By Zephyria Lee-eum, having packed his hiking gear at home, went down to the underground parking lot. Tomorrow was a holiday, and feeling stifled staying at home, he planned to go on a night hike. Jeong Nam-su had repeatedly suggested they go together, so he considered calling him, but he decided it would be better to go alone today to soothe his complicated feelings.
As he was loading the backpack filled with gear into the car and organizing things, someone suddenly hugged him from behind. He knew immediately it was a grown man’s arm, and thinking it might be a vengeful suspect, his elbow reflexively shot back.
The other person dodged it surprisingly quickly, and as he turned around with a frown, Choi Won-joon was standing before him.
“Detective Kim, how have you been? It’s only been ten days, but I’m really glad to see you. But what’s with that face? Like you stepped in dog poop.”
“I just did. What brings you here?”
“I came because I missed you. Enough to ditch all my piled-up work.”
“I told you not to show your face, did you take it lightly?”
Won-joon smiled sweetly, and Lee-eum ignored him, putting in the last of his luggage and closing the trunk. He went to the driver’s seat, but Choi Won-joon stood in front, blocking his way.
“Move.”
“Where are you going?”
“Move.”
“Judging by your outfit, you’re not going to catch a criminal. Your clothes are really old-fashioned. Are they glow-in-the-dark?”
He touched the front of his jumper, and as he swatted his hand away, a familiar car caught his eye in the distance. Huh…? Lee-eum tensed up. It circled around the parking lot and came this way, and sure enough, it was his Hyung’s car. Damn it. Lee-eum quickly grabbed Choi Won-joon’s arm and pulled him towards a pillar.
Taken aback, Choi Won-joon asked with a smile.
“Prosecutor Kim Mid-eum?”
“Shh.” Lee-eum covered his mouth with a finger and peeked out, waiting for his Hyung’s car to pass, while Won-joon’s gaze scanned Lee-eum’s dark eyes, the bridge of his nose, and his lips in turn.
His puppy-like eyes were busy watching Kim Mid-eum’s movements, and when it disappeared from view, he frowned and let out a sigh of relief. Cute. Won-joon smiled, and Lee-eum came out from behind the pillar, grumbling.
“If he had caught us just now, it wouldn’t have ended with fainting.”
“Did you hide me because you were worried about me?”
“No. I stopped it because I didn’t want my Hyung to become a murderer.”
“Murder, huh? It sends shivers down my spine just hearing it.”
Lee-eum paused and went closer to Choi Won-joon, staring at him straight on. Unlike usual, he was wearing long shorts and a long shirt, an outfit that screamed vacation. In contrast, his face was full of fatigue.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Tell me honestly. You released Assemblyman Kim’s video and had Kim Ji-cheol brought in and his fingers cut off, didn’t you?”
“I told you on the phone. It wasn’t me.”
“Really?”
Won-joon wore an aggrieved expression.
“Kim Ji-cheol had a lot of enemies. Even his father had been keeping other assemblymen in check for a while. It was bound to happen, but it wasn’t me. I swear.”
“Can you swear with everything you have?”
Won-joon nodded without a moment’s hesitation, and even with his confident attitude, Lee-eum couldn’t hide his suspicious expression. Either way, Choi Won-joon would never confess even if he did do it.
On the other hand, he wondered about his own feelings. What if Choi Won-joon really did it? Would he put him in jail? Let’s be honest. When he heard that Kim Ji-cheol’s fingers were cut off, he secretly felt a sense of satisfaction. He genuinely wanted to kill Kim Ji-cheol when he pressed his face into the pillow.
Do you even have the right to blame Choi Won-joon…?
Lee-eum didn’t ask further, lowering his head to avoid his gaze. Then, he got into the driver’s seat, and Choi Won-joon got into the passenger seat as if he had been waiting for it. He considered dragging him out, but he started the engine, and just before the car started, Choi Won-joon took something out of his pants pocket. It was a wrapped item, about a hand span in size and long.
“Here, a gift.”
When he didn’t take it, he insisted on handing it over and urged him to unwrap it. Reluctantly, he unwrapped it, revealing a box, and when he opened it, there was something completely unexpected inside. The contents were a pen, with a camel with a ridiculous face hanging from it.
“You can’t just give expensive gifts to public officials.”
He was about to tell him that if he knew that, he shouldn’t have sent a luxury bag to his mother and to come and take it away immediately, but Choi Won-joon naturally placed his hand lightly on the back of Lee-eum’s hand.
“If we date, I’ll give you everything then.”
“What nonsense!” Lee-eum recoiled in disgust, swatting his hand away, but he liked the pen and put it aside. Lee-eum unexpectedly liked cute stationery. Choi Won-joon probably didn’t know that when he bought it.
He pulled the car onto the road, and it was deserted, probably because it was late. As he drove out of the city center, the number of streetlights decreased, and Choi Won-joon gradually became quiet after saying a few words. Looking to the side, he was already asleep, and his head kept tilting to one side.
Lee-eum stopped at a signal and reclined his seat. Choi Won-joon was sound asleep, unaware of anything. On a whim, he turned down the air conditioner, then suddenly felt a sense of self-loathing, wondering why he was even showing this consideration for this guy.
In the meantime, the car drove along the local road for a long time and finally reached the vicinity of his destination. Seeing a car nearby, it seemed there were others who had come for a night hike besides him. Lee-eum quietly got out and took his luggage out of the trunk. He was about to leave Choi Won-joon behind and go up, but he heard a noise, and Choi Won-joon came out, stretching.
“Wow, I slept like a log.”
While Lee-eum put on his headlamp and checked his condition, Won-joon frowned as he looked at the mountain in front of him.
“Don’t tell me, you really came to hike?”
Without answering, he tried to put on his backpack, but Won-joon quickly snatched it away.
“I’ll carry this.”
Lee-eum scanned Won-joon’s outfit from top to bottom.
“You’re not thinking of climbing the mountain with me, are you?”
“I came all the way here, I have to go.”
“In that outfit?”
“What does the outfit matter when you’re hiking? The important thing is the will to climb the mountain.”
“Don’t regret it and stay in the car.”
“Lead the way. I’ll follow you.”
Won-joon was full of spirit, taking out a flashlight and clicking it on and off, so Lee-eum decided not to stop him. He took out two folding sticks from the trunk and handed one to Won-joon, who tilted his head.
“What is this? A magic wand?”
“The mountain is steeper than you think. Use it to help you climb.”
Won-joon shook his head firmly.
“No way. It’s not cool.”
Lee-eum clicked his tongue and turned away. Sure, go ahead and be cool.
This place wasn’t well known to people, but it was nice because there were separate spots to pitch a tent at the top. Besides, the sunrise was really amazing. However, it was also rugged, making it difficult for beginners, especially at night.
He took a step and slowly moved towards the summit, and the birdsong that had been heard nearby stopped, and they fluttered away. The mountain at night was desolate and silent, unlike during the day. Choi Won-joon followed surprisingly well, and Lee-eum picked up the pace a little.
How long had it been? As he climbed the wooden stairs without stopping, Choi Won-joon’s breathing gradually became rough. Lee-eum stopped for a moment and looked back. Choi Won-joon was holding onto the rope next to the stairs, panting with his back bent. Lee-eum was a little worried and asked.
“Are you okay?”
“Haa, damn it, what kind of pervert, put stairs on a mountain like this, trying to kill people.”
“Do you want to rest?”
“How much is left?”
“We haven’t even reached the halfway point.”
“Damn it…”
Lee-eum came down the stairs and took the backpack that Won-joon was carrying, carrying it himself. Then, worried that he might collapse, he poured water and handed it to him, also sharing the chocolate bar he had packed as a snack.
Choi Won-joon raised his head to drink the water, but it flowed down the side of his face because he was so tired. Seeing him get angry and say, “Damn it,” Lee-eum felt like bursting into laughter, so he bit his lip and quickly looked away.
“Detective Kim.”
Lee-eum tried not to laugh, thinking sad thoughts in his head.
“What?”
“Can’t you give me a kiss just once? I think I’d have the strength to run if you did.”
This guy always has to ruin things. Lee-eum snatched the water bottle and turned around, going up the stairs. Then, Choi Won-joon called out again from behind, “Detective Kim!” When he looked back, he was holding out his hand, and Lee-eum snapped.
“How can we hold hands and go through this narrow place!”
“No, the walking stick…”
“…….”
“I think my knees are going to give out.”
“Pfft!”
So much for not being cool.
“Were you laughing at me?”
“I was sneering at you.”
“Whatever. Now that I think about it, I’m upset. You laughed so well with Young-shik, but after becoming Choi Won-joon, you’re a complete ice block.”
“I didn’t laugh well with Young-shik either.”
“No, you did laugh. You made eye contact, and you even smiled enough to show your dimples. You patted me and sang me lullabies, and you even held me in your arms. Ah, damn it. The more I think about it, the more angry I get. What’s the difference between that Young-shik bastard and me? Why do you only like that bastard?”
Because of his sudden strange complaint, Lee-eum sighed and turned around. I’ll go slowly, so follow me. He could still hear him grumbling from behind, and Lee-eum shook his head in disbelief. He shouldn’t have brought this guy.