A local thief and outcasted police detective, Park Seonghwa, become unlikely partners in crime to solve a string of murders.
START: 3.31.2020
FINISH: 2.20.2021
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
record 24...AUGUST 18
8:46 AM
FOR THE FIRST TIME in a while, no nightmares stalk Levi into her slumber. Her sleep is sweet, free of turmoil and dreams. The darkness behind her eyelids melts away into a vision of molten sunlight as her eyes flutter open, stirred awake by the shrill chirping of birds outside of her window.
A slack arm is stretched over Seonghwa's chest, their legs tangled together beneath her blankets, his jeans scratchy against her bare skin. She lifts her chin from the crook of his neck, blinking away sleep. Her eyes dart to him, a new found habit, tracing the curve of his nose in profile. The sun settles on his eyelashes like a spotlight that demands her focus, bathing his skin in hues of gold and effectively stealing her breath.
The usual wrinkle between his brows is gone. He looks so innocent as he rests, unhurt by the tragedies of the world. Peaceful and still, like a tree that miraculously made it to the other side of the storm without becoming uprooted.
"Do you always stare at people like that?" he asks with a teasing lilt, voice heavy with sleep. One tired eye opens to look at her sidelong, the other clenched shut to block out the morning light. The flowers in her chest seem to bloom all over again, his gaze probing like the sun exploring the shadows. She can't help but wonder what he sees when he looks at her like that.
"Mhm," she hums, pushing herself up into a sitting position. She combs tangles from her hair with her fingers, eyes flashing. "I figure if I stare at you long enough, maybe you'll burst into flames."
He rolls over onto his side, balancing on an elbow, chin nestled in his palm. The motion is so smooth, attentive, that it demands her gaze. He must know it too, lips lifting in a lopsided smirk. "That's a little gruesome, don't you think?"
She tilts her head, shrugging it off. "No. I don't think much at all actually. I thought that was obvious the moment I decided to rob an officer."
"You're right. It was," he says, voice so matter-of-fact that it leaves her speechless for a brief moment. He is becoming too good at countering her. Her eyes narrow, fingers twitching.
"You–" she sputters, quickly making the effort to stand. "I'm leaving."
He pulls her back just as fast and her cheek falls flat against his hoodie again, heart doing more stupid acrobatics. When he speaks again, his voice is gentle and careful. The way he switches their dynamic up so easily, so swiftly, gives her whiplash.
"Stay. You said you haven't been sleeping lately. Just rest. I won't move."
She suppresses a bittersweet smile. She can't remember the last time someone had actually, truly cared.
"I'd love that, but don't you have to go to work?" She pushes off of him, looking at the time on her alarm clock over a shoulder. "It's almost nine already."
