(featuring Consultant Detective Cha Eun Sang & Dr. Choi Young Do)

[a sherlock!au]


I. Collateral Damage (on the ego)


Memories of the war still keep Young Do up at night. He's lost two potential roommates because of it; they always became unnerved from the sight of a grown man crying at night. In the mornings Young Do hardly acknowledges that he has a problem, only in the presence of Hyun Joo, the psychiatrist they assigned him after he was discharged.

She doesn't seem surprised when he mentions that he's living alone again, instead she hands him another note for sleeping aids and suggests he find a more understanding roommate.

"Is that all you have to say to me?" Young Do asks, finding it strange that she's not giving him a big lecture today.

"Have you thought about expelling your nervous energy into positive outlets?" she suggests. When he raises a brow in question, she continues. "Perhaps you should open up a practice, or recount your war stories for publishers, that would help pay your portion of the rent so you can be a half decent roommate –"

"Ah, no," Young Do waves her off, moving to get up. "I think our time is up. I'm leaving."

"Young Do," she catches him by the sleeve, causing him to stiffen. He hates when people touch him without warning. "You are a soldier. I understand. But now it's time for you to come back down to civilian life with the rest of us."

"Just get to the point," Young Do growls behind clenched teeth, wrenching his wrist away so he can shrug on his jacket.

"I honestly think it's best for you to try something new. Try something normal for a change," she insists.

Young Do lets out a bitter laugh as he storms out, "Don't you know? My life is nothing but normal now."

xXx

Chan Young, as much as he loves his job as a Detective Inspector, hates confrontation. Especially when he is faced with a large, rambunctious crowd of reporter, with flashing lights periodically blinding him as their cameramen stole picture after picture. Lee Bo Na, his precious Sergeant and possibly the only person who was willing to talk to this insatiable crowd, leads the press conference with an incredible amount of power and poise. He tries to relax, but his legs are shaking from being so high-strung these past few days.

"Kim Won was a the head minister for public broadcasting, his body was found early this morning a couple blocks away from the Zeus hotel," Bo Na begins, pausing for effect. She has a flare for dramatics, sometimes Chan Young thinks she should have gone into entertainment. "Preliminary investigations," Bo Na continues, "have shown that this incident was a suicide, which shares similar traits to the 'supposed' suicides of Kang Ye Sol and Esther Lee." She clicks to the next slide on the power point Chan Young knows she spent the better half of last night doing. There are the pictures of all their victims, with the similarities in their cases listed below. Bo Na doesn't act like it, but she is surprisingly meticulous when it comes to press conferences. "Despite having no relations to each other before their deaths, our team has concluded that these suicides are linked. The investigation is ongoing, but for now you can ask Detective Inspector Yoon questions pertaining to the cases." Lee Bo Na glares at the crowd as she ends her speech, daring them to fluster Chan Young.

Bo Na won't admit it, but she's very protective of Chan Young. She can't admit her attachment to him because it's protocol but he sometimes still catches the terrifying glint in her eye. Several hands shoot up at her question, and of course there's an overly-eager reporter looking to get his input in first.

"Detective Inspector, can suicides even be linked? Serial suicides do not sound realistic. "

"Well, it's definitely strange," Chan Young swallows, willing himself to remain calm. The incredulous emotion of the crowd was almost tangible. "But all these victims were found with the same poison in their bloodstreams, in locations of similar environments, and –"

"Similar environments?" another reporter repeats, not even looking up from her notepad.

"Empty alleyways and little niches around largely populated areas. Usually a couple blocks from a high end business the victims had been known to frequent, respectively of course. The poison seems come from the same unidentified pill bottles, we're still looking for a manufacturer," the facts spill from Chan Young easily. Facts are straightforward, and easy to maintain. He likes facts, evidence, logical reasoning. This isn't what the reporters want though, so he isn't that affronted by the next question:

"So why are you calling them serial suicides?" Chan Young remains still as he searches for a proper response. He wants to squirm around with the way people are looking at him, but he can't show signs of discomfort. He expected this, yet he isn't confident enough to voice his own opinion. Bo Na takes note of his hesitance to answer, and stands up defiantly in his place.

"There's no link found yet between the three victims. But our team is looking for one, because there has to be one!" She responds firmly. There's a moment of absolute silence as the crowd analyzes her desperation for her words to be true. Chan Young wants to agree with her, but the sudden vibrations and noises from everyone's handheld devices tell him otherwise. He feels the blood drain from his face, anticipating what the group message says before a reporter finally voices what's written on the mass text.

"It's says, 'WRONG,'" a man in the back whispers, as if afraid that Chan Young and Bo Na might claw at him. Bo Na glares at her cell phone screen like it might combust from her gaze and then looks back to Chan Young. Her expression is clear: How dare she?

"Ignore the text," Bo Na snarls at last, "It doesn't mean anything."

An idiotic reporter in the front immediately disagrees, "It just says, 'WRONG.' That's got to mean something."

"Ignore it," Bo Na repeats, narrowing her eyes at the woman, who cowers behind her laptop in response. "If there are no more questions –"

"It seems someone disagrees with you," another person from the back interjects. "Are you sure you're handling the investigation properly?" Bo Na stands up when she hears the familiar, snarky, feminine voice. She stands on her tippy toes so she can properly glare at the woman.

"We have our best people on it," Chan Young answers this time, but his stomach is in knots. He stands as well, so he can confirm the worst.

"Oh really," Eun Sang smirks into her scarf, her eyes holding mischief behind wide-rimmed black glasses. She's prepared like the rest of the crowd: notepad, laptop, camera and pens. The glasses and scarf must have kept her hidden when Bo Na and Chan Young were entering the room. She is admittedly a master of disguise. "I'll take your word for it then," she relents, and everyone goes back to ignoring her, assaulting Bo Na with questions again. Chan Young tunes out Bo Na's answers and watches Eun Sang quickly tap out something on her phone before gathering up her things to leave. His heart drops into his stomach when the telltale rings go off as she disappears out the door.

"It says, 'WRONG.' Again," a reporter yells, stating the obvious.

"Anymore questions?" Bo Na fires back, glaring at Chan Young now. He knows he's going to receive quite the reprimanding later for Eun Sang's behavior.

"Could this be a serial murder instead of the 'serial suicides' you claim them to be?" a snotty man asks from the middle row.

"Look, I know you like writing about these 'exciting' things for fun –" Bo Na snaps, crossing her arms as she falls back into her seat.

Chan Young quickly cuts off her attack, "The poisons were self-administered in all cases, meaning suicide. Everyone is safe as far as we know." Cell phones go off again, and Chan Young peers down at Bo Na's: 'WRONG.' His phone buzzes twice more, so he reluctantly pulls it from his pocket.

'YOU NEED A REAL EXPERT.' Chan Young deflates and Bo Na snatches his phone from his hand. She reads it over silently, then again just to confirm the message. Scowling, she throws the phone on the table.

"This meeting is over!" she shouts, furiously rushing out with her belongings. Chan Young scrambles to gather his things and catch up with her. He throws a 'thank you!' over his shoulder as he runs out.

"You have to get her to stop doing that!" she screeches once they're out of earshot. "We look like imbeciles!"

"If you figure out how, I'll stop it," he gives her a teasing smile to lighten the mood, but she doesn't falter. If anything, she seems to be getting angrier.

"You always let her off the hook!" she accuses, exiting the building and searching madly for their car. Chan Young sighs again, and grabs her gently by the elbow leading her to their vehicle. He knows her irate claims won't stop unless he gives her time to settle down.

"Come on," he says once they're on the road. "You know we need her." He emphasizes their relationship to soften the blow to her ego, reaching over the console to hold her hand. She briefly glances at him then back to the road. Her grip relaxes on the wheel.

"Fine," she groans, signaling left so they're on the correct route to the infamous 221 B Empire Street. There's crease between her brows still, but Chan Young knows he's forgiven because Bo Na doesn't let his hand go.

However, Eun Sang will have her own hell to pay for.


A/N: And so it begins! Admittedly, when I started writing this fic I wanted to make Young Do the arrogant and brilliant Sherlock and have Eun Sang be his war-torn doctor. If you're currently having the same thoughts, hopefully as the fic goes on you'll see why I stuck to the original idea this fic was based off of. Next chapter we shall meet the lovely (and terrifying) Detective Cha Eun Sang and her infatuated ME Myung Soo. Say whaaaa?