The most powerful families in South Korea gather together in Chantelle Manor for the first time. A formal assembly took a wrong turn when a guest's daughter was found dead in her room. Ten suspects and a young, reputable detective meet and find them...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"I can't confirm it yet. There are so many people I can point my finger at. It could be an employee, or it could be one of the guests. I want to make sure before I tell anyone what I saw," a faint voice in the recording said.
Winnie plays the video again, her fingers trembling as she touches the screen. "What happens if I show them this?" She had the video for over a month now, and it kept haunting her after she found out that it was Kane.
A week before Kane's death, Winnie went to a bakery her mother recommended her. She was filming the interior, wanting to brag it to her parents. While trying their pastries, she recorded herself and accidentally recorded the conversation of the two people sitting in front of her. It just happened that one of them was Kane with only her voice heard.
"No... I can't. They'll suspect me for not telling them earlier." She looks at the video, biting her lower lip. "How did I forget about this? Now I don't know if this would make any changes in Kane's side."
Suddenly, the doorbell rang, making Winnie turn off her phone and toss it on the drawer full of shirts. She runs to the door and opens it, only to see Lloyd with a package in his hand. "The detective?" She asks, recognizing his features.
"I have no time to answer questions. A package arrived for you, and they're asking for your signature." Lloyd handed her the box, but Winnie only took a step back and furrowed her brows. "You don't want it?"
"That's not mine. I don't remember ordering anything," Winnie answered, worriedly looking at the package.
"Maybe a secret admirer sent it to you." Lloyd put down the box and gave her a pen and the form she needed to fill out.
Winnie considered Lloyd's explanation and signed the form with her name. "I can give it back to you if it turns out that it wasn't meant for me, right?" She asked, to which Lloyd replied with a nod. He takes the pen and form and heads out.
Winnie closed the door, bringing the box to the couch. It had a Christmas-themed wrapper with a golden ribbon on top. It already looked suspicious by looking at the design. She scratched off the tape with her fingernails and opened it.
There was a red-colored stuffed teddy bear inside, making Winnie smile for a second. "Was it really an admirer?" When she took it out of the box, she suddenly felt her index finger getting cut. She winced in pain and carefully took it out. To her surprise, there was a small knife, covered in blood, stabbing the back of the toy.
Winnie screamed in fright and dropped the box. She stood up, looking at the red teddy bear's back, stained with blood. "Rae... Rae!!" She screamed, feeling her whole body trembling. "Mirae!" She rushed out of her room, starting to cry. "Mirae!!" She called again, taking the stairs to the previous floor.
It wasn't Mirae who heard Winnie's panicking screams, but France. He quickly ran to meet her at the stairs to see what was happening. "Winnie?" France called when he spotted Winnie at the end of the stairs. "Hey!" He called and followed her.
"Rae!" Winnie stood outside Mirae's room and kept pressing the doorbell.
"Winnie! What's happening?" Winnie turned to him and cried harder.
"Mirae!!" This time, she aggressively banged the door with her hands, making Mirae open it immediately. "Mirae!" Winnie hugged her tightly, feeling her fears fade away in an instant.
Mirae was confused. But seeing France behind Winnie, she thought she had finally grasped the situation. "Come on. We'll talk inside." She softly patted Winnie's back and brought her inside the room. Mirae glared at France one more time before angrily closing the door.
"What... It wasn't me!" France shouted from outside and sighed in frustration. "Why can't they just tell me why Winnie's avoiding me? How the hell am I supposed to explain myself?" He clicked his tongue and went on this way.
"I should really keep a close eye on France. Should I report him so he couldn't get close to you?" Mirae said, bringing Winnie a cup of tea to calm her.
"It's not about France this time, Rae. He just heard me, and I lost it when he came." Winnie drank from the cup then laid it on the table. "Someone sent me a package. I thought it was strange, but I could be wrong."
"Why would someone send you a package?" Mirae looked at her and flashed a teasing smile. "Ooooh. A secret admirer?"
"There was a teddy bear that got stabbed from the back," Winnie quickly said, making Mirae widen her eyes. "The knife was covered in blood. I freaked out and went straight here because you were the only person I could think of."
"Who sent it? Did It have a name?" Mirae sat closer to her and noticed the cut in Winnie's hands. "Shit. Who would do that?! Why would that person send it to you?"
Winnie thought about it for a second and remembered the video she was watching earlier. It can't be... "I-I don't know. I'm not sure." She grabbed the tea again and drank it, feeling nervous again.
"I should report this. I have that detective's number saved somewhere." Mirae was about to leave, but Winnie quickly held onto her arm. "What's wrong?"
"That detective's here. He was the one who said I had a package. He didn't let me ask any questions about him, so I didn't."
Mirae's jaw dropped in shock. "I should ask him. I'll make him talk and ask for his help. Whoever sent you that package is dangerous. That person knows where you're staying. That should be enough reason to panic." Mirae started searching her desk to find Lloyd's number. He didn't give it to her himself, but Mirae had her ways. She was eager to help that time.
"Rae, I think he's working here—"
"What?!" Mirae immediately faced her with a bewildered face. "Why on earth would he work here when he got praised in his workplace? I did a bit of research, and that guy is no joke. He's probably undercover. They do that sometimes."
"Would they trust him with the packages if he's only undercover? The hotel's twice strict when it comes to their guests' belongings."
Mirae returns to the couch with Lloyd's number written on a sticky note in her hand. "If he's working here, that means he lost his job. That's bad news for us." Mirae dialed his number and heard it ring a few times. Unfortunately, Lloyd didn't answer. "I'll try once more," Mirae called him again but got the same response. "Did he change his number?"
"I'm sure he's just around the hotel. Why don't we meet him personally? He must've seen who sent it."
"Will you be okay? I can work on this on my own, you know? The person is after you, and it won't be safe to snoop around whoever that is." Mirae wore her jacket over her shirt and opened the door. "You should stay inside while I'm out. Don't open the door for anyone."
Winnie nodded, and Mirae left after seeing that.
But, Winnie had other intentions. She made sure Mirae was far enough and left the room. "I can't let them have my phone. It's the only evidence I have about Kane," she told herself as she ran upstairs.
Unlocking her door, she ran to the drawer and took her phone. Before going out, she took one last glance at the box. And there she saw a message written at the bottom. Winnie held onto her phone tightly and walked closer to read it.
"Don't try anything." It said, striking fear into her again.
--
New clueee😏 I have exams coming up but I'll try following the schedule for my updates🥴 I hope the sequence of clues and events doesn't confuse you guys already 'cause there's more in the storage😭 Thanks for coming by today! I'll be back with another soon😘
