#203

After parting ways with Detective Jo, Lee Seon-jae headed to the electronics market with Yong. There, he purchased a Polaroid camera. After confirming that the device was working properly, he bought plenty of film and paid.

Then, as soon as he returned to the hospital, he parked the car in the parking lot and began sorting through the boxes inside the van.

“Don’t you have any gloves?”

When Seon-jae asked, Yong pulled out a pair of work gloves from the glove compartment and tossed them over.

“You have everything.”

Seon-jae whistled and put on the work gloves.

He climbed into the back seat through the trunk door and began opening the boxes stacked high one by one. He only pulled out the orphanage resident roster and staff roster from inside the boxes.

A total of fifteen staff rosters remained, from 1979 when Galilla Orphanage was an unapproved facility until 1993 before it closed. From 1982, Dr. Choi, Choi In-ho also appeared on the roster together. Choi In-ho officially had his name on the staff roster only until 1990.

Yoon Ki-beom left a total of four years’ worth of data from fifteen to eighteen, and Shim Kang-woo had nine years’ worth of data. However, the thickness of the data was much thicker for Yoon Ki-beom. It was thanks to Dr. Choi, who loved Yoon Ki-beom.

The two boys spent four years in the same orphanage, but the period when they resembled twins was only two years. Contrary to Kim Young-ja’s words, even after Yoon Ki-beom left the orphanage, Dr. Choi still worked at the orphanage, and even after Shim Kang-woo left, for nearly two years, that is, even though his name was missing from the staff roster, charts written in his handwriting were occasionally seen. However, the passion for actively taking pictures and writing in disgustingly detailed ways had disappeared, so the charts were relatively poor compared to when Yoon Ki-beom was there.

Seon-jae took the nine orphanage resident rosters and fifteen staff rosters, and also gathered the videotapes and albums scattered here and there.

“Yong, let’s carry these.”

He divided the data into two boxes and carried them one by one with Yong.

Returning to the hospital room, Seon-jae began taking Polaroid pictures of the data. He only selected things that were disgusting but enough to excite Dr. Choi and Kim Sung-hwan, enough to be bait.

Among the Rank 1 the children, charts with many flowery words, including Yoon Ki-beom, were sent to Dr. Choi, and Rank 2 were roughly photographed and sent to Kim Sung-hwan.

He also included group photos of orphanage staff and children, including Kim Sung-hwan and Choi In-ho, and sent Yoon Ki-beom’s full-body nude photos to both of them. He also added one ID photo each that Kim Sung-hwan and Choi In-ho used on the staff roster. To prove that he had the originals, he did not forget to tear off one unimportant page each from Yoon Ki-beom and Shim Kang-woo’s charts.

The message to send to them was written on the back of Yoon Ki-beom’s nude photo.

If you want to see more photos and videos, please contact the number below.

He wrote down Yong’s number.

Seon-jae put them all in yellow document envelopes and wrote Choi In-ho’s name on one envelope and Kim Sung-hwan’s name on the other.

This was enough as a bait product. Bait to lure Choi In-ho and Kim Sung-hwan.

Seon-jae was going to make them prove to those who came on their own that the man was not Yoon Ki-beom. He was determined to get what he wanted by any means, even if it meant cutting off their fingers and toes and gouging out their eyeballs. And in the end, he would take revenge instead of Man!

He put the originals, which had been scattered here and there while taking pictures, back into the box and sealed it as if wrapping it tightly with duct tape. The sealed box was pushed under the bed.

Hunger rushed in like crazy. But he was completely absorbed in thoughts of Man.

Had the man eaten? Seon-jae was worried that Man, who ate three meals a day, might have missed even one meal. Then he was worried that he might confess to liking sweet coffee. the man felt like a child put out on the water.

Yong, who was outside the hospital room, opened the sliding door.

“Chairman Shin wants to have dinner with you.”

He wondered if he was being watched, it was such a timely call.

“Okay.”

Seon-jae readily agreed. He also had something to say to Chairman Shin.

The van moved.

The restaurant where he met Chairman Shin was an old and small Korean home-style meal restaurant that looked like it had been around for at least 30 years. The menu was saury kimchi stew.

“You said you were busy?”

Chairman Shin asked. He had an expression that said he knew what you had been doing.

“Yes.”

“Don’t you need anything?”

“Yes. I don’t need anything.”

Seon-jae answered while wiping his hands with a wet towel.

“What happened to the detective who went missing? Did you find him?”

“If we could find him in a day, Lee Seok-doo wouldn’t have kidnapped him.”

“That’s true.”

Chairman Shin then asked about Man’s well-being.

Just as Seon-jae finished explaining the situation roughly, the hot pot came out.

Unlike Uncle, who would not pick up a spoon unless someone waited on him, Chairman Shin quickly grabbed the ladle before Seon-jae could take it and served him food first.

“Don’t thank me, I’m just checking if there’s poison in it.”

Chairman Shin said this and scooped up his share of kimchi stew.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I, Lee Seon-jae, will taste it as the royal food taster.”

As he matched Chairman Shin’s joke and tried to take a sip of the soup, Chairman Shin couldn’t stand it and drank the soup from the plate. Kyaaa, he exclaimed as if he had drunk alcohol.

Seon-jae smiled at Chairman Shin and put the stew in his mouth. It wasn’t as good as what the man made, but it was delicious enough. Maybe it was because he ate kimchi stew, but he missed the man even more. In Dongjam-ri, he ate kimchi stew and soybean paste stew almost every day, but he never got tired of it.

“But your taste seems to have changed. I don’t think you used to eat saury kimchi stew.”

Chairman Shin asked, picking up saury from the pot and eating it.

“Homosexuality is possible, so it’s nothing for my taste to change.”

Chairman Shin choked on Seon-jae’s answer. He coughed and laughed with a red face, wondering what was so funny. Just do one, Seon-jae frowned and handed him a napkin. Chairman Shin didn’t stop laughing even while wiping his mouth. Anyway, he couldn’t understand Chairman Shin’s laughing point.

Dinner was a mix of moderate conversation and silence. Kim and Yong, who were sitting behind them, did not catch up on old times and remained silent.

Chairman Shin put down his spoon with a satisfied face. Then he picked up the cool plum tea provided by the restaurant.

“When are you taking Yong?”

Seon-jae asked.

“Why?”

“I was hoping you could take him since I don’t need him anymore.”

“Already?”

He asked this and drank the plum tea.

“Do you have something else to do?”

“Yes.”

“What is it?”

“It’s not a good thing.”

Chairman Shin looked at Seon-jae with only his eyes raised while his lips were on the cup.

“Can you handle it alone?”

“I have to handle it.”

Only then did Chairman Shin put down the cup and look straight at Seon-jae.

“It doesn’t seem like it’s a physical job.”

“I’ll use my body, but I can handle it alone.”

“Is it important?”

“Yes. It’s a very important matter.”

“And it’s easier without Yong?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

Hmm. Chairman Shin, who had groaned for a long time, crossed his arms and fell into thought.

“Why don’t you just use him? He’s a man of few words. He’s also good at fighting.”

“I know. But I’m worried about using Chairman’s people.”

He was indirectly saying that he didn’t trust him, not Yong.

Chairman Shin quickly realized.

“Ah. Is that what you meant? I thought you had fallen for me because of this.”

Seon-jae laughed at Chairman Shin’s joke.

“I did fall for you. But I don’t want to do anything that could be used against me in front of Chairman’s people.”

Seon-jae emphasized the word weakness.

“Weakness. That’s right. Because the relationship between you and me might change at any time.”

Chairman Shin nodded.

“If you’re so sure, I’ll take him.”

“Thank you.”

Chairman Shin drank the remaining plum tea in one gulp and put down the cup.

“Let’s get up if you’re done eating.”

“Yes.”

When Chairman Shin stood up, Kim and Yong stood up at the same time.

“Yong, let’s go with us. This bastard says he’s tired of you.”

Yong glanced at Seon-jae at Chairman Shin’s joke mixed with truth.

Seon-jae winked at Yong.

“Oh, Yong! Give me your cell phone before you go. I have a place to contact you.”

He requested Yong before finally parting ways. Then a faint smile spread across Chairman Shin’s face.

The reason Seon-jae deliberately used Yong’s cell phone was in case of an emergency. He knew what was in this small cell phone. He didn’t want to be taken advantage of by Chairman Shin, but he wasn’t reckless either. Seon-jae had a family to take care of and protect. So he had to cherish his life. Even if he was being watched.

“Give it to him quickly. He’s asking for it.”

As soon as Chairman Shin’s permission was given, Yong quickly handed over the cell phone.

Seon-jae put Yong’s cell phone in his suit jacket pocket and caught a taxi in front of Chairman Shin.

He should have shaken hands, but he only nodded to Yong. That’s how he parted ways with Yong. He felt empty now that the person who had been following him like a shadow was gone. At the same time, he felt relieved.

He felt sleepy after eating. He only closed his eyes for a moment, but before he knew it, the taxi was entering the university hospital parking lot.

Seon-jae had no place to stay in Seoul. Of course, he had his old apartment and there were plenty of hotels, but he didn’t want to go anywhere.

The hospital room where the man had stayed was left as it was when the man was arrested, thanks to the fact that he had shouted at the hospital staff not to touch it. All the items the the child had brought were carefully packed and sent back to the the child, but Man’s items remained.

Man’s clothes that had been washed and hung up, his well-polished shoes, half-eaten fruits and snacks, and a key ring with a muscular doll that he had received as a gift from the the child. Unfortunately, the man couldn’t take the key ring. It was probably better that he dropped it here since it would have been taken away at the police station anyway.

Seon-jae picked up the key ring and hung it on his pager. There was a handsome man next to the ballerina, so it looked like a couple. Just like him and Man.

He picked up and ate the stale snacks that had been exposed to the air for a long time while cleaning the hospital room. He killed time like that and lay on the bed like a corpse.

In the meantime, he received a call from Detective Jo, who had gone to Ansan Police Station and met with the former person in charge of the Kim Cheol-soo missing person case. Fortunately, the man was holding up well without confessing, and Detective Jo had gotten one tempting story.

And around midnight, he received a call from Bae Young-do.

204 – Chapter Title Without Number