4:14PM.

It was raining when Bae Irene turned through the estate driveway and parked on the gravel just outside the house and it looked like it would be raining for a long time. Maybe all night. Certainly if the weather forecast was accurate it would be. There were clouds gathering overhead and occasionally thunder would crack and it had never quite been that miserable at four in the afternoon before and already it was growing very dark and gloomy in the colder corridors of winter.

She cut the car's engine and sat for a moment collecting herself. The other cars littered on the driveway were much nicer than hers, much fancier. One was a droptop Ferrari in mustard yellow and one was a Japanese Nissan GTR and another was a black-and-gold Rolls Royce Phantom with tinted windows. The house up ahead was more a villa than anything else, as wide as any house could ever be, almost White Housey in appearance. There were rows of neatly trimmed hedges in long brick beds and a polished brick staircase leading up to the front of the house and two marble columns stood proudly on either side of the awning. It was at least three floors. She’d never been before but she could tell right away because she was good at things like that, good at knowing stuff she probably shouldn't know, at paying attention to the little details.

Her watch read 4:14 in the afternoon. Already it was too grey. She checked herself in the rearview mirror and put on her jacket and stepped out with only her purse in her pocket into a wall of sheer rain that had her soaked instantly.

‘You better get inside,’ someone said. She looked up to find a man about forty or forty-five stood beside the awning. He looked even wetter than she did. His hair was greying and he was stooped a slight and his skin was tanned from working outside all day and he smiled a toothy smile at her and waved with the sweeping rake in his hands.

‘Thanks,’ she said.

‘Nice to meet you.’

‘You too.’

‘My name’s Jang Minchul. But you can call me Mr Jang.’

‘Right,’ she said.

‘Is that your name?’

‘What?’

‘Right?’

‘Uh, no. It’s Irene.’

‘Bae Irene.’

Irene glanced at him. He seemed to be smiling.

‘Big fan,’ he said.

‘Of what?’

‘Of you.’

‘Of me?’

‘Yeah,’ he nodded. ‘Big fan of your work. You’re the private investigator, right?’

‘Oh. Yeah, that’s me. Heard of me?’

‘You kidding? Of course.’

‘Well,’ she said. ‘Thanks, I guess.’

‘Everyone else is already inside.’

She nodded and thanked him and went in. The doors were already unlocked. Inside was an enormous main hall that looked like something from a French tapestry. The floor was of polished checkerboard marble and there were three long sofas splayed out in the middle and a long glass table and three more chairs off to the side. Music was playing, something funky. To the left were five doors along a long corridor and an enormous staircase that trailed up to a landing overlooking everything below like a monarch’s pulpit and there were three more doors on the far right of the room .

There were five people in the room when she stepped in and she smiled awkwardly and waved to them and only one of them waved back. She was short, about Irene’s height, with short hair and a big smile. ‘Hi,’ she said, in English.

‘Hi.’

‘You must be Bae Irene.’

‘Does everyone know me around here or something?’

‘Something like that,’ the woman said, holding out her hand. ‘I’m Seungwan. But you can call me Wendy.’

‘What?’

‘That’s my name.’

‘Oh. I’m—’

‘Bae Irene, yeah. I know, don’t worry. You’re kinda famous. Sorta. The private investigator, right?’

‘Yep. That’s me.’

‘So cool. I’m a journalist, you see. That’s why I’m here. I figured maybe I could, you know, do a story on you at some point as well.’

‘You’re here because you’re a journalist?’

‘Yeah. What? Why?’

‘No,’ Irene said. ‘Nothing.’

‘What? Say it.’

‘I just…I don’t know why a journalist would need to be here.’

‘Oh, it’s a long story.’

‘I see,’ Irene said. She was about to ask something else when she caught sight of a man at the top of the stairs grinning at her from across the enormity of the room. He was about seventy, greying at his receded temples, and very short. ‘Irene!’ he said.

She waved at him as he waddled down the stairs and past everyone and straight up to hug her. ‘Good to see you,’ he said.

‘Uh, yeah. You too, Mr Kim. Thanks for inviting me.’

‘Oh, I couldn’t have a dinner celebration and not invite you, could I?’

‘How do you two know each other?’ Wendy said. Mr Kim looked at her with something that Irene thought might have been disgust, or impatience. ‘Right,’ he mumbled. ‘Irene, this is—’

‘Wendy. Yeah, we’ve met.’

He turned to Wendy again. ‘I’m close with the chief of police,’ he said. ‘We go way back. And he’s always telling me about how he wishes he had someone with Irene’s expertise and close eye on the force with him. Said she’d make an excellent asset to the team. We’ve met a few times before.’

Irene smiled awkwardly.

‘That’s why I invited her along today.’

‘What’s this about, anyway? Not to be rude or anything.’

‘Just dinner,’ Mr Kim said. ‘And I figured it would be the perfect time to talk business with some associates of mine. Here, let me introduce you.’

He turned and showed her to the others in the room. There were three women sat on one of the black sofas. One was a short woman with short blonde hair and a black jacket much like Irene’s and the one in the middle was taller and had a striking face and a sort of luxury to the way she sipped her at her martini that screamed Important. She wore a slim black dress and black heels and looked at Irene with a sort of distant and wary suspicion that Irene didn't much like at all. The woman on the far right was wearing a white button-up polo and looking around as if she were bored of something.  Mr Kim pointed to the woman on the far left of the sofa with the blonde hair.

‘This is Jung Wheein,’ he said. ‘She’s a business friend of mine. Works in investment, mostly. Wheein!’

‘Hi,’ Wheein said, pulling herself up and shaking Irene’s hand and smiling just as awkwardly.

‘I was just telling Irene here about you.’

‘Not much to tell, really.’

‘Nonsense. Here, let me introduce you to the others.’

He motioned for the other two to come over and they did. ‘This is Park Sooyoung,’ he said, nodding to the tall woman with the martini glass. ‘She’s a property investor.’

‘I’m just a shareholder,’ Sooyoung said. Irene nodded blankly. Even her voice had an air of casual elegance about her, a slight aloofness.

‘Right. Nice to meet you.’

‘You too. Are you—’

‘Bae Irene. Yeah.’

‘Oh. I was going to say, are you a martini drinker?’

‘Uh, no. Not really. I prefer water.’

‘Water?’

‘Yeah. You know? H2O.’

Sooyoung smiled politely. As if to say: What the are you talking about?

Mr Kim smiled at the third woman in the polo shirt and she smiled back. ‘This is Lisa,’ he said. ‘Lisa here is the future chairman of Hyundai Group. The entire company.’

‘Well, maybe,’ she said shyly.

‘We go back quite a few years.’

‘Nice to meet you.’

‘You too,’ Irene said, still smiling awkwardly. She studied them all in turn, sipping their drinks and glancing about the room and nodding to the music. It seemed like nobody wanted to be there and Irene wasn't much different.

‘I’ll introduce you to the rest later,’ Mr Kim said.

‘Who else is here?

‘Oh, just a couple of people who work for me, is all. And the groundskeeper.’

‘Mr Jang?’

‘That’s him. Have you met?’

‘He said hi to meet on the porch.’

‘Ah. I see. He’s…. a strange one, is Mr Jang. But he gets his work done. And he makes my garden look nice, so I can’t complain there.’

‘Makes sense.’

‘Would you like a drink?’

‘Water, please.’

‘Oh, live a little.’

‘I’m good.’

‘Come on.’

‘Right,’ Irene said. ‘Lemonade, then.’

‘One lemonade coming right up.’

Irene just smiled. Mr Kim looked at her again. The others had already gone to sit back down. ‘What are we all here for?’ Irene asked again.

‘Dinner, like I said. We’re having dinner served in the dining hall at six PM. Until then, feel free to relax. Have a drink, conversate, make friends.’

‘I’m not very good at making friends.’

‘Relax,’ he said, with his most affable old man smile.

‘I’ll try.’

‘Good. Thank you for coming tonight.’

‘Is everyone here?’

‘No. We’re waiting on one more guest.’

‘Right,’ Irene said. ‘Well, thanks.’

‘I’ll make sure you get that lemonade.’

‘Where are you going?’

‘I’ve got work to do. I’ll be upstairs in my office if you want to talk. It’s the second room down the hallway on the right. Up there.’

He pointed and smiled again and then he was gone. Irene just stood there. The other women were all talking to each other and she felt a little like an outcast. She watched the maids coming and going from the kitchen to another room in the house with the sort of curious caution she watched everyone with. Then she checked her watch again. It was a habit of hers to check things constantly – to make sure things were in place, as she wanted them to be. Things had to be in order. She studied the other women. The blonde woman called Wheein was sat drinking whiskey out of a square glass and playing with salted peanuts in a glass tray on the table. She turned the tray. Then she turned it back, so that it was at a perfect ninety-degree angle. Then she did the same with her empty whiskey glass.

Irene watched her. She watched the others. Wendy was stood chatting with Sooyoung and she turned and caught Irene’s eyes and beckoned her over with a smile.

‘Hi,’ Irene said.

‘Hey. Did you want a drink or something? Or something to eat? They’ve got the most amazing canapés. You’ll love em.’

‘Who does?’

‘The cook. And the maids. Unless they’re all cooks. I don’t actually know. Haven’t figured that one out.’

Irene nodded absently.

‘So,’ Wendy said.

‘So.’

‘Tell me a bit about yourself.’

‘What?’

‘C’mon. You’re Bae Irene, the world’s most famous private investigator.’

‘What about Poirot?’

‘He’s a fictional character.’

‘Still.’

‘I mean it. C’mon. What do you do?’

‘Investigate. Privately.’

‘Well, yeah. I get that bit. But, like—’

‘You’re very curious.’

‘Sorry,’ Wendy said sheepishly. ‘It’s just I’m a huge, huge fan. And I write as well.’

‘Write? Write what?’

‘Novels. I’m a successful author. Well, somewhat.’

‘Very successful,’ Sooyoung said. ‘Have you not heard of Son Seungwan?’

‘No,’ Irene said.

‘Wow. I’m surprised.’

‘I don’t really read books anymore.’

‘What happened?’

‘I’m sorry?’

‘You said you don’t anymore.’

‘Oh, I didn’t used to read books. I don’t now, but I didn’t use to either.’

‘I see.’

‘It’s just some dumb stuff,’ Wendy said. ‘Mostly murder mystery and crime stuff. I’ve got seven novels out, actually.’

‘Have you seriously never heard of her?’ Sooyoung asked. ‘Never heard of The Broken Menace? The Lovely Girls? The Man with the Iron Arms?’

‘Uh, no. No, I haven’t. Man with the Iron Arms?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Why were his arms iron?’

‘It’s a metaphor,’ Wendy said.

‘Right. Sorry.’

‘Do you want a drink?’

‘Uh, sure.’

Wendy disappeared into one of the rooms on the left to find something to drink. Irene smiled at Sooyoung. There seemed to an air about her that was both off-putting and strangely enticing. As if she simultaneously wanted to talk and wanted nothing less in the world.

‘So,’ Irene said.

‘Yeah?’

‘Been here long?’

‘All my life.’

‘Excuse me?’

‘Oh, you meant the party?’

‘Uh, yeah.’

‘An hour or two. Time flies.’

‘Right.’

‘Not sure why he only invited about twelve people, but hey, I’m not complaining.’

‘No,’ Irene said.

‘Why are you here? I mean, I know who you are, but why?’

‘I’m not really sure. I just got the invite by post the other day. Something to do with my service or something. And the chief of police.’

‘I see. Are you a ?’

‘I’m sorry?’

‘Oh, nothing.’

‘What did you just say?’

Sooyoung shrugged. As if she had said nothing at all. ‘I read this news article last year that did a study and found that private investigators were thirteen percent more likely to ually assault a partner and twenty-three percent more likely to ually assault a stranger than normal police officers.’

Irene just stared at her.

‘Was just a question.’

‘No. I’m not a .’

‘Okay, good.’

Irene tried to smile. It was only when Wendy brought back a bottle of whiskey and two little glasses and filled them full and handed her one did she relax at all. ‘What have you been talking about?’ she said.

‘Uh, nothing. Not really.’

‘Do you drink whiskey?’

‘Sure. Thanks. How long have you been here?’

‘All my—’

‘Here. At the party.’

‘Oh,’ Wendy said. ‘Uh, about an hour or two. I came a bit later. A few people were already here when I arrived. I guess I was one of the last ones.’

‘Who?’

‘What?’

‘Here.’

‘Where?’

‘No, I mean — who was here?’

Wendy shrugged. ‘Wheein, Sooyoung here. Uh, Mr Kim, of course. Because, y’know…it’s his house.’

‘Yeah.’

‘Lisa was here too, I think. Then Mr Jae arrived a little later. Don’t think you’ve met him yet. And the groundskeeper. That creepy dude outside.’

‘Yeah, I saw him on the way in.’

‘Oh, and some other girl as well. Looked like a teenager. Also really weird. I think her name was Yerim or something? I dunno.’

‘Yeri,’ said Sooyoung.

‘Yeri. Right. Well, she was here too. And I guess the maids. So, really, everyone except you.’

She filled her glass full of whiskey again and set the bottle down on the big glass table behind them. Irene studied her. She watched over her shoulder as Wheein shifted on the sofa and adjusted the whiskey bottle to a perfect ninety-degree angle and then sat back again, glass in her hand.

‘Are you wet?’ Wendy said.

‘I beg your pardon?’

‘With the rain. You look wet.’

‘Oh. No, I’ll be fine.’

‘You look like you were out in the rain.’

‘Well, it is raining.’

‘Guess so.’

Irene sipped her drink. The music on the speakers was something old and rather funky and it kind of made her want to dance. By the time the big front doors opened behind her she had already finished half her glass.

‘Oh,’ Wendy said. ‘A new arrival. How exciting.’

Irene turned and wished she had not. There in the doorway, soaked in the rain, looking like something pulled up from the bottom of a marsh, was a woman she knew all too well. She had long black hair and a round face and she was beautiful in the pale light and Irene had to rub her eyes to make sure she was really there at all. And she was. She pushed shut the door behind her and ran a hand through hair and smiled a wide smile at Wendy and Sooyoung and then she saw Irene and she wasn’t smiling anymore.

‘Irene?’

‘Seulgi.’

‘Oh,’ Wendy said. ‘Do you two know each other or something?’

‘Uh, yeah. Something like that.’

‘Holy ,’ Seulgi said. ‘What are you—’

‘Doing here. Yeah, I was about to ask you the same thing.’

‘I was invited.’

‘Me too. But why?’

‘Why what?’

‘Why were you invited?’

‘Well,’ Seulgi said. She ran a hand through her wet hair again and caught her breath. She smelled of the fresh air and the rain and faintly of her perfume and it drove Irene wild because it was a smell she remembered instantly and vividly and with it came a great host of memories, some better left forgotten. It made her feel a little dizzy, almost overwhelming in its immediacy.

‘Well?’ she said.

‘I sold a couple artwork pieces to Mr Kim earlier this year. Like, nine months ago or so. I think he invited me along as a thank you or something. I dunno. I just got the invite in the post.’

‘Same as me.’

‘Do you need a towel?’ Wendy said.

Seulgi looked at her and smiled. ‘I wouldn’t say no.’

Wendy disappeared again. Sooyoung turned to the pair of them, glass in hand, and smiled politely. ‘Are you going to introduce me?’ she asked.

‘Oh, right. Uh, Sooyoung, this is Kang Seulgi, my— uh, my friend.’

‘Ex-friend,’ Seulgi said.

‘Now hang on. That’s not entirely—’

‘Ex-friend. Ex-girlfriend.’

‘Wouldn’t say ex-friend. We’re still—’

‘Friend I haven’t talked to in two years. That better?’

Irene shrugged.

‘Oh,’ Sooyoung said, smiling again. ‘I see. How cute. I’m Sooyoung. Park Sooyoung. I work in real estate. Have you heard of H&H Enterprises?’

‘Yeah,’ Seulgi said. ‘Of course.’

‘I’m a shareholder.’

‘Oh. Cool. I’m, uh…I’m an artist. I draw things.’

‘That’s cool. What do you draw? Apples?’

‘I’m sorry?’

‘Do you draw apples?’

‘Well, uh…I’ve drawn fruit before, yeah.’

‘But what about apples? I love apples. I love the shape of them. It seems like not enough people know how to properly draw them, I think. Most of the time they come out looking like pears instead. Have you? Drawn them, I mean.’

‘I guess I have, a few times.’

‘Magnificent.’

‘Sure,’ Seulgi said. She turned to Irene again. There was an awkwardness between them that both could tell and neither liked. ‘Hi,’ she said softly.

‘Hi.’

‘Long time no see.’

‘Yeah.’

‘You said you’d call.’

‘I was going to. I just—’

‘Had things to do?’

‘It’s not—’

‘Had other people on your mind?’

‘Seulgi—’

‘No, it’s okay. I understand.’

Irene sighed. ‘Listen,’ she said, ‘about what happened—’

‘What happened?’ Wendy said, interrupting them and handing Seulgi a towel.

‘Nothing. Never mind. Forget I said anything.’

Seulgi dried herself off and folded the towel neatly and put it on the big glass table. ‘Why are we here?’ she said. By the time she’d finished the towel was at a perfect ninety degrees on the table behind her.

‘For dinner, I assume,’ said Irene.

‘Where’s Mr Kim?’

‘He went upstairs. Said he had business to deal with.’

And as if on cue he appeared on the balcony upstairs with another man in tow. The man behind him was tall and quite fat and had a thick beard and he was sweating. Irene could see it from there.

‘There he is, I guess.’

He came down the stairs slowly and smiled at the group of them and at Seulgi in particular. The man behind him did not share in this sudden jolliness. ‘Seulgi!’ Mr Kim said. ‘You’re here.’

‘Hello Mr Kim.’

‘Please. Call me Hongmin.’

Seulgi smiled at him and shook his hand.

‘How have you been?’

‘Good, thank you. You?’

‘Oh, you know. Getting old.’

‘Yeah. I know.’

‘This is Mr Jae,’ he said, pointing to the man behind him. Mr Jae broke into a smile that looked almost unnerving, almost fake. Irene studied him closely. ‘He’s another business associate of mine that I invited along. Seulgi, would you like a drink?’

‘Please.’

‘Rosie!’ Mr Kim called out. One of the maids Irene had seen earlier came out of the kitchen on the left side of the hall and came over to them. She was a slight taller than Irene and had long blonde hair and was dressed in a black-and-white pinstriped apron and white sneakers and had a thin and airy voice when she said, ‘Yes, Mr Kim?’

‘Have we got any champagne?’

‘I’ll have a look.’

‘Thank you.’

‘Who’s that?’ Irene said.

‘Rosie. One of my maids.’

‘You have maids?’

‘Yes. Do you not?’

‘No, as it turns out, I don’t.’

Mr Kim just nodded and smiled. ‘Well,’ he said. ‘We have business to discuss. I’ll see you all down here in the dining hall at six for the dinner. Sound good?’

‘Sure,’ Seulgi said.

‘Good. See you soon.’

When he was gone and Mr Jae was gone with him Wendy said, ‘He looked like an .’

‘Who?’

‘Mr Jae. Or whoever. I mean, he looked a bit like an when I saw him come in earlier. But he looks like a real up close. Kinda skeevy, don’t ya think?’

‘Do you know who he is?’

‘No,’ Wendy said.

‘Hey,’ Seulgi said. ‘Did any of you see that guy outside in the overalls?’

‘Cutting the grass?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Yeah, that’s Mr Jang. The groundskeeper.’

‘Why does he look…y’know.’

‘What?’

‘Like he’s up to something.’

‘I dunno. But I know what you mean. You want a whiskey?’

‘No, I’m good, thanks. Irene.’

‘What?’ Irene said.

‘What time is it?’

She checked her watch again. ‘Nearly five.’

‘So we’ve got an hour,’ Wendy said.

‘I guess so.’

‘You know what? I think I’m gonna go explore. You know how big this damn house is? It’s huge. And I mean huge. See ya.’

When she was halfway across the room Irene called to her.

‘Yeah?’

‘Where are those…you know.’

‘What?’

‘The canapés you were talking about. I’m hungry.’

‘Oh. There in the kitchen. Over there.’

‘Right. Thanks.’

‘I think I’m going to go do some exploring too,’ Sooyoung said. ‘Or find somewhere to relax for a while. Think I’ve had a bit too much to drink.’

‘Already?’

‘Yeah. I’ll catch you both soon. Nice meeting you both.’

‘You too.’

‘Yeah,’ Seulgi said. They watched her disappear upstairs. When she was gone and Wheein and Lisa were busy and it was just the two of them Irene said, ‘I wish I’d known you were coming.’

‘Why? Would you have baked me a cake or something? Or just not come?’

‘No, I didn’t mean that. I— never mind.’

‘It’s good to see you again,’ Seulgi said.

‘Uh, yeah. You too.’

‘Are you single?’

‘What?’

Seulgi shrugged.

‘That’s a bit private, no?’

‘You know what I’m like.’

‘Yeah, I’m single.’

‘Me too.’

‘Right,’ Irene said, fingers tapping on her glass. The awkwardness was back and she hated every minute it.

‘Hey,’ Seulgi said quietly.

‘What?’

‘You wanna go explore this place?’

‘Is that a euphemism?’

‘Uh…no. No it isn’t.’

‘Oh.’

‘Did you think—’

‘Forget it,’ Irene said, finishing the last of her drink. ‘Let’s go exploring, I guess. Hey, wait. Where's my lemonade?’