Exception

XX. Exception (2)

Inseong and Jaeyoon were on their way to the police station. After the perpetrators had escaped from the bank, Dawon was immediately sent to the nearest hospital, but because Inseong and Jaeyoon were both greatly involved in the crime scene, they had to be brought back for questioning and weren't allowed to accompany their injured friend.

When they arrived the station, a few accompanying officers led them into two interrogation rooms where they were questioned separately. Inseong answered everything truthfully, and since he was a trustworthy detective working for the police , most of the procedure went smoothly. Of course, it was hard for him to explain that the car had started up on its own and drove at its own will in the absence of a driver, but nowadays there were many self-driving cars and the kind interrogator assured that further investigation will be held by the computer forensics team.

Jaeyoon was still being questioned when Inseong came out of the interrogation room, so he found an empty table nearby where he sat and waited. He wanted badly to visit Dawon, but he knew his job wasn't finished—he received news that the perpetrators at Nonghyup bank were arrested, while Daehyun was also found at a bar called Sleep Seoul, and the police were in the progress of bringing him back to the station for interrogation.

Soon after, Jaeyoon also ended his questioning and sat down beside Inseong. He noticed something shiny in the corner of his eye, and realized that Inseong was toying with a pair of handcuffs in his hands. It was Detective Lee's—it fell from his belt when he was flung into the air by Minhyuk—and Inseong must've picked it up from the crime scene. But what really caught Jaeyoon's attention was the flash of red on Inseong's palms.

Instinctively, he reached for the detective's wrist and pulled his hand closer. "Is this blood? You're bleeding!"

With notable difficulty, Inseong tore his gaze from the handcuffs and, as if for the first time, took a close look at his own palm. He tried curling his fingers into a fist, but a jolt of pain stopped him. How did I not notice this? Then he dropped the handcuffs on the table and examined his other hand, which was similarly hurt.

"You probably scraped it when I pushed you to the ground trying to save you," said Jaeyoon. Then, without waiting for Inseong, he turned to one of the officers. "Is there a first aid kit around here?"

Several minutes later, Inseong found himself staring at Jaeyoon, who was meticulously disinfecting the wounds on his palm. Jaeyoon's hands were soft, unlike Inseong's, which had grown rough from the fitness training he had to do as a policeman. He wished he could hold Jaeyoon's hands fully in his own, to completely wrap his fingers around Jaeyoon's small palm, to warm Jaeyoon's cold skin...

"All done!" Jaeyoon looked up from Inseong's neatly bandaged palm, only to see that the detective didn't seem to be paying much attention. Their gazes met, and Jaeyoon understood that Inseong had been staring at him for quite a while now. This wasn't the first time, he knew. All of a sudden, he was reminded of that day, and his heart started beating faster.

He looked around, and noticed that the officer who was standing there a while ago had left, leaving Inseong and himself alone.

Motivated with a sudden burst of courage he didn't know where from, Jaeyoon said, "Inseong... do you remember what you said to me that afternoon, when we were eating lunch in the car, outside of the apartment building?"*

(*A/N: see the end of chapter "XII. Today's the Day")

The intensity of Inseong's gaze didn't weaken a whit at that unexpected question. Instead, he seemed to stare even deeper into Jaeyoon's eyes. "Of course."

The air around them grew even quieter, so quiet that all Jaeyoon could hear was his own heartbeat and a faint buzzing in his ears. It might seem like their short conversation has ended, but what Jaeyoon said next surprised even himself. "Did I do it again? Just now... you were staring at me. Did I make your heart go crazy again?"