Brown Piano | yoonmin [ON HOLD]

Five

Jimin

Since he was refusing to cooperate with me, I was going to find my own way to discover the connection between the pianist and the mobster Kang Junyeok. Which was why I found myself crouching behind a neatly cut hedge besides the grocery store. With a finger I shifted my sleeve up my wrist to look at my watch. I had been hiding there for almost twenty minutes.

When the automatic sliding doors opened, I made myself smaller in my hiding spot and held my breath in fear that someone would notice me. I let out a frustrated sigh and shook my head when it was just a young woman, not him.

It was only five minutes later that he finally decided to come out, holding his plastic bag of groceries. He was in his usual lazy fashion. Black jeans and an oversized hoodie which was a bright orange this time, almost reaching to his knees which were exposed due to the distressed cuts.

I allowed him to walk ahead a few metres before I stood up to follow his steps. A curse came out barely as a whisper when my leg cramp prickled up my thighs from having sat in the same position for too long. I had to place my palm against the brick fence of a random house to wait for the uncomfortable sensation to calm down. Simultaneously I kept my eyes open on his back that was slowly turning into a fading silhouette in the distance.

When he turned a corner across the road, I picked up my pace into a light jog whilst praying that I hadn't completely lost him. Or else that whole night of stalking would have been a waste.

I almost let out a loud happy sigh of relief when I noticed his bright hoodie a few metres before me. It was a relief he hadn't decided to dress up like me. I had to raid Officer Jeon's wardrobe to dress myself in black from head to toe, easily concealing into the night surrounding.

He turned another corner and I tailed him into the rundown estate. Almost every wall was decorated with graffiti and edges of the streets were littered with shattered soju bottles, which I almost stepped on. 

The long rows of apartments seemed as though they hadn't been renovated in decades and I doubted whether they were safe enough to live in. I was sure this was the place where his home was as I hid behind a tree. He walked up the stairs on the edge of one of the buildings. I could see him passing the rows of door before standing in front of his own and entering.

After a few second of trying my best to compose myself, I took the same route to his door. I knocked on it and waited and waited a little longer. It took me another knocking for him to finally open it, causing a cringe-worthy squeak.

His brows drew together as his expression contorted into an unpleasant scowl.

"Get out of here."

"Not until you spill some information," I insisted, lowering my voice.

The corner of his lip twitched with annoyance. I felt my hand into my pocket and showed him my police ID to confirm my identity to him. When people get asked for information, they felt more comfortable doing so when the other person also exchanged something about them.

Instead of easing his expression, his glare only deepened when he saw my card. He peeled his vision away to look back at me, he clearly wasn't impressed. I cleared my throat and placed my ID back where I had fetched it from.

"I hate you people the most. Leave before I beat your ass down those stairs myself."

I crossed my arms, pressing it against my chest, fearing that my thumping heart might break out. I tightened my jaw and looked at him back in the eyes, giving him a challenging glare.

"You don't have to like me. Just tell me what you saw, that is all I need."

He opened his mouth to reply back with probably a curse but he was stopped by loud footsteps coming up the stairs. He put his hand on the handle and proceeded to close the door. I put my foot before it and smacked my hand against it to stop the door from completely closing. 

"I'm not leaving anytime soon. I will ask every person who lives in this building about you if-"

Before I could even finish my sentence, I stumbled into his house. He shut the door behind us whilst managing to lock his arm around my shoulders from behind. This allowed me to have a full view of his darkly lit apartment that was lousily decorated. I didn't hesitate to instinctively dart my eyes around for any sort of clue. The simplicity of the decorative pieces and the way his furniture seemed to face the door was enough to tell me about his personality. Quiet and alert.

Besides us was a small drawer with envelopes scattered on top. I squinted my eyes, mentally scolding myself for not wearing eye contacts. I barely managed to work out that it said Min Yoongi.

It was only when there was a sudden banging on the door behind us did I return my attention onto him. He still had me locked in his arm, his steady breath snaking down the side of my face and neck. I tightened my grip on his forearm to stop every fibre of my body from shivering.

The thumping on the door went on for a little longer. Once it stopped, the person let out a cold laugh.

"I will see you next time, my good old friend. I won't be as kind," said the knocker. He gave the door a kick before his footsteps got quieter the further away he went.

Yoongi's grip on me slightly loosened and I pushed myself away. I turned around to look at him but had to quickly avert my gaze. His eyes were boring straight into me, not once blinking. Despite it being dark, his pale face somehow managed to glow beneath his orange hoodie.

"That is a lovely friend you have there," I deadpanned, breaking the deathly silence.

For the first time I saw his lips curling up into an amused lopsided smirk. I quickly looked down at the drawer next to me. From the corner of my eye, I saw him open the door. He gestured me to leave. I let out a defeated sigh.

"I don't know what this grudge is that you have against the police but if you ever rethink your decision, call me on this number," I said showing him my business card before placing it on top of his drawers alongside his letters. "You have no idea how important you are to this case, Min Yoongi."

His eyes slightly narrowed probably taken aback by me addressing him by his name. I was secretly relieved to have finally put a name on the mysterious pianist.