16^th of November, 2011 – 9:58pm

SNSD (SoNyeoShiDae):

• Possible motives: friends with Yuri who doesn’t like Sunggyu
• Denied anything to do with it – believe that Yuri should handle it by herself
• YURI LIKES SOMEONE ELSE

Kim Taeyeon: Leader

• Didn’t help Yuri with Sunggyu problem – believes in independence

Jung Jessica:

• Yuri close to Yoona (BFF)
• Taeyeon believes that the girls shouldn’t rely on others

Lee Sunny:

• Drunk

Hwang Tiffany:

• Still has feelings towards Sunggyu (love-hate)
• Had a ‘trial’ period with Niel; loved attention (shallow)
• Only liked him for attention/friendship, not love
• Sunggyu asked her out; left Niel heartbroken
• In love with Sunggyu at the time (not just attention/presents)
• Broke up 5 months later on Valentine’s Day (2006) -  Sunggyu kissed some random girl in front of her
• Wants to hurt him (physically/emotionally) – eye for an eye, make him learn his lesson, etc.- so he can understand pain she/other girls went through
• Jealous of Yuri being with Sunggyu – doesn’t like the way she treats him
• Yul doesn’t care for Sunggyu
• YURI IS IN LOVE WITH LEE HOWON (best friends with Sunggyu)

16^thof November, 2011 – 10:15pm

Kim Hyoyeon:

• Confirmed relationship between Hoya and Yuri
• No apparent motive

Choi Sooyoung:

• Disapproves of the Hoya/Yuri relationship – believes in staying faithful

Im Yoona:

• Knew about their relationship from the start
• Only wanted Yuri to be happy (motive?)
• Very shaken by everything (weak?)
• Possible motive for murder

Seohyun/Seo Joohyun:

• Seems very stubborn and strong-hearted
• Cares for her friends/unnies a lot (motive?)

I stood up and left the room after Seohyun, feeling more confused and exhausted than ever. That’s what you get for digging around, a nasty voice tutted in my head. When they look at the students of SU, most people see a bunch of rich, spoiled and basically perfect young adults.

You really shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.

I entered the main hall, where the students were still anxiously waiting. It had been a few hours, and the police still hadn’t come. The music was still blasting through the speakers, but only a few were dancing; the rest were talking to each other, looking bored.

 Everyone was gathered into their friendship groups – SNSD, Infinite, f(x), 4minute, and the rest. Seohyun joined her friends. I focused on Yuri in particular – she seemed trouble and nervous, but it could be that she just saw her dead boyfriend…

The boys from Infinite were keeping quiet for once – there was no laughter, no screams coming from them. It seemed they had a thing for foreign girls – both Woohyun and L were cuddling with their girlfriends (Rebecca Choi and Rachel Wang, respectively), who were both from Australia.

“Who does she think she is?” someone muttered a bit too loudly. I glanced to the side to see SHINee, a group of 5 guys (most were douchebags). Lee “Onew” Jinki, the chicken weirdo; Kim Jonghyun, the douche; Kim Kibum, the diva; Choi Minho, sports freak and douche; and Lee Taemin, the cocky dancer douche who fortunately had a girlfriend (who happened to be Key’s sister, Jane). Minho glared at me as I looked at him, and rolled his eyes.

Krystal and her friends were whispering together in a corner; my little sister was looking sickly. I couldn’t blame her – she’d been crushing on Sunggyu since forever, and I assumed she’d danced with him sometime tonight.

I approached Yuri and her friends quietly. “Yuri-ssi? Could I please talk to you again?”

She looked up at the sound of my voice, and I saw a flash of emotion in her dark eyes, before she nodded. I led her back to the closet-room, flipping to a fresh page in my notebook.

Yuri refused to meet my eyes, staring with interest at the table instead. Occasionally she lifted her gaze to mine before she glanced away, making it seem that the room was full of interesting things.

“Yuri-ssi,” I sighed. “Tell me about Hoya.”

Yuri blinked a few times as she stared at me, tilting her head innocently to the side. “How did you know?” she asked finally, her soft voice a whisper.

“Tiffany told me,” I answered, watching as another flare of emotion – was it anger? – made a brief appearance in her eyes.  “Now, tell me about Hoya.”

“After I was engaged to Sunggyu, we had an engagement party, and to my surprise, Sunggyu actually had friends, who he’d invited to the party.” Her lips twisted into a grimace. “That was the first time I’d actually met Hoya.”

27^thof September, 2009 – described by Kwon Yuri

“Hyung!”

“What is this? Is this really an engagement party?” A black haired boy smirked and shook his head disbelievingly.

“It can’t be,” another boy drawled, his eyes scanning the room for potential victims. “Kim Sunggyu, getting married? No way.”

“I’m afraid it’s true, guys,” Sunggyu said, adopting a solemn expression. “You can all be my best men at the wedding right?” He grinned.

The 6 boys grinned and laughed as Sunggyu showed them to the refreshments table, before pointing out all the pretty girls in the room.

“Hyung, who’s that?” Hoya nodded towards a girl in a white dress with soft-looking dark brown hair. Almost immediately Sunggyu’s faced creased into a scowl.

“That’s my fiancée.” Sunggyu downed the rest of his champagne glass, before reaching for another and finishing that one off too. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to distract myself.”

True to his word, Sunggyu made his way across the room, sauntering up to some girls who he’d pointed out as his fiancée’s cousins. Hoya watched the girl for her reaction, feeling a wave of pity at her situation. There was no one talking to her – all her friends and family were talking to their new in-laws, and Sunggyu….enough said.

“Hello.”

Startled, Yuri glanced up and blinked in confusion – it was one of Sunggyu’s friends.

“Um, hello,” she said slowly. What are you doing here?She wanted to know.

“I guess you’re not too happy about being engaged,” the boy said, and they both watched as Sunggyu’s eyes crinkled into an eye-smile, making his female companions coo.

“No, really?” Yuri said sarcastically. “Because it’s been my lifelong dream to be married off to a first-class jerk and player.”

“No need to shoot the messenger,” he remarked coolly, not looking fazed at all. Truthfully, he felt almost nervous around this beautiful girl – she seemed so fragile, so innocent, yet she looked as though she could fight off anything – including an arranged marriage. “I’m Hoya, by the way.”

“I know.” She sighed deeply as she gazed at Sunggyu with despair. “I’m Yuri.”

“Nice to meet you,” Hoya said, offering his hand like a gentlemen. She took it gingerly and they shook, and on a whim, he lifted her hand to his lips to press a chaste kiss on it. Like the well-bred young lady she was, Yuri only blinked and acknowledged him with a nod.  

“Indeed.” And before he could say more, she was gone.  

13^thof December, 2009

The newly-engaged couple had been presented with a 3-storey house by their parents, and while anyone else would have been overjoyed to receive such an extravagant present, Yuri and Sunggyu knew the real reason behind it.

Children.

And while Sunggyu was an inconsiderate jerk, he somehow managed to find the time and patience to sit and talk with Yuri about their marriage, to which they’d agreed that they didn’t want any children, unless, of course, they miraculously fell in love with each other.

But so far, nothing of the sort had happened, so the arrangement continued – a few years of cohabiting with complete freedom until the two inherited and combined their family corporations.

Supposedly, the house was supposed to help them grow closer – the two of them could use it whenever they needed, but they still stayed with their families. Sunggyu chose to use the house as a clubhouse – when he and his friends weren’t studying or clubbing, he hosted loud, festive parties.

Fortunately, the very top floor was hers (the bottom was his, and the 2^ndwas for both of them) and she’d taken advantage of the term ‘complete freedom’ and made sure that no loud music or noises from the other two floors couldn’t be heard from the other.   

~~~~

Yuri and Sunggyu tolerated each other at best – more than acquaintances, but not even close to being friends. At the most, they were business partners – after all, that was the whole point of the marriage.

Sunggyu’s friends were decent enough – Woohyun, Myungsoo and Dongwoo followed their leader’s example, while Sungyeol, Sungjong and Hoya disapproved. All of them respected her, including Sunggyu, and they had been acquainted enough that she could almost call them her friends, with the exception of Hoya, who was her friend.

~~~~

“Oh, Hoya!” Yuri looked up and smiled.  She had come down from her top-floor-refuge of books and music to cook herself a small meal of fried rice (after all, a soon-to-be wife and proper lady should know how to cook).

“Good to see you again, Yuri-ah,” the handsome boy replied, casually pouring himself some water. Infinite, Sunggyu’s friends, had been around to the house plenty of times, but Hoya was the one most familiar with the second floor. “How have you been?”

She gestured for him to sit as she spoke. “Well, I’ve been having exams, same as everyone else. It’s strange to find that this house is better for studying, since all the floors are soundproof. How about you?”

Hoya shrugged. “Just studying, I guess. I don’t know how Sunggyu-hyung still has time to party.”

“Are you hungry? Here, have some of my rice.” Yuri stood and grabbed an extra spoon, offering it to Hoya.

“Yuri-ah! It’s okay, really–” His protests were cut off by her disapproving look. “Thanks, Yuri.”

She smiled. “It’s nothing.” They sat side-by-side, sharing a meal and making quiet conversation. In some ways, Yuri was like his sister, always taking care of him. And in some ways, she was more.

“Here, I’ll wash it up,” Hoya offered. With another glare, Yuri snatched the plate away from him.

“Don’t be silly, it’s my house,” she reprimanded, walking towards the kitchen.

“We’ll wash it together,” the boy compromised, jogging lightly to catch up.

Yuri turned towards him with a sigh. “I’m serious, Hoya. This is my house and I’ll–” Involuntarily, she let out a little shriek as she slipped on a puddle of water.

“Yuri!” Hoya’s fast reflexes took over and he caught her by the waist, making sure to grab the plate before it could drop. He could hear his heartbeat faster and faster as he stared at her face for what seemed like hours.

He had always known that Yuri was beautiful, and deep down, he knew he probably had more than sisterly feelings towards her. But she was engaged. Going to get married to his hyung, he reminded himself.

None of it mattered as he quickly set the plate down, not taking his eyes off her once as he delicately traced patterns on her cheek.

Mesmerised, she whispered his name in a half-hearted warning. “Howon…”

A centimetre away from her lips, he paused. “I’m sorry, Yuri.” And then he pressed his lips to hers.

“Our relationship didn’t seem to change, at first,” Yuri continued quietly. “We were still friends, in a way, but every now and then when we were alone…” She blushed.

“Did you two ever sleep together?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No.”

“Did Hoya ever get in a relationship with another girl?”   

“I don’t think so.”

“What would you call your relationship with Hoya?” I continued, tilting my head to the side.

Yuri looked a little confused, and she fidgeted nervously. “I don’t know…I guess he’s my boyfriend…?” She ended her answer hesitantly.

“What happened when you saw Hoya talking to other girls? Did you feel jealous, or possessive, or insecure in any way?” I leant forward a tiny bit.

“Well…I know I don’t like it when girls talk and flirt with Hoya, but I can’t really do anything about it,” she said carefully. “I do feel a little jealous, and I guess I can be possessive…and sometimes a little insecure. But why wouldn’t I? He’s mine.”

“Would you consider yourself to be his?” I shot back. When she nodded, I spoke again. “What about Sunggyu?”

She opened and closed , obviously uncomfortable with the interrogation.

“Yuri-ssi, if Sunggyu hadn’t been murdered tonight, what would have happened? Would you have ever revealed your relationship with Hoya? Or would you have gone on to marry Sunggyu? Did you have any idea what you were getting into when you and Hoya kissed?” I accused.

There was a short silence as she opened once more, eyes shining with tears. I watched her every movement. Triumph filled me as I watched her carefully-constructed façade crack and crumble, followed by a stubborn and patient determination.

“I-I-I thought that we c-could tell my parents,” Yuri stammered, tears falling freely. “B-but I was so worried about what they would say…”

“Yuri-ssi, you knew your parents wouldn’t approve,” I said confidently, flipping back a few pages in my notebook.

“I think they expected that if I found someone else, I would find another rich heir just like Sunggyu.”

And under that, I had written:

• Possibly in love with someone else (not rich or well off as her)

At her small sob, I finished off my speech. “You knew that your parents would disapprove. You knew that your parents might even disown you. They told you that they would reconsider the marriage, but we all know how much this marriage means to them, and what it would mean for their company. If Hoya was just as rich as you, maybe you would have stood a chance. But he isn’t.”

“I…I…I didn’t know what to do, okay?” Yuri screamed, lashing out violently as she slammed her fists down onto the table. “I love Hoya, more than anything or anyone I’ve ever loved before. I can’t just give him up! I can’t live without him – he’s my everything. I would do anything to keep him.”

“You would’ve done anything?” I repeated, masking the anticipation and excitement within. “Would that include murder?”

Yuri gasped, terror on her face. “I-I would never do such a thing,” she hissed, not noticing her hands trembling.

“You have the perfect motive for murder,” I said calmly. “You’re engaged to a jerk, and you’re cheating with his best friend; you’re possessive, jealous and insecure when you see other girls with your man, but you can’t do anything about it; and even though your parents told you they would reconsider the marriage if you found someone else, you know that they would choose Sunggyu over Hoya.

“There are a few endings to this story – you get married to Sunggyu, and continue your affair with Hoya. Inevitably, somebody finds out, and you, Hoya, Sunggyu and your families are disgraced. The second option is that you end your relationship with Hoya – either someone finds out, you tell your parents or you do it yourself. And the third option is to take Sunggyu out of the picture. Without him, there is no marriage, and therefore, you could’ve been free to reveal your relationship with Hoya, no matter what your parents said.”

Yuri gaped at me, evidently lost for words. Her face was deathly pale, stained with tears and her hands were shaking uncontrollably. “S-Soomin-ssi, I-I-I didn’t…it wasn’t…”

I locked gazes with her, determined to make Yuri hear the truth. “Naturally, the first option was unacceptable – disowned and rejected from society was never an option for you, Yuri. The same goes for the second option – you yourself said that you couldn’t give him up. And the third option…” I curled my lips up into a cold smirk. “You can figure that one out for yourself.”