KIM HYUN JOON
AND
HA SUN WOO
DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS
KIM HYUN JOON
AND
HA SUN WOO
DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS
Ha Sun Woo was at the ‘Would U Like Café’, a cozy place, just right for a romantic rendezvous. The cafe even offered al fresco dining at pavement tables.
She was reading a book and the words that popped out from her book were ‘Me, Me, Me.’ Did it reflect the author's self-absorption and narcissism?
   
When Kim Hyun Joon appeared, the beautiful Ha Sun Woo was unaware of his presence as she was engrossed in her book. He had to tap on the table to draw her attention. He must have arranged for the meeting.
  
Even when he was lowering himself onto his seat, his eyes were searching hers. Her beauty must have floored him. However, she was too serious.
Did he perhaps possess a spark of hope that their months of working together might blossom into love? Kim Hyun Joon was a man of good taste. He, himself was not short of qualifications: Handsome, Sexy, Masculine, Intelligent, Strong and Talented. He carried a confident aura about him. And, her passion and seriousness held a certain attraction for him.
 
Being interested in her well-being, he asked her whether she was all right since she had been suspended from her job for three months.
  
She lifted her eyes and gazed at him only momentarily; but she did not actually lock eyes with him.
Her face seemed pale and he was concerned. He was close and personal with her.
‘That’s why I told you to take a vacation.'
  
She tried to distract him with her question, ‘How was the lecture?’ He gazed at her, a smile forming on his lips.
  
‘Good.’ His eyes discerned her feelings and then, his gaze drifted away. He got the distinct impression that she was still obsessed with the NCI cases.
   
With downcast eyes, Kim Hyun Joon continued, ‘Someone asked a question, ‘If you think like psychopathic criminals, why can’t you catch The Reaper?’
      
Perhaps, what he meant was ‘If a profiler gets inside the head of The Reaper, walks in his shoes, experiences his darkness as a killer and understands the way he hunts his prey, why can’t the profiler catch the monster or beat him at his game?
When Kim Hyun Joon lifted his gaze, his eyes bored into hers. The intensity of his hypnotic eyes forced Ha Sun Woo to avert her gaze.
That was a tough question. But, the answer is not easy. Perhaps, it lies with the concept of law and justice, and moral dilemmas. Some very tough law enforcement officers would think that it makes sense to say that in order to achieve justice, that is, to catch monsters like The Reaper, perhaps, the NCI profilers would have to break the law. This may be eye opening for many since sometimes the law is not necessarily just. But, breaking the law would land them in prison.
He looked down again. ‘It’ll only get more difficult not to go past that line when we’re on the border,’ he answered his own question quietly. Raising his eyes, he stared hard at her with concern in his eyes.
Yes, what he meant was the NCI profilers could become killers if they held the upper hand. If one were in the position to kill criminals, what would be one’s motive? Would it be personal revenge or anger? And, what punishment would appeal to one’s sense of justice?
      His eyes bored into hers. Ha Sun Woo dreaded looking at him; she didn’t answer. Perhaps, she had realised that she was guilty of going past that line not too long ago when she shot her would-be-rapist. Did she shoot the villain under false pretences? Was it really for self-defence?   ‘Give yourself some time to rest,’ Kim Hyun Joon warmly advised her.   But, she didn’t seem to be listening. She quickly regained her composure and her voice gained strength.
‘I’d heard that there was a copycat murder case,’ she turned to face him. She seemed to be so involved and interested in the NCI cases. Kim Hyun Joon’s look of disappointment was obvious.
 
‘Yes,’ he managed a weak smile and then cast his eyes downwards. ‘They even copied the signature that wasn’t revealed to the media.’
     
She raised the topic of the reporter-turned-author, Son Suk Ju, whom she thought had disappeared for good. Kim Hyun Joon was surprised by her tenacity in pursuing the case.
He straightened up and looked at her, feeling sad that he couldn’t get his opinions across to her.
 
‘I went through his email records and they were sent from the US. Perhaps, he never left the country,’ she speculated.
    ‘Do you think it has something to do with The Reaper?’ He was picking her brains.   Her brain seemed to be wired to solve all NCI problems. ‘The scheduled ‘Meet and Greet’ session was cancelled. Even the publisher was ignorant of his whereabouts.’ Ha Sun Woo thought it was strange that the reporter-turned-author had suddenly vanished without a trace. Perhaps to her, it was inconsistent with a dedicated, passionate and determined reporter like him.   Ha Sun Woo seemed to have accumulated a fund of important information about the case. Her target seemed to be The Reaper. For the moment, it seemed she was thinking of ‘Me, Me, Me and My Work – The Reaper’. She seemed to be completely self-absorbed, trying to piece together the case of The Reaper.   
‘Sun Woo,’ Kim Hyun Joon murmured. He probably figured that it was an opportunity to express his feelings. The temperature of the room seemed to have risen 10 degrees.
 The sound of her name suddenly stopped her in her tracks and brought her back to the present with a start. She flashed him a look of incomprehension. Probably, at that moment, she was stunned by the reality - the handsome man seated before her.  He lowered his gaze and hid his feelings from her. He had also bent his head to steady his feelings. Was he hinging on a romantic hope that was weak? But all of a sudden, he seemed to have second thoughts about what he wanted to say.   He must have fought hard to control his feelings. Was he deluding himself that she would think of him first, if she ever did, and not her work? He probably wiped out all romantic thoughts.
When he raised his eyes, a smile played on his lips. Although his eyes glittered, there was a hint of sadness in them. Looking at her, he understood that she would never give up finding The Reaper. It was her work that was important and it was no use advising her to pause.
Viewers are convinced that he had planned to say something romantic and expect him to rise to the occasion - to take his chances and say something lovey-dovey. They are greatly disappointed.
    ‘No, it is nothing,’ he said quietly, trying to sound nonchalant. Probably, he was pessimistic about the outcome.
They seemed interested in each other. Why didn’t he even try? That is the most puzzling question about their relationship.
Perhaps, it had dawned on him that their relationship was going in different directions.    
A cloud of sadness hung in the air. The magic of the moment
drained away. It was heart-wrenching that he had lost that precious moment to
change everything about their relationship.
Even if he had something romantic to say to her at that point,
she might not be ready to accept him; she might spurn him. Perhaps, office
romance was taboo in the NCI. Or, perhaps her past experiences with rapists
did not allow her to be close to men. But, Ha Sun Woo was certainly no cold
fish.
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