Chapter Text
The morning the trial began, Namjoon sat in Jin’s apartment, watching the model prepare. The Kim Group was hosting a press conference on the steps of the courthouse (Namjoon was amazed that they’d managed to get permission to use that location), where Jin would make an official statement.
Jin’s identity had been kept a secret up until today. In fact, the police and legal teams had done a good job at keeping the whole case under the radar, but the public had finally gotten curious and details were starting to surface.
Throughout the whole process, Namjoon was amazed at Jin’s poise. The detectives and Jin (and many Kim Group employees associated with the agency, as well as Jin’s other friends) had been called in for questioning. The rest of the time they were constantly watched and advised by Kim Group lawyers, therapists, and medical professionals. Namjoon had made a pact with Yoongi, Taehyung, and Jungkook to ensure that Jin never lacked a friend at his side as he was shuffled around the legal process.
Everyone wanted to spare Jin public attention, but the Kim Group PR team had advised that he break the news on his own terms by speaking before the trial, which would be public. “Control the narrative” was how they put it, pointing out that rumors and speculation would inevitably develop when nothing was confirmed.
So here Namjoon sat, watching Jin rub something into his face. (Concealer? Foundation? Serum? Jin was giving an instructional monologue throughout his skincare routine, but Namjoon had been lost from the start.)
“The trick for today is,” Jin was saying as he carefully angled his face in front of the mirror, “to find the goldilocks zone. If I look too made up, people will say I’m fake and not take me seriously as a human being. If I am too natural, people will pay attention to my skin flaws instead of listening to me.”
His voice was steady and he looked unbothered, but Namjoon’s heart squeezed painfully at those words. Why did society give celebrities conflicting demands? They want you to be perfect AND a relatable human.
“But I shouldn’t complain,” Jin sighed. “My female friends have it even worse. Well, how do I look?”
“Perfect,” Namjoon replied without thinking. Jin gave him a small smile in the mirror, but didn’t seem uncomfortable with the other’s honesty.
What Namjoon really wanted to say was, You’re always perfect. Irregularities in your skin tone or surface aren’t flaws, they’re just part of you. In Namjoon’s opinion, Jin was the most beautiful when barefaced, cooking dinner in his imitation chef’s apron or bossing Yoongi and Namjoon around or babying Jungkook and Taehyung.
He realized that Jin was still staring at him thoughtfully, so quickly checked his watch to avoid embarrassment. “The driver should be here any minute now.”
“Tell me again,” Jin demanded.
“What?” Namjoon met Jin’s eyes in the mirror and then glanced back at his watch.
Jin turned around and grabbed the watch - wrist and all - before Namjoon could read out the time. “No. Tell me how I look.”
Caught off guard, Namjoon found himself being honest again. “Perfect. You look…perfect.”
Jin gave him a dazzlingly beautiful grin.
“Since when do you need me to boost your ego?” Namjoon chuckled.
Tilting his head, Jin batted his eyelashes coquettishly. “I’m about to face the court, my stalker, and - worse - the media. Can’t you give me some confidence?”
Namjoon took Jin’s hand from its position still on his wrist and wrapped it in his own hands. The doorbell rang.
Interrupted. Every. Single. Time.
“Well, that’s my ride!” Jin leapt up. He squeezed Namjoon’s hands before freeing himself and running around the room to gather up his belongings. They exited together, but Namjoon waved Jin off in a Kim Group van before getting in his own car.
Namjoon and Jungkook stood in the corner of the courthouse lobby. If Namjoon craned his neck he could glimpse the crowd of reporters gathered around Jin. Jungkook was playing the live TV broadcast on his phone, as were most of the trial attendees already waiting inside the building. It was a warm spring day, but Jin looked calm and composed in a black turtleneck and black coat.
“Mr. Seokjin, why did you decide to speak to the media?”
“I wanted to bring a visibility to people who suffer from sexual harassment and abuse and stalking. As a celebrity, I have the resources to carry out a case and people who are taking care of me throughout the process. Others may not, but I want to set an example and let wrongdoers know that they will be punished.”
Namjoon was amazed at Jin’s poise, his careful answers. Even as camera flashes went off in his face and journalists poked his recent wounds with pointed questions, he smiled gently and sadly. Seokjin the model and actor was wearing his mask again.
“The defendant is your agency secretary. How does that make you feel?”
“I am obviously greatly saddened. However, I do not blame any other agency or Kim Group employees. The defendant worked cleverly, and it is not their fault that they did not notice. As soon as I brought the issue to them, the Kim Group has wholeheartedly supported me.”
Mr. Oh had tried to quit the moment he found out. Someone had dragged him to visit Jin in the hospital, where he prostrated himself on the floor and begged for forgiveness. But Jin refused to let him atone by leaving, insisting that he needed a familiar face to move forward comfortably. Mr. Oh was sent off with a box of tissues and other Kim Group staff to start planning Jin’s agency moving to another floor of the building and give everyone a fresh start.
“I heard that you hired a private detective. Why did you do that? Do you not trust the police?”
“Cases of stalking and harassment are hard to document and prove, and the police are busy. I wanted to have evidence to make sure this was settled. Furthermore, as a celebrity, I was worried about my image being ruined by a scandal, so I sought help from an outsider. I would ask that you respect all of our privacy, for the sake of those who may go to private investigators in the future.”
The two detectives had previously gone in for questioning, and provided the tea (which forensics confirmed was drugged), the photos and letters, the video footage from Ms. Lee’s house, and given their account. Their story was corroborated by the CCTV footage from the agency building garage, showing Ms. Lee supporting a stumbling Jin and putting him in the backseat of her car before driving away. Finally, Ms. Lee was pleading guilty - that’s what the lawyers called, it at least, because she just sat there and muttered disturbing things about Jin being hers and tried to claw Namjoon’s eyes out the one time their paths had crossed.
So Namjoon and Jungkook weren’t planning to testify, not unless the case was jeopardized. They were hoping to stay anonymous, avoiding attention that would scare off clients with the thought of paparazzi catching them on their way to get something sorted out quietly.
*****
The trial had just ended. More importantly, Jin was safe - Ms. Lee was found guilty and charged. Namjoon and Jungkook high-fived when they made it to the hallway outside of the courtroom.
Namjoon’s phone buzzed.
Jin: Come keep me company? Taehyung’s kicked me out of my own house because he wants to plan a “surprise” party for tonight.
Laughing out loud, Namjoon showed the text to Jungkook. The younger detective nodded. “Oh yeah, Tae wanted me to help him.”
“So I guess that means I’ll have to entertain the celebrity on my own.”
Jungkook gave him a sly grin. “You’re welcome for the date.”
“Hey! It’s not like that,” Namjoon spluttered.
Jungkook rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, Romeo. See you at dinner, Tae said he’d give me a ride!”
As he ran off, Namjoon replied to the message. Sure thing! Tell me where to meet you.
Namjoon pulled into the lot of a local park. There was no Kim Group van, meaning he was now in charge of Jin for the afternoon. He smiled to himself at how easily he had fallen into this routine, being part of the circle protecting Jin.
Getting out of the car, Namjoon realized that the park circled a pond, the green belt around the water topped with cherry trees spilling their pink and white blooms. The marker of spring seemed like a good omen, representing shaking off old problems and starting fresh. Namjoon felt an unbidden smile twitch his lips as he jogged to reach the pond-front walking trail.
Scanning both sides of the path, Namjoon soon realized that a man hiding his face with a beige coat and pink baseball cap was his target. He made his way over to the bench where Jin was sitting, dodging old ladies out for their afternoon powerwalk and school kids gossiping about couples.
Once he reached the bench, Jin pulled the collar of his coat back enough to let a smile peek through. “You found me.”
“I’ll always find you.” Namjoon said, letting the sunshine and the scenery and the successful trial lift his mood and wipe away his shyness.
“Did my father try to pay you yet?” Jin asked.
Namjoon laughed.
The day before, Monster Private Eye had received what was likely their most illustrious client to date. Mr. Kim sat in the client sitting room, drinking tea and eating store-bought tea cookies, while Namjoon tried to look respectable and Jungkook hid in the kitchen.
“I know I already thanked you for saving my son, but I have recently learned there is an unsettled manner of payment,” the older man bluntly opened the conversation.
“No, that’s not true.” Namjoon frowned, unsure of what Mr. Kim knew.
Jin’s father raised an eyebrow. “I heard your services were rendered free of payment.”
Namjoon blushed and recounted the shameful beginning to this case.
After a long pause (is he going to kill me with his walking stick? Namjoon wondered) the older man nodded. “I see. Can you give me an estimate for what the investigation would have normally cost?”
Not daring to refuse, Namjoon hurriedly scribbled down estimates of hours spent on various tasks, multiplied by a general price rate. Mr. Kim just watched inscrutably as Namjoon did the math out loud. At the end, Namjoon ripped the piece of paper out of his notebook and handed it to the other man.
Mr. Kim scanned the page and then looked up with a smile. “This seems to be some honest accounting. But also a larger sum of money than your agency should do without.”
Namjoon opened his mouth to protest, but the other man held up a hand demanding silence. Mr. Kim reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a business card. He used Namjoon’s pen to neatly write down the hastily calculated sum, and then handed the card over to the detective.
“I would like to make a fund for your agency to help people who cannot pay some or all of the fee. This is for victims of harassment or stalking or abuse. This is my accountant’s card. Call him to arrange the details. Whenever you wish to withdraw money to pay for a case, you will provide documentation of the services and the payment the client was able to provide.”
Staring in awe at the card, Namjoon could only think about the fact that the other must have specifically brung this card, planning to do this from the start. But first Namjoon had needed to pass the test.
Jin laughed at the story. “That certainly sounds like my father!”
They sat in silence for a while, watching spring unfold. Namjoon wondered how to ask to stay in touch. Should he take it for granted and just contact Jin often? Or officially ask now? A voice at the back of his head that sounded suspiciously like Jungkook was nudging him to ask Jin on a date, but that felt forced. Honestly, Namjoon would do with being Jin’s footrest.
Before he could make up his mind, Jin spoke first. “Can I ask you for something?”
“Of course.”
Jin turned to him, adjusting the baseball cap so that he could meet Namjoon’s eyes. “I want to hire you again, well, hire for real this time.”
“What?” Namjoon felt punched in the gut. “Is something wrong?”
“No, no, don’t worry,” Jin amended quickly. “It’s just...I want to know I can reach you if something happens.”
“I’m...I will be there for you. You don’t need to pay me to ask.”
“Stop. Let me finish,” Jin sighed and placed a hand on Namjoon’s arm. “I want you to be my friend, too. But I have trouble bringing my problems to those I’m close to - I’m used to taking care of others, not being taken care of. So I need to have some kind of structure to make sure I won’t bottle it up again..”
“...Okay.” Namjoon wasn’t sure how to feel. On the one hand, he would keep seeing Jin. But, on the other, it would be a business relationship. Did Jin see him as a detective before a friend?
Jin sensed his reluctance. “We can separate work and friend meetings. Like, maybe once a week, we have a few hours where I can tell you how I feel and report anything weird, and maybe we get self-defense training or scope out safe locations if I ever need…” Jin trailed off, losing steam or feeling unsure, Namjoon couldn’t tell.
So he just agreed, like he always did for Jin. “I can do that. Jungkook can check social media for weird rumors or threats, and I will be your therapist slash trainer.” Jin poked him, laughing at the end of the statement as Namjoon had hoped he would.
Drawing himself up primly, Jin offered Namjoon his hand. “Then it’s a deal. I will come by your office to sign a contract, Mr. Kim.”
“Yes, Mr. Kim, a deal.” Namjoon accepted the handshake.
After all, it was spring, a time for beginnings. Jin, the most handsome man in the world, was somewhere between a client and a friend. But right now he was sitting on the bench with Namjoon, planning their future meetings. Namjoon would guard this budding future carefully so that it bloomed.