Chapter Text
Freefall frightened most people, terrified them to their core, but for some it was a addiction. The feeling of your stomach dropping out of your body, the rush of air, the few terrifying seconds that separate life and death. Jimin had grown to crave those brief moments where his life seemed to hang in the balance. The adrenaline rush that always fueled those seconds was far too addictive for him to ignore. Even with silks slipping through his fingers, allowing him the chance to yank himself to safety, there was an addicting feeling of having all control snatched away. Freefall wrapped around him, caressing his body as he glided down the remaining few feet of his aerial silks. Hooking his hand on the silks he halted silently mere inches above the ornate Pink Star ring inside it's glass box. He let himself hang for a moment, his breathing steadying as the adrenaline coursed through his veins. He freed one hand from his silks, tugging a black satin glove from his pocket and pinching it between his teeth. He wiggled his free hand into the glove and smiled as a lithe form floated down next to him.
The silent woosh of silks reached his ears as Taehyung halted next to him, suspended by his own set of black silks. The pair shared a brief glance and nod as the crackle of Kyung-Mi's "all clear" reached their in-ears. Taehyung pressed his gloved hands to the box, sucking in a breath as he waited for a heartbeat, then two. When no alarm sounded he carefully lifted the glass box. Jimin reached down and plucked The Pink Star ring from it's black velvet cushion. He brought it up to his lips, grinning as he pressed a kiss to the strawberry sized pink jewel and slid it onto his ring finger. It glittered in the filtered moonlight from the windows flanking them. The room was pitch black save for the moonlight and glittering jewelry dotted around the auction house.
Jimin tugged a black and gold masquerade mask from his pocket and pressed it into the black velvet cushion. It was a simple mask colored entirely black with the only glittering gold being found on the upper portion of the mask above the holes for the eyes in the form of the phases of the moon. Taehyung set the glass box back down over the mask and the pair shared a wicked grin as they ascended their silks, slipping into the air duct above them.
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Yoongi straightened his black tie, swallowing the anxiety that threatened to overwhelm him as he took his first steps into Seoul's undercover police unit. While Yoongi had always dreamed of working undercover, he never thought he'd get the call to join the undercover unit so quickly. He only had four years of police work under his belt and positions in the undercover unit rarely opened up. He considered himself nothing short of positively lucky.
Every member of the undercover unit eyed him as he walked by and he met their judgmental gazes without fear. He knew he was a good cop with a great work ethic even if he was young. He lengthened his strides, squared his shoulders and weaved through the desks until he reached his new supervisor's office. He took one last deep breath and rolled his shoulders back, rapping his knuckles against the door lightly.
A deep baritone voice resounded from the other side, "Come in."
Yoongi twisted the knob and stepped into the room. A pair of plain clothed cops sat in two of the three leather chairs that fanned out in a semi circle in front of Supervisor Lee Sang-Min's dark oak desk. Supervisor Lee sat behind his desk in a high backed leather chair, hands clasped atop his desk, his salt and pepper grey hair swept into a neat comb over. The two plain clothed cops stood at his arrival, both tall and broad as they each extended a hand to Yoongi.
"Mr. Min, perfect timing. I was just informing Namjoon and Jungkook that you'll be joining them and working with them on their current case. Both of these officers have great track records, stellar skills and much to teach you. I hope you'll work well together as partners." Sang-Min motioned to the two officers as Yoongi shook their hands.
"Kim Namjoon." Namjoon clasped Yoongi's hand, flashing him a broad dimpled smile. He was the taller of the two officers and had dark caramel brown locks combed back and parted with a few strands falling over his forehead. His skin was a sun-kissed tan and his hands held callouses that gave away his gym habits if his chest didn't. "It's great to have you."
Yoongi dipped his head respectfully. "Min Yoongi. Happy to be working with you."
"Jeon Jungkook. I look forward to working with you." Jungkook moved forward and shook Yoongi's hand with a tight smile. His black hair had a few lighter dark brown highlights that caught the light even in its closely cropped hairstyle. His gaze and features held an innocence and youth that Yoongi knew meant he was young, but there was a troubled darkness lingering in his pupils that told him his age certainly didn't hinder his experience or skills. The callouses on his hands were far more prominent than Namjoon's and his knuckles had bruises at the joints. He had several piercings going up both ears, three on the right and two on the left alongside a full sleeve of tattoos and several smaller finger tattoos on his right arm.
"Min Yoongi, thanks for having me." Yoongi couldn't help but wonder how old Jungkook was. Perhaps he wasn't the only younger officer in the undercover unit. He filed the question away as something to ask the male later.
"Now that you've been introduced, let me introduce the case you'll be working with them. Namjoon and Jungkook have been pursuing The Lunar Thieves for the past year. Both have assumed undercover identities, as you will too, so that they can infiltrate a troupe of circus performers believed to be The Lunar Thieves. The troupe goes by The Twilight Troupe and we have files on everyone within the group but we know very little about them or their history. It appears they live almost entirely off the grid which makes it incredibly difficult to assess them and determine a method of approach. Due to knowing very little about the group the case was handed over to our unit so we could dispatch undercover detectives to infiltrate the group and determine whether they are indeed the criminals we suspect them to be." Sang-Min paused for a moment as he handed over a thin file to Yoongi and motioned to Jungkook.
"This is all we know about the individuals in this circus group. This information was collected by Jungkook over the past year. He's been undercover and has officially infiltrated the group after seducing one of the members."
Jungkook tensed, his cheeks reddening with embarrassment at his supervisor's choice of words. He hadn't seduced Taehyung, quite the opposite had happened actually but his supervisor didn't need to know that.
Yoongi's gaze flickered to Jungkook as he leafed through the notes on The Twilight Troupe. He couldn't help but notice the way Jungkook's shoulders stiffened, his fingers tightening into fists for a moment before he forced his fingers to straighten back out. Yoongi pursed his lips, wondering if the male had actually done as Sang-Min claimed. He wouldn't blame him if he had, anything for information right? He figured Jungkook probably had plenty of experience with detaching his feelings from undercover work so that he could extract information. At the thought of Jungkook using someone for information Yoongi's mood soured just a little. The thought of sleeping with someone or even just leading them on for months or even years to then betray them felt impossible to fathom. He wasn't sure he'd be able to do that to someone, criminal or not.
Yoongi shook off the thoughts and turned his attention back to the manilla folder in his hands. It was thread bare at best with no more than five or six pages of notes and a few photos. The first page had the most notes with a paragraphs of handwritten comments about the male who's photo was clipped to the top of the sheet. The male had dark brown nearly black hair fluffed out in a perm, a bright box smile on his face as he hung from a trapeze bar in a purple tie dye shirt and a pair of black shorts. His hands were wrapped in white bandages and a small semicolon tattoo sat under the corner of his right eye. The name written at the top of the file read Kim Taehyung, 23. Yoongi assumed the difference in notes meant that this was the man Jungkook had supposedly seduced. He skimmed the paragraphs beneath the male's photo, mentally reminding himself to read all the notes in the file later.
He flipped to the next page of the file and was met with another male's photo except this photo was clearly taken without the male knowing. The name at the top of the file read Kim Seokjin, 26. His picture had obviously been taken during a performance as the depicted male was dressed in a purple and black ensemble reminding him of a magician's costume, a deck of cards were suspended between his hands mid shuffle. His honey colored skin offset the ombre purple and blue strands of his hair that poked out from beneath his black top hat. Even with his ombre hair the male was still striking and enigmatic. Despite not seeing the guy in person Yoongi could sense his charisma through the photo, could feel the natural draw people likely felt around him. Yoongi ran his thumb over the tattoo spanning the middle of the male's throat, wrapping around it like a collar. It was an ornate depiction of a series of playing cards twisting around his neck in a double helix pattern.
Yoongi thumbed the next page and this time a picture of young woman throwing a small dagger at a target. Her hair reached her waist and was tied back in a thick braid of brown, a few blue and white ribbons woven into the strands. Her features were soft and feminine, a stark contrast to the fire burning in her gaze. Despite her intimidating stance she was simply gorgeous and if Yoongi wasn't into guys he would consider himself a fool for not asking for her number at the very least. She was the type of beauty that one couldn't pass up without regretting it for the rest of their lives. The name at the top of her file read Cho Kyung-Mi, 25. Pinned next to the knife thrower's picture was the next sheet, a yellow sticky note pressed on both sheets. The sticky note read, Dating Each Other, Heads of Operation? Yoongi separated the sheets and skimmed the file on the next member of The Twilight Troupe. The second to last member was another male. The name at the top of the file read, Jung Hoseok, 28. His picture included both him and Kyung-Mi. The picture was a little distant but it clearly depicted the pair sharpening several small daggers that matched the one he'd seen in Kyung-Mi's picture. The male had jet black hair parted off center with one side curling in an arc at his forehead. His features were defined and intimidating when paired with his sharp jawline and intense gaze. Yoongi could see how well suited the pair in the picture were. They looked perfect together, their bodies mirroring one another in intensity and prowess. They clearly matched one another's energies. He found himself wondering how intense their anger was if they were both naturally wielding daggers for eyes.
Yoongi pinned the couple's pages back together and flipped to the last one. His pulse quickened ever so slightly, spiking jaggedly as he laid eyes on the final member of The Twilight Troupe. His breathing hitched and for a moment the world stopped and everything felt so right. It felt right to stare into his honey brown eyes and admire the flecks of gold around his pupils. He was surprised the picture was so close to the male's face and part of him was disappointed he could only see the male's neck and up. He wondered if he was as lithe as the other members. Yoongi shook away the thought, the tips of his ears turning red as the embarrassment washed over him like a tidal wave. He traced his thumb over the name written at the top, Park Jimin, 23. His hair was a soft silver, the strands fluffing out around his head and appearing almost like a halo. His skin held the glow of health and was a luscious golden tan. He was paler than several of the other members of The Twilight Troupe but he still held the glow they all did. Yoongi's gaze lingered on the male's plump lips, his mind wandering for a brief moment before he snatched his thoughts back into reality.
He was in the middle of a very important meeting, he didn't have time to daydream over the literal angel in the photo.
Yoongi closed the file, tucking it under his arm in hopes of pushing his mind back into reality. He ignored the way Namjoon's gaze darted to his ears knowingly. "Do we have any confirmation that this group is The Lunar Thieves?" He directed his question to Jungkook who only shook his head.
"No. I've only just gotten Taehyung to trust me and date me over the past six months. Before that I was excluded mostly and treated mostly as a fan until I could get him to trust me. I don't want to risk his new found trust by pushing any inquiries just yet. I haven't seen any concrete evidence or signs of them being The Lunar Thieves, but I'm hoping that Taehyung will open up to me more and potentially let some things slip." Jungkook bit back the bile rising in his throat. He hated to speak about Taehyung as if he was worth nothing and only good for information. He was well aware that his job dictated that he view him that way but as their relationship had deepened, he'd found himself struggling more and more with that view.
"When do Namjoon and I go undercover? Are we anticipating a slow development of trust with the other members of the troupe as well?" Yoongi's gaze flickered between Sang-Min and Namjoon.
Namjoon shook his head, his brows creased in thought. "We'll likely be playing the long game. Jungkook's progress has taken an entire year, but he has created an opening for us. He's been showing pictures of us and introducing us casually in conversations for the past few months as his close friends. Hopefully the relationships he's built with the troupe will give Yoongi and I a level of trust from the outset, but there's no way of knowing for sure."
Yoongi bit down on his lower lip, chewing it as his thoughts wandered through all the information being dumped on him. After taking a long moment, and both his new partners staring at him with clear anticipation and concern, "Well, when do we start?"
Jungkook's eyebrows shot up, an approving smirk spreading across his face. "Tonight if you're up for it. If that's alright with you Lee?"
"That's fine with me. The sooner we nail these people the better. Keep me updated on any developments." Sang-Min waved them out, shaking Yoongi's hand one last time and welcoming him once again to the team before returning to the stacks of files and paperwork littering his desk.
Namjoon took the lead as they left Sang-Min's office, leading Yoongi through the maze of desks to the back left corner and through a door marked Private Office, Do Not Enter. Namjoon unlocked the door and let both Jungkook and Yoongi in first before closing the door behind them, locking it once more. The room was a simple small conference room with a long table in the center. Three chairs were tucked under the table at varying spots, two notably worn down as if they'd been sat in for hours on end for days on end. A whiteboard spanned the entire black wall with copious notes written on it. Lines had been drawn between various notes and photos, including photos of several pieces of jewelry with 'Stolen' written on them in red sharpie and photos of the five members of The Twilight Troupe. Two boxes sat in the right corner, and a quick peek revealed that they were stacks of files on missing jewelry and even a few art pieces.
Jungkook plopped into one of the worn down swivel chairs, a loud creak echoing from it as he sank into it. He pushed the small mound of coffee cups and take out containers aside and plucked a manila folder from the center of the table. "Is this the new one, Joon?"
"Yep. Happened last night around three AM. No security footage, no entrance point, no alarms tripped, nothing but a black and gold mask left at the scene. It was definitely them." Namjoon grabbed the coffee cups and take out containers, tossing them in a trashcan hastily as he flashed Yoongi an apologetic smile. "Sorry for the mess, we've practically been living in here since we got the case."
"I've seen worse," Yoongi shrugged as he moved to Jungkook's side, reading the file over his shoulder. He'd anticipated feeling nervous and closed off around his new partners but something about them settled his soul. He'd never felt more relaxed or excited to work with someone. "This was last night? Are we sure it's The Lunar Thieves? What's their usual MO? I've only heard bits and pieces about them from the news and we all know how trustworthy that shit is."
Jungkook held the file up and Yoongi took it gladly, reading over it with furrowed brows. "We know it's them. They always leave a calling card. They have for nearly twenty years. We've got records of their early heists that go back about two decades and they've always left a black and gold mask in place of whatever they steal." He motioned to an evidence bag on the table containing a simple black masquerade mask with the phases of the moon etched above the eyes in gold. "They don't do heists in secret, they claim their handiwork with pride. Their MO is always the same too. They get in and out without tripping any alarms or alerting any security guards. They never show up on security cameras and they never leave any signs of an entry point. We never know where they enter or exit from, we make guesses but there's no evidence to point to a sure answer. Honestly, they're nothing short of experienced professionals. They're practically ninjas which is why over the years we've starting investigating groups with ninja like abilities."
"Hence The Twilight Troupe. We've found a correlation between the locations of the heists and the movements of The Twilight Troupe. Whenever they perform in a city or move to a new location, The Lunar Thieves strike in that area. It could be a coincidence, but after confirming their movements with Kook's undercover work we know it's not. They're always in the same city as The Lunar Thieves and they have been for years so we've ruled out the idea that it's a coincidence." Namjoon poured himself a fresh cup of coffee from the little coffee maker they had moved into the room. He took a sip as he lowered himself into the other worn down chair opposite Jungkook's.
"The Twilight Troupe is looking far more promising than anyone else then I take it?" Yoongi raised an eyebrow as he flipped through the file, breezing over the information. "What's The Pink Star? A piece of jewelry?"
"A ring from an auction house that sold for seventy-one point two million in Hong Kong a few years ago. It was being stored at an auction house here in Seoul while the owner was traveling. No one even knew the ring wasn't with it's owner so whoever commissioned The Lunar Thieves to steal it obviously knew the ring's location." Jungkook made a circle the size of a strawberry with his fingers. "The ring has a strawberry size pink diamond in it that's one of a kind. It's 59.60 carats so it's essentially one of the most expensive and priceless pieces of jewelry in the world."
Yoongi let out a slow breath as he sank into the third, obviously newer, chair around the chaotic conference table. "Damn. I imagine stealing something like this costs a fortune, do we have any idea what The Twilight Troupe's finances look like?"
Namjoon and Jungkook shared a glance.
Yoongi's eyes narrowed. "How much?"
The pair sat in silence for a moment before Namjoon finally spoke up. "We had their accounts looked into and we could only find accounts in South Korea. We don't know if they have accounts internationally, we don't have any way of checking something like that. They've each got an account in their name with maybe a few grand each, nothing substantial and their records only show money coming in from their circus performances."
Yoongi chewed his lower lip, his thoughts twisting and tangling as he tried to sort through his theories. It seemed every piece of information he learned shattered his theories and constantly rearranged them. It was starting to make his head ache.
"So where do we go from here?" He mumbled. He glanced between his new partners, finding himself comforted by the fact that he could see the gears turning in their head too. At least he wasn't the only one mulling the information over.
"I introduce you to them. The only way to prove that this group is or isn't The Lunar Thieves is to put you both undercover as soon as possible. We need to get into this group and into their heads, learn everything we can as fast as we can." Jungkook shrugged as we spoke, a hint of sadness seeping into his tone. "I promised Taehyung I would come to their show tonight since I haven't been by in a while. He keeps asking to meet my friends, I'll text him and tell him I'm bringing you two to see the show and meet him."
While a twinge of sadness lingered in his voice, Jungkook couldn't hide the excitement that seeped into his voice at the mention of his boyfriend, even if it was fake on his end.
"We're just omitting our occupations right? I was told the undercover unit operates as their real selves when undercover and that there's no record of us ever being police." Yoongi felt the rush of adrenaline course through his heart sending his pulse skittering. His first undercover mission. He'd dreamed of this moment for so long and now it was finally here.
"Right. We remain ourselves to appear as authentic as possible. There's no record of us being police and there never will be until we retire. The only thing we lie about is our jobs and intentions." Namjoon pointed to Jungkook then himself as he spoke, "He works at an advertising company doing graphic design and I work at a coffee shop for my day job but I'm an aspiring poet."
"And what should my job be? Any ideas?" Yoongi arched an eyebrow.
"Pick something that's a hobby of yours so that it's more believable. Whatever you say you do you need to have knowledge on and be able to do. I actually do graphic design as a hobby so if it's ever questioned I can actually show someone my work. It makes everything more believable that way." Jungkook suggested.
Yoongi paused for a moment. He had several hobbies, but which of them was he good enough at to have a job in? Hiking? No. Cooking? Maybe. Photography?
He sat up a little straighter, biting back a small as he confidently stated, "Photography. I'll be a freelance photographer.".
Jungkook grinned. "Perfect, now who's up for a late night circus performance?"