By Zephyria 
Lee-eum stared blankly at the altar decorated with chrysanthemums. The family photo from the deceased Kim Da-hyun’s father’s house had been used to replace the portrait, and the sight of him smiling so brightly kept making his heart ache.
Kim Da-hyun’s father’s case was closed as a suicide. Although there were lingering questions and a request for an autopsy, the prosecution rejected the autopsy warrant, citing the deceased’s suicide note and the coroner’s opinion that it was a suicide.
After sitting in front of the mortuary for a long time, Lee-eum rose from his seat. There were no visitors coming to pay their respects, and the relatives had given up on taking custody of the deceased’s body, saying they couldn’t afford it. The night was long, so he went to the table, sat down, and poured a glass full of soju. An employee from the funeral service company brought rice and side dishes, but he didn’t touch them, just kept gulping down soju.
“Our youngest has grown up so much. Drinking straight liquor alone.”
A familiar voice was heard, and when he turned around, the rest of the team, including Team Leader Oh, who had been in charge of the Kim Ji-cheol case, had arrived. Lee-eum hurriedly got up and showed his respect.
“Team leader. How did you get here?”
“Hey, how else would I get here? I came by car.”
Team leader joked, and the old colleagues also asked Lee-eum how he had been doing. Afterwards, they paid their respects as a group, and even though they didn’t say anything, their complex feelings were evident in the way they looked at the portrait.
Back then, Kim Da-hyun’s father had said that he would never let the guy who did that to his daughter get away with it, that he would fight to the end. But in the end, he lost his daughter, lost his wife, and took his own life, left alone.
Everyone sighed at his plight as they sat down. Afterwards, drinks were exchanged, and some people lamented and vented their anger, some comforted themselves by saying that they had tried their best, and some even reacted by saying that Kim Ji-cheol seemed to be getting his due, judging by the recent media backlash.
“But was it really suicide?”
“They said a suicide note came out.”
“Why did he die?”
“Losing his precious child and wife in one day, life must have been unbearable.”
“Where did his cell phone go?”
“The last signal was caught at his house, but it was cut off after that. We couldn’t find it no matter how hard we looked.”
“Detective Kim talked to him a few days before he died, right?”
Lee-eum, who had been listening quietly, nodded.
“I didn’t notice anything strange, I don’t know… why it turned out like this.”
Team Leader Oh patted Lee-eum on the shoulder at his self-deprecating tone. “Don’t worry about it, shake it off. How long are you going to be struggling because of that?” Lee-eum drank the soju that the team leader poured for him in one gulp. He felt tipsy, and everyone shared stories from the past, naturally leading to recent updates.
Lee-eum took a moment to go outside for a cigarette. He took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth, feeling lightheaded from drinking so much alcohol on an empty stomach. In the meantime, Jeong Nam-su called.
【Sunbae. Are you at the funeral home?】
“Yeah.”
【You drank a lot, didn’t you?】
“How did you know?”
【Your voice is fatal when you’re drunk. It’s dangerous.】
“Don’t talk nonsense and hang up.”
【Are there any mourners?】
“The team leader and colleagues I used to work with came.”
【Ah, we’re a step late. Team Leader Oh went up to the chief’s office, we’ll leave as soon as he comes down.】
“You don’t have to do that…”
【It’s hard for you, isn’t it?】
“……”
Lee-eum didn’t dissuade him any further. It would be better to have more people so that the deceased’s last journey wouldn’t be lonely. Nam-soo nagged him not to drink too much before hanging up. After ending the call, he let out a soft sigh, and in the distance, he saw two familiar people walking towards him. It was his Noona and Hyung in black suits.
“Lee-eum-ah. Why are you out here?”
“Why are Noona and Hyung here…”
“Of course we had to come. You’re here.”
Looking closely, Kim Mid-eum’s face had a blue bruise. He wondered if he was seeing things wrong, but Kim Mid-eum scoffed.
“Curious? Why my face is like this.”
“Did you fight?”
“No, I got hit while trying to stop a fight.”
Curious, he tried to ask more, but Kim Malk-eum glared and blocked Kim Mid-eum’s mouth. Then, the two of them checked Lee-eum’s complexion and worried if he was okay. Lee-eum forced a smile instead of answering.
“Let’s go inside first. Noona, you know Team Leader Oh, right? He’s inside.”
“Oh, really? I should say hello after a long time. What about you?”
“I’ll go in later. I have a headache.”
“Are you okay? Should I buy you some medicine?”
“No. I think I’ll feel better if I get some air.”
“Okay. Come in quickly, I’m worried.”
He nodded, and his Noona and Hyung went inside. Lee-eum squatted on the stairs and blinked slowly. He hadn’t slept and had been drinking, so his head and body felt heavy and sluggish. Suddenly, he thought of someone suffering from insomnia. Is that how they live every day? After a while, he took out his cell phone from his pocket and played the automatically recorded conversation with Kim Da-hyun’s father.
【That bastard won’t be punished right away. I know that… But still, I feel like I’ll have a little more face to see our Da-hyun and my wife when I die, so I’m happy…】
【Thank you. For not forgetting our daughter.】
Was this when he made up his mind? Would the situation have been different if he had gone right away? As he replayed the memories, he took out a new cigarette, and in the distance, a car stopped. The driver hurriedly got out of the driver’s seat and opened the back door, and someone he had never expected appeared. Lee-eum slowly got up from his seat, and Kim Ji-cheol approached with his staff.
“Detective Kim is here too.”
Lee-eum crumpled the cigarette he was holding in his hand.
“Why are you here?”
“I heard the news. I, ha, my heart really aches. If I had stopped my friends when the incident happened, it wouldn’t have come to this. Then Kim Da-hyun would have lived, and her parents would have lived too. That’s so unfortunate.”
Soon after, several reporters with cameras appeared from the car that followed. It was obvious that Kim Ji-cheol had called them. Lee-eum was dumbfounded and blocked the way.
“Don’t put on a show and leave. What nerve do you have to come here and pay your respects? Why? Are you going to go inside and kneel? Beg for forgiveness?”
Kim Ji-cheol approached with a distressed expression.
“Why are you being like this, Detective Kim? Anyone would think I killed them.”
He chuckled at the end of his sentence, and Lee-eum clenched his teeth. If he grabbed that bastard by the collar here, the reporters would take pictures as if they had been waiting for it, and tomorrow’s article would say that Kim Ji-cheol had even visited the funeral home for the victim but was turned away, creating a sympathetic public opinion. Knowing it was an obvious tactic, he felt murderous rage in his heart.
“Our detective can hold back now? You used to throw punches when you were a rookie. That’s right. Keep holding back like you do now. Why else would there be a saying that patience is a virtue? It’s there for people like you to practice.”
“I’ll see how long you can slip away like a loach.”
“Why? Do you have anything other than the recording file? But what a pity. I told you before, I’m someone who has nothing to fear. Even if you bring something worse than that and blow it up, you won’t be able to touch a hair on my head. Why? That’s just how the world is. Rather, the more Detective Kim struggles, the more innocent people die. Like today. Not that I killed them, though.”
Kim Ji-cheol smiled leisurely, and Lee-eum clenched his fist. You son of a bitch. His eyes were bloodshot, and he felt like his blood was running backwards. Kim Ji-cheol took a step back and smiled as he revealed his anger.
“It’s a shame, but I have to go today. Detective Kim is so adamantly opposed to my paying respects, so there’s nothing I can do.”
His secretary took out an envelope from his pocket, and Kim Ji-cheol handed it to Lee-eum.
“Take it. I put it in there for the deceased to use as travel expenses.”
When he didn’t take it and glared at him, he shrugged and turned to leave, saying he would leave it if he didn’t want it. Lee-eum’s gaze fell on the bricks piled up under the no-parking sign. But in the end, he couldn’t pick them up and could only watch Kim Ji-cheol walk away.
Feeling empty, Lee-eum turned around powerlessly and went to a secluded bench near the funeral home where few people went and slumped down. The resentment he had barely suppressed surged up, and his eyes burned.
He rubbed his face roughly with his palms, dropped his head down, and screamed silently. Even though he bit his lip until it bled, sobs leaked out, and in the meantime, he heard footsteps.
As he tried to control his emotions, he took a long breath, and the owner of the footsteps was already right in front of him. When he looked up, he saw a man standing with his back to the streetlight. He was wearing a black suit and a black shirt, making him feel more threatening than usual.
He sat down casually next to Lee-eum. When their eyes met, his pupils flashed strangely in the darkness. There was also a bruise on his face that he hadn’t seen before. Before he could ask why he was here, Choi Won-joon smiled nonchalantly and patted his shoulder.
“Want to lean on me? I’ll lend it to you.”