#trigger netflix

Slow Burn • Angst • Romance •

Moon Baek is the precinct's quiet police artist who spends his days sketching suspects from witness descriptions.

Reader is a rookie police officer, working under the legendary detective Lee Do, her respected mentor.

Too Late

I stared at my phone for a long time.

Not because I didn't want to call him.

Because I wanted to call him too much.

Every time I closed my eyes, I felt his hand in mine again.

The gentle squeeze.

The way neither of us had rushed to let go.

Finally, I pressed his name.

The phone rang once.

Twice.

"Hello."

His voice was softer at night.

"Hi."

"Hi."

I smiled.

"You sound tired."

"I fed Pencil and Eraser."

"And?"

"They had a catfight, stealing each other's food."

"Maybe you should report them to Detective Lee." I laughed.

The familiar ease settled between us almost instantly.

"Umm, Moon...Can I admit something a little embarrassing?"

"You can."

My cheeks were already warm.

"When you came to the café today..."

"Mm?"

"You looked..."

I groaned softly.

Why is this suddenly so difficult?

A quiet laugh reached me through the phone.

"Take your time."

I buried my face in my pillow.

"You looked really handsome."

Silence.

"I mean...You in that navy jacket...I kept thinking..."

I laughed nervously.

"'He looks unfairly handsome today.'"

This time, it was Moon who laughed.

Quiet. Warm.

"Thank you."

Then, after another thoughtful silence, he spoke again.

"I thought you looked beautiful."

I forgot how to breathe.

"Blue looks good on you, Rookie."

His voice had become almost shy.

"And the way you smiled when you saw me..."

He paused.

"I could look at it forever and never get tired of it. "

We both then remained quiet for a while.

I drew a slow breath.

"Moon?"

"Yes?"

"Was today..."

I stopped.

He waited patiently.

"Was it a date?"

Silence.

Long enough to set my heart racing.

When he finally answered, there was a smile in his voice.

"Do you want it to be?"

I closed my eyes.

"Yes."

One word. Barely louder than a whisper.

On the other end of the line, I heard him exhale.

"Then..."

He paused, choosing his words with the same care he used for every sketch.

"I'd want to know you more."

My heart fluttered.

"I'd like that, too. "

Another quiet settled over us.

Then Moon spoke again.

"What if you don't like me after knowing more?"

The question was so gentle, so sincere, it hurt.

I pictured him asking it while sitting alone in his apartment, one orange cat probably asleep beside him, the other plotting another food theft.

As if this wonderful, kind man genuinely believed he might not be enough.

I smiled through the ache.

"Too late for that."

He didn't answer.

I continued before my courage could disappear.

"I already look for you every morning."

A soft breath.

"I already miss you on days you're not at the precinct."

Silence.

"I know when you pretend your knee doesn't hurt. And..."

I swallowed. My voice became smaller.

"I already wonder if you've reached home safely."

The words came one after another, like they had been waiting behind a locked door.

"So..." I smiled, "It's too late for that."

The line was utterly quiet

For one terrifying second, I wondered if I'd said too much.

Then I heard him breathe in very slowly.

"Rookie..."

"Mm?"

"Can I tell you something I've been feeling guilty about too?"

I blinked.

"Guilty?"

"At the café..."

He laughed once, quietly.

"There was chocolate syrup."

"Where?"

"On your...bottom lip."

My breath caught.

"I noticed it. And for one second..."

His voice became so quiet I almost missed it.

"I just wanted to...kiss..."

He didn't say it. He didn't have to. Just the thought made my heart flutter wildly.

"Moon..."

My voice broke a little.

"You know what?"

"What?"

"If you'd asked..."

I felt my cheeks burn.

"I might have said yes."

"God... Rookie..."

He let out a quiet, helpless laugh.

"I should probably be the responsible one here."

A pause.

"I'm thirty-two."

I blinked.

"You're twenty-five."

"Seven years isn't..."

"It matters to some people."

Before I could answer, he continued.

"You're one of the brightest detectives in the precinct."

His laugh was gentle, almost self-deprecating.

"I'm just a sketch artist..."

My chest tightened.

"Moon..."

"I don't even know how much longer they'll keep me around."

"Don't say that."

"I'm just being realistic."

His voice trembled slightly.

"And my knee. Some days it's fine. Some days I need the brace. Some days I can't climb a flight of stairs without hurting."

I could hear him breathing unsteadily.

"I told you it happened in an accident...It wasn't exactly that."

I instantly remembered what Lee Do had told me about Moon's injury earlier.

"A coworker of mine was taken hostage by a masked gunman. I pushed her clear...But the bullets got me."

He stopped.

"She was also...Someone I loved. We were in a relationship."

I closed my eyes.

Of course he'd been loved before.

Somehow it had simply never occurred to me.

"She stayed while I was in hospital. She said she'd wait."

A long pause.

"But the healing took longer than anyone had expected. I started wearing the brace."

His voice remained calm.

"One evening she told me she couldn't picture a future with someone who might never walk properly again."

My chest tightened so sharply it almost hurt.

I pictured him learning to walk again, one careful step at a time... believing he had to heal twice.

Once from the injury.

Once from being left behind.

"Moon...You idiot!"

A startled laugh escaped him.

"...Pardon?"

"You really think any of that is going to make me like you any less?"

Silence.

"I don't care that you're thirty-two and I'm twenty-five.

I don't care what anyone at the precinct might think."

I could almost hear him trying to interrupt.

"And I certainly don't care about what our roles at the precinct are."

My voice softened.

"If anything...I respect you more now than I did an hour ago.

You shattered your knee saving someone's life. And somehow...You still think you're the one who isn't enough!"

I laughed quietly through the tears gathering in my eyes

"The only thing that's bothering me..."

I hesitated. Heat rushed into my face.

"You should've kissed me at the café. Because now..."

My heart pounded so loudly I was sure he could hear it.

"I'm going to spend the entire night wondering what your lips would've felt like...Against mine."

The silence on the other end became almost tangible.

"Oh God..."

I squeezed my eyes shut.

"Why did I just say that?"

I wanted the floor to open beneath me.

"Please pretend I didn't."

Moon let out the smallest, most astonished laugh.

"I don't think I can."

I buried my face in my pillow.

"I told you, Moon..."

I smiled despite myself.

"It's already too late."

[Next update on Sunday the 9th. Did you like this chapter? Thanks for reading 🥰]

Slow Burn • Angst • Romance •

Moon Baek is the precinct's quiet police artist who spends his days sketching suspects from witness descriptions.

Reader is a rookie police officer, working under the legendary detective Lee Do, her respected mentor.

Hold His Hand

For three days, I rehearsed the question.

Every version sounded strange.

Would you like to have coffee?

Too formal.

Do you want to hang out?

Too casual.

I was wondering if...

Too obvious.

In the end, it escaped before I could overthink it.

Moon had just finished another composite sketch when I wandered into his office.

He looked up.

"You're done?"

He nodded.

"I was thinking..." I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "There's a café near the lake."

He waited.

"They make really good cheesecake."

Another pause.

"I haven't tried it."

"So..." I laughed nervously. "Would you... like to?"

He studied me for a second that felt much longer.

"With you?"

"Yes..."

His answer came so quietly I almost missed it.

"I'd like that."

---------------------------------------------

Saturday arrived wrapped in pale winter sunlight.

Moon was already waiting outside the café when I got there.

He wore the navy jacket I'd given him.

It suited him.

Dangerously well.

"You've been waiting long?"

"No."

"You always say no."

"I've been here four minutes."

I smiled.

"Still sorry though."

Inside, the café smelled of roasted coffee and butter.

We found a table by the window.

Moon ordered a black coffee.

I ordered a cappuccino with enough foam to look like a cloud.

"And..."

"The cheesecake?" he asked.

"You remembered!"

"You mentioned it."

I grinned.

"One cheesecake, please."

When it arrived, I pushed the plate toward him.

"You first."

"Should it not be the opposite?"

"It's my rule."

He obediently took a bite.

I leaned forward.

"...Well?"

He thought about it.

"It's good."

"That's all?"

He took another bite.

"...Very good."

"There we go."

His lips curved into that tiny smile I'd started collecting like precious things.

We talked for nearly two hours.

Not about work.

About books.

About Star Wars.

About how Pencil had once managed to open the refrigerator and destroyed all the milk cartons.

"Eraser watched," Moon said.

"Didn't help?"

"Such vandalism is beneath him. He looked disappointed."

I giggled.

------------------------------------------------

The lake was only a few minutes away.

The walking path curved along the water, lined with bare winter trees.

A cool breeze skimmed across the surface, turning the sunlight into ripples of silver.

We walked without any destination.

Just...

Together.

Sometimes we talked.

Sometimes we didn't.

The silence never felt empty.

Our shoulders brushed once.

Neither of us moved away.

I looked down.

Our hands swung gently as we walked.

Close.

Not touching.

Just...

Close.

Take his hand.

The thought arrived without permission.

I almost did.

Then my courage dissolved.

What if he doesn't want that?

A few more steps.

The distance between our hands shrank again.

I could feel the warmth of him even without touching.

Just do it.

I couldn't.

I laughed at myself under my breath.

Coward.

Moon glanced sideways.

"What?"

"...Nothing."

"You smiled."

"I was arguing with myself."

"About what...?"

"Nothing. It's...ridiculous actually."

He looked ahead again.

For a little while, only the sound of our footsteps accompanied us.

Then...

I felt it.

Warm fingers brushing mine.

I looked down.

Moon had reached for my hand.

Just enough for our fingers to meet.

I looked up at him.

He wasn't looking at me.

His ears, however...were unmistakably red.

Very gently, I curled my fingers around his.

He let out the smallest breath.

Almost inaudible.

We kept walking.

Hand in hand.

The quiet rhythm of our footsteps was the only sound breaking the silence.

After several minutes, I whispered,

"I wanted to do this.

Our eyes met.

He smiled.

Bright enough to soften every quiet corner of his face.

I squeezed his hand once.

He squeezed back.

Neither of us said another word for the rest of the walk.

We didn't need to.

🔗 Previous Chapter 4

Slow Burn • Angst • Romance •

Moon Baek is the precinct's quiet police artist who spends his days sketching suspects from witness descriptions.

Reader is a rookie police officer, working under the legendary detective Lee Do, her respected mentor.

Between Words

It became a habit before I even realized it.

Whenever I stayed late finishing reports, I'd glance toward the sketch room.

The light was almost always on.

Moon was always there.

A witness would have left hours ago, but he'd still be refining a jawline, adjusting the angle of an eyebrow, adding the faintest shadow beneath a cheekbone.

His concentration never seemed to waver.

On rainy days, Moon wore a leg brace.

I always heard the faint click before I saw him, those slow, careful footsteps somehow becoming one of the most familiar sounds in my day.

I walked past his office with a paper cup of coffee in one hand and a convenience store bag in the other.

Moon didn't notice me.

He was drawing. As always.

Without knocking, I quietly placed the coffee beside his elbow.

A chocolate bun.

A packet of crackers.

Then I turned to leave.

"...Rookie."

I looked back.

He was watching me.

His pencil rested across his fingers.

"You'll forget dinner otherwise," I said, trying to sound casual.

His eyes drifted to the food.

Then back to me.

He gave me the smallest nod.

"...Thank you."

It wasn't much.

Just a nod.

Just two words.

Yet somehow, they stayed with me all evening.

That night, I stared at his number for five minutes before finally pressing Call.

He answered on the third ring.

"...Hello."

"Am I disturbing you?"

"No."

"You can tell me if you are busy"

"I'm feeding the cats."

I blinked.

"...Cats?"

"I have two."

The image formed in my head so suddenly that I laughed.

"You have cats?"

"I do."

"I don't know why that's surprising."

"They're orange."

I laughed harder.

"Of course they are."

There was a soft sound on the other end.

"...What?"

"Nothing."

"No, you laughed."

"I was imagining two orange cats completely ignoring you."

"They usually do."

I covered my mouth to stop laughing.

"I can't believe this."

"They only become affectionate when they want food."

"They're just being cats."

"I guess so."

His voice carried the faintest trace of amusement.

"So what's their names?"

"Pencil."

I waited.

"And?"

"...Eraser."

I burst into laughter.

"You named your cats Pencil and Eraser?"

"I'm not very creative with names"

"No,no. I love them already."

For the first time, I heard Moon laugh properly.

It wasn't loud.

But it was real.

It made me smile so widely my cheeks hurt.

After a while, my curiosity got the better of me.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You can."

"The leg brace..."

Silence.

For a heartbeat, I regretted asking.

Then he answered.

"It was...an accident."

I could sense his hesitancy on the other side.

"I'm sorry."

"It healed, but...It didn't heal completely."

I looked down at the blanket draped over my legs.

"Does it hurt?"

"Sometimes."

"When it rains?"

"...Mostly."

Outside my window, rain tapped softly against the glass.

"I wish the weather gets better."

"It's fine. I love rain. My knees disagree, but I still love the rain."

Another comfortable silence.

I lay back against my pillow.

He spoke so little.

Yet every sentence felt worth waiting for.

We talked about ridiculous things after that.

About Detective Kim's terrible jokes.

About Lee Do's impossible standards.

About Pencil and Eraser destroying Moon's sketches.

About the best convenience store ramen.

Time dissolved.

When I finally glanced at my clock, nearly two hours had passed.

"...I should let you sleep," I murmured.

"You have work tomorrow."

"So do you."

"I don't mind."

Something fluttered inside my chest.

Neither did I.

"Goodnight, Moon."

"...Goodnight."

After the call ended, I caught myself smiling at the ceiling.

It was strange.

I'd spoken to friends for years without feeling like this.

But talking to Moon...

It felt effortless.

Like I could keep listening to his quiet voice until sunrise.

----------------------------------------------------

A few days later, Officer Lee Do found me watching Moon cross the parking lot.

The brace clicked softly beneath his winter trousers.

"He hides it well," Lee Do said.

"What?"

"The pain."

I looked at him.

"Was it a car accident?"

Lee Do was silent for a moment.

"That's what he tells people."

My stomach tightened.

"It wasn't?"

Lee Do folded his arms.

"There was an armed attack at another precinct years ago."

My breath caught.

"A suspect got inside."

"He took a female officer hostage. Moon pulled her out of the line of fire."

My heartbeat slowed.

"He pushed her clear."

"And?"

Lee Do looked toward the parking lot, where Moon had already disappeared.

"He couldn't get himself clear in time."

I swallowed.

"The bullet shattered his knee."

The world seemed to fall strangely quiet.

"He went through multiple surgeries," Lee Do continued. "They saved his leg, but...not without consequences."

I stared at the empty space where Moon had vanished moments earlier.

The brace.

The careful steps.

The rainy nights.

The way he always insisted he was "fine."

He had never mentioned any of it.

Not even when I'd asked.

Instead, he'd called it an accident.

As though saving someone's life was an ordinary thing.

My chest ached when I realized...

He'd convinced himself his sacrifice wasn't worth talking about.

That evening, when I passed his office with a cup of coffee in my hands, I lingered at the door for a moment.

Moon looked up from his sketch.

"...Rookie?"

I smiled.

"I brought your coffee."

He accepted it with the same gentle nod as always.

He didn't know that my heart had changed.

Just quietly.

Soft enough that only I could feel its weight.

🔗 Previous Chapter 3

🔗 Next Chapter 5

Slow Burn • Angst • Romance •

Moon Baek is the precinct's quiet police artist who spends his days sketching suspects from witness descriptions.

Reader is a rookie police officer, working under the legendary detective Lee Do, her respected mentor.

Secret Santa

By the second week of December, the precinct was getting ready to welcome Christmas.

Paper snowflakes fluttered over the windows.

Someone hung fairy lights that flickered every few minutes.

Detective Kim declared that the Secret Santa exchange was "mandatory fun." Everyone must take part in it.

Officer Lee Do sighed.

"I hate mandatory fun."

"You say that every year, but you always get the best gifts for your elf!"

I laughed as I reached into the bowl to pick a folded slip of paper.

One name.

One gift.

Simple.

I unfolded mine.

Moon Baek.

For a moment, I simply stared.

"...Really?"

Detective Kim grinned.

"Who'd you get?"

"I'm not telling."

I folded the paper so quickly he laughed even harder.

-----------------------------------------------------

Buying a gift for Moon Baek turned out to be surprisingly difficult.

I didn't know his hobbies.

Didn't know what music he liked.

Didn't know if he drank coffee or tea.

I only knew that he worked late.

Skipped lunch more often than not.

And every morning, he arrived wearing the same worn charcoal jacket.

The sleeves had begun to fray.

One evening after work, I wandered through a department store.

Then I saw it.

A dark navy winter jacket.

Soft. Warm. Classy.

The sort of thing Moon would actually wear.

He's so tall, he'd look really good in it.

I bit my bottom lip to hide a smile.

------------------------------------------------

Secret Santa day arrived.

The gifts sat beneath a tiny artificial Christmas tree in the briefing room.

One by one, everyone opened theirs.

Laughter echoed everywhere.

Someone received socks with cute ghost prints.

Someone got expensive coffee beans.

Lee Do unwrapped a mug that read:

WORLD'S SECOND BEST DETECTIVE.

He looked around.

"Whoever bought this is getting overtime."

Everyone laughed.

Moon waited until nearly everyone else had finished...before opening his package.

He carefully peeled away the wrapping paper.

The navy jacket appeared.

He blinked.

His fingertips brushed over the fabric.

For several seconds...he didn't move.

"...It's nice."

That was all he said.

But I noticed something.

He kept touching the sleeve, almost absentmindedly.

As if he couldn't quite believe it belonged to him.

----------------------------------------

There was still one gift left.

Mine.

I looked around.

"So... who had me?"

The room erupted into teasing.

"Secret!"

"That's the point!"

"Guess!"

I rolled my eyes and opened the box.

Inside was a fountain pen.

Dark blue lacquer with silver trim.

It wasn't flashy.

It was beautiful.

Underneath it lay a small leather notebook.

The pages were thick, smooth, perfect for writing.

My breath caught.

I usually preferred hand-written reports.

I didn't think anyone had noticed.

There was one last thing inside.

A tiny folded piece of paper.

I unfolded it.

The handwriting was neat.

In case you ever need a sketch artist.

Below it...

A phone number.

No name. Just the number.

Heat rushed into my face.

----------------------------------------------

That evening I sat on my bed for nearly twenty minutes.

Phone in hand.

Call.

Don't call.

Call.

Don't call.

Finally...

I pressed the button.

It rang once.

Twice.

Then...

"...Hello."

Moon.

His voice was unmistakable.

"Hi."

"...Rookie?"

"You knew it was me?"

A quiet chuckle.

"I hoped."

I smiled without realizing it.

"I wanted to thank you."

There was a brief silence.

"...You figured it out."

I laughed softly, "...I don't think anyone else would write 'in case you ever need a sketch artist.'"

His laugh was almost inaudible.

"I'm glad you liked it."

"I love it."

The words escaped before I could soften them.

Another silence.

Not awkward.

Just warm.

"I saw you using cheap pens," he said quietly. "They leaked."

"You noticed that?"

"You write reports every day."

"I didn't think anyone paid attention."

"I do."

The sentence was simple.

Matter of fact.

But my heart stumbled anyway.

I looked out of my apartment window at the Christmas lights shimmering below.

"...The jacket suits you."

"I wore it home."

"I know."

"You saw?"

"You left before I did."

I smiled into the phone.

For a while, neither of us spoke.

Neither of us seemed eager to end the call.

Finally, Moon cleared his throat.

"...Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Moon."

It was the first time I'd said his name aloud.

He didn't respond immediately.

When he finally did, his voice had become impossibly gentle.

"...Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

The call lasted only eleven minutes.

Somehow...

It felt like the beginning of something neither of us was ready to name.

🔗 Previous Chapter 2

🔗 Next Chapter 4

Slow Burn • Angst • Romance •

Moon Baek is the precinct's quiet police artist who spends his days sketching suspects from witness descriptions.

Reader is a rookie police officer, working under the legendary detective Lee Do, her respected mentor.

A week after Christmas, I walked into the records corridor with a stack of case files balanced against my chest.

Moon Baek stood outside the forensic sketch room.

Across from him was Senior Officer Choi.

His voice carried through the empty hallway.

"...I've been thinking about this for a while."

Moon said nothing.

The older man folded his arms.

"Artificial intelligence can create composite sketches in seconds now. Better accuracy. Better speed."

I slowed my steps.

"Which means..." Choi continued, "...your position has become redundant."

The files nearly slipped from my hands.

Moon didn't argue. Didn't even flinch.

He simply listened.

"I don't think you need to come in from next week."

There it was.

Just like that.

Not a meeting. Not HR.

Not even a thank you for years of work.

Just...

Don't come back.

Moon lowered his eyes.

"...Understood."

Something inside me snapped.

"Excuse me!"

Both men looked at me.

Senior Officer Choi frowned.

"What is it, Rookie?"

I marched straight between them before I had time to lose my nerve.

"You can't do that."

"Pardon?"

"You can't dismiss someone without consulting the HR"

"This isn't your concern."

"I'm just stating the protocols we're all supposed to maintain"

His expression hardened.

"I said his position is no longer required."

"Then HR should review it."

He blinked.

"The department head should review it. There should be written notice, documentation, reassignment options. That's literally precinct policy."

"It's an internal matter."

"Exactly." I met his eyes. "Internal policy."

Officer Choi fell silent.

"I don't know much," I admitted. "I'm still new."

"But I do know you can't tell someone who's worked here for years not to come back next week because software exists."

Officer Choi looked irritated now.

"You're overstepping."

"Maybe."

I swallowed.

"But if someone treated Officer Lee Do like this, the entire precinct would object."

His jaw tightened.

"This isn't the same."

"Why?"

No answer.

"Because Moon Baek is quiet?"

Silence.

"Because he won't defend himself?"

Moon shifted beside me.

"...Rookie."

His voice was almost a whisper.

"It's alright."

I turned to him.

"No."

The word surprised even me.

"It isn't."

Officer Choi sighed heavily.

"I wasn't finalizing anything."

"You just told him not to come next week."

"I was... speaking hypothetically."

I stared.

He looked away first.

"I'll discuss staffing with administration."

He cleared his throat.

"Nothing has been decided."

Without another word, he walked off down the corridor.

The moment he disappeared around the corner, my heartbeat caught up with me.

My knees suddenly felt weak.

Moon was still standing beside me.

Quiet.

The hallway seemed enormous.

I rubbed the back of my neck.

"...I'm sorry."

His brows knit together.

"I probably made things worse."

He looked at me for a long moment.

Then, very softly...

"No."

His voice carried that same calm I'd heard on Christmas Eve.

"You didn't."

I laughed nervously.

"My hands are shaking."

"I noticed."

I looked down.

They really were.

Moon reached into his satchel and pulled out a folded tissue.

He held it out.

"For the sweat."

I stared at it before accepting it with an embarrassed smile.

"...Thank you."

He nodded once.

Then, after a pause that felt carefully chosen, he said,

"No one's ever stood up for me before."

I didn't know what to say.

So I smiled.

"You would've done the same."

For the first time since I'd met him, Moon smiled without trying to hide it.

It was small.

Gentle.

And somehow...

It made the whole grey corridor feel warmer.

🔗 Previous Chapter 1

🔗 Next Chapter 3

Slow Burn • Angst • Romance •

Moon Baek is the precinct's quiet police artist who spends his days sketching suspects from witness descriptions.

Reader is a rookie police officer, working under the legendary detective Lee Do, her respected mentor.

Into a soft, sweet beginning...

Christmas Eve

Moon Baek was the precinct's police artist.

Witnesses sat across from him, fumbling for details.

"His eyes were... kind of sharp."

"The nose was longer."

"No, the scar was on the other side."

And somehow, with nothing but hesitant words, Moon brought strangers to life.

Faces emerged from blank paper as though he had reached into someone's memory and borrowed it.

I thought it was magic.

My mentor, officer Lee Do called it observation.

"Drawing is easy," he'd once said while we watched Moon work through the interrogation room window. "Seeing is the difficult part."

I was only three months into the job.

Everything fascinated me.

Everything terrified me.

Lee Do was legendary. Every rookie in the academy knew his name before joining the force.

Calm under pressure.

Brilliant investigator.

The sharpest shooter.

Never raised his voice unless it mattered.

Working under him meant making twice as many mistakes because I wanted to impress him twice as much.

So I barely noticed Moon Baek.

He drifted through the station like a passing shadow. He came when he was needed, filled pages with impossible faces, nodded once when someone thanked him, then disappeared into his tiny office.

No one chatted with him over coffee.

No one invited him to lunch.

He never seemed bothered.

Then Christmas Eve arrived.

The entire precinct was louder than usual.

Someone had strung cheap tinsel over the filing cabinets.

Detective Kim insisted on playing Christmas songs through an old speaker that crackled every few minutes.

Someone brought fried chicken.

Someone else brought cake.

I had spent the previous night baking cupcakes.

They didn't turn out as I had hoped. The frosting leaned in questionable directions, and I might have gone a little overboard with the sprinkles.

But everyone took one anyway.

"Merry Christmas, Rookie!"

"Merry Christmas."

The box became lighter and lighter until only one cupcake remained.

I looked around.

Moon Baek was sitting alone at his desk, sketching.

Of course he was working.

I hesitated.

Then I walked over.

"Um..."

He looked up.

His eyes were darker than I expected.

Quiet, but not cold.

I held out the last cupcake.

"Merry Christmas."

For a second, he simply looked at it.

Then at me.

"For me?"

"I promise they taste better than they look."

I smiled, already feeling a little awkward.

The corner of his mouth moved.

Not quite a smile.

Just... the beginning of one.

He accepted the cupcake carefully, almost like it was something fragile.

"Thank you."

His voice was softer than I'd imagined.

"You should eat it before the frosting collapses."

"I will."

"...And if it tastes a little burnt..."

"I'll keep that to myself."

I grinned.

"Deal."

Officer Lee Do called my name from across the room.

"Rookie!"

"Coming!"

I waved awkwardly at Moon.

"Merry Christmas."

"...Merry Christmas."

I hurried away before I noticed him watching me.

The sketch in front of him remained unfinished.

Instead, he slowly peeled back the wrapper of the slightly lopsided cupcake.

He took one careful bite.

And for the first time anyone in the precinct could remember...

Moon Baek smiled.

Okay... I think I've finally accepted that Moon Baek has become my muse. 😭

This man has been living rent-free in my head for weeks, and I have way too many Moon x Reader ideas floating around in my head. I wanted to throw one out here and see what everyone thinks.

Moon Baek: Charming, effortlessly cool, always wearing that easy smile, while quietly carrying the weight of a traumatic childhood. Fiercely loyal to the people he calls family, especially his best friend, Lee Do.

Rookie (Reader): A junior detective who's still finding her footing. Earnest, stubborn, and always willing to put herself on the line for the people she cares about.

Lee Do: Rookie's mentor. Calm, stoic, and one of the precinct's finest detectives. Moon's closest friend and the person who knows him better than anyone else.

Moving onto the plot now...

It's ridiculously dramatic 😁

Rookie is engaged to Lee Do.

Then Lee is kidnapped by a powerful drug mafia. Intelligence suggests the next target will be Lee's fiancée, both as leverage and to avenge something personal.

To keep Rookie alive and safe, her close ones, and even the precinct seniors suggest that Moon and rookie get married on paper. It's temporary, only till Lee is found.

On their first night under the same roof, Moon makes her a promise.

"You're Lee's fiancée. You're my junior. I won't even look at you in a way that disrespects either of those things."

And he means it.

They become husband and wife only on paper.

Moon keeps his distance.

He sleeps on the couch.

Acts like the caring husband everyone expects to see, while never crossing the line.

Until Rookie slowly... painfully... starts falling for Moon.

One night, she reaches for her legally married husband, and one impulsive moment changes everything between them.

What happens if Moon finally succeeds in bringing Lee Do home?

(Yes, I know. This plot has enough melodrama to power an entire K-drama for sixteen episodes 😭)