After a very long day at work - the longest Jisu ever had - she was finally able to get off work. She changed out of her uniform and clocked out. No matter how much she didn't want to, she announced her leave to her chief. He didn't even acknowledge her and she shrugged. It was better off that way. She said goodbye to her coworkers who had a night shift. She fixed her scarf around her neck and walked out of the building.

When she walked out, there was a familiar white car in front of the doors. The window rolled down to reveal Shi Yoon. "Get in. I'll drop you home." She didn't decline. "I live north from here. Is it on your way home?"

He nodded and waved her over. "I'm north, too. Hurry, it's cold." His window rolled up as Jisu walked to the other side of the car. When she put on her seatbelt, Shi Yoon drove off. She typed in her address on the GPS and let him drive.

"Don't get too worked up about what happened this morning," Shi Yoon said. "If you catch a rich man, bribes are bound to happen."

"I know all about that, but it's just a speeding ticket. If he would just go a driving school, I would gladly take it off his record. A briefcase of 100 dollar bills is too much."

Shi Yoon chuckled. "I guess. But you never know what the CEO of the largest broadcasting company can do. He can be corrupt for all we know. And did he say he is son of the president who owns the biggest three universities in South Korea? Well, they were one of the universities we went to."

 "I never attended SKY universities," she said, looking out the side of the street.

"Didn't you study criminology?"

"Yes. But that doesn't mean I went to any of the three."

"Oh." To hide his embarrassment and awkwardness, he the radio. Jisu glanced at him and saw his troubled face. She smiled in amusement. She didn't mind his comment. Most of South Korea attend the three universities or at least strive to.

After a couple minutes, Shi Yoon had arrived at her apartment. "Is this where you live?" he asked, looking at the building. It was a short building but it was the only building in the area. They weren't in the city, but they were pretty close to the police station. "Were you expecting something extravagant because an ex-detective like me could afford it?"

Shi Yoon decided to stay silent because if he were to say something, he was afraid she would be offended. Instead, Jisu laughed. "You know, you don't have to think over your words. Just say it. If I'm offended, I'm offended."

"Then, what? If you're offended, will you start to yell and cuss at me? I've seen the way you talked to the chief. In all my years of being a cop, I have never seen anyone speak to him like that and not get fired." He gave her a thumb's up.

She slapped that hand out of the way. "He wouldn't fire me because he can't. I know someone who knows him and if the chief fires me, he'll get in trouble instead."

He clapped his hands and shook his head. "You're amazing, you know? Using your connections to keep a job. Amazing!"

She scoffed. "I'm not amazing as you think," she mumbled low enough so he couldn't hear. "I should get going. Thanks for the ride."

"When do you clock in?" he asked.

"I'm working ten tomorrow."

"That's later than me. I'll pick you up tomorrow. It's going to be cold like today."

"Don't bother. I'll just take a taxi. The chief won't like it if you suddenly disappear and come back with me beside you."

Shi Yoon chuckled and scratched his chin. "You're right. Well then, I'll see you tomorrow. Don't make lunch for yourself, okay? I want to treat you to food."

"Goodnight, Yoon." She exited the car and waved goodbye before he waved his, telling her to go in first. She walked in and greeted the security in the front. Then, she pressed the button for the elevator and it dinged open. She pressed the top button, as she lived on the tenth floor. She liked the top floor. There is no one on top of her so she wouldn't have to hear footsteps above her, just the sound of rain, hitting the rooftop. While she was waiting for the impossibly slow door to close, she got a text.

Jisu fished out her phone from her purse. It was a text from her cousin, Kai. He told her his mom wanted her over for dinner. While she was busy replying, another resident stepped in the elevator and pressed the top floor button as well. Jisu didn't acknowledge him and neither did he. She didn't like speaking to the residences of the apartment because if she had anything personal as a cop, they would all spread it around the building. It happened to a couple people already.

One happened to be a rich man, living in a dump of an apartment like this. No one knew why he chose to live in this apartment. The residents made many rumors or possibilities as to why a rich man chose to live in this apartment where the security isn't so great and neither was the interior. The location wasn’t fit for a rich man like him either. The residents were saying how he should live somewhere in the city where entertainment and food are only a block away.

That man happened to be Kim Soohyun. He was also the man who stepped into the elevator with Jisu. He was about to greet the unknown resident but he saw her on her phone and decided not to say anything. He knew almost everyone in the apartment. He was the type of person to socialize with his neighbors so they could help each other with things. He had plenty of help from the neighbors on his floor before but there was one apartment on his floor that he never acquainted with before.

It was his next door neighbor whom he hadn't met yet. That resident moved in just a week ago but Soohyun never had a chance to greet him or her because of his busy schedule. Whenever he tried to introduce himself, that person was never home.

By the time she finished replying to Kai, she pressed the button to the second floor. Her aunt lived in the same building but on different floors. When the elevators door opened, Kai was waiting there for his cousin. Jisu walked off the elevator and out of nowhere, she punched his arm. It was so sudden that Soohyun's eyes widened in surprise.

"What was that for?" he yelled.

"For being rude to me!" she yelled back. "Answer me when I ask you something or, I will beat you harder than those two boys did to each other!"

Even though the threat wasn't for him, Soohyun still shuddered. She had a lot of authority with just her voice. He was glad the elevator doors finally decided to close but at that moment, Jisu turned to leave, letting Soohyun see her side profile. There was no doubt about it, that she was the officer he got in trouble with.

He tried to stop the elevator doors from closing, but he was too late. He pressed the second button over and over again, but the elevator continued its way up. He sighed and leaned back on the wall. He had to wait until the elevator stopped on his floor before he could go down again. He didn't know she lived there. He had seen every face in the apartment but he had never seen hers. He recognized the man waiting for her but not Jisu.

The elevator dinged but he made no move to get off. He wanted to meet Jisu again but then he stopped and thought it over. Why would he suddenly want to meet Jisu? He just met her by coincident. He had no reason to ring Kai's doorbell and ask for Jisu. He is the CEO of KSH for Pete’s sake! How can he show up and reveal he lived in this building?

He shook his head and sighed. He had done it again. He tried to do something before he could even think. He got off the elevator before the slow doors could close. When he was approaching his apartment he saw a familiar silhouette in front of his door. "Mom!" he called and the older woman turned his way with a smile.

Soohyun let his mother in and she immediately made herself at home. She saw the wrappers on the floor and grimaced. "I don't understand why you would move to an apartment like this. You could have just stayed with me! You have everything there."

He groaned. “Not this again,” he thought. For the millionth time, he explained to his mother his intentions of living by himself. He wanted to become independent to become an adult. He didn’t want to be babied by his mother when he was already at the age of marriage.

“But why at an apartment like this? Why not at a better apartment with better security?” Again, he explained that he didn’t want to use his father’s money. He wanted to use his own money for an apartment of his own, and this is where his money could take him. The money he earned from his company was mostly saved up in case of disputes and given to charity. He didn't need the luxury.

“I don’t like it,” she sulked. Soohyun sat down beside his mother and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Mom, I want to learn how to cook by myself. Wake up by myself and go to work by myself. Is that too hard for you to accept?” She nodded her head and he had to laugh. His mom was acting cute. To get her off his case he said, “Why do you think I’m doing all this?”

“To be independent, I get it. It’s just I feel lonely without you.”

“Mom, you don’t have to be lonely anytime soon.”

She looked at her son with a questionable expression. “What do you mean?”

“I wasn’t going to tell you this. I was going to leave this as a surprise but you leave me no choice. You look so heartbroken without me by your side.”

She straightened up. “Just tell me. What is it?”

He smiled and whispered in her ear, “I’m doing this to be prepared as a husband.”

She leaned back and stared at him. He just smiled. She pushed him back and hit his chest. “What was that for?” he cried.

“You think you can trick your own mother like this? I don’t believe you. Secretary Lee told me you’ve been out to bars and clubs, but I know you. You would never pick a girl from a club.”

He laughed. “My mom knows me so well. But I promise you, she isn’t someone I picked up from a club. I promise.”

She blinked. “Really?” He nodded. “Who is she? Why haven’t you told me about her?”

“Because I wasn’t sure myself," he answered. He paused and then continued, "At first, I thought she was just a funny person - I thought she was weird. But after I heard her speak, she was like an angel from above. Like she was destined to be with me. I didn’t know if she was the right person for me, but as I kept seeing her, she had her own charm. That was when I decided I was going to marry this person.”

His mother scoffed. “What does she do?” He smiled. “She’s a cop,” he said.

“A cop?!” his mom exclaimed. “What the heck did you do to be involved with cops? Cops are the worst! I would rather you pick up some girl from the club instead of a cop.”

Soohyun gasped. "Mom, that was mean! How can you say that? I can’t believe you would think of me that way. Dad was a detective. I bet you picked him up from the club." She slapped his buff arm and he winced. "Your mom isn't that kind of person! There were no such things as clubs back then. We had gatherings and drive-in movies." Soohyun shifted himself so he could get comfortable. “How did you even meet him? Did you get in trouble for a detective to see you? Huh?”

“Then what about you? If you didn't pick her up from the club, you certainly got in trouble with her, am I right?” He pondered about it. “You can say I’ve pestered her so I could get her attention.”

“I guess I can say, like mother and son. My across door neighbor was murdered and the apartment became a crime scene. I looked out to see what was happening and when I opened the door your father looked straight at me. I swear, it was love at first sight. He thought it was too because after that, your dad began to flirt with me.”

Soohyun’s face scrunched up. “Come on mom. Be a bit more realistic. A detective on the job flirted with you?”

“It’s true!” she argued. “He did! First, he questioned me and then, he told me to be safe. After, he began talking about how tiring his job was, and how he wished he had someone to take care of him when he came home late.”

He shook his head. “That’s a typical line.” “And it worked. We had you.”

“Then…” he was careful about saying his words. “Don’t you ever wonder how dad died?”

She stared at the empty wall behind him. “Of course, I do.”

“Don’t you want to find out?”

She shook her head. “I don’t. If I do, I won’t be the same mother you have now.”

“What do you mean?” She stood up and so did he. She smiled and held his hand. “I really hope you stop liking that cop. If you continue to pursue her, she'll only hurt you like your dad hurt me. You'll never know when it comes to dangerous jobs like those. You need to consider the girls I set up for you!”

"Mom, I told you I don't like blind dates!"

"Then how else are you going to find a wife? You're already in your thirties. I got married when I was 28! You have to meet these girls. I've specifically chose them to match you. You have to meet her."

Soohyun sighed. "When's the date?" "This Saturday at the restaurant beside Grande Park. There's a reservation for two under your name." He nodded in defeat and she smiled widely. She grabbed her purse and headed towards the door. “You don’t have to see me off. I'll remind you again. Still, I expect you to call me every day or at least send me a text so I know you’re alright.”

He nodded and hugged her. “Of course. I’ll send you amazingly long texts. Don’t get sick, okay? You still have to take care of your son.” She patted his back and with a final goodbye, she left the apartment. Soohyun closed the door and thought about what his mother said. He didn’t want his mother to go into depression if she found out about his father’s death, but still. He wanted to find out for himself.