The Hunt

15

Jimin stopped walking, and grabbed my arm roughly. "What? How is that an issue?" 

I shook my arm loose from his grasp. "JiHoon was here often, so his residual scent will be stronger than that of the hunter. It will be more difficult to pinpoint another person's scent if they were only here once or twice. The intensity will be different." 

Jimin's eyes narrowed into a glare. I was beginning to get used to seeing his eyes filled with rage. He obviously had some anger issues. 

"Why are you only mentioning this now?" He fumed, face turning red. I half expected to see smoking billowing out of his ears. 

"I literally just met you yesterday. You need to chill out." I continued further into the alley, following the musk-citrus smell, trying to pinpoint where it was the strongest. 

I heard Jimin let out a growl of frustration as he stomped his feet on the pavement presumably throwing a fit, but I didn't bother turning around to look. 

After searching the area for an hour, I had found nothing that would be helpful in tracking down the hunter. Wait, would she be a 'huntress' since she's a woman?

"You mentioned security footage? Can I see it, please?" I asked, brushing my hands off on my pants. I had been crawling on the ground trying to find any trace of a scent that might be linked to JiHoon, but everything was so muddled I was unable to determine if any of the scents I found were from the day JiHoon was killed. He had definitely spent plenty of time in that alley over the course of a few years. 

Jimin muttered something about having the feeds from the security cameras at home, and lead the way back to the car. 

"Guess I didn't need the bag," I gave Taehyung a weak smile as we walked a few feet behind Jimin. 

"We might still need to change. It doesn't hurt to be prepared." Taehyung leaned close to my ear, and spoke in a hushed tone, "Give Jimin some time. He's a good person. He's just stressed." 

I scoffed at his remark. Stress makes him an asshole? 

"It's probably going to take me at least two years to get over the fact he kidnapped me. Maybe longer," I whispered loudly in response. 

Taehyung nodded, but didn't say anything. 

Once we returned to the car, Taehyung insisted I sit in the front. As we pulled out of the parking lot, he announced he was putting in his earbuds and turning up the volume. 

"Subtle," I chuckled and shook my head. 

"I want to be the best man at your wedding," Taehyung shouted from the backseat. 

I gave him a thumbs-up while keeping my gaze on the road. "I'd rather elope," I mumbled to myself. 

"Me too," Jimin quietly agreed. 

We both knew that wouldn't be an option. The heir to the family name always has a large, lavish wedding, inviting all of the prominent members of the other families to flaunt just how well-off their family was. Even the smaller, less powerful families observed this tradition whether they could afford it or not. 

The Parks weren't a top tier family, but they were by no means hurting financially. They owned a company that offered security services to large businesses, universities, and hospitals. In fact, my father only used security guards from the Parks' company to monitor the privately run hospitals. 

"Look, before you hear it from someone else, I should tell you," Jimin took a deep breath, and exhaled. His knuckles were white from the firm grip he had on the steering wheel. "There are some people who believe JiHoon had a hit placed on him." 

"By who?" 

"Me."