OOPS! MYSTERIOUS SOUNDS: BOOK 2.

The 20th voice. 

"You woke up so early!"

 

"Shall we offer alms to the monks?"

 

I gave Beam a weak smile as he beckoned me over, then scratched my head, my hair a complete mess because I hadn't slept last night. 

 

It was almost the entire night before I finally managed to calm down Jin's "things"—it was already dawn. I sighed heavily, remembering the incident where my new boyfriend led me to Beam's room and knocked, causing the owner to wake up and open the door groggily. Without saying a word, Jin nudged me into Beam's room and told me to sleep there before going back to his own room. Luckily, Beam didn't ask any complicated questions, so I had to try my best to force myself to sleep.

 

"Are there monks walking around collecting alms in this alley?" I asked, looking at my little friend scooping freshly cooked rice from the pot into a lunchbox. The cooked rice had a fragrant aroma, and hot steam rose. It floated to the surface and looked very appetising.

 

"No, I have to walk to the alms hall at the end of the street to offer alms. Want to come with me? Since I'm already awake, let's go offer alms."

 

"Okay, wait a minute. I'll wash my face, change my clothes, and be quick."

 

"Okay, no need to rush. There's still plenty of time."

 

Beam called out after me, so I went to wash my face and change my clothes. Jin's room wasn't locked, so I quietly slipped in. It was still dark, but the open window let light from the front of the house in. I could see him lying there with his eyes closed, his upper body bare except for his boxer shorts. Even though I couldn't see his muscles clearly, I couldn't help but feel a tingling sensation in my stomach.

 

'Help me.'

 

"Hmm, how can I help?"

 

Those were the last words before they led me astray with that strange new feeling, ultimately leading us to shower together again.

 

My mouth is so tired, ugh!

I shook my head vigorously to clear the images of last night from my mind before cautiously walking to grab some clothes hanging in a corner to change into. I did everything quietly, afraid of disturbing my lover. I didn't want to bother him. We didn't get to sleep until the next morning. I wonder what kind of difficult thing he went through yesterday.

 

I used the darkness to conceal myself before taking off my soccer shorts. At that moment, I jumped, almost screaming, when I felt someone's hand. The person moved to cover my mouth, while their other hand traced down my thigh.

 

"Are you trying to seduce me by taking off your clothes so early in the morning?"

 

"Mmm."

 

That damn Jin nibbled lightly behind my ear before playfully nibbling on the nape of my neck.

 

"Who provoked you? I came up to change clothes to go out with Beam. Hmph, don't bite!" I tried to get away, but the hot hand that was stroking my chest moved to slip inside my shirt.

 

"I know you wake up early in the mornings, but you can't be so horny with me non-stop, Jin." I punched him in the side.

 

"Who told you to stand there naked like that?"

 

"Take it easy, you." I glared at the other person.

 

"What? I haven't done anything yet."

 

"fib"

 

That damn Jin squeezed my mouth as if to punish me for speaking impolitely.

 

"Who was it that made my mouth and hands sore last night? Let go! I helped you a lot last night."

 

"Last night was last night."

 

"Jin, why are you like this?" I groaned in frustration, while the other person just laughed heartily.

 

"You pervert!"

 

"Honestly, when I'm near you, all I think about is taking advantage of you." My face flushed. Have I ever told you how straightforward Jin is? He says everything directly, especially about personal matters; he never holds anything back. But please tell me how you feel, and what kind of closeness you want from me. That's a huge disadvantage.

 

"My name is Jin," I turned my head away from his burning lips. "I told Beam I was going up to change clothes. Yeah, we're going to offer alms."

 

"Uh-huh."

 

"Let go first. Ugh, don't squeeze my butt."

 

"I'm helping you change your clothes."

 

"No way! You're the one undressing me!"

 

"Oh, really? Sorry." It chuckled softly, a laugh I absolutely hate right now.

 

"Okay, I'll go offer alms to the monks too."

 

I glared at him before turning away because that guy had already walked away and started changing his clothes right in front of me, even though I couldn't see everything. It was clear because the room was still dark, but now the rising sun was shining in, faintly illuminating his full form. My face flushed when my gaze inadvertently fell lower.

 

Xie Ai!

No wonder my mouth is so tired. Damn, did I do a lot of good deeds in my past life to have so much wealth in this life? I rubbed my head.

 

After offering alms to the monks, Jin gave me a ride back to the faculty. But along the way, I noticed something unusual: a car following us closely, and every time our car stopped at a red light, that car would stop too. It was following us so openly that I felt uneasy. I hugged Jin tightly around the waist with both hands until he turned around, lifted his helmet visor, and asked: "Is something wrong?”

 

Before I could reply, the traffic light turned green, so Jin had to turn his attention back to the road ahead, while I kept my lips pursed. My mouth was tight with unease, and I glanced at the same car that was still following us. Finally, Jin parked his motorcycle at my faculty. As I took off the helmet and handed it back, I saw that car parked around the corner. Jin followed my gaze to the car before he reached out his hand to hold mine.

 

"That car has been following us since we left home."

 

Jin pursed his lips tightly before nodding his head. He didn't seem surprised at all, which was very strange.

 

"Phod"

 

"Mmm."

 

"Do you trust me?"

 

I nodded, and he reached out with his free hand to playfully stroke my cheek. It was still early, and since it was a parking lot, there weren't many people around. Otherwise, I wouldn't have stood there letting him play with my cheek like that. Jin smiled slightly before taking my wrist and leading me towards the car.

 

"Jin"

 

I resisted and refused to follow because I was afraid Jin would pick a fight with the people following us. I didn't know if they had weapons or bad intentions. Because it's unpredictable and feels too risky, I don't want Jin to get involved.

 

"Do not have anything"

 

"but..."

 

"Didn't you say you would trust me?"

 

I pursed my lips tightly before following the lead to the car. Just then, two men in perfectly tailored black suits opened the doors and stood waiting. Strangely, one of the men in black stood there calmly, hands clasped together, as if patiently waiting for us.

 

"Mr Jin"

 

One of the two greeted Jin with a gesture that seemed like he was waiting for orders. I didn't understand the situation at all; everything was confusing and bewildering. Everything's gone wrong to the point where I want to ask my boyfriend what's going on.

 

"You said you would trust me, right?"

 

"Mmm."

 

"So, in the meantime, it might be a little inconvenient for you to go around."

 

"Why"

 

"These two are responsible for looking after you during this time."

 

"What's going on, Jin?"

 

The two of them stepped back, standing hand-in-hand with serious expressions in front of the car. I turned to face Jin; his face and eyes were so serious I couldn't help but listen quietly.

 

"Ever since the threatening messages and secretly filming started, we're no longer safe, do you realise that?" I pursed my lips tightly before reluctantly nodding in agreement. Because no matter how normally I acted, I couldn't deny that someone in the shadows was watching us. We're really not safe like Jin said.

 

"I'm really worried about you, Phod."

".."

 

"I'm incredibly worried," he said, his voice strained. The look on his face made me feel inexplicably better. "Trust me, I'm most worried about your safety."

 

"Hmm, and those two guys..." I nodded towards the expressionless men in black.

 

"You might feel a little uncomfortable because those two will be looking after you during this time, but I assure you they won't interfere in your personal life, and if anything goes wrong, those two will rush over to help you immediately."

 

"Can I ask you something?" I asked him seriously. "Are these two bodyguards involved in the reason your lawyer came to see you?" Jin sighed heavily before reluctantly nodding in agreement.

 

"That's related."

 

"Do you want to tell me?"

 

Jin grabbed my hand, held it, and squeezed gently. "Give me some time. I promise I'll tell you everything."

 

"Mmm."

 

I grinned at him, and he gently shook my head, but it seemed like he was teasing me because he messed up my hair. So I glared at him, and before we parted ways, he leaned in and kissed me on the cheek.

 

"Jin"

 

"Wage for driving to deliver" It raised its eyebrow, its eyes sparkling.

 

"You...!"

I shook my head at the driver, who was as quick as a monkey, spun the motorbike around and headed back to the faculty building. Then I turned to give the two men in black and paused for a moment. I see Risa walking this way. The forced smile on her beautiful face made it clear she must have seen Jin kiss my cheek.

 

"Uh..."

I didn't know what expression to make, either.

 

"Are you two dating now?"

 

'Risa' 

"If it's about the beetle, we're okay. I can see the happiness in Jin's eyes," she smiled broadly at me. "But they've only just become competitors."

 

"Okay," Risa secretly put a finger to her finger and made a cute face, "We're officially dating today!"

 

"Heartbroken."

 

"excuse me"

 

Risa looked sad, but the sparkle in her eyes made me feel a little relieved to see that she could still smile.

 

"Hey, why are you apologising?" The girl waved her hand dismissively. "It's nobody's fault. You can't force feelings. I indeed like Jin, but I have to accept that Jin doesn't like me. Jin likes Phodduang instead. In this relationship, we're the ones who are disappointed. It's we who have to deal with our own feelings, not blame Jin or Phodduang. We're the ones with feelings for Jin, so we have to accept the consequences, whether happy or sad," Risa said with a smile. "But there's only one thing I'm angry about."

 

"Yes?"

 

"Couldn't you give us another month to score points with Jin?"

 

"Risa", I spoke softly as the young woman giggled.

 

════[changbins_delulu_wife]════

 

(Phodduang)

 

"Who the hell is your father, Jin?"

 

I frowned the moment I stepped into the CCTV control room in Anda's condo, where the security guard facilitated it. Looking over Jin's shoulder, I saw two men in black suits and another in a blue suit, their faces familiar, like I'd seen them somewhere before.

 

"That's Ronnalak's lawyer!" That bastard Art whispered something in my ear.

 

"Are you sure?"

 

"Yes"

 

"Are you two going to keep whispering to each other for much longer?" Jin spoke up, putting his hands on his hips and shaking his head before walking over to the many screens displaying different views of the condo. I turned and gave him an awkward smile. The two men in black then walked stealthily to join their close friends.

 

"Can you please reassure me that your father isn't a mafia member?"

 

"Damn, you actually came up with that idea."

 

"So, is that right?"

 

"no"

"otherwise"

════[changbins_delulu_wife]════

 

[Jinna]

 

"Do you guys think there's something strange about this?"

 

Art spoke up when we were all sitting together at the rented house, a while after we'd moved out of Anda's condo.

 

"We've been watching the security camera footage for a long time and haven't seen anything unusual."

 

Tos rubbed his temples after staring at the television screen playing a recording of the day Anda died. Of course, we'd been watching that footage for a while, ever since we were at the condo, until we asked for the file to watch at home. And this sixty-inch television was installed by my lawyer uncle.

 

"Do you know that this morning there was news about a security guard retracting his confession?"

 

"How so?"

 

"He said he did break in to steal, but Anda didn't leave the car parked and went to sleep with the engine off."

 

"Oh, so that means you're not being consistent with what you said the first time." Beam, who was sitting not far away, cried out.

 

"Yeah, the first time, the security guard said they broke in to steal things while Anda was sleeping with the engine off."

 

"Do you guys think if we really start the car and go to sleep, we shouldn't lock it?"

Thiw casually mentioned something, and his words made us all look at each other immediately. Tum and Thiw didn't go to their part-time jobs today, so they were sitting around.

 

"The CCTV footage on the floor where Anda parked is perfectly normal, but unfortunately, it only shows a blurry view of the back of Anda's car. Yes, because the other camera was indeed broken, as reported earlier. Ronnalak wasn't lying. But I can't help but wonder why the camera facing where Anda parked broke so soon after. According to my lawyer, the building management was planning to contact a technician to fix it on the same day Anda's car broke down, but it was too late."

 

"Damn, I have a headache. There's absolutely no clue." Tos grumbled angrily.

 

"And you and Phodduang are being followed, too. I think this is getting bigger and bigger beyond our control every day. Seriously, are you scared, Jin?"

 

I shook my head.

 

"I'm more worried about the people around me," I said seriously as I swept my gaze across them. "This is very dangerous. If you guys think it's not safe. You guys can back out. I don't want to drag anyone else into this trouble."

 

"I admit it's dangerous, but I feel like the Andaman hasn't gone anywhere. It's still waiting for justice. He's still alive. He never abandoned me. Even when it's gone, I won't abandon it either." Tos spoke in a firm voice.

 

"Yeah, if you're still fighting for the truth, I'll fight with you, Jin, because I don't want to lose anyone else," Art added, making me sigh heavily. Then I glanced at Beam and Thiw.

 

"Don't look at us. You already know the answer. Whatever you say, we two will go along with it."

 

"Sigh. I told them to run away, but they wouldn't. Well, then let fate take its course."

I spoke slowly.

 

"The truth is immortal. The truth never dies, but those who seek the truth may die."

 

"You bastard!"

 

They threw whatever was within reach at me rather roughly before cursing jokingly, which made me burst out laughing.

 

"Didn't you guys say you weren't afraid of danger?"

 

"Damn it, who wouldn't be afraid of death?" I laughed at them while Art went to answer a phone call, then turned back to check the security camera footage again.

 

"There's really no clue at all?" Tos grumbled.

 

"And what about the text messages sent to Phodduang's phone? What did the police say? Any leads?" I shook my head because it was the same number, and the money wasn't registered repeatedly. The authorities still had no information or leads.

 

"How did it know the number of beetle?" Beam asked curiously.

 

"Sigh. If they really wanted to investigate, it wouldn't be difficult. They even managed to track down Jin and Phodduang. I don't think the Ber issue will be a problem."

 

"But I can't help but wonder if it might be someone close to me." Tos's words made me think, before I remembered that Phodduang had told me that on the day he saw Am, she was bleeding profusely when she regained consciousness at the hospital. The nurse asked for a contact number in case of an emergency.

 

"Phodduang said he once gave his phone number to you, Am."

 

"So there's a chance that Am sent threatening messages because she's also a suspect based on the evidence of the doll stained with red paint and the cutter. The police found it during a search. Behind that innocent, harmless face, why were you so cruel to Anda?" Art, who had just returned, asked.

 

"She's probably jealous of Anda and James." I nodded and glanced at my watch because it was almost time for my appointment. That appointment was to pick up Phodduang, because he is helping out at the faculty club.

 

"Is it almost time for our appointment? You can go pick up Phodduang first." Art spoke up when he saw me looking at my watch again. 

 

My friend knows that Phodduang has been staying at the house lately because his younger brother hasn't returned yet. After leaving the camp, I didn't trust my boyfriend to be alone, even though he had skilled bodyguards keeping a close eye on him.

 

"Want to drive my car? Yours isn't fixed yet."

 

He handed me the keys to a European car parked by the fence in front of the house. I paused for a moment. No one knew that my car broke down because I accidentally ran over a nail. Scattered all over the front of the house, "Oh, thanks."

 

"You can start the car first if you want, so that the air conditioning will be nice and cool. It's a shame my car model uses a remote key to start the engine automatically."

 

"It's not the air conditioner's."

 

"How so?" Thiw looked interested.

 

"It's a car that can be started with a remote control." Beam shifted, showing interest.

 

"A system where the car owner is far away from the vehicle and can start the engine remotely by pressing a button outside the car."

 

"That's awesome!"

 

"These cars start the air conditioning even when the system is locked. You use the remote, and by the time you get in the car, it's already cool."

 

"Are cars really that high-tech these days?" Beam asked.

 

"Mmm." Tos and I nodded in agreement.

 

"superb. How far can this remote control go?" Thiw asked.

 

"No more than ten meters, but you have to use the key in an open area with no obstructions." I paused, a thought crossing my mind. Suddenly, I remembered the handout Professor Phak had given me that day.

 

"You guys"

"that"

 

"Is it possible that the security guard actually saw Anda's car parked with the engine off, and then, after he stole the headphones, Anda's car was scanned?"

 

"The engine remote start system, according to the security guard's testimony, who heard the car starting."

 

After I finished speaking, their faces lit up as if they had suddenly remembered something. "Yes, that's right. Andaman really drives a Japanese car that starts with this system."

 

"Yeah, but why did the car suddenly shut off after he started it? Because when P'Kumbh found Anda's body, the engine was really off."

 

"Don't forget that the remote can only start the engine from the outside twice in a row, and each time the engine can only run for a maximum of ten minutes."

 

"It will shut off automatically if no one presses the start button in the car. Since Anda was unconscious, there was no way they could have pressed the start button, causing the car to shut off automatically."

 

Tos and Art slapped their knees.

 

"How could I forget? Andaman must be asleep. There's no way he could have started the car. So, a third party, within ten meters, must have used the key to start the engine, turning on the air conditioning, and staged it to look like Andaman committed suicide by taking sleeping pills and then starting the car to sleep. And the angle where that bastard was positioned is where the security camera had been malfunctioning the day before."

 

"And Anda's car keys also disappeared from the scene."

 

"Wait a minute, if you're going to start the car with the remote, the key has to be outside the car, and the car has to be locked. But when the security guard went in to steal things, the car wasn't locked, was it? That means when Uncle came out, someone must have used the key to lock the car and start the engine."

 

"Then how did Anda's car keys get out of the car?" Thiw asked.

 

"During the car opening, it's possible the security guard accidentally knocked it over, causing it to fall out of the car, or the perpetrator may have gotten into the car to steal it."

 

"Let's analyse this," Art said.

 

"But from the CCTV footage we watched, I only heard the door close once when Uncle got out of Anda's car."

 

"Is there a way to drain the battery of the master key?"

 

"What do you mean, Jin?"

 

"If the main key doesn't have a battery, it won't work. So, to start the car, you need the spare key."

 

"What are the master key and the spare key?" Beam looked confused.

 

"Every car of that model comes with two sets of keys."

 

"So, isn't this system available in all car models?" Tiw asked.

 

"No, only certain car models and brands."

 

"Then it makes sense, because Anda's car keys were missing at the scene. So what the security guard said initially was true. But why did he suddenly change his testimony?"

 

"He broke in and stole things while the car was running. Is it possible that the security guard knew the murderer?"

 

"Then the person in the corner where the camera is blurry might..." "That's the murderer."