Niki isn't a selfish kid, but he's not a good one either. He'll get others in trouble to avoid it himself but he would never throw someone he trusts under the bus. He would never go too far with random and pointless accusations, but he would do almost anything to keep himself out of trouble.
That's just the kind of person he is.
The killer paced around his dorm room, trying to figure out what he could do to throw the detectives off his trail. They had almost no evidence against him, but if everyone else's stories checked out he would be revealed faster than intended.
His mind brought him back to the day they all met in the courtyard, the day the youngest confessed to being the last person to have a conversation with Dohyun.
He lied that day.
Sure he didn't lie about the conversation or the things Dohyun said, but he lied about his confusion and sympathy.
Nishimura Niki shows no sympathy for anyone but himself.
Niki was the key to throwing the detectives off his trail. He needed to give the detectives information leading to Niki so Niki throws the blame to someone else. He needed Niki to be selfish, to protect his own reputation.
He needed Nishimura Niki to turn against his friends.
He began laughing, the same psychotic laugh he made known the very night he became a murder. A wanted criminal. "Gosh." He looked at himself in the mirror, taking notice of the evil glint in his eyes. "You really are the best, aren't you? Too bad we can't kill anyone else. It would be quite...exhilarating."
He turned towards the yearbook that sat on his desk. A book filled with every student in the school.
Could there end up being another victim?
———
Sunoo stared at the glass of ice water in front of him, his chin resting on the table as he watched drops of water trickle down the outside of the glass. It was like the glass was sweating.
"This glass reminds me of Niki when he's nervous."
He watched another drop fall.
"Are you okay, Sunoo?" Jake's voice brought him out of his hypnotic like trance. Didn't he lock his door?
"I have three questions to ask you, hyung." He glanced at Jake who sat on his bed, awaiting any question Sunoo had for him. "What is it?"
"First, how did you get in my room? Second, why are you here in the first place? And finally, have you heard from Jungwon? I've been trying to get a hold of him because he promised to talk about something important but he never called me back after."
Jake hummed, staring at the ceiling of Sunoo's dorm room. There wasn't anything interesting about it, he just didn't want to make eye contact with Sunoo.
"You left your door open, first of all. Second I was just passing by and since Sunghoon's practicing I figured I'd hang out with one of you idiots. And third, no I haven't. If you want to get a hold of Jungwon try talking to Jay, not me."
He laughed quietly, Sunoo rolling his eyes. His eyes fell to his window, the view of the sunset barely visible behind the tall buildings of Korea. It felt warm, he felt safe. He hadn't felt safe in the past week.
"So, what are you so worried about?" Jake pressed, his eyes leaving the ceiling and instead falling onto a poster Sunoo has hung on his wall. Sunoo shrugged and stared at the glass of water again, another drop of water falling to the table below.
"Do you think Heeseung hyung killed Dohyun? That seems to be what everyone else in the school thinks." The question had been on his mind for a while and it was driving him insane.
He didn't want to believe it was any of them, but he knew that no matter how much he hoped it would only lead him to heartbreak. One of them was a killer and it was just a matter of time until they were revealed.
"I don't, but at least that gets the blame off of us. Better him than me."
How could he say that?
"What if it was you?" He pressed, trying to see if he could get any reaction out of Jake. Jake made eye contact with him for the first time since he walked into the room. "If it was me I would've been smart enough to cover up the fact that it happened among the seven of us. Obviously, one of us is an idiot."
He turned his gaze away once again, pulling himself off of the bed. "And if its Heeseung hyung, then what do we do?"
"Just go with the flow. Staying out of the center of everyone's attention is what's best." He spoke, leaving the dorm after with a soft slam of Sunoo's door.
Sunoo stared at the door for a few seconds before smiling to himself.
"Idiot. Only a murderer would want to stay out of the spotlight." He clicked his tongue. "I don't know what Sunghoon sees in you, Sim Jaeyun. I just don't get it."
His eyes fell to the glass of water once again.