By Zephyria 
【Detective Kim. I’m going on a business trip to Dubai. Is there any gift you want?】
A few days after Kim Da-hyun’s father, Kim Ok-cheol’s funeral, Lee-eum received a call from an unknown number during work hours. It was Choi Won-joon, calling to say he was going on a long-term business trip abroad and asking if there was anything he wanted. Lee-eum told him he didn’t need anything and hung up, telling him not to contact him again. He was about to block the number when a message arrived.
【I’ll prepare the gift as I please. But until I come back, don’t spread your legs for another guy. We’ll both die.】
“This crazy bastard.” Lee-eum spat out the curse with a dumbfounded expression. The vulgar message content was absurd enough, but a cute rabbit emoticon was winking in an adorable pose. The thought of him picking this out himself made it even more unbelievable and sent shivers down his spine. Shaking his head, he shoved his phone into his pocket as Nam-soo, who had gone into the cafe, came out with two iced coffees.
“Wow, damn. Why is the weather so hot? I feel like my hair is going to fall out.”
“What did the cafe owner say?”
“He said he doesn’t know. He said he’s never seen him among his customers.”
Lee-eum sighed and looked around. The area was densely packed with villas and studio apartments, so there were a lot of households. The incident started with a theft report from a seafood restaurant near the entrance.
Someone had stolen snow crabs from the tank, and after checking the CCTV, it was estimated that it wasn’t the first time. The man accused of the crime had been covering his face with a mask and hat, but on the last day, the owner came out and grabbed him, and his hat fell off, revealing his face on camera.
The man disappeared into a maze of alleys with many blind spots not covered by CCTV. They stopped people on the street and visited houses to continue the investigation. It was then that Lee-eum received a call from a Sunbae in the Southern Police Station.
“Yes, Sunbae.”
【Lee-eum, are you busy? Are you out on a call?】
“Tell me. It’s okay.”
【When you get off work later, stop by Kim Da-hyun’s house for a bit.】
Lee-eum stopped walking. Jeong Nam-su, who was walking ahead, noticed something was wrong and turned around.
“Why…?”
【You know the old man who lives in the house across the street, right? He called earlier. He said he came out to pee in the early morning and saw a light in the house across the street. He thought it was strange, so he looked, and two men came out. He asked me if a detective had visited.】
Lee-eum’s expression hardened. The case was closed, and it was concluded that he had accidentally taken his own life while intoxicated. No signs of homicide were found on the deceased’s body, and no significant evidence was found at the scene.
【Just stop by and check. My mom hurt her back, so I came down to the countryside. I think I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon.】
“Is your mother okay?”
【What do you expect from an old woman? I told her not to work, but she doesn’t listen. This morning too, ah, she’s going out again. I’m going crazy, really. Anyway, I’m counting on you! Let’s talk later.】
The sound of someone calling for his mother was heard loudly over the receiver before it suddenly cut off. Nam-soo came to his side and asked what was wrong, but as he was about to speak, he noticed an old man staring at them from across the street.
He was sitting crookedly on an old plastic chair with one leg up, smoking a cigarette. Judging by the soju bottle in his hand, it seemed he was often out here. Lee-eum and Nam-soo went over to him and greeted him, showing him the man in the CCTV footage.
“Hello, sir. We’re from Western Police Station Violent Crimes Unit 2.”
“Cops?”
“Haha… yes…”
Lee-eum pointed to the phone screen. He asked if he had seen this person, and the old man squinted his already wrinkled eyes. He was waiting for an answer without much expectation when the old man pointed down the alley.
“There’s a Baekhap Villa at the end of there. Go to the second floor.”
Nam-soo asked the old man with a slightly surprised expression.
“Are you sure?”
“Why? Don’t you believe me?”
The old man scoffed when Nam-soo didn’t deny it.
“All I do is sit here all day and stare at the faces of the guys passing by. I know them all just by looking at their gait. This is the guy. He lives there.”
The old man took a swig from the bottle and waved his hand, telling them to go away because he was annoyed. Lee-eum and Nam-soo went to the place the old man had told them about, still half in doubt. They arrived at the second floor of Baekhap Villa and knocked, but there was no answer. They pressed the doorbell repeatedly, and the door burst open with an annoyed voice.
“Who the hell is it!”
A man with disheveled hair poked his head out, resembling the culprit in the video. The man also seemed to realize something and hurriedly tried to close the door, but Nam-soo pushed his way in and twisted the man’s arm.
“You are under arrest for theft. You have the right to remain silent, you have the right to an attorney,”
The man who was going inside stopped, and Lee-eum, who was following behind, tilted his head, wondering what was going on. The man wasn’t the only one in the house. A gaunt old man with thinning hair was sitting in front of the table, barely able to open his eyes. And on the table, crab meat was neatly prepared.
In the silence, the man pleaded with them.
“Detectives. Just a moment. Can’t we go out and talk? Outside.”
Then the old man who was eating the crab called out to the man.
“Dad, who are those men?”
The man lied that they were his friends and hurriedly went outside. As soon as the door closed, the man lowered his voice.
“I didn’t steal it on purpose… My mom has dementia and cancer, so she can barely eat… But she eats crab well… I’m sorry.”
Nam-soo sighed deeply.
“Does that mean you can steal?”
“I don’t have money… Crab is too expensive… I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”
“Apologize to the seafood restaurant owner. Do you have any relatives nearby?”
“My Noona lives five minutes away…”
“Call her now and leave your mother with her. You have to go with us to be investigated.”
The man fidgeted and made a call somewhere. He asked his Noona to come for a moment, and an annoyed voice was heard over the receiver. Lee-eum took the phone and explained the situation, and the other person sighed and hung up, saying they understood. After finishing the call, the man grabbed Lee-eum’s arm.
“I’ll definitely compensate for the crab. Please, just this once. There’s no one else to take care of my mom but me. Please? Please!”
“Go and talk about it. First, take what you need and come out.”
The man hung his head and went inside to have a brief conversation with his mother. Just in case, he looked around, and although the household items were old, the cleaning was relatively neat, and the clothes and nails the old woman was wearing were clean. He guessed that at least he wasn’t neglecting or abusing her. If he had, he wouldn’t have stolen crab for her.
Lee-eum, who came outside, put the man in the car and called Jeong Nam-soo.
“I’ll contact the seafood restaurant, so go and write up the report.”
“Where are you going?”
“I have a place to stop by…”
Nam-soo seemed to notice something and nodded without asking further. After sending Nam-soo away, a woman came running into the villa. He guessed it was the Noona who lived nearby.
Lee-eum came down the alley and contacted the seafood restaurant owner, explaining the whole situation. The owner, who had been listening quietly, sighed deeply and said he would meet the suspect in person to talk.
After finishing the call, Lee-eum sent a message to Nam-soo and drove the car toward Kim Da-hyun’s house. All sorts of thoughts flooded his mind as he drove. Even as he parked the car and walked up the alley, the distractions didn’t stop.
Who came? Why? What for?
He grabbed the bottom of his shirt and flapped it to cool off, knocking on the door of the house across the street, but there was no sign of anyone, as if they had gone out. Lee-eum headed to Kim Da-hyun’s house across the street. The gate, now without an owner, creaked sadly, welcoming the unfamiliar guest.
The house was no different from the scene on the day of the incident. He wondered if people would come here to do personal broadcasts, saying they were having a horror experience or something.
After thoroughly examining the inner room and finding nothing unusual, Lee-eum came out to the yard and took out a cigarette. Then he found a rose pot left under the wall. When he went closer, he saw traces of digging nearby.
Was he trying to transplant the flower after all…? But why…?
Lee-eum, staring blankly, picked up the shovel that was standing on one side and finished digging the hole. In the process, something went thud. At first, he thought it was a stone and tried to move it aside, but he hurriedly squatted down and rummaged through the dirt.
What came out of the dirt was none other than an old model cell phone. He brushed off the dirt and pressed the power button, and after a while, the telecommunications company’s logo appeared and the screen changed. The cell phone’s wallpaper, which had no lock, showed Kim Da-hyun’s face smiling brightly in her school uniform.
With a hardened expression, he scanned the list of recent calls and found a record of a call to Lee-eum. It was definitely the cell phone of the deceased Kim Ok-cheol. And there was also a message from a person who claimed to be a PD from the broadcasting station on the day of his death.
【Father, I really want to reveal the truth. Can’t you trust me, not the broadcasting station, and help me? I will definitely clear Da-hyun and your father’s unfairness.】
Lee-eum had also received the business card that Kim Da-hyun’s father had given him that day and had looked into a few things about the person who claimed to be a PD. He had moved to NBS from another broadcasting station a while ago, and although he acted like a lone wolf, he had covered many big and important cases and had gained the public’s trust with fair reporting.
So, if he met Kim Da-hyun’s father, he was going to talk specifically about the broadcast. He would have if he hadn’t died. With a heavy heart, Lee-eum opened the next message and froze in place.
Just five hours before Kim Ok-cheol’s estimated time of death, a video had arrived from a restricted number. As soon as Lee-eum played the video, he pressed the stop button.
His fingertips trembled, and he bit his lower lip tightly. What is this…? Calming his mind, he played the video, and the dead Kim Da-hyun appeared on the screen. She was being gang-raped by several masked men and was crying for help.
Kim Da-hyun’s face, covered in tears, was vividly recorded, and the men took turns giggling and exchanging jokes that were hard to put into words. Lee-eum couldn’t stand it and closed the video, clutching the cell phone tightly.
Where did the video that wasn’t there at the time of the incident come from…?
Realizing it late, he read the attached message, and fire soared from within.
【Live like you’re dead, don’t do anything stupid. Unless you want to let the whole nation know about your daughter’s naked body.】
Lee-eum jumped up from his seat and tilted his head back. Only one person came to mind.
“That son of a bitch, really!”
He took a deep breath, his chest heaving as he tried to suppress the boiling anger. Then Lee-eum kicked open the gate and ran out. He didn’t even know how he got down the alley. As soon as he got into the car, he took out the gun he had put in the glove compartment. After checking the bullets, Lee-eum started the engine and sped off somewhere.