Chapter Text
When accusations are made
The letter arrived in a plain white envelope, with no stamp or return address. That alone should have raised concerns, but Jungkook opened it instinctively, before he even had time to take off his jacket.
The paper was thick and looked official. At the top was the FIDE logo.
"Dear Mr. Jeon Jungkook, in connection with an anonymous report submitted to the Ethics Committee, we hereby inform you of the initiation of formal proceedings regarding suspected match-fixing in the following competitions..."
Then there was a list. Short. Precise. Merciless.
Three draws with Jimin. Two "unusual strategic moves" at key moments in other competitions.
Jungkook felt as if someone had pulled the plug out of his spine. He sat down heavily on the edge of the sofa and continued reading until he reached the sentence that made his heart leap into his throat.
"Failure to appear will be considered an admission of guilt and will result in lifetime disqualification."
"No..." he whispered. "This can't be happening."
At that moment, the kitchen door opened. Jimin walked in with two cups of coffee, stopped when he saw Jungkook's face, and one of the cups slipped out of his hand and shattered on the floor.
"What happened?" he asked cautiously.
Jungkook handed him the letter.
Jimin quickly read it, his face growing more and more stern with each sentence.
"They're accusing us of match fixing..." he finally said quietly. "Officially."
"Do you have the same letter?"
Jimin nodded and pointed to the envelope on the table.
"Same date. Same commission."
"Someone wants to destroy us," Jungkook stood up and began pacing the room. "They know we're together. They know how this will look."
The phone rang almost immediately.
"Did you see the letter?" Seokjin's voice was tense.
"Yes."
"This is very serious. If the commission finds grounds, you could lose everything. A lawyer is on his way to you. The best I know."
Kang Dongmin arrived an hour later. Calm, composed, with the eyes of a man who had seen worse.
"First, the facts," he said, laying out the documents. "What exactly do they have against you?"
"Nothing," Jimin replied without hesitation. "We never fixed a single game."
"I know. Now we have to prove it."
For the next few days, they lived in a closed loop. Analyses, replays, move records, opinions from independent grandmasters. Every game was broken down into its constituent parts.
"This move only looks strange to someone who doesn't understand the context of the position," explained one of the experts. "It was the only way to maintain balance."
A week before the hearing, Dongmin received an anonymous message.
"Check Kim Taehyung's financial flows."
"He's one of your biggest rivals," said the lawyer, frowning. "And one of those who criticized your draws the most."
The detective hired by Dongmin returned after three days.
"A transfer of half a million dollars. A foreign account. Connections to Victoria Shin's people."
"He set us up," Jungkook said with quiet fury.
"One more thing," Dongmin added. "We need a confession."
Jimin stared out the window for a long time, then reached for his phone.
"I'll call him."
The conversation was short. And sufficient.
"You deserved it," Taehyung shouted on the other end. "Yes, I took the money. And I would do it again."
The recording was clear. There was no doubt about it.
In Zurich, the commission listened in silence. Analyses. Transfers. Recording.
After an hour, they returned.
"The charges are unfounded," announced the chairman. "You are completely cleared of all charges. We are initiating proceedings against the person who made the false report."
Outside, light snow was falling.
Jimin hugged Jungkook tightly.
"They tried to break us."
"And they failed."
They stood there in silence for a moment, knowing that this was not the last storm. But also knowing something even more important.
That they would never be alone in it again.