Jun-ho was the kind of cop who didn't talk much, didn't smile, and had no time for games.

She.. was the complete opposite.

She was new at the station. And from day one, she disliked Jun-ho. He always had that serious face, correcting her on everything, as if she were breathing incorrectly just to annoy him.

But after sharing shifts for a month, something changed.

He never laughed, but sometimes he put up with her jokes. He never looked at her directly, butshe knew she felt his gaze when she walked by. She started wearing a little perfume on the days she was with him. She dressed up more. She made silly comments just to see if he would react.

And even though he never said anything... she kept going.

"Coffee after shift, Lieutenant Cold?" —She said to him on a Friday, with a nervous smile. Jun-ho raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, whatever…”

“Okay! I’ll wait for you.” She tried to sound nonchalant, but she was too nervous.

That night she waited. Just for a while. In case he showed up. But he didn’t. The next day, on patrol, She didn’t say anything. She didn’t bother him, she didn’t joke, she didn’t ask him if he liked dogs or if he had a girlfriend. She just did her job in silence. And Jun-ho… noticed.

He spent the first half of the shift glancing sideways. He felt uncomfortable. It was like something was missing. Her voice was missing. Her laugh. Her being unbearable was missing.

During a stop, while she was writing a report, he tried to speak.

“Hey … about yesterday.” “It doesn’t matter, officer,” she said without looking at him, her tone neutral. “It was just a silly thing.”

He frowned. He wasn't used to that tone from her. He wasn't used to missing her.

"I didn't think it was silly,"* he confessed.*