AN: Please don't be a silent reader if you're reading this work. Do vote and comment if you want to read more ^^ As usual I worked long and hard on this chapter. I hope you enjoy. ~

***

"Sir, this woman is suspicious. We brought her in for questioning," the constable reiterates, continuing to hold the woman in a one-handed armlock.

The woman curses something inaudibly under her breath, still covering her face with her free hand.

"Unhand her. She's not suspicious. She's my friend."

She stiffness hearing Guk-doo's voice, even more so as he closes his file shut and strides towards her, and goes still as a statue when his gentle fingers retract her hand from her face.

"Bong-soon."

He utters her name, sounding exasperated. Her bangs are messed up - he's tempted to adjust them but holds himself back. He must not touch her so casually. Not in his office.

Bong-soon finally resigns to her fate with a huge sigh, looking everywhere but at the man standing before her. One moment she boarded the train to help the woman and a twist of fate landed her here.

"Bong-soon."

She can't relax when he says her name in that slightly gruff tone. He's in the cop mood for sure. and she's in for a lecture. She visited him at the police station only once. If she remembers it's because she turned in an eve-teaser.

Guk-doo lets out a huge sigh. The constable interjects, "Sir, this woman." Guk-doo waves him off with a hand.

"Sit." He tells Bong-soon.

Bong-soon takes the chair across Guk-doo's desk but can't look at him, though she's not the one who should be ashamed of what happened that evening.

A minute passes when the silence becomes unbearable. She lifts her head up and finds Guk-doo in his seat, staring at her pointedly.

"I thought you went home. Where were you? He narrows his eyes looking at the time 11.30."

Bong-soon clears her throat and swallows her nerves. "I wanted to give these papers to the police."

Guk-doo takes the envelope she offers.

"What are these? Where did you find them?"

He's shocked to see the contents inside the envelope, and quickly shoves the documents back inside as Do-young comes to his side.

"Did you look inside?"

Bong-soon shakes her head, a negative response to this question. Guk-doo heaves a mild sigh of relief. Good. She didn't come to know the unpleasant reality of it.

"I figured they were seedy. That woman who gave me looked suspicious and even took off her disguise after I boarded the train."

Bong-soon looks at Guk-doo. His stern eyes focus on her. Uh-oh. Intense cop mode is turned on.

"This woman." His brow is stiff jaw is clenched. "Who asked you to help deliver the package, tell me all about her. Start from the beginning."

Bong-soon tries to talk, her speech interrupted by a soft thud. Guk-doo has placed a recorder on the desk between them. Such a small distance between them; it feels closer than when he pulled her close the other night.

"Speak up, Miss Do Bong-soon. We'll be recording your statement. This is official business."

Bong-soon's throat goes dry. It's that serious? She's not afraid. It's just hard to look at Guk-doo and speak eye to eye after he tried to kiss her the other day. And the slap she gave him was... What, brain, don't recall that now.

"Uh..."

"Bong-soon. Your statement."

Yep, Gukdoo is in cop mode. I'm the only one who's awkward about this. Even if he's feeling awkward, he's acting cool, performing his duty. I will unleash my cool side as well.

"I was walking down the station. The evening rush was horrendous. Then all of a sudden this old woman tripped among the crowd and fell to the ground. I immediately lent her a helping hand."

"Strong woman to the rescue, I see."

Bong-soon ignores Gukdoo's remark. "She had the strange package in her hand. As her leg was hurting from the fall she asked me if I could deliver it to an address in West Busan. The train I was about to board was headed there anyway."

Guk-doo nods, lips pressed together, eyes narrowed. "So you agreed to help?" His lips form a thin line again after he speaks.

"I thought I was helping an old woman." Bong-soon slams her palms on the desk, torn and ashamed. "I didn't know she could be a criminal. I got into the train, a strap hanger, I could see this woman standing as soon as the train left the platform, and took off her disguise - she was a young woman again."

"Disguise? Did you see her face?"

"No, she hid behind a pillar as she took her disguise off. She just pulled off the heavy robe she wore and tucked it in her bag. Like a ninja, she was already dressed in a corporate young woman's work suit."

Guk-doo's eyes narrow slits. He murmurs to himself, "I bet she ducked behind the pillar to avoid the CC cameras."

"Yeah. In a blink of an eye, she blended with the crowds. I wanted to chase after her but was on a moving train. I could stop the train and go after her, but it would've been too late. And so I went to the address she mentioned. There, I saw men in black dressed outside and turned right on my heel and boarded the same train again."

"She mentioned?" Guk-doo looks at the blank face of the envelope that carries no address. "You're a fool to rely on word of mouth and trust a random stranger. West Busan is quite the place. Mafia district. It's a miracle you made it back."

Though initially annoyed, Guk-doo seems relieved. Bong-soon heaves a sigh, content with this knowledge. He's muttering to himself. If he's serious it's because he's mulling over things.

"This is the work of black wrestlers. Who's this woman and this envelope comes from an MP? The Chief needs to see this. And... Do-young, let's get the cc cam footage from the train station!"

"Now?" Do-young looks dubious. "I'm afraid we have to wait till tomorrow."

Guk-doo sighs. "At least the chief is here." He looks at Bong-soon rather pointedly after rising from his seat.

Bong-soon thinks a question will come her way but all he murmurs to himself is - I need to have a word with the chief. Before she can process what's happening, he cuffs one of her hands to his desk.

"Wait here until I get back."

"Heyyy..."

Turning a deaf ear to her protests, Guk-doo strides away. Do-young joins him and they fall in step, heading towards the Chief's cabin.

"You said she is a friend and you cuff her?"

"Don't worry. Yes, she's got zero links with the mafia. Well, knowing her she will still flee."

"From the police?"

Guk-doo smiles. "From me."

"Whoa. And she's your friend? I didn't know you had a pretty friend."

"Pretty?"

"Truly, she's-"

Guk-doo pounces at once and twists Do-young's arm behind his back.

"Uhhhh... why are you twisting my arm? She's pretty, right?"

More twisting. Do-young whines. "Ahh, she's.... I won't say it even casually. Man, you should've told me she's special. Not just your friend!"

Guk-doo releases Do-young's arm, feeling sheepish. It may sound absurd but he acted on impulse. He apologizes to do young by bowing.

"Hey, don't be too formal, that's fine," Do-young responds with a chuckle. "I'm still surprised. Chief wasn't wrong when he said there was a girl."

Guk-doo sighs. He never told anyone about Heeji. Looking back he could now realise why Heeji wanted to part ways. They never had much of a relationship, to begin with. He shouldn't have gotten together with her, well this is the last time he will utter the statement mentally.

The chief greets the two young officers entering his cabin. Gukdoo cuts straight to the point.

"Sir, I think we found a lead in the bombing case. More like why they are taking place. My friend stumbled upon and got her hands on a secret correspondence between this member of parliament and Black Wrestlers. Here are the original docs my friend brought us."

The chief looks at the three sheaves of papers inside the envelope handed to him. One sheet is a poem of sorts, though it's conveying a message and asking for one in return. The second one bears the seal of the said MP's office. The envelope itself bears carries traces of the Black Wrestlers' dark purple wisteria crest in the front. Though the contents inside are vague, the words 'explosion' and 'chaos' are mentioned many times. As if the MP himself is insinuating things.

"A lot of this is speculation at this point." The Chief tells Guk-doo leaning back in his chair. "Yes, something's fishy. This comes from the MP. The official seal - he must have used it in haste. or probably it was his intention. He wanted his senders to know it was him."

"Sir, this means he's corrupt. Can't we..."

"Guk-doo." The Chief stops his subordinate from speaking with a shake of his head and one hand drawn out. "I know, but we can't proceed with this. We can't take him into custody based on the seal or the crest. He will claim innocence. He will find a loophole in the law and escape."

Guk-doo's jaw stiffens. His eyes narrow, imagining the picture of the smug, corrupt politician though his gaze is trained on his superior.

"Does this mean we let it slide, sir? I always keep track of current affairs. This MP, Oh Yun, he's currently in the opposition. There were corruption allegations on him before though they didn't exactly link him to mafia or Black Wrestlers."

The Chief's silence feels like a blow to Guk-doo's conscience. He takes a step back knowing he won't receive the kind of answer he wants from his boss.

"Guk-doo." The Chief calls Guk-doo as he turns around. "I know how you feel. You're right, men like him shouldn't be in the parliament. I know you want to arrest him but at the moment, we don't have enough proof."

"So then what sir?" Guk-doo's shoulders carry a slight droop as he faces his boss, shoulders tightly set. "Should we let this man collaborate with the mafia and let the bombings happen?"

"Of course, not Guk-doo. We'll have to wait for the right time. Stop the bombings, gather enough evidence and... put an end to this."

Guk-doo smiles, though it's only a faint trace and salutes his superior. "Yes, sir."

"Guk-doo, it's going to be a tough job. But you're daring enough to work on this case. I personally will oversee this. I'm assigning you and Do-young to this assignment. We don't know how long it will take but let's try and solve it quickly."

Guk-doo brightens visibly now. Do-young who's remained passive in the conversation heaves a sigh. Though nervous, he jumps aboard.

The Chief then instructs Guk-doo to guard his friend, figure out how to keep her safe. Black Wrestlers will likely come after her.

Guk-doo exits the Chief's cabin with a sigh. Of course, he doesn't need his boss telling him to guard Bong-soon. He doesn't need to be told Black Wrestlers would be coming after her. He's already aware. It's why he chained her to his desk so she doesn't escape on her own.

Sure, things turned awkward between them. And knowing her, she'd find an escape route that puts a great distance between them. Usually, he'd respect her wishes. But now he can't.

He sighs again. It's like fate has thrown us together. What's this feeling? I'm excited to have her close. He smiles a little to himself and brings a fist to his heart. Bong-soon, I will protect you, no matter what.

...

He returns to the primary office hall to find Bong-soon struggling against her cuffs. Is she trying to break free? the metal would press into her delicate skin and cause an abrasion. He runs to hold her hand in his, standing next to where she's seated.

"Are you daft? Don't struggle with your restraints." He looses his calm. Her voice is equally loud as she shouts back. "You are the idiot who chained me here!"

"Idiot! You have the worst luck. You turned your back on this woman who has mafia links. Do you think she is going to sit calmly? She even saw your face!"

"I am stupid, okay!"

Bong-soon and Guk-doo's loud back and forth goes on for a while. Do-young jumps in between.

"That's enough now. I truly believe you're friends. Or is this a lover's spat?"

Guk-doo and Bong-soon protest in unison. "No!"

"Okay, so this pretty girl is only your friend?"

"Pretty?"

Guk-doo glares Do-young sighs. "It was a joke. hells, I was only..." Do-young wilts sheepishly. "Sorry, won't say the word pretty as a joke."

"Anyway, you double-crossed that woman. She'll be coming for you." Guk-doo says solemnly gazing at Bong-soon. "You have to be careful, and always have an escort with you. Sorry, but you will be under guard until this case is solved as it's all interlinked."

Bong-soon heaves a defeated sigh and faceplants on Guk-doo's desk, and doesn't move though her hand is freed. What have I gotten myself into?

"Why are you slouching?" Guk-doo approaches her after putting away the envelope in his desk drawer and securely locking them in. "Let's get you home. Do-young will guard you outside your house shortly."

Do-young pulls a face. "What, am I to join later, why not now? Wait." He throws his hands up, subject to Guk-doo's intense stare. "Okay, I'm cool. But this is absurd. Why is it always me?"

Guk-doo's glare intensifies further. He could set fire to the room if he could with his eyes. "Try not to speak your mind too often, Do-young."

"Scary! Oh man, okay, okay!" Do-young sighs again, his sigh coming in tandem with Bong-soon's.

Bong-soon wants to say she can go home but can't protest when the clock strikes twelve. And knowing Black Wrestlers are targeting her doesn't help.

Ugh, I'm not shaking in my boots or something. I'm just agitated. With everything. She didn't want to see Guk-doo so quickly or be caught in that stupid mafia scandal or whatever.

Why don't things go my way for once? she thinks, walking out of the PS and strapping herself into the passenger's seat of Guk-doo's car.

***

Next: Bongsoon's family is outside of her house as Gukdoo drops her off. Drama ensues thanks to her mother. A new life together begins for Gukdoo and Bongsoon the following day -- a police officer and a witness, both on a quest to bring a corrupt MP down. What'll happen next? What of the friendship/love between them?

Stay tuned. Exciting, cute, action-packed yet emotion-filled chapters will be on the way! Hopefully I can update the next one soon ~

TBC. Please vote and comment! ^^