Exception

I. Superpowers?!

Kim Inseong tilted his mug towards himself and glanced over the rim, expecting coffee but was disappointed by the dark brown stain that circled around. He let the glass fall back onto the table and looked up from his laptop, stretching his stiff neck.

When he saw the empty gaming chair to the right side of his desk, he shouted, "Dawon! Where in the world did you go again?!"

The sound of pounding footsteps grew progressively louder, until the door to the room flew open, revealing a cubby-cheeked man. He was DS* Lee Sanghyuk, but most people called him Dawon. He was wearing a casual button-up – but unbuttoned – shirt and jeans with two holes in the place of his knees.

Inseong would say that the only attractive – or, rather, distracting – part of Dawon was his lilac-colored hair, which was quite the head-turner in their department. Of course, dying one's hair with extravagant colors was definitely not considered formal attire that detectives were supposed to wear, but being good friends with a DCI** always had its benefits.

(*DS: Detective Sergeant

**DCI: Detective Chief Inspector)

Very unfortunate for Inseong, he was paired up with this guy since he first got the job.

"Didn't I tell you to stay here unless I told you otherwise?" Inseong chided.

"But, I was just going to the washroom-"

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Inseong interrupted.

"I did!" A breeze came through the window, blowing a few strands of his hair into his eyes. He kept talking as if it didn't bother him at all. "You even gave me permission when I asked."

Inseong started to protest but his mouth hung open in midair, because he, in fact, did recall giving a nod of approval five minutes ago. He was just too preoccupied to pay enough attention.

He groaned at Dawon's smirk and then said, with a sigh, "My fault. But where's the coffee I asked for?"

"Nope. No more coffee for you. You already drank four cups today, and it's barely lunchtime." Dawon sauntered over to his seat and reached for his headphones, ready to start his daily gaming marathon.

"Acting all nice to me, but in reality that's just your excuse for being lazy," Inseong muttered, resolving to refill his own mug by himself.

Before he could stand up, however, his partner said, "Do you mind buying lunch while you're at it?"

"'While I'm at it?' You want me to extend my two-minute walk to the pantry to a 15 minute journey to the café?" The proposal just sounded too absurd and incredulous to the Chief Inspector.

"Oh, come on, Inseong. You've been working nonstop since..." Dawon looked up at the ceiling as if counting the days. "Forever. I can't even count the number of all-nighters you pulled continuously."

Inseong sighed deeply.

"Go get some fresh air." Dawon smiled, shooing his friend away.

Reluctantly, Inseong placed down the empty mug and left the station.

Just across the street, between a bookstore and a bakery, was the café where they frequently visited for a coffee in the morning or a quick meal during their short breaks.

As Inseong pushed the glass door open, the small yet jovial ting of the bell welcomed him. For the first time in hours, he felt his shoulders relax. Even the stress from tackling a tricky case seemed to relieve a little when he saw the familiar barista standing behind the counter.