Chapter 6: Together

It was funny how bonds could be broken so quickly.

Yoona had always thought that the friendship between the Serenity Society's members was strong. She had always been proud of the fact that nothing could ever separate them. If one of them was in trouble or needed help, the others would come to their aid as soon as possible. It was an unspoken rule among them. Besides, that was the purpose of this society; to help the other members no matter what.

Now, though, Yoona had to admit that she was extremely disappointed. When she had called the others for a meeting to discuss about Jongin's murder, only Luhan had come to her apartment. It was kind of sad, really.

Did they not care about Jongin anymore? Did they forget him just because he was dead now? Did they hate him for cheating on Jinri?

Yoona understood Krystal's reasons. The young woman was trying her best to act like nothing was wrong as she, after all, was being watched by the police every day. As for Jinri, Yoona could understand it too. It pained Jinri to come and discuss about her boyfriend's death after he had cheated on her. But as for Sehun, she just could not understand why. The young man had been Jongin's best friend, for God's sake. So why did he refuse to come? Sure, he might have been busy but before Jongin's death, everyone in the society would have dropped everything when a meeting was called for.

Why were things changing now?

"Are you there?" Luhan asked, snapping her back to reality.

The young woman just let out a small sigh and looked at the young man who was sitting next to her. "Sorry," she mumbled half-heartedly. Since the other members of the Serenity Society were not there, Yoona's determination to find Jongin's killer dissipated. She did not feel as angry as she used to feel. Instead, she just felt tired and numb. She hated how the others were not as determined as her to avenge Jongin's death.

Was Jongin not their friend?

"So what do you want to discuss about Jongin's death?" Luhan asked curiously. He peered at Yoona carefully as though he was observing her every move.

"To be honest, I don't feel like talking about it anymore," she told him truthfully. "It feels like I'm the only one who cares about Jongin. It feels like I'm the only one who doesn't want Krystal to be framed for the murder of Jongin. It feels like I'm the only one who puts in all my efforts for the others to come together." Her gaze went to the clock that was hung on the wall at her living room. It was already nine at night. "Maybe you should go home," she said softly. "It's getting late."

For a moment, silence enveloped them as the two of them were lost in their own thoughts. Yoona wondered about what Luhan actually knew about Jongin's death but she did not voice her wonders out loud. She just wanted to catch the real killer. That was all. It seemed like the others did not want to do the same, though, and truth to be told, it hurt.

"I'm not going home, Yoona," Luhan said at last. "Not until you say what you want to say. I don't want my time to be wasted."

Yoona sighed again. Luhan had always been stubborn, anyway. There was no use in trying to make him change his mind. She might as well just say it out loud. "Who do you think killed Jongin?" she asked uncertainly. She looked at the man next to her carefully to see his reaction.

Luhan just shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't know," he replied. "But I have a feeling that it's someone who was very close with the guy."

"Like who? Jinri?" Yoona asked sharply but once again, the young man just shrugged. "I don't think it's Jinri. She loved Jongin so much. Besides, she has an alibi for that night. Speaking of which, where were you the night he died, Luhan?"

A small pause ensued and Yoona waited patiently for his answer. "Well, I told Jinri that I went outside to get some fresh air. Didn't she tell you?" he answered so casually that Yoona almost did not catch anything suspicious about it.

"She did tell me, all right," she stated before keeping quiet. Her doe eyes observed his movements carefully. Luhan seemed to be calm and collected as though there was nothing wrong with his answer. "You told Jinri that but did you actually do what you told her?" she asked, choosing her words carefully.

If Luhan was surprised by her question, he did not show it. Instead, a small smile was etched on his lips as he looked at her with something looked like affection in his eyes. "You've always been a smart person, Yoona, but sometimes, being too smart is not good," he murmured softly more to himself than her. "I did go outside, all right. Actually, I went home. I was feeling tired and I did not want to be a party pooper so I went home."

"You're not lying to me, are you?" was Yoona's immediate reply.

A chuckle escaped Luhan's lips but Yoona did not know why he laughed. What was so funny about her answer? But then, Luhan's sense of humour had always been different than other people. "Why would I lie to you?" Luhan asked rhetorically.

"I don't know. Maybe you're hiding something from me," she accused crossly. She looked at Luhan with her eyes narrowed but once again, he just laughed despite the fact that she had accused him without any evidence. After awhile, the young man stopped laughing and just smiled at her mysteriously. It was clear that he was not going to answer her question. She sighed for the umpteenth time that night. "You didn't answer my question."

"Which question?" he asked in a teasing tone that made her feel like smacking his face.

"Do you think Krystal killed Jongin?" she repeated the question that she had asked him at the police station a week ago.

"What I think doesn't matter, Yoona," Luhan said in a serious tone that indicated he was not joking this time. "It's what the authorities think that matters. If you want to help Krystal, you have to convince the police first. If you fail, you must convince the judge next."

"How do I convince the police, then?" she asked quietly. "Officer Song and her team seem to believe that Krystal is the killer. She even said that they would be applying for an arrest warrant soon."

"You're not the only one who wants to free Krystal from being framed, Yoona," Luhan told her quietly. "We'll find a way to convince the police, I promise." Then, he reached for her hand and squeezed it slightly to comfort her. He gave her a small sincere smile. "We're in this together, Yoona, and we'll make the others help too."

Yoona just looked at him sadly. "I hope so," she said. It was then the most dangerous feeling ever began to fill her; hope. At that moment, she forgot. She totally forgot that she should not have high hopes on anything. After all, the higher you hoped, the greater the fall would be.