ʟᴜᴘɪɴ│ᴛᴋ [complete]

.26. ɪɴ ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴡᴇ sᴘɪʟʟ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛᴇᴀ

The city was as grey and foggy as Jungkook's melancholy. Lizbeth's tomato juice did not have much effect on his throbbing migraine and by the time he arrived at Omelas Books, the little-known bookstore which had been chosen by Namjoon for his appointment with the detective, the latter was in a proper foul mood.

The place was small, cramped even, with piles of old books everywhere giving off a musty smell. As Jungkook made his way through the maze of unread novels and forgotten texts, he realized the store was not small at all. There were stairs going up and down, leading to more rooms which were equally filled with more printed works, and a few patrons roaming around, questing perhaps for a valuable edition of some ancient celebrated author.

Is Namjoon testing my investigating skills? Because I will find him!

He didn't have to do much searching though, as the owner walked up to him with a knowing smile. "Inspector Jeon I presume?"

"You presume right."

"This way please."

He led him upstairs, to a cosy room which gave off a doll's house tea shop vibe. Namjoon was already there, sitting in a deep tufted chair, elbows resting on the carved mahogany wood frame while his hands were slowly turning the pages of a book placed on his lap. He looked up as the other was approaching and smiled. "Right on time, Detective!"

"You, on the other hand, are early."

The writer chuckled. "When I'm not home, writing, I'm usually here, enjoying a little peace and quiet. I'm sure you have your own getaway to escape from time to time the bustle of the city."

Jungkook thought about that briefly before answering. "I'm afraid I don't. I'm either home or on the job."

"Then this is your chance to take a breather. Let's have some tea, shall we?"

"Preferably one that can cure migraines."

"Ginger it is, then."

After the order was placed, Namjoon closed his book, indicating he was ready for the interview. Jungkook decided to do away with the small talk. "Speaking of writing, don't you have a novel that was supposed to come out last week?"

"Am I to understand you follow my news? I'm honoured."

"I don't actually. Someone simply pointed out the uncanny timing to me."

"Uncanny? How so?"

"I'll ask the questions, if you don't mind."

The assertive tone in the detective's voice took Namjoon by surprise. The latter lowered his head in an attempt to hide the smirk he felt forming on his lips. "I can see why he likes you," whispered the writer.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. So what do you want to know about my unreleased novel?"

"For starters, tell me what's it about."

"It's about a writer and his struggle to overcome a pretty bad case of writer's block."

"And why wasn't it released on time?"

"Well, let's just say that my publisher and I don't share the same sense of humour."

"I'm not sure I understand."

"You see, I only wrote half of the novel and purposely left the remaining pages blank in order to illustrate the fact that the affliction wins."

The detective mulled over the revelation for a short while. "That's brilliant, I'll admit."

"Would you have bought the book though?"

"I don't know. Why do you ask?"

"Because that was my publisher's argument. If people pay for a novel, they might not be happy with getting only half of one."

"They do have a point."

"Wait. How is this relevant to the case you said you were currently working on?"

Jungkook shrugged. "It's the Lupin case. I'm sure you've read about it in the papers."

"I have. So you think my pen is the one that runs dry?" asked Namjoon with a smug look on his face.

"Could be. I mean, what better way to illustrate a creativity drought than a blank page?"

"So, just to be clear, you are basically implying I am part of a bigger scheme orchestrated by Lupin. But to what end exactly?"

"That remains to be determined."

Jungkook let out a sigh. "I can't for the life of me figure out what he's after..."

He didn't realize he had spoken those words out loud and was taken aback by the author's sudden burst of hilarity. "Detective Jeon! Come on! I'm sure you can figure this one out!"

Namjoon was suggesting Lupin's objective was obvious, which Jungkook found most irritating. The other, however, seemed to think it was rather amusing, and decided to rub it in. "It is written in plain English in the poem you received. And if you can't see it, then I'm afraid you have serious denial issues."

The detective clenched his teeth in an attempt to contain his bruised ego. "I'm all ears."

"He's after you, inspector. Or specifically, after your heart."

Jungkook took a deep breath, unable to decide whether or not the other was pulling his leg. He crossed his arms on his chest and leaned forward. "Who is?"

Namjoon leaned back in his chair. "That's for you to find out."

The young man could now clearly tell the writer knew more than he was letting on, but opted for a change of subject. There were after all other ways to get people talking. "I've been wondering about something — not necessarily related to our topic by the way."

"I've got all afternoon, so go ahead and ask away."

"Where do authors get their ideas from?"

"Ah! The eternal mystery! You'd be surprised how unmysterious the question of inspiration actually is."

"Try me."

"Inspiration comes in all shape or form. Details which beg to be noticed, such as the tiny dent in the rim of the teacup you're currently holding. Its story might be one worth being told. Who knows?"

"You're quite the poet, aren't you."

"That wasn't a question now, was it."

Jungkook titled his head and smiled. "What's on your mind, inspector?"

"I just — you two are so different yet you're friends. I'm just curious how that happened."

Namjoon's laugh was candid and refreshing. "Finally! This interview is going somewhere!"

Puzzlement overtook Jungkook's facial expression. Namjoon went on. "I know you've been dying to ask me about Taehyung but I also know you're going to deny it, so let's just leave it at that," said Namjoon before taking a sip of tea. "Him and I go way back. We met in Riomaggiore, a small fishing village on the coast of Italy. He was there on holiday with his family."

"Family? You mean Lord Arenes?"

Namjoon's smile grew even bigger. "I reckon you haven't met Taehyung's sister yet."

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