[It looks like I won’t be able to make it today because of fieldwork. Sorry.]
Choi Wonjoon stared blankly at the message glowing on his phone screen from the back seat of the moving car.
He was supposed to meet Kim Yieum today.
Instead, he got this.
Outside the window, the city drifted by in blurred streaks of light. Wonjoon rested his head against the seat with a tired sigh.
He had been drinking since midday, entertaining important business associates, and the alcohol was finally catching up to him. Combined with several days of poor sleep, his nerves were already frayed. Receiving a text like this only soured his mood further.
In the front seat, Secretary Lee glanced at him through the rearview mirror.
“Are you very tired, sir?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll take you home.”
Wonjoon didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he picked up his phone and made a call.
A middle-aged man answered after only a few rings.
“Hello, Team Leader Oh. This is Choi Wonjoon.”
[Well, this is unexpected. I never thought you’d call me personally.]
“I had something I wanted to ask. Is Inspector Kim Yieum there?”
[Detective Kim? Why are you looking for him…?]
There was unmistakable curiosity in the man’s voice now, layered carefully with caution.
“I wanted to ask him for a favor regarding our missing employee, but I haven’t been able to reach him. I don’t have much time, so I hoped to handle it today.”
[Ah, if that’s all, you can just come by the station. Another detective’s on duty today.]
Wonjoon’s eyebrow lifted slightly.
“So Inspector Kim Yieum isn’t working today?”
[That’s right. It’s his day off.]
“I see. His day off.”
His voice lowered into a strangely pleasant drawl.
“I understand verrry well.”
The smile vanished completely from his face the moment the call ended.
He dialed Yieum directly, but only received an automated message saying the phone was turned off.
Wonjoon stared at the screen for a long moment before speaking calmly.
“Jihoon.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Let’s go home.”
“We’re already heading there, sir.”
Wonjoon rested one arm against the window, his expression perfectly composed.
“No. Not my home.”
A pause.
“Kim Yieum’s.”
Yieum glanced sideways at the woman seated beside him as he drove.
She was apparently the daughter of a professor at a prestigious university and had majored in piano. Her fingers resting lightly in her lap were long and elegant, exactly like a pianist’s should be.
She was easy to talk to, their hobbies overlapped, and if Yieum had truly been a Beta, he probably would have considered seeing her again.
“Being a detective sounds amazing,” she said brightly. “You must meet all kinds of people working violent crimes. Isn’t it scary?”
“To be honest, yeah,” Yieum admitted. “Especially when someone comes at you with a knife.”
Her eyes widened.
“You’ve actually been stabbed before?”
“Not seriously. I got cut along my side once.”
“Oh my god. That must’ve hurt.”
The conversation naturally drifted from there into childhood injuries and accidents. When Yieum mentioned he’d had a similar experience growing up, she burst into easy laughter again.
The atmosphere between them wasn’t bad at all.
Before long, they arrived near her home.
The two stepped out of the car and faced each other beneath the streetlights.
“Thank you for driving me home,” she said. “You have to go all the way back in the opposite direction now.”
“It’s fine. I had a good time today.”
She puffed her cheeks slightly.
“Liar.”
A flicker of guilt pricked at him, though none of it showed on his face.
“Did I do something wrong?” he asked carefully. “If I offended you somehow, I apologize. I’m not really used to this kind of thing.”
“No, not at all.” She laughed softly. “Honestly, my father practically forced me into this too. I was planning to waste a few hours and go home, but it ended up being surprisingly fun.”
She hesitated before smiling again.
“I was actually debating whether I should ask you out first.”
Yieum’s smile turned awkward.
She noticed immediately.
“But you would’ve said no anyway, right?”
He couldn’t answer.
And that alone was answer enough.
“You’re not the type to say things you don’t mean,” she said with a small sigh.
“I’m sorry…”
“It’s okay.” She waved him off lightly despite the disappointment lingering in her eyes. “Let’s just pretend this meeting ended nicely. We can both make up a reasonable excuse to our families.”
With that, she opened the gate and disappeared inside.
Left alone, Yieum let out a long breath before getting back into the car.
A strange mix of emotions lingered in his chest—relief, guilt, exhaustion.
On the way home, he stopped by a convenience store and bought a few ice creams. After paying, he finally switched his phone back on.
The notifications flooded in immediately.
Two missed calls.
One text.
[Did you forget our appointment?]
All from Choi Wonjoon.
At least he didn’t spam my phone like a lunatic.
The thought had barely crossed his mind when another call came in.
His father.
[It’s me. Why weren’t you answering?]
“My battery died.”
[Did you meet her? How was she?]
Yieum hesitated briefly.
“She’s a good person, but I don’t think we’re compatible—”
His father exploded before he could finish.
What did he mean they weren’t compatible? After all the effort it took to arrange this? Did he plan to stay unmarried forever?
Yieum pulled the phone away from his ear and stared absently up at the night sky.
The air looked unusually clear tonight.
Did the fine dust clear up?
Eventually, his father ran out of steam. The moment the shouting stopped, Yieum spoke quietly.
“Dad. I’m not going on any more blind dates. Please stop arranging them. It’s rude to the other person too.”
Predictably, another storm erupted.
His chest felt tight.
Needing a cigarette, Yieum headed toward the smoking area nearby when he heard the faint creak of a swing.
Squeak. Squeak.
He turned toward the playground.
Someone was sitting there.
At first glance, the figure looked too large to be a student. Even from a distance, there was something oppressive about the silhouette sitting motionless beneath the dark.
His father finally hung up in the middle of another tirade.
Yieum shoved the phone into his back pocket with a sigh.
At that exact moment, the swing stopped moving.
A strange sense of foreboding crawled up his spine.
The figure slowly rose and began walking toward him.
Then the man stepped beneath the streetlight.
Yieum’s eyes widened.
“You’re pretty late, aren’t you?”
He stared at Choi Wonjoon in disbelief.
Wonjoon was smiling.
But his eyes weren’t.
His gaze dropped slowly toward the plastic bag hanging from Yieum’s hand.
“So you like ice cream.”
“H-how did you even get here?”
“Some asshole stood me up.” Wonjoon tilted his head slightly. “I came to hear the excuse in person.”
Yieum looked genuinely dumbfounded.
“What do you mean stood you up? I texted you saying I couldn’t make it because of fieldwork.”
Wonjoon let out a short laugh.
Then he bit down hard on his lower lip before releasing it.
“Fuck. Since when do detectives call blind dates fieldwork?”
“…”
“Was she pretty?”
Yieum frowned sharply.
“What is this? Did you have someone follow me?”
“Are you stupid?” Wonjoon scoffed. “You were yelling on the phone loud enough for half the neighborhood to hear.”
“…”
Watching Yieum stand there flustered and irritated, Wonjoon sauntered closer and casually slung an arm around his shoulders.
“Come on. Let’s go inside. I need to talk to you.”
Only then did Yieum snap back to himself.
He immediately shoved the arm away.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing? Keep your hands to yourself.”
He had barely finished speaking when voices drifted toward them from nearby.
Yieum froze.
His brother’s family.
They had mentioned earlier they’d be eating at a meat restaurant nearby before heading home.
Panic flashed across his face.
Without thinking, he grabbed Wonjoon’s arm and dragged him toward the flowerbeds.
“Quickly. Over there.”
“What’s wrong?” Wonjoon asked lazily. “Someone you know?”
He turned his head.
Yieum nearly lost his mind.
“Hurry up!”
But before they disappeared completely from view, Wonjoon spotted Mideum in the distance and casually lifted a hand.
“Over here! Kim Yi’s over—”
Yieum clamped a hand over his mouth and dragged him behind the wall beside the flowerbeds.
He shoved Wonjoon back roughly before peeking around the corner.
Mideum looked around briefly after hearing the noise but eventually continued toward the apartment building with his family.
Only after confirming they’d gone inside did Yieum finally breathe again.
Then he realized his hand was still pressed over Wonjoon’s mouth.
Startled, he jerked it away immediately.
He tried to step back and create some distance, but before he could, Wonjoon suddenly wrapped an arm around his waist.
Their bodies pressed dangerously close together.
Heat rushed straight to Yieum’s face.
“What are you doing?”
He pushed against Wonjoon’s shoulder, but Wonjoon only placed a finger lightly against his lips.
“Shh.”
His voice dropped lower.
“They’re coming back.”
Yieum’s blood ran cold.
Sure enough, Mideum’s footsteps approached again.
Before Yieum could react, Wonjoon pressed him back against the wall and lowered himself close enough to look like they were kissing.
Footsteps passed nearby.
Then came Mideum’s amused voice.
“Ah, youth.”
Yieum’s heart slammed violently against his ribs.
He barely dared breathe.
Eventually the footsteps faded into silence again.
The second they were gone, Yieum shoved at Wonjoon’s chest.
“It’s over now. Let go.”
“Give me a second.”
Wonjoon’s expression tightened faintly.
Then he glanced downward.
Without thinking, Yieum followed his gaze.
The moment he understood what he was seeing, his face crumpled in horror.
The bulge straining against Wonjoon’s pants was impossible to miss.
So that thing pressing against my thigh earlier wasn’t his phone.
Seeing the look on Yieum’s face, Wonjoon sighed heavily, looking almost troubled himself.
“Can I stay at your place for a bit?”
He paused.
“If I walk around like this, I’m pretty sure I’ll get arrested for public indecency.”