16^th of November, 2011 – 8:52pm

Kwon Yuri:

• Parents = business partners
• Arranged marriage to merge companies
• Both eldest in family/set to inherit
• Known each other since childhood
• Doesn’t really like S.
• Hwang Tiffany, also from SNSD – friends with Yuri/ex-girlfriend of Sunggyu
• Possibly in love with someone else (not rich or well off as her)
• If S. broke off engagement/found cheating, would be disowned
• Threatened other students to keep quiet about ‘affairs’
  • Minzy, from 2NE1 (interested in S.)

Discovery of body:

• Fighting with S.
  • Thinks he’s selfish (only in for money)
  • Thinks sister will do better at running company
• Last time S. seen: around 7:30 (where did she go after that?)
• Suspicious after S. disappears for 45mins
• Finds body (no sign of tampering)

 16^thof November, 2011 – 8:52pm

The door swung open and Kim Hyuna sauntered in. She was as gorgeous as everyone claimed – pale, clear complexion; wavy dark brown hair, complete with side fringe above her left eye and an arrogant expression that matched her brother’s.

In a situation almost identical to mine, she was well-known for being Kim Sunggyu’s little sister, but she still managed to create a reputation of her own – Hyuna was notorious for her sharp tongue, sarcasm and sassy attitude and famous for her intelligence – she was top of her classes.

“What do you want, seonbae?” she demanded, using the title as an insult.

I glared. “If you weren’t listening before, hubae,” I snapped, “your brother is dead.”

She froze for a millisecond. “Are you kidding me?” Hyuna snorted. “Sunggyu can’t be dead. He’s probably screwing another girl.” She smirked, and I wondered at strange, almost identical use of the same words as Yuri.

I took a moment to calm my emotions. “Hyuna-ssi,” I said. “Your brother is dead. He’s not missing. We found his body.”

“If he’s really dead, why should I believe you?” Hyuna leant forward, challenging me.

“He was in a room, with his throat slit,” I said coldly. “His girlfriend was the first to find him, and she’s crying her head off, even though she doesn’t like him. You’re his sister, and you don’t believe me.”

“Why should I believe you, Soomin-ssi?” she asked, narrowing her eyes. “As far as I know, you’re just Jessica and Krystal’s sister, taking advantage in a situation so she can be noticed.”

I clenched my fist, and she smirked. “Don’t you worry, I know exactly what it’s like,” Hyuna sneered. “Everyone knows you as Jessica’s sister, or Krystal’s unnie, and nothing else. You’re desperate for attention. And this could be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for.”

“You’re right, you do know what it’s like,” I said calmly. “You’re jealous of Sunggyu. But,” I added, glaring at her, “we’re not here to banter about being overlooked. We’re here to discuss Sunggyu’s death.”

Hyuna stared imperiously at me for a moment before bowing her head. “Sunggyu’s really dead?” she asked quietly. “My oppa’s dead?”

In a split second, she had transformed from a sassy, sarcastic young woman to a shy, scared little girl. I marvelled at her impressive façade, but was sure to take note of it. 

I sighed. “Yes, Sunggyu’s dead,” I answered honestly. “So, can you tell me about your family?”

Hyuna rested her elbows on the table, cupping her face in her hands. “My family is very into business,” she said. “As I’m sure you’ve heard, we have close ties with the Kwon family. If Yuri had been a boy, I would have been married off.” She smiled wryly, and just like Yuri, I could see the bitterness behind it.

“Sunggyu was the favourite – after all, he was the heir; the one who would take over the company when he married; the one who would guarantee my family’s wealth,” she said, shrugging sadly. “I was always overlooked by my parents.

“The only people who paid attention to me were my babysitters and teacher,” Hyuna confessed. “I always wanted my parents to pay attention to me; to dote on me, to love me, to realise that I was just as good as Sunggyu.”

She made a strange hiccupping sound before tears spilled over. “I wanted to be an only child,” she said softly. “But never – never like this.” Crying, she buried her face into her hands.

Wordlessly, I offered her a tissue. “Komawo,” she whispered. I wondered how long it would take for her to stop crying.

“It’s ok, Hyuna-ssi,” I said kindly. “We can talk later, arasso?” We both stood up, and I ushered her to the door. “Infinite?”

The 6 boys stood up, the expressions on their faces ranging from horror to grief to anger. “We’re here,” Dongwoo said in his deep voice. He had assumed the role of leader in Sunggyu’s absence.

 “Please come in,” I invited, holding the door open. “I’d like to have a talk.” One by one, they trooped past in silence.

Sungjong was the last to come in. “Kamsahamnida,” he said, giving me a small smile. I smiled back. 

 “You’re welcome,” I said, seating myself across from them. Dongwoo sat in the seat; Sungyeol and Woohyun leant on the wall on either side; Sungjong sat on the edge of the table and Hoya sat on the floor with Myungsoo, or L. 

“Is it true? Sunggyu hyung?” Sungjong asked suddenly, his high-pitched voice shaking. I nodded silently, watching as his pretty face fell.

“What are we even doing here?” Woohyun said warily.

“I just wanted to ask some questions,” I responded. “Do you have any idea why someone would have wanted to kill him?”

“Well…he was one of the most popular guys on campus,” Dongwoo said hesitantly. “And…he toyed around with girls. Like, a lot, and girls tend to hold grudges and stuff.”

I considered. “Do you know any girls who would or do hold a grudge?”

Dongwoo glanced towards Hoya. “There were a lot of girls,” he admitted. “He never really kept in touch with any of them.”

“Anything you want to add? Hoya?” I turned towards him. “Any girls who might want to kill Sunggyu?”

“No,” he muttered, keeping his gaze on the floor.

“So he kept playing around with girls, even after Yuri became his girlfriend?” At the mention of Sunggyu’s girlfriend, there was an uneasy shift in all of them. It was barely noticeable, but it was there.

They know something about Yuri.

“Well, there is Teen Top,” Sungjong volunteered. “We’re rivals, and everyone knows that Niel hates Sunggyu.” There was a general murmur of agreement. “But I don’t know why or whether he hated Sunggyu-hyung enough to kill.”

I took note to interview them later. “Dongwoo, may I speak to you alone?” The others took the hint and left the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Thank you, Sungjong,” I said, rubbing my eyes tiredly. He gave me a small, sad smile and left. Everything Infinite had said was true, as far as I knew. Sunggyu was a good leader, and a brother to them all. They all had attitudes ranging from indifferent to annoyance about his player ways, but never said anything about it.

None of them knew who could have killed Sunggyu. It wasn’t any of them. They had no motives, no reason – unless one of them was harbouring a huge hatred, or was a psychopath.

I ran my fingers through my hair, wincing as they tugged at the knots. This ‘investigation’ was going nowhere.

Sighing, I stood up and stretched, shaking off the desire to sleep. I pulled the door open, poking my head out.

“Teen Top? CAP, Chunji, Niel, L. Joe” – I made a face – “Changjo and Ricky, right?”