Zero Encounters

Please

        A month has gone by since Yeonwoo last visited the precinct. The officers were extremely disappointed and the atmosphere at work fell into a deep depression. Every day, they would stare at the doors in hopes she would walk through them. To them, she was the sun they basked in to forget about the clouds looming over their heads with each call and case. She was the refreshment after being parched for so long. They truly believed her absence made their hearts grow fonder.

She crossed Jisung's mind every now and then when it was quiet. He still hasn't accepted what he heard as the truth to her being. He just knew he kept thinking of her in almost a unhealthy way. He wondered if she slept well, ate well and if her wound healed well. All these thoughts he had to force himself to suppress in the night when he tossed and turned. The Captain taking two weeks off also kept him up at night. He wanted to know how she was coping with everything that happened that day at the hospital.

After dropping off a report, Jisung watched the officers frolic to the door and chatted excitedly amongst themselves. He could tell by their body language and sudden burst of energy that Yeonwoo had visited. A part of him doubted it at first, as these young men looked the way they did when it was a food delivery, but he then hears someone mention her name. He glanced at the clock, knowing where she would be after bumping into her countless times before. He decided to wait around for her, pretending to look busy with some of the new recruits in the precinct. He felt foolish and rehearsed how he would approach her in his mind, but scrapped the ideas all together.

He waited around the corner with a rookie officer who he borrowed time from. The fan boys began to cheer and he knew that was the moment she had walked in. He stacked the remaining boxes he had used as props onto the rookie and cued the man to walk quickly. The rookie collided with Yeonwoo and she was caught off guard by it. Jisung had thought she would dodge it with ease, but his body moved on it's own. He caught her by the arm and found himself purposely squeezing it while holding her up. He knew partly the reason behind his action was his subconscious not accepting her two identities. He noticed she hadn't winced from his touch and came to think her wound had fully healed which brought relief to him, but a second later, he thought that there might be a possibility she was just good at withstanding pain. After all, her act thus far had him fooled entirely and for a second, he wondered how many others on the team she had fooled.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention." She said to the rookie, "Are you alright?" She asked before he sped off in the other direction. The other officers stared him down with jealousy.

"You almost fell, are you okay?" Jisung asked.

"Thanks, Detective Park." She said with a smile before pulling her arm back. She headed towards the office while he followed her quietly. The feeling of dread came off of her once friendly demeanor. He opened the door for her and Captain Lee had stood by his desk, going over some photos with Inspector Choi. The room became thick with tension the moment the Captain turned his head. Minhyun had nearly made a comment on the shift in energy, but felt Inspector Choi's piercing gaze on his back.

"Ms. Yeonwoo." Captain Lee said coldly to which Hyesoo felt a shiver down her spine as she passed. "What brings you here today?"

She faked a smile and held out her notebook. "I heard about the child involved in the hostage case at the hospital. I wanted to connect with her to see what we can offer in support."

"Ah, well that case is still ongoing." Captain Lee said as his phone rang. He excused himself to his office and Yeonwoo stared at the closed door in disbelief. She knew they had their issues in private, but she didn't think he would ice her out in front of the entire team.