The wedding happened soon, the families hired a planner to take care of everything, Sunmi and Jihyo just had to show up where and when they were told to. The ceremony was great, Dahyun was Jihyo’s maid of honor, and Sunmi’s brother was hers, he insisted on wearing a dress too because it made him feel pretty and Jihyo, Dahyun and Sunmi were behind him at all times. The whole event was beautiful, but also a media circus, the couple was off to their honeymoon in an undisclosed location while every news outlet was talking about them and their airport fashion.

“How did you think of this place?” Sunmi asked as they entered their room.

“I was looking for somewhere we could just relax and not worry about being photographed without our knowledge.”

“Good thinking. The island is gorgeous.” Sunmi smiles as she opens the window to feel the sea breeze.

“And it’s far enough from Korea that we are just two girls being pals. No worries, no prying eyes, just us having fun and turning off our lives back home.”

“You are the best!” Sunmi hugs her wife.

“I do try.” Jihyo laughs and hugs back.

They still weren’t romantically into each other, but became good friends. The best friend post is, and forever will remain with Dahyun, something that Sunmi was working to change. She was the wife, godammit, why was she not the best friend! Jihyo found this new rivalry way too entertaining, so she was going to keep it a secret that Dahyun was never getting demoted from the best friend post. Now, they were on a week-long break, with a lot of things to have fun with and both will enjoy this place to its fullest.

Jihyo had found a little island in Sweden, it was beautiful, peaceful and there was also the Peace and Love Festival they would be attending closeby. Their stay was fun, Jihyo felt like the first time she was able to just enjoy herself, which it was, but let’s not. Sunmi was just happy to be able to witness the younger woman enjoy herself like this. She ordered her own investigation of Jihyo’s background, every single thing she said turned out to be the absolute truth. And there were other things Sunmi found out about Jihyo’s early life that she knew it better to not let her wife know, plus, now she had proof to start taking legal action against Jihyo’s birth mother and her husband.

Getting back also had a bit of photographers at the airport, but that was about it, their return was a corner note and nothing more. Both had talked and decided to keep living separately, they still weren’t into each other and it made no sense to change anything yet. They did agree to spend the night at Sunmi’s apartment once in a while, as they should have their picture taken together, so their marriage could be believable and all. What started to change during their ‘honeymoon’ and kept changing, however, was Sunmi’s interest in her wife.

Jihyo was lovely, she was very considerate and attentive, always caring and gentle. The detective was the type of person to thank the waitress for bringing them water. Maybe it was because Jihyo grew up on her own and valued every single person working every single job. Sunmi had grown up with the best, her family despite being on the nicer side, was still rich and tended to look down on people deemed below them. This whole engagement period with Jihyo had opened her eyes to things she had never considered before.

“Hey there.” Jihyo greets as she enters the apartment.

“You are late.” Sunmi remarks without real bite.

“Well, at least I’m free of my messy case.” The younger woman announces as she removes her shoes. “I’ll tell you one thing, having to deal with the military is an absolute nightmare. They fought me every single step and most of the time I was on their side.”

“Oh, poor detective Park. I’m sure you did brilliantly.” The older woman hugs her wife to make up for her laughter. “Plus, we are going out for dinner today!”

“I don’t know how dinner at that snob place would be considered a plus.”

“Stop being a grump and go shower, you kind of smell.” 

“I know, the major who has been tailing me all the investigation likes his cheap cigars too much. I’m considering going to the mountains next weekend to clear my lungs a bit.”

“That sounds lovely, I’m in!”

“I don’t remember inviting you?” Jihyo jokes, closing the guest bedroom door behind her.

Sunmi wanted to complain, but the door closing told her it would be useless. Another thing she learned about Jihyo was that the woman was very playful, sometimes a bit savage, but always delightful. With how they should be spending time at Sunmi’s apartment, the guest bedroom became Jihyo’s room, the guest bedroom at Jihyo’s house didn’t become Sunmi’s however. The couple agreed that it would be counter productive, as they spent less time there and aways with company, so sleeping in separate rooms wouldn’t be practical nor desirable.

Dinner ended up being quite alright, the restaurant was famous and there were a few paps lurking around front, both were known figures, so their pictures were taken, but nothing more. Both liked spending time with each other, especially without  any expectations weighing on them. They were already married, everyone and their cousin already knew it, no news outlet would waste their time writing anything about them, maybe a comment about their fashion choices, but that would be about it. Sunmi couldn’t help but swoon at the gentle acts that seemed so unconscious.

After said dinner, Sunmi started doing her best to get closer to her wife, might as well work on their real romance now that she decided to invest in the relationship. The weekend at the mountains also helped a lot, for the couple to be more of a couple. Jihyo’s family had a property in a resort where each family section had their own hut, and Jihyo’s was just fantastic. It was on the smaller side, but very tastefully decorated, with enough bedrooms if she wanted to bring friends over, an outdoor hot tub, a game area, an open kitchen and some divine demolition wood furniture.

Sunmi was amazed, especially after she found out Jihyo had designed it herself, and decorated it herself too. From the woman’s house, she’d thought a designer had been hired, but Jihyo revealed it helped her with a bit of a dark patch she had been going through. She was the one who thought everything up and worked with the engineer to make sure the place wouldn’t collapse. And the whole demolition wood theme, it was something Jihyo had been wanting to do, but back when she got her house, she wasn’t that comfortable with spending the family money and couldn't afford it herself. Their weekend was spent indoors, cooking, talking, skinny dipping in the hot tub, which Jihyo still questions how Sunmi was able to convince her of.

“Alright, when were you planning to tell me you were this fit?” Sunmi asks as they lounge in front of the fireplace after the hot tub.

“Okay, first of all, I’m feeling like a piece of meat, stop.” Jihyo chuckled. “But I’m a cop, it’s part of the job to keep fit. Also, we’ve slept in the same bed before, how have you not noticed.”

“Because you love your fluffy pajamas too much and it’s impossible to tell when you are in those. Also, just because you are a cop, doesn’t mean you are still in a position where your body is more important than your brains.”

“Thanks for the last bit, but being a homicide detective can get quite physical from time to time.” The younger woman shrugs. “That, and exercising is actually good for up here too.” She taps her finger against her temple.

“Fine, fine. But, say……” Sunmi trails off, seemingly trying to figure out how to say it.

“I don’t think us having will be a good idea at all.” Jihyo answers, looking at the fire.

“I didn’t even ask yet!”

“You don’t have to. I’m the best detective in the country for a reason, after all.”

“I wonder if this is what Chaeyoung and Tzuyu go through as well.”

“Doubt it. Nayeon refuses to bring work home, so she consciously turns off the investigative instinct when she gets home. Plus, she knows Chae doesn’t cheat.”

“How?”

“Again, best detective. And Mina is just stressed out being chief. Once she gets home, she just pampers Tzuyu, who also has hard days being head-nurse, and lets herself be pampered.”

“And why are you in detective mode, then?”

“I’m not. I just observe more than the usual person. It’s not like I want to see half of what I see, but I do and there’s nothing I can really do to change that. It’s just how i’m wired, I guess.”

“So, why not have some fun with me and relax a bit while at it?” Sunmi says suggestively.

“Because, dear wife, I see everything.” Jihyo looks into the other’s eyes and sees understanding.

“You do understand we are married and intend to keep being married for the foreseeable future, right?!”

“Yes, but we got into this for our careers.” The older woman looks about to protest so Jihyo continues quickly. “AND! You are about to begin your campaign for senate. There’s a very high chance you’ll find someone and having would just blow up in my face once you do.”

Sunmi looks incredibly sad at the statement, but she understood where it came from. 

“Would you ever let yourself be truly involved with anyone? I mean, we are married and you are still that guarded.”

“I would, but you are not that person and we both know it.”

“How do you know I’m not?”

“Because I know you as well as you know me. I see how you want to try and be adventurous with me, how you looked at my body as something you would like to explore, but I also see how this wouldn’t be something you’d take too seriously.”

“It could work, you know.” Sunmi gives up, she knew the other had a point.

“It could, but you’d have to be into me like that before I can agree to it.”

“And who are you to say we can’t fall in love?”

“I’m not saying we can’t. But say I do and you don’t, what then? Will you be able to keep up this marriage when you know you insisted on something that I wasn't in favor of, just to drop me for the very reason I told you it wouldn’t work out?”

Fair enough. Sunmi gives up on that, resigning herself to just cuddle up to Jihyo and watch the flames. She still wanted to make things work, but there’s no arguing she really doesn’t love Jihyo like that and the other always knew. The next day was fairly tame, just some breakfast by the back porch, which turned into fondue for lunch and an afternoon nap because they ate too much. Sunmi was still sluggish when it was time to return, so Jihyo drove back, got her up to her apartment and went home. The detective would need some time away after the almosts the getaway brought.