Trouble Tamer

32. Officer Park At Duty

Across the city, Officer Park Jimin had been hard at work.

“Are sure that we will get something by raiding these store out, Officer Park?” one of his subordinates asked, tired from the seemingly pointless visits.

“Jungkook baked a cake. He needed toppings, but non was found in the kitchen nor in the cake. So we can makeout that he must have left the mansion for it. Supermarkets are exactly the place we should check into, Officer Kang.”Jimin said, tho he was internally worried. He was the one to suggest it afterall to Jungkook, and knowing Jungkook, he for sure would have left for this only. It was an unsaid Jungkook thing.

“How are you sure, Officer Park?”

“Just do what I am saying, Kang. No questions.”

Clad in his uniform, he stepped into a local supermarket with confidence, his sharp gaze sweeping across the room as he approached the manager at the counter. This was his 3rd supermarket he was raiding. The manager, a short, middle-aged man with a nervous expression, looked up and froze upon seeing Jimin’s police badge.

“Officer Park Jimin, Seoul Police Department,” Jimin announced, flashing his badge with a confident grin. “I’m here to check your CCTV footage for a missing person investigation. We believe the individual may have been here recently.”

The manager gulped and nodded.

“Y-yes, of course, Officer! Anything you need,” he stammered, hurriedly leading Jimin toward the security office at the back of the store.

Jimin leaned forward, hands on the desk, his gaze unwavering as he watched the playback on the screen.

“Alright, show me the footage from the parking lot first. I need to confirm if his car was here,” Jimin instructed, eyes narrowed as he scanned the vehicles that filled the supermarket parking area. The footage began to roll, and within moments, he spotted Jungkook’s car pulling into a spot near the entrance. Relief flickered across his face briefly—at least he knew Jungkook had made it this far.

“Pause it here,” Jimin instructed the manager, pointing at the screen. “Zoom in on that car and then rewind a few minutes. I want to see if anything happened around it before Jungkook got here.”

The manager gave a nervous nod, rewinding the footage, and slowing it down at Jimin’s request. Jimin leaned forward, studying the parking lot footage intently. And that’s when he saw it, just after Jungkook left—a tall, broad-shouldered man with dark clothing and sunglasses lingering near Jungkook’s car just minutes after Jungkook entered the store. The man was careful, moving subtly, as though aware he might be watched.

“There.” Jimin’s eyes narrowed.

“Keep it rolling.”

As the footage continued, Jimin watched the man shift to the front of Jungkook’s car, popping the hood open in a quick, fluid motion. The man’s hands moved expertly, tampering with something in the engine, though Jimin couldn’t quite tell what he was doing from the limited angle. Suddenly, a mechanic appeared in the frame, rolling a cart past and noticing the man.

The two exchanged a brief conversation, the mechanic gesturing at the car, offering his help. Jimin watched as the man gave the mechanic a dismissive wave, as if saying he didn’t need any assistance. The mechanic, looking a bit taken aback, shrugged and went on his way, leaving the man alone to continue his work.

Jimin’s jaw clenched as he watched the man finish up whatever he was doing under the hood. After only a few seconds, he closed it, glanced around cautiously, and walked off, disappearing from the frame.

“That’s it,” Jimin muttered under his breath, his expression hardening as he turned to the manager.

“This isn’t a random disappearance. Someone knew exactly what they were doing and made sure Jungkook couldn’t drive far if he tried to leave.”