Episode 61

**"His Regret (part 1)"** is the sixty-first released episode of My Deepest Secret by Hanza Art. After learning that Sophie has rented a spare room inside the inn, Yohan and Hanamika discover that she has attempted suicide. As he carefully investigates the scene of the crime, Yohan notices a few discrepancies that indicate the case is a cleverly-disguised homicide.

## Synopsis

As the night wanes, the search party for Sophie reconvenes outside of the inn. Students participating in the search report that Sophie has yet to be found. As several suggestions on her whereabouts are provided, Yohan insists that she is most likely in the vicinity. Due to the extreme distance from the lodging to the nearest town and the lack of traveling vehicles, it inconceivable to assume that Sophie has returned home in the aftermath of the confrontation at the warehouse. Eventually, the students gather at the front desk, where one of the teachers, Lily, offers new information. She explains that Sophie approached her before nine o'clock that night to request for a new room. Since Sophie looked troubled, Lily acquiesced without further inquiry. Hanamika concludes that Yohan's notes frightened Sophie more than intended, as this event occurred before the confrontation at the warehouse. Lily offers to check on Sophie to ease the students' worries. As she grabs the master key to the inn, Yohan suggests to accompany her, claiming that he has several things to discuss with Sophie. With Lily's permission, Yohan and Hanamika join her as she heads towards Sophie's new room.

Outside of the room, Lily politely knocks on the door. There is no response. She attempts to turn the doorknob but finds that it is locked. Wondering if Sophie is asleep inside, Lily uses her phone to call Sophie's number. A faint ringing sound is heard through the door. Lily concludes that Sophie is inside sleeping, but Yohan points out that it is possible Sophie left her phone inside the room unattended. Deciding that this is a probable possibility, Lily resorts to using the master key to enter the room. As they swing open the door, they find Sophie sitting upright at her desk, her back facing the entrance. A single lamp on the desk casts a faint glow in the otherwise dark room. Sophie shows no signs of movement or reaction as the others slowly enter the room. Wondering if she is sleeping in her seat, Lily approaches Sophie to rouse her.

A gentle dripping sound causes Yohan to stare at the floor underneath Sophie. His eyes widen at the sight of blood trickling slowly to the floor. As Lily gently taps Sophie on the shoulder, Sophie's body slips from the chair without warning and crashes to the ground with a deafening thud. A dagger protrudes from the left side of her abdomen, piercing her flesh. Dark blood oozes out of the wound, staining Sophie's clothes and pooling on the floor around her. Lily and Hanamika gasp in horror at the sight of Sophie's unmoving body. Before Lily can let out a terrified scream, Yohan claps one hand firmly over her mouth. His face uncharacteristically serious and solemn, he warns Lily to not scream. He explains that the sound will attract others to the room and cause unwanted mass panic.

Swiftly, Yohan instructs Hanamika to calm Lily's nerves. He kneels down on the floor to carefully examine the body. As he checks her pulse, he realizes that Sophie is still alive. Quickly, he orders Hanamika to call an ambulance. As Hanamika makes the call, Lily's legs give way as she collapses to the floor in shock. Shaking, she asks Yohan if Sophie attempted to commit suicide. After a moment of hesitation, Yohan admits that it is a high possibility. Lily's entire frame trembles in remorse as she regrets not asking for an explanation when Sophie requested for a new room. Yohan calmly advises Lily to remain calm, explaining that she should not worry about such things when they do not know the truth about what happened.

While speaking, Yohan catches sight of a handwritten letter placed on the surface of the desk that Sophie was previously occupying. He stands up and takes a handkerchief out of his pocket. Carefully, he picks up the letter and peruses its contents. Suddenly, he lets out a scoff. In a voice dripping with heavy skepticism, Yohan states that the handwriting in the letter does not belong to Sophie. Earlier in the day before the group hike, Yohan took a photo of the student registrar with Sophie's signature. From that photo, he memorized her unique scrawl. He explains that the culprit clearly attempted to imitate Sophie's handwriting in the suicide note, but was too rushed for time and could not perfect it. He declares that this incident is an attempted murder disguised as a suicide. Quickly, he instructs Lily to gather all personnel and students in the hall and close all the entrances of the inn. It is likely that the culprit has joined the field trip posing as a student and is still in the vicinity. Lily pulls herself together and hurries out of the room to carry out Yohan's instructions.

Hanamika suggests that it is possible an outsider committed the crime. Yohan agrees but points out that they should take advantage of the fact that the culprit is not aware that they have already found Sophie. With conclusive evidence of a homicide attempt, Yohan decides to dial the police. As he waits for the dispatcher to pick up the phone, he mulls over the details of the case. He finds it strange that Sophie was coincidentally attacked right after the confrontation at the warehouse. It is convenient that the confrontation can serve as a motive for Sophie to attempt suicide. Suddenly, Yohan's cell phone slips from his grasp and crashes to the floor as he reaches an epiphany. Numbly, he asks Hanamika where Emma's room is located. She informs him that Emma is lodging on the fourth floor. Without another word, he wheels around and dashes out the door. Alarmed by his sudden movement, Hanamika calls after him. Yohan shouts over his shoulder that Emma is in danger.

On the fourth floor of the inn, Emma turns around and stares at the figure standing behind her. In the shadows of the dark hallway, a hooded Elios emerges from the darkness. With a small smile on his face, he states that he has missed her.

## Characters

*Characters are listed in order of appearance. Character first appearances are **bolded**.*

* Yohan Lee
* Hanamika
* Lily
* Sophie McCarthy
* Emma Wilson
* Elios