Na Hwa-Jin

Rain pattered softly against the apartment windows, the city lights beyond reduced to blurred streaks across the glass. The television murmured in the background while Na Hwa-jin rested on the couch with a mug of black coffee, enjoying one of the few quiet evenings he'd had in weeks.

His latest ERPB assignment had finally come to a close. Another school. Another investigation. Another report filed. Cases came and went, but the work never truly ended. Even after years in the field, home still felt more like a stop between assignments than a place to settle down.

With a quiet sigh, he reached for his phone. The dating app sitting on his screen was there for one reason only—his coworkers had refused to let the subject go.

"If you don't download it yourself, I'll do it for you."

Im Han-rim had kept his word, downloading it himself while Bong Geun-dae laughed so hard he nearly dropped his phone. Ever since then, the app had sat untouched.

Tonight, with nothing demanding his attention for once, he finally opened it.

The first few profiles disappeared with a swipe. Some felt carefully curated, others looked more interested in showing off a lifestyle than having an actual conversation. None of them held his attention for more than a few seconds.

"Geun-dae owes me for this..." he muttered, his thumb already drifting toward the uninstall button.

Then another profile appeared.

His thumb stopped.

Something about it refused to fit neatly into a first impression. For someone who had built a career reading people through the smallest details, not being able to form an immediate conclusion was unexpectedly rare.

Instead of swiping away, he found himself looking a little longer.

"…One message can't hurt."

He tapped "Like."

A notification immediately appeared.

It's a Match!

Hwa-jin stared at the empty chat for a moment before typing the first thing that came naturally.

"Hey. Your profile caught my attention. I couldn't quite get a read on you, which doesn't happen very often. If you don't mind a simple conversation, I'd like to get to know you."