When It’s Her - Detective! Jung Hoseok X Reader - Part 1
HI GUYS I’M TRASH FOR THE DELAY BUT I’VE BEEN IMPROVING MY WRITING AND I HOPE YOU NOTICE
I’m sorry for the wait but tumblr is just a mess for me. If you knew what I have to go through just to post one part you’d understand. I love you guys for being patient and waiting for this eagerly.
Get ready because our hope and sunshine is here as a detective!
Thank you for reading!
“We have another missing persons case except it seems this one was taken from her own home. She was gone for four days before anyone decided to call the police, god knows why they’d wait that long... if that was my friend, she’d be reported missing within the first twenty four hours.”
Jung Hoseok’s senior and long-time friend Kim Namjoon slapped a file upon his desk, eyebrows furrowed in disapproval.
“Isn’t twenty four hours a bit too early? Normally, no one bothers to check up on me unless it’s been a good forty eight.”
Pushing back off his desk, Hoseok leaned towards the freshly printed files, flicking through the still slightly warm papers.
“Hoseok. You’re a private investigator who works almost all hours of the day. No one wants to interrupt your work.” Namjoon hovered above the form of his friend with his arms crossed, awaiting for Hoseok’s acceptance of the case.
“I guess you’re right... hey, why doesn’t Yoongi take this case? I just finished one of my own a few days ago.”
If anything, Hoseok believed he deserved at least the rest of the week off. The thought of jumping right into another case was already draining him and he hadn’t even accepted it.
“I would have discussed this case with Yoongi if the man was anywhere to be seen right now. He went on break an hour and a half ago and has yet to return. Probably is off sleeping in his car...” Namjoon muttered the last sentence under his breath, a small glare finding its way onto his face.
Hoseok sighed, a grin spreading across his face. Typical Yoongi.
“Anyway, aren’t you just trying to get out of duty so you can meet up with that girl... what’s her name again?”
A pout surfaced on Hoseok’s lips and he scowled, understanding what Namjoon was getting at.
“I don’t know... I’m getting to that! It’s just, every-time we meet each other we always get interrupted so I’ve never actually asked for her name...”
A raspy chuckle escaped from within Namjoon causing Hoseok’s scowl to deepen before he briefly read through the file placed before him.
“So, her name’s Y/N, she’s twenty-five years old, lives alone... do we have a photo yet?”
Namjoon motioned towards the back of the room with his head, eyes remains trained on the open file.
“I think Jimin would be better than me for this particular case. He’s great with these. The last kidnapping case he took up was solved in more or less two weeks.”
Hoseok began shuffling the papers, rearranging them into the neat position they came and packed them back into the beige folder. After doing so, he closed said folded and leant back in his seat, stretching out his arms and taking pleasure in the pleasant cracks that accompanied his action.
“Kim, here’s the photo you asked for.” A fellow colleague known as Yoon Jin-Sun interrupted the casual conversation to hand a picture to Namjoon, who immediately placed it on top of the new file. He then playfully saluted both men with one gloved hand before returning to his desk.
A quick scan over the photo made Hoseok’s eyes widen drastically, hands snatching the file from his desk.
“This is-! No, you’ve got the wrong photo! This has to be a prank, this isn’t funny Namjoon!”
As Hoseok frantically shouted out, Namjoon rounded his desk, confusion clearly displayed on his face as he too took in the sight of the girl in the photo.
“What are you talking about Hoseok? This is Y/N. Calm down.”
“How can I calm down when this is her!? This is my...” Being at a loss for words, Hoseok trailed off. It only took a couple of seconds for Namjoon to understand the extent of the situation at hand, his intelligence working with him. A remorseful expression dawned upon Namjoon’s face at his sudden enlightenment.
“Oh- this.... this is her? Your friend?” Unable to reply, Hoseok simply picked up the photo, drawing it closer to his eyes. He silently stared until his eyes grew blurry with unshed tears, hoping that by some miracle, the girl present in the photo would miraculously change before his very eyes.
Sensing Hoseok’s mood spiralling down, Namjoon straightened his back and cleared his throat, gaining said mans attention.
“I’ll inform Jimin of the situation and ask if he woul-“
“No.” Namjoon was cut off by Hoseok’s stern voice. He had initially seen this coming; Hoseok would definitely take part in this case now that he had discovered how he is related to the abductee. The only problem was that it was simply not logical to place him under this particular case. It seemed Hoseok had seen right through Namjoon’s facial expressions as his eyebrows furrowed in a way that dared him to challenge him.
“Hoseok, you know it’s not allowed. Your emotions will almost definitely get in the way of your task, ruining your chances of finding her. You’ll end up hating yourself for it. It’s happened before.”
“It’s never happened in our department and I won’t let it happen now.” The firm assurance that coated his words deterred Namjoon from his decision and the man faltered with his confident posture.
“Hoseok, how can you be sure? I can’t put you out there when you’re like this.”
“Sometimes, emotion is key to cases such as this. It acts as motivation and drives you to work harder, look deeper even, for the clues that would normally be concealed. I... I’m not going to let this go. If you don’t allow me to partake in this then I’ll just have to take leave and do my own investigation.”
Seeing the pure, unyielding determination gleaming behind Hoseok’s eyes, Namjoon released a sigh of defeat. Turning on his heel, he only replied to Hoseok when he had rounded his desk and began on his way back to his office.
“Do not let anyone know about your connection to this incident. I may have let you off this one time but I don’t know if you will be able to sway the higher ups and if they find out, we’re both in deep shit.”
Although a shock of relief and joy had racked Hoseok’s body, he could not bring himself to smile. He simply gripped the file with new found passion, silently thanking Namjoon for his approval.
There was no way he could repay him for his tolerance of his unprofessional behaviour. Hopefully, he understood how grateful he truly was.
Although Namjoon had given his approval on Hoseok taking on your case, he had also assigned him a partner. Luckily for him, it happened to be someone he was familiar with having worked on cases together in the past.
“Jin-Sun, have you found anything yet?”
Said man was busy dusting the surfaces of the furniture in your room for fingerprints though with no luck. The first task Hoseok had set Jin-Sun and himself was to visit your apartment, the place where you had unsuspectingly been taken from. Hoseok was currently searching through the bags of evidence that had been collected a few hours prior to their arrival.
“I’ve found quite a few but judging by how small the fingers seem to be it’s most probably her own. Other than that, there’s nothing else.”
Just as Jin-Sun finished his last sentence, Hoseok zipped up the final bag, heaving a heavy sigh and clenching his fists. He had to remain calm. It was a must.
“It doesn’t seem like we’ll discover much from her apartment. Aside from the indications of a struggle from the broken objects that sat on her dresser, everything else was left untouched. It’s like he walked in, grabbed her from her room and left straight away...”
Running a hand through his hair, Hoseok glanced around your room for the umpteenth time that day before nodding his head.
“We’ll leave the rest here to the police. They’re not going to do much except seal off the apartment and since there’s nothing more to find, there’s no point wasting any more time here.”
Jin-Sun relieved himself from his crouched position, stretching his arms out and sighing in relief before taking a step towards Hoseok.
Already halfway out of the door, Hoseok threw his reply over his shoulder.
“The really popular café... ‘Latte Da’, right?”
Throwing a quick glance towards Jin-Sun, he raised a curious eyebrow at the younger man.
“I read up on her file before we left.”
Arriving at their destination, Hoseok pushed open the clear glass door leading into the café, the chime of the bells upon the door giving him a sense of familiarity. He often made it his goal to visit Latte Da at least once a week, whether it was alone or with a colleague. The way her smile would instantly reach her eyes and the sudden gleam held within them always made his heart do leaps of joy. To be the cause of such a joyous expression was something he took pride in.
Now, she was replaced by her co-worker, who droned out a melancholy good morning once he reached the counter, Jin-Sun seated himself at a window seat. He would have taken some sort of offence towards the greeting if he hadn’t known the true reason behind it. She happened to be somewhat close with this particular co-worker, who would always playfully nudge her and shoot her knowing looks whenever Hoseok came to visit.
Once said co-worker realised who had reached the counter, her eyes widened for a fraction of a second before her expression took on a more sad look. Hoseok offered her a grim smile to which a glimmer of confusion shone in her eyes.
“You’re here for Y/N, right? She’s not here today and she’s not answering her calls... honestly, we don’t know where she is.”
His heart clenched at the thought of having to reveal the news that she was missing to a friend of hers.
“I know she’s not here... I know what happened to her.”
Hoseok’s words brought a hopeful smile to her face and she leaned forward slightly, eager to discover the whereabouts of her friend. When she was greeted with a solemn look, she understood the severity of the situation and quickly shuffled to the staff room. A few words were exchanged between her and what appeared to be her boss before an older man stepped out and behind the counter. She thoughtlessly grabbed two cups of water before turning back to face Hoseok.
“Um- I’m on break now. Is there... is there something wrong?”
Following her to one of the more secluded tables, he seated himself across from her before getting straight to the point. He felt rigid, his mind going blank. He wasn’t sure what to say, so he simply let the first words flow out without much thought and he mentally praised himself for taking the professional response over the emotional.
“Good morning. You are a friend of Y/F/N, correct?”
He quickly recalled her name from within Y/N’s file. Lee Min-Young, a colleague and somewhat close friend of hers.
“I’m detective Jung Hoseok, currently investigating the abduction of Y/F/N. Miss Lee, Is there any information you may have that could possibly link to her abduction?”
Min-Young did not react to her cup hitting the table whilst she was in the midst of lifting it to her lips nor did she react to the crisp cold water hitting her work attire. The most reaction he had managed to catch was the slow blink of her eyelids, her attempt to register his words painfully obvious. Hoseok watched on as a shattered expression slowly replaced the nervous one she had been harbouring only seconds before.
“...Abduction?” She choked back laughter, though there was no amusement present and the tears welling up in her eyes gave away how she really felt. Just like Hoseok, she hoped, wished even, that this was all a sick joke.
“Mr. Jung, now is not the time to be joking around.” Despite her words, her eyes had begun to leak the tears she had so desperately tried to hold back. Lips trembling, Min-Young’s tone rose with her next words.
“What motive would there be to kidnap Y/N? She’s just an innocent civilian, trying to work and make something of herself! Who would want to take that away from her!?”
Though she was not shouting at the highest volume capable, Min-Young still managed to attract the attention of some customers, including Jin-Sun who made his way over to the table the two were currently occupying.
“Miss Lee, I know it may be hard to take this information in but please calm down. If there is anything that might help our investigation, please tell us.”
Jin-Sun’s deathly calm voice cut through the tense atmosphere Min-Young had created, said woman glaring at him with tears running down her face. She seemed to be debating with herself whether to snap at Jin-Sun or not. The better side of her clouded judgment ended up winning.
“You guys know just as much as I do. She... She’s just a normal girl which is probably something you can both already tell when you come in for your morning coffees.”
Hoseok glanced up at Jin-Sun in confusion, said man giving him a sad smile.
“I come here often for coffee. They make the best.”
Nodding in agreement, he returned his undivided attention to Min-Young who had yet to stop her tears from falling.
“I can’t really help. All I can say is that you’re welcome to search her work locker if you feel the need to, though she doesn’t really use it much...”
Shooting Min-Young a curt nod, Hoseok raised himself from his seat, following her towards the staff room. When she reached the lockers standing by the farthest wall, she pointed towards the second to last locker and Hoseok stepped up to it.
“It’s locked right now. I’ll get the master key...”
She begun searching for the key stored within a cabinet and drew it out, speedily unlocking Y/N’s locker. Hoseok steadily twisted the handle, heart pounding in anticipation.
What would be inside her locker? Would it just be spare work clothes or would she have hidden secrets, things he probably wouldn’t want to know?
No, I’m looking too deep into this.
Shaking the negative thoughts from his head, he proceeded to completely reveal the contents of the locker. Sure enough, there was a spare work apron and a few sticky notes stuck onto the inside of the locker door.
‘Don’t forget to feed Eul!’
‘Collect Jae’s parcel on the way home.’
‘Perfect the latte macchiato for ‘him’!’
He couldn’t help the painful throb that accompanied his shock at the final note. Peeling it off the door, he blankly stared at the neatly scrawled handwriting, a sorrowful smile replacing the set line he had before.
“Good morning! Let me guess... just the usual?”
The bright smile she had presented Hoseok drew a giant grin out of the man, who slowly shook his head. The confusion that lit her bright eyes made him chuckle and he placed double the money he usually did on the counter.
“Well yes, the usual latte macchiato and... what’s your favourite drink?”
The next expression to cross her face was surprise, not being used to such a question from Hoseok. She bit her lip in contemplation after she recovered from her initial shock, an action which he inscribed into his mind.
“I guess it would have to be the caffé mocha. Would you like that too?” He eagerly nodded, ecstatic that he had learned something new about her despite it being a detail so small. As she punched in his order, her co-worker Min-Young got to making the drinks, a knowing smirk on her face.
When both drinks were placed in front of Hoseok, he quickly shuffled back to Y/N, grin growing at the slight widening of her eyes.
“Oh, did I... did I put the wrong order in?”
No, I wouldn’t even care if you did.
“Nope. When’s your break?”
His forwardness caught her off guard and she choked, a faint pink dusting her cheeks due to the embarrassment.
“I-I’m not really sure. Maybe-“ A hand suddenly clamped down on her shoulder causing her to jump in surprise. Min-Young’s smirking face instantly appeared from behind her and she began pushing Y/N towards the counters swinging doors.
“Ki-Yong is taking over. You’re on break now.” She stuttered as she was forced to leave the serving area, a slightly younger man immediately replacing her behind the counter.
Upon reaching Hoseok’s joyous form, she began playing with her necklace in a coy manner. The delicate smile that was playing on her lips along with the way a curtain of hair fell over the side of her face had Hoseok’s face heating up and his heart thumping against his rib cage painfully.
He was sure he had the upper hand when it came to making the other blush so why was he having an extremely hard time preventing his own from spreading?
“Hey, I happen to have a spare caffé mocha. Want to join me?”
She dropped her necklace and lifted her head to meet his gaze, sporting a bright grin which he returned.
“I’d love to. That just so happens to be my favourite drink.”
After she accepted his invitation, they had sat down together and mindlessly made conversation over any subject that came to light. Half an hour had flown by and he decided to ask the question that had been plaguing his mind since he had first sat down with her.
Just as his question had finally reached his lips, her colleague Ki-Yong had tapped her shoulder with a small smile present on his face.
“Breaks over. Boss said he needs me back in the staff room for help.”
Hoseok was met with an apologetic look and she raised herself off her seat, giving him a small wave and a cheerful ‘thank you’.
After she had returned to work, he was called into work and immediately had to leave. It was only when he reached his desk, a broad grin on his face, that he realised he had failed to get her name. Again.
But it didn’t matter to him. Not when it’s her.
