By Zephyria “Did something happen when you went home?”
“Why…?”
“You’ve gotten so gaunt.”
Lee-eum flinched at Nam-soo’s question and avoided his gaze. He had sex with Choi Won-joon before leaving the house, and the man, who said he would only do it once, dragged it out so long that Lee-eum was completely drained. His butt was sore and his back was aching, so he adjusted his posture, and then Nam-soo suddenly brought up Kim Ji-cheol.
“That guy seems to be a little out of his mind. I don’t know if he’s going to claim diminished responsibility because of it, or if it’s real. Well, if someone cut off your finger while you were sleeping, it would be weirder if you didn’t go crazy.”
“……”
“You’ll attend the trial next week, right?”
Lee-eum nodded. Kim Ji-cheol was arrested, investigated, and a warrant was issued, so he was now in jail. It would be difficult to get a retrial for the Kim Da-hyun case, but the evidence of aiding and abetting her father’s suicide and hiring a hitman to injure Choi Won-joon was clear, so it seemed difficult for him to avoid punishment. Moreover, Lee-eum was somewhat aware that Choi Won-joon’s side was putting pressure on the higher-ups countless times.
“Assemblyman Kim Yong-taek is using all his remaining connections to save his son. To coddle his own child like that, after doing terrible things to other people’s children, it’s like his own child is precious.”
Lee-eum was silent at Nam-soo’s criticism. Whenever he thought of Kim Da-hyun and her parents, he couldn’t help but feel guilty and heavy-hearted. Then his thoughts drifted to Park Eon-soo, who had fled.
They had requested cooperation from Interpol, but there was still no news. How could a petty criminal who didn’t belong to an organization flee so meticulously? If they couldn’t catch him, what would happen to the remaining victims? The only way to find them was Park Eon-soo’s confession.
While his head was filled with various thoughts, the suspect appeared across the street. The man looked around and quickly went inside, and Lee-eum and Nam-soo got out of the car at the same time. Lee-eum gestured for Nam-soo to stay outside and slowly climbed the stairs, but he felt someone behind him. As Lee-eum turned around, a knife flew towards him.
Instinctively dodging and stepping back, the suspect ran down the stairs and out. Lee-eum shouted, “Nam-soo!” and then opened the gate and ran out, but Nam-soo missed the criminal by a hair’s breadth.
He saw Jeong Nam-soo running after him, so he chased after him with all his might. At the fork in the road, Lee-eum took a shortcut and was able to arrive before the criminal and block his path. The criminal stopped when he saw Lee-eum, cursed, and ruffled his hair wildly.
“Mr. Kim Oh-sun. Stop and let’s go. Drop the knife.”
At Lee-eum’s words, the man snorted and took out another knife from his pocket, holding one in each hand. Nam-soo frowned when he saw that.
“What the hell, is he a knife salesman? Where does he keep pulling knives from?”
“Come on in, you cop bastards!”
Dodging the man who was running at him, Lee-eum unfolded the baton he had brought and swung it. After hitting his hands and arms several times, the knife fell to the ground with a clang. He subdued the man and pressed down on him, but he resisted violently and gave him a hard time.
After handcuffing him, Lee-eum wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed. The weather was sweltering, and he had run so hard that his lungs hurt, and he was completely exhausted. But Nam-soo’s eyes widened as he lifted the criminal up. Immediately, he heard the sound of a motorcycle behind him, and Nam-soo shouted, “Sunbae!”
As Lee-eum turned around with a sense of foreboding, a bright light poured out in front of him, and before he could even open his eyes properly, something flew at him. He tried to dodge it, but it hit him in the head, and Lee-eum felt his vision blur and lost consciousness.
❖ ❖ ❖
Lee-eum opened his eyes and frowned when he saw Jeong Nam-soo and Team Leader Oh standing beside him with worried expressions. He tried to get up, but his head throbbed. He frowned and lay back down, and Nam-soo quickly went to find a doctor. Lee-eum, realizing that he had arrived at the emergency room, called for Team Leader Oh.
“Team leader. What about the criminal?”
“Hey, you, you’re in this state and that’s the first thing you ask?”
“Where’s Kim Oh-sun? Did you catch him?”
“Don’t worry. We’ve locked him up in jail. We’re chasing the guys who attacked you too. They seem to be from the same gang.”
“I’m sorry. For making you worry.”
“The guilty bastard is someone else, why are you apologizing? Those sons of bitches. How dare they crack a detective’s head? Just bring them to me. I’ll smash their heads to pieces.”
A doctor appeared behind Team Leader Oh, who couldn’t hide his intense emotions and was cursing. He checked Lee-eum’s condition. It was swollen on the outside, but fortunately, there was no problem with the brain, and there were no tears. He said it was a great relief that it was only this much. But he told him to come to the hospital immediately if any symptoms appeared.
“Doctor. Please admit me for now.”
“I’m sorry. We don’t have any beds available right now.”
“Team leader, I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine.”
“No, but it’s your head.”
Team Leader Oh jumped up and down, but a dark figure strode over from afar. Lee-eum recognized him as Choi Won-joon at once and looked at Jeong Nam-soo. Jeong Nam-soo gave him an awkward smile.
“The phone rang, so I answered it, and he kept asking what happened. I was going to lie, but… I’m sorry.”
“Hey, why would you tell him?”
Choi Won-joon came right up to him, and his expression was so serious that it was scary. If Team Leader Oh or Jeong Nam-soo hadn’t greeted him first, he probably wouldn’t have even glanced at them. Team Leader Oh, sensing his unusual and unfamiliar appearance, snatched Jeong Nam-soo and slipped away.
“I’ll come later.”
When they were alone, Lee-eum gave Choi Won-joon an awkward smile.
“Did you come from work? It’s nothing, but I made you worry for nothing. Sorry.”
He said it because he was sincerely sorry, but Choi Won-joon was still cold and stubbornly kept his mouth shut. He always made people angry with his silly jokes, but when he was like that, he was terribly intimidating.
“Cheer up. Anyone would think there was a funeral. Haha.”
“My heart dropped, but you’re laughing?”
“It’s nothing when you’re working. I’ve been stabbed before, so this is nothing.”
Choi Won-joon’s expression became even more fierce, so Lee-eum bit his lip tightly. After a while, Director Lee and the doctor came. Lee-eum waved his hand and refused when they said they were going to move him to another hospital. He refused insistently, but Lee-eum was forcibly moved to an ambulance and headed to one of the best hospitals in the country.
Choi Won-joon held his hand tightly and fiddled with it the whole way to the ambulance. He was embarrassed to show the paramedics who were riding with them, so when he tried to pull his hand away, Choi Won-joon intertwined their fingers, sighed deeply, and kept stroking his cheek. Lee-eum had no choice but to give up and close his eyes. He had been up all night for several days, so he couldn’t resist falling asleep.
❖ ❖ ❖
Lee-eum opened his eyes to the sound of murmuring voices and looked around. He could see someone’s figure vaguely, but there were two of them. He rubbed his face to clear his mind, and then he heard a familiar voice.
“Oh, Detective Kim, you’re awake? Are you okay? Darling, call Director Park.”
“See? What did I tell you? I told you there was nothing wrong. Let’s go home.”
Madam Lee held Lee-eum’s hand with a much better complexion than before. Did she stop dieting…?
“Goodness. Look how thin your face is. How can I just leave after seeing this?”
Chairman Choi frowned and took her hand away, clearing his throat.
“Hello, Mother. What brings you here….”
Before he could finish speaking, Madam Lee waved her hand.
“Don’t talk. You must rest.”
“Let’s just go. He’s fine.”
“Is that all you have to say to your only son-in-law?”
“Son-in-law, who!”
Madam Lee clenched her teeth, and Chairman Choi immediately backed down. That’s what she meant…. In the midst of their bickering, Choi Won-joon opened the door and came in, and Lee-eum couldn’t have been happier. He earnestly requested with his eyes that he get them out of here, and Choi Won-joon miraculously understood and immediately began to handle the situation.
“You need to rest, so come back later.”
“Okay. I’m going. Look how gaunt your handsome face has become. It breaks my heart.”
Madam Lee sighed deeply, greeted him, and disappeared with Chairman Choi. When they were alone, Lee-eum got up and sat up in bed. He felt much lighter after sleeping, and the throbbing pain in the back of his head seemed to have subsided a lot. Of course, it was also because of the painkillers.
“Did you sleep well?”
Choi Won-joon cupped Lee-eum’s cheeks with his hands. The cold expression from last night had disappeared without a trace, and he looked no different from usual. His face was rougher than usual, but he could guess the reason without being told.
“Were you here all night?”
“Yeah. I kept watching you with my eyes open.”
“No wonder my dream was so wild.”
Choi Won-joon laughed along with the joke. He seemed to be back to his usual self. Then, suddenly, last night’s events flashed through his mind. Why did he do that? Why…. The fact that Choi Won-joon’s face came to mind right before he was hit in the head and passed out was an unexpected shock.
Lee-eum had a serious expression, and Choi Won-joon asked with worried eyes.
“Why? Does your head hurt?”
“No. I told you I’m fine.”
Choi Won-joon was about to call a doctor, so Lee-eum grabbed him and stopped him. He lowered his head and even showed him with his hand that he was okay, and Choi Won-joon sighed and cursed. Then he hugged Lee-eum’s head in his arms and grumbled in an angry voice.
“Those bastards. Where did they find a place to hit this cute head?”
Cute head….
It was the most cheesy expression he had ever heard, but he didn’t bother to argue. However, he was worried that Choi Won-joon would take revenge privately, so he strongly warned him about it several times.