#136

Unlike the Ondol-heated main room, the small auditorium felt more like an office. Inside, a large chalkboard and two four-person tables pushed together were sparsely occupied by police officers. Detective Oh was standing in front of the water purifier, drinking water. After finishing, he exclaimed, “Ah!”

“I owe my life to you, Chief.”

Detective Oh smiled as he expressed his gratitude. How could he still laugh in a situation like this? He was truly incorrigible.

“Why are you so dressed up? Where are you going?”

He asked, looking Tae-heun up and down. As expected, he had a unique sense of style, and he even complimented him. Tae-heun pulled a chair closer to the door and sat down without replying. He looked up at Detective Oh with a pathetic expression.

“Why do you provoke people like that? You should be trying to appease them.”

Tae-heun sneered.

“Why should I appease them?”

Detective Oh retorted, sounding incredulous.

“It’s obvious you’re on Chairman Kwon’s side.”

“Who says I’m on his side?”

Detective Oh said, trying to deny it while being mindful of Officer Kim standing nearby.

“Oh, Detective Oh Dae-Ho. I don’t care whether you’re on Kwon Il-taek’s side or not. So, what happened? Did you go investigate?”

Tae-heun, not wanting to argue with Detective Oh, cut to the chase.

“Yeah, stop the nonsense and tell me everything you know.”

Officer Kim sat down across from Tae-heun. He gestured to Detective Oh, “Sit down too,” offering him a chair. Detective Oh, still feigning discomfort, reluctantly took a seat.

Silence fell. All eyes were on Detective Oh, but he didn’t seem ready to speak. Even when Officer Kim urged him, “What are you doing? Aren’t you going to talk?” he remained silent. As if to buy time or gather courage, he asked a junior officer to make him a cup of instant coffee. Only after sipping the sweet coffee a few times did Detective Oh finally open his mouth.

“There were no departure records.”

Detective Oh said, rubbing his face with his hands. Everyone listened intently, waiting for his next words.

“First, I went to the company. I figured, since he’s a businessman, his employees might know something.”

“And?”

Officer Kim pressed.

“They didn’t know anything. They just said the President was taking a few days off.”

Detective Oh chuckled dryly.

“What about his house?”

Tae-heun asked.

“I went there too. The security guard said he greeted him yesterday morning. He said the whole family was out and about, so he thought they were going out to eat or something.”

Detective Oh drained the paper cup, even though there was nothing left, and then put it down. He licked his purple lips, as if his throat was dry.

“I had a bad feeling… so I immediately went to Yong’s house. When I got there, everything was as it should be. There were signs that the kids had been sleeping under their blankets, and there were dishes soaking in the sink.”

“They just slipped away.”

Detective Oh nodded at Tae-heun’s words.

It was a common tactic used by debtors. If they aroused suspicion, it was over, so they tried to be as careful as possible while secretly looking for an opportunity. To avoid being caught by loan sharks, they lived as usual until they disappeared overnight.

When you went to their houses, it usually looked like they had just been there ten minutes ago and had just stepped out for a stroll. In reality, they had run away a month ago, but they were so diligent in answering calls that you wouldn’t know until the debt repayment date.

“They only took valuables with them. Judging by the fact that more than half of the closet was empty, it seems like they had been planning it for a long time.”

“Hey! You’re telling us this now? Goddamn it, ugh!”

Officer Kim couldn’t contain his anger and jumped up, only to sit back down. He shook his legs and covered his face with his hands.

“Kwon Yong-gi must have been the same.”

Tae-heun said, speaking for Officer Kim.

“Yeah. It was like they had planned it together. I called the kids’ school, but they didn’t know anything either. They said they had called this morning because they were absent, but no one answered the phone.”

“Crazy bastard. You’re telling us this now? Huh?”

Officer Kim shouted again.

“You were just drinking with the President and Yong-jae in Seoul the other day, and you didn’t know? You expect us to believe that?”

“Goddamn it. I really didn’t know. They were just talking about business when we were drinking, so I thought he was finally making a comeback!”

Detective Oh protested.

He looked at Officer Kim, as if to say, “I’m a victim too.” That statement exhausted Officer Kim’s patience. He started arguing, whether Tae-heun tried to stop him or not.

“Oh, a victim? If our Chief finds out about this, there’s going to be hell to pay. Huh? You know that, right?”

“I know, damn it.”

“Do you know how much our Chief has been doing you favors? Huh?”

“I know, you son of a bitch!”

“You know, you son of a bitch!!”

“Alright, alright, save the fighting for when you’re alone.”

Tae-heun stopped the two men.

Officer Kim cursed and stormed off, but he couldn’t go far and just paced around.

“So? Is that it? You went to his house and company, and he wasn’t there. And there’s no record of him leaving the country yet?”

Like a current affairs program host, Tae-heun summarized the situation and then asked the next question. Everyone held their breath and stared at Detective Oh’s mouth.

“I managed to find out that they went to Incheon.”

Detective Oh, who had been deflated, answered triumphantly.

“Incheon?”

Officer Kim interrupted again. “Oh, for God’s sake, I’m going crazy.” Officer Kim scratched his short hair roughly.

“What about the possibility of illegal departure?”

Tae-heun continued without paying attention.

“Well, I can’t say it’s impossible. We’re cracking down on all the brokers operating in that area, so we should have something soon.”

“And if you don’t?”

It was Officer Kim again.

“We’ll deal with it then.”

“Deal with it then? You crazy bastard. If Chairman Kwon flies overseas, it’s over! What do you mean, ‘deal with it then’? Do you think you’ll be safe then?”

Officer Kim spat out threatening words.

“No matter how high and mighty you were in Seoul, you’ll never get out of here. Huh?”

“You son of a bitch, I’ve been listening and listening. Hey, you son of a bitch, who told you to invest? Did I tell you to invest!”

“What? Have you ever seen such a son of a bitch? You were so eager to invest that you even went around borrowing money, and now you’re saying, ‘Did I tell you to invest?’ Huh?”

It was noisy. Tae-heun grimaced, picking at his ears.

“I don’t even remember such a thing, you son of a bitch!”

Detective Oh denied it.

“Oh, really! Then you probably don’t remember hanging out with the Chairman and Hyung Yong-gi either? You were always stuck to them like glue, saying there was no better investment opportunity, and you don’t remember desperately borrowing money because you didn’t have any cash because of Kim Byeong-chan, huh? Is that all just my imagination? Huh?”

Officer Kim stamped his feet in anger.

“Yeah, you son of a bitch! I don’t remember. What are you going to do about it? Besides, I wasn’t the only one who met with Chairman Kwon and Hyung Yong-gi. What about you? Didn’t you meet them? And the police substation chief was Kwon’s lackey! Ask anyone in this town. Everyone knows how much the police substation chief sucked up to Kwon! Huh!”

Detective Oh retorted, even pointing his finger.

He challenged anyone who wasn’t involved with Kwon Il-taek to come forward, anyone who hadn’t been treated to meals and drinks by him. The faces of the junior officer and the police officers standing nearby twisted. Their eyes, as they looked at Detective Oh, were filled with disappointment, betrayal, and disgust.

Officer Kim chuckled dryly.

“Oh Dae-ho. You don’t seem to know the difference between shit and soybean paste right now, but think carefully. You’re going to be completely screwed, so look forward to it.”

“You son of a bitch. What?”

Detective Oh jumped up. He glared and huffed.

“Yeah, glare all you want. It’s not just my life that’s going to end, your life will be over too.”

Officer Kim, who had been acting like he was about to pounce and start a fight, left the small auditorium after saying those words. The other police officers who were with him followed Officer Kim as if they had been waiting for the opportunity.

In that short time, the people from the neighborhood who had come out into the hallway pushed against the door, trying to get into the small auditorium. The the man spread his arms and legs to block the door.

“Lock it quickly!”

The the man shouted inside.

Having obtained all the necessary information, Tae-heun, with no reason to stay with Detective Oh, shook off his seat and got up to leave. But Detective Oh quickly ran to the door and locked it.

“What are you doing?”

“What do you think? I’m protecting Chief.”

He was trying to save his own skin, using Tae-heun as an excuse. It was absurd.

It was a little noisy outside, but it didn’t seem like anything had happened. It seemed they had chosen to interrogate Officer Kim instead of coming inside. The murmuring sounds faded away. But the Man’s shadow was still visible on the opaque glass door. He stood there as if he were going to live forever. The shadow alone was reassuring, and Tae-heun couldn’t help but smile. This wasn’t the time, but he felt like he was going crazy because he liked the man so much.

Detective Oh went back to the water purifier and gulped down water. His face, neck, and even his sparsely haired scalp were red.

“It seems like Detective Oh didn’t know at all that Kwon Il-taek was targeting me.”

Tae-heun sneered.

“It’s not related to Chief, so stop it. There are plenty of people who will nag you even if Chief doesn’t.”

Detective Oh grumbled. It was as if he was saying he didn’t need to hear such things from Tae-heun.

“You’re right, I guess. Sorry.”

Tae-heun raised both hands and pretended to surrender.

As Detective Oh said, there was no need for him to get involved. He had already found out where the man had borrowed money from and had identified the common ground between the man and the villagers. And before lunch, he had diligently called the loan sharks from a public phone.

He had obtained additional information that Kwon Il-taek’s family was believed to be in Incheon, so if he passed that on again later, Tae-heun’s work would be done. He had done everything he could within his limits while being tied down.

The rest was just watching the show. The loan sharks wouldn’t just be chasing Kwon Il-taek’s family. Would the loan sharks not know about the relationship between Kwon Il-taek and Detective Oh, which the whole world knew? Even a cornered rat will bite a cat, and the loan sharks would definitely go after Detective Oh. Detective Oh himself knew better than anyone that it wouldn’t be pleasant. It was his area of expertise, so he would surely handle it well on his own.

“Oh, I heard my passport is ready?”

When he changed the subject as he wanted, Detective Oh squeezed his eyes shut. A look of “Oh, crap” crossed his face.

“Why didn’t you tell me about such an important thing? Is it a secret just from me?”

Tae-heun spoke lightly, as if he were just joking around, but the atmosphere was the opposite.

It was a big mistake for Detective Oh to think of him as a light person just because Tae-heun laughed it off. Oh Dae-ho, who knew better than anyone what kind of person Lee Seon-jae was, was making a mistake that only a rookie detective like Detective Park would make.

Perhaps he thought he had a weakness because Tae-heun was hiding in this rural area. Or maybe he believed he had Tae-heun’s life in his hands.

He was a frustrating person in many ways. It was a pity that he kept going astray, as if mocking Tae-heun’s efforts to give him a chance.

As Detective Oh was about to speak, Tae-heun raised his hand to stop him. He was tired of hearing excuses or apologies.

“So, when can I get it?”

It was better to have it, as he might have to take the man and the child and flee abroad for a while if necessary. If he were alone, the original passport wouldn’t matter, but since he had a family, it would be better to have the original, or so he thought.

“What are you talking about?”

Detective Oh’s eyes looked blank. He seemed to have been thinking about something else even in this short moment. He was doing all sorts of things. Tae-heun chuckled dryly and said, “The passport.”

“Ah. About that, I’ll contact Dong-hee right away…”

Tae-heun raised his hand, cutting off Detective Oh’s words. Then, Tae-heun leaned forward, staring intently into his eyes.

“Yes. I’d appreciate that.”

Though he said ‘appreciate,’ his tone was closer to an order.

Detective Oh seemed to regret grabbing Tae-heun. Maybe he was thinking he should have been alone.

“I think he’ll probably stay at the village hall, so please have Detective Park bring it over here.”

Tae-heun said this as he stood up. Detective Oh didn’t try to stop him.

He tried to push the door open, but it wouldn’t budge because the man was blocking it.

“It’s me, Tae-heun.”

Open sesame.

Adding even such childish words, the Man, who had been blocking the door with his limbs spread wide, stepped aside.

“You’re so strong. Don’t waste it on things like this, use it when we do that.”

He added a lewd joke, then said, “Let’s go.”

The the man pretended not to hear and led the way. The back of his neck was red. He was such an honest guy, anyway.

“The noodles must be soggy by now.”

“Yes.”

“Should we eat ramen instead?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s go. Let’s go to the supermarket and eat ramen. I’m hungry.”

The two left the village hall side by side.

They hadn’t changed clothes for two days, so Tae-heun and the man were still in suits. Sniff, sniff, he lifted his arm and smelled his armpit, catching a faint scent of cologne. He wasn’t welcomed by the the child and the Man, but he congratulated himself for avoiding the smell of sweat thanks to it.

“Let’s see.”

Saying this, he went to the Man’s side and abruptly lifted the Man’s arm. Sniff, sniff, he buried his nose in the Man’s armpit. The the man gasped and pushed Tae-heun away. Tae-heun staggered from the force and almost fell. Fortunately, the man reached out and prevented such a mishap.

“Why are you smelling someone else’s armpit?”

The the man grumbled. He looked at him like he was crazy.

“I can smell it, can’t I? Ki-beom, you even have a nice armpit smell.”

He grinned.

“How could anyone like that?”

“I like it, so I say I like it. Would I lie?”

“You’re a weird person, really.”

The the man brushed off his shirt like it was covered in dirt.

“Am I dirty? Why are you brushing off your shirt?”

Tae-heun chuckled and stood next to the Man. This time, he put his nose to the Man’s shoulder and smelled it. The the man looked at Tae-heun with a thoroughly disgusted expression.

“Why are you doing this, really?”

“Why else? Because I like it.”

To Tae-heun’s reply, the man said with a blunt face, “You say all sorts of things.”

Tae-heun linked arms with the man and swayed back and forth. He acted cute, and the man was repulsed. But he didn’t shake off his arm.

The supermarket door was closed. It was strange because the grandmother always wrote down where she was going in a sketchbook.

“Where did she go? Didn’t you see her at the communal lounge?”

He asked the Man.

“No. I haven’t seen her since yesterday. Did she go to town?The the man made a ‘ㄱ’ shape with his hands over his eyebrows and peered intently into the store.

“What is this? I wanted to eat ramen. Should we go to town?”

Tae-heun whined and leaned on the Man.

“Why bother? Let’s go home and eat.”

The the man said bluntly.

“Should we? While we’re there, we can take a shower and change clothes.”

“Yes. We need to get Ji-hye’s things too. And we should return the clothes we borrowed from So-jin.”

“Okay. Let’s go, eat ramen, and wash up.”

Tae-heun linked arms with the man again and went back the way they came. He didn’t even say they should shower together, but he assumed they would. He started whistling without realizing it. The the man walked along with a grumpy face, asking if he really wanted ramen that badly. As they got closer to the village hall, he quietly pulled his arm away, but he wasn’t upset at all.

There were quite a few groups of people gathered in the front yard of the hall, smoking cigarettes. Even if he didn’t try to eavesdrop, he could hear the conversation because they were talking so loudly.

It seemed that Sergeant Kim had gathered the villagers and given them a briefing. He had been so angry that he thought he would just leave, but he was still a police officer and fulfilled his responsibilities. He said that this case could be transferred from the local police station to the Hanjoo Police Station, and he added that the repercussions would be quite large because the victims were not only residents of Dongjam-ri.

Tae-heun, who was heading to the parking lot, ran into Sergeant Kim’s group, who were about to get into the police car.

“Thank you for earlier. Thanks to you, Chief, we got through it without incident.”

Sergeant Kim spoke with a bitter expression, referring to what had happened with Detective Oh earlier.

“Don’t mention it. By the way, where is Detective Oh?”

“He’s still locked up in there. Where else would he go? Everyone’s standing guard.”

He shook his head.

“Ki-beom, thanks for your hard work too. Let’s catch them and get compensation for the damages.”

Sergeant Kim said this to the man as if making a pledge, then left the village hall with the other two police officers who had stayed up all night with him. Only one Constable Han, who had organized the data with Tae-heun, remained.

“Why isn’t Constable Han leaving?”

“Sergeant Kim told me to stay until you finish organizing the data, Chief. I also have to hand over the work to the next shift.”

Constable Han replied in a bright voice. He was still energetic even after staying up all night; he was young after all.

Constable Han waited for the police officers who would be replacing him and smoked a cigarette among the Eagle Five Brothers. The Eagle Five Brothers glared at Tae-heun and the man with displeased expressions.

Tae-heun opened the passenger door for the man as if to show off, and the man didn’t refuse. The two left the village hall like that.