MJ 42

“Eat up, quickly.”

“Thanks.”

“I’m the only one for you, right?”

“Yeah, you idiot. You’re the only one.”

Nam-soo handed him a hangover cure, and Lee-eum opened the bottle and downed it in one go. He drank like there was no tomorrow for the first time in a while, and his stomach had been upset all day. An unexpected event had occurred since morning, so he hadn’t even had a proper hangover cure, and his stomach was still empty. On top of that, Kim Ji-cheol came and made a fuss, so his condition was the worst.

“I’ll drop you off nearby, so get some hangover food and find a place to crash. I’ll go alone.”

“It’s okay. It’s not that bad.”

“Don’t you trust me?”

“Nope.”

Aish, seriously. Nam-soo pouted and subtly watched Lee-eum’s reaction. It seemed he had something else he wanted to say.

“You met Kim Da-hyun’s father yesterday and drank because you were upset, right?”

Lee-eum didn’t answer Nam-soo’s question, and he got excited and cursed at Kim Ji-cheol.

“I don’t know why that crazy bastard came this morning to make such a fuss.”

“He must have thought I uploaded the video.”

Nam-soo’s eyes widened.

“Did Sunbae upload it?”

“With what skills?”

“Well, the situation is strange. Usually, even if it’s uploaded suddenly, it’s quickly deleted, and it’s not even reported in the media. It’s standard for it to be gossiped about for a few days and then pushed out of interest. It’s always been like that. But this time, it’s different. Who targeted Assemblyman Kim? Maybe the opposition party released it? Well, there are rumors that he’s running for president this time. Do you have any guesses?”

“I’m curious too. Who it is.”

“Even so, Kim Ji-cheol, that bastard, has no evidence, yet he comes to the police station to cause trouble. Shit, I get angry just thinking about it. Sunbae, you held back well earlier. It’s a loss for Sunbae to deal with that kind of bastard. It’s not that you’re afraid of shit, but you avoid it because it’s dirty.”

“Nam-soo.”

“Yes?”

“I’m scared of Kim Ji-cheol.”

“Aish, why are you saying such weak things that don’t suit you?”

It was the truth. To be exact, he was scared of the power the guy had. He could erase evidence and turn witnesses around overnight, and when he thought that Kim Da-hyun’s mother’s accident might not have been a coincidence, he came to the conclusion that no matter how much he struggled, he wouldn’t be able to compete.

The reason he held back from wanting to beat him to death earlier was because he wasn’t confident he could handle the aftermath. It would be fortunate if it ended with just his own disciplinary action, but he had already experienced the harm it could cause to others. He knew how devastating that was.

“Who uploaded the video? If it was filmed at the company, it means there’s an internal whistleblower.”

“I don’t know. It could be someone from the company, or it might not be.”

Choi Won-joon kept lingering in his mind. He couldn’t contact him since morning, so even if he was curious whether Choi Won-joon had done it, he couldn’t ask. Meanwhile, the car passed through the city center and headed to the outskirts, arriving at the entrance of an apartment in the countryside.

After parking the car in the parking lot, he went to the security office and knocked on the window. After a moment, it slid open.

“What’s the matter?”

“Hello. I’m from the Seobu Police Station in Seoul. Have you ever seen this person?”

He handed over a photo, and the security guard adjusted his glasses and nodded.

“I know him. I’ve seen him a few times.”

“Is he a resident?”

“I don’t know about that, but he’s often noticeable.”

“Do you know which unit he lives in?”

“Hmm—wait a minute. I think I saw him with a young lady in 206, walking around with a dog.”

“When did you see him, by any chance?”

“Well, I don’t think I saw him today. I don’t know about yesterday because it wasn’t my working day.”

“Could you come upstairs with us for a moment?”

The security guard asked if it was important, and when he said it was, he took off his glasses and readily agreed. Lee-eum went up to the second floor with the security guard. It was a corridor-style apartment, and blankets were spread out on the railings everywhere. The security guard said something about it.

“Geez, no matter how many times I tell them not to hang blankets, they don’t listen. A lot of old people live here. The older they get, the more stubborn they become.”

Lee-eum smiled silently, thinking of his stubborn father, and the security guard stood in front of 206 and rang the doorbell. Lee-eum hid behind the window facing the hallway, and soon after, a young woman’s voice was heard from inside.

【Who is it?】

“I’m from the security office. There’s a water leak from the floor below. Could you come out and check for a moment?”

【What water leak are you talking about?】

“The water pipe burst, and the water overflowed into the hallway.”

【Okay. Just go for now.】

The security guard looked at Lee-eum awkwardly. Lee-eum thanked him and gestured for him to go down first. Only after the security guard disappeared from sight did Lee-eum bang on the door and shout.

“Miss! I’m from downstairs, open the door!”

It was quiet.

Lee-eum acted out the situation a bit more dramatically.

“Damn it, if I said there’s a water leak, you should come down quickly. What’s with all the excuses! Don’t get on my nerves and open the door, or I’ll get an ax and tear it all down!”

Then, the door burst open, and a man suddenly popped out.

“What the fuck are you threatening? An ax? Bring it! So what if there’s a water leak…”

The man’s face contorted the moment the woman grabbed him from behind, telling him not to. Lee-eum narrowed the distance with the man and smiled.

“You’re Kim Deok-soo, right? You fled the scene of the crime in Seongje-dong this morning.”

Damn it. As he hurriedly tried to close the door, Lee-eum put his foot in to stop it, and the man ran into the house. Lee-eum chased after him, and the man resisted by throwing things in the house.

“Get out! Go away! It wasn’t me, you son of a bitch!”

As things shattered and broke, the woman screamed, and in that gap, the man went out the living room window and jumped out in the blink of an eye. Lee-eum hurriedly went to the window and looked down. The man who had just jumped down was waving his middle finger at Lee-eum. Eat this, you cop bastard!

But before long, the man was caught by Nam-soo, who was guarding below. The panicked man was easily subdued by Nam-soo without any resistance, and his wrists were handcuffed. Nam-soo waved at Lee-eum.

Let’s go, now!

As Lee-eum turned around, the woman was frowning and fidgeting. Next to her, a dog was wagging its tail and looking at Lee-eum.

“Woo Jin-joo. You used to work as a recruiter in the house Kim Deok-soo runs, right?”

“No, that was a long time ago. I don’t know anything.”

“Would you mind coming with us for a moment?”

The woman, who had been resisting, grabbed her wallet and cell phone with an annoyed expression. The dog wagged its tail under Lee-eum’s legs, and Lee-eum called out to the woman.

“Don’t you have any acquaintances to leave the dog with?”

“Aish, is the dog the problem now? And I’ll be back soon, so it doesn’t matter.”

“Both of you have criminal records, so it’ll be hard to come home right away. If you have any acquaintances, contact them and ask them to take care of the dog.”

“I told you, I don’t have any. How many times do I have to say it? And why can’t I come back? I’m not guilty.”

“Harboring a criminal is also a crime. You knew everything and hid him.”

The woman, having nothing more to say, cursed and stormed out. Lee-eum took the woman down to the parking lot, where the man was sitting in the back seat of the car in handcuffs. After shoving the woman into the back seat as well, Lee-eum closed the door.

As he got into the passenger seat, the man sighed.

“Detective. I’m innocent. I only lent the place because they said they were playing Go-Stop. How was I supposed to know the stakes were so high? If I had known, I would never have cooperated!”

“You said the same thing a year ago. It’s best not to expect leniency since you’re on probation. And you both know you’re charged with fraud, right? It’ll be hard to get out for a while, so find someone to take care of the dog now, if you can.”

“Take care of what? Who would take that mutt?”

“Oh, Darling. It’s not a mutt. It’s a mixed breed.”

“Same difference. Detective, please listen to me.”

The man continued to complain from behind, but Lee-eum told him to be quiet because it was noisy. Then he turned up the radio, and the news came on.

【There’s a buzzing issue all day. It was a report about Kim Yong-taek’s son, Kim Ji-cheol. Are there any additional testimonies?】

【Yes, that’s right. Kim Ji-cheol was involved in a sex crime case two years ago and went to trial. The others who were with him at the time were punished, but only Kim Ji-cheol was acquitted.】

【I remember that. There was quite a bit of controversy at the time. But now that case is resurfacing?】

Nam-soo glanced at Lee-eum, and Lee-eum focused on the news with a stiff expression.

【Yes, one of the victims who was at the scene at the time testified that it was consensual sex, and that played a decisive role in the acquittal. But a post was uploaded to that victim’s SNS today. It said that Kim Ji-cheol threatened her at the time, so she had no choice but to testify falsely. It’s been deleted, but it’s spreading at a terrifying rate.】

【So what happens then? Will there be a reinvestigation?】

【Under the criminal law, it’s difficult to reinvestigate a case that has already been acquitted. However, there’s even a petition on the Blue House bulletin board calling for the truth to be revealed, so we expect the situation to become more serious than expected.】

【What about Assemblyman Kim Yong-taek? He made a statement this morning, but are there any additional details?】

【There are no additional details yet. However, since Assemblyman Kim is challenging for his fourth term this time, his position is expected to be very difficult.】

Nam-soo, who was listening, laughed with a delighted expression.

“This is totally awesome, right, Sunbae?”

Lee-eum smiled bitterly. He didn’t know if it was totally awesome, but it was clear that Kim Ji-cheol’s situation was not going well. While continuing to listen to the news, the cell phone in his pocket vibrated. It was Choi Won-joon, who hadn’t been in contact all morning.

Lee-eum bit his lip as he read his message.

【How is it? Do you feel a little better?】