Anger never builds; it only tears down. In the heat of a single moment, it can feel like strength, an armor to hide behind. But when the fire fades, all that's left are the ashes of what once mattered. Anger doesn't solve anything-it devours patienc...
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You’re the warmth I reach for even when the world feels cold.
Chapter 33: Person
The moment Taehyung stepped out of the bus, a warm gust of morning air brushed against his cheeks. His hands tightened around the strap of his bag as he made his way toward the police station. The building wasn’t far—he could already see the familiar sign from across the street—but every step felt heavier than the last.
He had finally remembered. The brown envelope and the USB—he had left them at the police station on the day of his interrogation. He could still picture that chaotic scene clearly: his trembling hands, the suffocating air of suspicion, the pile of documents scattered across the table. In all the tension, he had walked out without realizing what he had forgotten.
Now, he was hoping, praying even, that those items were still there.
Inside the station, the faint buzz of computers and shuffling of papers filled the air. Officers passed by with coffee cups and folders in hand. Taehyung scanned the room until a familiar voice called out to him.
“Oh, you’re back again?” It was Minyeol, leaning casually against the counter, arms crossed. He raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into a teasing grin. “Don’t tell me you’ve got another complaint to file?”
Taehyung blinked, caught off guard by the playful tone. “Ah, no, no! It’s not like that,” he replied quickly, scratching the back of his neck. “I just came here for something else.”
Minyeol chuckled, clearly amused. “Then what brings you here this time?”
Taehyung exhaled deeply before answering. “When I was here last time—for the fire incident interrogation—I think I accidentally left a few of my things. A brown envelope and a USB. They’re really important to me, so I wanted to ask if maybe the police kept them.”
Minyeol straightened a little, his teasing tone fading into mild seriousness. “Ah, I see. Well, yeah, we do keep unclaimed items. They’re sent to the ‘found and lost’ storage. But…” He paused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “If no one claims them within thirty days, they’re usually disposed of. You said that was around… what, a month ago?”
Taehyung’s heart sank. His lips parted slightly, but no words came out at first. He felt a pang of disappointment shoot through him as the realization hit—he might’ve been too late.
“Th-thrown away?” he muttered, almost to himself.
“Yeah,” Minyeol replied with a shrug. “That’s the policy.”
Taehyung’s gaze dropped to the floor, his fingers fiddling nervously with the hem of his sleeve. He couldn’t afford to lose those items—not when he had the feeling that they were somehow connected to everything that had happened.
“Is there really no way to find them again?” he asked softly, almost pleadingly. “They’re very important to me. I can’t lose them.”
Minyeol watched him for a moment, sensing the genuine worry in his voice. Then, after a short pause, he sighed and gave a small nod. “Alright. I’ll see what I can do. If you’re lucky, they might not have cleared out the old files yet. But it’ll take me about a week to check everything properly.”
