coming together perfectly. Junmyeon looked into the next room, where Joohyun was standing in front of the platform as Baekhyun and his band were having a sound check. So everything was coming together almost perfectly.

Looking at Joohyun filled him with frustration. This wasn't the usual one though- the kind you have to take a day off after to unwind the amount of venom and crap that was thrown in your direction. Junmyeon had long since stopped feeling that way. No, this frustration was rooted deeper. A frustration that made him constantly see her sad eyes when she felt betrayed, mocked, and pitied by him. From that moment on, for a week straight, she refused to talk to him, much less be in his presence, unless it was absolutely necessary because of work. He didn't blame her for that. 

Not so long ago, if they had argued like this, he would have let it go and given her time to cool off in the form of a few quiet days and cold shoulders. But that's how things used to be. A few things had undeniably changed in the span of few months. There was an undeniable change in their relationship. And then again, who knows? Maybe he could have found out where it would lead them if only he hadn't lied to her. He's an adult - he can admit when he's wrong. Junmyeon knew that through his mistakes, he had allowed Joohyun to push him away. He didn't want that. He had never wanted that. Even if he only realized it now when she openly showed that she was colder and more hurt than usual.

Junmyeon realized that by wanting to settle this matter now, he had picked the wrong time, especially since Joohyun looked completely absorbed in her work. Perhaps his efforts would do nothing now, but he wanted to try to talk to her, explain himself, apologize. Then no one would say he hadn't tried. At least this first step wouldn't weigh on his conscience anymore. As a man, it's not okay to just sit and do nothing.

With a bold step, he approached the concert hall, where Baekhyun happened to be explaining to his musicians that they were getting into the phrase of the chorus too fast. Joohyun stood on the platform with her arms folded, giving them advice every now and then and shaking her head when her cousin's not-so-mature joke didn't quite land. When Baek Hyun noticed Junmyeon approaching, he fake coughed and turned toward the group, pretending not to see anything. Joohyun probably hadn't told him about their argument - he most likely sensed from experience that something might be wrong. And as most people, he didn't want to be caught in the middle of that.

Joohyun didn't even turn around as Junmyeon stood confidently beside her. "Joohyun."

Zero response. "Joohyun, I would like to talk to you. About what happened recently." Junmyeon tried not to betray his desperation in front of people. "In private."

"I have nothing to tell you except what you already know." She replied coolly, still stubbornly not looking at him. 

Junmyeon took a deep breath. He expected a hard shell and that it wouldn't be easy to break. "Joohyun, please. I really want to talk to you. I want to apologize-"

"I know what you want to do, and I say right away that I'm not interested." This time she fully turned towards him and glared hard into his eyes. " You're going to apologize and then what? Are we just going to go back to arguing and name-calling again because apparently that's the only way we can be around each other? You realize how ed up that is?" She lowered her voice after some employees glanced at her outburst. "If my honesty at the office wasn't clear enough, I don't have the energy for all this right now. I think you can figure out why."

That last sentence hurt. Even if it was cold truth. "Joohyun, at least listen to me. Please." This time there was a hint of pleading in his request. But Joohyun didn't even have time to open when the phone in her hand started ringing. Due to the fact that it was screen forward, Junmeyon noticed the caller ID.

Detective W. 

Throwing him one last intimidating look, Joohyun her heel and wandered towards the exit, immediately answering the call. So much for his pathetic attempt. Watching her walk away from him in anger made his current and past inability to be honest overwhelm him. Junmyeon has felt like a failure enough times. How does he manage to run a company worth millions when he can't even get his partner-friend to listen to his apology?

"I sense you're sulking. That's rough, buddy."

A velvety male voice rang out in Junmyeon's ears, and a warm breath spread down his neck. Junmeyeon, recoiled in horror, now watching as Baekhyun looked at him with sad pity.

"Jesus Christ Baek! What is wrong with you?" Junmyeon felt with his hand the spot where the man's chin had been comfortably resting a second ago.

Baekhyun didn't care too much about the president's discomfort and grabbed his heart. "My poor friend. Rejected twice by that snow queen." He put his arm around Junmyeon's shoulder, putting stress on the word twice. "As your brother, you can confide in me. I will listen to your concerns." He sighed dramatically.

Junmyeon looked around embarrassed to make sure no one had witnessed this scene. "What do you mean? Have you been drinking something?"

Baekhyun was clearly offended. "Dude! Don’t say things like that! I just want you to know that you have support in me. The boys need to stick together."

"Eh...thanks." You can't argue with this guy. "And in all honesty, I'm the reason she's mad. I acted like an and now-"

Baekhyun started to nod knowingly, like he realized something. "I see. You pushed her into the arms of another?" 

"Exactly." It took Junmyeon a a moment to process what he said. "Wait, no! No, no, no. That's not what this is about." It was true. Junmyeon not even once thought about any other man in Joohyun's life. Well, till now.

Baekhyun patted him on the back.  "I understand perfectly.” He then proceed to slap hm on the back, almost in a pity way. "A man's greatest fear."

"Baekhyun, you're not listening." Junmyeon groaned. Does everyone in their family have a hearing problem?

The singer, however, seemed to be in his own world. "You know what? I knew something was going on. That one guy keeps calling her and asking about things. I think he might be obsessed with her if he talks to her so insistently and wants information.” Junmyeon didn't know what to say. He stared in disbelief at Baekhyun and his conspiracy theories as if he was crazy. "I don’t know about you Jun, but I can't let my dear cousin hang out with some creep when she has the perfect candidate for my brother-in-law in front of her." He replied indignantly in his voice. Hearing this, Junmyeon almost choked on his own saliva.

"What brother-in-law? What are you talking about?!” Not only did Junmyeon not get an answer, he couldn't say more as Baekhyun's surprisingly smooth hand covered his mouth.

"Say no more." He whispered as if it was some kind of secret. "Everything will be fine. I'll sort it out."

Feeling like he was having a conversation with a total weirdo, Junmyeon released himself from his friend's embrace. "Let's make it official that you'll never do this again." He said slightly irritated, adjusting his jacket. Before he could continue, he smacked his lips a few times, tasting weird flavor. "And why do your hands taste like peaches?"

A strangely twisted smile appeared on Baekhyun's lips. "Lotion." He said it in a way as if glitter should appear around this word.

Let this day be over already. First the offended woman and now this psychopath.

"For that, you have a super dry lips. I suggest investing in a good chapstick." Advised sassily Baekhyun then tried to walk away with a moonwalk.

"You and your cousin have some serious issues!" He called out after Baekhyun, who sent him an extra hip . "And don't you dare intervene in anything! This isn't any of your business!” To that he only received a thumbs up, but with an odd nod of his head.

"Freak." He his lips, realizing that they were indeed dry as a desert.

»»————-　　————-««

"And they said satin was out of fashion!"

Finding Joohyun was no problem. This girl walks 2 steps an hour and always has to go to the restroom before she leaves. Baekhyun caught up with her a few meters from the building, following her at a safe distance. Junmyeon told him not to directly intervene in anything that happened between him and Joohyun. Baekhyun understood that much.

And that's why he's now hiding between the trees in the park, wearing kitschy sunglasses, satin sweatpants too big for him, and a black wig he found in his dressing room, while Joohyun stands at a pedestrian crossing. 

"Where are you heading, cousin?" Baekhyun said under his breath as he sat on the bench, trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible. With such a costume, however, the effect was quite the opposite because every grandmother who passed him looked at him like he was a hooligan.

However, before he had time to move to take a closer look at the person being followed, "Mr. Byun, I understand that it is my duty to take care of you as a guest-" A voice somewhere next to him spoke up. "But why did you bring me here and with such hideous clothes?"

Baekhyun gasped. "First of all, Mr. Kim." He looked from top to bottom at a scowling Jongdae clad in a similar satin tracksuit, a washed-out shirt, and a set consisting of orange sunnies and a tattered baseball cap. "Fashion comes back every now and then." He clapped Jongdae on the back. "Second, I took you with me to spy on Joo because I feel like the guy she's seeing is hiding something. I'm 100% that he either wants to kill someone, has a dangerous guy or is a spy from the North." In all the absurdity, now Jongdae gasped as if he was about to faint from the shock of hearing the news.

"No. Mr. Byun, that's not right!" Jongdae began to panic."God, if Miss Joohyun finds out that I committed something like this, she'll fire me! And my wife wants a second child!"

"Relax, relax, my friend." Baekhyun began to calm him down. "Nothing will happen. I won't let you go without diapers!" He jumped to the other side of the bench and put his arm around the panicked Jongdae. "I took you because you're the only person among this whole crew mature enough to stop me from my crazy and probably irrational ideas. I'm letting you blame everything on me."

Jongdae raised an eyebrow, looking at him as if he was an oddity. "Did you just call me your babysitter?"

"I was thinking more of the term 'chaperone', but at least you now understand the concept."

Jongdae breathed a sigh, but certainly not of relief. "Since I'm in charge of guarding, and you're running this whole 'operation'-" Jongdae pointed to the boulder in front of them. "Then what is he doing here?"

Sharp eyes emerged from under the blue glasses. Which, unhappily, didn't distract from the third pair of red satin, layers of stretched out sweatshirts, and oddly pinned-up baby bundles.

"My work iPad died and I started to get bored." 

Jongdae grabbed his hair in frustration."Minseok, aren't you afraid of the consequences? Mrs Bae will kill us."

"Nah. Once when I was a translator I accidentally called the Italian Prime Minister  ugly in Mrs Bae’s name.”

Baekhyun’s and Jongdae’s jaw were on the floor. "What? I’m not good at Italian.” Minseok didn’t look impressed. "I have survived that. Therefore, I will survive anything." He said with complete confidence in his voice. 

But even that story didn't convinced Jongdae. "I still think it's a terrible ide-"

"Green light!" Baekhyun interrupted, nodding towards the unsuspecting Joohyun, who was already halfway through the lanes. "Let's go! Just hold on to the back.”

Baekhyun rushed towards the street, followed by a stressed out Jongdae and Minseok, who nearly ended up with his face in the grass by jumping off a boulder. They followed her for the majority of the main street. When Joohyun tried to turn around for any reason the guys had to hide behind bushes in nearby cafes, stick to storefronts, and even join a elderly group doing yoga in the park. As she turned toward the police station, she vanished from their sight for a moment, which brought Jongdae in a state of visible panic.

Baekhyun felt a strong grip on his shoulder, "Sir, she went to the police station." The assistant stammered while shaking Minseok with his other hand. "And we're following her like some creeps! We're at the police station! I can't go to jail! My daughter hasn't had her baptism yet! I haven't seen Paris yet!"

"Calm down Jongdae. No one is going to jail." Baekhyun tried to calm him down while not yelling at the stressed out man.

"Boss. We're squatting in the bushes and talking in half whispers." Minseok interjected. "Not the most comfortable picture of an exemplary citizen, considering the three of us were following a clueless woman.And we are dressed in sweatpants."

"Good point." Baekhyun muttered. "Okay. New plan! One of us will go under the pretext of robbery and then-"

"DAMN HOOLIGANS!" 

All three of them turned around in horror and saw an older looking police officer. When the man tried to jump them, they began to run away in panic. The old man was not so slow and easily grabbed Baekhyun by the ear in an iron grip, Jongdae by the shirt, and put his leg under Minseok's. "That's the umpteenth time this week! You guys should be at school, not hanging out-"

"Officer."

Surprisingly, the soft, velvety, female voice sent more shivers down the men's spines than the policeman who was probably carrying a gun. It's like getting a text message from your mother saying she's coming home and the dishes are undone. The three didn't even try to turn around.

"They're harmless. I'll take care of them."

Their fate was already sealed.

»»————-　　————-««

The moment Junmyeon received the message from Joohyun, it was certain that it couldn't be anything good. Since when did a woman avoid you and give you a cold shoulder only to demand to meet you after a few moments? Not that it didn't spark a small fire of hope for peace, but with Joohyun you never knew what to expect. After all, she is a crazy person. That's how he kept explaining it to himself. Finding the entrance to the conference room, Junmyeon was ready to blurt something out until he saw a disturbingly calm Joohyun standing over her cousin, his secretary, and the director of the international relations office- kneeling against the wall with their hands up like elementary school kids. Dressed in the most obnoxious tracksuits.

Stuck in his bafflement, Joohyun was the first to speak up. "Nice of you to come so soon. Would you like to explain this to me?" She asked while pointing at the three convicts.

Before he could say anything, he was overtaken by Jongdae, who looked like he was about to cry. "Mr. Kim! Please believe me! I had nothing to do with this!" Jongdae even tried to crawl towards Junmyeon until Joohyun clearedher throat and he retreated to his position against the wall. "Mr. Kim, Ms. Bae, those two forced me!"

"You snitch!" Interjected Minseok, who also forgot to hold his hands, but quickly embraced when the two bosses sent him a murderous look at the same time. "We both wouldn't be here if it wasn't for that idiot's idea!"

"Ho ho, someone is switching sides quickly here! As far as I remember you were the first one to agree to this circus!"

"Who do you think you two are! You both agreed and now you turn on me like ing traitors" This time Baekhyun joined the argument, hissing at the two. He turned to Joohyun "Noona, believe when I say we had no bad intentions."

"You literally followed me around like a bunch of erts and almost got stopped by the police!" Shouted Joohyun in disbelief.

Junmyeon's eyes widened. "You guys did what!" He looked at Baekhyun. "So this was the master plan you told me about?!"

"So you knew about it?" Joohyun came dangerously close, anger tinting her usually pale complexion red. "And knowing that, you still let them do it?"

"What? No, I didn't tell them anything! It was Baekhyun who started saying weird things to me earlier! I had no idea he would do something so-so-erted!"

"Hyung!"

Ignoring the offended singer, Joohyun looked hard at Junmyeon, apparently not buying his explanation. Junmyeon thought she was smart enough to believe him. But there was something different in her eyes. Unpleasantly reminiscent of what he had seen during therapy. It wasn't just the betrayal in her gaze, or the pain. It was as if a shadow from beneath her eyes had moved inward. Her gaze held no strong emotion. There was only weariness in it. Following a deep exhale, she dropped her sight. "I don't know what I expected."

Junmyeon, on the other hand, didn't know, again, how to respond. "Joohyun, listen-"

"No. I don't know what to do anymore. What to think. How to act." She looked between Junmyeon and the three men at the wall, then headed towards the door without a word.

"Joo-"

"Leave me alone, please.” 

Those words pierced Junmyeon's chest. Not only her gaze, but also her voice had been finding new ways to cause him pain in recent days that he couldn't explain. 

And just like that, Joohyun once again left Junmyeon with unclear emotions. She once again put him in a situation where he didn't know whether to let her go or run after her. Once again, she left behind a silence that no one wanted to break.

"Uhm, does that mean we can go now?" Minseok asked uncertainly.

Well. Almost no one.

»»————-　　————-««

Seulgi considered herself a woman prepared for any situation. Working in a large corporation teaches you not only to have your head on straight, but also to have a sharp tongue. You have to know when to lie and when to tell the truth, even the harsh one. You can lie when trying to please investors or get out of awkward business conversations. The truth is useful when approving contracts, hiring employees or...

"I hate him!" 

Drinking with her weak-headed friend.

Seulgi knew that the meeting over fried beef and beer would happen sooner than she thought. Usually such outings were meant for special occasions due to the CEO's busy schedule. But looking at the recent event, the details of which an ordinary, average employee has no access to, one could expect the meeting to be accelerated.   

That's why Seulgi had already prepared herself for the sight of a half-conscious Joohyun waving her chopsticks with more decibels in her voice than usual. After half of the restaurant cast wry glances towards their table, Seulgi couldn't help but laugh. This reaction apparently surprised and annoyed Joohyun. "What?"

Seulgi took a proper sip of her beer and looked at her friend with eyes wandering somewhere between not caring at all and total disgust. "Given the repetition of that sentence over the past few years, I'm going to need a little more specificity from you if you want any other reaction."

Joohyun didn't like that dry answer, but the alcohol in her blood had apparently robbed her of the strength to argue. She finished half a glass of beer with one sip and loudly set it down on the table, so hard that the table next to her bounced up. "Ugh, he's just... unbearable!"

3 beers in and an intelligent person has the arguments of a kindergartner. Aside from vocabulary. "I'll call it progress." Seulgi said with intentional sarcasm. She figured out that she’s in for a long discussion with Dr. Zhang about why she suddenly has to take over his duties as a therapist and her toxic relationships

"What happened? I thought you guys ended up on a pills incident." Seulgi had apparently rub Joohyun the wrong way, because the mention of it directed the missiles that were Joohyun's hostile (and slightly fuzzy) gaze at her. 

The woman suddenly bursted into sudden laughter, taking off her jacket. "Ha! Believe me, I wish it would end there." 

That was just a teaser for an "engaging" story that sounded like a script from a poorly executed comedy. And since it resembled a comedy, Seulgi couldn't help but laugh which drew even more attention than Joohyun's drunken actions. "So you're telling me,." Seulgi asked between hiccups. "that Mr. Kim, in your opinion, had two of his employees and your cousin follow you around in satin sweatpants?"

Joohyun, missed threw a lettuce leaf at her. "Really? You remembered satin sweatpants from the whole story?"

Seulgi stopped laughing and immediately returned to her poker face. "This is as embarrassing as it is funny." 

The waiter brought a fourth round of beer, which Joohyun grabbed before he could set it on the table. She drank it halfway, and in the meantime, Seulgi subtly advised the young waiter to leave.  She eyed young CEO knowing where drinking like that will lead. 

Joohyun took a deep breath, slapping her tankard on the table again. "Oh yeah! Just as funny as the fact that he had those three morons follow me without me knowing like some erts!" She groaned as recollection entered her mind. "Haven't I already suffered enough shame because of him? He humiliates me in front of staff every day, makes it hard for me to get through therapy and now this?"

Watching this melodrama might be funny, but Seulgi couldn't forget that at the end of the day, Joohyun would be counting on her advice whether she liked it or not. "Did you know you're quite the jerk, too?"

Joohyun snapped out of her rhythm. Seulgi knew she wasn't going to like this part of the conversation. "Ugh, why am I even telling you this..."

Ah, denial. A classic number. "Because I'm the only person who will tell you the truth, even if you don't like it. " Seulgi replied, taking a leaf of dried seaweed. "And honestly, I want you to explain one thing to me. If you hate him so much and believe him to be the worst thing that ever happened to you, then why don't you just resign?"

At those words, Joohyun's eyes widened three times, as if that sentence had no syntax or sense. "Are you crazy! I can't!"

"Why? From what I hear it's only causing you trouble, working with Mr. Kim stresses you out and your mother won't have a problem with it. She talked you into leaving herself multiple times."

The mention of Ji Kyung clearly shut Joohyun's mouth. Seulgi was aware of her boss's current relationship with her mother, and it's a card she's reluctant to reach for. But knowing Joohyun, she'll want to pretend that it doesn't bother her at all.

"My mother's opinion doesn't matter." Exactly like that. "I'm only doing this for my da’s legacy. And beside that, the idiot can't make it far without me!"

So this was about Junmyeon after all. "Ok. Then treat him as if he doesn't exist. But not like you're used to. Literally as if," Seulgi made an exploding motion with her fingers and added a poof-like sound. "He was dead. Cut. The. Cord.” She spelled every word separately while making a scissor cutting motion. 

Joohyun clouded over. The tense feeling in her shoulders subsided, including her hands. She leaned back against the chair and stared blankly ahead for moments. Even without Seulgi's words, she understood what emotions were accompanying her friend. Confusion, sadness, helplessness. 

"But...I don't want to."

Seulgi knew that would be the answer. She had known all the years they had known each other, whether professionally or privately. 

Lifting the corners of , Seulgi rested her elbows on the table. "Joo, look at me." Her friend looked at her with tired eyes. "You know that your secrets stay with me. Tell me the truth-why are you really angry?" She asked, secretly guessing what she would hear.

Joohyun thought long and hard about what to say. Maybe it was the alcohol that blurred her mind, but in an instant, her memories of the past month came together. In each of them was Junmyeon. "Because one of the most important people to me has eroded my trust." The drug incident. "Because someone who knows me better than anyone else sees me as a burden." Her obsession with her father's murder. "But I'm probably most angry at myself. For pushing away someone who has a good heart and I know deep down that I don't want him out of my life." Junmyeon. Just Junmyeon. That disgusting, mean...irreplaceable and lovable bastard. "And yet, it seems like no matter how much we both try, we can’t function without constant fights, yelling each other. And that scares me.” Joohyun felt tears pricking the corners of her eyes.

Seeing her like that, Seulgi felt really bad for her friend. But admitting fears was one step closer to finding a solution. "That wasn't so hard, wasn't it?" 

And so all the magic of the moment was gone. "Screw you. Please, forget about it in the morning. That's an order." Joohyun commanded, rolling the meat into lettuce for herself.

Watching Joohyun clog (probably to avoid saying something that could possibly make her vulnerable again), Seulgi decided she would do the same. "Wish it were that simple, Your Highness." That last part came out a little less sympathetic than Seulgi would have liked, but that was probably due to tiredness and beer. And a few other things.

Joohyun, seeing this change in mood, grabbed the nearest bottle of soju and started pouring for her friend. Not a good sign. "Okay, Seul. What about you? Ever since you came here, you look like you ate rotten fish."

Seulgi didn't appreciate the comparison. "Keep commenting like that and someone else will clip the documents for you." Fortunately, she is the only one who has permission to make such a rebuttal. Seulgi felt that sharing her dilemma would be fair, considering Joohyun shared hers.

"It's about Jongin." She sighed defeated. 

Joohyun hiccuped, followed by a stupid grin. "And when it's not about him?" She asked with alcohol influenced nonchalance. As if she hasn't just spend an hour talking about Junmyeon. 

Eye for an eye, I guess. Seulgi accepted the drink and cleared . "Lately, he's started being... almost creepily polite to me. And considering how I've been silent-treating him lately, I don't see the reason for his behavior."

Trying to listen, there was no doubt Joohyun was slowly drifting away with her thoughts. "Jesus, I feel like in therapy again.” She said, following with a pout.

At least she looks cute when she's drunk. "Remind me to bring my resignation on Monday." Another round of soju. "I thought my conversation with him would end with just a silent agreement that there was no conflict between us. But it started with him opening the door at every opportunity, then he brought me coffee, then food. And today he even took my laundry to the cleaners. Joo, that's what boyfriend and girlfriend do. We're not boyfriend and girlfriend anymore!" Seulgi exclaimed, not noticing that she was speaking louder and louder with every word, and in her left hand appeared a chicken wing which she waved like a conductor at a Vivaldi concert.

Joohyun snorted. "So you're complaining about having a simp and free laundry."

"And you're just plain playing up for those satin sweatpants."

"Of course not." She definitely did. "I take it he didn't say why?"

"No kidding. I don't know what his ulterior motive is, but I'll find out." This time it was Seulgi who lurched, blinking her eyes sleepily. 

A silence fell between the girls. The only things filling it were the muffled conversations of the other guests and the bouncing glasses behind the bar. Joohyun leaned on her fist trying to fight her last urge to stay awake. "You know what I think? 

Seulgi looked up at her, eyes glued to her piece of food. "That this chicken wing looks like a thumb up?"

The joke made Joohtun smile. "That we're all hopeless. I'm moping about my nastiness and life trauma and you're moping about free soup and laundry." 

On Seulgi's face appeared a new type of smile, which Joohyun didn't catch at first. "Nothing a little hookup can't fix."

"Yeah." Joohyun needed a minute to process what she just heard "Wait! What? No!"

The chicken wing swung in front of her face. "You know I'm right." Seulgi finally put the piece down and raised her shot up. "For us! For Jongin to forget about me and Joo to finally see after 10 yea-"

"Finish that sentence and you'll be cleaning the men's room starting Monday!" Joohyun also raised her glass, no longer caring about the volume of her voice.