Chapter 33
Chapter 33
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Unmasking Park Chun-beom
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Before writing the incident report, Lee Jae-hyun headed first to see Park Chun-beom.
It was because he wanted to personally strip off the mask the guy had worn until now.
It was also because Serhen kept saying she wanted to eat Park Chun-beom's karma right away.
Serhen, who hadn't been visible since their conversation with Song A-ram at the café, would surely reappear soon.
Lee Jae-hyun let out a deep breath and started walking.
Right before his eyes, Park Chun-beom sat quietly.
And, sure enough.
The moment Park Chun-beom came into view, Serhen revealed herself.
Lee Jae-hyun shifted his gaze from Park Chun-beom to Serhen for a moment as she appeared after a long silence.
‘Where were you?’
When he asked that, Serhen smiled brightly and opened her mouth.
“I had some business to take care of, so I stepped out for a bit.”
Serhen replied in a cheerful voice.
He didn’t know what the business was, but with her face full of smiles, it was clear it had been something quite good for her.
Leaving behind that smile, which seemed a bit eerie as befitting a demon.
Lee Jae-hyun turned his gaze back to Park Chun-beom once more.
Serhen also looked at Park Chun-beom with a satisfied expression.
“It’s finally in a state where I can eat it now. Looks delicious.”
Lee Jae-hyun paused at Serhen’s words and tilted his head in slight puzzlement.
It was a bit curious.
Was there a distinction between a state where it could be eaten and one where it couldn’t?
‘Is there a timing when it can be eaten, and a timing when it can’t?’
He posed the question in his mind and took a step toward Park Chun-beom.
Serhen smacked her lips and began answering Lee Jae-hyun’s question.
“You can only eat it when a human’s fate is definitively set. At the very least, this human’s fate regarding his evil karma is now decided, so I can eat it.”
Lee Jae-hyun lightly lifted the corner of his mouth at Serhen’s words.
Her meaning was clear.
Thanks to the evidence Lee Jae-hyun had uncovered with Song A-ram’s help, Park Chun-beom’s fate was sealed.
In other words.
No matter what, he would face proper judgment.
Lee Jae-hyun took another step toward Park Chun-beom, who was about to meet his rightful end.
Only then did Park Chun-beom react.
“You’re here. You left in the middle before the investigation was even done.”
Park Chun-beom spoke to Lee Jae-hyun in a tone that seemed slightly mocking.
Lee Jae-hyun had personally come to the seniors’ center, dragged in Han Sun-ah, and then hauled Park Chun-beom in as well.
Naturally, Lee Jae-hyun wouldn’t be welcome in Park Chun-beom’s eyes.
Despite Park Chun-beom’s barbed words, Lee Jae-hyun chuckled and nodded.
“I had somewhere to be, so I got up first. Did the investigation go well?”
Lee Jae-hyun spoke in a relaxed voice.
He offered no courtesy.
There was no need for courtesy toward a criminal.
Park Chun-beom let out a light laugh at Lee Jae-hyun’s tone.
He sighed with a hint of amusement and opened his mouth.
“The investigation wrapped up fine. I hope this misunderstanding gets cleared up soon. Seems like even the young fellow here has a bit of a misunderstanding…….”
Park Chun-beom spoke in a light tone.
The guy still didn’t know that Lee Jae-hyun had found the evidence.
Well, that made sense.
There was no one who would go out of their way to tell Park Chun-beom that the evidence had been uncovered.
Park Chun-beom tried to say more, but Lee Jae-hyun cut him off first.
“Don’t worry, the misunderstanding’s cleared up.”
“Oh, so you’re letting me go now?”
Park Chun-beom perked up and asked at Lee Jae-hyun’s words.
The phrasing about the misunderstanding being cleared was perfect for Park Chun-beom to ‘misunderstand.’
Lee Jae-hyun let out an “Ah” and smiled.
“Oh dear. Seems like you misunderstood me a little. What I meant was the misunderstanding from five years ago.”
“…….”
As Lee Jae-hyun shrugged and spoke, Park Chun-beom’s brow furrowed.
He stared at Lee Jae-hyun with a face that seemed to ask what on earth he was saying.
Deep in his eyes, a strange emotion flickered.
Lee Jae-hyun knew exactly what that emotion was.
It was one of the typical emotions criminals showed at the end.
Anxiety.
Had he really been caught?
Ah, am I really screwed now?
That kind of anxiety.
And every time, Lee Jae-hyun turned that anxiety into certainty.
Yeah, you’re done for now.
Lee Jae-hyun continued with a smile.
“I’ve cleared up the misunderstanding that it was just an accident due to poor driving.”
“What are you…… right now…….”
Park Chun-beom’s face twisted as much as it possibly could.
Lee Jae-hyun no longer felt the need to listen to the guy.
After all, the only reason he’d come to see Park Chun-beom was to deliver the despairing news personally, and that goal had been achieved.
As if reading his intent, Serhen immediately reached out and extracted a black energy from Park Chun-beom’s body.
“Bon appétit.”
Muttering that, Serhen devoured the black energy in an instant.
Lee Jae-hyun could feel a boiling emotion rising from within as he watched Park Chun-beom, who had screamed something at him before gritting his teeth and glaring.
And at the same time, the path he must follow became even clearer.
Myeong Jin-han, who had committed crimes driven by base desires.
Park Chun-beom, who had killed his own brother for money and claimed the insurance payout.
These were people who had committed unforgivable sins as humans.
To join hands with a demon and make those even more demonic than demons face judgment.
Yes.
This was Lee Jae-hyun’s calling.
* * *
A few days passed in the blink of an eye.
Han Sun-ah’s illegal medical practice, theft, and fraud didn’t draw much attention, but the case wrapped up smoothly.
The highlight was Park Chun-beom.
The Park Chun-beom case was reexamined through the news.
It was only natural for the media to take interest now that what had been concluded as an accident five years ago was revealed as murder.
With insurance fraud tangled in as well, it was prime fodder for them.
While Korea buzzed briefly about it.
What Lee Jae-hyun did was a nonstop stream of paperwork.
Since it was a murder case, there was a lot of information to hand over, and the report had to be written meticulously.
Police work usually consisted mostly of paperwork like this.
The fortunate part this time was that Inspector Oh Seo-hyun from Incheon Western Police Station had organized the materials well, making it a bit easier.
And as soon as Lee Jae-hyun finished all the paperwork, he had to head straight back to Incheon.
It was for a witness interview.
It wasn’t related to the Park Chun-beom case; Inspector Oh Seo-hyun was handling Song A-ram’s school violence case and had asked if he could come for a witness statement.
Essentially, it was a trip to give testimony favorable to Song A-ram.
A word from an on-duty police officer carried significant weight.
On the way to Incheon, inside the car.
Serhen sat in the passenger seat, staring intently at the ice cream cone in her hand.
“It’s strangely shaped.”
She held a vanilla cone ice cream, the kind you could find anywhere.
Serhen muttered softly.
Lee Jae-hyun glanced at her briefly before focusing back on driving.
A few days ago, he had promised her ice cream in exchange for tailing Han Sun-ah to uncover her crimes.
Serhen had set the deal terms lightly, so he hadn’t paid it much mind.
After all, what mattered to her was the karma of the wicked.
The ice cream was just a minor curiosity for Serhen, nothing more or less, so he hadn’t been nagged about it.
Thanks to that, Lee Jae-hyun only remembered the promise after finishing all the paperwork and bought it for her today.
Serhen slightly parted her lips and put the ice cream in her mouth.
She froze for a moment.
Lee Jae-hyun subtly turned his gaze toward the silent Serhen.
Serhen blinked with the ice cream in her mouth.
Perhaps the taste of her first ice cream was a bit different from what she’d expected.
“How is it?”
“This…… is tastier than I thought.”
Serhen spoke as if surprised.
She took a small bite of the ice cream, then let out a breath.
“I could use this as a trade condition every now and then.”
“Haha. Even without a trade, just say the word whenever you want some…….”
“No, it’s fine. Trades have to be fair.”
Lee Jae-hyun made a peculiar expression at Serhen’s unexpectedly firm refusal.
It seemed she really liked the ice cream, but was that not the case?
Still, the way she looked at the ice cream was quite deep.
She definitely liked it.
“Well…….”
“Really, it’s okay. I’m a demon with my own morals, you know.”
Serhen shook her head and said it again.
It seemed demons had their own rules.
Lee Jae-hyun fell silent for a moment at the jarring phrase ‘moral demon.’
How long did he drive like that?
Incheon Western Police Station came into view ahead.
Serhen vanished again, and Lee Jae-hyun got out of the car alone and walked inside.
Entering the station, the same man from last time sat at the reception desk.
“Hello. I’m Patrol Officer Lee Jae-hyun from Hanseong Police Substation. I’m here to see Inspector Oh Seo-hyun…….”
Lee Jae-hyun gave a light bow and greeted him.
The man looked up, recognized Lee Jae-hyun’s face, and brightened.
“Oh, hello. I saw the news about how you cracked that murder case in the end.”
“Ah, yes…….”
He greeted Lee Jae-hyun warmly.
A different attitude from the wariness last time.
It was possible because Lee Jae-hyun hadn’t stirred things up without cause, had properly uncovered the truth of the five-year-old case, and had handled it smoothly without pointing fingers at Incheon Western Police Station’s mistakes.
“You must have worked hard.”
“No, it was just doing my job.”
Lee Jae-hyun shook his head slightly at the man’s words acknowledging his hard work.
He hadn’t really thought of it as hard work.
As if reading his mind, the man smiled lightly and pointed to one side with his hand.
“You can probably find Inspector Oh Seo-hyun right away if you head to the detective division over there.”
“Yes, thank you.”
After a brief thanks, Lee Jae-hyun headed in the direction the man indicated.
As he approached the detective division, people glanced at him.
While he awkwardly looked around, Inspector Oh Seo-hyun appeared.
“You made it? It’s lunchtime—want to talk over a meal?”
“Sounds good.”
Lee Jae-hyun replied immediately to Inspector Oh Seo-hyun’s words.
He was getting hungry right on time for lunch anyway.
He figured they’d grab something simple like kimbap for the interview, but Oh Seo-hyun held up her car keys and spoke.
“Gukbap okay with you?”
Lee Jae-hyun nodded at her smiling suggestion.
A steaming bowl of gukbap was always welcome.