Mr. Kim
Mr. Kim felt a pang of emotion as he met the steady gaze of Chairman Cheon's grandson, who was watching him intently.
In the end... am I too late?
Even in the dead of winter, his back burned hot under the same piercing stare he'd received from Chairman Cheon himself as he walked away.
His name was Joo-in Nam, right?
When he'd said he didn't take jobs involving crime, the boy's blank expression had shifted to a mischievous grin laced with amusement...
Does he take after Chairman Cheon...?
He hadn't expected Chairman Cheon's first commission to drag on this long, but he couldn't help the bitter smile tugging at his lips at the sight of the grandfather and grandson taking on this task for someone else.
Is this where the target lives?
Standing in a spot with a clear view of the house where the target—Baek-sin Middle School PE teacher Han Young-cheol—lived, Mr. Kim braved the biting wind.
Over twenty underage girls lured, raped, and blackmailed—something like that? And this scum walks free on suspended sentence because even statutory rape becomes a complaint offense if they "settle"?
The Korea I fought to protect...
The longer he waited, the more useless thoughts crowded his mind.
Mr. Kim could have gotten the PE teacher's phone number through Chairman Cheon's grandson, but he didn't want to drag the boy into this. He planned to dig up every detail himself.
If I just bait the hook right, I won't even need to lift a finger...
Gazing down at the teacher's house, he melted into the darkening sky like ink dissolving into water.
Vanishing into the night sky, seeping into the profound darkness...
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The area in front of the police station was as quiet as ever, as if the commotion we'd just witnessed had been a lie. I found a bench with a good view of the station and sat down.
"Ugh... everything's great, but isn't it way too cold?"
"Yeah, we'll turn into frozen mackerel waiting for Sergeant Heo."
"Who're you waiting for?"
"Sergeant Heo."
"Oh... yeah?"
Kyung-soo realized something was off and turned around. There stood Heo Soon-kyung, hands on his hips, smiling but not really smiling as he looked at us.
I offered a silent prayer in my mind. Sorry, I knew he was coming but he beat me to it.
Pushing aside the stiff Kyung-soo, Jong-hyuk held out a thermos to Heo Soon-kyung.
"What's this?"
"Mom wanted to treat you to a meal but figured you'd be busy, so she sent this homemade ginseng tea as thanks instead."
"This is too precious..."
"Joo-in said yesterday's lunch was delicious too. Mom doesn't let us eat out like jajangmyeon much."
"Thanks to you kids, I got to eat out and have fun for the first time in ages. Otherwise, I just grab something quick at the station. I was gonna have cup ramen today, but this'll perk me right up."
"On the way here, we saw something going on at An-nam Mountain trail. What happened?"
"Well..."
Heo Soon-kyung looked hesitant to answer, so Jong-hyuk gripped the thermos tight while I jumped in like a relief pitcher.
"Overheard some reporters asking if the Baek-sin Middle School PE teacher was the victim. If the PE guy's the victim, everyone at school will know by tomorrow, right?"
"Haa."
Heo Soon-kyung sighed, tucked the ginseng thermos under his arm, and shooed us away from the front of the station toward the back of the library. We trailed awkwardly behind him, glancing at each other. Once we arrived, he rubbed his head in thought and spoke.
"Since you overheard it anyway, the victim is indeed the Baek-sin Middle School PE teacher. I hate even calling him that—it's too good for the likes of him—but yeah, he's the victim. Thing is, he's done so much dirt that I'm thinking it's revenge killing from someone he wronged. We tracked down his past victims, and most were students, so it was easy to confirm."
"Then you'll catch 'em quick."
Could it be Mr. Kim? No... he warned me ahead of time he doesn't do illegal stuff.
As I mulled over Mr. Kim for a moment, Heo Soon-kyung seemed to reach a decision.
"The reporters here today will probably run the story anyway, even if I don't say anything... but I just don't buy this."
"What happened?"
"Cops usually look at money troubles, grudges, or affairs for murders... but there's a suspect where all three overlap."
"A suspect?"
"They say it's a middle school girl. Does that even make sense? Even if those factors line up, come on."
"So... they picked a perp and built the case around it?"
"He's a so-called veteran detective, but acts like a thug who only knows how to intimidate people. Even as a fellow cop, I..."
"I get what you're worried about. And why you're telling us kids something so sensitive."
Heo Soon-kyung looked up at the sky, pretending to be distracted, but I turned to Kyung-soo.
"You said you knew one PE victim from our school."
"Yeah, saw her at school today—face pale as a ghost, looked sick. Hands were bleeding too."
"Is she the only victim from our school?"
"I just heard rumors, but Hyun-jin's our info guy. That's why she hated PE so much, even though everyone treated her like a friend...
"Did Hyun-jin tell you?"
"Heard he got forcibly transferred here from a girls' middle school where victims popped up. Think it's her and In-ha. Unless there are unreported ones..."
"How'd In-ha's case get out? If he got suspended for PE stuff, seems like everyone else settled."
"She probably wanted to let it slide quietly. Her dad's got a scary rep around the neighborhood. Too afraid to report. But her friends who were close to her spread it around, made a fuss."
"So..."
"What?"
"Felt like she was getting subtly ostracized."
"School and parents' influence. School hushed it up, ended with suspension, so they'll probably just transfer him quietly again. Parents tell kids not to hang with her type."
"But she's the victim."
"That's why—even though everyone settled, she's the only one who hasn't, so they pinned her as the suspect."
"In-ha wouldn't do that."
"If her dad's abusive, maybe a crime of passion..."
"If he cared that much, he wouldn't beat her every day."
"What?"
"I moved mid-year so didn't know details, but with this blowing up, I overheard neighbors: he's nice to outsiders but treats his wife and daughter like animals. Hearing that... it burned inside..."
"So he targeted a kid shunned by her own family on purpose. No adults around, hard for her to report even as a victim. That trash..."
Heo Soon-kyung and I fell silent, fuming about the PE teacher, until Kyung-soo spoke up anxiously.
"We should check In-ha's house first."
Heo Soon-kyung answered unexpectedly.
"She's not there—we confirmed."
We stared at him in unison, puzzled. He looked troubled, then resolute.
"Citizen reported her wandering injured on the street away from home; hospital got her from there. That's how detectives zeroed in fast and rushed over. Scene was cleared quick too."
"Investigation wrapped that fast? It's a mountain."
"They just secured it minimally and pulled the patrols. Basically abandoned."
I could feel his frustration—knowing it was wrong but bound by orders as a mere sergeant. And at the same time...
"You mentioned the victim support foundation at the restaurant last time—that's why you're speaking up about this case?"
"...Yeah... even if she's a suspect, hauling her in like that for interrogation... she's a victim too, you know?"
"Jong-hyuk, is your mom's foundation setup done?"
"Heard they're prepping a big launch event by year-end to scale it up... not sure on details."
"Contact your mom first, then. We'll head to whatever hospital In-ha's at."
"Hospital?"
"Dunno if it'll help, but like your brother said, we gotta slow down that strong-arming."
"Us?"
"More eyes watching, they'll have to be careful, right?"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Thankfully, Jong-hyuk's mom had wrapped up the foundation incorporation swiftly. She even planned a major donor event by year-end to expand its reach, on top of what I'd suggested.
Arriving at Dun-bang Se-woon University Hospital, we spotted my uncle arguing with detectives trying to barge into the ER.
I'd thought of asking Uncle for help when Heo Soon-kyung mentioned the hospital...
Mixing joy and dismay, I approached. Voices grew louder, quickening our steps.
"You can't just force your way in. This is the emergency room."
"Are you obstructing official police business?"
"The patient's unconscious right now."
"It's an emergency arrest. We're not dragging her to the station—just cuffing her first."
As we hurried toward my uncle facing off the detectives, a suited man stepped in.
"Officers? I'm Ki In-ha's lawyer. Let's talk outside, considering her condition."
Looks like Jong-hyuk's mom had acted fast—lawyer dispatched via the foundation, sparing us the brawl.
Hearing "lawyer," the detectives flipped from aggressive to polite, starting a calm discussion.
Just overeager to close the case quick.
As I inwardly criticized them—distrustful of the police yet pondering if real change needed insiders—I mulled it over.