Wonshik sat down at his desk roughly sketching out the medal emblem that both Park HaeJin and Kim HeeChan had. It couldn't have been a coincidence was his immediate thought. When he found the photo of the two graduating from KW and being in the same class, his instincts told him that something was up. When they asked Park HaeJin about Kim HeeChan, he acted like he only knew the man as a teacher and not close at all. But even if it's been 15 years, whether they knew each other or not, they were bound to recognize one another.

Although Wonshik had no suspicions of the two people at first, he couldn't help but think that these two were hiding something.

"I found it!" Hongbin shouted from his room and came dashing into the living room to show Wonshik something. "That emblem we, I mean you, found, was the old logo of KW High. Here, take a look at this."

Hongbin opens up a webpage listing a thorough timeline of KW International High School from the very beginning when it was first founded. The current logo of the school is quite generic even for a prestigious school, with wreathes wrapping the border and a silhouette of the school's contemporary architecture. But the logo that appears on the medal, despite having aged away, had a flower on it and a bird that seems to be kissing the flower.

"Seems like the school was founded right after the war by Park HaeJin's grandfather, Park WuKyung. He was young at that time and lived abroad for quite sometime. Being highly influenced by Western culture and its education system, he wanted to do the same in his own homeland. He wanted to change the traditional academic-heavy system in South Korea and make it more free or expressive. Once he graduated from university, he returned to Seoul and established KW with the inheritance of his family. But interestingly enough, when KW was first established, it was frowned upon and didn't have a lot of support because it was a public school," Hongbin read from the internet.

"When did it become like this?" Wonshik had to ask.

"When Park WuKyung was in his late fifties, the school was handed down to the vice principal at the time. They saw a growth in the education system but at the same time competition was soaring. Not only could KW not afford to be a free public school, but it seems that more expensive schools were in demand because the more expensive the school, the higher the quality so to speak. Kind of sad if you ask me," Hongbin commented. "Eventually, KW also started the ranking system, encouraging competition amongst the students but also with other prestigious schools across the country."

"And the emblem?"

"It seems that when the school was still under WuKyung, those who were considered top students would be rewarded with the emblems. It was a sign of recognition and hard work."

"Wait, if those medals were rewarded in the old school system, there's no way for both Park HaeJin and Kim HeeChan to have it. The reformation happened before they enrolled, right?" Wonshik noticed the two's age which didn't match with the school's timeline or history.

"Yeah... that's the weird part I don't get. But I can't find anything about it. This is all I found on the internet," Hongbin said. "Do you think we should just confront them about it? It might be a lot quicker."

"But also alarming them and letting them get away. They didn't mention one another for a good reason. We have to approach this case while their guard is still down. We can't allow them to destroy any sign of evidence relating to Class 404."

"Do you really think the two and the mass suicide is related though? I mean, it's already determined that the class killed themselves on their own and possibly under influence but how does that have anything to do with Park HaeJin or Kim HeeChan?"

There were just too many holes in the case and the two stories just didn't seem to be connected.

"I know what you're thinking but when we went to interrogate them, I noticed that the both of them said something quite similar," Wonshik told him.

"Huh?"

"They both assumed that the reasons behind the students' motives were from the pressure of their family and the school's competitive system. Park HaeJin also hinted out that his dream was to revert it back to the way his grandfather had envisioned it. The two clearly knew about their students' problems but never brought it up even after realizing Oh SaRang tried to kill herself multiple times. If they really care for their students as much as they seem to, they would've reported this to the police, don't you think?"

"And if they did, then Class 404 wouldn't have..." Hongbin couldn't even find the courage to mutter those words.

"That's why it's strange. They're hiding something and the fact that they obviously know each other and kept it a secret is also suspicious to me."

"Right. And based on the other staffs at the school, it seems they don't know about the two's past either. They never mentioned anything about the two together. Simply for the fact that Park HaeJin helped hiring Kim HeeChan."

"Exactly. I'll head over to the school tomorrow to investigate the grounds once more. We might be able to find out the source of those emblems from inside since there's nothing on the internet," Wonshik said.

"What about me?" Hongbin didn't want to feel left out.

"I want you to pay a visit to Oh SaRang's place. Though she's gone, she is the one with the most motives behind her suicide. She could be the catalyst to her class seeing how she's the Class President. I want you to see if her parents know anything about her suicide attempts as well," Wonshik said.

"Got it. Just... be careful, okay?"

"You too," Wonshik patted Hongbin on the back.

✣

Wonshik went straight to the campus after parting with Hongbin. It felt as if Wonshik have been frequenting the campus grounds too much since the case got assigned to him. Sometimes he would go to the school more than once a day to look for more clues. A once respected high school have turned into a place that felt as if it was haunted even in the daylight. There weren't many students on campus as most have already stopped attending and despite how hard the staffs of KW tried to persuade the parents into letting their child stay, none would listen. They didn't want their kids' future to be tarnished by an ominous high school.

Wonshik who have visited the campus several times now have only been looking at the current student records and the reports on Class 404 since the case revolved around its students but this time, it was different. He asked to look into the archives of the school since it was founded and to his surprise, there was indeed a lot of records to go through. Luckily, he knew exactly the year to look for.

Year 2005 graduates.

He dug through the archives to find the yearbook for the year in which both Park HaeJin and Kim HeeChan graduated. Without much difficulty, he found the book immediately and took it out. He skimmed across the pages to each class trying to look for both of the suspects and found Park HaeJin at the top of his class as the Class President during his year in no time. But then, as Wonshik continued to flip through the yearbook, Kim HeeChan was nowhere to be seen.

What's going on? Didn't he graduate from KW as well? Wonshik found it strange and decided to look through the previous yearbooks as well.

That's when Wonshik finally found Kim HeeChan. But it was in the previous two yearbooks rather than the third one. Does that mean that Kim HeeChan never graduated from KW like Park HaeJin? Worried that his theory about the two being acquainted could be wrong, Wonshik decided to look at the archives more carefully.

Knock. Knock.

"Um, Officer Kim?" it was the security guard, who was also the one who first discovered the mass suicide at the beginning of the case. "I found the recordings you were looking for the other day."

"Great. Can you show them to me?"

Wonshik have requested for security camera recordings for the night before the students locked themselves in their classroom and killed themselves. Although it is almost certain at this point that they have committed suicide, Wonshik didn't want to let go of any chances to find a suspect or someone who might have known about Class 404. He sat down with the security guard in front of a laptop and looked through the recordings of that night. As all of the teachers said, they left the school grounds around eight in the evening after their meeting, followed by Park HaeJin who was also seen driving through the gates, leaving the campus for the night.

"Do you have a camera that can show me more clearly of Class 404?" Wonshik asked.

"Here. We have a camera outside on the school grounds but it does show glimpses of the classroom," the security points at a classroom that was still lit and curtains closed. "This is Class 404."

Not long after all the teachers and staffs have left, one of the students from Class 404 went up to the windows and closed the curtains. From there, the lights were still on but momentarily around midnight, the lights turned off. Throughout the entire night, no one else have gone back into the school and no one left the school either. There really was no one except those who were in Class 404. In this case, all that could be concluded was indeed a mass suicide.

Wonshik didn't want to believe it but all the evidence surrounding the case have only led to one answer. The class of twenty-two students killed themselves in a single night. However, the reason why the students have chosen to end their lives in such a way remains a mystery...

"I still can't believe it. Why would such precious kids do something like that to themselves?" the security guard commented as he averted his eyes from watching the recording with Wonshik. "In all my life working at this school, I've never seen anything like this."

"That's right. You've mentioned that you've worked here for a long time. Exactly how long?" Wonshik decided to ask.

"Since it was founded almost. I watched this school go from nothing to one of the most prestigious school in our country. I saw this school surpassing all the hardships and obstacles, saw it strive and fall at the same time," he said. "But never have I seen anything like this..."

If he's been here since the beginning... then... does that mean?

"Then you know that the current principal Park HaeJin is the grandson of the founder?" Wonshik asked.

"Of course! Everyone knows that. Mr. Park was once a student here as well. I saw him growing up and even I was surprised when he took over, seeing how much he's grown over the years."

"Then what about Kim HeeChan, the homeroom teacher?" Wonshik continues to ask further.

"Ah, you know? He was a student here at KW as well. The same year and same class as Mr. Park," the security guard told him.

"Were they friends?"

"Hmm, friends? I wouldn't say that. I do remember them being close at one point but more as rivals. After all, Mr. Kim was elected to be in the student council along with Mr. Park during their second-year."

"Student council? Can you tell me more?"

"Well, back then, the student council was a different system compared to now. Only those who were in the top rankings of the school could be a part of the council. Both Mr. Park and Mr. Kim's grades were excellent at the time, and everyone knew that they were neck-to-neck when it came to the rankings. Mr. Park was chosen as the vice-president of the student council and other students also nominated Mr. Kim to be the treasurer. I remember Mr. Park insisting Mr. Kim as well to join even though they didn't really seem to get along."

"What happened?"

"Well, nothing really. Mr. Kim turned down the offer since he said he didn't have the time to do so. He didn't come from a rich family and often had to take care of his family. He was even caught at one point doing part-time jobs even though it was forbidden as the school rules. But honestly speaking, the two weren't like enemies or anything. More like friendly rivals if you ask me. They were quite different in personality but when it came to intellectuals, they were really a good match. I was surprised when Mr. Park asked to hire Mr. Kim as the homeroom teacher though. It was quite a pleasant surprise," the security guard said.

"Wait, so it was Park HaeJin who asked to hire Kim HeeChan?" Wonshik was starting to see a connection.

"Yes. He was quite firm on the decision too. None of the teachers knew of Mr. Kim and since he's quite young, the other teachers didn't really know whether it was a good decision or not. But Mr. Park insisted on hiring Mr. Kim and even putting his own position at stake for him."

It seems that Park HaeJin definitely saw Kim HeeChan more than just a teacher with potentials. They were much closer than that and acted as if they didn't have anything to do with one another.

"I'd like to ask you something else," Wonshik took out a drawing to show the man. "Do you recognize this symbol?"

"This emblem! Wow, I haven't seen this in a long time," the security guard recognized it right away.

"You know this? Do you know what it is?"

"Of course."

The man paused for a second fully reminiscing about the past.

"How long has it been? More than 15 years ago now? This medal emblem was a symbol of a member of the student council back then. It was a rare one and only limited to those who earned it after being recognized by the students and the founders. It was like a symbol of pride and joy for anyone who had it. At the moment, anyone could be a part of the student council but they're not all of the top students in our school. But back in the days, the student councils were all the top-ranking students, so they had quite the influence in school and this emblem was exactly a proof of that. Recognition and pride."

"Do you know why the school stopped giving out these emblems? I looked it up and saw that the symbol on this emblem was one of the old school logos, isn't it?" Wonshik asked to confirm.

"Yes. It is, you're correct. Hmm... I don't know if I should say this or not but..." the guard begins to mumble a little to himself. "Actually, the reason why the emblem stopped being given out to the students was because of a rumor after a tragic accident 15 years ago."

"Accident? What happened?"

"The student council president at the time died. He went missing at first, but his body was later found right here at the school."

"What?" Wonshik was startled to hear that this wasn't the first time an incident has happened at the school.

"It was a huge uproar back then. It first started with his disappearance and later, his body was discovered, buried in the school gardens. The case was all over the news! But the police never caught the killer and so, people started talking. There was distrust amongst the student council as well and everyone drifted apart, both students and teachers. Rumors started to spread, saying how the student council president died due to someone being jealous of the ranking system or the privileges the student council got. Members of the council eventually got targeted by other students and even teachers. So, the shareholders and founders all agreed to stop giving the student council benefits or favoritism as some people called it."

One mystery continues as another was left unfinished. The prestigious KW International High School had an ominous aura looming all over it.

"Do you remember the name of the student council president?" Wonshik decides to look into the case while he was at it. In one way or another, everything might connect in the end.

"His name was Moon SangCheol."

✣

"I don't know what you expect to find here officer but make it quick. We don't have all the time in the world. Our daughter has already passed away for a week and we just want to put the case to rest," Oh SaRang's mother said to Hongbin as he came to investigate the motives behind her death. The woman was obviously annoyed at Hongbin and even looked down on him as if he was a poor officer with no status or money to be talking to her. Hongbin recognized that look immediately and sighed.

If only she knew... Hongbin chuckled to himself about the ridiculous situation as he saw the woman struts away.

How friendly, he continues to make his sarcastic remarks.

Oh SaRang's house was definitely big and luxurious. Coming from a highly influential family and going to one of the most prestigious schools in South Korea, this was a given. The attitude of her parents however, despite her death, was obnoxious. The moment Hongbin came to investigate their daughter's case, not only did they not show any grieve or gratitude, but they didn't even want to know why their daughter killed herself. Don't they want answers?

Don't tell me they've already moved on? She's their only daughter and this is how they treat her... maybe they were right about her choosing an easy way out. Hongbin shook his head trying to not become too sentimental at the same time with the victim since he knew that could get in the way of his investigation.

He went inside Oh SaRang's bedroom where everything was still in the same place, left untouched and perfect to find answers. If her family have already cleaned everything up, for sure it would be hard to search for clues.

Her room was very tidy and organized. There was a few furniture but aside from her bookshelf, everything was kept to a minimum. There weren't any posters or even CDs or movies, like girls most her age would have. On her bookshelf was filled with textbooks and studying materials only. She even had textbooks that were at the graduate level, which should be difficult for her age. When Hongbin went to open one up, he could see that Oh SaRang had completed most of the exercises and even had many notes in them.

"She's really smart, what is all this gibberish?" Hongbin couldn't even solve a question on the first page.

She seems ready to go to university seeing how she prepped everything for her major. So why... why did you kill yourself? It just doesn't add up.

Continuing to investigate her room, Hongbin also saw a laptop on her desk. When he turned it on, he noticed it was protected with a password. Knowing well he doesn't know the password, he decided to look around Oh SaRang's room more to see if she wrote the password anywhere. That's when he found a journal hidden at the bottom of her dresser.

"They yelled at me again," Hongbin read one of the entries at random.

I placed first during the exams and even my teachers told me I did well. But mom and dad never said one thing. They didn't even come home that night to celebrate with me. Telling me it was one of their business trips again. When I gave them my report card, all they told me was that it's a given I got a high score. Spending all that money on tutoring me and stuff. It's the same as usual. They even dare tell me that if I placed anything but first, I would be a disgrace to the family. It doesn't make any sense. Shouldn't they be proud of me? I studied night and day for them, so that they would at lease give me the slightest praise. Just once would be enough. But they never. Is a simple 'good job', really that hard? Are they really my parents? I'm beginning to doubt it...

Oh SaRang wrote many of her entries about her family