Having an injured knee was truly bothersome for Taehyung. The pain was still there when he walked, and although it was diminished by a fraction, he couldn’t work because of it. All of his missions had to be put on hold until he could run again.

And how the hell could he say this to Jin Mo? He’d bitch about it without end. Taehyung wasn’t ready to hear it, but he couldn’t avoid it forever. Jin Mo had already called him five times. He had to go to the mansion and report to him about the mess with Jungkook.

And so he did. He requested for someone to pick him up since he couldn’t drive with that leg, and after about an hour, he was limping his way towards Jin Mo’s office.

He dismissed Ah In’s attempt to ask him what happened with a disheartened, “You don’t want to know,” and waited outside of the door until it slid open. 

“Yah, why the hell are you limping?” Jin Mo spat out the moment he faced him. 

Taehyung hobbled further inside tacitly and seated himself on the couch. “Just sit. You won’t like what you’ll hear.”

Jin Mo’s face hardened at his words, but he did as he was told and sat across from him. “What happened?”

“Everything went according to the plan. Sang Mi Jun cooperated with the police and sent them the location of the deal. Jeon Jungkook’s team raided the place. They arrested everyone. Sieun too.” Taehyung sucked his lower lip between his teeth, his gaze darting all around the floor. “But Jungkook caught me.”

Jin Mo’s narrowed eyes measured him up with a fast-growing presentiment. “He caught you, or did you get caught on purpose?”

“No. He caught me.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. What happened to you, Tae?” he groused in utmost condemnation, threaded with disappointment. 

“He was fast, okay? Obviously I couldn’t fight him, and I injured my knee. I couldn’t run even if I wanted to.”

“And what happened?” 

“I had to make up a story on the spot and I said I’m working for different dealers for money and because I’m looking for something. He wanted to lock me up, and I just said... I could be his informant.”

“What? His informant?” His incensed voice carried far through the luxurious office. “That wasn’t part of the plan, Taehyung. You just had to save his ass from Sieun and make him trust you.”

“I know, I know. I really didn’t have a choice. But if you think about it, it’s perfect. I’ll give him information about petty dealers or dealers you hate and I’ll gain his trust easier this way.”

Jin Mo arose with a sigh and shuffled towards his desk to pour himself a glass of whiskey because he couldn’t digest this conversation without alcohol. “If someone finds out... that you’re a snitch... I won’t be able to save you.” 

Taehyung’s eyes became slightly rounder and the corners of his mouth drooped at the sound of his voice. He had rarely heard Jin Mo speak in such a manner; worry edged through the rifts of his tone, coloring it with a grave, low tint. “Yah. Don’t be so serious. I’m a snitch for you.” 

“You know it’s different to be a snitch for the police. I use you as a strategy for my organization.” Jin Mo chugged down his drink and refilled his glass before trudging back to his seat. 

“Whatever. No one will know.”

“I don’t care what you do. You know I trust you. Just be careful. And get access to the station and delete any trace about you, Jay, and me.”

“About that... Remember when I put your men to break into his house?”

“Yeah?”

“Jimin hacked into his security system, and we watched him read a file. That file was about you. He has every intel about you in a file in his house. In his safe.”

“Then get that file too.” Jin Mo shrugged a shoulder. 

“Didn’t you hear me? It’s in his safe. Even if I get access to his house, I won’t be able to open the safe. You need to put the Breakers to do the job. Not a seducer.”

“Fine. You’re right.” A low groan passed through his lips. “You just do your job. I’ll see what I’ll do about that.”

“Also, I won’t be able to work until my knee heals.” Taehyung recognized the frustrated, piercing glare Jin Mo shot him and continued in haste. “I’ll focus on Jungkook for a while instead. Do you have anyone in mind that I could give him information about?”

“Hmm, fine. Maybe it’s for the best this way. This mission is the most important right now and needs to be completed as soon as possible. Tell him about Ung Seo, the dealer in Gangnam. You have to be extremely careful, Taehyung.”

“I will. What about Ki Han? He’s just a useless druggie.”

“He only deals cocaine?” 

“Yeah. Instead of killing him, just let the cops lock him up.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Taehyung stood up, but a sudden remembrance held him immobile. “Ah. He seemed very interested in you.”

Jin Mo’s forehead filled with creases of curiosity. “Meaning?”

“When I told him I know everyone in the business, the first thing he asked me was if I knew you.” 

“And what did you say?” 

“Everyone knows you, Jin Mo-ssi. I couldn’t tell him no. Don’t worry, though. I’ll only tell him how your organization works. Things that most people in the business already know.”

“Don’t run your mouth too much about me. He’s smart.”

Taehyung looked at him with a raised brow. “Are you really doubting my skills? No matter how smart he is, I’m a professional.” 

Jin Mo rolled his eyes. “Don’t overestimate yourself with him. I’ve said many times that he’s incompetent, but he’s good at picking up on things.”

“Fine, fine. I’m leaving.”

Jin Mo grabbed the control from beside him and pressed the button to open the door, and Taehyung headed off to his room. He texted Jimin and Yoongi to come find him once he was there, and the two burst through the door a couple of minutes later. 

“Tae!” Jimin squeaked as he threw himself on him, caging him in a bone-crushing hug. 

Taehyung yelped at the impact, but embraced him as well, chuckling. “Hey. Hey, Yoon.”

Yoongi smiled and caressed his shoulder when he parted from Jimin, and then they perched on the bed.

“How’s your knee?” Jimin asked. 

“Hurts like a bitch, but the doctor who treated me before the interrogation said it’ll get better in two to three days if I put ice. It’s bruised a lot.”

“I bet you hate Jeon Jungkook even more now,” Yoongi snickered, but his laugh was cut short once he traced Taehyung angling his head away from them with a rather bizarre look on his face. “Wait, what’s wrong with your expression? Why does it seem like you’re hiding something?”

“Because... I... am?” Taehyung murmured, and the gasp he evoked from Jimin had him sighing. 

“I can’t believe you have secrets from us!” 

“Chim, you’ll understand if you let me explain.”

Jimin folded his arms over his chest, a stubborn pout engraved on his traits. “Let me see you try.”

Another deep sigh erupted from Taehyung’s mouth. “Remember the wild sex night I had a few weeks ago?”

Both answered yes, their confusion only surging. 

“Well...” Taehyung cleared his throat and gulped, keeping his chin as close to his chest as possible. “That was with Jeon Jungkook.”

While Jimin’s jaw fell open at the shocking revelation and his arms wilted to his sides, Yoongi broke into cackles after a moment’s thought, and Taehyung could only stare at his friend laugh his ass off with furrowed brows. 

Yoongi’s blaze of laughter went on strong as he threw a series of glances at Taehyung, but it ceased abruptly and instead bafflement overtook his features. “Wait, you’re not joking?”

His sincere question earned him a smack on his shoulder by Jimin and an eye roll from Taehyung. “No, I’m not fucking joking. A day after Jin Mo gave me the mission about him, I randomly bumped into him. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I tried to leave, really! I tried to leave like twice. But he was too hot.”

A snort of utter disbelief tumbled out of Jimin. “Nice excuse, Tae.”

“I’m serious!” Taehyung defended himself in a whiny tone. “He was gorgeous, first of all. And the way he flirted with me was such a fucking turn-on. He knew exactly how to seduce me.”

“Shame on you, Tae,” Yoongi jibed. “You’re a seducer. How could you fall for his tricks?”

“Exactly! You know me. I’m always such a professional. So the one to blame here is Jeon Jungkook.”

“The one to blame here is your hormones!” Jimin chided. “That’s why he had your cube? And that’s why you got so pissed when Jin Mo’s men hit him. Why the hell didn’t I connect the dots sooner?”

“Yah, I didn’t get pissed, why would I get pissed, I don’t care about him,” Taehyung opposed in one breath. 

“Then why did you save him yesterday?” Yoongi asked, something more somber floating around them. 

“That was the plan. I had—” 

“No, no,” Yoongi sneered. “Why did you shoot that guy to save him? That wasn’t part of the plan.” 

“Well, I just happened to see what was going on and I just did it without thinking. I have a mission to complete. If Jungkook dies, how will I do that?” 

Jimin studied him in depth during the long quietness that engulfed them, not failing to notice Taehyung’s lack of eye contact with them. “Tae. Drifting away from a well-prepared plan is dangerous, and you know it. What if someone had seen you? Did you really do it just because of your mission?”

“Yes.”

“Did you really risk getting caught by Sieun’s men helping the police just because of your mission?” Jimin pressed further. 

“Yes!” Taehyung snapped. “What other reason could I have?”

“I don’t know. I just hope it’s not what I think it is.”

“I think it is what you think it is,” Yoongi whispered while leaning closer to Jimin. 

“Yah.” Taehyung’s angered eyes seesawed between the two. “What do you think it is?”

“You like him, right?” Yoongi chirped.

“What? Of course not! Just because I want to have sex with him—shit.” Taehyung clamped his teeth into his bottom lip, cursing himself mentally. “I’m not supposed to be saying this out loud.”

If Jimin wasn’t sitting so close to him, he wouldn’t have heard his muttering remark. “You do like him. Don’t you?”

“No! No, I don’t like him.”

“But you want to have sex with him,” Yoongi put in.

“No, I don’t like him, I don’t want to have sex with him, I want to finish this mission and never see him again.”

“Liar,” Jimin said under his breath, sending him a disapproving glare.

“No more talking about Jeon Jungkook. Did you change my father’s surname to Seon?”

Jimin espied his desperate want to change the subject, and he let him have it his way for now. “I created an entirely new file for him. Don’t worry. They won’t know that his surname is Kim.” 

“Thanks. Also, they put a tail on me again. I have to find out who’s behind it this time. I can’t stand this anymore. I have to drive like crazy and take a bunch of sideways to lose them so I can come here. And it was much more difficult to do that with a car when they drove me here. Will you help me?”

“Of course, Tae. What do you need us to do?” Yoongi asked. 

“You just need to prepare a tracking device for me, and I’ll ask someone to put it on his car. I can’t do it myself because if I get anywhere near the car, they’ll suspect me.”

“Okay.” Jimin nodded, smiling reassuringly. 

🥀

A crisp wind caressed Jungkook’s figure as he slowly paced outside of a specific bar early in the afternoon. A cyclonic battle of vacillation rampaged within him, growing so brute it became impossible to endure. 

He puffed out his frustrated sighs over and over while his gaze jumped from the ground to the interior of the bar, glossing over the workers, who were preparing the place to open. 

He had lost track of time when his pacing came to a rest and his shoulders sank with defeat. He couldn’t risk the workers’ lives. He couldn’t have another innocent person dying because of him. 

The burden would be too much to carry, and that was reason enough for him to leave without questioning them. 

But the sound of the door opening slowed his march, and the call of his name froze him in his tracks. 

“Detective Jeon?”

He rotated at a creep and faced a young-looking man holding the door open for him; he remembered him as the server he had talked to the first time he had gone there after the incident in the parking lot. 

“Min Heo-ssi.”

“Come inside.”

Jungkook wavered. “No, I shouldn’t. It’s... You can get in danger if you talk to me.”

Min Heo’s lips stretched into a smile. “Don’t worry about me. Jong Hoon’s men will keep me safe.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

After another round of contemplation and hesitation, Jungkook advanced and entered the bar. Min Heo led him to a storage room for utmost privacy and shut the door. 

“I lied before,” Min Heo started. “Jong Hoon—”

“I know. Soo Han Moon told me everything before... he died.”

“I see. I want to help however I can. Ask me anything.”

“I won’t ask much. I just need you to tell me about the guy who was here with Jong Hoon that night.”

“Well, he was exceptionally beautiful. I was really taken aback when I saw him. He had black hair. I think he was around your height. I’m not sure because I only saw him stand when they were leaving. He was slim, but he seemed to have a sculpted physique. He had... I think brown eyes.”

Jungkook wrote his description in the notes on his phone. “You don’t have the footage of that night, right?” 

“Yeah. We shut off the CCTV every time Jong Hoon came here. It was included in his requests. We can create a sketch of him—” 

“No. It’d be too risky. Jin Mo will do everything to kill you then. I can’t live with this if it happens.”

“Why are you so sure he’ll kill me?” Min Heo chuckled, but Jungkook’s grim expression ended his laugh. 

“After they killed Han Moon, they sent me a text saying that every person I question about Kim Taehyung from now on will die. I can’t put you in more danger.” 

“Wow. They’re really psychos. It’s a little hard to believe.”

“They’re more than capable of doing this. So please be careful. And since Jong Hoon’s men protect you, ask them for extra protection. Don’t go anywhere alone.” 

“Okay.”

“I’ll think of a way to do the sketch you mentioned without you getting hurt. For now, be careful.” Jungkook patted his shoulder and exited the room once he received a nod and a smile from Min Heo. 

A drilling stare of an older worker evaded Jungkook’s awareness as he trod outside of the bar. He rode his motorcycle, wore his helmet and gloves, and took off towards the station. 

. . .

“Boss. Our guy from Merlina called. Jeon Jungkook was there a few minutes ago. He talked to the server again.”

Jin Mo clicked his tongue. “What did that stupid fucker say to him?”

“We don’t know. They talked in the storage room. Should we kill him?”

Jin Mo opened his mouth, ready to assent, but he shut it with a sigh. “No. Taehyung will be furious again. Just put our men to scare him a bit to keep his mouth shut from now on and monitor him closely. If that doesn’t work, then we kill him.”

. . .

Upon walking further into the station, Jungkook narrowed his vision on the familiar presence standing beside his desk, and a mild tirade worked its way up his throat. But it got stifled and his gait decelerated when he examined the perplexing countenance on his mother’s face as she scoped a picture taken from the CCTV. 

“Mom?”

Sa Rang’s head darted in his direction and a brittle smile burst onto her lips as she hastened to set the picture on the desk. “There you are, Jungkookie. How are you?” She pulled him into her arms. 

“I’m okay.” Jungkook wrapped a loose arm around her too, as he glanced down at the picture, his brows drawing together in puzzled scrutiny. “Do you know the man in the picture?”

“What? Of course not. Why?” Sa Rang asked once she receded from the hug. 

“I don’t know. It seemed like... you know him.”

“No, baby, I just thought it was someone I knew for a moment. You know me. I meet many people every day.”

A quiet chuckle fell from Jungkook’s lips. “You’re right. What am I saying?” he muttered as he shook his head, then took his seat. “Why are you here, though?”

“I was close by and I thought to say hi. I’ll leave, don’t worry.” She shot him a playful, sneering moue, but it gradually disappeared as her eyes flew over that picture again. “Who is this, by the way? Why do you have his picture?”

“I don’t know who it is yet. Seokjin hyung must have left it here. I asked him for a personal favor.”

“What favor?”

Jungkook aimed a reproachful stare at her, his mouth tightening. “Stop being nosy and leave. Don’t make me throw you out again, mom.”

Sa Rang produced a tsk sound, and her chest bloated with a long breath, then went flat with a groan. “You’re mean. But fine, I’m going. See you, love.”

“Bye.” Jungkook remained unmoving as his mother hugged him briefly. 

Sa Rang ran into Jungkook’s team on her way out and greeted them cheerfully before resuming her way. 

“Where were you? Why didn’t you join us for lunch?” Hoseok asked. 

“I’ll tell you another time. Seokjin hyung?”

The said man raised his brows at the call of his name as he wilted on his chair, waiting for him to continue. He detected Jungkook holding the picture he had left on his desk earlier and realization soon settled in. “Oh! I was about to write his name, but they called me and I had to leave. Anyway, that’s the guy who followed you yesterday. Lee Man Shik.”

Namjoon's face screwed into a frown. “Someone followed you?”

“Yes and no. I mean, I drove Taehyung to his house yesterday and I think they followed him.”

Hoseok almost fell off his chair by the shocking news while he jolted forward. “You did what?”

“Don’t react like it’s the most appalling thing to hear,” Jungkook spat out with a scowl. “He’s my informant now.”

“So what? You suddenly like him?” Seung Ho quipped and a string of chortles spewed from him right after. 

“Yah,” Jungkook’s voice released in a hair-raising timbre. “Stop saying stupid things. Of course I don’t.”

“Well, it is a big change considering how you treated him the last time,” Namjoon observed with an idle shrug. 

Jungkook’s response was a quick, sidelong glance and a cough, then he trained his gaze on Seokjin. “What else did you find about that Man Shik guy?”

“There isn’t much to tell about him. He’s forty-one years old, unemployed. He used to live in Daegu, but moved to Seoul about nineteen years ago. He has no criminal record.”

“Nineteen years ago...” Jungkook murmured as he endeavored to find a connection between him and Taehyung. “Wait. Taehyung said he didn’t live in Seoul back then. Did he ever say where he lived?”

Namjoon answered after a moment’s contemplation. “No.”

“Why the hell is his file lacking so much information?” Jungkook braced his elbows on the desk and dipped his face into his hands. He beat back the flurry of frustration blazing inside him and glanced at Seokjin again. “Did you find where the car was headed?”

“You asked me not to track it.”

“I know,” he sighed. 

“But I did either way,” Seokjin chirped. “I lost it when it entered Gangbuk-gu for a bit. When I located it again, it was driving towards a mansion. Are you ready to hear the most interesting part?”

All four stared at him intently and nodded at the same time, something that had Seokjin giggling. 

“The mansion belongs to Moo Chae Yeon.”

Seung Ho frowned. “Why is that interesting? Who’s that?”

“Moo Chae Yeon is a fifty-one-year-old widow. The interesting part is, there’s a rumor...” Seokjin leaned closer and whispered, “that she killed her own husband and took over his crime organization.”

“When was that?” Jungkook questioned eagerly.

“Nineteen years ago,” Seokjin stressed on every word. “But no one knows if that’s true.” He straightened his posture and pulled a photo out of his drawer, then passed it to Jungkook. “That’s her when she was thirty years old. Beside her are her husband and son.”

Although the quality of the photo wasn’t the best, Jungkook’s eyes took in her beautiful characteristics and black, short hair. “What about her husband or son?”

Seokjin shook his head in dejection. “There’s no information about them except that they’re both deceased. And that both were murdered.”

Seung Ho’s eyes bulged. “Did she kill her son too?”

“No one knows. Should I look into it more? I doubt I’ll find anything, but if I manage to find a detective who was working on these cases then, I’ll get at least their names.”

A sigh braised in Jungkook’s chest and pushed out of him unwittingly. “Yeah, Seokjin hyung. Please do that. Because I think... she’s trying to kill Taehyung.”

“Wait, Kook,” Namjoon interjected. “If she’s trying to kill him, it means she has to be the one who killed Taehyung’s parents too. Do you really think she did it? What was her motive?”

“I have no idea about that. I only know that Lee Man Shik follows Taehyung. And Lee Man Shik works for Moo Chae Yeon.” 

“Let’s say that’s true,” Hoseok put in. “Let’s say she killed Taehyung’s parents and now wants to kill him too. Why didn’t she kill him all these years? Why did she just put someone to follow him?”

“Maybe she’s waiting for something?” Seung Ho said falteringly. “Maybe she’s scared of something. Maybe she tried and failed and now she’s preparing the perfect plan to kill him.”

Each one of Seung Ho’s speculations sounded plausible to Jungkook’s ears, although he couldn’t conceive what she could be waiting for or what she could be scared of. “Seokjin hyung, continue looking. I’ll go talk to him. If anything happens, call me.”

Jungkook wore his coat, grabbed his keys, and wended his way out of the station. He slipped his phone out of his pocket and called Taehyung first to check where he was. 

It rang for a while before Taehyung picked up. “Hello?”

“Where are you?”

“Um, who’s this?”

“Yah. Really now?”

“Ah, detective Jeon Jungkook. Missed me already?”

“Shut up. Where are you?”

“I’m home, of course. I can’t go anywhere with this knee even if I wanted to.” 

Jungkook paid no mind to his scornful barb. “We need to talk. Where should we meet?”

“I just told you I can’t go anywhere. It hurts when I walk.”

“And what? Am I supposed to come to your house?” Jungkook asked, peevish, as he advanced towards his motorcycle. 

“Either that, or you’ll tell me whatever the hell you want through the phone.” 

“Hmm, maybe you should talk to me a little nicer, Seon Taehyung. I’m doing you a fucking favor.”

“Favor? I never asked you for one, though.”

“I know you didn’t ask. Anyway, it’s about the guy who followed you yesterday. Do you want to hear me out or not?” Jungkook rucked his brows at the long silence he received from him, thinking for a moment that the line went dead. “Taehyung?”

“What the hell do you mean? What did you do?” There was an apparent harsher element in Taehyung’s voice, as though his temper spiked. 

“I’ll be there in fifteen.”

Before Taehyung could object — not that he would — Jungkook had already terminated their call. “What did that fool do? If he finds out more about my past... he’ll find out my real name,” he murmured to himself and threw a palm over his face in sheer despair as he squeezed his eyes shut. 

Jungkook arrived after the fifteen-minute ride and parked outside of the building. He removed his helmet and gloves and discreetly scanned the place in search of the car from yesterday, but to his surprise, he didn’t locate it. 

He proceeded towards the entrance and glanced over the names until he spotted Taehyung’s name. He pressed the button and waited for a bit, then Taehyung’s voice was heard. 

“Third floor.”

Jungkook pushed the door once he buzzed him in and headed to the elevator. The building was in excellent condition, and the interior had an extravagant look that left him in awe. 

After a short time, he was standing in front of Taehyung’s door, and he rang the doorbell. 

Seconds later, the door flung open and a grim-faced Taehyung appeared. “What did you do?”

Jungkook brushed past him in silence and shuffled towards the spacious living room, allowing his eyes to absorb the wealthy-decorated apartment; the enormous TV, the sophisticated paintings on the walls, and the large, cozy-looking couches were enough to make him snort in disbelief. 

“What’s so funny?” Taehyung asked as he hobbled towards him. 

Jungkook plopped down into the armchair. “Your lies.”

“What?”

“I can’t believe I fell for your lies. Look at this apartment. How much do you pay? Or have you bought it?”

Taehyung settled down on the couch close to him, his features sharp with light vexation. “It’s none of your business.”

Jungkook pulled his shoulders up in an indifferent shrug as he eyeballed the place with another fleeting browse. “So, what do you have for me?”

Ragged lines of confusion surfaced on Taehyung’s forehead as he inspected his nonchalant facade. “What do you mean? Tell me what you did!”

The corner of his mouth twitched in a confident sort of smirk. “You have to give me something first. My information isn’t for free.”

His previously light vexation festered by the maddening smirk decorating Jungkook’s veneer, but he toned it down with a sigh. “Fine. There’s a dealer in Gangnam who has his own lab. He’s trying to make his own drug. It’s like cocaine, but much stronger. His name is Ung Seo. Don’t ask about surnames.”

Jungkook listened at length and wrote in the notes on his phone the exact location of that guy’s lab once Taehyung provided it.

“Do you remember the recent shooting in Gangnam?”

“Yeah. They still haven’t found who did it.”

“Ung Seo did.”

“Hmm. Okay. What do you know about Jin Mo?”

“Yah. I gave you something. It’s time you give me back.”

Jungkook held eye contact for a spell as something tense coiled around them. “You’re my informant. It’s your job now to give me information. Unless you want to spend about ten years in prison.”

“Why are you so annoying now? You were so nice yesterday. I guess his day off is over, right?”

Jungkook grasped the bitter scorn of his words, though he didn’t let it affect him. “Yes, his day off is over.” His voice came out quieter than he wanted, his eyes unconsciously sliding away from his frame. He wet his dry lips and swallowed, remaining mute for a few more seconds. “Where did you live before coming to Seoul?”

Although baffled by the sudden change in his demeanor, Taehyung replied, “In Daegu.”

Jungkook nodded his head vaguely, as if realizing something. “The guy who followed us yesterday is Lee Man Shik. Does his name ring a bell?”

“No. How did you find him?”

“I asked someone to track him from the CCTV.”

Taehyung released a nasal sigh, a constant frown embellishing his traits. “Lee Man Shik...” he uttered, but no matter how hard he tried to recall if he ever heard that name, he got nothing. 

“He was living in Daegu too and moved to Seoul nineteen years ago.” He espied a twitch in brows. “He went to a mansion close to Gangbuk-gu. The mansion belongs to Moo Chae Yeon.”

Taehyung’s eyes grew unnaturally big as he pitched forward. “Moo Chae Yeon? Moo Chae Yeon. I’ve heard this name before. Where did I hear it?” He rubbed his forehead and pressed his hand against it, screwing his eyes shut. “Where did I hear it? Where did I hear?” he chanted in a murmur. 

“She’s fifty-one years old. She had a husband and a son. There’s a rumor that she killed her husband and took over his crime organization.”

Taehyung’s body froze up throughout at the sound of the additional information. His hand descended at a creep, revealing the immense shock that reigned over his face, and his eyes lost focus as they stared at the floor in an appalling daze. 

“I think finding his wife, Chae Yeon, is our only option. She has to be the only one who knows the truth.” Jin Mo’s words from years ago echoed in Taehyung’s head in a deafening buzz, causing his heartbeat to rocket and his mind to reel by the seismic awakening. 

A hand on his shoulder shaking him ushered Taehyung down to earth, and his disoriented gaze met a set of narrowed eyes peering at him.

“Did you remember something?”

Taehyung sank back into his seat, striving to think about what to say. “I—um, I—”

“Don’t you dare lie to me,” Jungkook spat at once.

Taehyung’s shoulders curved inwards as his head hung low. “I’ll tell you. But you’ll stop looking into it more. You’ll stop asking me about my past. I’ll deal with it on my own.”

Jungkook wouldn’t do that, but he nodded nonetheless. “Okay.”

“Moo Chae Yeon... was Woo Myeong’s wife. And Woo Myeong was my father’s biggest rival or enemy, you could say. I always thought he was the one who ordered the killing of my family. But... I don’t understand why Chae Yeon wants to kill me. Did Woo Myeong tell her to do it?”

“Even if he did, why is she so fixed on killing you after all these years? It doesn’t make sense.”

“You’re right. I don’t know. But you stop here either way. I’ll handle it.”

“What about your hyung?” he asked, ignoring his words. 

“What about him?”

“Do they follow him too? Do they want to kill him too?”

Taehyung fell into a status of cogitation. He didn’t remember his hyung telling him they followed him as well. He didn’t remember his hyung ever telling him anything... about what happened back then. “I told you I’ll handle it. Stop asking me things.”

“Why don’t you want my help? I’m a detective. I can find anything in no time.”

That’s exactly why, he thought, but he fixed him with a suspicious stare as something else popped up into his mind. “Why do you want to help me?”

Jungkook ended eye contact by glancing down and cleared his throat. “I don’t know. My detective instincts want to get to the bottom of this. I just can’t help it.”

His reason was fairly believable, but Taehyung could feel that it wasn’t true. His behavior didn’t match with his feigned indifference, and seasoned enough, Taehyung could gather his discomfort at the question. “Really? Your detective instincts is the only reason?”

“Well...” Jungkook positioned his gaze on him, again clearing his throat. “You can take it as a thank you for saving me.”

“A simple thank you is enough. I don’t want you to help me.”

“Fine, I won’t. I don’t care,” he muttered. “Tell me about Jin Mo now.”

“About Jin Mo... Hmm, he deals with a bunch of stuff. Firearms, drugs, prostitution, assassinations, and the list goes on and on. He has different teams for each division. I heard his hideout is somewhere in the mountains, but no one knows where.”

Jungkook waited for him to carry on, but he didn’t. “I already know all these things.”

“What did you expect to hear?” Taehyung snapped. 

“What about any deals he’s planning?”

“You won’t hear anything about his deals. He does everything discreetly and secretly. And he keeps his men in check. They’d rather die than rat him out.”

A frustrated sigh exploded out of Jungkook. “You said you work for random dealers. Why haven’t you worked for him yet?”

“You can’t work for Jin Mo just because you want to. He picks his men and tests them. Then he decides if he wants to keep them.”

“Okay. Try to find more about him. That’s your main job as my informant.” Jungkook rose to his feet, but Taehyung’s voice seized him up.

“Why, though?” He stoop up and limped closer. “Why do you want to catch him so bad?”

“Because he’s a criminal. And that’s reason enough.”

Taehyung detected he was about to leave and held onto his forearm in a hurry. He pored over the creases on his forehead and the faintest of smiles sprawled on his lips. “Stop frowning so much. It doesn’t look good on you.” His hand lifted to smooth the lines out, but a harsh grip around his wrist obliterated his smile. 

There was something indecipherable swirling in his gaze again that captured Taehyung’s full attention as he endeavored to identify it. It wasn’t anger. It wasn’t frustration. It definitely wasn’t interest or amusement. It was something dark, stifling, bewildering. And he couldn’t read it despite his efforts. 

“What are you doing?”

Taehyung’s eyes jumped away at the lowly spoken question, and he withdrew his hand, but the grip around it didn’t yield. It made his eyes crawl up his figure to meet his in puzzlement, finding the same inscrutable gaze drilling holes into him. “My hand...” he whispered as he tugged it again, and only then Jungkook released his hold. 

“I asked you something.”

“I wasn’t doing anything!” he snapped back, his forehead now matching the frown that was still carved on Jungkook’s face. 

“Refrain from touching me without a reason.”

His departure left Taehyung staring at his back in surprise, mixed with fast-flowing annoyance. “I don’t want you to touch me either then. Jackass.”

Jungkook’s march slowed at his words, his jaw clenching with a current of something he couldn’t pinpoint himself. His fingers dug into his palm as he charged towards the door again without a word, and he slammed it on his way out. 

He let his head fall and stood immobile, trying to reason out the battering of his heart that started the moment Taehyung reached out to touch him. Stop, for fuck’s sake, he growled in his head and pressed his palm against his chest, rubbing over his heart with powerful moves. 

His body didn’t obey him, though, and the pounding continued as he surged towards the elevator, still completely lost and bemused about why was that happening to him. 

───⭒───༺🌑༻───⭒───

Poor Jungkook's heart is pounding. I love it🤭 Thoughts about the revelations in this chapter? Feel free to share💜