Three weeks had passed since the incident took place, and Seokjin had been diligently delving into the matter, conducting his investigation. However, after that fateful night, Mr. Kim unexpectedly confronted him, adding another layer of complexity to the situation.

"Adopting you was the most foolish mistake I HAVE EVER DONE. YOU ARE PATHETIC AND USELESS"

The intense hatred in Mr. Kim's eyes toward Seokjin left a deep impact on him. The words spoken during their confrontation continued to reverberate in his mind, causing a profound sense of guilt and anguish. Seokjin felt an overwhelming sense of failure, realizing that he had been unable to fulfill his sacred duty of protecting his beloved "alien," his brother. The weight of this failure weighed heavily on his heart.

I failed once and I'm not going to fail you again my alien. Never.

Seokjin, driven by his solemn oath, put aside everything, devoting himself entirely to unraveling the truth behind the incident, Taehyung's abduction. The younger's recovery progressed rapidly, with his ribs healing well. Seokjin and Jimin assumed the role of caretakers, understanding that Taehyung would only trust and listen to them. They provided thorough care, ensuring his well-being. Though it would typically take months to fully recover, Taehyung showed significant improvement in just three weeks. However, he still needed to recover from the injuries.

All this while, Taehyung stubbornly inquired Seokjin and Jimin about Jiahn. The elder, to encourage the younger's recovery, lied that he had found her safe and sound and assured him that he will let him meet her once he regains his health. The lone promise compelled the boy to eat well, sleep, and take his medications, fueled by the anticipation of seeing the girl again.

Though the former remained unaware of the said girl's whereabouts, he harbored suspicions that the Devil's Eye, the group responsible for Taehyung's kidnapping, was not solely involved in the ordeal. However, his train of thought was abruptly interrupted when his men informed him of a startling revelation concerning the last remaining CCTV footage, causing his mind to reel with newfound uncertainty.

"Sire I think we have something on this one"

That particular night, Seokjin and his crew members arrived at the location to examine the security recordings, only to be met with disappointment. Every camera had been deliberately disabled, erasing any potential evidence of the events that had transpired. However, amidst the wreckage, they discovered one remaining piece of crucial evidence, a glimmer of hope in their quest for answers.

"Play it"

The CCTV seemed to be placed on the corner wall viewing the backside of the school. The camera was not too high and that led the masked man to throw a fist and think it was gone but the crooked eye still kept watching and it watched more than it should have.

As the video played, a girl emerged from beneath the camera's view and continued walking ahead. She glanced back, her face partially obscured from the camera's angle. The former's attention waned at the sight of the girl, as his focus shifted to the arrival of the person who held the utmost importance in his life.

Seokjin's grip on the table tightened, his nails digging into the wooden surface as he watched the horrifying scene unfold on the monitors. His eyes locked on Taehyung, who was oblivious to the approaching danger as he looked around. Seokjin's heart sank as the man swiftly captured Taehyung, overpowering him despite his struggles. The glitching video intermittently displayed the distressing sequence, but the crucial moments were still visible.

A surge of despair washed over Seokjin as the girl reappeared, seizing Taehyung by his hair and plunging something into his neck. The attack caused Taehyung to lose consciousness, rendering him helpless as they forcibly took him away. The video now depicted an empty scene, leaving Seokjin to peer intently, his mind delving into the depths of anguish and unanswered questions.

"Leave me alone." He spoke sternly, the rest of the men except his assistant left.

"You too Lucas" Seokjin still looked at the screen.

"Are you sure you'll be okay Babe?" Lucas, his voice tinged with concern, asked Seokjin with worry etched on his face. He understood the immense pressure Seokjin carried to prove his worth to Mr. Kim and the lengths he would go to demonstrate his capabilities. Being friends with benefits for quite some time now, they had learned enough to sniff off the tension from each other.

"Yes, Lucas Go!"

"Okay if you say so, be careful" Seokjin sat down, feeling a mix of frustration and determination, and took a deep breath. He replayed the footage, focusing intently on the girl's appearance. Pausing the video at the crucial moment, he meticulously examined every detail that he could discern. However, despite his efforts, all he found was a person dressed in a college student uniform. Seokjin let out a sigh of disappointment and played the footage again, hoping to catch something he might have missed. As the girl walked forward and turned around, Seokjin paused once more, zooming in and meticulously scrutinizing the distorted pixels, but to his dismay, he found nothing that could provide further clues.

Her face was quite not visible. Seokjin sighed and played it again. Taehyung came running and went after the girl and stopped in the clearing. Did he... come after her? But why? Seokjin frowned.

The man capturing Taehyung was dressed fully in black, his face holding a black mask too, no matter how hard Seokjin tried he couldn't see the culprit's face. Sighing heavily Seokjin played the video and sat back resting on the hard chair.

The girl came, face again not visible, and stabbed Taehyung in the neck with something that looked sharp enough. Seokjin paused and zoomed in to see what she stabbed him with, although he knew it must be anesthesia yet he still zoomed in or fate needed him to see what was coming his way.

The video played and Seokjin saw her grabbing him by his hair and her hand rose in the air, the former zoomed in more to see a distorted image of a syringe, he sighed as he was about to play it again when his orbs shifted and his eyes fell on the wrist of the girl. It held an inked engraving. Seokjin frowned.

He replayed the video, the girl's sleeve moving back as she stretched her hand forth. And there Seokjin paused it.

Chills ran down his spine. Seokjin's mind was overwhelmed as one realization took hold and consumed his thoughts. The tattoo adorning the girl's wrist was all too familiar, a symbol that resonated deeply within the underworld, recognized by every being within its dark depths.

"Heartless!?" Seokjin mumbled unknowingly.

Seokjin played and paused the video again and again only to see the same thing over and over again.

Heartless is a girl? Heartless.... It's heartless. Not devil's eye, It's heartless.

Why would Heartless be after us and why would they certainly kidnap Taehyung when I am the current heir figure and then they just let him go like that?

Seokjin's head was pounding by now. So, so many questions were rushing through his mind, he held his head in his hands and groaned.

Heartless

Only one name in his mind. He looked back at the screen with glistening eyes. Shaking orbs with pools of glittering dew drops peered at the tattoo revealed on the screen. He could see the purpose of his life dying right in front of his eyes.

If they can approach his brother once, they can certainly do it twice and thrice. Maybe they let him go as a warning but what did KNIGHTS even do?

"L-Lucas, LUCAS" he called out. The door opened with a person came running to him.

"Master? You asked for me?" Lucas placed a hand on Seokjin's shoulder and asked him.

"Lucas, do you see this?" Lucas looked up to the screen at Seokjin's question, and his eyes widened like saucers.

"The hell? that's-"

"Heartless" Seokjin completed his sentence. Without giving Lucas a chance to discover Heartless's true identity, Seokjin swiftly reached for the mouse controller, his hand moving with determination. In a decisive move, he pressed the delete button, erasing the footage permanently from the database. The evidence that could potentially unveil Heartless's gender and true identity was now forever lost, leaving them with even fewer leads to follow except Seokjin.

"Why?" Lucas asked him.

"It was meant to reach me only and it did"

Seokjin rose from the chair, a sense of urgency and determination filling his every step. He inserted a USB drive into the port of the PC, transmitting a virus attack that spread throughout the entire database, effectively destroying all traces of the footage and any related information. With a swift motion, Seokjin removed the USB drive, ensuring no remnants of the attack could be traced back to him. He left the room, with Lucas following closely behind, their eyes lingering on the now blank screen of the monitor before they departed, leaving behind no evidence of their actions.

ℑ𝔶𝔞𝔫𝔨𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔣𝔬𝔯 𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔡𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔳𝔬𝔱𝔢 𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔪𝔢𝔫𝔱 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔞𝔡𝔡 𝔱𝔬 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔡𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔩𝔦𝔰𝔱𝔰.
𝔜𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔟𝔢𝔩𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔡 𝔞𝔲𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔯
𝕍𝕍