Protector
Soulmate September [Monthly Series]
Pairing: Park Sungjin x female reader
Genre: soulmate au / police au / angst / romance
World: Destined (set before Touch in Jaebum’s spinoff)
Warnings: cursing, police terminology, weapons and a gunshot, sassy commentary constantly spilling from Y/N
A/N: For fans of both my soulmate series Destined, and Brian Kang series To Be Continued, I’ve brought Sungjin back into the police force! This is my version of the story Miss Writer penned in the latter series, and I’ve always wanted to broach the topic of soulmates coming from two very different backgrounds like this in the social construct I created in Destined, so I hope you enjoy – thankfully there’s not a Doctor Park in sight!
Word count: 8914
“Hey Lieutenant.” Glancing over at the constable who slumped into the chair beside him, Sungjin tried to hide the ghost of a smile. His lips twitched enough for the man to see, however, and Jaebum’s smile spread across his face. “What? It’s basically official. Right?”
“It will be once I finish this case,” he said confidently. Glancing at Jaebum’s now weary expression, Sungjin frowned. “Still no luck?”
“You know me. Always looking.”
Sungjin knew all too well about Jaebum’s search. The man had joined the force with the very intention of using the powers of being a police officer to dig through the database for his soulmate. For the last three years, Jaebum’s search had come up fruitless.
Sungjin couldn’t quite sympathise with the man. He had no understanding of what a soulmate felt like in his world. Growing up around the social construct of the phenomena didn’t shield him from the basics, and there had been some seasons in his life where the jealousy of others happily enjoying their soulmate relationships had him awake at night considering who his fated person would be. Loneliness was more the culprit, however, and he had a great cure for that.
Work.
And because Sungjin had thrown so much of his attention into his job serving the city that employed him to keep the streets safe instead of setting up his life by twenty-five with his destined partner, he was already looking at a new promotion well before others around him had received.
“So, what’s the case?” Jaebum asked, leaning over from his cubicle to the open file on Sungjin’s desk. It wasn’t a secret what he was working on. The fellow officer had worked alongside him on the scene of the last robbery linked in a series well planned out lootings. There was never anyone harmed, but they certainly took off with valuable items, causing it to become an important case to solve.
And its completion would hand Sungjin the title of Lieutenant.
When he had become a police officer six years ago, it wasn’t with some goal of moving up the ranks. He didn’t stem from a generational law enforcement family either. His father, a pharmacist, and mother, a schoolteacher, hadn’t ever set out a life plan for him as he grew up. But he had been taught strong morals, and a sense for justice had propelled him forward with his career. Being a police officer suited him. It was enough action that he wasn’t out searching for something to excite his world, and catching criminals sometimes came with great pleasure.
Especially if the crimes they committed threatened the safety of others.
He’d also witnessed a lot of people on the wrong side of the line, caught up in drugs or shady dealings that didn’t deserve the hefty slap on the wrist they received by the judicial system. That part of the job he had the hardest part accepting. At the end of the day, he was tasked with catching the right culprit. What time they served and the consequences of their actions weren’t in his job description to decide on. Even if he had a hard time swallowing it down when it was a genuinely bad time in that person’s life that had led them astray.
Sungjin made sure his efforts were spent arresting those who truly deserved it.
“If all the information we’ve collected on this case so far is correct, the next attempted robbery should be this weekend,” Sungjin announced, and Jaebum grew thoughtful.
“Do you know exactly where?”
“No. The criminal profiler working alongside the team has helped us narrow down the location on the east side of the city within a five-mile radius. I’ll be positioned at one of the buildings of interest.”
Jaebum clapped him on the shoulder. “Wow. That’s some big-league stuff there, Sergeant.”
“Thought it was Lieutenant a moment ago?” Sungjin questioned, and Jaebum grinned.
“Let’s see how your weekend goes before you get too comfortable with the title.”
It was closing in on the time suspected of the next robbery. Sungjin was tasked with waiting just outside of an artisan jewellery shop, lurking in the shadows of an alleyway. Earlier, in a briefing with the Behaviour Analysis Unit and fellow investigating teams, Sungjin had felt as if they were missing an element in the setup for this robbery and spoke up about his opinions. However, his concerns had been dismissed by a Captain who thought far too much of his own voice than his meagre field experience. And that was what had Sungjin standing outside the spot where he knew the assailant wasn’t going to venture.
Even if he hadn’t met his soulmate yet, his intuition was second to none, and Sungjin’s mind was screaming with his body to go two blocks over where he considered the action to be tonight. It wasn’t as flashy of a jewellery store and seemed to fit the profile of the criminal completely.
“We have eyes on the suspected vehicle coming down Brookfield Avenue,” a voice announced into his earpiece, and Sungjin shook his head.
“That’s not where he’s going,” he murmured to himself, kicking a stone in frustration. Sure, this promotion would come his way regardless of whether he caught the criminal himself or not. Someone just had to be in the right place at the right time.
But chances were, no one was in the right place at all.
Sungjin was a stickler for the rules. For keeping the operation safe. He’d seen what happened to his partner when he was just a rookie, the older man throwing himself in the path of a reckless killer. He’d only just survived, and that made the killer change tactics from there out and cost his partner his whole career. One bad move could make things worse for everyone involved.
But not making the right one either… The thought plagued him, the toss-up in his head to move growing stronger by the minute.
“Park, do you see anything?” a voice, thankfully from a fellow member of the precinct he worked for, dispatched through and Sungjin sighed.
“Nothing. This feels off.”
“What if your thoughts earlier in the debriefing were right? That profiler seemed to agree with you.”
“Still doesn’t give us permission to charge the wrong spot on a hunch, Yoon.”
“Your hunches are normally right,” Yoon Dowoon acknowledged, causing Sungjin to grimace.
He was wrestling between right and wrong now.
“Suspect is now heading towards site three,” another voice spoke suddenly into his ear, and Sungjin cursed, shaking his head.
He pressed on the lapel of his casual clothing, talking before any hesitance stopped him from acting on what he knew was the change in the plan. “I’m moving.”
“Park, stay in place!”
Tuning out, he pounded down the alleyways that joined the bustling shop fronts together. The district was one he had become all too familiar with over the last month when scouting for signs of how to catch the culprit. Even on his days off, he had been out here, trying to think in the mind of the assailant. The other shop was the right location. Sungjin just knew it.
“He’s not alone,” Dowoon informed, his breathing now laboured, no doubt following Sungjin’s lead in heading to the strip of shops he had insisted they also look out for.
“,” Sungjin cursed, sliding in his sneakers around a tight corner. “He knew we were waiting for him at the other places.”
“I’m near. Where do you want me?”
“Hold back three buildings down. I’ll come from the rear.”
“On it.”
Sungjin slowed down the chase, wanting to catch the man in the act rather than push on before he could do anything. He needed evidence to pin on him.
However, his hasty decision to change the plan meant others were now aware, and their reactions were less than ideal. Sungjin heard a siren looming a few blocks over and swore lowly, heaving in steadying breaths as he pressed against the back exit to the store. There was movement on the inside, and given it was well into the night, the shop had been closed for several hours.
Sungjin prepared for what would happen next.
Though when the door did break open, it wasn’t who he thought would come out. The culprit was much smaller than the description of the burly man behind these robberies, and Sungjin realised as she began to run down the alleyway that the main culprit hadn’t even come tonight.
“It’s a trap. He’s not here at all!” Sungjin grunted to his team as he pushed on his legs to follow her now disappearing up ahead. Hairs prickled against the back of his neck, sensations overwhelming him as he continued his chase.
The woman was fast but didn’t seem to know these alleyways nearly as well as he did. Sungjin felt relieved when she turned, knowing it would lead to a dead-end and sprinted after her, even though his breathing was coming up short.
Perhaps it was because he had broken away from the plans for the night, but he felt more on edge, his senses coming to life in a way he hadn’t experienced in a chase before. He could see her up ahead, having found the dead-end and was observing the area in front of herself for an escape. Not even a fire escape ladder could get her out of this mess.
Slowly turning around, Sungjin stopped short, a shaky breath expelling from him. Just who was she to make his skin prickle with varying sensations like this? She took a sudden step forward before pulling up short.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” you breathed out, and if Sungjin hadn’t been so surprised by your voice, he would have been more focused on trying to decipher if you were annoyed or surprised.
Moving forward, Sungjin assessed if you were carrying a live weapon or not, even though his heart rate had spiked. Your hoodie could have a concealed weapon beneath it, though the skinny jeans you wore didn’t seem to house anything suspicious.
Just why were his eyes washing over you so earnestly? It couldn’t be just to investigate the risk you posed on him right now. He yearned to see your face, hidden by the hood that covered your head and that propelled him forward, your reaction to dart away from his sudden movement stunted when he launched at you.
Both rolling together after grabbing you, you landed in a heap together, Sungjin’s arm instinctively going behind your head before hitting the concrete beneath you. The hoodie had slipped back, but that wasn’t the reason for his loud gasp. Touching you had his skin on fire.
“You’re—”
“What are the odds,” you responded in an equal state of headiness, eyes dilating as you looked up at him.
Everything inside of him lurched in ways it never had before. As if holding you made him desperate to reach inside of you and link himself to you completely.
And that frightened him.
“You gonna get up and handcuff me any time soon?” you asked, bucking your hips up in his torso in an attempt to motion him to get up.
The action pulled out his instinctive police training, and Sungjin pressed into you further, maintaining his hold over you. You whined, and he in another shaky breath. “.”
“I mean, it’d be a bit gross to do that right here, but I’m game if you are,” you responded sourly, though your voice didn’t match the wonderment in your eyes. Your lips still somehow formed into a smirk. “How’s it feel to be a cop and meet your soulmate on the run, huh?”
Admittedly, he didn’t know how to answer that. For all the right reasons, he was destroyed. Whenever Sungjin had imagined his life with his soulmate, it had been far too idyllic. Sweet and loving, just as his mother was towards his father. Although he didn’t want the white picket fence dream, he certainly hadn’t imagined that his soulmate would come into his life through his job. And even if he had thought of that, you’d always be the victim.
Yet, for all the wrong reasons, Sungjin was alive. His body thrummed with desire the longer he stared into your eyes. The feeling of your body pressed under him elicited so many delicious feelings that he hadn’t expected to ever desire. He wanted to close the gap, what little that remained, between you and kiss you.
He wanted to do a whole lot more than kiss you.
Sungjin wondered if you felt the same.
“What’s your name?” he asked, and you laughed hollowly.
“Why would I tell you that?”
“I want to know.”
“As a police officer or as the person connected to a bit of my soul?” you asked, and Sungjin blinked, trying to understand which prevailed right now.
“I-”
A police cruiser was nearby. He could hear the people in his earpiece talking again, finally snapping out of the stupor of your touch. He knew that they would come down the adjoining alleyway, looking for signs of where everyone had gotten to.
And for the first time in his justice led career, Sungjin chose not to follow orders. He hoisted you up and pulled you further into the shadows, pressing you into the brick wall of one of the buildings, whilst his steely gaze locked on the entrance to where you were. It slowly rolled by, and you both let out a breath at the same time, Sungjin blinking at the ramifications of his action.
You were equally as stunned. “You are a boy in blue, right?”
“Man.”
You rolled your eyes at his correction, hands sliding up his chest to his collar. When did you place your hands on him? He watched you pull back his top and found the cord attached to it, and groaned.
“Seriously? Can’t I catch a damn break in life for once?!”
“I think I just gave you one,” Sungjin reminded you heavily, and you flicked your gaze to his.
“Colour me flattered. But you’ve still apprehended me, haven’t you, Officer?”
“Sergeant,” he corrected again, and you let out a huff of air.
“Why don’t you just tell me what precinct you belong to while you’re at it, Loverboy.”
“You’re a firecracker of a personality,” Sungjin mused, annoyed that his lips curled up with the statement. You were nothing like what he wanted you to be, and that should have concerned him greatly.
Instead, he was excited.
“And you’re the epitome of a good guy. I know this connection can bring a whole range of people together, but the most cliché of all is when opposites attract.”
“Didn’t you at least think once when you chose the life you have—”
“I chose nothing about this life!” you seethed, your face turning thunderous momentarily. Your hands gripped at his shirt tightly, and during the storm surging within your eyes, he noticed just how scared you were.
Of everything.
All humour evaporated from him. “Are you—”
“Don’t give me sympathy. You’re the last person I want to meet tonight.”
“It’s not like I set out to have my soulmate pressed against a wall after a pursuit like this either,” he admitted, scrubbing a hand down his face. Although he was wired, he was growing tired too. His mind wasn’t as sharp as he needed it to be right now.
Sungjin had already given up precious time by holding you up in these shadows instead of calling for backup.
“So, what’s your plan?”
“I can’t let you go,” he told you, and you deflated against him. “Even if I want to do anything to keep you safe.”
“I’m not safe anywhere,” you muttered, looking over his shoulder at nothing in particular. “When do you plan on taking me in?”
“Soon.”
“Great. I’m ecstatic for this jailcell visit.”
“You’re not going to give me any chance to help you, are you?” he asked, and your eyes turned back to his warily.
“Help me? What’s a cop going to do to help me? You caught me coming out of that store. Don’t go building yourself any fantasies that I’m some feeble little girl who was gullible enough to get caught up in this. You know your job, so do it right. Soulmate connection or not.”
Sungjin steered at you for a moment more, the emotions washing over him not his own. You were panicking, not him. Even though you had an answer for everything and you were bold, a firecracker as he had labelled you before, he knew your type all too well.
Those who talk loudly always do so to buy themselves some time to hide their vulnerability.
Easing himself off you, Sungjin sighed heavily as he reached into his back pocket, producing a set of handcuffs. You your wrists forward, fingers gripping onto his shirt as he clicked the first one closed around your left hand.
You smirked, once again the action not reaching up to your cautious gaze. “Will we get to use these behind closed doors too, Sergeant?”
“Didn’t take you for the roleplaying type,” he gruffly answered, hoping the heat in his tone didn’t reach your ears.
“I’m sure you were hoping for me to be some sweet little homemaker. Now who wants a bit of roleplaying, huh?” you bit back as he locked the other cuff down, his hand sliding up your forearm without much thought, hooking under your elbow.
Your eyes widened when he tugged you closer, your palms pressing into his chest again. “How about we just figure out who we are, as the people we’ve grown up to be. Hm?”
“Well, you’re already winning in this game of life a hell of a lot more than me. It’s going to be all too easy on your side of the board now, isn’t it?”
Sungjin swallowed slowly. “You have no idea how rough this is going to be on me too.”
It was painful for Sungjin to make the call that he had apprehended one of the suspects. Contempt grew when the closest patrol car picked you both up, the looks of disgust aimed at you made a growl crawl up his throat that he only just caught in time before unleashing it. Another officer attempted to tug you out of the car when you arrived at the station. In any other situation, that was normal. Because it was you, however, Sungjin struggled to let them take you away from him.
He had to be debriefed also.
“Running off like that—”
“He caught a suspect, Captain Morse. It’s better than anyone else did,” a federal agent of the task force that they had worked with pointed out quickly. Agent Anderson smiled, ignoring the scowl the former was lashing out in her direction. “Good job, Sergeant Park. Did she talk at all?”
“Not a lot,” he admitted slowly, eying the pair cautiously. Sungjin felt the stain of your crimes upon his shoulders right now, which was a ludicrous notion.
It had to be the connection and your emotions affecting his otherwise stoic mannerism.
“She’s refusing to talk unless the cop who brought her in is present,” an officer announced after a light knock on the door, and Sungjin clamped his eyes shut, stifling a sigh.
“How convenient,” Captain Morse mentioned, and Sungjin felt his lethal stare. “I guess you not only knew where to look but also was the only one to capture a suspect. And now she wants you present? Interesting development there.”
Sungjin knew if the shoe were on the other foot, you’d be mouthing off right now in response. And he really wanted to. This guy was seriously getting on his nerves. The only crime he had committed tonight was dodging the first police cruiser.
It wasn’t as if he’d let you go even if he wanted to.
Answering would only make him look suspicious, so he merely lifted his gaze to the Captain and waited for further discussion.
The female agent smiled. “I can allow that. She’s probably scared. From what’s happened, the main assailant figured out our plan and sent cover-ups. Nothing was stolen, simply a break and enter. Whilst we all missed the point, he hit up an antique store across town. He’s getting to know us just as much as we him. And this one here, Captain, was one to point that out earlier.”
“I didn’t know he’d use a ruse like this,” Sungjin stated, falling into thought. “I wish I had considered the possibility.”
“Since you’re one of the few who are coming up with fresh ideas on this case, I think it makes sense to allow you to sit in and help with the interrogation, don’t you think? Considering we don’t even have her name yet.”
Sungjin had tried on the ride over to ask you for your name, but you had kept tight-lipped on that one. When the police officer at the station referred to him by his first name, however, he had noticed the way your eyes had widened, nostrils flaring with this new information. You had looked as if you wanted to echo the name but chose at the last minute not to, your gaze snapping away from his as they took you into the back rooms.
You were seated across from another agent, attempting to look bored of all of this. Only when your eyes lifted to Sungjin’s did you show any sign of how you truly felt.
You hadn’t wanted any part in this ruse, he realised.
“Is this the officer who caught you?” the male agent asked, and you smirked.
“He’s a Sergeant. Didn’t you know?” you remarked, eying Sungjin again. “He corrected my assumption earlier, so I’ll repay him the favour.”
Sungjin’s lips twitched but he didn’t say anything.
“Well, now that Sergeant Park is present, how about you start being helpful. What’s your name?”
“Firecracker,” you announced instantly, and Sungjin stifled his laugh, your amused expression catching his. “Isn’t that what you called me, Sergeant Park?”
“Honestly, we’re getting nowhere with you.”
Sungjin stepped forward with a sigh. “Just tell him your name. I don’t think we want to spend all night in this room.”
For a moment, Sungjin thought you’d mouth off again. You watched him with high interest, your mouth opening and then closing as you thought over his sentence. And then you lowered your eyes to the table. “It’s Y/N.”
Sungjin knew that hearing your soulmate’s name for the first time was something wonderful, but he wasn’t ready for the swell of his chest, the way your name now echoed through his veins as his blood pumped through his body.
“Okay, Y/N, how about you tell us your story.”
“From when? The day I was born or something more recent?” you listed with a grin.
The agent folded his arms across his chest. “You’re pressing on my nerves.”
“Well, these handcuffs are pressing on all my nerves too, but you don’t hear me complaining.”
“Until now,” Sungjin mentioned, and you rolled your eyes.
“Answer the question, Y/N. Why were you sent to the place Sergeant Park found you at?”
You groaned loudly before launching into the details. You didn’t know why you had to go there, and you weren’t the only one. Your brother, whom you refused to give a name over, was also with you and had been the one to involve you in all this. You were supposed to just break in and wait inside the shop until given the all-clear to leave. However, with the sirens approaching, your brother panicked and told you to run out the back door, and he’d go the front.
“And that’s why when I see him next, I’m going to thump him for leaving me wide open to be caught by him over there,” you concluded with annoyance, glancing in Sungjin’s direction with a scrunched nose. “This hasn’t been how I expected my Sunday to go.”
“Do you know who was giving the orders to your brother?” asked the agent, and you nodded, falling quiet.
“Who is he, Y/N?” Sungjin continued softly when you didn’t answer.
Your gaze lifted to his, meeting him so strongly that he had to fight his body from stepping forward and offering you comfort. It wasn’t your brother who scared you. That much was obvious. Whoever it was that controlled your life wasn’t someone you held any affection for. Even if you said you wanted to beat him, you were protecting your brother because of your familial ties towards him.
This other person scared you enough to make you fall this quiet.
“He’s the person behind the robberies,” you started, looking down at the table in front of you. “And I’d rather you lock me up and keep me here than tell you who he is. Because once he finds out that I’ve spoken, I’m as good as dead.”
“We need to offer Y/N protective services.”
“She’s a criminal! Why would we do that? Sergeant, we just need to get her to talk,” Captain Morse replied bitterly, dismissing Sungjin’s suggestion instantly. “Don’t go soft just because she’s taken a shining to you.”
“It’s not being soft. It could assist us in capturing the main culprit,” Agent Anderson said, her expression thoughtful. “If we offer her a deal and promise her safety, Y/N might be able to give us valuable intel.”
“What if she’s lying? She’s got a mouth on her,” the other agent proposed, and Sungjin chuckled.
“Yeah, because she’s like an alley cat. That mouth is her claws, but really, she just wants something more secure in life than fighting on the streets for her next meal.”
“Good point.”
Captain Morse groaned. “We’ll be wasting government funds by putting her into protection services. She needs the book thrown at her.”
“Her record is mostly clean, Captain. I’d hardly say this is a woman whose idea in life is to be involved in crime. My bet is she’s been cornered into it through her brother’s connections.”
“We can’t dismiss the valuable information she can offer us,” Agent Anderson added to her fellow partner’s previous thoughts. “I think we need to place a cop in charge of her protection.”
“Sergeant?”
“Huh?” Sungjin blinked away from all his conflicting thoughts, glancing at the three people before him. He nodded. “I’ll step up.”
“That promotion is making you greedy, Park. Anything goes wrong here, and I’ll have your head on my desk,” Captain Morse announced gruffly, throwing his hands up in the air before storming off.
Agent Anderson let out a deep breath. “God. He’s an .”
“You’re telling me.”
She eyed Sungjin. “It’ll just be until we catch the criminal. I’ll put in a request for housing for Y/N, but until then, she’ll have to stay here.”
“Can’t I monitor from my house?”
“That puts your personal information at risk,” the male agent pointed out, and Sungjin nodded.
“I’m aware, sir.”
“It would get us ahead before the next robbery. She seems like the type of person who will give if we offer her something immediately.”
And when protection was suggested to you, your eyes rounded, surprised that you would be given such a deal. “You’re seriously capable of protecting me from him?”
Agent Anderson nodded. “If it means we catch him, we’ll offer you protection. Your act in tonight’s deal since nothing was stolen will be a slap on the wrist anyway. If you help us put the person you’re scared of behind bars, then we’ll offer you immunity.”
“I’ll be safe?” you wondered out loud quietly, contemplating the idea.
Sungjin remained quiet against the wall, but his mind was anything but. He craved to know who had turned your life upside down like this. He wanted to punish them in ways he didn’t believe he had the ability to do. This soulmate connection was tapping into all sorts of emotions he wasn’t prepared to deal with, much less the irrational anger overwhelming him.
You were staring at him when he blinked out of the unplaced fury, eyes wide. “You promise that I’ll be safe?”
Sungjin nodded as the male agent answered verbally. “Sergeant Park will be in charge of protecting you. We’ll be able to offer you further protection the more information you give us. We can even place you into the witness protection relocation services if this is bigger than robberies. What do you say, Y/N?”
“His name is Hector Granton,” you confessed instantly, your gaze still connected to Sungjin’s. “He’s my step-father.”
You were uncharacteristically quiet on the drive to his house three hours later. You had handed over all the information the agents asked from you without mouthing off or any further hesitation. The longer the interrogation went, the smaller you appeared. You were no longer hissing at anyone or pulling out your claws, too exhausted to hold the brave front up anymore.
When Sungjin got out of the car and rounded to your side, you climbed out and stumbled right into his chest.
“You okay?”
“No. Where are we?”
“Home.”
“Home?” you repeated, allowing him to lead you gently up the small pathway to the front door. Once inside, he shut it and as he the lights, you spun away to throw the latch. Sungjin watched as you took in the barrier with some trepidation before turning back to him.
“Habit, I guess.”
“You’re welcome to check all the windows are secured if that makes you feel better,” he offered, and you nodded silently. “Are you hungry?”
“No.”
“I’ll get your room set up then. Sorry, if I knew I’d be having a guest over, I would have prepared ahead of time.”
“I’m hardly a guest,” you murmured, taking in the personal effects of the hallway before meeting his gaze again. “Wait. This is your home?”
“Yeah.”
“And you’re okay with this? Hold on. Did you tell them that we’re—”
Sungjin shook his head. “Why would I be stupid enough to do that? This is only temporary until they get you a placement in one of their units. And then I’ll be stationed there. My house was only put on the cards because I valued helping the case progress faster than it would if we left you in a jail cell overthinking where you were kept.”
And because I wanted you with me, he added internally, though this notion still confused him. He didn’t realise that the bond between you both would be this intense and have him going against so many of his beliefs to make sure you were comfortable.
“Do you go around offering your house up to any person in need of protection, Sergeant Park?”
“Call me Sungjin.”
“If I do that then we might get too friendly, and I’m not ready for that just yet,” you admitted, and Sungjin accepted your wishes.
“To answer your question, no. I’ve not personally had to offer my private residence up before.” Walking off down the hallway, Sungjin the lights to the living room as he passed the doorway. He noticed you wandered in there quietly when he glanced over his shoulder whilst he headed for the guest room. “But I would if it was requested of me in any case that it benefited to.”
“And here I thought you were doing it because you wanted to keep me close.”
I am.
Picking up a couple of stored items from the bed, Sungjin placed them in the wardrobe and fixed the comforter before closing the curtains. It was ready enough for you, and when he turned around, you were standing in the doorway.
“An officer will be over in the morning with the supplies you need. If you require anything else, let me know, and I’ll organise it. The bathroom is the door to the left of this room if you want a shower before bed.”
You shook your head, your eyes inspecting the room before turning back to his. “I’m really safe here, right?”
“I haven’t lied to you so far.”
“I don’t know you enough to—”
“Soulmate connection, Y/N,” he reminded, and you swallowed roughly. “You’ll be able to tell my emotions well enough with me this close.”
“You’re nervous,” you stated, and Sungjin nodded, wiping his palms on his pants. “And before you were so angry, I was worried the muscle that ticked along your jaw would burst.”
“It wasn’t easy to hear what your step-father is like.”
“I’m too tired to talk about that again.”
“I’ll leave you to it then. Do you need anything?”
Wrapping your arms around yourself, you shook your head. With a quiet goodnight, Sungjin moved out of the room and over to his bedroom, readying himself for sleep. But even after finding a comfortable spot on his bed, there was no way he could rest.
Not when all his thoughts were stuck on you.
“You seriously eat it like that?” you wondered in horror, watching as Sungjin brought his toast up to his mouth. Glancing down at the peanut butter he’d spread over it, he then frowned.
“What’s so wrong with peanut butter?”
“It’s disgusting for one,” you answered and pulled out the butter from his refrigerator. “I can’t eat toast without a layer of butter first.”
“It’s called peanut butter, Y/N,” he pointed out, and you shook your head.
“It’s not the same.”
Each day that passed, you returned to the banter he had experienced on the first encounter. Everything about you was so different from his ways, and you had to point out all those differences at any chance you got. Even the way he folded his laundry had been scrutinised by you.
“You’re a particular little thing, aren’t you?”
You huffed. “What’s little about me?”
“Your height for one.”
“I’m not short.”
“Shorter than me.”
“Is that so, Sergeant Obvious. Hoping your match would be the same height or taller? You got a thing for tall ladies? Sorry to disappoint.”
Sungjin grinned over his toast that you eyed with another shake of the head. Taking a bite and swallowing it, he continued. “So easy to rile up.”
“You’re enjoying yourself far too much, Sergeant.”
“I really wish you’d call me Sungjin,” he replied, and you shrugged, taking a bite of your toast that you had covered with butter and a thin layer of strawberry jam.
“Bet you’re bored being stuck babysitting me.”
“I thought you didn’t want to be seen as little. Only kids are babysat, Y/N.”
“Stop saying my name so often,” you grunted, kicking your leg out under the table at his. He whined at your attack, which made you smirk.
And then Sungjin shot both his legs out, capturing your ankle between them. He was the smug one after that move.
“You’re such a pain,” you muttered, though the flush of colour to your cheeks said otherwise.
Even with all the differences, Sungjin was enjoying getting to spend time with you like this. And every time you blushed his heart thudded in his chest at being the cause behind it. He decided that having a soulmate was better than he ever expected it would be.
“Agent Anderson contacted me when you were still asleep,” he said, wiping his hands above the plate, letting the remaining crumbs fall onto it. “They’re going to need a little more information from you.”
“I’ve said enough, don’t you think?”
Sungjin sighed. “It’s been a week, and we’ve not been able to catch him yet.”
“Because Hector’s cunning. He’ll know I’ve betrayed him and change his tactics.”
“Change them how?” he asked, and you groaned.
“You know what I hate most about you? That you’re a cop. If you weren’t one, I’d probably be happier to know I’m stuck with you for the rest of my life!”
“Ouch.”
“Well, it’s true. We’re stuck with each other,” you mumbled, glancing away. “Sorry.”
“If it’s how you feel, then don’t apologise.”
“Don’t you find the concept of a soulmate infuriating?” you inquired, leaning over the table towards him. “Surely, you’d rather not have one.”
“I thought that when I was younger, but I’ve been jealous too many times of friends and family finding theirs to not want one myself.”
“You must be thrilled with the notion of announcing to family your soulmate is a criminal.”
Sungjin watched you quietly. “I don’t think you’re a criminal.”
“I have a record.”
“For stealing petty items as a teenager.”
“Still follows me around.”
“Did you steal because you were hungry?” he asked, and you nodded. “He didn’t feed you?”
“Jae— my brother and I tried to get away from him a few times. Naturally, we ran out of money fast.”
“Bastard.”
“You have a potty mouth when annoyed, you know.”
“Well, I’m no saint, Y/N.”
Huffing a breath in with his habit of using your name, you then cocked your head to the side. “You’re better than I hoped for.”
“Huh?”
“As a soulmate. My real father was killed and my mother married Hector to protect us from the mistake my dad made to him. I half-expected that the fates would only have another shady man to enter my life. I was happier not having a soulmate if that was the case.”
Sungjin watched you quietly, wrestling with the growing desire within him to hold you. To kiss you.
“If having you as a soulmate – cop and all – is what I get in return for years of abuse and manipulation, then I guess I’m luckier than I thought I was.”
“I’m the lucky one,” he breathed out shakily as your eyes widened. “Believe me.”
“How would you consider—”
He had lost control over his body by this point, scooting his chair back enough to get up, standing at your side without even blinking. After balancing one hand on the table, he reached behind your neck and placed his other hand there, meeting you midway as he lowered his head to yours.
And when his lips touched yours, it was as if the world around you shattered into a thousand pieces. His mind struggled with the absolute need coiling up in his stomach, his lips moving against yours that only made him certain that everything he felt for you was so unbelievably right. The moan that left you when he deepened the embrace rang in his ears loudly, the fire building when your hands slipped around his waist, bunching his shirt up in fists behind his back.
Everything changed with that kiss.
Sungjin knew that his job as a police officer wasn’t the only reason he would protect you now. You were his, and he was yours. There was no way to sever that connection. Not without a fight, anyway.
Finally, you slumped back in your chair, heaving in deep breaths. “What the hell, Sungjin.”
“What was that you just said, Y/N?” he asked cheekily, his mind reeling from the way his name sounded rolling off your tongue. “Did you call me—”
“Shut up before I make you shut up.”
“And how do you plan on doing that?” he inquired, sending a challenging expression at you. “Just how do you—”
Pulling him in for another kiss, Sungjin groaned with how perfect this felt.
He didn’t mind you shutting him up like this at all.
“A sting operation?” you echoed, glancing around at the law enforcement team before you. “You’re going to send me out there? Are you insane?!”
“It’s not something we want to do,” Agent Anderson expressed grimly, shaking her head. “If Sergeant Park and I had it our way—”
“We need to catch Granton before he kills someone else. After taking you in, he’s killed three people. We’re not able to wait around on him to mess up anymore,” Captain Morse interrupted harshly, placing his hands down on the table that separated him from you. Sungjin’s hands balled into fists next to you.
This was the last thing he wanted to agree upon.
“You’ll be completely protected during the whole thing. We’ll ensure your safety remains paramount, Y/N.”
You laughed bitterly. “I don’t think you realise how dead I’m about to become if you do this.”
“How dead are the three people—”
“She gets it, Captain,” Sungjin snapped, glaring at the man. “You don’t need to guilt her into this. At the end of the day, if Y/N doesn’t want to do this, she has every right to say no.”
“How generous we are since we’ve offered her protection for three and a half weeks now, and all the information we’ve garnered so far has only gotten us one step closer.”
“You have my ing brother locked up, thanks to me,” you mouthed back, kicking the table. “I think taking Jaehyung out of the equation and leaving Hector without either of us is good enough payment for housing me, Captain.”
“I don’t like you.”
You rolled your eyes. “The feeling’s mutual, .”
“Sergeant Park is right, Y/N,” Agent Anderson stated with a heavy sigh, eying the Captain tiredly. “If you don’t want to, we won’t make you. But your brother has agreed to do it to lessen his time. If you help him and us, we’ll catch Hector. And we’ll make him pay for everything.”
“Including killing my father?” you questioned, and Agent Anderson nodded. “What about my mother’s disappearance. Will you look into finding her?”
“We have a task force already doing that,” Sungjin reminded quietly, and you nodded.
“Fine. I’ll do it.”
As a police officer, the small relief he felt that this could finally get Hector Granton behind bars made sense. But it was overwhelmed with a startling need to pick you up and hide you where no one could even risk a single hair on your head, let alone put you in the most precarious position in this operation. This could go badly for you, even with all the precautions in the world. It was the last thing Sungjin wanted to let happen.
Still, he didn’t hold authority over the operation, and if he did act on his instincts to hide you, it would end badly that way too.
“You’re quiet,” you mentioned on the car ride home.
“I don’t want to do this.”
You laughed hollowly. “You don’t say. I’m pretty sure you’ve considered putting yourself in my place instead by now too.”
“I doubt I’ll have the same impact, but at least you’d be safe.”
“They’re right. Putting Jae and I back out there will give them a better chance of capturing Hector. And they said I get to wear a bulletproof vest. That sounds kind of fun. Maybe I could get behind playing cop for a day.”
“You won’t be playing. None of this is a game, Y/N.”
“If I were cop for a day, I’d end up in jail, unfortunately. The number of times I’ve wanted to drop kick that Captain of yours.”
“I don’t normally work for him. If I did, I’d request relocation,” Sungjin muttered, and you smirked.
“The way you balled your hands up had me wondering if you’d join me in beating his .”
“Violence doesn’t solve a thing, Y/N.”
“No, but it feels good in the moment,” you retorted, sighing a moment later. “I can do this.”
“I know you can because you’re braver than any woman I know.”
“I’m scared to death,” you confessed softly, looking out the passenger window. “I’m scared I’m going to lose all this.”
“All this?”
“Protection. Food. Adequate housing. Laughter. This,” you listed, reaching out to connect with his hand. You laced your fingers with his, your watery smile causing a lump to form in his throat. “You. I’m scared I’ll lose you.”
“You won’t lose me. I’ll be there the whole time.”
“Hector can read me better than this connection of ours. Believe me. If I so much as react to you, he’ll take you out. I can’t lose you. Maybe it would be best if you weren’t there.”
“No. I have to be there.”
“I’ll be with Jae. I’ll be okay. And the federal agents will be there too.”
“I have to be there!” he repeated, voice cracking under the tension. Pulling up outside his house with a start, Sungjin flung his seatbelt off and turned to you. “You cannot do this without me.”
“You’ll do something stupid if I get hurt.”
“It won’t be stupid. It will be deadly,” he corrected lowly, and you cursed.
“Precisely. Deadly and dumb. We have to accept you cannot be there. Do you understand? You need to tell Agent Anderson that I’m your soulmate, or I will. And then—”
“You’ll be taken away from me completely. They’ll find another place to stash you and—”
“Wouldn’t that be better than one of us being dead?!” you screamed, the tears running down your cheeks as you shakily reached out for his shirt, gripping on tightly. “I don’t—I cannot risk you. Not after finding you. Not after the last three weeks of spending my time with you. You are too far inside me now for either of us to step away. I can’t lose you.”
“And I can’t lose you,” Sungjin choked out, pulling you into his embrace. You sobbed on his shoulder for what felt like forever, and when you both were subdued, you headed inside the house, Sungjin going into high alert as soon as the door closed behind him.
Pulling you into his side and placing a hand over your mouth, he shot you a desperate look to be quiet before letting go. “I want you to turn around and leave here now. Get in the car and use my radio system to call for backup. Lock all the doors and drive away.”
“What? I don’t—”
Kissing you recklessly, Sungjin then pushed you to the exit. “Go!”
He then turned to the cabinet in the hallway where he stored one of his handguns and slipped it out, edging down the hallway to the first doorway. He checked before entering the living room, eyes scanning the shadows for signs of what he could sense in here. Sungjin knew someone had broken in, and that you were now compromised being here.
He also knew the person was still within the house from hearing them creak across the floor when you entered before.
Silently, he moved through his home, avoiding the parts in the floor where he knew he’d make a noise. The kitchen was empty as well, and Sungjin used the back entrance to the hallway to go into the bedroom portion of the house. His room was empty, and that left your room – well, the one you had been using before you started sharing his bed over a week ago.
A dark figure sat on the bed, holding up the photo you had of your family before Hector. “I have never understood why everyone gets so hung up on their connections with people. Families can break, can bend against their will. And soulmates are just pathetic. Why allow someone else to make you weak like that?”
“I’m guessing your mother never hugged you enough when you were a child,” Sungjin remarked, surprising himself.
He’d been spending way too much time around you with how easily he said that.
Hector grinned softly. “Those kids always had such smartass mouths on them. I guess they rub off well when you end up kissing hard enough, huh?”
“The ruse is over, Hector. Why come here if you knew I would be the one holding a gun?”
“You’re not the only one who can wield a weapon, Sergeant Park.” Hector chuckled again when Sungjin’s eyes widened. “You think I don’t know who you are? I know all about you. That stupid told her brother she was safe with a cop. Did she not think I’d find out? I always find out.”
“Must be tiring to be such a know-it-all,” Sungjin muttered, and Hector shrugged.
“She’s never felt safe, and I sure as hell knew no cop would do that for her either. So that’s when I figured I should watch more closely. You are soulmates, aren’t you? How tragic. You’ll both end up dead, and your souls will be set free too soon after being reunited. Because no one can have her aside from me.”
“Not happening, buddy,” Sungjin announced, his finger pressing down on the trigger in preparation.
Hector was faster, however, and the sound of gunshots made Sungjin confused. He hadn’t shot him, that much he was aware of. As he fell to his knees jarringly, the gun he held dropped at his feet, the rush of pain too overwhelming to be any use against the criminal. And yet his now blurring vision showed Hector also falling, blood gushing out of the hole in his head, his unblinking stare being all Sungjin saw for several arduous blinks.
“Oh my god!” you wailed, arms wrapping around his body suddenly. Sungjin slumped into you heavily, which made you lose your balance, clutching him to your chest as you shook vigorously. “Sungjin?! Stay with me. Don’t you dare close your eyes!”
He couldn’t reply, the sheer effort it took just to breathe in and out becoming too much. He knew he must be dying, and the last thing he wanted was for you to watch him fade away in your arms. He could feel your emotions, your pain crippling him along with his physical injury. Lifting his hand slowly, he tried to reach up for your tear-stained face, but he didn’t make it, the world falling into darkness.
When he opened his eyes, he knew he wasn’t in heaven. If he were, the air wouldn’t smell of antiseptic, and the lights wouldn’t be so harsh on his eyes. The beeping of a machine assaulted his eardrums, and the crisp blankets over him were too tight.
Heaven wouldn’t be this painful.
And yet, Sungjin was certain he saw an angel step into his view, his lips curling up into a lazy smile. God, you were beautiful.
And you were mad. Furious even.
“If you weren’t so weak, I’d punch you right now!” you told him with a tight voice, your hand reaching out to touch his face. It trembled against his skin, and you closed your eyes. “You’re lucky you came to. I was about to find a way to barter with Death himself to bring you back.”
“Always… so dramatic,” he hoarsely managed to say, still smiling up at you.
You scowled, though relief was softening your features. “I can’t believe you just went up against him like that.”
“I had to protect you.”
“By getting shot? , you did a good job there,” you replied, too upset to sound as sassy as you aimed for. Leaning down to press your forehead against his, you inhaled shakily. “You idiot. I told you I couldn’t lose you.”
“You haven’t.”
“Thanks to me choosing to ignore all your instructions. Thank God, I knew you kept a gun in your glove compartment. Which, by the way, is that really safe to do? What if someone stole your vehicle? You’d be leaving it armed with a loaded gun. Is that police protocol?”
Although he had questions about what had happened since being unconscious, all Sungjin could do then was laugh. It hurt to do, and he winced when he felt something tug on his stomach, his hands slowly moving to his side.
“You were shot, Sungjin,” you reminded with a groan. “You’ve only been out of surgery for a day. That wound is going to be fresh for a while.”
“So, I guess that means you have to protect me instead, huh?” he answered after you guided some water into his mouth, helping with his dry throat.
You smirked. “Do I get to wield the handcuffs instead of you this time?”
“Always wanting to roleplay,” he commented darkly, and you grinned.
“Well, if I need to protect you, I’m going to have to tie you to the bed.”
“How come?”
“From what I’ve learned about you so far, you don’t know when to sit and let someone else do things for you,” you explained, tilting your head to the side as you smiled genuinely. “You’ve taken such good care of me. It’s my turn now.”
“I promise I’ll allow you to. No handcuffs are needed.”
You laughed then, reaching to cup his face in your hands. “I didn’t expect you to become everything I need in this world so quickly. But after what’s happened, I can’t imagine straying from your side ever again.”
“Good. Because after taking a bullet for your safety, I’m going to need you to stay at my side until I’m good enough to protect you fully.”
“He’s gone, Sungjin. I’m finally safe. I don’t need you to protect me anymore.”
“Is that so?” he wondered, and you nodded, leaning down to kiss him softly. He marvelled at how easily desire built within even with how weak he was feeling from his near-death experience.
And when you pulled back, he felt as if some of his soul was rejuvenated.
“I’ll let you protect me even if there’s no threat over my life anymore,” you announced, resting your head on his shoulder.
“I can be your protector forever?”
“That sounds mighty fine to me, my love.”
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