The office almost feels empty today despite being filled to the brim with people. Officers flowing in and out, paperwork being done. Kim Namjoon stares down at his workers, wondering how much longer this stupid case will go on. Stupid. What a silly word to use, but it's the truth. There aren't many other words he can use to describe the situation. The biggest case he's had in... ever. 

The L/n case.

A huff leaves his throat, Namjoon turning on his heel and sauntering back into his office. No need to oversee every single detail. He has a partner for a reason. 

He closes and locks the door behind him on instinct, plopping down in his creaky chair and opening his laptop. It's been months since they've been assigned to this case, but they still have no court date. They have a general idea; an approximate. No more, no less.

Namjoon grunts and pulls up the summary, skimming over all the words. It's the testimony from the girl herself. AKA the daughter of the biggest mafia corporation in the world. If he's being honest, he feels really bad for her. Poor girl had to suffer daily, and as soon as she finally has a chance at escape, here they are, unable to find shit. It pisses him off. She deserves better. She deserves to be free.

The minutes pass by. More and more pass like a blur. Soon enough, the clock dings, alerting the Chief that an hour has passed since he buried his head into the files. He glances at his door as if sensing someone coming. Seconds later, he sees the shadow of a person lurking outside. 

"Come in!" he calls before they can ask.

Namjoon lets his eyes fall back to his paperwork as the door creaks open. He hums, signing the bottom of one paper. 

"What seems to be the issue? Has there been an update in the L/n case?" he asks. 

"Actually, I wanted to ask you about that, sir," a male voice replies. 

"Go ahead. We have plenty of open spots on the case if you're offering," Namjoon says with a chuckle, stapling the documents together.

"I wanted a status update on how it's going. Like the witness. Is she still okay?" 

"She's safe," Namjoon says, looking up. "And her testimo..." 

He grabs his pistol and points it at the intruder, but three more men come into the room, all armed and letting their weapons aim at Namjoon.

"If you're here to ask where she is, I don't know the answer to that. The whole point of the program is no one knows except for her, the big boss, and the bodyguards assigned to her," Namjoon says. 

"We know you're lying, your partner seems pretty sure you know," the lead man says. 

And in comes Namjoon's partner. Or more like his partner gets dragged in, his face all swollen from the beating he must've endured. How the hell did Namjoon not hear any of this? There's no way they did this quietly. What the fuck happened out there?

They throw his partner to the ground, the man whimpering and holding his beaten face. 

Namjoon grits his teeth. "I'm not telling you shit I don't know. I mean, I could always tell you a false location, how would you know?" 

"We have enough resources to check and not have it do any harm," the man replies dismissively.

Namjoon bites back his sigh and places a hand on his head. So, this is it. His last day alive.

"I told you I don't know shit. Whatever my partner told you is a lie." 

Strange that his partner would sell him out, especially when he knows the information too. Speaking of, Namjoon can see the glint of confusion on his partner's face. So they're bluffing. His partner didn't tell them anything, but they're so desperate for answers they're willing to go to any length, huh?

"You know, you look strangely like Mr. L/n," Namjoon says to the lead man. "I hope you know we'll be arresting you for this. You'll see your daughter soon enough." 

Taunting the man is a bad, bad idea. But if Namjoon's gonna die, he's gonna do it on his terms.

The man snickers, and, with the flick of his wrist, Namjoon is being beaten and dragged to the center of the room, his pistol nowhere in his range. The pain hits in full, every bone in his body threatening to break from the intensity.

He coughs out blood in time for more kicks and punches to come. He's sure this is only the beginning. The part where they pull teeth and fingernails is next. Then the hammer to the balls. Then to his bones, then breaking all his fingers slowly. He's seen this movie before. He knows where this is going.

When they stop their barrage, the man kneels in front of Namjoon's frail form. Funny how buff Namjoon is, yet he still feels so frail. 

"Where is she?" the man calmly asks. 

Namjoon spits on his shoes. The man Namjoon believes to be Mr. L/n stands and sighs, motioning to his men again. They take his chair and drag it over, setting him down in it. Here comes the teeth and nail pulling part.

Mr. L/n kneels again, locking eyes with Namjoon. "You have two options. We kill you right now, or we let you live and run. Our identities don't matter, Mr. Kim. Who we are never has. It doesn't matter if you know our full addresses... if you can't find us, how can you put us in a cell?" 

Well, shit. He's got a point, it's not like they've been able to find any evidence on them anyway. That has to mean something. They're fast. They're smart. They fucking survive somehow. It's starting to get on Namjoon's nerves.

The man chuckles. "Telling me will ensure you survive today. Why save the girl when you can save yourself?" 

"For starters, it's hard to save someone when I don't even know where they are," Namjoon says with a smile. Mr. L/n slaps him, not hiding the disgust in his eyes. 

"Kill him," he commands.

Namjoon closes his eyes, accepting his fate. But it doesn't come. 

"Seoul! She's in Seoul!" his partner cries, stopping the gun from going off. Namjoon grunts, opening his eyes and glaring at his partner. The shuddering man shakes his head rapidly. "I can't let you die, Mr. Kim." 

Namjoon knows what's happening here. It doesn't matter what they do or say: they're going to die. Both of them.

"See? How hard was that?" Mr. L/n asks, turning to his subordinates. "Send a team to Seoul, track her as best you can. She'll be disguised, probably with a wig and contacts. New name too. Check the airport databases, hack into them, whatever you have to do. Find her. You have one week. Got it?" 

The men around him nod in acceptance, leaving as fast as they came. Now it's Namjoon, his battered partner, and the man standing before him.

"How foolish," he whispers. "You knew, but not your poor partner." 

"When you're in this business, you catch on quick." Namjoon closes his eyes. "Get it over with." 

A gunshot echoes, signaling the end of his partner's life. Namjoon's surprised when he flinches. 

"Open your eyes. Face your killer," the man commands. 

Namjoon dryly chuckles and keeps his eyes shut. "Fuck you."

There's a pause, then a sigh. 

"As you wish." 

Despite getting the information he wanted, Mr. L/n still pulls the trigger, ending Kim Namjoon's life.

~~~

Tae glances at "Amira," who's peacefully chatting with Jimin. They've been sitting on the couch for over an hour, laughing about some topic Tae isn't aware of. Tae's in his own world in the kitchen, peeking back every once in a while to see them. Since the kitchen is connected to the living room, it's pretty easy to see. And the easiest thing to see is Jimin standing and grabbing his coat.

"Hey Tae, you mind being on bodyguard duties tonight?" Jimin asks. 

"Uhhh, sure? Don't tell me you're hanging out with Jungkook."

"In my dreams maybe. No, I'm uh..." 

"What he means to say is two days ago he got a girl's number. Now he's going on a date," Y/n teases. 

Tae whips around to face Jimin. "No shit?"

"No shit," Jimin replies albeit reluctantly.

Tae squeals and jumps up, hugging his best friend. Jimin groans, hugging back right away. 

"Finally, you're getting laid!" Tae says with a gasp.

Y/n snickers in the background, hopping up and coming over to them.

"Forget Jimin getting laid. More importantly, does this mean I get Tae to myself all night?" Y/n asks, batting her eyelashes at Jimin. 

Tae gulps. 

Okay, did she have to phrase it like that? It's Tae's fault for taking it in a dirty way, but that doesn't change her horrible word choice. 

Jimin chuckles and brushes some hair out of her face. "Of course, sweetheart. Don't bite him too much." 

"Fucking hell, Jimin. You're ruining my fun." 

Tae glances between the two with furrowed brows. Since when did they get so close? It's like they're more than friends, or even best friends. They have this sibling-like relationship where he's the older brother picking on her constantly. It fits Jimin's character, but it's still a bit surprising to Tae.

Jimin ruffles her hair. "See you later. Tae, take care of her for me, will you?" 

Tae dips his head. "Always." 

"Oh please, I can land a solid punch now," she says. "Always could, but thanks to Mimi here, I was able to perfect it." 

Mimi? Wait, what? She's calling him Mimi now? Really? 

Is it bad that Tae's a little jealous? And by a little he means a lot. Sure, his best friend is literally going on a date, but that doesn't stop Tae from feeling the hot rush of adrenaline he recognizes as jealousy flowing through his veins. It's like a curse. One that won't go away.

"You're welcome, princess," Jimin says, giving her a playful look before departing. 

Tae sighs. Shit, this is bad. He really likes her. And now, for the first time in a while, he's alone with her. 

"Wanna watch a movie or something?" he asks. "Make it a simple night. I don't really feel like going anywhere." 

"Bummer, I was gonna suggest we spy on Jimin's date like he always spies on mine." 

Gosh, she's adorable.

"You and Jimin got close recently, huh?"

She shrugs, leaning on the wall across from him. "You could say that. Why? Jealous?" Although she's joking, he can't stop his face from falling. She goes still. "Wait, are you?" 

"No, no of course not," he says. "I'm just wondering why Jimin of all people." 

"He's your best friend, isn't that a no-brainer? Awesome people get attracted to each other."

"You're right, sorry. I'm a bit protective of Jimin. Wanna make sure he's happy." 

"Well, based on the way he smiles whenever I bring up that redhead, I'd say he's really happy right now." She struts a bit closer, his heart jumping at the sudden closeness. "You should do the same. Why don't we go out sometime?" His body stiffens. "Find you a date, get you someone you can at least pass the time with. It's been months and still no update, my guess is we have lots of time. Might as well get someone, right?"

He lets out a breath. Okay, go out and find someone, not go out on a date. He's not sure why his mind took him in that direction right away, but it's instinct when he's around her. He likes to take everything she says out of context and give himself false hope that maybe she feels the same way. In reality, he has to remind himself that she's in a healthy relationship with a good guy. A pretty great guy, actually.

"Hey, Tae, you look distracted. Is everything okay?" she asks, furrowing her brows. 

Gosh, the care in her eyes. Beautiful. 

Ah shit, he's simping over her.

"I'm okay," he reassures with a somewhat genuine smile. "I'll be better once this whole situation gets sorted out. I'm starting to get worried. It's been a while since I've heard anything from HQ." 

"It'll be okay." She places a comforting hand on his shoulder. The comfort works. "Listen to me. No matter what, we have each other's backs, right?"

He places his hand over his. It's a form of intimacy he can't get anywhere else. All they're doing is holding hands, and he feels his entire world burst with color. His heart pumps so hard he swears they can both feel it.

"Thank you," he finally answers. 

He takes a risk and places his forehead on hers, the two closing their eyes to appreciate the closeness they share. It's silent for a minute. Then, he chuckles. 

"Do you want to find out what movies you like?" he asks.

"Iron Man," she says. "I like Iron Man." 

"Oh lord, do I want to ask how you know that?" 

"Jungkook."

His smile falls by a fraction of an inch. "How about something else? Star Wars?" 

"Love it!" she says in a cheer. "He showed me all the Marvel and Star Wars movies. Oh, same with The Hunger Games. So awesome!" 

"Oh my God, you like pop culture."

She does a small victory dance, then freezes. 

"Wait, is that a bad thing?" she asks with a worried look. 

Taehyung's in love. 

He shakes her off. "Not at all, but now I have to show you the classics." 

"The classics?" she asks with big eyes. 

"The Matrix, Pulp Fiction, Alien, Aliens, The Godfather, y'know? All the classic pop culture movies." 

"Okay, I've seen the Matrix. I'm not that uncultured," she says. He gives her a doubtful look that results in a glare from her. 

He laughs, coming over and slinging an arm around her. "What do you say we have a movie marathon tonight?" 

She peeks up at him with a grin. "I'd love nothing more."

~~~

STARFIELD WEEK, DAY 1:

Starfield is a science fiction adventure story following Park Jimin, a criminal who was raised in a cyberpunk city, as he uncovers the secrets of the universe. It will operate like seasons of a TV show and will feature pirates, aliens, space cowboys, exploration, and more. It takes place in the year 2330, when the entire Milky Way galaxy has been colonized. It will release December 21, 2023, and the introduction chapter will be posted on December 20, 2023.

Check out my most recent message board post for more information + the official Starfield book trailer!

Here's the cover in case you missed it: