The Heir: What Lies Underneath - [TAEBIN/BEOMKAI] [ON HOLD AND EDITING]

Chapter 10: Shrouded in Mystery

🎶: "ilomilo" by Billie Eilish

With a defeated sigh, Taehyun slammed the last book shut.

"Damn it," he cursed under his breath.

He stacked the books together, and stood up, needing some fresh air after all that wishful reading wore him out.

As Taehyun stepped out of his room, he saw Soobin in the hallway, putting his jacket on.

"Hyung?"

Soobin stopped what he was doing, facing the younger.

"Hey."

"I finished reading the books."

"And? Did you find anything?"

With a dejected look on his face, Taehyun shook his head miserably.

"No... it was worth a try I guess."

Seeing that look on his face... Soobin automatically didn't like it. He didn't like seeing Taehyun so glum, a pout frozen on his lips.

Beomgyu can wait, it's luckily hours before sunset.

"Hey."

Taehyun looked up to see Soobin standing before him, reaching his hand out.

"The second best place to look in would be the police station. I can take you there if you want?"

The brunette's eyes brightened.

"You would?!"

"Yeah. Honestly speaking, we should've started there," Soobin abashedly admitted.

Lucky him that Taehyun could care less, way too determined to hopefully get a lead now.

"I'll go grab my shoes!"

—+—

The door opened, revealing the detective, who returned from a storage room containing countless folders filled with documentation of past crimes and cases.

A Manila folder was in his hands, which he placed down before the anxious brunette and the ravenette who sat beside him on the rickety chairs.

"You're in luck. There was somebody looking for Kang Jiheon approximately sixteen years ago, but the case—"

"Let him read, sir," Soobin interrupted.

"Of course."

Within seconds, Taehyun had taken the Manila folder into his shaky hands, opening it to see...

Dad?

... a photograph.

Taehyun was so shocked he couldn't even speak, tracing the picture of his real father with his fingers.

He... I look so much like him.

Taehyun finally understood where he got that firm jaw, tall nose, and even his eyes from.

So it's not just Mom who has eyes like this...

His eyes scanned through the file, hopeful to pick up a lead from it.

Yet unfortunately... Taehyun was only to be met with disappointment.

All the file contained was his birth date, December 10th to be exact, where he was born, some of his academic records (Taehyun could only assume he might have been blessed with his father's mathematic brains), and that Kang Jiheon moved to Seoul before coming back to Busan... and then mysteriously disappearing.