The Shadows of power

18

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Chapter: The Key to Shadows

As Jungkook and the girl stepped out of the club, the night air carried a strange mix of tension and excitement. The girl, clearly giddy, turned to Jungkook with a teasing smile.

"Well, Jungkook, I see you haven't changed since university," she said playfully. "Before Jimin or Taehyung came into the picture, you were still a playboy."

Jungkook, caught off guard, frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

She chuckled, her eyes glinting with mischief. "Well, I don’t even know how to dance, honestly. But sometimes, the surroundings compel people to... act differently." She was flirting, leaning closer, but Jungkook brushed it off, keeping his focus sharp.

As they sat in the car, the atmosphere inside shifted. The girl seemed restless, fanning herself lightly. "It's so hot in here," she murmured. Jungkook, still calm, noticed her discomfort but ignored it. Instead, he pulled the car to the side of the road.

“I have something very serious to ask you,” Jungkook began, his tone suddenly businesslike, cutting through the lingering flirtation. “You remember, right? I, Taehyung, and Jimin didn’t attend the farewell at university. But I’ve heard something unusual happened that day. There was a bomb blast, wasn't there? Do you have any pictures, videos, or any kind of information from that day?”

The girl, taken aback, stammered for a moment. “Why would I have anything like that? What could I possibly gain from it?”

Jungkook leaned back, his eyes locking onto hers. “Just name your price.”

The girl, momentarily silent, then smirked, leaning toward him. “How about... one night?”

Back at headquarters, the BTS members, watching the conversation unfold on screen, were visibly shocked. Jungkook himself stiffened for a moment, but quickly regained his composure. Ignoring her proposal, he replied, “How about I give you something better? I can help you win the legal case against your stepfather. I know he’s been a problem for you.”

She hesitated, clearly weighing her options. Finally, with a resigned sigh, she said, “Deal.”

From her purse, she handed Jungkook a small pen drive. “This... this was from that day at the farewell. A little girl gave it to me. She kept saying a name... what was it? Oh yeah, it was ‘Suga, Suga, Suga.’ I don’t know why she was at our university, but before she left, this pendant with the pen drive fell from her neck. I picked it up.”

Jungkook listened intently, already knowing who ‘Suga’ was but keeping his expression neutral.

“I checked the pen drive,” she continued. “It has details of university farewells from all over, some kind of transport recordings, and dates. Maybe it can help you figure out what you're looking for.”

Jungkook nodded and handed her a folder. “This has everything you need to win the case against your stepfather. And by the way, he has another wife... you’ll find the details inside.”

They parted ways, and Jungkook drove straight to headquarters. Upon arrival, the rest of the group was already waiting for him, their gazes filled with curiosity and concern. Jungkook wasted no time and plugged the pen drive into Suga’s laptop.

As the files opened, they revealed a massive amount of data. Information about universities across the globe, their farewell dates, and strange recordings of transportation routes. Trucks, travel logs, and seemingly random routes were listed. Everyone was perplexed, trying to piece together how this connected to the bomb blast at their own university farewell.

Namjoon, ever the mastermind, stared at the screen in deep thought. Suddenly, something clicked in his mind. “I think I know what’s happening,” he said, his voice cutting through the confusion.

Everyone turned to him, eyes wide with anticipation.

“Look at these trucks and routes,” Namjoon began. “In human trafficking, it's common for victims to die, whether through suicide or because they can’t endure the harsh conditions. Some are too sensitive for such a dark environment. What these people are doing is using bomb blasts as a cover. The blast creates confusion, smoke – more smoke than fire, actually – and in that chaos, they swap the living with unrecognizable dead bodies. That’s why these bodies are so hard to trace.”

The others exchanged stunned glances. It was a horrific but plausible explanation.

“This pattern,” Namjoon continued, “suggests they target places like universities because they’re easier to blend into. The farewells are the perfect opportunity for them to operate without drawing attention.”

Suga, still processing what Namjoon had said, nodded slowly. “We need to find that little girl who mentioned my name. She’s a crucial piece of the puzzle.”

Jungkook leaned forward, determined. “We need every possible lead. We can’t afford to miss anything.”

Namjoon turned to Taehyung. “I need you to help me track down the girl. There’s something more to this.”

Taehyung, though still deep in thought about his private conversation with Namjoon earlier, nodded. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of this.”

With the weight of their new mission bearing down on them, they prepared for the next step, fully aware that the darkness they were facing ran deeper than they had ever imagined.

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