“Hello. You’ve reached the crisis line. My name is Kyuhyun. What may I call you?” Kyuhyun said in his soft and warm voice.

There was a pause on the other end before a calm voice replied, “Hyukjae.”

“How are you doing, Hyukjae?”

“That’s not of importance.”

“Of course it is. I-“

“No. Listen.” There was a pause again, as if he was waiting to see if Kyuhyun would actually comply. “I know how this is supposed to work. You’re supposed to talk to me, calm me down, change my mind… but I just need you to listen to me. That’s what I called you for 'cause I don’t have much to live for. I’ve made up my mind. Of that I’m certain. You see? It’s not tragic and I’m not doing this as a cry for help. I just need a favor.”

“Hyukjae, I-“

“Kyu, please just do something for me,” he calmly interrupted again.

Kyuhyun was surprised to hear the stranger call him by his shortened name. “What is it, Hyukjae?”

“I have a dog; a yappy, little dog, cute as heck. She’s here at my house. I usually let her out to do her business in the morning. Anyway, it would probably take a while before anyone notices that I’m gone so… my dog would probably be stuck alone in the house for quite some time before someone gets her out. I don’t want that for her. Could you possibly have someone come get her in the morning? She’s a good dog- doesn’t deserve to be forgotten.”

“Neither do you, I’m sure.”

“You can’t be sure.”

“What’s your dog’s name?”

“…Choco.”

“You care about Choco, right? That’s why you called.”

“Yes, I care.”

“Then think about her. She’ll surely miss you. Please don’t give up. There’s more to live for but that’s a start. That little creature depends on you. She needs you to be there for her.”

“Someone else will do just fine. I have given it plenty of thought. I’m not backing down, though I appreciate your kindness in trying to change my mind. You sound like a good guy. Genuine. I was expecting to get some fake that just wants to hear themselves talk and play the hero.”

“No, you’re right. That’s not me. So if you want to talk, I’m all ears. Let me help you.”

“No, I’m done talking. Thank you. The only thing I’ve left to tell you is my address. Are you ready to take it down?”

“Yes.”

“7848 East Northern Road… Did you get that?”

“7848 East Northern Road?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, Hyukjae, please tell me what’s going on. How did it come to this?”

“Kyu, please. I already told you. There’s no fixing me anymore. Please just see to it that my dog is let out. I don’t want her to be trapped in here with my body.”

“Hyukjae-“

“I have to go.”

He hung up.

Kyuhyun tired calling his name again; just to make sure he wasn't on the line anymore.

He quickly dialed the emergency number.

“Nine-one-one. Please state your emergency.”

“I’m calling from the Crisis Hotline. I just got off the phone with an individual that I believe is about to commit suicide.”

Officer Youngwoon Kim was the first to arrive at the scene after the dispatch from the 911 operator. There was no probable cause for entry, but being as impulsive and eager to show valiance, Youngwoon gained entry to the house through the kitchen window. Cautiously, he made his way through the kitchen and into the next room. He immediately regretted his actions. There on the living room armchair, he saw the slumped body of a man. His head was hanging to the side. Youngwoon couldn’t see well. He hadn’t bothered to turn the lights on. The Surefire light on his SIG Sauer P226 didn’t allow him to see the scene in great detail. He didn’t want to. Despite his reluctance, Youngwoon walked up to the man and placed his index and middle finger on his neck to check for a pulse. Nothing. He felt the burger he ate earlier threatening to re-emerge.

Youngwoon heard another patrol car pull up in front of the house. “We’re gonna need more hands than that.” He removed his microphone from his shoulder and radioed for more of his comrades to back him up.

He walked to the front door and unlocked it to allow the new arrivals in. Officer Donghae Lee was the second on scene.

The first thing Donghae did was turn the lights on. He saw the body and walked past Youngwoon. “Woah. I was gonna ask you what happened but nevermind.” He walked up to the deceased on the armchair. He leaned in for a closer look. He looked into his face, at the gunshot wound on the right hand side of his head, followed his arm down to where it was hanging over the arm of the chair, to the floor where the gun with a homemade silencer had dropped, and the blood stain on the carpet. “Such a shame,” he said more to himself than Youngwoon.

“We need to get an I.D. on him.”

“But we need to take a few pictures of the scene and wait for the coroner before we start moving stuff around,” Donghae spoke against it quickly. He knew of his partner’s impulsive nature and was afraid that he would start contaminating the scene before the coroner arrived. He had already broken into the house without backup.

“No we don’t. It’s right in front of our eyes. This guy was ready to go, wasn’t he?” Youngwoon pointed to the living room coffee table. Hyukjae’s driver’s license, cell phone, and keys were laid out neatly, waiting to be found.

“Hyukjae Lee. Twenty-eight year old male.”

“Twenty-eight?” Donghae mumbled under his breath. He could feel this eyes starting to burn.

Youngwoon frowned and leaned in to inspect Donghae’s face. “Are you gonna cry?”

“No. Why would I?” Donghae said as he turned away from Youngwoon to hide his watery eyes.

Red and blue lights flashed outside of an otherwise pleasant single family home. The surrounding neighbors had woken to the sirens. A few of them now stood outside on their porches, trying to get an idea of the cause of all of the commotion in their quiet neighborhood, in the early hours of the morning.

The police began to process the scene. Caution tape was rolled out, creating a perimeter around Hyukjae’s lawn. Pictures were taken before the coroner arrived to take the body. The gun was secured and placed in a plastic bag and labeled to take back to the precinct along with the items found on the coffee table.

“I’m here,”Jongwoon Kim announced his arrival.

“Finally,” Youngwoon teased.

He ignored the last comment as he stood in front of Hyukjae’s body. “What do we have here?” Jongwoon asked not expecting an answer. He would have in fact ignored any answer given to him. He preferred to find the answer himself, he was at the scene after all; the source. Hyukjae had all the answers. He wasn’t alive to tell them but Jongwoon would be able to piece his last moments together.

The first thing he noticed was the entrance wound. The blood around it looked old, as in not recently bled. That peaked his curiosity. Jongwoon reached out to touch Hyukjae’s hand. He instantly recoiled. “Kangin.”

“Yes?”

“What time did dispatch send you out here?”

“Ten-past-one-ish.”

“And what time did you get here?”

“Fourteen past one. Why?”

“This guy is cold as ice. The blood has clotted. Rigor mortis has begun to set in. There’s no way this guy just did this. He’s been dead for a while.”

“No. The timeline doesn't fit,” Donghae interjected.

“Science doesn't lie, Donghae.”

“Well, how long do you think he's been dead?” he asked.

“I need to examine him more but preliminary, I'd say... at least six hours.”

I made that address up. Don't try to look for it. I didn't

I ran a spell check on this. It wanted to change "Kyuhyun" to "Hunky". LOL

Clear skies and a high today of 73° F.