nsb headquarters

@Lee Changsun She stared at him – at his stoic appearance and his attempt at apathy, had heard the absence of concern and care in his phrasing, – and sighed, suppressing the encroaching feeling of disappointment and the conclusion that her efforts had been for naught. Self-doubt replaced her confidence but her expression remained unchanging, never exposing her thoughts even as she shrugged, nodded in acknowledgement of his words. “I’d like to.” It came out softer than she intended and she cleared to amend for her momentary vulnerability – a betrayal of her frustration. “I am right. You need a break.” Returning to her original assertion, she regained composure and stepped closer to the threshold of the door. Her back momentarily turned to him, her attention slipped to the shadowed confines of the hallway, to their late night conversations and that haunted look in Joon’s eyes. His startled awakening and that temporal alarm in his eyes sparked some understanding in her, reminding her of her reflection in the morning – circles under the eyes, youth drained and eyes jaded, trapped in some recollection of the distant past.

Vaguely processing the sounds of movement behind her, she glanced over her shoulder and stared at the curve of his shoulders and back, his front bathed in the glow of the room. At the sight, a sensation of equal admiration and commiseration spread and settled in her chest, coloring her stare to be one of piteous appreciation. Her focus shifted to his face, looking to his eyes before glancing to the side, concentrating on a point beside his head. “Coming?” She dismissed the feeling as empathy, or perhaps pity, and did not spare another thought to their earlier encounter, instead nodding her head to the hall as an indication of him to follow her.

[ haha, no problem. I'll try to keep it shorter from now on. o/ ( also my muse is embarrassingly strong ignore the ridiculously fast replies ) ]

@Lee Jooyeon Her tone sounded meek, scared even though he figured she was trying to reassure him. And though her face remained serene, he could see it in her eyes that he had scared her. The corners of his mouth twitched downward momentarily as guilt bubbled in the pit of his stomach, making him feel more than just a little bit sick. It was gone just as quickly as it came; however, and he found himself turning away. "It doesn't excuse my actions though." He muttered, closing his laptop as he listened to her reason for coming into the office.

"You don't have to stay if you don't want to." He replied simply, neither denying or accepting her company but rather giving her free reign to do whatever the hell she wanted. After all it wasn't his place to be telling her what to do, and he wasn't the type to admit that his dream had shaken him more than he let on. The offer of a smoke break was something that he desperately needed though, and after a moment he found himself pushing back from his desk and straightening up to his full height. Leaning backwards to pop his back, he let out a quiet grunt of discomfort. "Maybe you're right..."

[this is kinda short. my apologies. Joon didn't want to cooperate]

@Lee Changsun The syllables of what sounded to be a name attracted her attention and she studied his slumbering appearance in renewed intent, hand retracting from his shoulder just as his hand lurched forth and grabbed it, holding her arm in a painful grasp. Her bones ached in protest and her skin burned from the friction of his hand and her jacket, forcing from her a sharp gasp of pain and a sound of protest. Jooyeon suppressed the need to fight his grasp and tug her arm free, ceasing her instinctual struggle and trusting in him to let her go. She understood his reaction to be natural, unintended, but that did not still her thundering heart, panic surging through her veins alongside the adrenaline she dare not act upon. Her expression remained composed in a semblance of concern and acceptance, years of channeling false emotion enable her to conceal her fright behind a façade of calm.

As his fingers peeled off her wrist, slowly, reluctantly, she retracted her hand, cradling it to her chest and pulling up the sleeve to conceal the inflamed skin. Joon seemed uncertain of his actions and even more so of his words, but she wouldn’t feign understanding of someone who’d preferred not to be understood. “It’s alright.” Her voice was softer now, intended to be consoling, and she stepped back, more out of courtesy than actual need. “You didn’t mean to.” Accompanying her reassurance was a polite smile, a dismissal of his actions should he accept her words as an excuse. He seemed more fatigued than she remembered him being, not recalling him to bare such sunken cheeks and empty eyes. She suspected that it was more than the time that had reduced him to such a state.

Assuming his questions not to be hostile, she glanced at him before redirecting her attention to the room, empty save for them and powered off save for his light and monitor. “No, I just came in here to...” She hadn’t known him to be in here but finding him somehow hadn’t been surprising, yet to claim she expected him seemed far too audacious. “Turn off the light, if you hadn’t been here. Although, I could say the same for you. I’m sure you’d rather be sleeping elsewhere.” But he had a point – she ought to be home by now. She had no further obligations mandating to her to stay. He was awake now and she had been on her way out.

Whether from concern, gratuitous indulgence or an unconscious desire to repay him for his accompaniment, she dared to ask the same of him. “Need some company?” It was more a statement than an actual question but it harbored her hesitance and her anticipation – a change from her usual, low profile interactions. “If you’re up for an assignment, a smoke could do you some good.”

@Lee Jooyeon Joon had stayed behind in order to get a leg up on the investigation that he was supposed to be conducting in the morning per request of his superior. He could never recall ever having asked an enforcer to stay behind so late in his time as an inspector and couldn't fathom just what the vindictive male had against him to make him do so. But alas it wasn't his place to question, just to obey. However somewhere along the way of working the male found himself drifting off into the lethargic embrace of slumber. 


His sleep was by no means restful though as flashes of the crime scenes from the night before manifested in his dreams. Horrid, contorted, unrecognizable bodies simply dumped in the center of the square for all to see. His mind tormented him with the image of the same fate coming to his brother, who had disappeared all those years ago. "Jaesun.." He found himself murmuring, brows furrowing and unfurrowing as he tried to rouse himself out of the nightmare. 


A hand on his shoulder acted like a bucket of ice water, causing his eyes to snap open and a gasp to come out of his mouth as his own hand shot up to capture the wrist of the intruder in a vicelike grip, eyes wild and darting around before they fell on the concerned expression of the lab assistant. After a moment his racing heart began to calm and his brain finally registered that he was more than likely hurting her. One by one his fingers were unwrapped from the delicate wrist, frowning a bit as he found himself wondering if she have bruises later. 


"Sorry." He mumbled gruffly, rubbing a hand over his face. The usual dark circles under his eyes were even more pronounced as his nap had forgone its intended purpose and drained his energy instead. He took a moment to stare emptily at the wall before turning to her with a sigh. "Did you need something? What are you doing here so late? You should be home."

@Lee Changsun One remaining report to file and her professional obligations for the day were complete, concluding her prolonged agony over an analysis that had taken her days. Jooyeon was accustomed to late nights alone in the laboratory yet years as an assistant did not diminish her desire for accompaniment. Typing in her username and password for certification of submission, she spared one final, fatigued glance at the abundance of numbers, letters and computer-generated graphs spread across her monitor. She hadn’t the mind nor energy to correct potential errors and, trusting in her reputation for concise, consistent and caliber work, submitted the document.

Her soul half-drained and her mind free to wander, Jooyeon thought of the enforcer that once accompanied her on her late nights in the lab, standing beside her in reassuring silence. Conversations had been short and superficial, if initiated at all, but she appreciated his presence, even if she had been amused at his seeming inability to interpret data. She smiled at the recollection of his too-stern expressions, shoulders raised and stiffened from tension, toned from years on the job. She had heard more rumors of him recently, gossip circulating about his involvement in an underground gang, his supposed allegiance to anti-Sibyl organizations and recounts of the “heinous crimes” he committed to become convicted. To her, such speculation seemed cruel and demeaning, yet in her interactions with him, he hadn’t seemed bothered by it. She could admire that, even aspire to it.

As her wristwatch sounded the late hour, she figured it time to move and stood, stretching her arms above her head and releasing a quiet, but content, sigh. Shrugging on her blazer, she turned off the lights in her cubicle and moved to exit the facilities when a glimmer of fluorescent light caught her eye. Few people and fewer inspectors stayed this late, often retiring at acceptable hours of the day instead of staying – and should they stay, it often wasn’t for work. Her curiosity and concern surpassed her reluctance to interfere and she stepped closer, careful not to click her heels against the ground, and peered into the room, fist curled in preparation to knock her arrival.

Greeted by the sight of Joon, propped against his desk, head in hand, eyes closed and face contorted in fitful sleep, she smiled sadly, fingers rapping gently against the door. “Hey,” She called out as a gentle reminder, stepping pass the threshold of the doorframe and another step closer to his napping figure. “Sleeping like that isn’t good for you.” Her words echoed the first words he had said to her, and she closed the distance between them, chancing a careful hand upon his shoulder.