- "Hic!"
Min Tae-yeon and Hwang Soon-Bum turned their heads simultaneously - the first one looking vaguely annoyed, the second one with a compassionate face.
- "Sorry", said Yoo Jung-In, mechanically putting her hand over her mouth.
Another hiccup shook her. She closed her eyes, and buried her neck in her shoulders.
- "Sorry", she repeated, her voice slightly shrilled.
The prosecutor sighed. He put down the file he was studying on his desk and buckled a button of his jacket.
- "Maybe you should go home", he said. "You're in no state to work."
Soon-Bum was careful not to intervene, but that did not stop him from thinking.
Neither are you.
The dark bags had grown even bigger under his friend's eyes since the day before. They had not slept all night, busy collecting anything that seem related to their investigation.
The women upstairs are witches...
My next door neighbor is a alien...
Strange things happens in the house across the street ...
The government is hiding information from us ...
This warehouse is so suspect ...
There is a ghost in my basement ...
I saw lights in my garden last night ...
Werewolves hunt at night in Seoul ...
My attic is haunted ...
It was exhausting and they had found nothing worth to be studied in depth. And – it had lasted for an hour, now – the prosecutor Yoo had hiccups.
- "You should try to drink a glass of water head upside down", suggested the good detective while filling a coffee mug with water at the sink of their kitchenette.
- "Already tried, it failed", grumbled the young woman. "And don't just rinse the cup from time to time, detective! It needs to be washed."
Another hiccup.
Tae-yeon lift up his eyes.
- "Should we give you a good fright ?" he growled.
His menacing tone called forth the image of the vampire in Soon-Bum's head. The big man immediately panicked.
- "I don't think we should!" he stammered. "No! Nope, it'll be over in a minute, I'm sure. Isn't it, missy? No need to scare her to her death! We should take a break, Boss. What do you think? Have breakfast, take a shower, sleep for an hour. We'll feel better afterwards."
The prosecutor raised a scornful nostril.
- "Breakfast?"
- "Missy?" repeated the young woman, outraged. "It's prosecutor for you, detective. I don-"
Hic.
She huffed and, oddly, the exchange between his two subordinates relaxed their boss who allowed himself an amused half-smile.
- "I think this is a side effect of the luminol", he said. "Hyung, you're right. A break won't hurt. Let's meet again at 0800."
The round face of the detective widened with a broad happy smile.
Finally – a sensible word.
Min picked up a stack of files and stuffed it under his arm.
- "Prosecutor Yoo, I'll drive you home. I don't wanna see your picture on the front page of tomorrow newspapers."
- "Hot lady shines at five in the morning in Seoul bus", Soon-Bum chuckled.
The woman glared at him but did not have time to retort.
- "But you can go home using public transport, for that matter", Tae-yeon cut in sarcastically. "Yoo Jung-In, let's go."
He went out without waiting for his best friend to manage a protest, followed by his colleague who allowed herself a grin at the detective.
Soon-Bum stood still a moment, then sniffed and rubbed his nose with his sleeve.
Pff. If we can't even joke, now.
He smiled mischievously.
On your own with her, right? Good move, kiddo!
Then he frowned.
These files, what was that for? Don't tell me you're going to work at home!
Aish. Incorrigible ...
Tae-yeon launched the folders on the rear seat, threw his jacket over them and slammed the door before settling on the driver's seat.
- "You gonna be okay driving?" asked the young woman who was buckling her belt, almost indifferently. "You look like a corpse."
The prosecutor raised an eyebrow but did not answer. He adjusted the rearview mirror and put the key in the ignition.
- "Hic!"
He slowly turned his head to her.
Jung-In put her hands over her mouth.
- "Sorry."
Min sighed. He switched on the engine and put an arm behind the passenger backrest to roll back the car.
- "I'll be fine, as long as you stop making this infernal noise."
- "It's not like I'm doing it on purpose, though," muttered the young woman between high and low. "These morons with their luminol will pay for it dearly ..."
He acted as if he had not heard, but the shadow of a smile folded the corner of his mouth.
They drove in silence for a while, along the large and still empty streets of Seoul. The yellow haloes of the street lights passed on their faces and gave them a greenish glow. Jung-In wished she could pull her knees up, but her skirt was too short, so she just took off her high heels and dozed off, her mouth open, her head nodding against the leather seat, her hair on her face.
She was gliding aside slowly and Min Tae-yeon watched this progression from the corner of his eye, failing to decide whether he wanted or not for it to fall all the way down to his shoulder.
When he parked the car, the abrupt movement shook the young woman and, instead of gently falling against the shoulder of the driver, her head went knocking the forearm of the prosecutor without any elegance.
- "Ouch", she groaned, sitting up.
- "Drooling", signaled Min Tae-yeon with a look of disgust towards his shirt.
- "Sorry", Jung-In stammered, not yet awake.
Then she hiccupped.
- "Sorry again."
The young man shook his head.
- "Go to bed."
She got out of the car in the night, yawned and scratched her collarbone, barefoot in the driveway in front of the building. She massaged her neck, clicked her tongue then leaned over and patted the glass.
Min Tae-yeon opened the window with infinite patience.
- "What is it now?"
- "Uh ... boss? That's not my place."
He frowned, got out of the car starting his sentence and paused.
- "Ah."
Indeed, this was his place.
Jung-In chuckled at his crestfallen look.
- "It's okay. I'll take the bus. You're worn out, that's all."
He swallowed.
- "No. Just stay, then. We're going back to the office in an hour anyway.
She blinked, biting her lip.
"Stay?"
Another hiccup. She risked a look.
He seemed less annoyed than worried.
- "You'll catch cold, barefoot in the street. Let's go."
He closed the car automatically and walked to the porch without looking back.
Jung-In thought for a minute.
Her shoes were in the car. Assuming she could catch a bus down the street in less than a quarter, she would not be home before a good twenty minutes and she would just have the time to take a 3-sec shower before returning to the office. If she wanted to get some sleep, she did not really have a choice.
- "Hey, wait for me!"
In the elevator, Min Tae-yeon leaned back against the mirror and closed his eyes. He really wasn't feeling good. Jung-In watching him furtively, a little sorry.
- "Boss?"
- "Hmm?"
- "You should slow down from time to time. You're not the only prosecutor in Seoul, y'know. There's a bunch of police officers who work hard and honest attorneys too, although dramas try to make us believe otherwise."
He half-opened an eye and let out a sarcastic snort.
- "So, you have time to go clubbing and even to watch TV?"
She shrugged, not impressed.
The elevator chimed quietly and the doors opened with a hiss.
The prosecutor stepped out and tripped off with fatigue. He had to press his hand against the corridor wall to hold himself up. Jung-In had make a move to help, but she changed her mind remembering her friends' advices and followed him, trying to be as invisible as possible.
Men and their stupid pride.
What an idea to go work in such a state!
Min Tae-yeon forgot to switch on the lights when they entered in the flat – he could see perfectly in the dark, even in his weak state. Jung-In was beginning to think he had completely forgotten about her presence, but he stopped on the doorstep of his bedroom.
- "Do you need anything?" he asked over his shoulder.
She shook her head, had another hiccup.
- "No. Well, yes, actually. A toothbrush, a towel, stuff like that."
Something to remove my makeup, a hearty breakfast, five vitamin tablets, sane clothes to go back to work later on...
He made a vague gesture.
- "Help yourself."
- "'Kay."
He closed the door behind him and she let out a long sigh.
Not quite romantic.
She wasn't feeling like sleeping anymore, strangely. The pink light of the day rising behind the skyscrapers helped her find her way into the pale darkness of the flat. She found the fridge, opened it and pouted.
It contained only the porridge she had prepared the day before.
- "Well. That'll do. Finder, keeper."
She went in search of a spoon, managed to operate the ultra modern microwave, so clean that seemed to have never been used and settled with the Tupperware on the sofa.
After swallowing down the porridge, a series of yawns succeeded to the hiccups that had finally stopped. She rummaged through the drawers and cupboards and finally lay a hand on a blanket. She lay down comfortably in the white cushions of the sofa, without worrying about putting mascara on the impeccable cotton, put the blanket over her legs and bit her lip, staring at the closed door of the room.
- "'Night, boss."
Her friends were going to be so excited to hear that she had slept at his place - and so disappointed when she would tell them how it had gone.
Bah. I'll make up something.
She closed her eyes and smiled to herself mischievously.
Let's see ...
It could have been very different ... she imagined the prosecutor's cat eyes fixed on her in the elevator, through the glass, a chill down her spine. He had taken her home, he was now close and leaned over her. His hot breath on the wisps of her neck made her shiver. She could smell his masculine and elegant perfume, intoxicating ...
- "Jung-In..."
The fantasy was becoming a little too real.
Uh ...
She cautiously opened an eye.
Oh-oh.
He was right next to her, kneeling on the carpet, his brown hair leaning against the armrest, his face down.
- "Boss? What ... w-w-what's the matter?"
Her cheeks burning, she quickly checked her cleavage.
Should she hide it or rather show more? Omo, omo ...
Her heart was pounding.
- MinTae-yeon?
He suddenly looked up and she froze.