Paper Dolls

Chapter 48

Taejun doesn't wait for us as we huddle after him, his footsteps light but quick like he is in an obvious hurry. 

He puts on a mask the moment we exit the club and turns to the left, just a few steps down before pulling open another door and disappearing through it. 

I look around at the smokey back alley. There are a few people scattered along the brick walls, puffing on their cigarettes, their faces indiscernible under such poor lighting. Anyone of them could be someone watching, a paparazzi or a guest who recognises us. 

Paranoia crawls down the length of my spine, leaving my skin prickly. I keep my head down, just like Taejun did while Hyeon trails from behind. His presence is the only thing providing me some sort of comfort right now. 

I peer through the door before walking through, half expecting to be stabbed or shot. My heart rate slows when I see Taejun standing by a large refrigerator. The kitchen is empty, all smooth metal counters wiped down and shiny. 

There's no one else here save for the three of us. 

"Lock the door behind you," He says to Hyeon who does as told. 

The latch locks with a soft click and the three of us stare at each other. I try not to gawk at this entire situation. Try not to pinch myself just to confirm if this is all a dream. 

Taejun of TBT is standing right in front of me in an empty kitchen, behind a club in the city. I turn to Hyeon wondering if he feels the same way but he doesn't look as starstruck as I feel. 

"You're the mysterious member who joined the site after she died," Hyeon finally says, leaning against an empty kitchen counter for support. 

My feet are aching so badly that I bend down and shrug my heels off. I sigh in contentment when my bare feet touch the floor, my calves already burning from walking in such sky high shoes all night. 

Taejun leans against the refrigerator door, crossing his arms over each other. He looks like he's sizing both of us up. "That would be me, yes."

I catch Hyeon rubbing a palm over his face, looking bewildered with this discovery. Although it makes so much sense that only a friend of Dalia's would have had access to those pictures and intimate details of her. Somehow neither of us imagined, someone so famous accessing an obscure fansite of hers and joining as a member. 

"Why?" Hyeon asks and I remain silent, not knowing how much was exchanged between them on this fansite Hyeon used to get those pictures of Dalia and Park Do Yun. 

"I'd heard about the conspiracy theories surrounding that fansite and figured it was the only place I could contribute without getting caught." Taejun shrugs and then he looks at me. "When Loona told me that you were digging into her death I thought you might have something to do with it, or at least know about it." 

I gesture towards Hyeon. "It's all him. But yes we do believe she didn't kill herself. Or at least there's more to the story that we were all told by the media." 

Taejun's face darkens. "The timing is just too coincidental. She threatened to expose her relationship with Park Do Yun right before elections."

"So she was murdered then," Hyeon concludes, his voice tight. "This is the truth?" 

I don't realise my shoulders have tensed, chest tight in anticipation for his answer. Does Taejun know who killed her then? Does he have proof? 

I can tell Hyeon and I are literally hanging by his words when he answers.

"She loved him, you know. Like proper infatuation kind of love, maybe borderline obsessed." Taejun looks sad when he speaks of Dalia's relationship. "I used to think he loved her too. The two of them were like those sickly sweet couples that only existed on television. She used to talk about him all the time. I was her safe space and she used to be mine. We understood each other."