1, 2, 3 → LEE HEESEUNG

𝙴𝚙𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚍𝚎 𝟼

『Present, Boo Investigations』

"He's unbelievable," Jina mutters. She isn't only referring to Heeseung. Given all the males she's surrounded by during her work day, all of them fit unbelievable. Even someone as normal as Mr. Chwe, there are still moments that amaze her. Yet, aside from him, everyone else is unbearably so. Sure, small talk isn't her thing in the least but it's not like any of the others are making it any easier for her. Losing patience is the only thing that makes sense in the situations she's been in, between EJ's fanboying and senseless riddles, to Mr. Boo's 'solo stage', all the way until Heeseung asking her for theories before solid evidence could be brought forth.

"Unbelievably handsome, right?" EJ asks. 

"By standards, yes," she replies. "His face and features are ideal as they fit the country's beauty standard. Yet, beauty is subjective. He doesn't appeal to me. Then again, your body proportions and face features are almost an exact model of the beauty standards but in my eyes, your looks aren't anything above average." 

"I-I well thanks for that," he says then blinks as he stomachs her words. "What is your ideal type?" 

"My ideal type..." she answers, then pretending to ponder about the subject. "Is irrelevant and should not be our current topic of conversation."

"Jesus," he whispers, shaking his head. 

"Did you run the tests yet?" she asks as she opens her computer and begins typing something out. 

"Yeah," he replies while playing with the corners of a paper stack. 

"Did you get the results back?" 

"Yeah," he says and opens his own laptop. "Before you nag me again, let me just send you the results, via email." 

"Good," she deadpans. 

After an eye roll and a mini squabble, she opens the document and begins reading the results. Official documentation of such things aren't as interesting as many would expect, but to Jina it's more fascinating than idol survival shows. Her eyes dance along with the test names and final outcomes. To her, all of these are puzzle pieces, coming together. Naturally, the series of tests aren't enough to make up a full picture, but they're still a solid foundation for the rest. As she reads, she pulls out a paper and pencil, jotting rough notes on everything found inside. That way, when she's ready, she can lay out everything she knows and begin asking questions. Who would've been at this location, at this time? Why? Why is this here, why is that here? All the loose ends would eventually tie themselves. 

Her mood soars from rock bottom to sky high, only until she remembers her own personal problem at hand. Lee Heeseung. The last thing she wants is for him to ruin her momentary bliss yet that's exactly what he does. He's a recurring thought in her mind, bothering her so much she just can't let the thoughts slide. Remembering their brief meeting makes her want to defenestrate something. No one's ever stolen her focus like he does. Really, she hasn't been this annoyed at a singular person in years. Not that she dwells on it much. People's effect on herself isn't anything worth reflecting on, nor does it hold any significance to her. 

When she finishes reading the report and concluding based on the evidence, she comes back to the same one thought. What's she going to do about her new partner? Even after she hands one copy to EJ and another to Mr. Chwe, she asks the question over and over again. Frankly, she's not fond of the idea of persevering. If their first meeting ended the way it did, a step backward rather than a step forward, then a second meeting would evidently be fruitless. However, the solution isn't as simple as abandoning the case altogether. In the end, they had clients to serve and a case to solve. No, she needs a loophole to be able to let herself out of this mess.