Two weeks pass by in a blur. Junhee continues to solve cases with Minji, catch up on his own history, and subtly wheedle Hyunjun and Dae Hyuk into helping him find leads for his own case. To Junhee’s horror, a month has already passed since his ‘death’, meaning he has less than four months to uncover the truth before… Well.
It’s not something he particularly wants to think about.
His friend the Grim Reaper Crow hasn’t been much help either, always coming up with some excuse to disappear whenever Junhee tries to turn the conversation towards important things. Surely “Sorry, my mom is calling, I gotta go because I’m scared of her” can’t be a viable answer to “holy shit did that crow just knock a flower pot off that balcony and look disappointed when I dodged?”, can it? Even if grim reaper crows do have mothers that call them every once in a while?
I have time, Junhee tells himself, not knowing if he’s delusional or not. Luckily, no reporters or stalker fans seem to have found him, and from what he’s seen in the news and heard from Bora, Star Entertainment has kept his disappearance wrapped up pretty well. ‘Song Junhee will be taking a temporary hiatus to recover from illness’, apparently. Well, they aren’t technically wrong. He’s still cautious of going on Instagram, though. It’s better if the people who care about him believe he’s ill and recovering, and the people who don’t care believe he’s dead. If his killer believes he’s dead as well, that’s even better, isn’t it?
Harsh reality hits him in the face once more when Minji takes him to his next case. Once again, his crow friend isn’t tagging along, choosing not to anger his mother instead. Some deal this is. The sidekick’s sidekick hasn’t even done anything sidekick worthy! Instead, Dae Hyuk is the one following Junhee, pointing out ghosts left and right and wondering how they died. At some point, the ghost of an abandoned golden retriever pup had taken to following him around, so that’s how they go around now - Minji at the very front, leading the way, sometimes indulging Junhee in conversation and too busy thinking at other times to remember he’s there; Dae Hyuk skipping next to Junhee, still almost starstruck at the thought of befriending his biggest idol; and Wolwol the ghost pup trotting behind Dae Hyuk, tail wagging happily.
The newest crime scene is a coffee shop. Junhee remembers this place - it’s quiet, and caters almost solely to idols and celebrities. He’s been here multiple times, sometimes by himself, most times with Hyunjun. Yeah, he remembers that ‘closed’ sign. It’s a fake. It’s only really closed if it says ‘closed for service’ instead, it’s a secret of the trade.
Today, it’s been taped over with bright yellow security tape, although visible security is on the down low. Minji whispers and points out a few officers dressed in civilian clothing, spying on the shop from across the street, or a few shops across. They sneak in, the door jingling behind them. Dae Hyuk and the dog simply phase through the door. One of the perks of being a ghost.
Inspector Kang Chung-jae greets them once they step inside, offering Minji a warm hug and Junhee a simple handshake. “You’re actually that singer, aren’t you?” Chung-jae asks plainly when he shakes Junhee’s hand. “Jun, the soloist? The one who disappeared?”
Junhee laughs awkwardly. His palms are beginning to sweat, and neither of them miss the way he wipes his hands on his pants. “Yeah, hi. Don’t tell anyone though, I’m supposed to be dead.”
The inspector blinks. “Do you realize that Star Entertainment is on my ass to find you and bring you back? I know you’re one of Star Ent’s biggest moneymakers, but CEO Go Donggun-ssi seems more desperate to find you than I would’ve guessed from a man of his status.”
This time, a memory comes to him like an electric shock, stiffening his spine. Junhee vaguely remembers being young and terrified, trembling under the leering gaze of an old man in a business suit. I think you have potential as a soloist, the old man had said during a trainee evaluation, yes, good face, good voice. You’ll do. Song Junhee, you won’t be debuting with ACE. You’ll be debuting as a soloist instead in three years. I can’t wait to see how far you’ll go. Most trainees probably dream of debuting as a soloist, taking over the stage with their talents and their talents alone. Probably all of them would be ecstatic at hearing words like that from their CEO. But instead, that memory is tinged with negativity and terror.
Junhee shudders. “I’d rather not see that man in the near future.”
Chung-jae squints at him suspiciously, but Junhee offers no further information. “As you wish, then. It’s harder to find missing individuals if they don’t want to be found,” he says cryptically. “To this day, Song Junhee still has not been spotted in public. Sincerest apologies to Go Donggun-ssi and the rest of Star Entertainment.”
Junhee can’t help breathing a sigh of relief, and Dae Hyuk pats his shoulder comfortingly. “Thank you, Inspector.”
For the first time, Kang Chung-jae smiles at him kindly. “There’s no need to thank me. A friend of Minji’s is a friend of mine, and-” He lowers his voice. “Go Donggun-ssi seems like a pervert to me.”
Junhee muffles his laughter, but Dae Hyuk makes no such efforts, chortling merrily. “You’re absolutely right,” Junhee agrees. “I always had to call my manager to fight him off.”
“My wife is a massive fan of yours,” the inspector blurts. “I know it’s kind of unrelated, but she’s- she was- your manager’s niece. I never knew him well, but I’m sorry for your loss.”
“I didn’t know.” Junhee swallows. What a small world they live in. “Thank you for your sympathy. Tell your wife I wish her the best, and I’m sorry for her loss too.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“I don’t know if you remember, but you sang at our wedding,” Kang Chung-jae confesses. His cheeks are pink, his eyes fond and faraway. “I begged Uncle Kim to get you to come as a visitor, because she’d be so happy even just to see you. I never guessed you would’ve come as a performer instead.”
“I’m glad to have made that the happiest day for both of you. I can tell your wife and her happiness means a lot to you, and I’m sorry I don’t remember, but I’m glad I made the decision to go.”
Minji clears her throat from the opposite side of the cafe. She peeks out from a booth, waving desperately. “Watson, you can get sentimental later! This is not the time! Get your ass over here, I deal with dead bodies, not people who cry! I can’t do this!”
Junhee snorts. "I'm on it!"
What greets him at the booth is a pair of women, one hunched motionless over a cold cup of coffee, the other sobbing into her hands. Minji pulls Junhee aside, shooting him a pitying look. Instantly, Junhee has a bad feeling about things. “The victim is Hayakawa Sayuri, aged twenty-six. She was part of the idol girl group Dream. She was poisoned, exactly the same as Son Dae Hyuk.” Behind Junhee, Dae Hyuk flinches at the near-callous mention of his name. “Forensics already found traces of cyanide in her boba tea. So at the moment, our primary suspect is her friend Park Yeonhwa, who was eating with her-”
“Stop accusing me!” Park Yeonhwa barks. Her voice is thick with tears and cracks halfway through. “I could never- I would never do anything like this!”
Junhee turns around, hoping to placate her. “Park Yeonhwa-ssi-”
Their eyes meet, and recognition dawns on the two of them at the same time. “Song Junhee?” Yeonhwa asks incredulously at the same time Junhee yelps out “Dallae-noona?”
Junhee gapes. “Wait, but if you’re here, then isn’t that-”
He remembers producing Butterfly for Yeonhwa, around two years ago. Sayuri had started dating someone from ACE - not Hyunjun, it couldn’t have been, so it must’ve been one of the other two, although Junhee can’t match their names to their faces - and debuted as a soloist not long after with her first album, Born To Love. What kind of vibe do you want? Junhee had asked.
Something bittersweet, Yeonhwa had said with a sad smile on her face and an unnamed yearning in her eyes. Like letting go of something you want, but know you can’t have. Junhee had cocked his head, confused. And there it was, The Line: You’re not really best friends if you’re not at least a little bit in love with each other. Junhee-yah, don’t you already know?
“Oh,” Junhee says quietly, then again with more feeling. “Oh.”
No wonder. At the time, he’d been confused, but two years later, he finally understands what Yeonhwa had meant.
“You know each other,” Minji realizes. “Wait. Don’t tell me this is another idol case and I didn’t realize because I don’t follow idols.”
“It’s another idol case,” Junhee murmurs sadly. “I’m starting to think this isn’t a coincidence.” He kneels by Sayuri’s side, whispering a prayer. Sayuri-ssi, hope you’re not in pain anymore, I hope you’re able to move on peacefully. If you’re still around, please let me help you. I want to help. “So Yeonhwa couldn’t have done it.” Junhee places a hand over his heart. “I’ll vouch for her innocence. It’s not her. She couldn’t have done it.”
Minji doesn’t quite look like she believes him, but Junhee isn’t willing to spill Yeonhwa’s secrets without her permission, and Yeonhwa doesn’t look like she’s emotionally capable enough to talk about it just yet either. So for now, Junhee will keep consoling her, while Dae Hyuk stays on the lookout for any signs of Sayuri’s ghost.
“Two’s a chance, three’s a pattern,” Minji mutters grimly. “We’ll see how things go, but for now…” She clenches her fists, and neither Junhee nor Yeonhwa miss it. “I’m going to question the staff one more time and ask for the names or faces of every single person that has come into and left this store today. Sidekick, you know what to do.”
She storms away without another word.
Yeonhwa sniffs, rubbing the tears away from her eyes. “What’s up with her? How do you know her? What are you even doing here, Junhee?”
Junhee sighs. “It’s a really long story, noona, and it’s not really important right now…”
“No, do tell me, I want to know who this lady is to call my favorite hoobae her sidekick and boss him around, especially since I’ve heard that he’s sick and still recovering.” She looks away when Junhee eyes her cautiously. “Don’t look at me like that, Junhee-yah. And I… I don’t want to believe this is real,” she whispers. She looks over at Sayuri, a look of abject depression falling over her attempt at a smile. “I can’t accept this, and I can’t really talk about it. Not yet. So… Tell me how you’ve been?”
Junhee winces, trying to be optimistic enough for the two of them. “I got hit by a car hard enough to lose my memory, and Minji found me. She’s a detective. She took me in like one of her stray cats, and she’s been helping me find leads back to my old life while I help her out with cases. I have been remembering more lately, so… I guess it’s good to see you again, noona, although I wish it was under different circumstances.”
Yeonhwa laughs drily. “You and me both, Junhee-yah. I heard her mention Day’s name, did she take you to him too?” She shakes her head with a frown. “Poor kid, he was so young too.” She opens her mouth to speak, but looks at Junhee and closes it again, a guilty look on her face. “Never mind.”
I heard he was a big fan of yours, Junhee can almost hear her say. Although Dae Hyuk had told him that to his face, as a ghost, thinking about it still feels like a stab to the chest.
Suddenly, Yeonhwa gasps and turns pale. “Shit! I think I might know when she might’ve- when-”
“When?” Junhee encourages.
“We were having a fight, so I went to the toilet to calm down,” Yeonhwa whispers. “And when I came back, she told me some waitress had tripped over and spilled something on our table, but Sayu-chan didn’t look at her cleaning, so that waitress might’ve… God, she’s gone, and it’s all because I wasn’t there. I didn’t- I didn’t even-” Yeonhwa breaks into fresh, heaving sobs, and Junhee can’t do anything but whisper his condolences.
“Don’t cry,” whispers a voice like a faraway echo. “Unnie, please don’t cry because of me.”
Junhee tries very, very hard not to react at the sight of a crying Yeonhwa wrapped up in the embrace of Sayuri’s ghost.