By Zephyria 
Lee-eum examined Choi Won-joon’s condition. He had been silent since leaving the hospital, and as soon as he got into the car, he leaned back against the seat with a dark expression and closed his eyes. When he went inside to get his cell phone, there must have been a conversation between them.
“Is that… him?”
At his cautious question, Won-joon nodded.
“Yeah. His face has changed, but his voice is the same.”
Lee-eum had no idea what to say. Usually, in this kind of situation, he should comfort the victim… While he was pondering, Choi Won-joon reached out his hand first.
“Hold my hand? I can’t calm down.”
Lee-eum took his hand and patted the back of it.
“Are you having a hard time? Should we go to the hospital?”
“It’s not that bad.”
“What did Park Eon-soo say? Did he admit to kidnapping President?”
“He flatly denied it. Ugh, I’m dizzy. I guess I’m stressed.”
As he looked troubled, Choi Won-joon lowered his eyes and glanced at him.
“I want to rest.”
“Then I’ll take you home,”
“Shall we go to a hotel?”
Suddenly? A hotel?
“Where should I take you?”
“Are you going to leave me alone at the hotel?”
“……”
“You’re so cold. You should stay by my side on a day like this. See? My hands are shaking because I’m anxious.”
Choi Won-joon’s hands were trembling, and Lee-eum hesitated. Where had he seen this scene before? But he couldn’t openly say anything to someone who was having a hard time. When he said he had a lot of work to do and had to go to work, Choi Won-joon made a groaning sound, grabbed Lee-eum’s hand, and rubbed it against his cheek.
“That’s too much. I granted Darling’s request, too.”
“I know. Thank you. It must have been hard…”
“Then praise me.”
Praise? Won-joon raised his head and looked straight at Lee-eum.
“Stroke my cheeks and say ‘aww, poor baby.'”
Lee-eum paused. He looked perfectly fine. Was he really having a hard time because of the shock? The words came up to his throat, but he couldn’t be so cold as to question someone who had just faced his painful past about whether he was lying.
As he hesitated, Choi Won-joon took Lee-eum’s hands and put them on both of his cheeks. Hurry up. Because he was urging him, Lee-eum barely moved his lips, which wouldn’t fall open.
“Aww, you’re so pretty.”
At the robotic, emotionless tone, Choi Won-joon’s eyebrows went up crookedly. Again. Lee-eum swallowed hard and held Choi Won-joon’s cheeks tightly. Aww, our Won-joon is so pretty. Since there was no difference, Choi Won-joon’s eyes became sharper and sharper.
Oh, screw it. Lee-eum kissed Choi Won-joon on the lips and quickly stepped back, staring straight ahead.
“Okay? I’ll start driving.”
He could feel Choi Won-joon staring at him from the side, and Lee-eum’s face flushed, so he lowered the air conditioner temperature. All the way while driving, Choi Won-joon was grinning, and Lee-eum felt grateful, but he was conflicted several times about whether to throw him out.
Then, he stopped at an intersection because of a traffic light, and Choi Won-joon started talking.
“I’ve thought about it sometimes. I should kill him when I see him. In the most painful way in the world.”
He was saying scary things with an indifferent expression. Lee-eum understood. He must have lived in hell for over 20 years.
“But when I actually saw him, he was nothing special. It’s boring. At least if he was going to kidnap me, he should have been a big shot, not a petty criminal. Right? Well, if he had been, I would have found him a long time ago.”
Lee-eum opened his mouth after much deliberation.
“Even if you say that, I know President had a hard time. I’m sorry, and thank you for granting my request. The statute of limitations for the kidnapping case has expired, but I will definitely find out about the other things. I’ll make sure he pays for his sins no matter what.”
Choi Won-joon smiled and nodded. In fact, he said he would help Kim Yi-eum, but he had no intention of letting that man live. When Park Eon-soo is out of Kim Yi-eum’s attention, he plans to get his share himself. Of course, this naive detective doesn’t know it in his dreams.
“Why are you smiling so scary…? You’re not thinking bad things, are you?”
The car started as the light changed, and Won-joon gently brushed Lee-eum’s side hair back.
“It’s because Darling is pretty. Don’t worry about it.”
❖ ❖ ❖
A few days later, Lee-eum, who went to the hospital with Nam-soo, heard from the nurse in charge that Park Eon-soo had not been able to sleep and had asked for a sedative. As if to prove those words, Park Eon-soo’s face had become haggard.
“You’ve come, detectives?”
Even in the midst of all this, he was brazen, and when they unlocked the handcuffs on his right hand, he grumbled that his wrist hurt.
“Are we going straight to the police station?”
“No. You can go home. Come in for questioning when we contact you.”
Park Eon-soo’s face contorted in surprise.
“Wasn’t there an arrest warrant issued for me?”
“The victim wants a smooth resolution, and the judge rejected the warrant application because there is no risk of flight.”
“What the hell are you talking about? I haven’t even met the victim!”
Park Eon-soo protested violently, but the two ignored him. After Jeong Nam-soo went out first, Lee-eum brought him his clothes. Change and go home. Then Park Eon-soo grabbed Lee-eum’s arm.
“Detective? Tell me honestly. Did the person who came with you a few days ago tell you to do this? To let me go?”
Lee-eum tilted his head with a puzzled expression.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Park Eon-soo burst into laughter.
“Now that I see it, you’re all in cahoots. I even looked up the articles. You two are originally close, right? That’s why you brought him that day. To threaten me!”
Lee-eum shook off his hand as if he was annoyed. Think what you want and change your clothes. Then he turned around without regret. Detective! Detective! He heard Park Eon-soo calling from behind, but he didn’t care.
When he came outside, Nam-soo was waiting with the engine running. When he got into the passenger seat, Nam-soo moved the car to the side of the road.
“Do you think this will work?”
“I don’t know. But I have to do as much as I can.”
“Oh, Detective Park’s suspension has been lifted, and he’ll be back to work next week. I guess he broke up with that woman.”
“That’s a relief.”
“What’s the point? The rumor that he had an affair with a married woman has already spread.”
Even if he was a colleague, he didn’t want to take his side on that part. Nam-soo got excited and angry, saying that if he was going to comfort her, he should do it with words, not with his body. He swore that he would never do that and would only live for his lover, so Lee-eum just laughed.
“Why are you laughing? I’m serious.”
“Because you’re cute.”
“I hope Sunbae makes a lover, too. People like us who can be mentally exhausted need a haven. I’m getting a lot of comfort these days. Because of our Honey.”
A haven… Does such a thing exist? As Lee-eum pondered, Choi Won-joon came to his mind. He was living in Lee-eum’s house these days. He didn’t openly ask for sex, so he left him alone, but he kept flirting with him whenever he had a chance. What was even more frightening was that he was gradually accepting it.
If they really end up living together…
Lee-eum was startled and shook his head. That’s absolutely not going to happen.
“What’s not going to happen?”
“Huh? No, nothing.”
Sunbae, look there. Just in time, Park Eon-soo comes out of the hospital’s main gate, wearing a hat pulled down low. He looked around, found the car with Lee-eum and Nam-soo in it, and raised his middle finger.
“That bastard, he wants to die.”
While Nam-soo was swearing, Park Eon-soo jaywalked and headed for the taxi stand. But suddenly, a black van came speeding from behind and stopped in front of Park Eon-soo as if it was skidding.
In an instant, the door opened and Park Eon-soo was dragged inside, and Nam-soo, who was watching, bent his fingers one by one. One, two, three. As if on cue, Park Eon-soo jumped out of the car and started running towards the car with Lee-eum in it with a pale face.
He shook the back door of the car wildly to open it, and when he realized it was locked, he pounded on the driver’s seat window. Whirr- When he lowered the window, Park Eon-soo gasped and spat out words.
“Detective! Did you just see that? Some bastards, oh shit, put a knife to my neck,”
Park Eon-soo, who was looking back, realized that the van had disappeared and froze in place.
“See what? Can you move aside? We have to go to a crime scene near here.”
As he was about to roll up the window, Park Eon-soo put his hand through the window without hesitation. Wait a minute! Wait! He screamed and put his face close to the window. Nam-soo and Lee-eum held their breath and waited for him to speak. Park Eon-soo took a breath and licked his lips once.
“I’ll tell you everything…”
“Tell us what.”
“First, open the door. Then I’ll tell you.”
When he opened the back door, Park Eon-soo jumped in like an arrow. He was breathing heavily and looking outside. Then he rubbed his face roughly and swore.
“Are we going to wait any longer? We’re busy.”
“Can I request personal protection, by any chance?”
Nam-soo laughed, saying he was speechless.
“Geez, it’s the first time in my life I’ve heard a perpetrator, not a victim, request personal protection. Forget it. If you’re going to say useless things, get out quickly. I’m busy!”
Park Eon-soo closed and opened his eyes tightly.
“How much is the punishment for murder due to… diminished capacity?”
Lee-eum and Nam-soo turned around at the same time.
Park Eon-soo bit his lip tightly and then released it, and began to tell the truth.
“I… well… I killed Lee Jeong-hye. But I really didn’t do it on purpose. You guys have those times, too, right? I was so excited while having sex that I strangled her without realizing it, and she collapsed limply. Who knew that would happen? Shit, I was going to report it, but I was drunk and had taken antidepressants,”
Lee-eum raised his hand to stop Park Eon-soo from speaking.
“So, are you confessing to murdering Lee Jeong-hye?”
Park Eon-soo nodded with his mouth shut.
“Answer me.”
“Yes. I killed her…”
“Is it true that you abandoned her in the river?”
“Well… I buried her in the bushes… I guess she floated away… I didn’t just throw her away anywhere, I buried her with good intentions. I even held a simple memorial service to be considerate. Shouldn’t you take that into account to some extent? I turned myself in, too.”
Park Eon-soo closed his mouth as Lee-eum’s eyes turned cold. For a moment, Lee-eum regretted leaving this bastard to die at the hands of Choi Won-joon. But what about Lee Jeong-hye then? She would become an unidentifiable person and wander around without a name, and she wouldn’t be able to reveal her injustice. He comforted himself that he had made the right choice, but he couldn’t help but feel bitter.