By Zephyria 【I don’t think I can make our appointment due to an outside engagement. I’m sorry.】
Choi Won-joon sat in the back seat of the moving car, staring blankly at his cell phone. He was supposed to meet Kim Yi-eum today, but the message said he couldn’t because he was too busy. He stared out the window with a blank expression.
He had been drinking since noon, entertaining important people for business, and he was already tipsy. He was already annoyed because he couldn’t sleep, and receiving this message made him feel even worse.
He sighed and leaned his head back, and Director Lee, who was sitting in front, looked at him through the rearview mirror.
“Are you very tired?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll take you home.”
Won-joon didn’t answer and made a call. After a moment, a middle-aged man’s voice came from the other end of the line.
“Hello, Team Leader Oh. This is Choi Won-joon.”
【Who is this? You’re actually calling me.】
“I have something I’m curious about. Is Detective Kim Yi-eum there?”
【Huh? Why are you looking for Detective Kim…?】
There was a slight mix of bewilderment and wariness in the Team leader’s voice.
“I have a favor to ask regarding our missing employee, but I can’t reach him. I don’t have much time, so I was hoping to get it to him today.”
【Ah, if that’s the case, you can bring it to the station. There’s a detective on duty today.】
Choi Won-joon’s eyebrows tilted upward as he listened.
“So, Detective Kim Yi-eum didn’t come to work?”
【Yes, that’s right. It’s his day off today.】
“I see. It’s his day off. I understand. I’ll try to call him.”
The smile completely disappeared from Won-joon’s face. He called Kim Yi-eum, but only a message saying the phone was turned off came on. After thinking for a moment, Won-joon called Lee Ji-hoon, who was sitting in the driver’s seat.
“Ji-hoon.”
“Yes?”
“Let’s go home.”
“We’re on our way now.”
Won-joon rested his arm on the window and replied with a nonchalant expression.
No, not my house, to Kim Yi-eum’s.
❖ ❖ ❖
Lee-eum, who was behind the wheel, glanced at the woman smiling next to him. She was the daughter of a professor at a certain university and majored in piano. Her fingers were particularly long and straight. Moreover, she had a generous personality and similar hobbies, so if Lee-eum were really a Beta, he might have considered dating her.
“Being a detective must be really amazing. If you’re in the violent crimes unit, you must meet all sorts of people. Aren’t you scared?”
“Honestly, I’m human too, so I get scared. It’s even scarier when someone comes at me with a knife.”
“Have you ever been stabbed?”
“I’ve had one graze my side.”
“Oh my gosh. That must have hurt a lot.”
Then, she naturally transitioned to talking about an accident she had as a child. Lee-eum had a similar experience, so he told her about it, and she laughed again. As they talked about this and that, they soon arrived near the woman’s house. The two got out of the car and stood facing each other.
“Thank you for taking me home. It’s quite a way for you to go back, since it’s on the opposite side.”
“It’s nothing. I had a great time today thanks to you.”
The woman giggled.
“Liar.”
Lee-eum was taken aback but didn’t show it at all.
“Did I perhaps make a mistake? I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable. I’m not used to these kinds of situations.”
“No, it’s not that. Actually, I was pushed out by my father, so I was just planning to kill time and go home, but it was unexpectedly fun. I was actually wondering whether I should ask for a second date first, but I thought Lee-eum would probably refuse.”
Lee-eum only gave an awkward smile, and fortunately, she was quick to catch on.
“But it’s okay to keep in touch occasionally, right?”
Lee-eum gave a apologetic look.
“I see you’re not the type to make empty promises.”
“I’m sorry…”
“Then that’s fine. Let’s end our meeting here. It’s probably better to make up something appropriate to tell our families, right?”
The woman waved goodbye with a regretful look and disappeared through the gate. Lee-eum, left alone, let out a soft sigh and got back into the car. Along with a feeling of apology, various complex emotions washed over him.
After driving home, he stopped by a convenience store and picked out some ice cream. After paying, he headed home and turned on his phone, which he had turned off earlier, and missed call notifications came flooding in as if they had been waiting for him.
【Have you forgotten our appointment?】
Among them were two missed calls and a message from Choi Won-joon. Still, he didn’t call dozens of times like a madman. He was thinking that he might be more normal than he thought when he received a call from his father.
【It’s me, why aren’t you answering your phone?】
“The battery was dead…”
【Did you meet her? How was it?】
Lee-eum hesitated slightly.
“She’s a good person, but I don’t think we’re a good match…”
No sooner had he finished speaking than a shout came from the other end of the line. What do you mean she’s a good person but you’re not a good match? I went to the trouble of setting up the meeting, why are you like this? When are you going to get married?
Lee-eum held the phone away from his ear and looked up at the sky. The sky is clear. Did all the fine dust disappear? His father, who had been shouting for a while, quieted down, and Lee-eum finally said what he wanted to say.
“Father. I’m not going on any more blind dates. Don’t bother setting up any more meetings. It’s not polite to the other person.”
As expected, another thunderbolt struck. His chest felt heavy. He was about to go to the smoking area to smoke when he heard a creaking sound from the nearby playground. He turned his head and saw a dark mass sitting on a swing.
What is it? At this hour. Is it a student?
It was so big that it felt intimidating even from a distance. He was wary, wondering if it was a suspicious person, when his father got angry and hung up the phone. Lee-eum sighed and put the phone in his back pocket.
At that moment, the swing stopped. He had a strange feeling and turned around to see the black figure slowly walking towards him. The man came into the light of the streetlamp, and Lee-eum couldn’t close his mouth.
“You’re late?”
Lee-eum looked at the man from top to bottom with an incredulous expression. His mouth was smiling, but his eyes were full of hostility. His gaze moved down and landed on the bag of ice cream Lee-eum was holding.
“I see you like ice cream.”
“H-How did you get here?”
“Some guy stood me up, so I came to hear the reason.”
Lee-eum looked bewildered.
“What do you mean stood you up? I sent you a message saying I couldn’t go because of an outside engagement.”
Choi Won-joon laughed and bit his lower lip hard.
“Damn it, do detectives these days call blind dates an outside engagement?”
“……”
“Was she pretty?”
“What are you doing…? Did you put someone on me?”
“Are you an idiot? How could I not hear you when you were talking so loudly on the phone?”
“……”
Lee-eum looked flustered and annoyed, so Choi Won-joon sauntered over and casually put his arm around his shoulder. Then, he naturally pulled Lee-eum towards his house.
“Let’s go inside. I have something to say.”
Lee-eum belatedly came to his senses and shook off his hand.
“What are you doing! Don’t touch me.”
It was the moment he frowned. Several people appeared in the distance. Hearing their voices made his spine tingle. His Hyung’s family said they were having dinner at a nearby barbecue restaurant, and they must be on their way back now. Flustered, Lee-eum grabbed Choi Won-joon’s arm and pulled him towards the flower bed.
“Quick! This way.”
“What’s wrong? Do you know someone behind us?”
Choi Won-joon turned around, and Lee-eum pulled him with all his might. He urged him to hurry, but Choi Won-joon spotted Lee-eum’s Hyung and waved his hand.
“It’s this way! Kim Yi-”
Lee-eum hurriedly covered Choi Won-joon’s mouth and dragged him behind the flower bed. He roughly pushed him against the wall, covered his mouth, and peeked out from the side to see what his Hyung was doing. The Hyung, hearing the noise, looked around and then went on his way with his family.
Damn it. Lee-eum held his breath and watched his Hyung enter the apartment, then let out a sigh of relief and realized that his hand was still on Choi Won-joon’s mouth, and he was horrified and took it off.
He stepped back to create some distance, but Choi Won-joon suddenly wrapped his arms around his waist. They were so close that their lower bodies were almost touching, and Lee-eum’s face flushed. He pushed his shoulder, asking what he was doing, but Choi Won-joon covered his mouth with his index finger. Shh. They’re coming again.
He turned his head and, sure enough, his Hyung was right in front of him. Lee-eum was horrified, and at the same time, Won-joon pushed Lee-eum against the wall and pretended to kiss him. He heard footsteps, and then his Hyung’s voice.
“Ah, to be young.”
His heart was pounding so hard he held his breath. The footsteps faded away and then became quiet. Belatedly coming to his senses, he pushed Choi Won-joon away, but he held on tight and didn’t let go.
“It’s okay now, let go.”
“Bear with me, not yet.”
Won-joon pointed down with his eyes. Lee-eum, who had been looking down without thinking, crumpled his face like a piece of paper. His pants were bulging out in a hideous way. Was the thing that had been poking his thigh just now not his cell phone?
Seeing his horrified expression, Won-joon sighed with a somewhat troubled expression.
“Can I rest at Lee-eum’s house for a bit? If I walk around like this, I think I’ll get arrested for indecency.”