His Obsession ➸ Taekook ✓

- Third -

The flat was full of people. All from the police. They were examining every nook and cranny of the flat, every room, going over everything with a fine-tooth comb, hoping in vain to find the slightest clue that would shed some light.

In the centre of the living room was a body, firmly tied to a chair. The poor man's clothes were covered in blood, but that wasn't the first thing that caught the eye. No, it was the red streak running from his eyes. And when the forensic doctors lifted his eyelids, they noted with disgust that his eyeballs had disappeared.

"Oh my God..."

The woman looked away and instinctively put her hand over her mouth to stop herself vomiting. It was absolutely disgusting. She had never seen anything so horrible. It wasn't just a murder, it was a butchery. How could anyone be so cruel? How could anyone take pleasure in torturing a human being like this?

"This way, Inspector."

The forensic doctors turned in unison and saw a tall, well-built man in his thirties approaching. He had long black hair, which added a certain charm to his incredible good looks. But his cold, serious air created a certain distance from him. The man approached them and extended a cordial hand.

"Hello, I'm Inspector Kim Namjoon. I'll be in charge of this case."

"Pleased to meet you, sir."

After a quick handshake, the doctors stepped aside, leaving Namjoon to enter the crime scene. And he too was horrified to discover a mutilated, almost unrecognisable body. But despite the gravity of the situation, he remained serious and unruffled.

"Do we know the identity of the victim?" he asked calmly.

The doctors turned to the police officer who had brought Namjoon to them. He stepped forward and nodded.

"Yes, sir. His name is Lee Haneul, aged 23. He worked for a small IT company. No family, we don't know if he was in a relationship, but in any case, he wasn't married. And at first glance, he seemed to live alone. This is his flat."

Namjoon nodded slowly, his eyes wide as he analysed all the information he had just received. It was a few minutes before he spoke again, and he sighed as he ran a hand over his face.

"It's already the third murder in a month. Seoul has never been so active."

The police officer frowned.

"Do you think it's the same killer? Because, according to the reports, the modus operandi is all different. And the victims have nothing in common: a butcher, a lawyer, and now a mere employee. They don't even come from the same social classes, they've probably never met.

Namjoon shook his head.

"No, for the moment they have one thing in common: they're all men."

"And? That's not really significant..."

Namjoon smiled faintly.

"Maybe, but that's all we've got for the moment... And our job is to investigate and find more logical connectors."

He then turned to the forensic doctors.

"Do we know anything else for now?"

"His eyes have been removed, but we don't know yet if it was the haemorrhage that caused his death."

"Well, let me know as soon as you know more."

The doctors agreed, then got back to work. Namjoon was confused and worried. If his theory was correct, these murders were the work of the same killer. And that worried him enormously. Because this person was killing far too quickly, and without knowing his motivation, Namjoon didn't know how far this murderer would go. Would he ever stop? It wouldn't be long before the media got hold of the case and spread panic throughout Seoul.

And Namjoon had to prevent that. After all, it was his job.

***

When Jungkook entered the cabaret, he was immediately greeted by a dark atmosphere, the walls mostly red and black. Many people would have felt uncomfortable here, especially as it was the haunt of the most dangerous people in Seoul, but not Jungkook. He loved this cabaret. It was the place where he could be the closest to himself. Here, he felt he had a little more control over his life.

He made his way towards the reception desk, which was the last wall before actually entering the cabaret and discovering the darker side of Itaewon. And leaning against the counter was a man in his thirties, older than Jungkook, half slumped over the desk and looking bored, reading the day's paper. He was turning the pages slowly, as if he wasn't really interested.

"Good morning, boss!" exclaimed Jungkook as he approached the counter.

"I've already told you to not call me that." replied the man without looking up from his newspaper. "Yoongi Hyung is more than enough."

Jungkook pouted, but Yoongi wasn't the least bit interested. Despite appearances, Yoongi was a good person. Jungkook loved him very much. His cabaret was his life, he had invested his entire fortune in it. And as soon as someone came to work for him, they became his family. A family he had to protect.

"You're late." Yoongi remarked. "Has something happened?"

Jungkook just sighed, loosening his tie which was beginning to prevent him from breathing.

"No, I just had to do some overtime. Because I never say anything, my superiors think I'm a robot."

Yoongi shook his head and smiled.

"We'll talk about it later. Go and get ready, the show's about to start. And you know you're the star of the night."

"Ahah, depends the point of view..."

For the first time since Jungkook had arrived, Yoongi took his eyes off the newspaper to look at his employee. Whereas at his age he should have seen a certain arrogance, curiosity or excitement, he saw nothing. It was as if his eyes were dead. That was also part of Jungkook's charm. He had many courtiers among the cabaret's customers, and this was undoubtedly due to the aura of mystery and death that he exuded.

But in Yoongi's eyes, he was simply... miserable.

"No matter how beautiful and talented the dancers are," Yoongi explained, "no one can compete with your voice. You're like a mermaid, bewitching the sailors with your singing."

Jungkook didn't answer, just smiled.

"I'll go and get ready."

"Yes, go ahead."

Jungkook gave Yoongi one last look before disappearing into the cabaret, heading for the artist's lodge. The entrance to the cabaret was then plunged back into silence, the silence that Yoongi loved so much, and at the same time dreaded terribly. He finally sighed, resting his gaze on his newspaper before murmuring a few words.

"You really do remind me of a mermaid, Jungkook. You bewitch sailors with your angelic voice, lure them into your arms, then drag them down to the bottom of the ocean, to devour them without the slightest remorse."