Title: SM-5 The Perfect Mystery 

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Mystery, Angst, Action 

Ratings: All ages 

Case #01: V o i c e

Part 1

~~~

"It’s the Channel 5 News reporting to you live. A rookie singer by the name of Kim Jonghyun has been found dead in the recording studio where he was said to be recording his debut song ‘Ice Princess’ featuring his label-mate, solo singer Jessica Jung. Authorities are still investigating the case, and more information will be revealed when they have found out more."

~~~

  “I have said this a million times, I refuse!”

   He stomped his way down the corridor, his arms folded, hugging his thick stack of books to his chest. He rolled his eyes as he turned his head to see the man still following him, wondering what to do. He groaned, and continued to walk, ignoring the fact that the man would probably follow him all the way back to the dormitory.

  Cho Kyuhyun couldn’t take it. “Can you leave me alone?!”

  “Kyuhyun-shi, your results are exemplary, and the police force would need a genius like you on the team.” The man tried to convince him.

  “What makes you think that I will be willing to join the police force?” Kyuhyun rebutted the man harshly.

  The man sighed slowly, thoughts running through his mind. “Well, because the boss is offering you a high pay raise, you’ll get a nice desk, and uh…it’s a high position since you’re-“ The man paused, muttering under his breath. “You’re just a nerd, gosh.”

  “Well, then your boss really looks down on nerds.” Kyuhyun retorted as he was about to continue walking once more.

  “Wait!” The man called after Kyuhyun. “The boss said that he would give you the head position of the tech lab if you stayed with this collaboration for one year!”

  Kyuhyun stopped the moment he heard those words. Once again, he was, as his sister Sooyoung liked to call him, a clever nerd, and if he wasn’t one bit tempted by those words, then he was a complete idiot. He knew one thing for sure – it was his lifelong dream to be able to enter the research and technology laboratory in the metropolitan police base, let alone head it.

  “Tell your boss I’ll be there in an hour.”

~~~

  “Uncle, you have got to be kidding.”

  He was not amused as looked at the new task sheet, then back at his smirking uncle. He carefully read through the piece of paper once more, to see if it was one of the jokes his uncle had played on him once more.

  “I am certainly not, Changmin.” Lee Sooman sat up straight in his seat.

  “I am not going to lead a team of undercover detectives- no, rookie detectives, who haven’t even stepped into the Police Academy before.” Changmin was firm. “I have told Aunt that I have no intention, whatsoever, to get myself involved in anything to do with the Seoul Metropolitan Police, ever.”

  Lee Sooman raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Your aunt said that you needed work, and here I am, giving you the perfect opportunity to put those skills into use – why did you get a degree on business if you’re not going to use it?”

  “The police force is not a business, uncle.” Changmin’s fists balled up. “You’re supposed to be protecting the people, not setting up useless undercover agents, and paying them high wages when they don’t even hold a proper police pass.”

  “That’s why I’m sending you to lead the team, aren’t I?”

  “Whatever it is, I’m not going to do it.”

  Changmin’s mind had been made up several days before, when his aunt had told him of what to do. He did not want any involvement with his uncle, and as he headed towards the large double doors to exit the office, he was sure he wanted it to be the last time he ever stepped in or out of the treacherous room.

  “Your father would be ashamed if he was watching.”

  Changmin froze at his spot. “What?”

  “That his own son won’t join the very place he headed.”

  The words rung loudly in Changmin’s head as he turned around sharply, glaring at his uncle with daggers in his eyes. No doubt, he knew it was merely one provocative sentence to pressurize him, but he found no way to rebutt or to use defiance to go against his uncle’s words. Whatever his uncle had planned, Changmin knew that it had all worked, and he was, once again, defenseless.

  “Tell me the details, Uncle.”

~~~

  “No way we’re letting you in, lady.”

  She frowned as she stood in front of the sliding glass doors, with two policemen barring her from entering. She rummaged through her bag for the slip of paper she had gotten from the email that was sent to her, flashing it in their faces as she argued for entrance.

  “Look, I was emailed to come here and join the new team of undercover detectives!” She protested loudly. “It doesn’t matter whether I have a police pass or not, this email with the seal-“ She pointed to the page. “-is what matters the most.

  “Firm instructions from the top, lady.” The police officer did not budge.

  Victoria groaned as she held the printed out document in her hands. She was sure that she had gotten the right place – like who would get a police station wrong? And she knew darn well that it wasn’t just any police station, but the Seoul Metropolitan Police. She took a deep breath as she ran her thoughts through her mind, trying to recall any small messages that might has been conveyed through the email without her realizing.

  Hearing the soft tapping of footsteps from behind her, she swung around to see a deep-eyed, ruffled haired man walking towards her. She raised her eyebrows for a moment, as the man stopped right next to her, taking a small folder out of his bag, papers bearing the exact same words on her printed document.

  “You’re going into the undercover department too?” Victoria asked hurriedly as she peeked at his document. “Could you help me-“

  “Cho Kyuhyun, undercover agent.” The man said as he looked at the officers.

  As if it was some sort of magic words, the officers briskly moved aside and made way for him to pass. He gave her a mocking smirk as she looked at him with her eyes wide open.

  “You just got to say your name. Didn’t you read the notes?” He mocked her.

  She folded her arms, her cheeks turning red. “Victoria Song, undercover agent and profiler.” She emphasized her words as she said them to the officers, who immediately gestured at her to go in.

  She ignored the devilish smirk on the man’s face as she walked through the sliding glass doors, looking through her printed document once more, to see if she had missed out any important instructions, but even as she scrutinized it, she was completely sure she hadn’t been cross-eyed at all the last time she read it.

  “Profiler, huh?” He chuckled softly as he walked beside her. “No wonder you wouldn’t notice.”

  “Wouldn’t notice what?” She snapped at him.

  “Wouldn’t notice that there were instructions in white at the bottom of the second page.”

  She glanced at the second page of her printed document, and sure enough, there was a large blank space at the bottom, where the letter had ended. She turned bright red in embarrassment once more, quickly walking towards the lifts to avoid the man.

  “So you’re a tech expert then?” She couldn’t help herself as he rushed to keep up with her pace.

  “Yes, I am.” He laughed gently. “What’s that, are you profiling me?”

  “No, it takes a tech expert to realize that there were hidden messages at the bottom.”

  He laughed even harder when she said those words, causing her to raise her eyebrows skeptically. “Miss Song, it doesn’t take a tech expert to realize that, it takes a person with basic common sense to think straight.”

  She scoffed. “So you think that I, as a profiler, don’t have common sense?”

  “No.” He shook his head. “I think that you weren’t on the right state of mind when you read the letter on your mail.” He chuckled once more. “Relationship problems?”

  “Now are you trying to profile me?” She retorted cleverly.

  “It’s a form of understanding a possible future teammate.”

  Just as she was about to return him with a cynical comeback line, the elevator doors slid open to reveal a tall, dark-eyed and rather brooding man who seemed to have this firm and domineering aura that surrounded him. He stepped out of the lift and took one look at them, as they quickly made way for him. He walked ahead out of the lift, whilst the other two were about to step in it.

  “A rookie singer has believed to have committed suicide, but the Superintendent wants the new undercover force to investigate it.” The man said, making the two stop. “Cho Kyuhyun, Victoria Song, you might as well accept your new task.”

  The both of them hurried, walking as fast as they could to keep up with the man, wondering who he was as he continued to walk towards the exit. Victoria rushed forwards and studied the man, though only his back faced her.

  “Team Leader.” She murmured softly.

  Kyuhyun gazed over at her. “What?”

  The man stopped and turned to face them. “Yes, I’m your team leader.”

  “So it’s just the both of us?” Victoria purged on.

  “For now, it will just include the both of you and myself.” He said curtly. “However, we are in search of new members as well, so if you please, you may put forth your suggestions to include exemplary talents that you discover, into the undercover team.”

  She bit her lip as she looked at him, at a loss of words to say.

~~~

  “I’m telling you, I did not kill him!”

  “Well neither did I!”

  “I was just supposed to deliver a damn parcel!”

  “And I was just supposed to send up a beverage!”

  Victoria, Kyuhyun and their new team leader, Shim Changmin, stepped over the yellow barriers that surrounded the crime scene, their eyes falling upon a short-haired young lady with big eyes, and an athletic man dressed in a ruffled shirt and an green apron, protesting to the officers who had kept them there.

  Victoria was confused. “Suspects?”

  “Witnesses, also possible suspects.” Changmin’s reply was immediate, then looking through the small book that he held in his hand. “Victim’s name is Kim Jonghyun, rope was found next to him, and that’s all we know for now.”

  She nodded slowly in response, gazing once more at the young lady and the man who were still quarreling with the officer. Of course, after reading and watching a lot on c