5^th February 2017, 10.00PM

It was no time to joke around or play.

It was the time to be serious.

One by one, the team led by Tiffany Hwang entered the meeting room. Tiffany entered and sat down while massaging her forehead as though she had a migraine. Chen came in next and he sat down. He tapped his foot impatiently. Siwon came in right after Chen and sat down next to him. He looked through the files that he had brought. Xiumin entered a few minutes after Siwon had entered. He sat down and sighed. Taeyeon also entered at last. Now, they just had to wait for the last member to enter.

Taeyeon sat down on her seat and stared at the ceiling. She let out a sigh. The police was facing a very big crisis. Instead of getting a lead on Kim Hyoyeon’s case, another victim turned up. To make matters worse, the victim was the Kim Jonghyun of SHINee.

People would definitely criticize the police and call them names. The police would certainly get a bad reputation. It was a good luck for them as the fact that Kim Hyoyeon’s body was nowhere to be found had not made it to the news yet.

It was the first time Kim Taeyeon was assigned to such a complicated case.

Before her mind could drift off to somewhere else, the last member eventually arrived. “I’m so sorry for being tardy,” Amber apologized sincerely.

“Make sure not to do that again,” Tiffany replied curtly. Amber just nodded sheepishly and went to her seat. “Let’s start the meeting. Siwon-sshi, have you searched for the files that contain the information about the case ten years ago?”

Siwon nodded. “Yes. In fact, I’ve found the pattern in the previous murder cases. The pattern is the blood type,” he replied.

Taeyeon turned to look at the older guy sharply. “What do you mean by that?” she asked, almost glaring at him.

“You see, Kim Suho-sshi’s blood type is AB, Huang Zitao-sshi’s blood type is AB and Kim Heechul-sshi’s blood type is AB, too,” the man explained. “Even the murderess’s blood type is AB.”

“Who’s the murderess?” Xiumin and Chen asked at the same time.

“It is said that Kwon Yuri-sshi is the murderess. She was given a death sentence due to her crimes,” the man answered.

“Couldn’t it be a coincidence?” Amber piped up.

“It’s too much of a coincidence,” Siwon interjected. “Kim Hyoyeon-sshi’s and Kim Jonghyun-sshi’s blood type are AB, too.”

“That’s a very peculiar pattern,” Tiffany commented. “Why did Kwon Yuri pick people of the same blood type as her? Why did the new murderer choose to kill in the same way as Kwon Yuri-sshi’s method?”

“How did she find out their blood type, anyway?” Taeyeon asked carelessly.

“She was the daughter of a rich man. She must have had her own ways and connections,” Xiumin assumed.

“This case is becoming more complicated,” Chen sighed. “I don’t even know how to solve this case.”

“How did the police know it was Kwon Yuri who committed all of those crimes?” Amber asked, ignoring the complaints that came from Chen.

“Apparently, a video was anonymously sent to them by one of the students. In the video, Kwon Yuri was cutting Kim Heechul’s chest in order to take his heart out. Kim Heechul was screaming in pain,” Siwon responded.

“Well, this case has just gotten more impossible to solve,” Tiffany said drily.

“We have to try harder,” Taeyeon tried to say as optimistically as possible.

But it did not assure any of the team members at all.

Actually, the case was not impossible to solve. It was possible to solve. It only needed time, patience and sacrifices.

5^th February 2017, 11.00PM

For some reason, the night seemed to be extra dark. Maybe it was because of the sadness that engulfed him. Maybe it was because there was no moon at that night. Or maybe, just maybe, there was no difference between that night and other nights.

Lee Taemin stared at the cup that was placed on the table right in front of him. There was a certain tiredness that he felt. It was not physically tired. It was more of like emotionally drained. His ears picked up the words of the newscaster in the television that was placed inside the small restaurant.

“The main vocal for the trending group these days, SHINee, was found dead around nine tonight. He was found near the playground that Kim Hyoyeon-sshi was found at. It was said that he was found in the same state as Kim Hyoyeon-sshi. The only difference is that, Kim Jonghyun-sshi’s shirt had a hole on his shirt right at where his heart was while Kim Hyoyeon-sshi’s shirt had no holes. The police concluded this case as a serial murder. We hope more details would be provided and please stay indoors during the night in case you might be the next victim. Thank you. Reporter Kim is signing off.”

The young idol tried so hard not to cry again. People were staring at him now that the news had been announced. They were anticipating his reaction. They wanted to see the youngest of the group create a scene inside the small restaurant. They expected him to bawl his eyes out.

But he did not give them the reaction that they wanted.

He just sat there instead with tears slowly running down his cheeks, once again. It was then the truth dawned on the people inside the small restaurant.

He knew.

He had known right from the beginning that one of his group members was dead. Murmurs could be heard throughout the whole restaurant.

Taemin gritted his teeth. He wanted them to shut up. Couldn’t they see that he wanted silence? Couldn’t they see that he was grieving? Idiots, he thought inside his head. Just as he was about to yell at them to shut the hell up, a familiar young lady approached him.

“My condolences,” she said softly, trying to console him.

Unfortunately, it did nothing to soothe his grief.

“Thank you, Sulli-sshi,” the young idol replied flatly. He was truly thankful, though. At least Sulli bothered to offer him her condolences.

“How are you dealing with his death? Do you want to talk about him? Or should I just leave you alone?” the young lady asked quietly, knowing that people were staring.

“Do you have a car?” Taemin asked.

Sulli shook her head. “I came here by bus.”

“Good, then,” he replied. Then, he stood up and grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the small restaurant. Photos and videos were taken but he did not give a . How could people still think about scandals when Kim Jonghyun was dead?!

He continued to drag Sulli all the way to the parking lot. He opened the passenger door to his car for her and she entered, a little bit surprised by his chivalry. Then, he entered his car and sat on the driver’s seat.

“I…” Taemin started to say but he cut off his own sentence. Now that he had brought the young woman here, he did not know what to say.

“Why don’t you let it all out?” Sulli suggested gently.

“I’ve done that,” he replied. “I just don’t understand. Why must it be him that died? Why couldn’t it be someone else? Why is life so unfair to me?”

“Do you believe in karma, Taemin-sshi?” the younger woman asked. “Did you do something wrong and this is a punishment for you?”

The young man did not reply. His eyes were distant.

“You do know that this case is very similar to the case in our school, ten years ago, don’t you?” she asked.

She only got a nod from him as a response.

“You see, I heard rumors about the case. It was said that twelve people in cloaks had cursed Kwon Yuri to kill the three people. Are you, perhaps, one of those twelve people?” she asked, choosing her words carefully.

By this time, Taemin was already a world away.

16^th July 2007, 10.30AM

“Lee Taemin!” a voice shouted at him. It was a voice that he knew well. It was the voice that brought terror in his life. It was the voice that he hated to hear. He immediately picked up his pace to leave the crowded cafeteria.

“Hey, Lee Taemin, are you deaf or what?!” Kwon Yuri yelled, angry at being ignored. “You’re going to regret it if you don’t come here, right now!”

Taemin immediately turned towards the older girl. Hatred burnt at his heart. He despised this girl so much. Why did she always bother him? Just because he came from a poor family did not mean he could be bullied around just like that. He approached her while cursing her inside his head.

Yuri was sitting with Jessica and Seohyun, as always. Yuri and Jessica snickered at Taemin’s immediate change of attitude while Seohyun just continued to eat her food while reading a book. Taemin briefly glanced at the title and realized that it was a self-motivational book. Yuri and Jessica really need to read these kinds of books more, he thought to himself.

“What do you want?” he asked, annoyed.

Yuri smirked. “Where are your manners? Don’t you remember what you have to call me?” she asked, acting offended.

Gritting his teeth, he said with a little bit of sarcasm in his voice, “What do you want me to do, Mistress?”

“Now, that’s better,” the girl responded, obviously pleased. “Now, why don’t you buy me a plate of macaroni cheese, blueberry cheesecake and a glass of chocolate milk? Don’t forget to pay for me, yeah?”

His mouth dropped open at her request. “I can buy all of that for you but you must pay for it,” he objected.

“Why should I pay?” Yuri asked irrationally.

“Your food, your money,” he responded simply.

“Did you forget about what I can do to you if you defy my orders, Taemin-ah?” the girl asked sweetly. She smirked.

“I need the money,” he said. “I need the money to bring my mother to the doctor. She’s sick. Please, Mistress, just this once, can you pay for yourself? You come from a rich family while I have to scrape to get a meal a day.”

Kwon Yuri seemed to soften. For a moment, Taemin thought that she might have mercy on him and maybe, just maybe, he would not hate her that much anymore. He had his hopes high only to get them crushed.

Yuri cackled. She threw her head back and laughed. “Lee Taemin, do you think that I give a damn about your sick mother? Do you think I give a about you? Do you think I care about your situation?” she mocked. “Let me get this clear, Taemin. I only care about myself and only myself. Now, go and do as I asked.”

Tears burnt at the back of his eyes. He gritted his teeth. He was so angry. He was so furious. The fire of anger started from his heart but it had spread down to his other parts of body. He was so angry that he wanted to hurt someone; kill someone. His fists curled. His body was trembling in anger.

“You’re not humane,” he spat.

Instead of offending her, it made her laugh gleefully. “Oh, I know,” she replied.

Trying hard to control his anger, he bought the food that Yuri wanted. He returned with a tray and set it down right in front of her. He wanted to strangle her. He wanted to choke her till death. It was a desire that he had never had before. And it terrified him. He had never wanted to kill someone.

“Taemin-ah, since you’ve been such a good slave, let me give you a reward,” Yuri said, her smirk never left her face. The boy just stared blankly. “Come here.” He came closer. Then, Yuri immediately took her glass of chocolate milk and poured it on top of his head while laughing.

He had been humiliated.

He had been embarrassed.

He never thought that it was possible to hate someone so much.

After his humiliation, he went to his locker in order to change into a new uniform because his uniform was stained by the chocolate milk.

When he opened the locker, he was surprised to find a note and a green cloak beneath it. He read it.

Lee Taemin,

I know what you’ve been through. You’re not alone. There are others who feel the same way as you do. You want to kill Kwon Yuri, that , don’t you? You badly want to kill her. Don’t worry. I do, too. If you want to kill her so much, why don’t you come to the forest nearby your school? Wear this green cloak. In the forest, you’ll need to find a mirror that was hung on the trunk of a tree. That’s where you’ll know that you’re at the right place. Wait for the others.

Mirror

5^th February 2017, 11.30PM

“No,” Taemin replied after a moment of pause. “No, I’m not one of the people that cursed her if it’s true that someone did curse her.”

Sulli watched Taemin carefully. His eyes were red from crying. His face had grief written all over it. She did not know whether the guy was telling the truth or not.

But her instincts told her that he was not.

Oh, Lee Taemin, what a good liar you are.

6^th February 2017, 12.45AM

A scream of frustration echoed throughout the office, causing Taeyeon, Xiumin, Amber and Chen, who were doing their jobs peacefully, to be shocked.

“What the hell do you mean by the corpse’s gone?!” a familiar voice screeched. “I freaking assigned you to bring his body back to us because I trusted you! Siwon-sshi, what’s the meaning of this?!”

“I apologize for my incompetence, Tiffany-sshi,” Siwon murmured, trying to soothe the team leader’s anger.

“Sorry doesn’t solve anything!” the team leader shouted in anger. Her face was flushed red while her body was trembling with fury and frustration. She slammed her hands down on the table and it produced a loud smack, causing the other team members to flinch.

But Siwon remained calm. He had expected the reaction, anyway.

“You’re in deep , you know that?” the woman lashed out harshly. “We’ve had two missing bodies and we can’t freaking perform an autopsy. Now, we don’t have a new lead or clue!”

“We’re at a dead end! You freaking know that! And yet Kim Jonghyun’s body had gone missing?!” the team leader let out the frustration that she had been holding in ever since she was assigned to this complicated case. “This is so going to ruin us.”

“Calm down, Tiffany-sshi,” Siwon tried to say as gently as possible. “We can look at the crime scene and search for clues. We can interrogate witnesses and the people living in the neighborhood near the playground.”

Tiffany took in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. The other team members were watching them warily. It was rare to see Tiffany Hwang lose her temper – especially at Choi Siwon. “Do you have any other things you want to tell me?” she asked tiredly, at last.

Siwon smiled slightly. “I hope this kind of makes up for my mistake,” he said. He handed her two cell phones and a paper.

“What are these?” she asked, puzzled.

“The pink cell phone belonged to Kim Hyoyeon and the black cell phone belonged to Kim Jonghyun. There are names of Kim Hyoyeon’s and Kim Jonghyun’s family, friends and colleagues written on the piece of paper. This could be useful in our investigation,” Siwon explained.

“It doesn’t make up for your mistake,” Tiffany said coldly. A disappointed look crossed over the man’s face. “But it’s good enough.” A smile made its way to his face.

Then, the team leader turned to her team members. “Taeyeon-sshi, Chen-sshi, the two of you are assigned with interrogating Kim Jonghyun’s family, friends and colleagues. Siwon-sshi, Amber-sshi, the two of you will investigate the cell phones and see if there is anything suspicious. Xiumin-sshi and I will interrogate Kim Hyoyeon’s family, friends and colleagues,” she gave out her orders. “Now, all of you are to go back home and get enough sleep. You have a long day to go, later.”

“Yes, ma’am!” the five team members replied.

6^th February 2017, 10.00AM

The psychologist tapped his fingers on the table nervously. It had been a few days since his last meeting with her. Honestly, he was kind of afraid to meet Luna again. What if she tried to hurt him again? Worse, what if she managed to kill him somehow?

Luhan sighed. He remembered the event that happened with Luna in his office. He shuddered at the memory. He did not want to experience the near-death moment ever again. A knock rattled on the door to his office.

“Come in,” he said.

Luna entered with a nurse. She was brought to sit down on a chair and her arms and legs were strapped to the chair in case she tried to hurt the psychologist again. It was clear that the young lady was mentally unstable.

“How are you, Luna-sshi?” he asked politely, trying to strike up a conversation as soon as the nurse was gone.

A smile made its way to her lips. “I’m totally fine, Luhan-sshi,” she replied, her voice dripped with sarcasm. “I absolutely love it here and I want to stay in this hellhole forever.”

Luhan shifted uncomfortably. He noticed that Luna looked different today. Her eyes seemed to be vacant and her face was unusually pale. Her lips were cracked as though she was sick. She looked tired.

“Are you sick?” he asked carefully.

“Yes, I am sick,” she replied. “I’m mentally ill.”

Frowning, Luhan tried to get back to the normal procedure. “Do you have anything you want to share with me, today?” he asked gently.

“The nurses told me to say that I’m sorry to you,” Luna said. “So, yeah, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for hurting you last time. I’m sorry for getting too angry.”

“It’s all right,” the man assured her. “Anything else you want to share with me?”

“I had a boyfriend, once,” the girl said, her eyes empty. “He was the sweetest thing in the world. He was so nice and kind.” A smile etched itself on her cracked lips. “I loved him. In fact, I loved him so much. But he broke his promise to me.”

“What promise did he make to you?” Luhan asked curiously.

Her shoulders sagged. Her eyes held no emotion. “He promised that he would marry me, one day. He promised.” Luna let out a soft sigh. “But all he said was just lies.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“He dumped me. He chose his career over me,” she replied. “He told me that I was his everything but he chose his work over me.”

“And how did you feel?” Luhan wrote down notes on his notebook.

“Betrayed,” the young woman answered. “Angry. And most importantly, I felt depressed. I’m so glad that he’s dead, now.”

“He’s dead?” he repeated in disbelief.

“Didn’t you watch the news?” Luna asked in mockery. “The main vocal for the trending group these days, SHINee, was found dead around nine tonight. He was found near the playground that Kim Hyoyeon-sshi was found at. It was said that he was found in the same state as Kim Hyoyeon-sshi. The only difference is that, Kim Jonghyun-sshi’s shirt had a hole on his shirt right at where his heart was while Kim Hyoyeon-sshi’s shirt had no holes. The police concluded this case as a serial murder. We hope more details would be provided and please stay indoors during the night in case you might be the next victim. Thank you. Reporter Kim is signing off,” she mimicked the reporter’s voice.

Before Luhan could respond, a knock came on the door. The door swung open and Lay entered. He bowed slightly. “I’m sorry, Luhan-sshi, but I’m afraid you have to end the session now. Two police officers are here to interrogate Park Sunyoung-sshi about Kim Jonghyun’s death,” the guy said.

6^th February 2017, 10.30AM

“I have an alibi,” Park Sunyoung said as soon as she entered the visitor’s room. “I was here the whole night, last night.” She smiled slightly as she sat down.

Taeyeon looked at Chen and the two of them nodded. They certainly needed to be cautious of the young woman in front of them. Sunyoung was obviously a clever woman. “Sunyoung-sshi, we didn’t accuse you of murdering Kim Jonghyun,” Taeyeon stated.

“Please, just call me Luna,” the woman replied. “I know you didn’t accuse me but I was just clarifying in case you suspect me as the murderess.”

“Luna-sshi, I heard that you’re the victim’s ex-girlfriend?” Chen started casually. The young woman nodded in affirmation. “So you must be quite close to his family and friends, huh?”

“No, I’m not close to any of them at all,” the young woman denied it. “We kept the relationship a secret from his family and friends.”

“May I ask why?” Taeyeon interrupted.

“He was not ready to let people know that I was his girlfriend at that time,” Luna responded. “He was embarrassed to have a girlfriend like me.”

“Why would he be embarrassed? You’re pretty,” Chen blurted out before he could stop himself. Taeyeon turned to look at him sharply. She elbowed his waist as a sign of warning.

An amused smile formed on Luna’s lips. She chortled slightly. “You flatter me, officer,” she said sarcastically. “Yeah, sure, I am pretty. But what’s the use of my beauty when I’m crazy?” She laughed bitterly. “He wanted to be a star and I was a barrier to his dreams.”

“Was it a bad break-up?” Taeyeon asked softly.

“Nah, it was a clean one,” she answered. “He broke it off cleanly. He changed his phone number, deactivated his social media networks accounts and even moved out of his house.”

“Did he have any enemy?” Chen asked, going back to the point of why they were at Seoul Mental Hospital in the first place.

“Beats me,” the young woman shrugged. “I don’t even know his friends. How the hell am I supposed to know who his enemies are?”

Chen and Taeyeon looked at each other in annoyance. They let out a sigh at the same time.

Luna, who noticed it, smirked victoriously. “It looks like you’ve made a wasted trip here, officers. Well, I suggest you to interrogate his other ex-girlfriend, Shin Se Kyung. I heard that it was a bad break-up,” she said in a hateful tone.

At least his other ex-girlfriend is saner than you, Taeyeon almost said but she managed to hold her tongue. She stood up and Chen followed suit. They turned to the door to leave.

“Taeyeon-sshi,” Luna called out.

The policewoman turned around and raised her eyebrow.

“Be careful,” the mentally-ill patient warned. “You’ll never know who’s your enemy or friend.”

“What do you mean by that?” Taeyeon demanded sharply. She glared at Luna menacingly.

“Just an advice,” the young woman replied casually. “But if I were you, I would have taken Seohyun-sshi’s warning more seriously.”

Author's Note:

Yeah, I know that I said I would not be updating anymore this month due to exams but I'm facing some friendship problems, right now, so the only way I could let it out is by writing and I figured that if I receive your comments, it would make me feel better. So yeah. An update for all of you. :) I'll be finishing my exams by next week and I promise you another update next week. ^^

Thank you for subscribing, upvoting, commenting and reading! Enjoy reading the next chapter! :)