c h a p t e r   t h r e e

"I've got the report," he snapped in response and almost immediately, Officer Jeon's eyebrows went up.

"Already?"

I decided at this point to clear my throat as an indicator that I was still present or else it'd be pretty late by the time I'd be done here.

Officer Jeon's eyes came back to me and he let go of the files on his desk as he reached up, pressing a hand against his forehead as if a headache was forming there. "Fucking hell. I'm so sorry, Faith. I forgot to tell you that your friend was here for Cal a while ago. My head's all over the place. Just give me a minute—shit, I'm a mess. I'll take you home in a moment."

My friend was here for Cal? Was it Jinae?

"I'll take her."

Liquid gold.

Seriously?

My heart hammered at the prospect of him taking me home.

Handsome as he was, Officer Jeon had gone through with the menial task of driving me home a million times before but it was safe to say I'd never felt like this. Nervous, thrilled and a little edgy at the same time.

Nope. This was all him.

Officer Jeon looked grateful as his eyes went to where the voice came from behind me and nodded once before turning back to me. "General Min's supposed to be leaving first. He'll drive you to campus." The expression on my face must have been uneasy, because his voice went from matter-of-fact to reassuring as he went on, "He's a friend. A good friend. He'll get you there safe, don't worry."

Oh boy.

General Min.

Why was that so hot?

I didn't know how to tell Officer Jeon that I didn't doubt it'd be safe for a second—I was just uneasy because just being in the same vicinity as General Min was a bit... daring. But correcting him meant that I'd actually have to admit some of that out loud, and to his close friend (not to mention the man in question himself), I'd really rather not.

I stood up, turning to look at him behind me as I held my breath. He nodded at me once and threw a curt "Follow me" over his shoulder, and my feet began moving after him automatically.

I called a soft goodbye to Officer Jeon behind me, wondering just how this was going to go.

Calm down, Faith. Chill. You've got this.

I didn't have it.

I definitely didn't have it.

I was pretty sure I lost my cool somewhere back at the police station because it was deathly silent as we walked to his car, and not in a way that I could pass it off as it being because I didn't know him. Nope. It was just plain awkward.

Relax, Faith, I told myself before breathing in deeply.

I hopped in when he unlocked the car, vaguely noting that it looked shiny and sleek even in the dark and buckled myself in immediately. If this car was anything to go by, he must like to drive fast.

He settled in and reached for his seatbelt before breaking the silence.

"So where do you live?"

Oh.

Right.

I'd forgotten he wasn't magically blessed with the knowledge of my address.

"Just keep going straight," I began, "it's only about five minutes away, more or less."

He nodded once before starting the engine smoothly. With a careful look in the review mirror, he pulled out. I absentmindedly tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, turning my gaze to the side and watching as the campus went by in a blur.

"Why do I always see you at the police station?"

I blinked, jerking out of my trance.

Was he curious?

I didn't blame him. I was pretty much always at the police station. I'd want to know too if I had a criminal in my car.

Partly to get rid of the gaping silence and partly because I just wanted to initiate a conversation, I pointed out quietly, "I could say the same for you."

He dipped his chin a bit without taking his eyes from the road, almost as if conceding my point.

His words were obviously carefully chosen as he divulged, "I have some work with Jungkook that I'm here for."

Ah.

Well, that wasn't anything more than what I'd already guessed.

"I have a friend," I also tried to pick my words carefully, "who's a pain in the ass."

"Yeah?" He prompted after another moment and I relented.

"He's... a little difficult." I shook my head. "It's like he likes it or something, messing up and mouthing off, even if it gets him in trouble."

A beat went by.

"Doesn't sound much like a friend if he's dragging his friends into it," he muttered and I found it odd how much his words stuck in my head.

"Yeah," I said quietly as I turned back to the window. "Probably not."

I shut the car door in front of my place before straightening my shirt, wondering if I should say something to the man who waited silently.

I turned around, dipping down a bit to look at him through the window. He immediately pressed something to his side and the window lowered a good amount.

"Um, thank you," I smiled tentatively.

"It wasn't a problem." His impassive gaze let nothing slip as he shook his head dismissively at the statement and I nodded slowly in answer.

"Still, though. I mean it." I straightened, reaching in my jeans pocket for my keys before my eyes went back at him once more. "Goodnight."

Maybe it was the dark, or maybe it was just me, but I could've sworn his eyes went from guarded and reserved to a muted nuance of that as he returned, "Goodnight."

I smiled again before walking up the path to my door and unlocking it.

It wasn't until I'd safely shut myself inside that I heard his car speed away, thinking to myself that if it were possible, it'd probably be nice to see him again sometime.

And chapter three is up! Thank you for reading :)