(Arc 1 : The raven and the dragon)

After getting back home, Gwenval sent most of the photographic evidence he had to his brother before taking a shower. Kaelan, who was going to spend the night at his place, had buried his head in Eika's soft fur.

After dressing up, the musician told his friend that he could use the bathroom if he wanted to, then went into the kitchen to make some tea. Then he went to the large floor to ceiling window of his apartment to watch the city. Although he still had questions, he felt much more relaxed about the whole situation.

Later, his phone began to vibrate. It was Ashlay calling him.

"Hello?" began Gwenval.

"Did you get home okay?"

"Mhmm... And how are things at the hotel?"

"Everyone was more scared than hurt. The guests will have special discounts and benefits at one of our hotels. Overall, the event was well received. The Turquoise's reputation is not tarnished."

"That's good news to hear."

"Gwen Gwen..."

"Yes?"

Ashlay paused. As if he wanted to ask something, but did not dare.

"Would it be okay if I picked you up at your place tomorrow and took you to the police station?"

"You don't have to. I'll go with Kaelan... but you can take me home if you want. Kae has to go back to the hotel to finish some of his work. He also has some papers to sign."

"Yes!" Ashlay exclaimed excitedly.

At the other end of the line we heard the voice of Secretary Shin calling Ashlay.

"I've got to go... see you tomorrow, Gwen Gwen."

"See you tomorrow, Ashlay."

Gwenval hung up and continued to look out of the window while he drank his tea.

" "See you tomorrow, Ashlay." " Kaelan imitated sweetly.

The pianist suddenly turned to his friend, his cheeks slightly red.

"Kae, don't start."

"I see you're getting along well with Sir Nienrao. Have you chosen a restaurant for your first date?"

Kaelan came to sit in a chair next to Gwenval.

"It's not a..." 

Gwenval stopped to think about his answer and realized something.

"Yes, it is... I let him decide... And with Bai? Were you able to talk to him?"

"We talked..." Kaelan's face flushed a bit again just thinking about it.

The musician noticed the strange expression on his friend's face.

"He refused your apology?"

"No, that's not it..." The painter said, shaking his head. "He agreed to forgive me. He is just more unpredictable than I thought."

" "Unpredictable"?"

Suddenly an email notification appeared on Gwenval's phone. The musician opened the message and started to read it. Kaelan approached his friend.

"What is it?" Asked Kaelan.

Gwenval showed him the message.

"Oh! That's right. It's the beginning of the month. Are you going?"

Gwenval nodded his head.

"I could not go last month. It will help me to relieve the pressure."

"A lot of people must be eager to see you again, too."

"Maybe..."

He finished reading the message and closed his phone. Then he went to put his cup of tea in the kitchen sink.

"What if we went out for dinner tonight? Do you have any ideas?"

"Thai?" Kaelan suggested.

"Kae..."

The painter burst out laughing.

____

It was about half past six. Park Dae Jung was sitting alone in an interrogation room, handcuffed. He was much calmer than before, but he still seemed just as disoriented. Lioren, Detective Kang and a few other officers watched him from the room on the other side of the mirror.

An officer came in and handed Lioren and Detective Kang documents. He began to read information:

"Park Dae Jung, 46. He is a famous pianist in the world of Korean classical music. He began his career 24 years ago. He has performed in many places in Asia and the rest of the world. He has no criminal record and has never been seen as a negative person. He has been teaching piano at the largest conservatory in Seoul for ten years. After verification, he has no connection with the musician Altaha Gwenval, except for being invited to certain events at the same time. Given his condition, it is quite possible that Park Dea Jung may have used illegal substances. Samples have been taken and are currently being analyzed. The same applies to the contents of the syringe found in the chamber."

"Has he called his lawyer?" Asked Lioren.

"No, not yet. He hasn't said anything since we brought him here."

Lioren kept an eye on Park Dae Jung. He tried to find the motive. If this man had no connection to his brother, then what made him commit such an extreme act?

"I will question him. Prosecutor Altaha, you stay here." Detective Kang tell.

"I want to participate in the interrogation as well." Lioren objected.

"Absolutly not. When it comes to your brother, you quickly lose your temper. Since this is about a member of your family, you shouldn't even be here. You know that very well. Stay here and watch, please."

Lioren sighed and then gestured to Inspector Kang that he understood and could go. He then crossed his arms and continued to watch Park Dae Jung.

Inspector Kang gave the prosecutor a small smile and then went to the room where Park Dae Jung was. After entering, he immediately sat down on the chair in front of the criminal and opened the laptop that was already on the table.

"Good evening, Mr. Park. I'm Detective Kang Atlas. I'm in charge of your case. According to the information we have, you lead a rather disciplined life. I want to understand what motivated you."

Silence. For many seconds, Park Dae Jung remained silent, his head bowed.

"What are you accusing the musician Altaha Gwenval of?"

"EVERYTHING? It's his fault! It's his fault! It's his fault!" The criminal repeated loudly.

Everyone was very surprised. Lioren turned to one of his colleagues.

"When will we have the results of the tests?"

"Tomorrow morning at the earliest."

"Find a way to access his medical records as well. I want to know if he is currently being treated and since when."

"Yes, sir!"

The young officer to whom Lioren addressed himself quickly went out to carry out his request.

In the interrogation room, Park Dae Jung continued to shake abnormally. He held his hair tightly. Inspector Kang watched him silently.

"What did he do to you to bring you here?" He asked again.

"... If he had not been there... If he had not been there, I could have lived normally... He is everywhere..."

"What do you mean?"

"He is everywhere!" He shouted again. "Ever since he appeared, everyone is talking about him. Everyone says he is a prodigy. A prodigy? And then what? That's what they think! I wanted to show them. I wanted to show them that their "prodigy" could disappear at any moment. That's why I started to scare him. So they could see him tremble. But you know what that arrogant little brat? He ignored me! He acted as if I didn't exist! Everything I did did not matter to him! Who does he think he is?! I had to step up. Don't you agree, Detective?"

The officers present with Lioren instinctively turned to him. Although he seemed calm, he clenched his fists and his eyes were cold as he stared at the criminal. No one dared to say anything.

A few minutes later, Lioren received an email. Gwenval had sent him a link to a drive containing all the necessary evidence. The prosecutor shared the link with a member of his team and continued to follow the interrogation.

"You thought it was unfair that a newcomer had so much visibility. Is that why you wanted to kill Mr. Altaha?"

"No." Replied Park Dea Jung, shaking his head quickly. "No, I wanted him to lose all he have. Of course, it's unfair but if I had killed him, it would have come back to me and everyone would have seen him as a martyr. No. No. To erase all traces of him, it was necessary to change his image."

The inspector had already made his own assumptions about Park Dae Jung's motives and actions towards Gwenval. Some of his suspicions seemed to be true.

The air around Lioren also became very heavy.

"What was in the syringe?"

Park Dae Jung suddenly stopped talking and looked away.

"I...I...I don't know... I wanted to kill him... I wanted to see him dead... Whatever it takes, whatever the way, he must die.."

"Mr. Park, you just said that you didn’t mean to do that. Why suddenly change your speech? What was in the syringe?" Asked Detective Kang again.

"I don’t know... He had to disappear... He had to die..."

"Mr. Park!"

The criminal remained silent. After a few minutes, he leaned back in his chair.

"I want to see my lawyer."

Inspector Kang nodded and turned off the computer. It was clear that he had hit a nerve and would get nothing more.

"Sure." He nodded as he stood up.

He turned to the two-way mirror for a few seconds, then left the room. Back in the observation room, he instructed his colleagues to take Park Dae Jung to a detention cell. Then, he found himself alone with Lioren.

"What do you think, Altaha?"

"That you did well not to let me in to interrogate him." Lioren replied, still holding his fists. "Respected or not, I don't care. He wanted to ruin Gwen's life just because he thought my brother was taking up too much space in the spotlight?! Is this a joke ?!"

Inspector Kang approached Lioren and placed a hand on the prosecutor's shoulder. Lioren calmed down almost immediately.

"I don't get the feeling that he's pretending to be crazy. I don't know what has happened to him that he has decided to target your brother, but what is certain is that there are drugs involved in this case. The question is which ones." Inspector Kang concluded.

"Given his condition, he must have been under influence for a long time."

"Why target Gwenval? He was not afraid to say that he wanted to kill him, but refused to talk about the syringe. Does that make sense?" Thinked Lioren.

After the first interrogation, Lioren and Kang Atlas gathered their team to discuss the case. An hour later, the prosecutor and the inspector visited Park Dae Jung's relatives to find out more about him.

For the rest of the evening, various people were questioned about their relationship with the perpetrator, while his past and present were searched.

Ashlay and Hao Ming were able to quickly put the hotel back in order. The lobby was almost completely tidied up, as if nothing had happened.

It was announced that the painting Kaelan created during his performance would be auctioned off. Some of his paintings would also be donated to the Turquoise Hotel.

Finally, it was agreed that the room where Kaelan's work was displayed would remain open and accessible to all hotel guests for a some time.

Ashlay's mother had lobbied the media not to release information about both Gwenval and Park Dae Jung, in order not to interfere with the investigation.

Fortunately, no dangerous objects such as explosives or other items were found in the hotel. It was all a bluff to prevent Gwenval from defending himself.

The next morning, as promised, Gwenval and Kaelan turned up at the police station. Ashlay and Hao Ming arrived a few minutes later. Secretary Shin was in charge of the hotel management while Ashlay was away.

Gwenval had with him the pile of threatening letters that had been sent to him, as well as the USB disks with all the surveillance videos from his recording studio and the one from the Seoul Arts Centre. Ashlay also provided the videos recorded at Turquoise over the past week.

Everyone wanted this story to end.