The ride to the hotel where Taeyeon was killed is silent. Onew keeps his eyes on the road as Jonghyun looks and relooks over the case files, muttering something about police officers being useless. Both are dressed in smart black suits and have on an in ear.

“This is one long winding road, why would Taeyeon be here on such a dark night?” Jonghyun asks.

“Well, you know how it is in the country, one minute it will be light out and the next minute it will be dark. Chances are she started driving when it was still light out but it quickly turned dark as she winded down this path. Since this place is surrounded by a large swamp, it would’ve fogged too.” Onew says and Jonghyun looks at him amazed with a newfound respect.

“In that case, the unsub must have known this area quite well.” Jonghyun remarks and quickly dials a number. “Hey Taemin, can you look up all people attached to the Lotus Hotel that we’re headed to? All former employees, frequent visitors, family members of the hotel management need to be searched up.”

“Actually, I was just going to call you. I found some interesting information on Kim Taeyeon. It turns out she was under a large financial strain because her mother had just undergone a huge surgery.” Taemin says.

“She was strapped for cash, but what connection does that have with this desolate barren place?” Onew asks.

“Perhaps the unsub knew of her financial difficulty and was using this to control her.” Jonghyun says. “He would’ve needed some way to obtain her financial history.”

“Narrowing the net to those who work in finance.” Taemin says on the other side of the receiver. “I will call you back if I get anything else.” He says and hangs up.

Jonghyun and Onew pull into the parking lot of the hotel and walked inside the lobby. It was an outdated hotel that seemed to need renovations.

“Hello sirs, what can I help you with today?” A woman at the front desk asks them.

“Actually, we’re here to ask you a few questions.” Onew says flashing his badge to the woman and the woman stares back with wide eyes.

“What do you need officers?” The woman asks.

“Do you remember the woman killed in room 116?” Jonghyun asks.

“I wasn’t working that night.” She says disappearing into a small room and emerges with a man.

“What do you need fellas?” the man asks in a gruff tone.

“We just had a few questions to ask you, would you mind showing us to room 116 please?” Jonghyun asks and the man nods, leading them there silently.

“How did you first see Taeyeon-sshi?” Onew asks.

“She came in that night dripping wet after a long rain. She said her car had broken down and walked until she found this hotel, then she made a call using the phone and checked in for the night. I promised that I’d go find her car the next morning.” He says.

“Do you know who she was talking to?” Jonghyun asks.

“No, I didn’t, she seemed agitated and kept repeating something about horror movies and an open house. I don’t really know who she was talking to, but by the likes of it, it was most likely a man. She promised to reschedule some appointment or what not.” The man replies as he opens the door to room 116.

“Who else checked in that night?” Onew asks and the man snorts.

“We don’t really get much business around here; our road is usually forgotten so no one comes down here often.  My ma and I run this place. That night only one other person checked in and that was a family from Hongdae coming to make a canoeing trip.” The man replies.

“How about other hotel guests? Were any other guests occupying bedrooms?” Onew asks.

“There were a few other guests, a woman in a business suit stopped by. She said she was working on some kind of scientific project and asked to set up a laboratory in our kitchen, I politely refused her. A couple checked in, they were en route to their honey moon which was just a backpack trip around Korea. Two other families, visited before they left for the local campsite early next morning.”  The man replies.

“Anyone else?” Jonghyun probes.

“Just a guy who was visiting some kind of film festival, he came here every year around the same time to attend this film event. He was a nice guy, kept quiet in his room and always made his own bed.” The man says. Jonghyun and Onew exchange a glance.

“I’m going to need a list of all the people who visited that night.” Onew says and the man shakes his head.

“I’m sorry, I’m afraid that I can’t do that.” The man says.

“If it’s for privacy, we promise it won’t be compromised.” Jonghyun assures the man.

“No no, it’s just that the same night Taeyeon was killed, all of our customer records were wiped. Our hotel guest list book was also taken.” The man says.

“Would you happen to remember some names from the incident?” Jonghyun asks and the man nods.

“I only remember the family that was staying across the hall from them. They asked for room service and I wrote down their name for their order.” He says.

“Can you tell us what happened here?” Onew asks entering the bathroom and the man sighs, rubbing the area between his eyebrows, as if this memory pained him.

“I was up on the third floor cleaning room 316 when all of a sudden I heard loud screaming and a sudden crash. I ran downstairs to see that the door of the room was still locked. By the time I’d gotten inside, the screaming had stopped for a good 10 minutes or so.” The man says and Onew beckons him to go on.

“See, I found her slumped over the edge of the tub with the shower curtain down. I’d tried to wake her, but she was already gone.” He says overcome with a certain fatigue.

“There was no sign of forced entry?” Jonghyun asks and the man nods.

“That means she knew that unsub was coming and let him in willingly.” Onew adds and Jonghyun nods.

“If you could give us the contact information, we’ll be on our way.” Jonghyun says and the man quickly scribbles something on a pad and gives it to him.

“Thank you for your time, we’ll be in touch.” Onew says and the man nods wearily. The duo exits the room and walks to their car, driving back to base. Jonghyun thinks to himself silently on what the man told them. Why was Taeyeon led so conveniently to one of the most isolated places near her residential complex? How was the car breakdown timed so uncannily that she’d end up in this area?

That was strange, Taeyeon thinks to herself as her car sputters. She’d left her house with a full tank of gas and she’d barely driven 100 kilometers. Slowly her engine dies and she’s left stranded in the dark as it begins pouring rain.

“Just my luck.” Taeyeon mumbles to herself and calls her broker. “Hey, my car is stuck, can you come pick me up?” She asks him.

“There should be a hotel up in front of you called the Lotus Hotel, I’ll meet you there. Leave your cell in the car, that way we’ll be able to find it tomorrow and call me when you get to the hotel.” He says to her and Taeyeon wonders how he knew where she was.

“See you in a bit then.” She says and hangs up, making her way to the hotel.

If this man had tampered with her car, that meant he must have also had a background in cars perhaps. Or maybe not. Jonghyun had to rethink this profile. No sign of forced entry, so she was expecting him. Was he a resident at the hotel? Or did he stop by. When he finished with his business with her, how did he manage to sneak out of the room unseen? The window was locked from the inside, which meant he must have also left from the inside.

Jonghyun thinks back to the hotel room and tries to remember if it had one of those adjoining doors that would lead the room to another adjacent room.

“Taemin, can you look up the blueprints to the Lotus hotel?” Jonghyun asks when Taemin picks up. Onew looks at Jonghyun strangely.

“Sure, you should touch base with Key and Minho, they might have found something.” Taemin says.

“Will do, thanks Taemin.” Onew says and Jonghyun hangs up.

“Where to?” Jonghyun asks.

“The contact information that the man gave us? It’s around 20 minutes from here, let’s go visit.” Onew says and Jonghyun leans back into seat.