So I actually finished writing this on 23 March, but I want to have you guys wait a bit before I let you have more plot-y-ness. Thanks for reading, 

all the sarangs,

Drg-Lee

The next time the four boys met was at the conclusion of winter break. They met, as per usual, outside of the school gates. The snow was still falling and slush covered the ground. They could tell that janitors had tried to clear the way for students, but the dirty snow still made Minho cringe. Taemin arrived first, and pouting, waited for the others to appear. By the time they all arrived, Taemin was itching to give Key the notebook.

                “Taemin-ah, what’s wrong with you? You’re jumping around like a frog,” Minho said, placing a calming hand onto the maknae’s shoulder.

                “What frog? You’re the frog, hyung,” Taemin replied cheekily.

                Jonghyun agreed, nodding his head. “Frog Minho,”

                “Dino Jonghyun-hyung,” Minho and Taemin said.

                “If Minho, Key and I are animals, what is Taemin?” Jonghyun asked, looking at the younger boy. Minho also took a step back to examine Taemin.

                “Well,” Minho began. “Key-hyung is is a cat, so couldn’t Taemin-ah be a kitten? Because a cat is silent and strong like hyung, but a kitten is cute,” Taemin blushed at this. “and playful”

                Jonghyun nodded again. “So I’m a dinosaur, Key’s a cat, you’re a frog and Taemin is a kitten,”

                Taemin pouted for a bit before spotting Key and running to him. “Key-eomma! They called me a kitten!”

              Key gasped. “Aigoo, can you imagine my baby Taeminnie in a kitten costume?” He hugged Taemin close. “So cute...”

                Minho and Jonghyun burst into laughter at this.

                While still hugging Taemin, Key whispered. “Did you get any information?”

                Taemin nodded. He pulled away from the hug and found the notebook. He handed it to Key, noticing Jonghyun and Minho were looking at something on Minho’s phone.

                “Why don’t you have a phone, hyung?” Minho asked.

                “It’s unnecessary,” Jonghyun replied truthfully. Minho shrugged.

                The boys continued talking until the bell rang and they took off in opposite directions, eager to see who was in their new Spring Semester classes.

                Obviously, Key and Minho shared a math class. It only made sense, seeing as they were the same age. Key emptied his bag onto his desk and left the classroom, heading to the only bathroom he would use in the teacher’s room.

                Minho spotted the lutescent notebook and he wouldn’t have thought much of of it until he saw the name “Lee Taemin, year 1” written carefully along the side. Minho reached over and grabbed the notebook. Why would Key have Taemin’s notebook? Minho turned to the first page.

                He laughed at Taemin’s handwriting and the poetry they were forced to analyse. Doodles and scribbles dotted the margins of the paper. Minho read, with interest, Taemin’s school work. He also laughed at Taemin’s English grammar and sentences.

                Suddenly, he saw Korean. The heading was strange. “Top 5 Murders”, it read. Why would there be so much Korean in an English book?

                Intrigued, Minho read about the murders. He wondered what Taemin needed this information for, why Key had it and why Kim-An industries had been underlined. Minho was pretty sure that was Key’s father’s business, but he didn’t know much else. Mentally shrugging, he placed the notebook back onto Key’s desk and stared out of the window.

                When school let out, Taemin and Key went to the north and Minho and Jonghyun trudged west.

                “Hyung,” Minho began. He waited for Jonghyun to respond before continuing. “Isn’t the name of Key’s father’s job Kim-An?”

                Jonghyun nodded. “Why?”

                Minho hesitated. “This morning I saw Key had Taemin’s English notebook, so I picked it up and read it.”

                “So?”

                “Well, there was a whole bunch of Korean at the end, so I started reading that. It was weird, hyung.”

                “Weird how?” Jonghyun sipped a coffee Minho had bought.

                “It was about a bunch of murders. ‘Top 5 Murders’, he called it. They were really disgusting. Family members killing each other, neighbours killing old couples...”

                Jonghyun raised an eyebrow. “Why do Taemin and Key have that?”

               “That’s what I’m wondering. The last one involved Key’s father, I think. The head of Kim-An industries, Kim Sunglee, that must be his father, right?” Jonghyun nodded. “The last one was him and a foreign lady and the murderer. Apparently it was a hit-and-run, and Key’s father called the police and told them who it was.”

                Both boys walked in silence for a bit.

                Minho sighed. Jonghyun bit his lip, ready for the answer to this question. “Minho, where is your mom? I mean, you never--”

                “She’s dead,” Minho said. “She died when I was young.”

                Jonghyun nodded.

                “Where’s your father?” Minho asked.

                “He’s in jail,” Jonghyun replied. “Falsely, I think. I don’t think my dad was the type of person who could ever do anything like that. They say he killed someone, but that must be a lie, right?” There was a long silence afterwards.

                “Now that I think about it, my father used to work for Kim-An Industries. Key’s father was his boss, that’s how Key and I met,” Jonghyun grinned proudly, remembering the day.

                “Do you think...” Minho trailed off. Jonghyun cocked his head. “Hyung, listen. Do you think that your father is the murderer in this case? With Kim Sunglee and the company?”

                Jonghyun glared. “My father’s not a murderer.”

                “Supposed murderer,” Minho corrected.

                “I was never really told about it. I mean, Dad did know them, but Dad would never hit someone and not call the police or anything.”

                “Well, do you think Key’s dad could have blamed your dad?”

                Jonghyun shrugged. “Why would friends do that?”

                “Because he’s important. What did your dad do for the company?”

                “He managed the company’s finances and budget,”

                “Think about that, hyung” Minho said, stopping in front of his home.

                “The way you’re talking, Minho, your mother could be the one who got hit.” Jonghyun mused.

                Minho bit his lip. “I never thought of that. But we were in England, remember? Why would my mother be down here?”

               “Your mother being down here is just as likely as Kim Sunglee blaming my father for a murder.” Jonghyun retaliated.

                Minho rolled his eyes. “Bye, hyung. See you tomorrow.”

                Jonghyun waved, walking away.