9:25PM.

Curtains Down

9:25 PM.

 

Author's Note: Maps because it makes it slightly easier to follow! Click on them for full size :)


 

 

They were in there fifteen minutes before Seulgi said anything.

It was a small room and cramped and absurdly hot. The enormous boilers lining both walls. A dim red light from the ceiling. This incessant humming. At the far end about six feet up was a small window and they could see it was still raining and would be raining for what felt like the rest of time. Irene tried the door twice. They had not locked it but whatever they’d pushed up in front of it was heavy enough that even with all her energy she couldn’t even get it to budge at all. Seulgi sat slumped against the far wall. She looked so defeated it was hard to witness. Irene stood watching her. Occasionally she could hear them conversing out in the main hall and then like ghosts of conversations heard in dreams they would dissipate and it would be Irene and Seulgi and the metronome of the heating system whirring on and nothing else.

‘Well,’ she said.

Seulgi glanced at her and looked down at the ground again. She pulled her legs up and laid her arms across them and sighed.

‘Seulgi. Seulgi. Seulgi, please.’

‘What? What could you possibly want now?’

‘You seem angry.’

Seulgi laughed in disbelief. ‘Angry?’ she said. ‘You think I seem angry? Whatever gave you that impression, Irene? What could possibly make you think I was angry?’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘Yeah, I bet.’

‘Look, this isn’t my fault, alright. I didn’t expect they were going to—’

‘Of course not.’

‘What?’

‘Of course it’s not your fault. Nothing ever is.’

‘What? What are you even trying to say?’

‘Just like we used to be.’

‘You’re still hung up on this?’

‘Yeah, as a matter fact, I am. Hard for you to grasp that, I know.’

Now it was Irene’s turned to get angry. ‘I took responsibility,’ she said. ‘I apologised earlier for what happened between us. I said I regretted it. What more do you want from me, huh? What do you want me to do?’

‘Earlier’s a bit late, don’t you think?’

‘What? That doesn’t even—’

‘Earlier today,’ Seulgi said. ‘And not, you know, two years ago. Or even a year ago. Or , I dunno, like a month ago.’

‘I said I’m sorry.’

‘Yeah, sure. When was it going to be? When were you going to call me? Or check up on me? Were you ever going to check up on me?’

‘I thought you didn’t care. You said as much earlier.’

‘No I didn’t. When did I say that?’

‘When you got angry at me for asking about your trip to the hospital. You said it’s not my place to check up on you and be overprotective.’

‘Yeah, well…I’m complicated, alright?’

‘I know.’

‘Sometimes I want one thing and then sometimes I want another. I can’t help it. I’m like…a dog.’

‘What?’

‘Look, I dunno, okay?’

‘You’re like a dog?’

‘Oh, you know what I meant.’

‘And what is it that you want?’

Seulgi just laughed. She looked like she was going to cry and Irene didn’t like it at all because it reminded her of a time years ago where they had both cried quite often. And with it came the memories. Memories of memories. A lot of pain. She said, soft enough to try and calm Seulgi down, ‘I’m sorry. For everything that happened between us, for all the I did, for all the I said. For all the I didn’t say and probably should’ve said. If I could go back, I would. But I can’t, and I don’t want to live in the past any longer. That’s not going to do any of us any good if we do that. It never does.’

‘Why did you do it?’

‘Do what?’

‘Why did you walk out?’

‘I didn’t.’

‘Yes you did.’

‘Alright,’ Irene said, ‘I did, yeah. But only because I knew it wasn’t going to work out. I knew you didn’t love me anymore. That spark had gone out a long time before.’

‘You see, that’s your problem. That’s always been your problem.’

‘What? No spark?’

Seulgi sighed. ‘You’re always so hyperfocused on what you think other people want, or what other people are doing, that you end up missing what they actually want. You lose sight of the obvious. You get tunnelvisioned. How about instead of spending all that time upset that the flame had gone out and I didn’t love you and whatever other you convinced yourself of, you actually just sat down and talked to me? You got my feelings on it. You listened, you learnt. You made things better. How about that? That could’ve helped, don’t you think?’

Irene was silent. Seulgi was crying now and she took a moment to wipe her eyes with her sleeve before continuing. ‘I still loved you,’ she said. ‘I didn’t wanna break up. I would’ve stayed with you through everything, thick and thin, because I wanted to be with you. I wanted nothing more in the world. Yeah I said some dumb and I said maybe we should spend some time apart but I never meant any of it. Not permanently. And then you got it in your head that somehow I did, and the problems were unfixable, and then you just…left.’

‘I—’

‘You should’ve asked me, Irene. That’s what you should’ve done.’

‘You know I was never any good at doing that.’

‘At showing emotion?’

‘Yeah.’

Seulgi almost smiled at that. ‘I know,’ she said. ‘But still.’

‘Yeah.’

‘Why did you let me go so easily?’

‘Nothing about it was easy.’

‘Then why’d you do it?’

Irene thought about it for a moment. The answer she came up with in her head was, disappointingly, ‘I don’t know. I really don’t know. I’m sorry.’

‘Me too.’

‘For what?’

‘For being me.’

At that Irene laughed.

‘I mean it.’

‘How’s the art going?’

‘What?’

‘You know…since I last saw you. How’s it going?’

‘About as well as it was before.’

‘So, not great, then.’

Seulgi shrugged, hands still draped over her knees. ‘It could’ve gone better,’ she said. ‘But I suppose I can count myself lucky for having sold any in the first place.’

‘Yeah. Guess so.’

‘Can I ask you a question?’

‘Of course.’

‘Who do you think did it?’

‘I don’t know. Most of them have got motive.’

‘From those documents you found?’

Irene nodded.

‘You gonna tell me exactly what you found or am I gonna have to guess?’

‘Well, I explained most of it earlier. Wheein was a shareholder in the same company Mr Kim was.’

‘Front House Publishing.’

‘Yeah. And he wanted to force her out. He was going to buy out the company from the previous CEO and get rid of Wheein in the process. So, there’s her motive. And there’s Wendy’s as well, considering he wanted her gone from her contract. But I doubt she knew that. She told me as much.’

‘And you believed her?’

Irene shrugged. ‘Sooyoung was defrauding investors and clients at H&H Enterprises and Mr Kim found out about it. So there’s her motive, too. The maids all have their own reasons. One of them was going to be fired and I think they realised that. Jennie was a thief. Mr Jang, I don’t know. Yeri, well…she’s Yeri. Lisa, maybe. Seemed awfully out of character for her to take charge like that and start ordering everyone about. Almost as if she realised we were getting close to sniffing something out and she tried to put a stop to it first.’

‘Sounds like a dumb plan to me.’

‘Why?’

‘What is she gonna do? Leave us in here forever? Let us die?’

‘I don’t know. Haven’t really thought that part through yet. Maybe just leave us here long enough to point the finger at someone else and take the heat away from herself.’

‘Well…who do you think didn’t do it?’

‘Honestly?’

Seulgi nodded.

‘Wendy. And Yeri.’

‘You don’t think Wendy did it?’

‘No.’

‘Why not?’

‘I don’t know. It almost sounds insulting saying this but I was super sceptical of her a couple hours ago because I thought there was no way anyone could be that naïve and jolly and just…blind to things. And the way she was up to me, too. Said she was my biggest fan. She’s like a human Labrador. And then I started getting suspicious again when she mentioned how she tries to base all her novels off of real-life events and cases. And then she got talking about the plot to the The Man With The Iron Arms. Guy poisoned by the punch. Then Mr Jae poisoned by the stew. Sounds awfully similar to me.’

‘Holy . That would be – bar none – the most psychopathic I’ve ever heard of. Inviting a bunch of people to a dinner party and murdering them just to make sure it lines up with the plot of your novel? That is…wow.’

‘Yeah. Exactly. But the more I was around the more I started thinking that honestly she really is just like that. Or she’s an Oscar-worthy actor. Not dumb, but…’

‘Blonde?’

Irene smiled. ‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘I hate to say it but I think Yeri had a point earlier when she said that everybody in this house is too dumb or too confused or maybe just too damn scared to realise that everything they’re doing and saying is incriminating themselves. Like everything Wendy’s said, like Lisa locking us in here, like Mr Jang being suspiciously outside for the entire duration of the evening with no real explanation as to why, other than that he was going home. Are they all guilty? Or are they all just a bit switched off, you know? I genuinely can’t tell. Hell, even Mr Kim himself is suspicious, stupid as that sounds. The guy’s dead and somehow every single person that he invited to his house on this specific day, for this specific meal, has a motive to want him offed? Well, most people anyway. And Wheein too, the way she picks things up and then—’ Irene trailed off. As if the gears were turning for a moment. Then she said: ‘Never mind. And you, even.’

‘Me?’

‘Yeah.’

‘What have I done?’

‘Well, no offence, but since we’re alone and I know we can trust each other I might as well say it – your alibi’s not exactly great. I mean, being invited along because this guy randomly bought two of your art pieces in a random gallery two years ago?’

‘That’s what happened!’

‘I know. But it does sound a little…flimsy. Not saying it is, but…yeah.’

‘Are you saying I’m dumb?’

‘No. You know what? Never mind.’

‘What about Yeri? You said you don’t think it’s her either.’

‘Yeah. I don’t know why, so don’t ask me that. I just have this gut feeling, you know? I mean, maybe she did do it – it’d certainly make a lot of sense – but I don’t think she did. I think she’s a bit too loud for that. I mean, if I were a killer, I’d probably want to be either completely silent or making as much noise as possible. Being obnoxious. Drawing attention away. But, man…she’s even louder than that. And even more obnoxious. Which leads me to think she’s genuinely just like that. But hey, just a hunch. I’ve been wrong before.’

Seulgi was quiet for a long time. Then she said, ‘I threw out the peace lily.’

‘What?’

‘The Japanese peace lily. I threw it out after you left. You should’ve taken it with you.’

‘Why’d you throw it away? I loved that little thing.’

‘I know. So did I. But every time I looked at it, it just reminded me of you. Of us. And then I’d start thinking about all the times we had together and I’d just get really upset and . So I threw it away, like, two weeks after you moved out. I should’ve told you. Should’ve asked if you wanted to keep it or not.’

‘Yeah.’

‘How’s your life been?’

‘What?’

‘Honestly, I mean. Speaking honestly. How’s it been?’

‘That’s a bit upfront, don’t you think?’

‘Can’t help it. Sorry. So, what’s the answer?’

Irene shrugged, a shyness to her that was rare. ‘Oh, you know.’

‘No, actually. That’s why I was asking.’

‘Haven’t really had a life since then. Or a dating life since then. In fact I haven’t had a dating life at all.’

‘C’mon. You’re way too gorgeous for that. Be honest.’

‘I am being honest. You know me. Know what I’m like.’

‘Caught up in work?’

‘Yeah,’ Irene said, and sighed. Then: ‘How did I ever manage to bag you?’

‘Sheer dumb luck, I suppose.’

‘Something like that. God, I miss that peace lily. I’m thinking maybe I should get another.’

‘Maybe I could come around and see it. If you get a new one. I mean, I miss it too. A bit. It was kinda calming, just sat there on the windowsill. It put me at peace. Grounded me.’

‘A peace lily grounded you?’

‘Yeah. What?’

Irene smirked. ‘Nothing,’ she said.

‘What?’

‘Nothing.’

‘You’re laughing.’

‘No I’m not.’

‘Yeah you are. I know when you’re laughing. Is it my face? Have I got something on my face?’

‘It’s just funny.’

‘My face?’

‘No.’

‘You think my face is funny?’

‘Seulgi.’

‘What?’

‘Shut up.’

Seulgi was silent. Then, to Irene’s surprise, she laughed. It was the first time she’d heard Seulgi laugh properly in two long years and it felt like much longer, like lifetimes apart. Thinking: Hold onto that sound, Irene. Don’t let it go this time.

‘I missed this,’ Seulgi said.

‘Me too.’

‘Not getting stuck in boiler rooms and being forced to hash out our relationship problems.’

‘No. Not that part.’

‘The part where we work through our differences. That bit.’

‘Yeah.’

‘We should’ve done it back then.’

‘I know.’

‘But we didn’t.’

‘No.’

‘We should’ve.’

‘Yes.’

‘But we didn’t.’

‘No,’ Irene said. ‘We didn’t.’

‘Do you fancy Wendy?’

‘What?’

Seulgi shrugged. As if she’d said nothing at all. ‘I saw the way you looked at her,’ she said. ‘Like you wanted to just eat her up.’

‘Oh my god.’

‘I mean, she’s kinda cute. I can’t blame you. You always did have a thing for the bubbly ones. Well?’

‘I wasn’t looking at her like that.’

‘Yeah you were.’

‘I— look, I just felt sorry for her, okay? I felt bad for accusing her of something that I thought she had no part in. Like I was picking on her or something. I don’t want to sleep with her or whatever it is you’re trying to imply.’

‘She seems to have taken a liking to you. A disturbingly close and almost stalkerish liking, in fact.’

‘Yeah. Why? You jealous or something?’

Seulgi laughed again. ‘No,’ she said. ‘I was just thinking that if I were a murderer trying to get away with killing two people and I was also stuck in a house with a private investigator, I’d want to be up to that private investigator as quickly as possible. Well, that, and maybe I’m a little bit jealous. Which is good, I think. I kinda forgot what jealously felt like.’

‘When this is all over, we’ll talk about it. About us.’

‘Sure. Once we get out of this room, assuming they don’t just, like, kill us or something first. Jesus, it’s ing hot in here.’

‘Well, it is a boiler room.’

‘I know that.’

‘I’ve got a very big hunch as to who might be behind this whole thing, but I need evidence to prove it.’

‘Well…yes.’

‘It’s not Lisa, before you ask.’

‘Who is it then?’

‘It has something to do with Mr Jae.’

‘Mr Jae? Who’s now…dead? You don’t think it was him, do you?’

‘Not exactly. But it has something to do with something he said earlier. Or rather, what he didn’t say. And what somebody else didn’t say as well. About his so-called business interests.’

‘That’s very cryptic of you. Maybe I should consult my crystal ball to find you what you’re trying to say, because I haven’t got a ing clue. We can’t all be private investigators.’

‘First we need to get out of here,’ Irene said. She tried the door again to no avail.

‘Need some help?’

‘It’s okay. They’ve put a bookcase behind it or something. No chance of getting through.’

‘Where did they find a bookcase?’

‘At the bookcase getting place.’

‘Funny.’

Irene turned back to her and laughed and stopped immediately and slapped herself on the head. ‘God,’ she said. ‘God we’re so goddamn stupid.’

‘What? Why?’

‘There’s a window right there. Like, right there. Look up.’

Seulgi did. ‘Oh, yeah,’ she said. ‘Maybe we are as dumb as Yeri said we were.’

‘Maybe. Come on, I’ll boost you up.’

‘What? Up and where?’

‘Out the window,’ Irene said.

‘Are you serious?’

‘What’s the alternative?’

‘I don’t wanna get mud on these trousers.’

‘Then don’t fall. Simple.’

‘Irene—’

‘It’s either that or sit here and wait for them to get us out. Or die of heat exhaustion.’

‘Do you think that could actually happen?’

‘Don’t know. Do you want to stick around to find out?’

Seulgi was quiet for only a moment. Then she said: ‘Boost me up.’

Irene stood underneath the window and cupped her hands and motioned for Seulgi to climb up and she did. She put her full weight in Irene’s hands and hefted herself up and tried pushing the window open. It only took a moment. A dim of suction and then the heat leaving the room instantly.

‘God, it’s a good job I’m not wearing a dress, isn’t it?’ Seulgi said. ‘Partly because I couldn’t do this in ing heels and a dress and partly because if I was wearing one I know you’d be looking up it right now.’

‘Well.’

‘See? Didn’t deny it. Alright, give me a sec.’

Irene felt Seulgi push down against her. Then her weight seemed to lift off dramatically. She felt Seulgi pull herself up and climb through the gap in the window and turned to see Seulgi leaning down with one hand outstretched for her to take. Already the rain had ruined her hair.

‘Are you okay?’

‘Yeah,’ Seulgi said, catching her breath. ‘A bit cold and wet but I’ll live. C’mon, it’s flat on this side. There’s a little flowerbed. I’ll pull you up.’

‘You sure?’

‘C’mon. I’m not that weak.’

She took Seulgi’s offered hand and pushed one foot against the wall and used it to platform herself up. She put one hand on the windowledge and pulled up with all her strength and almost slipped and had to have Seulgi help balance her as she crawled through the gap on her stomach like a woman in the trenches at war. The cold and the rain was immediate, like crawling into a wall of water. It was miserable enough that part of her wished she were still back inside. They climbed down slowly and carefully into the flowerbed. The mud mulching about their shoes.

‘What now?’ Seulgi said.

Irene looked at her, wincing into the rain, and almost laughed.

‘What?’

‘You look like a mud monster.’

‘Thanks. You’re not looking too hot yourself.’

‘Well.’

Seulgi leant forward and kissed her.

‘What was that for?’

‘Dunno,’ Seulgi said with a smile. ‘Just felt like it. I always liked it when we kissed in the rain. Always felt super romantic. Like something out of the movies. So, where do we go? Just, like…through the front door?’

Irene looked about. Just down the side wall of the building was the long path and rows upon rows of limegreen trellising like a climbing frame where vines from the third floor fell down like waterfalls of fauna and there was one piece of broken wood from the trellising on the ground just ahead of them. Irene leant down and picked it up and turned it in her hand. Then again.

‘What’s that?’ Seulgi said. ‘Is that—’

‘From the trellising, yeah. It looks like something broke it off.’

She glanced up at the trellising. It led all the way up the side of the manor like scaffolding, past a window on the first floor, right up to the slant of the roof. Irene studied the piece in her hand again. ‘I need to see something,’ she said.

‘See what? Oh, no. Irene, no. We’re not.’

But it was too late. Irene already had one foot between the vines on the second rung of trellising. She tested it first, putting her weight on both feet to see if it would take her. And it would. The broken piece was about seven or eight feet up, a small jagged edge in the smooth ladderboard patternwork.

‘Come on,’ she whispered, barely audible over the rain, climbing slowly.

‘Irene, please. Let’s just…I dunno…go through the front door or something. Or through the conservatory.’

Irene ignored her. She clambered up, careful in the rain. The window on the first floor was easy to open. She grabbed it with her left hand and pulled it and the entire thing swung out on a side hitch like a door and in she stepped with Seulgi close behind. Standing there in the small and dimly lit room they looked like creatures from a bog, or mythological things out of a nightmare, all steaming and soaked to the bone and shivering in the cold, mud and soil around their ankles. Seulgi ran a hand through her hair. It took her a moment to fully comprehend where they were. Then she saw the body with the knife protruding from his back and said: ‘This is—’

‘Mr Kim’s study. Yeah.’

‘The trellising leads up to here.’

‘Yes it does.’

She turned to Irene. ‘Do you think…’

‘Someone climbed the outside of the building and came in through here? Maybe. That would explain the trellising being broken. And also gives easy entry and exit that isn’t through that door right there. It would make a lot of sense.’

‘Even in the rain?’

Irene looked down. ‘Carpet,’ she said.

‘What?’

‘That’s probably why I didn’t realise earlier. The carpets would’ve hidden the rain, if it was wet. Well, that and the fact I’m ing stupid.’

Seulgi closed the window behind them and sighed and took a deep breath. ‘Jesus,’ she said. ‘What a mess.’

‘Yeah.’

‘Just awful.’

‘I know.’

‘Look at it.’

‘I am.’

‘It’s ruined. It’s gonna take hours to dry.’

‘What?’

‘My hair. Why? What were you talking about?’

‘The dead body right here.’

‘Oh,’ Seulgi said. ‘Yeah, that too. Irene. Hey, Irene.’

Irene had her eyes on something on the carpet beside Mr Kim’s body. She leant down right beside the drawers and picked whatever it was up and held it between her fingers in the dim light like an archaeological find. The look on her face was almost glee, a momentary madness to it.

‘Bingo,’ she said.

‘What is it?’

‘Here. Look.’

She showed it to Seulgi, small thing that it was.

‘It’s…a strand of hair? Okay?’

‘Blonde hair,’ Irene said.

‘So?’

‘So I think I know who killed Mr Kim.’

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TEZMiSo
When I said 28 chapters, what I meant was "28 chapters plus an epilogue" LOL. Enjoy ! :)

Comments

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Apcxjsv
#1
Chapter 29: A spectacular read, thanks author-nim
railtracer08
358 streak #2
Chapter 25: Mic drop
railtracer08
358 streak #3
Chapter 14: 👀 are we going full knives out?
Sir_Loin #4
Chapter 3: Knives out
Sir_Loin #5
Chapter 1: Cluedo, ft. Irene and Seulgi of Red Velvet.
TypewriterLuvie
#6
Chapter 29: What the . Wow. what the tbh. I am in love with your writing and a great majority of your works.
Oct_13_wen_03 36 streak #7
Chapter 29: never get enough of your hard work ❤
kaizerduke #8
Chapter 29: This is so cool. It was so funny and interesting. Thanks for writing this one.
KaiserKawaii #9
Chapter 2: Omg. Chap 1 was so funny.
Kcvto_ #10
Chapter 29: That was a great story! Read everything in one day. I really like that it was more human and real, you know usually these stories are really straightforward. There is a murder and the detective solves everything without problem or struggle and everyone is just listening to that detective without asking questions just trusting his/her word etc., but this was way more open and free just way more human feeling and I really liked that.

I know, because of your old stories that you used to or still watching F1, what a race that was even tho HAM got kinda screwed over, but thats life I guess.

I‘m looking forward to reading a new story of yours. I really like your sense of humor, its really fun to read keep going :)

PS: The murder kinda reminded me of the movie „Knives Out“ with the Morphine and stuff, but maybe that‘s just a coincidence ^^