20

Tao exchanged looks with BT, as he wiggled his eyebrows then grinned. He cleared his throat and sat up straight in his seat, his bowl and chopsticks never leaving his hands.

"Ah yes. Chuseok's coming. So.. I was planning to have a family outing. Just a simple trip to the temple, that's all," Tao announced, while Sohyun raised an eyebrow at him. "When were you considered as our family?"

"Excuse you Kim Sohyun. I have actually a part in writing your appraisal form for the end of year," Tao grinned innocently. "I agree with Tao. He comes over with Kris for dinner, it's like one big family gathering, right Tao?" BT asked sweetly and Tao nodded his head in agreement.

"That means I have two colleagues being my two big brothers.." Sohyun muttered to herself and thought.

"No!" Tao shouted at Sohyun which caused her to jump in her seat, staring wide eyed at Tao. "I mean..Kris can't possibly be your big brother right? He's your mentor.." Tao's voice trailed off as he was at a loss for words. "Anyway," he changed the subject. "We'll be going to the temple, so.. What do you actually want to pray for?" Tao asked everyone, but his eyes were concentrated only on Sohyun.

BT glanced at Sohyun and asked her, "Sohyun, what wish do you want to be successful for this year?"

Sohyun tapped her chin and slowly looked up at the ceiling, wondering. Kris glanced at her, and she looked down at her bowl of rice, then giggled. "Career," she said, giggling as she chewed on her chopsticks.

BT and her sister rolled their eyes, and shook their heads. They really take their hats off Sohyun. At her age, shouldn't she be wishing for love? Why won't her hormones rage?

Tao scoffed.

"Aish, Sohyun ah shouldn't you be wishing for love?" her sister asked and flicked her forehead. "No, of course not. I'm still young, love can be placed aside. For now, I'm only focusing on bringing my career to a higher level," Sohyun smiled at the thought of it, while everyone sighed.

"Now I'm unlike Sohyun, I wish for.. Marriage," her sister announced, while BT did a thumbs up. "I agree with you. I should also ask on marriage, to find out when I can remarry again." Everyone laughed, and Kris eyed Sohyun, then continued eating his meal.

When dinner finished, Sohyun cleared up the plates and placed it in the kitchen.

BT nudged Tao and he nodded his head, entering the kitchen. "Hey Tao. Here to help out?" Sohyun asked and smiled, while Tao shuffled his way to the basin, his hands placed in his pockets.

"Ah yes Sohyun, I wanna ask you-"

"Oh right. I wanted to ask you about Minah. You only told half of the story about her right? Why don't you continue today?" Sohyun asked and Tao rolled his eyes, nodding his head.

"So I said that Minah won the case against YongShik right?"

Tao grinned and nodded. "And after that case, she became famous.” Sohyun nodded her head, showing that she understood. "That Minah is really something .."

"Yep she is. But now, guess where the murderer is?" Tao asked and grinned, while Sohyun tapped her chin and pondered. "Somewhere in Korea?"

Tao rolled his eyes. "Yes. But in prison."

"Prison?!"

Tao scoffed and nodded his head. "And who's the person who nailed the murderer? Yongshik, again," Tao said proudly.
"Oh yeah. I heard that murderer is a woman? What did she actually do?"

"Well, she was charged for murdering a judge."

"What?! She murdered a judge?!" Sohyun’s eyes widened in shock and Tao sighed, nodding his head. "Because twenty years ago, it was reported she was shoplifting and sent to jail for six months, and when she came out she was sent to jail again. For being accomplice in smuggling drugs. And the thing was it was the same judge who sentenced her to jail for shoplifting." Tao washed the dishes as he spoke, while Sohyun's eyes widened in surprise. "But judges are supposed to be fair and impartial."

"Exactly. But that woman didn't think the same." He sighed and leaned against the wall. "So she just murdered him."

"Wait a second." Sohyun placed the plates down in the sink and she thought for a moment. "Motive, murder weapon, witness and evidence are all there, how can she get away?"

"Three years ago when she murdered the judge, she could get away scot free because Minah pointed that the police officer who was in charge of delivering the evidence from the crime scene to the police station broke this thing called the chain of evidence. He left the car open as he chased after a thief, and the thing is that the evidence were all in the car. Court believed that the evidence could be touched within that five minutes with the absence of the police officer." Sohyun raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"So all of the evidence in that chain of evidence could not be produced in court. Lack of evidence, and she could get away. Even the jury and judge couldn't do anything about it." He wanted to walk away but was pulled back by Sohyun. "I'm not done asking."

"Who was the one in charge of the evidence that time?" Sohyun asked, having her attention to be focused on Tao. He frowned and looked up, tapping his chin. "I think.. He's called Byun Baekhyun or something."

"Baekhyun?" she repeated, mumbling to herself as her eyes widened in surprise. No wonder that time Baekhyun was muttering to himself when he went up to her house. About that mistakes that could affect people's lives. So he was talking about this.

"But anyway. This case is close." Tao dusted his hands and walked off, but was being pulled back again by Sohyun. "You're supposed to help clean the dishes. And you wanted to discuss about some matters right?" Sohyun asked and Tao immediately forgot what he wanted to ask. "I can't remember now. I'll talk to you later bye." He quickly scram before Sohyun could pull him back again, and within a minute, he came back to the kitchen again.

"Did your conscience prick on you and you wanted to help me clean the dishes?" Sohyun asked, smiling and she washed the plates. "I wanted to discuss with you about work," Tao whispered and scooted closer to her, then taking a plate and scrubbed it. "I want to know, do you actually like strict teachers?"

Sohyun frowned at him. "What kind of question is that? I don't think it's about work." He rolled his eyes. "For example, do you prefer Kris or me?" He directly went straight to the point unlike the other time he was with Kris. He made Kris misunderstand him.

Sohyun giggled and shook her head in amusement, then took one step to her left, moving further away from Tao. "Sorry, but. You're not my cup of tea," she whispered softly. He gawked then scoffed at her, rolling his eyes. "I don't understand why can't you two just see the point? You only think about me and not the one who works with you. You're just exactly like Kris, Sohyun." He sighed and pointed a finger at Sohyun, who just blinked in confusion.

"You two both said, 'you are not my cup of tea', I get it." Tao scoffed again and imitated their voice, shaking his head in despair. "And I know I'm not your cup of tea, and I would also like to make sure that you are not my cup of tea too!" He stormed away, leaving Sohyun in a daze, totally confused. And what did he just said about Kris?

"Both of them are exactly the same. Same response, same words coming out of their mouths and same reaction I have for them. I really take my hat off them, can't they see that I'm talking about the both of them and not me?" he frowned, grumbling as he stormed up the stairs.

And he wondered how BT and Sohyun's sister was doing with interrogating Kris. "Say! Are you interested in Sohyun?" BT raised his volume and pinning him down on the chair. He interrogated Kris like interrogating criminals in the past, and also cutting straight to the point. And when I say cutting straight to the point, it really just aims at the right spot, unlike Tao who still goes around beating the bush.

Kris' eyes widened in surprised and he gawked at BT, then slowly standing up but was pinned down again on the chair. "BT, what are you talking about?" he asked.

"You are not obliged to speak but what you say will be recorded down as evidence and would be produced in court. Now, talk," BT squint his eyes at Kris, while Kris took in a deep breath and sighed. "I won't talk until my lawyer is here which is Tao," Kris crossed his arms in front of his chest and waited, while BT smirked. "Tao's with us. No one is going to help you." Kris eyes widened in surprise then quickly shook his head. "Fine. Then since you said that I can choose not to speak, I will not speak."

"Fine. Change of rules. It is now a must to talk, and what you say will be recorded down as-"

"BT what's wrong with you? Why are you asking these questions?"

"No asking. Only we ask and you reply. Now speak, are you interested in my sister?" she said, squinted her eyes at Kris while BT did the same. Kris leaned backwards, looking back and forth at the both of them and sighed in despair. "Sohyun and I aren't dating. And even if I want she wouldn't-"

"So you're admitting to it!" both of them shouted in unison and pointed a finger at him, while he just groaned. He didn't mean that, he was just giving an example..

"No no I didn't mean that I just-"

"But only this plan won't work. You need to have some actions, pour it all out in one go," BT said, while Kris just blinked in confusion. "What?"

"Come on. You have so many ideas when you're in court you can't possibly have zero ideas on courting a girl."

Kris blinked. "I have not, dated a single girl in my entire life," he replied frankly while they both gawked at him. "WHAT?!"

"Okay it's enough. Firstly, I did not say I'm courting Sohyun nor did I admit liking her."

"Then do you dare to swear that you did not have any feelings for her? Not even just pinch?" BT asked, squinting his eyes at Kris while he bit his lip. "That.. That question is too vague," he replied, biting his nail while he pondered for a second. "For example, you can ask Tao whether he has feelings for Sohyun and you will not get an answer because he will have no idea how to explain the feelings of having a colleague or having another sister because feelings cannot be explained it can only be felt and expressed. Get it? Your question is too vague," he answered honestly and smiled, satisfied with his answer.

"Plus, I have not dated before. I don't know how love feels like," he said innocently, rubbing his neck sheepishly. All of a sudden he looked like a small innocent boy who is just extraordinarily tall.

"Just by what you said I can already know how you feel towards our Sohyun," BT said and Kris' eyes widened in surprise. "Wh-what?"

"If you don't like Sohyun just say it. I will just pair up her with Baekhyun," BT lied while Sohyun's sister blinked at him and pulled him to a corner. "But Baekhyun's engaged," she whispered while BT rolled his eyes. "I'm just lying to see his expression," he said and glanced at Kris who just blinked at him, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

"Look at him. His mouth is opened because he wants to protest but he doesn't know how to say it. This is called psychology." BT smiled while her sister gave him a thumbs up.

They both looked at each other and nodded, then looked at Kris. "Grab the chance."
"Seize it," they said, narrowing down their eyes at Kris, smiling mischievously, while Kris just buried his face into his palms, groaning and sighing in despair.

Somebody help him.

-----