Chapter Text
Lee Minho’s Magical Detective Agency, The City of Newfair, 19:17pm.
‘It’s Binnie. Dead Body in Alley by Fairbold Street. Sixth Avenue. Cpt’s Assistant. Tell Min he better get his ass here. He might not be on the force, but we’re gonna need his skills. Don’t tell him I said that bit.’
Lee Minho was not a man to question the seriousness of his old colleague's text, but he also wasn’t in a rush.
“Min! We really need to-”
“In a minute! I’m almost done!” The Detective interjected.
All he got was a soft sigh from the landing above.
The basement was still as Minho softly stirred in two more ingredients, the potion almost complete. Opening a jar, he sprinkled in a little of its content before bringing a ladle up to observe the mixture.
“This better work...”
Bringing the spoon to his lips, he let the liquid swirl into his mouth before a rare smile appeared on his lips.
“I did it!”
“Congrats, you made Chicken Soup in Jeongin’s favourite cauldron!” Hyunjin yelled from above again, this time with such force that their other roommate would no doubt here.
“HE DID WHAT?!” A squeal came from somewhere on the second floor, if Minho had to guess.
Not that he cared. He paid for this store, he owned this cauldron, and he’d damn well make soup in it if he wished to. Pouring some into his flask, the detective trotted up the stairs where his business partner stood waiting for him.
“You look like shit.” Hyunjin moaned as footsteps echoed from the stairwell above.
Frowning, Minho glanced in the mirror on the wall. His dark brown hair was long, the bags beneath his eyes defined, and the clothes he wore were dry but always looked a little... damp.
“I look great, especially standing next to you,” Minho smirked back, and Hyunjin merely rolled his eyes.
If gods had made people, Hyunjin would have been made by the finest sculpture in all of the lands. Long blonde hair that fell to his shoulders, a symmetrical face that could have put him in any magazine went along with a waistline to die for, and an ass that wouldn’t quit.
“Please, you look like a hobo who followed me home.”
“You can be homeless if you want.” Minho threatened with a chuckle before picking his keys up from the counter. “Jeongin, we’re going out! Water the snapping turtles, please! And feed Barry!”
The door to the upstairs of the shop swung open immediately, Jeongin peering out with his pale face and dark eyes.
“You used my Cauldron to make soup?!” Jeongin looked frantic.
Not that this was anything unusual.
Jeongin always looked frantic.
“Yes, chicken. Help yourself. We’ll be back in a bit. Don’t forget about Barry!” Minho pointed to the cage hanging just behind the counter, where a single white and red sock lay inside.
“What kind of chicken? Cause you know I’m a bit fussy about it... or did you forget?” The young-looking man pouted.
“Ugh, vegans.”
“I’m not vegan; I’m literally a vam-”
Minho swung the shop door shut and stepped out into the darkness, the lights flickering from what was undoubtedly another electrical surge.
Glancing back at the neon sign which read: ‘Lee Minho’s Magical Detective Agency’, the aforementioned detective couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride in what they’d accomplished in the last decade.
Sure, was the Agency busy? No. Did they have to have a bookstore in the front to entice people in? Yes. Did it work? Not really.
But they were happy, Hyunjin and Minho shared the costs of rent, and their savings were significant that neither needed a client.
They’d built an agency from the ground up. They’d forged a friendship that couldn’t be broken. They’d-
“Hyunjin, stop narrating everything like we’re at the start of a fucking movie.” Minho immediately bit, the blonde dropping his mid-Atlantic newscaster impression.
“Sorry. You know how I get around...”
“Dead bodies? I know. Hey, look on the bright side; there’ll be no awkward social situations we have to drag each other through!” Minho grinned, attempting to cheer up his ‘assistant’.
Boy, was he wrong about that.
“No CORE badge, you ain’t getting past.” The CORE officer folded his arms, eyes unimpressed as Minho flashed his own badge.
CORE – The Catalyst of Righteous Enchantment, AKA, the Magical Police Force of Planet Earth.
And in Newfair, where magical and non-magical people worked side by side, they were the main enforcers. The big cheese. The long spaghetti. The-
“Why the fuck is he narrating everything?” The officer nodded to Hyunjin, who put away his voice recorder once more.
“It’s a new annoying habit he’s picked up.” Minho glared for a moment before looking over the officer’s shoulder. “Hey! Doggie! Over here! Woof Woof! Good Boy!”
The officer glanced back in time to see a shorter, muscular man approaching.
Detective Seo Changbin.
“Oooooh, do you want a treat? If so, get rid of this fucker, please.”
“Firstly, call me doggy again and see what happens. Secondly, let them through; they’re with me.” Changbin sighed as he nodded to the officer before his eyes fell on Minho's friend. “Hyunnybunny.”
“BinBin.”
“Minho!” Minho said out loud as the two stared at each other for longer than the Detective cared for. “Sorry, just wanted to remind you two I’m still here before you stop eye fucking and start actually fucking.”
“S-Shut up.” Hyunjin blushed as he suddenly became enamoured by his backpack.
“Crime scene is this way.” Changbin sighed, leading them further down the alley and towards where a badly burnt body lay. “It’s Jenkin’s all right.”
Minho had met Jenkins multiple times during his employment at CORE. He was a nice enough man, a bit of a square, and a loser. Jenkins would often sneeze into his hand and wipe it on his trousers. And—eh, who was Minho kidding? The man was just another dead body now.
“Jinkee’s Jenkins, you got fucked up, mate.” Minho kicked the body once, watching the dust particles float through the air.
“Can you not? Chan will have my head if he knows I’ve let you here. Just do what you do best, work out what killed him... cause all our scanners are getting interference.”
Minho’s face went deadly serious at the mention of ‘His’ name, and after a moment of silence, the detective turned to look at Hyunjin. His good mood had also vanished in an instant.
“I’m surprised you didn’t just ask him to come here and do this...” Hyunjin suggested as Minho began to rifle through his own bag.
“He’s dealing with a homicide in the South Quarter. Not enough sorcerers to go around anymore, and tech can’t really shine a candle to magic.” Changbin explained as he smiled softly at the blonde.
“Two pinches of frog blood, a handful of dew from the early morning mist, one teaspoon of dragon shavings, and a Twix.” Minho motioned as he pulled out chalk, beginning to run a symbol through the ground.
A world of magic. A world of sorcery. That was Lee Minho’s world.
“I forgot the Twix...” Hyunjin said with a shaky breath, instantly biting his bottom lip.
“How could you forget the Twix!? Are you an idiot?! Do I not pay you enough to fucking bring me-”
“Hey! Stop.” Changbin intervened, his eyes glancing between the two as Hyunjin looked close to tears. “I’ll get the Twix. There's no need to bully him, god. Just when I think you can’t get any worse.”
Minho just rolled his eyes as the other detective gave the blonde a softer look before he turned and walked to the other end of the alley, no doubt looking for the nearest vending machine.
“Okay, I feel bad for that.” Hyunjin sighed as he blinked away the crocodile tears.
“I don’t. He’s a good doggie when he goes play fetch.” Minho chuckled before his friend slapped him on the arm. “Ow. That hurt.”
“Just get on with it before he comes back. I don’t know why you think we can’t trust him; he's a cutie. And he's funny. And he took me out last week to-you're not even listening to me, are you... fine, I'll go look for the Familiar Door; maybe it’s still around here somewhere.” Hyunjin clarified as he pulled out an All-Seeing Torch, the runes engraved on the device allowing it to illuminate usually hidden objects.
“I doubt the familiar is still here...”
Minho’s heart hurt. Familiars were creatures tied to a Sorcerer, Alchemist, Oracle, etc, from the day their magical abilities appeared. They would help with spells and keep the magical person company throughout their many centuries of life.
And when that person died, it was said that their Familiar went through a magical door that only it could see, vanishing from this world to realms unknown.
Nobody knew why or how, but most believed that when their wards had passed, they returned home.
Jenkin’s familiar had been a parrot called ‘Epskey.’
Minho’s familiar was... had been-
“I found this!” Hyunjin called as Minho almost finished up the spell.
Dropping a shiny cufflink in his gloved hand, Minho observed the small fastener. A silver rose was marked into its head, whilst everything else suggested it was unremarkable.
“Should we tell Changbin?”
“Let’s... enquire first. If we solve this before them, the Captain won’t have any way out of at least paying us for it. And think of the business we might get off the back of it.” Minho clarified before pocketing the evidence.
With a few more whispered words, the incantation was finished, and the chalk lines began to alight around the corpse. A deep red shone across the alley, and Hyunjin instinctively took a step back.
“I call on the Whispered One, on the Book of Samael and the Harpless Voices. Show me the truth; show me what you see.”
Minho felt his world fall back, his eyes turning white as the entire alleyway seemed to twist. Then a snap of his neck had him rushing back, forced into the shadows, a helpless bystander watching as Jenkins slammed against the wall, crying out only to make no sound.
A hooded figure approached, and Minho felt his spell strain to ascertain who exactly he was looking at. He did not see a face. Did not hear any words. No incantation.
But he felt it. He felt it in his bones. A snap of a finger. A crackle of magic so forbidden it made him want to vomit. And then reality changed, and Jenkin’s was nothing more than a smoking corpse.
The figure turned, but there was nothing beneath the hood. It was just. Nothingness.
With what felt like the force of a freight train, Minho was thrown forward so violently that he would have struck the wall if not for Hyunjin’s iron grip on his arms.
“Fuck.” Minho fell to a knee.
“That seemed more intense than usual.” The blonde whispered as he rubbed at his friend’s back, trying to soothe his pain.
That was the cost of magic. No spell came with ease. The more evocations you called upon, the higher the price. Three evocations meant maybe hours of lethargy, though there was no actual science to it.
But this felt worse, this was worse.
“I-I got the Twix!” Changbin breathed as he jogged back up the alley. “W-Wait, did you already do the spell?”
Minho just nodded, hand reaching out to snatch the chocolate.
“Then what was the point of the Twix?” The detective’s patience running thin at his visitor's annoying tactics.
“We like chocolate. But before you ask, no, you can’t have any; it’s poisonous for dogs.” Minho smirked as he handed Hyunjin the left Twix as always.
“One more werewolf joke, and I’m gonna kick your ass.”
“What, all the way from down there?” Minho could do this all night.
Hyunjin got in between the two before they could squabble any further over the dead remains, even if he were unable to speak, given all of the chocolate now stuffed in his mouth.
“What did you actually see?” The blonde tried to pull his friend back on track, and Minho stopped smirking as his mind returned.
“I think... I think it was the Butcher. I think he got another one... it was definitely...” The Detective gulped as he looked at the remains, remembering the fear in Jenkin’s eyes.
“Black Magic?” Changbin looked like he was going to throw up, and for once, Minho didn’t feel like taking the piss out of him. “Fuck... I’m gonna have to call in... so many fucking people. I would advise you both get out of here before Ch-”
Minho was already turned on his heel, picking up his bag and striding out of the alley without a second's hesitation at the mention of ‘His’ name.
“S-See you soon... sorry about the Twix.”
“N-No problem, yeah, see you s-soon... hope we're still on for friday!”
Minho couldn’t help the eye-roll that happened as he heard his friend and the werewolf whisper their goodbyes. Instead, he pushed past the Core Officer, now fending off a bunch of reporters, who, in turn, decided Minho was going to offer them a scoop.
“Can we hear your thoughts on-”
“Nope.” The Detective blanked them, ignoring their questions.
“Could it be the work of The Butcher?”
“Don’t know who that is.” He liked lying to the press.
“You’re a detective! Why aren’t you doing more to stop all of these violent murders?!”
Minho merely looked the pixie up and down as her wings fluttered before stepping around her and continuing his way down the street.
Footsteps hurried to catch up with him, and soon enough, Hyunjin was by his side.
“That was crazy... so many people...” The blonde gulped as he kept close to Minho.
“Yeah, and all of them thinking it’s just another random psycho out there... not...”
“A Black magic user?”
Black Magic. It wasn’t Necromancy. It wasn’t Eternal Embers. It wasn’t even Mind Control, all of which were outlawed. No. Black Magic was the worst of the worst. Untold destruction and creation without any limit. It sent nearly all of its users insane, all of reality theirs to unravel.
“I remember hearing about the town of Eagle’s Hearth... can’t believe it’s been twenty years since then.”
No one knew about the most recent case, only a decade ago—only him and Hyunjin. After all, it had been Minho’s last case as an official Core Detective, dealing with someone who had used powerful Magic, the ramifications of which changed the course of his life forever. But that was another story for another day.
“Yeah...” Minho replied, thinking of the town of Eagle’s Hearth, remembering reading the news. “In all my ninety-two years on this earth, that one still freaks me out today.”
“An entire town... folded in on itself by someone insane. I can't believe Changbin was from there, he was so lucky to be out of the city when...” Hyunjin shivered as a light breeze blew through. “They say that when Core went to deal with it... all they found was...”
“A marble-sized sphere with the remains of every citizen, animal and building inside of it... yeah, I know. That’s why we have to stop them. We can’t let a Black Magic user be corrupted to the point of losing their mind; otherwise, we’ll all be at risk.” Minho sighed, softly placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “The people might know the Butcher is a serial killer, but they can’t find out that this person wields that kind of power... it could start riots or worse.”
“I know.” Hyunjin nodded in agreement.
“Come on, let’s-”
In the dim street lights, a loud clattering echoed out from a nearby alley, and the pair jumped from their skins as they turned.
“Hello?” Minho called out, unaware that anyone had been around them on this quiet city street. “Is someone- For fuck sake, Hyunjin!”
“What?!” Hyunjin replied with utter innocence as he turned the safety off on the Glock in his hand. “It’s for protection!”
“Where did you even get a gun?!”
“The gun shop!”
“Okay, I should have seen that coming, but why do you have it?!” Minho tried not to sound exasperated. He failed.
“You can cast spells. Jeongin is super strong and fast, and all I can do is pray one of you is with me when I’m violently attacked!” The blonde began, furiously waving his gun arm all over the place. “Plus, Changbin said we should always use protection!”
“Stop- He said what?! Never mind- Just stop waving that fucking thing around; you’ll take someone’s eye out-give it to me!” Minho managed to snatch the weapon from his friend, sighing as he clicked the safety back on. “You don’t need a gun; I’ve taught you enough to keep you safe no matter what magical being you might face.”
“Oh, I can handle magical beings, but what about the most dangerous creature on earth?!”
“Don’t say Ma-”
“MAN. I can’t sprinkle fairy dust on Jerry from the kebab shop and hope it’ll burn through him like a capibara. Can I?!” Hyunjin was becoming more and more dramatic the longer the black-haired man allowed the conversation to go on.
“You’re ridiculous. Come on, let’s go home before you feel the need to go full-on vigilante.” Minho dragged his friend along, thankful they were not far from their little shop/agency.
“Fine... but, ya know, if you didn’t want me to carry a gun, you shouldn’t have enchanted my backpack to be bigger on the inside!”
“T-That... That makes literally no sense.”
“You make literally no sense-”
The western quarter of Newfair wasn’t exactly the nicest area of the city, with run-down shops and multiple gangs running the show when the sun fell. But none of them bothered Minho and, by proxy, Hyunjin or Jeongin.
After all, Minho was regarded as a fairly powerful arcane practitioner, and he had also made it clear he wouldn’t have an issue cursing any of them.
There was a reason Changbin had called him. Sorcerers trained in divination were few and far between, and Minho and his former partner at the Core had been two of only a handful. There were more banshees on the force than sorcerers.
It's not that they were going extinct; their population had always been low, but fewer were interested in joining dangerous fields and would rather work on science or in the arts than solve crimes, which made Minho a rare commodity.
Until his partner had gotten him fired and ruined his reputati-
“Earth to Minho, are you even listening to me?” Hyunjin waved with a glare.
“No. What?”
“I was saying, don’t forget to give Jeongin the cufflink when we get back, okay?” His friend shook his head affectionately as if not at all bothered by Minho’s cold tone.
That was the thing about Hyunjin.
He always knew what Minho meant, despite his lack of people skills and uncaring persona.
“You got it, boss.” The Detective smirked, only for the blonde to slap his arm.
The shop's flickering Neon sign looked a little shabby these days, but the brunette couldn’t find it in him to care. No one came here for cottage core aesthetics.
“Jeongin, we’re- fuck.” Hyunjin stopped dead, and Minho immediately barged into him as a result.
“Fuck, what?!” Minho questioned from behind his friend.
“WELCOME HOME!” Jeongin smiled with wild, bloodshot eyes, a steaming cup of blood resting on the counter as he continued to tie a red string across one of several pins. “Guess what I’ve been doing?!”
“Making another Conspiracy Board?” The Detective sighed as he shut the front door behind Hyunjin and himself. “And what happens if we get a customer?”
“We do. Mrs Perrywinkle is already here.” Jeongin pointed to the corner where the little old regular was sitting with a milky coffee and a stack of books.
“Hello Boys. He’s hard at work again, isn’t he?” She chuckled, well aware of Jeongin and his… work.
As Hyunjin chatted with their elderly customer, Minho glanced at the board now wedged in the corner of the shop. Multiple books had been scattered to the floor during the process, and the detective could already feel Hyunjin’s OCD growling from where he stood. Red string looped across different photos of people Minho didn’t recognise, all with different words scribbled in.
Jeongin was a vampire whom Minho had met and seemingly adopted nearly eight years ago. A Daywalker, to be exact. He was strong, fast, unaffected by any weaknesses the sun had on most Vamps and utterly loveable when he wasn’t being batshit insane. Which unfortunately, was 99% of the time.
“Okay, I think I’ve narrowed it down. This is Marcus Jimmy. Guess where he works?” Jeongin was excitedly poking one face on his board of ‘suspects.’
“Please don’t say-”
“Avon. It’s gonna be fucking Avon. We all know you’re about to say Avon!” Hyunjin cried from further down the shop as he began to bring Mrs Perrywinkle’s books up to scan.
“Then you would be correct! I finally linked that-”
“No. Jeongin… No. Avon, darling, is a beauty company.”
“Or, and hear me out, it’s a beauty company run by a cabal of evil, murderous vampire hunters!”
This had been Jeongin’s running theory for all the years Minho had known him. He didn’t know where it began, and the younger always refused to say, but it filled Jeongin’s life every day and night.
“And this woman, Carol!” The name was written in black, with a string encircling it to make a point. “Is the big daddy! The evil genius! It’s taken me years to track her down; so much hacking through data mines just to find a whisper of her. She’s not the CEO, she’s the fucking founder! And it turns out she’s right here in the city! Which means all I have to do is get to her and-”
“Okay, that’s enough of that.” Minho snapped his fingers and, with a whisper to an eldritch pantheon, sent the board into Jeongin’s bedroom and out of the way. “Come on, we’re gonna have dinner.”
“But-”
“No buts! Thank you, Mrs. Perrywinkle. Have a good night.” The Detective tried to smile, not entirely sure if he got it right. “Lock the door, Jin. I’m tired.”
“Yes, sir!” The blonde saluted with a mischievous grin as he flipped the sign closed.
“I’m going to bed!” Jeongin grumbled, pouting his way out of the room and up the stairs.
Minho hated the way the vampire would sulk, but he had to remind himself that the younger wasn’t a child, at least not physically. Jeongin was somewhere in his seventies, though he’d never actually narrowed the number down every time Minho had tried to find out. But that’s just how their little vampire was, and Minho accepted him for it.
“What about the cufflink?” Hyunjin reminded the brunette softly with a smile, but Minho just shrugged.
“It can wait until the morning; he’ll be happier to do it then, anyway.” The Detective smiled as he pocketed the evidence once more. “It’s not like anything bad is going to happen overnight, is it?”
-
Lee Minho’s Magical Detective Agency, 07:03am.
‘LEE MINHO! When you read this! RING ME! WE ARE IN THE SHIT & ISTG I’M GONNA KILL U!’
Minho sighed as he re-read Changbin’s message, confused and bleary-eyed while trying to sit himself up in bed.
“Min! You up?” Hyunjin called through the door, knowing full well the Detective would be.
“Unfortunately, what is it?”
“You might want to check the ‘Newfair News’ front page!” his friend sounded a little frantic before his footsteps were heard padding away down the stairs.
“Newfair News… what the fuck…” The man paused, reading the main headline as it flashed up on his phone.
‘Black Magic Murderer?! Private Detective Lee Minho reveals the truth!’
That’s right, folks and friends of Newfair News! Last night, I got the chance to speak with Lee Minho of his aforementioned Magical Detective Agency and was stunned as he leaked to me the details of the serial killer who yesterday evening claimed their third victim. In a shocking new development, it appears the monster that CORE has so far failed to catch is a wielder of Black Magic! We’ve sent a request for comment from the governing body, but have so far not received a reply. Are we in danger?! Is our city about to be folded in on itself by a deranged madman, mirroring the awful events almost two decades ago in Eagle’s Hearth?! Read more on Page 3!
“WHAT THE FUCK?!” Minho’s eyes flared with angle, the lights around his bed flickering. “WHO THE FUCK-”
Searching for the byline, the sorcerer found a name glaring back at him.
A name for a person he was about to fuck up in the most terrible of ways.
“HYUNJIN! GET YOUR GUN! WE’RE GOING SNITCH SHOOTING!”
Minho climbed from the bed, swiftly dressing himself as he prepared for all-out war on the lying reporter, whose name still lay glaring up at him.
‘Han Jisung, Magical Crime Correspondent.’
“Get ready to write up an article on your own funeral, Han Jisung!”