[092] Desire that Transcends Sex

//Secrets
theme: o92. Gorgeous.
pair: WC* [Kangin/?]
rate: PG
words: 5370
#: 56/100
(Spinoff of Surrender and its sequels, Struggle & Serenity)

(Dedicated to those who ever wondered about the beloved, intimidating and snarky bar owner.)


Youngwoon leaned back in his leather office chair, stretching his arms above him. He glanced around the office to the body laying on the couch on the other side of his office. It was supposed to be another night at the office while his boyfriend was off doing his job, but he didn’t anticipate for their jobs to collide that night.

Youngwoon was the owner of a small bar in Seoul, one frequented by both government spies and mobsters; his bar was one of the only neutral zones in Seoul. He preferred it that way because it meant no trouble in his bar besides other drunkards; both sides preferred it that way because it meant a place where they didn’t have to worry about whose loyalties lay where.

He glanced over at his boyfriend who snuggled beneath Youngwoon’s black blazer with its white pinstripes. Youngwoon had seen him in the bar and had the immediate urge to take him into his office and have his dirty little way with his boyfriend.

Youngwoon laced his fingers behind his head and thought back. He remembered a time before his bar was a neutral zone, and he remembered a time before his boyfriend. He remembered a time when he worried about spies and mobsters confronting one another at his bar. He remembered a time when he was straight…

It had been one of the rare occasions when he couldn’t get to his bar on time to open it for the night, so, Youngwoon had called his only employee (that is how small the bar is), Lee Sungmin, to go into work early and open up the bar. So, when Youngwoon finally entered his bar that evening, it had already been open for two hours.

“How’s business tonight?” Youngwoon asked casually as he came around the counter and leaned a hip against the bartender’s counter,

Sungmin, who was pulling out a bottle of whiskey and glass shrugged, “Alright, slow but that’s a Wednesday night for you,” he handed over the whiskey and glass to a customer who sat at the bar, “There you go, sir,” he said before coming back to Youngwoon, “New face,” he gestured towards a corner of the bar.

Youngwoon furtively glanced to the far corner of his bar. Sitting at one of the booths sat a girl. The lighting was too obscure for Youngwoon to decipher anything sure about her, all he could tell was that she had her eyes glued on the customer Sungmin had served the whiskey to. Youngwoon turned his back to the bar, leaning back against the counter. He crossed his arms,

“She’s staring pretty hard at Kim Yesung-sshi,” Youngwoon said quietly,

Sungmin squinted slightly at her as he began drying glasses, “Hmm… I don’t think she’s from my department, so she’s not another assassin come after him…”

“Or maybe she’s a normal person,” Youngwoon stated dryly, “My bar isn’t just frequented by drunk mobsters and undercover spies or,” he glanced towards Yesung who sat at one end of the bar helping himself to his bottle of whiskey, “Traitors…”

Youngwoon pushed off from the counter and walked around. As usual, he would go around to some of the customers. He would sometimes introduce himself to make good connections, or just to get people to frequent more often. When in his rounds he neared her, he was floored.

Beautiful could not define how she looked to Youngwoon. She had long black hair that fell in waves to her mid-back that screamed for fingers to run through it. She had half-moon shaped eyes framed by full, black lashes that made you lose yourself in. She didn’t have a small nose like most girls, but Youngwoon felt that her nose suited her just fine. She was dressed in a black pencil skirt and a red silk blouse which had sleeves the capped off slender shoulders and long, pale-skinned arms. No, she wasn’t beautiful; she was gorgeous. Divine. Breathtaking.

As Youngwoon reached her booth, his mouth suddenly went dry, “Good evening, I’m Kim Youngwoon the owner of the bar.”

She glanced at him, dragging her eyes up and down him before turning them back to Yesung drinking at the bar.

“Are you enjoying your beer?” He asked pleasantly. She even drank the same stuff he did.

“I’m sorry, but is there a problem? I just want to drink in peace,” She stated bluntly as she looked him in the eye, leaning back against the booth.

Youngwoon took a moment to just listen to her words, her voice falling over him like warm honey. Her alto voice felt refreshing to Youngwoon’s ears. It wasn’t high-pitched or breathy like most women these days. It was low and sultry but still feminine.

She cleared her throat and Youngwoon came out of his reverie, “Ah, sorry I just like to talk with some of the customers once in awhile,”

“Well, now we’ve talked. Good evening,” She said with finality.

Youngwoon paused as she turned her eyes back on Yesung. After a moment of realizing she really had dismissed him, Youngwoon stormed off, peeved. He didn’t finish his rounds, instead headed into the back where his office was. Sungmin jumped slightly when he heard the door slam shut.

After that night, he didn’t see her again until the following Wednesday. This time, she was dressed in black pants and black blazer. Youngwoon watched from the side as she came in and walked directly to the bar. She took off her blazer to reveal a simple, pink silk blouse. He took a step towards her when Sungmin came over to her and took her order.

Youngwoon watched silently as Sungmin gave her a bottle of beer and they began talking. His eyes narrowed when Sungmin smiled at her and he clenched his fists when she laughed at something he said. He had been standing back against the wall beside the door leading towards the back for a good hour just watching them. Slowly they didn’t laugh so much, but their smiles became small and private as they leaned their heads close and whispered to one another.

That evening after everyone had left and Sungmin and Youngwoon were closing up the bar for the night, Youngwoon turned to Sungmin,

“You shouldn’t toy with people’s feelings Sungmin-sshi,” Youngwoon stated seriously as he leaned a hip against the bar and crossed his arms over his chest,

Sungmin looked up from the bin where he placed all the old bottles and such, “What?”

“That girl you were flirting with earlier, you shouldn’t toy with her feelings- especially if you like Yesung-sshi,” Youngwoon commented, eyes narrowed,

Sungmin blinked, “I…was flirting?”

“Damn as hell looked like it,” Youngwoon said hotly, “She was sure enjoying your attentions. And all that whispering and leaning your heads close,”

Sungmin stood up straight, letting the bottles fall into the bin with loud crashes as he stood akimbo, “Are… you jealous of me and InYoung?”

“If that’s her name, then no, I’m not!” Youngwoon defended, “I just don’t like the idea of you flirting back and forth with a girl while you’re in love with a GUY!”

Sungmin smirked at Youngwoon, mischief lighting his fox-like eyes, “Can’t hurt to have fun right? Besides, InYoung and I have so much in common.” Youngwoon took a threatening step towards Sungmin. Out of reflex, Sungmin suddenly grabbed a knife and spinning in his hand, gripped the hilt and held it at his side, “Really want to try that hyung?”

Youngwoon raised an eyebrow as he took off his blazer, tossed it across the bar. He unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled up his sleeves to his elbow. He cracked his knuckles menacingly, “It’s been awhile since I’ve had to fight, but I’m sure you remember our trainee days Sungmin-sshi. I wasn’t that great in weaponry, but I was one of the best - of the entire agency - in hand combat.” He cracked his neck to loosen up, “Do you really want to pit your knife which can easily be disarmed against my hands which are pretty hard to break?”

Sungmin scowled as he slammed the knife onto the counter, crossing his arms defiantly afterwards, “I never should have told you my final examination scores… I bet even if I remind you that I’ve been an agent longer that wouldn’t faze you.”

Youngwoon scoffed, “That’s only because I left after our first mission,” he picked up his blazer and slung it over his shoulder, keeping it in place with a finger hooked into the collar, “By the way Sungmin, did InYoung say when she’d be back?”

Sungmin raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at his lips, “Boss, are you in love?” He teased in a sing-song voice,

“No,” Youngwoon stated quickly, “And if you keep up like that you’ll be dead pretty soon.” With that, Youngwoon disappeared into the back to head to his office. He had piles of bills to go through and the numbers did nothing but make his head hurt.

Once again, the girl - InYoung, as Youngwoon now knew - did not return until the following Wednesday. She was back to sitting in her booth, her beer sitting on the table before her, half finished. Youngwoon stood behind the bar talking to Sungmin when movement caught his eye. He looked over just as a customer stood beside InYoung’s booth.

They conversed and, to Youngwoon’s frustration, noticed she was being stand-offish to this man as well - that was not how you handled a drunk. The customer suddenly grabbed her arm, pushing her further into the booth so he could sit with her. Youngwoon, Sungmin and even Yesung all watched with bated breaths, but it was Youngwoon who started for the booth.

He had taken three steps when he froze. InYoung, who was being pushed into the booth, kicked the man in the gut. He momentarily released her arm and in that time, she grabbed his wrist. She pulled it and twisted it behind his back, pushing him to the ground. She held him there, a knee pressing in between his shoulder blades,

“You think just because I’m a female and I’m alone drinking at a bar that you can push yourself onto me?” She laughed bitterly, “You think just because I have a pretty face that I can’t protect the goods? Well I’m going to have to shatter that stereotype for you, buddy!”

Youngwoon’s jaw dropped as her words carried across the bar that had suddenly gone violent as everyone stopped to watch what was going on; even the music that constantly played in the background seemed to grow quiet without Sungmin altering its volume.

InYoung tugged at his arm, twisting it tighter behind his back. He let out a stifled scream as she spoke, “As it turns out I happen to be the same level of skill as a ninth dan in Taekwondo, but because of that stupid year rule I’m titled only as a third dan.”

“Like I’d believe that of some girl,” the drunkard spat, despite the splitting pain running down his arm that she held to his back.

Immediately, InYoung released her hold on him and stepped back. She took off her blazer and blouse, throwing them across the booth bench. Clad in just her black, flared dress pants and a white wife-beater, she cracked her slender knuckles, “If you’re so confident that I’m bluffing, come at me.”

The drunk, who had steadily gotten to his feet, glared at her. He was red in the face, perspiration forming on his brow as he slightly swayed back and forth.

“Shouldn’t we… stop her?” Sungmin asked, coming up behind Youngwoon,

“I was going to,” Youngwoon insisted quietly, “But… I’m kind of scared of her right now.”

They watched in silence as the drunk charged at InYoung. She grabbed one of his arms and - to everyone’s amazement - flipped him onto the booth’s table, her beer hit to the ground and spilling everywhere. He landed on the table with a powerful thud and everyone expected the table to break beneath the force. She released his arm and grabbed his neck,

She glared down at him as she used her free hand to tuck some stray hairs behind her ear, “You want to test me again big boy?”

Youngwoon squinted at her, catching sight of something when he saw her flip the guy onto the table. Suddenly his eyes widened as he realized what it was he saw. Immediately, he walked over and grabbed her wrist, pulling it from the man’s neck, “It’s over. He’s getting into a cab and going home,”

“What? But the night is young,” The drunk grumbled as he rolled off the table and stumbled to his feet,

“You’re either going home in a cab and sleep in your own bed, or I let go of her hand and she sends you to your deathbed,” Youngwoon growled. He turned to look at the girl, “And you, I want to speak with. Please go into the back and wait in my office.”

InYoung glared at Youngwoon and for a moment, he was sure she was going to fight him. However, she yanked her wrist from his hand, picked up her blazer and white silk blouse then proceeded to the door leading to the back.

After everything began going back to normal and Youngwoon had seen the drunk into a cab, he turned to Sungmin who had returned to behind the bar, “You,” he pressed a finger into Sungmin’s chest, “Why the hell didn’t you tell me she’s from the agency!?”

Sungmin didn’t even look up from the drinks he was mixing, “You mean you didn’t know? And here I was wondering why you weren’t going to stop her when you knew she could kill; now I know why you didn’t stop her immediately - you didn’t know she was from the agency.”

Youngwoon crossed his arms, “You purposely didn’t tell me.”

Sungmin shrugged as he gestured to some customers to get the drinks. After they had gotten their glasses and retreated to their previous seats, Sungmin turned to look at Youngwoon and shrugged, “Honestly? I didn’t know either, remember when we surmised she wasn’t from the agency? When InYoung talked to me last week, I mentioned that she looked familiar and she explained to me how she’s from the agency. When she said she was an agent I realized I should’ve made a bet against you thinking she was just a normal person.”

“So once you learned she is an agent, why didn’t you say anything to me?” Youngwoon demanded quietly,

Sungmin shrugged again, “It’s not necessarily for me to tell. And she’s currently on a small mission; I figured: the less who knew, the better for her success.”

Youngwoon gave him a slanted look, “Are you sure you’re not falling for the girl?”

Sungmin glanced to the end of the bar where Yesung began drinking his whiskey again, “Definitely am not. She’s all yours, Youngwoon-sshi.”

“Shut up,” Youngwoon scowled as he turned towards the back and disappeared behind the door.

Youngwoon entered his office just as she slipped her arms into her blouse, but didn’t button up the small pearls down the front. Silence fell between them as Youngwoon took off his own blazer and put it on a coat rack. He walked over to his desk and sat in the leather chair, undid the buttons at his cuffs and pushed up his sleeves to his elbows. Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his arms,

“If you’re an agent, why didn’t you say so?” Youngwoon demanded,

She crossed one knee over the other as she crossed her arms loosely about her torso, “I don’t have to report to you and how did you find out? Your bartender?”

Youngwoon scoffed, “I have my own ways.”

She gave him a slanted look before a light of realization crossed her almond-shaped eyes, “You saw the tattoo.”

“Beneath the right-side of your collarbone,” Youngwoon confirmed, “As you threw him, just the way your shirt moved, I saw half of it. You should be more careful next time if you don’t want to expose yourself.”

Her eyes narrowed, “I am always careful.”

“I found out your secret,” Youngwoon said casually,

“Don’t act smug with me, Kim Youngwoon,” she smirked bitterly, “That’s right, I know who you are. You have no right to preach to me when you’re the one who left the agency after one mission. What, couldn’t handle a little hard work? A little ingenuity? A little creativity?”

“What I couldn’t handle is that my hands didn’t feel clean after washing the blood from them,” Youngwoon stated in flat tones, his eyes glaring at her darkly as he kept his lax posture; “What I couldn’t handle was the thought that I ended a life. What I couldn’t handle was seeing an old lady kneeling before a gravestone, crying for her dead son. THAT is what I couldn’t handle.”

InYoung’s expression softened immediately as she chewed on her bottom lip nervously. She had misjudged him terrible and had the decency to blush. “Why didn’t you just switch out of Assassination then?”

“After you go through what I went through once that mission ended, you want to get as far away as possible. I had to leave the agency. I needed to forget what had happened on that mission, distance myself from all things relevant,” Youngwoon confessed,

“You stay in touch with Lee Sungmin - heck, you two work together here… even if he’s on some kind of personal mission,” She shook her head as if clearing her mind of all irrelevant details, “Why remain in touch with him if not only was he a colleague from the same department, but the person who was with you on that same first mission?”

“Because before the mission, before becoming an agent Lee Sungmin and I became friends during training,” Youngwoon stated simply, “Whatever he does and whatever I do, we are first and foremost best friends.” Youngwoon regarded InYoung for a moment before finally asking, “What department are you from? You’re obviously skilled in Taekwondo, but I know you weren’t in Assassination with Sungmin-sshi and I.”

InYoung shook her head, “I’m in the Covert Investigations department.”

“So… Stalking,” Youngwoon concluded,

InYoung narrowed her eyes, “It’s Covert Investigations.”

“Stalking,” Youngwoon nodded, waving off her objections, “Let me guess, stalking Kim Yesung.”

“It’s not stalking and yes my mission deals with Kim Yesung. It happens to be a personal mission given to me by the head chief of my department,” InYoung grounded out,

“Head chief of investigations? What’s his name again…Park Jungsu?”

InYoung nodded, “Do you know him?”

“I know the name. Probably wouldn’t recognize him even if he was starring me in the face,” Youngwoon stated before asking, “What interest does he have in Kim Yesung? He’s blacklisted by the agency and mob.”

“Your questions are stepping into the boundaries of my mission,” InYoung stated in a warning tone,

Youngwoon nodded, “I apologize, I won’t ask more. How much longer will your mission take?”

“It’s done,” InYoung replied easily, “It was actually taken care of last week when I spoke to Lee Sungmin, but I wanted to reassure myself so I returned one more time.” She stood from the chair where she sat, her blazer draped over an arm, “Now if you excuse me, it’s time I return to the agency and report to the head chief.”

As Youngwoon watched her walk to the door of his office, he knew he had to stop her. He had finally gotten her alone and finally had a decent-length conversation with her; he couldn’t just let her walk out the door and never walk back into his life. The first week he realized she was gorgeous and that had obvious appeal to him; last week he found out what a beautiful smile she had that could make a person melt and a laugh that was pure music to his ears; this evening he saw she was more than just beauty and that jagged edge to her, the thought that she was powerful on her own terms, pulled him to her even more than just her pretty face.

InYoung turned around just as Youngwoon planted his palms on the door, his arms on either side of her shoulders. She stared at Youngwoon with wide eyes,

“What-”

“You think I’m going to let you walk out of my life without getting a taste of you first?” Youngwoon questioned quietly before he leaned in and brushed his lips against hers.

He was surprised when he heard her jacket fall to the floor as she wrapped her arms around his torso. Youngwoon took her embrace as a sign and gently pressed her back against the door, his lips fully kissing her. She pulled him flush against her just as she parted her lips, allowing him to deepen the kiss. One of his hands came off the door and cupped the back of her neck while the other hand slid from the door to her back and slowly stroked down her side until it rested at her hip.

Youngwoon’s lips moved from her lips to her jaw line, tracing it with kisses as her hands slowly moved to the buttons of his shirt. The hand that had been on her hip slowly pushed aside the open flap of her blouse and snaked beneath her wife-beater. His hand traveled higher and higher up her side as his lips travelled lower and lower from her jaw to her neck. Just as his hands brushed the under-wire of her bra, his lips kissed her Adam’s apple…

Immediately Youngwoon jumped back from InYoung, breaking off all contact. He stared at her with wide eyes as she recovered from the sudden cold and rejected feeling that swept over her body.

“What’s… what’s wrong?” She asked tentatively,

Unconsciously, Youngwoon’s hand went to his own neck, his fingers brushing over his own throat, “You… you have an Adam’s apple,” he stammered.

“I… I should go,” she stated suddenly.

She turned around, her hand on the door handle when Youngwoon stopped her. He grabbed her both of her wrists and held it one hand, pinning it above her head against the wooden door,

“What are you doing!?” She demanded, “First you stop and now this!?”

“I… I need to see something,” Youngwoon grounded out as he pulled out a pocket knife from his pants pocket. Releasing the blade, he quickly slashed at her. She shut her eyes tightly, but was startled to feel no pain. She opened her eyes and stared down, surprised to see he had done the motion so quickly, had cut her wife-beater without cutting her.

“What-”

Youngwoon moved his hands from her wrists and covered her mouth to silence her. With his free hand, he reached for the front clasp of her bra and undid it. As it fell open, two gel-filled sacs fell to the ground and Youngwoon found him staring at a man’s chest.

“You’re… a man,” he stammered as he stepped back a few feet.

InYoung sighed heavily as she… he picked up the gel sacs and took off his ruined wife-beater and open blouse. Just wrapping his clothes around the sacs, he stood before Youngwoon dressed in just black pants.

“Does… Sungmin-sshi know?” Youngwoon questioned,

InYoung shook his head, “All he knows is that I’m an agent. He doesn’t know that I am… I was undercover too.” InYoung ran his hands through his long hair (fake, Youngwoon concluded), “I meant no harm in going undercover for this mission, but it was best for the sake of my mission and for Yesung-sshi’s sake. It kept him out of danger.”

Youngwoon stared at InYoung hard. He stepped closer and reached for the hair atop his head. He pulled and it easily came off, revealing black hair that fell in small layers to his ears. Youngwoon stepped back again immediately, the wig of long black hair slipping from his fingers to the ground. Finally, he turned back to his desk, sat in his leather office chair and turned it so he was hidden from the head chief of Covert Investigations. “Leave,” was all Youngwoon said and the agent was more than happy to immediately comply, leaving in just black pants.

That was the last Youngwoon had seen of InYoung or her real self, which was very much a man. However, despite never seeing either egos, Youngwoon couldn’t help but wonder about them; he was startled to realize he was more prone to think of the man who stood before him that night rather than the InYoung he had been watching for weeks.

A few weeks after InYoung’s gender had been found out, Youngwoon was sitting in his office when Sungmin entered.

“All closed for the night,” Sungmin said with a yawn as he stretched his arms up into the air,

“Sungmin-sshi, what do you think of InYoung?” Youngwoon asked casually as he flipped through that month’s bills,

“Specifically about him? Or about him going undercover as a girl?” Sungmin replied, stuffing his hands into his black dress pants’ pockets,

“Either,” Youngwoon said flippantly, but Sungmin knew Youngwoon was quite serious about his questions,

“Well, on him dressing up as a girl and taking on the persona of a girl, I find myself not offended,” Sungmin stated simply, “It was his mission - granted, one he took upon himself, but still a mission. How many people have we tricked… er… have I tricked during a mission just to accomplish it?”

“None. You don’t go undercover,” Youngwoon reminded as he glanced up from his folder,

Sungmin pursed his lips, “That’s true… but that still doesn’t bother me. He’s in Stalking-”

“Cover Investigations,” Youngwoon corrected, the words leaving his mouth before he even realized it.

Sungmin raised his eyebrows at Youngwoon’s words before nodded, “He’s in Covert Investigations - it’s more his job than anything else, so I can’t blame him from doing his job right.”

Youngwoon flipped his folder close as he leaned back in the leather office chair and crossed his arms over his chest, “I still hate that he tricked us.”

Sungmin cocked his head as he regarded Youngwoon for a few silent minutes before concluding, “Actually, I don’t think you hate that specifically. I think you hate the fact that you were drawn to him as InYoung and then suddenly she turns out to be a he and the switch up has you reeling.”

“Well shouldn’t I be mad?” Youngwoon demanded angrily,

Sungmin shook his head, “It’s his job. I think you need to ask yourself why you’re really mad.”

“What!?”

“Are you mad because he was undercover? Or are you mad because you wanted him as InYoung and now that you know she’s actually a man, you don’t know what to feel?” Sungmin questioned. When Youngwoon said nothing Sungmin nodded his head as if decided his own opinion on the situation, “I think you already know the answer.”

“Shut up,” Youngwoon scowled as he reopened the folder. He turned his attention back to the papers before him, effectively ending the conversation. So, Sungmin silently left Youngwoon to his own dwellings.

It was seven weeks since Youngwoon had last laid eyes on InYoung. It was closing in on two in the morning when Youngwoon finally began making his way to the bar. He had errands that day, so Sungmin had opened up for him. It had taken him longer than he thought to get through what he had to do, so it was only as the bar was closing when Youngwoon was able to get to the bar.

When he came upon his bar, he caught sight of a scuffle between Sungmin, Yesung and a very drunk customer. After breaking it up and sending Sungmin and Yesung off, Youngwoon entered the bar to close it himself. Among the dwindling stragglers, there was a man at the bar who struck Youngwoon as out of place. It wasn’t his wrinkle-free suit, nor the man himself who - considering the dim lighting, Youngwoon couldn’t clearly decipher; the man was obviously sober, and that was odd.

As Youngwoon approached the bar, he went behind, grabbing a cloth and began wiping down the counter behind the bar under the guise of actually cleaning. However, Youngwoon just wanted an excuse to get closer to this newcomer and get a better look at him. When he finally reached where the man was sitting, Youngwoon said amicably, “I hate to turn away new customers, but we’ll be closing up in a few minutes,”

The man looked up from his glass of water and Youngwoon stared at him for a moment; he looked familiar. Suddenly, realization dawned up Youngwoon: he was face-to-face with InYoung; “I have a feeling you would like for me to stay after you close up,” InYoung stated quietly,

Youngwoon said nothing, but continued on cleaning the counter, moving away from InYoung. Once it was two o’clock, it didn’t take Youngwoon very long to pleasantly suggest to the remaining drunks to leave the bar; and for Youngwoon, to pleasantly suggest anything meant to mildly threaten. After the last person stumbled out the door and Youngwoon locked the door, he leaned back against the door and crossed his arms,

“My mission was to just watch over Yesung for a bit,” InYoung began suddenly, “to make sure he was okay.”

“What do you mean make sure he was okay? He’s a traitor to the agency, why would your head chief care about him?” Youngwoon questioned,

“You really don’t remember Head Chief Park Jungsu, do you?” InYoung countered,

“I said I wouldn’t even know him if he were staring me in the eye. But what does that have to do with Yesung?” Youngwoon asked,

“Traitor or not, Park-sshi wants to make sure that Yesung isn’t targeted by any more from the Assassination department or from any gangsters,” InYoung explained. He sighed heavily as he ran a hand through his short hair, “My job was to mislead everyone, to hide my identity… I didn’t mean for anyone to be hurt by it.”

“I wasn’t hurt by it,” Youngwoon argued,

“Oh?” InYoung raised a curious eyebrow, “Well, from that night, your body poster and tone of voice and-”

Youngwoon effectively silenced InYoung by closing the distance between them and leaning down, capturing InYoung’s lips with his own. Arms still crossed, Youngwoon broke the kiss and stood up straight,

“Does this mean you’re… you’re not mad?” InYoung stammered, staring up at Youngwoon from his stool beside the bar,

“Not in particularly - not anymore, anyway,” Youngwoon shrugged, “But I would appreciate it if you remain honest with me if this relationship is ever going to work.”

InYoung blinked, “But… we’re not in a relationship. We’re not even in a friendship,” he chewed on his bottom lip, “Actually, we’re not even acquaintances; so, we can hardly be in a relationship.”

“Not yet, but we will be,” Youngwoon replied. He leaned his side against the bar as he said seriously, “The moment I first saw you, I knew I wanted you.”

“Despite my attitude I actually wanted you too… wait - what about now that you know I’m a guy?” InYoung challenged, eyes narrowed suspiciously,

Youngwoon pursed his lips in thought before stating simply, “Oddly enough, that just makes me want you even more.”

InYoung gaped but was silenced from saying anything as Youngwoon kissed him again. The kiss was longer this time, but didn’t surpass as gentle and sweet. When he pulled back, Youngwoon leaned his back against the bar. Uncrossing his arms, he tipped InYoung’s reddened face to look up at him with a finger beneath his chin,

“By the way, what’s your name?” Youngwoon inquired then gave him a slanted look as he added, “And your real name, if you please.”

He smiled, a single dimple appearing at the corner of his mouth, “Park Jungsu.”

Youngwoon’s jaw dropped, “Head chief? Of Stalking?”

Jungsu stood as he reached a hand to Youngwoon’s neck and pressed his body flush against the bar owner’s. Before kissing him again, Jungsu corrected “It’s Covert Investigations.”