I'm Too Afraid To Break It Off ( So I Lie Again)

CHAPTER 3

My knees buckled, and just as I was about to fall, a hand steadied me around my waist. I looked into Jeonghan's eyes, his expression unreadable.

The police arrived, sealed off the floor, and took Seokmin away. They began questioning us all about what had happened.

We were all individually interviewed by the police. Later, it was ruled a murder, and the police stated that the killer had likely escaped through the back door, which was found open. There were also dirty shoe prints near the spot where Seokmin was discovered. The police said they were working to catch the suspect.

We held a quiet funeral for Seokmin. I cried until I had no strength left in me. Everyone else wept too, even the usually stoic Xu Minghao-nim.

The day after the funeral, a man named Lee Jihoon arrived at the mansion. He claimed to be a detective hired by Seokmin-nim, who instructed him to investigate if he died under suspicious circumstances.

Jihoon questioned us all individually, just like the police did. We each relayed our whereabouts, what we were doing, and how we found him.

I was among the last to be questioned. When I met Jihoon, I told him what I did that day. He listened attentively, jotting down notes in a small notebook. He remained silent as he flipped through his notes and wrote something down.

"It's strange, Seungcheol-ssi," he said, drumming his fingers on the wooden table.

"Your version of events is different from the others. Everyone else's stories support each other, but yours stands alone."

Confused, I looked at the detective with questioning eyes. "Huh?"

"You said you fell asleep, yet no one can vouch for you being in your room at that time. The others say they were together, discussing business, so they have solid alibis. But you have about an hour of time when no one physically saw you."

"That's because I was asleep! You can check the CCTVs! They would show me entering my room as soon as I returned from meeting my halmeoni and leaving the room when I heard the shouts!"

Jihoon shook his head. "I did check. But the cameras stopped working two days before the murder due to some glitch, or so I heard."

I was shocked.

He continued, "Out of everyone, you seem to have the most motive. You've been here less than a year, yet two people have died, a fire broke out mysteriously at a factory you visited, and one person was murdered. Conveniently, no one saw you sleeping, and the cameras weren't operational at the time. And not to mention the one billion won in your possession, which is unaccounted for."

I froze. "I didn't do it! I didn't see Seokmin-nim at all that day! I swear! That one billion won is my inheritance that my harabeoji left me! You can check his will!"

He looked at me for a while, then said softly, "I know. I can sense that you're telling the truth, Seungcheol-ssi. But this is how the evidence paints you. I advise you to be careful; it seems someone is framing you."

Even after the detective left and I returned to my room, his words haunted me. I reflected on what he said and realized the truth in his observations.

Someone was trying to pin the murder on me, likely to tarnish the Choi family's reputation and cause a decline in their stocks. But who could it be? The thought that it might be someone I knew and possibly cared about made my stomach twist and my heart sink.

I didn't know how else I could prove my innocence. Right now, I can see only one way to protect my family's honor.

I'm sorry, Halmeoni; your grandson is a coward.