6

“Oh, Kook, can you bring me the file marked ‘Ilsan murder’? It’s in the second drawer to your left.” 

Jungkook who just entered the office wordlessly does as Namjoon asks and walks up to his desk, gently placing the wrapped file in front of his boss. Namjoon mumbles a ‘thanks’ and begins to skim through the file. 

Jungkook didn’t hear anything from his superiors yesterday after returning to the police department.

Well, except for Jimin’s worried and slightly annoyed questioning which Jungkook had managed to slither his out of by pretending to be tired. Oh, and Jackson also held a ten-minute long monologue in his office when he heard the boy arrive. 

Yeah, Jungkook kinda regrets letting his curiosity get to the point of risking suspension, not only for him but for Jackson as well. 

But still, no one had called him in for ‘the talk’ - Jungkook is a little familiar with it from his first year at the station, but it hasn’t happened since then. 

Which brings him to his current predicament. 

It’s saturday morning and he’s at the station. So is Namjoon and a few other officers - but Jungkook isn’t an officer and today is supposed to be his day off.

“Has anything happened?” Namjoon asks when he notices how the boy hasn’t moved an inch. He arches an eyebrow, pushing his thick rimmed glasses up to his head. “Kook, do you have anything to tell me?”

“Uh, okay, so maybe I did something illegal yesterday.” Jungkook bites his lip when Namjoon’s eyebrow arches even further. 

“Illegal as in a break-in or illegal as in lied-on-the-record to a client?” 

Jungkook’s smile is forced and all kinds of sheepish. “The former.” 

Namjoon sighs and pinches the skin between his brows, shaking his head in disappointment, and Jungkook hates the slight guilt bubbling in his belly. 

Namjoon is an amazing human being, there’s no way around that. 

Jungkook still remembers how, instead of choosing one of the more qualified interviewees sitting next to him, Namjoon had looked at Jungkook and grinned knowingly. He had seen the potential, the drive to do good in Jungkook’s eyes and instantly known that he wanted him on his unit.  

Jungkook thinks of Namjoon as an older brother, and right now he hates that he has disappointed him. 

“It was for the case, though,” he argues, frowning almost childishly, “I had to investigate the security camera, but the Kims weren’t home at that time save for Taehyung who let me and Jackson in to-”

“Wait, did you just say security camera?”

Jungkook closes his mouth and nods. Namjoon frowns.

“There are no security cameras on that street, we checked the whole area,” he says, but Jungkook scoffs and shakes his head.

“Clearly we never checked properly, there is one over their porch light. Mr. Kim never admitted to having it, even when we asked." Jungkook's face clouds over and he bites his lip. "He's setting off all the alarm bells in my head, hyung.” 

Namjoon slowly nods and bites his lip, mulling over Jungkook’s words. It is a fact that everyone who has been in contact with the Kims has noticed; the head of the household is quite the character. 

“Did he see you?” 

“No,” Jungkook shakes his head, feeling relief at the thought, “only Taehyung did. Jackson pretended to be the only officer there when they arrived, I was, uh, in their bedroom around that time.”

Namjoon’s face is relaxed, but Jungkook still noticed the way his left eye twitches briefly. “And then?”

“And then I jumped.”

Namjoon’s eyebrow arches. “You jumped?”

“I jumped,” Jungkook nods. 

“God, Kook, you’re gonna be the death of me.” Namjoon groans and shakes his head. “As long as there’s no ground for a lawsuit, I’m not bringing anything up to Boss Bang.”

Jungkook feels the weight of the world lift off of his shoulders, and he sighs in relief, breaking out into a small smile. 

“But,” Namjoon warns before the boy can celebrate, “but, I don’t want this to happen again. Ever. You’re my best man, Kook. I can’t afford to lose you.”

“You have my word,” Jungkook promises, grinning widely.

He leans over and holds out a fist, waiting patiently until Namjoon sighs and bumps his knuckles against Jungkook’s. The younger male laughs and winks before turning on his heel, a skip in his step as he makes his way back to his office. 

Jimin is waiting in front of his desk, busy texting away on his phone even when Jungkook greets him. 

“What’s wrong, hyung?”

Jimin sends whatever message he had been typing before putting his phone in his pocket. Jungkook gives him an expectant look from his chair and Jimin tiredly sighs.

“I need someone to join me to the church tomorrow.”

“It's my day off.” 

Jungkook’s answer is instant.

Jimin groans and nods in understanding, and Jungkook feels relieved that his hyung doesn’t notice how his shoulders have gone slightly stiff. 

“Yeah, I figured, it’s just that no one else is available and I don’t really wanna go alone, you know,” Jimin says, trailing off with a small frown. 

Jimin is gay. So is Jungkook. So is practically half of their unit.

It’s a natural feeling for them to have when discussing churches and religion in general. They aren’t exactly considered welcome, not in the catholic community of Seoul’s more wealthy neighborhoods. 

“What about Yoongi hyung?” Jungkook asks, arching an eyebrow. Jimin blinks rapidly, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Why-why would you say- why would Yoongi hyung join me?”

Jungkook shrugs innocently, playing with one of the files on his desk. “I don’t know, to pay our respects?”

“Yes, but he’s not an officer or-or detective,” Jimin stammers, frown still claiming his otherwise soft features, “the forensic team leader isn’t required to attend such ceremonies, it’s the kind of stuff we do.”

“I guess so.” 

Jungkook shrugs and looks away. He doesn’t wanna talk about this anymore, Jimin clearly won’t ask Yoongi to join him and Jungkook does not want to be second choice, not in this specific scenario. 

“By the way, Taehyung called me earlier today.” Jungkook’s head snaps up and he tries not to frown. 

“Because?”

“Wanted to ask whether or not you were coming,” Jimin says, completely oblivious to the mental war his friend is waging. “He said he didn’t have your number, so he had to call me to relay the message. Said he wants you to attend since it’s a very important day for him and his family.” 

Taehyung had called to ask if Jungkook was coming tomorrow. 

Jungkook bites his lip and mulls over the implications of Jimin’s words. 

This could be Taehyung’s way of rebelling against his father. By having Jungkook, someone his father very clearly despises, present at the funeral mass, Taehyung could be directly going against his controlling father’s orders.   

Jungkook did kind of put him on the spot yesterday regarding his daddy-issues, for which he is very regretful.

The guilt had kept holding onto him, eating at him throughout the day to the point where Jungkook had to take an early leave from work and buy himself a couple of drinks. Yeah, turns out soju isn’t a guilt-repellent when Taehyung is the cause of said emotion. 

But also, it could simply be Taehyung wanting him there for emotional support. 

Jungkook does remember how comfortable the boy had gotten once he had made him open up in the kitchen yesterday, and from what Yugyeom has supplied with - Taehyung doesn’t really have that many friends. None, if you don’t count the students he was paired with during group projects.

“Sunbae?”

“Don’t call me that,” Jungkook absentmindedly mutters, still lost in his thoughts. Jimin is frowning, but he doesn’t say anything after that and patiently waits for his friend to snap out of his thoughts. 

What if Taehyung is simply looking for a friend? Someone he can rely on for a bit, someone who is the complete opposite of him in all ways possible? Jungkook might be crazy, but maybe Taehyung likes the liberating air he brings about? 

What if Taehyung finds comfort in Jungkook’s presence?

Jungkook has practically solved the case at this point, so it might be sensible of him to show up at the funeral to get the full picture of what exactly Jiyeon must have been through leading up to the murder. 

If Father Shin Yongchul leads the Mass tomorrow, Jungkook might have an opportunity to directly confront him about Jiyeon and see the evidence for himself in whatever way the man responds to his accusations. 

This is for the case, Jungkook tells himself, I have to solve the case. 

And help Taehyung. 

It’s the same thought that has been bothering him since yesterday, and Jungkook feels annoyance bite at his nerves because what the ? He barely knows the boy, and it feels like he’ll punch a face or two if something happened to him.

Is it simply him wanting to do his job well and help a boy in need? Or is it an irrational urge to protect Taehyung because Jungkook feels something other than attraction for the boy? 

Jungkook’s conflicting emotions are quite literally eating him alive at this point, and he realizes that if he wants any answers, at all, he has no choice but to join Jimin. 

“I’ll go,” he whispers, slowly looking over at Jimin. The latter blinks in surprise and nods quickly, worry vanishing.

“Good, okay, great,” he says, “I’ll see you tomorrow then, at eight thirty. We'll drive from here.”

Jungkook feels dread fill his heart, a shiver running down his back at the prospect of what’s to happen tomorrow, but he keeps his mask on and groans.

“That’s way too early, hyung,” he whines, and Jimin rolls his eyes but smiles nonetheless.

“Such a brat.” He shakes his head and leaves the office, gently closing the door behind him. 

And Jungkook lets out a deep breath that does nothing to ease his nerves. ing hell, he’s so going to regret this tomorrow.