16^th of November, 2011 – 10:52pm

I stopped breathing and stared at the killer. I could feel my heart beating, pulsing faster and faster as excitement bubbled inside me. Kim Hyuna stared back at me; tears spilled over on her eyes and trembled as she fought to keep her sobs down.

I couldn’t keep it in any longer. “Hyuna–”

It was a broken whisper, so soft I could only just make out the words. Her gaze remained steady, her eyes still meeting mine as she uttered her confession.

“I killed him.”

Anticipation and excitement fluttered inside me – for a fleeting moment, a tiny part of me was disgusted with my reaction, but I quickly brushed it away and waited.

Her eyes grew unfocused, and in a slow, gentle movement, her shaking hand brushed her tears away, but her voice grew clearer, louder: “I killed him.”

With a voice just as soft as hers, I asked, “Why?”

She closed her eyes, and more tears ran down her face, but she didn’t hesitate. “I killed Kim Sunggyu. He was my brother for seven years, and now I no longer consider him family. Family doesn’t hurt. Family doesn’t hate. He is not my family.”

Hyuna took in a shaky breath and opened her eyes. “For 15 years, I had someone who was my parent’s son, who I hated and despised with all my heart. He was selfish, rude, arrogant, and the worst person in the world to exist, yet my parents still favoured him over me. I had to go everywhere he went, and no matter how awful he was, no matter how rude and despicable he was, everyone still loved him and treated me like his sister.”

Her voice grew ragged, and I could hear the anguish in her. “They say blood is thicker than water, but it’s not. It’s never been like that for me, because Kim Sunggyu has never once treated me like his sister, and I will never again treat him like a brother. My true family are my sisters,” she said harshly.

“I warned them, again and again, about how he couldn’t be trusted, about how he was the worst scum to walk the earth, and how they should stay away. But Sohyun…” Hyuna sighed and shook her head slightly. “For weeks she’d been going behind our backs, sneaking out to see him. Even though she was the maknae, she was still rebellious, and she couldn’t help herself. But somewhere along the line, she started to fall for him.” Her lips curled in disgust.

“And Kim Sunggyu knew that she was my sister. He knew that hurting her would hurt me, so he strung her along, made her believe they had something special that none of us could understand. But he was just acting, just playing, and it meant absolutely nothing to him. A few days ago, Sohyun saw him sleeping with a bunch of other girls. And he just told her to get out.”

Her voice was dark and low as she spat out her next words. “She finally confessed everything tonight. She was hurt and broken, just like I was, and he still didn’t care. I couldn’t believe he dared to hurt her, and I knew he had to pay.  I followed him and Yuri outside. I watched them argue, and I watched her run off. And then…” Hyuna closed her eyes, as if to relive the memory.

“I confronted and talked to him, for the first time in years. I hit him, and I was just so angry at him for hurting me and Sohyun and Yuri and everyone he’d ever wronged…so when he started to fight back, I hit him again and knocked him out. I dragged him to the nearest classroom and locked the door, and I waited until he was awake. Even though he was gagged, I could still see the fear in his eyes. He was begging for me to stop, making desperate apologies and pleas, and I enjoyed every moment of it.” I could see she was struggling to get the words out, her voice shaking with sobs and the raw emotions that had scarred her.

But she took a deep breath, and her next words were clear and strong, because they had lived in her heart for so many years, because she knew nothing but a blinding hatred and resentment for so many years and because she had never been known anything about love. I knew that no relationship that had been in her life had every truly mattered to her, because she felt that her existence was based on her hatred of her brother.

“I killed him, because he deserved to die.”

Back in the interrogation room, Hyuna was gone, accompanied by her friends. She seemed lost and distant, but I had a feeling that if the topic of Sunggyu had come up things would be different. I fiddled with a page of my notebook nervously, feeling out of place – the tables had turned and I didn’t like it one bit.

The door opened, and someone came in. “Jung Soomin?”

“Yes.” I nodded slightly, and watched as the police officer sat in my chair, the one I used when interviewing my suspects.

“My name is Lee Sungmin,” the police officer said. “I’m part of the police team that was sent in response to your call about a murder a few hours ago, but only a few of us were able to come. The rest will arrive later.”

“I figured,” I retorted sourly, crossing my arms.

Sungmin hmmmed in a disapproving manner, but opened a thick folder, pulling out a profile. Surprised, I recognised my own school picture clipped to the sheets of paper.

He cleared his throat and read out some of the basic information. “Jung Soomin, born on the 18^thof April, 1988 in San Francisco, America; English name Jasmine, attending Seoul University, studying law…two sisters, Jung Sooyeon and Jung Soojung…”

“Jessica Jung and Krystal Jung, actually.”

Sungmin looked up from his notes, frowning in confusion. “Excuse me?”

I shrank back, but instead of apologising, explained, “My sisters prefer their English names.”

“Fair enough.” He gave me a strange look, but closed the folder. He laced his fingers together, resting his chin on them and leaned forward with a curious expression. “Would you please tell me everything about what’s happened tonight?”

“I…” I hesitated, looking away from Sungmin. I wasn’t the least bit comfortable with him, and I was extremely wary of telling him all the secrets I’d learned, even if he was a police officer. “I didn’t want to come tonight, but my parents made me because my younger sister needed a driver. After a few hours, Kwon Yuri – Kim Sunggyu’s girlfriend and fiancée – ran into the hall, and she was screaming and crying.

“I thought that maybe this could be the opportunity to make use of my…detecting skills,” I continued, blushing slightly at my words. “So I went outside, and I saw his body. We called the police, and I announced to everyone in the hall what had happened, and I put the university on lockdown.

“I talked to a lot of people, starting with Kwon Yuri. I interviewed everyone who was close to him, and I interviewed their friends, and it all narrowed down to five suspects – Kwon Yuri, his fiancée; Lee Howon, his best friend; Tiffany Hwang, his ex-girlfriend; and Ahn Daniel, his rival. But my most recent interview was with Kim Hyuna, his sister, and, I believe, his murderer.” I lifted my chin proudly, and waited for his response.

“Kim Hyuna?” Sungmin studied me for a few moments, before he hmmmed again. “I assume you kept a record of everything?”

I deflated slightly, but nodded. “I wrote everything down in my notebook.”

“Could I please have a look?” He held out his hand expectantly, and, reluctant to part with my precious notebook, took my time handing it to him. I waited impatiently as he flicked through it, carefully reading all my notes.

“Jung Soomin, I appreciate your efforts in this investigation,” Sungmin said finally, placing my notebook on the table. I was tempted to reach across and snatch it back, but he spoke again. “Your actions display your intelligence, and as a smart, young woman rising in the world, you should be proud of yourself. However, now that the proper authorities are here, we can take over the investigation. You don’t need to worry anymore.”

I gaped at him for a few moments before realisation struck me. Of course they would get rid of me, I thought miserably. I’d been expecting their arrival, and my inevitable departure, but that didn’t make it any easier for me to nod my head.

“Can I ask a favour, please?” I said timidly. “If you find out who the killer is, could you please let me know?”

Sungmin kept a straight face, and shook his head. “I’m afraid not. Since this investigation regards the some of the elite families, I’m assuming that most would like their privacy. The information would be classified.”

My jaw dropped in disbelief and I couldn’t stop myself from shouting. “Classified?” I repeated, not caring how loud I was. “Excuse me, but I spent this whole night on my investigation. I have a right to know as much as you do! I deserve to–”

“While your efforts are appreciated, and your actions admirable,” Sungmin said loudly, drowning out my protests, “you are now impeding and interfering with the investigation. You could be considered a suspect if you continue, and as I said before, what you’ve done is good. But it’s time to let the police do their jobs.” H stood up and inclined his head towards the door. “I will you to the main hall.”

Miserable, I stared longingly at my notebook in his hands before heading outside. Behind me, I heard the door click shut with a finality

I didn’t look at anyone’s eyes as the door opened and closed silently behind me. Even without looking, I knew that everyone was clustered in their respective groups, a miniature family within the student population of Seoul University.

For a few moments, I felt more alone than I’d ever felt before – everyone had their friends, people to support them. Even though I had some friends, I could never join them on an occasion like this. I was an intruder – a butterfly, flitting from flower to flower, but never belonging.

“Soomin!”  Startled, I raised my head and saw Jessica and Krystal barrelling towards me, and I felt a rush of love and gratitude towards them at the concern on their faces. “What happened?” Jessica squeezed me tightly, and I hugged her back.

I felt eyes all around us, so I gently pried her arms off and led them both to a quiet corner. It was times like this when I had my sisters’ support that I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. It didn’t matter that everyone seemed to like them more – what mattered was that they were my sisters.

In a low voice, I gave them a condensed version of what had happened with Sungmin.  Krystal patted my back sympathetically, leaning her head against my shoulder. Jessica scowled, but couldn’t resist saying, “I told you so.”

I gave her a half-hearted glare back and rolled my eyes. “I figured.”

“It’s okay, Soomin,” Krystal said placidly. “You’ve done some good already, but now you don’t have to worry anymore. They’ll find the murderer now.” She clasped my hand and gave it an assuring squeeze.

“You don’t understand, Krystal,” I said harshly. “They won’t tell me, and even if they do, it’s not the same. I want to be the one who pieces it together, who figures everything out – the one who connects the dots. That’s the fun in mystery.”

“You think this is fun?” Jessica snapped, crossing her arms. She glared at me, anger and disbelief on her face. “I can’t believe you, Soomin. Death and murder and crime is not a game; it’s not fun. I know you’re my sister, but this ‘case’ isn’t about you finally getting the limelight – it’s about finding the killer.”

Resentment flared as I turned towards her; beside me, Krystal flinched away.  “You don’t understand,” I hissed. “You and Krystal – you’ve always been the ones to get the limelight, and this is my chance. But it’s more than that! This is about me, doing what I love. Not what Mum and Dad want, but what I want. And what I want is to solve this mystery.”

“I can’t believe you! You’re so selfish!” Jessica was fuming, clenching her hands into fists. “You’re the one who doesn’t like being the centre of attention! We’ve always tried to include you, but you always say no! Don’t try and blame it on us – it’s all you, Soomin.”

“I’m just doing what I love, and I’m good at it, if you haven’t noticed,” I retorted. “You think I’m just a child, playing a game, but I’m not. You’re always stopping me! You don’t trust me, you don’t think I’m good enough - you’re just as selfish and bratty as the rest of them – you take everything for granted!”

“You’re being ridiculous!” Jessica shouted. “You’re just as old as I am, so act like it. You’re just as rich as I am, and you’re just as selfish and bratty as the rest of us! Besides, I’ve never seen you solve a case by yourself, so how are you supposed to solve this one?!”

“Are you blind? Do you think I’m stupid?” I shrieked. People were starting to look out way, so I lowered my voice. “If you do, think again. Believe me, I know more than you think, and I know about you and Kai.”

“I–” She turned crimson, apparently too furious to yell at me, and raised her hand. With a loud, stinging slap, her palm hit my face. I gasped but recovered quickly, thoroughly intending to hit her back but someone shoved me away. 

When I looked up again, I saw Krystal standing in between us, arms outstretched. She was on the verge of tears, terror clear on her face. “Stop! Stop!”

I stared hard at her, and then Jessica. I was slightly curious as to why Krystal was looking so scared – we had been in worse fights in our teenage years, some involving kicking, scratching and hair-pulling.

“Please, just stop,” Krystal begged, and at her miserable face I felt my anger abate. “You shouldn’t be fighting – people are staring, and this isn’t the right time, okay? Please.”

I straightened out of my wary pose and Jessica did the same. I refused to apologise, and I knew she wouldn’t dream of saying sorry now that there was a possibility that the people around us had heard about Kai.

“Excuse me.” The loud, deep voice interrupted as all, followed by a squeal of feedback. Everyone turned to the crowd, and a police officer was standing on the stage with a microphone in his hand. “Uh, thank you. There are several people I need to talk to.”

Murmurs filled the room, and everyone was looking suspiciously at each other. I watched intently as the police officer read out a list of names – one by one, the people he called made their way to the stage, nervous under the expectant gaze of the crowd. More than once, people gasped and whispered and murmured, especially when he called up the famously talented Kwon BoA.

With a growing sense of dread, I noticed that all of the people he had called up were female, and now that they were standing next to each other, I realised they all had blonde or light-coloured hair. Frightened, I turned towards my sisters as the police officer called the last name.

“Jung Jessica.”

“Report, Ryeowook.”

“Sir, Siwon and I investigated the scene. It was exactly like the girl described, except for one thing.”

“Yes?”

“In her description, the girl reported that the knife – supposedly the murder weapon – was in the room, sir. It’s not."