Chapter 8

Sheriff’s Station- Interrogation Room, 8:30am

“Have you called my parents?” Mark asked the sheriff. He was trying to stay as calm as possible. He knew he didn’t do anything wrong so he doesn’t feel the need to fight off the authorities. “Yes, of course, Mark.” The sheriff informed him.

“Shall we begin?” Mr. Kim asked to which the younger just nodded. He was biting his lips uncontrollably not knowing what the outcome of the investigation might be. The guy was losing himself in his own thoughts until the sheriff spoke again, snapping him back to reality. “We were able to retrieve Hyunwoo’s phone by the river bank this morning, Mark. We managed to make it work again and the last message we found there was yours.”

Mark just remained silent. He just kept listening to the older. “’You’re not having second thoughts about this, are you?’, ‘You will regret it…’, ‘I’m going to make sure you will’” Sheriff Kim read the last few messages Mark has sent to his late boyfriend. “Sounds like you two were supposed to meet and you were threatening him, Tuan. Why did you say such things to your own lover?”

Before the younger could start speaking, Mr. Kim spoke again. “Tell me, Mark. Were you or were you not in Sunset River during the morning of August 21?” The addressed guy bit his lip shortly again before he let out a sigh and closed his eyes. “I was.”

“Did you go there to meet the victim?” he asked once again.

“I did.”

“Seems like you stopped texting him a few minutes after 7am. Why is that? Were you with him that time already?”

“No.” the sheriff stared at the guy in front of him. “Explain further.” He ordered.

“We never met that day. We were going to run away from this town. But it was taking him too long to arrive at our agreed destination. Before I could even see a shadow of him, my parents got to me already and dragged my back home.” The younger said firmly.

“So, what about the texts? It really sounds like a threat to me.” Sheriff pushed further.

“Sir, I wasn’t able to communicate with him 3 days before the date we decided to push through with our plan. I was getting frustrated that he wasn’t reply to my messages that day because I’ve been waiting for him for a long time. I’m his lover. And often times, we get annoyed at each other for a lot of different things.” He explained.

“Well, it’s a standard procedure that I talk to you since you were the last person who messaged him and not to mention, the messages sounded deadly. I will let you go for now but I might bring you in again for questioning in the future. Also, wait for me outside. While your parents aren’t here yet, I would like to talk to you about something.”

“Understood, sir.” Then Mark walked out of the room and into the front yard of the sheriff’s station.

As Sheriff Kim stood beside Mark, he told the younger something he wasn’t ready to hear. “Mark, you said your parents got to you before Hyunwoo did, correct?”

“Yes.”

“So, the only people who knew about you and Hyunwoo meeting in that place was you and your parents?”

Mark turned his face to the sheriff and looked at the older with a frown on his face. “What are you getting at, Mr. Kim? The younger hissed.

“I know this is a bit hard for you to think of and consider but have you ever thought that maybe your folks were somehow involved in Hyunwoo’s death? I mean tell me, after they brought you back home, were they with you inside the house?”

Mark was about to start saying some hateful words towards the sheriff but a realization dawned upon him. A realization he knew would be difficult for him to accept and swallow.

“Well, my mom was.” He widened his eyes and gulped, “My dad wasn’t.” He added in a low and small voice.

“I know about the little investigation my son and you guys have. It helps a lot, actually. The mayor is still cutting budget and work force from the case. I’m sorry I can’t do anything to make the investigation faster.”

“I understand, sir. It’s fine.” Mark answered before his parents’ car pulled up in front of the office. He went it, still dazed about the theory he heard from Mr. Kim just a few minutes ago.

Mrs. Tuan faced him from the passenger seat. “You okay, honey?” she asked worriedly. Mark looked at his father through the rearview mirror before looking at his mom.

“Y-yeah, mom. I’m good.”

As soon as the Tuan’s car left, Jinyoung just arrived at the station. “Hmm you just missed him, son. He just left with his parents just now. By the way, I kind of told him to observe his parents a little bit.”

Jinyoung immediately understood what the sheriff means by that. “Thanks for trying to share that idea to him, sir. I’m going to head back now.”

“Be safe, kid. And tell Yugyeom he can’t come home later than 12am!” He shouted as Jinyoung was getting further away in a motorcycle he was riding on with Jackson as the driver.

Tuan’s residence, 7:24pm

Mark was lying in his bed while he stares at his ceiling. He was still thinking about what Yugyeom’s father told him a while ago. Was it really possible that his dad was somehow involved in it? Aside from the fact that only he and his parents knew that Hyunwoo would also be there, there was the feud between the two families that came way from way back. He was scared to know the truth but he knew he had to.

He decided to go downstairs when his mom called his name for dinner.

After the meal, Mark was starting to wash the dishes when his father entered the kitchen to get a glass of water. The younger heaves a breath. ‘Just do it, Mark. Just ask him.’ He thought, trying to encourage himself.

“Dad?” he started. His father turned to him and answered him after gulping a whole glass of water. “Yes, son?”

“I’m just curious. How did the Tuans and the Ims’ feud began?” He asked carefully, attempting to sound like he was not being suspicious of his own father.

His dad looked at him with a crooked expression. He was frowning and smiling at the same time. Almost like he couldn’t believe his son actually asked him that question. “You suddenly care about it now?” Mr. Tuan huffed.

Mark cocked his head to the side while he leans on the sink behind him. He absentmindedly nodded and inhaled sharply. “Well, since Hyunwoo’s not here anymore, I think I can listen to it already.” He said casually as if his hands weren’t shaking caused by the anxiousness of possibly finding out something he didn’t want to hear.

“Okay…” His father started while he was putting the pitcher back in the refrigerator. “Both families actually used to be very, very, close.” He emphasized.

“So, what happened?” the younger asked impatiently. His father played with the rim of the glass he was drinking from a while ago. “Business happened, son. Your great grandfather was business partners with Hyunwoo’s great grandfather. More than that, they were actually friends. But one day your great grandfather just decided he didn’t like how his partner was running the business. They had a falling out and the rest is history.”

“That’s it? Well, why do we have to hate them until now?” the young man stated. His father shook his head and gave him a small smile but the younger could see resentment in his father’s eyes, “We don’t want to be associated with dirty hands now, do we? They’re all souls filled with other’s blood. Every. Single. One. Of them.” Then Mark saw something flash across the older guy’s expression. Something that’s close to disgust and pure hatred.

“Are you saying Hyunwoo is a killer?” Mark was getting a bit riled up because of Mr. Tuan’s words and because the possibility of the theory the sheriff suggested just kept increasing every time his dad opens his mouth that moment. “I’m certain of one thing. Not one of them has pure soul, remember that, son.”

“Shut up! He’s gone already and you speak ill of him? How can you be so cruel?” Mark shouted when he let his emotions get the best of him. His mom entered the room upon hearing the loud noise and asked what was going on. “What makes you think your soul is clean, then? You think you are any different than them? For all I know, blood might have been on your hands too. You knew Hyunwoo was meeting me in that place that day. I can see too much hatred in you that it could be possible you were the one who murd-“ Mark couldn’t finish his words when his mother slapped him across his face.

“I dare you to finish those words, young man.” His mother said with obvious disappointment in her eyes. “I can’t believe you could say that to your father. Let alone accuse him of something so serious.” Then she left the kitchen dragging her husband with her.

Mark fell down the floor and started weeping his eyes out again. Everything was taking a toll on him already.

On the other hand, the couple went inside their room. After making sure their son was out of earshot, Mrs. Tuan started glaring at Mr. Tuan. “You need to tell him the truth, Ray. He deserves to know it already. I can’t keep coming to your rescue. I can’t keep covering up your dirty secret for you. I don’t even know how your conscience can take it.”