"Good morning, people," Yoojung greets when she arrives the office the next morning. She's in a good mood today, which is quite rare for her. 

She expects to see the usual trio by the desk, playing on the computer or chatting loudly. Instead, there's only Jimin who greets her. 

"Good morning, Yoojung!" he chirps, bread crumbs all over his mouth. 

"Where's Taehyung and Jungkook?" she asks, looking around the space. There's no sign of them anywhere. They're usually there. Weird. 

"Oh, they're out for their assignment," Jimin tells her. 

This catches Yoojung's attention. "The two has an assignment?"

"Yeah. They're keeping an eye on this one girl that's getting stalked by some creep." Jimin visibly scowls. "Taehyung said the bastard stole the girl's underwear. How disgusting is that?"

"Oh, really? Well, so, um, if they're out, then what are we doing?" 

Jimin shrugs. 

"You two will be looking after the office," Seokjin comes out from behind them, carrying stacks of folders with messy, unaligned papers. 

"What?" Yoojung screeches in disbelief. 

Her boss merely smiles and drops the papers on the desk in front of Jimin. "Oh don't worry. Here are some things you can work on so you won't get bored. The papers are all mixed up, so organize it, color code it, and arrange them alphabetically," he says. "Easy, right?"

Jimin groans. "Hyung! This is too much!"

Yoojung takes a step forward, looking up to Seokjin's height. "But, sir- We just handled a big case last time- Don't you think we should be handling another one than be watching out-"

"Officer Cho," the Captain cuts her off, hands on her shoulders. "You and Jimin did a wonderful job on that case! But I need you two to look after the office for now. Please?"

Yoojung purses her lips. Even if he says please, it's not that Yoojung has a choice to refuse. Seokjin is her superior and she's a new transfer who has only handled one case under his leadership.

"How long is that for now?" she asks. 

Seokjin hums in thought. "Not that long. Just until Taehyung and Jungkook finish their case." He drops his hands to his side, lifting his arm to look at his watch. "I gotta go. I'll see you later." He smiles one last time before retreating back to his office. It doesn't take him long to come out in a new coat and his keys dangling between his fingers. "See you two!"

Yoojung and Jimin is left in the office, the female gaping at the door where her Captain left. 

"Oh well, might as well sleep," Jimin chirps, stretching his legs under the table and proceeding to close his eyes. 

So much for her good mood. 

 

 

This is not going to work. This really won't. 

Jimin is still sleeping on his desk while Yoojung is doing what they are supposed to. She's been at it for an hour, and only halfway to finishing sorting them. 

It's after another five minutes that she had enough and she screams in frustration, causing Jimin to startle awake. 

"What? What?" he looks around in alarm. 

Yoojung ignores him. "This is not fair. I should be out there, catching bad guys, not color coding a bunch of stupid papers!" She deflates on her seat, heaving a big frustrated sigh. 

Jimin just blinks and stares into space, slowly waking himself up. He looks toward Yoojung and slowly moves the stack of papers toward him. 

Yoojung hates being in the office, hates doing paperwork. It was always a way of his former Captain to punish her for causing troubles and keep her away from field duties. They would last days, weeks until she's finally cleared to handle another field case. It's not like she caused trouble this time. They handled the case flawlessly, and out of Yoojung's character, by the rules even. So why is Seokjin punishing her? 

"This isn't going to do," she concludes. "Jimin, do you know where Taehyung and Jungkook are?" An idea pops in her head.

The said male just blinks at her cluelessly.

 

"Are you sure about this, Yoojung? If Seokjin-hyung finds out-"

"It'll be fine," Yoojung cuts Jimin off as they stride toward a parked black sedan across the street. "It's not like anyone was going to come. We'll only be gone for half an hour. No one will even know."

Her partner wanted to say more, but Yoojung is already knocking on the glass window of the car. Taehyung and Jungkook sits inside the car, Taehyung in the driver's seat. He rolls the window down halfway. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Jimin and I are joining you guys," Yoojung declares. "Let us in."

The two younger officers share a look and just shrugs. Taehyung unlocks the car door and the two slides in the backseat.

"So caught our yet?" Yoojung eagerly inquires. 

"No, not yet," Jungkook answers. "We've been keeping an eye on her for two days now and so far nothing suspicious."

"I don't get it though. Why doesn't she just get a restraining order?" Yoojung muses, leaning back with a thud, almost already disinterested. Compared to her old cases, stalking is not really in the same level. 
 

“See that’s what is weird about this case,” Jungkook adds in, eyes still kept at the entrance of the building. “Our vic doesn’t know who her stalker is.”

This peeks the female officer’s interest as she leans closer at the space in between the front seats. Jimin also leans in, including himself in the conversation. “Elaborate.”

“She’s getting anonymous emails with pictures of her in places she knew she was alone, at the library, in her room even. She’s been losing her private things as well like, um,-” Jungkook trails off, suddenly abashed.

“Like her ,” Yoojung finishes. They’re such children.

The youngest clear his throat. “And she stated that she feels followed every night on her way back home, but she does not know who it is.”

“That is strange, indeed,” Jimin comments, nodding his head.

“Yep,” This time, it’s Taehyung’s turn to explain more. “Apparently, she’s gone to other police departments but none would take her case because there are no leads, no primary suspects…”

“None? She really has no idea?” Yoojung questions.

Taehyung shakes his head. “Well, she barely has any friends. We’ve been keeping an eye out on her since yesterday. Jungkook and I have been switching shifts for the last 24 hours and she leads quite a busy life. I mean, she has four classes, goes to after school tutoring center, and works two part time jobs.”

“What about tracking the emails?”

“They all just come up from different addresses, mostly computer cafes.”

“Seokjin-hyung is too nice to take the case,” Jimin adds.

Yoojung thinks deeper. It’s a weird and difficult case. She wonders why the Captain would give it to the rookie police officers though. If anything, he should have given it to Yoojung and Jimin since they just solved a murder case.

“Hey, she’s coming out,” Jungkook points out, and starts the engine. The female student, clutching her bag tight on her side, sends them a glance before walking the other way.

“So you guys just follow her all day?” Yoojung asks.

“Pretty much. Without a lead, we just had to wait for the perp to show up.”

Well, it’s either following a girl or getting stuck with paperwork. Yoojung thinks this is better.

Taehyung slowly moves the car, keeping an eye on their victim. He explains that she is on her way to the after school tutoring center. Yoojung was ready to get bored when Jimin’s phone rings. Jimin’s eyes widens at the caller ID.

“Yoojung, Seokjin-hyung’s calling.” Yoojung curses under her breath. It has only been half an hour since they’ve been gone. Why is he back so early? She urges him to answer it.

“Captain, hello,” Jimin casually answers.

“Hello, Jimin,” Seokjin’s gentle voice goes through the phone speaker. “I just got back from my errand and came back to the doors locked with no one in here. Care to explain where you and Officer Yoojung went?”

Jimin sends the female officer, the troublemaker, an SOS look. Yoojung rolls her eyes and takes the phone from him. “Hey, Captain. Jimin and I were just out to, uh, grab some food.”

For a couple of seconds, Seokjin is silent. “I need you both back here, now.” He hangs up immediately and Yoojung is taken aback of how stern he sounded saying those words.

Jimin groans. “We’re dead. Taehyung stop the car. Yoojung and I have to go back.”

Yoojung grits her teeth. She should feel a little scared, but knowing the hard headed person she is, she’s more angry that she is being limited to office work than being out in the field solving crimes. While Jimin shakes Jungkook and Taehyung for excuses he can tell their boss, Yoojung just quietly simmers, still stuck in her own stubbornness.

 

When they arrive back in the station, Seokjin is waiting for them in his office, looking stern.

“Do you two realize how irresponsible it is to leave the station unattended?”

Yoojung wants to answer, “we kept it locked” but keeps shut. By her side, Jimin is tensed and fidgeting. This is probably the first time he’s really got in trouble. She feels a little responsible for it. Jimin looks like a puppy and damn, Yoojung may be hard in heart and head, but she’s not heartless.

“Captain, this was all my idea. I coaxed Jimin into leaving the station for a little.”

Seokjin looks at her and for a moment, she makes eye contact which she quickly breaks. There is something intimidating with the way his eyes looked. His facial features are smooth, but his eyes look so serious, something that Yoojung seem to get a glance of now and then. She’s only been with the team for two weeks now and yet, she’s got the look from him for too many times in a short time.

“Jimin, you can go. Continue working on the papers,” the Captain instructs. The officer looks at him and then at Yoojung who just nods at him. He leaves and closes the door behind him, leaving Yoojung and the Captain alone in the room, heavy air surrounding them.

“Officer Yoojung,” the male speaks up after a long minute of silence. “Believe it or not, I understand your nature, but I cannot have you disobeying my orders all the time. That is not going to be a good example for the kids.”

“I’m sorry,” Yoojung feels the need to say, but her being her, she does not stop at just apologizing. “But I just don’t get why you are punishing me.”

“Punishing you?”

“We solved a murder case and then you make me do desk paperwork.”

Seokjin was quiet, leaning closer to his desk and deep in thought. Yoojung stays quiet as well, stealing a look at his Captain. The silence stretches for a little longer, borderline uncomfortable. Yoojung starts to worry that she’s going to be let go. This time.

Then suddenly, the man shuffles, look at his watch, stands up and walks past Yoojung. He grabs his coat hanging by the door. “Let’s go somewhere.”

 

When he said “let’s go somewhere”, Yoojung isn’t sure what he meant. She just follows him, out the office, out the station, and in his car. They drive for about an hour in silence and Yoojung asks where they are going a couple of times only for them to fall in deaf ears.

Now they sit in his car for about half an hour, waiting in front of what she knows is the largest prison just at the border of the city.

“I’m sorry, sir but I-”

“Look,” the Captain interrupts and she looks straight ahead again at the front gate of the establishment.

Out are two uniformed officers and a civilian carrying a small bag with him. Civilian? He is coming out of a highly secured prison, he cannot be. From where they are, she can see a little smile as he nods at the officers.

“His name is Jihwan Hong,” Seokjin starts. Yoojung watches the said male exchange a few words at the police officers. The policemen seem to be frustrated as they push the man on his shoulder. “Arrested for series of one month ago. Targeted female college students. His first trial was supposed to be last Monday.”

“So why is he out?” Yoojung scrunches her eyebrows.

“His file was misplaced. Major evidences were lost. The court had to let him go.”

The female officer watches the man walk away, nose pointing to the sky. Her hands clench into tight fists. That man will surely strike again. How could they let him go? How could they be so careless to lose their evidences-

It hits her. Mishandling files can cause major consequences such as this one. Seokjin is teaching her a lesson. She never really think of the consequences. After all, she’s never really got in trouble for it. She’s been careful when she files her paperwork, is what she wants to say. But even back in her squad, she had people double-checking,triple-checking her files so she