Neon Street: Red Herring

🎭51: Dangerous Answers

"The Kane Son everyone knows?" Mirae asked again. "If France wasn't the 'Meow' person we were looking for, that means it was you?" She unconsciously pulled herself away from him and looked down. Kit was the person Lloyd was looking for, way back from the start. He was the last person who talked to Kane on the phone, and Kane always called him. It's also possible that... she lets him into her room freely--without force. 

Kit noticed how she suddenly behaved and panicked. "Mirae, it's not what you think--"

"When you asked me if you're unintentionally hurting others back at the hospital, were you trying to figure out if you were a good guy to her? You said to think about it in a romantic sense. You weren't hitting on me but seeking affirmation?" Mirae asked, still with her head down.

Kit was hesitant to answer. It might make things worse than they already are. Mirae was starting to get wary of him. Going deeper into the topic might make him more questionable than free of suspicions. 

"Why would I hit on you? My girlfriend just died. I can't start liking someone else already." 

Mirae didn't know how to take what he said and faced him with disbelief. "I didn't know you were dating someone. Kane Son at that!" She quickly stood from the couch, rushing to that door.

"Mirae!" Kit called, blocking her way. He suddenly locked the door out of fear that Mirae would tell Lloyd all about it without hearing his side. "Not right now. You're the only person who knows about Kane and me. No one else should know about this. The timing's too unfavorable. Everyone will be pointing their finger at me without one single doubt."

"That's why I'm telling Lloyd. He should know about this before anyone else because he's the only person I trust with this case. You need to tell the truth and prove yourself for you to be out of his list of suspects. He's still looking for you! And what if someone else catches you before that?" Mirae worriedly asked, grabbing her hair in frustration. "Why did you tell me just now?!"

Kit held her wrists and slowly pulled her hands from her hair. "I'll handle that part. What I want to know is if you trust me. Do you think I was the one who killed her?"

Mirae whined and turned around, her back facing him. "I want to believe that you're not. I wish you were not. But I've been suspecting Kane's boyfriend. He was suspicious the second Lloyd asked about him. I just had no idea I was hanging out with that fucking person."

"Then, take it from me." Kit stood in front of her and held her shoulders. "I didn't kill her. Everything was going well between us. I loved Kane, and she loved me just as much."

Mirae could only close her eyes in confusion. Kit isn't capable of such a thing, Mirae. You've been around him long enough to say that! She kept convincing herself, but she had too many questions about him. She pushed his hands from her shoulders, opening her eyes. "If you were so confident, why didn't you tell Lloyd in the first place? You wouldn't tell me about it too if I didn't ask who the fuck Daphne Dill was, would you? You wanted to keep it to yourself until they closed the case. How can I put my full goddamn trust on you when you've been hiding all this time?!"

"I was afraid! Who would believe me if I told them that I didn't kill her? Why would Kane and I keep our relationship a secret? Why would someone smart like her date someone like me? Why would she date me when she was engaged to France? I must've done something--I must've blackmailed her... threatened her. They'd have all these questions I don't know the answers to! And if I don't know how to answer their questions, they'll consider me guilty of killing the person I loved the most." Kit panted to suppress his tears. 

Mirae wanted to be considerate as his friend. She didn't want to keep asking him the questions she had in her mind, realizing that Kit had already predicted them. He was afraid of those questions he couldn't answer. Mirae wanted to believe him so badly, but that isn't her. If she wants to get Kit out of his current situation, she needs to ask him those questions before anyone else. "How come you don't know? You dated each other for months, Kit. Do you expect me to believe that you didn't show yourself because of such questions?"

"What do you expect me to do? I'm not as brave as you are. If I was... Kane and I wouldn't have been a secret."

Mirae smiled bitterly. "There goes the answer to your first question." Kit's worked-up expressions loosened for a second. "It's not that you don't know how to answer those questions. You're scared because they could use your honest answers against you. That's why you think it's best if you don't answer them at all."

Kit was suddenly silent. He quietly returned to the couch, letting his tears fall without a sound.  

"Tell you what." Mirae walked to him and sat on her heels. She held his hands, slightly caressing them. "I'm almost on your side. I'll get you out of this to the best of my ability. And I can slowly convince myself and everyone else that you're innocent. But you have to tell me everything--from the start until Kane's death. I-I'll put them together and defend you in front of Lloyd and the police if I have to."

"I just wanted to know if you trust me. You don't have to do any of that. What if they would start suspecting you in the process?" Kit worriedly asked.

Mirae sighed and sat beside him. "You're the only friend I have aside from Winnie. I rarely do anything for anyone. I want to be that one friend who gives her hundred percent effort when her friend needs help--you need that right now. You're too cowardly to show yourself. Who else would make an effort to pull you out? I have nothing to fear if you're not guilty."

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Flashbacks of the secret relationship next!! I have to admit--it felt weird writing the draft of that. For the sake of the plot, we gotta go through it together🥲

Thanks for stopping by today🥰 I hope you guys enjoyed the two chapters~