Bong-soon looks like a badass cop, Guk-doo thinks, in awe. Then he's frowning at her. Hard.

Bong-soon finally notices the position she's got herself into, and what she did. She still has a fistful of Guk-doo's jacket in her grip. He's now closer than a hair's breadth, caging her to the wall, one elbow poised on the wall, another fist clenched, glaring down at her. With his towering height, she has to crane her neck all the way back to hold his gaze. She's entranced by his eyes, until he says, "Bong-soon-ah, you're utterly stupid?"

"What?" She hates that she's just squawked like a duck. Huh? It felt like a scene ripped a novel, teeming with romance. And this is what he says?

"You're utterly stupid." Guk-doo turns his head to the other side but doesn't pull away. It's so quiet she can hear his racing heart. "So stupid. Do you know what you did? Or how it looks on the outside?"

Outside. Bong-soon hears the voices of other shoppers, men and women. Guk-doo keeps grumbling.

"How could you pull a guy into the changing room with you? How could...."

"It's you... Guk-doo." He doesn't hear her whisper and twists his body so his forehead hits the mirror on the side.

"You're not strange, Guk-doo-ah."

He suddenly crowds her space again. "But I'm a guy."

The crease between his brows is deep. He sounds deadly serious, as if interrogating her. "You're...." His gaze softens only a little. A moment passes in silence.

"Well, that should've thrown her off." Bong-soon cracks open the changing room door, despite her pounding heart. That ends the magical moment. "Should we look? Oh, the coast is clear."

Her sigh of relief is short-lived. At least a dozen women are waiting outside the women's changing room and Guk-doo is still inside! Uh oh. Blush flares Bong-soon's cheek.

The crowd doesn't deter Guk-doo. He's swift as a storm, dashing outside, pulling his badge out, silencing all murmurings around, not at all flustered at the horrified stares.

"This is the police. It's part of an investigation. Forget what you saw." That's all he says and grabs Bong-soon's hand.

"That woman. We can't lose her, Bong-soon! Hurry!" They break into a mad dash after the suspicious woman. They spot her getting in a taxi just outside the mall.

"She won't think she'll be followed. Thanks, genius." Guk-doo pats Bong-soon's shoulder and smiles a bit. "But we should have found another way. Not you pulling me into the changing room."

"What other way there could be?"

He answers Bong-soon's question with a huff as they flag down another taxi. "Who do you think I am?"

Their taxi rolls along the roads at a comfortable pace. The woman's taxi is ahead, but she remains oblivious to her situation, as Guk-doo predicted.

"What were you saying in the changing room? You didn't continue."

Guk-doo spares a glance at Bong-soon, who's seated next to him in the back.

"You said 'you're'... and stopped."

Guk-doo chuckles. "I was going to call you dumb."

"Huh? How rude. What happened to calling me a genius?"

"That, you didn't get the sarcasm."

"Jerk!"

Guk-doo laughs in response, bringing a smile to her face.

***

"That's the MP's residence."

From their vantage point, Bong-soon listens to Guk-doo's clipped voice. At least ten minutes passed since their taxi stopped near a taxi stand on a spacious road in the most glamorous, glitziest part of the city. Hongdae. Here's a home to celebrities. It's glamorous for a reason — the spacious streets, palatial mansions with sizeable patios dotting the residential part.

"Guk-doo ah..." Bong-soon follows Guk-doo's gaze. From the taxi's half-open window, he's rather sternly staring at the woman crossing the street. She heads into a crisp white three-storied mansion that almost appears like a castle.

"She's going in." Guk-doo makes a fist once the woman has made it past what appears like a security check-post outside the mansion.

Guk-doo's jaw tightens, his expression terse before it relaxes. Bong-soon knows why.

"This confirms she has links to the MP. She sure should have links to the mafia," Guk-doo's whispered words are barely audible. Then he raises his voice. "Dearest driver, bro, thanks for your cooperation thus far. Take a U-turn. We'll be heading back to the art market street."

***

Cheap art — they call it cheap and they may be of low value, but they are actually priceless. Only an artistic eye can discern this. Dusk falls when they arrive at the art market. The evening hours are rarely when the streets are sparsely crowded.

The sky steadily darkens in a matter of minutes. The art market looks stunning at night!! Under the dizzying golden glow of the streetlights. Bong-soon has never arrived at this hour. What a loss. She usually has to rush back to avoid tongue-lashing from her mother. Is this a taste of freedom? It's been a messy few weeks, but it's given me time away from my mother.

She glances at Guk-doo. Unlike before, he's not holding her hand. They are simply waking side by side. And oh, he's fiddling with his smartphone as he's moving about. She bites her lip.

"Guk-doo, do we have time for this?"

His smile is radiant under the street's golden illumination. "Of course."

"But you said we only had thirty minutes!"

"We did our sleuthing. We can afford this."

Guk-doo is genuinely thrilled. "Today has been fruitful. Let's go."

And off they go deep into the art market. He buys and pays for whatever catches her eye. Soon they are carrying half a dozen paper bags, all filled with paintings of various sizes.

"Guk-doo. You can't! You can't pay for these! I was only looking. I didn't want everything!"

Bong-soon finally voices what she's been struggling to say. Again, Guk-doo grins brightly. He flashes her a boyish smile.

"I want to do this. And as if I'd let my friend pay."

They approach his patrol car. Her heart is filled with regret as he loads the shopping bags into the back seat. I should've spoken up earlier!

Just then, a man dressed as a civilian hands Guk-doo a wrapped package in a thick shopping bag. Bong-soon catches the logo on top and gasps. That package is from the mall?!

"Guk-doo? Is this..."

"Surprise. It's the dress you were looking at earlier."

"Guk-doo. I still have the money Pa gave me for art supplies, but... I can't afford this. You don't have to go overboard."

Gukdoo shifts the shopping bags into the backseat, shuts the back door and grabs the wheel in the front. Reluctantly, she gets into the passenger's seat.

"You know, there's all the stress surrounding the current situation. I want you to relax as much as possible. This is a small token to remind you of that. Your birthday is next month, isn't it? I hope you can accept this little gift from your friend." He clutches the steering. The affectionate smile on his lips causing her breath to catch in her chest.

"Bong-soon. It's all going to be okay. You can rely on me. He faces the road. Alright, let's go."

They pull outside her home. Guk-doo gets out of his patrol car first, Bong-soon next. Feet rooted to the ground on the near-empty street, she can't pull her gaze away from his profile.

It's like old times. I can't take my eyes off of you.

He notices and raises a brow. "What?"

"Nothing. Just thank you... for the gifts. See you, Guk-doo-ah."

"You'll thank your friend?" He tousles her hair, laughing, his head titled to a side. Then he peers into his eyes, straight on. "See you. Good night. I must go to the PD. Do-young will be here soon."

He waits outside while she strides towards her home. His earlier words resonate with her. Stressful. It is stressful, but if it's also a situation in which I get to be with you, then... Am I allowed to be happy in this twisted situation? I get to see so many sides of you. I get to see you work at the PD. This sure is a blessing, isn't it? And I'm going to help catch a thief?

She doesn't make it to the foyer when Bong-gi appears out of the house and reaches for her shopping bags. "Wow! All this shopping?" He waves to someone behind her. At Guk-doo. Who else?

"Shopping trip with Guk-doo?" He has a teasing word or two for her once they step into the living room. "Wow! Things are progressing!"

"Huh, shut it, Bong-gi. He tags along every time!" Bong-soon doesn't encourage the conversation further. "Look, it's seven thirty. Don't you have to go to the hospital?"

She hears Bong-gi's slight groan in response and the shuffle of his feet. Damn, I'm running late! See you later, sister! She allows herself a chuckle following that.

***

The strange woman showing up was a surprise, but no cause of alarm. It only warrants tight security measures, nothing else. Guk-doo takes a shortcut to the PD down a narrow road. Driving down a deserted alley at a slow pace, he reflects on the moments he spent with Bong-soon.

"What was I going to tell you in the car during our stakeout? What else but you were lovely? And just now..."

He remembers her expression from before.

"What were you thinking? Why'd you look at me like that? Silly girl. Don't look at another guy that way." He pulls his patrol car into the PD's parking lot and runs a hand through his hair. "Ugh... gotta get back to work. Just work on the case, yes!"

A rueful laugh escapes him before he shifts to duty mode. There's no time to nap tonight. Clearance from the Chief, a written permit, then he will collect the footage from the mall. Then, he'll enlist the help of a couple more detectives to aid Do-young, ensuring Bong-soon's safety. 

***

AN: Next up! Guk-doo does a groundbreaking thing to get the bombing case moving. And Bongsoon faces troubles thanks to her mama. But the good news is that she gets a job? How does it link to the case? What of the strange woman and the Black Wrestlers, and the MP?

More coming <3