Begin (JJK) BTS 2026 series Book 3 (COMPLETED)

The Detectives

Instead of finishing the oversized bottle as he might have planned, Jungkook rode with Jimin in the company car back to HYBE. He's been back and forth multiple times today and worked harder and feels more exhausted than he has in quite a while, but, he feels more confident he has a plan, and a friend willing to stay with him to get this all figured out. He walks confidently next to Jimin toward the security office, just where their driver told them to find it; located on the north wall in the basement parking garage at their headquarters. He's never had a reason to be in this part of the garage, and he had no idea there even was a room here for security. Jungkook walks quickly, but is careful to look around him, to see who could be watching them, what cameras might be on them.  It's a little like being the star of a film, trying to figure out how to solve the mystery, with his accomplice, sneaking around the corridors of an empty office building, looking for clues. It might even be fun if it didn't feel so deadly serious and there wasn't so much at stake for Binna. He follows the signs on the wall directing them to a tall door without a window. They stop outside the door, standing on either side of it, and look at each other as if gaining courage to go forward.

Jungkook knocks lightly on the heavy steel door, hearing very little sound from his efforts. Undiscouraged, he knocks louder, and more direct.  The squeak of a chair can be heard behind the door and Jungkook and Jimin's eyes meet. Each nod to each other, once, to show that they are ready. Ready for what, neither of them really knows, having no actual experience solving mysteries. The door is opened by a large man, both in height and width. He eyes them suspiciously from behind thick dark glasses. He looks from one to the other, sizing them up before any words are exchanged and then he seems satisfied. He nods and  turns to walk back inside, his massive number of keys jingling as they hang from his belt loop.  Jungkook looks at Jimin surprised and Jimin mouths 'go on' while flapping his hands toward the room to motion Jungkook inside. Jungkook takes a few steps into the space behind the man, looking around at the rows of monitors that seem to fill an entire wall, showing the activity for what could be the entire building, every corner, every hallway, every office, monitoring the hub of the daily activity, but tonight, monitoring the silence of the space. Jimin steps up to the wall behind Jungkook and stares at the vast array of screens, his mouth hung open at the spectacle. Jungkook knows exactly what thoughts are going through his mind because they are also going through his own mind; is there any place in the entire building that is safe from these all seeing eyes?

The man groans a little as the squeak alerts them he has sat back down in the chair. Jungkook turns from the wall of monitors and looks at him, confused about why he's let them inside without even a word. He had an entire speech planned out of what he would need to say, and now, with this unspoken welcome, his mind is a blank.

"I, I'm Jeon Jungkook," he offers, stepping closer. Jimin continues to stare at the screens. The man nods, and takes a sip off his coffee cup, placing it back down on his desk.

"I know," he says, his voice deep and gruff. Jungkook takes one further step closer, trying to figure out how to begin but he is interrupted. "I thought you might come see me." Jimin turns from the screens, surprised. Jungkook tilts his head a little confused.

"You were expecting me?" He narrows his gaze. The man looks over at Jimin, studying him.

"I was." He looks back to Jungkook just as he steps closer.

"You know why I'm here then?" he suggests. The man nods.

"You want to see the security footage, from that night," he answers. Jungkook turns and looks at Jimin surprised. He slowly turns back to the man and nods.

"How did you know?" The man smiles a little and leans back in his rolling chair.

"No one comes to this office until there is a problem. I bet you didn't even know this office was here," he says, motioning for Jungkook to take a seat. He shakes his head 'no' admitting he is right as he sits down. Jimin steps up beside him and watches the man cautiously. He seems to have an expression of someone who knows more than he's willing to let on, just yet. The man spins the chair to the side, until he is facing the wall of monitors. "No one comes down here until something goes missing, until someone's wallet goes missing, or someone gets through a secured area they don't have access to. No one comes to this office until someone gets fired and makes a scene."

"Is that what happened? Was there a scene?" Jungkook interrupts him. The man looks back curiously and shakes his head.

"There was no scene, she left PD's office suite, took the elevator down to her office, took a few personal items inside a small box, and left. She didn't even cry." Jimin frowns at him, at the knowledge he has into someone's private anguish.

"And you know that she leaked the footage? It was you that decided that's what happened?" Jungkook asks, incredulous.  The man shrugs.

"This office sees everything. I'm not saying I personally see everything, but I see a lot. A lot." He looks at each of them, one eyebrow raised to emphasize the point he is making. Jungkook and Jimin both feel a blush coming to their cheeks unsure exactly what he is hinting he knows but their minds racing with possibilities. He chuckles, recognizing the panic and flash of memories they must be experiencing, having seen it many times. "Look, they asked me for footage from that night, and she was on the footage taking the drive to her office, after she had already submitted it. But the reason they fired her is because they found evidence of the leak on her phone. The footage is just what leads them to look at her. You know that right?" Jungkook nods and leans forward.

"So show me the footage. I want to see everything that happened that night, I want to follow the footage from the moment we came into the building together," he explains. Jimin watches the man look back and forth between them.

"Are you trying to find a way to believe it?" he asks, studying him closely. Jungkook shakes his head immediately.

"I'm trying to prove she didn't do it." The man smiles, as if surprised by something for the first time in a long time. He narrows his gaze.

"Hmmm, is that so," he questions as he seems to consider it. "It would take a while to follow the footage, but I suppose I could go make some rounds, check up on the guards." He pushes a device towards him, which looks a little like a video game controller and the man punches something into his computer. He points up at a corner of the monitors. "Those three, show the file footage, not live cameras," he says as the screens light up. He stands and walks past them as they sit turned around in their chairs staring up at the monitor. The man indicates to the controller in Jungkook's hand. "Go forward from the start of the day, scan through it and use the red button to switch to follow a different camera view, they all run simultaneously.  I think you both come back to the company at around 830 if I remember from my report." The man stops in the doorway. "If you're gone before I come back, remember, I didn't show you the footage. No sense anyone else getting fired is there," he says glaring at them both to make his point. Jimin nods quickly and Jungkook ignores him and begins to scan quickly through the footage before he's even left the room. The man watches him for a moment and then decides against staying any longer. He walks back toward the door and turns to Jimin. "Good luck," he says, and as Jimin looks between Jungkook and the man, he seems to lose himself in a thought. "She was one of the few people who always greeted security and was polite. Most people just don't see us. But she always did." He smiles to himself and then steps out of the room closing the door behind him.

Jungkook stares at the monitor as he scans quickly through the footage to get to the time frame he mentioned. He's focused on this task and is sure something will help him understand what happened. It's frustrating that someone who works for the company must know what happened, must be the cause of what happened, and yet they were completely fine letting Binna take the blame for it. He's sure there is a clue on this footage, and he's willing to stay all night if he has to. Jimin isn't watching the monitor he's watching Jungkook, and hoping he is right about Binna, and hoping that they can find some evidence to back up his belief in her. But what he's hoping most is that he does not find evidence that proves she did this. If she is guilty of leaking the footage, then Jungkook is wrong about her. The first woman he's made this connection with, one that seems to awaken a side of him that Jimin has never seen, in all their years together.  He seems to care enough about her to do whatever he can to help her, and to get her back into his life. He hopes she is worth it.

"Here! This is us coming into the company that night!" Jungkook exclaims as he see the image of them both walking closely beside each other through the garage toward the elevator. He notices they pass the security office he never noticed and he watches himself step aside to let Binna get onto the elevator first. He follows and pushes the floor button. He notices that he looks over at her before the doors close. He remembers a quick glance that night, noticing her untucked shirt made him remember the marks he left on her waist the night before and he sees himself smile as he thinks of it.