Bang Bang (He Shot Me Down) - Chapter Four
Title:Bang Bang (He Shot Me Down)
Rating:PG-13
Pairing/Focus:jinki/kibum
Summary: Jinki is a justice-driven detective. Kibum is a thief with too many secrets. Can he bury them for the sake of their relationship? Or will it tear them apart?
"Good morning, Kibum," Ryeowook smiled at him from over his clipboard, same as every morning, despite Kibum's habitually less than enthusiastic responses. This morning, it was a tired, "hey," as he dragged himself into the elevator. He swiped his pass card and hit the button at the very bottom that read CMH.
Kibum couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so tired. Not just physically, he was emotionally tapped out, having spent the better half of the night sobbing grossly into his boyfriend's shoulder, the weight and strain of his life crashing down on his shoulders all at once, telling him he couldn't hide this any longer. This had to stop.
The elevator dinged open at the bottom most level, and Kibum stepped out into the short hallway. Muffled sounds of shouting met his ears as he drew up to the big oak doors, and he paused. He couldn't make anything out, but someone was definitely screaming. And, for once, it wasn't Kibum. For half a second he considered walking away, coming back later but. He'd been working himself up to this all morning. It was now or never. So he turned a brass handle, and pushed the door open.
Paper and something else heavy crashing to the floor was the first thing that met his ears when he broke the sound barrier, but he didn't flinch away. He opened it enough to step over the threshold, brows raised at the sight. His eyes met Minho's first; the man's face was the very essence of calm, like always. And then he spotted Taemin, standing near the desk, a pile of paper and a small broken bust of Da Vinci at his feet. It used to sit on the desk, if he was remembering correctly.
Taemin's head snapped around to him, expression going very blank, very quickly.
"...Is this a bad time," Kibum's voice carried lightly into the room. It wasn't much of a question really. Taemin straightened out his posture and ran a had through his long hair. He turned away from the desk, and Minho, and stalked towards Kibum, only to brush by him out of the room like he wasn't even there.
"Please, come in, Key," Minho sat up in his plush chair, putting whatever he was holding in one of the desk drawers.
He shut the door again behind himself, making his way over to one of the couches that faced each other over a coffee table. Minho raised a brow at him when he patted the seat next to him, but got up wordlessly. He unbuttoned the jacket of his perfectly pressed grey suit and crossed one long leg over the other when he joined him.
"What can I do for you?" his voice was soft and kind, the very opposite of his personality. But it gave Kibum a little hope, the tiniest sliver of it. So he turned to him, hands folding together in his lap and having a hard time looking up at the man's face. Because of this, he missed the small look of surprise.
"I need to quit," he said softly, eyes trained on his perfectly manicured thumbnail.
"Quit?" Minho echoed, voice finally relaying his surprise. "But you're the best gallery designer we've had in years."
"Not," Kibum sighed a bit, "not that, although if you see fit to terminate me from that position as well, I understand. But I need to quit...my other job."
Minho sat back against the couch, resting an elbow on the arm, fingers touching his cheek as he regarded the man next to him who had never looked so small.
"...You owe a debt, Key. That's not something you can just quit and walk away from. It has to be repaid."
"I know," Kibum eyes started to sting, "and I will do anything else to pay it back. But I just-" He finally looked up at the man, tears threatening to spill over the reddening apples of his cheeks. "I can't do this anymore."
Minho was silent and unmoving for what felt like way too long to be a good sign. "What happened?" his voice came out very kind again.
Kibum pursed his lips, shaking his head slowly to look down again.
"Kibum," the use of his actual name forced his eyes back up. Minho actually looked concerned?
"What happened?" he asked again softly.
The breath caught in his throat literally hurt, like pressure on his thyroid. He swallowed hard. "Someone found out," his voice was barely there.
"Was it Jinki?" Minho asked right away. To which Kibum shook his head.
"It doesn't matter who it was," his voice started to choke up again, "the point is that somebody found out." His eyes were pleading with Minho's own large ones. "And if one person could figure it out, it's only.....it's only a matter of time before Jinki could, too. I can't lose him, Minho."
The dam was cracking, every emotion that had wracked his body last night was threatening to spill over again, making his voice tremble. "He's all I have. Losing him would... I would rather rot and die in prison."
Again, Minho was silent, regarding Kibum with a long stare, very obviously turning this all over in that well-trimmed head of his. All Kibum could do was wait, pressing the palms of his hands into his eye sockets to try and stop the tears, rubbing them away.
A long time passed, actually. There was no clock, but Kibum knew it'd been almost 15 minutes. And Minho hadn't stopped staring at him. But finally, he heaved a soft sigh.
"Kibum, you only have one more job left on the agreement."
"I know."
"One last job-"
"I can't do it."
Minho sighed again, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees, clasping is hands together. "How about this. If you do the one last job owed to me, not only can you keep your job here at the gallery with a bumped up pay, but I will, on my honor, make sure that you never have to lift again. I will make sure your entire identity as Key is retired and never resurrected."
It was Kibum's turn to be silent, both tempted and repelled. He wanted it to be over now. But if he did just one more.... Jinki would never have to know. Would never find out. And Kibum could finally turn into the man his lover was so proud of. Free of all this.
But he was cautious of the offer, however tempting it sounded. "And what..would the last job be?"
Minho gave a small, annoying shrug. "I don't have anything for you right now. But I promise I'll try to make it something less conspicuous than normal. And you don't even have to leave your signature on it."
"I want this all, in writing, signed," Kibum said tightly. "So you can't try and break it one day in the future should you ever decide you require my skill set again."
"As you wish," the taller man nodded, moving to get up off the couch. "I'll have it by the end of the day, signed with a witness." He moved back to his desk, completely ignoring the mess around it. "Now go back to work."
----->
He'd been there three times already, and it never failed to make him feel like the new kid looking for a place to sit at lunch. He felt completely out of place, despite how the clerks were grinning at him.
"Are you looking for something specific, sir?" The very pretty woman with long brown hair asked when he stepped up to another case.
"Um, well." Jinki's face flooded with heat, half-nervous, goofy smile growing. "I'm looking for an engagement ring. But, um, more like an engagement/wedding ring?" He wasn't even sure how to explain it. "Like, a matching set, but one of them have diamonds, but not too many diamonds, and not too girly-looking either." Oh god, he sounded so stupid.
Luckily, the pretty woman merely smiled kindly. "Well, my name is Jessica, and I would be more than happy to help with that. Are we looking in a specific price range?"
She did turn out to be rather helpful, considering Jinki was positive his request didn't make sense. Several rings were brought out from the display, simple and lovely little things. But would Kibum like something simple? Or would he want something a little more...extravagant? If he could afford it, Jinki would get him the most ostentatious ring in the whole damn shop. But he was working with a budget here. While Kibum was priceless to him, he knew his boyfriend had finer tastes.
"Do you have anything more...square?"
"Yes, we have some," Jessica went to a different display case, Jinki followed, "Princess-Cut settings here. And actually, this is one of our new items." She unlocked the case and pulled forth a ring that made Jinki's eyes widen, handing it to him gently.
"It's pink."
"It's rose gold," she giggled, "and the Princess-Cut setting on it is particularly fetching."
She was right, the band of the ring itself was simple (and pink), while the diamond on top was surrounded by smaller diamonds, all glittering perfectly in the strategic lighting of the store.
"And," she went on, "it's well within your price range."
Part of Jinki said Kibum would definitely like it. But the other part of him really wanted their rings to match, and there was no way in hell he was going to wear a pink wedding band. The clerk seemed to read his uncertainty and was quick to bounce back.
"Alternatively, we also just got in this little beauty here."
If the pink ring got his attention before, this one definitely caught it now.
"Three Princess-Cut enhanced black diamonds on a 10k white gold band," she said admiringly, handing the ring to him like she did the one before.
He couldn't help the smile that tugged on his mouth, "this...." Kibum would love this. And he could easily get a match to it. Before he realized it, he was nodding, "definitely this."
"Excellent!" The clerk clapped her hands together with the widest smile yet. He handed the ring back to her. "Let's just get the paperwork all sorted out, if you'll come with me."
Jinki couldn't believe he was doing this. He was actually, fucking doing this.
----->
"I did it."
Jonghyun looked up from over his coffee mug, a headache throbbing behind his eyes. "Did what?"
"I bought a ring." His partner had this weird, dreamy look on his face.
"Is that why you're late?" Jonghyun grumbled, his breakfast feeling hard in his stomach.
"Sorry," he didn't look very sorry, passing the shorter man to pour himself some coffee as well. Jonghyun swished the dregs of his around the bottom of his mug, biting his lip and choosing his words very carefully.
"Jinki."
"Yeah?"
"Are you sure about this whole," he made a vague motion with his hand, "marriage thing."
Jinki laughed, though, "we can't get married, legally. But, yes. I am. Why?"
The detective shrugged a bit, looking into his cup, "I mean, you've only been dating for 8 months. Maybe you should give it more time. Make sure he's, yanno, the one."
"I don't need more time, Jjong," the quest for coffee was abandoned in favor of leaning against the break room counter next to his partner. "Kibum....makes me happier than I thought was humanly possible. Everything about him is open and caring and loyal and, sure, we've only been together for 8 months. But they have been, without question, the best 8 months of my life." That stupid, lovesick expression was turned on to Jonghyun full force.
"I'm not saying Kibum is perfect, he has his flaws."
'More than you think,' Jjong thought to himself.
"But so do I. And not only does he put up with every one of the weird, unappealing things about me that have been dis-interesting people my whole life, but he loves me for them. He makes me feel..." Jinki made a face, searching for the right words. But, in the end, he just kind of nodded, and settled for what he had. "He makes me feel. I love him, and I could not imagine my life without him."
Jonghyun nodded, taking a deep breath and sighing. "Okay."
"So you'll be my best man?"
"I thought you said you can't legally get married."
"No," Jinki shrugged. "But I'd still like to have a ceremony. Something small and cozy. If Kibum's up for it."
"Yeah, Jink.," Jonghyun took all of his uncertainty and doubt and paranoia, and shoved it deep down so that when he smiled at the man, it wasn't strained. "I'll be your best man."
His partner grinned like a madman, Jonghyun draining what was left in his mug. "Now that you're finally here, we have a meeting with Kangin."
"When?"
"Ten minutes ago."
----->
"Is this a joke?"
"Afraid not, Lee."
The Chief dropped some shuffled papers into a drawer of his desk, letting out a heavy sigh. "We were contacted by Interpol this morning, the case is being handed over to them."
"But why?" Jonghyun asked cautiously from his seat.
"Apparently, it's out of our jurisdiction." And it sounded like it physically pained Kangin to say that. "The Royal Family received a ransom note for the crown, from a well-known European jewel thief. The fact that it was stolen here was apparently just the most convenient way to get away with it. It's out of our hands now."
"What about the kids?" Jinki leaned forward apprehensively, brows drawn down in worry.
"For the moment they'll stay in central holding." Kangin ran a hand through his short black hair, sighing. "In the meantime I want the both of you right back on the Ghost Thief case, got it?"
"Yes sir."
"Yes sir..."
Dismissed, the pair left the Chief's office, each lost in their own torrid thoughts. 'Back on the Ghost Thief case' was not where Jonghyun wanted to be. He'd rather be put on a case where he could actually catch the culprit and not try to figure out ways to keep his partner in the dark. For Jinki's own good, the Key case had to go cold.
And Kibum owed him so fucking big for it, too.
"But it's all the same case, isn't it?" Jinki couldn't honestly believe Kris would lie about something like that. "Why are they treating it as unrelated?"
Jonghyun sighed, putting his hands in his pockets."Just because Key may have hired the EXO boys, doesn't necessarily mean he stole the crown. They're all crooks, Jinki, he might've just been helping out a friend."
"A jewel thief and a cat burglar, friends?"
"We're both detectives and we're friends. Who better to understand you than someone with the same lifestyle?"
"So do we treat the crown case as unrelated?"
"It's a loose end, Jinki. It's a loose end."
"I got a list, by the way, of invisible scalpel manufacturers who ship to South Korea. We can start there."
Jonghyun nodded. "Yeah, we can start there."
----->
Kibum stood in the main hall, watching some workers move displays around on the marble flooring.
"It's not center," he chimed out, eyes squinted critically. "Little more to the right. Ryeowook?"
The shorter man looked up from his clipboard, "hm?"
"How many guests have confirmed?"
"A hundred and thirty, so far. I'm still waiting on responses from some key invites, though."
"So the stage should definitely go against the back wall, it gives the clearest view from any point in the hall, plus the acoustics echo nicely from there. It's still not center."
The two workmen looked up at him. "A few centimeters back to the left."
"Are you bringing Jinki?"
"If he's not working. No, it's still not center."
The workers sighed and looked back to Kibum exasperatedly.
"What? It's not my fault the two of you don't know what a few centimeters means."
His phone chimed in his hand, bringing with it a message from Taemin.
From: Taeminnie
i need to see you in the wind-down room
"Ryeowook, I'm going to take a quick break, alright?"
"Yeah, sure. I've got this covered."
"Make sure they get that base relief centered."
"I will."
Kibum didn't question him, Ryeowook was just as if not more of a stickler than himself. His oxfords clicked lightly on the pristine white floor of the gallery as he made his way to the lobby elevators. With easy, practiced motions, he swiped his card and rode it down.
Taemin was sitting on one of the benches in the out-of-place locker room, elbows leaning on his knees, long hair falling into his face. Already Kibum felt uncomfortable.
But he acted more than casual. "What's up?"
The young man picked up a file folder from the bench next to him and held it up silently. Kibum hesitated, but took it anyway. When he flipped it open, there was but one single written text document in Minho's neat script. It was their agreement, everything Minho said he promised down to the last letter. And it was signed twice at the bottom with space for one more. One signature was Minho's, obviously. The second was Taemin's.
"A liar and a thief."
Taemin's voice had been so soft Kibum barely heard it. He looked up from the document with his brows perked. "What?"
Milk tea colored hair slid back out of brown eyes when the kid looked up, and his expression was dark. "You're a liar...and a thief."
Kibum's throat felt tight. "I've only lied about being a thief-"
"You're lying right now!" The outburst was so unexpected that Kibum physically flinched when the tall kid was suddenly on his feet. Gone was the mask of cheery mischief, the Mona Lisa smile he always wore. Taemin was livid, the heat of his anger laced and blended with shots of betrayal and panic. "What makes you so fucking special? Why are you allowed to steal home base while the rest of us dodge the ball?"
"Taemi-"
"Shut up! You said you'd never leave me, but you will! You'd leave me behind without a second thought to go to him! So just go! Go live a normal, bourgeois life pretending you're not just as filthy as the rest of us!" Taemin stomped quickly from the room, not giving Kibum a chance to even recover from the shock, door slamming sharply behind him. The echo if it rang in the silence that followed, so still that Kibum was certain that the chipping of his heart could be heard.
----->
Dead ends. The story of his life at the moment wrapped up in two words. What they thought were promising leads ended up fizzing out before they could even grasp onto them. Nothing concrete, everything vague and wishy-washy. And to make matters worse, the EXO kids were missing. All of them. The transport bus for the half dozen that had been arrested was ambushed en route and all six were gone like smoke. When Jinki and Jonghyun went after the remaining six for answers, they were all gone, too. All of them, not a trace.
All they had were dead ends.
Funnily enough, Jonghyun didn't seem too upset when Kangin told them to put it on the back burner, they'd 'wasted enough time dicking around' and there were other cases that needed attention. Jinki assumed Jonghyun missed actually catching bad guys. He was good at that.
But Jinki couldn't close the case in his mind. Nothing about it added up and that bothered him. What bothered him more was that it didn't seem to bother his partner at all.
"Babe, we're going to need to do a little grocery shopping. You're completely out of bread, and oil, and rice."
There had to be connections somewhere, fine threads of clues that they just weren't seeing. This Key person was very clever, yes, but more clever than the best detectives in Seoul?
"I think you're almost out of toothpaste, too. And condoms. ...Babe?"
The only connection he'd managed to find for anything was that invisible scalpels had been ordered by and sent to a local hospital funded largely by Choi Minho, the same man who owned the Choi Art Gallery where Kibum worked, where the first robbery took place. Or was it the first robbery? Just because it was the first one to follow that pattern didn't mean it was Key's first crime.
"Jinki-"
"What?! I'm working!"
The hand Kibum had placed gently on Jinki's shoulder was retracted quickly, clearly surprised by his boyfriend's outburst. But his surprise turned into pursed lips.
"I'll just go by myself, then." And he turned away to the front door.
Jinki sighed tiredly, "no, wait, Kibummie. I'm sorry, I just..." He closed the file he was looking through onto his cluttered desk, hauling himself out of the squeaky chair. He caught the dark-haired man by the door as he attempted to pull on his shoes, tugging him back into an embrace.
"I didn't mean to snap at you, I'm really sorry. I've just been very stressed out."
Slowly, the embrace was returned, a warm face pressing into his neck. "I know," were the words mumbled almost sadly against his skin. It made Jinki feel worse.
"It's just this damn case," Jinki knew he'd probably said it a million times by now. But it was just so ...frustrating.
"I know," Kibum said again, pulling back from his arms, nodding a bit, though he looked perplexed.
"What?"
Kibum hesitated, looking as though he was choosing his words very carefully. It seemed to be a pattern for people around Jinki lately.
"I know that you," Kibum started slowly. "I know how much this case means to you. But didn't the Chief say to consider it unsolved until something else happened?"
Jinki straightened up a little. "That doesn't mean I'm going to just give up on it."
"I know, but you're letting it eat you alive." To his credit, Kibum really did try to hide the wobble in his voice. "All I've seen you do for weeks is sit at that desk, looking at the same information over and over again. You know, artists have this technique of walking away from whatever they're working on every-so often. That way when you come back to it, you can spot new things you couldn't see before because you were too close."
"I'm not 'too close,' Kibum, I'm no where near close enough." Jinki's laugh was dry, the opposite of his boyfriend's wet voice. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm not even scratching the surface, I can't walk away from it yet."
"But you need to."
"No, I don't. Goddamn, what is with you right now, have you been talking to Jonghyun again? Why is everyone so insistent that I give up on this case?" Jinki had never felt so perplexed, Kibum was usually so supportive of his drive. Why suddenly did no one want him to do his job?
The man still standing with one shoe on at the door gave a sniffle, nose starting to turn a little red, the warning sign that he was going to cry. "Because you're ignoring everything else." Everyone else, was what went unsaid, but understood. Kibum knelt down and pulled on his other shoe. "But that's fine, Jinki," his voice had gotten colder. "When you're done slamming your head against walls, let me know."
"Kibum-"
He didn't even spare a glance back, snapping the door shut in Jinki's face.
Maybe everyone was right. This was the train of thought Jinki found himself stuck with, hours after Kibum had left. He sat at his desk once more, case files open but over-all ignored. From the depths of one of the bottom drawers, he'd dug out a velvet box, and it now sat open atop a mess of paper. The black diamonds still glittered even in the poor lighting of his apartment. All wrapped up like a silver promise waiting to be made. Jinki knew, beyond doubt's shadow, that he would run to Kibum's at that very moment and drop to one knee without hesitation.
He wanted to be with that honest, frank, difficult, gorgeous, caring man for the rest of his life. He loved every bit of what they had, and he never wanted to lose that.
So maybe everyone was right. Maybe he did need to stop thinking about the Key case. He didn't understand it, but perhaps he wasn't meant to. Were the crimes immoral? Yes. But it's not like any real money was ever lost, thanks to insurance. And no one ever got hurt, or died.
Contrary, spending all of his time obsessing over it was hurting the people he loved. And that was something Jinki could not abide. The Key case could wait. His relationship with Kibum couldn't.
The lid on the ring box closed with a sharp snap.
Kibum was mad at him, now, though. Jinki needed to fix that first.
Kibum's apartment complex was nicer than his. It was a wonder the man preferred Jinki's cramped space over something like this, because Jinki definitely didn't. He took the fancy elevator up to the fifth floor. Outside of 502 was where he paused, clearing his throat and absently running a hand through his hair. Finally he pressed the buzzer and waited. About five minutes. Then he pressed it again, holding it down this time. It was only about a minute later that the door was being wretched open.
"Fucking stop it!!" Kibum snapped right away, but his irritation dissolved the second he saw who was behind the door. Kibum was in his pajamas, hair ruffled gently, eyes barely open with his brow drawn down. Neither spoke for a moment. "Jinki, it's two in the fucking morning."
"I know," he said softly, taking a small step forward. When the sleepy man didn't object or move back, he stepped forward again, arms automatically reaching up to hold him. "I'm sorry." The words were heavy and layered and whispered soft. A frown appeared on Kibum's face but he still didn't move back. "I'm sorry," Jinki whispered again, close enough to touch their foreheads together, hugging him warmly.
A small sigh escaped Kibum, his breath tickling Jinki's face.
"I'm stupid, I know that, and I know you know that-"
"You're not stupid."
Jinki shook his head lightly. "I am. I'm stupid for letting something like work take me away from you. And I'm sorry."
Finally, the embrace was returned, along with the familiar feeling of a warm face pressing into his neck. "I accept your apology, Stupid."
A surprised chuckle bubbled in Jinki's throat.
"Let's get you back to sleep." He pressed a kiss to soft, black hair, gently moving the man backwards into the apartment, closing and locking the door behind himself.
"Ally-oop." He bent down picked him up bridal style, grunting a bit. "Babe, you're kind of heavy."
Kibum gasped and smacked the back of his boyfriend's head. "We're the same size, you dick!"
----->
Floating into work on a cloud, would be the only way to describe Kibum for the entire week following. He was smiling ever-so much more than usual, even engaging Ryeowook in idle chatter that had nothing to do with work what-so-ever. Taemin was still refusing to even speak to him, but Kibum was at a loss of what to do about it, plus Jinki managed to chase away those sad thoughts quite effectively. Now that he had the man's attention back, that is. Jinki was working on cases that had absolutely nothing to do with him, and Kibum was doing his day job. It was the sweetest tease, the smallest taste of what his life was going to be. And he could definitely get used to it.
Jinki was being romantic again; the soppy, ridiculous kind of romantic reminisce of their first month dating. Dinner dates, flowers at work, and lots and lots of snogging. If they weren't eating or talking, they were sucking face; which usually led to slightly dirtier activities. But it wasn't a desperately horny Jinki, it was more like the man was afraid that if he didn't get enough now, Kibum might disappear. Which was completely absurd.
But he'd be lying through his teeth if he said he didn't like the attention.
He was grinning at his phone when he walked into the gallery, responding sweetly to the rather suggestive text his boyfriend had sent him regarding their dinner plans. So engrossed, he didn't notice Taemin standing next to a very uncomfortable looking Ryeowook. The other clerk had to clear his throat twice to get his attention.
"Kibum, uh..." He pointed, unsure to the young man, not entirely certain who he was, other than the fact that he worked there. Kibum dropped his hand, phone clasped tight. Taemin was very much not looking at him, and his silence was chilling. With another awkward throat clearing, Ryeowook excused himself.
"Minho wants to see you," Taemin said, as soon as the petite man was out of earshot. And that was all he said, turning on his heel and going to the elevators. Kibum followed. The teen was definitely still mad, very obviously so. Dead silent as they rode down, he was the first to leave the elevator briskly when the doors dinged open, leaving Kibum biting his lip and following.
"The Suh Yongsun exhibit looks quite good." Minho was leaning back against his desk when they entered. "Might be your best work, yet."
His smile was a bit charming, but mostly unnerving. Taemin went to the couches and plopped himself down in to one, but Kibum went straight to the suited man.
"I worked quite hard on it." He tucked some hair back out of his eyes, up into the rim of his Porkpie. "Primary inspiration coming from various Louis Vuitton shows from the 90's."
"Your inspiration came from fashion shows?"
"You're clearly unfamiliar with Louis Vuitton shows from the 90's."
"Clearly." Minho picked up something from the desk behind him. It was an unmarked file just like every other unmarked file the man had ever handed to him. But this one actually made Kibum's heart race.
Because this was the last one.
"I gave this a lot of deliberation," Minho said, not handing it over just yet. "It's definitely suited to your skill set, but the added bonus of being a more...private affair."
"Is it out of country?" Was the first thing Kibum asked, as it was perfectly possible. The first two lifts he'd done under Choi Minho had been out of country.
"Afraid not, but," finally the file was held aloft, "it's a private collector. And, it is perfectly up to you whether or not you wish to leave your signature. Whatever you need from me, simply ask."
The tall man picked up something else from the desk as well, a flash drive. "Here are the security plans and blueprints of the estate."
Kibum nodded lightly, eyes still in the file, he only had one question, "when do you want it done?"
----->
"Jinki, you've got to be kidding me."
"I'm glad you can find humor in my pain, Jjong." They were practically lounging in Jongyun's office, door ajar, eating lunch. Well, they were eating. Now, Jonghyun was hanging half out of his swivel chair, not even bothering to muffle the loud laughter that was making him shake. Opposite, his partner pouted at him over their food, poking his rice with a single chopstick. "The dates go great and everything, but then when I finally feel like it's the perfect time to ask, something happens! Like, the waitress who came over and slipped Kibum her number, not so subtly I might add. Or the drunk guys honking at us from the street. Or I start to ask and Kibum smiles at me like I'm the only person in the world he can see, and I just-"
"End up kissing him instead?" Jonghyun stopped laughing long enough to not asphyxiate, flopping upright in his seat. "I got it! I know how you can propose!"
He leaned forward, eyes bright, "take him to-"
"Detective Kim?"
They both looked up to see a smiling Donghae leaning through the doorway, "the Chief wants to see the both of you."
"Roger that." Jonghyun fixed his tie and grabbed his suit jacket.
"Wait, what were you going to say? Take him where?" Jinki followed his grinning partner out of the office.
But the shorter man brushed off the question, all the way to Kangin's office, mostly so he could laugh at his partner's frustration. However, when the pair entered the spacious office, levity went out the window.
"Kim, Lee," Kangin nodded from his position standing near his desk. He was not alone in the room, however. A relatively young man of average height stood near one of the windows, and turned to them when they entered. His suit looked as though it probably cost what Jinki made in a year, brown hair perfectly trimmed and styled, and near-black eyes looked vaguely unimpressed as they took in the sight of both detectives.
"Mr. Cho, this is my Head Detective, Kim Jonghyun, and his partner, Detective Lee Jinki."
Again, they were silently appraised head-to-toe. Finally the man spoke, revealing that his voice had a lovely timber to it. Though, what he said left little time to dwell on it. "No, they won't do. They both look like morons."
"Wh-"
"Excuse me?!" Jonghyun looked ready to snap something back, but Kangin silenced him with a single raised hand.
"I can assure you, Mr. Cho, that they are the best detectives in this agency. More than capable of taking on your case." Kangin sounded like he was trying his very hardest not to sound exasperated.
The man sighed softly, pinching the bridge of his nose, but stepped away from the window and sat on the Chief's couch. "Alright, fine."
"Kim, Lee, this is Mr. Cho Kyuhyun, investor and CEO of SK Hynix."
"SK Hynix?" Jonghyun mumbled to his partner.
"It's the second largest memory chip making company in the world," Jinki whispered back.
"So, he's rich?"
"Very," Cho Kyuhyun himself chimed in.
"And how can we help you, Mr. Cho?" Jinki, ever polite, was already smiling and sitting down across from the man, pulling his notepad out. Kyuhyun looked to the Chief, then to the men who now sat before him and held back a sigh.
"I have reason to believe that I'm going to be robbed."
"Your company?"
"No, my home."
"Do you know who and what they're after?"
"I have my suspicions as to who, although I regretfully cannot say-"
"Mr. Cho, anything you can tell us will help keep this from happening." Jonghyun, who never took notes, leaned his elbows onto his knees, attentive.
"I am well aware, Detective. But in my position, it would be a very bad move for me to voice such suspicions, which is why I'm hoping you can help catch the culprit so I will not have to," Kyuhyun said in clipped tones, as if that had been wholly obvious. "But I do know what they're after and when."
"Wait," Jinki looked up, "you know when they're going to try and rob you? How?"
At that, Kyuhyun gave a small smile that spoke heavily of secrets. "You don't get as far in life as I have without making enemies, Detective Lee. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."
"The Art Of War," Jonghyun chimed.
"Very good." Kyuhyun's smile turned into a rather annoying smirk. "Perhaps you're not as stupid as you look."
"Mr. Cho, please," Jinki said politely.
"The item being targeted is a family heirloom, one of the family jewels, if you will. It's a Fabergé egg, known as the Diamond Trellis, made in 1892 and procured by my great-grandfather. We keep it in the Family Hall of the estate, along with many other things of monetary and sentimental value. I believe whoever is going to try and steal it, will do so this Saturday night."
"So soon?" Jinki asked, jotting all of this down.
"What makes you so sure?"
"Because this Saturday is when I'll be hosting my annual charity event."
Jonghyun sat back in his seat, seemingly in thought, though Jinki could tell he was practically buzzing inside.
"We'll take the case, Mr. Cho."
"What a relief," Kyuhyun replied dryly.
----->
"I thought you had tonight off," Kibum blinked blearily from the messy bed, frowning at the sharp sunlight breaking through the curtains. His boyfriend was moving about the room, tugging on boxers and pants, etc. Looking for a tie and cursing when he stubbed his toe.
"Chief called," was all he said, absently.
Kibum huffed lightly. He'd really been looking forward to lazing half the day away with Jinki, before he himself had to go to work. They'd both been kind of busy lately. Kibum with planning the final lift, Jinki with some sort of high profile case he couldn't talk about. There'd been no sweet, silly date in a little over a week. Kibum suddenly felt deprived.
"Don't pout." A kiss brought him out of his sulking and he quickly nabbed the knot of the man's tie, holding him close. A nip on soft lips and a tilt of his head deepened the kiss, and he felt Jinki's breath catch in his throat when he trailed spare fingers over his adam's apple.
"No, no." Jinki pulled back, shaking his head. "I have to go to work."
"Do you?" Kibum sat up more on the bed, smirking as the duvet fell away and crawling after his retreating boyfriend.
"Yes, stop that, you." He pointed an accusing finger at Kibum, who merely flicked his tongue over the tip. "Evil tempter. You ...gorgeous Adonis." He was on Kibum again really quick, hungry on his mouth, pressing him back into the soft bed. A surprised moan left Kibum's lips when that hungry mouth moved down his neck, teasing a spot just under his jawline that made his knees feel like jelly. Soft hands were feeling their way down his bare chest and sides, but before he could buck up into the friction of a pair of suit pants, Jinki pulled away completely and suddenly, rolling off the bed.
"What-" Kibum sat up, confused when the man flashed him a charming smile and a peace-sign.
"To be continued."
He then had to promptly duck out of the bedroom when several pillows were pelted at him.
"You dick!"
----->
The Cho Estate was nothing to scoff at. Tucked into the nicest neighborhood in the city, it was an impressive 40,000 square feet stacked into four floors and gorgeous gardens and veranda. The hall in which the egg was displayed was in the far north corner of the mansion with impressive security. Motion sensors, cameras, silent alarms, heat sensors in the floor and pressure sensors in the display itself.
The charity event, which Jonghyun assumed was rich person talk for an excuse to have an expensive, boozy party, was being held in the main hall of the house, at the front. And Kyuhyun said he didn't doubt that the thief planned on slipping in through there.
Quite cleverly, in his opinion, they dressed half a dozen cops up as the help, to keep security tight on the front end of the house, watching and recording every person who entered the building. And Jonghyun would be there, too, dressed in the nicest tux the department could rent, walking a midst the crowd with an ear piece, watching everyone.
Jinki's team was stationed at the back end of the house, in the security room, watching the cameras with a walkie. Ready for anything.
"The guests will start arriving soon."
He turned to the pleasant voice, finding a petite man in auburn hair and a small mouth. He was dressed to the nines for the party, and he looked so very familiar.
"Have we ...met?" Jinki left Donghae at the monitors.
"We have. A few times, actually. I work with Kibum at the Gallery."
Jinki snapped his fingers, smiling, "Ryeowook, right?"
"Nice to see you again, Detective." They shook hands.
"So, what are you doing at Cho Estate if you work for Choi Minho?" Jinki was fairly certain the two wealthy men weren't known for getting along.
"I live here."
"You..."
Ryeowook smiled and nodded, "moved in a couple months ago. Kyu hated my apartment, well, he hated where my apartment was. Said I'd be safer if I just lived here, and saying no to Kyu is a very hard thing to do. Although I did make him give me my own room."
"Oh." All Jinki could really glean from that was that the two were involved, even though the media stated Cho Kyuhyun as a bachelor. Not that it was any of his business.
"Well, I have to go make sure the brat is actually getting ready and not stuck to one of his computer screens again." Ryeowook gave a slight bow, which Jinki returned. "See you around."
Jinki returned to the security monitors, checking the angles once more. For both the party, and the Family Hall.
"Everything looks good, Jjong. We're ready to go," he said into the walkie.
"Ready out here, too, over."
Jinki spotted the short man on a monitor for the front of the house. "Nice monkey suit."
"I know, right? I'm considering showing up in the forensics lab like this, asking Sungmin out on a date. Over."
"Don't do that, he might damage the tux, and you'll have to pay for it."
"Good point. Over."
"Why do you keep saying that?"
"Saying what? Over?"
"Yes, that."
"Because it sounds cool. Over."
"It sounds ridiculous."
Jonghyun didn't respond, but turned his middle finger to the camera.
----->
The Cho Family Charity Event, the biggest party of every Autumn season in Seoul. Over two hundred guests would be in attendance. Anyone from politicians to businessmen to celebrates. The expensive suits, luscious gowns, and sparkling jewelry was enough to make Key's mouth water. What he'd give to actually be invited to a place like that, showing up in Christian Dior, shmoozing with high fashion big-wigs, getting invited to all sorts of other parties and shows and events. Not scaling a wall, or slinking unseen through the gardens, wrapped up in black PCM with a mask covering his head.
But you don't always get what you want, life's cruel lesson.
Because of the party, the secure alarm system was off, however, security guards were patrolling, making sure guests didn't wander too far from the alcohol. Key snuck around them easily, silently slipping in through a window on the veranda. The hall where the egg was kept was close.
Though the hallways were mostly darkened in the back of the house, the hall was lit up quite brightly. And there were definitely cameras. This was the time.
Key took a deep breath and closed his eyes for just a second, kneeling to one knee. He pressed his com and murmured, "in position. Waiting for the signal."
A few seconds later, Taemin's voice answered, "activating the pinch in ten, nine, eight..."
Key leaned forward, fingers touching the floor lightly and opening his eyes. He took another deep breath. The hall was ten feet ahead of him, he had to get in there, get the egg out of the case and get out in thirty seconds. Thirty seconds.
"Four, three, two, one."
There was a strange crackling sound on his ear piece, and then a pop, followed swiftly by complete silence. The second he heard the pop, he bolted.
----->
Jonghyun smiled at a lovely woman when she passed by him, pretty certain she was an actress or something. He raised the flute of champagne to his lips to take a sip, hearing his partner's voice in his ear.
"Anything?"
"Not yet. You?"
"No activity back here, nothing showing up on camera either."
"Well, keep your eyes peeled. It could be anyone here."
"You got it."
"Detective."
Jonghyun turned around to the light hand on his shoulder, finding Mr. Fancy Pants's pretty boyfriend.
"Kyu wants to know if you have anything yet." Ryeowook spoke softly, smiling at other guests.
"Not yet, Mr. Kim." He shook his head, putting a hand in one of his pockets. "Is he absolutely sure it'll happen tonight?"
"Positive," Ryeowook said with a firm nod.
"I dunno," Jonghyun mumbled. "Something about this feels off."
"What do you mean?"
"It's too....Bondesque. An enemy sends a thief to steal a treasured heirloom, using a conveniently placed charity party as a cover to slip in unnoticed? It's like the plot of an action movie."
"You think we lied about this?" Ryeowook regarded him calmly.
"I don't know what to think." Jonghyun drained his glass. "Yet."
The second the final word left his lips, all of the lights in the building went out. The music stopped playing, the people quietened down to confused murmurs and Ryeowook looked around in bafflement.
"Is this supposed to happen?" Jonghyun asked.
"Certainly not."
"Jinki, do you copy?" he said into his communicator. But there was dead silence, the little red light on his com wasn't even on anymore.
"Shit."
"What happened?"
There was a split second of confusion, when all of the lights, monitors and walkies went completely dead. Leaving Jinki and his team staring in the blackness.
"I don't know, sir," Donghae answered, cracking a light stick. The equipment was all quickly checked but absolutely nothing was on. Like electricity was nonexistent.
"Jonghyun?" he tried the walkie. Nothing.
And then realization seized the back of Jinki's neck.
"The egg!"
He was the first one out of the room, the rest of his team on his tail. Adrenaline surged through Jinki's veins, and he pulled his gun from it's holster as they ran towards the Family Hall. Just as they reached it, the lights suddenly flickered back on. Revealing an empty display case where the egg had been.
But that wasn't all.
"Freeze! SMPA!"
At the opposite end of the hall, a black clad figure whipped around and froze. For all of .2 seconds. Before bolting out of sight. Jinki ran after them, Donghae right with him. They quickly turned the corner just as they heard a door being kicked open. There on the balcony. Jinki raised his gun.
"Stop! Or I will shoot!"
The thief stopped, poised on the railing.
"Hands up!" Jinki and Donghae crossed the threshold onto the balcony, both weapons still poised.
Slowly, a pair of hands rose in the air and the figure stood up straight on the railing. Just as slowly, they turned around. A weird sort of recognition went through Jinki, heart pounding in his rib cage. The swift footing, the black outfit, the egg. The impossible theft that he would have most certainly gotten away with had they not been there. In and out, like a ghost.
"Not this time, Key," he said, slightly out of breath. "We've got you."
The masked head perked when the other cops ran up to join them, Jinki mistakenly sparing a glance back. In that split second, he saw Key move, reach for something. There was a crack and a resonating pop, jerking Jinki's arm back before he realized it.
He'd pulled the trigger.
A/N: please tell me you guys saw that coming.
Rating:PG-13
Pairing/Focus:jinki/kibum
Summary: Jinki is a justice-driven detective. Kibum is a thief with too many secrets. Can he bury them for the sake of their relationship? Or will it tear them apart?
"Good morning, Kibum," Ryeowook smiled at him from over his clipboard, same as every morning, despite Kibum's habitually less than enthusiastic responses. This morning, it was a tired, "hey," as he dragged himself into the elevator. He swiped his pass card and hit the button at the very bottom that read CMH.
Kibum couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so tired. Not just physically, he was emotionally tapped out, having spent the better half of the night sobbing grossly into his boyfriend's shoulder, the weight and strain of his life crashing down on his shoulders all at once, telling him he couldn't hide this any longer. This had to stop.
The elevator dinged open at the bottom most level, and Kibum stepped out into the short hallway. Muffled sounds of shouting met his ears as he drew up to the big oak doors, and he paused. He couldn't make anything out, but someone was definitely screaming. And, for once, it wasn't Kibum. For half a second he considered walking away, coming back later but. He'd been working himself up to this all morning. It was now or never. So he turned a brass handle, and pushed the door open.
Paper and something else heavy crashing to the floor was the first thing that met his ears when he broke the sound barrier, but he didn't flinch away. He opened it enough to step over the threshold, brows raised at the sight. His eyes met Minho's first; the man's face was the very essence of calm, like always. And then he spotted Taemin, standing near the desk, a pile of paper and a small broken bust of Da Vinci at his feet. It used to sit on the desk, if he was remembering correctly.
Taemin's head snapped around to him, expression going very blank, very quickly.
"...Is this a bad time," Kibum's voice carried lightly into the room. It wasn't much of a question really. Taemin straightened out his posture and ran a had through his long hair. He turned away from the desk, and Minho, and stalked towards Kibum, only to brush by him out of the room like he wasn't even there.
"Please, come in, Key," Minho sat up in his plush chair, putting whatever he was holding in one of the desk drawers.
He shut the door again behind himself, making his way over to one of the couches that faced each other over a coffee table. Minho raised a brow at him when he patted the seat next to him, but got up wordlessly. He unbuttoned the jacket of his perfectly pressed grey suit and crossed one long leg over the other when he joined him.
"What can I do for you?" his voice was soft and kind, the very opposite of his personality. But it gave Kibum a little hope, the tiniest sliver of it. So he turned to him, hands folding together in his lap and having a hard time looking up at the man's face. Because of this, he missed the small look of surprise.
"I need to quit," he said softly, eyes trained on his perfectly manicured thumbnail.
"Quit?" Minho echoed, voice finally relaying his surprise. "But you're the best gallery designer we've had in years."
"Not," Kibum sighed a bit, "not that, although if you see fit to terminate me from that position as well, I understand. But I need to quit...my other job."
Minho sat back against the couch, resting an elbow on the arm, fingers touching his cheek as he regarded the man next to him who had never looked so small.
"...You owe a debt, Key. That's not something you can just quit and walk away from. It has to be repaid."
"I know," Kibum eyes started to sting, "and I will do anything else to pay it back. But I just-" He finally looked up at the man, tears threatening to spill over the reddening apples of his cheeks. "I can't do this anymore."
Minho was silent and unmoving for what felt like way too long to be a good sign. "What happened?" his voice came out very kind again.
Kibum pursed his lips, shaking his head slowly to look down again.
"Kibum," the use of his actual name forced his eyes back up. Minho actually looked concerned?
"What happened?" he asked again softly.
The breath caught in his throat literally hurt, like pressure on his thyroid. He swallowed hard. "Someone found out," his voice was barely there.
"Was it Jinki?" Minho asked right away. To which Kibum shook his head.
"It doesn't matter who it was," his voice started to choke up again, "the point is that somebody found out." His eyes were pleading with Minho's own large ones. "And if one person could figure it out, it's only.....it's only a matter of time before Jinki could, too. I can't lose him, Minho."
The dam was cracking, every emotion that had wracked his body last night was threatening to spill over again, making his voice tremble. "He's all I have. Losing him would... I would rather rot and die in prison."
Again, Minho was silent, regarding Kibum with a long stare, very obviously turning this all over in that well-trimmed head of his. All Kibum could do was wait, pressing the palms of his hands into his eye sockets to try and stop the tears, rubbing them away.
A long time passed, actually. There was no clock, but Kibum knew it'd been almost 15 minutes. And Minho hadn't stopped staring at him. But finally, he heaved a soft sigh.
"Kibum, you only have one more job left on the agreement."
"I know."
"One last job-"
"I can't do it."
Minho sighed again, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees, clasping is hands together. "How about this. If you do the one last job owed to me, not only can you keep your job here at the gallery with a bumped up pay, but I will, on my honor, make sure that you never have to lift again. I will make sure your entire identity as Key is retired and never resurrected."
It was Kibum's turn to be silent, both tempted and repelled. He wanted it to be over now. But if he did just one more.... Jinki would never have to know. Would never find out. And Kibum could finally turn into the man his lover was so proud of. Free of all this.
But he was cautious of the offer, however tempting it sounded. "And what..would the last job be?"
Minho gave a small, annoying shrug. "I don't have anything for you right now. But I promise I'll try to make it something less conspicuous than normal. And you don't even have to leave your signature on it."
"I want this all, in writing, signed," Kibum said tightly. "So you can't try and break it one day in the future should you ever decide you require my skill set again."
"As you wish," the taller man nodded, moving to get up off the couch. "I'll have it by the end of the day, signed with a witness." He moved back to his desk, completely ignoring the mess around it. "Now go back to work."
----->
He'd been there three times already, and it never failed to make him feel like the new kid looking for a place to sit at lunch. He felt completely out of place, despite how the clerks were grinning at him.
"Are you looking for something specific, sir?" The very pretty woman with long brown hair asked when he stepped up to another case.
"Um, well." Jinki's face flooded with heat, half-nervous, goofy smile growing. "I'm looking for an engagement ring. But, um, more like an engagement/wedding ring?" He wasn't even sure how to explain it. "Like, a matching set, but one of them have diamonds, but not too many diamonds, and not too girly-looking either." Oh god, he sounded so stupid.
Luckily, the pretty woman merely smiled kindly. "Well, my name is Jessica, and I would be more than happy to help with that. Are we looking in a specific price range?"
She did turn out to be rather helpful, considering Jinki was positive his request didn't make sense. Several rings were brought out from the display, simple and lovely little things. But would Kibum like something simple? Or would he want something a little more...extravagant? If he could afford it, Jinki would get him the most ostentatious ring in the whole damn shop. But he was working with a budget here. While Kibum was priceless to him, he knew his boyfriend had finer tastes.
"Do you have anything more...square?"
"Yes, we have some," Jessica went to a different display case, Jinki followed, "Princess-Cut settings here. And actually, this is one of our new items." She unlocked the case and pulled forth a ring that made Jinki's eyes widen, handing it to him gently.
"It's pink."
"It's rose gold," she giggled, "and the Princess-Cut setting on it is particularly fetching."
She was right, the band of the ring itself was simple (and pink), while the diamond on top was surrounded by smaller diamonds, all glittering perfectly in the strategic lighting of the store.
"And," she went on, "it's well within your price range."
Part of Jinki said Kibum would definitely like it. But the other part of him really wanted their rings to match, and there was no way in hell he was going to wear a pink wedding band. The clerk seemed to read his uncertainty and was quick to bounce back.
"Alternatively, we also just got in this little beauty here."
If the pink ring got his attention before, this one definitely caught it now.
"Three Princess-Cut enhanced black diamonds on a 10k white gold band," she said admiringly, handing the ring to him like she did the one before.
He couldn't help the smile that tugged on his mouth, "this...." Kibum would love this. And he could easily get a match to it. Before he realized it, he was nodding, "definitely this."
"Excellent!" The clerk clapped her hands together with the widest smile yet. He handed the ring back to her. "Let's just get the paperwork all sorted out, if you'll come with me."
Jinki couldn't believe he was doing this. He was actually, fucking doing this.
----->
"I did it."
Jonghyun looked up from over his coffee mug, a headache throbbing behind his eyes. "Did what?"
"I bought a ring." His partner had this weird, dreamy look on his face.
"Is that why you're late?" Jonghyun grumbled, his breakfast feeling hard in his stomach.
"Sorry," he didn't look very sorry, passing the shorter man to pour himself some coffee as well. Jonghyun swished the dregs of his around the bottom of his mug, biting his lip and choosing his words very carefully.
"Jinki."
"Yeah?"
"Are you sure about this whole," he made a vague motion with his hand, "marriage thing."
Jinki laughed, though, "we can't get married, legally. But, yes. I am. Why?"
The detective shrugged a bit, looking into his cup, "I mean, you've only been dating for 8 months. Maybe you should give it more time. Make sure he's, yanno, the one."
"I don't need more time, Jjong," the quest for coffee was abandoned in favor of leaning against the break room counter next to his partner. "Kibum....makes me happier than I thought was humanly possible. Everything about him is open and caring and loyal and, sure, we've only been together for 8 months. But they have been, without question, the best 8 months of my life." That stupid, lovesick expression was turned on to Jonghyun full force.
"I'm not saying Kibum is perfect, he has his flaws."
'More than you think,' Jjong thought to himself.
"But so do I. And not only does he put up with every one of the weird, unappealing things about me that have been dis-interesting people my whole life, but he loves me for them. He makes me feel..." Jinki made a face, searching for the right words. But, in the end, he just kind of nodded, and settled for what he had. "He makes me feel. I love him, and I could not imagine my life without him."
Jonghyun nodded, taking a deep breath and sighing. "Okay."
"So you'll be my best man?"
"I thought you said you can't legally get married."
"No," Jinki shrugged. "But I'd still like to have a ceremony. Something small and cozy. If Kibum's up for it."
"Yeah, Jink.," Jonghyun took all of his uncertainty and doubt and paranoia, and shoved it deep down so that when he smiled at the man, it wasn't strained. "I'll be your best man."
His partner grinned like a madman, Jonghyun draining what was left in his mug. "Now that you're finally here, we have a meeting with Kangin."
"When?"
"Ten minutes ago."
----->
"Is this a joke?"
"Afraid not, Lee."
The Chief dropped some shuffled papers into a drawer of his desk, letting out a heavy sigh. "We were contacted by Interpol this morning, the case is being handed over to them."
"But why?" Jonghyun asked cautiously from his seat.
"Apparently, it's out of our jurisdiction." And it sounded like it physically pained Kangin to say that. "The Royal Family received a ransom note for the crown, from a well-known European jewel thief. The fact that it was stolen here was apparently just the most convenient way to get away with it. It's out of our hands now."
"What about the kids?" Jinki leaned forward apprehensively, brows drawn down in worry.
"For the moment they'll stay in central holding." Kangin ran a hand through his short black hair, sighing. "In the meantime I want the both of you right back on the Ghost Thief case, got it?"
"Yes sir."
"Yes sir..."
Dismissed, the pair left the Chief's office, each lost in their own torrid thoughts. 'Back on the Ghost Thief case' was not where Jonghyun wanted to be. He'd rather be put on a case where he could actually catch the culprit and not try to figure out ways to keep his partner in the dark. For Jinki's own good, the Key case had to go cold.
And Kibum owed him so fucking big for it, too.
"But it's all the same case, isn't it?" Jinki couldn't honestly believe Kris would lie about something like that. "Why are they treating it as unrelated?"
Jonghyun sighed, putting his hands in his pockets."Just because Key may have hired the EXO boys, doesn't necessarily mean he stole the crown. They're all crooks, Jinki, he might've just been helping out a friend."
"A jewel thief and a cat burglar, friends?"
"We're both detectives and we're friends. Who better to understand you than someone with the same lifestyle?"
"So do we treat the crown case as unrelated?"
"It's a loose end, Jinki. It's a loose end."
"I got a list, by the way, of invisible scalpel manufacturers who ship to South Korea. We can start there."
Jonghyun nodded. "Yeah, we can start there."
----->
Kibum stood in the main hall, watching some workers move displays around on the marble flooring.
"It's not center," he chimed out, eyes squinted critically. "Little more to the right. Ryeowook?"
The shorter man looked up from his clipboard, "hm?"
"How many guests have confirmed?"
"A hundred and thirty, so far. I'm still waiting on responses from some key invites, though."
"So the stage should definitely go against the back wall, it gives the clearest view from any point in the hall, plus the acoustics echo nicely from there. It's still not center."
The two workmen looked up at him. "A few centimeters back to the left."
"Are you bringing Jinki?"
"If he's not working. No, it's still not center."
The workers sighed and looked back to Kibum exasperatedly.
"What? It's not my fault the two of you don't know what a few centimeters means."
His phone chimed in his hand, bringing with it a message from Taemin.
From: Taeminnie
i need to see you in the wind-down room
"Ryeowook, I'm going to take a quick break, alright?"
"Yeah, sure. I've got this covered."
"Make sure they get that base relief centered."
"I will."
Kibum didn't question him, Ryeowook was just as if not more of a stickler than himself. His oxfords clicked lightly on the pristine white floor of the gallery as he made his way to the lobby elevators. With easy, practiced motions, he swiped his card and rode it down.
Taemin was sitting on one of the benches in the out-of-place locker room, elbows leaning on his knees, long hair falling into his face. Already Kibum felt uncomfortable.
But he acted more than casual. "What's up?"
The young man picked up a file folder from the bench next to him and held it up silently. Kibum hesitated, but took it anyway. When he flipped it open, there was but one single written text document in Minho's neat script. It was their agreement, everything Minho said he promised down to the last letter. And it was signed twice at the bottom with space for one more. One signature was Minho's, obviously. The second was Taemin's.
"A liar and a thief."
Taemin's voice had been so soft Kibum barely heard it. He looked up from the document with his brows perked. "What?"
Milk tea colored hair slid back out of brown eyes when the kid looked up, and his expression was dark. "You're a liar...and a thief."
Kibum's throat felt tight. "I've only lied about being a thief-"
"You're lying right now!" The outburst was so unexpected that Kibum physically flinched when the tall kid was suddenly on his feet. Gone was the mask of cheery mischief, the Mona Lisa smile he always wore. Taemin was livid, the heat of his anger laced and blended with shots of betrayal and panic. "What makes you so fucking special? Why are you allowed to steal home base while the rest of us dodge the ball?"
"Taemi-"
"Shut up! You said you'd never leave me, but you will! You'd leave me behind without a second thought to go to him! So just go! Go live a normal, bourgeois life pretending you're not just as filthy as the rest of us!" Taemin stomped quickly from the room, not giving Kibum a chance to even recover from the shock, door slamming sharply behind him. The echo if it rang in the silence that followed, so still that Kibum was certain that the chipping of his heart could be heard.
----->
Dead ends. The story of his life at the moment wrapped up in two words. What they thought were promising leads ended up fizzing out before they could even grasp onto them. Nothing concrete, everything vague and wishy-washy. And to make matters worse, the EXO kids were missing. All of them. The transport bus for the half dozen that had been arrested was ambushed en route and all six were gone like smoke. When Jinki and Jonghyun went after the remaining six for answers, they were all gone, too. All of them, not a trace.
All they had were dead ends.
Funnily enough, Jonghyun didn't seem too upset when Kangin told them to put it on the back burner, they'd 'wasted enough time dicking around' and there were other cases that needed attention. Jinki assumed Jonghyun missed actually catching bad guys. He was good at that.
But Jinki couldn't close the case in his mind. Nothing about it added up and that bothered him. What bothered him more was that it didn't seem to bother his partner at all.
"Babe, we're going to need to do a little grocery shopping. You're completely out of bread, and oil, and rice."
There had to be connections somewhere, fine threads of clues that they just weren't seeing. This Key person was very clever, yes, but more clever than the best detectives in Seoul?
"I think you're almost out of toothpaste, too. And condoms. ...Babe?"
The only connection he'd managed to find for anything was that invisible scalpels had been ordered by and sent to a local hospital funded largely by Choi Minho, the same man who owned the Choi Art Gallery where Kibum worked, where the first robbery took place. Or was it the first robbery? Just because it was the first one to follow that pattern didn't mean it was Key's first crime.
"Jinki-"
"What?! I'm working!"
The hand Kibum had placed gently on Jinki's shoulder was retracted quickly, clearly surprised by his boyfriend's outburst. But his surprise turned into pursed lips.
"I'll just go by myself, then." And he turned away to the front door.
Jinki sighed tiredly, "no, wait, Kibummie. I'm sorry, I just..." He closed the file he was looking through onto his cluttered desk, hauling himself out of the squeaky chair. He caught the dark-haired man by the door as he attempted to pull on his shoes, tugging him back into an embrace.
"I didn't mean to snap at you, I'm really sorry. I've just been very stressed out."
Slowly, the embrace was returned, a warm face pressing into his neck. "I know," were the words mumbled almost sadly against his skin. It made Jinki feel worse.
"It's just this damn case," Jinki knew he'd probably said it a million times by now. But it was just so ...frustrating.
"I know," Kibum said again, pulling back from his arms, nodding a bit, though he looked perplexed.
"What?"
Kibum hesitated, looking as though he was choosing his words very carefully. It seemed to be a pattern for people around Jinki lately.
"I know that you," Kibum started slowly. "I know how much this case means to you. But didn't the Chief say to consider it unsolved until something else happened?"
Jinki straightened up a little. "That doesn't mean I'm going to just give up on it."
"I know, but you're letting it eat you alive." To his credit, Kibum really did try to hide the wobble in his voice. "All I've seen you do for weeks is sit at that desk, looking at the same information over and over again. You know, artists have this technique of walking away from whatever they're working on every-so often. That way when you come back to it, you can spot new things you couldn't see before because you were too close."
"I'm not 'too close,' Kibum, I'm no where near close enough." Jinki's laugh was dry, the opposite of his boyfriend's wet voice. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm not even scratching the surface, I can't walk away from it yet."
"But you need to."
"No, I don't. Goddamn, what is with you right now, have you been talking to Jonghyun again? Why is everyone so insistent that I give up on this case?" Jinki had never felt so perplexed, Kibum was usually so supportive of his drive. Why suddenly did no one want him to do his job?
The man still standing with one shoe on at the door gave a sniffle, nose starting to turn a little red, the warning sign that he was going to cry. "Because you're ignoring everything else." Everyone else, was what went unsaid, but understood. Kibum knelt down and pulled on his other shoe. "But that's fine, Jinki," his voice had gotten colder. "When you're done slamming your head against walls, let me know."
"Kibum-"
He didn't even spare a glance back, snapping the door shut in Jinki's face.
Maybe everyone was right. This was the train of thought Jinki found himself stuck with, hours after Kibum had left. He sat at his desk once more, case files open but over-all ignored. From the depths of one of the bottom drawers, he'd dug out a velvet box, and it now sat open atop a mess of paper. The black diamonds still glittered even in the poor lighting of his apartment. All wrapped up like a silver promise waiting to be made. Jinki knew, beyond doubt's shadow, that he would run to Kibum's at that very moment and drop to one knee without hesitation.
He wanted to be with that honest, frank, difficult, gorgeous, caring man for the rest of his life. He loved every bit of what they had, and he never wanted to lose that.
So maybe everyone was right. Maybe he did need to stop thinking about the Key case. He didn't understand it, but perhaps he wasn't meant to. Were the crimes immoral? Yes. But it's not like any real money was ever lost, thanks to insurance. And no one ever got hurt, or died.
Contrary, spending all of his time obsessing over it was hurting the people he loved. And that was something Jinki could not abide. The Key case could wait. His relationship with Kibum couldn't.
The lid on the ring box closed with a sharp snap.
Kibum was mad at him, now, though. Jinki needed to fix that first.
Kibum's apartment complex was nicer than his. It was a wonder the man preferred Jinki's cramped space over something like this, because Jinki definitely didn't. He took the fancy elevator up to the fifth floor. Outside of 502 was where he paused, clearing his throat and absently running a hand through his hair. Finally he pressed the buzzer and waited. About five minutes. Then he pressed it again, holding it down this time. It was only about a minute later that the door was being wretched open.
"Fucking stop it!!" Kibum snapped right away, but his irritation dissolved the second he saw who was behind the door. Kibum was in his pajamas, hair ruffled gently, eyes barely open with his brow drawn down. Neither spoke for a moment. "Jinki, it's two in the fucking morning."
"I know," he said softly, taking a small step forward. When the sleepy man didn't object or move back, he stepped forward again, arms automatically reaching up to hold him. "I'm sorry." The words were heavy and layered and whispered soft. A frown appeared on Kibum's face but he still didn't move back. "I'm sorry," Jinki whispered again, close enough to touch their foreheads together, hugging him warmly.
A small sigh escaped Kibum, his breath tickling Jinki's face.
"I'm stupid, I know that, and I know you know that-"
"You're not stupid."
Jinki shook his head lightly. "I am. I'm stupid for letting something like work take me away from you. And I'm sorry."
Finally, the embrace was returned, along with the familiar feeling of a warm face pressing into his neck. "I accept your apology, Stupid."
A surprised chuckle bubbled in Jinki's throat.
"Let's get you back to sleep." He pressed a kiss to soft, black hair, gently moving the man backwards into the apartment, closing and locking the door behind himself.
"Ally-oop." He bent down picked him up bridal style, grunting a bit. "Babe, you're kind of heavy."
Kibum gasped and smacked the back of his boyfriend's head. "We're the same size, you dick!"
----->
Floating into work on a cloud, would be the only way to describe Kibum for the entire week following. He was smiling ever-so much more than usual, even engaging Ryeowook in idle chatter that had nothing to do with work what-so-ever. Taemin was still refusing to even speak to him, but Kibum was at a loss of what to do about it, plus Jinki managed to chase away those sad thoughts quite effectively. Now that he had the man's attention back, that is. Jinki was working on cases that had absolutely nothing to do with him, and Kibum was doing his day job. It was the sweetest tease, the smallest taste of what his life was going to be. And he could definitely get used to it.
Jinki was being romantic again; the soppy, ridiculous kind of romantic reminisce of their first month dating. Dinner dates, flowers at work, and lots and lots of snogging. If they weren't eating or talking, they were sucking face; which usually led to slightly dirtier activities. But it wasn't a desperately horny Jinki, it was more like the man was afraid that if he didn't get enough now, Kibum might disappear. Which was completely absurd.
But he'd be lying through his teeth if he said he didn't like the attention.
He was grinning at his phone when he walked into the gallery, responding sweetly to the rather suggestive text his boyfriend had sent him regarding their dinner plans. So engrossed, he didn't notice Taemin standing next to a very uncomfortable looking Ryeowook. The other clerk had to clear his throat twice to get his attention.
"Kibum, uh..." He pointed, unsure to the young man, not entirely certain who he was, other than the fact that he worked there. Kibum dropped his hand, phone clasped tight. Taemin was very much not looking at him, and his silence was chilling. With another awkward throat clearing, Ryeowook excused himself.
"Minho wants to see you," Taemin said, as soon as the petite man was out of earshot. And that was all he said, turning on his heel and going to the elevators. Kibum followed. The teen was definitely still mad, very obviously so. Dead silent as they rode down, he was the first to leave the elevator briskly when the doors dinged open, leaving Kibum biting his lip and following.
"The Suh Yongsun exhibit looks quite good." Minho was leaning back against his desk when they entered. "Might be your best work, yet."
His smile was a bit charming, but mostly unnerving. Taemin went to the couches and plopped himself down in to one, but Kibum went straight to the suited man.
"I worked quite hard on it." He tucked some hair back out of his eyes, up into the rim of his Porkpie. "Primary inspiration coming from various Louis Vuitton shows from the 90's."
"Your inspiration came from fashion shows?"
"You're clearly unfamiliar with Louis Vuitton shows from the 90's."
"Clearly." Minho picked up something from the desk behind him. It was an unmarked file just like every other unmarked file the man had ever handed to him. But this one actually made Kibum's heart race.
Because this was the last one.
"I gave this a lot of deliberation," Minho said, not handing it over just yet. "It's definitely suited to your skill set, but the added bonus of being a more...private affair."
"Is it out of country?" Was the first thing Kibum asked, as it was perfectly possible. The first two lifts he'd done under Choi Minho had been out of country.
"Afraid not, but," finally the file was held aloft, "it's a private collector. And, it is perfectly up to you whether or not you wish to leave your signature. Whatever you need from me, simply ask."
The tall man picked up something else from the desk as well, a flash drive. "Here are the security plans and blueprints of the estate."
Kibum nodded lightly, eyes still in the file, he only had one question, "when do you want it done?"
----->
"Jinki, you've got to be kidding me."
"I'm glad you can find humor in my pain, Jjong." They were practically lounging in Jongyun's office, door ajar, eating lunch. Well, they were eating. Now, Jonghyun was hanging half out of his swivel chair, not even bothering to muffle the loud laughter that was making him shake. Opposite, his partner pouted at him over their food, poking his rice with a single chopstick. "The dates go great and everything, but then when I finally feel like it's the perfect time to ask, something happens! Like, the waitress who came over and slipped Kibum her number, not so subtly I might add. Or the drunk guys honking at us from the street. Or I start to ask and Kibum smiles at me like I'm the only person in the world he can see, and I just-"
"End up kissing him instead?" Jonghyun stopped laughing long enough to not asphyxiate, flopping upright in his seat. "I got it! I know how you can propose!"
He leaned forward, eyes bright, "take him to-"
"Detective Kim?"
They both looked up to see a smiling Donghae leaning through the doorway, "the Chief wants to see the both of you."
"Roger that." Jonghyun fixed his tie and grabbed his suit jacket.
"Wait, what were you going to say? Take him where?" Jinki followed his grinning partner out of the office.
But the shorter man brushed off the question, all the way to Kangin's office, mostly so he could laugh at his partner's frustration. However, when the pair entered the spacious office, levity went out the window.
"Kim, Lee," Kangin nodded from his position standing near his desk. He was not alone in the room, however. A relatively young man of average height stood near one of the windows, and turned to them when they entered. His suit looked as though it probably cost what Jinki made in a year, brown hair perfectly trimmed and styled, and near-black eyes looked vaguely unimpressed as they took in the sight of both detectives.
"Mr. Cho, this is my Head Detective, Kim Jonghyun, and his partner, Detective Lee Jinki."
Again, they were silently appraised head-to-toe. Finally the man spoke, revealing that his voice had a lovely timber to it. Though, what he said left little time to dwell on it. "No, they won't do. They both look like morons."
"Wh-"
"Excuse me?!" Jonghyun looked ready to snap something back, but Kangin silenced him with a single raised hand.
"I can assure you, Mr. Cho, that they are the best detectives in this agency. More than capable of taking on your case." Kangin sounded like he was trying his very hardest not to sound exasperated.
The man sighed softly, pinching the bridge of his nose, but stepped away from the window and sat on the Chief's couch. "Alright, fine."
"Kim, Lee, this is Mr. Cho Kyuhyun, investor and CEO of SK Hynix."
"SK Hynix?" Jonghyun mumbled to his partner.
"It's the second largest memory chip making company in the world," Jinki whispered back.
"So, he's rich?"
"Very," Cho Kyuhyun himself chimed in.
"And how can we help you, Mr. Cho?" Jinki, ever polite, was already smiling and sitting down across from the man, pulling his notepad out. Kyuhyun looked to the Chief, then to the men who now sat before him and held back a sigh.
"I have reason to believe that I'm going to be robbed."
"Your company?"
"No, my home."
"Do you know who and what they're after?"
"I have my suspicions as to who, although I regretfully cannot say-"
"Mr. Cho, anything you can tell us will help keep this from happening." Jonghyun, who never took notes, leaned his elbows onto his knees, attentive.
"I am well aware, Detective. But in my position, it would be a very bad move for me to voice such suspicions, which is why I'm hoping you can help catch the culprit so I will not have to," Kyuhyun said in clipped tones, as if that had been wholly obvious. "But I do know what they're after and when."
"Wait," Jinki looked up, "you know when they're going to try and rob you? How?"
At that, Kyuhyun gave a small smile that spoke heavily of secrets. "You don't get as far in life as I have without making enemies, Detective Lee. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."
"The Art Of War," Jonghyun chimed.
"Very good." Kyuhyun's smile turned into a rather annoying smirk. "Perhaps you're not as stupid as you look."
"Mr. Cho, please," Jinki said politely.
"The item being targeted is a family heirloom, one of the family jewels, if you will. It's a Fabergé egg, known as the Diamond Trellis, made in 1892 and procured by my great-grandfather. We keep it in the Family Hall of the estate, along with many other things of monetary and sentimental value. I believe whoever is going to try and steal it, will do so this Saturday night."
"So soon?" Jinki asked, jotting all of this down.
"What makes you so sure?"
"Because this Saturday is when I'll be hosting my annual charity event."
Jonghyun sat back in his seat, seemingly in thought, though Jinki could tell he was practically buzzing inside.
"We'll take the case, Mr. Cho."
"What a relief," Kyuhyun replied dryly.
----->
"I thought you had tonight off," Kibum blinked blearily from the messy bed, frowning at the sharp sunlight breaking through the curtains. His boyfriend was moving about the room, tugging on boxers and pants, etc. Looking for a tie and cursing when he stubbed his toe.
"Chief called," was all he said, absently.
Kibum huffed lightly. He'd really been looking forward to lazing half the day away with Jinki, before he himself had to go to work. They'd both been kind of busy lately. Kibum with planning the final lift, Jinki with some sort of high profile case he couldn't talk about. There'd been no sweet, silly date in a little over a week. Kibum suddenly felt deprived.
"Don't pout." A kiss brought him out of his sulking and he quickly nabbed the knot of the man's tie, holding him close. A nip on soft lips and a tilt of his head deepened the kiss, and he felt Jinki's breath catch in his throat when he trailed spare fingers over his adam's apple.
"No, no." Jinki pulled back, shaking his head. "I have to go to work."
"Do you?" Kibum sat up more on the bed, smirking as the duvet fell away and crawling after his retreating boyfriend.
"Yes, stop that, you." He pointed an accusing finger at Kibum, who merely flicked his tongue over the tip. "Evil tempter. You ...gorgeous Adonis." He was on Kibum again really quick, hungry on his mouth, pressing him back into the soft bed. A surprised moan left Kibum's lips when that hungry mouth moved down his neck, teasing a spot just under his jawline that made his knees feel like jelly. Soft hands were feeling their way down his bare chest and sides, but before he could buck up into the friction of a pair of suit pants, Jinki pulled away completely and suddenly, rolling off the bed.
"What-" Kibum sat up, confused when the man flashed him a charming smile and a peace-sign.
"To be continued."
He then had to promptly duck out of the bedroom when several pillows were pelted at him.
"You dick!"
----->
The Cho Estate was nothing to scoff at. Tucked into the nicest neighborhood in the city, it was an impressive 40,000 square feet stacked into four floors and gorgeous gardens and veranda. The hall in which the egg was displayed was in the far north corner of the mansion with impressive security. Motion sensors, cameras, silent alarms, heat sensors in the floor and pressure sensors in the display itself.
The charity event, which Jonghyun assumed was rich person talk for an excuse to have an expensive, boozy party, was being held in the main hall of the house, at the front. And Kyuhyun said he didn't doubt that the thief planned on slipping in through there.
Quite cleverly, in his opinion, they dressed half a dozen cops up as the help, to keep security tight on the front end of the house, watching and recording every person who entered the building. And Jonghyun would be there, too, dressed in the nicest tux the department could rent, walking a midst the crowd with an ear piece, watching everyone.
Jinki's team was stationed at the back end of the house, in the security room, watching the cameras with a walkie. Ready for anything.
"The guests will start arriving soon."
He turned to the pleasant voice, finding a petite man in auburn hair and a small mouth. He was dressed to the nines for the party, and he looked so very familiar.
"Have we ...met?" Jinki left Donghae at the monitors.
"We have. A few times, actually. I work with Kibum at the Gallery."
Jinki snapped his fingers, smiling, "Ryeowook, right?"
"Nice to see you again, Detective." They shook hands.
"So, what are you doing at Cho Estate if you work for Choi Minho?" Jinki was fairly certain the two wealthy men weren't known for getting along.
"I live here."
"You..."
Ryeowook smiled and nodded, "moved in a couple months ago. Kyu hated my apartment, well, he hated where my apartment was. Said I'd be safer if I just lived here, and saying no to Kyu is a very hard thing to do. Although I did make him give me my own room."
"Oh." All Jinki could really glean from that was that the two were involved, even though the media stated Cho Kyuhyun as a bachelor. Not that it was any of his business.
"Well, I have to go make sure the brat is actually getting ready and not stuck to one of his computer screens again." Ryeowook gave a slight bow, which Jinki returned. "See you around."
Jinki returned to the security monitors, checking the angles once more. For both the party, and the Family Hall.
"Everything looks good, Jjong. We're ready to go," he said into the walkie.
"Ready out here, too, over."
Jinki spotted the short man on a monitor for the front of the house. "Nice monkey suit."
"I know, right? I'm considering showing up in the forensics lab like this, asking Sungmin out on a date. Over."
"Don't do that, he might damage the tux, and you'll have to pay for it."
"Good point. Over."
"Why do you keep saying that?"
"Saying what? Over?"
"Yes, that."
"Because it sounds cool. Over."
"It sounds ridiculous."
Jonghyun didn't respond, but turned his middle finger to the camera.
----->
The Cho Family Charity Event, the biggest party of every Autumn season in Seoul. Over two hundred guests would be in attendance. Anyone from politicians to businessmen to celebrates. The expensive suits, luscious gowns, and sparkling jewelry was enough to make Key's mouth water. What he'd give to actually be invited to a place like that, showing up in Christian Dior, shmoozing with high fashion big-wigs, getting invited to all sorts of other parties and shows and events. Not scaling a wall, or slinking unseen through the gardens, wrapped up in black PCM with a mask covering his head.
But you don't always get what you want, life's cruel lesson.
Because of the party, the secure alarm system was off, however, security guards were patrolling, making sure guests didn't wander too far from the alcohol. Key snuck around them easily, silently slipping in through a window on the veranda. The hall where the egg was kept was close.
Though the hallways were mostly darkened in the back of the house, the hall was lit up quite brightly. And there were definitely cameras. This was the time.
Key took a deep breath and closed his eyes for just a second, kneeling to one knee. He pressed his com and murmured, "in position. Waiting for the signal."
A few seconds later, Taemin's voice answered, "activating the pinch in ten, nine, eight..."
Key leaned forward, fingers touching the floor lightly and opening his eyes. He took another deep breath. The hall was ten feet ahead of him, he had to get in there, get the egg out of the case and get out in thirty seconds. Thirty seconds.
"Four, three, two, one."
There was a strange crackling sound on his ear piece, and then a pop, followed swiftly by complete silence. The second he heard the pop, he bolted.
----->
Jonghyun smiled at a lovely woman when she passed by him, pretty certain she was an actress or something. He raised the flute of champagne to his lips to take a sip, hearing his partner's voice in his ear.
"Anything?"
"Not yet. You?"
"No activity back here, nothing showing up on camera either."
"Well, keep your eyes peeled. It could be anyone here."
"You got it."
"Detective."
Jonghyun turned around to the light hand on his shoulder, finding Mr. Fancy Pants's pretty boyfriend.
"Kyu wants to know if you have anything yet." Ryeowook spoke softly, smiling at other guests.
"Not yet, Mr. Kim." He shook his head, putting a hand in one of his pockets. "Is he absolutely sure it'll happen tonight?"
"Positive," Ryeowook said with a firm nod.
"I dunno," Jonghyun mumbled. "Something about this feels off."
"What do you mean?"
"It's too....Bondesque. An enemy sends a thief to steal a treasured heirloom, using a conveniently placed charity party as a cover to slip in unnoticed? It's like the plot of an action movie."
"You think we lied about this?" Ryeowook regarded him calmly.
"I don't know what to think." Jonghyun drained his glass. "Yet."
The second the final word left his lips, all of the lights in the building went out. The music stopped playing, the people quietened down to confused murmurs and Ryeowook looked around in bafflement.
"Is this supposed to happen?" Jonghyun asked.
"Certainly not."
"Jinki, do you copy?" he said into his communicator. But there was dead silence, the little red light on his com wasn't even on anymore.
"Shit."
"What happened?"
There was a split second of confusion, when all of the lights, monitors and walkies went completely dead. Leaving Jinki and his team staring in the blackness.
"I don't know, sir," Donghae answered, cracking a light stick. The equipment was all quickly checked but absolutely nothing was on. Like electricity was nonexistent.
"Jonghyun?" he tried the walkie. Nothing.
And then realization seized the back of Jinki's neck.
"The egg!"
He was the first one out of the room, the rest of his team on his tail. Adrenaline surged through Jinki's veins, and he pulled his gun from it's holster as they ran towards the Family Hall. Just as they reached it, the lights suddenly flickered back on. Revealing an empty display case where the egg had been.
But that wasn't all.
"Freeze! SMPA!"
At the opposite end of the hall, a black clad figure whipped around and froze. For all of .2 seconds. Before bolting out of sight. Jinki ran after them, Donghae right with him. They quickly turned the corner just as they heard a door being kicked open. There on the balcony. Jinki raised his gun.
"Stop! Or I will shoot!"
The thief stopped, poised on the railing.
"Hands up!" Jinki and Donghae crossed the threshold onto the balcony, both weapons still poised.
Slowly, a pair of hands rose in the air and the figure stood up straight on the railing. Just as slowly, they turned around. A weird sort of recognition went through Jinki, heart pounding in his rib cage. The swift footing, the black outfit, the egg. The impossible theft that he would have most certainly gotten away with had they not been there. In and out, like a ghost.
"Not this time, Key," he said, slightly out of breath. "We've got you."
The masked head perked when the other cops ran up to join them, Jinki mistakenly sparing a glance back. In that split second, he saw Key move, reach for something. There was a crack and a resonating pop, jerking Jinki's arm back before he realized it.
He'd pulled the trigger.
A/N: please tell me you guys saw that coming.