Detective Jeon (2) : He, Never Left | JJK

Ch19. One of You

In the dimly lit room of the old French villa, the weight of secrets hung lifeless in the air. Taehyung's eyes darted between the two files on the antique glass table, their contents revealing a twisted family history. As he read them over and over, he couldn't escape the feeling that he was unraveling a long puzzle. Detective Jeon, with a gaze as sharp as the shards of glass in the window, seemed lost in thought as he peered outside.

"So you're telling me that Aera was the owner of this secluded French villa," Taehyung began, his voice trembling with disbelief, "and she inherited it from her mysterious aunt, Jennie, who received it as a wedding gift from her American-French husband, Adam. And now, they're both gone, murdered by Aera's family."

He paused, letting the gravity of the situation sink in. "But Aera never breathed a word about this to anyone?" Taehyung's head spun as he contemplated the implications. "Not to mention that the present owner of villa is no one but Aeseok."

"Not yet, Taehyung," Jungkook responded, his voice low and cryptic. He leafed through the documents, his finger landing on page twenty-five. "Clause 13, it says that if Aeseok..." He hesitated briefly. "In case she dies before turning eighteen, the villa and all its classified property will pass to the immediate blood relative on the mother's side of the family."

Taehyung's eyes widened. "That's you!" he exclaimed, a shot of realization in his eyes. "You and Aeseok are the sole survivors after Aera." He leaned in, his voice hushed, "Unless there's someone else. But the aunt and uncle left no child. Could it be that the husband had a hidden life, an affair?"

Taehyung rose from his chair, a revelation dawning on him. "There you go! That's 'T'-his son... This is all happening because of the property."

Detective Jeon's eyes shifted from the window to Taehyung, and he warned, "You shouldn't jump to conclusions so hastily." Taehyung couldn't help but feel an eerie sense of foreboding. "What else could it be?"

It can be exactly what you think it is," said Jungkook, his voice hushed as though the very walls might betray their secrets.

Taehyung moved closer to the window where Jungkook stood. "Now you're just confusing me," Taehyung admitted, his brow furrowing. "My question is why kill so many people in the process of getting the property. Why all this mess?"

Jungkook leaned in, "It's simple, Taehyung," he explained. "He wanted to kill Aera first and make it seem like any other murder, along with other high-profile ones. Somewhere in the plan, he found out about me through Kim Tobaek, and so I became the target. As far as your question is concerned, why create such a mess..." Jungkook paused, his eyes looking at the files scattered across the table. "File after file, case after case, murder after murder, one culprit after another."

Taehyung's mind raced as he tried to connect the dots. "T added layer after layer to complicate things," he mused aloud. "I've to give it to him. There are so many loose ends. Don't know which ones to pick and which ones to lose."

"You know what makes someone a great murderer?" Jungkook asked, his tone cryptic. "It is not those who are great at hiding because sooner or later they all get caught. It's always those who are impeccable at hiding the right evidence among many others." With that, Jungkook walked toward the table and grabbed a bold red marker. In one swift motion, he wrote a large capital "T" and underlined it.

Turning to Taehyung, he added, "And about the property, it's not any ordinary property. The villa is haunted by spirits."

"Jungkook? We're not-how?" Taehyung stammered, struggling to come to terms with this supernatural revelation.

Jeon raised his eyebrow. "Do you have any other explanation for what happened yesterday? The old man, Mr. Dupont, his father's name is Adrien, and his great-grandmother, Mrs. Regina Dupont, who is Adrien's grandmother, was known as the 'chess queen' of her time. I checked the family register and the old records at the library. Some things are beyond human comprehension, and the existence of creatures outside our seemingly real realms is one of them."