By Zephyria Lee-eum went to the entertainment agency where Kim Ji-cheol was the President, parked his car in the parking lot, and called the company, identifying himself and asking for Kim Ji-cheol. When he threatened to go upstairs and cause a ruckus if Kim Ji-cheol didn’t come down himself, his secretary appeared at the entrance a short while later. He was familiar; he was one of the people who always stuck by Kim Ji-cheol’s side.
Lee-eum got out of the car and gestured for him to come over. The man approached and wore a slightly displeased expression.
“I clearly told you that the President is not in his office.”
Like dog, like master. His tone was similar to Kim Ji-cheol’s arrogance. Lee-eum opened the back door of his car and gestured for the man to get inside. The man didn’t listen, and Lee-eum roughly grabbed his hair, shoved him into the back seat, and kicked him.
“Hey, fuck! What are you doing!”
Lee-eum pulled out his gun and aimed it at the man, who was resisting fiercely. The man’s face turned white at the unexpected situation, and Lee-eum closed the car door, cornered the man, and took out Kim Ok-cheol’s cell phone to play the video.
As soon as the video started, the man turned to rush out to the other side. Lee-eum slammed the man’s face against the window and brought the gun to his temple.
“Who sent this?”
“I, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Will you remember if I put a hole in your head?”
There was no answer, so this time he cocked the pistol and muttered fiercely.
“You know, Mr. Secretary. For us, eliminating evidence is as easy as finding it. You didn’t know this spot is a blind spot for CCTV, did you? I’ve already tampered with the black box cameras of the cars in front. So, killing you and taking you out of here is nothing.”
“…….”
“So tell me. Who sent it?”
The man moved his lips.
“I, it wasn’t me. But…”
The man trailed off, and Lee-eum hit the man’s head with the butt of the gun. Thwack! The man hit his face on the front seat, and the gun was now pointed under his chin.
“Don’t make me say it twice.”
“Ugh…! President, the President had it! That’s all I know!”
Lee-eum searched the man’s pockets for his cell phone and handed it over.
“Call Kim Ji-cheol. Tell him to come here right now.”
The man was flustered and only gaped like a goldfish.
“That’s…”
“Call him.”
“Actually… we’ve been trying to reach the President since this morning, and we’re looking for him too. He said he was going to stop by his house, but the resident staff said he didn’t come…”
Lee-eum frowned fiercely.
“Don’t give me that bullshit!”
“It’s true! Why would I lie? Look.”
Without being told, the man urgently called Kim Ji-cheol. A message saying it was turned off appeared, and it immediately went to voicemail. He tried again, but it was the same. The man rattled on in an aggrieved tone.
“We’re still trying to contact him, starting with the establishments he frequents, but there’s no news. It’s true, please believe me!”
Lee-eum glared at the man and gritted his teeth. Maybe he should have gone to Kim Ji-cheol’s house directly. In the meantime, Jeong Nam-su called. He handcuffed one of the man’s hands and secured it to the front seat, got out of the car, and answered the phone.
【Sunbae, where are you? Are you still at Kim Ok-cheol’s house?】
“I’m somewhere else for a bit. Why?”
【A huge thing just broke.】
Lee-eum could sense a strange excitement in Nam-soo’s voice.
“What are you talking about?”
【I’ll send you a link.】 As soon as he finished speaking, Jeong Nam-su hung up and sent a link. He accessed it and found a live broadcast in progress. The title on the screen, ‘Acquisition of File on Congressman’s Sex Entertainment,’ reminded him of someone. Sure enough, the BJ directly mentioned the name of Congressman Kim Yong-taek.
【The situation is more serious than it looks. The articles are being taken down as soon as they come out, but that’s like trying to cover the sky with your hand. It’s already spread all over social media, how can they stop it? Congressman Kim Yong-taek previously stated that he would respond strongly to his son, Kim Ji-cheol! Why is he silent about this? Are you all curious too?】
When he clicked on the attached video, Kim Yong-taek’s face appeared. The other person’s back was blurred, but Kim Yong-taek’s face was clearly captured. The sight of him moving his hips and uttering all sorts of vulgar curses was disgusting and repulsive.
Lee-eum regained his senses, closed the video, and got into the driver’s seat. He started the engine and was about to pull out when the man in the back seat protested in a timid voice, asking if he shouldn’t be released.
“You will be investigated in connection with Kim Ok-cheol’s death. Contact Kim Ji-cheol no matter what. Unless you want to take the fall alone.”
Then, as he drove down the road, news related to Kim Yong-taek was being broadcast on a large electronic billboard above a building. Passersby stopped walking, and Lee-eum realized that the situation was unusual and headed straight to the police station.
❖ ❖ ❖
【A scandal involving top star Kang In-woo broke out early this morning. Some say that this is to cover up the video scandal of Congressman Kim Yong-taek. What do you think?】
【Our people aren’t that foolish. Instead of trying to hide the truth, we need a proper explanation and accountability. The police shouldn’t be trying to find the person who leaked the video, but rather summon Congressman Kim and conduct a thorough investigation.】
The car entered the police station parking lot, and the sound from the radio stopped. Lee-eum and Jeong Nam-su got out of the car and stretched fully. They had been staking out in front of the suspect’s house all night, and both of them looked terrible.
“How about some hangover soup for breakfast?”
“Let’s go first. We have to report.”
They greeted people as they entered the office, but the atmosphere was chaotic. The TV was on, and the face of Congressman Hong Dae-seok was on the screen. Team Leader Oh grumbled while drinking a disposable coffee.
“Is that guy a beggar? He just won’t die. Isn’t it time for him to retire?”
“He’s still a powerful figure.”
“He’s a complete old fox. Look at him. He’s cutting ties with Kim Yong-taek as if he’s been waiting for this.”
Lee-eum couldn’t take his eyes off the screen. Hong Dae-seok and other members of the same party were criticizing Kim Yong-taek and holding a press conference, saying that he should be stripped of his position as a congressman and that the truth should be revealed through a strict investigation.
Nearly ten days had passed since the incident occurred, but the aftermath was more severe than expected. The public’s anger was boiling, and posts demanding severe punishment were constantly being uploaded to the Blue House bulletin board.
Kim Yong-taek, who had been insisting that it was a fabrication and a forged video, was eventually overwhelmed by public opinion and became silent, and the only news was that he was staying at home. The team members were talking for a while when Team Leader Oh sighed and turned off the TV.
“I’m so sick of it. It’s been days. Every time I turn it on, it’s all about Kim Yong-taek. Even my six-year-old son asks me who Kim Yong-taek is.”
“But what happened to Kim Ji-cheol?”
“Obviously, he went into hiding because he thought the fire would spread to him. Or Kim could have already smuggled him overseas.”
Everyone cursed the Kim family, and Lee-eum fell into thought. He had released the secretary on the day he was arrested and even tailed him several times, but he had not witnessed him meeting Kim Ji-cheol. Maybe the statement that he was out of contact was true.
While he was talking with the team members, a message arrived. It was Choi Won-joon, who had gone on a business trip to Dubai. He contacted him all the time, and he had subtly tested him about the Kim’s video, but only received the answer that he didn’t know.
He wondered what nonsense he would say today, but a photo taken at the swimming pool in a swimsuit was attached. Someone had taken a picture of him lying on a sunbed wearing a swimsuit that barely covered anything, holding a cocktail as if to show off. Even though he tried to ignore it, the outline inside the swimsuit was so thick that his eyes kept going to it.
【How is it? Do you want to eat it?】
This crazy bastard. Ugh, disgusting. He didn’t know if he was asking if he wanted to eat the cocktail or something else, but Lee-eum frowned and blocked the number. He would probably contact him with another number tomorrow anyway. He was afraid someone would see it, so he was deleting the photo when someone called out from behind, “Detective Kim Yi-eum?”
He turned his head and saw two unfamiliar men approaching.
“Hello, we’re from the Investigation Division of the Headquarters.”
The tall man showed the name tag hanging around his neck, and Team Leader Oh stepped forward first.
“What brings you to us from the Headquarters?”
“We just have a few questions to ask Detective Kim. It won’t take long.”
The Team leader gestured for him to go, so Lee-eum got up. They wanted to talk outside, so he followed them, but they suddenly asked about Kim Ji-cheol at the entrance.
“You went to Kim Ji-cheol’s company a few days ago, right?”
“Yes. Why?”
“What was the reason for going there that day?”
“It was because I judged that he was related to an incident that occurred in the district. I got a statement from the secretary and kept trying to contact him, but I haven’t been able to meet Kim Ji-cheol since then.”
The two detectives exchanged glances. Lee-eum sensed that something had happened to Kim Ji-cheol. Since he was a drug user, maybe he had an accident while taking drugs somewhere. While he was thinking about various things, the short detective with sharp eyes spoke up.
“Kim Ji-cheol was taken to the hospital this morning.”
“Yes?”
“No, rather than taken… I should say they brought him and abandoned him.”
What was he talking about? He made a puzzled expression, and the man showed him a recorded video. It was in front of the emergency room of a hospital, and an ambulance stopped urgently, and people with completely covered faces took out a mobile bed and disappeared in an instant. The screen stopped, and Lee-eum could tell that the person on the bed was Kim Ji-cheol.
“You investigated the Kim Ji-cheol case two years ago, right? You’ve met him several times recently, too.”
“Yes.”
“Do you have any idea what happened? We’re actually very embarrassed, geez.”
The detective scratched his brow as if he was in trouble, and Lee-eum asked relatively calmly.
“Where was he hurt? He looks fine.”
The detective sighed and showed his open hand.
“His fingers, they were cut off.”
“Yes?”
“The culprit cut off Kim Ji-cheol’s fingers.”
“Which fingers…?”
“All ten.”
His mouth dropped open in surprise, and his gaze moved back to Kim Ji-cheol in the video. All his fingers were cut off? By whom? There were many things he wanted to ask, but he couldn’t organize his thoughts.
“So you’re saying his fingers were cut off? All ten at once?”
The detective shook his head and began to explain.
“The doctor said they weren’t cut off all at once, but cut off separately. Slowly, one by one. Judging from the clean cuts and sutures, it was the work of a professional.”
Lee-eum was speechless, and the detectives from the Headquarters asked a few more questions and asked him to contact them if he thought of anything later. He stopped them as they were about to leave and asked about Kim Ji-cheol’s condition, and the tall detective clicked his tongue.
“He’s completely terrified. When they administer sedatives, he struggles and thrashes. He says his fingers will disappear if he falls asleep or something.”
“What does that mean…?”
“He’s rambling, so I don’t believe everything, but according to him, the culprit cut off his fingers every time he fell asleep. Judging from the fact that he didn’t realize it, I think they used anesthesia.”
“…….”
“It’s terrible, right? Imagine falling asleep and finding one of your fingers missing every time you open your eyes.”
“…….”
“He’s a madman, really. What kind of grudge could he have?”
The detective shook his head, saying he was sick of it, and Lee-eum’s mind went blank, and he couldn’t say anything more. After they left, he slumped down on a chair nearby, and one face in particular came to mind vividly.
【Kim Ji-cheol said that? He said he’s not afraid of anything?】
What was Choi Won-joon’s expression like then…?
He quickly unblocked the number and called, but only a message saying that the other party was unavailable came out.