Chapter 11: The Distance Between Us

Si-eon checked his bare upper body, then shifted his gaze.
Clothes lay scattered carelessly on the floor.

Letting his long legs drop off the edge of the bed, he swept his eyes around the room once more. His gaze narrowed.
Something felt off.

The interior design was clearly different—but the layout itself wasn’t unfamiliar.

Si-eon stood and strode forward, grabbing the clothes strewn about. He stopped in front of a firmly closed door.

Grasping the handle, he turned it and peeked through the opening.

Just as he suspected.

The structure was identical to his own apartment.

And it didn’t take long for him to realize whose home he was in.

“…Han Su-yeong?”

Beyond the hallway, Su-yeong was in the living room—fast asleep on the sofa.

As if to prove it was her home, she wore clothes far more comfortable than anything he’d ever seen her in outside.
The documents spread across the table and the case photos pinned around the room made it unmistakable.

“This really is Han Su-yeong’s place.”

Of all people… Han Su-yeong.

Si-eon covered his eyes with one hand and let out a quiet sigh, running his fingers through his short hair.

No matter how hard he tried to retrace his steps, he couldn’t remember.
How he’d ended up here.
Why she—and not someone else—had brought him home.

He released his tightly pressed lips and fixed his gaze on the woman sleeping deeply.

He’d never imagined seeing Han Su-yeong like this.
Never even dared to picture it.

She was always perfectly composed.

“….”

As though engraving the image into memory, his gaze slowly traced her face.
She didn’t wear heavy makeup to begin with, but her bare face looked even more striking.

“If you tell me what your type is… I’ll try to become that.”
“Violent Crimes Unit Team Leader Baek Si-eon.”

She’d only said it to escape the situation.

But for Si-eon, it was different.

Type.

He had never once thought about his “type.”
And yet, Han Su-yeong was the woman who made him realize what that word meant—
even if their first step had been completely wrong.

A faint smile tugged at his lips as his gaze dropped lower.

She seemed to have fallen asleep while reading case files, still clutching a thick stack of documents to her chest.

Just from the state of the apartment, it was obvious she never really rested at home.
It felt like a downsized version of the office.

After standing there for a moment, Si-eon finally moved.

The closer he got to the sofa, the clearer her face became.

Standing over her, he relaxed his jaw and reached out.

He gently took hold of the documents trapped in her slender arms.

Sleeping on the sofa was bad enough—falling asleep mid-work looked even more uncomfortable.
It wouldn’t change much, but he wanted her to rest at least a little easier.

But the moment the papers slipped free—

“…!”

Their eyes met.

Her large eyes dropped for a split second, then focused again.

“…What are you doing?”

At her calm, low voice, Si-eon straightened from his slight forward lean.
He lifted the stack of documents in his hand.

“You looked uncomfortable.”

Su-yeong glanced at the papers, then avoided his gaze as she sat up.
She fixed her messy hair and rolled her eyes toward him.

“…What’s uncomfortable is what I’m seeing right now.”

Only then did Si-eon realize he was half-naked.

He’d grabbed his clothes but never put them on.
Being at home usually made it feel natural—he’d simply forgotten.

He set the documents down on the table and slipped his arms into his shirt.
Then he casually asked,

“This is your place, right?”

“…Yes. As you can see.”

Now fully dressed, Si-eon ran a hand through his hair and asked what he’d been wondering most.

“Then how did we get here?
You brought me alone?”

“…Yes. Somehow, I managed.”

Knowing his own low tolerance, he rarely drank like that.

On the rare occasions he did, Officer Woo usually took him home—and complained nonstop the next day about how hard it was.

The thought that Su-yeong had carried him here alone surprised him.

And it made him curious.

Su-yeong dropped her feet to the floor and stood, interlacing her fingers and stretching her long arms.

“You really shouldn’t drink, Team Leader.
You’re weaker than you look.”

When their eyes met, Si-eon raised one eyebrow.

“And what do I look like?”

She paused briefly, then replied evenly.

“Like someone who could down ten bottles of soju without blinking.
But you passed out after two beers.”

Si-eon frowned slightly and crossed his arms over his broad chest, tilting his head.

“So… you carried me here after I passed out?”

“…Officer Woo asked me to help.”

“He probably told you to leave me at my door.
That’s what he always does when I’m drunk.”

Su-yeong’s eyes wavered slightly.

After a moment, her lips parted.

“…With weather like this, it felt too cruel.
Just think of it as… a humanitarian gesture.”

At her quiet retort, Si-eon smiled softly.

Maybe because he’d already seen sides of her he never expected—twice now—
her carefully hidden expressions felt obvious to him.

Like the look in her eyes now, clearly displeased.

Su-yeong pressed her lips together.

“…If you’re sober now, you should leave.
We both need to get ready for work.”

Her attitude made it clear—letting him stay the night was nothing more than kindness.

Si-eon chuckled again and nodded.

He walked toward the door, then stopped, looking down at the neatly aligned shoes.

“Since you were kind enough…
how about we commute together?”

“…What?”

At her flustered voice, Si-eon glanced back.
She stood there, failing to hide her disbelief.

“Why would I go to work with you?”

“For humanitarian reasons?”

He repeated her words with a shrug, slipping on his shoes.

“I left my car at the station.”

“Then take public transportation.”

“When there’s a kind coworker-neighbor who even let me sleep over?
Why would I?”

Su-yeong frowned slightly and clenched her jaw.

Not long ago, she never showed emotion so openly.
Watching her expressions grow more vivid made him curious—what would he see next?

Si-eon tapped the corner of his mouth with a finger.

“You’ve got highlighter on you.”

Su-yeong immediately raised her hand.

Before she could protest, he opened the door and stepped out.

Thud.

As the door closed, he turned his head.
1601.

A cool smile spread across his face as he pressed the elevator’s up button.

★

The phone on her vanity buzzed, lit up, then went silent.

An unknown number.
Probably Si-eon.

If she hurried, maybe she could leave without running into him.

But the moment she flung the door open—

“…!”

It was a hopeless wish.

No matter how fast she moved, she could never beat him.

Leaning against the wall, he tilted his head slightly.

As he entered her field of view, Su-yeong lowered her gaze and stepped out, masking her expression.

Thud.

Her heels clicked toward the elevator, stopping just in front of it.
Soon, he stepped up beside her.

“You didn’t answer.”

“I don’t answer unknown numbers.”

“That hurts.
We’ve known each other long enough.”

The elevator chimed cheerfully, doors sliding open.

As they stood side by side again—

“I saved your number the day we met.”

Su-yeong turned her head toward him.