Donghae got home exhausted. Everything was spinning too fast in his mind. So Leeteuk was the lead detective on Sora’s murder case… Why didn’t he say anything earlier when they were in the archives? And why did he seem so embarrassed and uneasy? Donghae doubted that Leeteuk could hurt a soul but for sure he knew more than he was letting know. And Kyuhyun only confirmed that. Indeed Donghae had noticed that the main detective of this case was Kangin because he wrote most of the reports, but there was one written by his partner, and that was none other than Leeteuk. He took a mental note to ask them about it tomorrow.

Donghwa wasn’t back home yet, so the analyst took this time to continue working, because something really bothering him in all this. He didn’t have the right to take home the case files but he didn’t need them, his memory was as good as a picture of it. He took his notes and squatter them on his bed, then he opened his dresser. A long time ago he had bought a white board and it was the opportunity to use it. Donghae stuck his notes on the walls and wrote his suppositions on the white board. There was something about the recent crimes that reminded him of the ones from Eunhyuk’s sister’s killer.

First of all, only women were killer by the Checkmate killer, and even if there were some men in Sora’s killer’s kill list, it was mainly women that were murdered. Why women? And even if the M.O. wasn’t exactly the same there were some similarities in how the victim’s bodies were disarticulated as if they were tortured before. Then the Classic killer used to leave quotes while the Checkmate one left chess pieces, as if they wanted to communicate with the detectives, to justify what they were doing… In Donghae’s mind there was no justification for such horrible acts, but well, those killers were probably disturbed. He continued listing the similarities, and he noticed how those two killers were close. The most important now was to find the link between those two, and why the Checkmate killer was specifically targeting Eunhyuk. Because that was it, why would the Checkmate killer leave a message with “Faust” written, for the detective to find? Something that would remind him of his sister’s killer… And then there was this thing with the surveillance camera. The person who left the package knew exactly where it was, and what he had to do to be unseen. And that probably meant…
Suddenly the door of his room opened, making Donghae jump on his seat.

“Hyung! You scared the crap out of me!”

“Good evening to you too, Hae.”

Donghae went to hug his brother and he gently ruffled his hair.

“What’s all that mess?” Donghwa asked, looking over the brunet’s shoulder.

“Working the case… By the way how was Siwon?”

“He was a mess! I don’t know what happened exactly but he was deeply deranged by it… That’s why I’m so late; I had to finish up his work as he went home earlier. How did you know?”

Donghae quickly mentioned the package without entering in details, when his brother stopped him.

“Ok let’s order food first, I’m starving! Then you can tell me everything in details.”

Donghae could only agree to it. He didn’t even remember when he ate for last, and he was starving. They ordered a pizza and set at the kitchen table to eat and talk. Donghae ended telling everything to his brother, about the tragedy in Eunhyuk’s family, the quotes the killer used to leave, details about the checkmate killer and he ended by the package and the surveillance cameras. Donghwa waited for him to finish talking then he pat his little brother’s back.

“I understand now why Siwon was so upset…! It must be hard for you…”

“It’s harder on Eunhyuk-shii…”

Donghwa gave him a conciliatory smile.

“I seriously don’t understand those monsters...! Do they realize that every people they murder it’s like they are taking a sibling, a daughter, a son, a mother, of someone? Everyone has someone they love or is loved by, in this world. But those psychopaths kill just for fun…”

“I don’t think you should judge them this hard…” Donghwa said.

Donghae frowned. How could his brother even think about defending murderers? Seeing his dark expression, the oldest justified himself.

“What I meant is that sometimes the reason for a murder can be understood and you can even think it’s necessary. Because sometimes, there’s just no other way.”

The brunet kept staring at his brother, confused. Donghwa sighed.

“Alright, let me give you an example. I was reviewing a case for Siwon that he defended a few years ago. There were those two brothers, their father was dead and they were in the care of their mother, and she sold her services for money.”

“She was a e?”

“Yes. And because she considered that her kids shouldn’t live from her money she wanted them to “help” in earning money. To protect his brother, the eldest son, made a deal with his mother that only he would help.”

“You mean he was forced to e himself by his own mother?!” Donghae exclaimed, horrified.

Donghwa nodded, sadly.

“And that’s what he did for years, hiding it from his little brother of course. But then one day the mother changed her mind and tried selling her other son, as he was only fourteen. The eldest tried everything to prevent it. He went to the police, but they just wouldn’t believe him from lack of evidence, and they could never pin the mother as a hooker. Or maybe the police just didn’t care… Anyway in the end, one day when she tried taking his brother away, the eldest, in an act of despair, took a kitchen knife and trying to defend himself stabbed his mother twice in the abdomen.”

Donghwa paused, as Donghae was imagining the scene in his head. In all his years in the police he never heard such a sad and tragic story. He took a certain time to process the story and Donghwa continued.

“Now tell me… What do you think the eldest’s sentence was?”

“He was convicted for murder?”

“First degree murder. Siwon couldn’t even get a self-defense sentence; the jury and the judge were intransigent.”

“But that’s so unfair! He was only trying to protect his little brother.”

Donghwa nodded