It's the very next day Jinki had gotten to the crime lab in Seoul, and Jinki is already absorbed into his work. He's only on the first body of the ten that had been found in the burial cite, and the task of discerning what happened to these John and Jane Does' is proving to be quite the effort. He was impressed by the colleagues he was instructed to work with, and the community that they seemed to have built within the lab itself. Each anthropologist, intern, and student had something unique to bring to the team, and only seemed to lack in leadership.

While Jinki didn't consider himself to be a leader in any case, the others had seemingly been impressed with his abilities after he displayed them and had no apparent objections to working with him. As dorky as he seemed to be to them at first, he was also proving to live up to his reputation. He would take voice recordings as he checked the cadaver, and other scientists found themselves comparing their own findings to bring them up to him when he could spare a moment.

"I was able to create a sketch of the first victim according to your findings," Kibum's voice calls out all of a sudden, and Jinki turns his head up in surprise to see the young artist walking towards him. Kibum stops when they're side by side and holds the sketch pad he's using out to Jinki, who eyes it carefully and then looks back at the skeleton to see if it could possibly be the same person.

"You're an incredible artist--" Jinki starts off, but he then realizes he's never been introduced to anyone he's working with, and visibly pales a little while chuckling,

"-- sorry, I never got the chance to learn your name."

Kibum raises an eyebrow in amusement, because he doesn't blame Jinki for not knowing his name. No one's really bothered introducing themselves with the famed anthropologist, anyway. It's a shame, though, because while Jinki can be intimidating when he's absorbed into his work, he's also very sweet to talk to and doesn't seem to be condescending in the slightest. Kibum's not used to such treatment, and expects someone as well known as Jinki to be at least a little snooty.

"Kibum," he finally responds, and he watches the twinkle in Jinki's eyes as the elder turns back to the sketch in his hands.

Jinki never comments on his name, but Kibum's alright with that. Instead, Jinki holds his hand out, and Kibum tears the page out to give it to him. He'd already made copies, anyway. He's startled when he sees Jinki put the portrait on the stand where the victim's number is on display, because he just doesn't see the reason to display them when all that's left are their remains.

"I know what you're thinking, but I think this is crucial," Jinki states with a soft grin, and he thumbs over the portrait once more,

"Each of them had names and identities that were stolen from them. I think it's only fair we remember them until we can let them rest."

How does someone as loving as Jinki end up working such a violent career? Kibum just stares at the back of Jinki's head for a moment, but he can feel the smile forming on his face. Maybe it wasn't Jinki's knowledge of anthropology that had made him as popular as he was.

"I've uploaded the portrait through the database," Kibum tells the anthropologist when he realizes Jinki is about to be absorbed into his work again,

"Jonghyun says he'll be here as soon as he gets the results."

The stating of the young Detective's name causes Jinki to falter, and Kibum watches as the smile that was on Jinki's face starts to tense. He doesn't know what had happened between the two leads of the case in their respective fields, but even he could sense the tension in the air when they had met earlier. 

Jinki seems to force the tension to ease off his face, but before he could comment on the information Kibum's sharing with him, they're distracted by the clanging of metal. It's Taemin, who's carrying a metal tray and a few small bones from one of the unidentified victims.

"Doctor Lee, I've found something I think you should see," Taemin states as he puts the tray down, and Kibum grins as he steps away because he has absolutely no interest in the scientific bits of their cases.

"Please just call me Jinki," the senior anthropologist says, and Taemin finds himself momentarily stunned by Jinki's gentle charm.

Not that the lab wasn't at all professional, but it had been a safe haven for everyone who worked there, and Taemin wasn't exactly sure how Jinki would fit in until that precise moment in time. This brings him back to when he had been selected to join the lab and both Kibum and Minho had welcomed him with open arms.

"Lee Taemin, then," Taemin answers, and then his attention turns back to the tray in his hands,

"I've noticed a pattern on the phalanges on all the victims. They're all missing half of the third on the left hand."

Jinki raises an eyebrow at this, because he should have noticed them as well. While this isn't usually the type of distinction that sets deaths apart, for every single victim to have lost a specific bone? Jinki didn't believe in coincidences. He lifts the hand of the victim he's working on, then glances to one of the other victim's hands.

"The strike marks on the joint indicates it was chopped off," Jinki murmurs, then raises an eyebrow as he turns back to Taemin,

"can we use particulates to assess whether or not it was removed post-mortem?"

"I sent some of the particulates to Minho's station, he's running tests to determine what kind of residue was left behind and why," comes Taemin's instantaneous response, and Jinki finds himself impressed by the younger anthropologist once more.

Jinki knows the most logical thing to do now is to call Jonghyun with updates to his case findings, but he's unsure of how to go about it. If looks could kill, Jonghyun would have ended him in the first moment their gazes crossed. Though he has no idea of what he did to cross the young Detective, he also wasn't sure if he wanted to find out. It wasn't like he was going to see the man after they solved the case, anyway. 

He's saved from his internal dilemma when the very object of his thoughts walks into the lab. Jinki's a little offended because Jonghyun already has a key card for the lab when Jinki actually worked there and had no way into the lab on his own, but he supposed that's all he was going to get while helping their case.

"Detective, you're here early!" Minho's voice booms through the lab as he makes his way to the table Jinki is working at, intercepting Jonghyun halfway as the detective waits to walk beside him.

"I was told I have to discuss all case findings to the braniac," Jonghyun says without enthusiam, and though it was meant to be a conversation between himself and Minho, Jinki could hear them perfectly well.

Jinki pretends not to have heard anything come from the detective, though he felt his body tense and his hands shake ever so slightly. Jinki had been used to mockery ever since he was a young boy discovered to have a high IQ, but it didn't make it any easier on him when a perfect stranger decided on his usefulness even before getting to know him. This kind of behavior is part of the reason he had become a forensic anthropologist, too; because he just wanted to know.

"Cut the man some slack," Minho defends him as he puts a hand on Jonghyun's shoulder to steer him in the direction of the tables,

"We're lucky to have the best guy in the field helping us; otherwise we'd all be here pulling all-nighters to solve the case."

Jonghyun scoffs just as they reach Jinki's table, and Jinki doesn't miss the detective's scrutiny, "I just don't see why he needs to be out on my field."

Though he feels his body tense, there's nothing Jinki can say to defend himself. He's not a field agent like Jonghyun, and despite having martial arts training, he couldn't deny the possibility that he would just slow Jonghyun down if the two were to go out following leads together. For whatever reason, though, Jonghyun didn't like him; and it felt personal.

"I'll try not to be a hindrance to you while we make our investigations, detective Kim," Jinki says, though he's not particularly enthusiastic himself about working with the cold hearted detective,

"so the sooner we can get started, the sooner we can bring our cooperation to a close."

Jonghyun is quiet for a long moment as he sizes Jinki up, though his lips are pressed together and his gaze is quickly dropped to the folder in his hands,

"Right. Well, we've successfully identified the first victim as Jung Soo Kyun, a farmer down in Busan. He was reported missing seven years ago, but the family's been looking to report him deceased for the past month."

"Jung Soo Kyun?" Minho asks, just to clarify. When both Jonghyun and Jinki stare at him to see if he'd figure the answer out on his own, because they definitely don't know, Minho turned to the victim on the table and sighed, then returned his gaze to the expectant ones meeting his.

"I ran some of the mulch we found mixed with the bodies through the system. A lot of the farmers in Busan boycotted it after noticing the way it negatively impacted the crops. Only two farms down there still use it on their grounds; and get this, they both belong to Jung Soo Kyun's family."

"Well, I hope you don't have any plans for the day, it looks like we're going to Busan," Jonghyun sighs out, finally, and he turns away from Jinki without another word like he just expects Jinki to follow him.

When Jinki feels a pat on the shoulder, the tall scientist is grinning at him in what seems to be sympathy, "You're doing great work here already, Jinki. Don't let him get you down."

Startled by the sudden words of encouragement, Jinki's features soften for the first time since Jonghyun walked in, "Thank you--"

"Minho," the taller of the pair supplies with a chuckle as he turns and heads back to his section of the lab.

Jinki turns back to Jung Soo Kyun's body for a moment, then allows his gaze to pass over the other nine victims. He knows he shouldn't just focus on one body when there are many, but there are many hard working anthropologists and students working the case, and it eliminates Jinki's need to control the lab. He hopes that whatever clues he finds at the farms with Jonghyun can help him solve all these murders and finally lay their bodies to rest peacefully.

"Are you coming or what?" Jonghyun's aggitated voice calls out to him, and Jinki's head snaps in the direction it's coming from.

Jonghyun's still waiting by the door for him, Jinki realizes, and he feels the tips of his ears turning pink in embarrassment. He already said he was going to try not to be a hindrance, but was already slowing the short-fused detective down, it seemed. Jinki clumsily gathers his bag and camera, then hurries along to where Jonghyun impatiently hangs up his cell phone.

"I've got a search warrant," Jonghyun says right as they exit the lab, but the moment the doors shut behind him, Jonghyun spins on his heels and grabs onto Jinki's shoulders, then slams him back against the wall.

Hit with a sense of vertigo, Jinki takes a moment to refocus, his eyebrows furrowed as he locks his gaze onto Jonghyun's. Whatever he did to upset Jonghyun earlier only seems to have hit the tip of the iceburg.

"Now you listen, and you listen well," Jonghyun grits out, and he leans in so close that their breaths intermingle,

"You might have everyone else fooled, but I know all about you; and you can bet your that the moment I find the evidence to take your sorry to jail, I will."

Stunned, Jinki just watches as Jonghyun storms off.