Archive of Our Own ^beta

If you asked Jungkook what his life's mission was, he'd look at you like you were crazy. He hated deep questions and the people who asked them. After all, who gives a crap about what life means, right? He believed everyone was just trying to make their way through this shithole we call the world. Some succeed, some do not. He didn't have "a" mission, he had missions, each for a specific part of his life, moving from one goal to achieve to another.

He had always been a good student, graduating with flying colours, being the best officer in the academy and finally getting his job as a detective. At first the cases he handled were small, robberies, embezzlement, arson. It wasn't until two years before that he got his first high profile muder case. Twenty murders so far, all with the same unidentified murder weapon, with no relation or pattern between the victims. The only similarity between the crime scenes being a cobweb in red spray paint drawn on the victims body, leading to the murdered being named "Crimson Spider" by the department. Two years since he had been chasing said murderer, knowing neither his face nor anything about him, and being thrown off guard every time he came close to any clue about him. 

What had so far been fun was now becoming frustrating, which led to now, Jungkook sitting on his desk, just trying to drink his tea in peace before the telephone rang, making him roll his eyes in annoyance as he answered it.

"This is Detective Jeon from Seoul Police Station"

"I have a lead on the Crimson Spider, there's been a murder"

The words causing him to snap into action, immediately taking his gun and driving to the spot. The address the caller had given turned out to be an abandoned house, the floorboards creaking as he tried to silently make his way inside. True to the information, there was a dead body, the same red cobweb painted over its chest. He barely took in the scene before he heard police sirens from a distance, and the sound of a police car pulling up in front of the house thankful to have gotten backup. 

As soon as he was about to call out for help, he saw a shadow move from the corner of his eye and jump over the window sill, in panic, he shot at the figure, only to turn and see his senior officials overlooking the scene with shock on their faces. 

He knew what it looked like, him standing over a dead body with a gun and it was all they needed to arrest him, having been tipped off by someone that he was the murderer. He had been framed. 

It had been a week since he had been thrown into the stingy prison cell, each day passing slower than the last. They didn't bother checking anything else, happy to have finally gotten a face to assign to the reputed murderer on the loose. 

Unfortunately for Jungkook , that was how things turned out to be. 

A specialist was supposed to be in today to take him for questioning and extracting any information about all the other murders. What Jungkook hadn't expected, however, was to see a young man sitting across from him, not more than a few years older than Jungkook himself, a beanie on his head, covering his pink hair, and an oversized sweater over his body, dressed not like he was going to be interviewing a murdered, but rather like he was on his way to a bookclub. His eyes were different, which Jungkook couldn't tell was a good or a bad thing, he was almost sympathetic, reaching out a hand to put over his handcuffed ones,

"I think it’s so unfair that everyone thinks you’re a murderer,” he said as he met the Jungkook’s eyes, earnestly, and touched their wrist, patting softly.

“You think I’m innocent?” he barely dared hope. Heart swelling with relief. He knew there were people out there who believed, but more and more it seemed the world had just judged them guilty . 

“I think it’s so unfair that everyone thinks you’re a murderer,” he said, as he met Jungkook's eyes, the sympathetic look turning into something much more sinister in the blink of an eye, the soft touch on the wrist making way for a strong and unfaltering grip, his nails digging into his flesh as a lopsided smirk made its way to his face,

“As flattered as I am that they thought someone like you is me, it’s just not right to get the credit for other people’s work, you know?”

Jungkook barely got the time to react or call for help before he felt the man stand up, one hand still gripping his while the other struck him with some sort of weapon, his vision fading to black, head dropping on the table with a loud thud.

Jungkook woke up with a throbbing pain in his head, his vision blurry for a few seconds as he looked around and took in his surroundings. He was tied to a chair, his hands free to move but upper body and legs tied to it. The place looked unfamiliar, the same man from before sitting across the table in front of him, now having changed from his comfortable outfit to a sharp suit. He couldn't understand what was happening, trying to tug at the restraints and get free.

"Nice of you to finally join us.", the man said, raising his head for the first time since Jungkook had been awake, a ghost of a smile gracing his lips, 

"Eat. And don't try running away, please, my carpet is white and expensive, I'd hate to get blood on it."

"You are- you are the-"

"Crimson spider? Yes."

"I've seen you before..but where?"

"Oh don't stress your pretty little head, we knew each other when we were in high school, it's not a big deal", he scoffed.

Jungkook's face turned to a frown as he thought about it, thinking if it was somebody who was important to him.

"Don't worry. We weren't close", the man said, his nonchalant tone turning into a slightly angry one as he spat out the last word, voice laced with disdain.

It was then Jungkook's eyes widened as he realised who the man was, all the memories rushing through his head. 

"Jimin. What happened to you?"

"I grew up."

It was Jimin, how could he forget, it was his Jimin, sitting right across from him, the same yet so different at the same time, the bubbly boy he knew now unrecognisable. 

"We broke up-"

" You abandoned me.", Jimin interrupted him before he could complete his sentence.

" I loved you, and you left me to that monster I called my guardian when I needed you the most. You took away the only aspect of my life which brought me happiness, us. You left me and you didn't look back, not even once. I realised the only person who could save me was me."

"I thought being with me would get you into even more trouble, I didn't want to see you hurt"

"Yes well it didn't work did it? He found out and I had to deal with it, alone."

Jungkook's gulped, his throat suddenly feeling dry as he remembered those days. The whole while they had been together, he knew, but didn't dare say anything for the fear of making him feel uncomfortable. It was the little things that gave it away, every time Jimin flinched when he hugged him, or closed his eyes just a bit tighter when anyone came too close, the way he tugged at his shirt to hide his bruises when he thought Jungkook wasn't looking. He wasn't a fool, he knew, but he was too much of a coward and too concerned to ever talk about it, instead trying to help him by letting him stay over at his place as often as he could and taking care of him. He had made mistakes. 

The day Jimin opened up to him about what was going on, he panicked, thinking if his uncle found out he might even hurt him more than he already was, so he did what he thought best, left him alone. Clearly that was a stupid choice, and it was now that all that regret came rushing back.

His trail of thoughts was interrupted by Jimin, 

"See this scar?", He said, pointing to a faded cut running along one of his eyebrows and ending at his upper cheek, "I got this that day, when he found me crying over you."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know"

"Save it. I'm not here to make you apologise"

An uncomfortable silence fell over the room before Jungkook finally gathered enough courage to ask him,

"What happened to him?"

Jimin didn't say anything, instead choosing to set down his fork and making his way behind Jungkook, bending just enough so that he could feel his breath on his neck, making a shiver go down his spine,

"What do you think, Detective Jeon", there was a playful and sinister edge to his voice, "You aready know don't you? The first victim of the crimson spider, the day I finally snapped. Your first muder case to solve, how can you forget?"

He patted his shoulders before moving to sit on the table in front of him, his stance carefree and relaxed as he took a knife kept on the table, caressing it's edge along Jungkook's cheek.  

"And the others. Why did you do it to them?"

"Fun. The kids under their care wished God would take their guardians away, all I did was oblige.", Jimin said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Why frame me?"

"Oh please that wasn't me, I was enjoying the little cat mouse game we had going on why would I do that? Also, did you see the sloppy work at erasing the evidence? That was just some common copycat. It had nothing to do with me."

At this point, the knife had made its way to his throat, pressing barely enough to draw blood but not enough to leave a deep cut,

"You don't have to do this- please, I know you"

"See that's the thing," Jimin said, patting his cheek as he took his jaw in his hands, leaning close to look into his eyes,

"The me you knew is gone. You did that."

A tear escaped Jungkook's eyes as he watched his once beloved turn into something he couldn't even recognise, but before he could say something, he was interrupted by the sound of police sirens outside the building. Jimin rolled his eyes before untying him, not giving him a chance to do anything before he put the knife against his throat, leading him down a hallway into a scheduled room, pushing him to get him inside without removing said knife from its place.

Jungkook realised what was going on, turning around to look at Jimin in shock, 

"You planned this. You purposefully got yourself caught, why?"

The latter just looked at him blankly, instead choosing to close the door but not lock it and sit down in one corner with his back resting against the wall. 

Jungkook kneeled down, grabbing him by the lapels of his jacket, a frenzied look in his eyes as he shook him, "Why would you do that?"

Jimin didn't answer him for a while, before smiling, "I'm dying already. The day I murdered him, the day he last hit me, it left more than just a scar, it broke something in me, something no one could fix, I didn't have much time to live. And if I am to die, I would prefer to die on my own terms than let death have it's own way. When I saw you in that cell, I figured I had overstayed my welcome anyways, might as well make it so you don't have to suffer."

Jungkook slowly let go of him, his words ringing in his ears as the noise of people breaking down the door and coming in fading into the background as he looked at Jimin, tears blurring his sight,

"Why?"

"I-", before he could say anything, a bullet had already made its way inside his heart, snapping Jungkook out of his trance as he took Jimin's falling body in his arms, wanting to scream but not trusting his own voice. 

"I loved you", he said, his blood covered hand coming up to caress Jungkook's cheek.

"I know, I'm sorry"

"No, you don't understand, I never stopped.", was the last thing he said before his body went limp, eyes closing as all Jungkook could do was press his forehead against Jimin's and cry.