(The Kim Mansion)
Silence filled the living room, broken only by the soft tapping of Sebastian's keyboard.
Everyone was currently waiting for Llana to arrive.
After four months, the family was finally together again. Anthony and Jaena had just returned to the country, and the first thing they wanted was a proper dinner with all their children. No matter how busy anyone was, they were expected to be there.
Sebastian and Jude had brought their work with them. Sebastian sat with his laptop open, a few folders spread neatly across the coffee table. Every now and then, he would stop typing to check one of the documents before turning back to his screen.
Jude sat nearby, focused on his iPad. He had been quiet since earlier, his expression calm but serious.
Adrian, on the other hand, looked as if he had no problem in the world.
He sprawled lazily on the couch, one arm resting over the backrest while his legs stretched out in front of him.
"Sit properly, Adrian."
Anthony's voice was not loud, but it was enough to make Adrian glance at him.
Anthony sat on the main sofa with his usual upright posture, a teacup in one hand. After taking a small sip, he lowered the cup and looked at his second son.
Adrian sighed.
"but...I'm comfortable," he muttered.
In the end, Adrian still pushed himself upright and sat properly, though the displeasure on his face made it clear that he did not want to.
For a brief second, something unreadable passed through his eyes as he looked at his father. It disappeared almost immediately, hidden behind his usual careless expression. No one noticed.
Except Jaena.
She looked at him quietly, but she did not say anything.
"I'm bored and hungry," he complained, leaning back against the couch. "Where's my princess? Why isn't she here yet?"
"Your sister is already on her way," Jaena said softly. "Just wait a little longer. Once she arrives, we'll eat."
She sat beside Anthony with her hands folded neatly on her lap. Her posture was calm and elegant, but the smile she gave Adrian was warm.
In the business world, Jaena was known as a cold and ruthless woman. But here, in front of her family, she was simply their mother.
The room fell quiet again.
Sebastian continued typing, the sound filling the space once more.
Then, all of a sudden, it stopped.
"Are you handling that case, Jude?"
Sebastian finally looked up from his laptop and turned to his younger brother.
Jude paused, his fingers stilling on the screen of his iPad. For a moment, he did not answer.
Anthony looked at him. Jaena's smile faded slightly. Even Adrian, who had been ready to complain again, turned his head.
Jude looked up and met Sebastian's gaze, sighing heavily as he massaged the bridge of his nose.
"Yes," he said. "It's a high-profile case and a very...complicated one."
He glanced down at his iPad for a second before continuing.
"It was assigned directly to our office."
Jude was a prosecutor, known as the youngest in the country's history after earning the title at only twenty-three. Now, at twenty-five, he had already built a reputation most prosecutors could only dream of.
It was not only because of his age or his family background. It was because every case that passed through his hands ended the same way.
Victory.
In South Korea, being a prosecutor was not a simple position. Unlike in some countries where prosecutors mostly appeared in court, Korean prosecutors held far greater influence.
In the legal world, their authority was difficult to ignore. They could initiate and lead investigations, decide whether a case should be brought to trial, direct the police, and take control of major criminal cases.
Usually, prosecutors stepped in once a suspect had already been identified and the case was ready to move forward.
But this time was different.
Three gruesome murders had taken place one after another, and two of the victims came from powerful families in Seoul. One belonged to a chaebol family, while the other was the daughter of Seoul's Vice Mayor.
The moment those names became involved, the case was no longer just a local criminal investigation. It became a national issue.
And now, the President himself wanted the Prosecutors' Office to lead the investigation and solve the case as quickly as possible.
"So?" Adrian asked slowly. "Have you found a lead?"
Jude stared at him for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly. Then he looked back down at his iPad.
"No," he said. "We can't find anything."
Adrian blinked, then slowly pointed at him.
"You can't find anything?"
The corner of his mouth curled into a teasing smirk.
"Our dear Judie, the undefeated genius prosecutor, can't find a single clue?" He let out a short laugh. "That's new."
Jude's grip on the iPad tightened.
Adrian leaned back against the couch, clearly enjoying himself.
"Detective Jude Holmes finally found his Moriarty, huh?"
Jude's jaw clenched as he glared at his older brother, but he did not answer.
Because as much as he hated to admit it, Adrian was right. For the first time in a long while, Jude felt incompetent.
"There is someone powerful covering the killer's tracks. That much is certain," Jude said with a frown. Every crime scene he had investigated in this case was clean... very clean. It was as if every step had been calculated and every hole had been covered. This was the first time he had encountered such a meticulous killer.
"There is no such thing as a perfect crime. I must have missed something. Something small... something that may have seemed irrelevant."
Sebastian closed his laptop halfway, finally giving the conversation his full attention.
"Could it be the Yoon Group?" he asked. "The late third son of the Lee family had conflicts with the heir to Yoon Group, didn't he?"
Sebastian leaned back slightly, his expression thoughtful.
"But I don't know if they had any prior dealings with Choi Gwan-Dhuk or his daughter. There's no known animosity between them either."
"Hm." Jude nodded.
He already knew that much.
"Do you have any suspects?" Jaena asked.
"I have three names for now," Jude answered.
"They may point us toward a lead, but I can't form a proper theory without enough data."
As he spoke, his eyes moved briefly toward Adrian. Only for a second.
Then he looked away.
Because among the three names in Jude's mind, one of them was his very own brother.
Adrian.
"The Lees, Choi Gwan-Dhuk, and the Kims..." Anthony, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
Jaena's expression changed the moment he mentioned the Kims.
Anthony looked at his wife for a brief second before continuing.
"They're planning to form a political party for the coming election. So be extra careful. We don't know who the killer's next target will be."
The three brothers frowned at the sudden revelation.
Jude lowered his iPad.
"We're joining the fray, Mom?" His eyes shifted to Jaena, frowning. "I thought the Kims were neutral."
Jaena's eyes turned cold, her expression filled with visible disgust.
"Father changed his mind," she said. "Even I don't know why."
"What are you guys talking about?"
A familiar voice that everyone adored suddenly rang out from the entrance of the living room, drawing everyone's attention toward it.
Llana stood there, looking at them with curious eyes.
"Llana!"
Adrian sprang from his seat, life instantly returning to his eyes. He hurried toward his favourite sister, scooped her into his arms, and spun her around, drawing soft laughter from her.
"I missed you, my princess!"
He smiled brightly at her, the kind of smile he reserved only for her.
"I missed you too, my white knight," Llana said warmly, wrapping her arms around his neck in a tight hug.
"Don't be dramatic," Sebastian said flatly. "You just saw her six days ago."
As usual, Sebastian stepped in and broke them apart. He pulled Adrian aside without hesitation before drawing Llana into his own embrace.
"How are you, my dearest princess?" he asked, pressing a gentle kiss to her temple.
"I'm doing great, my dark knight," Llana murmured as she snuggled into his warmth. "You?"
"Brother is doing well too," Sebastian replied softly.
Jude watched them with a small smile on his lips, allowing the moment to wash away his worries, even if only for a while.
Then he stretched his arms wide.
"Hey, what about me?"
Llana did not disappoint him. She pulled away from Sebastian and went straight into Jude's arms, hugging him with the same enthusiasm.
Jude's smile softened as he held her.
Finally, Llana turned toward her parents.
"Mom. Dad."
She ran to them next.
Jaena's cold expression melted the moment her daughter came near. She opened her arms and welcomed Llana into her embrace.
"Hello, honey," she said softly. "Mommy missed you."
Anthony watched them quietly, his stern expression easing as Llana looked up at him.
"Welcome home," he said.
Llana smiled.
"I'm home."
"Come on, let's eat. "