Fate's Deadly Dance || KookV

Chapter 3

August 2023

"Hello, Jeju metropolitan police agency, how can I help you?" The dispatcher's shrill voice cuts through the loud unnecessary voices of the small room that served as their communication center. She waits for the person on the other side of the phone to speak up, already grabbing ahold of her vibrant pink notepad and a pen.

"Okay. I want you to calm down and stay with me. Can you tell me about your whereabouts, ma'am?" She manages to convey to the lady on the other side whose frantic breathing and hushed whispers are heard through the line.

"Trace the caller for me." She takes a pause and directs her comrade who sits next to her. The person in question nods and swirls around in his seat before starting to type into his keyboard like a madman, adjusting his earpiece. After several attempts, he glances at the dispatcher still trying to communicate with the distressed lady, she looks at him with expectant eyes and replies in negative making her curse internally.

"Hello? Ma'am? Are you still with me? Hello?" And with that, the connection is gone leaving an annoying beep that resonated in the room which has suddenly gotten cold despite the slightly warm weather. The dispatcher jumps out of her seat, grabs her coat that rests on the back of the chair and takes long strides to head to the squad room. "Ms. Choi!?" Her junior follows him soon after.

"It's an emergency! The victim is somewhere around Seogwipo Harbour. We couldn't locate the number. Human trafficking." She finishes in one breath, the officers sitting in the squad room diverting all their attention to the dispatcher. Jeongkook who had a friend in a tight, friendly chokehold, releases him, the usual smile getting wiped off his face, expression hardening as he waits for the lieutenant to give orders.

And it's no longer that he's seated among a few of the police officers, the k5 rifle heavy in his palm as he calmly waits for them to reach the destination in the crowded patrol car, its siren cutting through the silent night like a sharp knife. He can hear the lieutenant talking to Ms.Choi on the phone constantly, his frown deepening with every passing second.

"Off to your assigned places. Stay focused and be prepared for anything. Your training and experience will guide you well. Work well as a team!" The lieutenant's usual words bring him out of his daze, Jeongkook tucks the rifle in and hops out of the patrol car, cutting through the crowd of people huddling together for a night fare. Folks move out of the way as they see a bunch of young men all cladded in neat uniforms, firearms secured in their rough hands.

Jeongkook jogs around the area, looking for anything that could serve as a hint, he bumps into a few people and apologises before looking around hurriedly. The officers surround the harbour in no time, dispersed through the large space, rifles in hand, one hand on the ear as they listen to their seniors.

Jeongkook spots a black figure moving around located on the opposite end of where he was standing, he reports it to the senior by the two-way radio and gets a positive response. With a small nod directed to his fellow officer, he starts following the figure. By his peripheral vision, he could see the rest moving around the harbour, trying to locate the victim.

Jeongkook tucks his pistol back and starts sprinting at an inhumane speed to catch up with the suspicious man. The figure in black must've gotten a whiff of the police tailing him because he starts running even faster making Jeongkook let out a series of curses.
The night's dark as Jeongkook follows the man to a much less crowded area of the harbour. "What a fool!" Jeongkook manages to mutter out with a small smile as he keeps running after the others, dodging and avoiding the few people that come his way.

It is when the figure enters an alleyway that Jeongkook knows leads to a dead end, that he slows down, catching his breath and taking out his k5 rifle, he steadily enters the dark the only source of light, an old streetlight. Thanks to this Jeonggook could see the looming figure, the man raised his hand and the officer could vaguely make out a gun in his hand pointed at the street light. It dies out in the impact of the bullet. Jeongkook dunks his head at the gunshot, tightening his hold on his gun and moving further into the dark.