Chapter Text
You look into the substation car park and see those two again. Of course. Standing far too close for general comfort or polite colleagues, staring intimidatingly into each other's eyes (intimidatingly or intimately ? You don't really know the difference when it comes to those two). They think they're being subtle, meeting round the back of the building, as if their colleagues don't have eyes or ears or are like actual police who are supposed to be observant (though you do wonder, sometimes, what with all the murdering that somehow happened under the radar here, but that's a problem for another day, you guess).
Mostly it's best to just leave them to it, wait for raised voices and the scuffle of feet, for them to walk sheepishly through the door and start their day as usual. But sometimes, sometimes you get a little nosy (listen, it's not nosy. It's just. Well, Lee Dong Sik is known to be volatile and a lunatic, and Han Joo Won may be obstinate but he's somehow managed to avoid the full force of Lee Dong Sik's wrath so far, and it's probably best for everyone if it stays that way). Sometimes you stand outside and just stare at them, too far to hear but close enough to see facial expressions and body language and maybe your wife is right, you do watch too many romantic dramas, but these guys are textbook. Probably. Either textbook both-into-each-other-but-not-willing-to-admit-it or going-to-kill-each-other-one-day (or perfectly normal colleagues who can have disagreements like adults, but your wife can shut it because she doesn't have to deal with them every day).
It's always easy to watch them. They are totally oblivious to the outside world, too busy caught in their weird antagonistic bubble of revenge and justice to notice an audience. God, it's annoying though.
You've known Lee Dong Sik for a while, if anyone can truly know him. Watched anger take him like a storm, rushing out of the substation in a righteous blaze; seen him sit, staring into the distance with suspiciously red-rimmed eyes. It's hard to know which direction his mood will take him; hard to know if he will joke around and tease, or go straight for the jugular. He's teasing Han Joo Won now, mouth quirked at the corners, leaning in.
Han Joo Won is letting him.
You don't know the young inspector well at all, but it's common knowledge that he's stand-offish and aloof. Doesn't like to share space or items with strangers, part mysophobia and part superiority complex (maybe, though you have been told you jump wildly to conclusions sometimes and it could just be that he's never actually spoken to you. Or like, anyone not in his direct eyeline really.). So the fact he stands so close to Lee Dong Sik is suspicious, to be honest. Suspicious and damning.
They're playing off each other now; you can tell from the way they're swaying closer together, raised eyebrows and relaxed shoulders. Thank god, you think, maybe this will finally be over and you can go to work in peace. But no, they're interrupted by that damned reporter (who probably saw you gawping at them, but oh well, it's not like you've got much of a reputation to uphold and all outsiders frown down on Manyang anyway)
The reporter, as always, puts his goddamn foot in it and riles Lee Dong Sik up. Mentioning the old chief's absence like it's nothing. You prepare yourself for the worst, for a totally different drama to unfold, but to your surprise Han Joo Won steps forward. You still can't hear what's being said, but as you watch the reporter walk off with Han Joo Won you think about how interesting this has become (you can't wait to tell your wife about the developments. She might complain about how much you're blowing this out of proportion but you know she's invested in them too).