The room fell silent after Taehyung's words.

YN's mind raced, piecing together the scattered fragments of the story they had just laid before her.

Her gaze flickered to Jungkook, who was unusually quiet, his eyes trained on the map of connected photos and locations on the wall.

YN hesitated before speaking, her voice soft but steady.
"Do you think the pattern means... it's not over?"

Taehyung's expression darkened, his jaw tightening.

He didn't respond immediately, his gaze locked on the burned flower symbol pinned to the corner of the map.

His fingers brushed against it, the slight tremor in his hand betraying the storm brewing beneath his composed exterior.

Jungkook finally broke the silence.
"There's something else," he muttered, stepping forward.

He tapped on a surveillance feed still paused on the monitor. "This was taken two nights ago... near one of the previous crime scenes."

YN leaned in closer, her eyes narrowing as the blurred figure on the screen came into focus.

A man, face obscured, but the posture, the outline... it felt unnervingly familiar.

Taehyung's voice dropped to a whisper, almost to himself.
"Why does he look like..."

The lights flickered, plunging the room into momentary darkness.

When they came back on, the burned flower symbol on the wall was missing.

The next morning, Taehyung sat at his desk, the storm of the previous night still lingering in his mind. 

The faint scent of burnt paper clung to the air as if it hadn't been a figment of his imagination.

 The burned flower symbol haunted him. He hadn't told Jungkook or YN about its disappearance, choosing instead to bury the unease deep within.

He was lost in thought when his phone buzzed, pulling him back to reality. The message was brief but enough to send chills down his spine:

"New case. Report in 10 minutes. Details confidential."

Taehyung closed his eyes, steadying his breath.

His nightmares hadn't stopped, and now it felt like the universe was pulling him deeper into the void of unanswered questions.

At the station, Jungkook and YN were already waiting, both engrossed in a thick file marked "Classified".

YN glanced up as Taehyung entered, her brow furrowing at the shadow under his eyes.

"Another sleepless night?" she asked, half-joking, but her concern was evident.

"Let's skip the pleasantries," Taehyung muttered, taking the file from Jungkook's hands.

The first page was a photograph of a victim, mid-20s, male.

The details mirrored a case he had buried deep in his mind—Namjoon's. His heart raced, though his face betrayed none of it.

"What's this about?" he asked, his voice steady but cold.

"The victim," Jungkook began, "was found outside an abandoned warehouse two nights ago. Cause of death is unclear, but..." He hesitated, glancing at YN.

"But?" Taehyung pressed, flipping to the next page.

"Burned flowers were found scattered around him," YN finished, her voice barely above a whisper.

Taehyung's grip on the file tightened.
The burned flower. The symbol that had haunted him for years was now back, taunting him.

"That's not all," Jungkook added, pulling up an image on the screen. "There's a mark on the victim's wrist. Look familiar?"

The screen displayed a crude engraving—a circular emblem with a line slashed through it.

Taehyung's blood ran cold. He had seen that mark before. Years ago. On Namjoon's personal journal, the last thing he had before his brother vanished.

"An underground organization," he murmured, more to himself than the others.

YN's gaze sharpened. "You know something about this, don't you?"

Taehyung ignored her, pacing the room as pieces of the puzzle started clicking into place.

The symbol wasn't just a mark; it was their calling card. And if they were involved in this case, then Namjoon's disappearance wasn't just a random tragedy—it was deliberate.

"Get me everything on this organization," Taehyung ordered, his voice clipped.

Jungkook and YN exchanged uneasy glances but nodded, knowing better than to question him.

As they dispersed, Taehyung sat back, staring at the photograph of the victim. His brother's face flashed in his mind. The organization hadn't just resurfaced—they were sending him a message.

The words on the paper lingered in the tense air between them, a silent challenge neither could ignore.

Taehyung folded the paper with deliberate care and slipped it into his pocket, his jaw set.

"We're dealing with someone who knows how to play mind games," he said, his voice steady but cold.

YN crossed her arms, her eyes scanning the empty room. "And someone who clearly knows your past."

Taehyung turned sharply toward her, his eyes narrowing. "You think this is about me?"

"Not entirely," she replied, unfazed by his intensity. "But you're not exactly subtle about your history with this symbol. Whoever left this note knows how to get under your skin."

Taehyung's expression darkened, but he couldn't argue with her logic. The connection was undeniable.

"We need to head back," he said curtly, turning toward the exit. "There's more to dig through in the files."

YN followed, her pace matching his as they stepped into the evening light.

She stole a glance at him, noticing the tension in his shoulders. For all his composure, he carried the weight of his unresolved past like a shadow.

Back at the office, the two sat across from each other, the desk between them piled high with case files, photos, and maps. The stark fluorescent lights buzzed faintly overhead, adding to the heavy atmosphere.

YN flipped through a report, her brow furrowed. "The victim's background doesn't stand out—no connections to the organization we're tracking, no significant criminal ties. Why target them?"

Taehyung leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the armrest. "Sometimes it's not about the victim. It's about the message."

He pulled out the folded paper from his pocket and placed it on the desk. "They want us to dig deeper. But into what?"

YN picked up the note, her eyes tracing the jagged, hurried handwriting. "You've seen this before, haven't you?"

Taehyung hesitated for a fraction of a second, his gaze dropping to the burned flower symbol on a nearby photo. "Something similar. A long time ago."

"And you think it's connected to..." YN trailed off, her voice softening. "Your brother?"

Taehyung's eyes snapped up to meet hers, a flicker of vulnerability breaking through his stoic exterior. "It doesn't matter what I think. What matters is finding whoever is behind this before they strike again."

For a moment, the room was silent except for the faint rustle of papers. YN set the note down and leaned forward, her elbows resting on the desk.

"Look," she said, her tone measured but sincere. "I get that you're used to working alone, keeping people at arm's length. But this isn't something you can do on your own."

Taehyung's expression hardened. "I've handled worse on my own."

"And how far has that gotten you?" YN shot back, her voice firm but not unkind. "You don't have to trust me completely. But if we're going to solve this, we need to work together. As partners."

Taehyung studied her, his sharp gaze searching for any sign of deceit. But all he found was determination.

"Fine," he said after a long pause, his voice clipped. "But don't expect me to hold your hand."

YN smirked, leaning back in her chair. "Good. I'd rather not."

Their partnership was uneasy at first, marked by tense silences and unspoken doubts.
But as the night wore on, a rhythm began to emerge.

YN pointed out discrepancies in the reports that Taehyung had overlooked, while he pieced together connections she hadn't considered.

Their approaches were different—his calculated and methodical, hers intuitive and bold—but they complemented each other in a way neither of them expected.

By the time the clock struck midnight, the desk was covered in notes and theories, and the beginnings of a plan had started to take shape.

Taehyung glanced at YN, who was scribbling something in her notebook with a focused intensity.

Despite his initial reservations, he couldn't deny that she was good at what she did.

"You're not bad at this," he said grudgingly, breaking the silence.

YN looked up, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "I'll take that as a compliment."

He didn't respond, but the corner of his mouth twitched, almost imperceptibly, in what might have been the ghost of a smile.

The next day, their first real test as partners came in the form of a lead—a name connected to the warehouse where the victim had been found.

As they prepared to leave the office, YN grabbed her coat and glanced at Taehyung. "So, do we have a game plan, or are we winging it?"

Taehyung slipped on his gloves, his expression unreadable. "Stick to the plan. But be ready for anything."

YN raised an eyebrow. "Comforting."

"Welcome to the job," he said dryly, heading for the door.

As they stepped out into the crisp morning air, YN couldn't help but feel a strange sense of anticipation.

 For all the uncertainty and danger ahead, she knew one thing for sure—this partnership was only just beginning.

Taehyung leaned against the edge of the desk, his arms crossed and his gaze fixed on YN. The faint glow of the desk lamp cast sharp shadows across his face, accentuating the seriousness in his tone.

"We can't do this alone," he said, breaking the tense silence. "This case is bigger than us. If we're going to have any chance of taking them down, we need a team."

YN straightened from where she was leaning against the wall, her eyes narrowing slightly. "A team? You trust people enough for that?"

"It's not about trust," Taehyung replied coldly. "It's about capability."

He pushed off the desk and moved to a nearby file cabinet, pulling out a folder and dropping it onto the desk in front of her.

"Jungkook," he said, tapping the folder. "He's young, but he's good. Surveillance, infiltration, you name it—he gets it done."

YN flipped open the folder, scanning through the sparse but impressive notes on Jeon Jungkook. "So, a tech wizard with a knack for sneaking around. How do you know he won't just take off when things get messy?"

Taehyung smirked faintly, the corner of his mouth lifting in a way that almost looked amused. "Let's just say he owes me."

YN raised an eyebrow but didn't press further. She'd learned by now that Taehyung only revealed what he wanted to—and no more.

"Fine," she said, closing the folder. "But if we're bringing him in, I want to know what we're walking into. No surprises."

"No surprises," Taehyung repeated, his tone neutral but firm.

The sound of faint keyboard clicks echoed in the dimly lit room.

Jungkook was sitting at a desk strewn with wires, monitors, and devices that YN had seen countless times before.

He was engrossed in his work, his sharp features illuminated by the flickering light of multiple screens.

Taehyung stepped into the room, his presence commanding even in silence. "Jungkook," he announced, though his voice carried a tone of familiarity rather than formality.

Jungkook didn't look up immediately, his focus remaining on the screen in front of him. "Hyung," he greeted casually, finishing his task before swiveling in his chair to face them. His gaze landed on YN, and a lopsided grin spread across his face.

"YN," he said, leaning back in his chair with an air of nonchalance. "So you're still in this game, huh?"

"Could say the same about you," YN shot back, crossing her arms with a smirk. "Still hacking your way through life?"

"Some things never change," Jungkook replied, his tone teasing but warm.

He turned to Taehyung, the grin fading slightly. "So, what's this about? If you're both here, it must be serious."

Taehyung stepped forward, dropping a file onto Jungkook's cluttered desk. "We're dealing with an underground organization. Smuggling, disappearances, blackmail... They're connected to everything, including a case I've been chasing for years."

Jungkook's playful demeanor shifted instantly as he opened the file.

His dark eyes scanned the contents with precision, absorbing every detail. "This..." He paused, his tone grim. "This is bad."

YN leaned closer, her focus locked on the papers Jungkook flipped through. "These aren't isolated crimes. It's all connected—layers of operations we're only starting to uncover."

Jungkook nodded, his jaw tightening. "And you're saying this ties back to...?"

Taehyung's expression darkened, his voice low and resolute. "Namjoon."

The weight of the name hung in the air, heavy and unspoken.

Jungkook glanced at YN, his brows furrowing as if trying to piece together the implications.

Breaking the tense silence, Jungkook pushed the file aside and leaned forward. "Alright, I'm in. But if we're going after these guys, we're going to need more than just us. This isn't something you can tackle without a solid team."

Taehyung nodded. "That's the plan."

Jungkook smirked, a hint of his usual confidence returning. "Then let's get to work."