Jungkook gazed into the distance for a while as his thoughts rampaged in his head. His team stayed silent as well, although they couldn’t help but throw worried glances at him.

Suddenly, Jungkook spun around to face the camera. He drew his gun out and fired once, shattering it. “Come here.” He waited until they neared him, and they formed a circle, wrapping their arms around each other. “There may be more cameras so I’ll talk quietly. We need as many people as we can find. The Umbra will appear today.”

“How do you know?” Hoseok asked.

“We’re near their hideout. And I provoked them. They wanted me dead, but Jin Mo couldn’t kill me. So they’ll do it themselves. I’m sure.” 

“Let’s call Jang Hyuk then,” Namjoon said. 

With a determined nod, Jungkook fished his phone out of his pocket and called him.

Jang Hyuk picked up on the first ring. “Hey. What did you find?”

Jungkook covered his mouth with his hand and spoke silently into the phone. “His last location is in the middle of the forest. Listen. We need SWAT cars and two SWAT teams, ten people per team. We also need a backup team. Take as much ammunition as possible with you, smoke grenades, and stun grenades. They will be prepared because they know we’re here. This won’t be easy.”

“Okay. I’ll get everything ready as fast as I can. Wait for us.”

“Thanks.” Jungkook hung up the phone and tucked it away. “And now we wait.”

  
Although the forest was plunged into daylight, it exuded an unearthly aura with the uncanny sounds that often rang in their ears. The wait felt even longer, but at some point, the sound of cars approaching seeped into their consciousness and grabbed their focus. 

They hustled to stand up and waited until everyone was out of the cars. “Gather around,” Jungkook ordered. “Who’s the leader of each SWAT team?” 

Two men, dressed in a full body armor, stepped forward. “I’m Ha Nam Gil, leader of SWAT team A.”

“I’m Kim Han Woo, leader of SWAT team B.”

“Okay, I’m Jeon Jungkook. Always listen to my orders without questions. We will arrest everyone. We shoot if necessary. Always stay with your assigned group and be extra careful. My team will go first and Jang Hyuk’s team will follow. Are you ready?”

“Yes, sir,” was heard from the most of them, and with Jungkook’s signal, everyone got into the bulletproof cars. 

They drove slowly towards the right, cautious of any hidden danger. It was easier than they thought to find the way to the hideout, thanks to the tire tracks that were easily visible. 

Soon, a building peeked out in their vision, but shots were instantly fired at them, making them duck on instinct. 

Namjoon assessed the situation they were in and spotted at least three snipers. “We have snipers.”

“Screw them,” Jungkook said. “We’re going in with the cars.”

“Can the SWAT car break down the gate?” Hoseok asked, flinching by the continuous gunshots. 

“It depends on how thick it is,” Ji Ho, the driver, said. “Hold on tight.” He shifted into reverse and backed up so he could gain speed. Then, he revved up and sped forward. The SWAT car convulsed as it came crashing onto the metal gate, managing to bend it. 

The fusillade of bullets carried on as Ji Ho repeated the process; he backed up and stepped on the gas. The car slammed into the gate once again, and this time, it broke right through it. 

They faced a group of armed men waiting for them, but didn’t stop. Ji Ho sped up even more, causing the men to jump left and right to avoid the car, and he flew right into the wide door. 

The driver of the second SWAT car did a donut to take out as many men as he could and came to a halt sideways, in front of the door. With the first car stopped in the same position, they got outside and took cover between the two cars. 

“Why isn’t there anyone in here?” Jungkook wondered as he scanned the empty living room. A deluge of shots were fired at them that didn’t give him time to contemplate the situation more. “They’re wearing bulletproof vests, so aim at their legs!”

Using the SWAT car as a shield, they started firing back at them. The shooting between them didn’t last long, though, as the two SWAT teams burst out of the cars and surrounded them. “Drop your weapons,” Nam Gil roared.

The deafening sound of the gunshots halted, and the unnamed men who hadn’t been shot yet observed the current situation. Quickly realizing the police had outgunned them, they slowly set their weapons on the ground and lifted their hands above their heads. 

“Handcuff them and put them in the vans,” Jungkook instructed, and the backup team heeded to his order right away. “Reload your guns,” he said. “We move all together until we see what’s going on.” After everyone followed his instructions, he leveled his gun and proceeded to the left, where the hallway was. “Hee Cheol, shoot at the cameras.” 

The said man aimed his gun and destroyed the two cameras in the living room and in the hallway. 

Jungkook stopped and raised his fist when he spotted a door. He pointed to the SWAT team B and beckoned them to come forward.

The leader, Han Woo, got into position beside the door and brought his hand to the handle. He thrust it open, and a row of gunshots went off, causing them to flinch. He slid a stun grenade out of his pocket and threw it in the room. After waiting a couple of seconds, he stormed inside and disarmed the five guys easily by their disoriented state. 

“Team B, handcuff them.”

Jang Hyuk’s team took over, and Jungkook stepped out of the room, heading to the next door. He let the SWAT team A lead the process, but when Nam Gil pushed the door open, no gunshots were heard. 

Nam Gil’s face wrinkled in mystification, but for only a second. The next, he charged inside with his gun poised, only to find five guys with their weapons beside them and their hands raised above their heads. “Detective Jeon.” 

The leader walked into the room, scanning the five guys through dubious eyes. “What’s going on here?”

“We—We’re on your side,” one of them said in a whisper. “Taehyung talked to us. He said you’ll come save us.”

Jungkook tilted his head to the side, narrowing his stare on him, as his suspiciousness escalated. “Prove to me you really talked with Taehyung.”

“Mari motel. In Songpa-gu. That’s what he told us to say. He knew you’ll ask for confirmation.”

Jungkook’s furrowed features smoothed out at once. No one knew about their night together in that motel. Even their friends didn’t know the name of the motel they had gone to. It could only mean the guy was truthful. 

“Where is he? Taehyung.”

“I don’t know. About an hour ago, they gave us guns and told us to split into different rooms. I think it’s a waste of time to go through every room in this area. Taehyung said whatever it is to happen, it’ll probably take place in the main room, which is on the right side.”

“Why?”

“Because the room can lock completely. If you get inside and they close the door, there’s no way out. So they probably want to lead you there to kill you. Also, there’s another door that doesn’t have a way to open it from the inside. Taehyung thinks it’s a secret passage so they can have access to the building from outside. He tried to search for the entrance, but he couldn’t find it. Not even Joo Eon knows where it is.”

“Okay.” Jungkook exhaled a breath, taking a moment to let all the new information sink in. “What’s your name?”

“Mi Hoon.” 

“Are there more people on our side like you?”

“Yes. Ten more men. They let us split up however we wanted, so all the guys who are on your side will be in the same room.”

Jungkook pressed the button on his earpiece. “Everyone, listen. The SWAT team A and the backup team will go through every door in this hallway and take care of everyone. There are ten more men who are on our side. If someone says they talked with Taehyung, ask them for confirmation. And if they say the words Mari motel, they’re clear. Mi Hoon and his friends will go outside to search for the secret passage along with the SWAT team B. The rest will come with me.”

Everyone split how they were instructed, and Jungkook led the way towards the right with his gun leveled. When he passed the empty hallway and turned right, his steps faltered as he located an open door. He readjusted his grip on the gun and leaped out of his hiding spot. 

Every ounce of determination faded out of his face and shock mixed with heartbreak took its place. Because right there in the center of the spacious room, Taehyung, the love of his life, was chained around a column with his hands tied behind his back and his mouth taped. 

His heart cried in agony, and his vision blurred. He dragged his hand down, eyes locked on Taehyung’s devastated face. “Taehyung...” he rasped and took a tiny step forward unconsciously. 

Taehyung furiously shook his head, eyes wide and filled with a flood of tears. He licked the tape and twisted his mouth in his efforts to unstick it. He released a long, desperate sound of protest when he detected Jungkook stepping closer to the door again, shaking his head. With another twist and opening of his mouth, he managed to dislodge the tape enough to talk. 

“Don’t come inside,” he said through rapid breaths. “There are sensors by the door that will trigger two shotguns, killing me and whoever steps inside.” 

“Tsk. You have a tape over your mouth for a reason, Taehyung.”

With the gruff voice that rippled through the room, Joo Eon appeared, walking towards Taehyung. He ripped the tape off his mouth and forcefully stuck a new one. He gazed at him for a few seconds, a glimmer of distress sparking in his eyes. 

He filled his chest with air and emptied it with a heavy sigh. Wearing a facade of assuredness, he turned to face the police. “You’re finally here, Jeon Jungkook. Here’s what’s going to happen. You’ll tell your team to back off and I’ll turn off the sensors so you can come inside. That’s the only way to save Taehyung.”

Jungkook could only stare at the crying man, who shook his head on repeat, his muffled whimpers piercing right through his chest. 

“You know it’s a trap, Jungkook,” Namjoon whispered. “They want to kill you.”

“It’s the only way the Umbra will appear.”

“Jungkook,” Namjoon called firmly. “Both of you will die if you go inside.”

Jungkook lowered his head as he exhaled shakily. “Back off. It’s an order. Go help the others.”

“No,” Namjoon dissented. “You can’t—”

“Joon.” He twisted his head, giving Namjoon a desperate look. “You need to find the secret passage fast,” he uttered. “The more you are, the better. So go. Please. I’ll be fine.”

“Fuck, Kook,” Namjoon sighed, clearly reluctant to follow his orders.

“Please.” Jungkook pushed his shoulder gently and swiveled around. “My team will leave. Turn off the sensors.”

“First, throw away your weapons and take off your bulletproof vest.” 

Jungkook glanced at his team and nodded. They unwillingly retreated, as he crouched and placed his gun on the floor, then slid it aside. He stood straighter and shed his vest next. 

Joo Eon took a control out of his pocket and pressed the red button. Two beeps rang in the room, signaling the shutdown of the sensors. “You can come inside now.”

And Jungkook did, at a creep. The moment he took two steps forward, the door behind him shut. He knew there was no going back now. 

He quickened his gait until he reached Taehyung. He collapsed on his knees and removed the tape from his mouth. “Tae,” he breathed out as he held his wet cheeks. “Shh. It’s going to be okay. I promise.” He ran his fingers through his hair and clutched him into his embrace. His eyes hardened as he snapped his head to the side, fixing Joo Eon with a glower. “Let him go now.”

“Soon, detective Jeon. Soon. Don’t worry.” Joo Eon grabbed a zip tie from the desk and trod closer. “Let’s get your hands tied up now, hmm?”

“Joo Eon,” Taehyung murmured. “Please stop. You said you’re not on their side. Why are you doing this?”

“And I said I’m not on your side either,” he spoke with a thread of harshness in his voice. “I’m following orders. So just... let me do my job.”

“What is your job, exactly?” Jungkook asked with a growl. “To get me killed?”

“My job is to tie you up and wait.”

Taehyung’s brows bumped together as he attempted to interpret the latent meaning of his words. “Wait... for what?”

“I don’t know, Taehyung. I don’t know what I’m supposed to wait for. But I think... either you guys die, or I will.”

Jungkook scoffed. “You think the Umbra won’t kill you after you see their face? They’ll kill everyone.”

Joo Eon’s head twitched backwards, surprised at what he heard. “Why would I see their face? How?”

“Because they will appear today. That’s what you have to wait for. They told you to wait for them to appear... and die. Just like us.”

Agitation quickly rose up Joo Eon’s chest as he started pacing. “No... No, that can’t be right. Shut up. Let me do my job.” 

“I won’t cooperate if you don’t let Taehyung go.”

“Tsk, so stubborn. Hold him.”

Two men, who were silently standing aside, surged towards him. Jungkook jumped to his feet and got into position to fight them, but his fists lost all their strength as Joo Eon pointed his gun at Taehyung. 

“Don’t waste my time. Get on your knees and put your hands behind your back.” 

A new wave of tears cartwheeled down Taehyung’s face as he watched Jungkook comply to his orders without a second thought. He was in danger again because of him and that fact alone truly razed his heart to the ground. 

Now with his hands tied up and his spirit throughout disheartened, Jungkook looked up at him. “Let Taehyung go. Please. You got me. So let him leave.”

Before anyone could make another sound, a whoosh infiltrated their senses, and they tossed their heads to the side. Through the blackness of the narrow passage, an eerie, devilish chuckle echoed that glaciated Jungkook’s brain. 

It was the chuckle he had heard so many times. It was the chuckle of his hyung’s killer. 

Each one of his heartbeats battered in his ears harsher and harsher. His wide, unmoving eyes bristled with apprehension. And with every second of stillness that crept by, his breath spewed faster from his lungs. 

The man’s figure slid into view, and the room’s lights shone on him. Jungkook gaped at the unfamiliar man, noting his amused smirk and the splatters of blood on his face. “You...” He gulped as his throat suddenly felt dry. “You killed my hyung. You’re the Umbra.”

Taehyung was fighting with his own terror as he stared at the man, refusing with a vengeance to believe what lay before his eyes. Because right then, his whole world seemed to crumble. His stomach lurched and dropped to the ground. And his heart felt as if it were being stabbed by the spikes of anguish. 

Right then, his hyung was standing in front of him. But it felt nothing like the Jae Wook he knew. He had an unprecedented glint of malevolence in his eyes and a gut-wrenching smirk on his face. The dark aura he radiated made Taehyung’s stomach twist with disgust.

Jae Wook raised his hand and sighted his gun towards the two unnamed men, who looked back at him with owlish eyes. He blazed two shots at their heads in turn, and he watched the bodies fall with a thud. A crazed chuckle jumped out of his throat as he slid his aim towards Joo Eon, but his amusement drained away when he noticed he was out of ammunition. 

“Lucky bastard,” he muttered, then giggled to himself as he drew a double-edged dagger out of the waistband of his pants. “I’ll deal with you later.” He rotated to face Taehyung and let out a sigh at the expected, absolute terror that cloaked his face. “I told you we’ll see each other again soon, Tae,” he said blithely as he crouched in front of him. “Come on. Don’t look so scared.”

Through his unbearable shock and dread, Taehyung discerned a hand reaching out to hold his cheek and jerked his head to the side. Harsh breaths erupted from his lungs as he slowly turned his gaze towards him again. “Who... You’re the... You’re the Umbra?”

Jungkook frantically looked back and forth between them as he sat on his knees. “Do you know him, Tae?”

Jae Wook broke out laughing so hard his head flew back, and he almost lost balance, but he stabilized himself by leaning on the floor. “I forgot to introduce myself,” he said through little laughs and tilted towards Jungkook, piercing him with a taunting view. “My name is Kim... Jae... Wook,” he spat each word with intense mockery and burst out into another blaze of laughter. 

Jungkook simply gazed at the madman, unable to believe what was happening. “That lunatic... is your hyung? Your hyung is the Umbra? The Umbra who ordered Jin Mo to beat you up and lock you in a fucking cell?” His rant rose in volume until he screamed the last words from the top of his lungs. 

The ferocity of his voice silenced Jae Wook’s outburst of laughter straightaway. With a severity that could ice up anyone’s blood in seconds, he directed his eyes at him. “You know what I hate the most, Jungkookie? The weak. And Taehyung was weak at that moment. I would have beaten him up myself if I could.”

“You fucking lunatic,” Jungkook gritted out. “Why did you kill my hyung? Why?” His jaw clenched tight in his attempt to choke back the spate of tears that tingled his nose. 

“Ah, my dear Kang Ho,” Jae Wook sighed in delight as he rose to feet. “I knew he was working undercover. I let him be because it was thrilling, you know? I wanted to see how much he could find out about Jin Mo.” A veil of grimness sprawled over his traits, and every tinge of amusement burned out of his voice when he spoke again. “But there was a fucker who knew about the Umbra.”

As if Jae Wook could control his mood with an invisible button, he smiled again. “Kang Ho found out something he shouldn’t have. So I lured him to go to that building using Jin Mo.” He squatted close to Jungkook and leaned to his ear. “You know what the last words he heard were?” he whispered. “‘Are you proud, Kang Ho-yah? You found out about the Umbra. You’re the first person who achieved this. Be proud of yourself. In heaven.’ And then I drilled my knife into the deepest parts of his stomach one more time.” 

A feral outrage boiled in Jungkook’s gut until it overwhelmed every sane thought. An animal snarl thrust out of his mouth as he slammed his shoulder into Jae Wook’s face. 

Jae Wook fell on his back with a pained cry as he held his now bleeding nose with his hand. “You motherfucker.” He shook his head to dispel any sign of dizziness from the impact and wiped his nose with his sleeve. He pushed himself to his feet and lunged at Jungkook. He grasped the collar of his shirt and brought the knife to his neck. 

“Jae Wook!” Taehyung cried out, fighting against the chains in vain. “Please don’t do this.”

“Shut up, you weak shit,” Jae Wook roared. “Aren’t you ashamed, Tae? Crying over him like a little bitch? I didn’t raise you this way.”

“Thank God you didn’t raise him at all since you were away most of the time,” Jungkook sneered in a low voice. 

Jae Wook snapped his eyes to him, something distinctively crazier and more furious burning in them. He pressed the blade into the side of his neck. “You better watch your mouth. You have a knife pressed to your neck. The same knife that killed your hyung. And that beloved officer of yours.” He dragged the knife down his neck, cutting his skin. 

Jungkook grimaced at the stinging sensation, but paid no mind to it. “So I was right. You killed Jeosun. And when I went to Daegu, you wanted to kill me too. But I was with Taehyung. So you told your men to back out.” 

“You’re smart indeed.” Jae Wook thrust him aside and stood straighter again. He marveled at the trail of blood on his knife, eyes sparkling. “You always understand everything so well.”

“My blood and fingerprint,” Taehyung spluttered with the remembrance of Jeosun’s case. “You planted them at the crime scene. Why?”

A wicked smirk cut across Jae Wook’s face. “For fun.” He accompanied his chirpy remark with a shrug of his shoulder. “I wanted to mess with all of you and also see how much Jungkook trusted you. And he didnʼt even suspect you.”

Jungkook tamed the headlong rush of rage within his chest with vast difficulty. “You said I always understand everything. There’s something I don’t understand, though. Who shot me that night?”

The corner of Jae Wook’s lips twitched. “See? I was right. You understand everything.”

“What the hell do you mean, Jungkook?” Taehyung uttered, throughout confused. “If Jae Wook killed your hyung, he shot you too.”

Jungkook dragged his eyes to Taehyung, detecting all the painful confusion in his gaze at once. “The shot came from the side. Jae Wook was in front of me since I was chasing him. I lost him for a second. Just a second. And then I was shot. That means...” He transferred his gaze to Jae Wook, who seemed to hold back an outpouring of delighted chuckles. “Someone else was there too.”

“Ah, bravo!” Jae Wook unleashed a series of giggles. “You got it right again, Jungkookie.”

“Who was it?” Jungkook asked. “Who is... the real Umbra?”

As Joo Eon watched the scene unfold before his eyes anxiously, hidden behind the desk, a muffled yelp grazed his throat at the sound of polished shoes clicking against the metallic floor of the secret passage. 

“The fallen angel rules within the Umbra.”

Everyone’s attention instantly flew to the distant, heavy voice that sounded. 

“And it will continue to do so. Because all of you who made it reveal itself”—a black-dressed figure appeared at the door, but its face remained concealed by the darkness of the passage—“will die a brutal death.”

Taehyung’s stomach gnarled violently at the very first sound of that voice. A vehement panic punched his chest with bruising pressure, threatening to suffocate him. And it did. He could feel nothing but that blinding panic. Shock and disbelief achingly blended together waltzed all over his existence, robbing him of every rational thought. 

His round eyes, filled with tears and distress, were pinned to that man when he stepped forward and let the light of the room illuminate his face. That sharp-looking face that was now marked by wrinkles of aging. That face he never thought he would see again. 

It was the face... of his dead father. His dead father was standing right there, a few meters away. And Taehyung could only exhale sharp little breaths, as his brain couldn’t fathom what was happening anymore. 

───⭒───༺🌑༻───⭒───

I know most of you expected the Umbra to be Jae Wook. It's kind of classic, so I wanted to add a twist. Did you expect Taehyung's father to suddenly appear? With so many police series and movies that exist, it's almost impossible to add a twist that no one will expect. But, even if you guessed that too, I hope it was at least thrilling enough for you 💜

Two chapters left ⏳