Island Village Shaman Dad, Chaebol Heir... 69
“It was Mom’s memorial yesterday.”
Inside the shrine room, Ju-ah spoke in a small voice. It didn’t seem likely that she’d come for a reading, but it was clear she needed someone to talk to, so Kang-to had given her the space. Ju-ah kept her head bowed, worrying at her fingernails.
Ju-ah had been a bright little girl once, too.
Whenever Kang-to, who’d gone to the mainland to study, came back to the island, he used to see Ju-ah running wild with energy. She had always greeted people properly, and she could dance well, too.
What drained the life out of her was her mother’s accident. One summer, after going to the mainland to buy supplies, her mother was the victim of a hit-and-run. If the driver had called for help right away, she might have survived, but because he’d been driving drunk, he hadn’t.
Her father was in prison.
The drunk driver was the son of a provincial assemblyman from the area. There had been no witnesses and no dash cam footage, so the offender’s statement became the main basis for the case. According to him, the dash cam had been broken for a month already, and the woman had suddenly darted out in front of him, leaving him no choice. It smelled manipulated, but there was nothing they could do.
The real problem was Ju-ah’s father.
Ju-ah’s father was Sun-ho. He’d never been anything but gentle—so slight in build he might have been the Buddha reborn, and so honest it was almost painful. He’d gone to the mainland to negotiate a settlement, only to end up branded a murderer instead.
That same evening, the drunk driver died. Ju-ah’s father, who had been at the scene, became the suspect, and a confession, along with evidence, turned up besides.
Born into a poor fisherman’s family and never having done a wicked thing in his life, Sun-ho was so plainspoken and harmless that he couldn’t even afford a lawyer. The case ended at the first trial. He received a life sentence. That had been six years ago.
“There’s no way my dad would do that.”
At first the matter had been hushed up, but as Ju-ah grew older, she learned the truth. Only once had she gone with her grandmother to the prison. It had been her grandmother’s decision—she hadn’t wanted to show Ju-ah her father living as an inmate. But Ju-ah had begged, and in the end, her grandmother had given in.
Ju-ah had asked, “Dad, you didn’t do it, did you?”
“No.”
That had been Lee Sun-ho’s answer.
“Then why are you here?”
“I’m sorry.”
That had been Sun-ho’s answer, too.
Listen to your grandmother. Live well. Don’t think about your father.
Those were the words her father had left behind. But that was something Ju-ah could never do. And so her heart had slowly withered away.
“So you missed your mom? You want to see her spirit or something?” Kang-to asked.
But then—
“No.”
Ju-ah shook her head.
“Then what is it?”
“Last night I dreamed of my mom. She told me Dad was innocent, so I had to get him out of prison fast. She said if this month passed, Dad would die, too.”
“What?”
“I heard your dad can see ghosts, Sol-bi’s dad. So please—please let me meet the ghost of the man who died. I want to ask if my dad really killed him. My grandmother and grandfather both say my father isn’t that kind of person, but the judge and the police all say he’s the killer, right? So the dead man must know the truth. Sol-bi’s dad can control ghosts, can’t he? Please, just once, let me meet that man’s spirit. Please?”
Ju-ah’s tears came flooding out.
It was a total reversal.
She was racing far beyond anything Kang-to had imagined.
“Ju-ah.” Kang-to steadied his gaze.
“Please. If it costs too much, I’ll grow up and earn the money to pay you back. I promise.”
“It’s not about money. You don’t need to pay anything.”
“Then what is it?”
“You’re still too young to see a ghost.”
“What?”
At Kang-to’s words, Ju-ah’s brow creased.
It was a lie. But there was no other choice. This was the case where her mother had died and her father had been made into a murderer. If he summoned the spirit of the dead, Ju-ah would have to watch that scene unfold. Truth mattered, yes—but he couldn’t make an attempt like that on a child.
“Then show my grandmother instead. Please?”
Ju-ah wouldn’t back down.
“……”
“My mom told me to hurry. She said if I did, my dad wouldn’t die.”
“……”
“Please, Sol-bi’s dad.”
And Ju-ah was back in tears again.
“All right. Then go bring your grandmother here. I need to sober up a little anyway.”
He decided to buy time first. He’d only had one cup of gwiju, so it wasn’t a serious problem.
“Okay. I’ll be right back.”
Ju-ah sprang to her feet like a bullet.
“Grandma! Grandma!”
In her haste, the shout ran ahead of her. Watching her go, Kang-to called Team Leader Jin Dae-yeol.
“Hello? Priest?”
Jin Dae-yeol’s voice brightened at once. After his promotion, he was now in charge of the Metropolitan Investigation Unit.
“The case from six years ago?”
“Yes. He’s one of our island people, so could you give me the outline? The daughter of the murderer is insisting to me that her father is innocent...”
“Understood. Wait a moment.”
Jin Dae-yeol hung up.
While waiting, Kang-to looked out past the lighthouse. Fortunately, Ju-ah wasn’t in sight. Maybe her grandmother wouldn’t come after all. But... no, that wasn’t it. A pale shape appeared under the streetlamp, and there they were—Ju-ah and her grandmother. It looked as though Ju-ah had no intention of giving up.
“Wait here a second.”
He left Ju-ah and her grandmother in the waiting room and kept holding on for the call. About five minutes later, his phone rang again.
“Priest.”
“Yes, Team Leader.”
“I checked into it... and there doesn’t seem to be much wrong with the investigation itself. The victim was attacked by the offender, who was angered over the settlement money for the traffic accident. He used a hammer purchased nearby, then took the knife the victim had been carrying for self-defense and slit his throat. On top of the confession, the murderer’s fingerprints were found on the knife, and the hammer used in the crime was recovered at the scene.”
“I see.”
“Why do you sound that way?”
“Well, this man is so honest, and his build is so slight...”
“Still, if you stab someone in the neck, even a bigger man can be subdued. It’s a vital point.”
“Ah...”
“But the victim was trash, too. He ran a construction company in the local community and was tangled up in every kind of corruption. He had four prior fraud convictions, two drunk-driving convictions... and even a record for sexually harassing a female employee. On top of that, he used to be an athlete, so he was big enough that I can understand why you’d think that. But there was even the murderer’s confession...”
“If you don’t mind me saying... isn’t a confession possible under coercion as well? Sometimes you see articles like that.”
“It’s true our organization is bloated, so there are corrupt cops. But in this case, the evidence is clear...”
“Could I possibly get a photo of the victim? His belongings would be difficult, I suppose...”
“Ah, you want to summon the spirit and see for yourself?”
“I can’t be certain, but the killer’s daughter believes it absolutely.”
“That isn’t hard. Looking at the investigation file, the man loved showing off. He gave interviews not only to local papers but to major magazines in the capital as well. I’ll find one and send it to you, so wait a bit.”
“No, something like that I can...”
“It’s all right. This concerns the police as well, doesn’t it? As a police officer, I’d prefer your hope to be proven wrong, Priest.”
Jin Dae-yeol hung up. About five minutes later, a message came through.
Let’s see.
It was a photo from a business newspaper interview. Jang Tae-san, a local contractor. His frame was enormous, and his face looked rough and vicious. This was not a man Ju-ah’s father could have overpowered. In plain terms, he wasn’t even a one-fist match.
Hoo.
Kang-to entered spirit possession. The shrine room seemed to cool, and then a soul-flame rose from the interview photo. The deceased man’s spirit was covered in blood. He looked around in confusion, then recoiled when he saw Kang-to.
“You bastard.”
Kang-to’s authority erupted. Just one look at the spirit told him all he needed to know—the man’s sins were already in tatters. With the absolute majesty of the Supreme Heavenly Spirit, he waited for the ghost to tell the truth.
—Well...
With a sigh, the spirit’s confession began to spill out.
The hit-and-run part matched the police report. In a hurry, Ju-ah’s mother had run a red light. She was used to life on the island, where there were no traffic signals, so she hadn’t thought much of it.
Jang Tae-san had been on the phone and wasn’t paying attention to the road ahead. He’d also been drunk, so he slammed the brakes on instinct. At first he thought he’d hit a deer or wild boar. Instead, it had been a person. The coast was close, and there were no CCTV cameras. He fled on the spot.
“That part’s enough.”
He didn’t need to hear any more. The hit-and-run was a matter that couldn’t be undone.
—The one who killed me...
Jang Tae-san’s spirit trembled violently, then poured out the truth.
It had happened in a back room of a quiet raw-fish restaurant near the coast. Ju-ah’s father came in, carrying a black plastic bag in his wet hands. It had started raining all of a sudden. Inside were a hammer and a small saw—tools used to repair boats on the island. Of all things, after he stepped into the back room, the bottom of the bag tore and the tools fell to the floor.
—What’s this? You planning to beat me with those?
Jang Tae-san, who had arrived first and was already drinking, sneered. Ju-ah’s father hurriedly gathered the tools up.
—Take it.
Being the gentle sort he was, Jang Tae-san held out a drink first.
Ju-ah’s father didn’t take it. No matter how mild he was, he wasn’t the sort to accept a toast from the man who had killed his wife. After emptying his own glass, Jang Tae-san pulled out an envelope of cash. Ten million won, along with a settlement agreement refusing punishment.
—Sign it. I’m unlucky, and your wife was unlucky, that’s all.
Unlucky.
That word struck Ju-ah’s father’s anger center. But he was a lifelong softie; his fist shook, yet he was too honest to let it out.
“I need to use the bathroom...”
His heart felt as though it might burst, so he headed for the restroom.
—What a pathetic bastard...
Jang Tae-san spat out a sneer and downed his drink. That was when Ju-ah’s father returned.
—Now, sign—?
As Jang Tae-san thrust the agreement out again, his eyes flew wide. The person standing there was not Ju-ah’s father.
—Who the hell are you?
On instinct, he pulled out his self-defense knife. He used it to threaten subcontractors. But the other man was faster. Something flashed, and his throat burned hot. As the flash repeated a few times, all at once he felt empty.
And then...
“You son of a... iron scrap...”
With that breathless, failing voice, Jang Tae-san tried to shrink back—
Thwack.
Thwack.
Two brutal impacts slammed into his head. The weapon had changed. It was Ju-ah’s father’s hammer, the one lying beside the table.
Thud.
The finishing blow landed in his back. It was the knife Jang Tae-san himself had dropped. With it, he was stabbed once more in the neck, then driven through the back as well.
“Even a worm wriggles when you step on it, you fucking bastard. Choke on the construction money you ripped off and live happily, huh.”
The killer left the back room with those parting words.
Into the fading edge of consciousness came Ju-ah’s father.
“......?”
He saw a man utterly out of his mind with panic.
Ju-ah’s father had come back from the bathroom steeling himself.
You piece of shit.
Are you even human?
How can you kill a person and say things like that?
That was what he felt, but because he was too gentle, he couldn’t bring himself to say it aloud. Even if he didn’t get the money, he’d planned to grab the man by the collar and shake him once.
But then the room changed.
“H-hey...”
The gentle Ju-ah’s father forgot his rage and rushed to support Jang Tae-san. In that instant, the knife embedded in his back was pulled free, and blood spurted out. It splashed across Ju-ah’s father’s face. He snatched the knife away and threw it aside, then tried to stop the blood gushing out.
“Boss, boss!”
Ju-ah’s father’s scream shook the raw-fish restaurant.
Beep-beep-beep.
By the time the rain was letting up, the police had arrived. Jang Tae-san died during transport. Ju-ah’s father was arrested at the scene. His anger over his wife’s hit-and-run, his fingerprints on Jang Tae-san’s knife, and the hammer used to strike the head all became evidence.
Because the circumstantial and physical evidence were so clear, no one considered any other possibility.
The old restaurant owner had been absorbed in a computer game while the rain came pouring down, so he never realized anyone had come and gone. That was why the powerless, unconnected island fisherman Lee Sun-ho ended up being treated as a murderer.
Hoo.
Kang-to’s blood heated at once. This was not something to let slide.
“Ju-ah.”
He called her back in.
“I’ve already met the dead man’s spirit, and I think you were right.”
“Really?”
“Yes. It looks like someone other than your father killed him.”
“Grandma...”
Ju-ah clutched her grandmother’s hand.
“But this needs to go through proper procedure. There has to be a retrial, too. For that, we need the police’s help, and I know someone in Seoul. Can you wait until that person gets here?”
“Okay. I’ll wait.”
Ju-ah’s face brightened.
After sending Ju-ah away, Kang-to spoke with Team Leader Jin again.
“Good heavens.”
Jin Dae-yeol jumped when he heard Kang-to’s explanation.
“I’m sorry, but could you help me out? This isn’t something I can handle on my own.”
“I’ll head down first thing in the morning. The chief of that jurisdiction and I were appointed in the same class.”
Jin Dae-yeol’s answer was a relief.
He kept his promise. He came to the island on the morning ferry and, by seating him among the reservation guests, helped him attune to the spirits. An experience was a hundred times better than an explanation.
“Hah.”
Jin Dae-yeol clicked his tongue once more. If he hadn’t believed Kang-to, that would be one thing—but once he did, there was nothing more to say.
“I’m sorry. On behalf of the officers who handled the case back then, I apologize.”
Wiping away cold sweat, Jin Dae-yeol stood and bowed his head.
“The person who needs to hear that apology is someone else.”
“You mean the family of the person serving time?”
“You’re reopening the case, right?”
“Of course. If the Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency doesn’t cooperate, I’ll speak to Commissioner Woo myself.”
“Then I’ll cover the retrial costs.”
It was Kang-to and Jin Dae-yeol joining forces.
They went straight down to the branch school to meet Ju-ah.
“At ease.”
With his police ID pinned on, Jin Dae-yeol saluted Ju-ah.
“I heard it from Priest Kang-to. From what I can see, your father was framed unfairly. In the name of the police, I promise to catch the real killer and see that your father is released.”
“Really? My dad isn’t a murderer, right?”
“That’s right. Your father is not a murderer.”
“Mom, Dad isn’t a murderer...”
Ju-ah broke apart right there and then.
“Thank you, Sol-bi’s dad. Thank you so much. I won’t forget this kindness.”
Kang-to supported her, and Ju-ah threw herself into his arms and sobbed. Jin Dae-yeol, his own eyes turning hot, vented his anger at the empty air.
“Damn it, those bastards really did build the whole case on a presumption just because he was powerless and naive. They built it on a presumption. Hah...”