The office of Sugar Monster Inc. was the busiest it had ever been as its two young undercover detectives landed their biggest case yet. A CEO with the surname Bang had disappeared two days after it had been announced his entertainment company outearned the big three for the 2017 fiscal year. A month later, and Bang was nowhere to be found. Government officials found suspicious tweets sent to Bang from what appeared to be an obsessive hater, which led to the first lead on the case. However, the IP address of the user was traced to the Sea of Japan, leading to suspicions that a much more elaborate plot may be behind the musician's disappearance. As two former trainees at JYP Entertainment, the government was trusting the extraordinary private investigators Kim Namjoon and Min Yoongi to get the national treasure back.
Namjoon stretched his long legs across his desk, careful to avoid snagging his black dress pants on a pen or notepad, and smoked a joint after finishing his preliminary research an hour before he clocked out. "It looks like this one will actually present a challenge for once, Yoongi," he said to his associate. "We can't mess this up."
Yoongi scowled as he quickly typed up a list of contacts he would reach out to the following morning. "I know that. Do you think the government just hands out jobs to just anybody? Anyway, it's not like your big dumb brain has let us down yet," he said.
Namjoon smiled. It had been five years since Yoongi took a chance to turn their informal investigative reporting in high school into a full-blown career, and his grumpy friend still trusted him. He didn't mean to brag, but he was glad to put his 148 IQ to good use by helping others. And the publicity their fast success generated didn't hurt his wallet, either. He could even afford some time in the studio to work on mixtapes.
Yoongi was more focused on his own rap career than the detective work he did, and wasn't exactly thrilled that out of all the odd jobs he and Namjoon had gone through together, the most dangerous one was the one that panned out. He still hadn't forgiven Namjoon for the time a Russian spy tried to kill him by poisoning his drink at an airport and he was one trained dog away from having all of his nerves paralyzed. But the genius had made sure to keep security around them and hadn't lost a case yet, so he decided to stay.
At 5:30 pm, the phone rang. "Hello, may I speak to Kim and Min?" asked a raspy female voice.
"Who wants to know?" asked Yoongi gruffly.
"I have a tip for the two trying to find Bang. You'll never find him before we want you to. He's not in mortal danger - for now. If you know what's good for you, you will leave the case alone while we work. If you comply, we will release Bang alive and we will proceed like nothing happened. That is, if you care about his life."
"Who are you? Why are you doing this?" asked Namjoon angrily.
"Do as I say, or there will be consequences. Goodbye!" said the sinister voice before she hung up the phone. Yoongi and Namjoon looked at each other with wide eyes.
"Looks like we have a lead," said Namjoon. "Trace back that number and let's give the tip to the authorities before we go home," he instructed as he packed up the day's work to look over that night.
Yoongi referenced the number that called the office with the directory of registered phone numbers in Seoul. There were no matches, despite the speaker sounding like a native Korean from the area. He cross-referenced the number with a directory of Japan's most populated cities and was relieved to see the caller is registered with NTT docomo in Osaka. They were onto something.
"The caller is apparently in Japan, and seems Korean," announced Yoongi. "If the rest of the case is this easy, we'll solve it in no time."
The next morning the two men were greeted by an unpleasant surprise. An email had been sent at 3:03 am with the subject "WATCH NOW OR ELSE KIM/MIN". In the body was a very strange and long link that did not seem to be part of the World Wide Web, sent by an even longer and stranger address. Namjoon was silent as he scanned the email over to see if something about the email itself was out of the ordinary. Yoongi would have assumed it was spam if the subject hadn't been personalized. He dragged the mouse to click the link when Namjoon harshly grabbed his wrist back.
"What is wrong with you? We need to get to the bottom of this," protested Yoongi.
"Wait Yoongi, think. You ever see a URL like that before?" asked Namjoon.
"No," said Yoongi, losing his patience with this nonsense right as he was about to start working.
"I think it may be a link on the dark web. We have to be careful. People on there are really good at tracking your location," Namjoon said. "And posting graphic shit," he added as he forwarded the email to the government officials working with them.
Yoongi's eyes widened. "I couldn't have imagined things would be moving so fast so soon. It's almost like whoever is behind this wants to get caught," he thought out loud. "But why?"
Namjoon, satisfied with his handiwork, went to his desk. "There's a lot of creeps in this world, Yoongi," he said. "You should know."
The Daegu man rolled his eyes. "If this person is thinking so far ahead they're in another country and using untraceable technology, then they probably know exactly what they're doing. You know, just by keeping those government fools in the loop, you're giving the criminal a source on where we are in the case," he argued.
"What are you saying? That the criminal works for the government? That they'd put their nice job on the line for what, some music producer? Seriously?" asked Namjoon in disbelief.
"Maybe," said Yoongi, holding his ground. "Just think about it - the same day we got the case, we got a phone call? And today an email? What's next, a letter? And who's been in the loop this entire time?"
Namjoon let Yoongi's words sink in. After a moment of thinking, he spoke up. "Maybe the person doing has wiretapped our phones. I'll get our security guy in here again to sweep the premises."
"That's good," said Yoongi. "But I can't stand how cocky this asshole is to contact us directly when they know they're wanted by the law."
"Poor Bang," said Namjoon, changing the subject. "I know we're detectives and not social workers, but I would really like to talk to his family. See if there were any other enemies he had other than that one hater online."
Yoongi scoffed. "The police report already said he didn't. Plus, I don't know how we could do that without blowing our cover."
"I know," said Namjoon sadly. "But I still feel like there's an angle we're missing."
Yoongi lifted his head quickly. "You know what? Bang may not have been a rapper, but didn't his idol group blow up?"
Namjoon laughed. "Oh, yeah. The Camp Counselor Chorus." Yoongi snickered. "For some reason the international K-pop community just loves them. Can you believe that could have been us?"
"No, I can't," said Yoongi, holding back a smile as he remembered what it was like to be 17 and so close to his dreams he could almost taste it. "But don't you think that the only person that jolly musician's disappearance would benefit would be someone in the K-pop industry?"
"I'm listening," said Namjoon as he started to jot down notes.
"Hear me out. The person who called us said Bang would be released. Why? What use would it be to kidnap Bang only to free him? Unless the criminal doesn't want Bang in the picture for a specific period of time. Like an event."
Namjoon bit the top of his pen as the gears in his mind began turning. "So you think Bang may be requested to be somewhere that a competitor in the K-pop community doesn't want him to be. We could ask Bang's estate to provide what he had scheduled as of now and see if he had something like that planned…"
Yoongi's stomach grumbled. "Okay, but I'm famished. I think I'll get lunch now."
"Okay! Please stay safe. I'll see you soon," said Namjoon. "While you're gone I'll try to get Bang's upcoming schedule."
"Sounds good, see you soon," said the older man. Something about the case just reeked of dirty manipulation, but he couldn't tell what it was. For now he was happy to have the chance to clear his head by walking to his favorite diner for lunch before getting back on the case with a fresh pair of eyes.
Yoongi returned to his office with a full stomach and optimism for the future. "They're even planning to release Bang," thought Yoongi. "Things will turn out okay."
One look at Namjoon at his desk and Yoongi's blood ran cold. The tall blond had a dull look on his eyes as he propped his head by having his elbows on his desk and his folded hands under his chin. "Are you okay, man?" asked Yoongi.
"Well, I have mixed news," said Namjoon.
"What is it?" Yoongi asked as he hurried to the computer that Namjoon was walking to.
"We got a mirrored copy of what that email linked us to. It only had a video," he said as he clicked the play button.
Out of nowhere a rotund Bang was strapped to the chair, clearly having been tortured in what looked like a tiny corner of a basement, with no windows or residential flooring. There were cuts on his face and he had a black eye that was so large it was visible despite the fact he was blindfolded. He was gagged and crying until a figure dressed in all black with a ski mask on came from the left. The figure took out the gag and smacked the man upside the head. He cried out.
"Oh, my God! HELP," he screamed terribly. The black figure took out a knife and cut a slice off the top of his right ear, which bled profusely. "OW," he yelled and sobbed as blood began streaming from his year. The mysterious figure kicked the back of the chair Bang was tied to. He whimpered.
"Hello, government agents trying to help me," he began before crying again, prompting another kick. "I am Bang PD. I have been kidnapped and am being tortured. My life," he said holding back a sob, "is safe for now. But if you continue your investigation I will be killed. This is not a joke. I am being promised I will be released safely if you discontinue all efforts to find me. I will be return soon enough. Your identities have been found by my captors, and they will eliminate if you interfere with their plans. This especially includes Mr. Kim and Mr. Min," he said. Namjoon and Yoongi moved closer together at hearing their names. "Please do what I say." Bang gently sobbed. "Please, I just want to go home. I miss my family so much," he said, prompting the concealed figure to push the chair he was in to the ground. "OW!" The video ended.
Yoongi's stomach hurt after seeing the poor man be tortured. He looked at Namjoon. "Oh my God," he said gently. Namjoon nodded slowly.
"And want to know the weirdest thing? The IP address of the link to that video is from San Francisco Bay. America! There's no way they could have brought Bang all the way out there without anyone noticing, right?"
"I don't think so," said Yoongi. "The police report did say Bang was kidnapped he only had his wallet, with cash, credit card, and ID, along with the clothes on his back. What was your other news, dare I ask?"
"Bang kept the operations of his company under complete secrecy, so the police will have to file a warrant that justifies invading the man's privacy to test your theory," said Namjoon. "However, I was given the contact information of one friend of Bang's who might be able to lead us to the possible criminal much sooner."
"Who is it?!" asked Yoongi.
"Park Jin-young. Remember him?"
"No way," said Yoongi.
"Yes, they're cousins!" said Namjoon. "And guess what?" Yoongi didn't answer. "JYP is hiring administrators for their legal department."
Yoongi looked into Namjoon's eyes. "You want us to work at JYP undercover? Don't you think that they'll notice we already worked with them before when they look at our application?"
Namjoon smiled. "Come on, Yoongi! Don't you want to try to relive old memories, and try to have a boring job?" Yoongi pouted. "Do you want to live or no?"
Yoongi sighed. "Fine. Let's apply. But you better not let me be murdered, Namjoon, or I swear I'll never forgive you." Namjoon smiled.
Not surprisingly, Namjoon got both of them hired through sheer wit by the following week. While they were both worried about the lack of updates on Bang's condition since they applied, Namjoon was confident the criminal behind this all was not as clever as it seemed. Not wasting any time on their first day, Namjoon and Yoongi, in company-approved suits with suitcases in hand, went up the fancy elevator of JYP Entertainment all the way to the top floor to talk to Mr. Park himself.
"What if he tells us to go away?" asked Yoongi, rehearsing the plan in his head for the twentieth time that day.
"We tell him that though we 'really appreciate him taking time out of his busy schedule', we need answers to our questions to do our job well," said Namjoon.
Yoongi looked at him. "What if he tells us 'fuck off, you're fired'?" Namjoon gave him a look.
"Then we fuck off and get moving before whoever's behind this knows we're onto them." The elevator let out a high musical note as it reached its destination, and slid open its gold-colored doors to the modern and sleek top floor waiting room.
Yoongi walked up to the secretary, a slim woman with short hair typing furiously. "Hello, we have some information to deliver to Mr. Park personally. It's in connection to his friend Bang Si-Hyuk and is time sensitive, as we believe it will limit our ability to succeed at this company." The secretary gave them a look.
"Gentlemen, Mr. Park is a very busy man. But luckily for you he is currently talking to authorities about a similar matter, so I will have security escort you to meet him and will you promptly thrown out and fired according to protocol if you are not who you make yourselves out to be. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes," said Namjoon calmly. "Thank you. My associate and I are very appreciative of Mr. Park's generosity," answered Namjoon quickly. Right as they got to their seat, a bulky man who was at least four inches taller than the Ilsan man came and led them inside Park's office.
The room was large and beautiful, with exquisite office furniture and stunning windows that looked onto the Seoul skyscape. Park was sitting in a fancy blue suit at his large office chair, speaking to two men with government badges who were also well-dressed. They were in intense discussion and didn't look up when the two detectives entered the room.
"Sirs, the new employees in the legal department claim to have important information on the Bang case. Are they allowed in?" asked the security guard gruffly.
Mr. Park looked at them and then looked at the agents in front of them. "Do you know if these two men are working on this case?"
The two agents turned around, both middle-aged and wearing glasses. Yoongi recognized them both from press conferences that Bang's entertainment company held to inform the public on the nature of the musician's disappearance. "Why, yes," one slowly spoke. "These two are working with us on this case. Please come in, boys."
Relieved, Yoongi pulled up a chair for himself and Namjoon. The taller man led the inquiry. "We were informed that you would be the best informed on the nature of Bang's professional life, Mr. Park, due to your close relationship. Would you happen to know anything related to competitors who would have an interest in Bang going missing?"
"No, no, I do not. I already told the police everything I know and they agree there's nothing anything out of the ordinary that would give them a clue as to what to do now," said Mr. Park seriously. "Please understand, young man. Si-Hyuk is not just family, my own flesh and blood, but also one of my closest friends. I need answers now before Si-Hyuk gets hurt," he said as he held back a tear.
"We understand, Mr. Park. We are working as fast as we can on this case. But we need some more help," said Yoongi. "Based on our limited communications with his captor, we would really appreciate any information about future events Mr. Bang was planning on attending."
Park thought for a moment. "The only thing that comes to mind is that the entertainment industry spread a rumor that there would be a surprise press conference in the upcoming weeks that had been secretly prepared a year in advance. Si-Hyuk and I had talked about it last month and thought it would be exciting to go together whenever it happened if we didn't have meetings planned during that time." He looked to the side. "He did a pretty good job of keeping his private life private despite being a public figure. I really don't know what his plans are. I hope he's alright," he said, full of concern.
Namjoon gave Park a reassuring nod. "Please don't worry, Mr. Park. I'm sure the information you have shared so far is useful. We can't make any promises, but we are Bang will be alright."
Yoongi nodded as well. "We can now go back to work with a refreshed mind knowing all is being done to aid you and your family during this difficult situation, sir. We will now go back to work."
"What? You two? No, you're fired," said Park firmly.
"What?!" said Yoongi.
"No employees of mine will under for me under such blatant pretense. Thank you for trying to help, but get out of my office. Now," demanded Park.
The two government agents looked at the two detectives. The one who hadn't spoke yet decided to raise his voice now. "Gentlemen, blowing your cover like that was unprofessional, though not worthy of revoking your security clearances. Please limit the situation you've created."
"Yes," agreed the other. "Leave immediately."
Namjoon and Yoongi rushed out of the building without a single look back. I wonder how much the criminal behind this knows now, thought Yoongi. The two took the subway back to their office, on-edge and itching to work.
"We have to get going and fast," said Namjoon as he rushed to his desk.
"I know! Do you know where we would store the files we have on suspicious characters in the K-pop industry?" asked Yoongi as he began looking through a file cabinet.
"Yes, that is stored in the third drawer of the second file cabinet to your left."
Yoongi ran and nearly pulled out the entire drawer as he yanked a folder titled "K-P". He flipped through folder, scanning the faces of several producers, executives and even a few singers themselves that had been reported to be involved in shady business practices of various kinds.
"God, the clout you would need to just make someone disappear like that without getting apprehended is ridiculous" said Yoongi. "None of these guys even have a criminal record, they're that good at this."
"Well, with it being a government-funded industry, I don't see why they would feel so pressured to commit crime in the first place. Like, don't they have enough money?" said Namjoon as he jotted the names of venues where music companies had held press conferences in the past year.
Yoongi stopped the stack of files he was reviewing. "Namjoon, that's great! Ugh, I can't believe we hadn't thought of this sooner. See if any of the government officials in the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has a connection to one of the questionable people in K-pop we have records on."
Namjoon jogged to the other side of the office and pulled out a file from the second drawer focused on those who worked in culture-related matters for the industry. "Okay, quick. I'm gonna set these reports down on a table and you're gonna have to help me out by seeing if anyone has a connection somehow.
"Great. Couldn't be easier," said Yoongi. One by one he went to see if anyone had a common education or work history. Not surprisingly, a number of people in both groups went to the SKY universities, so Yoongi tried to group them together. After forty minutes, he stopped at one report when he saw K-pop in the job description. "Namjoon! This guy decided how much funding idol groups could get in the country. He may be who we're looking for! His surname is Yang."
"Great! Let me copy his info and pay him a visit." Namjoon did further research on the mousy man credited with deciding the government budget for the music industry and printed out some news articles that highlighted the man's rise to power.
"Yoongi, if you could keep looking, I think I'm going to confront this government official myself."
"Seriously? No way. We're in this together," said Yoongi. "For all I know, Bang could be dead at this point. I'll bring the other reports and finish looking if you give me a private space to work."
"Deal." Five minutes later, and the two detectives were in a taxi with the partition up heading downtown as Yoongi poured over reports.
Yoongi had finished eyeing over the reports by the time they got to the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism, but the office was about to close in half an hour at 5 pm sharp. Time was of the essence, so both detectives sprinted inside and immediately took the elevator to the floor for the government officials working in the arts.
They got off on the third floor and were able to find Yang's office without too much trouble. Namjoon tried opening the door first, but it was locked. The light was still on, however, so he tried knocking. "Please open up. This is an investigation and we have the right to call law enforcement if you do not cooperate. We only have a few questions to ask," he said as the light inside Yang's office turned off. Yoongi immediately kicked the door near its handle until it jolted open.
Namjoon turned on the light, only to see Yang standing in front of his desk with a knife pointed at him. "What are you two doing here?" he asked solemnly.
"Mr. Yang, we don't any trouble. We are on an investigation and we need your cooperation failure to comply could lead to interrogation and charges of obstruction of justice," said Namjoon as he tried to remain calm.
"I have nothing to say other than leave if you know what's good for you." With that, Namjoon kicked the knife out of the shorter man's hand. Yang yelled in pain as the knife dropped to the floor.
Yoongi quickly picked it up and pointed it at Yang. "Fail to cooperate with us for much longer, and we will make this headline news. How's that for an image?"
The older man gulped. "I had nothing to do with this. I have my orders, is all."
"From who?" asked Namjoon.
Yang looked to the side. "Please leave. Don't worry about this. It will be over soon enough. Just let things take its course."
"W-hat do you know about Bang's disappearance? Speak up now or we'll find the means to make you," said Yoongi.
Yang sighed. "I am not involved with Bang's disappearance. Now please leave. Security will be coming," he said as he took a seat in his office chair.
"You clearly know something. We have reason to believe a government official is behind this situation, and as someone who controls how much the government finances the K-pop industry you are a likely subject. What do you know?" demanded Yoongi.
"Nothing," snarled Yang before picking up his phone to dial. Namjoon came and slammed it back in the receiver.
"YOU ARE ALREADY IN HOT WATER FOR THREATENING US. WE DEMAND AN EXPLANATION," yelled Namjoon.
Yang wrinkled his face. "Just go. You have no right to harass me like this over something I'm not connected to. It would be best for everyone involved if you just left," said Yang.
Namjoon whipped out his work phone and dialed. "Hello, we have a suspect in our case who is not cooperating at the Ministry of Culture-" he began before Yang wrestled the taller man to the ground. Yoongi neared Yang with the knife, causing the older man to step back. The government official made a run to the door, which Yoongi blocked. Yang tried to punch him in the face, but the Daegu man was faster and punched him instead. After a minute, law enforcement arrived.
"This is threatened us with a knife when we tried to investigate him," explained Namjoon. "We believe the disappearance of Bang Si-Hyuk would be in his interest and would like him questioned."
One of the policemen nodded his head. "The dispatcher connected us to government officials, and they believe your work is justified."
The other spoke up. "A security guard is on their way to escort you from the building. Your actions will be investigated, but you will not be arrested for now."
"Thank you, officer," said Namjoon. After the two policemen left he ran to the computer on Yang's desk and inserted a USB port to his hard drive that contained a code that was very successful at logging into other people's accounts. Sure enough, the computer logged in and let an array of Yang's documents available to them. "Where do we begin?" asked Namjoon.
Yoongi looked nervously at the door. "I don't know, just save all his documents onto your drive or something. We have to be fast."
Namjoon poked around the contents of Yang's computer and saw the government official had a fairly simple organization system. He downloaded the entire documents folder onto his drive. Fortunately, the contents finished being transferred right as the security guard knocked on Yang's door.
"Coming!" called out Namjoon as he quickly slid the USB in his pocket, which he held onto with his hand. He opened the door for the security guard to enter.
"This way, gentlemen," he said gruffly with an intent look in his eyes. They quickly followed the security guard to the exit, and ran to the subway to get to their office as quickly as possible.
When they got to their office, there was a letter wedged in their door. Namjoon put on gloves to grab it and quickly read it outloud once inside.
"DEAR FOOLS, THE LIFE OF BANG SI-HYUK IS NOW IN DANGER. HIS EXISTENCE WILL BE TERMINATED. AND IN ADDITION, WE ARE NOW COMING FOR YOU. MAY THIS REST HEAVILY ON YOUR CONSCIOUS."
"SHIT," cried out Yoongi. "We're doomed. They have us. They're literally going to kill Bang, I can't believe this."
"We can't give up yet, Yoongi. We have to move. Quick, uh, double-reference the big three with running operations in Japan and the United States," said Namjoon, trying to be a leader.
"That's literally all of them! The fact that the communications from the person behind this are coming from bodies of water is a bad sign too," said Yoongi. "How could we interrogate people who could be linked to this if they're so far away?"
Namjoon sighed and plopped in his office chair. He spun the chair against a wall and tilted his head back, trying to avoid the cold sensation in his limbs and the sweat dripping from his forehead. "Okay. It's, well, let's think. The person over the phone had a Seoul dialect, right?"
"Right."
"And Bang disappeared from a normal day of work in the city, right?"
"Yes."
"Bang has to be somewhere in Seoul."
"Great, that narrows it down the suspect to some 9 million people, Namjoon."
"Ah, keep your attitude to yourself. We need to rescue that man," Namjoon said as he began tapping a pen against his desk.
All of a sudden, the phone rang. Namjoon jumped and picked the phone up immediately putting it on speaker. "Hello? Hello?"
"Hello, Mr. Kim? It's the agency. JYP Entertainment is having a surprise press conference starting right now at the venue they always use near them. Get going."
Yoongi's mouth dropped. "Right away, sir!" Namjoon hung up, running out the door with Yoongi joining behind him. "Someone in JYP is behind this."
Yoongi open the taxi door from his side that was facing the street before he sprinted into the venue, with Namjoon quickly following behind. They showed the security at the entrance their JYP employee ID that they had kept just in case, and rushed into the auditorium where the press conference was happening.
The room was filled with journalists chatting loudly, furiously taking notes on pads and snapping many pictures with cameras, bathing the front of the room with bright light. There were was also a block of older men in fancy suits, which Yoongi assumed were part of SM's elite. Namjoon and Yoongi had to find a corner at the back of the room to see what was causing so much At the front of the room at a table facing the audience was none other than Bang Si-Hyuk, sitting next to two senior managers of SM Entertainment.
Namjoon couldn't believe his eyes. Bang looked extremely tired and his face shined under the light. Park, in contrast, looked delighted to be speaking to the press. He looked eagerly at every corner of the room, while Bang looked off into the horizon. The three men wore matching gray suits, which made the contrast between their demeanor that more obvious.
"Hello, everyone," began one of the managers. The room went silent. "I am happy to announce that SM has signed an unprecedented deal with Mr. Bang Si-Hyuk. His company, Big Hit Entertainment, has merged as a hip hop and R&B-oriented division of SM after negotiating a deal for an unprecedented 11 billion won." The audience broke in applause. "As part of this agreement, Mr. Bang Si-Hyuk will now serve as one of our executive producers. We are fortunate to have him join our team." More applause came from the crowd.
"What do we do now?" asked Yoongi.
"Report the abuse," whispered Namjoon.