Victoria slammed her purse against the kitchen table in her apartment and listened to the loud bang it made. Donghae was starting to piss her off with his attitude. He had seemed so cool at the beginning, but this case was swerving his personality around. Donghae only wanted to be in control and that was all he cared about. No, Victoria wasn’t stepping down. How does Donghae expect his team to work when Suho can’t hold a gun? Would he let Namjoo do all the work?

Just no. Victoria wouldn’t allow Donghae to kick her or her team off the case. Since she came here she’d do it until the end. More determination seeped into her. Tomorrow’s meeting would certainly show Donghae who was in control.

~_____~

Namjoo ate her fill from random food stands she passed and continued to walk on. She’d left her car behind at headquarters, but she didn’t really care since she could go back for it in the morning or whenever. Plus, she had money if she needed a cab. All she wanted right now was just to tire herself out physically.

Days in her household had turned against her after her father’s funeral. Her mother didn’t look at her or speak to her. When something was needed her younger brother was used as a medium. Unable to take it anymore she moved out after half a year.

Once the sun began to set she finally walked into a soju tent, had a bottle, and some soup before leaning forward to lie her face against the table. Suho finally called her a few minutes later.

“I handed Junho the money.” He reported.

“Ah…that’s good. How is he?”

“Good. He says for you to visit by the end of the month. Mom will be out of town,” Suho explained. “Where are you?”

“I don’t know,” she muttered. “Went here and there. I’ll be going back soon.”

“Should I come find you? Have you eaten?”

“I ate too much, Suho.” Namjoo seemed to whine. He laughed and Namjoo raised her head when she heard someone take the seat opposite her. She sat up and turned away, “I’ll call you back.” After hanging up she turned to look at Kris, “What are you doing?”

“It doesn’t look very attractive when a girl drinks alone,” he held out a shot cup.

Namjoo glanced at it before looking at him. “What do you want?”

He urged the empty cup toward her, “Aren’t you going to pour me some?”

A groan left her before she picked up her bottle and poured some for him. Namjoo watched him with an unsatisfactory stare and glanced out into the street. “I don’t see your car.”

“Then what do you think that means?”

She turned away from him, “You’re annoying.”

“Good, we’re one of a kind.”

Namjoo bit onto her tongue and hissed underneath her breath. “Whatever, I don’t want to argue with you. Do you want to eat something?”

After the third bottle they finally left the tent. Namjoo’s mind was spinning and her footsteps were a little sloppy, but she was still standing. A sigh left her lips before she slightly turned her head back and rolled her eyes when she saw that Kris was following her.

“Yah, don’t you have anywhere to go?!” she asked loudly. “Home or something?”

“I want a glass of water first,” he declared before following her into the apartment building.

Namjoo stumbled onto her floor before she eventually reached her door and unlocked it. After a glass of water she was definitely kicking him out, she promised herself. It eventually drifted from her mind when she poured water into a glass. Forgetting about him she lifted it up and gulped it down only to have it snatched from her a few seconds later. Namjoo turned to him with a glare.

“Didn’t you leave already?” she asked.

He stared back before drinking the rest of the water down and handed it to her, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She snorted and dumped the cup into the sink before reaching her hand up to wipe the water around her lips off. Before she could even do it he grabbed onto her wrist.

“Yah,” she started.

“Can I…kiss you?”

Her heart jumped against her rib cage the second she became speechless. Namjoo jutted her arm out against his shoulder when he started to close in. She was suddenly nervous.

“Why?” he questioned. “Kyungsoo’s not even your boyfriend.”

She glanced up at him surprised and nervously blinked her eyes rapidly when she felt his breath on her. Her eyes instinctively closed and she parted her lips for him. They were soft and tender. His lips were soothing and Namjoo stepped forward when his arm encircled her waist. His back lightly thudded against the wall and she raised herself up onto her tiptoes for more. Her heart was racing and her blood was churning through her like wildfire.

Namjoo’s hands raced from his shoulders to his shirt before she tugged them out of his pants and sloppily began to release the buttons of his shirt. Kris suddenly turned her around to pin her against the wall for a mere second before Namjoo began to backtrack them into her room.

No, she wasn’t drunk. She was in her right state of mind. She knew what she was doing. Namjoo knew what was going to happen next. Then why wasn’t she taking any action to stop it? She didn’t know, but this was the warmest she’d felt in a long time.

~_____~

Chorong was scribbling into her mini-notebook outside when Lay walked toward her with a smoothie.

“There wasn’t a lot to get, huh?” he asked handing the smoothie to her before sitting on the ledge beside her.

“I guess I came at an inconvenient time,” Chorong said before setting the notebook aside.

They glanced back when a crying ambulance drove up to the ER doors.

“There was a lot going on today,” Chorong commented. “It’s fine. We can still get more on Eunhyuk next time.”

“It’s gotten dark quite quickly,” Lay tilted his head up to look at the night sky. “How about we call it a day?”

“Sounds good.” Chorong stood up.

“Do you want to go eat something?” he wondered.

“It’s ok,” Chorong told, “I’ll get something to eat at home.”

The drive back home was quiet and empty. If it had been Suho who had asked, she would have gone with him. Her eyes drifted over to the bag of food she’d bought. If she also knew where he lived she would bring him some food. She imagined what it would be like to have a private dinner with him. Enjoyable, she guessed. Anything with Suho seemed enjoyable, but she wasn’t having much time with him right now. After the mission to Yeongwol, would she ever have time alone with him again?

~____~  

“Did you get in touch with Namjoo?” Donghae asked from the stove.

“Not picking up.” Suho replied from the table he was sitting at. “Might as well leave her alone.”

“What did she say to you earlier?”

“She did say she ate,” Suho answered, “she’s not the type to lie.”

“Alright then,” Donghae nodded, “I guess it’s just the two of you.”

“What do you mean?” Suho wondered.

“I already had dinner,” Donghae replied.

“With who?” Suho seemed interested suddenly.

“Victoria?”

Suho raised an eyebrow, “Privately? Dinner? Wow, you’re moving fast.”

A mischievous smile grew onto his face as he put an arm around the empty chair beside him.

“I told her to back out of the case,” Donghae said. “I think you, Namjoo, and me are enough for this.”

“Why would you do that? What about Tao?”

“He’ll be handy on the side, but for now, the three of us should focus on this case with our best. I feel like we’re getting a lot closer to Eunhyuk than before,” Donghae sat down and called out, “Tao! Come eat!”

Suho turned when a door opened and watched Tao walk toward them. “Nice shirt.”

Tao sent him a tiny glare before pulling the chair away from Suho’s arm and sat down.

“Anyway, once the gunmen speak up, we’ll go from there,” Donghae told. “You and Namjoo should be on standby at all times.”

“Yes, sir,” Suho playfully saluted Donghae before digging into the food. “Ugh…so good!”

~_____~

It was completely dark when Kris awoke. He had to glance around before his eyes fully adjusted to the dim moonlight floating in and spotted Namjoo sleeping with her back to him. Her room had nothing. No pictures, no decorations or anything that spoke of warmth. It was even worse than his room. He at least had a family picture on his desk, but Namjoo’s room was just plain white.

He suddenly thought about that slap her mother had given her and wondered if she was injured somewhere inside. She was always so feisty and arrogant with him that it was hard to imagine her being soft at all. Kris shifted over and put an arm around her to pull her against him. When he began to run his hand through her hair she pulled away. Namjoo moved onto her back and turned her face away from him.

“You’re cold.” He commented.

“I feel pretty warm to me.”

“I’m talking about your heart.” he propped his elbow up against the bed and leaned his head into his hand. “Have you never said anything nice before?”

Namjoo turned to look at him with her eyebrows furrowed. A quick smile flashed on his face before he leaned forward to give her a peck then a kiss and another one.

~_____~

Victoria was first to arrive at headquarters that morning. She’d stayed up all night before she felt like she was satisfied with her plan. Donghae would have no choice, but to go along with her. It was she who had discovered the most in Wonju. Victoria was impatient to see his face of defeat from that morning’s meeting.

The morning sun was high up in the air and she felt like it was foretelling her good news. She suddenly thought of the first time she joined the SWAT unit strong and determined. Those same emotions were swinging through her.

When she opened the door to the meeting room that morning only Lay and Chorong were present. A flash of annoyance swerved through her with how late everyone was.

“Where are the others?” she asked.

“Suho said he was on his way,” Lay replied. “Donghae and Tao are also on their way, but I haven’t been able to get a hold of Kris or Namjoo.”

“Tell Donghae to ring them up,” Victoria ordered. “This is important. No one better miss it.”

She heaved a huff of irritation and raised her wrist up to glance at her watch. A minute later the door swung open and she watched Suho walk in. It looked like he was panting before he ran his eyes over them.

“I thought I was the last one to arrive,” Suho commented. “Where’s everyone?”

“Unfortunately, your team mates don’t seem to know the time.” Victoria said.

“Usually they’re not,” Suho told, “but we all have those days, don’t we?”

He sat down at the table across from Chorong and Lay. Their eyes quickly met before he smiled toward them. Victoria turned away and put her hands on her hips. Lee Donghae was just getting worse.

~_____~

“Took you long enough,” Donghae scolded when Tao got into the car. “Who washes up that long?”

“I can’t help it if I have a stomach ache! It’s your damn food!”

Donghae turned the engine on and backed out of his space in the parking lot. He tossed a phone toward Tao who caught it clumsily.

“Call Namjoo.” Donghae ordered.

“Why! You can do it!”

“I said do it!” Donghae slightly raised his voice. “Don’t argue with me early in the morning.”

Tao turned to him with a low grown before looking for Namjoo’s number.

~_____~

Kris watched Namjoo stiffen up by the stove when he stepped out of the bedroom and was amused at how she was acting oblivious toward him.

“Aren’t you leaving?” she asked when he pulled a chair out from the table.

“Looks like you’re cooking something,” he sat down, “I’ll leave after I eat.”

He thought he heard her sigh before he smiled and turned to look around. As a replica of her room, her apartment was just as plain. Either Namjoo didn’t care about decoration or her heart really was cold.

“Your place is plain,” he commented.

“I don’t think that’s your business,” Namjoo shot back before the phone she’d set on the table began to ring.

Kris shot an eye up to glance at her before he pulled it over and saw that it was Donghae. Without asking he answered, “Hello?”

There was an awkward moment of silence before he recognized Tao’s voice, “Isn’t this Namjoo’s phone?”

Kris raised an eyebrow and glanced at Namjoo’s back again before he said, “What is it?”

“Let me talk to Namjoo.”

“She can’t come to the phone right now.”

There was silence again before Tao went on, “Tell her to hurry up. There’s a meeting this morning.”

“Will do.” Was all he said before hanging up.

Namjoo turned around to set a plate of food in front of him. “You didn’t have to answer it.”

Ignoring her he set the phone down and glanced at the food, “Looks good.” He looked up again when he noticed her stare on his disoriented shirt. “Ah…some buttons came off.”

“Whatever.” Namjoo brushed him off before taking a spoonful of her food.

His eyes stole back up to her face and he settled them there for a moment of time. He was finding her really attractive. Kris was really attracted to her.

~_____~

Donghae turned to look at the subtle expression on Tao’s face.

“What is it?” Donghae wondered. “Did Namjoo answer?”

Tao clutched onto the phone and stared into the blank screen.

“Are you listening to me?” Donghae asked.

“Kris answered.” Tao spoke quietly.

Donghae raised an eyebrow surprised, “Ah…really? They must’ve met up for something.”

Tao looked away and said no more. 

***There's still no strings attached between KrisJoo yet meaning there are no real feelings involved at this point.

***HaeToria will be going at it again next chapter