☂ Chapter 16 ☂

Why did Y/n have to be stuck with Jimin and Kasper?

"God damn Boomers never know how to drive fast," Jimin said in a huff. Then he fired out what Y/n imagined were Korean curses before switching back to English. "It's the pedal on the right, Kasper. It's not that hard!"

Kasper tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "We're going the speed limit."

"But we're cops. What, you think we'll get pulled over? This is the first lead we've had in weeks. Show some urgency, will you?"

Y/n, who sat in the backseat, peeked out the window and decided to ease the tension by singing. "Making my way downtown, walking fast, faces pass and I'm homebound."

At her song, the car went quiet. Jimin, the designated passenger princess, slowly turned his head to stare at her. She gave him a 'What?' look that made him sigh.

"At least someone's in a good mood," he said as he put his feet on the dashboard.

Kasper swatted at Jimin's legs. "Feet off the dash."

Jimin grunted and didn't budge. Kasper did his best to whack Jimin off the dashboard despite having to keep his eyes on the busy roads of New York City. Y/n didn't recognize the exact area they were, which was probably not a good thing. Cops needed to know their location at all times. Granted, they were near the outskirts of the City, which was an area they rarely had to go. The buildings got smaller as they drove further. There weren't many crowds or bustling conversations that pierced the windows and invaded her ears. Instead, it was rather quiet. Other than the bickering between the two up front, Y/n found the ride serene.

Oh, and other than the reek of cigarettes. That smell made Y/n feel sick, but Kasper smelled like smoke 24/7, so it wasn't worth complaining about.

"Off. The. Dash," Kasper repeated as they neared a red light.

When Jimin didn't move, Kasper made a show of it by slamming on the breaks. Y/n lurched forward and yelped at the sudden force. Kasper's plan worked; Jimin ended up yelling at him in Korean while he put his feet back under the dash.

However, the plan wasn't beneficial to Y/n. The seatbelt had jabbed her wounds. Yes, she had been healing well, but not well enough to withstand sudden force to the midsection without feeling pain.

It hurt so much she wished she could cry, but she refused to do so in front of the two idiots in front of her. Instead, she groaned and held her poor stomach.

Jimin whipped around when he heard her. "Hey, are you okay? Did he slam on the breaks too hard?"

"I'm okay, don't worry. And yes," Y/n said with a huff.

Jimin's eyes bulged and he slapped Kasper's shoulder. "You asshole! I don't care how mad you are, think of her! She's injured!"

"It's not my fault you're so damn in love with her you insisted on bringing her!" Kasper said, and Jimin slinked back in his seat and sulked like a twelve-year-old.

"Uh, did I miss something?" Y/n asked, though her voice came out weak and slurred due to how heavy her lungs felt. She had bruised ribs and multiple injuries thanks to how many times she had been shot. Long story short: It wasn't pretty.

Jimin stuck his index finger over Kasper's lips. "No, you missed nothing. Ignore this old hag."

But Y/n had heard Kasper loud and clear. Jimin had insisted on her being there... because he was in love with her? That didn't make sense. Okay, well, maybe it made a little sense, but Jimin was far from the type to fall for someone like her. It wasn't like anyone had ever loved her other than her favorite old man, but even then, he was gone just like everyone else. Why would Jimin be any different?

"It's a minute away, get ready," Kasper said, making sure he didn't so much as glance at Jimin.

As he drove, Jimin checked the ammo in his pistol and made sure the safety was clicked on when he was done. Despite not being in uniform, Jimin had insisted on being armed, which led to him borrowing Hoseok's pistol and holster. It was strapped around Jimin's thigh, but his coat was so long it hid it.

They pulled into a restaurant that looked more like a drug den. The neon sign read "TIFFAY'S," and it took Y/n a second to realize it meant to say TIFFANY'S, but the N bulb was dead. It was a one-story restaurant sandwiched between a grocery store and an apartment complex made of a gray metal that reflected the sunlight onto the concrete sidewalk below it. The restaurant had cracked windows and a beige welcome mat with muddy footprints all over it.

"Maybe you should stay here," Jimin said. Right when Kasper went to protest, Jimin held up his hand. "Y/n and I are out of uniform and she's injured. If we look less intimidating, maybe this Javier is more likely to let his guard down around us."

It was true. Y/n wasn't in uniform due to being on light duty. Jungkook had allowed her to wear whatever clothes comforted her most. That led to her wearing a fuzzy sweater and black leggings that had a hole near the back of its waistband. Luckily the sweater covered it.

"What if you run into trouble?" Kasper asked.

Jimin snorted. "Awh, what's wrong, K? Scared you'll lose your best buddy?"

"Whatever. Go."

"That's the spirit," Jimin said, squeezing Kasper's shoulder. The older man flung him off. Jimin reacted by sticking out his tongue and exiting the vehicle. He opened Y/n's door for her and even undid her seatbelt to help her up.

She grabbed his hand and stood. Inevitably, she wobbled a bit and had to hold onto him for support. Going any period of time without walking was torture, but relearning to use her legs was the most difficult thing she ever had to do.

At the very least, she was grateful Jimin brought her on the mission. Not just because she wanted to prove herself. Her body needed more movement, and active work was a way to do that.

"I got you," Jimin whispered. His hand went to her back as he guided her to the front of the car. They passed by Kasper, who rolled his eyes at them.

Jimin and Y/n approached Tiffany's and peered at the double doors. They were like a pizza restaurant's front doors with the black handles and the flashing "OPEN" sign. A paper of their hours was stamped on the inside of the left door. They were open the entire week, but based on the lack of cars in the parking lot, she had a feeling it'd be empty.

Jimin opened the door for her and flashed her a grin. "Ladies first."

"Always the charmer, aren't you?"

"We Parks pride ourselves on it."

Y/n entered and got blasted with a heavy gust of AC. The unit hung above the doorway and creaked as if it were about to blow up. The inside was as depressing as Y/n's childhood due to the dim lighting and rocky surface the walls had. Like the welcome mat outside, the walls were beige with wooden floors and a wooden ceiling to complement them. The host's stand was a black podium with maybe ten plastic menus on it. However, no host was in sight.

The lobby had an archway on the left that sat behind the host's stand. It led to the core of the restaurant. It was an Olive Garden knockoff with a wooden bar that had no patrons and booths that lacked energy. There were tables scattered around the middle of the room, but based on the dust resting on some of them, Y/n didn't want to know how long it had been since they last saw a customer.

There were fake vines being used as decorations in the dining room. They were near the top of the walls where they intersected with the ceiling, and to top it all off, there was a chandelier in the middle of it all. Except that chandelier had two bulbs out and a cobweb near the top of it.

"Romantic," Jimin said. Then, he gave her a tiny nod and a close-lipped smile. "I'll take you here for Valentine's Day."

"Oh really? You think this is a good place for a date?"

"Uh, yeah. Why? Where would you want to go?"

Jimin acted confident, which wasn't surprising considering he was a prestigious officer. However, Y/n had a theory. That theory said Jimin would easily get caught off guard if someone reciprocated his flirting.

So that was what she did.

Y/n stepped closer and traced her fingers up and down his arm. To sell the show just a tad more, she made eye contact and gave him the most innocent expression she could muster.

"Your bed."

Jimin coughed and stepped away. His eyes darted around the room and landed on everything except her. Upon observing him, she noticed his ears went pink, same with the back of his neck. Her theory became fact. Y/n: 1. Jimin: 0.

Silence carried on between them, and seeing as the restaurant was empty (and didn't have the decency to play music), there was nothing but Jimin's soft breaths and occasional coughs of embarrassment.

Two minutes later, a man strolled through the dining room and stopped when he saw them there. His bearded face went from shock to exuberance in a matter of seconds. The tall stranger skipped his way over to them with a radiant grin showing off his glistening white teeth.

"Bonjour! Welcome to Tiffany's!" he said in an over-the-top tone that almost squeaked due to how high it went.

"Isn't this a pizza place?" Jimin asked. He stopped and shifted his attention to Y/n. "Isn't pizza Italian?"

Y/n tilted her head. "Dude, I didn't even know you were Korean and you're asking me that?"

Jimin sighed. "Americans."

"Anyway," the man said, clapping his calloused hands together. His thick brunette hair covered his forehead. "Table for two?"

Jimin hummed. "Preferably a booth."

"Aye, aye. Right this way!"

The man snatched two menus and brought Y/n and Jimin into the dining room. On the bright side, it didn't smell bad. It smelled of Febreze. Fifty squirts of Febreze.

They got dropped off at one of the closest booths, and Jimin and Y/n sat on opposite sides of one another. After thanking the man, Y/n picked up her menu and noticed it was a seaweed green with burgundy text. Wow. Y/n had never seen such an ugly menu before. It wasn't like she had gone to many restaurants growing up, but the street fighting events had better looking menus than Tiffany's.

"Mmm, greasy pizza," Jimin said, licking his lips. His eyes were wide and his mouth slacked open, making him look more like a starved hyena than a person. "What do you say we share a sausage pizza?"

"Are we actually eating here?"

"Duh, I haven't eaten all day. I had to run out of Jungkook's favorite place when Kasper called me about the lead."

As if on cue, Jimin's stomach growled, and he winced as he held it. It was in that moment Y/n realized how frail he was. His eye bags were more defined and sank his face. Still a gorgeous face, but seeing it infected by dark circles made her heart sting.

"Jimin," she said, putting down her menu. He didn't bother meeting her gaze. "Have you been eating?"

"Didn't you watch me wolf down all the food I made during Chuseok?"

"Chuseok was weeks ago. I'm talking about now."

Jimin peeked at her from over his menu. "Of course I've been eating. If there are two things I love in this world, they're my hair and food. Why would I give up one of the two loves of my life?"

"Should we get a lie detector test?" she asked.

Jimin stiffened. "Fine. Maybe I haven't been eating as much, but can you blame me?"

Jimin didn't continue, and she understood why. They were on duty, investigating a lead. A lead connected to the reason Jimin hadn't been eating. Y/n had to admit she hadn't been eating well either. To be fair, she didn't have as much money as someone like Jimin. Getting an apartment was hard enough. Groceries were a different animal, and being unable to walk for several weeks made living near-impossible for a while there. Eating became a once a day thing for her. Now she was back to three meals a day, but they were lighter and cheaper than before. Ramen became her best friend, as did Nardone's Pizza.

The same man came back over with two glasses of water. As soon as he set them down, he flashed Jimin and Y/n a smile that crinkled his long nose that had a mole on the tip of it.

"Thanks for stopping in, I'll be your server today. Do you guys want any appetizers? Our toasted raviolis are to die for."

"You know what, we'll take it!" Jimin said in a cheer. Then, he motioned to the restaurant. "It's pretty empty. Are you the only one here?"

"Ah, we're normally like this. Tony's in the back, he's my cook. Just me and him."

"No Tiffany?"

The man laughed so hard he slapped his knee. "That's my ma. She's retired, so she only comes here when she wants a good drink. We make the best."

"She sounds like a smart woman." Jimin extended his hand. "I'm Jimin Park."

The man shook Jimin's hand. "Javier, but you can call me Javi."

If Jimin was surprised, he didn't let it show. His smile remained on his face even as Javi left to go back to the kitchen to plug in their appetizer. Y/n didn't comment on them finding their target so soon, and Jimin didn't say a word about it either. Instead, Jimin took a sip of his water and shot her a grin.

"When I was younger, my mom took me to TGI Fridays. It was my first experience with an American restaurant. Well, one that wasn't McDonald's."

"You have American food in South Korea?" she asked with her brows knitted together.

Jimin facepalmed. "No, only America has American food, just like how only Italy has Italian food even though we're sitting in an Italian restaurant-"

"Alright, alright, I get it, no need to be an asshole. I didn't go to school, remember? The only thing I know about South Korea is you make good food and have great people."

Jimin opened his mouth to reply, then, he snapped it shut. His eyes jumped as he took in her words, and after a minute, he dropped his menu. It made a 'slap!' sound as it hit the table.

"Did... did you just compliment me?" Jimin asked, his voice an octave higher than normal.

"Yeah. You're annoying sometimes, but you're good at your job. Plus, you're a good cook." She paused and sighed, folding her hands together on the table. "I'm sorry I was so ignorant about your culture, I'm not used to learning. When you're on the street, it's hard to think about anything or anyone but yourself. Thank you for teaching me about Korea. I've loved learning about it from you, but it's not just the culture I've grown fond of."

Jimin's smile almost broke his poor eyes due to how closed they were. His cheeks wrinkled up and his brows lifted as though they were grinning with him. Little pieces of his blonde locks decorated his face and made him appear softer than ever before. The hardened police officer was like an angel, and his joy like an embrace after a rough day.

"Do you mean that?" he asked, his eyes opening to meet her gaze. "Like, really? You like learning about Korea?"

"Korea has banging food, why would I ever dislike learning about that?"

He laughed until squeaky sounds came out. "Okay, that's fair. Sorry, it's just... it's been a while."

"Since?" she asked.

"Since someone didn't judge me for liking my culture."

Although it was risky considering A) they were in public and B) Y/n didn't know what her relationship was to Jimin, she reached across the table and took his hand. She gave it a delicate squeeze that caused his skin to feel warm in her grasp.

"Jimin, it's not about you liking and embracing your culture, it's about your unresolved trauma. It's hard enough to be in our line of work, let alone with the emotions we're yet to address. You're not liking your culture because you like it, you're liking it because it's the only connection you think you have left with June."

Jimin leaned back and sniffled, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his index finger before nodding. "I thought you said you didn't go to school."

"I didn't."

"Then why did that make more sense than anything everyone else has told me?" he asked, and she frowned at that.

"We have a lot in common. We both ran from someone important but are too scared to go back and find them."

"That's different, you lost contact with your old man, I actively chose to leave June behind," Jimin said with cracks slipping into his voice. "We're not the same. You're strong, I'm... not."

"Jimin," Y/n whispered, rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand. "I cried into my pillow last night because I watched a video of a cat getting scared by a cucumber. I felt so bad for the poor kitty I cried for ten minutes."

Jimin laughed and sniffed again. "You also took a bullet to the stomach just for the chance at stopping criminals. I think you earned a good cry or two."

"And so have you. You lost your best friend and were suddenly expected to be a father. Was leaving June the right decision? I don't know, I don't know anything about children, but that doesn't mean there isn't time for you to go back for him. You can go back. Hell, I'll go with you."

He snickered. "You'd need a passport for that."

"Don't change the subject," she said with a soft smile he returned. "You know you can go back. I'll go with you-"

"No." Jimin cleared his throat and placed his hand on top of hers. "I'd love for you to be there, but it's something I need to do alone."

Y/n nodded. "But you'll do it? You'll go find June?"

Jimin opened his mouth to reply, but hesitation struck him. Javier ended up coming back before Jimin could utter so much as a single syllable. Y/n slipped her hand away from Jimin's right as Javier leaned against the side of the table and offered the two a friendly expression that tugged on his bushy brows and showed off his sparkling teeth.

"What brings NYPD to my restaurant?" he asked, and Y/n felt every ounce of life drain from her at that.

How the fuck did he know they were NYPD?

Y/n regretted letting her smile drop since Javier kept his eyes on her after that. Jimin didn't so much as flinch at Javier's words. Jimin, noticing Y/n's situation, coughed and took a sip from his water. That drew Javier's attention to him, and as soon as Jimin stopped drinking, he made an 'ah' sound and smacked his lips together.

"We're out of uniform, my good sir," Jimin said, pointing to his attire. "I like to think we're just customers, not NYPD."

"You brought a cop car to my parking lot."

Jimin snorted. "I'm surprised you recognized it. She needs a paint job. Do you see all the dust on her?"

Y/n couldn't comprehend how Jimin was not only calm, but calm enough to crack jokes in a situation like the one they were in. They had been called out, and based on the way Javi's voice was lower than before, she could tell Javi knew their true intentions.

"We barely get any customers, let alone NYPD," Javier said instead of answering Jimin's previous words. His voice raised like it was nearing a shout. "Did we fail a health inspection or something?"

"That isn't exactly our wheelhouse." Jimin leaned back and got comfy in his seat. He even yawned. "We're recovering from a massive shooting in Times Square and more homicide cases this month than the last two months combined. We needed a break and came down to the outskirts. Is that so hard to believe?"

Javier's hands, which were by his side, formed tight, shaking fists. "Don't bullshit me."

Jimin nodded once. Twice. Then, he pressed his elbows against the table and locked eyes with Javier. Silence carried on for longer than Y/n had anticipated. Jimin let the quiet fester until he hummed.

"So, you like kids?" Jimin asked with a wide smile.

That earned him a punch from Javi. Within a heartbeat, Y/n was on her feet and grabbing the back of Javi's neck. She slammed his chest down on the table and forced his arm behind his back.

"That's assault," Y/n said through a grunt as she struggled to hold him in place.

Due to his wide frame and her injured state, the man broke free, but Jimin didn't seem to care. Javi staggered back and held up his fists. Jimin didn't budge and took another sip from his water. A bruise formed on his cheek. He didn't pay it any mind.

"Man, I was looking forward to those raviolis," Jimin muttered before getting up, rubbing his injured cheek, and pulling back his coat. That revealed his sidearm, and Jimin didn't hesitate to grab it and aim it at Javi's forehead. "Hands up. On your knees."

Javier put up his hands but didn't get down. "You don't understand what you're doing."

Jimin got closer and clicked his safety off. "I said, on your knees."

Javier bit his lip before obeying. He went down and kept his hands in the air as Jimin approached. Y/n flanked and observed Javier's movements in case he attempted to pull a fast one on Jimin. Luckily for all three of them, he didn't.

"You're under arrest for assaulting a police officer," Jimin said as he holstered his weapon and put the man's hands behind his back. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have a right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you." Jimin brought his gaze to Y/n. "Get Kasper in here, he has the handcuffs."

"And leave you alone with him?"

Jimin grinned. "He's involved in a child trafficking case. If he tries anything, it will be my absolute pleasure to hurt him, so don't worry about me, 'kay?"

Y/n decided against questioning it. She departed as fast as she could and knocked on the driver's window. Kasper rolled it down and raised a brow.

"Jimin got punched in the face."

"And I missed it?" Kasper asked with a groan. "Dammit, I assume that means he needs my cuffs?"

"Yep."

Kasper got out of the vehicle and went inside the restaurant. Y/n couldn't bring herself to enter with him. Instead, she stayed outside and watched through the window as Kasper and Jimin searched and arrested Javier. As imperative as it was to find new leads for the trafficking case, there was a sensation inside her that told her Javi wasn't it. He had been too wrathful. Too brash. With one remark, he swung on a police officer. Either Javi was a grunt like the others they had arrested, or there were other issues going on up in his head.

The trio came out, and Jimin loaded Javi into the backseat. Kasper got in, and right as Y/n went to sit in the back with Javi, Jimin cut her off.

"Go sit up front, I'll be in the back with my new bestie." Jimin paused so he could pout. "Don't tell Kasper that, he might get offended."

Y/n shook him off. "I can handle it."

Jimin came a bit closer and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. After he was done, he pressed his hand against her cheek. His puppy eyes didn't leave hers the entire time.

"I know," he whispered. "But that doesn't mean you should have to. He's dangerous. Let me be a gentleman for once, yeah?"

Peering into his irises awakened a deep warmth inside her. The eyes that had once glared at her now begged her to stay safe. No one had cared for her in such a way, not even her sweet old man. The emotions swarming in her gut had her nodding even though she wanted to disagree.

"Okay."

☂☂☂

Got another PJM for y'all:

Cyberpunk/dystopia AU. That's all the info I'm gonna reveal for now ;)