16^th of November, 2011 – 10:15pm

Yuri:

• In love with Hoya/Howon
• Been in relationship with him since 2009
• Prime suspect
• Motives:
  • Jealous of other girls with Hoya, can’t do anything about it
  • Unwillingly engaged to Sunggyu
  • Parents would choose Sunggyu over Hoya; no Sunggyu = no contest

16^thof November, 2011 – 10:27pm

Lee Howon/Hoya:

“Thank you for coming in again,” I said politely.

“It’s no problem,” Hoya said, taking the vacated seat. “But why would you want me?”

“There are few things I need to clarify,” I began. “Especially regarding your relationship with Yuri and Sunggyu.”

There was no reaction to my mentioning of his relationship with Yuri. “Sunggyu was my best friend,” he said, frowning slightly. “I didn’t necessarily approve of his so-called player lifestyle, but he was still my friend. We were basically brothers.”

“Yet you still went behind his back with Yuri,” I said accusingly. “You knew the consequences, even if Yuri didn’t, and you still continued the relationship. May I ask why?”

“Because I love her,” Hoya said simply. “It didn’t matter where we were from, or who our parents were – we loved each other, and that’s all that mattered.”

“Apparently not to Yuri,” I remarked. “If nothing else mattered, why didn’t you reveal your relationship? You could have saved her plenty of trouble with Sunggyu.”

Hoya clenched his fist. “It was Yuri’s idea,” he explained. “She thinks a lot about her family and their business. She didn’t want to disgrace them.”

“You seem very sure of your relationship,” I commented. “If Sunggyu hadn’t been murdered, what do you think would have happened to your relationship?”

He contemplated the idea for a few moments. “Well, eventually someone would’ve found out, or we would’ve told someone,” he said slowly. “Either way, our relationship would be made public.”

“And what do you suppose the consequences of that would be?” I asked.

Hoya furrowed his brow in thought. “I guess the Kwon and Kim families would be…displeased,” he admitted. “But there’s nothing they can do about it, I suppose.”

I tilted my head to the side and blinked innocently. “‘Nothing they can do about it’?” I repeated. “Would you like me to remind you of the differences between you and Yuri?” Before he could say anything, I continued. “Kwon Yuri is the daughter of the high-ranking and rich CEO’s of the Kwon Corporation. She is rather wealthy, very pretty and talented. She is perfectly capable of taking over the family business, and her marriage would have merged the two largest corporations in Korea to create a superpower. And even if she chose not to, she still has skills and an upbringing that you do not have.”

Hoya flushed red in anger, or perhaps shame. “And I suppose you’re going to insult me and tell me how worthless and talentless I am, and how I could never get anywhere in the world by myself,” he sneered. “At least I treat people with respect, like they’re people. You, your sisters and their friends – you’re all just a bunch of spoiled brats who treat everyone who’s not well off like trash. Everyone’s told me that I should stop things with Yuri, just because I was poor. And how is Sunggyu any better? Sure, he’s rich and he’s also an heir, but he’s a jerk. I love Yuri, and I treat her like a person, not the pampered and perfect heiress everyone else sees.”

I let my breath out in a small hiss, stung by his judgemental words. “You turn against your friends quickly,” I said coldly. “So quick to turn against your ‘best friend’.”

“I’ve put up with this prejudice ever since I came to this stupid school,” Hoya snarled. “All you elitists get better treatment than the scholarship students. It might not even be intentional, but it has to stop. Everyone is human. We’re all people, and money doesn’t matter.”

He leaned back in his chair, look somewhat abashed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to lose my temper,” he muttered. “But it’s true. Every word is true.”

“So, did Sunggyu also have this prejudice?” I asked mildly. “You two were from…different backgrounds, and Sunggyu is one of the elite at this university.”

Hoya nodded once. “Sometimes it was just a little comment, like a joke,” he said slowly. “And other times he didn’t even mean for it to hurt, like offering to pay for my stuff because I couldn’t afford it. Sometimes Sungjong and Woohyun do it, too.”

“Do you hold any kind of grudge against Sunggyu? Sungjong? Woohyun?”

“Sungjong and Woohyun, not so much. They mean well, I suppose,” Hoya said. “But Sunggyu…after a while, it just got a bit out of hand. I stopped thinking of him as my best friend after I started things with Yuri.”

I let the new information sink in. “This makes you more of a suspect than ever,” I warned.

“I know,” he answered quietly.

“Could you please tell me about how you spent the night?” I asked. “As in, describe your experience from when you first arrived.”

Hoya looked startled and confused by the request. “Well, I arrived around 7, like everyone else,” he said. “I talked and danced and hung out in the main hall with the rest of Infinite, but then Yuri sent me a text asking me to meet her outside, at around 7:30. I went outside like she said, and she was upset and angry at Sunggyu…again. After a while, we went back inside the hall. I went in first, to avoid suspicion, but then she came in, screaming.”

“So you and Yuri were together at the time of Sunggyu’s murder?” I clarified.

He seemed to understand then. “Oh. Uh, yeah, we were.”

I sighed again. Both Yuri and Hoya had alibis at the time of Sunggyu’s death, which crossed them off the list. That left Niel and Tiffany as my main suspects…unless Yuri and Hoya were working together. I wouldn’t cross that off my list yet – they would apparently do anything for each other. 

I flipped to a new page in my notebook, scrawling down the information I’d learned.

VICTIM –

NAME: Kim Sunggyu
DOB: 28/4/1988 (23)
: Male
GROUP: Infinite
MURDER: Throat slit, multiple stab wounds and scratches over upper body
Found dead on 16/11/2011

SUSPECTS –

NAME: Kwon Yuri
DOB: 5/12/1989 (22)
: Female
GROUP:SNSD
RELATIONSHIP: Fiancée/girlfriend
MOTIVE: Get out of arranged marriage
        In love with someone else (Hoya)

NAME: Lee Howon (Hoya)
DOB: 29/3/1988 (23)
: Male
GROUP: Infinite
RELATIONSHIP: Best friend
MOTIVE: In love with Yuri
              Bad friendship with Sunggyu

NAME: Hwang Miyoung (Tiffany)
DOB: 1/8/1989 (22)
: Female
GROUP: SNSD
RELATIONSHIP: Ex-girlfriend
MOTIVE: Mixed feelings about Sunggyu (love-hate)
       Get revenge on Sunggyu

NAME: Ahn Daniel (Niel)
DOB: 6/8/1989 (22)
: Male
GROUP: Teen Top
RELATIONSHIP: Rival
MOTIVE: In love with Tiffany
        Hates Sunggyu

I presented the notebook to Hoya, asking him if there was anyone else I needed to include.

He shrugged. “Well, the real list of people who actually want to kill Kim Sunggyu spans several pages,” he said casually. “But I’d say that we 4 would be the main ones.” Hoya paused to think again. “Speaking of suspects, what about his sister?”

“What, Hyuna?” I was surprised at his recommendation. “Why would you say her?”

He gave me a confused look and explained. “Haven’t you heard? Hyuna hates Sunggyu. Even more than Niel, which is saying something.”

I was starting to feel like an idiot. “I already talked to Hyuna,” I said haltingly. “She told me she was jealous, but then she started crying…” I rubbed my tired eyes ruefully before opening the page where I had Hyuna’s notes.

Kim Hyuna:

• Jealous of Sunggyu – hate, anger, etc.
  • Sunggyu was the favourite in family
• Wanted to be an only child?
• Wanted to run company? Would have been married off to Kwon family
• Impressive actress

 An actress. That’s all Hyuna was, I thought bitterly. A lying, scheming actress who fooled me.