22; Interrogation

It was a regular Tuesday evening at the precinct. And the stale smell of coffee wafted through the large room; settling against the ceiling in an invisible cloud of aroma; accented by freshly-printed pages that steamed out of the overworked rollers. The belling of telephones, clattering stationery, racketeering of computer keys, and hurried footsteps were a fitting backdrop for the dusty brown desks and rich, yellow-tinted windows fitted into creamy walls.

For Officer Kim Jongdae; who’d just returned from another thrilling house raid; it was a perfect evening indeed.

He entered the station with the fruits of his accomplishment ever so clear by the broad pierrot smile on his prominent square face. A smile that – the moment it appeared – evidently made the secretary grow weak in the knees as he approached the front desk.

‘Officer Kim…,’ she started, ringing the back of her ear with a dainty finger upon gaining his attention.

‘You’re back mighty early this time. How did it go?’

If perhaps possible, Jongdae’s smile widened. With a joyful click of his fingers, he spoke again; head angled in a tasteful way that exposed the prominent, charming shape of his jaw.

‘House raids? Psh. I could do them with my eyes closed by now. Maybe with handcuffs on too.’

The secretary chuckled heartily at the pun-infested comment and the officer joined her. Oh, it was just too easy to charm the woman. In fact, Jongdae was positive he didn’t even need to make an effort. All she needed to do was lay eyes on him to make it painfully obvious to the world she was charmed off her feet… not that the cop of the month complained though. He thrived off the attention he garnered. Be it his good looks or natural charisma, Officer Kim Jongdae was unrivalled in either aspect.

‘Well,’ he spoke again after a moment, raising the plastic bag in his hand where a ragged stuffed animal was concealed in.

‘I’d better get this baby locked up… if you know what I mean.’

He laughed at yet another implied pun before realizing the secretary didn’t share his amusement this time. Surprised, Jongdae’s chuckle was reduced to a sceptical frown; his eyes trained on the woman whose mouth was agape and eyes were directed at something over his shoulder.

‘Hah, get it?’ he pressed however, flaunting the plastic-wrapped plush toy once again to grab her attention.

‘Locked up… like in a cell, but as evidence…’

Yet his efforts were in vain. Apart from the secretary’s unusual behaviour, the familiar sounds the station harboured were audibly toned down. Just what on earth was going on? He didn’t particularly enjoy the fact that there was something seemingly more interesting than him at that point, and feeling a faint irritation at this, Jongdae turned around to face the culprit.

Oh, and following the woman’s line of sight was something most unexpected. The unusual colour of copper nabbed his attention, and Jongdae raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar haircut from behind. Was it a guest? Someone reporting a crime? Or perhaps one of those nosy journalists again?

A number of speculations swam through the officer's head as he stared at the stranger's back, however his confusion was short-lived. A moment later – watching the man associate with a familiar blonde officer that arrived to see him – Jongdae was able to place the unmistakable attire on that broad form. White shirt, black slacks, tie-ups, and the one-inch height difference between Namjoon and the latter.

'Park...?' he blurted, squinting in disbelief until the said officer turned around.

The secretary behind him didn't even bother stifling her dramatic gasp upon full view of the redhead. It was indeed Park Jimin... or at least a version of him that Kim Jongdae never imagined was ever in fact possible.

His hair was impeccably set; deep red and gleaming under the fluorescents; his once lacking skin tone was now replaced with a healthy colour, and there was something about his dainty nose, narrow eyes, full lips, and high cheek bones that came across as... frighteningly handsome. If perhaps the cop of the month wasn't in that much shock taking in his peer's outstanding visuals, he may have shuddered for even acknowledging something as preposterous as he just did.

Just what on earth had been going on within the past week? Even Jimin's dress shirt looked more filled out than it usually did! Then again, both he and Officer Woon were rarely at the precinct ever since the memorable reprimanding they each received weeks ago. Between their tireless work correcting the awful lot of blunders their teamwork posed and Jongdae being on constant call for action in the field, he hadn't seen them since. Yet now that he did, he was taken aback by the unexpectedly drastic change Jimin was capable of.

The redhead's attention settled on Jongdae for a moment before his lips stretched; a glowing smile that the officer at the front desk found himself cringing at.

'Hey, Jongdae!' he beamed unexpectedly; body language incredibly relaxed and inviting, to the latter’s surprise.

'How's it going? Heard you just got back from a house raid and…,’ Jimin paused; eyes falling on the plastic evidence bag in Jongdae’s hand.

‘Apprehended a bunny. Cute.’

A handful of officers present in the room exchanged amused looks at the comment; some smiling into their work and quietly nodding in agreement. Namjoon beside him looked horribly conflicted; the side of his fist hovering over his smiling lips, however the sight of his dimples betrayed him. The secretary herself sounded a gleeful chuckle at the joke, and noting their collective responses, Officer Kim Jongdae’s initial surprise was replaced by a forced mirth.

The strain on his face that remained however, was a clear indication of his discomfort considering the jokes were never on him. Ever. Officer Kim was always the one dishing them out, but being on the receiving end for him was a first. And it was safe to say Jimin caught him off-guard.

‘Y-yeah, of course! You never know these unsuspecting guys’ capabilities, right Chimchim?’ he contended with deliberate use of the nickname; eyes flitting to the K-2 folder in the redhead’s hand which he gestured to with a nod of the chin.

‘These little things turn out to be pretty vital evidence, soldier. Like that homeless pop star, I heard you and Woon snagged. How’s that going?’

He could almost envision Jimin’s reaction. The officer’s eyebrows setting in a thin, strained line and lips pursed without a comeback. However, this was not the case. Instead, Jongdae’s comment seemingly prompted something important within the latter’s mind who perked up, glanced at his wristwatch, and reached for the desk again for a handful of extra documents.

‘Ah, you just reminded me!’ he cried, gathering the last of his things before turning on his heel, taking the time to spare Jongdae a wave.

‘I’m late to the interrogation. See you around, hero.’

Jongdae stood with his mouth agape and eyes wide, watching as Jimin strode swiftly towards the other end of the room looking incredibly lively… and somehow the thought of having to interrogate a suspect seemed – on many more levels – more thrilling than collecting useless clues at empty house raids. And the entire station thought so too at that point, as Jongdae stared at the evidence bag in his hand with mild disdain... and what he would never have admitted was embarrassment.

The clanking of metal greeted the silence in the boxy interrogation room, instantly garnering the attention of the two officers within. Commissioner Min – clad in full black, and daunting bleached blonde hair – and Officer Woon turned; their eyes settling on Jimin who strolled in casually to join them at the foot of the window they stared into.

‘About time we get things rolling,’ Yoongi’s voice was gravelly with exhaustion, however his posture beneath his bulky layers of clothing suggested incredible attentiveness.

The officer closed the door behind him slowly; his eyes locking with his partner’s, as the two shared a determined glance at the chief’s words.

Considering their vague circumstances at the time in regards to the chasing down of the janitor, it was impossible to make an arrest of the man. They hadn’t personally observed the crime committed, and the information they were given about him at the very last minute only ruled out their suspicions entirely.

The principal – incredibly shaken by the ordeal – had spoken to the police on scene thereafter, provided the information that the students Van Choi and Song and the janitor were merely bystanders at the time… and thankfully he was too occupied with the officer questioning him that he hadn’t noticed the frazzled states of both Jimin and the school’s handyman.

In fact, the headmaster was so rattled by the news of an attempted kidnapping that even when he approached the lingering three, his eyes were trained on their own.

‘We’re going to keep this confidential for a while, alright?’ he said in a low, frighteningly pleasant tone despite the worry on his face in the form of an uncertain frown.

‘Just between the four of us, hmm? I’ll talk to Miss Moon and Mister Kim, and…’

It was apparent the school headmaster was deeply inflicted by the tragedy, however the two officers couldn’t blame him. It was a most-dreaded occurrence – one they were to avoid happening at all costs – and yet they had only seemingly made it in time to stop the kidnapper in their tracks… only, the janitor had done so before them.

And sitting across from him in the claustrophobic room the evening after the chaos was precisely how they were going to find out how he’d done so. They were lucky enough to have been granted a warrant for questioning the man even if they could only carry out the task the following day, and the fact that Mister Kim actually attended on his own free will was a good sign.

Jimin opened the door to the interrogation room and Kyungja entered first; the latter following shortly behind her. However, something stopped him at the very last minute; a call for attention in the form of a sleepy groan that belonged to none other than the commissioner himself.

‘Park,’ he mumbled; tongue rolling slowly beneath his upper lip mindfully.

Jimin watched him for a moment; hand still on the door that was ajar and with a thin file in the other. ‘Yes, sir?’

Looking incredibly thoughtful through the observation window, one of the commissioner’s hands – frighteningly pale even in the dim lighting – slipped out of his pocket, followed by an unexpected swoop of the wrist. It took Jimin two seconds too late to notice the small, clam-like object flying towards him, and fumbling with it; fingers uncoordinated and clumsy; he managed to grasp it steadily.

The redhead’s eyes widened in surprise; his gaze sweeping over the glinting gold of the metal badge, and a thumb carefully brushing over the bevelled surface in awe.

‘Wait, are you…’

‘Enjoy it while it lasts, I guess,’ Yoongi’s voice cut him short as he continued staring lazily into the other room.

‘Oh, and this one looks like a tough nut to crack. Give 'im a bit of a scare, will you?’

Despite the fact that his position was only temporarily restored considering the circumstances, Jimin felt a great sense of accomplishment. Even though they were far from piecing together the mysteries of the case, bit by bit, he was slowly but surely regaining his title as a police officer. And the thought was enough to fill Jimin with an unprecedented fortitude as he entered the interrogation, fixing the badge to his belt, and closing the door behind him with a definite click.

'Mister Kim