“I am trapped in time without you,
I can’t see what’s in front of me,

 I’m so scared.”

– Come Back Home, 2NE1

Im Yoona enters the interrogation room with light steps and unperturbedly slumps on the interrogator’s seat. The dim light that bathes the room and the overall black wall background makes the ambience to be particularly gloomy and has this sort of creepiness.

The host, Kim Suho, is standing at the rear of the interrogation room; he is there to observe the session and to ensure that there will be no violence or the session exceeds its time limit.

She is the first person to initiate the last session before the deduction game which is;

1  ON  1  I N T E R R O G A T I O N

Amidst the additional on-site inspection, suspects are also given three minutes to choose anyone whom they like to be interrogated in a confined room. Others whose their names were not picked can still remain around the crime scene for supplementary inspection.

“Have you decided which one of the suspect you would like to call?”

The host’s subtle question intervenes the girl’s utmost concentration.

Yoona shakes her head. “Give me one minute. I’m still dwelling on it.”

“Alright then. Take your time.”

She nods, stares down at her piles of notes and occasionally bites the cap of the pen she is holding as she is engrossed in her thoughts.

She does not know who to call for the interrogation, really.

In all frankness, she has been thinking whether to call Jongsuk or Jongdae. Both of them top her suspect list.

Although she looks like she only keeps her wary eyes on Jongdae, Jongsuk is not excluded.

For some reasons, Jongsuk seems a bit off from the start. The way he got suddenly enthusiastic of the final round, his shaking eyes upon getting questions from others and how vague his alibi is causes Yoona to have a rise of suspicion towards the latter.

As for Jongdae, there are a lot of things she would like to ask him if she were to choose him.

Yoona overlooked something during his alibi presentation. He said that he was waiting for the next person to come because he had no keys whereas Lu Han clearly told that the door was not unlocked the moment he came.

“I was just coming back from Japan the day of the crime. I left three days prior for a seminar. Uhm, you know… for teaching purpose. I was actually the first person to arrive at the house at 4:15 pm, but I had no keys. So yeah… I had to wait until the next person who may have the house keys…who is Yoona noona.”

It looks weird, is not it?

He must have known that the door was unlocked in the first place before he said it was locked. It just does not make sense.

Does that mean he actually lied to everyone or… he really did not know the door was unlocked?

“Miss Yoona?” Suho gives her a questioning look. “…have you?”

Yoona drops her pen and presses her lips together into a thin line before she nods at him.

A broad smile makes its way to his lips. “Who would you like to call for your 1 on 1 interrogation?”

“Uhm, please call…” She takes a deep breath. “…Kim Jongdae for me.”

///

As soon as the storage room has been unlocked by Krystal, three of them scurry inside the room as quick as possible to look for possible clues.

There must definitely have clues hidden inside this room. It was locked in the first place for a reason, after all.

Unlike the two boys, Krystal does not bother finding for clues. For starters, she would rather eye the layout of the room before crouching down on the floor to look for clues and traces which may have left by the culprit (if he or she did barge in this room).

Krystal walks towards the older boy. “Do you find anything, Jongsuk oppa?”

Jongsuk just sighs and shakes his head helplessly. “No matter how I look into every nook and cranny of the room, I just can’t find a freaking clue.” It feels like his precious five minutes just brushed off fruitlessly.

She raises an eyebrow. “Not even a clue?”

“Try looking for one on your own,” he groans infuriatingly. “I bet you won’t find one, Krystal.”

Krystal could not help nodding. If the room had not been occupied with loads and boxes and unnecessary things, the inspection would have been much easier.

“Kai looks very enthusiastic, though,” she comments airily at the sight of the idol, who willingly tarnishes his pride to rummage through the filthy dustbin.

He nods. “I wonder if he found any clues–”

“I found something!”

At once, the two suspects run off to the idol’s direction upon

“What have you found?” Jongsuk’s eyes grow wider and so does Krystal’s.

A smirk out of utter satisfaction graces the tanned boy’s lips. His hard work paid off upon his discovery, though he had not expected to come across it in the dustbin.

“What is it?” Krystal tilts her head, trying to decipher what kind of clue he is hiding behind him.

Krystal starts to hyperventilate and clamps a hand over as the idol exposes what in his grip is.

It was a jagged knife that was covered with a dirty, red rag before Kai discarded it; dark handle and silver blade. It was coated with thick blood – Baekhyun’s blood.

///

“Hello, Jongdae.” Yoona’s greeting to him is somehow vibrant than usual as he shows up in the confined room. “We meet again, unfortunately.” There is a line of visible smirk at the corner of her lips, but she conceals it.

A sigh escapes the boy’s lips as he takes a seat in front of the female interrogater – a heavy, indignant one. “Noona, why are you calling me in?” he asks in exasperation. “I should be catching the culprit at the moment. Not being in here, answering all your questions that I have answered before, for heaven’s sake!”

She smiles wolfishly. “There’s a reason why I summoned you.”

“W-what do you mean?” He furrows an eyebrow in suspicion.

“I know you’ve been getting annoyed of my questions so that’s why I prepared something different in advance.”

“Something different?” Jongdae is getting more and more puzzled. “What does that suppose to mean?”

“I’ll give you a few scenarios and you have to answer them honestly, okay?”

He groans before nodding his head helplessly. “Fire away.”

“Okay, for starters…. your younger brother, Byun Baekhyun and his girlfriend, Jung Krystal were drowned in a swimming pool. If you had the chance to save one of them, who would that person be?”

Jongdae presses his lips together into a cautious line. “Uhm…” he murmurs in a muffled voice. “I…. I’d say Krystal.”

Her lips crooked at his unexpected answer. “Why would that person be Krystal? I thought you were going to say your younger brother. After all, he’s your family member.”

“I chose Krystal because Baekhyun’s a man,” he says meekly. “He’d know how to swim, wouldn’t he?”

Yoona huffs a breath of annoyance. “Just because of that, seriously?” she pushes him. “It wasn’t because you despised him and that’s the reason why you’d rather let him drown in the pool, right?”

“You’re seriously weird, noona.” Jongdae lets out a curt chuckle. “You’ve been saying that I didn’t click well with Baekhyun. How would you confirm that?”

“Just because you’re damned close with him – oh well, you were his coordinator before he died,” he trails off, shooting her a piercing glare. “…doesn’t mean you know everything going on between us.”

Yoona falls silent.

“I won’t deny that there were quite a few misunderstandings between us, but it just cooled off within a day,” he explains earnestly. “After all, we’re brothers and you do know that blood is thicker than water, don’t you?”

Yoona bites her lip waveringly at his severely harsh statement, causing she to sigh in defeat.

Jongdae could not help being satisfied upon seeing the older girl’s meltdown “Is there anything else you’d like to ask me?”

“Oh… I… I have.” She instantly grabs her momentum back – she cannot show him that she is weak. She is not weak and will always try her best to withstand any kind of catastrophe.

“I have questions to ask you, of course.” She actually intended to ask him a few more scenarios, but after seeing how it went just now, she halted her intention – it just did not work.

“What is it?”

“Do you remember what I asked you during my briefing yesterday?”

“Uhm, which one?”

Yoona later conjures up the scene of yesterday’s briefing after the end of the on-site inspection.

“Three days prior to the younger brother’s death, you went to Japan for a seminar starting from 17th June and you got back to Seoul on the day of the murder, 20th June.”

Jongdae nods and listens to her well. “Then, what is you point here?”

“I found a calendar on your study desk and why did your mark 18th June as the ‘important day!’ when you were actually out of town?”

“Did I mark the day?” He scratches the back of his neck as if he did not remember it.

“Oh… that one…” he laughs, muffled. “I really forgot it, noona. I mean, sometimes, I could be pretty forgetful.” He starts laughing again, much to Yoona’s confusion.

“Plus, I’m hitting 30 in a few years. That makes sense, doesn’t it?”

“Is that an honest answer, Jongdae?” Yoona tilts her head, perplexed and suspicious at the same time. “I mean, it’s not even a month and you’ve forgotten it. It just….doesn’t make sense.”

“Perhaps I’ve written it down months ago?” he guesses. “Who knows, right?”

She bobs her head down as she heaves a deep sigh. She supposes interrogating Kim Jongdae does not give her any benefit.

What a pity. She should have called Jongsuk in instead of Jongdae.

“Last question.” Yoona glances at the time shown on the wall. She only has about a minute before somebody else takes her turn.

“Out of us, who do you think is the culprit?”

“At the moment, it’s Krystal,” he reveals. “It may change later, though.”

She rolls her eyes. “Why do you think Krystal killed Baekhyun?”

“All the evidences pointed to her.”

“What evidences?” She appears dumbfounded.

Jongdae groans. “Those scandalous photos that Kai discovered.”

“Those photos?” Yoona is against his opinion. Krystal had told them that she had broken up with his ex-boyfriend long time ago and just recently met him – nothing more than a friendly purpose. “Okay, fine if you think it’s her. But can you tell me why Krystal killed her boyfriend if it was because of those photos?”

“She was angry because Baekhyun found those photos and took off his money in her bank that he’d once given her,” he says in one breath. “That was a strong motive, noona. Think about it.”

Yoona is still in disbelief. It just does not make sense that Krystal was the culprit. Krystal looks innocent, she would say, though sometimes, her actions and body language are quite shady.

“Believe me, noona.” Jongdae still has the urge to persuade the older girl. “I’m pretty confident the culprit is Krystal.”

“I… cannot accept that theory of yours, Jongdae.”

“Listen here… noona.” He grabs her left hand and grips it tightly. “Girls can be scary when they hold grudges and by the way, do you still remember what Jongsuk hyung told us yesterday?”

“That he was murdered by medication?”

“That’s it!” His smile widens. “Girls would use that way because it’s much easier and less dangerous. If it was done by guys, they’d likely to use dangerous weapons and some sort of violence.”

Yoona remains silent; she is in deep thoughts, thinking of possibility of the theory he just gave her might turn out true.

///

“It’s confirmed! This is the sharp weapon we’ve been looking for!”

“That is why the storage room was locked in the first place. The culprit hid it inside.”

“But… don’t you think it’s strange? Why would the knife be hidden in there?”

Lu Han trudges out of the master bedroom as soon as he heard all those voices coming from downstairs. He wonders what they are discussing about so boisterously that he can clearly hear every word they are saying.

“Oh, Lu Han oppa.” Krystal notices the older boy at the entrance of the room. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing. I just heard you guys being so loud.” He shakes his head. “Did you guys find out anything?”

“We did,” Jongsuk says.

“I did,” Kai corrects him with a smug grin. “Finally, the sharp weapon we’ve been looking for has been found – at last!”

“Oh, you found it?” A frown spreads across the half-Chinese's face.

“It’s strange, isn’t it?” Krystal nudges him. “Why would the killer hide it in here? This room was locked, after all. It didn’t make any sense!”

“I… uhm… don’t know,” is what he can come up. He looks restless and his eyes swiveled around the surrounding as though he was looking for something.

“This is really the one,” Kai affirms, raising the knife up in the air. “Baekhyun was stabbed by this goddamn bloody knife!”

“Maybe…” Jongsuk does not seem very convinced. “Or maybe not…”

“Jongsuk’s, uhm, right,” Lu Han says. “It may or may not be.”

The idol sighs exasperatingly at their boring response. He thought they would be praising him upon the discovery, but they just took it lightly. What a shame.

“Where are you going, Krystal?” he asks the girl as she is about to flee out of the room.

She turns around. “I’m going to check some stuff in the master bedroom.”

And then, she leaves.

Lu Han let out a sigh of relief and makes sure the latter has completely vanished before he opts to say something to the other two boys.

“Guys, I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?” Skeptically, Jongsuk raises an eyebrow.

Lu Han looks at the same-aged boy. “I think what Jongsuk and I have agreed before seemed to be right.”

Jongsuk flinches meanwhile Kai appears bewildered.

“You two are right? What does that mean?” Kai questions eagerly.

“I think….” He takes a deep breath. “I found bruises on the back of his neck – sorry. I mean, not only at the back of his neck, but all around his neck.”

Jongsuk has yet to catch it.  “And that means?”

“Byun Baekhyun wasn’t stabbed, but rather was drugged.”

The unexpected outcome caught them off guard. Their mouths hang open in massive shock, especially Kai’s.

Jongsuk bites his lip. “Is that true?”

Kai, on the other hand, is contemplating hard on his discovery. “How can you be so sure, Lu Han hyung–”

Lu Han cuts him off, “Do you still remember what Krystal said during her briefing back then?”

“And in the living room, I also found a broken bowl of half-eaten ramen and there were some sort of vomit and blood stains on the floor.”

“I think I got what you’re trying to explain, Lu Han!” Jongsuk claps his hands after having much in such deep thoughts.

“You do?” Lu Han’s eyes gleam. “You think what I’m thinking is right, aren’t you?”

“Totally,” he remarks after everything just connected to each other.

“Okay, stop it and listen to me.” Kai tries to gather their attentions. “What are you guys talking about? I’m still clueless and please explain to me immediately, for God’s sake!”

“Here’s the thing,” Lu Han starts. He previously gestured Jongsuk to explain but he would rather not. “There’s a reason why Baekhyun was drugged to death instead of the stab.”

“Why would that be, huh?” Yoona appears all of a sudden. Her interrogation session with Jongdae must have ended.

“Noona!” Kai shrieks her name. “You’ve done with Jongdae, eh?”

“Yeah.” She locks a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Tell me about it further. I’m kind of interested.”

Lu Han nods and continues, “Solely based upon my assumption, Baekhyun’s ramen was drugged with sleeping pills. That’s why there’s no sign of resistance. When he was unconscious, he wouldn’t know what’s happening around.”

They listen to him well without a speck of interruption.

“Of course those pills that were put into his food would take some time to work… so the culprit waited until he’d dozed and eventually stabbed him with the knife’s Kai’s holding to cover the main cause of murder!”

“So… who’s the culprit you’re thinking of?” Kai gives him a questioning look when the story has come to an end.

“Tell me who the closest person to Baekhyun is,” Lu Han simply questions them.

Three of them mull over it before gasps of surprise fill the room.

“Krystal!”

///

“Krystal!”

The high school yearbook inadvertently falls down the staircases as her name was mentioned on the spur of the moment, just right after she was heading downstairs.

Shock would be an understatement. She is beyond shocked.

Climbing down the flight of steps after she has eventually pulled herself together, Krystal picks up the fallen book and heads over to the storage room. She then leans against the wall outside the room, only to eavesdrop their heating conversation.

Knowing where the conversation is leading to, she heaves a groan – for the umpteenth time.

It is all about her, Jung Krystal.

Every one of them seems to have turned their heads towards her, noting that she has accumulated the highest votes as for now.

Though they are suspecting her to be the culprit of her own boyfriend, they still lack something.

If she really killed him, she would have needed a motive, right?

However, they did not come up with one.

So… does that mean she is not the culprit? Or is she actually the one?

Only Krystal knows the answer.

///

“Ah, I finally got it!” Kai huffs a breath. “Krystal drugged his boyfriend to death and that’s so goddamn unexpected, seriously! Although I did suspect her before this, it just felt surreal when I’m thinking of it right now!”

Lu Han chuckles. “I know, right?”

Of course, amongst the four of them, there would be one who will not see eye to eye.

“I don’t think so.” Yoona shakes her head, apparently reluctant to accept Lu Han’s so-called theory.

“Why don’t you think so, Yoona?” Jongsuk asks.

“It feels weird,” she says. “Krystal is not likely to be the culprit.”

“It’s okay if you don’t suspect her, noona.” Kai grins in delight. “We can persuade Jongdae to vote for Krystal for the last voting! With that, four of us will get the gold coins right away… because Krystal’s the freaking culprit!”

“Don’t bother doing that to Jongdae… because he’s already had Krystal’s name on mind,” Yoona sighs. Jongdae had told her that he suspected the girl to be the culprit.

The idol seems very happy right now. “Really? That’s goooood news, then!”

Lu Han turns to her – oh well, fiancé. It is really awkward and embarrassing for him to look at her in such way. “Which part of the story you don’t think the possibility of Krystal being the culprit, Yoona?”

“Krystal left the house just after Baekhyun came home, right?”

 “On the day of murder, my boyfriend’s best friend, Lu Han oppa, came to our house to meet him, but he hadn’t come back home. Before he went home, we talked about some things and that’s it. Afterwards I dressed myself up because it’s my turn to look after the shop. Baekhyun finally returned home when I was ready to go out. I’d love to, you know, talk to him and cuddle, but he wasn’t in a good condition at that time. He looked tired, moody and somehow weird.... so I just ignored him.”

He agrees. “Yes, that’s true.”

“Then, what’s your point, noona?” Kai asks with a pair of apathetic eyes.

“Wouldn’t it seem strange if Krystal drugged Baekhyun if she left the house to work, would it? How can you explain about the knife, then?”

“She… could’ve come back home and stabbed him when he’d finally slept,” Jongsuk says, though it is obvious that his reasoning is rather unclear and he himself is not confident with it.

“Oh, really?” she retorts in sarcasm. “But I don’t think so. If she really came back home afterwards, how can she do that without people seeing it? Kai and Jongsuk came to meet him around that time, after all. Both of you may have seen her in the house, right?”

 “She could’ve been hiding inside the house and faked her alibi about going out to work.” Kai his lips, hesitated. Deep within his heart, though, he is impressed by the older girl. How