What passes next is the most stressful four hours of her life; officers, detectives, psychologists come in and out of the holding cell she finds herself sat down in, separated from her friends, to question her over and over again, until she's at her limit. Eventually, she just shuts down and refuses to talk. If she opens her mouth again, she'll cry. She might cry either way. Doesn't matter.
She didn't kill anyone - she knows who did. This is pointless. It's probably just for the sake of security, to make sure she doesn't go back on her story or whatever, but it's torture. It's psychological warfare. At least she's not handcuffed. She buries her face in her arms on the table and takes a deep breath to try and calm herself down.
The door squeaks open. She digs her fingers into her arms and doesn't lift her head. "Oh, Minji," her father says. He sounds gentle, almost sad, compared to the harsh men she's had to deal with. "I'm so sorry, I didn't realize they'd do that."
"Do what?" she asks, only half lifting her gaze to him. Her head pounds. "Interrogate me?"
He nods and takes a seat across from her. "They did it to all of you - they're still talking to Yoobin." He reaches for her hand, but she just glares at him. "But the good news is, we have what we need from you and Miss Gahyeon. You're free to go."
She blinks. "What about Yoobin?"
He pauses. "Well… She's got some information about Shiang that could prove useful. It's just that we don't know how she got the information, and we have our questions for her-"
"She didn't do anything wrong."
"Having a weapon is a crime, Minji. Even if it was for self defense, she is still in the wrong there. She'll have to face punishment for that, if we find that she did have a gun, like our current investigation suggests."
Minji stares at him; his eyes are cold, unflinching. There's a chance Yoobin could go to jail. Something about the whole thing feels wrong, like they're focusing their energy on the wrong thing. Because they are. Because she's an easier target then Shiang? Because of something Yoobin's never told her?
"She didn't do anything wrong," she says, her voice level. Her heartbeat rushes in her ears. "I haven't- She wouldn't do that." She digs her fingernails into the flesh of her arms to keep her hands from shaking. Two months ago, she wouldn't have done any of this. Hell, a week ago, she would have taken the opportunity to rat Yoobin out, if only to steer her back on the right track, away from the line she's coming dangerously close to crossing (for her claims of leaving her past behind, Yoobin does an excellent job of clinging to it).
But things are different now. And they have to stick together.
Even if this means lying.
"I have never seen any evidence of a weapon in the dorm, or the car, or on her, or anything," she says. She doesn't blink, barely breathes. Hopes it's convincing.
Her father quirks his eyebrows. "Are you sure?" he says. He loses the familial familiarity he had a moment before. "People can hide things if they don't want people to know."
She shakes her head. "We've lived together for two years at this point," she says. "Something would have come up." She wonders if he can hear her heartbeat.
"You're not just saying this to protect her, right?" He leans forward.
"Absolutely not," she lies. This conversation has gone on longer than she wanted it to. She pushes herself upright. "This is just me being honest."
Her father stares at her, scrutinizing her, studying her. She stares back. After a long pause, he looks away. "Alright," he says. "I trust you, but only because you're my daughter. This is quite suspicious, Minji." He pushes his chair away from the table and stands. "Someone will come get you in a few minutes, to escort you to the front. I've arranged for the- three of you-" the way he paused suggests that he had only planned for two- "to spend at least the next few days at a hotel, while we investigate the dorm room. You'll be home soon." He sighs, lifts his hat off his head, scrubs at his hair. "I promise you."
And then he disappears into the hall, leaving Minji once again alone. The room feels cold all of a sudden, or maybe it's just her. She stares at the empty door for a moment, then falls back into her seat, buries the heels of her hands in her eyes. What am I doing? she thinks. Quite possibly, that is the stupidest thing she's ever done. Lying to the police. If her father finds out, she'll go to jail.
But she won't. Something tells her that. There's a little voice in the back of her head that's whimpering, You won't have time , and it sounds a little bit like Handong . Minji pushes it out of her head and ignores it.
She didn't kill anyone - she knows who did. This is pointless. It's probably just for the sake of security, to make sure she doesn't go back on her story or whatever, but it's torture. It's psychological warfare. At least she's not handcuffed. She buries her face in her arms on the table and takes a deep breath to try and calm herself down.
The door squeaks open. She digs her fingers into her arms and doesn't lift her head. "Oh, Minji," her father says. He sounds gentle, almost sad, compared to the harsh men she's had to deal with. "I'm so sorry, I didn't realize they'd do that."
"Do what?" she asks, only half lifting her gaze to him. Her head pounds. "Interrogate me?"
He nods and takes a seat across from her. "They did it to all of you - they're still talking to Yoobin." He reaches for her hand, but she just glares at him. "But the good news is, we have what we need from you and Miss Gahyeon. You're free to go."
She blinks. "What about Yoobin?"
He pauses. "Well… She's got some information about Shiang that could prove useful. It's just that we don't know how she got the information, and we have our questions for her-"
"She didn't do anything wrong."
"Having a weapon is a crime, Minji. Even if it was for self defense, she is still in the wrong there. She'll have to face punishment for that, if we find that she did have a gun, like our current investigation suggests."
Minji stares at him; his eyes are cold, unflinching. There's a chance Yoobin could go to jail. Something about the whole thing feels wrong, like they're focusing their energy on the wrong thing. Because they are. Because she's an easier target then Shiang? Because of something Yoobin's never told her?
"She didn't do anything wrong," she says, her voice level. Her heartbeat rushes in her ears. "I haven't- She wouldn't do that." She digs her fingernails into the flesh of her arms to keep her hands from shaking. Two months ago, she wouldn't have done any of this. Hell, a week ago, she would have taken the opportunity to rat Yoobin out, if only to steer her back on the right track, away from the line she's coming dangerously close to crossing (for her claims of leaving her past behind, Yoobin does an excellent job of clinging to it).
But things are different now. And they have to stick together.
Even if this means lying.
"I have never seen any evidence of a weapon in the dorm, or the car, or on her, or anything," she says. She doesn't blink, barely breathes. Hopes it's convincing.
Her father quirks his eyebrows. "Are you sure?" he says. He loses the familial familiarity he had a moment before. "People can hide things if they don't want people to know."
She shakes her head. "We've lived together for two years at this point," she says. "Something would have come up." She wonders if he can hear her heartbeat.
"You're not just saying this to protect her, right?" He leans forward.
"Absolutely not," she lies. This conversation has gone on longer than she wanted it to. She pushes herself upright. "This is just me being honest."
Her father stares at her, scrutinizing her, studying her. She stares back. After a long pause, he looks away. "Alright," he says. "I trust you, but only because you're my daughter. This is quite suspicious, Minji." He pushes his chair away from the table and stands. "Someone will come get you in a few minutes, to escort you to the front. I've arranged for the- three of you-" the way he paused suggests that he had only planned for two- "to spend at least the next few days at a hotel, while we investigate the dorm room. You'll be home soon." He sighs, lifts his hat off his head, scrubs at his hair. "I promise you."
And then he disappears into the hall, leaving Minji once again alone. The room feels cold all of a sudden, or maybe it's just her. She stares at the empty door for a moment, then falls back into her seat, buries the heels of her hands in her eyes. What am I doing? she thinks. Quite possibly, that is the stupidest thing she's ever done. Lying to the police. If her father finds out, she'll go to jail.
But she won't. Something tells her that. There's a little voice in the back of her head that's whimpering, You won't have time , and it sounds a little bit like Handong . Minji pushes it out of her head and ignores it.