They day after Ba Reum's head was pounding. He had been drunk yesterday. It had been ages since he was last so drunk. He didn't' like the feeling of his control slipping.
He heard his mum bustling in the house.
He wearily opened one eye and looked at the time. Already 9 o'clock, but he had the day off today.
He made it out of bed and shuffled in the living room, looking a bid green around the eys.
"Good morning Sunshine." His mother said when he finaly came out of the room. She had heard him stumbling in yesterday night.
When he dropped the keys the second time she was sure that he had been drinking. He hadn't mentioned seeing his friends, so she guessed he had been drinking with his co-workers.
It had made her happy that he tried to be accepted in the group.
She turned around and took a good look at her son.
"What happened to your face." She came closer, and rubbed his face around his eye.
He squinted at her.
"I startled Bong Yi." He said.
"You, what?" Soo Jin looked surprised at her son.
"Bong Yi, you mean halmoni's Bong Yi?" she asked. The girl was at least a head smaller than Ba Reum.
"She took me by surprise." Ba Reum said pouting slightly.
His mom patted his hand "don't worry it'll heal soon enough. Do you want some breakfast." Ba Reum's face went a bit greener with the thought of food.
"No thanks." He said and went to lie down in the sofa, lying his arm over his eyes.
"I think I'll just rest here for a bit."
"I'll bring you some tea." Soo Jin said, smiling at her son's pitiful state.
Moo Chi got up out of bed, smacking his mouth. He felt around the bed for a water bottle that was still filled. He had a fun evening with Ba Reum and Hon Ju.
Both of them were lightweight drinkers though, he hoped that they got home safely.
Ba Reum had surprised him with some of the theories he sprouted. He was quite knowledgeable about murder MO and such. He even had the same assumption Moo Chi had about the murder not being a first murder.
He called Hon Ju to check she got home safely, Ba Reum he would see at the precint, so he didn't worry as much.
"Hey Hon Ju." He said when she picked up the phone. He heard her moan.
"Do you know what time it is, call again later." She said and hung up. He smiled a bit at the phone;
Yep, definitely a lightweight drinker.
A few days later a shouting match could be heard coming from the evidence room.
"I don't care, you have to check it out the proper way and when you put it back, do it neatly." A voice could be heard.
"I put it back neatly in the box." A voice shouted back.
"Neatly? You just threw it in there, what if we have to go throught the evidence again?" A voice shouted back, putting everything out of the box to sort through it again.
"Just because you are so OCD, doesn't mean the rest of the world is." Moo Chi grumbled and walked away, but he smiled a bit to himself.
He kinda loved to rile the kid up.
"Ya Moo Chi, com here." The commander said.
Moo Chi sighed, what was it now. He went to the office.
"You should really stop fighting with the kid you know." The commander said when he was closing the door.
"But it's so much fun." Moo Chi answered back. The commander rolled his eyes at the childish behavior.
"So, what do you want to talk about?" Moo Chi said.
"Apparently you have not taken your free days." The commander said.
"What, who says that?" Moo Chi said, looking in anger.
"No one said it, it's hard not to notice you here. You are too loud to ignore." Moo Chi tsk'd at that.
"So today I don't want to see you or hear you anymore. I won't have the union on my tail for 'forcing' my men to work over hours." He said and then dismissed Moo Chi.
"And no investigating things either today." The commander shouted at his back.
Moo Chi hadn't gotten anything better to do, so he want back to the bar that wasn't so far from the crime scene.
Perhaps he could see who passed throught the neigbourhoud who looked suspicious.
Ba Reum had finished work at 19 o' clock.
He had to resort 5 boxes again that had evidence borrowed out.
5 of them not returned in their proper state. He couldn't believe those slobs. Can't they even read the alphabet. Did king Se Jong invent their writing system just to have some airheaded detectives to misspell half of the words and not know proper order of their letters.
He grumbled to himself in frustration.
He passed throught the neigbourhood of the crime scene again, which he regularly did on his way home. It wasn't that big of a detour.
When he passed the bar he had visited before, a woman started to call him.
"Hey you there, you youngster with the black eye." A middle aged woman ran behind him.
He turned around.
"Yes?" he asked.
"Your friend is here drinking since this morning." She said.
"It's a bar." Ba Reum answered. The women slapped his arm "don't get smart with me." Ba Reum rubbed his arm. What was it with women and hitting him.
"What I mean is that's he's drunk of his feet."
"Yes?" Ba Reum asked again, moving slightly out of the woman's reach.
"He'll scare the other customers. He's your friend, you take care of him." Ba Reum looked at her and at the drunk Moo Chi that was sitting at the table talking to his Soju.
He sighed. Well his day already was cleaning up everyone's mess, why should his evening change.
"Come on,". He said and lifted Moo Chi's arm around his shoulder.
"Where do you live." He asked the drunken man, but he just mumbled something. Ba Reum tried again, but no sensible word came from him.
Ba Reum guided Moo Chi to the side walk and put him down near a light pole for a moment.
He took out his cell phone and called his mom.
"yes?" Soo Jin asked when she picked up the phone.
"Hey mom, it's me." Ba Reum said, "I got a problem."
"What is it sweetie." She said slightly worried.
"My collegue is drunk, and the lady at the bar said I should take him home, but I don't know where it is and he's to drunk to tell." Ba Reum said, "Should I bring him to the precint?" he asked.
"No, you can't do that, just bring him home with you. We'll have to put himl in your bed." His mother said.
Ba Reum looked at Moo Chi "really?" he asked again.
"Yes, really." His mum said
Ba Reum disconnected the phone call and sighed. He lifted Moo Chi up again, sagging a bit under the weight and guided him to his home.
"Come, let's put him to bed." His mother said and turned down the blankets.
Ba Reum put Moo Chi in his bed, carefully removed his shoes and socks and put them nicely on the side.
"Perhaps his belt as well?" his mother asked, staring down at the big man, Ba Reum carefully removed the belt buckle, rolled it up and put it next to his shoes. He folded the socks up and put them in the shoes, while his mum was looking on in amusement.
"Come let him sleep." They left Moo Chi sleeping in Ba Reum's bed.
"What hour does he have to go to work, do you know?" she asked her son.
"10 I think."
"I have to go to work at 4 in the morning." She said.
"I at 8, so I'll have to leave at 7 in the latest." Ba Reum says, "do I wake him up?"
"No, just put the alarm at 8 or something for him and leave him breakfast and the key, you can leave him a note to bring it in the precint to you."
Ba Reum spend an uncomfortable night on the sofa and when he wakes up he sees that Moo Chi is still sleeping comfortable in Ba Reum's bed.
He does as his mother told him and prepares a nice breakfast on a try and lies down a not and the extra key to the house next to his bed, so Moo Chi will find it immediately.
"Oh before I forget." He says to himself and puts the package that Chi Kook had ordered for his mum on the table. The birthday was today and Chi Kook was going to get it after his night shift.
Ba Reum leaves for work.
Chi Kook knocked on the door softly, but as expected Ba Reum and his mom had already left.
He went to the table and took the package with him. He was about to leave when he heard a snore coming from Ba Reums room.
He looked up. That's strange did Ba Reum oversleep, and since when does he snore?
Chi Kook opened the door to Ba Reum's bedroom, but instead saw a strange man lying in there. Next to him was a breakfast in a tray, a note with Ba Reum's handwriting and a key.
Chi Kook blinked, looked back at the living room and back to the man lying in his best friends bed.
He took out his cell phone and made a picture.
He softly closed the door and went out and locked the front door.
He called Dong Koo.
"Hey Chi Kook, what's up?" Dong Koo asked.
"Did Ba Reum tell you he has a boyfriend." Chi Kook asked.
"What?!"