Deul-Lae’s hands, which had been heading towards her bag on the seat next to her, stopped and returned to the counter when she saw the change in the bartender’s behavior. Maybe it was because she had seen far more hostile reactions today after her occupation was exposed, but she chose to linger around the counter more to observe Jeongguk, out of pure amusement. The subtle change of tone in the bartender’s voice was more than enough to let Deul-Lae know that acting professional now wasn’t the best plan of action. So, instead, as if she wanted to show that she was harmless, the detective loosened herself up more, by crossing her legs and leaning closer.
“Ah, well, it depends on how you define ‘asking out,’” she smirked as she placed her elbows on the table. “Lighten up, buddy, I’m not here to kill you or anything… yet.” Deul-Lae teased as she slung her bag over her shoulders. “Just, do your best tomorrow, alright? It’s for your own good.” Then after a curt bow, she left the building. Her steps were much lighter compared to when she had first entered.
The rest of the night, unfortunately, wasn’t as exciting as the short brush she had with Jeongguk, being filled with organizing and connecting the scraps of information that gathered all day. The drink that she bought from the bar only worked for a few hours, leaving Deul-Lae to rely on other methods of help to get her through the night.
Like with everything in life, the extra hours that the detective traded in with her sleep came with a hefty price, for Deul-Lae could barely keep her eyes open once the sun rose to tell everybody but her of a new day. Despite these conditions however, the detective’s mind—which was buzzing due to the new influx of information—managed to coax her body to hold out for just a little bit longer, until the evening, when her target was going to show up in one of the biggest casinos of the nations, for the showdown of the year with the bartender she had acquainted a few hours before.
Despite the few meager hours of sleep that Deul-Lae had squeezed into her schedule before heading to the scene, her physical state hadn’t changed much from before. As the detective jabbed the pen held in her hands to fight sleep, she made sure to keep an eye on Jeongguk, who was seated in a table across the room.