Fatal Trouble | Y.Jw

| 2.17 |

Jiyeon woke up in confusion, her head spinning more than usual. Her hair felt messier than it usually did in the mornings. Eyes barely able to open, but her bed was too cold for her to stay there.

Glancing around she reached over and grabbed the blue cable knit sweater from her desk chair. Pulling it over her head and flattening down her hair slightly before redoing her bun. Something out in the kitchen was smelling nicely.

"What're you doing?" Jiyeon murmured and rubbed one of her eyes, looking at Jungwon's back, which was bent over the stove. 

"Letting you sleep in," Jungwon excused calmly and sent her a quick glance over his shoulder, "you were sleeping so heavily this morning anyways. I thought I'd let you stay in bed."

"What's the time anyways?"

"About one."

"One?" she widened her eyes and Jungwon let out a small laugh, pouring something over a plate before grabbing another from the cupboard.

"I made... brunch?" he chuckled and pressed the button on the kettle, making it start boiling the water.

"And the smoke alarm hasn't gone off?" Jiyeon questioned and wandered over to peek over his shoulder.

"You're not allowed to sleep in another time," Jungwon warned, "you're too snarky."

"I just remember you burning a bolognese," Jiyeon murmured.

"The last one I didn't burn," Jungwon pointed out.

Jiyeon hummed quietly as Jungwon sighed and leaned his hands on the counter, impatiently watching the kettle boil up the water. She kept on sending him glances and he noticed almost immediately.

"What?" Jungwon whispered and turned his head to look down at her.

"Are you alright?" she questioned quietly.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" he questioned in amusement, letting out a small chuckle.

"Well... you know..." she muttered and picked at the skin around her thumbnail before directing her attention to the kettle as well, "I'm not exactly... I uhm... ugh!" she complained and looked off towards the hallway before running a hand over her face, "I'm not the person you met a year ago. Are you okay with that?" she questioned and turned to him abruptly.

"Jiyeon," he chuckled, "the person I met a year ago was you."

"Yeah, but you know..." she sighed and waved her hand for him to just continue.

"You think it changes anything that you went through what you did?" Jungwon raised his eyebrows down at her.

"Well... I can't sleep properly now and I go to therapy, I'm sure you've figured that one out already," Jiyeon pointed out and he nodded quietly, "it's just... a year ago I didn't do any of that. I could sleep at night and the only times I was the tiniest bit close to needing a therapist was whenever I convinced myself I had a tiny winter depression during my exams."

"I get what you're saying, and I don't get it," he nodded and she frowned up at him, "Yeah... so what? You struggle to sleep a bit and need a therapist to help with a few things. I work alone and don't have the same problem with alcohol. The only change I see in you is a better reason for me to sleep in the same bed as you, some more physical contact. I don't mind. And the therapist? I can pay for it."

"Jungwon-" she sighed heavily.

"I can," he nodded calmly and poured up the hot water into a cup once the kettle stopped boiling. Finding a teabag in the cupboard and letting it fall into the warm water, "after all. I should've told you you were in that much danger a year ago. Your problems don't change anything. It's still you."

"Are you sure?" Jiyeon murmured and Jungwon nodded, handing her the mug, "Because I feel bad that I'm not the person you knew dow-"

"Ji!" he let out a small laugh and grabbed the two plates he had made, wandering over and placing them on the dining table, "I couldn't care less if you had lost a whole leg or not. I did not fall for your ability to sleep or your therapist-free life. Now come over here and eat with me."

Jiyeon stared at him for a good second before smiling slightly and wandering over to the table. She carefully put down her cup before bending down beside him and pecking his cheek. A small smile planted itself on his face.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"Now... I went by the police station earlier, while you were still sleeping," Jungwon updated and handed her a fork for the food, "told them who they were looking for and gave them access to his live coordinates."

"How did you get that?" Jiyeon frowned.

"I worked late last night before getting home and finding you downstairs," Jungwon shrugged, "I found your vase by the way. Already cleaned it up and threw it out, don't worry about it. I didn't even know I owned that vase."

"It's a closed case then?" Jiyeon questioned and Jungwon shrugged, "No?"

"He was pretty stupid to meet up with me, but I think he enjoyed it. Feeding off emotions and all that," Jungwon excused, "but give it a week or so and he should be found. Already gave the police all the information needed to get him to talk and any evidence I had from down south."

"Huh... that's it then? I was barely of any help," Jiyeon snickered.

"Barely of any help? You did a lot in this case."

"I didn't catch him."

"Even if you could I wouldn't have let you. He was targeting you, next one I'll let you catch," Jungwon assured, "but for now I've asked them to wait three or four days before returning. I'm tired as well."

"How do you know it'll end once you get the mayor?"

"I don't. I just hope."

Jungwon glanced up from where he was seated before clearing his throat uncomfortably. She seemed down or disappointed about the case being more or less closed. But then again, he hadn't exactly been known for being good at reading facial expressions.

"I uhm... got a call last night," Jiyeon murmured and Jungwon hummed calmly, "they wanted to hire me at the local paper."

"That's great, that's what you wanted, right?" Jungwon questioned, "a job."

"Well, yeah," Jiyeon nodded, "it's a stable income..."

"You don't want it," he stated and she kept staring at him, "you don't want it now that you got it."

"I just..." Jiyeon sighed and rubbed her face in her hands, "What fun is in writing about local neighbour disputes? Isn't it much more fun running around solving murders and making a few people mad in the process?"

"A million times more fun," Jungwon chuckled in amusement and nodded, "take the job, it's what you wanted."

"Well, not anymore," Jiyeon pointed out and glanced up at him.

"Be freelance then. Loads of journalists are," he shrugged, "you have a series of articles to write about this mayor, don't you? None of the press is on it yet and you have a credible source to back up your claims," he excused and pointed discreetly to himself, "even pictures to go along with it."

"You think I can?"

"I know you can," he assured with a laugh of disbelief, "the biggest crime freelancer in the whole country. Just you wait and see miss Young. Just you wait and see."