Belligerent

06 - Sangwoo

Seeing Taerin let go of her hold, I watched her enter the building where hostages were being held. As she stepped away from my arms, my heart ached. In my hands, her grasp lingered. Despite her inability to show nervousness when I held her, I could tell she was nervous from the look in her eyes. The possibilities of what might happen when she begins walking away from me were well known to her.

Half of me was hoping she would look back and come back to me.

But it was too late.

A part of me was screaming, fighting my own insecurities, begging me to run towards Taerin.

But she had already made up her mind.

My heart was pounding out of fear and rage at this point. Cinching my fists, I avoided shedding tears. I couldn't bear to think of the consequences if Taerin didn't make it.

She was the only reason I had left to carry on the promise I oathed to Jun. Yet, I failed to do it.

After one last glance at the building, I walked away. While walking away from the sight, my mind raced with many ideas. The murmurs diminished the farther I walked from them. My head was down as I passed multiple buildings. While I wasn't sure where I was going, it was almost as if my feet worked on their own. As I walked, I bumped into someone without paying attention.

"Watch where you're go- Wait a minute,"

I looked up, annoyed and a sudden realization came flooding in. "Aren't you Ms. Kim's partner in crime?"

I looked at him unamused and crossed my arms. "Oh my, you are!" The man in front of me squealed in awe. "But where's Ms. Kim?", he continued.

I sighed, "Please not now, I'm not interested", I said distancing myself from the man and continued walking.

"Oh come on, man! I'm not the same person that day", he replied, while taking big strides to match my pace. "Look, whatever you're planning, go find someone else to bother," I said.

He responded, "You seem distraught.". He caught my attention and I stared at him ferociously. My arms crossed as I answered, "Fine. What do you want? ". He poked my arms and said, "Ooh, I see you've been working out, Mr. Detective.". Then I swatted it away and stared at him in a serious way. Hissing at his hand, he turned to me.
"My name is Seunghyun," he told me, holding out his hand to me.

Seeing that I was unimpressed, he awkwardly pulled his hand back. "Well, Mr. Detective, do you by any chance have a name?" he asked. In response, I sighed. "Sangwoo, Im Sangwoo" I said.

The man asked amusingly, "Great! Where do you want to start?". I didn't believe he was lying when he said he was a different person than the day he entered our precinct. As he walked in front of me, he walked with a normal, yet slightly chill stride. Initially, I thought he was a humorous, playful individual. As he walked, however, he seemed both relaxed and energetic at the same time. You probably have questions at this point. As for these signs, I can only say I am already aware of them. The signs are subtle but observable. Despite what I say, I shouldn't be speaking.

"You strike me more of a wine than a beer person," Seunghyun said, hands in his pockets, while we were walking. "Anyone ever told you that?", he continued.

"Normally, it's the opposite," I replied as I kicked a rock. "That makes sense. How about ramen or fried chicken as comfort food?", he suggested. I pondered it for a moment before muttering, "I never gave it much thought, but it would most likely be chicken", I thought. 

"Jajangmyeon* or Jjolmyeon*?", he hurled back. "Definitely Jajangmyeon", I responded. He muttered something to himself before stopping on his tracks and patting me on the shoulder."It sounds like a good time for all three, would you like to come?" He asked with delight. He looked at me for a moment, making me hesitate. That's when it clicked for me.