The station felt heavier than usual that evening. Not loud, not chaotic—just tense in a way that lingered beneath the surface.
Kim So Hee sat at her desk, flipping through a report, but her mind wasn't on the case. It kept drifting—unwillingly—back to Soo Bin.
The way she looked at her.
The way she reacted.
The way her presence alone was starting to affect her.
So Hee exhaled slowly, trying to regain control.
That was when Shin Jae approached.
"Got a minute?" he asked casually, though there was something different in his tone—less playful, more serious.
So Hee glanced up. "What is it?"
He hesitated for a second. Then stepped closer.
"I'll be direct," Shin Jae said. "I like you."
So Hee blinked once.
No shock. No hesitation.
Just stillness.
Then—
"I don't feel the same way."
Her voice was calm. Firm. Final.
Shin Jae let out a small, awkward laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Wow… that was fast."
"I don't like dragging things," So Hee replied simply, already looking back at her file.
There was no cruelty in her tone.
Just certainty.
Across the room, Soo Bin had heard enough.
Her hands stilled over the documents she was holding, her heart reacting before her mind could catch up.
She… rejected him? Just like that?
Something inside her loosened—relief, sharp and immediate.
But just as quickly, something else followed.
A strange tension.
Because she remembered…
So Hee hadn't responded to her.
Before Soo Bin could think further, another presence entered the station.
Ha Eun.
Again.
Her heels clicked softly against the floor as she walked in, her eyes immediately finding So Hee.
"Lieutenant Kim," she greeted smoothly, a small smile on her lips. "I hope I'm not interrupting."
So Hee's expression didn't change much—but there was a faint shift.
"You're here often," she said, her tone neutral.
Ha Eun chuckled lightly. "Work requires it." Then, softer—"And maybe… other reasons."
Soo Bin's jaw tightened.
There it was again.
That closeness.
That familiarity.
That presence she couldn't ignore.
Ha Eun stepped closer to So Hee's desk, leaning slightly as she spoke, lowering her voice just enough to make it feel… personal.
"You've been avoiding me," she said quietly.
"I've been busy," So Hee replied, not looking up immediately.
"Too busy for me?" Ha Eun pressed.
That made So Hee pause.
She looked up slowly, her gaze steady—but this time, colder.
"Yes."
The word landed cleanly.
Sharp.
Clear.
Ha Eun's smile faltered for just a second—but she recovered quickly.
"You didn't used to be like this," she said softly.
"And you didn't used to cross boundaries," So Hee replied.
That was enough.
A line had been drawn.
Soo Bin watched everything.
Every word.
Every glance.
Every shift in tone.
Her chest tightened—not with jealousy this time, but something stronger.
Protectiveness.
Possession.
A quiet, burning need to step in.
She didn't.
But the feeling didn't leave.
Later that evening, Soo Bin found herself alone for a moment, leaning against the wall near the hallway, trying to calm her racing thoughts.
Why does it bother me this much?
Why do I hate seeing her with that woman?
Her hands clenched slightly.
Because it wasn't just irritation anymore.
It was something deeper.
Something that refused to stay quiet.
Back inside, So Hee sat alone again, but her mind was anything but calm.
Shin Jae's confession hadn't affected her.
Ha Eun's presence only annoyed her.
But Soo Bin…
Soo Bin was different.
Her eyes drifted across the room, landing on Soo Bin without even trying.
And there it was again.
That pull.
That quiet, dangerous feeling she was no longer able to ignore.
She's mine.
The thought came uninvited.
Unfiltered.
And this time—
She didn't push it away.
Across the room, Soo Bin looked up at the same moment.
Their eyes met.
And something passed between them—
Unspoken.
Unresolved.
But undeniably there.