Criminal || Hwang Hyunjin ✔️

8.

"How..." Lee Know mumbled, turning to face our perpetrator.

The rest of the room turned to face him.

"It's not.. guys.. come on.." Hyunjin said, stepping back.

"The evidence leads to you, Hyunjin, I'm sorry." Bang Chan said, stepping forward.

"I was set up.. you've got to believe me.." Hyunjin said, stepping further away.
I grabbed him by the arm.

"Sure you were, Hwang." I said, handcuffing his wrists together, looking him down.

"I've called the police over. They'll be here shortly." Felix said, walking in with his phone in hand.

"Someone else hold onto him. I'm not very strong, so if he tries to escape.." I trailed.

Bang Chan nodded, grabbing Hyunjin by his wrists, pushing him against the wall.
"Y/N.. come on.." Hyunjin said, looking at me with glistening eyes.

"You know me.." He said.
"Well, I thought I did." I said, sitting with Lee Know and Jeongin on the couch.

We then sat in silence, waiting as the police filed in.
"Detective Chan, are you sure?" The officer asked.

"I'm positive. The DNA matches up." Bang Chan said, passing Hyunjin to the officer.
Hyunjin struggled in the officers grip, turning to face me as he was lead out of the office.

"You know I didn't do it, Y/N! Believe me, it wasn't me! I was set up! Please, you've got to believe me!" He cried, looking at me straight in the eyes, sincerity clouded by guilt in his deep eyes.

"Stay quiet. Anything you say will be used against you in trial." The officer said, as he walked Hyunjin out of the office.
"Something seems off.." I said quietly.

"They're not going to do anything too badly to him. Just question him a bit, then they send a few of us in." Bang Chan explained. "Since the hospital believes Seungmin may regain consciousness soon. Although, he may not remember much."

"A leads a lead." I said, before heading towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Felix asked.
"I'm going to go visit an old friend." I said with a small smile, before hopping in my own car, which had been towed here from the night of the fire, and heading towards Seungmins withered home.

"Surely I'll find something.." I said, looking down the side alley.

Nothing. Just piles of ashes and withered walls scattering the narrow alley.

I hopped back in my car with a sigh, driving around until I reached the small cafe aside the office.

I headed inside, sitting at our usual spot.
"Even if all the evidence at a crime scene is destroyed, there's always something left." Han said, looking out the window as he sipped at his drink.

"What if the crime scene was burnt down though? Fire destroys most of the evidence we collect, like blood, hair, etcetera." I asked, eyeing Han.

"Well, blood always leaves a trace. That's why UV lights are a thing. You can also spot fingerprints that way. Even looking at the ash can help. Ash is just caused by the burnt evidence around it. If our criminal was there while the place was on fire, they would've touched something, leaving their shedded skin cells behind. We can use that. It's difficult, for sure, but it works." Han shrugged.

"You know this because..?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm just trying to be the best detective I can be." He smiled.

"What do you do if you're certain someone is the criminal, but deep in your gut you know they're not." I asked.
"You sound as if you speak from experience." Han chuckled.

"Well I'm in that situation right now.." I whispered, looking at the empty seat in front of me.

"Well, I'd say investigate all angles. Go question your suspects, go question the person who's been convicted. Match the stories up. As well, if you're talking about our members, I told you not to trust the food.." Han's voice rang in my head.

"The food.." I whispered.
"Oh fu.." I said, recalling the nights of dinner I ate, as well as the pancake Felix made me.

"The night Changbin died.. Felix and Jeongin were cooking. One of them must've spiked Bang Chans food. How else did he forget who he saw." I said, standing up and driving back to the house.

"Although.. Lee Know made the pancake batter.. but I feel fine?" I said, shrugging as I hopped out, unlocking the house, and heading inside.

No one was home, perfect.
I ran upstairs, finding Jeongin's room.
"I feel bad going through his stuff but it's the only way I'll know for sure." I said, rummaging through his drawers.
Nothing.

I grumbled, heading into Lee Know's room.
I searched through his drawers, only to come up empty handed once more.

I worked my way down the hall, and looked through Bang Chan's as well. Might as well be thorough.

Nothing. Not that surprising.

Lastly, I went into Felix's room, which he had shared with Changbin.

I looked at Changbin's stuff with a heavy heart.
He had a photo frame on the bedside table.
It was the day we met at training. We were all so young back then.

He had one arm wrapped around me, the others members crowed around in almost a hug.

It was a beautiful memory.

I looked away, going through Felix's drawers.
"What are you looking for?" A voice rang out.
I turned to the door, seeing Felix looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

"I- I really don't know.. something just doesn't feel right.. Hyunjin genuinely looked sad.. he couldn't be a killer.." I said, sitting on the floor.

Felix came and sat with me. "Y/N, I understand it's hard to believe. I don't believe it either.. but the DNA matched. We all get a turn questioning him tomorrow. Let's see what happens then." He said, squeezing my hand.

"Yeah, alright.."

"Let's go start making dinner. I have a meal planned, and it's going to take ages without your help." He smiled.

I sent a small smile back.
"Alright.." I said.
He helped me stand up, before pausing in the doorway.

"I need to grab something real quick. You head downstairs. Get a medium pot out, and a large frying pan." Felix instructed, letting go of my hand.

I nodded, walking off.

Felix removed his fingerless gloves, looking down at one of his hands as he pulled at the edge of a bandaid, wincing as the edges pulled at the messy stitching he had done.

He grabbed another bandaid from his bedside desk, sticking it back down on his hand, throwing the bloodied one in the bin.
He placed his gloves back on with a sigh.

"This hurts so bad.. stupid boy.." Felix hissed at the memory, before heading downstairs, back to you.

"Alright, I'll get the ingredients out!" He smiled, walking to the fridge.
You smiled back, turning back to the stove.
You didn't even know his hand was hurt.