Déjà-Boo - SHINee's Jonghyun

Credits to Forbidden Labyrinth Graphic Shop for the poster!

"Are you insane?" Jongin hissed, slamming his hands onto the wooden table.

He had shown up for work the morning after the attack only to be pulled over by the interrogation crew. It was embarrassing to be questioned in the office in front of his co-workers when he was obviously a dedicated worker.

The interrogator in charge remained seated. He calmly shuffled through a few papers before pulling out a familiar page. After motioning for Jongin to sit, he said, "It's not that we're accusing you of being the murderer. We just want to know where you were last night during the time of the crime scene."

Before Jongin could blow up again, he interrupted him. "May I remind you that even though you're a cherished worker of ours, your aggressive behavior will be witnessed by many of our other employees so please be mindful of that." The interrogator sighed, "Even though we don't have a private interrogation room due to lack of financial support, we can use witnesses for proof if necessary." At that moment, Jongin was glad that there was a lack of modern technology in the world. None of his aggressive behavior would be caught on camera.

After re-thinking the circumstances, Jongin took deep breaths to calm his fast beating heart. In a hushed tone, he whispered, "How can you suspect me of being this... this beast?”

With yet another sigh, the interrogator pulled out a familiar photo from last night. He slid it towards Jongin and watched his face for any reactions.

Jongin, however, remained blank and met eyes with the other male. "This was from the attack yesterday?"

"Yes."

"And your point is?"

Although taken aback, the interrogator didn't show his surprise. "This is your jacket, is it not?"

Jongin shrugged, "I have a jacket that is similar but that is not my jacket."

"Jongin-sshi," the interrogator's voice was stern with a hint of frustration, "It's evident that this jacket only belongs to the upper class. It's the 19th century, not many people are able to afford an expensive jacket like this. We, as detectives, get a better pay than anyone. I assume that you're fairly wealthy."

Jongin snarled, "So you're saying that just because I am above middle class and I have a similar jacket means that this is mine and I'm the murderer?"

"What I'm saying," the younger one growled just as fiercely, "is that unless you can prove your innocence, we can't let you go."

Jongin's hands balled into fists. I've been a worker here for years but they treat me like this because of a jacket? He thought.

"I heard there was also a bracelet that was found." Jongin blurted.

"There was, but what does that--"

"Let me see it. I am the one in charge of this case after all. Even though you ridiculously suspect me, it's the only way I can help clear this mystery."

There was a slight moment of hesitation before the interrogator finally handed over the photo of the bracelet.

"Even though I'm being interrogated," Jongin spoke, "it doesn't change the fact that I lead this case. The shredded jacket isn't proof that I'm the murderer, because I'm not."

With a deep frown, Jongin snatched the paper out of the younger one's hand and brought it to his eye level.

As Jongin was looking it over, the interrogator spoke up. "Jongin," he called out, "don't forget your duty as a inspector. In a world like today, there's no room for romance. There's too much war and crime." The younger male was worried about Jongin, honestly. He didn't want a girl, whom Jongin had just met, to distract him from fulfilling his job as an inspector.

Jongin, however, completely ignored his words, which made the latter sigh.

Suddenly, Jongin's eyes widened in recognition and his mouth slightly fell opened.

"This..." He stuttered, trying to find his words. He fumbled with the thing sheet of paper, not knowing if he should sell her out. For the sake of his job, he did. He had to find answers and get to the bottom of this case anyways. "This bracelet is Cha Ae Sook's."

"Cha Ae Sook?" The interrogator furrowed his eyebrows, "Isn't that the girl that works at your part time job? Are you sure?"

----

Jongin sat down at an isolated corner and rubbed his hands together for warmth. He sighed, his breath visible in the cold air.

To get his thoughts sorted out, Jongin had called a good friend of his for advice. There were too many confusing thoughts roaming around in his head.

The bell on top of the door to the coffee shop rung. Jongin snapped his head up and there stood his friend. Standing up, he spread his arms out for a welcoming embrace. "Hey, Chen hyung. It's been awhile, huh?"

The male named Chen grinned, showing his perfect white teeth. "So it has. How you been?"

Sitting down and ordering two coffees, Jongin buried his face into his hands in frustration. Slowly, Jongin began his story. About how he had yelled at the chief in front of everyone, how he was distracted with his works, how he didn't know how to act around the girl on his mind, and how he became a suspected murderer.

Unlike Jongin, who was groaning at how bad everything was, Chen stayed rational and calm. He took a sip of his coffee before speaking, "I think you just have to start acting like you used to."

"What do you mean?" The younger but taller male asked, confused.

"You have to have the same passion that you had when you were a rookie. As far as I can see, it seems like you lost all your energy. You look at being a detective as a job, not a hobby. Where's the Jongin that started at the bottom but his eyes were shining with good intention? You can't let your aggressive emotions get to you."

Jongin paused for a moment, taking the wise words into consideration. Chen was right. Jongin thought of his job as a tiring errand rather than a dream job. He used to think it was a privilege, not a priority. Jongin nodded, "You're right, hyung. I don't know what got into me. My head has been so messed up after I met Ae Sook."

"Ah, right. The girl." Chen said, "I think you should just get closer to her because it looks like she knows a bit about this beast. Don't accidentally fall for her though, you can't be friends after this case."

Jongin was wearisome with the thought but remained emotionless on the outside. "Okay, I'll try to get her trust." Even though I'll just end up losing it after everything, Jongin thought.

Still, he pushed his conscience towards the back of his head and attempted to convince himself that this was the right way.

Jongin sighed, running a hand through his hair. "This murderer is covering his tracks completely. It's impossible to find anything." Jongin said, mentally going over the case again.

Chen placed his empty coffee mug on the table with a satisfied expression. Then, he shrugged in response to Jongin's statement. "There'll eventually be more clues. Every murder can't have a perfect cover up. There's always something."

"What if," Jongin started, "this is just a hoax?"

"How so?"

"Well think about it." Both males sat forward in their chairs, gaining sudden interest in the sudden thought of a deception. Jongin continued, "It's probably humanly impossible to have such a clean kill. Most of the murders committed had no blood and the killing was most likely done under a few seconds." Jongin looked at Chen with confused eyes, "Is it just an animal t