Haerin's POV

I was standing by the coffee machine waiting for my cup to be filled. However, my attention wasn't on the cup but on the door at a distance. It was Jimin's office.

It has been shut since that incident. No one has dared to go in including me. His things were still inside, untouched.

Then a thought struck me. What would happen when someone new takes up his position? His belongings would be taken away, packed and disposed off. Everything which defined him would be thrown away. And eventually, our memories in that room would be taken away too.

The moments where me, Yoongi and Jimin laughed over meaningless and unfunny things instead of working on our projects. The way we teased each other for making simple grammatical errors in the articles. The numerous heated arguments we had over nothing in particular. The days where we silently offered our shoulders for each other to cry on when we were stressed from work. It would all be erased away, as if it never existed.

"Miss Jung?"

A voice pulled me out from my thoughts. I blinked and turned to meet the warm smile of one of my colleagues. She pointed towards the coffee machine with a polite smile.

I looked down at my cup, which was to be filled. Oh shit! I was too caught up with my thoughts to realize that my cup was filled.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize," I said with an awkward smile. I grabbed my cup and moved aside so that she could use the machine.

She was kind enough to give me a smile and not be bothered by it. But my mind was still on the door.

Before I could think twice, my feet started taking me to Jimin's office. I stopped before the door and reached out to the knob. I held onto the knob but I couldn't bring myself to twist it.

Did I really want to go in?

Did I want to unwrap the memories which were trapped inside?

What if I broke down?

I clenched my jaw. No. This was not the time to break. I had to move on. I had to be strong. Before I could change my mind, I turned the knob and pushed the door open.

The room was exactly as it was the last time I visited it. The same messy desk. The same chair in which he used to lean back and smirk after successfully annoying me.

Everything was there but the only thing missing was the person who made this place lively and memorable.

Now it was empty and hollow. Sunlight entered the room through the gaps between the curtains.

I walked towards the curtains and opened them wide to let the sunlight in completely. The sunlight projected on the wooden floor. The dust in the air was visible. It was too calm here which was in contrast to what this place was like.

Despite the emptiness in this room, I found a strange comfort in it. As if his presence still lingered in here. But I knew that it was a matter of a few days before someone occupies this room and removes every trace of the person that meant the world to me.

I stepped near his desk and traced my fingers along the edges of a familiar photo frame. It was a picture of me, Yoongi and Jimin, smiling at the camera like idiots. Beside it was another photo frame of Byeol and Jimin, looking too happy as if they weren't weighed down by the fact that Byeol had cancer.

Jimin didn't deserve this.

I pulled my gaze away from the photo forcefully and started wandering around the room. My eyes landed on random objects which for now weren't random but a pool of memories.

There was an old coffee mug on the table with a crack, which he refused to throw away as he considered it lucky. But only me and Yoongi knew the real reason he why didn't want to throw it. It was our gift. That was the reason which he didn't want to admit.

There were tiny sticky notes attached to the wall. On the sticky note was written ' A surprise movie date with Byeol on 24th dec'. It was his reminder which cannot turn into reality for now. He must have been so excited to spend Christmas eve with his sister.

Then I looked at the chair in which he always spun around when he was out of ideas.

A small laugh escaped my lips when I remembered some of our inside jokes which no one would ever understand. The memories of us spending our time here, talking about nothing but ridiculous things and laughing over it, was consuming my mind.

Lastly, I stopped at his bookshelf.

Jimin loved reading crime novels. It was ironic given how his own life ended. I ran my fingers along the books which he used to never stop ranting about. He would suggest a number of books for me to read.

My fingers stopped on a book called 'The Housemaid'. A faint flashback reflected before my eyes when Jimin asked me to read this book. I took the book out to check out what was so special about it.

But as I pulled it out, a few papers slipped from the pages and fell down. I frowned and bent down to pick it up. It was folded neatly. It almost felt like it was meant to be hidden. And that made me feel uneasy.

I unfolded the paper and gripped it tightly as I read through the contents. It was a print of a plane ticket for two and some real estate papers.

I was confused looking at it. The real estate paper mentioned the purchase of a house. But the name on the paper wasn't Jimin's but was of Minjun.

Minjun?

Who the hell was Minjun? And why was this hidden inside one of Jimin's books?

My breath hitched as I looked at the location of the house.

Palawan islands, Philippines.

Jimin bought a house in the Philippines? That didn't make sense. If he was buying a house, he would have told us. He would have told me, right?

Then I shifted my attention to the plane tickets. At first, I thought they were old tickets which he might have forgotten to throw away. But then I saw something.

The date.

My heart started beating faster. The flight was scheduled for the day after Jimin's death. And it was to the islands.

My vision blurred as I tried to make sense of this. Two tickets. A trip to an island. A house under a name I'd never heard before.

Jimin was planning to leave. But he never made it.

A lump formed in my throat. I was finding it hard to stop my fingers from trembling. My mind started spinning with many questions.

Why would Jimin buy a house in the Philippines?

Why would he book a flight without telling us?

Who the hell was Minjun?

Before I could think further, my phone buzzed. I glanced at the screen.

Mr jeon

I picked up immediately without wasting a second.

"I have something to tell you," I said.

And at the exact moment Jungkook too said, "I have something to tell you."

Silence stretched between us.

"You first," Jungkook said.

"No, you first," I countered.

He sighed, making it clear that he was frustrated. "I'm on my way to your office. We're going to Daehwa right now. Be ready. We will talk about this then."

And just like that he cut the call. He didn't even wait for my response.

I stared at my phone, dumbfounded. Seriously? He left me curious about what he had to say.

I shook my head while gathering the plane tickets and the real estate papers. I went back to my room and stuffed the papers into my sling bag before slipping it onto my shoulder. I grabbed my winter coat and left my room. I didn't even care about Namjoon's scolding for leaving without notice. For now, I had more important things to worry about.

I hurried down the stairs which took longer than I wanted it to take. At least 5 min. By the time I stepped out of the building, the city was bustling with life though it was only afternoon. The cool air hit my face despite the weak afternoon sun.

Then I saw Jungkook's car making its way through the gates. I thanked god for the perfect timing.

Without wasting a second I got into his car. The moment I stepped in, Jungkook shoved a file towards me.

I took it, confused about what the file could be about. In return I gave him the papers I found. For the next 5 minutes, we both were silent, each of us going through the material in our hands.

'Choi Soobin'

My eyes widened. "Wait, he is from Daehwa?"

Jungkook looked at me with his mouth wide open in confusion. He didn't bother answering my question. Anyways it was stupid of me to ask in the first place when it was clearly written in the file.

Jungkook was done going through the papers and was thinking hard. I decided to break the silence.

"Could there be a link between these cases?" I asked. My voice was barely above a whisper.

There was silence again. Jungkook was again lost in his thoughts. The pieces were all in front of us but nothing seemed to fit correctly.

Jungkook finally broke the silence. "Why would Jimin buy a house in the Philippines? And why would it be under the name Minjun? Who is that? Do you know him?"

I shrugged and shook my head. Frustration was creeping into me. "I don't know anything. I found them in his office room." I said pointing at the papers in his hand.

I hesitated before speaking, "Do you think Soobin could be the murderer? I mean it can't be a coincidence that Soobin went missing the same day and also he is from the closest village. And according to Taheyung's theory, since people of Daehwa regularly pass through the forest, it wouldn't be a surprise that someone from Daehwa would be the murderer."

Jungkook's eyebrows furrowed as he analyzed my statement. The heavy silence was present for a few minutes.

And then, he finally answered.

"There's a high chance, Miss Jung."

I sighed while leaning back in my seat and crossing my arms over my chest. Clues were being thrown our way but none of it is leading us anywhere. It was frustrating. It felt like we were missing something obvious. Were we too dumb to put these clues together?

I came back from my thoughts when Jungkook started the engine.

I turned to him. "Why are we going to Daehwa?"

"To meet Soobin's family and get more details," he replied with his eyes fixed on the road.

I nodded and then looked at the house papers on my lap. "And what about these?" I pointed at them.

"We'll think about that later," he said.

I nodded again. I leaned on the window and looked at the afternoon city.

The journey to Daehwa would take nearly one and half hours.

-------

We reached the village and soon we found ourselves in front of Soobin's house.

Jungkook took a close look at the file, confirming the location of the house and door no. After cross checking everything he nodded his head. "This is the house. Let's go."

He walked to the door and knocked on it.

While we were waiting for the door to be opened, I observed the house. It was a small, traditional Korean house which was blended with modern architecture. A small garden was bearing sunflowers which swayed gently in the cool breeze.

The moment I was done observing, the door creaked open and a woman in her mid 50's looked at us with pure confusion. Her tired face and dark circles were an open testimony to her sleepless nights. She looked drained as if she was carrying the weight of grief for a long time.

Jungkook took out his ID and held it up. "I'm Detective Jeon Jungkook. I'm in charge of investigating Soobin's case."

The woman's eyes slightly widened before she gave us a small nod. Then politely she stepped aside, making a way for us.

The first thing that caught my eyes as I entered was a man in a wheelchair. He was in the living room with a newspaper on his lap. When he noticed us, he blinked his eyes in confusion. The woman informed him that we were here for Soobin's investigation, after which he nodded his head.

I took a look at the surroundings. The house was simple and generated a feeling of warmth. The traditional wooden furniture was strangely blending in with the modernized walls. 

This place looked like it was filled with happiness before, but now it was trapped in the walls of grief.

The woman politely gestured to take our seats. She settled beside the man, across from us.

"I am Mrs Choi, Soobin's mother," she introduced herself. "And this is Mr. Choi, his father."

We nodded in acknowledgment.

She continued with a calm voice which had a hint of sadness. "He can't speak, so I will be answering on his behalf."

Jungkook gave a small nod and leaned forward. He again came back to his professional self which he only showed when the situation demanded.

"When was the last time you saw Soobin?" he asked.

Mrs Choi exhaled shakily. "When he was leaving for work in the morning."

Jungkook nodded while writing down in a book or to be more specific the book he stole from me on our way here. "You filed the missing person's report when it wasn't even 24 hours since you had last seen him. Why were you so sure that he was missing?"

I saw her getting tense. But I knew that it wasn't unnatural. It was common for people to get tense when they are questioned as if they are suspects rather than a grieving family.

She answered after taking a deep breath. "He usually comes home around midnight... 3 AM at the latest. But that night, he didn't. We tried calling him, but.." she let out a slow sigh, "..he left his phone at home that day."

I frowned. "Wouldn't he have come back for it? These days people don't just leave the house without their phone."

Mrs Choi nodded and continued. "He works in the nearby town and it's nearly an hour's journey. I guess he didn't realize that he forgot his phone until he reached his work place."

I nodded, trying to piece things together.

Jungkook asked, "What does he do for work? And how does he usually travel?"

"He works at a café in a nearby town," she answered. "To get there, he has to walk through the highway to get to the bus station. That takes about 15 minutes. Then he takes a bus to the town which takes around 45 minutes.

Jungkook's expression darkened. "So he walks along the highway every day?"

She nodded.

I could feel the pieces of the puzzle fixing in my head. The timing. The location.

Jimin was in that area the night Soobin went missing.

And now Soobin is missing or.

This couldn't be just a coincidence. Could it be?

Jungkook took out his phone and searched up Jimin's photo. He turned the screen towards Mr and Mrs Choi to show them the picture.

"Do you know him?" he asked. "Could Soobin have been familiar with him? Maybe friends? Or someone who he didn't get along with?

Mrs Choi studied the image for a moment and then shook her head.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "Soobin wasn't the type to have fights with anyone or hold grudges. And as for friends... he didn't really have any."

Jungkook and I exchanged glances. We both looked clueless.

"Did Soobin have an argument with you that day? Or any disagreements?" Jungkook asked.

Mrs Choi shook her head. "No. We were all joking around during breakfast that day. There was nothing unusual."

Jungkook nodded and stayed silent for a minutes and then stood up unexpectedly. "I want to see Soobin's room."

Mrs Choi hesitated initially but she led us to his room. I followed behind them while looking at the surroundings.

The moment we entered, Jungkook started investigating the room. He didn't leave any corner of the room. He moved with professionalism and looked...hot.

The room was messy. The books were scattered around. A pile of unfolded clothes were lying on his bed. The hanger on the door looked like it was holding onto its dear life. It looked like a typical room of a young man. Nothing like a criminal's hideout.

There was nothing suspicious in the room. At least I thought so.

Then Jungkook pulled open a drawer and rummaged through it. His eyes caught something.

A diary.

The pages were worn and the cover bent slightly due to frequent use. Jungkook's finger hovered over it before he turned to Mrs Choi.

"Can I take this?" he asked, his voice cold yet respectful.

Mrs Choi almost looked as if she didn't like the idea but nevertheless she nodded her head. "Yes... if it helps you find him, please take it."

Jungkook gave a small nod before tucking the diary under his arm.

After some more observation of his room, Jungkook decided that there was nothing more to be discovered here.

We started preparing to leave the house. Mrs Choi escorted us to the main door of the house. Jungkook bowed down in respect which I followed after him. She returned that and looked at us with hope filled eyes.

Just as we were about to leave the house, her voice stopped us.

"Excuse me."

We turned back.

Tears had pooled in her eyes. She clutched on her sweater with her trembling hands. She spoke with a crack in her voice.

"Please find my son," she pleaded. "He's my only child...the only family we have got. Please."

I felt a lump in my throat. For me, Soobin was someone I suspected a lot. But in that process I forgot how much his disappearance was affecting his family.

Before I could find the right words to comfort her, Jungkook stepped forward. He spoke, this time with a soft voice.

"We will, Miss Choi. Don't worry."

She nodded while wiping her tears. With that, we left the place.

I was again in contact with the afternoon sun. Me and Jungkook were standing on the porch.

One more clue. One more unanswered question.

Where the hell was Soobin? Is he the murderer? If not, he should have at least been the witness of the murder right?

I looked at Jungkook who was looking at something far away. He had an unreadable expression, his eyebrows furrowed.

Curious of what caught his attention, I looked along his line of sight. And then I saw it.

A house.

It was across a very narrow river. Behind the house was the lush green forest.  A strange uneasiness settled in my chest.

"Jungkook," I called softly.

He blinked and looked at me, coming out of his thoughts. His dark eyes met mine and for some reason that did things to me which shouldn't affect me in this situation. It bought butterflies in my stomach.

 I scolded myself. Seriously? Now? Of course, I'd get them. My long time crush was standing inches away from me and was looking at me with those dangerously beautiful eyes. I can't be blamed. But as the mature lady I am, I pushed back any sinful thoughts from erupting in my mind and focused on what was required.

Jungkook pointed towards the house. "You see that house there?"

I nodded. I wasn't getting good vibes from that house.

Jungkook reached out to his back pocket and produced a map out of it. My eyes widened in disbelief.

"Seriously, Mr. Jeon? You carry this with you?" I asked, raising a brow.

He rolled his eyes. "I have to, Miss Jung."

He unfolded the map and traced a route on the map with his finger.

"See this? This is the highway," he started explaining to me. " And beside the highway is the forest which stretches to about 5 km. The path through the forest directly leads to that house."

I looked between the map and the house and nodded my head.

"We need to talk to the owner of that house," Jungkook said while folding his map. " And ask them if they saw any suspicious person or suspicious activities that night."

I turned my gaze back to the house. It stood there alone, secluded away from the village.

Jungkook started walking towards the bridge which would help us cross the river. I followed him, completely unsure of where we were moving forward with this case. 

To be continued..

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Author's note: Are you liking it? If not please tell me where I can improve.

Love you! <3