Role Model | Lee Taeyong

Fifteen ☻

|| NARRATOR ||

"Full name?"

"Lee Minyoung. B-But I go by my English name, Mark." The young boy bites down on his lips, his eyes glued onto his hands that were cuffed to the table.

"Okay, Mark. Are you sure you don't want to call a lawyer? We can always issue you a public defender if you can't afford one-"

"No, that's okay. I don't need one." He quickly mutters. The detective slowly nods his head. "Mark, we really need you to be honest here. Since you're still a minor, the charges won't be as extreme and you might get off with only a few years in jail."

"I didn't do anything, why would I go to jail?" Mark says, looking up to meet the detective's eyes. His voice was helpless and tired, as he was stuck in the local precinct for almost five hours, and his patience was long gone.

"Right... Anyways, let me start with the first question. What is your relationship with Lee Narae?" The detective asks him.

"She's my close friend in school. We used to study a lot together." Mark licks his lips, looking up to see if the detective really believed him or not. Needless to say, Mark was screwed.

"When was the last time you heard from her?"

"A few weeks ago. She never talked in the first place, and she barely ever texted me. The last time I saw her, she was on edge the entire day. I placed my hand on her shoulder as she flinched so hard she fell on the floor." The Canadian boy says.

The detective places a firm hand above Mark's. "Listen, if you tell me the truth, I promise you I can get you the least amount of jail time possible. You're technically still a minor so-"

"Fuck, I didn't do anything!" Mark shouts, defending himself. The detective flinches, giving him a judging look. He couldn't hear any of the words coming out of his mouth, only the loud thumping of his heartbeat that travelled all the way from his chest to his eardrums. The thumping became louder as the beads of sweat start to roll down in the forehead in panic.

"Move, let us talk to him."

Mark turns to the door where Taeyong and another detective stood, their arms crossed. "You can't, Taeyong. You're not from this precinct-" The detective that was interrogating Mark says.

"First of all, he's my suspect. I found him. And secondly, I already got special permission from your commanding chief that I'm allowed to do this. I'd suggest you leave and let me handle it before things between us start to get..." Taeyong runs a hand through his hair, cracking his knuckles, and then sending a deathly glare to the detective. "...Messy."

The detective gulps loudly before lowering his head in shame and leaving the room. Taeyong scoffs at his pathetic form, taking the seat the former detective was on and making himself extra comfortable on it. Mark didn't know whether he'd rather have Taeyong or the other detective talk to him. One was so terrifying Mark nearly peed in pants in his presence, and the other didn't believe a word that came out of his mouth.

"You're not going to fess up, are you?" He says blankly. Mark sighs in frustration. "For the love of God, how many times do I have to say I didn't do anything-"

"It's okay, kid. Taeyong here is joking. We know you're innocent." The other detective says. He had black hair reaching down to his lower neck, a pair of specks that he wore on his face, and an obvious scar that ran down his cheek and to his chin, probably getting it from when he was in the line of duty.

"T-Then why did you arrest me?" Mark asks confusingly. Taeyong's lip forms a thin line, almost as if he wanted Mark to be guilty. "Several different people came to say that they say Narae walking in holding a man's hand, who wore a blue sweater. That obviously wasn't you."

Mark's winces. He knew who it was, yet it pained him deeply to know that she was with him. Jaemin, of course. He bites his tongue down in annoyance as he tries his best not to let the officers know his irritation.

"We're still keeping you as a person of interest, meaning that we have the right to bring you in and monitor you just in case you know anything about Narae. Got it?" The other detective says, uncuffing Mark. He releases a sigh as his hands become free of the metal entrapment.

"But, let me just warn you, you absolutely cannot interact with this case voluntarily. If we see you trying to spy around crime scenes there will be terrible consequences. Got it?" Taeyong warns as Mark nods his head. "Tell me, do you happen to know who Narae was with?"

Mark stifles. "No sir." Yes sir.

The two detectives lead Mark out of the door. He was ready to leave when Taeyong gets stopped by another female detective. Her hair was light brown and long, reaching down to her lower back. But her face was serious as if something had occurred.

"There was another murder." She exhales in a breath. Mark turns to see Taeyong's reaction, which was solemn but not surprised at the same time, almost as if he was expecting it to happen.

"Where?" The detective next to Taeyong says. "It was in the animal shelter on Yunnam street. Victim 25-year-old Kim Jungwoo. Took trauma to the head before a gunshot being shot through his torso and-"

"T-That's enough," Taeyong commands. He was trying to act tough, but Mark swore that he heard the tiniest whimper in his voice. Almost as if he was begging for her to stop. And although Mark didn't know if he liked the man, he did know that he was going through a tough time. He felt pity for him.

"Uh, Taeyong..." Mark calls out. Taeyong turns to meet the boy. "Mark, you shouldn't be here. Doyoung, escort him home."

"No!" Mark calls out. The three detectives look at him, their faces full of concern. Mark didn't know if he should have continued his sentence. Every vein in his body was telling him not to. But still, he owed it. To all the victims of Narae's killing, and to especially Taeyong.

"The boy that Narae was with... His name is Na Jaemin."