Chapter 26
Chapter 26
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Song A-ram's Bruises
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Lee Jae-hyun alternated his surprised gaze between the red string and the high school girl.
Five years ago, he'd followed that red string into the gukbap restaurant to uncover the truth behind Park Chun-beom's murder.
The restaurant owner had worried that dredging up the incident from five years back might stir up unnecessary trouble.
But Lee Jae-hyun had to persuade him somehow.
After all, the owner was the sole link to the case Park Chun-beom had committed five years prior.
Yet it seemed the owner wasn't the main connection after all.
Not with the red string linking so vividly the moment the girl appeared.
"Oh, my daughter's here?"
"Yeah."
The gukbap restaurant owner approached the girl, taking her bag as he greeted her with a bright smile.
She was clearly his daughter.
Lee Jae-hyun found himself smiling unconsciously at how fondly the man doted on her.
"How was school today?"
"...Just the usual, you know."
At the owner's follow-up question, the girl hesitated for a moment before answering with a bright smile.
She was trying hard to seem cheerful.
But Lee Jae-hyun didn't miss the subtle pause between question and answer, or the way she furrowed her brow.
He'd noticed it the instant he saw the red string connected to her—his full attention had been on the girl.
'Why the reaction?'
Had something unpleasant happened at school?
Sure, that could happen to anyone.
But his instincts as a detective told him otherwise.
There was a shadow inside her, something dark she hesitated to share with her father.
As Lee Jae-hyun pondered this, the owner glanced at him and continued.
"You know that serial killer case, right?"
"Of course. That's why you've been nagging me to come home early every day."
"Ahem, yeah. Anyway, that's not the point—this guy right here is the one who caught that serial killer."
The owner cleared his throat and pointed at Lee Jae-hyun.
Caught off guard by the awkward spotlight, Lee Jae-hyun coughed lightly and averted his eyes.
But the girl's reaction was odd.
She furrowed her brow again, turned to Lee Jae-hyun, and spoke.
"...You're a cop?"
"Ah, yes. Nice to meet you. I'm Patrol Officer Lee Jae-hyun from Hanseong Police Substation."
"I'm Song A-ram. Enjoy your meal."
With a slight nod, the girl brushed past Lee Jae-hyun.
She headed straight up the stairs to the family's living quarters on the second floor.
For some reason, she seemed uncomfortable around him.
Of course, it wasn't that unusual.
People often felt uneasy around strangers.
'No, wait—is it not me, but cops in general?'
That could be it.
She hadn't seemed bothered when he first entered, but her expression soured the moment he revealed he was police.
'And the reason she dislikes cops... Could it be tied to the incident five years ago?'
It was the only thing that came to mind.
Lee Jae-hyun watched her ascend to the second floor, then shot a quick glance at Serhen.
Serhen moved naturally, trailing after Song A-ram.
Once she was out of sight, the owner approached with an embarrassed look.
"Sorry about that. My daughter's a bit prickly."
"No worries. She's at that sensitive age, right?"
Lee Jae-hyun shook his head with a gentle smile.
It really didn't faze him.
He'd spent years as a detective, facing down countless criminals.
Prickly?
Compared to truly vicious types, her reaction was downright normal—cute, even.
"Ahem, thanks for understanding."
"By the way, do you happen to know what your daughter was doing that night of the incident?"
Lee Jae-hyun asked carefully, eyeing the owner.
With the red string connecting so clearly, she wasn't directly involved, but she was deeply linked somehow.
"She was sleeping, obviously. She rushed home late that night and was out cold, dead to the world."
"Ah..."
Lee Jae-hyun nodded outwardly but wasn't convinced.
Asleep during the incident, yet the string reacted like this?
No, even before that—the ambulance and patrol car sirens would've been blaring. How could she sleep through it?
Something was definitely off.
As he furrowed his brow in thought, the owner scowled and spoke up.
"You're not suspecting my daughter, are you?"
"No, of course not. Just routine—checking if she might've witnessed anything."
Lee Jae-hyun waved his hands dismissively.
Song A-ram clearly had no direct involvement in the case.
If she did, Serhen would've reacted strongly.
So she was probably a witness—or something close to it.
The owner nodded at his answer and continued.
"Look, if that accident was really a murder, I'd love to help. But honestly, I don't want any commotion."
"I get it. I don't want innocent folks dragged into this either."
Unless he cracked the case properly, it'd just be poking a hornet's nest.
He understood the owner's position.
Tourist spots thrived on word-of-mouth.
Who'd vacation where someone died?
For the owner, it was his livelihood.
Her sharp reaction made sense.
And...
'I don't need to hear it from the owner anyway.'
Fortunately, he'd found another lead.
Song A-ram, where the red string pulsed even stronger.
With Serhen tailing her, they'd uncover something soon.
As Lee Jae-hyun thought this, Serhen popped into existence in midair.
"Contractor."
Her low voice carried a hint of anger, which Lee Jae-hyun picked up on immediately.
He froze, startled to see Serhen—who'd always been so composed—visibly annoyed.
The owner eyed him curiously.
Lee Jae-hyun forced a calm expression.
The owner stared for a moment before returning to the kitchen.
Lee Jae-hyun sat at the table and glanced at Serhen.
Her face was gravely serious.
'What happened?'
At his silent question, Serhen scowled and replied.
"The girl changed clothes as soon as she got home. But... looks like someone beat her. She's got bruises on her stomach and back."
'......'
Lee Jae-hyun's expression hardened.
Bruises on the stomach and back weren't easy to get in daily life.
Domestic abuse?
No, their father-daughter bond seemed solid.
Besides, hadn't Serhen said earlier the owner had no 'evil karma'?
Lee Jae-hyun's doubts cleared with Serhen's next words.
"And while changing, she was on the phone with someone. Name was... Hyun-jin? He said exactly this: 'You jinx, you gonna bring that money or not? If you're passing your bad luck to me, pay up at least.'"
Lee Jae-hyun's face turned to stone at Serhen's words.
Song A-ram's fleeting reaction when the owner asked about school.
Combined with Serhen's report.
It all pointed to one thing.
School bullying.
* * *
Lee Jae-hyun sat and started on the gukbap the owner brought out.
Soon, footsteps thudded from upstairs as Song A-ram came down.
"Dad, I'm taking 50,000 won!"
She dashed to the counter, opened the cash box, and announced.
At her words, the owner poked his head out from the kitchen.
"50,000? For what?"
"Tteokbokki."
"What tteokbokki costs 50,000 won?"
He looked incredulous.
Even with rising prices, 50,000 for tteokbokki was absurd.
Before he could approve, Song A-ram snatched a 50,000-won bill, pocketed it, and replied.
"To eat with friends."
"...Fine, go ahead."
The owner sighed, nodding reluctantly.
Song A-ram yanked her hood low without a thank-you and bolted out.
Lee Jae-hyun, who'd been watching, set down his spoon and stood.
"Check, please."
"Enjoyed it?"
"Yeah, thanks—it hit the spot."
Lee Jae-hyun smiled, paid cash, and glanced at Song A-ram disappearing outside.
"Raising a teen must be tough."
"Urgh... yeah. Back in my day, 1,000 won got us tteokbokki till we burst."
"Prices have skyrocketed."
"Even so, 50,000 for tteokbokki? That's ten bowls of gukbap. She should just bring her friends here."
The owner grumbled with a heavy sigh.
Bring her friends here?
Song A-ram wouldn't bring those 'friends' to the shop.
Not a chance.
"Kids that age hate bringing friends around parents."
"Long as she doesn't go astray."
"I don't think you need to worry about that."
The owner shrugged with a forced smile, and Lee Jae-hyun grinned back.
No black aura in Serhen's eyes.
She wasn't straying.
Which made it all the more troubling.
An innocent girl was being tormented.
"Take care, then."
"Yeah, come again."
Lee Jae-hyun said goodbye and stepped out.
He eyed the direction Song A-ram had run.
'Something's off.'
If she was being bullied, she'd have every reason to seek police help.
Yet she'd recoiled the moment he said he was a cop.
There was a problem.
With that thought, Lee Jae-hyun set off after her.