Chapter Text
Hyeonjoon wakes up to the smell of coffee. His eyes snap open at the sickeningly familiar scent and his head spins as he tries to sit up. The room he is in is dark and small, and he flails wildly to try and free himself from his bindings despite the sharp bursts of pain across his torso. A shadowy figure looms out of the darkness and grasps Hyeonjoon's shoulders, forcing him back down. A raw scream forces its way out of Hyeonjoon's throat, making his ears ring from the desperate sound as he raises his hands to fight off his attacker.
"Kim Hyeonjoon!" The voice that barks at him is firm but tinted with concern, filled with an unshakeable sadness that Hyeonjoon instantly recognizes. "Calm down. You're safe."
Hyeonjoon's chest heaves as he forces his body to relax. Every pulse of blood and adrenaline makes his head pound, and he tries to shrug away from the pressing weight of team leader Kang Kihyung's hands. The older man quickly notices his discomfort and releases him before turning on the light and standing beside the small hospital bed.
"What... What happened?" Hyeonjoon croaks. His voice aches and his mouth is full of the taste of old blood. He looks around, taking in the IV in his arm and blinking repeatedly from the harsh white light. Hyeonjoon blearily regards the sterile bandages wrapped around his right hand and wrist. When he twitches his fingers, a stinging pain lances up his arm. His legs are only slightly sore, but are still tangled in the thin hospital blankets that he thought were ropes. The smell of coffee continues to waft through the room, making him shudder and inhale through his mouth despite his sore throat.
Kihyung moves at the sound of Hyeonjoon's raspy voice and retrieves the large hospital cup of water from the small table nearby. "Drink," the older man says as he pushes it into Hyeonjoon's left hand. "I won't explain until you're ready."
Hyeonjoon dips his head in reply before taking a sip of the water. The cool liquid slides down his throat, soothing his dry, swollen tongue. He forces himself to take another deep breath despite the scent of coffee in the room before he nods at Kihyung. From the stern look in the team leader's eyes, Hyeonjoon knows that Kihyung will not talk until he has completely relaxed.
Kihyung waits for a few minutes before speaking again. "Kim Yeongcheol is dead," he says. Hyeonjoon's eyes widen in surprise, but he stays silent and lets the other man talk at his own pace.
"I shot him," Kihyung continues. His eyes meet Hyeonjoon's, but Hyeojoon gets the distinct feeling that Kihyung is seeing someone else in his place. "Nana tracked down the warehouse that he was hiding in by measuring how long it would've taken him to get from the tunnel to a nearby location that he would've felt safe in. She also found out that the warehouse he was staying in had been abandoned due to being nearly burned down in the past -- likely by Kim Yeongcheol himself."
Kihyung turns away from the bed and walks to the small window. There is only a small opening between the beige curtains to let in Seoul's nightscape, but Kihyung continues to stare through them as if he is looking at the Reaper's hideout. The tired man blinks before reaching out and picking up a steaming paper cup sitting on the window ledge. Hyeonjoon stiffens as Kihyung returns to the side of the bed again. The scent of coffee is much stronger now, and Hyeonjoon unintentionally flinches away as Kihyung approaches.
Kihyung's eyebrows knit together in concern as he notices Hyeonjoon's wariness. He quickly connects the dots between the burn on Hyeonjoon's wrist and the injured man's aversion to the cup that Kihyung is holding. He backs away and briefly steps out of the room, placing the cup close against the wall beside the door. Kihyung walks back into the room and closes the door with a quiet click.
Hyeonjoon looks away from the team leader as he approaches once more. His body slowly loses its stiffness as the coffee's odor dissipates. He grips the handle of the plastic cup of water in his left hand until his knuckles are white. He swallows another sip of water, ignoring the way that Kihyung's eyes linger on him. He cuts Kihyung off before the older man can say anything. "Did anything else happen?"
Kihyung exhales slowly, wanting to apologize but also not wanting to make Hyeonjoon more uncomfortable, before continuing. "When I arrived at the warehouse, I found Kim Yeongcheol standing over you. He..." Kihyung pauses, once again observing Hyeonjoon as he thinks over his words. "Kim Yeongcheol stabbed you. Here and here." He points at two non-lethal spots on his own chest, unwilling to voice his own thoughts on why the Reaper had chosen those particular areas.
Hyeonjoon's eyes dart between Kihyung's chest and his own. He stares down at the plain blue and white hospital gown that covers his bandaged torso. "This is how he stabbed himself to hide that he was the Reaper, isn't it?" His voice is calm as his mind begins to connect the dots. "He wanted me to turn into someone like him. Physically, if not mentally. He wanted me to give in and think that no one was going to save me, the same way his victims must've felt in the past."
Kihyung nods in agreement. "That was probably his intention. But now Kim Yeongcheol is dead. No one else, including you, will be harmed by him again."
"What about his fanclub?" Hyeonjoon asks suddenly. "The members, the fans, what if they start copying the Reaper's crimes again? Or other crimes that we solved?" He leans forward slightly, eyes swirling with worry.
Kihyung raises his hand to stop Hyeonjoon's flood of questions. "You shouldn't worry about that right now. You're hurt; I'm ordering you to rest." He shoots Hyeonjoon a stern glance to stop him from interrupting. "When you've been discharged from the hospital, we will talk about it. But for now, you'll have to do most of your profiling work from in the office."
Hyeonjoon's shoulders lower as Kihyung's words sink in. His voice turns flinty as he meets Kihyung's eyes and grits out, "Why? Because I let my guard down and the Reaper abducted me?" He tips his head, pointing with his chin to his bandaged hand. "This'll heal soon. And I've been stabbed in worse places, you know that."
Kihyung sighs and steps closer to Hyeonjoon. All too familiar with Hyeonjoon's hot temper and lack of self-preservation, the team leader simply places his hand on Hyeonjoon's shoulder and gently squeezes. "It's not just that. Since Yeongcheol killed the Chief Director, the board is... Conflicted right now." He feels Hyeonjoon tense beneath his hand before slowly relaxing once more. "I'd be more at ease knowing you had the team's back from the office."
Something in Hyeonjoon's chest feels tight after Kihyung stops speaking. He can hear the unspoken meaning in Kihyung's words. Hyeonjoon knows what the team leader is actually asking -- Kihyung is asking for Hyeonjoon to stay in the office, not because of the team or the directors, but for Hyeonjoon's safety and Kihyung's own peace of mind. Hyeonjoon lets out a soft chuckle, more tired than amused. "Yeongcheol was wrong. You really do care about the team, don't you?"
"Of course I care about the team. What kind of team leader would I be if I didn't worry about them?" Kihyung squeezes Hyeonjoon's shoulder once more before stepping away. "It's not just me. The team cares about your well-being too." He slips his hand into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulls out his phone. After a few moments, he holds it out for Hyeonjoon to observe.
Hyeonjoon squints at the smudged screen as a short video begins to play. The blurry but familiar room of his team's office quickly becomes clear as the camera focuses. Nana's usually bubbly voice, now tinted with worry, bursts from the phone's speakers, and Hyeonjoon feels the last bit of tension drain from his tired body. He slumps back against the pillows and watches the video unfold.
"Hyeonjoon!" Nana's forehead is creased with concern behind her glasses as the older woman's face fills the screen. "Oh, Hyeonjoon, I was so upset as soon as I heard what happened! I hope you're feeling okay; I've been worried sick -- "
"Nana, please calm down. Hyeonjoon will be alright." A different figure takes the phone from Nana's shaking hand and sets it on the main office desk. Hyeonjoon instantly recognizes the calm, steady tone of Seonwoo. She leads Nana back a few steps to stand between her and Minyoung.
Minyoung pats Nana on the shoulder before lifting her hand to give the camera a small wave. "Hyeonjoon, it's not just Nana. The whole team has been thinking about you! We wanted to visit you in the hospital, but they wouldn't let us come see you yet. Nana came up with the idea of sending a video instead," she says, somehow still managing to smile cheerfully. Minyoung glances to her left before nudging Lee Han forward with her elbow. "Even Lee Han has been worried about you!"
The taller man steps forward with an awkward cough. He shoots a flustered look back over his shoulder at Minyoung that makes Hyeonjoon's eyes crinkle with amusement. "Um, yes, we've all been worried," Lee Han's eyes dart between the phone and the desk before he continues, "I organized some of the recent case files you received. Since you weren't, uh, in the office, I thought you'd appreciate someone trying to clean up that mess you call a desk. Don't get upset; I didn't touch any of the ones regarding the Reaper." Lee Han retreats to his spot beside Minyoung, who smiles innocently up at him.
Seonwoo regards the team with a guarded look that Hyeonjoon quickly sees through. He recognizes the soft fondness in her eyes despite her attempt to hide it. Seonwoo shakes her head slightly before facing the camera again. "Once my suspension is over," she says, "we'll be working together again. We make a pretty good team, but you should keep your profiling skills sharp. Even with a suspension, I think I'll end up solving more cases than you." Her mouth quirks up in a small smile when she finishes speaking, softening her competitive words.
The team waves at the camera once more before Nana darts forward to end the video. Hyeonjoon sighs as Kihyung slips the phone back into his jacket and takes the cup of water from Hyeonjoon's limp grasp. "You should rest now," the older man says. "It's late. We can talk more tomorrow."
"Tomorrow," Hyeonjoon begrudgingly agrees. He pulls at the tangled blankets with his left hand until they are once more covering his body. Hyeonjoon watches as Kihyung sits the cup of water back down on the small table and checks the curtains. Kihyung's hand hesitates at the light switch as he once more meets Hyeonjoon's eyes. Hyeonjoon blinks in answer to the unvoiced question as he shifts to lie down more comfortably, wincing slightly as he accidentally puts weight on his bandaged arm. Kihyung waits until Hyeonjoon is fully settled before he flips the switch, casting both of them back into near darkness.
Hyeonjoon gazes up from where his head rests on the pillow at the team leader's shadowy figure. The sight that had caused him to panic earlier now fills him with a burst of fondness that he hopes he can hide better than Seonwoo. He exhales slowly as Kihyung opens the door, the dark circles on the older man's face looking even harsher due to the hall's lights.
"Rest well," Kihyung says. He steps into the hallway and moves to pull the door handle behind him before stopping. He pushes the door back open, letting the light illuminate Hyeonjoon's room.
"You too, team leader," Hyeonjoon replies softly. "Tell the team to get some rest as well." His eyes begin to slowly close, his body finally giving in to exhaustion and falling asleep.
For a moment, Kihyung lingers outside of Hyeonjoon's room. He stoops down and picks up his discarded cup of cold coffee. He regards the bitter liquid with a flash of new-found disgust before walking toward the elevators at the end of the hall. Kihyung casts one more look over his shoulder at Hyeonjoon's room before depositing the coffee in a nearby trashcan. He pulls his phone out of his pocket again as he waits for the elevator to arrive, sending a quick text to the team's group chat that Hyeonjoon will be back in the office before long and not to worry. Kihyung ignores the dings that quickly erupt from his phone as he enters the elevator and leans heavily against the wall after punching the button for the first floor. "Maybe I will be able to rest now," he whispers to himself as the doors quietly slide shut.