Physical Education Teacher Murder Case 3
Mom gripped my hand, which held the phone, as if telling me to make the call before heading inside. Watching her go, I felt mesmerized as I dialed my uncle.
"Mom said it was okay and went inside, but what the hell happened?"
"Joo-shin, don't be too shocked... I called because I figured you'd find out eventually anyway..."
"You're dragging it out, and it's just making me think weird things. What happened?"
"In-ha... In-ha..."
"What about In-ha?"
"In-ha disappeared from her hospital room..."
"Disappeared? What are you talking about? In-ha wouldn't... In-ha wouldn't do that..."
"...She's not under my care, but I was worried, so I checked just now. Even her assigned nurse said... there's no way she'd vanish without a word..."
"Does Kyung-soo know?"
"Her father's whereabouts are unknown. The emergency contact is probably Kyung-soo..."
"I'll be right there. Wait for me."
I ran without dodging people's eyes, repeating to myself over and over.
Please... no way... it can't be.
Until now, even though I could run fast, I'd held back my speed so I wouldn't draw attention. But now, as I let loose, my eyes stung from the wind, and far off, I heard murmurs from a crowd gathering.
It was the tall parking structure near the hospital. Though people came and went, excluding the first and second floors, it was mostly parking from the basement up to the seventh floor, with only the eighth to tenth as a movie theater—not a building with many permanent residents.
"We have to stop her somehow..."
"Why are the police taking so damn long?"
"Isn't that... a girl standing up there?"
The murmurs hit me like a wave, and my legs buckled. I froze, staring blankly at the building's edge.
Suddenly, a taxi swerved to a stop on the road to the hospital. Kyung-soo jumped out, breathless, sprinting from the crosswalk where the building came into view.
No... don't.
I wasn't sure who I was screaming at in my mind. I just hurled my gaze toward Kyung-soo when time seemed to freeze.
Thud!
"Kyaaak."
"She really jumped."
Police appeared out of nowhere, pushing through to control the crowd.
I don't know how I got to Kyung-soo's side—my mind was blank. I just clung to him like he was my lifeline.
I couldn't feel how desperately he was shoving me away. Some crushing pressure squeezed my body, making it hard to breathe.
"Let go! Let me go... No, no!!"
Holding the screaming Kyung-soo, blood finally rushed through me, and my thoughts cleared.
I can't let Kyung-soo see the scene.
I had no room to judge if it was right or wrong. All I knew was I couldn't let him meet In-ha like this.
Spotting our commotion, my uncle came running from afar.
"Let go! Let go! This can't be real. No. In-ha, In-ha..."
Kyung-soo screamed like a madman, veins bulging. The sudden warmth made me lift my head, which I'd buried somewhere.
Seeing my fingers locked around Kyung-soo, white-knuckled, my uncle shook his head and grabbed my arm.
Like a spell breaking, I released my grip. I just watched, endlessly, as Kyung-soo bolted to the scene.
"The police arrived and took basic measures..."
"Did I do wrong?"
"I don't know. But if Kyung-soo blames someone, I hope it's not my nephew."
"But..."
As I stared at him in confusion, his doctor's gaze—cool yet precise—curved sadly toward me. Pressing my head firmly, he answered in a low, steady voice.
"It could become a traumatic memory. But is it right for someone else to decide that for him?"
"I..."
"It's hard watching a friend go through hell. But standing by while they fight through it can be even greater strength."
Kyung-soo, shoving through the crowd with all his might, reached In-ha's spot. His heartbroken wails pierced the murmurs.
Then, a small voice caught my ear.
"Kyung-soo."
Jong-hyuk?
Glancing at my dazed self, Jong-hyuk ran toward where Kyung-soo was sobbing. Behind him, I glimpsed his parents, phones to their ears, shouting something as police pushed people back, sparking chaos.
"Stop pushing."
"This is a crime scene. Maintain distance."
"Reporting's fine, but safety first. Keep your distance."
"That's invasion of privacy. Don't film."
"Official duties in progress. Keep distance. Hey, you there—monitor the scene."
Reporters from god-knows-where snapped photos of the bloodied spot where In-ha had been, capturing Kyung-soo's anguish too. Spotting it, Jong-hyuk's father bellowed at them.
"Anyone exposing the face of a bereaved family member or the deceased without permission will be sued immediately."
Whether it worked or not, the frenzy shifted elsewhere. A suited man appeared—small eyes smiling behind gold-rimmed glasses—raising his hand to the reporters.
"I'm the lawyer for the late Ki In-ha, who just committed suicide. This tragedy unfolded because..."
The smile I'd seen vanished like a lie. He bowed his head, then lifted it, face etched with grief and rage, shouting loudly.
"This heartbreaking incident happened because the police failed to investigate properly, allowing such misfortune to repeat!"
The reporters erupted amid flashing bulbs, drowning out nearby voices. Undeterred, the man claiming to be In-ha's lawyer boomed like an orator, drawing all eyes.
"They didn't properly investigate the crime victim, the late Ki In-ha, but branded her a suspect in the PE teacher case and pushed an unreasonable probe. This is the result of the police's incompetence..."
His body screamed sorrow and fury, but an inexplicable dread gripped me.
Was this the guy who was In-ha's lawyer?
As the self-proclaimed lawyer appeared, everyone rushed to him. Only the crowd's murmurs and Kyung-soo's silent sobs remained.
If he truly cared for In-ha...
I couldn't be by Kyung-soo's side like Jong-hyuk, nor just a bystander like the onlookers. I stood frozen, nailed to the spot.
If he truly cared for In-ha...
Trembling with nameless fear and rage toward the lawyer, I could only stand there. My uncle seemed worried but soon took a call, directing me toward Jong-hyuk's parents.
Jong-hyuk's father blocked Kyung-soo's view, held by Jong-hyuk, preventing him from seeing the scene anymore, gazing down at them.
The site was tidier than I'd thought—perhaps because I'd held Kyung-soo so long. Without the bizarre, splattered red stain where In-ha lay, no one would guess someone had died right there in the street.
I stared blankly at crying Kyung-soo, Jong-hyuk embracing him, and his father. Worried by my state, my uncle patted my back.
"If you want to cry, cry. If you're angry, get angry. Just don't bottle it up."
Do I want to cry? I thought, watching Kyung-soo's tears.
No.
Like unleashing fury, I turned toward the lawyer devouring the interview with his camera.
Do I want to rage?
"I'm angry... but I don't know who or what to rage at."
My uncle silently draped an arm over my back, letting me lean.
Only then did I feel my body soaked in cold sweat, chilled by the winter wind.
"I don't want to hold back..."
"...Joo-in."
"But like that lawyer said, did this happen because public authority collapsed? Did the police really shatter In-ha's heart and drive her to this?"
I spoke to my uncle but stared at the suited man, as if I already knew the answer.
Mr. Kim definitely said he handed solid evidence to the police. No reason for him to lie to me. Could the lawyer really be the root, like Mr. Kim said?
Every time I met Mr. Kim, memories surged like waves I'd forcibly suppressed.
That's how I learned of the incidents that soured him on lawyers. I figured it was understandable, so out of worry for In-ha, I'd just asked him to look into it.
But was Mr. Kim's word really just prejudice?