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Chapter Text

Yoongi closed his suitcase slowly, ensuring to be absolutely silent. It was early in the morning, the sun still under the horizon outside. Everyone was asleep in the fire station, it was his only chance to escape. He mentally checked everything was ready while grabbing his suitcase and going out of his room, always making sure to not emit a sound. It was just out of the question for him to stay one more minute in here, where piles of paperwork at least as high as himself were waiting for him. So Captain Min Yoongi of the 309th division of the Seoul Firefighters had decided to take early vacations in a little city called Jjeoreo.

He had already booked his room at the Optatum, the only hotel of the little city. He had never gone there, yet he was trusting the establishment's reputation of being very calm, secluded, and most of all, discreet about his patrons. Because he didn't want his men showing up to bring him back while he would be bathing in warm, scented water.

Yoongi finally reached the station's entrance, he looked back one last time to make sure no one was there and left.

Hoseok changed down gears to negotiate the bend making his black Porsche 911 Carrera roar. The racer ran a few more laps before getting back to the garage he was attributed. Inje Speedium was a great circuit and the fact it was seahorse shaped was just the cutest. It was his first time on that circuit and it had been quite enjoyable. He took off his helmet and his old Firefox jacket, keeping both in his hands once he was done. He had been criticised a lot for wearing a motorbike outfit while doing car racing, but he considered it his lucky item as he had always finished in the top five while wearing it, since he had started driving - motorbikes at the time - back when he was 16.

He was rudely interrupted in his post racing bliss by a handful of reporters showing their mics in his face and yelling questions at him. Lately, all the drivers were under fire because of some new drug supposed to improve reflexes and lower the feeling of fear. Journalists were harassing all the people working directly or indirectly in car racing to expose the cheaters. It had already been three weeks and Hoseok's patience was wearing thin as he was accosted daily by cameras.

The young man went through to grab a cup of coffee at the distributor, ignoring the verbal attacks. A few minutes later he was announced his car was ready. He went back to the garage and drove out of the circuit. His sponsor had booked him a room admittedly a bit far from the circuit but that was at least guaranteed without any journalist, the company making sure to keep his location confidential. He didn't know the place at all, being currently guided to Jjeoreo by his GPS. However he had been assured the place was really comfortable, with good food and a unique style. In fact, as long as the hotel was safe, Hoseok could go with anything - okay, maybe not anything, more like no cockroach, no rat, no spider, no termite or any kind of little parasitic living being, clean sheets, towels and no dust, easy right ?

Kim Taehyung the greatest detective of the century - according to his mother, so it was obviously true - was on a new adventure !

He was going to resolve the mystery of the Jjeoreo missing children !

It was an old story about seven little boys going missing on December 24th and reappearing in a flower field, exactly four month later on April 24th, unconscious and talking nonsense. As soon as he had discovered the article in an old newspaper lying around in a deserted house - he was searching for a missing dog at the time - he had wanted to shed light on that story. So he had asked his mother for his magnifier and she had let him go, after puffing up a bit his baby perm and making sure he had correctly buttoned up his shirt.

And here he was now, in the train for Jjeoreo, with a hand-drawn map to lead him to his hotel and the newspaper. He had read the article again and again, despite its lack of information. There were only two photos: one of the children on the evening of their disappearance, posing in front of snow-covered trees and one in the flower field, where the seven of them laid in a circle. Concerning the text, it only explained the boys were friends, that none of them had ever been problematic and that after their recovery they had started talking on and on about "reaching their most beautiful moment in life" without ever explaining what they meant by that.

The police had absolutely no clue, not even a rumour... yet Taehyung was sure he would solve the mystery ! Because he was the greatest detective of the century !!

Jimin yawned while adjusting the pile of papers on his laps. The train was boring and he had barely slept the night before, because of the cries of his neighbours' newborn. His building was more and more noisy, he was seriously thinking about moving. Yet the rent was cheap and he worked so much he was barely there anyway so he still hadn't searched for something better. But now was not the time. He should rather concentrate on his stay at the Optatum. It had become his habit to spend a weekend every month at the red hotel, despite the distance. It was a perfect working environnement for him and his manuscript Jumping with love, a story about three girls living next to each other and meeting thanks to the trampoline in their backyards. No one knew about it for now, the young author too shy to share his work with anyone.

He had to plan the next two days carefully as this time he was also bringing work with him, his tyrannical boss always asking for reports at the last minute. He trusted his destination to be calm and mostly silent but the slow internet connection was going to be a problem, hence him bringing so much papers. If he started working on it as soon as he arrived in the hotel, he should be able to finish in the early afternoon. Then he would go to the little grocery shop nearby, buy a whole stock of Tagada Strawberry and fried chicken takeout to last the night and go back to his room to write until dinner. Because no matter how much he loved his story, the hotel food was delicious and there was always a nice atmosphere in the dining hall.

He hugged his manuscript closer and closed his eyes for a moment, lightly lulled by the moving train.

The devilish alarm clock rang loudly before being gently punched in the wall behind. A Pikachu onesie slowly crawled from under the covers while groaning. The bright yellow creature shuffled towards his kitchen, opening the fridge and grabbing food without raising his head. He poured milk carelessly in a mug and added a handful of cereal, before eating the result distractedly while checking the notifications on his phone. Once he was done, the Pokemon outfit went in his bathroom and from his hoodie emerged the head of a sleepy Jeon Jungkook. The young police officer finished getting ready without enthusiasm, grabbed his duffel bag and went out to his patrol car.

It was his turn to patrol in the region as there was only one headquarter left here. But more than a real patrol, those rounds were mostly dedicated to helping the locals with missing pets, broken cars and harvesting. Even though his kind nature wasn't especially bothered by that, it wasn't really what he expected when he enrolled in the police so he had some difficulties getting motivated. At least, there was always large servings for him at the Optatum and Mr Bang, the owner of the hotel, was kind and joyful. Which was almost even more frustrating as he would only spend one night in the town, and do likewise for the next twelve days at each stop of his watch.

Sometimes he wished a kid would pull a big prank just to break the routine and have some actual police work to do...

Namjoon took his bag before getting out of the weekly bus that connected his military station to the closest city, JJeoreo. The town was as empty as usual. Despite craving for his leave, he didn't want to go too far away from his men. The North was just too close. And Namjoon had to admit he had fallen in love with the bright red brick building, standing out in the countryside with its twelve floors, as soon as he had set foot inside for the first time. The extravagant 20s style of the Optatum was incredible: the red everywhere, the scissor gate elevator, the padded armchairs and sofas with sculpted legs and all the little details like the period phones and gramophones - that were actually modified to read CDs, connect a USB and broadcast quality sound. The vintage appearance with modern comfort was just the best for the Colonel Kim.

He would stay for a week, already planning to alternate between walks in the nearby forest and reading. He was also anticipating new discussions about music with the hotel's owner who was a retired producer. Opposite to that, the rest of the staff was rather discreet, to fit the calm reputation of the establishment, but they also had a kind nature that put you at ease - especially after you had broken your fifth cup in three days...

The doctor Kim sipped a little bit of coffee before beginning the next chapter of the book he was reading, MRI: Central Nervous System by Derek C. Kucharczyk and Walter Kucharczyk. The book was interesting, even though a bit outdated nowadays, it provided other point of views on the techniques and that was what the doctor was searching for.

He was currently on an unique case, an elderly man who suffered of hallucinations and whose memories were altering. It seemed like his hallucinations were slowly replacing his past, making him unable to recognize his family and asking for people no one knew. No similar case had ever been seen. It had started after the patient had fell in the stairs in his house, causing a trauma that explained the illusions but not the memory replacement.

Seokjin, as a rising neurologist, couldn't ignore such a case. It was now three days since he had arrived and found a nice room at the red hotel near his patient's house. He was currently in his room, enjoying a late breakfast of coffee, toasts and pieces of fruit all served in delicate porcelaine dishes. He was one of the only two guests of the hotel. The other was a rude man living on the eighth floor, always looking grouchy and who had yelled at Seokjin for taking the lift at the same time as him and taking too much space with his books. Truly a despicable character.

Chapter Text

Bang Shihyuk was happy. You could even say he was ecstatic. Five reservations for today! And already two guests present! Eight people! The hotel hadn't been filled that much for years now. He just hoped the new comers would be more like the doctor than the other guest. That man had complained about almost everything, from the smell of his room to the softness of his sheets, passing by the taste of the water. The whole staff was praying for his departure, even more now that they knew other people were coming, including three regulars who were already known as good guests.

The Optatum's owner was at the reception desk, wanting to see with his own eyes his patrons' arrival. At that moment, the big lift was activated and after a few seconds of mechanical rumbling, the doctor Kim was exiting the scissor gates and heading towards the glass revolving door, probably going to visit his patient. But when he was about to go through the door, someone from outside also entered and pushed the glass wall right into the doctor. The poor man was ejected back in the hall while his aggressor quickly went in, kneeling next to the scientist and apologizing profusely.

Mr Bang quickly joined them, noticing the military uniform of the person he had already recognized thanks to his clumsiness. The doctor was covering the bottom half of his face with his hand.

"Dr Kim is everything alright ?" Shihyuk asked, worried.

"Yeah, yeah, just a bit stunned, don't worry." Seokjin answered finally revealing his slightly red nose.

The officer excused himself a few more times before getting up and helping the doctor to do the same. Each went his way, the Colonel Kim Namjoon coming shyly to the reception desk. The receptionist gave him the key to his room, indicating it was on the sixth floor.

Just a few minutes had passed when another person came in. It was the young police officer. He grabbed his key and went to the elevator. His room was also on the sixth. Contrary to the military man who had stayed up there, the police officer went out almost immediately, without his duffel bag but with a clipboard and a radio in his hand. The young man always tried to finish his patrol during the morning to be free during the afternoon... or more exactly be free to help the people he had seen in the morning.

At the same time, in Jjeoreo's train station, a boy was struggling with his heavy baggage. Maybe he shouldn't have brought that much. But all his thoughts were stopped when he noticed bright red hair passing by him. He loved the color so much he thought about changing his hair to that shade. Such good tastes were worthy of his interest, he had to become friend with the other boy. So Taehyung momentarily forgot all his things and ran after the cool stranger.

Jimin was so occupied balancing his pile of papers that he didn't notice the grey flash until he was in front of him, smiling with the biggest smile Jimin had ever seen.

"Er, can I help you?" He asked.

"You look cool! Can we be friend? Please?" The other one answered, his face bright with happiness and expectation.

Jimin blinked a few times, wondering what was that guy's problem and doing his best to not think about how he looked cute with his suit and his curly hair. He concluded the other must be either an idiot or a scammer and just ignored him, heading toward the station's exit.

Sadly, it seemed like the guy took Jimin's behavior as acceptance as a few seconds later he was walking with him, dragging big baggage behind him.

"Hey, hey, I have a room in a hotel, what about you? Are you from here? Do you know the locality? You see, I'm on a case, the Jjeoreo missing children, do you know anything about that? It's about..."

"Leave me alone!"

Jimin was usually very polite and respectful but that guy was making him feel uncomfortable, so his shyness had got the upper hand. But all his previous feelings were forgotten when he saw the pout of deception on the other's face...

Bang Shihyuk watched with round eyes as the familiar office worker with red hair entered, accompanied by someone he didn't know. Mr Park looked quite confused, almost lost as he headed to the counter, with his talkative companion following him like a puppy with his mother.

They both took their respective room key and went to the lift, Mr Kim Taehyung - as the young person had announced himself at the reception desk - lamenting about the fact they were on different floors: himself on the tenth and Mr Park in his usual room with the best city view, on the seventh. The owner just couldn't decide if the two were close friends or complete strangers.

The lift took them to their floor with the usual rumbling. It was loud but Mr Bang saw it as the building breathing, a low peaceful sound of life.

The maids exited from the staff room to prepare the diner hall for lunch, bringing with them silverware, plates and glasses as well as fresh slices of bread in little wicker baskets.

Through one of the windows, Shihyuk noticed movement in the parking lot. A black car was now occupying the place. It had to be Jung Hoseok, the famous car racer. He remembered that while Mrs Kim, Kim Taehyung's mother, had asked him to keep an eye on his son, Mr Jung's manager had asked for his star to be left alone as much as possible.

The young man entered the hotel with the ease of his confidence, his white helmet under his right arm and his jacket on his left shoulder. He went up to the eleventh without a word, a bit of tiredness finally showing on his face when he entered the purring elevator.

They were only lacking one guest now, Mr Bang remembered his name was Min Yoongi, another person who had asked for absolute tranquility - and their biggest bathtub.

The big clock tower above the train station, at the center of the city, struck noon. The staff door opened, letting the kitchen's noise fill the hall for a second.

The doctor went back, directly heading for his chair in the dining hall, still on time when it came to food. The racer and the colonel descended together, soon followed by the rude man, the office employee and the young boy. They all sat together, Mr Kim not leaving Mr Park while Dr Kim greeted a still embarrassed Colonel Kim. Mr Jung sat next to the rude man, immediately regretting his decision when this one started complaining about the increasing population of the hotel. The racer quickly changed seat to go near the two most eminent guests.

The first course disappeared as soon as it was served. Each guest was getting along with the other, Mr Park finally opening up to Mr Kim while Mr Jung talked with the doctor about politics, attentively watched by the colonel Kim who was making sure to not stain his uniform.

Only the rude man was keeping to himself, glaring at the others, even growling when the young Mr Kim finally realised a car racing celebrity was at the same table as him and yelled happily, shaking the poor Mr Park in excitement.

They were all so focused on the events around the table, trying to help themselves to a portion of beef bulgogi, the plates emptying quickly, that none of them noticed the blond man entering the hotel with just a thin suitcase.

He silently got his key but when he realized his new neighbours were engulfing food at light speed, he decided to join the table.

The others finally noticed him, welcoming him warmly, except for the eternally grumpy character. The captain Min Yoongi bowed lightly, sitting next to the racer but also making sure to absolutely not look at him.

The discussion hadn't even begun again when the officer Jeon rushed into the hall, his excuse for being late dying on his lips when he realised how much people were there - and currently looking at him.

Jimin was smitten at first sight. However he was rudely interrupted in his admiration of the boy's bunny-caught-in-the-headlights face by the man who had stayed away from all of them until now.

"It's intolerable! Where are we?! In a youth hostel?! I came here to have some peace, in that pitiful rundown hotel, yet you all keep harassing me!" The man yelled, knocking his chair down as he stood up. The dining room had become deadly silent.

"That establishment is a joke frequented by wild monkeys! I can't stand it! I'm going in my room and you'd better not disturb me if you don't want to meet with my lawyer!" He concluded, taking his leave, his audience still silent and shocked.

Shihyuk was the first to recover, asking for the remaining guests to not mind the background noise and to rather enjoy their meal - or more like wait for the dessert as the bulgogi had been completely devoured.

Jungkook received a big bowl of bibimbap that he swallowed voraciously, determined to have a bit of the bungeo-ppang that had been served for dessert.

The hotel's owner was glad to see his seven guests getting along so well - if he omitted the moment Mr Kim had tried to steal a bit of bulgogi from Dr Kim who had in exchange tried to stab the guilty hand.

Once all the pastries had served their purpose and once Mr Bang had decided to raise the food bill - these young men had eaten enough to feed two tens of people - everyone got up to attend to their business.

The captain Min was curiously staying next to Hoseok, still making sure to not actually look at the man.

Taehyung, for Jimin's utmost relief, went to Jungkook to ask him about his mystery. Even though the police officier explained him he knew nothing about the missing children, the detective kept on asking him all sort of questions about the vicinity.

Jimin, as for him, returned to his room, accompanied by Jin.

Namjoon went out to take a walk, after taking a detour by his room to grab his cap and having fixed an appointment with Mr Bang to talk about the latest hip hop releases.

After Hoseok had gone back to his room, Yoongi went out too, taking his suitcase with him. Outside, he was met with the sight of the detective and the police officer facing an enraged little dog, barking at them with all he got while they tried to have a talk with its owner. The dark-haired officer attempted to calm the savage creature but he was almost bitten instead. At that moment, something unexpected happened. The other kid knelt in front of Goliath, offering his palm and just saying "paw."

And the dog obeyed, finally silent and calm.

"How did you do that ?!" The policeman exclaimed.

The dog master simply stood up and offered him his palm.

"Jungkook, paw."

And the officer actually put his hand in the other's.

"How... How did you do that?! Why is it also working on me?!"

Yoongi decided those two were so stupid it was probably contagious and decided to leave, throwing them a last judging look.

In the hotel, the hall was once again calm, save for the maids who were cleaning in the dining hall.

Namjoon came back from his second walk and went directly to the elevator. He looked at his reflection on the mirror on the right side. Noticing the golden watch on his right wrist, he checked the time, it was 6:45 pm. As he was about to push the button for his floor, Yoongi joined him, soon followed by Hoseok who was carrying his helmet.

They had barely the time to adjust in the space, the captain sitting on his suitcase, when the doctor joined them after his evening visit to his patient, his radiology book in hand.

Jungkook and Taehyung entered the hall while faking a fencing match, one armed with his baton, the other with his magnifier. They joined them in the elevator, the place getting a bit cramped and Yoongi pouting slightly when Jin moved between him and the racer.

Hoseok was about to close the scissor gates when Jimin ran to them, his little hands holding securely a handful of sheets against his chest. Namjoon couldn't help his soft smile at the cute sight.

The office employee fitted himself in the lift.

"'Jumping with love'? What's that?" Taehyung asked after reading the words on Jimin's paper.

The other boy got almost as red as his hair, suddenly trying to cover the source of his embarrassment with his body.

"Whoa it sounds like some cliché romance." Jungkook laughed.

Cut to the quick, Jimin turned to his two opponents, his face void of his usual happiness. He calmly explained.

"It's a personal project and you two are being really disrespectful toward it. I don't think I did anything to deserve that from you so please stop it, you're being rude, especially for people of the justice."

At that moment the other two felt horrible. They had never felt so bad, as if they had killed a litter of young chickens, blinded an innocent soul or caused an eternal winter. Jimin hadn't raised his voice at all, he wasn't even particularly cold but the deception in his tone was obvious and now the two youngest ones looked like scolded children, shyly muttering apologies.

Yoongi was about to praise the little employee's reaction when a panicked high scream resonated in the whole building. The seven guests from the Optatum raised their head toward the source of the sound.

As soon as Mr bang told them it was the maid charged to clean the rude man's room, they went to the eighth floor, worried about the poor girl being attacked for no reason.

When they reached their destination, they found the maid on her knees, at the door and the rude man in his room, lying on the floor, his face blue...

Chapter Text

Jimin and Hoseok had backed off as soon as they had understood what they were facing. The others, more used to the company of the Reaper, were calm. Once the first shock passed, they even realised they wouldn't be missing the rude man.

The elevator growled before letting Mr Bang join them.

When he saw the body, he tried to reach him but Taehyung stopped him.

"You can't sir. Nothing can save him now. We'll have to proceed carefully to not destroy any evidence before the forensics come."

"About that..." Jungkook intervened, "I don't think a team can come before at least two days, nothing will be left by that time..."

"Then we'll solve that mystery by ourselves!" Taehyung claimed. "Doctor Kim, do you think you could analyze the body for us?"

The doctor looked at him, the tip of his ears turning slightly red.

"Well, I'm a neurologist, not a forensic pathologist."

"We can't expect a lot from a doctor still needing his books anyway," Jungkook said, while failing at not smiling. He was a bit too excited at the idea of finally living something out of the ordinary.

"I didn't study for years to be disrespected in such a way!"

"So you're also old?"

"Why is that the first thing you deduced?!"

"Now's not the time gentlemen." Taehyung intervened again.

Jin glared at Jungkook and received another smile in exchange.

Yoongi, who was looking at Taehyung since he had started taking the lead, finally formulated his thought aloud.

"Wait, you have a functional brain?!"

The detective just smiled his boxy grin, making Yoongi frown even more, before focusing once more on the crime scene.

"It's so sad we won't be able to estimate the time of death." He sighed.

"Actually," Jin said with a pointed look at the policeman, "if you let me study his brain, I should be able to find that."

"Don't you need special equipment for that?"

"I'll have you know that all I need is in my room." He answered confidently.

Everyone accepted the idea, Jimin, Hoseok, Mr Bang and the maid staying carefully away from the crime scene. Considering that anyone could have done it, it was decided that Namjoon and Jungkook would witness the operation. The corpse was moved up to the eleventh floor after being checked by the two crime fighters to find clues. They found that he had tape residues around his mouth and around his wrists. Around his neck was a large red band surrounded by nail scratches supporting the thesis of death by strangulation that the color of his face was suggesting.

While they were gone, Taehyung investigated the room with his magnifier while the others watched him.

From the threshold, the fireman captain noticed metallic reflects through the window.

"What's that?"

"The urgency stairs, they cover all that side of the building. But the bottom ladder should be up so no one from outside could have used it."

Hoseok approached it carefully, taking a detour to avoid the place where the corpse had been.

"The window is still closed... Whoa people actually hang their laundry between the buildings?! I could not honestly, I would be too afraid that my clothes fall."

Taehyung joined the racer in front of the window as he was done with his work. The only thing he had noticed was a mural lantern bent a bit. The belongings of the man didn't inform him of anything, it was only clothes and a little vanity case, neatly placed in a suitcase with an eagle on it.

The autopsy team came back, announcing that the man had died of asphyxiation around 3 pm more or less fifteen minutes, based on the damages caused to his brain. Jungkook was also way less playful than he was before entering the doctor's room, while this one had a very satisfied smile.

They all got in the dining hall to have their alibi asked.

Mr Bang had stayed the whole afternoon at the reception desk and was able to tell who had taken the elevator. His testimony was confirmed in the most improbable way when the detective casually explained he had operating recording material in his room. They were then able to confirm how much times the elevator, in other words the only way to reach the victim, had been used. It had been activated only once before the murder time, between the upper floors, before being sent to the first floor, empty. Then around the time of the murder, by the maid who went up to clean the rooms, as she explained between two sobs, still shocked.

Jin, Hoseok and Jimin had been staying in their room. All the others had been out during the afternoon.

The maid started shaking when they all looked at her.

"I didn't do it, I promise! Please, believe me! I know everything's against me but I'm innocent!"

"She's right, she didn't killed him." Namjoon said, earning himself a hopeful look from the poor girl.

"What makes you think that Colonel?" Taehyung asked, curious.

"She couldn't possibly have the physical strength to overpower that man. And judging by his suitcase, he's a military senior officer, someone that wouldn't be tricked easily."

"But then... How?" Jimin asked, having difficulties to hide his fear.

"Easy. One of the people who were up used the lift to go to the victim - it's the sound that can be heard before the murder time - then they killed him and a moment later, they went out - probably to get ride of the evidences - and came back when we all met in the elevator." Jungkook explained, his eyes shinning with the excitation of catching the culprit soon.

But then arose another problem: who among the doctor, the racer and the office employee had done it ?

Taehyung latched himself on Jimin.

"Jiminnie it can't be you right? You're too nice and cute and innocent and pretty and good to have done that! Right? Right?"

"Tae stop you're strangling me!" The red-haired man protested, before facing his aggressor with hopeful eyes. "But also please yes I didn't do it, prove I'm innocent! You're the detective here!"

"Oh right." The younger answered, as he had just remembered it.

Taehyung looked at the two remaining suspects.

"Mr Jung is a star, if he wanted someone dead he could hire assassins..."

"What's that reasoning?!"

"So I guess it must be you doctor..."

"What?!"

"Another clue is that you already tried to kill me during lunch..."

"You were stealing my food!!"

"And you're a doctor, you obviously know how to kill people."

"That's the worst thing I've heard in all my life! I can't believe it!" Jin yelled while shaking his head.

Mr Bang quickly calmed the situation before another murder occurred. The detective got serious again - without letting Jimin go though - and asked for more details about everyone's afternoon.

"Well," Hoseok began first, "after lunch, I went to my room and took a nap then I watched TV and around 5, I went to my car to check my motor. And then I met everyone in the elevator."

"Wait, you took your helmet to check your motor?"

"To check the wireless communicator inside." He answered, without noticing the smitten eyes from Yoongi on him.

Thanks to Jimin's phone they were able to see the TV program on internet. The racer knew what had been aired but sadly he could have learned the program so he wasn't proved innocent for good.

The office employee explained he had been working all the time before going for a walk.

"How about you really tell us what you were doing?" Jungkook asked, way too amused by the situation. "Why don't you explain us more about 'Jumping with love'?"

"That... That's personal!!"

"Oh, look at you getting as red as your hair, that's so cute!" Hoseok teased in his turn, momentarily forgetting about the situation to relax a bit.

The novice author lowered his head for a moment, before sighing, looking up and readjusting his glasses.

"So... I worked on a report until 2, then I worked on my manuscript until around 4:30. After that I went to the little convenience store and came back. It must have been a bit before 5 as Mr Jung wasn't around his car yet. I kept writing until 6 and then I went out again to take a walk and clear my mind."

"I took my manuscript in case I had an idea during that walk." he quickly added, seeing that the policeman was about to ask. He really didn't want to expand on the content of his writing. "Then I joined you in the elevator."

As none of his actions around the deadly hour could be verified, the doctor told his day immediately after.

"I've been studying all day. That's all. And I went to see my patient at 6."

There was a moment of silence. The detective finally released his new friend, deep in thoughts. He searched in his pocket and took out a pipe he quickly brought to his mouth. It always helped him concentrate.

"I just thought about something..." Hoseok began.

"We're listening." Answered Yoongi, deadly serious and still not looking in the racer's direction.

"Miss, how come you were up there so late? Didn't you clean our rooms around 4?"

The maid almost fainted when everyone looked at her once again. Mr bang fanned her a bit with a handkerchief. She swallowed her sobs with difficulty and explained.

"There was a 'Do not disturb' on the knob when I went to clean his room in the afternoon. But two days ago, he had yelled at me for not cleaning. So this time I went back. The sign was still there but I knocked anyway, to be sure. But then the door opened and... and..." The shock made her unable to finish.

Taehyung returned to his thinking state. It was impossible to find the culprit based on the testimonies. He needed more clues. While thinking again about all the elements he had collected, a detail caught his attention.

"I need to check something outside. I won't be long."

"Wait! I'm coming with you!" Jungkook claimed and followed the detective.

"It's sad but I'm not even moved by that man's death. He was so despicable, I almost feel like he deserved it..."

"Doctor, are you sure it's a good idea to say that when you're one of the suspects?" Mr Bang asked, a bit horrified.

"I'm saying that exactly because I am innocent!"

"Well, in all honesty, I agree with the doctor." Namjoon added.

No one really had enough hypocrisy in themselves to oppose the statement again.

When the detective and the policeman came back, they knew just by their serious face they had discovered something important.

"We've got a problem. There's paint fragments on the ground right below the ladder of the emergency stairs. It has been lowered recently..." Taehyung announced, his face grave.

They all quickly understood what that fact implied.

"Anyone who's been up on any of the floors could have taken the stairs, lowered the ladder, and come back whenever they wanted without using the lift."

"If it's just that, I can shorten your suspects list quickly." Yoongi said, while carefully putting his suitcase on a table and opening it.

Inside were two little white drones and a mini laptop. He unplugged one of the cameras connected to the flying machines and plugged it to the laptop. The screen displayed aerial photographies of Jjeoreo landscapes. The fireman captain searched a bit, until he reached a picture including the station's clock tower.

"See, it was 3:10 and I was in the depths of the forest. It would have been impossible for me to go back to the hotel."

All the others expressed their admiration for both the captain's efficiency in proving he was innocent and his talent as a photograph.

"Don't bother with compliments, 'genius' should be enough." He answered with a cocky smile.

"Sure, captain." Jungkook said, clearly not caring at all. "Concerning me and Taehyung, we were both at the bottom of that very clock tower at 3, so we couldn't have done it either."

"Really? Were we?"

"It was when we were questioning the flower shop owner. Don't you remember the bells rang? The owner even said he was surprised it was already so late. By the way, if someone doubt us, you can call him, he'll confirm what I said."

Out of principle, the owner was called and indeed validated the police officer's claim.

"Colonel, you're the last one."

"Well, my alibi is in this very room, right Mr bang?"

"Oh yes, it's true we were discussing when it all happened. I can't believe a murder was committed right above our heads..."

Another silence closed the discussion. The mystery wasn't resolving at all...

"Actually..."

The maid was all shy but the little nod from Mr Bang gave her the strength to continue.

"I remember something. Maybe it's not important but it happened a bit after 3. I passed someone in front of the lift, on the sixth, after I was finished with cleaning. I didn't see the person as he was on the other side of my trolley, but he called the lift for me. He had a golden watch with a black wristband on his left wrist. And then I tripped on some wire and went directly inside the lift without seeing him at all. What's weird is that I thought it was my vacuum's wire but it was actually not. I'm sorry, I'm rambling, I must be disturbing you..."

She was interrupted when Taehyung grabbed her shoulders and looked at her right in the eyes.

"Thank you so much miss! I think we'll be able to solve the mystery thanks to you!!"

The poor girl didn't answer, half in love with the handsome detective, half drained by all her emotions.

"Gentlemen, time to roll up our sleeves!" The detective excitedly announced.

All did as asked. The only ones wearing watches were Taehyung himself - he had a black sport watch on the left wrist, - Jimin - a golden watch, also on the left wrist, - and Namjoon - a big golden watch too but on the right wrist.

"Mr Park, that watch is clearly too big for you." Jungkook noticed, suddenly way more serious than before. "Did you steal it from the victim after getting rid of yours?"

"No, I saw him wearing it since he arrived at the station, it's his. It's too big because he's trying to show off." The detective explained.

Jimin lowered his head shamefully after being exposed. It made him notice a little red stain on Namjoon's bare arm.

"Colonel, what's that?" He asked, more to escape the spotlight than by curiosity.

"Oh... it's probably a bruise from when I opened the revolving door this morning."

"What?! You pushed so hard, you actually bruised?! No wonder my nose hurt so much, you brute!" Jin exclaimed.

The colonel once again lost himself in excuses and bowing heads, while the doctor yelled at him and the others laughed. Except the detective...

"Miss, gentlemen, I've solved the mystery." Taehyung announced, making everyone look at him in serious silence. "Let me thank you all. Our teamwork made a great work."

"As for how the crime happened, I'll explain you right now. The culprit presented himself to our dead companion and knocked him out. He tied his wrists together and gagged him. I don't know when he took them but he had yanked some of the washing lines that are between the hotel and the building next door. He used one of the victim's belts and put it around the victim's neck before tying it to the line. Then he passed the line behind a lantern and went out of the room, to the elevator. He send it to the first floor and took the occasion to attach the wire to the passing counterweight. He put the 'Do not disturb' on the knob when he came back to the room. From now on, he had to be very exact in his timing. He went through the victim's window and hurried to where he would have an unquestionable alibi for 3 pm. Because he knew that at 3, the maid would start cleaning the rooms and then use the elevator, which would yank on the lines..."

The girl gasped, tears filling his eyes while she started muttering "it's my fault, it's my fault..."

"Don't feel guilty miss, anyone could have used the elevator before you. You're not guilty. I even told you, it's thanks to you I was able to solve that problem. Because the wires you tripped on were actually the washing lines. You passed the criminal right before he got rid of those evidences, after he had gone back to the victim's room, passing by the lift and the door this time, to undo his deadly assembly."

"Now that I explained the trick, I'm left with only one question... Why, Colonel?" He asked, his tone filled with sadness and deception.

Someone gasped loudly and all eyes went from the detective to the military man. This one smiled sadly.

"Let's just say, that man was maybe even more despicable than what you all saw. He was a former general. Five years ago my regiment was sent on a mission. The general knew it was suicidal and pointless, yet he ordered it. On one hundred and two men, only five survived, including me. That golden watch is actually a present offered to the five of us after that mission, by another officer, so we could see how much time had passed since that horrible day and treasure every second, because as he said, we're the guardians of all those men's memory. Just a subtil way to keep us from feeling guilty, for what it's worth." He sighed while looking at the gold around his wrist.

"When I recognised him at lunch, I let anger and vengeance take control. He hadn't even recognised me, that bastard. I finalized my plan while eating. Then I went back to my room, opened the window and went down the emergency stairs to lower the ladder. I went back, grabbed my cap and made it look as if I was going for a walk. But in fact, I climbed the stairs, passed through my room and went to the eighth."

"The elevator sound before the murder time." Taehyung explained.

"Indeed. When he opened his door, he was still furious. This time, I had changed my watch with another one to make sure he couldn't recognize me immediately. I forced my way inside. In fact, I tied him up before knocking him out, to explain him why he was going to die - I had to make sure he knew. Then it's as the detective said. I tied the washing line to the elevator counterweight and went to Mr Bang to have an alibi. I'm sincerely sorry to have used the two of you for my little scheme." He said, while bowing deeply to the two hotel's workers.

"But why did you protect the maid, you could have accused her and protect yourself." Yoongi asked.

"As ironic as it'll sound, I'm a man of justice, I simply cannot do such a thing."

"And it was a very well thought-out plan, especially considering you planned it last minute, you're a brilliant person Colonel. Sadly, you decided to used all that intelligence for the wrong rather than the good..."

"I'm sorry to disappoint all of you. From what I've seen you're all great people. And Mr detective, that was an impressive resolution. May I ask what betrayed me?"

"The stain on your right wrist. It's not a bruise, it's a rash due to the nickel composing the watch, that probably reacted with your sweat."

"And to think that that watch was actually a key part of my plan." He said with another sad smile.

Jungkook approached and handcuffed him. All the people in the dining hall were silent and resigned. They felt more hurt at that moment than during the corpse discovery.

The policeman took the murderer outside. The station clock struck 10 pm. Time was still flowing forward even though inside of the Optatum hotel, people were momentarily frozen by the cold reality.