By Zephyria “I don’t know much about the news either. I used to meet him occasionally, but ever since he started living with Park Eon-soo, he seemed to avoid contact and meetings. One day, he came in with a huge bruise, and when I asked if he had been hit, he said no. I got angry and told him to break up with him, but at some point, he naturally cut off contact with me too. I know that most people have drifted apart like that…”
The person speaking sighed. After checking the call records of the three people who disappeared after living with Park Eon-soo, they found the contact information of their acquaintances, but there were no significant results. However, they learned that the circumstances in which they became estranged from the missing people were very similar. They were controlled by Park Eon-soo while living together, and their relationships with people around them seemed to have been cut off.
“Thank you. If you think of anything else, please contact me here.”
As he left his contact information and went outside, the sky was dark and raindrops began to fall one by one. He hurried to the car and started the engine, and Nam-soo sighed deeply as he fastened his seatbelt.
“The methods are similar. At first, he treats them well, then they live together, he cuts off their relationships with people around them, exploits and abuses them, and finally, they disappear. Of course, he insists they ran away from home.”
“There was no separate insurance for the missing people, right?”
“No, there’s no insurance, but there are records of frequent cash withdrawals from their accounts. The victims didn’t splurge, and they didn’t even buy decent clothes, so where did all that money go?”
They couldn’t hide their unease. The raindrops quickly became thicker, and the wipers moved incessantly as they drove out of the alley. Afterwards, they visited several more places to investigate, but no decisive clues were found.
He wished they had just run away from home as Park Eon-soo said. Even if their residency was canceled, he just hoped they were alive. As he was thinking that, Nam-soo’s stomach rumbled. Lee-eum looked at him and smiled. They had been running around like crazy since morning and hadn’t had lunch, and time had flown by.
“Let’s go get something to eat.”
“How about Samgyeopsal since it’s raining?”
“Sounds good.”
They drove to their favorite barbecue restaurant. The restaurant was near the police station, and perhaps because of the awkward time, it was quieter and less crowded than usual. They parked the car in the parking lot and ran quickly into the restaurant, getting rained on, and the CEO greeted them warmly.
“Why is it just the two of you today?”
“We couldn’t eat lunch because we were working. Please give us three servings of Samgyeopsal.”
As they sat down, the news was playing on TV. A family was murdered in a certain area, and a relative who had been fighting over inheritance was arrested as a suspect. With incidents and accidents happening every day, the case about Park Eon-soo was soon buried. It would be quickly forgotten even in the public’s attention.
In the meantime, side dishes came out and the owner brought the Samgyeopsal. Seeing that he even gave them pork rinds as a service, they smiled and thanked him.
“It would be nice to have a drink too.”
“No way.”
“You’re great in every way, Sunbae, but sometimes you’re not flexible. Who would know if we had a drink and went in on a day like this?”
He grumbled, so he ordered cider for him and poured it for him. As the Samgyeopsal sizzled on the grill, he put kimchi and bean sprouts next to it. They added two more servings of meat, and with rice and Doenjang jjigae, they felt like they were going to live after eating their fill.
After that, they went into the office, and Team Leader Oh, who was working, poked his head out.
“You’re back? Did anything come up?”
“I met them, but they all said they had lost contact before that. The landlord of the house where they lived together said they often argued, but there was nothing particularly strange, and he doesn’t remember the details because it was a long time ago.”
Team Leader Oh sighed deeply and muttered. I wish we were barking up the wrong tree. His heart was no different from Lee-eum’s. Lee-eum turned on the computer and then got up from his seat.
“How’s Park Eon-soo?”
“He had three stitches on his tongue. He’s lying comfortably in the detention center now. He’s a complete stubborn bastard.”
“Can he talk?”
“Why? Are you going to meet him?”
“I’m just going to see his face for a moment.”
Lee-eum left the office and headed to the detention center inside. As he entered, the officer in charge greeted him politely. As he approached the iron bars, Park Eon-soo opened his eyes, as if he had sensed someone. He got up from his seat and moved his neck from side to side, loosening his muscles.
“Ah, I fell asleep for a second.”
His pronunciation was inaccurate because of his injured tongue.
“Does the detention center suit your constitution?”
“Who would be suited to this? You just adapt. But why did you come? Do I have to go to the interrogation room again?”
“No. The prosecution has been decided, and you’ll be transferred to the detention center tomorrow.”
“Ah, I see. I guess nothing else came out?”
“……”
“See? What did I tell you? It wasn’t me. The police are arresting an innocent person.”
Park Eon-soo grinned and Lee-eum clenched his teeth. His expression was full of confidence. No matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to find out more. Lee-eum glanced back. The officer in charge had left his seat for a moment, so he squatted in front of the bars and lowered his voice.
“You look happy.”
“Come on, how can I be happy when I’m being imprisoned unfairly?”
“Unfairly?”
“That’s right. If it wasn’t for you, Detective, I wouldn’t have any reason to be like this. So it’s unfair. But well, I’m not worried. I have a lot of connections, and I have quite a few Hyung I know in prison. People who will protect me. If I live as an exemplary prisoner there, I’ll get a reduced sentence, and I might be able to reunite with you sooner than you think.”
“Are you threatening me? Are you saying you won’t let me off if you get out?”
“Hey, would I dare? To you, Detective?”
Watching Park Eon-soo joke around, Lee-eum thought for a moment and brought up the story of Choi Won-joon.
“Do you know Choi Won-joon? What did you two talk about that day?”
“Ah, Detective’s friend? It wasn’t much. I think he mistook me for someone else. Is that person always so angry? He needs to fix his personality. How can he be a CEO of a construction company if he can’t control his anger?”
“You kidnapped Choi Won-joon when he was a child, didn’t you? The statute of limitations has expired anyway, so you can’t be punished. So just tell me honestly. I’m really curious.”
Park Eon-soo made a strange expression and gestured for him to come closer. As he pressed his body against the bars, he whispered in Lee-eum’s ear.
“I, t’s, not, me.”
Then he smiled shamelessly. Does he have to keep talking when his tongue hurts? He stuck out his tongue and showed the stitched marks, then lay down, saying he was tired. Lee-eum got up from his seat and stared at Park Eon-soo for a long time. He closed his eyes and a smile spread across his face. Seeing that, he felt an urge to chase after him and shake his collar right away.
❖ ❖ ❖
It wasn’t as bad as yesterday, but it was still raining, and the front of the police station was noisy and bustling from morning. Reporters flocked to film the scene of Park Eon-soo being transferred to the detention center, and as soon as Park Eon-soo appeared, flashes of light burst from everywhere and questions poured out.
You killed your ex-lover, why did you do that?
Don’t you feel sorry for the deceased victim?
Nothing has been revealed about the other crimes, are you really innocent?
Park Eon-soo kept his head down and shed tears, repeatedly apologizing and emphasizing that it was an accidental crime. Thanks to his injured tongue, his pronunciation was slurred, and his foolish appearance made his injustice even more prominent. Dozens of cameras quickly captured the scene, and the Team leader of Team 1 took him to the prison van.
The team members who were watching it from inside clicked their tongues.
“Wow, his acting is amazing. Did you see him crying? He could be an actor when he gets out of prison.”
“But why is Team 1 escorting him? We solved it.”
“Team Leader Nam from Team 1 wanted it. I actually like it better. I hate being on TV.”
“Me too. My face was in the newspaper before, and some guy commented asking who was the criminal between the two of us. Do you know how hurt I was?”
“Hyung, you deserve to hear that.”
“What, you punk?”
“I wish they would cover our faces too, not just the criminals.”
“Detective Kim was a sensation too. There was a handsome police officer in the Seobu Police Station, and the video views exploded.”
“Ah, I remember! I answered the phone and they asked to speak to Detective Kim Yi-eum. When I said no, they asked for his personal contact information. When I asked who it was, they said it was his girlfriend. Why doesn’t his girlfriend know his contact information?”
Everyone laughed, and Lee-eum made an awkward expression. In the beginning, Choi Won-joon had mentioned the video a few times. He said he watched it often when he was alone, and he could only see his face.
Until then, he hated Choi Won-joon and hated even more that he had watched the video, so he was disgusted. But when did this relationship happen? When he came to his senses, they were having sex, waking up together in the morning, and eating together.
No matter how he thought about it, he was properly screwed…
In the meantime, the prison van left and everyone returned to their seats to work. By the time he finished investigating the suspect, summoning the witnesses for questioning, and writing the report to be submitted to Team Leader Oh, time had passed quickly. Then, as lunchtime approached, Team Leader Oh got up to go eat, and suddenly Team 1 became noisy.
“Is it real? What about the Team leader?”
“Hey, turn on the broadcast! Quickly!”
They turned on the TV, and the gazes of people who sensed something strange were all focused on Team 1. Soon after, breaking news came out on the news, and everyone couldn’t close their mouths and let out curses and sighs. Something completely unexpected had happened.