Now With U (Living In The Past - Book 2) (WheeByul)

BONUS CHAPTER - THE MURDER IN JEJU ISLAND 5

The disheveled man slouches in his chair with his right hand wrapped around the handle of a half empty coffee mug. His stare is empty and he hasn't said a word after he calmed down from one of his drunken rage.

In front of him sits Mr. Seo, Lieutenant Kang and Solar. Byul said she'd observe first so she stays in the viewing room, looking at the quiet room next door.

Police officers found Cho Jun Hyun after they got an anonymous tip. The tipper said that he saw someone who matched the description of the wanted murder suspect at a small, shady bar, picking drunk fights with patrons.

They brought him back to the station after plenty of threats and struggles to keep him in check.

Luckily, he has calmed down since then and when they told him that he was the main suspect in the murder of Min Kyunghoon, he instantly shut his mouth and drank his coffee.

"Ready to talk, Mr. Cho?" asks Solar.

The man lifts his head and looks at the captain in silence.

"You've been told why we brought you here. Care to explain what happened two nights ago around midnight at the Ocean Suites hotel?"

"Hotel?" He frowns, as if trying to painfully search his memory. "What hotel?"

"The one where you picked up Min Kyunghoon before you took him to your brother's restaurant."

"Wha-... but that was lunch!"

"You came back later that night, didn't you?"

"I did not!" exclaims Jun Hyun before groaning and holding his head in pain.

"But you knew he was dead, am I right?"

"..."

"Look. You killed a cop so no matter what lie you're going to tell us, we will make sure that you get the worst sentence. Maybe even a death penalty."

"But I didn't kill anyone!" shouts the man who winces in pain yet again. "I swear! I didn't kill anyone!"

"Then why did we find the murder weapon in your car?" asks Jang-hoon as he places the heavy bloody hammer on the table, startling Jun Hyun.

"In my car?! How is that possible?! That's not my hammer! I don't own a hammer!"

"You tell us. We found it so you must've put it there."

"I have a small company and my employees have access to my car. They probably put it there," argues the man.

"We asked them and checked the company log. Your car has not been used by anyone but you since the day of the murder," states Jang-hoon.

"Best confess now, Mr. Cho. Maybe the prosecutor could take your confession into consideration and skip the death penalty," remarks Solar casually.

"I didn't do it!"

"So this isn't you?" Jang-hoon takes out the screen capture from the bar CCTV, pointing at the picture of the angry Jun Hyun. "Threatening our victim?"

He slumps and sighs. "That's me. I was there and yes, I was angry. He... he took something that belongs to me."

"You don't have to be cryptic. We know about your relationship with Hwang Chi-yeul," says Solar. "You were jealous, weren't you?"

Jun Hyun clenches his jaws and looks away.

"You offered to pick him up during the day and take him around the island. Maybe you wanted to threaten him or hurt him, but either you didn't get a chance or you lost your courage and changed your mind," Jang-hoon starts describing the possible scenario that he has discussed with Solar and Lieutenant Kang earlier that night. "So you took him to your brother's restaurant but told him to get another car after that."

"That's not what happened!"

"Then enlighten us. Tell us what happened," Solar quickly replies.

He takes a moment to think then decides to just tell the truth. "I hated him that is true. I tried to threaten him too because he was always hanging around Chi-yeul, always... there! I mean, Chi-yeul told me that he was here for business so why did he come along?! Isn't it enough to be around him while he's in Seoul? Did he have to tag along for a business trip too?!"

"You knew of his relationship with Hwang Chi-yeul?" asks Jang-hoon.

"There is no relationship between them okay?!" retorts Jun Hyun. "Chi-yeul is too good for him." He then scoffs. "Chi-yeul is mine."

"But you broke up with him months ago."

"That was a mistake. It was just a stupid argument that blew out of proportion. We reconciled days ago."

"He said he had dinner with you and slept with you and that's it. He didn't mention anything about reconciling," Solar tries to elicit another reaction out of the suspect.

"We're going to reconcile! We had a great time and we realized that the breakup was a mistake! We just haven't talked about it yet!"

"Then why did you feel the need to threaten Min Kyunghoon after that night?"

"I just wanted him to know that he's not going to win Chi-yeul over. I wanted to make sure that he gets the message loud and clear."

"Did you tell him then?"

The man nods. "He pretended to be shocked and said that he wasn't interested in Chi-yeul that way." He scoffs. "Liar. He even promised that he'd stay away from him. Bastard."

"Then why did you make a scene at the bar?"

"Because he clearly didn't keep his promise. I followed him and he went to the bar with Chi-yeul! He lied to me!"

"You should realize that the man you murdered, the one you're calling a liar, is an officer of the law. He's with the Seoul Internal Affairs and he's been working undercover, investigating Chi-yeul. He has no interest in him except for that," Jang-hoon explains flatly, watching the man's eyes widen after he has digested his words.

"You're lying."

"I am not." The IA agent then shows Jun Hyun an official photograph of his dead agent and his short profile. "Agent Kim Heechul, that's his real name."

The man scrutinizes the photo and the profile then pushes the papers away. "How do I know you're not making this up?"

"Because we already told you that the man you murdered was an officer of the law and that you would be severely punished for it."

"I did not kill anyone!" This time Jun Hyun protested so hard that he almost tips the coffee mug over with his wild hand movements. "That stupid hammer isn't mine and I haven't used my car in days and this whole thing is crazy!"

"We'll see who's crazy after we get the DNA result back," Lieutenant Kang calmly says before standing up. He gathers the photos and neatly places them in his folder. "You can sit here and finish your coffee. We'll be back."

Jang-hoon takes the evidence bag and follows the lieutenant out of the room, Solar close behind him.

When they gather at the lieutenant's office, Byul carefully tells them that despite the murder weapon, the possible motive and Jun Hyun's lack of proper alibi, she doubts that the DNA from the murder scene would match his.

"Why did you say that?" asks Jang-hoon.

"Because he doesn't have cuts on the palms of his hands," states Byul. "I saw his right palm when he reached out for the coffee mug. In order for the killer to leave his blood at the scene like that, he must've cut his dominant hand during the stabbing."

"Then who do we have left?" asks the lieutenant, frowning at the thought of losing all their suspects.

"No one," Jang-hoon says bitterly. He then drops the heavy hammer onto the desk, surprising everyone. "Damn it!"

"We're not done yet, Mr. Seo," Solar tries to console the agent. "We have the pieces of the puzzle in our hands, we just need to make sure they fit the right way."

"We don't have the most important piece though," the lieutenant says, "That DNA at the crime scene. Whose is it?"

"It's not Chi-yeul's and also not Jun Hyun's. I repeat, we're running out of suspects here," Jang-hoon says pessimistically.

"Just to be thorough, I'm still going to order a lie detector test tomorrow for that Jun Hyun," the lieutenant says. "Maybe he's not telling us something. Maybe it wasn't him who stabbed our victim but he could still deliver the fatal blow."

"I agree. Let's do that."

"Another thing that bothers me," Byul speaks after a moment of silence. "Why didn't he run? Why didn't he leave the island? He chose to get drunk somewhere and judging by his smell and how he looks, that's the only thing he's been doing for the past couple of days."

"Maybe he has no money and nowhere to go. We checked both his personal and his company's financial records, remember? He barely has enough to pay his employees," answers Solar. "He's deep in debt too."

"Okay but I still don't understand the getting-drunk-for-two-days-straight behavior. He said he was going to get back together with his lover. They had a great time and Chi-yeul seemed to agree that they should get back together so why the drinking?"

"Chi-yeul went off the radar since the murder, remember? I bet he didn't tell Jun Hyun anything and just disappeared. The once hopeful man became devastated when his hopes were crushed."

"So dramatic," mumbles the lieutenant.

"There's bound to be drama somewhere in these types of spur of the moment, unplanned yet vengeful crime."

"Let's say that you're right." It's Seo Jang-hoon who speaks this time. "Jun Hyun was jealous when he found out that his lover came to the island with a man who wouldn't leave him alone. He stalked him, picked him up under the pretense of offering a chauffer service, threatened him then left him to have lunch with his brother. He then followed him, saw him got into a bar with his lover and lost his temper. He confronted him in front of people and left angry. It makes sense if he returned again later on to finish him off. Right? We even found the murder weapon in his car!"

"You're right but the DNA, Mr. Seo," says Lieutenant Kang calmly. "That's the only thing that ties the murder to the killer without question. No one else could've left those blood drops there."

"I'll wait for that DNA test then." The IA agent then gets up, sighing. "I'm calling it a night. I need sleep."

"That's a good idea. Let's all get some rest and come back in a few hours with a fresher mind," Solar says, ushering Byul out of the office after bidding the Lieutenant and the IA agent good night.

Byul told Solar about Ha-eun's call during the drive back to the hotel.

The captain agrees to let WheeIn fly to Seoul first so the girl can go home.

When Byul sneaks back into bed, dawn is already breaking and she finds it hard to go back to sleep even after WheeIn snuggles up to her, mumbling something in her sleep. So she ends up just watching her sleep while thinking about the case.

She feels like she's missing something, that the answer's right in front of them but they just can't see it yet.

An hour later, just as she starts to feel sleepy, WheeIn stirs, squinting her eyes at her.

"Why are you up?" she mumbles, huffs and closes her eyes again while inching closer to the woman holding her.

"I was at the station, actually. Just came back about an hour ago," Byul says.

"Station? Why?"

"They caught Cho Jun Hyun."

WheeIn instantly lifts her head, trying to look at Byul. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"And?"

"Nothing," says the blonde as she fixes WheeIn's hair. "He's been out drinking for days and he denied killing him."

"Got his DNA?"

Byul nods. "They're testing it. Lieutenant Kang also wants to put him through a lie detector test once he's sobered up." She then closes her eyes before opening them again. "I want to sleep but I can't."

WheeIn moves back then scoots up, fluffing her pillow and adjusting her position until she's comfortable then opens her arms. "Come here."

Gladly, Byul snuggles up to her wife, sighing when the latter's arms go around her, feeling warm and comfortable. "I can't remember the last time you let me sleep like this," she mumbles against WheeIn's neck.

"That's because you sometimes kick people in your sleep and I hate being kicked."

The jet black hair chuckles, her eyelids already growing heavy. "Sorry."

"It's okay. Sleep, Star," whispers WheeIn as she places a kiss on Byul's head. "I'll wake you up in a few hours."

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The tall young woman is sipping her tea when she hears footsteps approaching.

Her lips curve into a smile when she sees who it is and she greets her cheerfully, telling her that results from the DNA test will arrive soon.

"Did you sleep well, Unnie?" she then asks the older woman.

"I had a few good hours," Byul says as she pulls a chair and sits down.

"Where's WheeIn unnie?"

"Trying to get a plane ticket home."

"Oh? For the both of you?"

"No. Just for her." Byul briefly tells Bo Mi about Ha-eun then proceeds to review the witness interview notes, especially those from Cho Jun Hyun's employees, his brother and customers at the restaurant and the bar he visited during his drunk spree.

"What are you looking for?" Bo Mi asks after Byul has finished reading.

"Motive."

"We have motive. Jealousy. It fits the method."

"It doesn't, unfortunately," Byul says. "He couldn't even punch the guy when he had the chance. How could he murder him in cold blood? There's gotta be something we're missing. The car is the key."

"The car? That white car he owns?"

Byul nods. "Where did it go after the murder and why and how did it reappear?"

"Err... its owner drove it?"

"That's the problem. He didn't drive it. The last time he drove it was after he confronted the victim at that bar. He sped in anger, went to another bar, and started his two days of alcohol."

"Then who parked it near the restaurant?"

"That's what I want to know too." Byul shows Bo Mi the interview notes with Cho Jun Hyun's employees. "His receptionist says that his brother would occasionally borrow the car."

"His brother? Cho Jun Ho the restaurant owner?"

Byul nods. "Did we find his fingerprints on the steering wheel or the driver side of the car?"

"I think so but his prints are literally everywhere except on the bloody hammer," says Bo Mi.

"I wonder..." Byul then sifts through the papers until he sees the photo WheeIn found on the Cho brothers 'friends' social media accounts. "I think I need to talk to Lieutenant Kang."

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It's already past noon when Byul returns to the station, hungry and tired, accompanied by an officer in uniform.

She goes straight to the lieutenant's office and both of them are joined by Jang-hoon a while later.

Solar is busy updating her father on their progress so she can only look at the three curiously as she continues talking on the phone.

When she's done, she quickly knocks on the Lieutenant's office door and lets herself in.

"What did you find?" she asks Byul. "Jun Hyun passed the lie detector test, by the way."

"I know. Lieutenant Kang just told me that," replies the inspector. "I went to talk to the Cho brothers' friends and they tell quite a different story."

"How so?"

"First of all, despite being frustrated with his brother, Jun Ho was always there for him. That whole story of not caring anymore and keeping his distance made their friends look at me as if I'm talking gibberish," explains Byul. "They all said that Jun Ho was Jun Hyun's mother, father, babysitter and guardian all rolled into one. He even put a second mortgage on his home so he could pay his brother's debt. Once, he almost lost the restaurant to the loan sharks because he couldn't pay them back."

"Let me guess, he borrowed money from them for his brother?"

Byul nods. "And guess who came by the shady bar to check on his drunk brother?" she adds with a satisfied grin. "I talked to the bartender there and he distinctly remembered a man who came to talk to the constantly passed out man aka Jun Hyun. They argued, the man didn't want Jun Hyun to drive so he took his car keys and left. That happened the day after the murder, before that white car appeared at his restaurant."

"He lied to us again. He knew exactly where his brother was." Solar shakes her head. "He's a good liar."

"That he is," quips Jang-hoon. "Inspector Moon also found out what could possibly be motive for Jun Ho to kill my agent."

"Jun Hyun had a rough time growing up, we all know that already," Byul starts to explain. "He struggled with his identity and his sexual preference. Only a few of his closest friends knew and they told me that throughout the entire ordeal, his brother was the only one who never stopped supporting him. He even paid for his therapy."

"How is that motive?" asks Solar.

"Because his brother had finally found happiness and someone he loved but-..."

"But there's a third person," the captain finishes Byul's sentence. "Or so he thought based on his brother's story."

"Now all we need is proof," Lieutenant Kang tells the room. "I hope that DNA test result comes fast. I will send my men to bring Jun Ho in but I'm sure he'll lawyer up this time so let's have something solid before we face him."

There's a knock on the door and WheeIn appears after the Lieutenant lets her in.

"Can I talk to Byul for a moment?" she asks politely.

The inspector follows her wife out and into the small room assigned to their team. "Got the ticket?"

"Yeah. The flight leaves tonight. I've told Samchon and Ha-eun. He'll to pick me up at the airport and she's super excited," WheeIn says. "I'm gonna go back to the hotel and pack. Then I'll head straight to the airport. You better behave while I'm gone."

"Yes, dear. I'll miss you." Byul takes a step forward, grins mischievously and pulls WheeIn in for a kiss.

"Liar," mumbles the brunette as she pushes Byul back. "You'll see me again in a couple of days and I know you'll enjoy having the bed all to yourself."

"But whom will I kick in my sleep?"

"Try kicking your own butt for a change," retorts WheeIn, making Byul snort and laugh.

WheeIn then asks for updates, listening intently to what her wife has just told Solar and the others.

"Can I make a suggestion?" she says after Byul's done talking. "If you think that the DNA from the blood drops won't match Jun Hyun's, try matching them to his brother. He's the suspicious one."

"I already thought of that but we might not be able to get his DNA without a warrant. And to get a warrant, we'd need probable cause and some circumstantial evidence," Byul replies. "So far, all we have against Jun Ho is witnesses' testimonies that contradict what he's been telling us. I don't know whether that's enough for any judge to issue a warrant."

"Then tell them to do a mitochondrial DNA test. Compare the blood drops to Jun Hyun's. If the mitochondria match-..."

"Then those blood drops would have to come from someone who has the same mother as Jun Hyun!" exclaims Byul, knowing full well how mitochondrial DNA tests work. "My wife is a genius!" She gives WheeIn another peck on the lips then frowns. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"I'm sure you would've, eventually." WheeIn pats Byul's cheek and leaves the room to tell the others about her leaving.

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I'll miss all my readers if this bonus chapter will end.... I think It'll take long this time but will actually I'm starting on it..... hehehe...

I hope you enjoy reading this...

Don't forget to vote guys....

Your truly,

Author.