🗝️🗝️🍀🍀*THE ARCHITECT OF SILENCE*🗝️🗝️🍀🍀
*CHAPTER 5*
🪷🪷*PARK JAE IN'S POV*🪷🪷
Phones flashed.
Whispers spread like infection.
"Murder."
The word followed me down the hallway.
Ridiculous.
I let out a dry laugh.
"Me? Murder? Are you sure you have the right person?"
Mrs. Kim stepped forward nervously.
"There must be some mistake—"
The detective didn't even glance at her.
"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law…"
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
As if I were ordinary.
I stepped closer.
"You should reconsider who you're speaking to."
He didn't flinch.
I pushed his hand away.
"Do you even know who my father is—"
Then—Tae Min.
He appeared suddenly, pushing through the crowd.
"Let her go. We'll handle this internally."
The detective actually smiled.
"This isn't a school council meeting."
The hallway felt tighter.
Students stopped recording.
For the first time, the situation felt… inconvenient.
"I'll go," I said, lifting my chin. "But this will not end well for you."
They didn't respond.
They escorted me out.
And no one stopped them.
***
🌺🌺MI JIN AH'S POV🌺🌺
The ceiling above me was white.
Too white.
My hand throbbed.
A slow, burning pulse beneath the bandages.
I pulled the IV from my arm.
The machine beeped in protest.
The room tilted.
Darkness swallowed me.
---
When I opened my eyes again, the nurse was adjusting the drip.
"You should rest," she said gently.
Rest?
I turned my head toward the window.
Police lights flashed faintly in the distance.
Perfect.
***
🪷🪷*PARK JAE IN'S POV*🪷🪷
The interrogation room was smaller than I expected.
Cold metal table.
Single camera in the corner.
Detective Song placed a file in front of me.
"Park Jae In," he said calmly. "Can you explain your involvement in the murder at Seolleung-ro 119-gil?"
I stared at him.
"Murder?" I repeated.
"You were captured on CCTV near the scene."
Impossible.
That street.
That photo.
Someone had sent it to me.
Someone had known.
"If you keep refusing to answer," he continued, "you're only making this worse."
I leaned back.
"My father will have me out of here in minutes."
As if summoned—
A knock.
The door opened.
My father stepped inside.
I stood immediately.
"Dad—"
A hand stopped me from moving closer.
He didn't hug me.
Didn't defend me.
"Tell them what happened," he said quietly. "We'll talk later."
And just like that—
He left.
The silence afterward felt heavier than the accusation.
The detective watched my expression change.
"You'd be surprised," he said softly, "how quickly protection disappears."
I clenched my fists.
"I didn't kill her."
He paused.
Then leaned forward.
"If you didn't kill her," he said carefully, "how do you know the victim was a girl?"
My breath caught.
The room felt smaller.
"You were identified on camera," he continued. "Near the scene. Same time of death."
That was impossible.
Unless—
Someone wanted it to be possible.
"How did you know it was me?" I asked quietly.
He held my gaze.
"A witness came forward."
My heartbeat slowed.
A witness?
Who?
His phone buzzed.
He glanced at the screen.
Looked at me again.
Then stood.
"Another witness has arrived," he said. "Please enter."
The door opened slowly.
Footsteps echoed against the floor.
And then—
She stepped inside.
Calm.
Bandaged hand.
Eyes unreadable.
Mi Jin.
For the first time—
I felt something unfamiliar.
Not fear.
Not guilt.
But the sensation of being watched from the shadows long before I noticed.
The Devil had just entered the room.
🗝️🗝️🍀🍀END OF CHAPTER 5🍀🍀🗝️🗝️