Chapter Text
Standing in front of the paint chipped wooden door, Jeongguk can already smell the stench of urine.
It’s been several months since Jeongguk’s nostrils have been burnt by the musky scent. The last victim he can remember who relieved themselves during a scene was a petite woman with dark beady eyes – she was only nineteen.
As he turns the doorknob, Jeongguk wonders how old this victim is. He had been given minimal information this morning, his PA only mentioning a hotel and that ‘it was an emergency’. Jeongguk had a feeling that a rookie’s bitten off more than they could chew which caused the scene to get to an inconsolable point as he tugged on his tight black jeans two hours before. He silently hoped that they hadn’t completely butchered the body by the time he got there, though.
Sadly, that hope vanished along with Jeongguk’s ability to keep his lunch in his stomach.
Creaking the door open, he swiftly raised his hand up underneath his nose. The rich metallic scent of blood mixed with the overpowering salty scent of urine almost causing him to gag. Scanning the room for any signs of life, Jeongguk’s eyes are drawn to the deep red blotches soaking into the crème carpet bellow his feet. This scene was going to be a bitch to clean up.
Carefully manoeuvring over the fresh stains, Jeongguk continues to search the almost bare hotel room for the victim. It almost seems like the situation is straight out of a C-grade Hollywood movie by how the evidence is flung all over the place and with the unnecessary amount of suspense hanging in the air.
As Jeongguk continues to move across the room, he finds himself standing in front of the en suite bathroom next to the left side of the bed – the crisp white sheets seem to be the only items untouched by the eerie blood bath that’s drowned the rest of the place. Jeongguk almost laughs, fucking laughs, when he hears a gentle whimper from behind the door. Of course the rookie did the scene in the bathroom. Jeongguk holds back his laughter though when he remembers that he also carried out his first twenty scenes in bathrooms, too.
While a bathroom is logically the most perfect place to complete the job in because naturally it’s easier clean up, technically the kitchen stands as the best option. Bathrooms serve as an ideal space with sinks to wash up in and a bath is always a good spot to place the body, but they also tend to fail to provide sanitary spaces to place the organs, so kitchen’s tend to be ideal because there’s clean plates to spread them out on, plus it’s usually more convenient to use the hotel’s cutlery and then just take it with you after it’s all done.
So, as Jeongguk struggles to hold back his laughter at how virgin this scene feels, he gently opens the bathroom door and stands in the archway. At first sight, he doesn’t think it looks too bad. A bulky man, Jeongguk estimates around 6’1 in height, is strapped to a dining chair by the sleeves of his business coat. The amount of blood pooling at his feet appears to be a little bit ridiculous though, but Jeongguk seems to quickly realise that it actually isn’t a ridiculous amount at all.
Stepping towards, the victim Jeongguk notices two large slits running down the back of the man’s back right calf with clear liquid oozing out and stringy tissue falling around his ankles. Sharp, shallow cuts also run all the up his thighs and seem to end just before his gentiles where an uneven ‘X’ has been carved into the victim’s lower abdomen. Even stranger than all the mismatched mutilation though, Jeongguk realises that the rookie who was meant to be carrying out the scene isn’t even in the room. He feels an eerie tension settle under his skin. Jeongguk now understands why his PA said the scene was an emergency.
Usually people who get into this type of business aren't afraid of gore or too concerned with the law, but this rookie apparently couldn't keep his cool.
Jeongguk slowly leans down to collect the bloodied knife that is balancing on the side of the bath so that he doesn't surprise the victim too much. Even if he was about to kill the guy, Jeongguk at least wants to give the guy a somewhat relaxing death. His black combat boots squeak against the tiles though, and for the first time since Jeongguk's been in the room, the victim tilts his head towards him. A scarf gags the man and as he turns his head, Jeongguk notices several more shallow cuts on his neck and face.
"Hey, hey," Jeongguk tries to lull him, "l'm about to end all this."
The original wild look of fear in the man's eyes seems to subtly die down, but Jeongguk knows that the victim doesn't truly understand what he means.
Holding up the knife, Jeongguk lines it up with the man's neck. He knows that the man is terrified again by the way he tries to squirm in the chair and his muffled pleas.
Sighing, Jeongguk looks into the victim's buzzing eyes.
"Sorry man, but l've still got to earn a living too."
☉☉☉☉☉☉
Clean up isn't actually as hard as Jeongguk thought. The sponges that are provided by the hotel work well enough to scratch off the dried blood from the walls in the bedroom, and the hand towels from the kitchen are just big enough to place all the organs side by side.
It's around 3pm when Jeongguk's PA finally calls.
"The rookie ran."
A small groan filters through from the other end of the line, "Well, shit. Boss man is going to have a mental."
"Yeah well he'd be having less 'mentals' if he could actually hire people that aren't pussies, Hoseok!" Jeongguk bites back.
He absolutely hates how he's always the one called in to fix other people's scenes. Jeongguk not only doesn't get paid for them, but he also misses out on his own scheduled ones.
"Language, Gguk. It's not my fault that you're the best in the country."
Jeongguk also hates how his PA reprimands him for dumb little things, "Well, shouldn't the best in the country be getting the best jobs in the country? Cleaning up after someone serves no purpose but making sure that the Boss doesn't get caught for having a weak team."
A hum comes from the other end. Jeongguk knows Hoseok's not really listening to his grumbling.
"Whatever," he finally sighs, "It's done now. Can you call Jin so that these organs don't rot out on the kitchen bench?"
"Yeah, will do."
"Thanks."
The line is silent for a moment.
"Uh, Hoseok? You're usually meant to hang up first."
Silence.
"Hoseok, are you ther-"
"Oh fuck," Hoseok whispers after a moment.
Jeongguk laughs, "Woah, language Hoseo-"
"No, Jeongguk, seriously. Oh fuck," he cuts in again.
Goosebumps begin to bubble up on Jeongguk's arms, "What happened?"
The sound of a mouse clicking is heard in the background before the generic notification sound rings through Jeongguk's ear. Cautiously, he brings the phone down and presses on the notification banner that tells him he has a new email. Jeongguk rarely ever gets emails, usually Hoseok takes care of all the administration, but as soon as he sees the email address, Jeongguk knows it isn't his usual monthly feedback report.
Hello Jeongguk,
I understand that this email will be processed directly to your PA, but l would appreciate it very much if it could be passed onto you directly.
It has been brought to my attention that over the past several months you have been completing more than double your usual requests. This not only is alarming, but is also quite odd. As someone who enjoys keeping a close eye on my employees, l request that you join me at an event l'm holding this Saturday.
Semi-formal attire will be acceptable, but try to dress up nicely Jeongguk.
See you then.
Boss.
Steadily, Jeongguk brings his phone back up to his ear.
"Oh fuck.”
"Yeah, Jeonggukkie, oh fuck."