Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Testimony from the Seniors' Center
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Lee Jae-hyun headed straight for Kim Jun-ho.
He had gotten permission from Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin, so now he just needed to secure Kim Jun-ho's cooperation.
"Senior, do you have a moment?"
He already knew from the team leader that Kim Jun-ho had some free time, but he asked anyway.
It wasn't like a junior could just show up out of nowhere and say, "Hey, senior, you've got time on your hands, so come hang out with me somewhere."
It was a polite request for his understanding.
When Lee Jae-hyun asked, Kim Jun-ho, who had been filling out some paperwork, turned with a grin.
"Huh? What's up with our maknae? A date invite from a guy is a bit awkward, you know."
He replied with his usual sly expression.
Lee Jae-hyun let out a chuckle at the joke and continued.
"I'm heading out on some fieldwork, and the team leader told me to go with you."
"Oh, really? I was feeling itchy to get out anyway. Perfect."
At Lee Jae-hyun's words, Kim Jun-ho set down his pen as if he'd been waiting and stood up from his seat.
He stretched, extending his arms fully, then turned to Lee Jae-hyun and spoke.
"Let's go."
"Oh, before that... I think we need to change into plain clothes first."
"Plain clothes?"
Kim Jun-ho, who had been grabbing his jacket, turned to him with a puzzled look.
Moving in plain clothes meant they couldn't let on that they were cops.
It wasn't the kind of job for a rookie patrol officer who'd just gotten his badge.
Sensing that Lee Jae-hyun's errand was no small matter, Kim Jun-ho furrowed his brow and asked.
"What's this about?"
"There's something I want to look into personally."
"Hmm... You got permission from the team leader, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
Lee Jae-hyun nodded in response.
Kim Jun-ho furrowed his brow slightly, seeming to ponder for a moment, then let out a short laugh and shrugged.
"Alright. If the team leader approved, there must be a reason. Hurry up and change, and let's head out."
"Thank you, senior."
"No need to thank me. I was just wondering if I needed to layer up with something tough since it might be dangerous."
It was rare for Kim Jun-ho to grimace like that.
That had been his concern.
Lee Jae-hyun chuckled and replied.
"It won't be dangerous."
"See? If it was, the team leader wouldn't send the maknae..."
"Probably not."
"Huh?"
Kim Jun-ho blinked at him in confusion.
But Lee Jae-hyun just grinned and turned toward the car.
Of course, it wouldn't be dangerous.
He had already sent Serhen to confirm that Park Chun-beom and Han Sun-ah weren't there.
Kim Jun-ho, flustered, chased after him.
"Hey, hold on! Probably not? Maknae!"
Lee Jae-hyun smiled silently and got into the car.
Click.
After buckling his seatbelt, Kim Jun-ho climbed into the passenger seat and spoke.
"So, where are we really going?"
"The seniors' center."
"The seniors' center?"
Lee Jae-hyun answered as he started the car.
Kim Jun-ho tilted his head and asked again.
The place they were heading to was the seniors' center he had visited the day before.
All clues ultimately came from the scene.
He planned to search for evidence at the seniors' center while Park Chun-beom was away.
"Yeah, the other day when I took my mom to the hospital, the nurse there said she does volunteer work at the seniors' center we're heading to."
"Oh, uh... okay. But why?"
Lee Jae-hyun pressed the accelerator to start driving and continued.
Kim Jun-ho watched him with a dubious expression.
Lee Jae-hyun's explanation just now was lacking.
"She seemed suspicious."
But that was all Lee Jae-hyun said with a shrug.
He couldn't exactly say he knew she was guilty because Serhen had told him and chased her down.
All he could say was that she seemed suspicious, so he was tailing her.
Kim Jun-ho's expression turned odd at Lee Jae-hyun's answer.
"What's suspicious about her? You're the suspicious one right now. Using fieldwork as an excuse to go see a girl."
"...Senior."
"Whoa, what's that tone? Even I might get hit if you say it like that."
Kim Jun-ho teased, widening his eyes playfully.
In the end, Lee Jae-hyun burst out laughing and shook his head.
He knew why Kim Jun-ho was acting this way.
He was deliberately cracking silly jokes to ease the tension.
As Lee Jae-hyun laughed, Kim Jun-ho finally dropped the smile and continued.
"So, what's suspicious? Tell me roughly what you're suspecting so I know whether to be on guard or not."
"I think she might be moonlighting as an IV aunt."
Kim Jun-ho asked with a somewhat serious expression.
Lee Jae-hyun wiped the smile from his face and answered.
As Kim Jun-ho said, he needed to know the situation to investigate properly.
Of course, Lee Jae-hyun only mentioned Han Sun-ah.
There wasn't even circumstantial evidence yet to say Park Chun-beom was a murderer...
And he had no explanation for how he knew.
He figured starting with Han Sun-ah and following the trail would work.
"IV aunt? Hmm... Alright, for now."
Hearing his answer, Kim Jun-ho tilted his head with a strange look.
Lee Jae-hyun had expected more probing questions.
Surprisingly, he let it go without asking further.
Lee Jae-hyun glanced at Kim Jun-ho, but he was just looking back with his usual smile.
Though... it felt different from usual.
'Well, that's a relief for now.'
He had nearly been in a bind if asked how he found out Han Sun-ah was the IV aunt.
Letting it slide was fortunate.
Lee Jae-hyun focused on driving ahead...
Soon, the familiar blue slate roof and red brick seniors' center came into view.
* * *
Upon arriving at the seniors' center, Lee Jae-hyun greeted the grandmas and grandpas he had met yesterday with a bright smile.
"Hello. I'm back again."
"Oh my! The young man's back?"
Kim Jun-ho blinked in surprise at how casually he greeted them.
He approached Lee Jae-hyun and whispered in a low voice.
"You can make that face too?"
"If needed."
"Heh heh... Seeing a new side of our maknae today."
He muttered with a hollow laugh, as if he hadn't expected it.
In the meantime, the grandmas and grandpas who spotted Lee Jae-hyun approached and welcomed him with joyful smiles.
"You left like you weren't coming back for a while, and now you're here again so soon?"
"Yeah, I was passing by and stopped in."
"Have you decided what to do about moving?"
"I don't know yet, but I'm thinking positively."
While Lee Jae-hyun answered the barrage of questions from the elders one by one.
Soon, their eyes turned to Kim Jun-ho standing beside him.
"Who's this? Not your brother, right?"
"Oh, he's a buddy I work out with."
"Looks like he stopped by after exercising."
"Nice to meet you, young man."
Lee Jae-hyun brushed it off with a vague lie and introduced Kim Jun-ho.
The elders nodded without suspicion.
"Haha. Yes, nice to meet you. I'm Kim Jun-ho."
Kim Jun-ho, usually quick on the uptake, flashed his signature affable grin and greeted the elders.
He had grasped the situation and played along with Lee Jae-hyun's fib.
"What do you do, young man?"
"Just working at an ordinary broadcasting station."
"Broadcasting? So you see celebrities often?"
"Now and then. Want me to get you an autograph?"
"Oh really? My grandchild's been obsessed with that Mosikeong singer lately. Can you get one?"
"Of course. Since we're connected, I'll see what I can do."
"Ahem, any chance you could get a trot singer's autograph too...?"
Kim Jun-ho unleashed his natural charisma, laughing and chatting with the elders.
Lee Jae-hyun, who had greeted them first, barely had room to join in.
Then, naturally, Kim Jun-ho glanced at Lee Jae-hyun and continued.
"Actually, this little bro's grandma has been feeling low on energy lately. She wants to visit somewhere lively and full of energy. This place seems perfect. You all don't look old enough for a seniors' center."
"Really? Even young folks think we look young for our age?"
"Oh, it's not just a bit young—it's like you're overflowing with energy. What's the secret?"
"Aigoo, we shouldn't say it, but since you're moving here anyway, it's fine to tell you early, right?"
The grandma said that and looked around at the others.
The rest hesitated a little but didn't actively object.
This was it.
Something special they couldn't tell outsiders.
The key point was that they couldn't share it easily with others.
Even considering the insular nature of a neighborhood outsiders rarely visited, it seemed suspicious.
"Come on, don't hold out on us. Who knows? If it's really effective, I could report it at the station and maybe set up an interview."
"Really? Then our neighborhood would be on TV?"
"Of course. You could even become famous as a longevity village."
"Really? Well then..."
At his words, the grandma cleared her throat and spoke.
Lee Jae-hyun's eyes lit up as he leaned in to listen.
"Truth is, there's this great nutritional supplement for folks our age. We've been getting it."
"Nutritional supplement?"
The grandma glanced around as if sharing a secret and whispered.
Up until then, Kim Jun-ho hadn't fully bought Lee Jae-hyun's story and had been observing cautiously.
But with solid circumstantial evidence, he raised his brows in interest and asked.
In the meantime, the grandma continued.
"There's this girl who comes to volunteer here, and she brings it."
"Such a special supplement for free?"
Lee Jae-hyun already knew, but...
Kim Jun-ho feigned wide-eyed surprise and asked back.
The grandma shook her head at his question.
"Of course not free. But way cheaper than the hospital. They say it's 150,000 won at clinics, up to 200,000 at fancy places... Miss Sun-ah gets it as cheap as possible and gives it to us at cost. 100,000 won each. It's really effective, you know?"
She started whispering like it was a secret but ended up boasting with arms spread wide.
At that moment, Lee Jae-hyun and Kim Jun-ho exchanged glances, eyes sparkling.
A wordless conversation through their looks.
'We got it.'
They had secured irrefutable testimony.