13 Guests 1 Killer

In a dark corner of the mind, an object materializes, or rather a house, large and luxurious both outside and inside. It's not exactly a mansion, but it's the home of Choi Seungcheol, the right-hand man of the Metropolitan Police and one of the most sought-after and famous private detectives. Contrary to popular belief about a detective who is always close to death and never falls in love, Seungcheol finds himself happily married to one of the most sought-after composers of his time, Lee Jihoon. The two decide to throw a New Year's Eve party together with their lifelong friends. The party was thrown to socialize and talk about what they have been through since they last saw each other. Not everything ends up going as planned though. At the beginning of the party, things are going well. Seungcheol is in the middle of the main hall watching his guests. His young husband is in the inner garden with Kim Joshua, who, along with his brother, is the heir to Kim's fortune, and his partner Yoon Jeonghan, who gave birth to their son, a little prodigy named Jang, who is set to graduate from elementary school at age 5. Joshua's brother, Kim Mingyu stands with his partner Jeong Wonwoo and big money bank owner Wen Junhui; all three are chatting amicably while enjoying wine. Near the appetizer table, Kwon Soonyoung, the director of the main hall, and his loyal friend Choi Hansol, a famous writer, are laughing at nonsense; it was all fun until a comment from Soonyoung made the conversation serious. - 'I think you should keep your partner close, Hansol,' he says, before taking another sandwich into his mouth. Hansol looks toward Seungkwan, his fiancé and lead singer on Soonyoung's team. He laughs at something that the approaching Lee Seokmin, a highly sought-after and not cheap doctor, whispered in his ear. Hansol stares intently at his partner, but returns his gaze to Soonyoung. - 'Whatever it is, I trust Seungkwan as much as he trusts me,' he replies, winking at Soonyoung, 'Seokmin is no competitor.' They both laugh at that. Not too far away from them is Xu Minhao, Soonyoung's partner, though not official. He's an eccentric artist whose work sells for thousands of dollars almost all over the world; he's silent, overseeing all the details of the house. Everything goes like a normal New Year's Eve party, with laughter and conversation; having not seen each other for so long, they add up to hours of conversation, veering off into different topics, some more serious than others. It was as if time had stopped; no matter how much they looked at the clock, it never went forward. Due to the dates heavy snowfall forced everyone into a large room with a warm fireplace. Once inside, they decide it's time for dinner. So, the host of the party sends Jihoon to see how the food they have kindly prepared for his guests is doing. - Seungcheol, - Jeonghan walks over to him, holding his son's hand, - Which bathroom can I take Chan to? - Oh, of course, there's a bigger bathroom upstairs," Seungcheol points out, "so you'll be more comfortable," Jeonghan nods with a slight smile, not noticing that Mingyu is watching them from afar. Jeonghan goes to where Seungcheol pointed, but before he can enter, someone grabs his arm firmly. - Mingyu... - looks at the taller man in confusion - What's going on? - I know what you did," he replies. - How? - I... I don't know what you're talking about. - Are you sure? - Squeezing Jeonghan's hand even tighter - How about we ask Joshua if he knows anything about this? - Suddenly he lets go and threatens to go down to meet the others, or rather his brother. - 'No, Mingyu,' Jeonghan stops him, who is still oblivious to little Chan. - Please, - he whispers, trying to beg a look. - Are you going to tell him? - I can't leave him, he's the only one I have,' he replies tearfully. - Okay, - Mingyu concludes, struggling to break free from the older man's grip, "you will accept the consequences," he finishes as he walks down the stairs. Jeonghan watches him walk down the hallway; frustrated, he locks himself in the bathroom with the door slamming shut only to drown in the memories he wishes he could erase that he should never have gotten because of his wrong actions. A short time later, everyone was already sitting around the table waiting for dinner. It had been a few minutes since Jeonghan had left and Mingyu had just disappeared. Joshua, seeing that his husband had not come, was worried, he got up to look for him, but some hurried footsteps were heard from the stairs and suddenly Jeonghan ran into the large dining room. - Joshua, is Chan with you? - He asked, coming closer into his husband's arms. - 'No,' he replies, trying to understand his lover's frightened look. - Joshua... I can't find him," he said frustrated, "I came out of the bathroom and he's gone, I thought he was with you. - Jeonghan, calm down," Seungkwan intervened, "he could have been somewhere, he shouldn't have gone far. - Let's go look for him, Joshua," the young father sobs, "What if he left in the storm? - All right, let's go look for him, shall we? - said the oldest of the bunch. - He'll be all right. Together with their parents, all the guests go in search of the little prodigy. Suddenly a scream comes from the top floor, freezing everyone's blood in a thousandth of a second. Joshua runs up the stairs jumping over one, hoping with each step that the baby is okay. When he arrives, he finds Wonwoo kneeling in front of the open door of the room with a pale face and trembling hands. - Wonwoo? - He asks slowly, his heart thudding in his ears. He moves slowly towards the door, when he manages to see part of the room, he notices Chan playing with the window curtain and part of him calms down. His son is fine and he thanks the heavens for not leaving the house. But on the other hand, fear pervades him, why did Wonwoo react this way? As he gets closer, he sees what made Wonwoo, now on his knees, press his head to the ground, and while he desperately screams and sobs, he manages to scare Chan. Mingyu, his beloved brother and friend who had supported him in difficult times throughout his life. The same Mingyu was now lying on the bed, his mouth bleeding and his gaze lost in the darkness. He couldn't touch him from his seat, but seeing his dead eyes, he felt all the coldness that now ran through his lifeless body.