“That’s right baby! Gimme some hip!”

                Flash! Flash! Flash!

                “Smile a little for me honey, you’re looking beautiful!”

                Flash! Flash! Flash!

                “Baby you are beautiful!” the photographer stopped his work and went over to hug his favourite model. Hani smiled as she smoothed the crease of her Marchesa gown with its sheer top covered with purple flowers and purple ombre skirt. She was posing for the cover of the October issue of Harper’s Bazaar, where she was listed as one of the magazine’s Most Beautiful Women of The Year.

                Hani’s stylist rushed over to her to help her off her pedestal, as she carefully stepped down in her Jimmy Choo white platform heels. Her stylists fluttered around her like butterflies, rushing to touch up her makeup, her hair, her dress, her…whatever that could be fixed. The photoshoot was nearing completion, and her photographer suggested a break before its final session.

                Hani was escorted into her dressing room, where she immediately stepped down from her uncomfortable platforms and walked bare-feet on the floor. She sat down at her dressing table and took out her iPad. She went to News and clicked on its headline.

                The Dame’s Murder Trial Begins Today

                “You look stunning today.” Hani looked up into her mirror, and saw Chanyeol in the background, standing tall in his trench coat. “I believe that is something Minseok would say, isn’t it?”

                “Detective! How did you…”

                “The photographer of Harper’s Bazaar is a very personal friend of mine.” Chanyeol moved and the smiling photographer appeared behind him.

                “You do look gorgeous dahling.” The photographer removed his hat to reveal blonde locks. He took off his glasses and false teeth, and Hani stared at a stranger’s face that was slowly appearing.

                “You...you imposter! How dare you…”

                “Sit your down princess,” Baekhyun threw his camera to one side and slipped out of his work vest. “You should say the same thing about your stylists.” Hani snapped her head to the side and two of her stylists had started removing their own disguises.

                “You…what…” she stared at Jongin and Kyungsoo in horror as she jumped to her feet and tried to run away. Chanyeol locked the door behind her and used his arm to block her.

                “You won’t get away this time.”

                “What are you talking about?”

                “You thought you could get away with murdering you mother didn’t you?”

                “Are you insane?!? How dare you accuse…”

                “We don’t have to do anything, the evidence speaks for itself.” Kyungsoo opened Hani’s closet door and pulled out a white button-up. There was a piece of white fabric in a small clear zip-lock bag in his hand, and he placed it at the bottom of the white button-up. It matched the rip in it’s lower waistline perfectly.

                “That doesn’t prove anything! How do you know I didn’t just rip it at my mother’s fence weeks ago?”

                “How did you know we found it at your mother’s fence, Hani? And what would you be doing there, crawling through a hole in her backyard? But that was not the defining clue, Hani.” Chanyeol pulled out another piece of evidence from his coat pocket. Inside a zip-lock bag was fragments of a burned page, he placed it on the table behind Hani.

                “This was found in your mother’s fireplace. It was taken out of her diary and left there to be burned. Read what it says Hani.”

                “I don’t have to…”

                “Read it. Or perhaps you don’t have to. I think you know what is on it.” Chanyeol insinuated. The tall model glared at Chanyeol, but reluctantly turned to take the burnt page. His fingers ran over the contour of the burnt fragments, which were carefully placed to help spell its original message.

                “I will leave all my belongings to you Minseok, for it is all that I can do for you my love.” She read carefully, sputtering out every word while breathing heavily. There was a crack in her tone as Chanyeol took the page away from her.

                “Minseok would not kill her if he knew he was going to get a share of her millions. If Minseok was in a relationship with her like you had suspected, he wouldn’t kill her. Yet, he is sitting there in court, waiting for the judge to sentence him, and he’s doing it without putting up a fight. And do you know why?”

                Hani was too scared to answer him.

                “Because he’s taking the blame for you, Hani. You were the one who killed your mother. You engineered the poison in your labs and you were the one who switched her tablets. You found your mother’s diary and suspected her of being in love with Minseok. You were angry weren’t you? You hated your mother for making you marry Jongdae, a sociopathic cheater who tried to flirt with everyone including one of your stylists here.”

“And I was in the same room! Can you believe his poor taste?”

“Shut up Baekhyun.” Chanyeol snapped. Kyungsoo made a face at his best friend while Baekhyun tried not to flip him off. “You detested her for not allowing the divorce. And then to find out that your mother maybe secretly in love with the same man as you? Was that why she didn’t allow the divorce? So that she could have him instead of you?”

                “You don’t know anything.” She spat out, her words laced with poison and ice as she tried to stop herself from shaking.

                “You may be right, but what I do know is that your fingerprints were found all over your mother’s diary.” He pulled out the diary from his jacket that was once again packed in the evidence bag. Hani stared at the diary as if it was the world’s most gruesome creature, her breath cutting short and her head spinning.

                “Minseok knew it was you, so he took the blame for you, because he couldn’t bear to see you in prison. But apparently you can, you can afford to sit here in your princess skirt, posing for the world to see while the only man in the world who has ever shown you love is ready to rot in jail.”

                “I. Did. Not. Ask. Him. To!” Hani cried out, turning around to sweep everything off her table in fury and angst. Jongin watched the bottles of perfume and cosmetics fall to the floor with the glass shattering everywhere.

                “I didn’t ask him to do this.” She was crying now, her body unstable as she supported herself on shaky hands. “I begged him not to tell anyone, but I didn’t know he would…I didn’t…”

                “I am asking you kindly, Wu Hani, to turn yourself in and admit your crime.” Chanyeol said.

                “I can’t…I can’t do this…I worked too hard for this!”

                “So you’re just going to sit here and watch him die in prison?! For a crime you committed?!”

                “She deserved it. She deserved to die.” Hani looked up at her reflection, her mascara running down her cheeks like painted black lines and she looked horrific.

                “Minseok doesn’t deserve to pay the price for your mistake. If you turn yourself in, we can negotiate for a lighter sentence. You don’t have to pay the full sentence.”

                “And if I don’t?”

                “Your mother had a reason for not allowing your relationship.” Chanyeol handed her the burn page back. “Flip it around.”

                Hani grabbed the page and flipped it. In clear ink, the words My son appeared. Hani felt her knees buckle under her and her insides flipped upside down. There was a feeling of dread, horror and disgust boiling inside of her.

                “He…god…”

                “You just put your half-brother to jail, Hani.”

                “No…NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” The burnt page fell to the floor as Hani collapsed on the ground, screaming in utter anguish. Jongin and Baekhyun lifted her up and handcuffed her arms behind her back.

                “Wu Hani, you are arrested for the murder of Li Su-En, your mother.”

                Hani could no longer put up a fight. She was dragged outside of the building, where once again a mob of paparazzi was lying in wait for her. She was placed inside the police car with no shoes and her Marchesa dress still on. Flashes came from the cameras the same way as they did earlier.

                Flash flash flash.

                She was so tired and helpless, but at the same time something strange crashed all over her heart like a tsunami.

                Relief.

                She was no longer pretending.

                It’s over. It’s finally over.

****************

                It was a rainy summer day when The Dame’s funeral was had. She had been cremated long ago, but her ashes never put away. In a close intimate gathering, between family and friends, the businesswoman’s final remains where placed where she wanted it the most, next to her first husband’s remains.

                “She loved him most.” Kris turned to Detective Park as Sehun placed his mother’s urn in one of the columbarium niches next to her first husband’s. “I have always suspected that for the longest time.”

                “I suppose what they say is true. You never forget your first love.” They bowed for a final time, in front of her memorial plaque. Tao was holding the umbrella above Kris’s head, and despite not being overly fond of his boyfriend’s ex-wife, he had a sombre look in his eyes as he mourned for her passing.

                “Thank you for finding her killer detective.” Kris shook his hand. “I just…I just wished it wasn’t one of us. Hani was my daughter, I should have taken better care of her when she was a child. I should have…”

                “Don’t blame yourself Kris.”

                “I am her father Chanyeol, I can’t blame anyone but myself.” Kris choked up, trying to stop his tears from running. Chanyeol could only offer a quiet pat on the shoulder. “This will be a very tough time for our family.”

                “I understand.”

                “Thank you detective. Thank you.”

                “You’re welcomed sir.” Kris and Chanyeol shook for the last time as Chanyeol bowed politely and was about to make his way back. He spotted Luhan and Sehun, holding each other under the umbrella. Sehun’s eyes were red and puffy as Luhan cuddled against him. Chanyeol stopped to greet them.

                “I am so sorry about everything.” He bowed. There were no words exchanged, but Luhan held onto Chanyeol’s hand tightly. Sehun smiled a teary smile as Chanyeol finally said goodbye. The smile seemed forced. How could he, when he knew his sister killed his mother, and now he had a half-brother? Chanyeol knew from experience that when a family is suffering, sometimes all you need to do is just offer a hand for them to hold, but a family in pain must be left alone, for their pains only exist within them, and no one else can come close to even understanding a fraction of it.

                Chanyeol thought about all that he had discovered, and he can’t help but feel pity for the victim and her whole family. He gazed at them one last time, and thought about the lies The Dame concocted to protect her family. If only she knew they would be her undoing. Flashbacks and mental images of the family in all their perfection clouded his brain like a movie montage.

                As he drove away, he can only pray that no matter where she, her daughter or her family is, may they both find peace in their broken hearts. May they finally, be free.

*****************

                The next time Kyungsoo returned to Ryeowook’s tech store, the storekeeper was pretty determined to ask him out. Kyungsoo had after all turned him down several times, but you know what they say. Never give up.

                “What do you say Kyungsoo? How about it?”

                “I’m flattered Ryeowook but really, I don’t think it’s a good idea.” Kyungsoo blushed as he handed him a set of earphones on the counter.

                “Come now, I promise you it’ll be fun! We can go to the theme park, watch a movie, or you know head to the tech fair! You can get new stuff and I can stock up supplies!”

                “Sounds great but I’m not sure my boyfriend will agree.”

                “Well then he can come along! The more the merrier! Wait did you just say boyfriend?”

                “Hey babe I’m back.” Jongin walked into the store and handed him a Starbucks cup. “I got you the latte you wanted.”

                “Thanks Jongin.” Kyungsoo reached out to hold his hand affectionately. “Ryeowook this is Jongin, my boyfriend.”

                “Hi, you must be the tech guy Kyungsoo is talking about. You’ve got some cool supplies.”

                “Uh yeah sure.” The colour on Ryeowook’s face seemed to have disappeared instantly, leaving him pasty white and later a lobster red. He quickly checked out Kyungsoo’s item and handed it to him. “Have a lovely day.”

                “Thanks!” the couple left the store hand in hand. Jongin looked over at Kyungsoo and said “Gee, I hope you didn’t break your friend’s heart over there.”

                “I doubt it, just you wait, when the next girl comes in it’ll be like I never appeared.” Kyungsoo laughed.

                “You seem to like going around introducing me as your boyfriend.” Jongin teased.

                “It has a nice ring to it, and you never say anything about it either.”

                “Guess I like it as much as you do.” Jongin laughed, pulling Kyungsoo closer. They passed by a book store and Jongin stopped to look inside its window.

                “When will you publish your own book of poems? I want to start bragging to people that my boyfriend is not just a headlining reporter but a poet too.”

                “It’s on its way. My publisher just gave me the okay but it needs to be edited.”

                “You said that I would be the first person to read your poems. What happened to that?”

                “Patience Kyungie.” Jongin shushed him, bringing him further away from the bookstore and out for lunch. Later that day, Kyungsoo returned to his shared apartment with Baekhyun and found a crumpled napkin in his pocket. He opened the napkin and Jongin’s beautiful handwriting was on it.

The boy I love wants my poems,

He begs and begs, hoping to read my words and make them his,

The truth is, his eyes are my inspiration,

His words are my words,

And his heart is the soul and essence of my work

What is there to read,

When he is my poem.

What is there to want,

When I already am his.

-KJI

*********************

                “You can’t do this Victoria!”

                “I can’t help it Baekhyun, I really don’t think I can afford to keep this up.” Victoria sighed sadly. “I have to close in a month’s time.”

                “I’m sure there must be something we can do!” Baekhyun held her hands, he can’t just believe that his favourite studio is closing down.

                “Face it Baekhyun, no one seems to be interested in pole dancing.”

                “But we have to…”

                “Excuse me.” A knock came from the door and Chanyeol poked his head through. Baekhyun was surprised that Chanyeol showed up. “Is this Victoria’s Dance studio?”

                “Chanyeol!”

                “I have some guys who want to take some lessons, can I bring them in?”

                “Of course!” Victoria bounced on her feet to greet her new customers, and her jaw dropped when a group of 20 something police men entered the room. There were customers of all various shapes and sizes. They looked around the room and started chattering loudly, looking at the equipment and checking the mirrors.

                “Oh my god, look at all these people!” Victoria gasped in excitement. “I can keep my studio!! I don’t have to close it!”

                “Chanyeol you are an angel!” Baekhyun jumped straight into Chanyeol’s arms and kissed him. “How did you do this?”

                “Well I told the guys that not only is dancing a great way to keep fit, it’s also a great source of appeal.” He winked. “These guys here are looking for a real workout.”

                “Hey, is this a strippers pole?” one of the burly guys asked, holding and pulling onto a brass pole to check its stability.

                “Yes it is and it’s great for strength and flexibility!” Victoria beamed.

                “Do chicks dig a male pole dancer?” he asked.

                “There’s your best example there.” She pointed at Baekhyun, who was smiling smugly in Chanyeol’s arms.

                “This looks complicated.” One of them said, wrapping his legs and trying to climb up, but he slid back down not long after. “I can do this, I swear I can!”

                “Good luck guys!” Chanyeol laughed.

                “Park, you’re not joining us?” the burly one asked.

                “Why do I need dance lessons with you when I got a private dancer for myself?” Chanyeol shrugged, turning away from his colleagues as he pulled Baekhyun with him. “How about we go back to my place and you show me some of your skills?”

                “You haven’t seen enough in Costa Rica?” Baekhyun raised his eyebrows teasingly, feeling his boyfriend’s hand on his .

                “I think I’m entitled to a private show, don’t you?”

                “Only on one condition.”

                “What is it?”

                “You will moan louder for me than you do for food.”

A/N: There is only one more chapter left, and a prolougue, until the end of this story. Quite a lot of you made the right guess in that Hani is the killer hahahahaha!! Congratulations on thsoe who guessed correctly! Another I want to clarify is that I love Hani and just because I paint her as the murderer doesn't mind I have a bad image of her. The next chapter is all about Hani, and the truth behind her murder motives. It may seem a little unclear now, but I hope that you will have all your doubts cleared in the next chapter.

I feel sad that this is coming to an end because I did enjoy writing this. Thank you to all those who have shown an interest in the story and gave it the love it needed. Thank you for sticking by me and waiting patiently as this story comes to an end. 

P.S I am the queen of twists, and this is really not the end. XD

I love you all!!