Detective Park Chanyeol has just successfully solved another case. He cracked the mystery behind the missing Mercedes Benz belonging to actress Jessica Jung. She paid the detective handsomely and even tried to kiss him, but her overpowering perfume was what turned him away from what could be ‘a kiss of a lifetime’ (described by GQ magazine, not him). He was thankful for the gracious gift, but now all he could think about was sleep.

                “God I have not slept since the case began.” He groaned, slumping down on the sofa of his apartment. His friend and tenant Jongin nodded sympathetically. “You have been up all night for the past three days. You should get some sleep. Want some warm milk?”

                “No thanks.” Chanyeol yawned and took of his coat and shoes. He dumped his phone on the table and threw his wallet somewhere else. The sofa creaked under his weight and he could feel the springs of the sofa through the thinning material. Chanyeol’s apartment was a pretty dismal looking place. As a detective, he should be able to afford better looking places but he didn’t. He has been living in that Misery House (as his boss, Inspector Nam called it) since he started working. Chanyeol’s excuse was the apartment’s location. He claimed that there was no better place than being in the heart of Seoul, where all the action is and public transport was always available.

                This is the detective’s 29^th case since he started working as a detective 4 years ago. He was slowly starting to gain respect in his field and hoped that he could tackle bigger cases in the future (who knows, maybe even be promoted?) but as of right now, things seem to be in a bit of a standstill. The cases that he has accepted so far are kind of…tame. A missing foreign car and the disappearance of Pooky the cat? Those were all menial cases that no other police detective wants to take and were just thrown to him like leftovers. Enough of cases like those, Chanyeol was waiting for a big mystery. He could feel it coming in his bones.

                Hours later, he could feel something shaking his bones alright. He tried not to move but something pinched him, so he snapped upright.

                “Ouch! What is it?!” he groaned loudly.

                “It’s your phone.” Jongin said, patting him on the thigh and walking away. Chanyeol looked over to the vibrating menace that was on the brink of falling down of his coffee table. Chanyeol sighed and grabbed the phone.

                “Yes?”

                “Park, I need you here right now. I’ve texted the address over to your phone. Get in your car and meet me here.”

                “What is this about Inspector?”

                “The Dame is dead.”

                Chanyeol crinkled his nose in confusion. His light grey hair covered his eyes and he could only see glimmers of light from his mop top. “A dog died?”

                “Yeah, she’s a real alright.” Inspector Nam dead-panned, and Chanyeol could tell he was not amused. “It’s a she okay? Like an actual person. This could be your first murder case.”

                “Can I bring Jongin?”

                “Sure, make sure he has a press pass.” Chanyeol could imagine the Inspector rolling his eyes. “Just get over here.”

                “Right sir.” Chanyeol stood up on weak legs. He grabbed his coat and his wallet from the floor. “Hey Jongin! A dead body has been found.”

                “Where?!” Jongin grabbed his book and his jacket. “Can I come with?”

                “What do you think I’m telling you for?” Chanyeol grabbed a sip of water from a nearby bottle.

                “Awesome!” he grabbed a flask of coffee and his phone. “The paper is going to love this story.”

                “Let’s hope it’s your big break, or Inspector Nam is going to break you.” The duo left the apartment and into Chanyeol’s car.

                Chanyeol’s tenant, Kim Jongin is a struggling reporter. He has been going freelance for a while now since his old company, The South Korean Times laid him off due to budget cuts. He still has the company’s press pass (which is definitely illegal) but Inspector Nam has always turned a blind eye against it. The newspaper was too busy trying to save its failing paper than to care about someone using their pass. Jongin has always submitted his stories to the paper, so they don’t complain either. The only reason why Inspector Nam doesn’t mind Jongin was because he is the only reporter who doesn’t try to interfere with police investigation.

                “Quick, do an internet search on The Dame. Inspector said she might be murdered. Who is she, some high-profile celebrity?” Chanyeol ordered, steering past their favourite coffee shop and narrowly avoided hitting the fire hydrant.

                “Says here that The Dame’s real name is Li Su-En. She’s a humanitarian and the president of the Li Foundation. The foundation supports various causes, from health to science but mostly regarding children. She’s 50 years old this year and is a very influential figure in the world of business. She was previously married to Kris Wu the real estate mogul.” Jongin read off his phone.

                “Wasn’t Kris Wu the founder of Wu Construction and Real Estate?” Chanyeol scrunched his nose.

                “Not to mention Wu Interior Design. His son now runs both companies, trying to keep the family name alive.”

                “So we’ve got a dead divorcee who is worth billions and spends her time trying to save the world,” Chanyeol bit his lip as he turned another corner. “Doesn’t sound too complex.”

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

                “Cause of death for The Dame is accidental drowning. Poor woman was found at 8.30p.m in her bathtub by her chauffeur. She was supposed to attend some charity function. Her chauffeur panicked when she didn’t come down on time and tried to look for her.” Inspector Nam handed the case file over to Chanyeol as he ducked (or semi-crawled) under the police tape while Jongin stayed on the other end taking photos. He entered the marble bathroom, which was double the size of his kitchen (or even his living room damn it) and the first thing that caught his eye was the body in the tub. The gigantic marble bathtub was placed in the direct centre of the room that opened up to the balcony of the mansion, separated by three white French doors. Sinks and cabinets made of mahogany lined the bathroom walls and created a focus on the bathtub in the middle. Forensic experts were dusting the area for clues. Chanyeol slipped on his gloves and stepped closer to the body.

                The victim was beautiful, her body fully immersed in the tub and her legs slightly bent to accommodate her frame. Her head was above the water with her neck strained backwards, and it was obvious that one of forensic guys did it. Her eyes were closed and her lips were pale blue. Little bits of water frothed from . Her arms laid there limply by her side.

                “May I?” Chanyeol asked. He didn’t need to really, but he had a habit of asking anyways. He lifted up the victims arms and checked her hands.

                “No sign of struggle.” He checked the other arm and even her legs. Most men would be a little embarrassed about checking on a woman’s body, but this is not just any body. This was a dead body, and its Chanyeol’s job to find out what happened.

                “It doesn’t seem like someone tried to drown her. Maybe it is accidental.”

                “Maybe but you know the rules, we can’t claim something to be accidental until there is enough proof to suggest otherwise. We’re dusting the place for prints but so far it looks clean. No sign of forced entry on the French doors, they were closed when we got here. The door to the bathroom is a bit broken though.” Inspector Nam pointed to the broken door knob and chipped side. “The chauffeur broke it down.”

                “Has her family been notified? Ex-husband? Kids?”

                “Doing so as we speak. That’s the chauffeur over there.” Inspector Nam pointed to a man in his uniform. He wore white gloves and looked down at his feet most of the time. “Driver Kim is his name. He was the one who found her.”

                “I’m surprised though, this is a huge mansion but I don’t see anyone else.”

                “The staff are all on a break. According to Driver Kim, The Dame asked them to take the day off.”

                “I think I’ll go talk to him. Try to find out who The Dame really is like.”

                “Good luck. This case is yours.” Chanyeol whipped his head instantly. “Seriously?”

                “That’s why I called you. I got another one to handle down south.” Inspector Kim ducked under the tape. “Don’t screw this up Park.”

                “Thank you sir.” Finally! My big break! He resisted a celebratory dance on the spot and instead high-fived himself in his head. He walked up to the driver and introduced himself. “I’m Detective Park Chanyeol of the South Korean Police Force and I’m in charge of your employer’s case.”

                “My name is Kim Minseok, but everyone calls me Xiumin, or Driver Kim.” he tipped his hat and looked down at his feet again. “I’m the family chauffeur.”

                “So you were the one who found the body?” Jongin skipped his way over with his notepad, ready to take notes.

                “Yes. I was outside the mansion by 8.20p.m. The Dame said she would be ready by that time. After a few minutes I got worried. The Dame is never late.”

                “Never?”

                The driver shook his head. “She was a firm believer of being on time. I have been working for the family for five years and I have never known her to be late for anything.”

                “Okay, continue.”

                “I barged into the house and ran all over looking for her. She wasn’t in her room so I went into her bathroom and that’s how I found her.”

                “Was her head underwater?”

                “Yes.”

                Chanyeol eyed Xiumin carefully. He seemed like a regular chauffeur. His uniform was ironed perfectly and nothing was out of place. He did however, sweat buckets and kept wiping his forehead with tissues.

                “Was The Dame heading somewhere?”

                “Ah yes, she was supposed to attend an AIDS charity event hosted by her daughter and son-in-law in Gangnam.”

                “She has a daughter?”

                “Yes, her daughter is Hani the fashion designer and model. Her son-in-law is Kim Jongdae.”

                “Ah yes, the famous technology entrepreneur.” Jongin nodded as he scribbled down notes.

                “Exactly. The event was to start at 8.45p.m and we were supposed to leave at 8.20p.m. The Dame has spent the whole day out at the office before returning here around 6p.m.”

                “She didn’t ask you to wait?”

                “No, she said I should go and have a break before coming back to pick her up.”

                “Was The Dame under any kind of medication?” Chanyeol asked.

                “She took sleeping pills and some medication for high blood pressure.”

                “Do you think she slept off from the sleeping pills which caused the accidental drowning?” Jongin asked Chanyeol as he scribbled some more.

                “Hard to say.” Chanyeol sighed. “I think we have all we need for now, thank you. Don’t leave the country though.” He gave Xiumin a brief nod as the chauffeur was taken to have his prints taken. He looked around the bathroom and was not surprised to find it being spotless. A house like this must always be well maintained.

                I’m not going to find anything here. He left the bathroom and went into the next room. The lights were already on and Chanyeol guessed it was The Dame’s bedroom. An emerald evening gown was laid out on the bed and next to it was a silver purse. heels were there at the foot of the bed and bottles of perfume and make-up were strewn all over the dressing table.

                Poor woman was getting ready to dress up for a night in the town. Chanyeol shook his head regrettably. He checked her dressing table and pushed aside bottles of lotion and perfume. He saw a bottle of sleeping pills and some high blood pressure medication.

                “Can I come in?” Jongin asked from outside the door, his camera in his hands.

                “Grab me one of those plastic bags and you can. Keep your gloves on and don’t touch anything.”

                With the pill bottles carefully taken away as evidence, Chanyeol looked through her drawers for clues. He moved onto the silver purse on the bed and interestingly, there was a name card inside. Scrawled across in big letters was the name P.I.E and underneath it was a phone number.

                “What is P.I.E?”

                “A pie company?” Jongin shrugged, too busy taking photos of the site. Chanyeol gave his friend a look before pocketing the card away. “You do realize those photos you are taking will be used in the investigation, right?”

                “I thought this case is going to be filed off as an accidental death?”

                “Nothing is going to be filed off as accidental until I say so.” Chanyeol looked around the room. “This place smells like murder.”

                “Well, you’re the boss.” Jongin took a picture of Chanyeol for laughs and snickered away. "By the way it smells of lavender perfume to me."

                “You know, since you like taking photos of crime scenes you should come and work as our forensic photographer.”

                “And work with you? Please. Living with you is a pain already.”

                Chanyeol should have flipped him off, and he usually would have. But on that night his hands were in his pocket as he imagined The Dame in her tub.

                He could actually feel his bones shaking.

A/N: Next chapter I'll introduce Baekhyun and Kyungsoo, and I have a feeling you will love their characters (especially Baekhyun, he is my favourite to write about XD). Pls do leave comments and subscribe if you're interested! Thank you so much guys!!