Chapter Text
“You’re sick.”
The Recruiter laughs, a snide sound bouncing against the walls, infiltrating Jun-ho’s brain and playing with his mind. He laughs, his nostrils flailing, and grabs the muzzle of the gun.
“Oh, officer…” he breathes, Jun-ho’s insults the greatest circus of all to him. “Is that all you’ve got?”
“I’m not in the mood for this,” says Jun-ho.
“I’m pretty sure this breaks some sort of protocol.” The Recruiter raises an eyebrow; Jun-ho doesn’t budge. “No?”
He gestures around the room, the cold investigation room of the police station.
“I’m already here.” He moves his feet, to show off the jingle of the chains attached to himself. “Why threaten me like this, hm?”
“I need you to talk.”
“I am.”
“Don’t be smart with me.”
The Recruiter innocently blinks, tilting his head. “Do you want me to play dumb, then, officer?”
“You and your—” Jun-ho scoffs.
Officer.
The word plays over and over again in his head, on his exact tone—that tone, sulky, irritable, whiny even. There’s an air to it, of superiority, of…
Jun-ho shakes his head. “Talk. Now.”
“I already told you, I am!” says the Recruiter, raising his hands. Jun-ho’s hold on the gun only tightens. The man grins. “Oh, you still want answers?”
Jun-ho grits his teeth, pursing his lips even more.
“Fine, fine…” He’s so obviously enjoying this. Jun-ho wishes he knew why.
What a sick bastard, he tells himself, wanting to brush it off.
The Recruiter goes to speak, his mouth opening with a soft click of his tongue. Only, then, he just swirls it around his teeth, rotating his eyes around the room… The Recruiter looks, and looks, and looks… He doesn’t meet Jun-ho’s eye, just clicks his tongue from time to time. Jun-ho watches him like a hawk; the Recruiter smiles softly to himself.
“You know…”
He finally looks back at him.
“You’re really handsome.”
Jun-ho blinks. Scoffs. And then, he says:
“I beg your pardon?”
“Begging already?” The Recruiter quirks an eyebrow. “I thought we were only getting started. Alas, if you insist…”
Jun-ho cocks the gun, his finger on the trigger. The Recruiter looks at him, then at the end of the weapon.
And then, slowly, he puts his hand on it, and drives it to his forehead with a smile so impossibly big on his face.
“Are you not used to compliments, officer? Whyever would you react in such a way to a mere compliment…?”
The nerve on this guy – the vocabulary, too. A small part of Jun-ho wants to be impressed with him, but he quickly pushes the thought away, wishing he could kick this guy out just as easily, too. Unfortunately for both of them, Jun-ho needs him.
The Recruiter is still holding onto his gun. Only now, he’s driving it towards his own mouth.
“Stop that.”
He doesn’t.
“What, do you want me to kill you?”
He stops.
His eyes shine.
“Oh, officer, what a terrible thing to say… And yet, you call me sick?”
“Tell me where that island is.”
The Recruiter smiles.
“Officer… you should know better than that.”
He takes his hands off the weapon and crosses them on the table, hands linking together as if proposing a business deal. Once again, he tilts his head as he looks at him.
His lingering smile grows.
“How about you buy me a drink first?”
Jun-ho gets up. He looks to the one-way glass, nodding towards his colleagues that stand on the other side to take over. He can’t deal with this anymore.
As he turns away, the Recruiter’s voice drums in his ears, demanding, condescending, playful:
“Leaving already?”
When he turns to him, he’s pouting. Mockingly, of course; though, Jun-ho swears he sees an ever-so-small trace of actual disappointment in his expression, too.
“Where’s the fun in someone else other than you interrogating me? After all…”
He leans forward. Jun-ho finds himself holding his breath as he awaits the continuation of that sentence.
The Recruiter gives it to him.
“It’s you that needs me so badly.”
He clicks his tongue.
“To find the island,” he completes. The little shit.
Jun-ho squints.
“I’ll be back for you, don’t you worry.”
And the Recruiter grins again. Jun-ho ignores the creeping feeling in his chest, in his face, in his head as he does; that pang of something new. Something unusual, something that should under no circumstance be.
“Fantastic news, officer. In that case, be back soon? I can only wait so long…”
Jun-ho bites the inside of his cheek. But he can play the man’s game.
“Very,” he assures, turning to the exit.
He hears the Recruiter’s excited clap and laughter before the door shuts after him.