Unlikely, unlikely, unlikely by the second

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HOSEOK turned back to face Seokjin, wondering whether he had truly imagined the tears in the man's eyes.

"Did you say, "who were they", Mr. Kim?" Hoseok asked.

Seokjin snapped his head up. "Did you hear what I said?"

"Caught it just in time. If by any chance, you are withholding information that could come in use to the case, I suggest educating me about it now. It is against the law to do otherwise," Hoseok said. 

He knew he was banking on the man's habit of always going down the safe road but if he wasn't going to get information the easy way, he would have to push some buttons.

"I didn't think it would be in any way related to the case," Seokjin said, blinking.

 Any hint of moistness in them was gone and Hoseok once again stumbled upon a dark wall when he gazed into them.

"All the same, it would be advisable to let me know. Any tid-bit of information can come handy. You never know."

Seokjin coughed. "Well, it's a rather strange thing to happen, but it happened the day Uncle received those incriminating photographs of Taehyung that exposed his sexuality," he began, going to his desk and picking up the files left there.

"Go on," Hoseok said, closing the door behind him. He buried his hands in his trouser pockets as he watched Seokjin neatly sort the files on his desk.

"I was Uncle's secretary at that time. So I would collect any letters or packages delivered to him from the downstairs letter tray. I had stepped out for the coffee run when I saw a hooded figure drop the same package that contained the photographs. I bumped into that person after I collected the letters and I heard a voice apologize," Seokjin said.

"What did you do?" Hoseok asked, intrigued.

"Well, I saw that the package was meant for Uncle and I didn't open it. I delivered it to him along with the coffee. What happened after he opened the package you might know very well," Seokjin finished, as he carried the files to one of his cabinets and kept them in their proper places.

"Yes," Hoseok said, his mind racing already. "Could you hazard a guess on the person's gender? Or at least, describe the voice you heard?"

"My memory is quite hazy. So I cannot possibly settle on a gender. They might've altered their voice to disguise their true identity."

"I understand but still-"

"Yes, I will describe the voice though. From what I remember, there was a definite lower register. Not a baritone or a husky voice, per se. A soft, feminine voice, muffled, thanks to their attire. I only ever heard them apologize. They were also shorter than me, if that helps. Why I think I might've heard them before."

Hoseok nodded, his fingers trembling with excitement. "Thank you, Mr. Kim."

*

"He said that he bumped into a person and apparently, they were the one who dropped the package in the letter tray. How do we know he's speaking the truth?" Wheein asked, disbelieving. "After all, you kind of used soft power to make him spill. He might be withholding some details."

"He wasn't standing still, his voice was the same as it was before he was sniffling, he didn't provide any extra unnecessary information and was to the point. Oh, and his pupils were not dilated whenever we made eye-contact. Need I say more?"

"Alright, alright, I believe you," Wheein said, holding her hands up in mock surrender.

"What did Hansol say when he was released?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Just blabbered about how he would never kill anyone, especially family."

"That's rich, considering that he's no longer welcome there," he snorted.

Wheein tutted. "And I thought you were the sensitive one out of the two of us."

"Times change. These people deserve little sympathy."

"Still on the unpleasant thing?" She asked, scrubbing the dishes. 

Hoseok perched himself on the counter.

"I don't know, Whee-Whee. I get that vibe even from Yerim, who's the most sympathetic character out of all of them."

"You find her the most sympathetic? I feel more sorry for Taehyung. He'll have to carry that diseased memory of public humiliation just for being himself all his life."

"I do feel sorry that it happened to him, but not particularly for Taehyung himself. You didn't see him today, Wheein. The way he acted around Seokjin was alarming," he shuddered.

"There's bad blood in the family. Joohyun marries Namjoon solely for his cash and Namjoon seemed to know that but didn't mind; Yerim gets her heart broken by Hansol who cheated on her with her step-mother; Taehyung suspects Seokjin of getting rid of him but because of this hooded woman entering the picture, it changes things. Are you thinking what I am?"

Hoseok smiled. "Looks like we'll have to dig more into this Juri character, huh?"

"Did you find her name in the records?"

"No, but if Seokjin finds her voice familiar she must be connected in some way to the House of Kim. What did you find out?"

"Well, I found her name in the records of the same summer camp that Jimin enrolled in. Funnily enough, her full name is Kim Juri. Do you want to check it out?"

"Well, we're going to Jeju Island the day after tomorrow," he said. "We must. Tell Jaewook to check if any members of the House of Kim went to Jeju Island four months ago."

"Of course," she said, placing the last plate in the dishwasher.

*

Hoseok dumped their suitcases in their double room. It wasn't spacious, however, its coziness made up for any lack of space. On one of the two queen beds sat Wheein, who had her laptop open as she opened the map for any places where they could grab a bite to eat near their destination.

"You could've helped me with the luggage, slacker," Hoseok huffed.

Wheen ignored him.

While Hoseok freshened up, Wheein jotted down the name of the restaurant she found near the camp's office and slid off the bed. She brushed her hair and tied it in a braid, after which she applied a little lip tint on her lips and sprayed a little perfume on her wrist, dabbing it on her neck and other places.

"Why are you getting all ready when we've just arrived?" Hoseok exclaimed as he stepped out of the bathroom.

"We don't have enough time, Hoseok. Remember what Yoongi said? We have until the funeral to make a move or it will be too late."

"But-"

"No 'if's' or 'but's'. Fix your hair and change into a different shirt. Your current one has become a canvas for those large, disgusting sweat blots," she said, wrinkling her nose.

"And who's fault is that?" Hoseok muttered, but Wheein heard him.

"We've got to hurry! We have a plane to catch tomorrow and it's already half past four!" She retorted.

"I understand but it wasn't my fault that this plane got delayed by three hours, okay? Calm down, mademoiselle," he reasoned.

"Hmph," she said, as she got up. "I'll be waiting in the lobby. Don't take too long."

She banged the door as she left.

"Sometimes I wonder who's the older sibling between the two of us," he said, shaking his head as he changed into a fresh t-shirt.

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