CASE 7 - Bloody Monday

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It was supposed to be a usual Monday where the professors are getting ready for another week of lectures and students resuming their studies or hanging out with their classmates. But on this very Monday, the peaceful Seoul National University became a scene of chaos and panic.

This Monday has become a bloody Monday.

When things were supposed to go on as usual, a mass murder occurred within broad daylight while the students were all attentively in their respective classes. The suspect was apprehended as soon as the police arrived but it was already too late. The casualties were too high – dozens were injured and seven were found dead at the scene of the crime. Everyone was innocent bystanders who happened to have been at the scene at the wrong time. When the emergency sirens went off, most people thought it was simply just a drill and either stayed within their classrooms or hung around near school but screams started to travel through the hallways from one building to another. That's when everyone realized that this was not so simple.

The university was forced to close down for the day and all of those who were on campus had to be sent home until notices was released for classes to resume. However, the news of the massacre immediately traveled across the nation and eventually, everyone started to talk about it. What happened? Why did it happen? No one could explain it.

But the biggest problem wasn't just the massacre or the victims but the suspect who was caught red-handed.

He couldn't remember anything he had done despite having evidence that he committed such a horror across his own university.

"Name?" Wonshik asked his colleague who apprehended the suspect first.

"Lee Yoonhwa, twenty-two this year and studying Computer Engineering at SNU," his colleague replied. "We asked some of the witnesses at the university who happened to have seen the whole thing and they all said that he suddenly went berserk in the middle of class. He pulled out a razor blade from his pencil case and slashed the throat of his next seat neighbor, who's also his best friend. After that, he ran around the school and started to kill anyone who was caught in his way. He didn't say anything or shouted about anything during his rampage but just continued until I got to the scene... it was horrifying. But after we brought him back, he blacked out for a minute and when he woke up, he said he couldn't remember anything or why he was here in the first place."

Wonshik looked at the suspect from afar, who only stared down at the floor, slouched and shaking in fear. He noticed Yoonhwa couldn't stop his hands from shaking and tried to wipe the blood off his hands, it was as if he was terrified at what he had done but confused at the same time.

"You said he doesn't remember?" Wonshik asked.

"Yeah and from the looks of it, it doesn't seem like he's acting either. When we told him that his friend was killed by him, he literally broke down in front of us and started to cry. Usually, I don't buy into this kind of thing but I've never seen someone behave so differently from when we caught him and after he came here. It really looked as if he didn't know what was going on. Anyways, I'll leave this case up to Homicides."

"Yeah. I'll take a look at it with Hongbin. Thanks for the info. If you find anything else, please let us know," Wonshik said.

Wonshik and Hongbin decided to talk with Yoonhwa in person after he had calmed down a little. When the two of them went into the interrogations room, Yoonhwa started to tremble again but couldn't meet them in the eyes. Was he feeling guilty?

"We'd like to ask you a few questions," Wonshik started. "What was the last thing you remember before you were brought here?"

"I-I don't know," the suspect's voice was shaking and choking at the same time. "I was in the middle class and taking notes of the lecture. Byung and I were chatting about what to do for summer vacation after finals are over and then... I couldn't remember anything else after that and the next thing I knew, I came here and Byung is..."

"Byung is your best friend?" Hongbin asked.

Yoonhwa nodded.

"How did the two of you guys meet?"

"We were in the same high school together and members of the same club. We had a club called the Tech Club in high school where we just create things together. We often get people who make fun of us or call us names because they don't understand, but Byung always knew what was on my mind. He was everything I had. I would never kill him! I don't even know why I did it... how could I do such a thing?" Yoonhwa didn't deny the claims but instead, he kept asking himself the questions that had no answers to it.

His conditions were very unstable and no further answers could be found through the interrogations. So, Wonshik assigned Yoonhwa to the psychiatrist to take a further look into the case while he and Hongbin went to look over the case files.

"Was he lying, you think?" Hongbin asked.

"I wish I knew," Wonshik could only say.

"Usually we're good at figuring out this kind of lie but he really looked unstable when we showed him some of the evidence from the scene especially Byung. Killing his own friend and not remembering it... if it's true that he doesn't remember, I feel bad for him," Hongbin sighed.

They found a photo of Yoonhwa and Byung together inside of Yoonhwa's wallet as well as several in his phone. It seemed as if their relationship was very close and there were smiles whenever they were together. Yet, no one could have ever imagined for such horror to occur. Aside from his best friend, all of the victims who were caught in the middle of the massacre had no relationship with Yoonhwa. So, Wonshik and Hongbin decided to go to the university to investigate further into the case the very next day.





Although the horrifying event had happened yesterday, classes were slowly back in session. The Computer Engineering faculty, however, was still closed for investigation. But the rest of the campus seemed as if they could care less. Though there were murmurs and whispers all around, everything didn't feel anymore unusual than the usual. When Wonshik and Hongbin arrived at the scene, yellow tape was everywhere and the cleaners scattered all around the department to wipe away the blood stains and chaos along the classrooms and hallways.

"This is crazy," Hongbin commented. He almost felt sick just looking at the place. "I mean, I've seen dead people and stuff all the time but this is on another level. What do you think happened to have caused Yoonhwa to do all this? Do you think he really can't remember anything or was he lying?"

"Not sure but based on his body language and the way his eyes were shifting, I'd say it was more from fear than trying to lie. But, we won't know until we check further into this case. Com'on," Wonshik gestured.

As all of the witnesses have already reported, the classrooms all ended up covered with blood and panic. Chairs were knocked over, papers and textbooks scattered and blood stains were smeared across the hallways. Though both Wonshik and Hongbin have seen enough blood being in the Homicide Investigations Department, this was still a terrifying place to be. If even the two of them found this place so hard to stand, what about those who were actually here at the time of the crime? It must have been traumatizing.

"Why did he suddenly go berserk? Eunji checked Yoonhwa's medical records and said he didn't have any mental disorders nor was he undergoing any drugs or medications, right?" Hongbin asked.

"Yeah. I also looked into the suspect's family and background but they all seemed rather normal too. An average household basically. When I went over this morning to ask them about what they know, even they were in disbelief. The mother wouldn't stop crying," Wonshik told him.

"Man, I feel bad for them."

"Yeah."

Wonshik and Hongbin were stumped to find the cause immediately and the scene of the massacre had only proven to be less of the use to solving the case. Everything just felt out of place and there were no possible motives for Yoonhwa to have started all of this either. They asked all the professors as well as those who were in the same faculty as the suspect yet everyone who knew of the suspect said the same thing, "he didn't seem like the type".

As Wonshik and Hongbin decided to head back to their car to the station, Hongbin recognized a familiar face.

"Oh?" Hongbin's face perked up immediately. "Jaehwan-ah!"

"Ya-" Wonshik missed the chance to hold his partner back.

Hongbin ran up to his younger cousin and completely disregarded Wonshik who was urging to go back to the station immediately to investigate the situation.

"Hongbin-hyung..." Jaehwan didn't seem too happy to see Hongbin especially since Hakyeon was with him at the same time. The two of them were going to head home together as usual after classes have ended.

"That's right! You go to SNU too," Hongbin finally remembered. "Are you okay? Did you hear what happened? Did you get away safely?"

"There's no way I wouldn't know what happened..." Jaehwan mumbles to himself. "Anyways, I'm fine hyung. I didn't have class that day."

"You must've been shocked to hear what happened, huh?"

"Yeah."

"And you're Hakyeon, right?" Hongbin finally noticed Hakyeon next to Jaehwan.

"Yeah. It's nice to meet you again," Hakyeon tried to smile at the unexpected encounter.

"Really?" Hongbin teased Hakyeon a little.

"I-"

"I'm joking~ anyways, thanks for always taking care of Jaehwan though. I didn't mention it last time when we met. I've always heard your name from aunt and uncle so I knew you sounded familiar."

"I see," Hakyeon didn't know how to respond.

"Anyways, I've gotta say, I'm surprised at how fast everyone went back to school as if nothing happened though. Everything happened just yesterday yet everything is back to normal," Hongbin said.

"That's not true," Jaehwan told him.

"Jaehwan's right. It may seem like no one has been affected by what happened yesterday but that's just a false façade. Everyone in our class, as well as other facilities, have been talking about it and many people didn't want to come to school today either. This whole incident didn't just affect the Computer Engineering Faculty but the entire university itself. Everyone is just worried and trying to pretend as if everything is okay," Hakyeon adds.

"You two are in the Criminology Department, right?" Hongbin asks.

"Yes."

"Why do you think this all happened?"

"Yah," Wonshik finally pulled Hongbin back. It could be bad to be strayed by assumptions by those who weren't at the scene and completely inexperienced with the case.

"It doesn't hurt to ask," Hongbin said.

"We can't give you a direct answer, but the Yoonhwa I know isn't a bad kid," Hakyeon said.

"You know the suspect?" Wonshik asks.

"A little. He's a part of the Science and Technology Club since his freshman year and I've talked with him before for one of my thesis."

"Your thesis?"

"I'm majoring Criminology but my main focus is criminal profiling," Hakyeon told them. "As you know, technology and inventions have proven to be a good influence in finding the truth behind the motives for criminal activities. So, I asked Yoonhwa's input for one of my thesis regarding that topic a few semesters ago."

"Wow, you're hardworking," Hongbin commented.

"Can you tell us what you know of Lee Yoonhwa?" Wonshik asks.

"Just a little but not too much. However, from working with him, I can tell you he's not the type to act violently or behave the way he did yesterday. Though I wasn't at the scene, from what I heard, it didn't seem like the Lee Yoonhwa I know. He was helpful during the time he was helping me with my thesis and offered to gather information that he didn't need to. He's a nice guy who's willing to go out of his way to help others, so I doubt he would behave the way he did yesterday."

"But it's a fact that he did," Wonshik reminded him.

"That's true but there has to be a cause or reason behind his actions. Something must have triggered him to go out of control. That's what I think, at least."

Hakyeon, like everyone else, said the same thing when describing the suspect. Lee Yoonhwa didn't seem like the type to start a massacre in broad daylight but the real problem was not only the massacre. It was the fact that even he couldn't remember why he did it.

"You mentioned that he was in the Science and Technology Club?" Wonshik asks to confirm.

"Yes."

"Thanks. We'll look into it. We might ask you more questions in the future, so if you don't mind, we'd like you to cooperate with us."

"Of course."





After they separated from Hakyeon and Jaehwan, Wonshik and Hongbin decided to head back onto campus to look for the Science and Technology Club which Yoonhwa was a part of. They got permission to look at the club records as well as club activities. It seems that the club has participated in many projects despite the very small number of members it had.

"Looks like this is Yoonhwa's locker," Hongbin pointed out the name tag on one of the lockers in the clubroom.

They opened it expecting to find some sort of evidence but unfortunately, aside from it filled with textbooks and notes, there was nothing more. They also saw that the door of the locker was plastered with sticky notes based on all of Yoonhwa's past inventions.

"Anything?"

"Not yet," Wonshik shook his head as he rummaged through the locker and papers.

Hongbin sighed, "this case is a headache and we're really getting nowhere. The media is going to bitch about it later if we don't find something..."

Wonshik took out the records of the members who have joined and left the club. Although there weren't a lot of members in the first place, many who have stayed continued to stay as well. So, it was only right for Wonshik to ask any of the existing members if they knew anything strange with the suspect.

"You're Mari? Member of the STC? Do you know of Lee Yoonhwa?" Hongbin asked a girl on campus as they found her class schedule from the dean.

"Yeah..." she looked nervous. "Um, how's Yoonhwa? Is he okay?"

"He's in shock at the moment about the incident. He said he doesn't remember anything so we'd like you to tell us what you know of him," Hongbin asked. "You've been in the same club as him for a long time, right? What kind of person is he?"

She looked at Hongbin and Wonshik, a little sad but still tried to cooperate," I think you'll get the same answer as me even if you ask other people. Yoonhwa is really sweet and serious at the same time. He's hardworking and always helps us out whenever we have problems we couldn't solve. He's really good at what he does compare to any of us. Especially me... I love inventing things and making strange gadgets but there are always times when I thought about giving up because, in the end, the things I make are useless to society. But Yoonhwa always tried to tell me that there will be people who see the use of my inventions and that they're unique. The encouragement he gave me since the beginning is what held me up for a long time. It's not just me, but everyone in this club would think so too. That's why, when that thing happened yesterday... we couldn't believe it."

"Were you on campus yesterday?" Wonshik asked.

"I was and ... I saw it. I couldn't believe it," she grabbed her arms in fear as she recalled the horrific scene she witnessed. "He was going around and killing people in his way, like a completely different person. He even killed Byung! The Lee Yoonhwa I know would never do something like that! I remember he once jumped in front of a car just to protect Byung from getting hit while they were goofing around. How can someone who was willing to risk his life for his best friend suddenly do anything to harm him? I just find that hard to believe!"

"Do you know if Yoonhwa has been suffering from anything psychological? Like a mental illness?" Hongbin asked.

"No. He's really healthy from what I can see. He's only ever stressed out whenever we have to prepare for a competition or exhibition."

"Can you tell us more about that?" Wonshik asks.

"Well, our club is only a few members at the moment, right? So, we've been on the verge of breaking up several times since the university kept saying they didn't have the budget for us. To counter that, the only thing we could do is to impress and appeal during competitions with other schools. We've been having a lot of troubles the past few competitions but last semester was completely different! We were doing something on sound waves and frequencies that can detect and influence our brain activities such as our behaviors or actions. It was Yoonhwa's idea because he said that sounds were fascinating and he wanted to be able to understand it more. We spent months on perfecting our invention and during the last competition, we finally got first prize. So, the university promised not to shut our club down. We were all so happy that day and we even celebrated it with promise to make the device even more perfect, but than this, all happened..."

She went into one of the shelves at the club room and took out a picture frame, a group picture with all the members taking a photo with the trophy from the competition. Everyone was very happy together in the photo and Yoonhwa, as well as Byung, had large smiles on them while kissing the trophy.

"Huh?" Hongbin noticed something," isn't this Park Hyoshin?"

"Yes. He's a professor here at SNU in the Crim Department but he was also our club advisor until the end of last semester. He was really sad about having to hand the club to another advisor but he's been too busy working on his book."

"You know him?" Wonshik asked Hongbin.

"You don't?" Hongbin asked back. "You serious? Park Hyoshin is like famous in the police force especially in the crime investigations departments because he's one of the top criminal profilers in our country especially when he was younger."

"So?"

"Oh my god... Wonshik-ah, you need to get out more and learn about the world. Anyways, his profiling abilities are on a whole new level and he's helped the police several times before he resigned. He's helped us arrest numerous top criminals in the past and his ability to read into individual criminal's behaviors have helped us explain many things as to why some people commit a crime."

"Oh."

Wonshik still didn't seem too impressed, leaving Hongbin dumbfounded with a big sigh.

"Oh! Maybe we can ask him if he knows anything about Yoonhwa. I mean, he used to be their club advisor right, so it means he should know the suspect a little more or less than us. Right?" Hongbin suggested.

"I guess."

But as the two of them went to Hyoshin's office, the professor wasn't around to answer their questions. He was on holiday for the week and wouldn't be returning until the next day. So, Wonshik had no choice but to look into the case himself until he was able to find Hyoshin to answer his questions about the suspect.





"Here is the information you wanted," Eunji said as she placed some files down for Wonshik. "I looked into Lee Yoonhwa's medical history and it seems like he's completely fine. He's never had to attend any consultations and I've also looked into some of his childhood

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