When he hears the distinct sound of a motorbike pulling up to their station, Taehyung is prompted out of his seat and barges into the break room, where his intern stands in front of the coffee machines.

                  “YOONGI’S ALREADY BACK FROM PATROL DUTY!” he screeches, hand shaking from where it’s been placed on the doorknob. “DID YOU MAKE ANY COFFEE YET?!”

                  His panic is mirrored in Jungkook’s own expression, which seems more distressed and frantic than his own. “I-I didn’t make any!” Much to his dismay, Yoongi’s coffee mug sits on the counter, empty.

                  Taehyung lets out a strangled noise from the back of his throat. “YOU’VE BEEN IN HERE FOR HALF AN HOUR AND YOU STILL HAVEN’T MADE ANY COFFEE?!”

                  “YOUR INSTRUCTIONS WERE VERY VAGUE,” Jungkook sputters, adding on a shrill “DETECTIVE,” for good measure.

                  “YOU KNOW IF THE SERGEANT DOESN’T CONSME HIS WEEKLY INTAKE OF CAFFEINE,” he cries, constantly looking over his shoulder to see if Yoongi’s walked in yet. “HE SHEDS HIS SKIN AND TRANSFORMS INTO A DRAGON?!”

                  Jungkook deadpans, “I find that statement to be implausible.”

                  “WELL, BAD THINGS HAPPEN!”

                  “CAN YOU TWO SHUT UP?!” Hoseok yells from the main office. “IF Y’ALL GOT TIME TO FREAK OUT, THEN MAKE SOME DAMN COFFEE!”

                  The realization hits them fast, but a second too late; they can hear Yoongi bellowing as he strides through the front door and almost imagine him spewing breaths of fire. Taehyung decides the best and only course of action is escape.

                  Jungkook stares blankly as he watches the detective slide a window open and jump out, leaving him alone in the room with no coffee. “This is it,” he mutters, “I end both my career and life here.”

                  A loud thud echoes throughout the station, followed by Yoongi shouting, “where’s my coffee?!” Hoseok can be vaguely heard muttering something about the noise levels. Jungkook looks at the machines again, trying to figure out just where the wretched ‘coffee’ button is when the door s open.

                  He almost collapses on the spot. Then he notices someone (who is very far from the wraths of Yoongi) waddle in, evidently sleepy as he rubs his eye in the process. Jungkook notes the small stature, chubby cheeks, and red hair; he figures this kid must be the other intern they hired. “H-Hello.”

                  “Hm? Oh… Hi!” he chimes, eyes crinkling into soft crescents. Jungkook notes the evident lack of formal speech. “You must be Officer Jeon.”

                  “Yes,” he replies slowly, eyes shifting back to the coffee machines. “Do you happen to know how to operate these?”

                  “Why, yes, of course!” The shorter man steps up to the counter and takes a moment to observe, small hands perched on his hips. “Ah, I see the problem—” He reaches behind the machines to grab a power cord and plugs it in. “And voila.”

                  There’s no telling what kind of emotion runs through Jungkook’s veins when he places Yoongi’s mug into the machine and hot, steamy java pours out. Perhaps he’s just glad that he won’t die today. “… Thank you, officer. Sorry, I— I didn’t get your name?”

                  The latter tilts his head briefly before lighting up with a bright grin. “Park! Park Jimin of the BTPD, at your service.”

                  They manage to shake hands before Yoongi shouts, “OFFICER JEON!” and Jungkook’s startled enough to wince before excusing himself out of the break room.

                  He skirts across the main office and places the coffee mug onto Yoongi’s desk just as the sergeant sits down, apparently fuming over something Namjoon from Human Resources did just a bit earlier. Jungkook poses with his back straight in front of him, ready for further instructions.

                  “Where is Detective Kim?” Yoongi starts, pulling the mug towards him. “I have a case ready for you today.”

                  “A CASE?!” Taehyung appears behind the window closest to them and starts climbing through it. “Oh boy, I haven’t gotten a case in so long.”

                  “Part of the reason being,” Yoongi says, watching with distaste as Taehyung’s pant leg gets stuck on a twig. “I can’t trust you and your damn knucklehead to handle a case by yourself. It’s dangerous, so I’ll have Officer Jeon tag along with you.”

                  “Huh?” Taehyung starts gaping once he manages to collect himself. Then he throws a snide look in Jungkook’s direction. “… Does he have to?”

                  Yoongi picks up his mug by the handle. “I’d rather not have my best detective die alone on the job. At least die together.”

                  Jungkook suddenly clears his throat. “Um— excuse me, sir, but— he’s your best detective?” He points a tentative finger towards Taehyung’s elbow. The detective makes some sort of haughty snort and raises his nose.

                  Yoongi rolls his eyes and starts swirling his cup. “Apparently so. He’s a complete moron, but he’s a moronic genius. Even the captain agrees.”

                  “Thanks, I think.”

                  “Anyway, here’s your case.” He tosses a folder onto the desk. “Someone filed a report about a break-in, possible burglary. It was sometime yesterday afternoon, while he was out.”

                  “Huh,” Taehyung murmurs, picking up the folder to sift through it. Jungkook glances at the photos before looking up at the detective, noting the sudden change in aura. “Possible’ burglary, sir?”

                  “The victim is actually unsure of whether or not there was a burglary,” he replies. “Someone broke in, but none of his valuables were taken. I’ve sent the other teams to track down suspects, so I want you two to see if something was stolen. Address is in the—” Yoongi pauses to take a sip of his coffee, of which he immediately spits out with a hoarse cough. “What the— OFFICER JEON, THIS COFFEE IS PUTRID!”

                  Jungkook flinches and visibly pales. “Wh—What’s wrong with it, sir?”

                  “IT’S TOO SWEET,” he roars. “ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!”

                  “I-I’m sorry, sir.” He bows immediately, despite the little snickers he can hear coming out of Taehyung. “I’ll add less sugar next time—”

                  “Your six days are already up,” Yoongi hisses. “If you don’t get my coffee right by today, there will be no next time. YOU’LL BE FIRED, DO YOU HEAR ME?!”

                  “YES, SIR!”

--

                  Jungkook seems visibly shaken as they get into the patrol car, Taehyung notes, so he decides to cheer him up. If the intern’s going to get fired anyway, then he might as well make his last day a good one.

                  “Hey, don’t worry too much about it,” he says, raising his hand with the intention of patting Jungkook’s shoulder. Instead, his wrist is grabbed and twisted before he’s able to touch a string on the intern’s uniform.

                  “… Sorry, defensive reflexes,” Jungkook breathes out, releasing his grip as soon as Taehyung starts yelping. “You should put on some lotion; your skin is horribly dry, detective.”

                  Taehyung grips the steering wheel and jeers at how fast that stoic expression returns to his face. “I hope you get fired.”

                  The short drive to a nearby house some blocks away is a silent one, considering Jungkook’s brooding and Taehyung’s small complaints about a Chinese sunburn. They pull up onto the driveway and immediately spot some police tape lining the property, placed there by their co-workers.

                  “I’ll do the talking, so try looking around and see what you can pick up, okay?” Taehyung goes to give the front door a firm knock. “Don’t go looking for lacy , though.”

                  The door creaks open and an elderly gentleman shuffles forward, thin frames hanging around his neck by way of an old shoestring. “C-Can I help you…?”

                  “Lacy ,” Jungkook whispers from behind, to which Taehyung promptly elbows him in the gut.

                  “Hello, sir!” The detective beams, flashing his badge. “I’m Detective Kim and this is my cohort, Officer Jeon. We’re here to follow up on your burglary case.”

                  “Well, don’t just be dawdling there…” The old man steps aside to let them in. “I don’t suppose you know how many more of you are coming, now do you? I’m missing a— a very important golf game because of this racket.”

                  Taehyung bows his head before he steps inside. “The more you cooperate, the faster we’ll finish our— OFFICER JEON, WHAT ARE YOU DOING.”

                  Jungkook’s already in the living room, crouching down next to the coffee table. “Huh? You told me to look around.”

                  “PUT ON SOME GLOVES, YOU’RE GONNA CONTAMINATE THE EVIDENCE.”

                  He holds up a pair of rubber gloves, pulling one over his hand. “Got ‘em.”

                  “Wha—” Taehyung pats his pocket. “Wh-When did you take my gloves?!”

                  The old man starts laughing as he slowly enters the room. “Cohort’s a little better at the job than you, sonny.”

                  Jungkook lifts up the rug under the table, humming as he does so; it’s almost as if he’s in his natural environment. “Ah. See, there’s a hole here.”

                  Despite being a little flustered, Taehyung jogs over to take a look for himself. Sure enough, the wooden floor had been smashed through to expose the dirt under the house. “Whoa. How did you know there was a hole here?”

                  The intern pushes the coffee table aside to get a better view. “The floorboards made hollow sounds as we walked in. Do you have a flashlight, detective?”

                  “The other team must’ve missed this while they were investigating.” He turns on the torch on his phone. “I mean, besides the door, everything looks relatively untouched.”

                  “Meaning the intruder knew what they were looking for.”

                  “Do you know anything about this hole, sir?” Taehyung glances over at the old man, who’s taken a seat on his couch.

                  “My first time ever seeing it,” he replies wistfully. “Certainly wasn’t there when I moved in.”

                  “And when did you move in?”

                  The man hums for a moment before replying, “built this house myself, sonny. Some fifty years ago, perhaps— this year would’ve been the fiftieth year.”

                  “Fifty years ago but the hole is recent,” Jungkook says. “The imprints on the dirt indicate something like a small box was hidden in here. Do you think it was a burglary now, detective?”

                  “Uh, no, it’s not a burglary.” Taehyung brushes off the look of confusion Jungkook gives him and stands to bow at the man. “Thank you for your time, sir. We’ll be in contact once we solve the case.”

                  “Tell you what, sonny—” The old man offers them a gentle grin. “If you find whatever’s been in that darn hole, keep it. Chances are it doesn’t belong to me, anyway.”

                  The two police officers get back into their car soon after, but Jungkook is quick with the questions. “What makes you think it wasn’t a burglary, detective?”

                  “Officer,” Taehyung starts while turning on the ignition. “The man built the house himself but doesn’t remember the hole. He’s either losing his memory or something was there before the house was built.”

                  “… Oh.” Jungkook slumps in his seat. “That’s why he mentioned that whatever was taken wasn’t his. Then what…”

                  “What do you bury that can only be dug up fifty years later, officer?”

                  The two exchange glances.

--

                  When they return to the station later that night, Jungkook immediately goes into the break room to loosen his collar. He’s worn out; his first official day out the job proved to be exciting, but equal parts tiresome. It wasn’t all too bad though, he thinks.

                  He takes a seat at one of the tables, accidentally waking up the person across him from their little nap; not that anyone should be sleeping on the job, anyway. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did I wake you?”

                  “Hnn,” the male groans, stretching out his limbs. Jungkook recognizes him as the short stack who helped him with the coffee machines that morning; Park Jimin (?). “Oh, it’s you, Officer Jeon… I heard you went out for work today.”

                  “Yes, well,” he sighs. “Everything I’ve done today might be for nothing, Officer Park.”

                  Jimin tilts his head in mild confusion. “Why is that?”

                  “The sergeant’s going to fire me, regardless of my performance today, so…” He rubs his temples. “I can’t think of anything to put in his coffee that’s not too sweet, but sweet enough.”

                  Jimin takes this into consideration, tapping his small fingers onto their table. “Well—”

                  “MEETING IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM NOW,” Yoongi’s voice bellows from the main office. “AND I WANT MY COFFEE!”

                  Jungkook lets out another sigh and proceeds to saunter over to the coffee machines once more. Jimin stands up as well, offering him a pat on the shoulder. “Good luck, officer,” he says, before striding to the conference room.

                  After the last cop makes their way in, Yoongi immediately starts the discussion on their alleged burglary case. “Alright, case number 5643. I seem to recall that team A hasn’t found any suspects yet, correct?”

                  “That’s right, sir,” someone says from the back.

                  “You idiots. Detective Kim, have you followed up on the victim?”

                  “Yup!” Taehyung stands up from his seat, pushing his folder forward with some amount of pride. “When we examined the victim’s house earlier this morning, we found that there was a gaping hole in the middle of the living room.” He pulls out a photo. “Upon further inspection, we have deducted that an item—a small box—had been taken from the hole without the victim’s knowledge. But,” he pauses for effect. “The hole was not there fifty years ago, when the victim initially built the house. It was made recently.”

                  Yoongi interjects. “The dispatching team missed the hole when they first investigated. But are you assuming the hole is recent, even though it could have been made anytime after the victim had moved in?”

                  “No, I know the hole is recent, sir. The victim stated that it was his fiftieth year in the house, which is why the suspect chose now to break in and take the box. The box previously belonged to the suspect, so it was not a burglary as we thought. The suspect buried the box as a child fifty years ago, and the victim had built his house over the area. The box in question was a time capsule.”

                  The other cops stared at him in awe, their mouths gaping open; apparently, everyone had ruled that idea out. “I assume you have the evidence to prove that, detective,” Yoongi says.

                  “Yes sir. We located the closest pawn shop in the area and inquired about the box. The owner mentioned someone bringing in a box about the same size and sold various items such as antique coins, jewellery, and photos… which were all over fifty years old.” Taehyung holds up a printout of a security feed, which featured a cashier and a man. “We took this from the pawn shop CCTV. This is the man who broke into the victim’s home for the box; your main suspect.”

                  “Brilliant.” Yoongi proceeded to pound on his podium and wrap things up. “Team A, take Detective Kim’s file and identify the suspect. We’ll charge him with breaking and entering. The rest of you can finish up for the night.” As the other cops filter out and start packing up, the sergeant approaches Taehyung. “Excellent work, detective. Even though you haven’t been on a case for a while.”

                  “Thank you, sergeant.” Taehyung’s smile falters a bit as he scratches the back of his head. “… Well, some of the credit should go to Officer Jeon, actually. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have known about the hole in the first place.”

                  “So I see. How was he, acting as your partner?”

                  “A little rough,” he replies. “But sir, I think he’s a good cop. It—” Taehyung hesitates, not sure if he should be saying this or not. “… It’d be nice to keep him on the team.”

                  Yoongi lets out a small scoff. “If he was such a good cop, he would have my coffee by now. OFFICER JEON!”

                  Still in the kitchen, Jungkook lets out a yelp when the sergeant calls his name. He lifts a fresh cup of coffee in slight panic and toddles from the kitchen, across the main office, until he reaches the conference room. Before he passes through the doorway, a small hand grabs the sleeve of his shirt. Jimin stands there all gleefully.

                  “Here,” he says simply, offering the latter a bear-shaped bottle; the officer recognizes it as store-bought honey. “Put it in there.”

                  Jungkook stares in complete blankness. “Are you sure you should be putting that in coffee?”

                  Jimin just grins, his eyes shrinking into crescents again. “Are you sure you want to be fired?”

                  He was in no position to argue. Jungkook watches as he swirls a bit of honey into the mug, waiting until it dissolves completely before throwing Jimin an unsure look. The latter gives him a reassuring thumbs-up and motions him into the room.

                  “Sergeant,” Jungkook calls out, shuffling towards him and Taehyung. “Here’s your coffee.”

                  “About damn time.” Yoongi grabs the mug from him and gulps it all in one go. “I might have to leave a bit earlier tonight, my kids’ school is having a play next week and they probably want me to help them practice. Damn kids.”

                  Taehyung lets out a laugh. “You should let us visit sometimes.”

                  “Oh god, please no.” Yoongi makes a face of absolute repulsion. “I don’t need the likes of you around my children. What if they end up like you?”

                  “Aw, then how come you let the captain over so often?” Taehyung pouts.

                  “The captain doesn’t try to feed my kids expired chips, detective.” Yoongi puts the coffee mug back in Jungkook’s hands and goes to put his jacket on. “Anyway, please lock up before you leave today.”

                  “Uh, excuse me, sergeant,” Jungkook utters. “How was the coffee?”

                  “Huh?” Yoongi gives him an apathetic look. “Fine. Good. See you tomorrow.”

                  A weight immediately lifts off of the young officer’s shoulders, purely because of those simple words. He’s not fired. He’ll be in the office tomorrow. No greater feat has been achieved in his entire life. Jungkook tries his best to hide the incoming grin, but is unable to when Taehyung claps him on the back with a meek ‘congrats’ before making his exit as well; he’s all smiles.

                  “Oh, captain. You didn’t tell me you were in the office.” Yoongi calls out as he reaches the door. Jungkook jerks his head in that direction, looking for the esteemed captain of their precinct; he hadn’t met the captain yet, so it might be polite to make an introduction.

                  All he sees standing in front of Yoongi is a small intern (?).

                  Jimin looks up, startled as hides the bottle of honey behind his back. “Ah. Yes. Well. I was just observing today’s conference; didn’t you see me?” He grins brightly.

                  “Captain!” Taehyung greets, and Jungkook just looks at him in pure shock. Captain? That small guy is the captain? Suddenly, all blood drains from his face. He called him a short stack. He called the captain a short stack. HE CALLED HIM OFFICER INSTEAD OF CAPTAIN.

                  “Hello, Detective Kim!” Jimin offers him a gentle wave before glancing at Jungkook with a wink. “I, Park Jimin, captain of the BTPD and not an intern, am pleased to welcome you into the team, Officer Jeon.