Pilot Chapter: H.O.C | 보이넥스도어 M.JH
— Myung Jaehyun x reader
In Summary
You’re the youngest, most brilliant detective in the police force—and also the biggest HR nightmare. After getting suspended for property damage, you're dragged into a new task force to catch "The House of Cards," an elusive syndicate of criminals. Too bad their infamous leader, the "King of Spades," is less of a criminal mastermind and more of a theatrical theater kid who can't read a clock.
Action, Comedy, Enemies to Lovers, Workplace AU (Cyberpunk/Modern Bureaucracy vibes), Fake Nerd, Dual Identity, Cat and Mouse game.
Pairing: Phantom Thief!Jaehyun (BOYNEXTDOOR) x Badass!Detective!Reader (y/n)
Warnings: Workaholism, destruction of government property, Y/N being a absolute menace to society, Jaehyun failing to be a suave criminal master, excessive swearing.
A/N
This is just a pilot chapter to see if you guys are vibing with this! If this gets enough love (likes/reblogs/comments), I’ll definitely turn it into a full multi-chapter series. Let me know what you think of this chaotic dynamic, and tell me who you think the other cards in the deck are! 😉🎭✨ Taglist is OPEN—let me know if you want to be tagged for future updates!
WC. 2.7K
The clock on the luxury dashboard read 10:00 AM.
Now, that was considerably late for any decent, law-abiding civil servant expected to clock in on time. But for you? Honestly, the fact that you even showed up was a miracle in itself.
You aggressively scooped your belongings—mostly documents, more documents, even more documents, and oh, a single lipstick—and shoved them into your expensive Jane Birkin bag. It was so criminally overstuffed it had completely lost its shape. Clutching the abused luxury leather, you marched into the police headquarters like a woman on a mission.
The passing glances from your colleagues followed you, but you couldn't care less. Your eyes were locked entirely on your sole destination: the gleaming silver elevator doors.
Beep! Beep!
ACCESS DENIED
The flashing red text on the digital scanner after you swiped your ID card made your eyebrow twitch violently.
As someone who practically worshipped speed, despised delays, and refused to waste a single second of her life—this exact scenario was profoundly, deeply irritating.
Before you could get yourself court-martialed for destroying government property (an offense you’d committed more times than you’d care to admit) or for assaulting a security guard (a crime you hadn't tried yet, but were highly considering), the expensive smartphone crammed into your back pocket vibrated, violently interrupting your incoming villain arc.
Incoming Call: 'Jungwon (HWK)'
"What" you snapped into the receiver.
The person on the other end immediately picked up on your murderous tone. And that, in turn, was also annoying.
"Whoa, easy there, tiger," Jungwon’s voice crackled through the line, sounding entirely too cheerful for your current mood. "Your badge got flagged because of the transfer order."
"Are you messing with me? Am I supposed to parkour up the balcony or something?"
"I’m just stating facts, chief. Please don't smash any state property just yet. Come up to the 15th floor... I’ve got something shiny to show you."
You let out an irritated sigh, bluntly hanging up on your 'best friend' since academy days without a shred of remorse. Still, your thumb aggressively punched the button for the 15th floor anyway.
You could feel the burning stares of the uniformed officers around you, but frankly, it was just a regular Tuesday for you. It wasn't every day people got to look at a Captain who broke the record as the youngest officer to reach the rank in police history. A literal top-of-the-class prodigy from the Police University, scoring straight A's in both theory and field tactics, a sharpshooter with deadly precision, and a hand-to-hand combat expert who made certified instructors cry for mercy.
Ah... well, just exclude the police ethics department from your resume. Come on, everyone has flaws. You can't expect a person to be a perfect saint, can you?
The elevator dinged and slid open on the 15th floor of the National Police Headquarters. This was the restricted zone of the Intelligence Division, colloquially known as Hawkeye. The atmosphere here was deathly quiet, as if it existed in a completely different dimension. You strutted down the hallway, your heels clicking sharply against the floor as you headed toward the deepest, most familiar office.
Yang Jungwon—your dear best friend—was casually spinning in his ergonomic chair in front of a gargantuan control panel, the blue glow of the servers reflecting off his glasses.
Ugh. Absolutely insufferable.
"Take a seat, Director," Jungwon said, rolling a chair toward you. "How was your one-week suspension? Word on the street is that the Senior Advisor Shim had to practically fist-fight the board of directors just to keep you from getting fired."
"Don't call it a suspension. Call it what it is: administrative archiving."
You threw yourself into the chair, crossing your legs with an irritated huff.
"The old man is just terrified of staining our prestigious, multi-generational police bloodline. Charges like 'excessive use of force' and 'destruction of government property' don't exactly look great on his favorite granddaughter’s record."
"Hey, but in exchange for bringing back a Black Box-level piece of evidence? I’d say it was worth it." Jungwon chuckled softly, his fingers flying across the keyboard.
"Your little stunt at the Incheon port last week forced the higher-ups to finally greenlight the D.A.R.T. unit... Even if, realistically, they only built it to serve as a living graveyard for all the HR nightmares they can't legally fire."
The massive screen in the center of the room flickered to life, transitioning from pitch black to a stark, ominous red. The data displayed on it, however, was so laughably empty it was almost depressing.
"Cut to the chase, Jungwon," you muttered. "Is this seriously all we have on these bastards?"
The screen was literally just a sea of question marks (?).
Right beside them was the crest that the entire police force utterly loathed, yet the public worshiped like they were some kind of modern Robin Hoods.
THE HOUSE OF CARDS (H.O.C.)
You raised an eyebrow at the screen, surveying the total lack of identifying information. "Name? Age? Nationality? Number of operatives?"
"Zero. NADA," Jungwon sighed, spinning his chair back to face you. "We know absolutely nothing about them. For the past two years, we haven't even figured out how many members H.O.C. actually has. Five? Ten? Or maybe it's just one incredibly cracked hacker doing everything by himself. Who knows."
Wonderful.
A briefing where we officially learned absolutely nothing.
"Okay, then what's the deal with these cards?" You pointed at the graphic of six playing cards lined up on the monitor.
"Ah, that is the single thing they deliberately leave behind for us to admire," Jungwon explained, zooming in on the cards. "Every time they pull off a heist, they leave exactly one card at the crime scene. The Behavioral Analysis Unit has formulated a 'hypothesis' that each card represents a specific member with a distinct role. Mind you, this is strictly a theory. Emphasizing on theory."
Jungwon clicked a remote, and the screen displayed the categories the police had basically guessed.
"The Joker."
The monitor shifted to show a bank's mainframe completely corrupted by a laughing clown virus.
"Any case where the system gets breached or data mysteriously vanishes into thin air, we find this card. We’ve never seen a face. Could be a solo hacker, could be a whole team of elite programmers. Your guess is as good as mine."
"Or maybe our cyber crimes division is just incompetent."
"Watch your mouth."
You shrugged, gesturing for him to move to the next slide. Jungwon took a deep breath, swallowing his annoyance before continuing.
"Next, the Jack of Clubs."
A blurry CCTV footage played, showing nothing but a fleeting, lightning-fast shadow.
"The Jack. Appears in high-casualty, brute-force breaches. No one has ever seen their actual face. Cameras only catch a blur, or a figure clad in pitch-black gear that defies all tactical profiling. Some say it's a ninja, others swear it's Spider-Man."
"Please, that is so cringe. It’s literally just some kid who's good at parkour jumping across roofs."
The faint hum of the projector fan filled the silent room after your remark.
"You have zero appreciation for the arts," Jungwon muttered. "Moving on, the King of Hearts."
You averted your gaze from the screen, tapping your fingers impatiently against the desk.
"The King of Hearts... left behind in high-profile corporate espionage and witness manipulation cases. The suspect always utilizes a different, perfectly forged identity. Oh, and it's always left with a fresh red rose. The street cops playfully call him 'Lupin'—hey, focus please."
You snapped your attention back at your friend’s sharp reprimand. The screen was now displaying a beautifully vibrant rose and the King of Hearts card, cutting between static-filled CCTV clips that glitched out every single time a specific man walked past.
"Is that static the Joker's doing too?"
"Highly probable, but unconfirmed."
You jutted out your lower lip, nodding slowly.
"The Ace of Spades and the King of Diamonds," Jungwon paused for a fraction of a second before pushing through. "The Ace is found in sophisticated extortion letters outlining intricate blueprints, while the King of Diamonds is always left next to massive stacks of cash left behind at the scene. So, our working theory is that they are the Brains and the Financier. And... yep, that's it. That's the grand total of our intel."
"So, to summarize... we are fighting ghosts with fancy code names?" You let out a bitter, mocking laugh. "No wonder the cases haven't moved an inch."
"There is exactly one exception..." Jungwon’s tone dropped, becoming deadly serious as he hit the final button. "There is one member we are 100% sure exists. Because he is the only one arrogant enough to actually show his face on camera."
The screen flashed, displaying the single high-definition photograph in the entire database.
It was a tall, lean young man clad in an exquisite, pearl-white tuxedo embroidered with intricate gold threading. His collar was adorned with layered, luxurious fabric, topped off with a white top hat and a matching cape that billowed dramatically in the wind.
His face was obscured by an elegant, ornate Venetian masquerade half-mask.
He was standing on the precipice of a skyscraper, bathed in the silver moonlight, one hand resting on a sleek cane while the other effortlessly twirled a playing card between his fingers.
"The King of Spades."
"The big boss... or as the media loves to call him, 'The White Prince of Spades'."
Jungwon stared at the image with a mixture of awe and sheer frustration.
"This guy acts like he walked straight out of a comic book. A phantom thief who literally performs magic tricks in front of the police. He steals priceless artifacts right under the noses of hundreds of guards without breaking a sweat. At the diamond auction last year, he materialized on stage out of nowhere. The lights went out for exactly eight seconds, and when they came back on, both he and the diamond were gone."
"That show-off piece of garbage..." You hissed through gritted teeth.
"Exactly. The only idiot who willingly sticks his head out to flex, wearing a blinding white outfit like he’s terrified people won't notice him," Jungwon added, making a disgusted face. "And he is the sole reason you got slapped with an 'assaulting a fellow officer' charge, because you literally elbowed the desk sergeant in the face just to steal the car keys and chase him down."
"Well, it's his fault for blocking my way!" You retorted instantly. "He was rambling on and on about protocol and paperwork while the thief was actively making his getaway!"
"So you stole a department vehicle? Drove out alone? No warrant? No backup? ...You are completely insane. If I hadn't bypassed the city cameras to map out your route, or if Wonyoung hadn't distracted the coast guard, you would’ve drowned in that harbor and died a week ago." Jungwon aggressively ran a hand through his hair.
"Watch your mouth, Jungwon."
Jungwon shrugged, deliberately looking away from you. "Sure, sure, Miss Elite Prodigy. Punching your co-workers just to chase a criminal. No wonder you got demoted." He shook his head.
"Do you even know what actually happened that night?!"
"Of course I do! I was the one watching your bodycam feed!"
11:00 PM (A little over an hour before the police's estimated timeline), Last Week.
The faint, metallic clinking of chains echoed softly through the night.
You slipped stealthily between the towering shipping containers, moving like a shadow. No backup. Just you, your service pistol, and a raw instinct telling you—they are here.
And you were right... well, half right.
Perched on top of a cargo container was the man in the white suit, casually swinging his legs and humming a cheerful tune to himself, looking like he was waiting for a cozy picnic rather than finalizing an illegal smuggling transaction.
He looked entirely relaxed... right up until you aimed your barrel directly at his chest.
"Freeze! Police!"
The King of Spades flinched so hard his entire body jolted, nearly dropping the hard drive in his hand. He whipped his head around to look at you, then frantically raised his wrist to check his watch in a clumsy, panicked motion that was entirely 'un-cool'.
"...Officer?" His voice, filtered through a vocal modulator, sounded utterly bewildered. "Wait a minute... It's only eleven? Ace calculated the police arrival time at midnight! Why on earth are you here so early?!"
"I don't drive a damn turtle like the rest of them." You advanced forward, keeping your weapon locked steady on him. "Hand over the evidence and climb down with your hands up."
"Oh, crap... I haven't even styled my hair properly. I didn't get to practice my introductory pose yet!" he muttered frantically to himself, taking a panicked step backward. "If Ace finds out the plan failed because of my poor time management, he's going to lecture me until my ears bleed..."
"You can complain all you want in a holding cell!"
You didn't waste another second listening to his rambling. You charged.
The brawl that followed was brief but fierce. He was smarter and quicker than you’d anticipated, fluidly dodging and parrying your strikes like a trained dancer. But he refused to strike back, focusing entirely on deflecting your blows and looking for an exit—until your sweeping kick sent the hard drive flying over the edge, plummeting to the ground below.
"Okay, okay! I yield, milady!"
He scrambled back to the edge of the container, shoving his hand inside his suit jacket.
You braced yourself, expecting a smoke grenade or a weapon, but instead, he pulled out a thick pencil(?) and a playing card. His elegant fingers scribbled frantically on the card, looking so rushed and clumsy the pencil almost slipped from his grip.
"Consider tonight your win! Take this consolation prize for now, and I’ll make sure to send a proper invitation later!"
BOOM!
A flashbang smoke bomb detonated at your feet.
Coughing through the thick smoke, you lunged forward to grab him, but your fingers only caught a single playing card that he flicked directly onto your forehead before vanishing into the night…
You reached into your jacket pocket, pulling out a clear Ziploc bag with a distinct red evidence seal.
Inside the bag was a heavily creased King of Spades card. On the back, a message was scribbled in messy, panicked handwriting:
Next: case 26 – the void
You slapped the evidence bag onto the desk with a loud thud.
"Look at this trainwreck," you scoffed. "He wrote it so fast the letters is literally smeared. This is the 'Mastermind' of a national crime syndicate? Please. He looks more like a middle schooler trying to scribble down his homework before the bell rings."
Jungwon reached out to pick up the bag, but you sharply slapped his hand away.
"Don't touch it. I haven't sent it to the forensics lab yet, you'll ruin the fingerprints."
"Wait a second..." Jungwon pulled his hand back, narrowing his eyes at you. "You haven't submitted this piece of evidence to central command yet? Y/N, that is a massive protocol violation. If Internal Affairs finds out, they're going to tack on a 'withholding evidence' charge to your record."
"Withholding what?" You shrugged, a predatory, mischievous smirk spreading across your face. "The evidence for Case 25 was the hard drive, which I have fully returned. As for this card..."
You tapped your fingernail against the plastic bag.
"The idiot wrote 'Case 26' on it himself... So, technically speaking, this is a 'lead' for a future case that hasn't officially occurred yet. And as the newly appointed Director of the D.A.R.T. unit handling this specific investigation, I have full operational discretion to retain it for investigative purposes... Right?"
Jungwon’s jaw dropped. He stared at you for a long moment before shaking his head with a breathless laugh.
"Wow. The mental gymnastics are unreal... Unbelievable. You literally memorized the entire legal penal code just to exploit it for your own chaotic convenience."
"It's called operational discretion, darling."
You snatched the bag back, sliding it safely into your pocket like a prized possession.
"Next time, I'm not just kicking his evidence away. Get a holding cell ready, Jungwon. Because I am going to drag that ridiculous white-suited prince by his collar and personally lock him behind bars."
A/N
This is just a pilot chapter to see if you guys are vibing with this! If this gets enough love (likes/reblogs/comments), I’ll definitely turn it into a full multi-chapter series. Let me know what you think of this chaotic dynamic, and tell me who you think the other cards in the deck are! 😉🎭✨ Taglist is OPEN—let me know if you want to be tagged for future updates!
