Chapter Text
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Act I
OBSCURA
Chapter 1
In the Dark
Of all the strange things Seoul Police Officer Min Yoongi had witnessed, this was definitely the strangest.
As a police officer, he had expected to see a thief or someone being beaten to a pulp when he heard the screams of a young boy in an alley.
Instead, a guy had run away, covered in blood, screaming so loud it shattered his eardrums. A long stream of blood gushed from a wound on his neck, smearing the street behind him.
Yoongi had stopped him, preventing him from jumping into traffic.
He was in shock.
When he took the stranger in his arms, clutching him to stop him, his hands were covered with blood as he got a good look at the horrific bite wound on the other’s throat.
Namjoon had rushed to stop the other person in the alley, though to no avail. Whoever it was, even though he had a bloodstained mouth and smeared teeth, he was also bleeding, lying on the ground, unconscious.
"What the hell ... ?" Yoongi said, as the boy fell to the ground, still clutched in his embrace, sobbing.
"It's okay" Yoongi said. "It's okay."
The boy was slowly calming down, until he passed out against his chest. His face was bloodless, his dark lashes closing his bright, frightened eyes.
Yoongi, with one hand in his white hair, held his head as it fell back, and with the other he held his hips.
Plic. Plic. Thick blood dripped onto the road.
"What the fuck happened?" asked Namjoon, behind him.
Yoongi, holding back the stranger, couldn't answer him. He looked first at the boy he was restraining and then turned back to the alley, where the second stranger had closed his eyes, his hand extended forward, as if he wanted to call Yoongi.
Who the hell are you two?
12 hours earlier
Yoongi had woken up by throwing his alarm clock on the floor.
His crappy apartment hadn't been cleaned in two weeks but he had no desire or energy to do so. The first thing he did, after quickly visiting the bathroom, was to turn on the coffee machine. Without coffee he could not function, it was his fuel.
He took a shower and under the warm jet of water he devoted himself for a short time to his morning masturbation because 1. he could not afford to wash the sheets too often; 2. the water in the shower was expensive and, above all 3. he was very sad when he did it.
His sex life was a flat table, even considering that as a bisexual he supposedly had the gates of heaven open.
As a result though, instead of doubling his chances of getting laid his chances had shrunk to zero.
He had chosen to do the work he did.
At 30 years old he had a certain position and a good salary even if it was not enough to live in downtown Seoul alone.
He ignored his mother who called him every other day to tell him that since he wasn't doing it himself, she should find him a wife.
Just the thought made him shudder.
Not because he didn't want a woman, or because he didn't want a relationship, but because the idea of a perpetual arrangement sounded a lot like a promise of death to him.
Yoongi was not made for normal things.
He wasn't made for domestic bliss, and he wasn't made for settling down in a small country house.
His dreams, as a young man, had been others but the police force wasn't bad. A career in show business was objectively difficult to live, but life as a cop suited him just fine.
He saw a lot of weird shit and then got along really well with Joonie, his partner.
After his shower, Yoongi put on his uniform and like every time he had to go to work he took public transportation until he got to the station.
The skyscrapers rose up all around him.
Those were a goddamn fucking problem.
When he had agreed to go to work in Gangnam he knew he was doing wrong, but he was still young and unmarried and wanted to get as far away as possible from his family and from the peasant mentality that they wanted him to go back to.
At that time, it had seemed like an extreme that could make up for his poor background, now it was becoming increasingly complicated to live close to work. His savings were being eaten up by renting a studio apartment that was falling apart.
He arrived at the station and after taking his second cup of coffee, he went to his desk and began to fill out all the paperwork that came his way.
He had been there for at least two hours when Namjoon showed up. "Good morning," he said to him, resting his hips on the desk. "Cheerful, isn't it?"
Yoongi handed him the papers. "Yeah," he said with a grunt. "Do we have to go to the coroner's office?" he asked immediately. "Why do I have to come too? Aren't you enough to make eyes at Kim?"
"One of these days I'm going to plug your mouth with the tip of my boot, Yoon" replied the other, looking at the file. "And anyway, yes, you know it's procedure. What are you going to do, stand here and do nothing?"
"Does it look like nothing to fill out papers for unsolved murders? Come on" he stood up and grabbed his jacket, adjusting his hat.
Namjoon was right behind him and together they went into the parking lot to get their squad car. As usual, Joonie got into the passenger seat. Since Yoongi had noticed that the other guy drove like shit, he had stopped complaining that he was the only one who ever drove.
He started the car and they set off for the coroner's office.
"You have to ask him out."
"I will never do such a thing" Namjoon replied, rolling his eyes and adjusting his cap over his head.
"Why? Because he's a man? What's with the double standard?" he grunted again. "You told me these things don't bother you."
"Stick it in any hole you like, Yoon" said the other, still annoyed. "It's not the fact that he's a man. I just can't!"
"Why?" blurted Yoongi. "Come on, objectively, he's hot as hell. Besides, you can tell from far away he look at you like he wants to eat you"
Namjoon remained silent.
"Yo"
"I said no."
"Alright. Bah! If you asked him out he'd jump all over you and you got a guy like that on your ungrateful ass while I'm here moldering instead. On my file you'll have to write "Cause of death: celibacy"
This seemed to sincerely snatch a laugh from Namjoon who shook his head. "You need to get out more, Yoongi."
"With who?" he commented as he parked in front of the coroner's office. "You know I'm not one for pub parties or nightclubs."
"Join a book club."
Yoongi glared at him but then they both got out and entered the office. The secretary told them: "Only Dr. Kim is here today" she smiled "you can talk to him"
"Oh look how sorry we are, what a shame!"
Namjoon stepped on his foot but Yoongi sneered.
When they were let into the study, the doctor was intent on looking at an ancient anatomy book.
The office didn't look like a coroner's but like that of an influential psychiatrist.
The walls were decorated with pieces of art, one entire wall was a large mahogany bookcase, in one corner was a shapeless statue of modern art, and on the large desk towered one of those typical gold and green square lamps you always saw in lawyers' offices.
The charming and elegant Dr. Kim Seokjin turned to watch them enter.
"Oh, Agent Min, Agent Kim. What a pleasure. Please. I've been waiting for you" he pointed elegantly to the two leather chairs in front of his desk and all three went to sit down.
Yoongi knew that Dr. Kim was something like thirty-five years old even though he looked less. His face was perfect, his lips full, his hair thick. With broad shoulders and long legs, he had bright, intelligent eyes, deeply dark in their gentle smile.
Yoongi couldn't describe it, but there was something affable about his manner that nonetheless hinted that if something didn't go his way it would be hard to calm him down.
He was damn attractive and Yoongi imagined himself kneeling under that desk opening his pants and sucking him until he had no breath in his lungs.
The doctor's bright eyes immediately shifted to him, as if Yoongi had said something. His smile was still the same but now Yoongi felt uncomfortable.
Damn me and my blue balls.
Namjoon would have been an imbecile to let such a guy slip through his fingers.
Dr. Kim's smile opened and he spoke again: "I have prepared my report for you. Unfortunately, I'm sorry there's no new information" he leaned forward to hand a folder of papers to Namjoon.
"The usual?"
"Alas, yes" the doctor replied, intertwining his fingers on his desk. "This is the fourth unknown corpse we've found with no record of what happened to it. I hope the whole situation doesn't reach the press."
"I'm surprised it hasn't already" Yoongi said, picking up the envelope as well and glancing at it. "There's no new clue? A hair, a sign, anything that connects the victims that we don't know about?"
"No, I’m sorry."
"Well, then we've had a wasted trip. We would have easily received the documents by email."
"Always good to see each other from time to time, isn't it, Agent Kim?"the doctor smiled .
"Whatever you say, Dr. Kim."
The two looked at each other for a long second and Yoongi regretted not having popcorn to eat. Why hadn't the two of them fucked yet, what the heck?
Every time they went in there, Yoongi felt like too much.
He frowned: couldn't it be that Namjoon always brings me in here with him because he doesn't want to end up bending the doctor on his nice desk?
"Agent Min."
"Yes?"
"I'm glad you came by, but unfortunately I have to leave you. I have another matters to attend to. You wouldn't think so, but I've got a busy schedule lately."
"Is being a medical examiner that difficult?"
"Usually not, but lately ... ah, I can say that my job has become more and more complicated. Please, I'll show you to the door" he stood up elegantly, his black suit under his white coat made a sharp contrast with his very pale skin. The only tint of color that wasn't black or white was his puffy red lips.
Dr. Kim opened the door and Yoongi stepped out but he was just in time to turn around and notice that the dear doctor had placed a hand on Namjoon's back to escort him out.
"I will await news though I hope you won't call me only when you find another body, Agent Kim."
"With the way things have been going lately, I think you'll be hearing about another body very soon."
"Shame." Dr. Kim gave a charming flirtatious smile and then closed the door. "Have a nice day then."
"Goodbye, doctor."
When they got out, Yoongi started the car and looked sideways at Namjoon. "What's the poor guy gotta do, pull down his pants and point the way to his ass?"
"Yoongi!"
"Okay, Christ, what a prude you are!"
He started the car and headed back to the station.
The question was: there really was something wrong with Gangnam lately.
People were disappearing. Bodies found with no names and no way to recognize them.
Surely someone was understanding what was going on, because Yoongi had no idea how it was possible that the whole of Seoul wasn't in a panic.
What if they were serial killer? What if they were organ traffickers or human traffickers?
There were many leads but they led nowhere. Yoongi and Namjoon weren't of a high enough rank to actively participate in the investigation anyway; they just did paperwork and patrolled the neighborhood.
Namjoon was driving that night because Yoongi felt like he was dying from sleep.
With a coke in one hand and a donut in the other, he knew he needed to start eating healthier but didn't have the energy to do that kind of thing.
It was bad enough taking that kind a shower in the morning.
That evening there was nothing to do on the streets. They were going in circles as usual, stopping here and there, bored out of their minds waiting for someone to call for an emergency.
Strange that nothing had happened yet - Gangnam was so populous that there was always something happening, one stranger than the next.
Perhaps he had spoken too soon.
"Car 3453" rang out on the radio and Namjoon answered. "We're ready."
"You are close to a report" the radio continued. "It looks like an assault. We'll give you the address now."
"Roger that" Namjoon turned off the microphone and started up again, turning on the siren. "Right before the shift ended" he commented again. "Let's hope it's nothing serious."
"Let's hope it's not one of those bodies" Yoongi pointed out.
They reached the location of the report and got out of the car, ready to use the gun if necessary. Once they entered the street on foot, they found nothing.
"There's no one left."
"No, look" Namjoon said. "There's blood on the ground. Go in that direction" he pointed to the road with the barrel of the gun. "There are more tracks. You go right, I'll go left."
"Alright."
They parted and Yoongi found himself alone in the alleys. On the streets cars were speeding and over his head the skyscrapers were lit up but in the alleys there was only the smell of blood and dog piss.
He clutched his gun and stopped when his foot slipped into a hole in the ground. He almost didn't notice it but then he saw that it was covered in blood. He lifted his foot, the sole of his boot dripping.
"What the fuck ..."
The hole was shaped like a person's head and shoulders. But it was a sidewalk, how had it cracked like that?
The trail of blood continued, and Yoongi followed it until he heard screaming so loud it made every hair on his body stand up. The voice sounded like a terrified woman and he hurried to catch up.
It wasn't a woman.
A young boy, maybe twenty-two, was running from the alley, holding his bloodstained neck with one hand. His hair was dyed silver and his clothes were dirty and tattered.
Another scream came from the alley but Yoongi didn't have time to notice what else was going on.
He grabbed the boy before he could throw himself into the street traffic. When he grabbed him he rebelled, terrified.
"Get off me! Get off me!"
"It's okay, it's okay. You're safe," he told him as he held him tightly "I'm a cop, you're safe."
The boy looked up at him with his round eyes wet with tears. He was visibly in shock. He was shaking and cold and losing a lot of blood from the wound in his throat.
A bite.
Namjoon had caught up with them, checking the alley. "There's someone else here!" he said, "He looks dead!"
The silver-haired boy kept looking at Yoongi and then passed out, falling dead weight but he caught him before he could fall head first to the ground. "Call the ambulance!" he said.
"Already done" Namjoon explained.
Yoongi picked up the boy and moved him from the side of the road, toward the alley. He noticed a body on the ground leaning toward where Yoongi and the boy had been a moment before.
"Is he dead?" he asked.
Namjoon was checking his pulse. "No" he said. "He's still breathing."
With the young stranger in his arms, Yoongi focused on the other.
He was a man in his early thirties. He wore a dark suit over his thin, slender body. He looked petite, but the roundness of his shoulders made him realize it was only an illusion. He must have been quite agile.
His black hair was smooth on his head, his profile sharp and marked, his skin perfectly smooth like that of an idol.
However, most disturbing was that his mouth was stained with blood. Had he taken the bite?
What the fuck ...
"This guy was stabbed" Namjoon said, pointing to the stranger's side. "He's losing a lot of blood, too. There's no knife around here. Is the other guy armed?"
"No" Yoongi explained, already hearing sirens coming.
"Then there was someone else here."
They waited for the ambulance and then followed it to the hospital where they waited for them to transfuse the strangers.
The boy was the first to wake up.
He was very frightened.
He got out of bed, trying to escape.
"Hey, it's okay. It's okay. It's okay," Yoongi told him, who grabbed him to carry him back to the bed. "Do you remember me?"
The boy looked at him with wide eyes and remained still, swinging his handsome gaze between Yoongi and Namjoon.
"Hey, kid" Yoongi called out to him again.
The stranger's eyes were glassy. "W-who are you?" he asked, in a trembling, thin voice.
"The cops who found you" Yoongi said again. "Do you remember me? What's your name?"
The boy remained motionless.
"Do you remember what happened?" urged Yoongi again. "Hey, it's okay, you're safe. Is there someone we can call to come get you?"
His words were still met with silence.
"Kid?"
"I-I don't know," he said, shaking.
"What's your name?"
"I-I don't know ..." he said again.
He began to cry and Yoongi took a step back, looking at Namjoon, who said instead, "It's okay. After a strong shock it may happen that ..."
"I don't know what my name is. I don't know what my name is ..." the boy began to rock back and forth, clutching his arms to his chest and crying silently.
Whoever he was, he was so beautiful that seeing him in that state made his heart ache. Yoongi had the instinct to touch him again to reassure him, but he remained still.
What could he do? He knew less than anyone else.
The doctor arrived and suggested that he and Namjoon leave, to let the patient calm down. Yoongi gave the boy one last saddened look and then followed Namjoon.
"Let's go to the other one" he said, "Maybe he'll tell us more."
They went a few rooms down the hall and opened another door. The second unknown subject was pale on the hospital bed but, more importantly, he was awake.
The two approached him and his intense black eyes slowly followed Yoongi's movements.
Even this creepy strange guy was attractive.
At this point Yoongi doubted his objectivity: maybe it was his abstinence talking, especially since the guy's gaze was fucking weird.
"Let me go" he said in a strange, deep voice.
Yoongi grunted "Sure, right."
Who knows why this answer of his seemed to surprise the stranger. In fact, it shocked him. He kept looking at Yoongi and ignoring Namjoon.
"Let me go now" he repeated in the same tone.
"Look man, get a grip" Yoongi repeated. "We need to ask you some questions."
The stranger's eyes went wide and he lowered his head, strangely more agitated than before.
Yoongi didn't know what to say and looked at Namjoon who shrugged. "Who are you?"
"My name is Jung Hoseok" the subject said, without looking at them. He squeezed his eyes shut and clasped his hands together, as if he was making an effort to do something. His effort, whatever it was, failed and Hoseok stood still looking at an undefined point in front of them.
"What were you doing there in the alley?" asked Yoongi, again.
He got no answer.
"Who is that guy who was with you in the alley?"
"All I know is that his name is Jimin."
"Jimin and what else?"
Hoseok didn't answer.
Yoongi tightened his lips and then made up his mind to ask: "Mr. Jung, will you please enlighten us as to why the hell you bit Jimin?"
"I didn't bite him."
"Sure you did."
"I didn't. Take samples from my clothes. It's not his blood."
"Fine, then whose?"
Hoseok looked at them silently for a long moment before saying, "I don't know."
"You don't know anything at all, then."
They received no response. They tried to ask him more questions but Hoseok didn't answer anymore. He closed his eyes, forgetting about their presence.
Yoongi, annoyed, walked out of the room shaking his head. "What the fuck happened? That guy must have bitten the other guy who was with them, the one who stabbed him."
Namjoon meanwhile was doing something on the phone. "There are at least ten thousand Jimins living in Seoul." He was checking the database.
"Ah, great."
"And no Jung Hoseok," he added.
"Is he from some other city?"
"No" Namjoon showed him the phone screen. "There is no Jung Hoseok in all of Korea."
"He must have given us a fake name then."
"What are the chances that there isn't a single namesake of yours, Yoongi? If you're going to give a fake name, give a common one, not one that doesn't exist" considered his partner.
The other tightened his lips and nodded. "So ... we have an attack on two near-dead strangers."
"Like the dead bodies."
"Yeah."
Namjoon turned the phone over in his hands and considered: "If the boy has amnesia, this Hoseok is the only one who knows what happened. They'll come for him and lock him up somewhere if he's connected to the murders."
"He's not talking. He hasn't asked for a lawyer."
Either way, whatever happened, that guy would definitely be taken into custody, but Yoongi's mind went back to the handsome boy crying a few rooms over.
"What's going to happen to the other one?" he asked, "To that Jimin?"
Namjoon shook his head and didn't answer.