An unexpected resolve had taken root in Taehyung’s chest. He thought he would be too devastated to do anything the next day — which he was, honestly — but that resolve urged him to drive to the mansion. 

His head was bowed as he trod to Jin Mo’s office, ignoring every greeting he received. His steps were ponderous, just like his heart. A shroud of void dispassion enveloped his face, tinged with sorrow, and he didn’t attempt to wear any facade when he entered the office. 

Jin Mo was already sitting on the couch, rolling the ice in his glass of whiskey. His eyes assimilated Taehyung’s grim countenance, tracing something strange behind it. Something braising and cruel, nowhere near the pure despondency he had seen yesterday. 

His dark aura fell like a chilling veil over Jin Mo’s form and filled his forehead with creases of worry. He observed him as he extended his hand and placed his glass on the table. Then, he reclined slowly and intertwined his fingers, letting his hands rest on his lap. “Tae.”

Those dark eyes lifted to meet his, and it was the first time in his life, he could say, that he saw such unearthly emptiness, as if the life had been wrung out of him. Disturbing goosebumps broke out on his spine that raised the hair at the back of his neck. The only goosebumps Jin Mo knew were always the ones caused by thrill, and fuck, this new kind of prickling sensation made him gulp. 

“I want you to help me kill someone.”

Jin Mo just stared, his jaw going slack. As if his brain malfunctioned, it could form no words or thoughts. Taehyung had made it clear since the moment he started working for him; he would never kill anyone, no matter the circumstances. And he meant it. Even in situations he was almost killed, he never took the easy way out, which was, of course, to kill first. 

It was a request that truly rendered him speechless, but he impelled his composure to return to him. “I’ll help you in anything you want, Tae. But... what happened? You had said—”

“I know,” Taehyung cut him off in a low, frosty voice. “I found the answers I was looking for.”

A spasm of surprise mixed with eagerness crossed Jin Mo’s face. “You found out who ordered the murder of your parents?”

“Yes. My hyung... He had the answers I was looking for all along.”

“What do you mean?”

A pale glint of despondency sparked in Taehyung’s eyes, dispersing some of the emptiness. “First, I’ll tell you something I haven’t for so long. One of the guys who follow me had talked to me a while back. He had threatened me, actually. He said I’m only alive today because I’m being protected by you. But when they take you down and kill you, they’ll kill me too.” 

Jin Mo erupted in deranged laughs. “They’ll take me down and kill me?” Another blast of cackles spewed from him as he shook his head. “Who is he? Who is his boss? I’ll fucking kill them all.”

“I don’t know who that guy was, but the other guy who follows me is Lee Man Shik. And he works for Moo Chae Yeon.”

Jin Mo’s brows pulled together. “You found Chae Yeon? How?”

“It really doesn’t matter,” Taehyung uttered. “She lives in a mansion at Gangbuk-gu. And she was the one who ordered the murder of my parents.”

“That bitch, huh? That bitch wants to kill you so bad? Why?”

Taehyung lowered his head as a sudden constriction at the back of his throat blocked his ability to talk right away. Unwittingly, he allowed himself to recall clearly every harrowing revelation that bombarded him yesterday so he could impart it to Jin Mo, and it felt as though holes were being drilled into his chest all over again. 

“My mother... had an affair with Woo Myeong. Jae Wook hyung found out about it and couldn’t keep it a secret from Ji Sun anymore. When he told him, Ji Sun killed Woo Myeong’s son. Chae Yeon then found out everything. About his affair. And that I’m Woo Myeong’s son.”

Shock seized Jin Mo’s countenance, turning his eyes into two big circles of disbelief. His mouth opened and closed as he strove to digest the appalling information. “Ji Sun wasn’t your father?”

Taehyung lifted his gaze to him, only then registering the wetness that blurred his sight and dripped down his cheeks. He quickly dried his face with his sleeves. “No. And he didn’t know about it. My hyung couldn’t tell him that too.”

Jin Mo let a few moments of silence roll by as he regarded him with a notion of compassion. An absurd urge to caress his shoulder so he could comfort him rose in his gut, but he punched it out of his system. He was never that type and he couldn’t be that type, even when it came to Taehyung. But Taehyung was only the second person who triggered such an urge within him. The first person was his previous best man, Lee Jeon. 

“I’m sorry, Tae. This must be so hard to take in.”

“It is. And it hurts. And I don’t know what to do with myself anymore.”

Jin Mo’s fingers dug into his palm, battling with a sudden gloom that wanted to engulf his features. “I’ll help you. I’ll do anything for you. You want them to die, right?”

“Yes,” Taehyung responded at once, a raw callosity in his tone. 

“I’ll make it happen for you, then. I’ll prepare everything for you as soon as possible. I’ll give you the closure you need.”

Taehyung identified a gleam of thrill in his eyes — a thrill that was thirsty to kill. And it was the first time it didn’t make his skin crawl. Because he was looking for that thrill and it finally emerged. “Thank you, Jin Mo-ssi. But how will you do it?”

“I’ll attack her hideout. And kill everyone in my way. But I’ll leave that bitch alive for you.”

Suddenly, the image of Sa Rang popped up into his mind. She was Chae Yeon’s informant, so in a way, she was one of her people. He could only hope she wouldn’t be there. With this thought, his eyes grew a tad anxious. “I don’t want you to kill everyone. I don’t want unnecessary blood on me. I only want Chae Yeon’s. Lee Man Shik’s. And the other guy’s who killed my mother.”

“Okay, then. But it’s going to be a war. Blood always spills in a war.”

“I know,” he mumbled. “I know how it is. But I also know how crazy you can get. So please. Just catch them. And don’t kill them before I come.”

Taehyung’s words soured a fraction of his thrill, but he still nodded. “Okay. This is for you, so I’ll respect your wishes.” 

“Good. And do you mind... if I don’t work today?”

“No, don’t worry,” Jin Mo reassured. “I’m still trying to find a natural way for you to meet Ha Eun. But this will have to wait either way because I have to prepare everything for the attack. Forget about work. Hang out with your friends, go out with them, go get hammered. Just don’t stay home and hurt all alone. Do something.

“Life doesn’t end here, Tae. Your mother still loved you. And just because you don’t share the same blood with Ji Sun doesn’t make him any less of a father to you. He was the one who raised you and loved you. He was and is your father. Never forget that. And you can always rely on me. You know you’re not like the others who work for me, right?”

A warmth bloomed beside the suffering in Taehyung’s heart as he gazed at him. He knew Jin Mo cherished him, but it was pleasantly surprising to see how much and how willing he was to help him.

He also knew Jin Mo was right. His mother still loved him, but he couldn’t forgive her in his heart yet for all the lies and pretense. His poor father loved her more than his life and she wrecked him. He couldn’t forgive her about that yet, either. 

“I know,” Taehyung said quietly. “And I really... Thank you for what you said. I didn’t expect it from you.”

The tips of Jin Mo’s lips twitched into a soft smile. “I surprised myself too. I’m just a cruel businessman. But I have to admit that I care for you. Like the son I never had.”

The muscles in Taehyung’s face relaxed enough to welcome a little genuine smile. “This business made you cruel. And you have to be cruel to survive, anyway. I feel like I can rely on you, so thank you for that. I need it now more than ever. And I’ll work hard for you to repay you.” 

Jin Mo gave him a nod, accompanied by a fond smile. After Taehyung returned it, he pushed himself off his seat and trod to the door. 

He hadn’t checked his phone since the crippling truth was revealed to him, but with Sa Rang’s remembrance earlier came along the instruction he had given her to call him yesterday. 

He searched his pockets when he exited the office and found his phone in his coat’s inner pocket. He had two missed calls from Sa Rang and three from Jimin. He tapped the message icon beside Sa Rang’s name. 

Taehyung: I’m sorry, Sa Rang-ssi. A lot happened yesterday and I’m still too out of it to talk about anything right now. Avoid Chae Yeon as much as possible. She’s more dangerous than you think. And don’t go to her mansion. I’ll call you. 

He put his phone back in its place and went to look for his friends. Even if he didn’t feel like getting hammered, as Jin Mo suggested, he needed to share his pain and hang out with them. 

🥀

Jungkook’s eyes were fixed on Jeosun’s file on his computer, studying the evidence again and again. They had no new leads that could help them with the case. His trip to Daegu wasn’t as helpful as he hoped, since he only came back with more questions than answers. There was no way to find detective Ju Hyun. And he could only wait for Jeo Soon to be found. 

Taehyung slipped into his tired mind again at the memory of his trip to Daegu. He made such a fool of himself yesterday. He kissed him and indirectly confessed his still bewildering feelings for him. And Taehyung trampled them down. He seemed desperate to flee from him, and it hurt more than Jungkook thought it would. 

Taehyung’s last words before he stormed out of his house ran around in his head in maddening circles near all day long. Of course he could have any man he wanted. He was the epitome of beauty, sexiness, and entrancement. But the thought of him with another man bubbled a sickening mire in his gut that brought along sparks of rage and dejection all at the same time. 

The forgotten footage of the night Taehyung had come to the station was the next that leaped into focus from a corner of his frazzled mind. He gave a once-over to his team that seemed equally weary, as it was almost time to go home, and rose to his feet. “I need to check something. Be right back.”

“Okay,” Hoseok said smilingly and trained his eyes on his computer again. 

Jungkook made his way to the monitor room and soon arrived. He knocked on the open door to get the attention of at least one of the three officers who worked in there. “Hey. I need to check something. Is it okay?”

All of them squared their shoulders at the presence of the chief’s son. “Of course, detective Jeon,” San Ryeok said and immediately conceded his seat to him. 

“Thanks,” Jungkook uttered as he trod to the computer. “Continue doing what you were doing. Pretend like I’m not here.”

Once Jungkook noticed they nodded in agreement, he turned the screen a tad to the side to obstruct the person sitting next to his desk from accidentally seeing what he had to do. He located the saved footages and clicked on the folder with the wanted date. He played the footage of the violent crimes unit’s office and skipped towards the end, searching for the point Taehyung would appear. 

Once he spotted it, he let the footage play in fast forward to make sure he would delete the correct part from start to finish. Soon, the dullness carpeting his traits distorted as his brows flinched downwards. He had the impression something strange happened to the footage, so he rewound it. He played it at normal speed this time and his frown deepened as the video seemed to skip one minute. 

He wanted to excuse it as a glitch since he had encountered plenty before, but the next scene had his eyes swirling in mystification. It was the moment the two walked to the desk, but Jungkook stopped to glance at the clock. And Taehyung leaned to the hard drive as he took his seat, then slithered something into his pocket. He replayed that part and paused the video before Taehyung sat. He zoomed in on the hard drive. And his heart pranced in anxious bewilderment when he recognized a USB placed in one of the ports. 

What the fuck is this? He sprang up from his seat, his gaze riveted on the screen. Did Taehyung... 

“Detective Jeon?” 

Jungkook snapped his head to the side at the call of his name. All three were staring at him with a subtle curiosity, and he only then remembered their presence. “Um, I’m almost done. Give me a minute.” He redirected his gaze to the screen, and although he wavered, he deleted the footage. 

For whatever reason, Taehyung had connected a USB to the computer. And his behavior that night started to feel more bizarre the more he thought about it. He wanted him out of the office. That was why he asked for another sprite and didn’t even drink it. 

What could Taehyung want from the police’s database? Whatever it was, he apparently got it because it was just the next day when Taehyung told him he wanted to stop being his informant. And then he avoided him, which meant he wanted to cut any contact with him. Was that his goal all along? But why was Taehyung hurting over their separation as well? 

Was Jungkook’s suspicion that he didn’t work alone right, eventually? Did someone plant him next to him to take whatever he wanted? The flurry of harrowing questions carried on even more vehemently as he dragged his feet towards the door. 

If he were indeed planted by someone next to him, was everything planned from the start? Did Taehyung know who he was when they slept together? Were their constant meetings after that night just a coincidence? Was his constant involvement in the most cases he handled just a coincidence? Did Taehyung soften to him and got close to him just because of his unknown purpose?

And why did Jungkook’s heart feel so heavy as he went through the ocean of questions in his head again and again without finding any answers? Without being sure about anything? Why did his chest ache and his stomach twisted violently when the thought of Taehyung approaching him just because of a purpose eddied in his mind? 

In the dizzying chaos of unanswered questions, he was sure only about one thing. Taehyung threw him away because he got what he wanted from him. 

What was his purpose? Who was he really? Was he even... Seon Taehyung? 

Jungkook stood frozen stiff by the door of the violent crimes unit, gazing at his team members and Seokjin with a dazed look. When Namjoon’s probing stare entered his senses, he shuffled towards them. “Seokjin hyung,” he called and crouched over him a tad. “I need you for something private. Can you stay for a bit?”

Seokjin, although clearly confused, nodded. “Okay.” 

“Kook, what is it?” Namjoon asked. 

“I’ll tell you when I know for sure. Promise.”

“Okay. We were about to go for drinks. Do you want to join us?”

“Another time, Namjoon hyung.”

Namjoon acknowledged his expected remark with a nod. “We’ll wait outside, Seokjin-ah. Goodnight, Kook.”

“Bye.”

After everyone said their goodbyes and left, Jungkook sat at his desk. “I want you to search about Seon Taehyung.”

“Taehyung? Why?”

“Just do what I ask you. Search his name in your programs, not our database.” 

Seokjin complied despite his puzzlement that only surged. “Hmm, there are too many results. It’ll take forever to get through them all. Give me his date of birth, or something else at least.”

“I’ll give you his RRN. It’ll be quicker.” Jungkook searched his name on the standard database with his date of birth and found his resident registration number.

Seokjin typed the number Jungkook provided him with and tapped the enter key. His head recoiled as a frown of utter confusion sprawled on his face. He closed the results. “Tell me his RRN again.” 

Jungkook’s features gloomed and the grip around his heart tightened because, at that moment, he knew. He knew all his suspicions were true. But he did as he was told. 

Seokjin entered the number to the search bar and a heavy exhalation seeped through his mouth when he got the same results again. “What the hell?” he muttered. “It only shows this profile, Kook.” He angled the screen towards him. 

Jungkook examined the profile and recognized the guy in the picture as the one who lived in Taehyung’s previous house. He shifted his eyes to the profile on his screen and scanned the information before focusing on the other profile again.

It was identical. The information about their family, the driver’s license, the license plate of their motorcycle. Everything was identical except for the picture. 

And right then everything started getting molded into a horrendous realization that blitzed Jungkook’s chest, crushed him and throttled him. 

“The Taehyung we know isn’t Seon Taehyung.”

Seokjin let the words wash over him and meditated on them for a stretch. “So he stole someone else’s identity?” 

“Yes.” 

“Then who is he?” 

Jungkook’s eyes dropped to his desk. The answer his brain conjured made his head reel in a vortex of desolation, sickening betrayal, and underlying fury. “You want my honest guess?” With the sudden heaviness to his tongue and the oppression that closed off his throat, his voice was scarcely audible. “He’s Kim Taehyung.”

Nonplussed shock exploded onto Seokjin’s face as he gaped at him like he were a madman. “What? The guy we couldn’t find anything about? That’s... That’s crazy.”

Yes, it was crazy. But it was crazier that Jungkook’s vision hazed over with a prickling wetness, which he strove to confine, at the possibility of being played by Taehyung for so fucking long. It was crazier that his stomach coiled and fluttered and lurched with a vile agony that paralyzed every inch of his body. It was crazier how fucking much Jungkook cared for him and hurt over this. 

“There’s one way to know for sure. Min Heo.”

Seokjin processed the name. “The server from that bar?”

“Yes. He has seen Kim Taehyung.”

A quivery sigh rolled off Seokjin as he reclined. “Kook... It sounds too far stretched. How can he be Kim Taehyung and fool us for so long?”

Exactly. How could he? He didn’t feel a tiny bit of guilt for toying with them like that? For all the lies he had spewed? “I know it sounds ridiculous. But why couldn’t we find anything about Kim Taehyung? Everything makes perfect fucking sense right now. Kim Taehyung doesn’t exist in databases because he has a stolen identity, as I had guessed. And now I know why he approached me.” 

“Why?” 

It was the last glimmer of hope Jungkook had to prove to himself that everything he suspected about Taehyung was false. That he was indeed just a madman who invented far-fetched scenarios with zero credibility. “Try finding the results of Kim Taehyung’s blood sample and Jay’s file.” 

Seokjin clicked a few things on his computer right away and entered Jay’s name to the search bar. He got zero results. And the same thing happened with Kim Taehyung. “Both have disappeared.”

The reality he so much fought to prove wrong rushed to him at breakneck speed, tearing everything apart on its passage — along with his heart. The Taehyung he knew, the Taehyung he slept with, the Taehyung he took care of, the Taehyung who took care of him, the Taehyung he had feelings for — feelings he had never experienced before — was an imposture. He didn’t exist. 

He was the Kim Taehyung, one of Jin Mo’s men. Jin Mo’s favorite and best. A seducer. He was working for his hyung’s killer. And he deceived him to the fullest. 

While Jungkook asked him about Jin Mo, about Kim Taehyung, opened up to him about his hyung, shared pieces of his pain with him, Taehyung deceived him in the worst possible way. He lied, played him, made him care, got what he wanted, and threw him away. Like a fucking used napkin. 

Sadness crept into Seokjin’s eyes as he regarded the devastation that wandered around Jungkook’s countenance. “Kook,” he whispered. “Nothing is certain yet. Maybe the information disappeared earlier, and we just didn’t realize it.”

The hopeful assumption didn’t mollify the vile agony in his gut, nor did it disperse the devastation from his face. Instead, he felt sick. “I’ll go to Merlina tomorrow to show Min Heo a picture of him, since you want proof. But I know it’s him.”

“And what do we do about it? If he’s really Kim Taehyung?”

Jungkook didn’t speak for a while, as the loathsome revelation still refused to sink in. “We’ll use him. He’ll lead us to Jin Mo one way or another. Without even knowing it.”

“But how, Jungkook? He’s avoiding you. He cut contact with you. Oh God,” he murmured as his forehead puckered with creases of appalled sorrow. “Did he just use you? For... For this?” 

Jungkook sniffed as he looked heavenwards, contending with his self-control to rein back his tears. “Yes. He used me and threw me away. I’ll try talking to him again. I want... I want to see him act.”

“Don’t do this to yourself.” Seokjin’s quiet words were coiled around a pained desperation. “I know you’ve gotten close. Don’t torture yourself like this, please. And maybe—maybe you’re wrong. Maybe he’s not really Kim Taehyung.”

No matter the assumptions, every glimpse of hope had burned out of Jungkook’s existence. “He’s Kim Taehyung. It makes perfect sense. Like every piece fell into place the moment I found out the Taehyung we know has a stolen identity. So don’t try to deny it for my sake. I’m fine.”

Seokjin just gazed at him through his saddened eyes. “You’re not fine, Kook. I can see it. And you can’t be.”

Jungkook still didn’t meet his gaze. Of course he couldn’t be fine. And he wished he could veil it enough so Seokjin wouldn’t keep trying to comfort him. He needed him to leave him alone. Because the destructive tsunami of despair rose dangerously within him the more he recalled his memories with Taehyung.

“Thanks for your help,” Jungkook uttered. “You can leave. And you should tell the others what we found because I don’t think I can. At least not right now.”

“But Kook... I don’t want to leave you alone. Why do you always want to be alone in moments like this? We’re your friends. And we’re here for you. Why don’t you—” The rest of his words died on his tongue as he watched Jungkook hide his face with his hand and perceived the subtle shaking of his form. Soon, stifled breaths reached his ears, and he hastened to enclose him in his embrace. 

“It’s okay. You can cry. You should. When something hurts you, you’re allowed to cry. Don’t hold yourself back.” Seokjin smoothed his palm over his back again and again as he held him tightly. “I’m sure you want to be alone because you don’t want anyone to see you like this. But you shouldn’t care about it. Crying isn’t a shameful thing. Being sad isn’t a shameful thing. It’s human.” 

Jungkook managed to quiet his outburst of tears a notch, and he withdrew from the hug to wipe his drenched cheeks. “When did I become so weak?” he drawled. “Since when am I such an idiot? Why? Why the fuck... Why does it hurt like this?”

Seokjin ran his fingers through Jungkook’s hair and set his hand on his shoulder. “It hurts because you care about Taehyung. But if he really used you and doesn’t even care or feel guilty about it, he’s a disgusting jackass. You’re not stupid. It’s not your fault.” 

Jungkook dried the remains of his tears with his sleeves and glanced up at him. “What difference does it make if he feels guilty about it? He’s still Kim Taehyung. He still played me. He still used me to get what he wanted and threw me away.”

Seokjin filled his lungs with a long breath and exhaled slowly as he caressed the side of his head. “I know. But from what the others have told me, Taehyung seemed to care. It’s hard to believe that everything was an act. You should listen to his side first. Even if he says he doesn’t care, you can only be sure when he tells you that.”

“I won’t do anything for now. I’m too... I don’t even know,” he sighed. 

“It’s okay. It’s for the best to think about everything for a bit more, so you won’t make any hasty decisions.”

Jungkook nodded, knowing he was right. He had a card up his sleeve that he had to use wisely. But he would think about that tomorrow. 

With another silent sigh, Jungkook stood up. “Let’s go drink for now.”

Seokjin’s eyes brightened with pleasant surprise. “You want to come along?”

“Yes.”

A smile broke out on Seokjin’s face. “I’m so glad, Kook.”

Despite the despondency swirling in Jungkook’s gut, he managed a little smile. “Let’s go.”

───⭒───༺🌑༻───⭒───

Jungkook finally knows everything! We still have a lot of angst on our way, but it'll be worth it. Promise 💜