Memorandum

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FOUR words were spoken on the other line and the minute he heard them, Hoseok didn't even doubt his sister. It all made sense, now. Everything did.

"How did you know?" He asked her, still on the phone.

"Details," she simply said. "It's always the details."

Hoseok gazed at the clock. It had been five minutes since Taehyung left Yerim alone in the cell.

"Now, listen," Wheein said urgently. "I have a feeling that Yerim might commit suicide. Has anyone delivered anything to her, or made two trips to the prison?"

Hoseok's throat went bone dry.

"Oh God," he exclaimed and ended the call.

***

Hoseok clenched his jaw as he stared at Kim Yerim, who was livid. She screamed:

"What do you want from me? Both of you!"

"Don't do it," he said. "It's not worth it."

"So, trying to break free from my misery is not worth it?" She whispered, boiling with rage.

Hoseok knew he was losing precious time.

"Call Seokjin and tell him to get his best lawyer as well as himself to the station. Now," Hoseok commanded.

Yerim crossed her arms, staring at the fisted palm of the Inspector. The same palm that contained the very pills she wanted to end her life with.

"And why should I have any reason to listen to you?"

Hoseok took a deep breath to calm himself. "I have no time for this conversation. You will do this because it's your last chance to prove your innocence, Kim Yerim."

*

The sky was a cloudless one that day and the sun had just begun to set. Devoid of any white, the blue canvas began to melt away and unveil a fiery red inside. It was as if it had absorbed every shade on the palette and made it into something cohesive. From the burning red hues it transformed into the prettiest pink, with little blots of orange here and there. Soon, it began to change colors again and now boasted of a diplomatic violet. When the galaxies began to seep in, the unending vault of the heavens rested into the deepest blue.

And underneath it all, the puppeteer of Park Jimin was arrested by the Jung siblings.

*

"You have many questions," Wheein said, as midnight began to spread her petals into the day. "I will answer them all once I'm done explaining."

Hoseok patted her on the back. "You did well. I was a fool to not listen to you before."

"On the contrary, your hasty action made our culprit grow a little too sure of himself. He thought he could commit a fourth murder. That was going to be you, Ms. Kim."

Yerim frowned. "But, I intended to kill myself. I lied that I was pregnant and demanded for an unhealthy dosage of abortion pills. It wasn't even the correct way to have it and could kill me or send me into a coma!"

"Yeri!" Seokjin gasped.

Yerim lowered her head in shame.

"I still don't believe it," she said, turning to the siblings.

Wheein looked at Hoseok, who nodded.

"A lot of things were taken for granted since the beginning. It was only after Jimin's murder that we decided to stop doing so. I just needed to get that lipstick mark and the nail trimmings all cleared up, as well as the letter. I have been foolish to not see it beforehand. I suppose we went along in whatever direction Mr. Min was guiding us in. Poor old man, he must've fallen for the "classic murder" pattern and failed to see the closer aspects."

Seokjin and Yerim exchanged glances, wondering whether she was in a right state of mind or not.

"We were right about one thing and only one thing - that Park Jimin was used and he was snuffed out before he could tattle. Park Jimin put potassium cyanide in Kim Namjoon's cup of tea under Kim Juri's instructions."

"But that's-" Yerim began except that Hoseok held a hand up, silencing her.

"Yes, we thought it was you because of the unfortunate decision of you using that name. Our culprit used it well, I wonder how he got a hold of it," Wheein said, smiling.

Yerim looked down. "As a child, I was a fan of this detective series called Little Private-Eye Juri. I acted out all the adventures, pretending to be Kim Juri."

"That made it easier," Wheein said, her eyes twinkling. Turning to Seokjin, she said:

"You said that the woman who delivered the package of photographs to Kim Namjoon had a familiar voice. Hoseok and I mistook it to be Yerim, since all our attention was focused on the DNA results. We failed to realize that it could be familiar since you might have heard it often after the incident."

Seokjin slowly nodded his head. "It could be possible."

Wheein closed her eyes, her thoughts taking her back to when she stood outside the two bars.

"When I went to check out the bar where Joohyun worked, I had mistakenly walked into another bar and asked them if it was the one I was looking for. They knew it was a talking bar and found it amusing that I mistook it for one (y'know how it can be embarrassing to even bring up the subject in a normal conversation). They were very friendly about it and directed me to the correct place. I was so puzzled that both bars were so close to each other. The funniest thought occurred to me then: that the habitants of both bars could easily peep in through the large windows and see whatever was happening on the other side. The next thought that passed my mind was how friendly the owner of the other bar was."

"I suppose you had a brainwave, then?" Hoseok interjected.

"I would call it an epiphany. It was one of their worker's comments that struck me so odd - 'We are all squeaky clean and straight.' I dashed in to confirm my thoughts and guess what? Waggy wasn't a squeaky clean bar. It wasn't even straight. It was a gay bar."

Seokjin then realized the direction Wheein was going in. "Joohyun! So, she was the one who took those photographs!"

"I only had to pull out Taehyung's photo for them to recognize it. They are "low-key" about the fact that they're a gay bar. I called Seokmin after that (poor guy was so startled). He had, at first, recognized your photo, Ms. Kim. And the way the evidences toppled, one after the other, against you, cemented his suspicion. Even I was convinced for a moment, but I felt that something in the investigation was incomplete. It was a matter of sending a few images to him for confirmation that even though Kim Taehyung wasn't a part of the adventure camp that Park Jimin participated in, he was a frequent visitor and often took Jimin out during the breaks. He assumed they were brothers who lived in the same town, of course, so he found nothing very odd about that. So he didn't mention it to us," Wheein said, shaking her head profusely.

"When you told me "Park Jimin was gay", I found it so easy to believe you. I suppose it was because I too held so many suspicions against Taehyung. Do you remember that stare he gave to someone outside the window when we had picked him up?" Hoseok asked.

"I am willing to bet that it was Jimin buying groceries. He must be pissed that Joohyun hadn't died yet," Wheein said. 

"That gives me chills," Hoseok admitted. "He must know that the company was in a bad state to try to get rid of Joohyun. And the letter that Kim Namjoon wrote, sending for him, never existed, did it?"

"Of course not. He made it all up. Even Mr. Jeon can't back him up for he doesn't recall ever seeing the letter or its contents, just what Taehyung told him. He is, however, insisting that Taehyung is innocent and has vowed to come back to Seoul with the letter. I feel so sorry for him," Wheein sighed.

"As do I. Were the colognes bottles for each day another thing that made you think that Jimin might be gay?" Hoseok asked, smiling.

"Well," Wheein said, blushing. "One of the things. It was how everyone described him, you know? Mrs. Song told us that he got traumatized when Joohyun tried to flirt with him and her husband didn't really get along with him. And how he was always giving fashion tips to the women. I'm probably basing this off popular stereotypes. Oh, and the nail parings. I would be willing to bet Taehyung foresaw them and maybe made a comment on them. Jimin sounded like someone who would want to please his partner a great deal."

"You really do have an eye for details, don't you? Once I compared Taehyung's letter to Namjoon and the handwriting of Kim Juri, it was all the evidence I needed to arrest him," Hoseok said.

"Solid, straight-to-the-point evidence, just like you," Wheein smiled. She addressed Yerim:
"Ms. Kim, I am sorry for being a part of ruining your plans. I had a bad feeling that you might try to commit suicide after all that had happened. I couldn't let you kill yourself in vain."

Yerim opened her mouth several times and closed it. She couldn't bring herself to say anything at this point. The notion that her own brother might frame her for murder was still settling in her mind.

"Mr. Kim, could you repeat the exact reason behind Taehyung's visit?" Hoseok asked.

"To ask whether Yerim wanted a defense for her case," Seokjin mumbled.

"Ms. Kim, did Taehyung bring up this question, at least once during his entire visit?" Hoseok asked.

Yerim shook her head. "I was planning on saying no even if they offered me a defense. I had enough with this business."

Seokjin squeezed her hand.

"I'm so sorry, sister dear."

"It wasn't ever your fault, brother dear," Yerim said, smiling weakly.

Seokjin smiled back. It was the first time in all these years that Yerim had addressed him as such.

"So, Jimin added potassium cyanide in Father's cup of tea. Did he know what was in it?" Yerim asked, shivering.

"I am afraid not. He must have mistaken it for a truth drug, I'm sure. Things we keep in our drawers tend to speak a lot about us; newspaper clippings, for example. Taehyung must've told him about how Namjoon had wronged him - leaving out the parts that were actually true, like him being his son and the true reason was kicked out - and told him some false way they could get back at him. Tell me, Ms. Kim, was Kim Namjoon planning on returning to the office?" Wheein asked.

Yerim nodded slowly. "Yes, he was."

"There you have it. Apparently, Taehyung would turn up at the office with a lawyer and demand for justice. The truth drug would work then and Namjoon would sing like a drunk man. So, Jimin put it in his tea, exactly at tea-time, as instructed by Taehyung, while ensuring that Kim Yerim was in the room. What story he said to account for that bit, I don't know. But it worked and besides, Jimin was hopelessly in love with him, as per the accounts of Mrs. Song and Ms. Son (who obviously didn't know that "Juri" was actually a man). When Namjoon died, Jimin panicked. He didn't know whether to defend him or to deny it all. Perhaps he had put too much. Maybe Taehyung made a mistake. He must've had all these thoughts running in his head when we were interviewing him. Do you know the first thing he said when we first began to interview him?"

Seokjin and Yerim shook their heads.

"He said, "I didn't do it"," Hoseok said, not smiling anymore. "We mistook it for nerves and have always felt guilty about it ever since he died."

Seokjin looked down and spoke without making eye-contact: "There's no way you could've known. None of us did."

"That's what Mr. Min told us," Wheein said, donning a sad smile.

"And Joohyun?" Yerim whispered, even though it sounded as if she didn't want to know.

"Taehyung must have called Jimin and told him to mix the dry lime in Joohyun's bath salts. What story he told to account for that, I, again, cannot fathom. Perhaps he must've made another excuse about some wrong-doing Joohyun had done. I don't believe for a minute that he knew it was her who exposed him. I think he always thought it was you, Mr. Kim," Hoseok said, pointing at Seokjin.

"I do think he murdered Jimin first. In fact, the autopsy results prove that Jimin died before Joohyun. We confirmed with Mr. Jeon that Taehyung went out for a "walk" the day of the dinner party. Ms. Son saw Taehyung slinking away in the dark after killing Jimin. Then, he must've gone back to the hotel and come back with Jungkook. I do wonder when he got the time to put that sticky note," Wheein said.

"The sticky note?" Seokjin asked. "Where does that fit in?"

"I think he noticed that Joohyun and Hansol were cheating. Remember that Hansol and Joohyun came in last? He might've spotted them and taken the opportunity to fixate in our mind that Yerim was the killer. The lipstick mark on the sticky note was Joohyun's, given to Hansol. That's why both their fingerprints were on the post-it. We saw a note-pad of the similar kind in her room," Wheein explained.

"I see," Seokjin said, not entirely convinced.

"You mentioned that she had a habit of stealing your makeup, Ms. Kim?" Wheein asked.

Yerim shook her head. "No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did, Ms. Kim. When you were yelling things at Mr. Choi, you did mention she stole the very makeup you wore," Hoseok pointed out.

"Oh. Well, I had caught her wearing my lipstick on the day of the dinner party. Little did I know that it would be the same lipstick that might convict me. I suppose my "DNA" must've been on her lips," Yerim said, shuddering in disgust.

"But what would he gain from this?" Seokjin asked, incredulous.

"He had a lot to gain, sir. Pardon me if I'm wrong but was the gold mine in East Africa really worthless?" Wheein asked.

Seokjin sat on this for a while. "Uncle Joon was insistent that we buy it no matter what. Even though I didn't find anything very interesting, I might be wrong. What makes you ask that?"

"The day Taehyung visited your office, he asked you to "throw in" worthless gold mines. I did wonder how he came across that piece of information," Hoseok said.

Yerim gasped. "I remember reading an article months ago, about gold deposits being found in Ethiopia! That's not very far from where you visited, is it?"

Seokjin narrowed his eyes. "Ethiopia is an entire country, Yerim. Do fix your geographical knowledge. But yes, Adyabo is in Ethiopia and that's where the mine was."

"Adyabo is known for its mineral resources," Wheein plugged in.

"I do believe he appealed to Namjoon to let him back in. I don't think for one second he liked whatever lifestyle he lived, even though Jungkook was earning more than enough. When Namjoon refused him, I am willing to bet that it must've made something in him stir. When we're angry, we do things that we don't always intend to do. Given all that trauma he carried with him, he must have been blinded with rage. He must have pent-up feelings about it, even nightmares. All that he has done must be very shocking and surprising to you but it happens to anyone. Even to someone with a perfect childhood," Hoseok resolved.

"He gave himself away when he said that Namjoon deserved it," Wheein murmured.

"I think he formed this evil plan impulsively on a different day but must've only decided to implement it when Namjoon rejected his plea. It was revenge and motive, all along. We always thought the two of them could never be mixed up. I think he knew the company would crash if they paid out Joohyun and Yerim. Maybe he was banking on the fact that Yerim might join the company but then again, given the fact that he didn't question the amount of pills Ms. Kim asked him to deliver, we might be wrong.

"He, however, needed a scapegoat. I think he wanted to point it out at Seokjin but it would be impossible to do so. Cold-blooded, he must've settled on Yerim and then looked for a puppet he could easily silence when what he needed was done. Thus, the crazy pattern of "classic murders" was formed and he found the perfect timing to do so when Yerim went for that little trip to Jeju Island. How he found out about that, we don't know but we can cough up all the answers we need from him.

"Then, he found Jimin (who, fortunately for him, turned out to be gay) in the same camp and charmed him. Then fed him some fake stories and set his plan into action. The very thought of it makes me glad that we have a reason to hang him," Wheein said, quavering a little.

"You two, Hansol and Taehyung were our suspects. Joohyun was a suspect, too, at the beginning. But after she died, we focused on the four of you. Which is why we made so many inquiries in your house. I do apologize for that. You won't be bothered by us anymore," Hoseok said. "There will be a few formalities to follow and more so, if you choose to provide Taehyung with a defense. Mr. Jeon says he will do so only if he finds the letter, for he is very much shaken by all of this and doesn't know who to believe. What is your answer?"

Seokjin and Yerim exchanged looks for the third time.

"I'm afraid we won't do anything of that sort," Seokjin said. Yerim vigorously nodded.

*

After they wished Yerim and Seokjin a good night and bid them farewell, the siblings retired to their car, fatigued but alert.

Before Wheein could take the wheel, Hoseok enveloped her in a tight hug, which was very unlike him.

"Thank you for preventing me from doing something wrong," he said.

"Anytime," Wheein said, smiling.

Hoseok extricated himself from her. "Anyways, the night isn't getting younger and neither are we. We might as well get going," he mocked.

Displeased, Wheein punched his shoulder.

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