~Death~

"The day of my birth, my death began its walk."

 

"Cappuccino please."
"Coffee for me."
After another week, Baekhyun seemed to be in a much better state. It was surprising as I was still coping badly emotionally without Yoona. Last time, every friday night, I would meet Yoona for coffee at our favourite restaurant. Sometimes, we would meet up with out old classmates too. Another unexpected aspect would be that Yoona turned me down that friday, on the night before her wedding. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who wanted to celebrate this once in a life time occasion with her. I thought Baekhyun had booked her that night, however, now it turns out even Baekhyun did not know where she went. 

"Jihae?" 
"Yeah?" I looked up as I stirred my drink. 
"Do you think we can ever find that driver? Or even track that call?" Baekhyun asked as he took a sip of his coffee. His eyes betrayed no signs of his emotions. Perhaps he was tired. Anyone given such a situation would be. 
"Chances might be low but... I will find out one day."
"But if chances are that low..."
"Baekhyun! You must not give up! Not now, Yoona is depending on us." I insisted.
"Alright then, but it has already been so long, the police did what they could: took down statements from witnesses, cordoned off the accident site and even hired IT experts to track the call. And yet, nothing worked. I am doubtful that this case will ever come to a closure."
"No! I trust that no matter how meticulous a killer is, he will always leave behind traces. It is just that, perhaps, this traces aren't that obvious."
"Hopefully that this killer is careless enough then."  

~.~

After all of Yoona's funeral matters were over, I hired a Private Investigator. Of course, I could not do all this work alone. After listening to many peoples' opinions, I decided on hiring Luhan. I decided, in order for this matter to be solved as soon as possible, it would be best if everything and anything was just kept between the two of us.

So here I was, sitting in a relatively forgotten restaurant. The streets outside was desolated and graffitis defaced the walls. Meanwhile, the walls of the restaurant were coated in white paint which had already turned yellow from the grease; the glass casing which displayed numerous old awards had been left intact for years. I tapped my fingers impatiently as I shifted around uneasily on the wooden chair.

Finally, a man entered. He was dressed shabbily and had a cigarette sticking out from his mouth. I furrowed my eyebrows as I looked at him judgingly. The man finally took a seat near the counter. I heaved a sigh of relief, at least, that wasn't Luhan. Out of the blue, my attention was drawn to a moving object right in front of my face. I backed away defensively but soon realise it was merely a hand. I looked up to see a man dressed in black from head to toe.

"Erm... I suppose you are Luhan." I asked, desperately trying to myself from bursting into laughter. It looks like this man really keeps his promises. For convenience's sake, the both of us had agreed to dress in black such that picking out each other would be easier. Here I was, presented with a man dressed in black suit, black hat and black tie. Yet, I was donned in a purple dress and a black coat. 

"Yes! And I heard that you wanted me to solve a murder case?"

"Not exactly. Rather, a hit and run case."

"Okay, so tell me all about it." Luhan started scribbling on his notebook. After a meal at the restaurant, Luhan wanted me to bring him to the site of accident, to get a clearer view of the whole incident. Driving my car, I brought him to that familiar piece of grassland. However, this time round, the vicinity was very tranquil, no housings and factories were in sight. The air was crisp and fresh, yet the scent of murder still hung thick in the air. I walked over to the road and led Luhan over. There was still some blood stains on the road. A sign board by the road wrote: 

The police is appealing to witnesses of the hit-and-run accident to contact the headquarters.

~.~

"Jihae?"

"Yah?" I asked, answering Baekhyun's midnight call with slight irritance.

"I am sorry to say... I..." Baekhyun's voice was hoarse all of a sudden and this alarmed me. I shot out from bed and pushed away my blanket. 

"Kai was caught up in some... accident. And I was just wondering if you could......" Baekhyun sighed.

"Alright! I'll come right at once." I jumped out of bed and rubbed my bleary eyes. 

~.~

When I finally reached the hospital, Baekhyun was sobbing outside an emergency room. He had certainly dressed hurriedly as his shirt was in a mess and the socks he wore were of contrasting colours, definitely not a pair. His hair was not gel up either.

"Baek?"

"Oh! You're finally here!" Baekhyun rushed up and gave me a hug. I backed away as I was taken aback.

"Sorry... I just needed emotional support." Baekhyun turned away as he was embarrassed. 

"Sorry Baekhyun, I was just... unprepared." I replied with guilt.

"So... what happened to Kai?" I asked awkwardly. I knew nothing much about him, except that he was one of Baekhyun's best friends.

"He... was found dead in his bath tub." 

"Dead?!" I gasped in horror. 

"Not exactly, but the doctors told me that the chances of him surviving are literally non-existent."

"I am sorry..." 

~.~

The next day, the story hit the headlines, it was all over the news.

Man found dead in bathtub

20 year old university graduate was found dead in his bathtub. This is not just another suicide, but a shocking homicide case! On Monday evening, Kai's death was reported by his best friend, Baekhyun, who happened to drop by his house. The police were informed at 6:45 pm. When the paramedics arrived, they rushed Kai to the hospital after clearly stating that chances of survival were pessimistic.

So what caused his death? The police speculated that this is a murder which was planned with great detail. The body was found with poisonous Hemlock-like substances injected into it. Hemlock generally causes various body systems and muscles to paralysis. After the analyse of forensic scientist, it is highly suspected that it was the poison from Hemlock that caused the failure of Kai's respiratory system and not the entering of the water from the bathtub into his lungs which caused his death. It is still unknown how this poisonous substance came about.

What left the police helpless was the fact that there were no signs of break in, neither any signs of struggle between the deceased and the attacker. The police hope to appeal to all witnesses to cooperate in this mystifying murder.

I picked up my phone and gave Luhan a call immediately.