Myungsoo walk side by side with Sungyeol, climbing the stairs to the white building of cremation house. He glance at the taller beside him. He looks calm and composed, holding a bouquet of flowers he just bought at the small stall near the building.

 

“You shouldn’t come with me,” Sungyeol says, once they entered the door.

 

“I want to come,” Myungsoo replies stubbornly.

 

They just finish their shooting two hours ago. It is the last day shoot in Gohan and they will shoot the remaining episodes in Seoul and Incheon. Sungyeol doesn’t have any schedules until the next three days and he already ask for off days from the part time work at the café. He plan to visit his family and do some work.

 

After learning of Sungyeol’s plan, Myungsoo childishly told their company that he want to tag along, since he doesn’t have any schedule until tomorrow himself. He got an earful from the CEO of course, because he can endanger himself since he is a rising actor. They don’t want him got rushed by fans without any security present. Myungsoo assure the CEO he will take care of himself and won’t cause any trouble before he end the call and put his phone on silent. He runs to Sungyeol’s side and stick to him like a baby chick following it’s mother, afraid Sungyeol will leave him alone as soon as he blink his eyes.

 

They took a taxi to Sabuk Cremation House. Myungsoo was confused. If he remember correctly, Sungyeol still have his parents and family members alive. And he thought they will go to his house, or to a restaurant to meet his friends. Who would know he wants to go to a cremation house first?

 

Who…he wants to visit here? Myungsoo can’t help but to ask himself.

 

They climb another set of stairs inside the building and turn to a room. The room filled with columbarium niches but a lot of niches still empty without an owner. Sungyeol paddled inside before he stop in front of a glass niches, the only niche filled in its row. Myungsoo sneak a peek behind Sungyeol’s shoulder to read the name on the urn.

 

Kim Kibum.

 

The name sounds familiar but Myungsoo can’t remember where he heard that name from. The niche is simple too. It has only an urn and a photo of a young boy in his uniform, probably taken in his first day of high school.

 

Sungyeol bows down, open the glass and put the flowers inside the niche.

 

“Hey, Kibum. I’m here. How have you been?” Sungyeol started. “We’re doing fine. Sorry for not visiting you sooner. The last time I came here was before we came to Seoul. I’m an actor now, I’m starting small but I hope I can do big gig after this.”

 

Myungsoo startled when Sungyeol glance at him slightly before he turns back to the niche. “This is Kim Myungsoo, he is the main actor in the drama I act currently.”

 

Myungsoo step forward and bows his head. “Hi, I’m Kim Myungsoo, Sungyeol’s friend. Sorry I didn’t bring any flowers. I promise I will give an offering later.”

 

Sungyeol turns to the actor again. “Sorry, Myungsoo. Can you leave us alone for a while?”

 

He raise an eyebrow. “Huh? Why?”

 

“This is something I don’t want you to hear.”

 

Myungsoo frowns, obviously not liking the idea of being left out. But he complies without a word. He walk out of the room and climb down the stairs, choosing to sit on a bench outside of the building near the entrance. He take off his bag pack from his shoulder to put them beside him.

 

Myungsoo circles his arms on his chest, trying to remember where he had heard that Kim Kibum name before. He ruffling his hair, frustrated when he fail to summon the memory of that name. But he do remember Sungyeol’s wish to travel to Sabuk every time they had a shoot in Gohan. He also recall Woohyun’s irritation when he told him about Sungyeol’s desire to go back to their home town, almost two weeks ago. Myungsoo clicked his tongue, thinking if this is the place Sungyeol really want to visit but Woohyun oppose him to?

 

Myungsoo glance at the entrance. He just hope Sungyeol won’t left to his house and leave him alone in here with the ashes of the dead.

 

“Hoya is a backup dancer in Sunggyu hyung’s team. You might have heard of him, Sunggyu hyung was our town star,” Sungyeol says to the niche of Kibum. “He is in London for Sunggyu hyung’s First World Tour Concert. They will be back tomorrow,”

 

“Woohyun…” Sungyeol healed a breath. “He is in the team as well but he is an assistant manager rather than a backup dancer. Actually, he can debut as a singer himself but you know Woohyun, he likes to play soccer more than sing.”

 

Sungyeol look at the photo inside the glass, the photo of a friend from five years ago. He looks young, and cheerful, while Sungyeol and his friends had matured and grown up to be an adult.

 

“Kibum, I know you like Woohyun, you two were best friend. You must want him have a great life, right? Whatever happen in the past between you two, please, can you stop? I beg you. Please stop visiting Woohyun and giving him nightmare. I beg you,” Sungyeol cries.

 

“Every time he got an offer to change, you will come to his dream, and Woohyun thought it was a warning from you, because you don’t want him to have a better life. I’m sorry. Kibum, I’m sorry if it’s not your motive. But that’s what we thought. Because you came every time Woohyun got a good offer,”

 

“Woohyun can’t sleep at night, and he is afraid. He is scared it will make you angrier and bother him more every night. That’s why…” Sungyeol lowered his head and sniff his tears, before he lift his head again to look at the portrait. “I beg you, please, stop bothering Woohyun. Please don’t stop him from moving forward. He had suffered enough, he was hurt and he was in pain. Kibum, I beg you. Please.”

 

Sungyeol stare into the eyes of the photo, hoping his message will get through the dead this time. He wipe his cheek and the corner of his eyes. He bows once again before he turns around and walk out of the room. He step out of the entrance and see Myungsoo on the bench, that he just remember had stubbornly want to follow him. Myungsoo seems deep in thought and doesn’t seem to realize him approaching. So can you imagine how surprise he is when Sungyeol pats his shoulder?

 

“What?” Myungsoo asks, half shout.

 

“What?” Sungyeol blink his eyes.

 

Myungsoo heave out a breath and rub his chest. “You shocked me. Can you not surprise me like that?”

 

“Serve you right. That’s how we feel when you suddenly wrap your arm on us and took us by surprise.”

 

Myungsoo pouts as he stands up. “Are you done?”

 

“Yeah…”

 

“Are you okay? Want to sit first before we go to wherever you want to go?”

 

Sungyeol shakes his head. “I don’t want to stay any longer,”

 

“Oh, okay. Let’s go then?” Myungsoo says as he swing his bag pack on.

 

They turn around and start walking leaving the building. Sungyeol pulls out his hand phone to call for a taxi service.

 

“Must you call for taxi?” Myungsoo asks after Sungyeol put his hand phone back in his pocket.

 

“We’re a small town, it’s not easy to get a taxi if we’re not calling first, moreover at this place,”

 

“No, I mean…why not calling your parents? They can’t pick us up?”

 

Silence.

 

Myungsoo peek at the taller from the corner of his eyes, worrying if he shouldn’t ask the question.

 

“I want to go somewhere else before going home. My appa will just drive us home if he pick us up,” Sungyeol explain.

 

“Hurm…where are we going next?”

 

“What? Regretting following me?” Sungyeol teased.

 

“What? No.” Myungsoo pouts, sneaking a hand to his pocket. “I want to know if I need to cover myself.”

 

Sungyeol shrugged as they reach the waiting area. “I think it’s better you do, but later when we arrive at the place.”

 

Myungsoo agreed, pulling his hand out from the black mask in his pocket. There is no one there beside them both, there’s no need for him to cover his face from people.

 

“I’m sorry to ask but the man you visit just now…is he a friend?”

 

“…Yeah…”

 

“He looks young, did he die when he still in school?”

 

“Yeah…”

 

“His name sounds familiar.”

 

Sungyeol turns his head to face the actor. “Huh? What?”

 

Myungsoo tilted his head. “I think you have told me about him before, aren’t you?”

 

“No. Why should I? The only friends I told you about are Woohyun and Hoya. And Kibum was not…”

 

“Hurm?”

 

“Never mind,” Sungyeol brush him off. He think it’s not nice to talk badly about the dead when he was just visiting him and begging him to stop giving nightmares to Woohyun.

 

Thankfully Myungsoo didn’t ask anything anymore and they stand in silence for a few more minutes until a taxi pull over. A man, holding a small bouquet of flowers exit the taxi and didn’t give them a glance. Even though he pulls his cap lower to hide his face, Myungsoo guess the man is young and may be in the same age as them. Sungyeol and Myungsoo get in the taxi while the man walk to the building.

 

The man climb the stairs and walk to the room, stop just in front of the row of niches, the one and only niche filled in the row and had a fresh flowers inside the glass. The man bows his head as a greeting.

 

“Hey, Kibum. It’s been a while.”

 

------------

 

“Out of the places, you bring me to a convenience store?” Myungsoo whine.

 

“You followed me unprepared. Did you have the necessity?”

 

“I have my toothbrush with me,”

 

“Of course you have, you need to take care of your face. Idiot. I won’t lend you my boxer.”

 

Myungsoo ahh in understanding. He grin sheepishly as he rubs his hair. He follow after the taller to an aisle.

 

“Two is enough I guess,” Sungyeol suggest.

 

“We’re going back tomorrow?” Myungsoo asks, choosing the boxers.

 

“Of course. How long did you think we can stay here?”

 

“You are free until Wednesday right? Shouldn’t you stay longer with your family here?”

 

Sungyeol shakes his head. “I do but you have schedule tomorrow, and Woohyun and Hoya is coming back as well,”

 

“What? You can’t wait for your souvenir from London?” Myungsoo tease.

 

“No. I’m worried about Woohyun. He was discharged just because he needs to go to work. I’m afraid he is still hurting,” Sungyeol quickly says.

 

Myungsoo just ooh softly as a reply. He pick up the boxers, turn around and paddled to the next aisle to see anything interesting to throw his money to. Sungyeol frowns at the suddenly quiet actor. He shrugged as he walk away as well, picking snacks to bring home.

 

They make a payment and each holding a plastic bag in one hand and an ice cream in another hand. They step out of the convenience store and walk on the road home.

 

“My house is not far from here,” Sungyeol inform.

 

“Hurm…” Myungsoo hum as he his ice cream. “Ice cream in autumn, I will get scolded by CEO if he know.”

 

Sungyeol laughs. “Something he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. But it’s nice isn’t it? Woohyun and I used to eat ice cream even in winter. He said it some kind of winter trainer.”

 

Myungsoo is quiet for a while, faking a focus on his ice cream. They walk in silence before Myungsoo realize Sungyeol had slow down. He turns around when Sungyeol is a step behind. Sungyeol had stop moving completely and facing a soccer field at their side. Myungsoo glance at the field slightly, frowning.

 

“You want to join them?” he asks, implying the kids running around chasing after a ball on the field.

 

Sungyeol shakes his head as an answer. Myungsoo turns his head as well to watch the kids when it doesn’t show any sign for the taller to continue heading home. They watch the kids for a few minutes until a white car pulls up behind them, surprising both of the actors.

 

Sungyeol turns around and Myungsoo peek behind his body. A young policeman climb out of the police patrol car, smiling at them both.

 

“Detective Shim,” Sungyeol greets, bowing down, followed by Myungsoo.

 

“Hey, Sungyeol. Long-time no see,” Detective Shim says, stepping closer. “Visiting family?”

 

“Ah, yeah. I had work in Gohan and thought of going back home for a while.”

 

Detective Shim eyed the younger boy. He grows taller these past years and almost reach his height. “Is everything okay?”

 

“Yeah, everything is okay. Why shouldn’t it be?”

 

Detective Shim eyed the boy and make both Sungyeol and Myungsoo fidgety on their foot. Who wouldn’t when a police officer stare at you and making you feel like a culprit even though you did nothing wrong?

 

Detective Shim shakes his head and whisper a soft nothing. He turns his head to the field. “I guess you didn’t know…”

 

“Know what?” Sungyeol ask, alarmed.

 

Detective Shim look at him. “We got a video from a surveillance camera,”

 

“What?” Sungyeol startled. “Surveillance camera after five years?”

 

Detective Shim nods his head. “Want to come to the station and watch?”

 

Sungyeol doesn’t need to be ask, he will jump at any news and reports regarding the accident five years ago. Detective Shim’s words implant in his mind since, so he do believe it was an intentional accident. No one blame Woohyun, and no one does to Kibum either. He just want to know the truth to put Woohyun at ease. His friend had suffered enough and this endless pain need to stop.

 

Detective Shim drive both boys in his patrol car to the police station. Myungsoo is curious about the video and why Sungyeol is fired up all of a sudden. But Myungsoo is having his own excitement, his first experience riding a police patrol car and going to a station to ask Sungyeol anything. When else he can get the chance for a script needing him to do so?

 

Sungyeol’s only words to him was a warning for him to not take off his mask and he ask for Detective Shim’s permission to let the actor wear them even in the station.

 

As soon as they arrive at the police station, Detective Shim led the two young men to his desk and invite them seats.

 

“It’s a video from five years ago, a day before the accident,” Detective Shim says as he goes through his computer. “It’s a CCTV from the outside of the convenience store. When we went around checking for any CCTV, the outside of the convenience store is the one who got the clear view of the field around the goal post.”

 

Detective Shim swing his monitor to show the boys the video on the screen. “Wait, who is he? The case still in investigation, we can’t let outsiders to get in,” he says, pointing to the still masked actor.

 

Sungyeol glance slightly to Myungsoo. “Sorry, detective. He is mine and Woohyun’s friend. Should he wait outside?”

 

Myungsoo quickly shakes his head and pulls his mask slightly down his mouth. “I’m sorry. But could you let me watch them too? Sungyeol has got a temper and I think I need to know what happen to cool him down later.”

 

Sungyeol look at Myungsoo, flabbergasted. “What? I’m not…”

 

“Please, detective,” Myungsoo plead.

 

Detective Shim sighs. He click the play button, obviously giving in. Myungsoo put the mask correctly on his face back and pats Sungyeol’s lap, cheekily calm him down and point to the screen.

 

The video is dark and the blaring orange at the bottom of the video shows the time of the event, its 15 minutes before midnight. The only source of light coming from a street light near the goal post. It was blur and tiny. Only when the video zoom in, they could see a tiny black thing crouching down near the post. The black thing knocking on the metal post with something heavy but noiseless. Possibly they wrap that thing with thick paper or cloth to mute it sound from waking up the neighbourhood. The black thing did their work for minutes and just before the time on the bottom screen went full zeros, they stand up and left. That person walk on the other side of the street and coming near to the convenience store. They get near and closer, and the video pause. It shows a person wearing all black, a hoodie on their head and a mask on their face, with a bag pack on his back.

 

“This is our prime suspect. We believe they did something to the goal post, ruining it more so it’s easy to break with a few kicks on the same point,” Detective Shim inform.

 

Sungyeol ball his fists on his laps, he is fuming mad and his nose blaring hot anger.

 

Sensing the irritation in his friend, Myungsoo put his hand on top of Sungyeol’s fist to quietly calm him down. “Correct me if I’m wrong, detective. But why do I feel you just got your hand on this video?”

 

“You’re not wrong.” Detective Shim shakes his head. “We just got this video two weeks ago,”

 

“What?” Sungyeol ask, surprise. “You said it was from five years ago,”

 

“The recording is from five years ago but we just got the video two weeks ago,” Detective Shim corrected. “If we got this five years ago, we would have shown you already,”

 

“But…where was it five years ago? How can this miraculously appear even after you ask around?”

 

“We did ask and we got the videos. But the only record they have is the day after the accident, just before we arrived. All the record before until the night of the accident is deleted. I told you this,” Detective Shim informed.

 

Sungyeol nods slowly. “Yeah, you did tell me. They said the old record will be swapped with a new one after certain time. If it did, consider the old record is deleted and won’t be found.”

 

Detective Shim nods his head. “Even the CCTV company can do nothing if the record is deleted. But it’s different now, technology had grown and the old record won’t be swapped to make a room for a new record. About your question how this supposedly deleted video miraculously appear after five years…the convenience store’s owner’s son came and send this to us,”

 

“What…?”

 

“The son admit he will save the old record on the computer first and deleted them on the system to give room for the new one, so the new one won’t film over the old one. The owner didn’t know about this and thought the new one swapped over the old record. That’s why we found nothing even he gave us everything,” Detective Shim says.

 

“The son…why he didn’t say anything about this?”

 

“He is scared,”

 

“Why?” Sungyeol quirk his eyebrow. No one should be afraid to help in the name of justice, unless he himself involved with this case. Sungyeol gasp, looking at the police.

 

“We can’t tell you more because this is still in investigation. And we have to warn you for not going to the owner or the son. This case will be solved, Sungyeol. Trust me,” Detective Shim says.

 

“I…I…”

 

“I understand, detective,” Myungsoo cut in when he saw the taller unable to compromise. “I will make sure he didn’t go near the convenience store while we are here. We’re going back to Seoul tomorrow anyway. Hopefully Sungyeol won’t do anything to interfere with the inspection,”

 

“Thank you, I really hope he doesn’t do anything foolish.”

 

Sungyeol pouts. “Did I do anything these past years?”

 

“No.” Detective Shim shakes his head. “You did nothing but I’m afraid you will start to do something now since you’re older and have more wicked idea.”

 

Myungsoo chuckles as he intertwined his hand with Sungyeol’s. “I think we should go now, detective. I will make sure he didn’t do anything foolish. Thank you for showing us the record,” he says as he bows and stand up, pulling Sungyeol with him.

 

Myungsoo has to half drag the taller as Sungyeol is nagging and groaning on their way out of the police station. He only stop mumbling when Myungsoo had to nudge him to call for a taxi or someone to ride home because he is too tired now to walk to Sungyeol’s house. But before Sungyeol had a chance to call a number, a taxi drive to the station and stop not far from them. Myungsoo pulls Sungyeol to the taxi while a young man climb out of the car.

 

Myungsoo frowns watching the man walking to the entrance and pulling hi cap lower to hide his face.

 

“Let’s go, Myungsoo,” Sungyeol says after he talk to the driver by the window.

 

“That man…”

 

“Huh?”

 

“That man is the same man at the Cremation House. We take his taxi after him,”

 

“Huh? So?”

 

“You said this is a small town. Aren’t it too of a coincidence to meet the same person at the same place?”

 

Sungyeol shrugged. “Who cares? Come on, let’s go. You said you’re tired.”

 

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How is it?

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Kind of boring chapter. But…does this answer your question?