Zero Encounters

Next To Me

        Jisung began to look forward to the days Yeonwoo would visit. His team had successfully completed another case which had the officers racking their heads. He just knew that the more cases they solved, the more often he would be able to see her. As twisted as it was, he felt comfortable around Yeonwoo and found himself interested in her. He often wondered if there would be a possibility to get to know her better, but their work kept them occupied from asking personal questions. So in the meantime, he found joy in their limited exchange.

"Isn't that Jisungie?" Inspector Choi pointed from the passenger side of Captain Lee's car. "Oh, Ms. Yeonwoo too?" Captain Lee turned his head and the car slowly pulled up beside them. "Hey~ What are you two kids doing out here?"

"W-We.. uh." Jisung couldn't think of the right words to say. His flustered look only made Inspector Choi tease them more. The man had a kick out of seeing Jisung squirm and taking a poke at the Captain's supposed relations.

"We just bumped into each other." Yeonwoo bowed and looked over at the Captain who stayed silent. "Detective Park said he's on his way back to the Bureau so I thought I'd join him. I just finished speaking with a victim from your recent case." She held out her binder. Captain Lee took off his shades and unlocked his car.

"I can take you back. We're heading there now." He said and parked the car. "Detective Park, I need you to do an errand for me before you head back. I'll send you the address."

"I thought we're going to grab lunch." Inspector Choi said under his breath before hopping out. "Please, take the front seat." He held the door open for her. She thanked him and he sat in the back where the Captain could see his sulking face. "See you later, kid," He waved to Jisung before shutting the door.

--

Yeonwoo knocked firmly on the Chief's door with her notebook and case files in hand. A kind voice called out to her and she let herself in. A calming scent of sage and lavender greeted her before the gray haired man. He wore a navy suit and matching slacks. His hair combed over to hide his receding hairline. He smiled, revealing the wrinkles around his eyes.

"Please sit." He gestured her to the lounge chairs facing each other with a wooden coffee table in the middle. He reached over his desk to call in for some tea before taking his seat at the head of the table. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you." She sat to his left. "Thank you for taking the time to see me today."

"No, thank you for your hard work. I really appreciate what you do and you do such a wonderful job."

The Chief's assistant poked her head in timidly and brought over two glasses of green tea. She excused herself shortly after reminding the man his next scheduled meeting.

"What would I do without her." He chuckled, "I'm getting old. There's too many things to remember."

"You can't say that, sir. You're younger than half the force." Yeonwoo joked and they laughed together.

"To have a beautiful girl tell me that. Gosh, your parents must be proud of you. Don't mind this nosy old man, do you have a boyfriend? Husband?" He took a sip of his tea and watched her shake her head. "Do you have eyes on someone? There's a couple bachelors out there who would be lucky to have you."He beamed with excitement, "Who am I kidding? I'd love to have you as a daughter in law! My son, he's a little stubborn at times, but he's a great kid. He's also a detective if that's something you're interested in." He winked, "I can introduce the two of you someday."

"I can imagine what a commodity he must be and to be your son. I wouldn't be able to say no to that offer." She said with a laugh and he clapped.

"That's a promise!" He reached for his phone and she hurriedly changed the subject. "Okay, okay. At least maybe you can meet him some day in passing. He frequents here a lot."