1

It’s quiet. 

Even the usual humming of the pipe system in the building has stopped for some reason, but Jungkook isn’t going to complain. His tense muscles have gone lax, pounding headache mellowing out into dull pain that he successfully ignores as he finally, finally, manages to doze off- 

There are a series of knocks on the wooden office door. 

Jungkook startles, heart jumping in his chest in brief panic before his brain registers the situation and dismisses any possible threats. 

The knocks are surprisingly gentle, but there is routine to them.

Jungkook suspects it’s Jimin, the fairly recent recruit to their unit. A real softie, but good at doing his job when needed to. He’s also older than Jungkook, but a strict upbringing has made it difficult to lose the honorifics, no matter how much Jungkook nags.

“I’m sleeping,” Jungkook mutters against his rolled up coat which serves as a makeshift pillow. “Come back another year.”  

The knocking returns, more incessant this time, and Jungkook groans and flips onto his back. The painful headache also makes an unwelcome comeback, and as Jungkook opens his eyes and stares up at the dark ceiling of his office, his dry eyes stinge due to lack of sleep. Not to mention the rest of his body which feels like it has been run over by a tractor the size of a tank.

The Bulletproof Unit just finished a week long case on a missing child. 

Jungkook knew from the beginning that it was the estranged father who had kidnapped the four year old girl from her daycare, but proving the man guilty was a whole other case. It could take them up to two weeks to get a permit for an investigative examination of the man’s house, but Jungkook had worked his off to convince his superiors into writing the paperwork that had them searching every crook and cranny after four days only. 

Finding absolutely no trace of the girl whatsoever was a harsh blow to Jungkook’s ego, but fast forward a few more days and the father let his guard down long enough to accidentally slip. 

It had been a trick of Jungkook’s. 

He had made it clear, despite it not being the complete truth, that the ex-wife was dropping all charges she had filed against the man, and after making him comfortable and relaxed, Jungkook just threw in a few carefully crafted questions and the man accidentally gave himself away. 

The case was solved an hour ago, around ten p.m., when the child was found in the estranged father’s rundown cabin near the outskirts of the town, the statements given and the court date set. Jungkook had trusted Kim Seokjin, one of the best lawyers in town - and a good friend of his, to handle the more juridical part of the case, and left the hearing room before locking himself up in his office. 

He would have cried in relief had he been able to use energy on producing tears, and he had almost, almost fallen asleep, but there is no such thing as peace and quiet in this profession because before he could enter the gates of heaven, the knocking had started. 

As if right on cue, it returns and Jungkook curses loudly. He somehow gathers enough energy to push himself off the couch and staggers over to the locked door.

Throwing it open, he glares at the intruder. His suspicions are correct, Jimin gives him a sheepish smile and tiredly holds up his small, yellow notebook. Jungkook hates that colour. 

“This better be good.”

“There has been a murder, 911 was called ten minutes ago,” Jimin says, reading his hastily written notes. “One victim, seventeen year old girl.”

Jungkook narrows his eyes. “Where?” 

“Downtown, near her home, she was on the way back from football practice.” Jimin rubs his neck and grimaces. “The father found her body.”

“Cause of death?” 

“Blow to the head.”

Jungkook slowly nods, ignoring the sharp pain shooting across every nerve ending in his brain, and feels his lips twitch into a small smirk. “A coward. Maybe it was a fellow classmate.”

“I wouldn’t jump to conclusions,” Jimin says, but Jungkook is already pulling on his wrinkled coat, all signs of sleep and fatigue replaced with the thrill of starting a new case. 

“I wouldn’t say I’m jumping to conclusions, but when has my intuition ever failed me, hyung?” Jungkook comes to a stop in front of the shorter male and arches an eyebrow, head tilted to the side. “You sure you’re gonna join? Maybe you should get some sleep. You look dead, hyung.”

Jimin blinks a couple of times, offended, before he scoffs. “I should be saying that to you, when was the last time you slept, sunbae?” 

“Oh, god, don’t say that word.” Jungkook grimaces. He pushes past Jimin and briskly walks down the hallway, coat flying behind him like a cape. “I told you I don’t like being called that.”

“You’ve been here for longer than me, you are quite literally by law my superior,” Jimin reasons, jogging to catch up with him.

Jungkook rolls his eyes. “Yeah, but you’re older than me, hyung. Plus, you've already been here for two months, we're past the stage of mere acquaintances, no?”

They reach the elevator and enter when the doors open. Jimin mulls over Jungkook's argument but then sighs and shakes his head.

"It’s not really that easy.”

“Show me,” Jungkook says, and Jimin frowns. “Show me where it says it is illegal for you to call me by my name.”

Jimin huffs and rolls his eyes, but his lips tug into a tired smile. “I’m sorry but I won’t break the rules. Calling someone in a higher rank sunbae is the norm, you’ll just have to accept it and move on.”

“But, hyung, when have I ever been one to follow the norm?” 

Jimin doesn’t get to answer that because the elevator doors open and Jungkook exits.

They walk up to the reception where Namjoon, the leader of the unit and also the one who recruited Jungkook in the first place, is waiting for them, a cup of coffee in hand and a pair of big framed sunglasses resting on his head. It’s midnight in less than an hour.

“There you are,” he says, walking up to Jungkook, “I tried to keep you guys off the case to give you some time to rest, but you know how boss Bang can be sometimes.”

“If you’re working, I’m working.” Jungkook shrugs. “Oh, and has he laid off the sugar like I told him to?” 

Jungkook follows Namjoon out of the building. It has been raining again. Jungkook hums, the killer might not be as stupid as he thought. 

“By the way, has everything been journaled?”

Namjoon sighs and stops when they reach a dark blue police car parked along the curb.

“Hoseok has taken care of that. Yoongi and the rest of the forensic team responded quicker than anticipated, you’re just going for a check-up before the ME takes the body,” he says, and then bites his lip before shaking his head, “just a heads-up, there’s a crowd. So make it quick, boss doesn’t like unnecessary publicity.”

Jungkook has already entered the passenger seat while Jimin takes the driver’s, and Namjoon quickly pushes his head inside the open window before they can drive off and gives the boy a pointed look. 

“Speaking of Bang, don’t you think you went a bit far with the diet comment last week?”

Jungkook clasps his seatbelt shut before turning to give Namjoon a wide, innocent grin. “I merely pointed out how it affects his mood.”

“And weight,” Namjoon grunts, but Jungkook taps Jimin’s arm and the boy starts pulling the car out of the driveway, offering Namjoon a sorry smile in the process. “Hey, punk, he’s my boss, too! Save me the trouble of having to listen to his endless rants!”

Jungkook waves an arm out of the window before rolling it shut. He sighs and leans back in his seat, the warmth from the heaters instantly fogging up his sleep-deprived brain. Jimin notices and wordlessly turns off the radio.

“Turn it back on, hyung.”

“You should get some shut-eye before we’re there,” Jimin says, pulling onto the highway. It’s a twenty minute ride, Jungkook has taken shorter naps than that, but he doesn't like the idea of slacking off when Jimin is working.

“You too, but you’re driving. We should suffer together.”

Jimin snorts but doesn’t argue.

The radio is turned back on but Jimin switches to a channel playing a gentle piano tune. Jungkook opens an eye and reaches over to switch it to the only rock music channel in their system.

“Good lord,” Jimin flinches, and Jungkook grins, sitting up straighter. 

“Now that’s gonna keep us going for a while.” 

They make it to the crime scene a little later than expected due to sudden traffic. Jungkook had urged Jimin to turn on the siren, but the older of the two had politely shut him down because it wasn’t an emergency. 

They park next to a row of police cars and Jungkook wrinkles his nose in distaste. Namjoon wasn’t kidding when he said a crowd had formed.

A few reporters have clearly caught whiff of the events of tonight and some of the officers are keeping them, along with a bunch of frightened neighbors, away from the commotion. The victim’s family is huddled together, the mother crying against the father’s chest while a boy who Jungkook assumes is the victim’s older brother is rubbing her back, his face set in a deep frown. 

Jungkook catches his eye on the way over to the temporary waterproof tent set up over the body. The boy looks positively frightened, seemingly shaken by what has happened, but there seems to be traces of anger and even bitterness to his features. 

His eyes widen a little when he notices Jungkook staring, but the detective doesn’t stop and looks ahead again, following Jimin to the crime scene.

“Well, if it isn’t sleeping beauty,” Hoseok greets when Jungkook and Jimin reach the tent. It has started raining now, a light drizzle. The droplets make a nice pitter patter sound against the roof of the tent, and Jungkook once more fights off the urge to sleep. He pushes his hair out of his eyes and gives Jimin a pointed look.

“We would’ve been here ten minutes ago had someone not decided to turn law-abiding all of a sudden.”

“We’re both working for the very system that has set the rules we followed tonight,” Jimin deadpans, and Jungkook huffs but doesn’t dwell on it for much longer. 

“Hit me, hyung.” 

Hoseok holds up the makeshift door and allows the two boys to enter the crime scene before following them inside. He sighs and runs a hand through his wet hair.

“Well, we found the girl’s ID in her bag, Kim Jiyeon, seventeen, was on the way home from foot-”

“Ball practice, died of a blow to the head, and so on,” Jungkook interrupts, walking over to one of the other investigators on site to take a pair of rubber gloves from her, “I know that already, give me the details, hyung.”

Hoseok narrows his eyes but drops the scowl when Jungkook throws him a tired, sorry smile over his shoulder.

All of them are sleep deprived, but Jungkook has worked harder than the rest to solve the latest case. He should be catching up with a week’s worth of sleep right about now, not starting on a new case.

“Fine, you brat. The wound showed blunt trauma, aim didn’t seem precise, almost a little clumsy.” Hoseok shakes his head. “You’d think the killer is inexperienced, right? Yeah, I doubt that, because we’ve checked the whole perimeter for the weapon, but there are no traces, no witnesses either, just a cold-hearted murder.”

“Any suspects so far?” 

Jungkook makes quick work of examining the girl’s soaked clothes, checking for any traces or hints that might give the murderer away.

Nothing.

Her bag has been taken already, so Jungkook decides to check that tomorrow after Yoongi and his team are done testing for prints.

“None at the moment,” the investigator, Seulgi - Jungkook remembers her name after giving her a quick look, says, shaking her head as she moves closer to the body, dropping the box of rubber gloves next to her. She sighs heavily and rubs her temple. “I was supposed to be at Wendy’s now.”

“Hey, what did I tell you about fast food, Seulgi,” Hoseok scolds, “clogs your ing arteries faster than you can say boss Bang's full name. Trust me on this, my aunt recently got diagnosed with diabetes, Seulgi, dia-fricking-betes and she’s only thirty five! It’s all because of capitalism, I tell you, these ers don’t know how to differentiate between moral work ethic and their hunger for cash and capit- ”

“She’s talking about her girlfriend.”

Jimin gives Hoseok a deadpan look, and the older male’s jaw drops comically. Jungkook is too busy checking for bruises underneath the girl’s drenched hoodie to pay them much thought, but he stores the information for later use. 

“When the hell did you get a girlfriend?” Hoseok sputters, turning towards Seulgi with betrayal written all over his face, “this-this is so disrespectful, Seulgi, I am your best friend, why does Jimin know abou-”

“I know Wendy from high school,” Jimin argues, “she was friends with my brother when he lived in Canada, met her on vacation there and now we’re friends.”

“Why has no one told me this? How dare you two keep me in the dark about this? Wow- I can't beli- don’t touch me, Seulgi, unless you want me to bite your fricking han-”

“You’re being so dramatic,” Seulgi chuckles, and Jungkook sighs, having had enough of the debacle already.

“So no suspects then?” he says loudly as crouches down next to the upper body and gently turns the girl’s head sideways. Her hair and the ground beneath is covered in deep, dark blood. Jungkook’s nose scrunches a little at the smell that has started to spread. 

“Her parents say she was a straight A-student,” Hoseok explains, placing his hands on his hips after allowing Seulgi to tug him into a half-hearted hug. “Was kind to everyone, a social butterfly. Loved to make new friends, never left anyone out. Said it’s impossible for her to have made anyone angry, let alone enemies.”

Jungkook snorts while inspecting the dried out blood on her scalp. “Sounds fake, but go on.”

“We’ve called up the coach, Namjoon said he’ll go and investigate the team.”

“Is he taking Jackson with him?” Jimin asks. Hoseok nods and Jimin sighs. “Tonight is going to be a long night then.”

Jungkook ignores the discussion that ensues behind him and instead focuses on the sudden sparkle of silver that catches his eye. 

Due to the angle of the girl’s head, the skin of has almost bundled up and concealed it, but Jungkook easily catches the gleam and moves closer. 

It’s a thin necklace wrapped around the girl’s pale throat.

Plain, no beads or pendants, only the chain. Jungkook can tell there’s more to it, though, and he gently pulls on it, feeling impatience bubbling in his belly when the chain won’t move. He holds his breath and leans closer, deciding to take a chance and subjects the chain to a harsh tug. He frowns when a thin, silver cross comes into view. 

“Are they religious?” 

The discussion behind him comes to a halt and Hoseok steps closer. “They’re devout catholics, mother and father have probably mentioned God twenty times in their statements.”

Jungkook thinks back to the look in the victim’s brother’s eyes. It’s a reach, Jungkook is aware, but again - his intuition is never wrong. He might just score jackpot with his theory. 

“What about the boy?” 

Jimin crouches down next to Jungkook and stares at the necklace. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Is the brother also catholic?” Jungkook repeats.

“I believe so.” Hoseok runs a hand through his hair, Jungkook refrains from commenting on his hairline’s bleak future. “They’re a kind and proud catholic family, Jungkook. Textbook suburban , just like the rest of this whole neighborhood. I don’t see why their faith is relevant at all.”

Jungkook smirks at the dent on the backside of the cross and lets go of the necklace before moving to his feet.

“Oh, but, hyung, it is relevant. It might just make this case a hundred times more easier to solve.”

Hoseok and Jimin stare at him with frowns on their faces, waiting for an answer, but Jungkook is already on his way out of the tent. 

He moves past officers and ducks under the police tape, coming to a halt in front of the mourning family who are standing next to one of the police cars. The officers who had been questioning them have dispersed and are either keeping reporters away or re-checking the area for potential clues. 

It's still cold despite the light drizzle from earlier having completely died out, and everyone outside has been affected to various degrees. Jungkook himself has to once again move wet hair out of his eyes to be able to see properly.

He quickly takes in the family before him. 

The father has a protective arm wrapped around the mother who is sniffling, a tissue pressed to her nose. The boy is standing a little to the side, lost in his thoughts. His eyes are glossy and his nose is red. Jungkook suspects it’s partly because of the cold, the boy is after all in his pajamas. The father is still wearing a suit, probably his work attire since he found the body on his way back from the office, and the mother is wearing a robe over her night dress, the material covering every inch of her body. 

Jungkook forces a pleasant look onto his face and bows his head slightly. 

“My deepest condolences for the loss,” he says, “but can I borrow you for a minute?” 

He turns directly towards the boy when he says that, noticing how he freezes a little. 

“M-me?” the boy asks, eyes wide, and Jungkook smiles. 

“Yes, I have a few questions to ask y-”

“He has already been interviewed by your partners,” the father cuts in, tone stern and authoritative. 

Jesus, Jungkook thinks. He really hates this type.

His smile is even more forced now.

“I am aware, but since the body hasn’t been taken by the medical examiners yet, this is still a crime scene and you guys are still important witnesses.”

“He didn’t see anything,” the father says, and Jungkook feels his lips twitch slightly. The man blinks, jaw clenching as he straightens his posture. “None of us did, in fact. I don’t understand why we’re being questioned like a bunch of criminals.”

Jungkook is about to reply when he hears someone jog up to them from behind him. The sound is thick and heavy, from boots that Jungkook has become used to by now. Jimin does hate being called short.

“I am sorry for your loss.” Jimin comes to a stop next to them and throws Jungkook a quick look before offering the victim’s family a deep bow. ”I apologize for any inconveniences and discomfort caused so far, this is all merely protocol. We need to question you guys for the sake of order.”

Mr. Kim scoffs and looks away while Mrs. Kim sniffles, shaky hands wiping tears and droplets of rain with her handkerchief. Something about her gaze feels off for some reason, and Jungkook tries not to frown in curiosity. 

This whole case suddenly seems much more interesting than he originally thought it to be. However, Jungkook’s theory is yet to be proven. 

He turns towards the boy who is still lost in his thoughts, and as if sensing eyes on him, the boy looks up, surprise pulling at his delicate features. Jungkook feels drawn in for some reason, he wants to know why the victim’s brother looks so cautious and weary.  

“Kim-.” He trails off and arches an eyebrow at the boy.  

“Oh, uh, T-Taehyung,” the boy supplies, taking a step forward so he isn’t hiding behind his parents. Interesting. “My name is Kim Taehyung.” 

“Taehyung, would you mind answering a few questions?” 

Taehyung doesn’t get a chance to reply because the father steps between them, face set into a stern stare. “I said that he has already been questioned by-”

“How old are you?” Mr. Kim shuts up and frowns while Jungkook leans to the side to look at Taehyung over the man’s shoulder. “You’re the victim’s older brother, right?”

“Yes, I’m twenty two,” Taehyung answers, averting his gaze, and Jungkook claps his hands in delight.

“So you’re old enough to make decisions for yourself. Perfect. Follow me.”

Taehyung doesn’t move. He stays rooted to his spot and throws his father a quick glance, and Jungkook notices, stopping in his tracks.

Tell-tale signs of the wrong type of parenting. Jungkook dislikes the father twice as much now, and he finds himself involuntarily remembering unwanted memories from the past. 

“Look, it is nearing midnight, we are all in shock and mourning,” Mr. Kim says, trying very hard to stay calm, and Jungkook is also trying to keep his cool because the man is positively getting on his nerves. “I understand that this is important in the process of solving the case, but could we do it another day when my family isn’t in such a fragile state?”

“We cannot,” Jungkook says. “We need the statements while your thoughts are still fresh. Can’t risk you forgetting anything important now can we?”

It is easy to notice the slight edge in his voice, the Kims understand what he’s implying, but before anyone can snap at him, Jungkook is pulled aside by Jimin. 

“I hope you can forgive my sunbae’s behaviour, he has been working overtime lately.”

“Stop saying that word,” Jungkook mutters, but Jimin ignores him and bows at the family.

“We’re terribly sorry for everything that has happened. You can go back home now and rest. We will be in touch.” 

Mr. Kim gives Jungkook one final glare and then turns around, pulling his family along with him towards their house. The lawn is perfectly cut, looking prim and proper against the light from the streetlamps, just like the rest of the neighborhood. Jungkook notices something red blinking at him from directly above the front porch lamp but he is distracted by the way the father has wrapped protective arms around both the mother and son. 

Toxic and controlling. Just Jungkook's impeccable strike of luck to have to deal with this all over again. 

Jungkook stares after them, watching as Taehyung throws him a quick glance over his shoulder before he hastily enters the house, and then the door is slammed shut.

Jungkook turns towards Jimin. “Thanks a lot, hyung.”

“You were being insensitive,” Jimin says, but Jungkook is already walking off. The medical examiners have arrived to fetch the body, offering the boys curt nods as they move past them with their equipment and a stretcher. 

“Hey, wait.” 

The men stop and turn around at Jungkook’s sudden order. He points over his shoulder to where even more reporters have gathered, their cameras clicking away in desperate attempts at capturing every detail of the heartless murder from the usually peaceful neighborhood. 

“Sir?”

“Bring the car closer, don’t let those bastards catch even a glimpse of the body.” 

The ME blink in realization and quickly bow before one of them jogs off to their car parked a few feet away. Jungkook and Jimin leave the scene and walk over to the cruiser, and when they’ve settled into their seats and the heater has been full blast, Jimin huffs.

“Okay, so maybe you aren’t as insensitive as I thought.”

Jungkook just smirks, eyes closed. 

He’s got a lot to look forward to tomorrow.