“What?” The question erupted from my mouth much harsher than I originally intended, but at that moment I was too thrown to really care.

Chief looked at me from under his thick, charcoal eyebrows, hands folded on his desk. “I'm removing your from the UKnow case,” he repeated.

One ing ultimatum after another. First Changmin, then Junsu...I thought I was finally getting my life back together, but now this .

“Why?” I asked, trying to keep my voice even. Be civilized...control that temper...

“Because of your emotional involvement,” he answered. “Detective Shim—your partner—was almost killed by UKnow. Don't think I don't know how your function, Detective. You're a hell of a person to be around when someone does you wrong.”

“I promise to keep in check,” I said. It was probably an empty promise. “Sir, you know I know how UKnow functions more than anyone. He hasn't killed me all these years because he's—dare I say it—attracted,” I swallowed the vile word, “to me. If you put another detective on that case, they're gonna be in a body bag in a few hours.”

“I appreciate your concern, Kim, but I'm sure they can handle him.” Yeah, ing right “Just relax for now, focus on those other cases you've put on the back burner.”

I sighed and straightened from my position of leaning over his desk slightly threateningly. “Yes, sir.”

Chief nodded affirmatively. “Now the next thing I called you in for.” He waved his hand at the door and I heard it open. Turning, I witnessed a man walk in, same age as me with short, cobalt hair, and pouty lips. A stern face that looked like it was hardly occupied with a smile. He stood by the door, his eyes studying me—as mine did him—before turning back to Chief. “Detective Kim, meet your new partner, Detective Park Yoochun.”

My head whipped back to Chief. “New partner?” I asked tightly. “What the 's wrong with my old one?”

“Detective Shim has a long road of recovery in front of him. If he wishes to return to the field—”

“Which he will,” I interjected.

“If he decides to return to the field...,” Chief went on, giving me the look that signaled I was testing his patience. “Then, Detective Park will go on his own way again. He's a stand in for Shim until—and if—he returns to duty. Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” I grumbled, turning for the door and not paying my 'new partner' attention in the slightest.

“Detective Kim...”

“Yes, sir?” I asked, spinning around on my heel to face him.

“Play nice.”

I smiled smugly at him. “Of course,” I said and left the office.

I sat down at my desk and began rummaging through papers, blowing out an exhale of air through pursed lips. Not only did Chief's offer of adding a stand-in for Changmin piss me off, it was that he brought up the possibility that Changmin might not return. And the reason I pondered on that option so much was that I, honestly, wouldn't blame him if he didn't come back.

“So you're the infamous Detective Kim Jin Ae.”

I lifted my head, then eyes to Park who was leaning against Changmin's desk, looking at me with an absolute emotionless expression. Not a smile, but no frown either.

“Listen,” I began, placing the papers in my hand on the desk. “I don't like to meet new people; I don't like this idea of working with new people and frankly, I don't like people at all. It took five years for me to even stand Detective Shim. So I don't like you. I don't want you to talk to me unless its involving the case and absolutely necessary. Is that understood?”

“Completely,” he said and moved behind Changmin's desk. He sat down in Changmin's chair. Which irked me to no end. “You're just like they say.”

“y and a pain the ? I'm completely aware of it,” I said, throwing my hair over my shoulder and going back to my papers.

“And brilliant. A sociopath, but brilliant.”

“What did I say about talking to me unless absolutely necessary?”

He raised his hands up in defense. “Sorry,” he said and the two of us fell silent.



I scurried into the bathroom, chose one of the middle stalls, and locked the door behind me. Sitting on the toilet, I opened the folder, eyes scanning over the texts that revealed everything about my new partner.

As I looked it over, an appreciative whistle left my lips. An IQ of 141, graduated from high school at the age of fourteen, and solved twenty seven homicide cases in his first year as a detective—at the age of twenty. He'd been a detective at the precinct in the Itaewon district(which was one of the rougher parts of the city, especially at night) before coming to Guro. The guy was frickin' machine, a genius.

I was threatened, not gonna lie.

Snapping the folder shut, I exited the stall, then the bathroom, mulling over what I saw. The guy had a clean slate; there were no charges, no mishaps, just perfectly solved crimes.

“Detective Kim, did you—”

“Thank you, officer,” I said, shoving the folder back into the young man's hands who'd retrieved it for me in the first place. “Please, return that.”

“Y—yes, ma'am.

I walked back to my desk, Park sitting in Changmin's chair going through papers over one of my last cases. “Did you enjoy the read?” he asked.

I stopped short. “I'm sorry?”

“Did you enjoy reading through my file,” he said without taking his eyes off the papers. Instinctively, I looked over my shoulder, then back at him. “Two charges of theft, one for assault against a fellow student, and three charges for vandalism—one to your school and two to your neighbor's car...”

“You read my file.”

“You read mine, I read yours. Its only fair...”

I studied him for a little while longer, trying to figure out how he knew that I had done my background check. He was like K, all creepy and ninja like. Which reminded me that I was impatiently waiting on word from K. I was curious to see what she would find—if anything. But I had faith in her. She was just like him—in a sense—and no doubt she'd report to me soon.

I sat back down at my desk, rigid in movements because I seriously lacked comfort with the man across from me. He wasn't Changmin and though Changmin was on the mend, I still wondered if I would get my partner back. Truly it was selfishness that fueled my actions again, but I honestly didn't think I could form ties with another person like I had with Changmin.

However, Park had kept to his word for the most part, only speaking to me when it was necessary. There was the feeling that it was for his own humor though. We seemed to have some traits in common. Both of us worked endlessly on the cases we had been handed and we silent unless we needed the others opinion—which was scarce. Though I hated to admit it, Park was a better partner than I imagined him to be.

The foreign ringing in my coat pocket startled me, taking a moment for me to realize it was K's burner phone. I hurried to rummage through my pocket.

“Hello?” I answered, getting to my feet and moving to the elevator. I didn't miss Park's curious glance.

“I got something,” came the answer from the other line. “And you're going to have to hurry.”

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