When the Prodigal Son arrived at the dead father's doorstep

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"MR. CHWE?" spoke his secretary, poking her head through a crack in the doorframe to find her employer buried, not in paperwork, but in his hands. His nervous face looked up and nodded, signalling her to continue.

"There are two police officers who wish to meet you. Said that they had an appointment with you, although I didn't see that in today's list. They insist that they have one, however. Should I let them in?"

"Yes, please. I hadn't informed you on someone's request," Hansol murmured, but thankfully the secretary caught on and promptly left.

In a few minutes, the door to his cabin opened again and Hoseok and Wheein were escorted in.

"Seokjin's on his way," he informed, smiling glibly.

Hoseok nodded grimly and dropped in the vacant seat opposite Hansol's desk. Wheein stood awkwardly behind him, hunting for a place to sit that wouldn't make her look too conspicuous or too concealed until she saw Hansol indicating to the couch a few steps away from his desk, its back set against the long, curtained window.

As she took her seat, the door swung open without warning and in walked a tall, striking man.

How unfair that all the good-looking folk come from such a rotten family tree, Wheein mundanely mused, drinking in Kim Seokjin's features. 

Clad in dandy colors of lavender, the man's face glistened with sweat, reflecting the hot weather of the day. Beads of perspiration clung evenly to his ruby lips as he made his way to Hansol's desk, sweeping up the bottle of distilled water and pouring it out in a mug with the company label. Not a word escaped from the others present in the room as they watched Seokjin gulping down its contents. After being assured that his thirst was quenched, he turned to the staring folk.

"Well? Shouldn't we get down to whatever came for?"

"Oh, yes," Wheein nodded, turning to Hoseok.

The latter began to address Seokjin, who was now leaning against one of the cerulean walls.

"We have been investigating the cause of his death, as you may know-" Seokjin nodded to confirm his knowledge of the same. "And just yesterday, we discovered the cause behind it."

"Y-you did?" Hansol interjected, wiping his brow for the umpteenth time. 

"Yes, we did," said Hoseok, rising from his revolving seat. 

"Well?" Seokjin asked, his demeanor still cool. 

"Potassium cyanide, Mr. Kim. In the dregs of Kim Namjoon's cup alone. How it was administered, we cannot tell."

So it was a case of food poisoning, after all, Wheein noted as she kept switching focus between Hansol's shocked face and Seokjin's unruffled one. Only the food didn't ruin on its own due to natural causes. It was tampered. 

Seokjin finally opened his mouth after many moments.

"So, are you suggesting someone poisoned Mr. Kim's cup?" 

"Yes, that's correct," Hoseok nodded.

"What has that got to do with me?" Hansol queried, sounding rather stupid and also agitated.

"Only the simple fact that you were present at the same tea-party along with Kim Yerim and Kim Joohyun, both of whom have confirmed your presence. And so have a few members of the household staff," Wheein quickly added.

"O-of course, I wasn't going to deny my presence. What made you think that?"

Ignoring the feeble bleats from the man, Hoseok directed his full, undivided attention on the heir of Kim Enterprises. While he wasn't the otherwise professional personage just a few minutes ago, the Inspector could tell that the news had broken some of the doggedness Mr. Kim had around him.

"Might I ask where you were on the evening of September the 1st, Mr Kim?" Hoseok questioned, making Seokjin blink.

"Must I answer?" He sounded strained.

"Well, it's essential for the investigation, you see," Hoseok smiled gently. Seokjin dipped his head in understanding.

"I was in East Africa regarding a deal about a gold mine," Seokjin explained.

"It was worthless, by the way," he added when he chanced a glance upon the glint in Hansol's eye. "Mr. Kim had sent me to work it out and the owner was in grievous need of the money so I made him a cheap deal and bought it for the company, lest it may come useful in the future. Now that I think about it, I should have bought it for cheaper."

One of the most miserly men one could ever encounter, Wheein remembered Seungwan commenting. 

"I see," Hoseok said, exchanging a look with his sister, appreciating that his thoughts tallied with hers.

"There was one more detail we wanted to discuss with you, Mr. Kim. And we thought it would be best that Mr. Chwe hears it as well," Wheein divulged. 

"Out with it then," Hansol demanded brashly and after realizing how insolent he sounded, added a hasty "Chief Constable Jung". 

 "Of course," Wheein replied, hiding a smile. "Since the results for the tests are out and the newspapers still claim that Kim Namjoon's death was a case of food poisoning and not actual poisoning, would you like us to reveal the truth to the public, sir?" 

A pregnant pause followed her statement that clearly treaded on thin ice, from the business point of view. Hoseok and Wheein both had encountered enough scandalous deaths in well-off families (not as obscure as this one) to be familiar with the usual "hushing-up" of news until one of the details "accidentally" leaked out to the public via a cunningly planned sneak. It was understandable from their point of view that the Kims, like any other family, would like to announce it during a favorable time. Law made it clear that all truth had to be brought before the public eye, but not when. 

"I'm surprised that you're even putting that option on the table, Chief Constable," Seokjin opined, adorning a crooked smile.

Hoseok almost touched his ears, afraid that he may have misheard. Seokjin, a man from the - for lack of a better word -  blue-blooded class, choosing what would be considered an "unsafe" option for the business by many others? This didn't seem like the measly, close-fisted man that Seungkwan spoke about. 

"O-oh, I see," Wheein stammered, taken aback. 

"Again, what does this have to do with me?" Hansol entreated, yet again.

"Your company will be affected just as much as mine, Hansol. Do you remember being engaged to my sister?" Seokjin cued.

"Ah, that way. Well, I don't think that-" Hansol began, only to be cut off with a reproachful glare by Seokjin.

"Whatever you say, mate," Hansol gave in. 

"Thank you, Hansol. Would you like some tea?" Seokjin asked, gesturing to Hoseok and Wheein. 

"No, thank you. We need to get going. If you don't mind, our men we'll be going through your files and Kim Namjoon's files too, for some hints regarding who could have done it. It's for the investigation, you see," Hoseok answered, getting up. Wheein followed suit. 

"Of course I don't. I don't have much of a say, do I?" Seokjin grinned, eyebrows raised.

Hoseok didn't answer so Wheein took the lead for him. 

"You're very astute, Mr. Kim. We're just being formal, I hope you do understand that," she said warmly.

"I do. Put it straight next time, won't you? That way, we'll get done with things faster," Seokjin remarked. "I'm a busy man with little time to spare. And time is money."

"We shall. Have a good day," saying so, Hoseok swung the door open and walked out, followed closely by Wheein.

Once out of the skyscraper, Hoseok adjusted his tie. Wheein took it as a sign that he was deep in thought and decided to drop the idea of a discussion. When they approached their car, Wheein was just about to get in the driver's seat when she got diverted by a catch of full-blown laughter. To her utter astonishment, it was her own brother, letting out of fits of snorts like a chimney would emit puffs of smoke.

"That sly, sly, sly rat," Hoseok cackled, voice rich with mirth. Wheein eyed him cautiously.

"I don't quite understand, Hobi. What are you talking about?"

"He's playing it safe, in quite the sneaky way, I must admit," Hoseok chuckled a bit more.

"Who? Seokjin? But I thought-"

"So did I! That fellow is such an old-school kid, it makes my lungs want to evaporate. And I'm a police officer!" Hoseok continued to shriek in laughter.

Receiving a few dignified stares from passers-by, Wheein bent down so that she was seeing Hoseok through the open door of the car, Hoseok copied her, with some difficulty.

"Get to the point, brother dear," she hissed. Realizing that they were attracting attention, Hoseok checked himself and explained, a smile still etched on his face.

"You do remember how Ms. Son, the housekeeper, described him?" 

"Of course. It puzzled me how different he was from what we heard."

"That's the thing. He's still playing safe. We are so used to skewed methods to hide private information, that we started taking it as the norm. And what's usually the norm is considered to be safe, in a layman's definition, am I right?"

Wheein had to agree with this logic, illogical as it sounded.

"So when Seokjin decided that he would go against that norm, we failed to realize that hiding or covering up bits of risky information was a risky move in itself, for it challenges the company's integrity. I am pretty sure that had it been Namjoon in Seokjin's place, we would have received the response that we were expecting. Despite being Namjoon's protégé, Seokjin defies the usual shady way of doing business. And I am willing to bet that his work ethic is the reason why Namjoon had a row with him, not just because he's mean with money."

Wheein slid into the driver's seat, speechless. Now that Hoseok put it that way, it made sense. No wonder he had laughed so loudly. Seokjin was, indeed, someone from the old school, despite looking anything but that. Well, each rebellious generation had rebels of its own, deep within. 

She wondered if Namjoon's son, someone that one might call the "true" successor of Kim Enterprises if blood played a huge role, was of the same mould. 

She highly doubted that he would be. 

*

Jungkook stood before the bedroom mirror, slipping the turquoise tie under his collar and smoothening the whole thing over. It paid not to iron his things and he sure was going to listen to his husband the next time he threw a snappy remark over his shoulder. Snarky they may be, but they were gems of advice for the scattered man. He found it odd how he, an organized entrepreneur, found it so difficult to be organized in private life. Well, he could thank his stars that he had married Taehyung, no matter how many eyebrows their wedding had raised. 

A sudden whiff of burnt eggs tickled his nostrils and a slow grin spread on his face, crinkling his eyes.

"Taehyung? Are you in the kitchen?" 

He was greeted by silence, silence that was cold and daunting. His smile faded a little. Taehyung was in the house and surely, he wasn't having a bath at this hour, so where could he be? He was quick to respond to anything.

"Taehyung?" Jungkook called out again, stepping out of his room and going downstairs to the kitchen. Spotting no one in hindsight, he took it upon himself to switch off the heat, even if the damage had already been done. Tearing his eyes away from the charcoal laden pan, he continued to search for Taehyung. Entering the drawing-room, he found the man crumpled on the floor, a pile of newspapers strewn on his feet. 

"Darling!" Jungkook exclaimed, racing to Taehyung's side, alarmed by his continual shaking. 

"What's the matter? Are you having an upset stomach? Did you hurt yourself? Speak to me!"

When Taehyung raised his head, Jungkook was astonished to find his face wet with tears.

"Whatever's the matter with you, love?"

"It-it's Father ... he's, he's no more." 

Robbed of words, Jungkook could do nothing more than hug him tighter. Although he felt no sorrow for the dead man, he couldn't bear to see his precious star weep tears for someone who had abandoned him and shamed him, marking him for life.

"I-I know what you must be thinking," Taehyung hiccupped, trying to stand up. "He wasn't the best parent out there. Toss that aside, he was horrible. But at least, at least he wanted to make amends. And now I shall never be able to meet him and fix our relationship-" 

Breath caught in his throat, Taehyung spoke no more and continued to wail, encased in his lover's bosom. 

Jungkook's mind was somewhere else as he scanned the crumpled piece of article before him. The headline was in visible range and it frightened him more than it alarmed him.

"Will you still be going back to Seoul?" He finally managed to utter.

"I suppose I will have to. F-for the f-funeral ... and they might've got my letter by now. It would be impertinent of me to shy away from meeting the rest of my family."

Jungkook hummed in response but what he read was imprinted in his mind. And he knew that Taehyung, in a dismal state he may be now, would think about it too.

"I'm coming with you. Book a ticket for me as well, on the same flight. Understood?"

The newspaper article blared: Kim Enterprises Head Snuffed out with Cyanide. 

*

Hoseok was sitting in his desk, going through Namjoon's mail before him. He had retired to his study after a hearty dinner to examine the letters Namjoon received in the past few months and had managed to lay his hands on some recent mail that had arrived the man's death. 

Wheein entered the study, dressed in her nightgown, holding two cups of hot espresso, ready for a long night. She found her brother looking perplexed as he gazed upon the address of the envelope that he held in his hands. 

"What's that?"

"A letter from Busan. It looks personal," he said and she realized why he looked so puzzled.

 Setting the cups down on the desk, she peeked from his shoulder and watched as he freed the letter from its envelope. As they both read its contents, their eyes grew wider. Hoseok whistled.

"Looks like the Prodigal Son is coming back, Whee-Whee."

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