❝you make me ill yet so fulfilled.
all self control has just been killed.❞

"our victim was force-fed until his stomach exploded." 

ju-won. twenty three years old and one month away from finishing his medical degree. 

half of his face was immersed inside a bowl filled with rotten contents. purple rashes trailed up his neck, a clear indication that he might have been asphyxiated. lalisa stared at him with quivering lips and clenched fists, the stench wasn't any worse that the sight itself. 

the room felt all too suffocating with the forensic team threading past her to collect evidence and she could barely force her legs to walk.

"god, it smells like hell in here." she glimpsed at jisoo and her poor attempt at swallowing down the gag. right, she had a sensitive flair, and by the way her features contorted in pure disgust it wouldn't be long until she expelled her lunch. 

"do you want to stay here?" 

no. the word never slipped past her lips but she still tailed close behind the brunette. jungkook and hyun-tae were whispering to each other when lalisa and jisoo stepped out and upon the sight of both women, they reduced to complete silence. 

"what were you two talking about?" she arched an eyebrow to which the older man dismissed with a shrug.

"do you think our suspect is religious and prone to orchestrate his murders by the bible?"

she never really thought about it and it wasn't as if she had much info about ji-tae aside from the fact that he was the culprit. would a religious person even dare to execute the act of revenge? 

"i'm not sure. why?" 

"the forensic team found a cross implanted on the back of the victim's neck." jesus, it could have been possible that ji-tae implanted it there in the first place to stanch the blood loss and the possibility had lalisa's stomach churning with dread. 

"do you know anything about it?" hyun-tae spared her a brief glance before reaching towards his pocket to retrieve a cigarette. it lit up with a single flick of his lighter and the smoke embrace her face in a ripple of coughs.

"there's no mention of his beliefs in the archives but it might be a possibility, yes." 

"what comes after gluttony, jungkook?" the male whose frame towered above lalisa's stared at her as if she had grown two heads and jisoo sneered from behind causing him to cast her a warning glare. 

"the seven deadly sins. i'm sure you've heard about it or is that brain of yours too small to acquire information?" 

 jungkook grimaced and crossed both arms over the expanse of his chest. silently defying her before providing a proper reply. 

"wrath, and are you sure you're not the one with the less brains?" he flashed her a mocking smile and leaned against the wall. touché, prick.

it could have been a coincidence, she mused. gluttony relates itself to greed or excess eating, and if it wasn't clarification enough, there was the word gluttony written in bright red across the wall. although not mentioned in the bible, the seven sins are a prime part of the christian teachings.

ji-tae could be a firm believer.

-

lalisa often spends her off-duty time on the rooftop. immersed in a loophole of thoughts while admiring seoul's entirety from above. it never occurred to her how bustling it actually was, but then again, she rarely has the opportunity to dwell over trivial matters like this.

"mind if i take a seat?" jungkook's raspy voice snapped her out of reverie and before she could reply, half of his body was already pressed to her side. so close she could smell his aroma and feel his strands of hair tickle her face at each gust of wind.

"what are you thinking about?" his eyes connected with hers in a brief exchange of glares before he leaned against the metal railing and propped his chin on one palm to stare into the distance. 

"what if we can't catch him. i've been too close once and i let him get away." she still resented herself for being weak that night. for allowing his smile to catch her off guard as her feet glued themselves to the floor and the gun threatened to slip through her trembling grasp.

his hand touched her palm, fingers threading with comfort as they intertwined with hers. she would have swatted him away but somehow, his warmth brought a sense of familiarity that set her at ease.

"i saw the look on your face. you were terrified." she breathed. ragged, in low puffs, and her lips parted in surprise. this was her second time witnessing a rather genuine and vulnerable side of him. one devoid of menace of arrogance. 

when did he lean over? the rough pads of his fingers curled around the end of her strand of hair and tucked it behind her ear. his touch so gentle and feather-like she barely took notice of. 

"he'll rot behind the grids." he drawled in a deep whisper yet so reassuring she leaned against his touch, seeking for his warmth as her eyes fluttered shut for an instance before she went back to facing him. 

his face glimmered beneath the moonlight, with lustre casted across his rough and chiselled features. only then she realized his eyes were painted a light shade of brown. covered with scattered specs of gold and enthralling to lure her in.

and then he smiled. a genuine curve of his lips that although silent, promised her an end to the bloodshed.

"we'll catch him."