Chapter 22

[The Tale Our Parents Tell]

The meeting of Der Märchenclub’s members that Wednesday night was different than usual.

Cho Kyuhyun’s father was always known as a violent man. A week prior, he had expressed his anger by punching Sungmin. That night, it was Jung Soo who had the taste of his fist.

“Murderer!” the Cho man roamed.

Parents of the members of Der Märchenclub were gathered inside the Bluebeard Chamber, accompanying their children. Police force was doubled that night. Even Jae Won, Sungmin’s superior, was present. As Cho Seung Jo, Kyuhyun’s father, continuously targeted Park Jung Soo, Jae Won was attacked by the other parents’ wrath.

It was a chaotic night.

“You killed my son! You killed my only son!” Cho Seung Jo hysterically said as he attempted to punch Jung Soo again. It took three police men to prevent Cho Seung Jo from bruising Park Jung Soo further. After Sungmin mandated so, Cho Seung Jo was finally dragged out of the Bluebeard Chamber, but that did not even calm the situation inside the chamber.

Jung Hyori, Jessica’s grandmother, sat silently with her granddaughter by her side on one of the corners of the Bluebeard Chamber. Jung Hyori had been informed that parents of the members of the club were gathering that night. Her eyes that usually looked calm, for the first time after her son’s and daughter-in-law’s death, were glazed with what Jessica could describe as helplessness.

“Perhaps… you should move back to San Francisco with your aunt,” Jung Hyori murmured as she watched how the Im, Yoona’s parents, were shouting profanities at the police. On the other side of the room, Sunny’s mother, was hugging her daughter tight, both were crying.

Jessica cleared . The idea to move out of Seoul appealed her very much, but perhaps, being in Der Märchenclub’s for months had changed several things. She was usually skeptical, but she had witnessed too many absurdities.

She was afraid.

Shaking her head, Jessica murmured, “It’s too late. I’m already trapped here. The killer will probably chase me all the way around the world. That man…Shindong…he tried to escape too, but now he’s…”

She didn’t continue.

Jung Hyori gritted her teeth. A silver tear escaped her eyes. She was a proud woman, something that she clearly inherited to her granddaughter. Years and years of refined attitudes, well-trained dainty façade, money, and authorities always brought a whole level of confidence to her. But what Hyori was facing now was not a mere social clique or an insignificant bid to fame. The strong mask she held so tight started to crumble, she felt the weight of pretentious years took its effect. She nearly cursed herself that the effect was not hers to feel, but rather, her granddaughter’s. A foreign feeling of humiliation crept inside her as she whispered her next words, “…I’m sorry.”

Jessica remained unfazed upon hearing her grandmother’s apology. She wanted –if she could– blame it to her grandmother. Had her grandmother not forced her to go back to Seoul to attend Der Märchenclub, probably all this nightmare would not have occurred. Even better… considering that Der Märchenclub’s game would not have begun if the invited members had not came, probably… Jessica could have actually saved lives if she had decided to stay in San Francisco.

But to her surprise, she had stopped blaming her grandmother. Jessica was exhausted. She just wanted all of these to end. She had no strength left to blame her fate on anybody else. There was no benefit she could gain from it anyway.

Park Jung Soo, although his face was marred with bruises, stood tall on the stage. As if none of the parents’ curses affected him, he began the meeting like usual.

“Ladies and gentlemen, good evening. Have you prepared your guesses? The usual paper ballots will be distributed soon and you could write your next guess there.”

Enraged by Jung Soo’s statement, people began to climb the stage. Kim Heechul was seen to lead the march up towards the stage. Behind him were several other fathers of the members. Given another circumstance, it was a rather comedic act. But Jessica could not see anything funny out of it anymore.

The police was quick in forming a barricade to protect Jung Soo. After Kyuhyun’s death, forced by the strong demands of the influential parents, Jung Soo’s status had been elevated as a suspect. The fact that Jung Soo had a strong alibi during Kyuhyun’s death did not seem to matter. Sometimes it was the way the world worked. It was no longer about chasing the wolf. It was just about picking the perfect black sheep.

Nonetheless, although being a suspect already, the police protocol still applied. No one could play their own judgment until the trial rendered its verdict. Jung Soo was to be protected until his trial ended.

The manager of the club himself looked too calm to be true. His business smile was plastered –Jessica thought that it was probably carved on his face. Again, without the slightest concern to the riot around him, Jung Soo held the microphone and continued his speech, “Tonight is pretty crowded, eh? With all due respects, I request that only the members of the present Der Märchenclub to be in this room.”

“ it! You still want to play this game?!”

“Police, arrest him!”

“Don’t you dare lay a hand on my daughter, Bastard!”

“Tell us already who orders you around!!”

“If you ever hurt my son, I swear I’m going to rip that mouth out of your face!”

Chaotic, everything was simply chaotic.

Sungmin broke through the police barricade on the stage. With the stealth his relatively small body had, he sneaked himself next to Jung Soo. “You’d better stop all of this,” Sungmin warned.

Ignoring Sungmin’s warning on purpose, Jung Soo spoke to the microphone again, “To the members of Der Märchenclub, please be seated. The paper ballots cannot be properly distributed if you don’t sit down.”

Sungmin sighed as he noticed how Jung Soo’s ignorant words only created more and more havoc. He grabbed Jung Soo by the collar of his shirt and pulled the guy closer to him. His face was close enough to Jung Soo, that even when Sungmin spoke, his voice was caught by the microphone and echoed throughout the room.

“Your game ends tonight,” Sungmin said through his gritted teeth.

Jung Soo brought the microphone closer to his lips and spoke, “If the game ends now, no members will survive.”

Sungmin’s eyes widened. Silence ensued within the room.

A second passed.

Then two.

Then three.

A sound of broken shard of glass was heard, resonating throughout the room.

Slowly people tried to trace the source of the sound.

Ah, Little Sunshine…

“Sunny?” Sunny’s mother whispered in fear as she let go her embrace around her daughter.

Sunny’s face was burned with tears, her shoulders moved up and down in rage, and her red-tinted lips quivered in her attempt to suppress the emotion struggle inside. She had forcefully grabbed the glass of water her mother had offered her earlier and slammed the glass to the marble floor.

So much of an anger management.

“Get out,” Sunny snarled. Opposing the essence of her name, there was nothing but iciness in her voice.

“S-Sunny?” her mother expressed her confusion as she stared wide eyes to her daughter.

“I said get out! The police! Mother, father! All people who are not members of Der Märchenclub shall get out!!” she screamed.

Sunny’s mother shivered. She tried to touch her daughter but the daughter shoved the hand away roughly.

“S-Sunny? What do you mean, darling?”

“I want to play the game,” she spoke in determination. “We need to play the game if we want to survive.”

Sunny’s idea sounded nuts to the ears of the parents, police, and even her secret lover. But they did not know her fear. They all did not feel her fear