Sinb woke up to the incessant ringing of her phone.

Even without seeing the time, she knew it was way too early for her to be awake. Sinb slammed her hand on to the drawer by her bed, fumbling around for the source of the dreaded sound.

She found her phone and answered the call without looking, her face still buried into her pillow.

“Yes?” Sinb grunted, her voice rough from sleep.

“Hwang Sinb, don’t tell me you just woke up.”

She removed the phone from her ear immediately, squinting at the name of the caller which read “Senior Jungwon”. Realisation dawned on her, and she rolled off the bed in a frantic panic.

“No, really, I swear,” Sinb lied as she rummaged through her closet for an outfit, tossing her jeans and black turtleneck without care onto the bed.

“You know what? I don’t care if you just woke up, you better get your here by nine. The new team leader is coming today, and word has been going around that the Chief Superintendent will be here as well.”

“I’ll be there on time.”

“You better be.”

Sinb sighed when her senior hung up. Her phone automatically switched back to its lock screen, revealing the time.

“What the ? It’s only six-thirty,” she cursed, the adrenaline and rush of panic she felt moments ago diminishing in an instant, “I still have time.”

She could have even slept for forty minutes more and made it on time since her apartment wasn’t far from the police station. Jungwon must have been so anxious about her showing up late and ruining the team’s reputation that he called her phone to make sure she wouldn’t.

As a freshly promoted detective and also the sole woman on Seoul’s criminal investigation team, most of her seniors tended to underestimate her daily. Sinb detested how she was belittled by them, but respecting the senior hierarchy was an unfortunate part of her work culture. She had no choice but to put up with her colleagues' subtle mockery of her.

Sinb relaxed her tensed shoulders now that she knew she wasn’t late. She took her time to freshen up, change into her work clothes, and forced herself to resemble more of a functioning human and less of a zombie.

She thumbed through the unread notifications on her phone as she walked out of her room. Closing the door behind her, Sinb spotted something amiss in the hallway. Just down the hallway was Eunha’s room, but her door was wide open. Sure enough, when she peeked into the room, her childhood friend was missing from her bed.

“It’s seven in the morning, why is she up?” Sinb stuffed her phone into her pocket and went into the living room. “Eunha-unnie?”

Silence answered her call.

Maybe Eunha didn’t even reach home yesterday night. Her housemate lived a hectic life as a songwriter for SourceM, a rising entertainment company. Sinb went to sleep at two in the morning yesterday, and Eunha wasn’t home then.

Shrugging her shoulders, she assumed Eunha was staying over at the company again. She headed for the kitchen to prepare herself a simple breakfast and strolled past the sofa. Out of the corner of her eye, something shifted on the sofa.

Sinb paused and backtracked, doing a double-take at the furniture. A noticeable lump was on it, hidden beneath a blanket with a mop of messy blonde hair peeking out. She swiped the blanket off to confirm her suspicions.

Eunha was curled into a ball on the sofa, dressed in the clothes Sinb saw her in yesterday morning. She was still knocked out in her sleep even with the loss of her warm blanket, oblivious of Sinb’s hovering presence.

“Wake up, you lazy .” She tickled Eunha’s side mercilessly. Eunha jolted awake, sleepily trying to defend herself from Sinb’s attack by using her leg to push her away. Her half-hearted attempt didn’t even make Sinb move an inch.

“Leave me alone,” she whined when Sinb continued to poke at her. “Sleep. Important.”

“Yeah, in your bed. Not on the sofa,” Sinb chided. “You didn’t feel like washing up and changing your clothes, so what did you decide to do? You slept on the sofa instead, so you wouldn’t dirty your bed. Idiot.”
 

“You know me so well.” Eunha pouted, her hand reaching out and making grabby motions. “I was exhausted. Still am actually, because this rude brat took me out of my precious sleep.”

Sinb rolled her eyes and pulled her to stand. “This rude brat is saving you from a sore neck. Go shower, you stink.”
 

“Really?” Eunha blinked, and quirked up into a scheming smile. She tackled Sinb into a hug, wrapping her arms and legs around her like a koala. Sinb’s heart raced as Eunha’s face was a mere inch from hers, meeting her eyes that lit with mischief.

“Go shower!” she huffed at her childish antics, wrestling her off.

“Yes, mother," Eunha relented, giving Sinb a once-over. She leaned in, her hand reaching out to Sinb's shoulder-length hair to smooth the stray strands. Sinb wordlessly stood still, until she was satisfied with the state of her black hair. “You’re heading to work?”

“Yeah. The replacement for our team leader is here today so I have to head in early to meet them.”

“I’ll leave you to your morning ritual then,” Eunha said, referring to how Sinb always had to nurse a cup of coffee before heading off to work. Her friend never understood her need for the beverage, turning her nose up whenever she saw her drinking the bitter concoction. Sinb grunted in acknowledgement, watching as Eunha left and waved a lazy arm in goodbye.

Her eyes flitted to the words displayed on her arm. They were written in an elegant calligraphy manner and painted royal gold. Their presence was impossible to miss, stretching across Eunha’s forearm and designed for the very purpose of catching attention. Those words were soulmate marks, a sacred gift that would lead to a supposed life-partner.

Soulmate marks dictated the first words your soulmate will say to you. They were an identifier to the start of a perfect romance akin to those in fairy-tale books where your soulmate was the one.

For Eunha, her words were simple. Her soulmate would say “I’m sorry, what did you just call me?” when they meet. Both of them always joked that Eunha would probably flirt with her soulmate at first sight and blurt out some nonsensical words, hence inciting that response.

No one actually knew why most people were born with these marks. Some say it was fate’s doing, others say it was natural human biology or science they have yet to understand. To Sinb, it didn’t matter whether it was science or fate or whatever. Soulmate marks were nothing but a hindrance to her because she didn’t have one, a harsh reminder that Eunha would never be interested in her.

Her arm was bare and devoid of any words, the anomaly of the population which, according to many, was destined to grow old alone or live an unfulfilling romance. She wished she could say that it was a load of bull, but her ever-growing list of breakups felt like a testament to that.

“It’s too early to start brooding over this crap,” Sinb scoffed, knowing her thoughts were beginning to veer into the dangerous territory of self-loathing and cursing at non-existent beings for not giving her some bloody words on her arm. She focused on brewing her coffee instead and slipping bread into the toaster for a quick breakfast.

After finishing her breakfast and coffee, she made her final preparations to leave for work. She wore a checkered coat as her outerwear and grabbed her badge as well. With that done, Sinb left her house and began her drive to her workplace in the heart of Seoul.

Sinb reached her workplace with time to spare at forty minutes past eight. As she parked her car, her phone buzzed in its stand and lit up to show a message notification from Eunha. Wondering what she wanted, she removed her car key from its ignition and unlocked her phone.

Eunnie

I forgot to say this earlier, but try not to end up suspended from fieldwork again (๑￫ܫ￩)

At least wait a month before you talk back to your team leader!

Sinb snorted in amusement. Her previous team leader, to aptly describe the man, was an entitled prick who only managed to make it to his position through connections and kissing up to the higher-ups. Everyone on the team loathed him with all their heart. He delegated his work away to them and lazed in his office. He would also take credit for their successful cases, and they couldn’t do anything because the higher-ups all thought he was competent.

She was his most favourite target to throw work at because of her rookie status. Not to mention, the number of ist remarks he made about how she was unsuited for police work was more than she had ever heard in her life.

At some point, Sinb snapped and spat some very choice words at him. He didn’t take her scathing insults well to say the least, and she earned weeks worth of suspension thanks to that. Would she curse her team leader out again? Definitely, in a heartbeat.

The time to rejoice was when he shot himself in the foot, sadly not literally, by taking bribes from officials to close an eye to the crimes they were committing. Even the higher-ups couldn’t save his hide when he was exposed as a dirty cop, and he was dismissed and due for a court proceeding. This left their team leader position open for a few weeks until today when they would get a replacement.

No promises if the new team leader is a ist again. She sent back her reply, pushing her car door open and stepping out. At the same time, a sleek car coasted into the parking spot beside hers, stopping within the lines in one smooth go.

Sinb didn’t know what possessed her to gawk as the door to the vehicle unlatched and out stepped a woman—or should she say, a goddess—who donned a stylish pantsuit, her long black hair looking straight out of a shampoo advertisement. But perhaps what stood out to her the most was the police badge hanging around her neck, declaring her as an officer and not some visiting model.

She stared at her, trying to remember if she saw her around before. Probably not. Sinb could count on one hand how many women worked at the police station as an officer, and she was beyond doubt that she had never encountered her before. Maybe she was an officer from another station?

Sinb couldn’t pry her gaze away as the woman shut her car door, tucking her hands into the pockets of her black blazer. She strolled forward confidently—and she tripped over her own two feet, flopping to the ground like a scene out of a sitcom.

Breaking out of her trance, Sinb rubbed her eyes. Right. Not an imagination. Goddess really fell over nothing.

She stifled her bubbling laughter and rushed over to the woman, extending a hand out to her.

“That was quite a fall.” Sinb held back her smile and hid her growing amusement. It was refreshing to witness such clumsy behaviour from someone that appeared aloof and professional.

“You saw that?” The woman’s cheeks were flushed, accepting her hand. Sinb tugged her up with ease, and now that she was standing right next to her, their difference in height was striking.

Sinb nodded, and the woman averted her gaze away.

“I was really hoping no one witnessed me plummeting to the ground,” she said as she straightened out the creases of her suit, brushing off the dirt that clung on to her clothes from her time spent laying on the ground.

“On the bright side, it’s just me here." Sinb shrugged, gesturing to the empty car park. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before. Are you from another station?”

“I was from Incheon.” The woman paused, taking a closer look at Sinb and spotting her badge as well. “Sowon.” She introduced herself with a warm smile, offering a handshake.

Sinb clasped her hand and shook it briefly. “Sinb.”

“You said you were from Incheon?” She kept her tone courteous, guessing that Sowon was a senior. The last thing she wanted to happen was to accidentally offend the other officer. They were walking together into the police station, with Sowon’s steps hesitant. Sinb discreetly took the lead, guiding her through the lobby where the guard waved them in upon seeing their badges. “Were you transferred here, then?”

Sowon opened to speak, but a ringtone sounded and interrupted whatever words she was about to say. It wasn’t the annoying beeping that harassed Sinb in the morning, so it came from Sowon’s phone. The other woman gave her an apologetic look.

“Yes, Father?” She answered the call.

Sinb tried to seem disinterested and turned away from Sowon, jabbing the lift button. It was hard to tune out Sowon’s voice when she was right beside her, and she ended up eavesdropping on their conversation without meaning to.

“I’m at the station.” A pause. “Yes, I’m aware.”

Sowon spoke formally to her father, her speech controlled as if she was choosing her words carefully. It was a complete opposite to Sinb’s relationship with her own father, where he was the typical humorous, warm parent who endured her pestering whenever she needed help.

The lift arrived. Sinb pressed for the second floor where the criminal investigation offices were located, while Sowon chose the fourth floor. This furthered Sinb’s assumption that Sowon was a senior, and most probably a higher-up.

The station was a four-storey building. The highest floor, the one Sowon picked, was where the offices of higher-ups like the Chief Superintendent were at.

Unfortunately, the lift stopped at her floor before she could continue their conversation. She bid her farewell with a polite dip of her head, getting off. Sowon, still on her phone, smiled at her and gave a quick wave of her hand. And just like that, the door slid shut, and Sinb was disappointed she never got to know why Sowon was here.

Sinb entered the team’s office with Sowon in her mind, going down a list of guesses. A joint-case? No, Sowon referred to her post in Incheon as a past assignment, so perhaps she was transferred to Seoul permanently to one of their criminal investigation teams. Sinb wasn’t aware of a new teammate for Team One, so maybe she was assigned to Team Two. As her mind whirled with theories, one came into the forefront, an epiphany that made complete sense.

Sowon was her new team leader, wasn’t she?

She groaned into her palms, cursing herself for taking so long to piece it together. If Sowon was transferring here, the only position open for her to fill up was their team leader. She plopped down on her chair and took out her phone, sending a barrage of messages to Eunha.

Never mind, I don’t think the new team leader will be a ist because I just met her.

She tripped over nothing in the car park??

I mean, I went to help her, but what if she saw me holding my laughter in…

Eunha was online, so she answered her messages right away.

Eunnie

Your acting is top-notch, remember your mother? She held a funeral for a plant, and you were the only one not laughing. I think she still refuses to give me her kimchi because I kept giggling then.

And I’m sure you’ll get along fine, you’re Hwang Sinb!

PS I miss your mother’s kimchi. Please tell her I’m really, REALLY, sorry about my inappropriate behaviour at the funeral.

Sinb chuckled at the mention of the most ridiculous funeral she had ever attended, at the courtesy of her mother. It was the biggest test of her will, and somehow she managed to not break out into laughter during the entire process. Her mother would have smacked her in the head for “disrespecting the dead”. Or in Eunha’s case, ban her from her legendary kimchi.

"Hey, Sinb, did you hear about the new rumours? About our team leader?"

Suho, the only person on the team that didn't treat her like , draped his arms over her table divider. He was the closest to her age at 33 years old, six years older.

"No, sunbae," she answered, setting her phone down. Though I think I already know who she is.

"Apparently, he's some prodigy from Incheon," He bent closer, whispering in a hushed voice. "Jungwon heard from upper management that the team leader's only 29 this year. God, it's going to be so weird being bossed around by a junior."

Incheon, and 29. Definitely Sowon. She liked the idea of Sowon being her team leader. The woman had been pleasant and well-mannered during their brief encounter.

Besides, the police force sorely needed more diversity in their ranks, what with most of the higher-ups consisting of males. Sowon must be impressive to be promoted so early in her career to a team leader, especially as a woman where they had to work twice as hard. Sinb was stuck as a patrolling officer for three, gruelling years before she got to be in Team One. Sowon's clumsiness at the car park must have been a one-off thing.

The entire office shushed their chatter when the booming voice of their higher-up, Chief Lee, echoed from outside the hallway. He was typically curt with his words and serious, so to hear him babbling away baffled all of them.

"—Seoul's a lovely place, if you would like, I could invite you and the Commissioner General to dine at a trademark restaurant I know. Do let him know, hm?" The door opened to reveal Chief Lee, along with Sowon right beside him. All of them scrambled to their feet. Suho nudged her, mouthing "Commissioner General" with disbelief.

"That sounds pleasant, sir. I will inform him of your invitation."

"Excellent! Ah, let me introduce you to your team." Chief Lee turned to face them, everyone sporting confused looks except Sinb. Sowon noticed her, eyes widening in surprise.

"This is Sowon, your new team leader." Chief Lee clasped a hand on Sowon's shoulder. "I have to say, your team is a lucky one. Sowon's accomplishments are outstanding, just like her father."

Sowon's shoulders were tense, her body going rigid at the mention of her father. "You flatter me, Chief Lee."

She then bowed towards them. "I look forward to working with all of you."

Sinb gauged the team's reactions, and what she saw wasn't unexpected. Their team consisted of four officers including her, and they looked dubious of the new arrival. With the addition of Sowon, they were now a standard team of five.

"Me too, team leader." Jungwon's smile was forced, and his voice dripped with bitter jealousy. He had the most seniority among them and expected himself to be promoted as their team leader. Sinb recalled the tantrum he threw when he was passed over for someone else, fuming and kicking up a fuss. Though, he kept meek around Chief Lee.

"Well, I'll leave you to get to know your team." Chief Lee glanced at them. "One of you, do show Sowon around the station later."

"Of course, sir." Hyunsoo, the second most senior, spoke up. He sounded as if he was going to be the one who would give the tour, but Sinb knew it was going to be her responsibility.

"Please pass on my well-wishes to your father, Sowon," Chief Lee said for one last time, leaving after shooting them looks that said, "Treat her well".

Sinb sighed. They traded out their previous leader who was a total boot-kisser, to a team leader who was the one being up to.

---

A/N:

I had to come up with random names for the minor characters on the team, so if any of the names refer to an actual person, it’s just a coincidence.

The next chapter will be posted in a few days (most likely Saturday) as it is a direct continuation from this chapter. The subsequent chapters will be posted on a weekly basis! Please drop a comment if you enjoyed the story, I would love to hear your thoughts so far :)