Special Investigation Team BTS Complete

EP 11. The Lipstick Murders (9)

김여주

"Wow, whoa… whose car is this? We only provided one police car."

김석진

"It's my car. I couldn't handle one police car, so I got a new one. It's big, right?"

김여주

"Yes, absolutely!"

Yeo-ju limped and carefully got into the car, supported by Seok-jin.

김석진

"Oh, my lady. Just a moment."

Seokjin asked Yeoju to wait a moment and went to the trunk. From there, he took out a large towel and wrapped it around Yeoju's body.

It was covered so thoroughly that only the face was visible, and the entire body, including the hair, was covered.

When the female lead looked at Seokjin with a look asking why, Seokjin smiled mischievously with a wink.

"I'm fine, though."

"Because you are so lethal that it is dangerous."

With that, Seokjin went to where the team members were gathered to sort out the situation, and Yeoju thought to herself about what he meant, then lowered her head to look at her damp clothes.

Only when I saw the state hidden under the thick tarpaulin did I understand what Seokjin meant.

I'm good, but you're so lethal that you're dangerous.

Seokjin's words rang in my ears once again.

김여주

"Gyaaaaaaaah! Kim Seok-jieeeeeeeeee!!!!!"

The female protagonist, whose face turned bright red with embarrassment, called out Seokjin's name and quickly covered her face with a towel.

The screaming inside the car could be heard outside, and everyone looked at Seokjin's car in bewilderment. Seokjin, who could imagine the face of the female protagonist screaming inside the car, smiled faintly.

김남준

"What's up, what's going on?"

김석진

"Huh? No, it's just that. I feel good now that the case is solved."

김석진

"Ah, Jimin, is your face okay?"

박지민

"……."

At Seokjin's question, the gaze that had been on the car suddenly turned to Jimin.

To be precise, it's my left cheek that's red and swollen.

정호석

"Phew... Oh, sorry. I shouldn't laugh."

김석진

“…Yeah, it looks okay!”

박지민

"……."

Seokjin turned his head, trying hard to avoid Jimin's gaze that was glaring at him, and saw Kim Seokhoon there, tied to a tree with his whole body, hugging him as if he were dead.

Kim Seok-hoon's arms, with his shirt rolled up, showed clear teeth marks from someone, and his face, shoulders, and arms were all bruised.

It was like that before we came, so those must all be wounds that the female protagonist created.

Thinking about the heroine who had somehow managed to hold on while waiting for her teammates, I felt angry again.

김태형

"But, are you really just going to let that kid go like this? Without taking any action?"

전정국

"That's right. I don't think this is real."

김석진

"hmm……."

Although in principle the correct procedure would have been to return to the police station and hand over the case to the prosecution, none of them refuted Taehyung's words.

There were too many victims, and there will be some bad feelings about daring to touch a teammate.

If you were a great team leader, you would have to say strongly that this is not the case,

"Right? It's a shame to go on like this, right?"

I am not a great team leader.

"Should we loosen that rope?"

About 30 minutes after Seokjin dropped Yeoju off in the car and left, Yeoju, tired of waiting, was about to open the car door when, with perfect timing, the door opened first from the outside.

박지민

"……."

김여주

"……."

박지민

“…Can I go in? I can’t go in because of you.”

김여주

“…Ah, yes, yes.”

I was startled to see Jimin's face at the door.

Yeoju flinched and moved to the seat next to her, and Jimin sat down behind her.

Following Jimin, Jungkook and Taehyung came in, and Seokjin got into the driver's seat last, as if he was the only one who rode in this car, and the car started off.

김여주

"What about the others? Did they go first?"

김석진

"Yeah, I sent some to the scene of the fourteenth victim's incident, and I took some to the police station with Kim Seok-hoon."

김여주

“Uh… the fourteenth victim? Isn’t that me?”

김석진

"ah……."

Seokjin glanced at the number 2 visible through the back mirror, aware that the female protagonist was unaware that another murder had occurred.

김석진

"While you were with Taehyung to meet Kim Seok-hoon, a murder occurred. The victim of that murder was also killed by Kim Seok-hoon."

김석진

“Now that I think about it… I think he kept us there just to buy time to hide you. If it weren’t for Taehyung, we would have been in big trouble.”

The victim was deliberately not informed that a number 1 was written on it.

If it had been the repertoire up until now, excluding the original female protagonist, the female protagonist would have been assigned the number 2 after she died, and only after we found the female protagonist would we have found the victim with the number 1 written on the trash can.

It was fortunate that Taehyung noticed sooner than expected and that Yeoju held on well. Otherwise, the worst would have happened.

Seokjin smiled at the female protagonist who was looking at him through the back mirror.

전정국

“…Hey, Kim Yeo-ju.”

김여주

"Huh, huh?"

The female protagonist, who was looking into Seokjin's eyes, turned her head at the sound of Jeongguk's voice calling her.

The sight of Jeongguk sitting next to me was brief, but it was different from what I had seen before.

Even the hand that scratches the back of the head as if embarrassed, and the eyes that cannot meet straight.

As I was quietly watching him, feeling awkward at the unexpected sight, Jeongguk glanced at me and spoke in a small voice.

전정국

“I’m sorry I told you not to be a burden when we first met.”

김여주

"……?"

전정국

“…I guess because I was serving in the military, I had a prejudice that women were weak and needed to be protected. I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

Jungkook lowered his head as if he was truly sorry, and never raised his head first.

전정국

"Honestly, even when I went down to the basement earlier... I often wondered if it might already be too late. It had been about an hour since we'd found it."

김여주

"……."

전정국

"But… you were alive. Although I can't even say you were fine, you were definitely alive, and even now, you're here in front of me."

The head of Jeong-guk, who had been bowed, was raised.

Jungkook continued, looking straight at the female lead with his bright eyes.

전정국

"I was wrong. From now on, I will treat you without any prejudice. Of course, the same goes for other people."

Is it because he's feeling like Jeongguk's eyes are moist?

전정국

“…Will you forgive me?”

It was difficult to look Jeongguk in the eye straight on.

김여주

"Oh, I get it, I get it. Thank you for apologizing. And thank you for coming to my rescue. You don't have to be sorry anymore."

The female protagonist waved her hand and said that it was okay now, and only then did Jeongguk feel relieved, smiled faintly, and turned away, saying that he was tired.

I could see the red earlobes through the black hair, but I could ignore that.

김여주

"Thank you, Taehyung. If it weren't for you, I would have been in real trouble."

김태형

“Don’t say that. I’m glad you came back safe, my lady.”

Taehyung, who was looking at Jungkook and Yeoju happily, suddenly turned his body away from them just like Jungkook when he received a thank you.

Is it your habit to turn away when you're embarrassed? I let it go because you're cute.

The female protagonist looked at Jungkook and Taehyung and chuckled, and Jimin, who couldn't stand to see that, linked arms with the female protagonist and spoke to her.

박지민

"I am?"

김여주

"yes?"

박지민

"I'm the one who got slapped by you, and I'm the one who caught you when you almost fell. Shouldn't I be either grateful or apologize?"

The heroine moved her gaze to Jimin's cheek, which she had tried hard not to look at, and when she saw his red, swollen cheek, she tightly closed her eyes and lowered her head.

김여주

“…I’m sorry. No, I’m just too angry to stop…!”

박지민

"What? Disassemble?"

김여주

“…No. I’m sorry…….”

In the end, Yeo-ju had to endure Jimin's cold gaze until they reached their destination, and Seok-jin could only watch the two of them and make playful remarks about how they would eventually grow fond of each other.