12

The final trial ends in their favour. 

It had been a last minute pitch; Yeri and Minah, along with two other members from the choir, had all agreed to serve as witnesses, and the judge had allowed it.

Jaebum had paled and started complaining, but his attorney had calmed him down. 

Father Yongchul hadn’t been smiling this time, but he had done a good job at keeping his feelings in check, unlike his nephew who had jumped over the table and almost attacked Yeri when she had told everyone about the bruises on her neck. 

The final push that landed Jaebum a seventeen year sentence had been footage from the security camera in the church, provided by none other than Mr. Kim himself. Jungkook who had kept himself behind Namjoon during the whole trial had stared on in shock, not expecting Mr. Kim to cooperate.

Seokjin must have knocked some sense into his brain with each trial they had attended.

The footage hadn’t shown what Jaebum had done, but it contained clips of him taking each of the victims down to the basement with him, and the girls then returning, barely conscious and all kinds of disheveled. Some of the clips even showed Father Yongchul handing him the drugged holy water, a sly smirk on his wrinkled face.

Jungkook had never felt that much rage before. 

In the end, Yongchul had been given a seven year sentence for encouraging and enabling potential in addition to lying by denying the charges, and Jungkook had been one of the first people out of the courtroom after quickly checking up on Taehyung to make sure he hadn’t broken down or anything.

The boy had been consoling his crying mother while Mr. Kim sat in the chair next to them, face a mask of stone and eyes distant. 

It took Jungkook two hours to leave his office, Jimin’s incessant knocking appearing towards the end of his self-pitying session. Jungkook had eventually had enough and decided to get a grip and face the world again.  

“Taehyung is looking for you,” Jimin patiently says the second Jungkook throws the door open. He’s biting back a smile, a tired one, Jungkook notices, and points down the busy hallway. “Should I send him in?”

Jungkook quickly rakes a hand through his hair and nods, stepping back into his office. He paces in front of his desk for a few moments and then decides he needs to sit down for this. 

There’s a gentle knock on the door before Taehyung peeks his head inside. His eyes are bloodshot. 

“Jimin-ssi said I could enter,” he says as way of greeting, and Jungkook nods, waving him in. Taehyung surprises him by closing the door after him, his feet making quiet shuffling sounds against the floor as he moves closer to Jungkook. 

“Are you okay?” Jungkook asks, staring up at him, and Taehyung sniffles and shrugs. 

“Just found out that the people supposedly working directly for God are responsible for my sister and her friends.” 

Taehyung scoffs humourlessly, a tear trailing down his cheek. 

“And they say people like me are monsters.” 

Jungkook’s heart breaks. 

He quickly jumps to his feet and moves around the desk, hands gently cupping Taehyung’s face when he reaches him. The boy melts into the touch, his eyes closing to release more hot tears. Jungkook quickly wipes them away.

“ what they say,” he murmurs, “ what they think is right, Tae, you really think God hates you for loving someone of the same gender? You really think God would dismiss every other good deed you have done simply because you love a soul born into a male body?” 

Taehyung opens his eyes, brows knitting together as he whimpers. He clutches onto Jungkook’s wrists, his lips and the tip of his nose reddened as another wave of tears claim his cheeks. 

“You’re an amazing person,” Jungkook whispers, “you’re talented and honest and loving. You’re a great son and you were without doubt an amazing brother, Taehyung.” Taehyung releases a choked out sob at that and Jungkook smiles, eyes teary. “And you’re going to ignore all of that and focus on the one thing that’s not even clearly explained in the Bible? You’re gonna let some old s in cloaks tell you that you’re going to hell just because God made you love differently?” 

Taehyung’s leans in and presses his forehead to Jungkook shoulder, crying into his shirt, and Jungkook wraps an arm around him, his hand running through his hair. 

“Don’t let them, Tae, don’t let them dictate your life anymore. You have twenty two years of bull to make up for, and I suggest you start now before it’s too late.”

Taehyung doesn’t say anything, Jungkook doesn’t think he’s able to speak without sobbing, so he lets the boy cry his heart out, eventually moving them over to the soft couch he usually naps on.

Jungkook doesn’t know how long he sits there, arm still tightly wrapped around Taehyung, hand his hair, until there’s a knock on the door and Jackson peeks inside. 

“Oh, , okay, nevermind, I can come back-”

“Wait, it’s-it’s okay,” Taehyung says, sitting up straight, and Jungkook reluctantly lets go off the boy. He finds that he doesn’t want to put any space between them yet, but he won’t force Taehyung to do anything unless he wants to. 

Jackson wearily looks between them both, waiting for Jungkook to impatiently wave him in before entering the office. 

“Okay, so Seokjin and the defendant spoke with the jury regarding the murder charges, Jaebum will meet up for the official trail next thursday,” he says, holding up a bunch of papers before dropping them on Jungkook’s desk. 

Taehyung’s jaw clenches and he looks away. Jungkook gives him a worried frown but doesn’t seek contact yet. 

“We don’t have any evidence,” Jungkook mutters, moving to his feet. “The is a different case altogether, but we could argue that it was a crime of passion. Jiyeon was after all going to expose him that day.”

“But no one besides Minah knew.” Jackson frowns, and Jungkook can’t help but mirror the expression. 

True.

No one but Minah knew about their plans that night. But Jaebum could have been angry over Yeri’s complaints to Yongchul. Maybe Yongchul told him to deal with it? Or maybe the murder was an accident? 

“We asked Mr. Kim if he could hand over the footage from the front porch security camera,” Jackson mutters after a moment of silence. “But-”

“It’s deleted,” Taehyung suddenly interrupts, quietly. Jungkook turns and watches as the boy moves to his feet, quickly wiping his face for any tears. “I-I found the monitor after you left, it was an app on his Ipad. There was no footage from that night. I didn’t find anything in the trash folder either.”

Jungkook feels a small pang of pride at the thought of Taehyung helping him despite the possible consequences.

It never came up, but Jungkook had been so sure that Mr. Kim was going to check the footage from that day and seek Taehyung out for allowing the officer and detective into his house. He even expected Namjoon to receive a complaint, but nothing had happened. 

Jungkook’s eyes widen in surprise.

“You deleted the footage,” he says, frowning, “from that day, from when we visited.” 

Taehyung nods, blinking wearily. “Yes, I-I didn’t want you two to get into any trouble.” 

“But he must have noticed,” Jungkook says, stepping closer, “there’s no way he didn’t check-”

“He did,” Taehyung nods, tiredly, and Jungkook briefly wonders if he has been eating properly over the past two weeks, “but I don’t think he knows I’m aware of the camera. Maybe he thought there was a glitch or something. He never approached me about it.”

Jungkook just stares at Taehyung.

He did step out of his comfort zone. He did risk getting into a real lot of ing trouble just to help solve the case. 

Pride. 

Jungkook feels proud of him. His heart swells and he looks away before his emotions overtake him. 

“So what now?” 

Jungkook had completely forgotten that Jackson was in there with them, and he tries not to show his surprise as he turns around to face the officer. Jackson arches both eyebrows in expectation. 

“We don’t have any solid proof, he won’t be charged for the murder. And Yongchul has alibi covering his , was at a board meeting with other priests from another church in Seoul.”

Jungkook feels his nerves begin to buzz. In the beginning, he had suspected Mr. Kim, but that doesn’t seem to be the case any longer. And then, it had been father Yongchul, but it seems like he’s off the hook too, unless of course he ordered someone else to commit the murder. 

Jaebum is the only suspect at this point, everything points to him, and yet there is no solid evidence to help seal the deal. 

How the are they gonna solve the case? 

Jungkook didn’t notice Taehyung stepping up to him, so he startles when soft fingers thread through his, giving his hand a firm squeeze. 

Taehyung is frowning, worry evident on his face, and Jungkook instinctively squeezes his hand back.

“I’m okay,” he murmurs, shaking his head, “this is just harder than I initially thought.”

“We’ll get him,” Taehyung whispers, determinedly, “and if we don’t find any evidence until the deadline, he’ll still be sitting behind bars for the next seventeen years. We have time.”

Jungkook would never have expected Taehyung to be the rational one in this moment, but he takes what he gets and nods, dragging in a calming breath.

Jackson just keeps on staring at them as if one of them has grown another head, but there’s a small grin playing on his lips, and it only grows bigger when Taehyung shyly leans forward to gently peck Jungkook’s cheek. 

Whatever sly comment Jackson is about to make disappears in the sudden loud knock on the opened door. 

Jungkook, who had been staring intently at Taehyung’s flushed and embarrassed face, instantly feels his body switch into fight or flight mode when Taehyung’s eyes widen in panic and his grip on Jungkook’s hand tightens tenfold. 

Mr. Kim is standing in the doorway, his expression deadly, eyes set on the lack of space between his son and the detective. Jungkook instinctively takes a step forward to shield Taehyung behind his back, even Jackson straightens up as if expecting a fight to break loose, but nothing happens. 

Mr. Kim is quiet for a few moments, face still cloudy with anger, until he suddenly turns his stare to Jungkook. 

“I want to turn myself in," he says, voice firm and stern, "for the murder of Kim Jiyeon.”