Taehyung woke up feeling antsy that morning.

He checked the small wall clock in his cottage and frowned when the clock struck only 4:30 before sunrise. It still wasn't time to rise yet but for some reason the investigator felt his senses heighten.

He threw off the covers from his stuffy single bed and piled out, deciding to just clock in for work earlier than usual. It wasn't like there was going to be an issue taking charge. The department was always in need for more night shift officers anyway.

Over the past year, Seonchang's police department had undergone quite some changes. The former head constable had retired and was now replaced by Officer Min, his nephew. The same cop who hadn't hesitated in giving Taehyung up to the mafia's intimidation.

The brunet didn't want to think about that anymore.

But given the circumstances, Taehyung had still fought and risen through every odd and ebb, moving on to the prove himself worthy of being called 'the best' in the department. His co-officers were now his subs and even the usually cocky Officer Min looked up to him. Sort of.

In short even though the boss was someone else, Taehyung's word stood in the department.

The brunet finished dressing up in his usual stark white uniform and tucked the gun in it's holster before making his way to work. As soon as he entered, everyone looked up, some even standing to their feet and greeting him with short bows. Taehyung always returned them because he was civilized like that.

He walked into the small office allotted to junior investigators but mostly used by him and plopped on the nice chair, instantly flipping through the file on the table, getting to work.

Fifteen minutes later, Hansul showed up at his doorway and seeked permission to come in, Taehyung nodding with a warm smile.

"You know you don't have to ask that everytime. You're free to walk in and out as you please."

"Im also free to show you how much respect you deserve hyung." Hansul blushed when Taehyung rolled his eyes playfully at him.

"What's the matter?"

"Officer Min asked for you."

Taehyung sighed in response but got up anyway, following the younger into the biggest cabin of the small station.

"You wanted to see me, Sir?"

Officer Min shot up from his seat, almost dropping his phone that he been so busily playing bubble shooter in.

"Tae-Taehyung!! Wow good morning, look at you up and so early to work!!" He laughed nervously at the juniors. Taehyung passed him a bored look while Hansul visibly rolled his eyes.

"The work sir, you asked for me." The brunet reminded him and the old man quickly nodded with an 'oh'.

"I want you to complete checking all this casefiles for me." Min said, handing a huge pile of binded notes to Taehyung, who nearly stumbled from the weight.

"But sir... this-this ain't my job? I'm a junior investigator and my job is compile the criminal's statements, not their whole histories!" Taehyung asked in confusion, but he already knew where this was going. Always has.

"Your job is to do what i tell you, young man!" Min chided using the same dialouge as always. Hansul tensed beside Taehyung, wanting to protest and he almost did but Taehyung stepped on his shoe to shut him up.

"Alright. I'll do it," Taehyung agreed half heartedly as the young boy turned to look at him incredulously.

"Good. That's good Taehyungie. That's why they call you the best. They aren't lying. You are the best... pet." Officer Min replied appreciatively, missing the way Taehyung's expression changed at that last word,"anyway, i want it done by tomorrow. So you might have to work overnight as well. The higher Officer will arrive tomorrow so off you go now!! Chop chop!!"

Hansul was on the verge of cursing him out loud but Taehyung pulled him out of the old man's cabin in time and shot him a patronizing glare.

"Do you want to lose your job that bad Hansul?" The brunet asked angrily making the boy scoff and look away.

"Bet your worth it too Officer Kim." The boy said under his breath and luckily or not, Taehyung didn't hear him as he had already walked away. The brunet got into his cabin and slammed the pile of files on the table and raked a hand through his hair.

His ears were red, eyes burning behind his glasses as he kicked a stool away and his mind repeated the word in a loop.

Pet. Pet. Pet.

He wasn't someone's pet for fucks sake!!!

No one. NO fucking one was allowed to call him a Pet anymore. Nobody except--

No!!

Not even him. Not even Jungkook could call him that!!!

Taehyung closed his eyes and began doing his little breathing exercise, counting ten numbers up and down. It was something he came up with to control his anger issues, which were really beginning to become real life.

He decided to throw himself into the workload, using that as a distraction from his thoughts which still somehow consisted of one raven headed male.

He's not worth it. Jungkook's not worth it Taehyung.

He kept himself reminding that, not caring if they sounded genuine even to himself.

Just like that, the pages flipped and the pen scribbled and the sun sunk down the horizon, turning the sky into a pretty bluish purple.

Taehyung was exhausted but he hadn't stopped, not even for a short tea break like the others usually did. Slowly the day officers were replaced by night shifters, who were only about 4 in number, excluding Taehyung and the chief. It wasn't busy day because Seonchang remained peaceful as ever.

That was until another junior recruit stormed into Taehyung's office, face scrunched with worry.

"Hyung nim! Its a havoc!!"

Taehyung looked up and raised a brow at the panting boy.

"Eunwoo, what's the matter? What happened?"

"It's a havoc hyungnim a havoc!! Like hell unleashed on earth! There's fire-- a-and bombs--"

"Eun can you be a little clear?" The brunet asked irritably, getting to his feet but his heart had already started pumping harder at the words 'fire' and 'bombs', carrying an odd sense of Deja vú.

"Just come with me." The young boy grabbed his hand and pulled him back in the chief's office. Taehyung saw the old man pacing in the room, phone pressed to his ear and worry on his wrinkly face.

"Yes sir. Sure sir. I'll send in the men asap-- i mean as soon as possible sir! Sir, yes sir!" Min stomped his foot in a form of salutation and got off the phone with probably some higher ranked officer.

"Taehyung it's a havoc!" The man turned to look at the boy with wide fearful eyes.

"I've already been told so," Taehyung sighed," tell me what happened?"

"It's the south this time. They've attacked the south region. It covers a few villages including ours! The authority saw some wildfire spreading across the paddy fields and even heard gunshots and armed men along the perimeter. The province needs us to the send our men to the spot and investigate it. They suspect... its the mafia again."

Taehyung froze at the last few words.

T-the mafia?

"But you know there aren't a lot of men in here. I have to go to the neighboring district to get more men. Will come along with me?" Officer Min asked worriedly collecting his stuff from the table.

Taehyung blinked and looked down at his shoes.

"No..." he said, thoughtfully.

"No?" The old man asked, confused. Taehyung doesn't say no.

"I-i mean... since you will be leaving anyway and there aren't any senior or experienced officers here, i think i should stay back here. What if the village needs us?" The brunet reasoned quickly, making the old man nod and hum.

"You're right. Okay so, I'm handing you the charge as deputy chief until i return. Remember if anything goes wrong, its on you."

Taehyung nodded obediently, watching as the head left the office, ordering Eunwoo to follow him. Leaving behind just 4 of them now.

The brunet turned back and let out a shaky sigh. He hoped this wasn't who he thought it was.

Or maybe somewhere he did.

But it wasn't like he was going to accept that now, was he?

_________________________________________

Night time had fallen heavy on the skyscape of Taehyung's little village. The birds had gone home and so had the people, sitting and enjoying feeding their little ones after a day full of toil. But Taehyung was restless.

The same feeling with which he was woken up in the morning had returned but with a greater force, and no amount of work was letting him drown that. He suddenly wondered if it was even smart to refuse tagging along with the others and stay back.

Taehyung shakily flipped through a random file he was handed earlier, mind not evening taking the words in properly. After a while he gave up and walked out of his stuffy cabin, deciding to go on a round to freshen up his mind. Around a corner, he stopped and  heard the three younger policemen-- two juniors and one new recruit intern, talking animatedly amongst themselves.

"So have you thought of what type of person you want to marry?" Baekhyun asked the youngest, voice teasing.

The said boy tapped his lip in thought before flashing them a brilliant smile.

"Taehyung hyung!"

Chanyeol rolled his eyes at him."Hansul your crush is showing."

"Aha n-no! I m-mean someone like him. Not really him... not that i would mind that either-- b-but-"

"Boys." Taehyung coughed, trying to make his voice deeper than usual. He noticed the fused out fearful expressions in all the three's faces and nearly choked on his laughter, especially Hansul.

"S-sir." The three stomped their feet in respect for the elder and looked anywhere but at him. Taehyung bit his lip, deciding to play around a little.

"I heard what you people were talking about earlier. Marriage... is it?? You guys want to get hitched so soon?" The brunet said, lightly hitting the baton on his palm while eying the nervous boys.

"N-no hyu-- i-i mean sir-- we were just-- just joking." Chanyeol bowed in apology.

Taehyung hummed and turned to look at a sweating Hansul with a poker face.

"And you. Who did you say you want your partner to be like?"

Hansul looked up with wide eyes, face paler than a sheet and jaw hung open.

"Uh--i--i... i said nothing l-like that." He stuttered, embarrassment clear in his voice.

"Oh? But i clearly heard you said a name!" Taehyung knew he was teasing the boy a little too out of proportion but it was helping him calm down and forget about those lingering thoughts of Jungkook and the fires.

What he didn't expect was for the boy to literally suck it up and say the next few words that made his colleagues snap their heads at him.

"You. I said your name. I like you Taehyung hyung. I really do. And if i ever have a partner... i-i want to them to be like you or-or maybe i want them to be you... if you will have me that is." Hansul said in one go, making Taehyung freeze on his spot.

The brunet regarded the boy with wide stunned eyes. He searched the boy's face for signs of humor but there was none, he wasn't kidding. Hansul looked dead serious. Fuck.

Taehyung had always known about the eighteen year old's little crush on him but he never acknowledged that until today. He simply couldn't because he knew he couldn't return those feelings. Feelings of love. Taehyung couldn't... wouldn't love again. It was done and over with.

Before he could open his mouth and try to gently tell Hansul off, a loud sizzle went off from the generator room followed by a small blast and Just like that all the lights of the police station went out with a powerful blip.

"Fuck! I think the fuse is out." Baekhyun said from somewhere in the dark, trying to find the torch attached to his belt.

"Yeah. You should go check it out fast Bae." Taehyung agreed, flicking open his own torch light. Baekhyun left but came back really quick, wearing a worried look on his face.

"Guys this is not good. It looks like someone gutted the wires on purpose. The fuse is okay!"

Now that set the four men in a frenzy state of worry. Although the Seonchang police county was small it was infamous for holding a number of criminals put in for a variety of crimes. Not to mention, the leader of the mafia world of Gwangju province himself had been there once and it wouldn't be a surprise if the lower thugs and thots treated it like a shrine or something.

"Hansul, you check the south wing, Bae go west and Chan seal the main gates. I'll go down to the cells for a quick round. Everyone keeps the talkers on check and guns in position. If anything happens, aim for the non fatal body parts only. Now move!" Taehyung barked out his orders as the deputy chief and soon everyone skithered away to do their jobs.

Taehyung held the bunch of keys tightly in his palm, another holding the sleek torch upto shoulder level. He gulped dryly and passed through the first level of security, which was a tall iron door obstructing the station from the prison. It seemed locked and unmoved. So far so good.

The brunet carefully stepped into the long dark corridor holding ten prison cells on both sides. His hands shivered but he held himself in. Taehyung was stronger than this. He could do this.

As he passed the cells, various sounds ranging between teasing coughs and shameless hoots began to echo from the dark. It wasn't something new. They were criminals after all and Taehyung was like their bait. But as long as the doors were locked and the keycard was with Taehyung, they couldn't do shit to him. The boy steeled his heart and kept moving, trying to see if anyone had managed to get out somehow.

He finally reached the last two cells at the extreme backside, his chest relaxing when he saw the locks in place there as well. So nobody had managed a jail break. What a relief.

But the very next moment Taehyung stilled, his ears picking up the odd silence in the prison corridor. The whispers, comments, hoots all had died a sudden death just the way rats shut up as soon as their feline predator shows up.

Taehyung gulped thickly through a thudding heart and took a hurried step towards the exit but stopped and flinched when the overhead sirens began to blare suddenly, filling the long hallway with eerie neon red lights. Then slowly one by one the security locks of each cell got disabled and Taehyung watched in horror as all the iron doors rattled, immediately swinging open into the corridor, together.

The boy nearly dropped his only source of light, his body shivering like a leaf in the wind. This was bad. This was so so bad. How did that... happen??

What was he supposed to do now???

But to his surprise, a few dreadful moments passed and yet no one came out of the cells making Taehyung frown in confusion and fear. Why weren't those thugs coming out if their prisons were unlocked and were literally given the freeway?

Why were they... literally behaving like a group of rats obeying after an invisible pied piper?

Taehyung didn't have to wait very long to find out why.

Because the next moment he felt a tight  grip on his wrist before he was pulled into the last cell of the corridor with such a force, even his scream of terror couldn't but get emulsified amidst the stony walls.

________________________________________

"Mm--mm-hnggg-MMN!!" Taehyung struggled against the harsh grip clamped around his mouth, a calloused hand being the source of it, as he was dragged further into the small prison cell.

The brunet had his hands clutched around the man's muscular hand, trying to vainly pry it off his face while his legs helplessly kicked around on the floor. The man seemed to have gotten annoyed by Taehyung's constant  squirming and thus pushed his front against the coarse surface of one of the walls, towering over his back.

"Shh! Shh! Shh!" He whispered into the boy's ear, but it didn't look like that calmed the boy at all as he began to struggle even more.

So the next thing he did was step closer and wrap his muscular arms around Taehyung's torso, forcefully restricting his movements. It worked because now Taehyung couldn't move a limb. He was caged. And this familiar warmth emerging from the person's hard chest plastered against his back was already driving Taehyung over the edge.

"Done with the cat fight? Or is there more?" The person, who's face was still not visible in the darkness of the cell, spoke up sounding sarcastic. Taehyung closed his eyes and sucked in a breath, not responding to that statement as his heart was busy trying not to beat out of his chest.

"Tsk, no answer? Such a shame..." the person continued, loosening his hold around the brunet enough only to be able to run his hands down Taehyung's bony front. The boy visibly shuddered under the teasing touch, a tear or two springing up in his eyes. He bit his lip to contain the gasp when he was suddenly flipped to his front, now facing the faceless shadow.

"Such a shame, isn't it Kitty?"

Taehyung broke into a light sob as the shadow became more and more visible under the moonlight filtering in through the low skylights of the cell. First shown were the eyes-- gleaming  darker than the night and the same one's he had fallen for not too long ago. Then came the slope of his nose that ended in the cutest button, followed by the pale pink lips he had kissed so many times before but were now pulled into the most arrogant smirk ever. He rested his hooded eyes on the mole below his lip, the tear in his eye sliding now down his cheek.

Jungkook blinked his fluttering lashes a little, as if letting them adjust to the darkness before looking over at Taehyung again. For a moment his smirk completely fell off his face getting replaced by a look of daze as he took in Taehyung's form, while the brunet did the same-- just staring at the other to make sure this was real and not some fantasy cooked up by his yearning heart.

Subconsciously Jungkook stepped closer into Taehyung's space, his tatted fingers coming up to touch the boy's (now fuller) cheek in the gentlest hold. He brought one under Taehyung's chin and lifted his face to eye level, breath nearly knocking out of his chest at how beautiful the boy looked.

"Fuck, Taehyung..." he whispered, his breath fanning the brunet's face. Taehyung couldn't contain the sniffle that left his nose as his grip over Jungkook's jacket tightened slightly. His heart was aching with every beat, expanding and taking up more of the space that belonged to his lungs. It made him breathless. He was happy. He was so so happy.

"J-jungkook," He managed to croak as Jungkook stepped even closer, leaving absolutely no space between their bodies and began inspecting Taehyung's face like a museum artifact.

"T-tae! Look at you... you look so perfect," the ravenette said, a hint of a smile playing on his lips as he stared into Taehyung's teary spectacled eyes,"You've grown so much over the past year."

Then it was like a switch flipped out in the brunet's mind at the last few words that left his mouth.

Over the past year.

The same year when he had met this man for the first time and got kidnapped and transported to a different country. When this man fucked him to his hearts content then ordered to kill him when he was done with him and found someone else.

That past year.

The mob boss was still in a daze at the beauty he was getting to witness so candidly against the moonlight. So much so that nearly forgot his original intent of being there, but that moment didn't last long when he was pushed back with a sudden strong force that caught him off guard and made him stumble.

Taehyung used that moment of distraction to pull out his gun from the holster and bring it down on the ravenette's forehead as hard as he could. Jungkook backed a little more, a pained grunt leaving his lips as the brunet gasped in fear and adrenaline. The next thing they knew was that Taehyung was running out of the cell as fast as his wobbling legs could take him.

As he passed the cells he noted that almost all the prisoners had now escaped the jail and were probably out on the streets of Seonchang. Together. That made Taehyung bite back a curse. (A/n: purge feels y'all)

He quickly made his way out of the iron gate and closed it shut, turning the key a couple more times than usual in hopes that it could keep the devil inside. Though he wasn't sure that was going to work at all.

Taehyung re-entered the area that had the offices and cabins and dashed into his own. The lights were still out and he had lost his torch in the floor below so he blindly scrambled in the drawers to look for some candel or torches. He found one candle and a lighter in one of the drawers and quickly lit it, before reaching for his talkie to contact the other inspectors.

The static buzzed and Taehyung kept calling for anyone to respond. No one did. And that only raised the worry in the boy's chest. One part of his heart said to return to the prison and go find his love again while another simply  reminded him who that 'love' actually was. A cheating criminal. Thats all. And Taehyung was a cop on duty. He knew what he was going to choose this time.

When no one responded for the nth time, Taehyung decided to just chuck the useless device away and look for something else to work with. He rummaged through the drawers and picked up a pair of handcuffs and their keys, a few bullet magazines and--

Thud.

Taehyung froze in his actions when he heard the clear sound of something falling in close vicinity. Somewhere so close, it could have been his cabin itself.
He shakily grabbed hold of the candle in his hand and began sizing the perimeter of the small room, heart nearly falling out when he spotted a figure on the far left corner.

His back faced the officer and he was busily looking through a bag of supplies kept on a table. Taehyung nearly dropped the candle when the firm mocking voice spoke up again.

"Will you stop that, it's not some horror fiction. Dweeb."

"How-how did you-- c-come out--of-"

Jungkook turned to look at Taehyung with an unimpressed expression on his face. He was holding a bandage and some disinfectant, one side of his forehead clearly bleeding with a small gash that was formed by Taehyung's assault earlier.

"Just the way i got in? That wasn't through the stupid iron gate atleast," he replied, rolling his eyes. The ravenette lifted his hair off his forehead and patched up his wound quickly all the while being stared down by an utterly confused Taehyung.

"Are you going to keep standing there and not threaten to arrest me or something? Isn't that what cops are supposed to be doing kitty?" Jungkook smiled lopsidedly as the brunet looked away.

It was common knowledge who out of the two had a better chance to win a brawl so it was obvious Taehyung wasn't going to do that. That's where the question arose again... what exactly  was he supposed to do???

"Okay, you seem a little out of it after your little stunt so I'm going to help you carry out your duties now," Jungkook said rather too cheerfully before going to grab Taehyung's hand and drag him out again. The boy dropped the candle and let himself be dragged helplessly. He didn't have a good feeling about this. Nevertheless it made his heart churn with anticipation.

They walked together, with the mob boss humming a girl group song with correct lyrics and the cop getting annoyed with each passing minute. They stopped when they reached another familiar place in the police facility.

The questioning room.

This place was the one in which their uncharacteristic story had begun about a year ago. The source of an oncoming connection that no one had ever seen coming-- between a powerful mafia leader and an intern investigator.

Or between two failures of their own kind.

He was right, no one had seen this one coming.

Jungkook looked like he too acknowledged the importance of this place for the small moment when he stopped singing and just stared ahead into the dark room with a small smile. But it was gone before he knew and then he pulled the boy in, locking the door up from the inside.

He let go off Taehyung's arm and stretched the tension out of his stiff fingers before walking over to the other side of the room. Taehyung flinched when a sudden bright light filled the small questioning room, it's source being the light bulb hanging over the table in the middle. It was burning bright and appeared battery operated.
How long ago was all this planned?

"Have a seat Officer Kim." Jungkook offered, smiling cheekily at the cop. The evil glint in his eyes was omnipotent but Taehyung didn't really fear that anymore. He had grown to adore that look long ago.

This was the first time Taehyung had the chance to have a proper look at the elder. He was dressed in a greenish grey loose t shirt with the torso of a skeleton at the front and some really tight ripped jeans. Jungkook had clearly gotten a few more piercings and shorter hair that was still darker than all eclipses. His forehead gleamed with sweat and the little bandage on one side, the silver piercing reflecting on the other.

Taehyung broke out of his thoughts when he heard a low whistle from the elder, who was leaning over the table with a cocky smirk that indicated that he had been caught staring. The brunet cleared his throat and unwillingly made his way towards the table at the centre of the room, meeting the boss's eye.

"What the fuck do you want Jeon."

Taehyung made sure to keep his voice straight and firm as he directly looked into Jungkook's eyes, which turned even mirthful in response.

"Ooh, spicyy~" Jungkook winked, faking a hiss." I like it!! I'm into the untame ones more nowadays."

Taehyung ignored that comment and stood his ground. He wasn't going to give in so easily. He wasn't going to be fooled again. Taehyung was a grown up now, Jungkook said it himself. He was going to handle this questioning his way.

So he also took a daring step forward and placed his hands right next to Jungkook's , right on the table before leaning closer to Jungkook's amused face that watched his every move closely.

"I'm not going to fall for your shit this time. What.do.you.want.Jeon?" Taehyung repeated, lowering his deep voice into a threatening growl.

The gangster lifted a pierced brow, borderline impressed by Taehyung's attempts to appear intimidating. It was endearing to him. So he straightened up and crossed his arms over his chest, deciding to play along for a bit.

"Nothing much Officer. Just a few rounds of questions that i ask and then we can move on to play some of our favorite games together. What say? The nostalgia demands for it doesn't it?" He proposed, enjoying the uncomfortable expressions returning on the boy's face.

"I don't want to play games with you." Taehyung replied without looking at him," w-we both know how that ended for me the last time."

Though the last sentence was meant to be said under his breath, Jungkook still heard it and barked out a laugh, clapping his hands like a seal.

"Come on now Officer Kim, it won't be that bad this time around."

Till now he appeared pretty harmless but Taehyung knew better than to trust this man ever again. He was like a snake hiding in the skin of... well another snake. Deadly, just deadly in every sense there was.

Jungkook smirked evilly, letting a hand sneak around the base of Taehyung's tie before pulling him closer over the table with a sudden jerk. Taehyung's breath hitched in his throat as he watched Jungkook's face hover so close to his, heart racing deliciously in his chest.

"It will be an honest innocent game. I swear."

________________________________________

A/n: Can't tell you how happy i am to recreate the first few scenes of this book again. It has been a dream and im so excited!!!! Let's get thissssss

And vkook finally reunite after ten long chapters. What do you think happens next?

Im fine now by the way and i have to thank all of you for keeping me in your prayers and wishing me fast recovery.

I love you all so much. thankyou for existing 💜🥰