“Unfortunately, Sooyoung’s hunch is right.” Siwon informed the team through video call without preamble. “Joon Aejung committed suicide last September.”

Kyuhyun perched himself on the table where Kris’s laptop sat. “How?”

“Hanging.”

The base was silent for a long while. Boa, who had been invited to join them for the video call, had gone sheet white on the couch she occupied on her own, wringing her hands together nervously. Yunho had clenched his jaw; his gaze hardening as Sooyoung and Yoona held his hands comfortingly with the taller of the two running her free hand up and down the raven haired man’s back.

“It coincides with the time the disturbances here in the orphanage started.” Changmin murmured. “Was there a suicide note?”

The officer shook his head in the negative. “I’m afraid not. Actually, her death is a big puzzle to her relatives. They don’t recall anything off in the days and weeks leading to her death.”

“There must be something she was hiding then.” Heechul’s eyebrows furrowed. “No one commits suicide for no reason at all.”

“Anything else you found out, Siwon?” Kris asked.

Again, he shook his head in the negative. “I’m still trying to gather more evidence. I’ve a list of people to interview after this call.”

“We shouldn’t keep you from them then.” Changmin smiled gratefully. “Thanks, Siwon.”

“No problem.”

Once the video call had ended, Boa was up on her feet and shakily approaching Yunho, prompting Sooyoung to vacate her seat for the older woman. “Yunho, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” But he did not smile nor did he even look at her.

Boa frowned. “You don’t have to hide anything from me.”

“Boa, I’m fine.”

If it were at all possible, the tension in the room increased tenfold as everyone else watched Yunho and Boa. Yunho greeted his teeth, pretty much ready to storm out of the base when Yoona suddenly got up on her feet, tugging on his hands rather impatiently and asked him to go on a walk with her with a smile that dared him to protest even when it was clear that he was going to lose. Sighing in defeat, he relented, standing from the sofa and allowing the brunette to drag him away; the door to the base closing with a soft click.

“What was that about?”

“What was what about?”

Yoona elbowed him not so kindly in the ribs. “Why were you being so cold to Boa? For someone you’ve known nearly all your life, you sure are ignoring her a lot.”

Yunho scowled for a moment, rubbing his side, before he sighed. “It’s not that.”

Yoona paused to smile brightly at the kids who greeted them as they passed by one of the learning centers. “Then explain it to me and cut out the bull, please.”

“Boa and I… We were really close when we were kids.” He began tentatively as they continued their walk around the orphanage. “I came here at the age of 7 and she came here a year later. There were a lot of us, even back then, but I was always closer to her. Maybe it’s ‘cause we’re of the same age or maybe it’s ‘cause when we were asked to do performances, we’d both end up as the dancers. But we were really close. She was my best friend.”

“Was?”

“Cruella became directress when we were 9. She was very violent… like it pleased her to punish us whenever we did wrong, no matter how big or small. We were so afraid of her and we were all just kids back then. For a long while, even after I was adopted, I believed that I deserved punishment when I was wrong… that it was right to be punished.” The raven haired man clenched his fists. “I could handle it somewhat. I was a tough boy even then. But Boa was a frail kid, you know? Thin and got sick easily. So when I could, I’d take the punishment for her.”

Yoona gasped; her admiration for her friend growing tremendously. “That was very selfless of you.”

Yunho was silent for a long while; the two friends soon entering the backyard. Finding the biggest tree in the nearest vicinity, he plopped down on the grass under the shade and waited for Yoona to do the same. “But there was once I didn’t get to save her.”

“What happened?” She winced.

“We were already 12 then. I had a fever that time… a really bad flu. I was under strict orders to be on bed rest in the infirmary. I should’ve been brought to the hospital but Cruella was worried the doctors there would notice my bruises and so she kept me here.” Yunho closed his eyes as a look of pain crossed his handsome face. “On my second night in the infirmary, I heard Cruella dragging Boa to that one room at the very back of the orphanage. We hadn’t been able to access it now because it’s locked and the key is missing. Anyway, I tried to get up but I was so drowsy and weak from all the medicines. I heard her screaming and crying and pleading for Cruella to stop but she still wouldn’t listen. I tried so very hard, Yoong, to get up and walk… that one time I needed my strength most, I couldn’t. I made it to the door but I collapsed and one of the staff members had entered and brought me back to bed and kept me from leaving.”

Yoona reached out a hand and rubbed Yunho’s back soothingly. “What happened to Boa?”

“The staff members… they were so scared of Cruella too. But when she was finally asleep, some of them sneaked Boa into the infirmary to treat her wounds.” A lone tear cascaded down his pale face. “Her cheeks were red and raw ‘cause Cruella slapped her repeatedly. She had a scrape on one cheek too… Cruella wore a ring back