good soldier.

[...]

“She stopped the nightmares,” he says. She had made the nights more bearable. Her mutation had protected him against his subconscious. “I don’t want to sleep. I though alcohol would help,” he mumbles. His words probably don’t make sense to Jisoo, who would’ve needed to know what Hari did for him to understand. But in his intoxicated state, Jin Goo didn’t know. 

They get to her car, and he finds something else to talk about, to try and not remember the short conversation he had had with Hari a few days prior. “Where are we going?” 

There was something indescribably sad about the slow upwards curve of his lips as they ventured out into the frigid air, a cruel juxtaposition that for the life of her, Jisoo could not explain. And slowly, with every footstep the realization that she was the wrong recipient to his text dawned, Jisoo burrows her face into the safe confines of her scarf in mortification. No wonder his text seemed more personal than Jisoo had anticipated.

“You did text me, sunbae.” Jisoo says quietly, her hands falling to her side. “Do you want me to call someo-?”

He interrupts her, though it wasn’t out of rudeness. No, far from it - in front of her very eyes, Jisoo watches as her former Captain’s glassy eyes reminisce into a foreign place she was forbidden to enter. As he begin to speak, the bitter tones of his voice jolts her. She? Jisoo startles, though she knew full well who he was referring to.

Jisoo had thought she would be happy if the other woman from Jin Goo’s life left, but as she traces the myriad of expressions of his face now, Jisoo realizes that there was an echoing painful throb of her heart.

She misses the happier Jin Goo. 

(Belatedly, Jisoo realizes that Jin Goo was a man of many voices: strict, commanding and gentle – she had thought she heard them all, but today, Jisoo realized she never wanted to hear the very essence of such heartbreak weaved within the deep baritones of his voice again.)

“Alcohol never helps.” He looks lost and small as he speaks, and Jisoo watches him carefully, her breath fogging up the scathing air outside. “There’s no answer at the bottom of a bottle, sunbae.” Jisoo can’t say that she knows how one cures heartbreak, but she thought perhaps – if she could stay, as he did when she first started as a special ops agent, the nightmares could go away. She may not be as good as this mysterious woman, but still – she could try.

After all, he must be missing her – and though he doesn’t say it; he must be lonely: after all, it was written within the heaviness of his footsteps as they approach her car.

Jisoo watches at her breath diffuses into the darkness of the night as she thinks of the way she left her sister after their father’s death. A ball of guilt resided at the well of her throat. No, she wouldn’t leave someone in need again. “We’re going to my place.” Jisoo says with renewed determination, all but persistently pushing him into the backseat of her small car, though still mindful that she doesn’t knock his head against the roof. “I’m going to make sure those nightmares don’t come.”

As she starts her car, feeling more alive than she had since the last time she had seen him, Jisoo could not help but to laugh at the turn of events. “-And you’re in no place to argue: you’re going to wake up with a hell of a headache, sunbae.

[...]

[text → Jisoo] where are you? would youu be so kind as t join me at the bar

He presses send before he can enter another question mark, and he just shrugs, pocketing his phone and picking up the glass again. She’d understand the general gist of the message.

There was an open box of chocolates at her feet, and the wrappers devoid of their goods were laid upon each other neatly like little soldiers on the armrest of her worn couch. Jisoo savored the last visages of the bittersweet flavor, as it was admittedly an indulgence she rarely partook in. It was a night of relaxation and freedom, punctuated with guilty pleasures such as this one, she reasons with herself as her guilty eyes laid upon the evidence of her sugar consumption.

Following the vibration of her phone, Jisoo sighed and awkwardly fished in her pocket for the device, before shooting up quickly, startled as she read what the message entailed. For a brief moment; as the wrappers fluttered around her like a mini snowstorm at her frantic movement before landing on the floor, Jisoo’s mind jumped to the wrong conclusions. Well, he sounds perfectly fine and unharmed, Jisoo thought, slowly falling back into the comforting arms of her couch. Though he does sound like he’s been… drinking. Unbidden, a tiny puff of fond laughter escaped her lips. It’s just like him to be so polite, even when drunk.

[Text -> Jin Goo Sunbae] I will be there soon.

[Text -> Jin Goo Sunbae] Go easy on the drinks.

It would be dangerous for a wanted man to be without his inhibitions right now, Jisoo thought as she busted into movement, throwing on the nicest jacket she owned. She….should – no, need – to go and get him before something bad happens.

(But as Jisoo stared at her frazzled expression in the mirror, she can’t help but to startle at the excited smile etched upon her face.)

It’s just a night of relaxation, Jisoo reasoned with herself as she hurriedly starts her car. One (or two) more guilty pleasures were absolutely deserving.

-

Jisoo spots him almost immediately, that broad back only slightly slumped as a glistening glass with amber fluid is raised. She catches his wrist in her hand, shaking her head. “No more.” She says softly as she gently pried the glass from his hands. Jisoo peers into his slightly glassy eyes with poorly concealed worry, for she doesn’t think she had ever seen Jin Goo so drunk before. “Come on, let’s go outside.” Jisoo murmurs, her voice soothing whilst a hesitant arm snaked around his waist in case he lost his balance. “My car’s waiting.”

Once outside, Jisoo’s bravado is bolstered with each breath of icy cold air she took. “This is unlike you.” She laughs hesitantly. “How cruel of you to start drinking without me, Jin Goo.”

The strangely sober atmosphere caused her voice to fall flat. “Is something wrong….?”

Jisoo was determined. That much hadn’t changed about her since last they met. Once she’d decided on something, she’d stick to it until it was finished. He was relieved to still have her loyalty, but reminded himself to be a lot more careful around her. Though his transformations were usually in a controlled environment in his cage, there was always a possibility that they would be put in a situation where his beast fought its way out. And he’d hold himself accountable if anything were to happen to her. 

He was about to thank her for protecting him like that, putting herself on the line, when his cell phone rang. He shot Jisoo a half-apologetic smile before slipping his hands from in between hers to grab the phone from his jacket pocket. Just a glance at number arranged in that familiar order had a small grin pulling at his lips. “I’ll just be a second,” he said to her before turning away and accepting the call. 

“Hey.” “Are you okay? You said you’d be back before now.” Jin Goo held the phone away from his ear to glance at the time. Ahh, right. “Sorry, I got caught up with a… former colleague of mine. Nothing to worry about.” There was a sigh at the other end that he interpreted as a sign of relief. She knew there were soldiers out trying to track him down, so he supposed it was a worry that was warranted. 

“Are we still up for tonight?” he asked, trying to steer the conversation into one that was less gloomy. “Yes, I’ve got everything here; all I’m missing is you.” Jin Goo chuckled at the slight sass she threw at him, “Alright, I’ll be there soon. Don’t start without me.” There was a tinkling melodic laugh before the line cut, and Jin Goo pulled the phone away to end the call. 

He turned back to Jisoo, “Sorry about that. I’ve actually got to head back to the foundation now.” If she knew where to find him, he’s sure she’s already aware of the fact that he had been living in the mysterious building under the guise of a military training facility. He held his phone out to her, “This is my burner phone. Leave me your number and when I change phones, I’ll send you a text.” 

There was a gnawing feeling at her chest; and Jisoo didn’t want to admit to herself that she knew why.

Because as much as she liked to think that throughout the years of the brutal thick and thin the special ops team were put through – that every expression of Jin Goo’s should be as familiar to her as the well-oiled parts of her beloved sniper gun - 

That even within the background of gunfire and the fear of death; past the stuttering heartbeats in the sweaty palm of her hands as she clutched her gun – even then, she devoted herself to memorize every miniscule change to her former captain’s features.

Back then, Jisoo liked to think that even if Jin Goo didn’t talk to her, she could understand what he meant regardless, because she loved him, and perhaps – that was enough to allow her to read him without fail through his clenched jaw; heavy, weary footsteps, and strong, sturdy shoulders.

So pray tell: why was the small, giddy grin on his face so foreign?

Perhaps it was that alien, blissful expression on his face as he mentioned the word ‘tonight’, the way his eyes lit up in a way that Jisoo could never hope to ever achieve from her own merit – after all, she couldn’t recall a time where she managed to put something other than a furrow of stress between his brows.  Slowly, her heart sank into the ground, heavy and knowing, until it was six feet under and suffocating under the weight of cruel heartbreak.  For a moment, air ceased to be in Jisoo’s lungs, as if someone had punched her solidly within her solar plexus.

There was an incessant burn on the back of her eyelids, but this Jisoo vowed to ignore until the end of time, if only to preserve the happy smile upon Jin Goo’s features.

Jisoo swallowed with difficulty before reaching out to grab the burner phone he offered to her. The moment their bare fingers grazed each other, Jisoo was filled with such inexplicable sadness; knowing that he would go back to someone who made him happy, and that, inexplicably, it was not her. And possibly will never be her.

And so, when she opened her mouth, Jisoo wanted to call him back instead – pull on his sleeve, anything for him to stay –

But the moment of insanity passed; and Jisoo merely smiled gently in response. “Yes, that’s a good idea,” she replied, though even to her own ears her voice was so far away; like she had accidentally stuffed her ears with cotton.

Jisoo didn’t know how she kept smiling even when she said her goodbyes. And so, as soon as his back was turned to her, Jisoo broke: her hand; raised in a polite goodbye; falling to her side as her form slumped. Buried by the weight of her revelation, Jisoo stayed like that for a while, a thousand things and yet simultaneously nothing running through her weary mind.

And as soon as she turned around, heart-rending tears begun to leak out of her eyes, even as she wished to stay strong until the very end.

She seemed to be concerned that he had had a close encounter with the special team that had been put together. He didn’t completely understand why. It was dangerous, he supposed, but he was standing there in front of her wasn’t he? To be fair, had he not gotten help from Sana, the situation would have been a lot more difficult to get out of. 

He nodded. Even if she did shoot him, he’d trust that she would have done it for a good reason. “I’m still here; they didn’t get me,” he said in an attempt to try and reassure her. 

The words hurt as he said them, but it hurt just a little more seeing the range of expressions flashing across Jisoo’s face. She took his hands in hers following his speech, and he wondered what exactly she was thinking. He wanted to know what she thought about it, but then again, he didn’t exactly want to know either. 

When she finally did speak, tension he didn’t think he had seemed to slip away. He smiled a little, faintly. “I’m grateful. Thank you.” He didn’t want to add onto that, but it was a necessity, in his eyes. “You should know though, more than just being on the run, you’d be putting yourself in greater danger if you choose to stick with me.” Jin Goo stared at his hands in hers. “You’ve heard the reports.” Or the rumours, at least. She was smart enough to pick up on what he wanted to say, without actually saying it. He was volatile, and whoever was close to him during a transformation would be in fairly grave danger. “I might not be a traitor to my country, but I am a danger to it.” And to you. He doesn’t say this either. He doesn’t think he can. 

Jisoo had indeed heard of rumors in the months before her current deployment. The rumors, under hushed whispers and gossip had planted a seed of doubt and suspicion in everyone’s eyes - It was in the guarded eyes of her former comrades, those hard flints of pity and speculation had instilled a terrible sense of conspiracy and paranoia in Jisoo. And finally, a few months ago; under the hard, scrutinizing eyes of her superiors, she’d flipped open her mission files to see the military base - her home,  for the past few years – wrecked and destroyed, to almost an inhuman degree.

Jisoo was not one to force herself to lie. For a moment in time, as she laid eyes on those glossy photographs, she was plagued by doubt.

“I’ve…seen the aftermath of your escape.” Jisoo admitted, though she forced herself to maintain eye contact with her captain. “At first, I didn’t know how you possibly could have caused so much damage – I thought they were lying to me, but now, from the ‘experimentation’ you’ve told me…”

Jisoo’s logical side screamed out for attention, and for a moment, she listened to it intently. But as she wavered on the edge of indecision, her heart screamed a siren’s song, and Jisoo knew that it was a decision she’d made ever since she had first set foot on Incheon soil.

“Jin Goo…” Jisoo murmured. “Whatever the result of the experiment may be – “ and that elephant in the room he seemed to want to avoid at all costs - “ that doesn’t change my decision.”

“I want to stay with you, Jin Goo. And if danger comes with that wish, then so be it. You’ve been treated unfairly by our superiors, and I won’t even work with them over my own dead body.”

“I guess we’re both traitors now.” Jisoo smiled faintly. Oddly, the stretch of the lips seemed more genuine than it had been for years. “I’ve already made some safety measures to divert the tracking team’s attention. They won’t find you again.”

[...]

He takes a deeper breath than usual, letting it out slowly. “So now that you know the truth, you’re free to change your mind and follow your orders.” He still doesn’t have any idea how many soldiers his beast had killed escaping from the military base. He hopes it would be none, but considering they had his cell guarded at all times, the likelihood of that was slim. She was free to make her own choice, to take him in, or continue helping, and he wasn’t going to think less of her no matter what choice she made. 

Jin Goo’s eyes were soft despite her damning words, and Jisoo wished she could block out the harsh notes of her own voice; wished that she had the prowess to shield him from all that sought to harm him – but as she traced the slight slump of his shoulders with her forlorn gaze, Jisoo knew she had already failed. Her fingers curled into tight fists at her side, and her nails dug deep crescents into her trembling flesh.

Jisoo’s breath stuttered and stopped at his words. “Y-you’ve ‘met’ them?” the words tumbled out of their own volition; tripping over their own vowels in a flurry of panic before she could stop them. White noise snuck up on Jisoo’s ears, filling them up to the brim until it was overflowing–

All of a sudden, Jisoo was no longer facing Jin Goo, his flesh alive and thrumming with warmth – no, no, instead, his weary visage a vision under the spotlight of her sniper scope, and the cold, cold trigger was all too malleable under the calloused curve of her forefinger. It was strange – how could the metal be so cruel; so incomprehensibly light, even when it was poised over the face of a loved one?

Jisoo wondered what she would have done. What expression would be marring her face as she stared down at Jin Goo’s noble features, her every move watched by the cruel, mocking grin of their enemies. And surrounded by those whose features masked by black in preparation for her ex-captain’s funeral; their ice cold hands lunging to guide Jisoo’s trembling trigger finger – could she have saved him?

“…close shave?” Jisoo whispered. “Oh my God – “ He looked fine, but even so, niggling fear gnawed at her vocal cords, causing a condemned quiver to escape. “I was only assigned for this recently; and so I – “ At a loss, she looked into his eyes, and put every ounce of her fury and sincerity into her own.  “Know this, Jin Goo. I could never shoot you.”

For a moment; he stared off to the distance, as if the barren scenery held answers only he could see, and Jisoo would have given anything he asked of her to be privy to his thoughts. As he returned his heavy gaze to her, Jisoo couldn’t help but to stagger under its weight. Slowly, almost cruelly, like a wound not yet healed, Jin Goo began to pry the bruised flesh open, and chilling words seeped from his reluctant lips, not unlike blood trickling from the gaping, abused flesh. To Jisoo’s horror, he waived a tale of manipulation and exploitation; of experimentation and undesired consequences, tales from behind a jail cell and the iron, tangy taste of torture, and finally, a tragedy of betrayal and loss.

From solemn lips, Jin Goo whispered a tale of truth, and at once, everything clicked into place for Jisoo. They experimented on him. And when that didn’t turn out right; they send his former comrades after him. Ha. What a way to repay a man for his loyalty. Jisoo’s face twisted in sorrow. Even as her heart ached for his suffering, she knew that it came nowhere close to his own anguish, as in her mind’s eye: his worn hands clutched around the cold, unfeeling iron of cell bars of his home land, damning silence punctuated only by the suspicious gazes of his former comrades. And in the midst of everything, she had not been there with him, and her heartstrings cried out in guilt.  

As she gazed into his eyes, she did not salute. They were no longer loyal soldiers, and they both knew this. Instead, she reached out, silently, carefully, to wrap her fingers around his limp hands. Jin Goo trusted her, and perhaps, that was enough. He trusted her enough to tell her his own story; and yet he still gave her a choice.

Oh, Jin Goo. How can I not follow you?

“What do you expect me to say, Jin Goo?” Jisoo whispered. “Did you expect me to give up on you? Did you expect me to run away from you?” With every word, Jisoo’s fingers tightened. “Who did you take me for, Jin Goo?”

“From the moment they pulled me aside – no, from the moment I knew you were alive, I knew that there was something they hid from me. I never doubted you, Jin Goo.”

[...]

The moment she was in the back of the police car the man flicked her off, and went about his day. He was suddenly not hurting anymore but she was sure he was going to keep up with whatever story he told the cops. The ride to the station was strange because the cops were talking about the charges but not speaking to her about it. Instead of giving them another reason to keep her in handcuffs, she stayed quiet and looked out the window until the vehicle stopped.

“Alright come on panther,” The cop laughed at the comment, both of them thinking the story was crazy, and led her into the station.

Jisoo had been enjoying her cup of scalding hot chamomile tea when a rookie barged into her office without knocking. She was understandably startled, Jisoo would argue to her last breath. The hot tea had spilled onto the soft flesh of her hands, reminiscent of the hot metal of a recently fired sniper gun. Her mind took her back into the deafening loud sounds of gunfire on the battleground; and she dived underneath her desk in wild panic. And suddenly, there was a sharp pen in her hand, and the nib was aimed straight at the rookie’s wide eye.

Jisoo barely directed the pen away from him at the last second, and for a few awkward seconds, both officers looked at the pen as it struck a sturdy hole into the hard wood of her office door, its visible half still vibrating with the force. Jisoo cleared her throat awkwardly. She went for the best winning smile she could muster, but judging by the paling of the rookie’s face, Jisoo thought she may be doing a dismal job.

She doesn’t think he could ever look at her the same way again, but that were worse things in life – for instance, Jisoo’s beloved tea was irreversibly spilled, and she is once again appalled with the amount of noise at the front desk, clearly audible to her through the now open door. As the senior officer in charge, Jisoo took it upon herself to approach the crowd gathered there, her foot tapping a rapid staccato of annoyance. “What’s going on here?” She demanded.

The rookie laughed disbelievingly, with just a tad bit of hysteria. “They say she turned into a panther – and that she attacked someone out of the blue.”

His partner snorted. “I knew women were ferocious when angry; but a panther? Seriously? Man, he must have done something terrible – “

Jisoo’s eyes sharpened at his snort, and her head snapped straight toward the woman seated quietly at the interrogation table, her clothes mussed and dirty. A panther, they say? The story was ridiculous, Jisoo supposed, but she also knew of even stranger tales, though admittedly they all arise from one place – the Daybreak Foundation.

“And you both had the foresight to not retain the man for questioning.” Jisoo deadpanned, before shooing the chastised rookies out to do their Goddamn jobs properly. Once she was alone with the woman, Jisoo tried for another bland smile; and hopefully it was one that was more successful than the previous. “Some tea? Ah…” Jisoo paused as she did not know the woman’s name, and so she awkwardly busied herself with the tea at the other end of the room.

“I’m Senior officer Jisoo, nice to meet you. Sorry for that earlier.” Jisoo slides a cup of tea over to the woman with blank, unreadable features. “Say, that was quite a tale.”

[…]

“I definitely won’t get hurt.”

She resolutely doesn’t think of any of the times she has.

Joy curls up around Jisoo’s arm, tries to take away the seriousness the older girl’s trying to imbue in her. She doesn’t like it very much, the growing voice (that’s strangely — or not so strangely — starting to sound much like Jisoo) that constantly gnaws at her when she lets out a little steam. Cookies are a much better thing to focus on. “Let’s go! You owe me cookies.”

For a moment, Joy’s petulant pout looked an awful lot like her younger sister’s. Jisoo blinked, mentally startled as Joy – sensuous, beautiful Joy – morphed into that of Jennies’ chubby, pinchable cheeks, and Jisoo had to restrain herself from double-taking.

“Park Sooyoung.” Jisoo admonished. “Are you trying to encourage obedience in my soldiers?” The elder crossed her arms in a true tiger mother-esque fashion. “Well, making them run laps sure seems to boost their self-discipline and obedience – perhaps I should try that on you next time, hmmm?” Because God knows you need more of those, Jisoo thought with exasperation.

As Joy curled up around Jisoo’s arm, using the elder’s cookies as a way of distraction, Jisoo had to put her foot down. “Not so fast, Sooyoung.” It was nigh time Jisoo talked some sense into this girl, and as much as the younger gave Jisoo tremulous migraines, she couldn’t bear the thought of Joy getting into trouble. For a moment, the image of a battered Joy enters Jisoo’s mind, and the elder’s blood curdled with fear.

“Not dangerous?” Jisoo sighed incredulously. As she fixated the younger with a piercing, disbelieving frown, the elder gestured to their surroundings. Or more specifically, the state of the bar. The previously merry bar was now trashed beyond recognition: shards of glass were everywhere; on the floor, stuck precariously into furniture. There were probably a few shards embedded in some poor recruit’s feet, and Jisoo shudder to think of that image. “Not likely, young lady. I doubt that you can even accurately predict how other people react to you; and that - is basically the definition of dangerous.” Jisoo narrowed her eyes at Joy, her brow furrowed with equal parts vexation and worry.

Perhaps it was in the way Joy’s eyebrows twitched, or maybe it was the way her eyes darted from Jisoo to the bar behind them and back; that made Jisoo think that even the younger herself didn’t believe in the words she was saying. “But something of the sort has happened in your past.” Jisoo rebuked gently. “I can see it in the way you act sometimes – you act as if you’ve witnessed carnage of your own making; and you act as if you’ve gotten hurt by it before. But then, you become reckless again, as if this whole thing is a ‘drug’ to you.” Jisoo gestured sadly towards the eerily silent bar, a complete 180 change from the bustling, jolly scene from before the fighting.

[…]

“What did they tell you?” he asked. He wondered just how much she knew about him, and how much the military had decided to tell her. Obviously they had told her he was alive. Otherwise, he doubted that she would try to search for him in the first place. If the military had told her he wasn’t dead, then that could only mean that she was sent there to kill him, or to bring him in. But then there was the justification behind the order. It didn’t seem as though Jisoo shared the military’s perspective of him, but according to the military, was he just a traitor? Was he a freak? A monster? A murderer? What exactly had they told her? What kind of a picture did they paint of him to justify her hunting him down? 

“What crime am I guilty of?”

For a moment, Jisoo allowed herself to be revitalized by his embrace, a deep, weary sigh escaping her in a great whoosh. She felt more rested and at peace right here, at this very spot, than she had been for years. But even as her arms long to tighten their hold even more; so that Jin Goo could not leave and disappear off the surface of the Earth yet again – Jisoo knew that it wasn’t her place to do so. Oh, how embittered Jisoo was at the realization that her affections for him were largely one sided, and she shouldn’t – or dare to – ask for more.

Right at this very moment, Jisoo told her heart not to be greedy, as she closed her eyes and allowed herself to brand the feel of his embrace into a memory. Just this much platonic affection was enough, she scolded her staccato heartbeat.

As his inevitable onslaught of questions, however, Jisoo pulled back, looking into his eyes before swallowing hard. “I was informed that you are guilty of treason of the highest order, Jin Goo. There were also defection and espionage charges on your file too.” Jisoo found it absolutely incredulous – Jin Goo and treason didn’t even belong in the same dictionary. “They say you know government secrets; and you are handing them out like candy, Jin Goo.”

How do you even begin to tell someone that they’re being hunted like an animal? “Currently, there’s a team of specialized trackers and snipers after you, Jin Goo. And I…am one of them.” Jisoo replied clearly and succinctly, as if she was delivering a report. Her eyes, however, betrayed her true turmoil - they were wide and pleading as if to prevent him for running away as soon as he realized that she was here to cage him.

“What really happened over there, in that military base?” Here, Jisoo hesitated. Like all special operations officers, she had heard of the massive carnage there. “I know you, Jin Goo. I’ve lived with you as your student and comrade – and you’ve protected my back from certain death over the time we’ve worked together. I can’t – I refuse to believe those ridiculous treason charges. I know you, and I know you didn’t commit treason, Jin Goo.”

“And I-“ And here, Jisoo’s voice broke, and she cursed herself for the lack of self control. “I didn’t know you were alive until they told me, Jin Goo.” Jisoo whispered. “Just me. Not wiki nor the rest of the team – and I think they chose me because I’ve been on your team for the least amount of time.”

[...]

his expression softens to one of mild interest soon as he listens to the exchange. a police officer – now that gets his attention. perhaps this isn’t appropriate; most people with a history of crime under their cloak would likely scurry away from officers of the law. soohyuk isn’t some petty criminal, though. why, he hasn’t done anything truly illegal in a decade – that in no way absolves him of sin, of course. he wouldn’t let his guard down regardless.

he takes a sip of his tea, thoughtfully; it’s good, at least. it’s when the officer in question incidentally slides into the seat astride him that a bit of amusement leaks into his expression – a raised brow, a quirked half-grin. it seems fortune’s put him in an interesting place today.

“my, my – it must be difficult to simply enjoy a cup of tea with ruckus like that following you about,” he hums with a slight note of sympathy. soohyuk slouches back into his seat, the edge of his cup tapping lightly on the table as he lowers it. “that doesn’t happen to you too often, i would hope?”

Jisoo resigned herself to an afternoon of silence and wary side-glances now that her cover had been blown – at least it was with ‘good’ intentions, if Jisoo were to pull the cloud apart to spot the silver lining within.

And then the man opposite her spoke, a tinge of what seemed like genuine sympathy coloring his words. Jisoo startled slightly at his rich tenor, costing her a few flabbergasted seconds as she floundered to mentally process his words. She hadn’t anticipated in a million years that someone would be willing to strike up a casual conversation with her; especially now that the café and the whole street it was located in knew she was an officer of the law after that plate-breaking fiasco.

Already, the café was eerily silent, and other patrons’ eyes were studiously avoiding the table Jisoo was seated in. As she casted a quick eye over the occupied tables around them, not one patron held her gaze – not even the little girl seated with her parents. It made Jisoo inexplicably sad, for some reason. After all, she had always thought it strange how even upstanding citizens chose to cower in the presence of police officers, even if they haven’t committed anything wrong in the eyes of the law - and most likely never be driven to a point where they needed to, if Jisoo ever had anything to say about it. (It was her job to protect the innocent to the best of her ability, after all.)

It was almost as if people thought her omnipotent, where Jisoo could nail them with her damning gaze and pull out their darkest secrets with a flutter of her eyelashes. Jisoo returned her rueful gaze to her chamomile tea, and wondered if they were all criminals after all – and thus naturally afraid of her handcuffs and police badge – or perhaps the more probable option; that those with authority tended to abuse their power as much as they were able and then some, and these poor people were simply looking to avoid unnecessary trouble.

In that case, Jisoo wondered why the man seemed so at ease in her presence in comparison. But seeing his relaxed posture assuaged her unease somewhat, and so Jisoo smiled sheepishly at the man opposite her. “It happens more often than one would assume,” Jisoo demurred. “It’s a bit cliché, but it’s really just a part of my job – an innate responsibility, you could say – and yet I am charmed by people’s appreciation for what I do.”

“Though as long as there are criminals and a perchance for evil, there will also be people to save, I suppose.” Here, a bout of exasperated laughter left Jisoo in a great whoosh. “I apologize for the ruckus though. There goes our peace and quiet.”

[…]

There was no thought in his mind of her tricking him, no thought of her bringing him into the military. There were barely any thoughts at all. All he could think of was how she must have felt, as though he had abandoned her.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered, arms wrapping tightly around her shoulders, as though the physical action would help to bandage the psychological wounds that he had left behind by not coming back from the mission. He wasn’t sure what exactly he was apologizing for; there were so many things he felt sorry for. “I’m sorry I didn’t come back. I’m sorry I left before you could make it back to base.” Among other things.

There was a flash of devastation on Jin Goo’s face that he failed to hide away from her; and Jisoo abruptly averted her guilty gaze away from him, shame slamming her teeth together. Years after she’d lost him, and that was the first thing she greeted him with. How selfish of her to wallow in her own self-pity and sorrow; when Jin Goo had been on the run this whole time, suffering through difficulties that she most likely cannot even begin to comprehend.

Jisoo gazed at the distance between them, so close and yet so far; it was overwhelming aloofness that loomed between them like an insurmountable chasm, a deep trench dug out little by little with the passage of time and tears of painful separation. It was a permanent feature of the geography between them now, as if it had been there from the beginning; as if Jisoo had only now deigned to look closer. The effects of their separation were deeply rooted: it was there in Jin Goo’s eyes, echoing with the depths of the gulf between them; leaving craters in between his previously smooth brows, and Jisoo wondered if she still had it within her to turn tail and run.

(No. She doesn’t want to leave him.)

Because no matter how Jisoo willed the seemingly irreparable crevasse between them to close, it remained bottomlessly taunting. And her eyes, supposedly bone dry from the immeasurable tears she had already shed, begun to blur once more. Jisoo was once again at a loss as to how to even begin to mend the void between them, and her tongue felt like dead weight in her mouth. There were no adequate words to articulate the turmoil within.

What do you say to a stranger that you loved still?

(And yet - she doesn’t know how to stay.)

Perhaps it had been too long; and her head had been overtaken with demons of doubt and shame – but Jisoo of all people should know what kind of pure-hearted person Jin Goo was.

Jisoo didn’t have time to tense; to react as Jin Goo abruptly crossed the gaping distance between them in quick, concise strides. Her mind processed them, those solid taps of heavy boots against the ground, but she couldn’t understand the sudden lack of distance between them until –

Oh.

Jisoo wondered if she dared to pinch herself, lest she wake up from what was sure to be a dream beyond her wildest imagination. He was as tall and solid as she remembered, his arms unyielding and as warm as the sunshine-glazed wisps of her memory. Jisoo breathed in his scent, and felt cleansed.

That insurmountable distance that she thought irreparable after his absence was mended so astonishingly easily. Jisoo couldn’t remember when she had started to cry in earnest, nor when her arms had shot up to grasp the front of his shirt like it was her only lifeline.

“Don’t apologize.” She whispered. “None of this is your fault. I….” Sorry.

Jisoo’s grip tightened, as if afraid he’ll leave.

[…]

He didn’t get very far. One street away from the coffee shop, he sensed a presence a little ways behind him. There was no trace of a scent. No, the winds weren’t in his favour. But being followed was definitely not a good thing, so he changed his usual route back to the foundation, and walked into a more quiet street. It was only when he heard the quiet footsteps following him that he stopped in his tracks. “You may as well come out,” he said out loud, making sure whoever was following him could hear. It probably wasn’t the military, right? Judging by the way they had shot at him the last time he had evaded them, orders were dead or alive. Had it been the actual military, he would’ve had a bullet in his skull by now. There would be no way they would risk sending someone to just follow him around. 

Jisoo sat at the corner of the café, curling into herself as she clasped the cup of tea between her hands desperately.

Jin Goo...

Jisoo’s breath escaped her in a great unsteady, apprehensive whoosh, even though she’d been expecting – waiting – for him to come to this cafe for days on end, ever since she’d received this information from Key. And yet, absurdly, she couldn’t believe he was in front of her now, his world-weary posture clear to her as day as he sat close to the exit of the café, brows relaxed and yet tense at the same time. Oh, how could she even begin to comprehend that she was now so devastatingly close to her former Captain - she could even reach out and touch him with her own hands, after years of grief and separation - and the tsunami of her emotions gnawed at her composure as her eyes caressed the grooves of his face again and again and again – as if trying to memorize it for the umpteenth time.

Slowly, Jisoo forced herself to release the death grip she had upon the porcelain in her hands, though cracks had already started to mar the white surface. And as he left the café, Jisoo followed him, as if she was an enamored child hopelessly enticed by the sound of the pied piper’s song; doggedly following the one person who’ll always have her loyalty, through thick and thin and the fires of hell.

Jisoo couldn’t help but to smile as Jin Goo spotted her. Ah, that’s my captain.

Slowly, Jisoo came out from where she hid in the shadows, arms raised in the air. With agonizing deliberateness, as if faced with a wild animal, Jisoo maintained eye contact with her captain as she showcased her empty hands and sleeves. (His eyes – they were exactly as she remembered it; indeed those CCTV photographs did him no justice – no, focus, Jisoo, focus.) She even spun around, allowing him to take note of her lack of weapons.

The message was clear. I am not here for violence.

Jisoo couldn’t take her eyes off him. Her arms slumped to her side as her eyes searched him hungrily, desperately. How long has it been since she’d seen his face? He looked well enough, though there was not a hint of happiness upon his wary face. Jisoo’s heart fell to her feet.

“Cap-“ Jisoo begun, before swallowing her words, past the stone lodged within her throat. She smiled weakly. Sorry, Jin Goo. It’s a habit. She wanted to ask him how he was, if he’d eaten, and if anyone from the military have spotted him recently –

None of that came out. Instead, as she opened her mouth once more, words came spilling out, like a dam that was straining past its capacity for years.

“You left before I came back.” Jisoo whispered, her pain carried by the wind towards him. She sighed shakily. “I-I thought I told you not to leave- (me) until I beat you in that clearing, Jin Goo.”

[...]

Joori didn’t take much time before she dug in, slopping food into her bowl, and putting some sides on her mini plate to start chowing down, trying to get this over with as quickly as possible – trying to ignore the fact that if this was a different situation, she’d be flirting her ass off but her dignity was already gone, and she looked a mess in her stupid Ryan pajama pants and dingy white tank top. Jimin hated her she supposed. 

“So, how did you meet my brother? And why was it so important that you meet me like I’m his child or something?” Joori asked, thinking it sounded much more pleasant in her head, and shoved army stew in her mouth to distract herself from…well…herself. This would be a long night. 

Oh dear.

Jisoo balked at Joori’s somewhat hostile response, before attempting to backtrack her way into –hopefully – Joori’s good graces. “Ah - I’m very sorry to interrupt your sibling bonding time, Joori-ssi.” Jisoo didn’t know if she could call the younger with more endearing honorifics yet, but judging by the scowl etched upon her face, Jisoo could bet on a ‘no’ to that question. She seemed very protective of her bother; and even as Jimin rebuked his little sister for her response, Jisoo couldn’t help but to find her resulting pout absolutely adorable, and somewhat nostalgic. Jisoo even felt out of place a little bit, as if she really was an intruder upon such a homely scene, having been out of touch with her sister for many years, and the rest of her family buried six feet under.

“You must love your brother very much.” Jisoo beamed, genuinely fond; though a hint of sorrow dug into the corners of her smile. Joori and Jimin reminded her so much of better times - of times where Jisoo could still savor the love her family gave her - so much so that even as Jisoo focused upon the siblings, she saw two other faces instead, the beaming face of Jennie and her own face, overlaid upon the Park siblings.

“I don’t blame you.” Jisoo laughed lightly, genuinely. “He’s a gentle soul through and through – the fact that you can give him so much affection; makes him a very lucky older brother, hm?” Jisoo paused, before sending a wink towards the girl, to signify that she wasn’t offended by her blunt words, far from it. “Forgive my intrusion for just a bit, just until I’ve tasted his famous budae jigae?”

Bowing in thanks as Joori departed temporarily to fetch their food, Jisoo was about to rise to help her, before she was stopped by Jimin’s apologetic hand upon her wrist. Jisoo merely sent an amused shake of her head towards him. When Joori came back with their food, Jisoo sent a happy smile towards her before digging in.

Joori’s enquiry gave her a pause, and at first, Jisoo could only respond with amused laughter. Jimin’s sister was kind of spunky, and Jisoo sort of liked it. It enabled Joori to come across even cuter, though Jisoo wasn’t going to mention that now. “Ah, well, we’re old; so the story won’t be so interesting, I’d imagine.” Jisoo demurred, sending a teasing side glance towards Jimin. “We met in a tea shop, and became good friends after finally dredging up enough courage to approach each other.”

“I think we should be relieved that it was a tea shop, and not a bar, or else, we would have gotten terribly drunk. But it was during one of our meetings where Jimin told me about his sister, and I really wanted to meet you, Joori-ssi.” Jisoo gave another smile. “I hope you’re enjoying Incheon so far. If you ever need a tour guide, I would gladly take the role.”

jinyoung grits his teeth at her response and almost scoffs. her words just makes him want to mess with her even more. her insistence on how ghosts and spirits didn’t exist was borderline offensive given that a spirit killed his entirely family but he supposes it’s not her fault that she doesn’t know. still, ideas on how to scare her with his spirits runs through his mind at the speed of a freight train and he has to refrain from cackling.

he has better things to do, he figures, so he decides to simply the troublemaker and go back to the task at hand. he can save his evil plots for later. however, her challenge intrigues him. he’s more than willing to show her that ghosts do exist. but there was just one problem. even if he were to actually legitimately carry out his exorcism, it wasn’t like they could actually see the exorcism being done. so either way he would still be accused of being a fraud. racking his brain for ideas, his expression instantly lights up when he comes up with a solution. it wasn’t technically his power, but he figures he could both prove to her that ghosts do exist and humiliate her at the same time.

“well, miss, i am definitely going to carry out the exorcism but it wouldn’t convince you if you can’t even see the ghosts being exorcised in the first place am i right?” he explains. “so how about this – i’ll contact my spirits and make them predict your future. if i get the prediction right, you’ll have to apologise to me. deal?”

A part of Jisoo eyed the self-proclaimed shaman’s young age and obvious annoyance at her accusations with some trepidation, a slight sliver of guilt forming within her heart. Perhaps she shouldn’t have gone ahead on such a crusade of righteous complaints; the boy might just want to make a living, regardless of the honesty and morality involved in his choice. Yes, this was rash, especially for her, and Jisoo sighed into her scarf. This was not how she sought to start her day. If this early confrontation was any indication, the rest of the day will probably follow suit and result in a huge mess that Jisoo wouldn’t want to poke with the butt of her sniper rifle.

Nevertheless, Jisoo wasn’t the type to bail out of a situation once it got tough, and so she merely shook her cup of alarmingly cooling tea with contemplation; before acquiescing to his request. “Alright.” Jisoo laughed. “Carry out your invisible ‘exorcism’ then.” What was the harm in agreeing to this seemingly innocuous request, after all?

[…]

heize finished up her set and walked to the bar, where, not to her surprise, jisoo was awaiting. like a hawk in a tree watching for its prey, except this time, the prey came to her. dahye always celebrated a successful performance with a few shots, and that lead to her taking a cab home and knocking out there. but instead, in her cropped top and ripped up jeans, the girl knew she already had a right. jisoo had always offered her a ride home, and this, of course, she would take – not just for the sake of saving money, but also because this kept her from gotten taken advantage of.

heize headed to the bar and got her usual drink, sitting at the provided seats, sitting next to jisoo. it was inevitable that the two were going to get together at some point, so there was no way in avoiding it or pushing back time. the girl downed her drink before she finally spoke up, “so. what brings you here today? did you do it?”

Beside the bar, Jisoo leisurely laid her head on top of her hands, a slight frown clouding her face as she observed the singing girl on stage. Wasn’t Heize cold? Jisoo’s mouth twisted as she eyed Heize’s attire with some trepidation; and rightly so: those garments seemed like they’ve left nothing to the imagination; favoring the boyish and yet sensually feminine charm of the ripped, gaping holes over that of practicality.

It did add to her mysterious charm though, Jisoo could begrudgingly admit. Perhaps that was the trend nowadays and the older was merely out of touch.

Nevertheless, Jisoo shivered on Heize’s behalf, thankful of the spare jacket she had enough sense to bring. And so as Heize glided her way over to the seat next to her, Jisoo merely raised the jacket in greeting, having been over this so many times it had become a ritual. Over Heize’s shoulder, Jisoo sent a sharp, cutting grin to a man who had been eyeing Heize like a buffet all night, flashing the flintiness of her dog tags in warning. The man raised an eyebrow, before wisely directing his attention elsewhere. Ha. Let them speculate.

“Hello to you too.” Jisoo drawled, draping the jacket over heize’s bare shoulders. “It’s cold tonight, you know? Incheon’s still in the throes of winter, in case you’d forgotten.” As the seemingly innocuous words slipped out of Jisoo’s mouth, the elder’s eyes remained contradictorily piercing and fixated upon the younger’s features, searching for any cues. Jisoo was almost certain that Heize was not local. Once, where Jisoo had really gotten drunk with Heize, the younger had let an accent slip, reminiscent to that of the brusque tones of the South. Busan… maybe?

Jisoo wearily wondered if she needed to get Heize drunk again to find out more about the elusive female.