Between the Badge and the Heart | Taekook

Jeon Jungkook has learned to survive without anyone.

No parents to call. No siblings to rely on. No friends willing to answer at three in the morning when his infant daughter is crying from hunger.

With bills piling up and a tiny baby depending entirely on him, Jungkook turns to stealing-not because he wants a life of crime, but because desperation has left him with very few choices.

Kim Taehyung is a police officer who believes rules exist for a reason.

Their first meeting is anything but gentle.
Taehyung catches Jungkook stealing from a convenience store. But instead of running when the police officer approaches him, Jungkook is more concerned about the baby sleeping against his chest.

Something about that sight stays with Taehyung.
Their paths continue crossing. A stolen loaf of bread. Baby formula. A broken-down car. Late-night encounters. Quiet conversations neither of them expects to have.

Taehyung knows Jungkook is a thief.

Jungkook knows Taehyung could arrest him.

But slowly, somewhere between arguments and reluctant kindness, Taehyung begins seeing the man behind the crime-and Jungkook begins discovering what it feels like to have someone care whether he makes it home safely.

There will be no sudden revelations, no elaborate conspiracies, and no dramatic twists.

Just two very different men, one tiny baby, and a relationship that takes its time becoming something neither of them planned for.