“Your shaking face and words,

Seems like something is up,

A strange scent is all over your body,

Seems like you’re possessed by something.”

– Something, Girl's Day

Within two hours, all the six players are being kept in different rooms in the boarding house. They are given some time to study their role’s profiles, alibis and other facts that are related to the case. Any misleading and unreasonable facts will be given penalties and as worst as it could be, they might not be able to pursue the game.

“I have to study this thick file?” Krystal mutters, darting a quick glance towards the cameraman. The cameraman only offers her a cold shrug as he is unable to give the player any instructions or hints as it may lead to the closure of the game.

“Seems like I have to.” She heaves a sigh and takes a gulp of cappuccino before she flips the file open to the first page. The suspect’s name literally eats the space and Krystal wonders how fast the production team to stick her profile picture in the file. They are indeed systematic and well-organized.

“The name is Jung Krystal,” she trails off. “Well, that’s my name.”

“Jung Krystal is 23 year-old and is in a relationship with Byun Baekhyun for almost a year. She met the idol for the first time when he made an unexpected visit to her flower shop. She co-owns the flower shop with her mother.”

“She lives together with Byun Baekhyun,” she stops again. “That explains very well. If she hadn’t stayed under the same roof with him and met him that fateful day, she wouldn’t have been made a suspect, would she?”

“But… I think she would still be a suspect because–” She clamps her hand over . “Ah, I almost spilled a crucial fact!”

The cameraman could not help but laugh and so does she.

After thirty minutes of severity to remember all the 1001 facts, a knock on the door breaks the silence and Krystal looks up.

A female staffs comes in.

“What’s the matter?”

“This is your outfit that you need to wear during the first session and until the final round ends.”

“Oh, they gave me the same thing that girl wore on TV!” she blurts out after she has trudged out of the room.

Krystal observes the outfit attentively – a short, floral dress with the beautiful adornment of pink ribbon is waiting for its rightful wearer.

///

Everyone has assembled at the meeting room sharp at 5 o’clock after teatime took its place. Apparently this is the first time they have come to the room. The door was locked previously. The meeting room is not particularly big, but it can accommodate about fifteen people.

For the first session, the room had been designed equally for its purpose. Six chairs and tables were arranged within three lines. There is also a small desk in front of the lines and it belongs to none other than the host, Kim Suho. He will be standing there to keep an eye on the players.

“Now each and every one of you have dressed up according to your respective roles.” The host saunters through the aisle and heads to his desk. “I can pretty much say that all of you seem excited for the game to start.”

“Sort of,” Lu Han says tediously.

“That doesn’t forget the fact that the culprit is sitting amongst us,” Kai pipes up. “I wonder who that person might be.”

Jongdae grins wolfishly. “And even though we may be laughing and smiling right now, someone amongst is definitely acting like they’re not the culprit.”

“It might be you,” Yoona interrupts, much to the younger male’s surprise.

“Me?” He seems flustered. “Why would you think that the culprit is me, Yoona noona?” Jongdae leans back calmly. “I have no dreams of acting. I express my feelings as I usually do.”

Yoona does not seem to buy his words. She has figured out something is weird with Jongdae since the role distribution took place. It feels like he is hiding something and could be the one who murdered the idol, Byun Baekhyun.

“You’re thinking too much, unnie.” Krystal backs him up. “Jongdae is definitely not the culprit. He’s acting the way he always does.”

Jongdae could not help but sigh a relief. He is happy the fact that Krystal actually believes him.

“Why are you defending Jongdae all the time?” Kai puckers his lips, evidently irritated. “Seems like both of you were allies and killed Baekhyun.”

“If it was co-principal, this murder case wouldn’t have started in the first place!” Krystal instantly snarls. “And for the record, I wasn’t defending him. I was just stating what’s right and what’s clearly wrong which is you who endlessly tried to pick up a fight with me–”

“Alright, alright. Stop the fight at once,” Suho breaks in, a rather hard expression on his face. “We have a game to start at this very moment. If you still want to fight, I suggest you to take your tag name off and barge out of the room.”

“Then you can fight endlessly with each other because you’re already out of the game.”

Kai and Krystal silence by the host’s not-so subtle reminder. No words flowing out of their lips afterwards, clearly threatened by his reminder.

“Now since it’s finally noiseless, let’s start the first session. Everyone please look at the screen in front of you.”

Right on cue, their eyes locked on the screen.

A L I B I

“We will now have time to investigate the suspects. Please present your alibi and whereabouts at the time of the crime,” he adds. “I’m giving you a decision to choose; who wants to go first?”

“I’ll go first since everyone’s basically suspecting me.”

They instinctively turn to the brave voice which belongs to none other than Kim Jongdae.

///

“Hello everyone. I am Byun Jongdae, the older brother of Byun Baekhyun. I am 28 year-old and make a living by working as a teacher. My deceased brother was too kind to let me stay in the house. If he didn’t, I would’ve been in a big trouble to find a house nearby the school I’m teaching.”

Every word that emerge his lips, the others don’t forget to jot down on their respective notebooks. The material can be used for many purposes including evidences.

“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.” he says. “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,” he trails off to dart a glance at Yoona, “…who is Yoona noona.”

Yoona nods approvingly. “That’s right. When I arrived at the house, Jongdae was waiting outside with his luggage.”

“That’s why I’m innocent.” His significant smile widens. “I didn’t kill him to death.”

“I was wondering…” Lu Han’s voice appears out of the blue. “Baekhyun’s your younger brother, but you don’t seem to be very sad. May I know why?”

“Do you, by any chance… don’t click well with your younger brother?” Yoona questions eagerly and in the end, only to receive a nonchalant shrug.

“I’m sorry, but I will not answer any questions during this session.” In an instant, Jongdae steps down and walks fast to his seat.

///

“Hello. I’m Lu Han,” comes the introduction from the second suspect. He looks incredibly handsome with tucked-in polka dots shirt and skinny jeans. His next-door type of guy and charming smile would definitely cause ladies to swoon.

“I am 24 year-old and Byun Baekhyun is my best friend.”

“Was,” Kai abruptly cuts him off and everyone’s eyes are on him. Being the ever sarcastic and casual person, he peers at them innocently and lets out a chuckle. “He’s dead, you know.”

 Lu Han bites his lower lip upon the interruption and instantly picks up where he left. “We have known each other since high school. Although now he’s a popular and successful celebrity, our friendship never wavered. And by the way, I’m still a student, pursuing my third year in medical studies.”

“I had something to talk with Baekhyun so I went to his house, but… he wasn’t there. I only got to meet Krystal and we kind of talked a bit. She said that Baekhyun hadn’t come back since last night. He was in the midst of filming a music video.”

“I went home after talking to Krystal fifteen minutes later.”

“At what time you arrived at his house?” Jongdae inquires since the speaker has not revealed it.

“I’m not really sure, but… I think it was around 2:00 pm,” he answers vaguely.

“Are you personally close to Krystal?” asks Yoona with a curious gaze.

“Totally not.” Lu Han shakes his head before emitting a rather loud chuckle. “We just met each other when Baekhyun was around. You know, Baekhyun and I used to hang a lot on weekend and… Krystal would occasionally join us.”

“That’s true, unnie.” Krystal nods. “I only got to know Lu Han oppa through my boyfriend.”

Yoona’s lips jutted out in deep thoughts and during that moment, she writes down the relationship between Lu Han and Krystal.

Just mere friends. Lu Han may have liked his best friend’s girlfriend and that is why she cannot rule him out of being the possible culprit. Yoona supposes that she needs to dig more secrets about Lu Han and perhaps, his darkest secrets that would lead to the murder.

“How did you know about the murder?” Jongsuk questions him. “I mean, it’d be pretty strange for you to be pointed as one of the suspects when you’re clearly out of the time frame. You said just now that you left the house at, uhm... I assume at 2:15 pm when the estimated time of the murder was,” he halts, flipping his notebook back to the first page. “…around 2:20 pm to 4:05 pm.”

Lu Han continues, “When I’d reached home, I realized that I’d left my cell phone at Baekhyun’s home.”

“That’s it,” Kai hollers, a smirk on his face. “That smells definitely fishy.”

“Why could you have left your cell phone there?” Yoona’s eyes glisten at the additional fact.

Lu Han ignores their keen eyes and goes back to defending himself. “I remembered that I certainly left my cell phone at his house so I came back there and found mine on the coffee table in the living room.”

“Was there anyone when you came back at that time?” Yoona drops another inquisitive question.

“Baekhyun may have returned at that time since the door was unlocked and I didn’t notice him in the first floor. If he did return, he must’ve been on the second floor, in his room. And besides, Krystal seemed to have gone out at that time.”

Krystal briskly nods. “I’ve gone out at that time.”

On the spur of the moment, a sudden thought strikes him. “Ah, I’ve remembered something!”

“What is it?”

Everyone is anticipating his answer with thumping hearts and pens already at in their grips, waiting to jot down the latest hint.

“I met Kai when I was about to flee. He looked… uhm, rather mad at that time as he made his way to Baekhyun’s room, as if he’d known Baekhyun was in there.”

///

With the leaked information by Lu Han, the idol is inadvertently tossed to the center.

“I don’t think I should come up with an introduction since everyone who’s living in South Korea knows me. I am one of the hottest celebrities in the entertainment world. My real name is Kim Jongin but I am widely known with my stage name, Kai.”

“Gosh, that haughty side of him never fades even in role-playing!” Krystal murmurs inaudibly and secretly reckons that Kai should have chosen another role than the idol. It literally disgusts her to see him act like he owns the world.

“About what Lu Han had said–”

The mentioned elder fakes a cough. “Hyung.”

“Fine,” Kai snorts. “About what Lu Han hyung had said just now that he saw me in Baekhyun’s house, I would say that was me.” He clears the lump that forms in his throat. “And I wouldn’t deny that I was fuming mad at him at that time.”

“Everyone knows that Baekhyun and I have had a rocky relationship from the start of our career. To simply put, we’re rivals despite the fact we’re under the same company.”

“I hate him and he hates me,” he elaborates with convincing infuriated expression.

Jongdae rolls his eyes inquiringly. “Why were you mad at that time? Did he piss you off?”

“Totally,” he says. “Actually it was clear that I will be coming back with a new mini album after one year of hiatus. Every preparation had been done and tell you what, I was ready for an upcoming comeback showcase until I was told by my manager that my comeback will be put on hold. Baekhyun will go first and after he’s done, that will be my turn.”

“Who wouldn’t be mad, right?” Kai sighs exasperatingly. “That Byun ing Baekhyun had ruined my comeback! I was so mad by the info and quickly asked the producer about the sudden shift. He didn’t w