As I slipped into the passenger’s seat, I noticed Tao wasn’t his usual talkative self. He hadn’t even bothered to greet me.

“What, did someone die or something?” I commented mindlessly as I settled in.

His silence indicated that I might have actually hit a nerve.

“Someone really died?” I asked after a while, sitting up to confront him as he pulled out of the parking lot.

“Just as some words of advice, you probably shouldn’t open with that when you see Xiumin later today.”

I sat back in my seat, going through a list of people in my head.

“Did I know the person?” 

“No.” 

 It was obvious that Tao didn’t intend on elaborating, so I stayed silent for the rest of the ride, unable to start up conversation again.

When I got home, all traces of last night were gone, just as Xiumin had said they would be. Even the slight dent in the wall had been spackled over and repainted. There was a lingering scent of fresh paint because of it.

I took some time to study up on my amino acid structures before I began preparing food from the ingredients I had bought the day before. As I sat peeling potatoes, I considered how I should feel towards Xiumin at the moment. I would be lying if I said that last night didn’t shake me up a little, but at the same time, I knew his actions yesterday were an anomaly. Was that something I was willing to forgive so easily? I mean, had I not been so on guard, things could have definitely ended much differently.

But the news of the death today left me with mixed feelings. Based on Tao’s demeanor, this wasn’t the death of some insignificant pawn, who they had convinced to do their dirty work. This person was someone they actually cared about. If Xiumin was mourning a life, did I really have any right to and moan about him trying to cop a feel?     

Xiumin hesitated just outside the door of their home. He didn’t know what to expect going into it. The last thing he wanted, was to have to tip toe around an angry women when he had so many other things to think about. When he finally managed to pass through the threshold, he found Chloe cooking in the kitchen.

She stared at him as he entered, continuing to mash the potatoes in front of her.

“You hungry?” She asked, her voice unnervingly calm despite recent events.

Xiumin nodded silently, curious as to her state of mind

“Go take a shower and get changed. Dinner will be ready by the time you come out.” She said as she moved on to washing some greens.

Xiumin did as told, moving to leave. It was obvious that there was some residual anger in her actions, but it seems she was willing to forgive and forget.

“And Xiumin.” She called out to him. He stopped in his tracks to listen. “Don’t ever come home like that again.” She said as she shook the excess water off the greens.

Xiumin felt that was implied, so he felt no need to respond.

That night, Xiumin showered for longer than usual, intending to rid himself of the dark cloud that had surrounded him the past two days. When he finally stepped out to dry himself, he felt clean, yet he couldn’t shake the lingering remorse which he felt towards Yoona. He should have pushed harder for her retirement. Apparently the pension fund he sent her wasn’t enough incentive. He thought he had done the right thing by taking someone else’s hand in marriage, in hopes that she would eventually step away from life in the underworld. But it seemed that that very decision, was what eventually led to her untimely demise.

When he rejoined Chloe at the dinner table, everything had already been set. He thanked her for the meal before starting. The meal itself was a relatively silent one. The both of them sat occupied by their own thoughts for the majority of the time. But Chloe did speak to him once.    

As Xiumin was reaching for a drink, Chloe caught his hand, her fingers evaluating his injury.

“I liked that vase.” She said, running her finger across the bandages of the wound.

Her fingers felt soft and uncallused, while slightly cold to the touch, though there was a tenderness in her actions that caught him off guard.

He had never wanted to read a person’s mind, more than at that moment.

“I’ll replace it with another one.” Xiumin said, watching her expression carefully.

She tightened her hold, apparently unsatisfied by his solution. “Some things aren’t replaceable.” She responded, before relinquishing Xiumin’s hand.

On my way to bed, I found Xiumin sitting out on our balcony, with a glass of scotch in his hand. He was staring out at the city skyline, lost in thought. A part of me wanted to join him outside and share in a nice drink, but I sensed he wanted to be alone. So I decided to give him just that. I slipped into our room, closing the door behind me, before passing out in bed.  

Hours later, I awoke in the middle of the night from some jostling on the other side of the bed. I soon realized that Xiumin was unusually close, his left shoulder, right up against my back. There was a pause in his movements, which made me fear he had realized I was awake, but soon after, it resumed. I let out a deep breath, thankful that I had my back turned to him.

It seemed he was feeling restless that night. At some point, he had gotten up to get a glass of water. He came back soon after, slipping into bed again. This continued for at least an hour, with him unable to settle his mind enough to fall asleep.

When I was finally about to nod off again, I felt a slight tug on my shoulder. I remained still as Xiumin pulled me towards him, his arms wrapping around me until his head lay right up against mine. The warmth from his body on my back felt nicer than I cared to admit, as his body conformed to the shape of mine. I went stiff as I felt something cold and wet run down the back of my head. A few moments later, I heard a light sniffle, and with that, I finally realized that Xiumin was crying.

He held me close like this for the rest of the night, as if our physical contact was just enough to keep him calm until the night was over. But not to my surprise, when I woke up in the morning, he was gone, leaving no trace of his momentary weakness.

“The victim’s name is Im Yoona. We have it on good word that she’s one of Kris’s es. We’re hoping that we can use her to finally convict the bastard.”

Suho took in the photo of the crime scene, turning away when he realized how exposed the body was.

“Are you suggesting it was one of Kris’s men that did this?” 

“Well we haven’t ruled it out. We’ve already interview the person who found the body. We don’t see a motive and his hands don’t match the bruise markings on her neck, so he is no longer a suspect. The number we got from him was also a dead end. Kris and Xiumin are pretty much the only leads we have left.”

“Alright. Get them in here for questioning. And send me a full report when you’re done.” Suho said as he continued on with his paperwork.

It was a Saturday, and I had already spent the whole day writing lab reports and doing laundry. It was getting later in the night and I had just finished making dinner. After wiping down our relatively new dinner table in preparation, I looked to the clock, eyeing the minutes ticking by. Xiumin was usually home by now, and he would have told me if he had planned to come late again. My finger lingered over the call button on my phone, unsure if it was even my place to worry like this. After I let another ten minutes pass by, I finally made the call to Xiumin. The call tone put me on edge as it continued to ring on.

“The person you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. Leave a message after the tone or hang up and try again.”

I hung up, tapping my phone against my chin as I decided what to do next. I scrolled through my contacts until I came across Tao’s number.

He picked up almost immediately. “Tao? Do you know where Xiumin is? Our food is getting cold.” I said, trying not to let any ounce of panic show.

“You haven’t heard yet?” I could hear voices behind him, which meant he was probably in some sort of meeting.

“Heard what?”

Tao let out a sigh. “Xiumin’s at the police station.”

“What?” I yelled into the phone. “What for?”

“He and Kris are being questioned for murder.”

“She doesn’t need to know the details.” I could hear someone say on the other side.

“The hell I do!” I yelled, standing from my seat. “What the hell is going on?”

“She deserves to know.” Someone else said.

“The less she’s involved, the better.”

“If you guys don’t fill me in, I’ll call the cops.” I threatened. “I’m sure they’d be more than happy to tell me the details after I turn all you guys in.”

“He just had to choose the ing doctor. If we had gone with a e, we would never have these kind of issues.” 

“Well?” I said, waiting for their response.

Tao eventually spoke up again. “Call a cab and meet us here.” He hung up immediately after.

I practically ran out the door, almost forgetting my wallet in the process.  

“You know, I really don’t think the cuffs are necessary.” Kris said to the officer who was leading him through the station.

“I think they look rather good on you.” The officer responded as he pushed Kris along. “They toughen up the whole pretty boy look you’ve got going on.”

Kris t