“Well, call her, then!” Seokjin yells, his voice muted by the loud music permeating the space despite Namjoon having pulled the door shut. He, Miran and the others are crammed into Hoseok’s kitchen while beyond it, the party continues in full swing.
When Yoongi tells them that Jieun hasn’t shown up, the panic in their midst reaches its zenith. None of them have seen her entering Hoseok’s house, and this only makes them fear that the killer may have already gotten to her. Miran supposes it makes sense why she couldn’t spot anyone remotely familiar to her assailant in the pulsating space that is currently Hoseok’s living room.
She whips out her phone to call Jieun nevertheless, but her endeavour goes straight to voicemail. “It’s no use. She isn’t answering.”
“How about we contact her family? Ask them if she’s at home or something,” Taehyung suggests, fidgeting with his fingers as his lips pull taut. He laments the fact that he hadn’t been convincing enough to persuade Jieun to attend the party. But Hoseok pats his shoulder, seemingly having read his thoughts and slightly shakes his head in reassurance.
A few quick inquiries later, Miran manages to contact Jieun’s mother. Despite the late hour, the woman kindly explains that her daughter is at the university, and asks if something is wrong. Their mouths fall open at this, and Miran doesn’t have the heart to tell the woman that her daughter may be in the clutches of a psychopathic murderer as they speak. A sinking feeling pools at the pit of Yoongi’s stomach.
“But this doesn’t make sense! I know for a fact that Jieun wouldn’t leave her house unless it was absolutely necessary. Why would she not come here and go to the university instead?” Miran demands, her palm resting against her forehead.
Namjoon’s eyes gleam thoughtfully. “Somebody might’ve lured her out. Or she may have concluded that the killer might be here and decided to steer clear of the penthouse.”
“In any case, if the university is where she is, then we need to go there and find her.” Yoongi rubs Miran’s back, making soothing motions with his thumb which don’t do much to assuage her anxiety. What if Jieun has already fallen prey to the killer? What if she is already-
“Preferably before the killer does,” Jungkook points out smartly, only earning a glare from Inha as she sarcastically thanks him for stating the obvious.
Miran and Yoongi begin to move out when Jimin stops them. His lips stretch into a thin line, his grip firm on Yoongi’s forearm “Let me come with you. The more people go, the faster we’ll be able to find her.”
“I agree with Jimin,” Seokjin says, grabbing the edges of the table. He swipes a knife off the countertop and shoves it into his coat pocket. “Which is why I’m going too, armed and ready.” Miran doesn’t bother telling him that a knife may not exactly be the best choice of weapon. Turning to Namjoon, the counsellor shoots him a meaningful glance. “Why don’t you hold down the fort here? The killer may still have snuck in somehow.”
Namjoon nods, looping his elbows through the arms of both Inha and Jungkook. “We’ll stay here and make sure nothing goes wrong. Taehyung and Hoseok can help.” Miran’s twin doesn’t look satisfied with the prospect of staying behind while his siblings head into possible conflict and certain danger, but he doesn’t protest. For all they know, the killer may still be lurking about the shadows in Hoseok’s home, and if that turns out to be true, Taehyung wants to be there to prevent all hell from breaking loose.
“Be safe, you guys. We know that this fucker wants to kill Miran, too,” Inha states worriedly, patting her friend’s cheek softly. “Call us if you need anything.”
They all nod, and following Seokjin’s lead, Yoongi’s fingers curl around a spanner, pulling it out of the rack embedded between the cabinets and the shiny counter. Just in case. And something is better than nothing. With that, the four of them rush out of the kitchen, leaving behind an apprehensive group praying that they will find Jieun in time. Alive.
***
“Detective, you’ve got to see this.”
Jung swivels his chair around so it is now facing the door which has currently been yanked open by the edgy investigator. Jisoo looks harried, but beneath his ruffled exterior, the senior detective can glean a bubbling excitement. He is not sure if that is a good sign or bad, but right now, he couldn’t care less. Motioning for the investigator to trudge deeper into his office, he leans forward on his desk.
“Have you found something?”
Jisoo nods, his entire body tingling with barely concealed trepidation. “You’re not going to believe this. Remember how I told you that the department had procured a warrant for Seoul National to turn over all files on Lee Joonhyung? Guess what, they just did. And guess what I found.”
“I’ll let you tell me, Kim. You seem very excited about this,” Jung observes quietly, carefully scrutinizing every twitch of Jisoo’s facial features. “What did you find?”
The investigator inhales deeply, splaying the file cradled in his arms on Jung’s desk. “It turns out that Joonhyung’s sibling is indeed at the university. At first, I couldn’t find any names or addresses because they were redacted. But I scoured the database until I did. Look here.” He points at a particular page after flipping through the file. “Joonhyung was an adopted child. And this is his adoptive family.”
Jung’s blood runs cold when his eyes land on the picture of Joonhyung, all his personal details printed below it: the names of his adoptive family, including his brother. “Oh my god. Kim, is this…?”
“Indeed it is. I had a similar reaction to what you’re having right about now. Nobody could’ve guessed it,” Jisoo mutters slowly, his head tilting to the side. “I certainly didn’t expect it.”
The detective shakes his head, his mind still reeling from shock. “But how does no one know? I mean, this guy is popular on campus! People would’ve known about their relationship.”
“Not if they went to great lengths to make sure no one caught wind of it. Considering their positions, it’s a completely plausible explanation,” Jisoo explains, gesturing with his fingers. “Though I’m not sure if he has anything to do with the case. And I’m guessing it’s too late in the night to send a squadron, huh?”
Jung pinches the bridge of his nose, his instincts telling him that the name on the file is definitely the identity of the killer. However, he has no evidence to back up the claim, and it is too late in the night. But he has to do something.
“Maybe not a squadron, but a single detective should do. I can always apologize if this guy checks out, right?” he remarks wryly, his lips curling into a grim smile. Not waiting for the investigator to respond, Jung rises from his chair, grabbing his coat and making his way towards the door. He briefly debates calling his son to wish him a happy birthday, but decides against it. Hoseok is probably too busy dancing to answer.
But before he leaves, he turns around to find Jisoo slumped in the chair, lost in thought. “Kim, I want you to call Miran, Yoongi and Jieun and ask them if they know anything about Joonhyung’s brother. Give them his name, and jot down any information they might have.”
Jisoo looks at him dubiously. “Now? It’s almost 1 AM. Plus, they might all be at your house, what with it being your son’s birthday and all. And even if Jieun isn’t there, she definitely isn’t at the university either, considering, well, you know.”
“You’re right.” Jung sighs, waving an arm in farewell. “First thing tomorrow morning, then.”
“Got it, boss.”
***
Seoul National looms before them like a silent fortress, and Seokjin’s head swerves around in confusion as he contemplates the lack of guards at the entrance. The darkness beyond the towering gates is unnerving and a shiver wracks his spine when he alights from Miran’s car. The four of them gaze at the unmanned entrance in utter bewilderment; in all their time at the university, not once have the posts been deserted.
“Guys, I have a bad feeling about this,” Jimin mumbles softly, wind nipping at his cheeks. Though the winter chill has begun to abate, Spring only a few weeks away, it is still cold enough to merit warm clothes.
Miran ambles towards the gates, her fingers tracing the spires jutting from it. “Something’s wrong here.” No moon adorns the sky tonight, and the darkness seems like a chasm waiting to swallow them whole. The mental image is as far from alluring as possible.
“No kidding.” Yoongi stands beside her, eyebrows knitted. “But we can think about this later. For now, our priority is finding Jieun and putting an end to this once and for all.”
Seokjin nods fervently, starting to push the gates open. “The guards may have just gone to take a leak or something, you know.” But the tightness in his voice betrays his unease. They all stare in surprise when the structure gives way easily, not even creaking as they saunter past. Miran’s fingers glide over the screen of her phone until she enters Jieun’s numbers into the GPS tracking app installed on it. It takes a few minutes for the blinking signal to pinpoint a location, and her eyes widen with perplexity when they scan the coordinates the arrow is pointing towards.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she finally declares, still staring at the bright screen. Jimin shuffles towards her, his own reaction mimicking that of Miran’s.
“Is that…?”
“Yes, the building in which the criminology and a few other departments are situated,” Miran confirms. Yoongi and Seokjin stare at her, and the former’s mind grapples with the information. But it is the counsellor who speaks.
“No time to dwell on it. Let’s go.”
“He’s right,” Yoongi agrees, his face devoid of colour. Not waiting for another second, they all begin sprinting in the direction of their destination. In their hurry, they neglect to notice how utterly silent the campus is even at this time of night. No matter how late it was, a few lights around the grounds always indicated that some or the other building was still buzzing with activity, and the cafeteria especially, since it is always operational.
But not tonight.
They only realize this when they reach the front steps of the four-storeyed building which is adjacent to the cafeteria, and Jimin flails his arms with desperation, pointing towards the dark structure. “Is it me or is something definitely off here?”
Before his companions can answer, footsteps sound behind them and Seokjin instantly brandishes his knife in defence. When the hooded figure treads closer, they all recognize him as one of the gardeners, and their shoulders sag in relief. The man is burly and well-built, his jacket hanging loose over his frame as he squints at them. Seokjin nudges Yoongi. “Do you think he’s the killer?” Yoongi eyes the rake the man is carrying suspiciously, but doesn’t answer the counsellor.
“What are you lot doing here? You shouldn’t be on campus tonight,” the gardener states without preamble. It is only then they notice the small backpack he has slung over his shoulder.
Miran steps forward, something telling her that this man is not dangerous. “Why not?”
The gardener sighs. “The university has been evacuated. Some kind of a gas or fire hazard in the cafeteria, it seems. Fire services is scheduled to run a sweep of the place, but everybody’s been ordered to stay off campus until tomorrow.”
This is news to them, and the four exchange bemused glances. Something about the situation doesn’t sound right. And regardless of the gardener’s words, Jieun is still in the building. But before Miran can say anything, Yoongi raises a palm.
“We’ll leave in about a minute. Our friend here needs to grab a file which is of the utmost importance, and I swear we’ll get off campus once he does,” he says, gesturing at Jimin who quickly nods his head.
The gardener merely grunts in response, and the second he leaves, Seokjin curses out loud. “That’s the reason there isn’t a single soul around.” He bites his lip, putting the knife away. “I’m calling the others to let them know what’s going on.” Nobody says anything in the few minutes it takes the counsellor to relay the situation to Namjoon, and then Miran speaks up.
“I think this could be a set-up.” Everybody looks up at her words, their eyebrows raised questioningly. “Come on, guys. A fire hazard? After everything, you can’t tell me that this is a coincidence.”
Jimin crosses his arms. “So you think the killer might’ve instigated this? But to what end?”
“Maybe to ensure nobody would get in his way,” Yoongi ventures, but the words sound hollow to his ears. “Look, in any case, we need to find Jieun. Once we’ve done that, we can figure out what the fuck is going on.”
They all nod, turning towards the double glass doors which serve as the entrance to the building. Once they are within the confines of the foyer, it takes their eyes a few seconds to adapt to the dim lighting which does very little to illuminate the space. And the wide expanse is daunting enough to confound them of Jieun’s whereabouts. Which is why Yoongi decides they need to split up.
“What? No!” Seokjin hisses, eyes wide. “That’s the worst possible thing to do. Don’t you watch horror movies? When people split up, they die!”
Jimin laughs uncomfortably. “Hyung, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, don’t you think?” But the counsellor continues to shake his head vehemently, the combined efforts of both Jimin and Miran to assail his nerves falling on deaf ears.
“Look, hyung, we’ll cover more ground this way,” Yoongi tries to reason with Seokjin. “Please. We have to find her.” He looks at the older man earnestly, hoping to get his point across. They don’t have the time to argue over tactics, and Yoongi can only hope that Seokjin will not let his fear get in the way. After what seems like hours instead of minutes, the counsellor finally relents.
“Fine! But if I die, I’m going to kill all of you,” he huffs, turning away to stomp towards the elevator, the others in tow. Seokjin and Jimin alight on the first floor, Miran and Yoongi on the second. The corridors are dark and empty, a lingering chill in the air. A quick search reveals no sign of Jieun, and with every door they open and shut, her fate seems to etch itself into stone with a glaring finality. And Miran cannot help but shudder.
When they reach the third floor, Miran turns to Yoongi. “Let’s take different sides. It’ll take too long if we search together.” Yoongi nods, pressing a kiss to her forehead before darting to his left. She looks after his retreating figure, pulling out her phone. The GPS signal still points to the very building they are in, and Miran wonders if perhaps Jieun is already dead and if the killer has discarded her phone here just to lure them out.
Oh god.
Miran’s heartbeat accelerates. Of course. That is exactly what the killer would do. She is still a target, and maybe Yoongi is, too. Her forehead scrunches in puzzlement. But how? For the killer to draw them out, he would have to know their plan of inviting Jieun to the party. And all at once, realization hits her like a ton of bricks.
The killer probably does know.
Miran is about to backtrack, is about to call Yoongi and suspend this ill-conceived excursion which has been doomed from the start, when her eyes land on the far side of the corridor. She can discern a thin shaft of light peeking through the gap between the floor and the doorframe, and when she strides closer, she realizes it is the auditorium frequently utilized by the Criminology department. Bracing herself, she slowly pushes the doors open. The podium is unoccupied, and the space in general seems vacant.
Until she comes face to face with Jimin, who stands at the top of the flight of stairs, a knife clutched in his fingers.
***
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