The following episode is a work of fiction. It explores potentially controversial themes such as acts of physical violence. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Reader discretion is advised.

The Reunion

♣ Chapter 5

“Agh! Why are you making this harder than it has to be? You’re going in whether you like it or not!”

“Why you...!”

“Shut it. You’re under arrest for fraud, assault, obstruction of justice, and... ugh, and so much more. You have a right to an attorney and a right to refuse statements that may be used against you.”

Yonghyeon pulled the criminal, no longer a fugitive, to his feet as Joowon stepped closer.

“Joowon. How’s the woman?” Yonghyeon asked.

Joowon cracked her neck without saying anything, setting her jaw.

“Joowon, don’t...!”

Yonghyeon tried to stop her, but it was too late.

“Ooof...!”

Joowon kicked Gwangsoo Choi in the thigh as hard as she could. The man fell helplessly to the ground in pain.

Joowon could hear the crowd murmuring, but nothing mattered to her at the moment. It wasn’t enough for her.

She grabbed the man by the collar, drew her elbow back, and punched him in the face with full momentum. There was a crack as his head was thrown to the side. Joowon couldn’t tell whether the noise came from his face or the bones in her fingers, but she didn’t care. Before Joowon could land another punch, Yonghyeon grabbed her wrist.

“Are you crazy?! There’s a whole crowd watching us right now!”

Joowon knew why he was stopping her, but she couldn’t unclench her fists.

The man in the cuffs started to look more pathetic with his eyes shut as he shrugged his neck. Joowon couldn’t believe he was the same man who had threatened not just her and her partner, but Hayoon as well.

“Joowon Kang! Let go!” Yonghyeon whispered to her. “What the hell are you doing?! People are going to be stuck on police violence rather than the fact we caught the guy!”

Between a suspect or a fellow officer, the police always took the blame for any wrongdoing. Joowon knew this lesson very well.

Since being transferred to the Violent Crimes Unit, she’d met far worse criminals than this man. Some of the crimes she’d witnessed were enough to almost make her lose faith in humanity. But if she reacted emotionally to every case, she wouldn’t have lasted in this line of work.

Cool head, warm heart. That’s how an officer should be. Though she had lived by that philosophy her whole career, she couldn’t have been more furious than she was at that moment.

Joowon tried to catch her breath, but she couldn’t ease her surging emotions. She realized that someone had been tugging on her clothes from behind for some time. She turned back, feeling irritated.

Joowon was finally able to catch her breath. All the tension running through her body was gone. She was able to lower her fists and let go of Gwangsoo Choi.

As she relaxed the frown on her face, she stood up, her back straight. The crashing waves that had overwhelmed Joowon disappeared. Or rather, they were replaced by an even bigger wave of emotion coming toward her.

Joowon slowly turned around, and there was Hayoon.

***

Joowon had first met Hayoon when she was eleven. Hayoon was twelve. When Joowon transferred schools to one with a track team, she found more to her destiny than running.

When young Joowon saw Hayoon for the first time—running toward the coach, calling him “Dad”—she realized that she liked girls. Especially pretty ones.

Joowon knew she had nothing in common with Hayoon when it came to looks. Hayoon was a pale girl with big eyes, when Joowon was the exact opposite. Even though Hayoon had sharper eyes and always wore an indifferent expression, as if she didn’t care about what was happening around her, people said it was Joowon who looked feisty. Maybe it was because of Hayoon’s high but round nose and her calm vibes. They gave her a really unique feel.

If Hayoon were to be compared to a season, it would be autumn—quiet and composed, but with an aura that made her hard to approach.

“Do you want some? I brought this for you.”

“...”

“Can I come play at your house? Coach already said I could come over.”

“...”

“I heard you’re good at studying and drawing! I wish I was too. I’m only good at running... Wait, no, I’m also good at tae kwon do. Wanna see me do a double roundhouse kick?”

“...”

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Do you feel sick?”

Joowon couldn’t stop babbling and Hayoon couldn’t stop ignoring her.

“Do you even know me? Why are you acting like we’re friends?” Hayoon would snap back at Joowon when she couldn’t stand her anymore.

That was how things were for a while when they first met. It wasn’t just their appearances that were different. Every part of their personalities were polar opposites.

Hayoon confessed much later that she hadn’t liked Joowon at all when they were kids because she’d found Joowon loud, boisterous, and burdensome. It was harsh, but Joowon laughed off Hayoon’s brutal honesty, even though she knew Hayoon meant it.

They sure were opposites. When Hayoon drew a boundary around herself in a perfect circle, Joowon was the type of girl who stepped across it, leaving footprints.

“Of course I know you. You’re the coach’s daughter. I want to be your friend.”

“Why?”

“’Cause you’re pretty.”

“...”

“I thought my mom was the prettiest in the world, but I think you’re a bit prettier. That makes you the prettiest, right?”

Oh, I’m glad I didn’t say this out loud to my mom. And did I really come up with that line? What a flirt, Joowon thought.

From that day on, Joowon relentlessly followed the prettiest girl she knew around. After morning practice with the track team, Joowon would run to the school gate to meet Hayoon, where she would insist on carrying her indoor shoes all the way to her classroom for her.

Once after-school practice was over, Joowon would spend hours at Hayoon’s house as if she lived there. The door was always open for her. Since Joowon’s parents worked late, the coach—Hayoon’s father—was kind to Joowon, as was Hayoon’s mother. Thanks to them, Joowon would often eat and do her homework there. She would even make up excuses to hang around when she had no reason not to go home.

Although Hayoon remained distant most of the time, she wasn’t a mean girl. She occasionally shook her head at Joowon’s silly antics, but if Joowon tripped while following her, Hayoon would go back for her.

Hayoon never started the conversation, but as they spent more and more time together, she started to wear a thin smile for Joowon’s jokes. From that moment on, Joowon was no longer an annoying kid, but a weird but funny one.

Joowon was over the moon. She loved how Hayoon watched her from the schoolyard when she was training. She loved every moment of sharing tteokbokki after school. She loved how Hayoon called her name. She loved how Hayoon tried to act like a grown-up when Joowon was being childish.

Joowon never said no to Hayoon, or anything in her orbit. It came naturally through her crush. That affection started to move Hayoon’s heart as well. If Hayoon forgot school supplies, Joowon would run to her house to get them and bring them all the way back to school. She even threw punches at the boy who bullied Hayoon.

Hayoon was just that precious to Joowon. She would do anything to keep the smile on Hayoon’s face. Joowon’s first love that bloomed in her childhood helped her grow, even before she knew it was love.

One day, all Joowon’s hard endeavors paid off. When Hayoon was given a school assignment to write a letter to her best friend, it was Joowon that came to her mind.

That was how they grew up together. They each became used to having the other at their side. They were black and white Go stones; black sesame and white rice; the Oreo cut in half; a black and cannellini bean. All were silly nicknames given to Joowon and Hayoon, who were always side by side, with contrasting pale and dark skin.

As both were popular for their good looks, it was only natural that their closeness also became a topic of interest. Even the teachers would ask about the other when one of them wasn’t around, saying, “Where’s your partner today?”

***

“Why, isn’t it my sweet detective Kang? How come you’re here with a beautiful lady instead of your grumpy colleagues? Who is this?”

“Oh, she’s...”

Joowon and Hayoon were at a small diner next to the station. Joowon was hesitant to answer the owner’s friendly small talk as she set down some side dishes.

She’s just being friendly, not interrogating you, you dummy, Joowon told herself.

Joowon tried to read Hayoon’s face. After the mess back in the subway, Joowon patched up Hayoon and invited her to the station to provide some statements about the incident. After that, she couldn’t just let Hayoon go like any other person, so Joowon insisted Hayoon join her for a meal.

“I don’t see any resemblance, so I guess you’re not sisters... Friends, then?”

“Yeah, sure...”

“Oh my, she’s a beauty too! I’ll be right back with the soup. It’s seaweed soup today!”

Out of all soups, it had to be the seaweed...

Joowon blinked before she stood up. She chased after the owner, who was returning to the kitchen with a tray under her arm.

Joowon had been coming here often, at least a few times a week, so they were like family. They even called each other “auntie” and “niece.”