Chapter Text
Dear Mr. Yi Sangwoo,
Due to the events of the past few months, I feel compelled to have my will redrafted.
I hereby cordially invite you to the early reading of my will on July 17 2023, at 6:00 p.m. at my cat house “Lucky Cat.”
Please arrive on time.
Sincerely,
Hwang Jiah
“Your boss really went all out, didn’t he?” asked Chan, reading his own invitation.
Vernon looked at the character card that was included in the envelope.
Yi Sangwoo, 45 years old
Veterinarian at the cat house
“Who are you?” he asked his longtime partner.
“I’m Eunji, 28 years old. Will they still believe this?” Chan laughed and tried to be sweet.
“Sure. It’s only three years.”
“Vernon!” Chan complained, still in his fake, sweet voice. “You have to get into character. Who are you?”
Vernon almost handed him the card. But who knew if they might end up playing against each other? He cleared his throat. “Good afternoon, Im Eunji. My name is Yi Sangwoo. I’m a veterinarian. And I’m a bit older.” Vernon groaned exaggeratedly and clutched his back. “At 45, I’ve got a few aches and pains.”
“Oh, what a shame. I don’t think a young and vibrant journalist like me is into older men.” Chan grinned at him, and Vernon grinned back.
“Who says I’m into young things?”
“You know what I find a shame? As great as it is that your boss is making an effort, it doesn’t fit with our series. It would be a Y-date. How do you turn a murder mystery dinner into a Y-date?”
Yes, that was a bit of a shame.
Ever since they’d known each other, this had been their ritual. Neither of them wanted it any other way. Their A-Z dates.
“We’ll find something during the evening that we can connect with Y. And if we consider it a Yi Sangwoo and Im Eunji date,” Vernon suggested.
Chan’s face instantly lit up. “That’s it! A Yi Sangwoo and Im Eunji date. That was easy this time.”
If only it had been this easy the first time around. But more on that later. For now, tonight was what mattered.
Mingyu, his boss, had rented a new office a few months ago and renovated it with one of his partner’s friends. Vernon had been leading the craftmans upstairs, scheduling appointments, and placing and receiving orders. He was Mingyu’s secretary. For ages. But it was only about a year ago that they had become something like friends. Before that, it would have been unthinkable that Vernon would have been invited to the birthday party.
His office wasn’t far and they only had to go up two floors. The door was already open, and they were just stepping inside when Jeonghan placed a transport box on the floor.
“Oh, hello to you both. Could you close the door so I can let our honoured guest out?” Jeonghan asked cheerfully.
“Did you take your allergy medication?” asked Mingyu, standing opposite Jeonghan. There. Mingyu had always been a rather attentive boss, but he had never worried about Vernon.
“He did,” Chan confirmed. “He wouldn’t miss this.”
Vernon loved cats. And had a cat allergy. Such a shame. Especially when you worked across the street from a cat cafe.
Wonwoo (Mingyu’s partner), Jeonghan, Jihoon, and Soonyoung worked at this cat cafe. Except for Jihoon, they had all been to their office several times, and Vernon knew them quite well. Chan, who was just his “attachment,” had also met them a few times.
Seungcheol came over from one of the back rooms. Seungcheol was his coworker and had only started working there a few months ago. Since it was just the two of them and their boss, they chatted a lot. Vernon knew that Seungcheol was having something with Jeonghan, but no one was supposed to know about it.
Later, Jun and Minghao, Mingyu’s friends, and Seungkwan, a friend of the cat cafe, would arrive. He knew them all, even if only casually.
And so he greeted everyone rather briefly and then turned his attention to Byeol, the guest of honour Jeonghan had mentioned. Byeol was one of Vernon’s favourite cats. He always came to him whenever he made it to the cat cafe. He wasn’t a shy cat, and Vernon certainly enjoyed spending time with him. Chan would probably complain later that he’d left him alone with “all those strangers,” but Vernon would deal with that later. He had a cat here!
Jeonghan handed out name tags, which made it easier to address everyone by their correct role.
And when Mingyu’s partner, Wonwoo, arrived, the event began. The anticipation was big. He’d experienced too much in the past few weeks not to be excited.
Mingyu stepped forward first. He took Wonwoo’s hand. Something else he would never have done otherwise: to mix his personal and professional life like this.
“Welcome to our Deadly Dinner. As you may have already guessed, something truly terrible is going to happen tonight. The culprit is among us, and we have to find out who that person is. Please remember, however, that this is the birthday of a very wonderful person, so give him plenty attention. You don’t have to stay in character all evening. Our lovely Jiah will explain the proceedings.”
“Jiah” was their client. She was lovely. Not that Vernon was into women. No, not at all. But she was always friendly to him. Made small talk. She even knew about Chan and asked about him. They’d been to a few of her shows. And she was damn good.
She switched places with Mingyu and looked around disdainfully.
“I’ve gathered you all here because simply too much has happened in the last few months. You’ve all received information about yourselves. Stick to it and think carefully about what, and especially to whom, you want to reveal anything. None of you are innocent and worth my time.” She shook her head in disappointment.
“Except for my little darling. Come to Mama.” Jiah knelt down, and Byeol, who had been exploring the small room, immediately came to her. He was so cute.
“You’re all probably familiar with my cat house. The other rooms are off-limits. I’ve prepared a toast. It’s our dear Kang Minjun’s birthday today, and we should raise a glass to him.”
Jiah walked past them with Byeol in her arms and through a door.
Vernon followed her first. Chan came into the room next.
Unlike the first room, this one was enormous. Vernon could hardly believe it was roughly the same office space as theirs, just with more rooms. He’d seen it empty when he’d been allowed to show the first workmen upstairs. How had they created all this?
As far as Vernon could tell, they’d made the windows smaller? He remembered them being bigger. But if you didn’t know that, you probably wouldn’t notice. The room was set up as a dining room on one side. Two walls indicated that. The caterers were already busy preparing the food, and it smelled wonderful. The other two walls showed an office - theirs, two floors below. Mingyu’s conference table and Vernon’s desk. Even his little otter figure, which he’d received from Chan and which always sat on his desk. The attention to detail! Incredible.
One by one, everyone came into the room. Jiah handed out champagne for a toast. Vernon expected another speech from Mingyu or Jiah, but this time Jeonghan stepped forward.
After Jeonghan, everyone offered their congratulations. They all knew Wonwoo better than he or Chan did.
“Happy Birthday Wonwoo, or Minjun,” Vernon toasted him. “We wish you all the best. And please keep Mingyu in a good mood.” A few months ago, he wouldn’t have dared to say that. But when first Wonwoo and then everyone else started laughing, he looked at Mingyu. He was laughing too. And Vernon wasn’t the only one who mentioned Mingyu. Minghao, Mingyu’s best friend, did as well.
After the short break, it was time for the event again. Vernon watched attentively as Jiah first turned to Minghao and introduced him.
“This is Jung Minki. He’s a caretaker in the cat house. Unfortunately, he still has a lot to learn.”
Okay. Minghao was Minki and a caretaker. It would be better if they already had something to write down.
Next, she gestured to Jun. “This lovely lady is Bang Eunsol. I’m surprised you even showed up, my dear. But money attracts everyone, doesn’t it?” She smiled mockingly. Then she moved on and stood between Seungcheol and Chan. She gestured to Seungcheol first. “This gentleman is Hwang Changho. As an animal psychologist and behavioural researcher, he had my respect. At least until recently. This lady here might be familiar to you. My dear Im Eunji, I know exactly who you are. Do you really think I would have invited you if I didn’t know who you were?”
Vernon looked at Chan with amusement. Chan was puzzled. The information Jiah had apparently wasn’t yet on his character sheet.
Jiah simply walked past Vernon, saying: “Our veterinarian, Mr. Yi Sangwoo. It’s really hard to find good staff.” Finally, she stopped in front of one of Wonwoo’s friends.
“Shim Dasom,” she introduced him briefly, but much more warmly.
Soonyoung and Jihoon from the cat cafe received another cold look.
“Everyone probably knows my daughter, Choi Nayoung, and her fiancé, Kwan Jaehyun. Or have you made the mistake of marrying him by now? Tsk.” She shook her head again. “Proof that success isn’t in your genes.”
“You enjoy this, don’t you?” Chan asked quietly beside him.
Vernon just shushed him, didn’t look at him since he not wanted to miss a single clue.
Mingyu introduced Jiah with “Cha Juwon. My lawyer.” and Wonwoo with “Kang Minjun. A good friend.” And finally Jeonghan “And everyone should know my housekeeper, Kim Inhye. If you’re satisfied with superficial and mediocre work, you can always turn to her.”
While Jiah turned her attention to Byeol, Vernon turned to Chan. “Sorry,” he apologized. Chan waved it off.
“I know how much you like things like this.”
“Please have a little something. Even though I’m reluctant to reward poor work and behaviour, you should know what you’ll never be entitled to. My daughter was recently abroad. This meal is in her honour. I’m going to freshen up, and then we’ll begin with the reading of the will.”
Vernon turned his attention back to Jiah. She was now at the door with Byeol and turned back to them.
“Please eat. It tastes wonderful, and our chefs put a lot of effort into it. After the meal, I’d like you to go one at a time to the room to the left of here to receive more information about your character. I’ll say goodbye now.”
“I can’t wait to start investigating,” he said to Chan as they walked to the table.
Since Wonwoo sat at the head of the table and they wanted to give his friends a chance to sit with him, Vernon, Chan, and Seungcheol took their places at the end.
The two chefs began serving the appetizers and then took drink orders.
The game would likely consist of several rounds, hence the multi-course meal.
When the food arrived, Vernon looked sceptically at his plate. It looked like cat food. It looked as if it had come straight from a can.
“Don’t worry. It’s beef tartare. It’s intentionally made to look like cat food. It fits the game and all,” explained Jeonghan, who was sitting opposite them.
Chan and he exchanged a sceptical glance, but when Jeonghan ate some, they followed suit. And it actually tasted good. But then again, Vernon had never eaten cat food before.
While eating, everyone forgot about the game and their roles, and they made normal small talk. He met Seungkwan, who was sitting across from him and was the former veterinarian at the cat cafe. Chan chatted with Jeonghan until Jeonghan took the initiative and asked more about his role.
Jeonghan never came back. But eventually, Seungkwan left the table, and when he returned, Chan was gone.
“How did you two get together? You never told me that,” Seungcheol suddenly asked.
“I didn’t? It was kind of a...challenge. I don’t remember where the idea came from. But I went on ABC dates. The A-date, for example, had to be with someone whose name started with A, and the activity also had to start with A. 26 dates with 26 different people and activities. I didn’t get very far because when I met Chan, he was the only one, and we just kept changing the activities,” he explained. He left out some details, but after so much time, they weren’t important anymore. “And we’ve kept it up ever since. Today, for example, is a Y-date. It’s fun to always come up with different things.”
Seungcheol smiled, but it seemed sad. He had separated from his ex-wife almost a year and a half ago and was currently in a bitter custody battle with her over their son. Even though, as mentioned, he was now having a thing with Jeonghan.
“That’s a nice story about how you met.”
This conversation was part of the reason why Vernon and Chan finally told their story properly.
After Chan, Vernon went to learn more about his role. Vernon finally received a notepad and pen, as well as another character card.
Yi Sangwoo
There are disagreements about how the cats are treated.
He wasn’t the murderer.
Good.
Now he just had to find him.
As Vernon went back, he began writing down the information they had gathered about everyone in his notepad.
A scream from Jeonghan indicated that they were moving on.
Mingyu led them into the bedroom. Jiah was lying in a pool of blood in front of the bed. Jeonghan stood beside him, looking horrified, but Vernon noted that he had discovered the body. “I didn’t do it!” Jeonghan protested. But anyone would say that! So far, everyone had been a suspect.
“We need to look for evidence. Where’s the cat?” Wonwoo stepped forward. Of course. He was the detective, after all. “The killer must be one of those present. We have to find out who it was.”
“All rooms are now free to search,” Mingyu added. “Look for the evidence and find the killer. We have about 20 minutes until the next course.”
20 minutes? Vernon wouldn’t be able to search everything. It was important to check here first. Had the killer had time to dispose of the murder weapon? The others would probably be more concerned with Byeol’s disappearance.
Vernon walked through the room, scanning everything, before opening the dresser and looking through it.
He later noticed that Seungcheol and Wonwoo had also remained in the room. The detective and the animal psychologist. He suspected that Seungcheol’s motive was similar to his own. But what could Wonwoo’s be?
“I have something,” Seungcheol announced. Vernon went over to see it for himself.
It was several payrolls. Issued by the company Lucky Cat for employee Kim Inhye.
“Oh, that’s the new test client.” Vernon had already been wondering.
“Look.” Seungcheol pointed to the deductions. “Something was taken away every month. In June, it was even more than half.”
Wonwoo also bent over. “Can you see why?”
“No. The wage type is listed as an advance. But it says here, ‘See statement.’ That means there must be more information.”
Vernon wrote down the new evidence in his notebook about Jeonghan. For whatever reason, his salary had been cut. And this evidence was at the crime scene—did that mean anything?
He went back to the dresser and continued searching. And this time he found another piece of evidence. They were checks. Vernon looked at them himself first before telling the others.
The checks had been issued over several years. For large sums. To a Cha Juwon. Mingyu. Unfortunately, they didn’t explain why he had received so much money.
None of them spoke about personal matters. They were all focused on solving the mystery. Which is why they talked about it again when they went back.
“These aren’t documents you keep in your bedroom,” Wonwoo observed. “Is there a reason for that?”
“But then why does it implicate the two people involved in the planning? I don’t think Mingyu is the murderer,” Seungcheol pointed out.
Right. Vernon had observed Mingyu a few times. He seemed as if he himself didn’t know anything about the story. And knowing his boss, Mingyu would want to participate, not just pretend. So he could cross Mingyu off the list. And Jeonghan?
“I can’t say for sure about Jeonghan. He brought Byeol back to the cat cafe... does that mean he also has something to do with his disappearance in the game? But why would a housekeeper who works in a cat house be annoyed by cats? She could just find something else.”
Oh no, Vernon wouldn’t cross Jeonghan off his list.
As they went back to the dining room, they got together and gathered the evidence.
Mingyu first showed them a letter they had found.
My dearest Minjun,
last night was wonderful.
It is truly true that the forbidden fruit is the sweetest.
I look forward to a repeat.
Your Jiah
Vernon jotted everything down in his notebook.
“But I don’t know. He seems too calm. I don’t think he’s the culprit,” Mingyu said.
“Wonwoo? Wonwoo can’t lie. Of course he isn’t,” Jeonghan commented.
Vernon trusted them. He crossed Wonwoo off as a suspect.
“Don’t make me look like that in front of everyone! I can lie about something like this,” Wonwoo complained. And that very comment confirmed to Vernon that Wonwoo couldn’t be the culprit.
“We found Byeol’s collar. As well as a bloody paw print at the entrance. But the collar is interesting. It has Vernon’s fingerprints on it.”
What? His fingerprints? Vernon looked at his notes for himself. “I’m the vet. Of course my fingerprints will be on his collar.” He gestured for Seungcheol to show him their evidence. “We found two pieces of evidence. I think we can also take Mingyu off the list. I know him. For years. And he’s not acting suspiciously,” said Vernon.
“These are Inhye’s payrolls,” explained Seungcheol. “Something was deducted every month. We don’t know why. Maybe she wants to tell us herself? Or we’ll find the statement mentioned here.”
“We can look through the documents later. They were all mixed up. Maybe the statement is in there,” said Mingyu thoughtfully, gesturing to the desk that had now appeared in the room.
“Or the reason why you received large checks for years?” asked Wonwoo. Vernon took notes.
“We found two more pieces of evidence. One is a note I wrote. I overheard Jiah and Seungcheol. She’s not satisfied with his work and wants to cut his research funding,” said Jeonghan.
“That bitch,” Seungkwan added with a grin.
“Wasn’t there a either on the note?” Chan added.
There! Jeonghan. Vernon suspected him. Well, it could have been almost anyone so far. But his gut told him it was Jeonghan.
“Ah. So that’s why Jeonghan’s pay was cut. She wasn’t satisfied with his work,” Vernon surmised.
“And here we have a medication that has no place in a veterinary clinic. It’s harmless to humans, but deadly to cats. It was prescribed for Minghao.” Seungkwan didn’t respond to Vernon’s suspicions at all. Weren’t the two close friends? Were they accomplices?
“I’m a caretaker here. I must have forgotten it there,” Minghao defended himself.
That was it. Vernon sat down at the table and went through his notes.
One thing struck him as odd. The others had formed groups. As the meal progressed, Vernon also discovered which rooms they were in. The only ones who hadn’t found anything and were alone in a room were Soonyoung and Jihoon. Vernon’s new prime suspects.
“There’s something I have to ask you,” Seungkwan began, and Vernon realized he was talking to him and Chan. “Earlier, Vernon claimed you met through a challenge. But when Jeonghan asked Chan about it, he said it was just a coincidence. Which is true?”
Oh.
That’s what the story was supposed to be about. Vernon, engrossed in the murder mystery dinner, had forgotten what this was actually about.
Okay. You’ll have to wait a little longer. He was way too engrossed in this story. So, for now, just the short version.
“For me it was a challenge, and for him it was a coincidence,” he explained shortly and went back to his notes. Chan, on the other hand, revealed a bit more. But you’ll find out about that in the next story.
This time, Chan was right on his heels as Vernon entered the room, which was designed to resemble a veterinary clinic.
“We’ve already been here and searched everything,” he said.
“They’ve put out new evidence. We might be missing something important. Besides, you’re still on my list,” Vernon replied calmly as he opened and searched the cabinets.
“Wow, really? It’s not me. I’m a reporter trying to sneak in. I had evidence that Jiah has another child, and I thought it was me.”
Vernon turned to him. “Excuse me?”
“Vernon,” he whined. “I thought this was a date.”
Oops.
Vernon grimaced. “Sorry. Okay, let’s stay together. Do you know who the child is? I haven’t been able to cross many off the list yet.” He showed Chan his notes.
“No, I have no idea. There has to be some proof.”
The child was definitely the murderer. It made sense. They didn’t know how old Jiah was, but looking at the characters’ ages, he could eliminate Jeonghan and Seungkwan from the list. They were too old to be the children.
They continued searching the clinic together until they found a ring box. It was an engagement ring with a note inscribed “For Eunsol.” The only question was, who did it belong to?
Vernon wanted to see the other rooms, so they moved on. Hearing loud voices from the entrance, he opened the door.
Seungcheol and Jeonghan were alone in the room. Had they been arguing?
“Oh, sorry, we didn’t mean to disturb you,” Vernon apologized.
Jeonghan turned around. “It’s okay. I’m done here.” He approached him, and Vernon and Chan stepped aside to let him out.
“Sorry. Did you hear something? That was just because of the game,” Seungcheol apologized. “There’s nothing here. Just the paw print.”
Vernon quickly scanned the room. There really was nothing. They must have missed something. He wanted to go to the next room, but one of the cooks called them to the end of the round.
Besides their evidence, there were two new clues.
“We found a letter from Nayoung to her mother.” Mingyu handed him the letter.
Dearest Mother,
I beg you to reconsider your decision.
I don’t know how I’m going to make ends meet for the next few months. Money is tight, and it’s getting tighter.
Please have a heart!
Your Nayoung
Oh, Soonyoung was definitely the culprit. He was moving higher and higher on Vernon’s list of suspects.
“We found a picture of Seungkwan with Byeol as a kitten,” Jihoon announced. He passed the picture around so everyone could see it.
“Okay, fine!” Seungkwan exclaimed. “Byeol was mine. She took him from me. But I’m certainly not going to kill her for that.”
“But kidnap your cat, hm?” Wonwoo grinned.
Oh, were there two culprits? Seungkwan was no longer on his list. His character was too old to be the child. Why hadn’t they learned anything about this child yet?
“No one has found the murder weapon or the will?” Mingyu asked.
“We have the will,” one of the cooks called out, summoning them to the table.
But Mingyu was right. The will hadn’t turned up. Was the secret child listed in it?
Ahhh, this was more difficult than expected. They must have overlooked something.
“Jeonghan, please start telling us what you suspect,” Mingyu pleaded as they sat before small cakes meant to represent the will.
Vernon picked up his notepad. Perhaps he could learn something this way.
“Jun and Minghao.” Jeonghan offered no further explanation. No whys or wherefores. They were also still on Vernon’s list. Jun because of the ring incident and Minghao because of the medication.
“I’m also betting on Jun. I can’t say why, but he gives me such…murderous vibes. Sorry,” Seungkwan said.
Vernon couldn’t see Jun, as he was sitting two seats away, and therefore couldn’t see his reaction.
“I think you probably killed her and took your cat,” Jihoon suggested, and Soonyoung agreed.
Seungkwan was also back on his list. Who should he choose? He still had five people on it!
“I have to admit, I still have four suspects on my list. I think there are two culprits. Seungkwan probably kidnapped Byeol. But I’m not sure about the murderer. There’s no evidence that clearly points to him. I feel like we’re missing a crucial piece of the puzzle. But I have to make a decision.” Mingyu sighed and looked at his list.
Oh, that was brilliant! Two culprits. Then Seungkwan could be the kidnapper…but who’s the murderer?
“I’ll keep it simple. We haven’t received any evidence about Chan, and since I don’t want to accuse my employees, I’m choosing Chan as the murderer,” Mingyu concluded.
“What?” Chan, sitting next to him, leaned forward to look at Mingyu.
Vernon stifled a laugh.
“It’s just a suspicion, don’t worry,” Mingyu tried to reassure him.
Vernon could already hear the “Your boss doesn’t like me!” when they got home.
“I have no idea either. But I can rule out this side of the table.” Wonwoo pointed to the opposite side. “It’s difficult. Minghu’s idea about the two culprits is good. We thought it might be one of the couples, so I’m choosing Vernon and Chan.”
Someone suspected him? Vernon raised an eyebrow. That didn’t make sense. He was the veterinarian. Sure, the medication was found in his clinic. But it had Minghao’s name on it.
Now that it was Jun’s turn, he couldn’t look at the people anymore and focused on the opposite side. More specifically, on Soonyoung and Jihoon, who were both also on his list.
Jun cleared his throat. “Ah. I don’t mean to sound like I’m seeking revenge. But I think Seungkwan was the culprit?”
Vernon didn’t see Seungkwan’s reaction. Because as soon as Jun finished speaking, Soonyoung leaned over to Jihoon. They exchanged a few words before Jihoon pushed his chair aside, away from Soonyoung.
That was extremely suspicious. Besides, the two were supposed to be playing a newlywed couple, and they were good in character. But in love? Soonyoung might have seemed like this, but Jihoon didn’t.
Yes, Vernon would voice his suspicions.
“I think it was Jeonghan,” Seungcheol said beside him.
Vernon turned to Jeonghan. No. Absolutely not.
“An old housekeeper like me?” Jeonghan asked at that moment.
And now it was Vernon’s turn. He cleared his throat, looked at his pad, and then at Soonyoung and Jihoon.
“I think it was Soonyoung and Jihoon. They’re acting too suspiciously. They’re supposed to be a newlywed couple, but they don’t seem in love? And Soonyoung is the daughter. We don’t know the will, but who’s to say they didn’t secretly pocket it? They were the only ones who didn’t find any proof in the first round. Suspicious, isn’t it?” Vernon announced his suspicion.
Soonyoung looked shocked, Jihoon lowered his gaze, and Vernon felt right in his suspicion.
“I think it was Seungcheol and Jeonghan! Vernon and I caught them arguing. They didn’t say what it was about, but it was about the game!”
Ah Chan. Vernon had been too engrossed in playing detective earlier. He didn’t think it was about the game.
“You two had a fight?” Wonwoo asked, concerned.
Jeonghan waved his hand dismissively. “Not really a fight. I thought he’d pocketed some evidence.”
Vernon didn’t get involved. He wrote down the latest theory and looked curiously at Mingyu. What would happen next?
“Then I ask you, Chan, to explain your role to us. And whether you’re the culprit,” Mingyu requested.
Chan nodded. “I’m Im Eunji. A journalist. I had evidence that Hwang Jiah had another secret child and wanted to publish the story. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find out who the child was. I’m not the murderer either.”
“A secret child?” Soonyoung asked. “I have a brother or sister?” He looked around. “Who?”
Hmm. Was he just a good actor, or was he serious? He knew nothing about it? Was Vernon wrong?
“My character was Yi Sangwoo. The veterinarian. I just had disagreements with Jiah, but I didn’t kill her,” he explained. He also added the new notes to his notebook.
Seungcheol reacted belatedly. Like he said, Vernon wouldn’t get involved.
“Um, sorry. I’m Hwang Changho. Animal psychologist and behavioural researcher. She wasn’t satisfied with my work and wanted to cut my research funding. That’s it.”
Vernon noticed Minghao pull out a piece of paper.
“May I introduce myself? My name is Jung Minki. It certainly would have been different if my mother hadn’t given me away. I started working at the cat house because I suspected it. I should have been the rightful heir. Here’s the new will. She only considered Byeol. So I kidnapped him.”
Wow, he was good. Had no one noticed that he’d taken the will? “You really outsmarted us,” Mingyu remarked.
Minghao leaned against Jun’s shoulder. “I have him to thank for this.”
Jun laughed. “I’m Bang Eunsol. I was with Wonwoo until he had an affair with Jiah and they had a child. I was her closest confidante, and she betrayed me like that. So I killed her and allied myself with her child.” He also took a piece of paper out of his pocket. “This is the evidence you were looking for. It shows investigations into Jiah’s child. And the missing murder weapon is in the locked cage. The key should now be somewhere in the cat food.”
Ah, it was so annoying. Vernon had five more people on the list. And he’d chosen the wrong ones.
He still wrote the information down in his notebook, just for the sake of completeness.
The evening was getting...well there were some problems.
Vernon wanted to stay out of it. Chan wanted to know everything.
Oh, speaking of Chan.
As they walked to their apartment, Chan pouted.
“You didn’t really pay attention to me all evening. I thought this was our Y-date.”
“Sorry.” He’d gotten distracted too easily. Like by the story he was supposed to be telling. “We can still have our Yi Sangwoo and Im Eunji date now if you want?”
“Forget it! I don’t want to hear anything more about them. As if Eunji would go out with such an old guy. Besides, your boss doesn’t like me!”
What had Vernon said?
“Okay. I’ll figure something out by the weekend. A real Y-date, okay?”
“I know you like that sort of thing,” Chan sighed. “So I’ll settle for this. But try harder!”
And now that Chan was appeased, Vernon could tell the story.
And to make up for it, he’d tell you all about them in detail. Every single date. So sit down and get ready to be here for a while.