"They're all unpleasant people."
The cause of Kim Namjoon's death was murder, not food poisoning.
As they delve deeper into the case, Inspector Jung Hoseok and Chief Constable Jung Wheein notice things amiss the suspicious folk of the dead man.
Ther...
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From an alien's point of view
•
"FUNNY how the rest of the family wasn't in the house when the murder happened, right?" remarked a woman of pleasant build and facial features, her hair tied up in a short ponytail.
The man who sat next to her gave her a pointed look. The rickety chair of the hospital creaked as he tried to make himself comfortable. Had there been a smile on it, his face would have been undeniably charming.
"It's still early days to call it murder, Wheein. It could be a case of food poisoning, just like the doctors speculate," said he, causing his sister to roll her eyes.
"Sure. You're so naïve sometimes, Hoseok. You truly believe, that this entire business, is not almighty suspicious?"
"I am only being open to other theories, Wheein."
The typical hospital fragrance wafted into their nostrils as they waited in the lobby for the autopsy to end.
Soon after she had found Namjoon's cold body, the housekeeper had rushed him to the hospital, fearing the worst. None of the family members were present in the mansion that was their home called The Humble House of Kim. Despite several attempts to contact them, none of them could be reached.
Hoseok couldn't blame Wheein for getting suspicious - one so often heard about feuds in well-off families from time to time. Yet, it was too melodramatic to jump to the conclusion that the family had something to do with the death of Kim Namjoon.
A case of sudden death - especially that of a prominent business figure - required the presence of the police. That was the reason why Inspector Jung Hoseok and his younger sibling Chief Constable Jung Wheein impatiently awaited outside the autopsy room, waiting for its results. Apart from them, it was curious to note that there was no one else in the corridor.
Dubious still was the absence of the Kim family.
Hoseok's eyes kept flitting between the hospital clock and his own, even though both showed the same result.
Wheein voiced out the thought that he was patient enough to suppress:
"Goodness, how long does it take to examine a dead body?"
"You know well enough that it can take up to a day, Whee-Whee."
The nickname, which so irked Wheein, shut her up in an instant, making Hoseok smirk in victory.
Two hours were all that they could wait. Besides, they had other duties to attend to.
"Why, it's quite bizarre to see the Jung siblings together."
The entry of Dr. Hong made him jump; a departure from Hoseok's usual poised self.
"Jisoo! This is a surprise!" Wheein exclaimed, tackling the smiling doctor into a hug, while Hoseok spotted a rare grin.
"Surprise it is indeed. I thought you were a pediatrician," Hoseok said as he traded thumps on the back with Jisoo, or Joshua, as he preferred to be called by his colleagues.
Joshua shook his head as he gave an infectious peal of laughter.
"Hobi, your memory sucks."
"Big time," Wheein agreed, pulling away from the hug.
"Well, my memory cannot be counted upon to remember unnecessary things like your job," Hoseok jested, pulling Wheein's ear playfully as a response to her disrespectful agreement.
"Ouch, that hurt," both Joshua and Wheein exclaimed.
"So, you're the one in charge of the autopsy?" Wheein asked.
Noticing her eyes on the autopsy result in his hands, Joshua's handsome features twisted into a grim expression.
"Yes. Kim Namjoon's, wasn't it? Isn't that the reason why you are here?"
Hoseok confirmed this with a jerk of his head, the momentary smile fading into an opaque, rather wooden one.
"I thought so," Joshua commented, as though he were making a general observation on the weather. He flipped the pages of the result that he balanced on his left hand.
Tempted as she was to peek into its contents, Wheein contained her jittery nerves - she knew how disgusting it was to anticipate something like that. Kim Namjoon may have been a little slippery with his dealings - Wheein remembered looking him up on the internet - but it was still disrespectful of her to hope that his death was murder.
Even if she couldn't resist adventures.
"Well?" Hoseok asked, once Joshua reached the last page.
"Although I know the result off by heart, it still makes me wonder how strange it is," Joshua remarked, shutting the file close.
The slightest hint of puzzlement flitted in the amber eyes of the Inspector.
"Really?" Wheein piped up, her eyes displaying an emotion that was a stark contrast to Hoseok's.
Joshua paused for nearly a whole minute before continuing.
"The staff thinks that Kim Namjoon's death was food poisoning."
"Food poisoning ...?" Wheein trailed off. This was unexpected.
"It wasn't food poisoning, Jung. It was poisoning. Deliberate food poisoning. The poison was in something that Kim Namjoon must have had just before he died. Unlike most poisoning cases, it wasn't pesticide that was added to his food or drink. It was potassium cyanide that killed him. It must have been administered in his tea or supper, that's what I can conclude, as of now," Joshua ended.
Withdrawing a heavy intake of breath, Hoseok spoke:
"Are you suggesting that it was murder, Jisoo?"
"Of course he is, Hoseok," Wheein interjected, earning a second pointed look from her older brother.
"A murder? Yes, that's possible," Joshua responded, his eyes twinkling.
Hoseok laughed, the blend of mirth and nostalgia ringing in his voice.
"Still the neutral, diplomatic bastard, are we?"
"Old habits die hard," Joshua shrugged and took a moment to examine his wristwatch.
"Well, I must be off. Today's a packed day and my information must have made yours the same too. I'll see you two later, then."
"Until next time, Jisoo," Wheein waved adieu. Hoseok copied her.
As she watched Joshua's retreating figure, Wheein turned to her brother.
"What do we tell the media?"
"What the autopsy result says," breathed Hoseok.
"The printed one or the one Jisoo told us?" Wheein put forth. "Or do we do the usual? Talk to the family concerned and then tell the media?"
