▬ Chapter 4: G/oal ▬

Yoongi had one goal in mind, and that was to make sure no one died on his watch again. Not if he foresaw how it happened. He knew that fate would eventually run its course, considering that everyone eventually died. However, if he could deflect a painful death, he would try and take that chance. No one deserved to go the way his dream envisioned. He would not even wish it upon his worst enemies.

After Seokjin listened to Yoongi’s request last night, he sighed when the latter awaited his response. With concern evident in his voice, the former man gave an affirmative. In turn, Seokjin asked Yoongi to wait for his next call.

A day has passed with no news from Seokjin. Yoongi carried out his usual routine without generating suspicion from his roommate or coworkers. For now, he deemed the attraction unnecessary.

The following day, a few minutes after Yoongi finished his shower that night, the long-awaited call finally arrived. As he sat on his bed, he ruffled his red-colored hair with a towel in one hand while the other answered the call.

“Hey, any updates?”

“Hmm,” Seokjin’s contemplating voice made Yoongi stop drying his hair. “I’m not sure if this is the answer you’re looking for, but T.L.D.R., I have no idea what all the info I have gathered relates to how Sumin is in danger.”

“Sumin?”

“The woman’s name is Sumin. Baek Sumin,” Seokjin started reading from the manila folder he had in his hand. He walked to his home office room and sat down on the swivel chair. He then scooted the chair closer to the table and plopped the folder down in front of him. “Twenty-seven years old, born in Seoul, went to an all-girls school, quite the social butterfly, and no priors.”

“That’s it?” Yoongi finally said after a moment of silence.

“Basically, yeah. Although the only thing that doesn’t look normal,” his friend pointed out, “ is the fact that the girl has sealed records from her early school days.”

“Which you were able to unlock, I presume?”

Seokjin chuckled, tapping his free fingers on the table. “You must be forgetting whom you’re talking to, my dear friend.”

“It’s not a top-secret file,” Yoongi snorted, “so it should have been quite easy for you.”

“Indeed,” he snickered. “Again, I do not see how this relates to your case, considering that the record did not divulge much. It just says how Sumin had a conflict with a classmate, and the parents of said classmate got involved. A week later, she transferred to another school and laid low. Nothing newsworthy happened since then.”

“Huh,” Yoongi clicked his tongue. He thought for a moment, then said, “Thanks for the info, man. I owe you one.”

Seokjin promptly replied, “Can I get that I.O.U now?”

Yoongi raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the quick response. “Seriously?”

“Tell me why I did this for you,” his serious tone left no room for discussion.

One thing about Seokjin was that he looked easygoing personality-wise. But once he deemed that a situation needed evaluation, he would not resist going in for a confrontation. He believed that even friendship has its limits.

“Seokjin,” Yoongi breathed out. “I’ll tell you everything when the time comes.”

“And when will that be, hmm?”

“When I’m absolutely sure,” he paused for a moment, “whether it’s just a dream or not.”

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Yoongi made up his mind to look into his dream stealthily. There was no reason to create a state of panic over what others would deem as baseless proof. The first thing that he did was use his power as a law enforcement officer to know Sumin’s current residence and other places she might frequent. Then, he determined if it was possible to trace her schedule for the day.

All this, of course, was done without the knowledge of his colleagues. He knew it was against their code to use their power for their own benefit. Heck, he even detested those who did things under the table, especially those who had connections to the wealthy.

“Just this one time,” he mumbled to himself from time to time whenever something tugged at his moral compass.

“What have you been up to, mumbling and constantly typing over there?”

Yoongi looked up and minimized his current web browser just in time for a taller man to go over his desk. The man bent down beside him, the silver chain around his neck which contained his badge dangled in the air.

“Ah, the recent burglaries in the rich areas, huh?” He read the title of the news article and skimmed through the smaller words.

Yoongi felt his heart race from the near exposure but managed to retain his usual calm demeanor. He rolled his chair a few inches away from his desk to look up and get a better look at the man who just invaded his personal bubble.

“What do you want, Hoseok?”

Hoseok smiled brightly, which made the other look at him suspiciously. There was something about this man named Jung Hoseok that didn’t sit well with Yoongi ever since the first time the two met. Was it the overly smiling features that graced his face which sometimes seemed forced? Or perhaps his excessively cheerful persona? Maybe it was the way he constantly made sure that he could please every si