+ Unravelling Slowly [2PM]
Title: Unravelling Slowly
Rating: PG-13 (allusions to a suicide attempt)
Pairing: Taecyeon-centric (minor Taecyeon/Wooyoung, Wooyoung/Nichkhun)
Word Count: 4550 words
Notes: Written for the last kpop_ficmix back in October 2012! (Man am I bad at reposting.) This is a sequel to The Red Thread by shadow_paint. I'm not sure if I managed to do everything I had envisioned with this, and I definitely took some liberties with the inner workings of the Korean police force, but it was a lot of fun doing it! A big thanks to Cath for her valiant attempts at keeping me on track, and for just generally being the best. Originally posted here.
Summary: Wooyoung, he decides, is like a puzzle. One of those 3D ones you know you shouldn't bother connecting because they're high-maintenance and never seem to fit anywhere once they're done, but are in actual fact perfect for Taecyeon, because he's never been able to resist something so complicated.
+
The new guy has scars on his wrists.
Taecyeon notices them by accident. The guy's leaning over to take his badge from Taecyeon's boss (a strange-looking man, striking but only positively in some lights-preferably low ones) when his sleeves slip up his forearms baring pale wrists, veins close to skin and bisected with thin white vertical lines. Not horizontal, Taecyeon notes absently, but running right up the veins for a good few centimetres.
He knew what he was doing.
The guy, Woo-something (Taecyeon should know but he wasn't listening, it's far too early in the morning to retain audible information), notices Taecyeon watching him and immediately drops his arms, brown leather obscuring all evidence of his past. Taecyeon lets his gaze slide up to his face and linger briefly on the additional scar on his cheek before flicking up to his eyes, and there is a moment, a second, when they blaze with emotion, with something other than the impassive deference he's been wearing since he stepped into the precinct-
But just as quickly his features slacken and he turns away, following their boss into his office with quick, assured strides. He doesn't look at Taecyeon for the rest of the day.
Taecyeon has the opposite problem.
+
The thing is, Taecyeon is still young, and he's good at his job, and he could really go places (is it bragging if it's merely repeating something you've been told? Multiple times?), but he's just so… bored. And he gets it, lots of people hate their jobs, lots of people make sacrifices for the sake of their families, of providing for them, and Taec loves his parents, he just… doesn't think he can be that person.
He was probably dumb-no, definitely dumb-thinking that being a police officer would be as exciting as it is in the movies, but he's usually too busy trying to stimulate himself to be sensible, and he honestly wasn't expecting to make it through recruiting anyway.
But then he did, and for a while it was new and exciting. But nothing could have prepared him for the amount of paperwork, for how time-consuming each process of Upholding The Law actually is, for the bureaucracy, for the expectation that he follow orders unquestioningly.
Most of time it's fine. Most of the time he can rationalise it, make the good outweigh the bad and talk himself out of his restlessness, but for that he needs good co-workers. He needs to feed off the energy of the people around him, and that's the problem. Because he used to used to have Junho, but then Junho transferred to another precinct (to be fair, it was to a position that Taec rejected, just like he's turned down every promotion offered to him so far because why would he want to spend more time behind a desk), and no-one else is interesting enough.
Until the new guy.
+
Taecyeon is officially introduced to Jang Wooyoung, his new partner, the next day.
It's not a good day for Taecyeon-he hadn't been able to sleep the night before and he hasn't finished the paperwork he was assigned two days ago and he had a run-in with his neighbour's cat that morning that had somehow ended in scar in a very painful (and inappropriate) place, so he's not one hundred percent on his game.
He can tell Wooyoung thinks he's an idiot.
"Sorry," he apologises, trying to clear a space on Junho's old desk, since he's somehow managed to let all of his stuff encroach on the tiny space. "I'll have this fixed up for you by tomorrow."
Wooyoung seems dubious. He says nothing, just sits in the provided office chair and swivels to face Taecyeon.
Taecyeon clears his throat.
Wooyoung doesn't move.
"So..." Taec says, resisting the urge to start tapping on his teeth, searching for an icebreaker. "What year were born in?"
"Eighty nine," Wooyoung says. There's no emotion to it, no accent, nothing telling at all.
It takes more than disinterest to discourage Taecyeon. "So I'm your hyung," he says, smiling, but trying to dial down on the effect, not wanting to freak Wooyoung out with the full eye-wrinkling-teeth-glinting experience so soon.
Wooyoung nods, once.
"Uh," Taecyeon says. "Okay, so I guess... let's just work hard together?"
Wooyoung stares at him for a moment, and Taecyeon forces himself to keep still, not make any sudden moves, and slowly but surely, Wooyoung relaxes a little. He leans back in his chair and the uncompromising line of his mouth softens-nothing approaching a smile, but Taecyeon appreciates whatever he can get.
+
Of course it only takes Taecyeon about an hour to screw it up.
"So where are you from originally, Wooyoung-sshi?"
And Wooyoung completely shuts down, dropping the file he was holding before standing up and leaving the room.
Taecyeon watches him go, and Changmin-hyung shoots him a look from across the room. He shrugs and waits for Wooyoung to come back, but he never does.
+
"Busan," Wooyoung says quietly the next day, when Taecyeon is late to work but brings him coffee.
It takes Taecyeon a few seconds to connect it to anything but then he nods, and passes Wooyoung half of his doughnut.
+
Seeing Wooyoung at the gym is a surprise, because he doesn't really seem like the type of person to bother with that kind of stuff-he seems more like the brains than the brawn. Wooyoung's laying on a bench, working with the dumbbells, and Taecyeon wonders whether he should approach. He's pretty certain Wooyoung's had more than his fill of him for today, but this is the first time Taecyeon's ever seen his partner out of work, and in the end his curiosity wins out.
As Taecyeon gets closer he can see that Wooyoung's lean, with more of a dancer's or gymnast's physique than a bodybuilders', but he's made the most of his body and his sweaty gym wear clings nicely to his muscles. His skin is pale and slick under the harsh lighting, hair sticking in clumps to his forehead, and as he slowly sits up Taecyeon hurries to pass him a towel, if only just so he doesn't get caught looking.
"Oh," Wooyoung says, looking up, surprised. "Thanks." He wipes his face and Taecyeon watches, pleased, when his eyes spend a little too much time on Taecyeon's arms and upper body. "You come here too?"
"I know the owner." Taecyeon waves to Chansung as he passes through on the way to his office, and Chansung grins and nods before disappearing through a door marked 'STAFF ONLY'. When Taecyeon looks back at Wooyoung he's frowning. "What?"
"Show off," Wooyoung mutters, but Taecyeon doesn't know him well enough yet to tell which percentage of it is truly resentful, and which is teasing-if any.
It's a little startling for him to suddenly realise how much he wishes he did.
But those are terrible, ridiculous thoughts. Wooyoung is his partner, and obviously completely messed up, with a million secrets of unknown consequence, and it's painfully obvious that any attachment Taecyeon forms will be completely one-sided, so there is absolutely No Way he should get involved.
If only he weren't always so intrigued by the unattainable.
Taecyeon drops down onto the bench next to him, making sure he's not quite close enough to touch. "Have you been working out long?" he asks, trying to find a safe topic, but even that seems to be contentious because Wooyoung's shoulders lock up, his every movement suddenly becoming deliberate. Taecyeon just lets it happen, trying to force himself to remain relaxed.
"I'm trying to get back into it," Wooyoung says stiffly.
Taecyeon keeps his voice soft. "Why did you stop?"
"Had no reason to care."
"And you do now?"
There's a long pause. "More like I'm not sure what else to do."
"Okay." Taecyeon nods. He finally glances up at Wooyoung, who looks away quickly and busies himself with tying his shoelaces. Which are already tied. "Anyway. Anytime you feel like you need human contact just-you can call me, okay? Surprisingly, I don't have that many friends."
"That is truly shocking," Wooyoung says, one side of his mouth quirking up.
Taecyeon takes that as a win.
+
Taecyeon gets home and spends one hour and forty seven minutes debating with himself about whether investigating Wooyoung's past would be Unforgivably Bad.
It's obvious Wooyoung doesn't want anyone to know, and Taecyeon is sure that their superiors wouldn't keep anything from him that would endanger lives, nor would anyone have reinstated Wooyoung after his 'recovery' if he hadn't passed the required psychological testing. Maybe he shouldn't pry into his co-worker's, his partner's, secret past. Maybe that's crossing a line. Curiosity killed the Okcat, after all.
By the one hour and forty eight-minute mark, Taecyeon has at least seven Internet Explorer tabs open with information about Jang Wooyoung.
So much for not getting involved.
+
He's the first one in to the precinct the next morning, taking over from Changmin-hyung and providing a full McDonald's breakfast as an incentive (read: bribe) for him to leave quicker. He waits until he's sure Changmin's gone before pulling out the file he has on Wooyoung so far.
His internet search hadn't provided much useful information, just a few small articles mentioning his hand in solving some big cases in Seoul, but none of them had been particularly noteworthy, and Taecyeon hopes that a search through official files will yield better results.
Frustratingly, however, internal records are just as sparse-which is strange, because no case files are never this meagre. It's almost like… they've been purposely removed? Classified, maybe? The only thing of note is a small notation he finds by accident, on the last page of a hand-written incident report that's been scanned into the computer records. It mentions Jang Wooyoung, the murder of another Inspector named Kim Junsu, and one more thing.
The number 7381.
+
It takes another day for Taec to finally realise that he's completely missed an important lead, and once he does he can't berate himself enough.
Because the station Wooyoung used to be assigned to is the same station Junho is posted to now.
"Stupid Ok Taecyeon," he mutters, wrenching his phone out of his pocket and mashing his finger against the screen impatiently. "Stupiiiiid."
Technically, Junho only transferred a few months ago but maybe he can ask around, find something out for Taecyeon. He never does anything for nothing but Taecyeon doesn't mind owing him a favour, not for this.
Taecyeon selects Junho's name and drums his fingers against his desk, keeping an eye out for Wooyoung, but it all seems clear and Junho picks up on the fifth ring.
"Oh, Taecyeon-ah," he hears, and feels a grin spring to his face.
"Yah, you punk!"
"Hyungniiiiiiim," Junho responds obnoxiously, and Taecyeon hears someone laughing in the background.
"This is why I don't miss you," Taecyeon complains. "You are the worst dongsaeng on the planet."
Junho snorts. "Yah, Even Worse Hyung, I know you only called because you want something. Tell me what it is, I'm busy."
Taecyeon scowls, but a glance at his watch makes him realise Wooyoung will arrive in less than ten minutes. No more time for frivolity. "What do you know about a Detective Inspector named Jang Wooyoung?"
There is silence for a few moments. "I… I've heard things," Junho says carefully. "Why?"
"He's my new partner."
"He's still working?" Junho sounds surprised.
"Someone had to take your place."
"No-one could take my place."
"Junho-yah."
"Mmm."
"You're stalling."
Junho sighs. "I don't know, hyung. People don't really talk about him."
"Can you ask around? For me, your favourite hyung?"
He pointedly ignores the last part. "I don't know if I should. I'm new, and I'm the youngest here. I don't want to cause trouble."
"Junho-yah. Do you remember that night with the alcohol and the chopsticks and your ass?"
Taecyeon can almost see his cringe. "Fine. I'll see what I can do. But you never get to bring that up again."
He hangs up.
+
For a while, everything is normal and Taecyeon is almost surprised how much he enjoys his job again-even the paperwork. He and Wooyoung actually work well together, when they're not being respectively overly intrusive or unduly morose, and by now they've even managed to build up some trust between them. Wooyoung, he decides, is like a puzzle. One of those 3D ones you know you shouldn't bother connecting because they're high-maintenance and never seem to fit anywhere once they're done, but are in actual fact perfect for Taecyeon, because he's never been able to resist something so complicated.
The only problem is that whenever his phone rings he feels a surge of guilt, almost always looking up at Wooyoung's face before finally answering, heart in his throat until he registers that it isn't Junho. Until four days after Taecyeon's original call, when it is.
Taecyeon tells himself that he only picks up because otherwise Junho would be pissed, that he's not going to so anything with the information he receives, not now that he actually knows and likes Wooyoung. He's pacifying Junho and assuaging his own destructive intrusiveness, that's all.
But then Junho mentions he spoke to an old mafia contact, mentions an old case Wooyoung worked on to take down some of the more notorious mafia cells a few years ago, mentions 'Codename 7381', mentions Wooyoung's suicide attempt, and all Taecyeon's affirmations from only a minute ago fizzle into nothingness because-
The mafia?
+
Taecyeon decides to finally ask Wooyoung about it after one of their gym sessions. They've started going together-well, Taecyeon invites himself along and Wooyoung doesn't complain as much as he could-and it's the perfect place because it's away from the precinct, Wooyoung's much more at ease after a workout, and they go in Taecyeon's car which means Wooyoung can't escape easily.
In fact, Taecyeon waits until they get all the way to his car after their session before finally asking, "What's Codename 7381?"
If it wasn't so disturbing, Wooyoung's reaction would be fascinating. His whole body locks up and his face contorts into an expression of such utter misery and despair it's almost shocking, before he looks away, bag dropping to the ground with a thunk. Wooyoung leans against the side of the car, hands shaking, and Taecyeon has no idea what to do. He doesn't know what he was expecting, but grief so encompassing, so all-consuming, wasn't it and he immediately regrets asking.
He didn't even think once about how this would affect Wooyoung. Junho was right, he really is a Terrible Hyung.
"No, shit, okay, it's okay Wooyoung-ah," he stutters, rushing over but not sure whether he should touch him or not, so his hands flap awkwardly in the air around Wooyoung's shoulders. "You don't have to tell me, are you okay, please just look at me."
He finally looks up, but again, it's nothing like he had steeled himself for, because there are no tears-instead, his eyes are blazing with anger, his fists now clenched, and Taecyeon takes a very subtle step back… just in case.
But Wooyoung doesn't say anything. He glares.
For a really long time.
"Okay," Taecyeon says abruptly, and then adds, because it's the only action that makes sense in this horrible scenario, "let's go and get drunk."
"Why, so you can get information out of me while my defenses are down?" Wooyoung asks suspiciously.
"No, because alcohol solves everything, at least for a little while." He chances a small smile. "And I feel that as the nosy hyung it is my duty to pay."
Wooyoung pauses a moment longer before opening the car door and throwing himself into the passenger seat, still glaring. He starts messing with Taecyeon's radio, even though he knows Taecyeon hates it, and Taecyeon lets him.
+
Wooyoung is a lot more tactile when he's drunk. He keeps grabbing onto Taecyeon's arm, rubbing his face in Taecyeon's shoulder and ranting directly into Taecyeon's ear. At one point Taecyeon tries to get him to stop drinking, keeping his glass away from him, but Wooyoung jumps on him like a koala and bites him on the bicep, the points of his teeth sharp even through Taecyeon's t-shirt.
He talks more too, about how he used to go fishing when he was a kid, how he would gaze at the sky and think about the future. How life was so much easier.
Finally there's a lull in his rhapsodising and Taecyeon stands up, exchanges wry smiles with the bartender and pays their bill. He wraps an arm around Wooyoung's shoulders and has just manoeuvred Wooyoung outside when Wooyoung abruptly says, "Sometimes I don't know why I'm still alive."
Taecyeon fumbles with Wooyoung and nearly drops him before dragging him over to the mouth of the alley that runs beside the bar, away from the innumerable businessmen puffing on their cigarettes. "What?"
Wooyoung just frowns, eyes drooping and lips pressing together miserably, and Taecyeon finally decides enough is enough.
"You can't die," he tells Wooyoung firmly.
"Why not?"
"Who would solve all the tough cases if you were gone? Who would look after me? I know you're hurting right now but other people would hurt even more if you weren't here. Like me."
Wooyoung stares at him for a moment, eyes suddenly clear and bright, and then suddenly he's launching himself at Taecyeon, awkwardly wrapping his arms around Taecyeon's torso and sealing their lips together.
Taecyeon reels back but Wooyoung scrunches his eyes shut and follows him, squeezing harder, digging his nails in and backing them up against the wall. Taecyeon lets himself have it for a moment, lets his fingers curl around Wooyoung's neck and press into his vertebrae, lets his thumb trace the thin silvery scar on his soft cheek, lets his tongue slide over Wooyoung's lips, lets Wooyoung's hand slip between his thighs and rub against his crotch, but reality sinks in fast and he thinks-no.
Not like this.
That probably means not ever, but definitely not like this, not when Wooyoung isn't even really with him-a fact made obvious when Taecyeon moves back and pulls Wooyoung's hand away, and Wooyoung mutters, "Nichkhun."
Taecyeon really wishes he hadn't.
+
Once Taecyeon finally manages to get Wooyoung into the passenger seat of his car, he pulls out his phone and opens up a new note, hesitating slightly before slowly typing out '니군'. He doesn't know how to spell it properly, but it's a start and it's just what he needs to distract himself from his terrible romantic track record.
He kind of just wants to go home and start researching (or moping, whichever urge is strongest) straight away, but there's still Wooyoung to worry about so anything else will have to be put on hold.
He parks the car as close to Wooyoung's apartment as he can get it before leaning over to undo Wooyoung's seatbelt, and then search through Wooyoung's pockets for his keys. It's a little awkward and Taecyeon really has to force himself to continue when Wooyoung lets out a little moan, but he finally finds them and manages to drag Wooyoung out of the car and up the long staircase to his front door.
Even though he's dropped Wooyoung off before he's never been inside, but he's not really surprised by what he sees-which is hardly anything, because Wooyoung seems to have taken the minimalist look to the extreme. He owns only the most functional of furniture, all of the manchester is white, and there is nothing at all personal on display. No photos, no knick knacks, not even a plant. He drops Wooyoung on the immaculately-made bed and feels a strange surge of satisfaction he messes it up completely in attempt to pull the covers over Wooyoung. He takes off Wooyoung's shoes and drops them by the door, knowing that he should leave now but…
The urge to snoop is far too strong.
He's a police officer, isn't he?
Careful not to displace anything, because he knows Wooyoung will notice in the morning, he has a quick look through the (spotless) cupboards in the kitchenette before moving over to Wooyoung's desk. It's just as tidy as everything else but it also has drawers attached, and one of them is locked.
Taecyeon hesitates for only second before reaching for where he'd dropped Wooyoung's keys on top of the desk, searching through them to find the one that fits the lock. He's onto number five when it finally slides in, and he turns and tries to ease open the drawer.
Except he maybe uses a little too much force and the drawer screeches open. Taecyeon cringes, freezes, and glances at Wooyoung, but he simply smacks his lips and rolls over, letting out a little snore.
"Yah, Ok Taecyeon," Taecyeon mutters to himself, "be cool."
It's always harder for him than it should be.
Still, he adjusts his grip and gently pulls the drawer open the rest of the way to reveal…
He frowns. What is that? He reaches in and pulls out a... cassette? One of those old-school ones, he thinks, audio-only with spools and tape and a label that says, in neat, romanised Korean, 'Wooyoung'.
Taecyeon wonders why it's so precious. Does it relate to Wooyoung's checkered, baffling past in some way? Does Nickoon have something to do with this? Does the mafia? Whatever it is, he's sure he'll be able to listen to it and somehow get it back into the drawer before Wooyoung even notices, and he tucks it into his pocket before closing the drawer, locking it, and slipping out of the apartment.
+
He's never been more wrong.
Wooyoung does notice. Taecyeon notices that Wooyoung has noticed because Wooyoung is late to work, and when he does show up he's in the same clothes as last night, hair wild and eyes wilder, and he storms up to Taecyeon and punches him in the face.
Taecyeon's head snaps back and he barely has time to dodge Wooyoung's next attack, throwing himself out of his chair and scampering around his desk.
"Yah!" Wooyoung screams, pointing at him and already advancing forward again. "Where is it?"
Taecyeon gapes, wishing he'd thought of something to say in case this happened. The worst part is that he hasn't even had the chance to listen to it yet, because once he got home he realised he doesn't own a tape player. He doesn't even know anyone who still does. He remembers listening religiously to the radio when he was a kid, taping his favourite songs, remembers the frustrating processes of fast forwarding and rewinding and always accidentally skipping too far either way, but to be honest, he hadn't even known they still existed-he thought they'd been phased out along with dial up internet and Nintendo 64s.
Actually no, that's not the worst part. The worst part is the look on Wooyoung's face-the utter devastation, the sheer panic, the wild fury, all morphing together to twist Wooyoung's face into something so haunting, something that Taecyeon has never experienced before.
Wooyoung starts advancing on him again but Changmin pulls him back, locking him in his arms as he struggles to break free, "Where is it?! Why did you take it?!"
"I'm sorry," Taecyeon says shakily. He wishes he sounded more in control right now but Wooyoung's eyes are just- "I didn't know... I didn't mean to. I just wanted to find out about... I wanted to help you-"
"You want to help?" Wooyoung suddenly relaxes completely in Changmin's hold, his next words just as forceful but more resigned than angry. "Then take me somewhere."
Taecyeon nods. "Anywhere."
+
They drive for hours. Wooyoung's quiet, speaking only to give Taecyeon directions as they head further and further away from the city. Taecyeon is burning to know where they're going, to know if Wooyoung is okay, but he decides to respect Wooyoung's privacy (probably for the first time since they met), and just keeps driving. Eventually they reach a tiny village somewhere along the West coast and Wooyoung directs him down a unmade road that keeps tapering until the car will no longer fit, so they get out and walk instead.
Wooyoung leads the way and they come out at a clearing, with green green grass and a babbling brook and chirping birds, and Taecyeon finally chances a glance at Wooyoung. He's still quiet, reverent almost as he drinks in the sights, and Taecyeon finally understands that this place must mean a lot to him. That Wooyoung wouldn't share it with just anyone.
He really has to try not to screw this up.
Wooyoung walks all the way to the stream, watching it for a moment before lying down beside it and staring up at the sky. Taecyeon dithers, wondering if he's supposed to join him, before Wooyoung tilts his head and lifts an expectant eyebrow.
Right.
He hurries over and drops down near Wooyoung, on a right angle to him but keeping their faces close. He lets out a breath. He closes his eyes. He waits.
Just as he's finally relaxed, Wooyoung finally speaks.
"Do you believe in destiny, hyung?" he asks.
It's the first time he's used the honorific. Taecyeon wonders what that means. "No," he says eventually. "We make our own destiny."
Wooyoung sighs. "That's what Nichkhun said. He was…"
Taecyeon waits some more. There's nothing. He shifts a bit on his back and something digs into his thigh, and then he remembers-the tape. Carefully, he pulls it out of his pocket and holds it out to Wooyoung. "I didn't play it."
Wooyoung looks over slowly, eyes trailing down Taecyeon's arm before landing on the tape. Taecyeon watches closely, but Wooyoung doesn't even blink.
"No," he says eventually. He looks back at the sky.
Taecyeon blinks. "What?"
"You have it."
"I don't… Wooyoung-ah-"
"It's okay," he says firmly. "It's okay."
They stay by the stream until it gets dark.
Taecyeon is the only one who goes back to Seoul.
+
Approximately three weeks after that, on a Wednesday, two important things happen.
Firstly, Taecyeon receives an email from an unknown sender. He opens it anyway, and the attachments, and immediately feels everything in him loosen because the attachments are pictures-pictures of Jang Wooyoung standing (and beaming, not glaring), with a bunch of kids in front of a sign proclaiming Smile Orphanage-and the body text says, simply, thank you.
And then an hour later he gets a love call from one of his superiors that mentions an opportunity to take down one of the last mafia cells in the form of a promotion.
He doesn't hesitate to accept.
+