Haerin's POV

"So you're saying the footsteps are fresh?" I asked while glancing at Jungkook, who was driving.

"Of course, Miss Jung," he replied without diverting his eyes from the road. "It just rained so there's no way the footsteps are old."

I nodded slowly. "That thing completely slipped my mind."

"It probably rained just a few hours ago." Jungkook said. "Which means someone was in the forest during or after the rain."

I leaned back in my seat and tried to piece things together. "Could it be that the murderer wanted to distract us? Maybe the tub was planted there on purpose to mislead us."

Jungkook nodded slightly. "That's a strong possibility."

I nodded. We were now heading to the headquarters of the Sentinel Division to find out if the tub had any fingerprints. Jungkook placed the tub in the trunk. He luckily had gloves which ensured that he didn't leave his own fingerprints on it.

I wondered if detectives had to carry gloves around every time.

Then I realized Taehyung was too quiet. No crunching sounds from his nachos.No stupid remarks echoing from the backseat.

But, of course, I had spoken too soon. He always had something absurd to say.

"Why are we referring to the murderer as 'he'?" he asked. "It could be a 'she' too, right?"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I was considering two options. Should I exhale and carry on with life, or just hold it in and end it right there?

"You can't be serious, Mr. Kim," I muttered in frustration.

"Actually... Taehyung's question makes sense." Jungkook stated as calmly as possible. He paused for a second and then asked, "So... should we call the murderer 'he' or 'she'?"

"It could be 'they' or 'them' too, right?" Taehyung offered from the backseat.

I threw my hands up, wondering how the conversation was easily drifting away. "Guys, guys. Let's just stick with 'he' for now, and let's keep in mind it could be 'she' or 'they.' There's no point debating about the pronouns when we still don't know who we're talking about."

Taehyung leaned forward. "Okay, but I do have something else to say."

I groaned. "Please keep it to yourself if it's—"

"No," he cut me off. He looked serious this time. "It's actually important."

I turned to look at him. I was a little hopeful to hear something useful from him "Alright. What is it?"

He continued. "So, I believe... the footsteps don't belong to the murderer. But the tub does."

I released a sarcastic laugh. "What does that even mean?"

My laughter died when I realized that Jungkook and Taehyung were serious.

Taehyung continued with his sharp tone. "I noticed something. The footsteps didn't end where we found the tub. They continued into the forest. If the murderer placed the tub there, wouldn't they just turn back? Why would they go deeper into the woods?"

He had a point. Actually a good one.

I frowned. "Then who would go into the forest?"

Taehyung replied in a beat. "The people of Daehwa."

"What?" I asked, confused.

Taehyung nodded. "Do you remember that morning when the investigation was going on? A lot of villagers showed up to watch. I noticed they came from the forest... and left the same way."

He glanced at us before continuing. "Which means the forest connects the highway to the village. It's actually pretty common for people to walk through there. Taking the forest path saves at least 20 to 30 minutes compared to walking along the road. People in the village rarely have a vehicle. Hence walking is their main mode of transport. So in conclusion, the footsteps aren't something to be worried about but the tub is. I believe the murderer was foolish enough to leave it there."

It was at that moment I realized that Taehyung was a detective. A real one. Behind all the nachos and nonsense, his brain was sharp.

Jungkook nodded, considering Taehyung's input. "But if villagers were regularly passing through... wouldn't someone have reported the tub if they saw it?"

"Of course not," Taehyung replied. "To them it could be just a scrap material which was common for a forest where many people passed by. Nothing worth reporting."

"But what if the murderer staged this?" I asked.

Taehyung didn't find my argument convincing. "Miss Jung, maybe the murderer isn't as smart as we think. Maybe he's just some reckless drunk guy who killed Jimin and didn't even bother hiding the tub properly."

I frowned. "Maybe. But we still can't ignore the possibility of this being staged. The tub might have been left there on purpose."

Jungkook finally stepped in. "Alright. First we need to confirm if the tub has fingerprints. If it does then we will trace them. I know there is a high chance of it being fake or someone else's but if it is the killer's itself, then the case might come to an end.

"What would we do after finding  that person? Will we conclude that he is the murderer?" I asked.

Jungkook shrugged. He shrugged. And that gesture did nothing other than elevate my confusion regarding the whole situation.

I nodded silently. Nothing was making sense to me. And I knew Jungkook and Taehyung were as clueless as me. If there was anything I knew, it was that this case isn't going to come to an end so easily.

Taehyung strongly believed that the fingerprints would be of the murderers and I strongly believed that this might have been staged and about jungkook....it's better not to ask him as all I would receive would be a shrug. And also I didn't want a new opinion and perspective right now. So I didn't bother asking his hypothesis.

We reached Seoul by 2 AM. We went straight to the agency.

Though it was past midnight, the building was active. Detectives were moving around with files in their hands. Some were neatly dressed in suits or formals while others wore casual t-shirts and shorts as if they were in a pajama party.

Jungkook turned to Taehyung. "Go to the hacking department and ask them to track Jimin's phone," he instructed him. Then he looked at me. "Miss Jung, wait here. I will go to the forensics and hand it over there."

"I'll go with you," I said.

He hesitated as if I am a threat to the forensic lab but nevertheless he nodded his head. Taehyung had already walked away. I followed Jungkook to the forensic department.

The moments we entered we were engulfed by the darkness of the room. The two bulb lights hanging above were the only source of illumination. A man was in the middle of the room, going though some files. I immediately recognized him. He was present that day at the investigation.

He sensed our arrival and looked up. The moment his eyes met Jungkook's, a smile smile crept up his face.

Jungkook and Jin shared a fist bump. " Hi Miss Jung. I am the head of the forensic department."

I reached out to shake his hand but my mind was distracted. I was looking at something behind him. Or more specifically corpses.

A number of dead bodies were present in the room. My breath hitched as it was not a common sight you see everyday. And the fact that my friend might be one of them was making me sick. 

Jungkook must have realized my uneasiness. His eyes softened as he looked at me. He then gave me a warm and comforting smile.

"Miss Jung, you can wait outside until I come and update you."

I shook my head. "It's okay. I can handle it."

Jungkook and Seokjin exchanged a glance as if questioning my presence here. I tried to divert the topic.

"Mr. Kim, we found this tub in the forest. We need to check if it has fingerprints." I pointed at the tub in Jungkook's hands.

His eyes widened in shock. "How did you guys miss this detail that day? And why were you even there late at night?"

Jungkook sighed. "Long story."

Seokjin nodded while looking confused. He put on a pair of latex gloves and took the petrol tub from Jungkook's hand. Jungkook got rid of his gloves and threw them in the dustbin.

"This might take a few minutes," Seokjin said while adjusting his glasses.

He grabbed a fine brush and a container which had powder in it. He dipped the brush into the powder and started stroking it on the tub. We could see slight traces of something there.

Seokjin narrowed his eyes and leaned closer, blocking my view. "There's something here."

He replaced the brush in his hand with adhesive tape. He then placed the tape on the pattern and lifted it up. He then placed it on a forensic card and took pictures of it with a high resolution camera.

He zoomed onto the patterns obtained. Seokjin turned to us. "Come closer."

We stepped forward as he pointed to the screen. Clear fingerprints. More than one.

"The system is saying that these are 100% human fingerprints and not a fake one." Seokjin explained.

Jungkook and I widened our eyes. This was it. This was going to be a big clue.

"Whoever these fingerprints belong to... we need to find them. He might be the murderer. But if he is not the murderer, he would at least be related to the case. I am sure of it," Jungkook said firmly.

Seokjin exhaled and nodded. " It will probably take about a day to run through the database of the government. But if there's no match, then it will take a little longer to go through the external records to find the fingerprints which have not been registered under the government."

Jungkook and I nodded.

Seokjin removed his gloves. He gave us a small smile before turning to the files he was reading before we arrived.

We left the room and made our way to the lounge area.

Taehyung was sitting there on one of the couches with frustration clearly written on his face. We took a seat on either side of him.

He glanced at us and sighed. "The phone can't be tracked anymore. He probably broke the SIM or turned off the location."

It wasn't surprising. We knew that this would be the outcome.

Then Jungkook spoke up. "We kind of have good news."

Taehyung looked up with his hopeful eyes.

Jungkook continued, "There are fingerprints on the tub."

Taehyung didn't move for a few seconds but then in an instant, he lunged forward and wrapped Jungkook in a tight hug. No hug wasn't the right word. He 'collapsed' on Jungkook.

Jungkook yelped as he fell back on the couch due to the sudden force. My eyes widened in amusement.

Taehyung grabbed Jungkook's face and placed a loud smooch on his cheek.

Jungkook's face was worth capturing. He looked completely traumatized with wide eyes.

Taehyung finally pulled away and beamed. "The case will be closed soon! I can feel it!"

 Then he turned to me. I was afraid if I was going to receive the same treatment but thank god he settled with just shaking my hand. But I think I was too early to thank god. He was shaking my hand too violently as if he wanted to detach them from my arms. I swore if he would continue, he would succeed in that.

I badly wanted to scream at his face that the case was nowhere near the end but that would be possible only when Taheyung would stop being so excited. And for now it was nearly impossible.

But his enthusiasm and energy died in a second. "Ugh, I'm too tired. I need to sleep. It's too late."

And then without bothering to bid a farewell, he left us.

I watched him leave and then turned to my left.

Jungkook was still sitting there. He was completely frozen. He was still processing what just happened. He slowly turned his head towards me.

"I swear we're straight," he said. "Whatever he did just now... was because he had some screws loose today."

I stared at him for a second, then I..

I laughed.

A real, genuine laugh. Probably my first one since the whole chaos started.

Just then Hoseok was passing by us. His eyes widened the moment he saw me. Before I can greet him, he pulled me into a tight hug.

"You dumbo, you completely forgot that you have a brother," he said. His voice was filled with both love and frustration. A combination of emotion which only brothers were good at showing.

I just smiled. I let myself feel the warmth of his embrace. I never knew until now how much I needed his hug to keep me sane.

He pulled back slightly and scanned my face. He looked worried. His voice softened. "Hey... how are you dealing with your friend's death?"

I gave him a small, reassuring smile. "I'm trying to accept the truth. I know I can't sit and cry over it forever."

He nodded. He looked at me with something close to pride. "That's my sister."

Then in an instant his expression shifted to a serious one as he diverted his attention to Jungkook. "By the way, I just heard from Seokjin that you guys found fingerprints."

Jungkook nodded with fear evident on his face. "Yeah. We found the tub near the crime site. We went there because of Miss Jung. She insisted that we visit the place."

Hoseok looked at Jungkook as if he was going to eat him alive. He looked terrifying. Something I didn't know he was capable of.

"How did you miss such an important detail?" His voice was calm, but no one could miss the coldness in it. "If not for Haerin, we would have never found that clue."

Jungkook looked down and apologized. "...I'm sorry. But hear me out. It wasn't my task to collect the evidence it was of mr-"

"I don't care whose job it was." Hoseok cut him. "I made you the leader of the team and you are responsible for it."

"But we are not even sure if the tub was there that day. There is a possibility of it being placed there later." Jungkook was doing everything possible to justify himself. I thought his last argument might have convinced Hoseok. But no. Hoseok still had that serious expression.

"Okay I assume this wasn't your fault." He said in a low voice. "But what about tracking Jimin's phone? "

That shut him up. I knew this was purely Jungkook's fault and he was responsible for this.

"I was informed by Taehyung." Hoseok said.

 Jungkook looked down in embarrassment. I was surely angry with him but at that moment I couldn't help but feel bad for him.

Hoseok sighed and shook his head. "Jungkook, do you understand this negligence of yours gives me the right to fire you?"

Jungkook still looked down, not able to meet his eyes with Hoseok's. But I saw a hint of confidence in Jungkook's eyes. He looked like he knew Hoseok wouldn't fire him.

Hoseok sighed. "Well, as punishment, you'll be handling another case alongside this one."

Jungkook's head snapped up. "What?! That would be too hectic. I can't concentrate on both..."

He shut his mouth when he met Hoseok's glare. It was the kind of glare that left no room for argument.

Jungkook exhaled and dropped his head again. "...Okay, fine."

"Meet me tomorrow in my office to discuss your new case." He diverted his attention back to me. His expressions softened. "Haerin, I'll drop you off. It's too late."

I nodded and then turned to Jungkook. "See you, Mr. Jeon."

He nodded back. "Bye, Miss Jung."

I walked away with Hoseok, leaving Jungkook behind.

We reached the parking lot and got into the car. Hoseok started the engine. There was a comfortable silence in the car. The kind that was rare between siblings.

But of course the silence didn't last long.

"Haerin, dad called me a few days back," Hoseok said with his attention fixed on the road. "He said he's missing us and wanted us to visit him this weekend."

I nodded. "Yeah... it's been too long since I met him."

Again we were surrounded by silence but Hoseok looked like he wanted to ask something. And he did.

"So... is your crush on Jungkook growing now that you get to be close to him?"

I rolled my eyes and turned to look out of the window. "I should've never told you about it."

He burst out laughing. " Do you think I wouldn't have figured it out if you hadn't told me?"

I shook my head but failed to conceal my smile. "It's just a crush, Hoseok."

He scoffed. "Then turn it into love. You're growing into a grandma. I don't want to see you die single."

I gasped. "Excuse me?! You're way older than me! You should be concerned about your own love life before you lose your sex drive."

The car swerved slightly as Hoseok widened his eyes in shock. My eyes widened too when I realized what I had just said.

"Oh. My. God," he muttered. Then he turned to me with amusement flickering on his face. "I completely forgot that little Haerin is grown up. We can have adult talks now."

I laughed at that and he joined in too. The tension I had been carrying for so long had melted to some extent. I hated to admit it but Hoseok had that effect on me. He could make me feel good just by hanging around for a few minutes.

But as our laughter died, silence filled again. This time my mind was consumed by thoughts. Thoughts of Jungkook.

Jungkook... He was fun, kind, handsome and more importantly a good person. Could I consider moving my silly crush into something more? Maybe I can. But not now.

I had bigger things to worry about.

I had to bring justice to my friend.

But deep down I knew I wanted to make Jungkook something more than just a crush.

But for now I was more worried about the fingerprints. They were too convenient. I genuinely hoped that Taehyung's theory should be real. I wished the murderer was just a dumb guy who wasn't cautious enough about leaving such a crucial clue behind.

To be continued

Author's note: Was a boring chapter right? I know but I promise things will get interesting. (I hope it does)