35

She was just talking to her a few hours ago, and now..
She bit her lip and looked at Tao who was as shock as her, then glanced at Kris who was beside him.

Tao dropped on his knees as he swallowed, a rock forming in his throat and he scanned Hyomin's lifeless body in front of him.

Her eyes were closed and there was blood around her body as she sprawled there, lifeless.

HyoMin's lifeless body was placed in the corpse bag and zipped, being carried away and Tao could only stare blankly at the ground with a chalk that traced the figure of Hyomin on the ground.

SoHyun closed her eyes and looked away, tears filling up her eyes.

Kris walked in front of her and slowly wrapped his arms around her, closing his eyes. 

Sohyun hugged him and bit her lip. "How.. How can this happen?" Sohyun murmured. "A few hours ago I was talking to her, and now, she's .. Gone." She shook her head in despair and cried. "How did she die? How could she fall off a building? She can't possibly be murdered, right?"

Tao choked back his tears and swallowed, his eyes and his face were already red and the tears couldn't stop flowing.

"I don't understand," Sohyun whispered and looked up at Kris. "She was just helping out as a volunteer in the community centre and the orphanage, how can she just be taken away when she helped so many people, helped so many children from being taken away?"

Tao eyes widened in surprise and he quickly scrambled up, wiping the tears off his face and looked at Sohyun. "What did you say? What volunteer at the orphanage, community centre? You saw her a few hours ago?" he asked, bombarding questions as Sohyun and she slowly nodded her head. "Tell me, hurry," Tao immediately said and shook her shoulders.

Kris immediately held onto SoHyun's frail body and pulled her away from him. "Tao. Calm down. Let Sohyun think about it."

Sohyun bit her lip and focused, trying to remember. "When she was on the phone, she mentioned going to the volunteer's house because he was sick, then.."

"What else? Hurry!" Tao shouted.

"That's all. She didn't mention who that was," Sohyun said, looking down at the ground. She knew she could hardly do anything to help HyoMin, and knew she wouldn't be a big help to Tao.
Kris softened and held onto her hand, squeezing her hand. "Sohyun, don't blame yourself."

--

"BT, where's Sohyun?" Kris asked after entering the house. BT sighed and looked up at the stairs. "She locked herself in the room. She feels that she has a part to be blame for her death. That silly girl.." BT murmured and shook his head sadly. "Can't believe HyoMin's just gone like this. Even though I've not seen, but listening to Sohyun, she seems like a really bright girl," BT said, sitting on the sofa.

Kris nodded his head. "She is."

He slowly walked up to her room, and hesitated, before knocking on her door. "Sohyun," he called out.
Sohyun looked up and sighed. "Go away. I need to think."

"Think about what? Think about HyoMin's death, think about that it's your fault, or thinking about clues related to HyoMin's death. Trying to find out the murderer who killed HyoMin, are you?" Kris asked, which made Sohyun's ears perked up and she got off her bed, and pressed her hands on the door. "What murderer?" Sohyun asked.

"Baekhyun has some leads regarding the case. I'll tell you, but can you open the door first?"

Sohyun reluctantly opened the door for him and went to sit on her bed again. He took a chair and rolled it over to her side. "There were lime and dust found on the back of HyoMin's blouse, and it also matches the ledge of the rooftop."

"Wh-what does that mean?" she asked, frowning.

If she wanted to commit suicide, she would be facing the front of the ledge, not the back. Obviously she was struggling with the murderer then he pushed her of the building. Hyomin must have saw the murderer. Which was why lime was found on the back of the blouse," Kris explained, and Sohyun closed her eyes, pressing her lips into a firm line. "I should have asked to meet her out today at that volunteer's house. If not, this wouldn't have happened.. The murderer wouldn't have the chance to kill her.." she croaked.

Kris held her hand, rubbing his thumb over her hand, then engulfing her into a hug. "You didn't expect this to happen. You can't blame yourself Sohyun."

She shook her head. "You don't understand. She has already escaped from her uncle, and now.. Why? That day I was still happily talking to her, and now she.. She just left. She still has unfulfilled wishes to do.."

His grip on her tightened, and he snuggled closer, closing his eyes. Breathing in and out. "SoHyun-"

"Wait!" she said and broke the hug, looking into the eyes of Kris. "Remember? HyoMin went to the orphanage, community centre and bought food for a volunteer. She was intending to bring food for that volunteer, but before she could she died. We can start from this lead," she said, remembering everything.

"One more thing. Although skin fragments or DNA that doesn't belong to HyoMin can't be found, but chemicals and glitters that is suspected to come from incense paper were on her fingernails," Kris added.

"What does that mean?" Sohyun asked. There can be a thousand of possibilities. HyoMin going to the temple to buy incense paper, joss sticks, or just going to there to pray. Or .."

"It's impossible to have HyoMin to go to the temple. How can she travel from the temple to the crime scene? And today's a normal day," Sohyun pointed out. Kris nodded. "She can't go to any shop that has incense paper too. Illogical."

"That means.." Sohyun's voice trailed off.

He snapped his fingers. "The murderer. It's the murderer's."
"I'll check with the orphanage," Kris said and Sohyun nodded her head. "I'll check the community centre."
Kris smiled softly and held her hand gently. "We're gonna help HyoMin. Don't worry," he said, comforting Sohyun.
 

Tao looked up at the ceiling, staring blankly. He couldn't see a thing. His room was pitch black. It was already midnight and the lights were out. But he couldn't sleep. HyoMin was being murdered. MURDERED.

Tao couldn't believe it. In fact, he thought it was impossible.

To be honest, he had more enemies than HyoMin. HyoMin was such a sweet girl. Her only enemy was their uncle, also known as their benefactor was abused them.
But yet, HyoMin had to die first, at such a young age.

Kris walked into his room.

"Go away Kris, I don't want to see anybody," he said. Kris sat down beside him while Tao looked away, rubbing his red eyes that was filled with tears. "I said, I don't want to see anybody," Tao croaked and swallowed.

"What for? Hyomin's death isn't even your fault-"

"It is my fault Kris!" Tao shot up and shouted at him as he burst into tears. He fell back on the bed, shaking his head and took in a deep breath. "It's my fault. It's my fault that Hyomin couldn't be saved. She called me a few minutes before her death but I ignored it. I ignored it, Kris. How can I ever forgive myself? I could have saved her, she wouldn't have died. She .. Maybe she wanted to tell me her location so I could save her, and she won't be murdered," he sobbed. "But I ignored the call because I was petty. I was being petty and it led to her death. How could I ever forgive myself, Kris? I was angry at her for being late for dinner, and because of that I just ignored her, and now she left the world, with a feeling that I'm still angry with her.."

He took in a deep breath shakily and continued. "It's my fault. Everything is my fault. It's my fault that Hyomin couldn't be saved. It's my fault, that she couldn't rest in peace, that she couldn't even hear a simple sorry from me.." his voice faltered and the tears just trickled down. "Hyomin couldn't rest in peace. I failed her. She trusted me, but I let her down. She placed her trust in me but what happened? I couldn't help her. And it was because I didn't want to answer her."

"It's my fault that Hyomin can never see me, and she wouldn't know how much I regret, how much I love her, as a little sister, how much I cared for her, and how much she means to me.." Tao whispered, crying.

He thought of the memories he had together with her since young. How they would always laugh and cry, fight, protect each other, going out to the shopping mall for lunch everyday after school. When they were young, when he would always pull those two braids of hers, how she would slap his arm and whine, he missed her. He treated her as a younger sister, and now the younger sister of his is gone. How could he possibly take such a big blow when she was alive and kicking a few days ago when he saw her. This was total nonsense to him. 

But because they were so close, they would see each other everyday, he just took her for granted, and it was hard for him to accept the fact that his little sister that he sees everyday is just gone.

And now, he's filled with regret, for not cherishing her, for not being able to help her when she needed him the most..

Kris patted his shoulder and he brushed him aside. "Give me some time, Kris. I just want to be alone."

Kris nodded and stood up. "I'll help you take a week off. Take your time to be alone. But I just want to say, Hyomin knows you for so long, she definitely won't blame you for being angry with her, and at that point of time, when she knew that she was going to die, her main wish, was just to be with everyone for the last time, and she definitely won't blame you. She wouldn't want to see you like this. What she wants to see you now is to pick yourself up and find the murderer who murdered her, and help her rest in peace. Blaming yourself doesn't solve anything, Tao. Think about it."

He gulped and bit his lip, a rock forming in his throat. "HyoMin.." he said shakily. He took in a deep breath and wiped his tears of his face. 

----
 

Tao curled up into a ball and sighed softly. It's been days since he cooped himself up in his room. He barely ate anything, and couldn't sleep a wink. He had this rock on his heart, pulling him down that made him so hopeless with life and dejected, guilt and regret overwhelming him.

And finally, he stepped out of his house.

He roamed around the neighbourhood in the middle of the light. It was so silent that he could only hear frogs croaking in the tall grass.

"HyoMin.. I miss you. Tell me, who killed you? I'll avenge for you. I promise.." he whispered softly to himself, tears started to form in his eyes and he pressed his lips into a firm line. He walked towards a pond and squatted. He took out a paper boat and a card, then placed the card on the paper boat. "I'm sorry Hyomin. I'm sorry for failing you. Sorry for letting you down. Sorry for not being there for you when you needed me the most. I'm sorry, that your life has been ended so shortly, and you died with regrets, where you couldn't live your life to the fullest. I failed to cherish you and took you for granted. But I know, you will be happier up there than here." He bit his lip and looked up at the night sky, blinking back his tears.

"I know you would tell me to stand up and stop weeping. I know, and I will. Though I never listen to you when you were here with me and we will always end up fighting, but this time, I'll listen to you without any doubts. Don't worry HyoMin. I'll find the killer, and so you may rest in peace," he whispered, and placed the boat into the water as it drifted on the water.

He wiped his tears and forced out a weak smile. He took in a deep breath and stood up, walking back home. "I can't waste anymore time. I just can't."



The next day was a total surprise to Kris. Sohyun was still on leave, but the thing was, Tao came back to work, even though HyoMin was dead.

Kris closed his file and exited his room. "Tao? Why are you here?"

He smiled and patted his back. "You think I'm trying to use work to distract me from HyoMin? Then you're wrong. HyoMin wants me to pull myself up together. That's what she always do. And I'm going follow her." He wiggled his eyebrows at Kris and he cracked a smile. "Copycat."

"Where's Sohyun? Still on leave?" Tao asked and looked around, searching for SoHyun. "She's slacking, a lot," he murmured.

"She's helping out. And I know she can do it," Kris said. "Let's get back to work, alright?" Tao nodded his head and smiled. Once Kris left, Tao let out a deep sigh and he pressed his lips into a firm line. He closed his eyes and calmed himself down. "I won't let Hyomin down, I won't."

Sohyun entered the community centre and she saw a familar looking person. "JiHo?"

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