⚠️Warning: Blood  and distrubing scene a head⚠️

Taehyung's POV:

The silence surrounding him is so eerie. Even though the world seems far away and moving slowly, his heart is pounding so fiercely that it aches. With his hands shaking wildly, he sits in a puddle of blood. His lips quiver, and he feels numb all over. No matter how hard he tries, the trembling won't stop.

His eyes, which used to be so warm and alive, now appear lifeless and icy. He looks blankly at his executive manager's lifeless body on the chilly floor in front of him. There's no movement, no sound—just the horrible stillness of death. The sight makes his stomach turn, but he can't look away.

Every ragged breath he takes feels like it's tearing through him, and white fog escapes from his pale lips in uneven gasps. He tries to steady himself, but the weight of the moment crushes him. His shirt, once neatly tucked and clean, is now drenched in patches of red. The blood clings to him, warm and sticky, making everything feel even more unreal.

Taehyung can't think straight—how did it come to this? Why is he here in this nightmare? His mind is a blur of confusion and disbelief, but deep down, he knows one thing for sure: he didn't do this. But looking down at himself, covered in blood, with no one to believe him, he feels utterly lost.

Taehyung was startled back to reality as a loud scream pierced the silence around him. It came from an elderly woman who was frozen at the apartment doorway, viewing the horrific sight in front of her with a look of horror on her face. Her piercing, high-pitched voice echoed throughout the hallway, pulling Taehyung from his trance.

The stillness was abruptly broken by the distant sound of sirens, which became louder by the second. The world seemed to be whirling around Taehyung as his head spun. Everything seemed unreal: the rushing footsteps coming closer, the muffled words outside the apartment, the red and blue lights flashing through the glass. His breath became shallow as his pulse quickened. He had the impression that he was in the middle of a storm, with chaos around him from all sides.

But all he could do was sit there, paralyzed in the middle of it all, surrounded by blood and disbelief, waiting for something—anything—to make sense again.

The sound of the sirens seemed far away, like a dull murmur buried in Taehyung's brain fog. He felt to be caught in a nightmare from which he was helpless to wake up as his vision became foggy and spotty. But despite that midst there was a familiar voice broke through the storm of sound and movement that surrounded him.

"Taehyung!"

The name echoed sharply in his ears. Slowly, he turned his head toward the sound, his eyes heavy with exhaustion and shock. Standing at the doorway, her face paled with a mixture of horror and disbelief, Jin Taeko. She wore her police uniform, the dark fabric clinging to her like an armor of duty. Even in the midst of the chaos, her striking half-Japanese, half-Korean features stood out which tells that he had never forgot that familair face.

His dry, brittle lips slipped her name as he muttered, "Taeko..." His heavy, harsh voice was emotionless, a chilly emptiness. No relief, no surprise, and no grief were present. It seemed as if everything had been taken from him, leaving only an empty shell of a person. He was unable to do anything but stare at her, lost in the present and uncertain as to whether she really was there.

A strong voice said, "Mister," bringing Taehyung's focus back to the harsh reality of his surroundings. "You are under arrest for being the suspect in this case."

There was no space for debate in the officer's strong tone. Two police officers in uniform moved forward, their hands already reaching for the handcuffs, their expressions unreadable and harsh. Taehyung sensed their approach, but it all seemed so far away.

The cold metal of the handcuffs snapped tightly around his wrists, But Taehyung's mind was still reeling, stuck between the blood on the floor and the familiar face of Taeko standing across the room. He couldn't muster the strength to speak or protest. Everything felt surreal, slipping through his grasp like sand.

Taeko's POV:

I hated taking night shifts yet here I'm again with another night patrol that just begun, and it was already past midnight. As I stood leaning on the piloce car in Street 3, the streets were oddly silent. The city's normal bustle changed to the occasional buzz of a passing car as the brightness of lights reflected off the slippery pavement.

This part of the city always felt different at night—more isolated, like a forgotten corner of Seoul. It was the kind of place where anything could happen, yet on most nights, nothing ever did. I glanced at my watch, hoping the hours would pass quickly, but deep down, I knew it was just another routine night... or so I thought.

The voice crackled across the microphone, "Officer Park reporting," and I let out a frustrated grunt and adjusted my earpiece.

 "Yes, Officer Jin is reporting here," I said, with the weariness carried along with my tone.

"Taeko-shii, are you at Street 3?" Jisoo's voice crackled through my headset , his voice felt heavy with desperation. I instantly straightened up since I knew something wasn't right.

"Yes, Iam at  Street 3. Why?" The stress in his voice gripped me as I answered.

"There's been an murder...an apartment on your route," he explained in a gloomy and calm voice. "Taeko, it's awful. You have to get here quickly." 

My eyes went wid, it's not like it's new for us but still, as human, it's a bacis reaction that can get of out when we hear something like this right, I qickly hpoed in the car.  A shiver ran down my spine as I gripped the steering wheel, my heart racing. I hit the gas, the quiet streets suddenly feeling darker, more threatening.But I had a bad feeling this night wasn't going to be routine anymore.

Why? why Am i feeling this?

I finally reached the apartment, the location Jisoo had sent, and let out an exhausted sigh as I saw the scene in front of me. A thick crowd had already gathered, despite the late hour, huddling around the entrance of the building like moths drawn to a flame.

Why are they always so fascinated, even though they're terrified when they see them? I thought to myself, shaking my head in disbelief. Curiosity appeared to have won over fear, even in the middle of the night. Along with the patrol vehicles flashing lights and the constant hum of stress, the whispers and murmurs of the people created a low buzz that filled the atmosphere.

Even though I could feel everyone watching me, I forced my way through the crowd, thanks to my uniform, that it immediately made separating the sea of people. I couldn't tell what was inside, but I could tell by the expressions on their faces that it wasn't good.

Jisoo shouted, "Taeko! over here!" his voice piercing the noise of the crowd. With a sigh of relief, I made my way to him in the sea of interested looks.

"Why is it so packed here?" I asked, clearly frustrated. "Please, get them to clear the place." With a nod, Jisoo signaled the cops to begin dispersing the crowd.

"What's going on, anyway?" I inquired, maintaining a calm tone of voice as I looked at the shaky elderly woman.

Jisoo's expression was grim as he spoke. "It's murder. That's all we know so far. We just arrived ourselves."

I turned my gaze back on him and gave a quick nod. Together, we stepped into the apartment, and I instantly felt my stomach churn. A dark, thick pool of blood had flowed next to the door, and the air was heavy with the smell of metal. It was difficult to accept that this was real.

My gaze landed on a dead body lying on the ground. I let out an unconscious gasp as I took in the gruesome scene, dread taking hold of me. The victim was a woman who had many knife wounds to her stomach and a severe cut to her throat. Deep slashes were visible on her wrists, showing that the murderer planned for her to slowly bleed out in pain.

It is horrifying.

"What the—" Jisoo exclaimed, hanging his mouth open in shock.

But the more the gasp got louder when my gaze fell on the figure sitting in front of the body, the blood in my veins froze.

"Taehyung." His name slipped out of my mouth. His tired eyes met mine as his head slowly raised. In contrast to my shocked look, his face stayed strangely calm and empty.

He muttered, "Taeko," his voice as deep as ever. The warmth I once felt for that voice was gone, but I hadn't heard it in seven years. I saw just blood, the blood surrounding him, the blood on his hands, and the blood smearing his clothing.

Jisoo's firm voice brought me back to the present before I had time to react. "Mister," he demanded, "you are under arrest for being the suspect in this case."

Like a death sentence, his words echoed around the room. In order to cuff Taehyung's hands, two cops pushed forward, with their poker faces. I stood there unable to process what was happening, frozen in disbelief. My childhood friend—sitting next to a dead body, covered in blood, being dragged out in handcuffs.

Taehyung's eyes fell to the ground as they dragged him to his feet, and he didn't fight back. His steps were heavy and empty as he let them pull him away. My mind was bursting with questions as my eyes followed his disappearing figure. How did this happen? How could this be the same boy I used to know?

Nevertheless, I couldn't believe he was guilty as I watched him go. Not Taehyung. I didn't know that Taehyung. However, the proof was there, looking me straight in the face.

but is this even an enough proof? the blood on him?

As I sat at my desk, nervously chewing my fingernails and tapping my leg frantically on the floor, I realized how quickly time had passed. I could hardly concentrate as the folder with the victim's data was open on my table, its contents gazing back at me. The tension in the air caused my thoughts to race with questions and worries.

The police had already arrested Taehyung. I saw a flashing sight of him being pulled away; it didn't seem real, but here we were. The inquiry was proceeding quickly, and I became even more anxious at the thought of what was ahead. Formal processes would begin tomorrow, and I couldn't get rid of the feeling that things were about to change.

Though there has a lot changed...

The interrogation might begin tomorrow, and with it, the chance to uncover the truth. I had no choice but to wait until then, and waiting was agonizing.

Kim Taehyung, the innocent and kind-hearted boy who afraid at the sight of blood, never wanted to hurt anyone and avoided fights in all costs, was suddenly in the center of something unbelievable. His kind attitude had always been his defining character; he was the one who would go above and beyond helping others and bringing them happiness, even at the cost of himself.

However, now... Everything was different now.

The boy who once runs away from even the smallest fights was caught in a situation so dire, it was hard to belive the Taehyung I knew with the one sitting behind bars. How had it come to this? 

This wasn't the Taehyung I all knew. Or was it? Had we missed something all along? After all we parted out ways after graduating from high school.

Memories of our childhood flooded my mind like a storm as I closed my eyes. I could see Taehyung as he was back then—innocent, carefree, always smiling. We used to spend hours playing in the fields, his laughter echoing in the air like music. He'd be the first to help anyone who fell, offering a hand before continuing on as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

But now, those sweet memories felt like shards in my chest, conflicting with the reality of what he had become—what he was accused of. The Taehyung of the past seemed like a distant dream, unreachable and overshadowed by the darkness surrounding him now. How had things gone so wrong?

Author 📝

Hi, my sweet, wonderful people. I understand that some of you have probably been scolding me for not finishing a book correctly and uploading a new one simultaneously. I apologize to all of you for it. This is a book that I had already planned to write, but since it's short and easily finished, I had to get on with it. Maybe I'll update this the same day I finish the chapter. So as for you to create more books like this and for it to maybe encourage me to write more, kindly be tolerant and support this one.