Chapter 67
"How's Jincheol doing?"
"Hello."
With a breakthrough finally emerging from what had felt like an utterly hopeless situation, we stopped by the hospital to see Jincheol, feeling a bit refreshed. Kang Minjae sat down beside him and said,
"But why the long face? Something happen?"
Jincheol let out a deep sigh and glanced at the clock.
"Lee Hyeokmin's coming to visit."
I recalled how Jincheol had instantly transformed the moment his homeroom teacher mentioned the visit.
"If you don't want to see him, just tell him not to come."
"I had no excuse to refuse. Telling them to get lost once or twice is one thing, but..."
"If meeting them would just rattle you, better not to."
Jincheol just hung his head at my words.
Quite some time had passed since the incident, and he was starting to find a bit of stability. The violent side he'd shown was slowly fading, and now all that remained was for him to recover mentally and physically until the case wrapped up properly.
At a time like this, an unwanted visit was far from ideal.
"...I didn't want it to look like I was scared of that bastard Lee Hyeokmin and couldn't face him."
Jincheol sighed deeply as he spoke. Kang Minjae grabbed his shoulder and grinned.
"Ah, can't have you looking scared. Let's show those punks just how unbothered you are. They're not even worth a single punch. We'll stick around for you, kid!"
"...Honestly, they're not that easy. I'd lose in a straight fight."
"Then we'll make it three against one, including us uncles."
Jincheol let out a small chuckle at Kang Minjae's joking. He'd been sneaking peeks at the clock to gauge when Lee Hyeokmin would arrive.
"Us uncles are curious what that little shit looks like too, y'know."
Though we'd seen the photos Sanggil had snapped beforehand, I stayed out of it.
As the minute hand on the wall clock hit twelve, Jincheol started fidgeting noticeably. I suggested his mother step out while Lee Hyeokmin was there—she might not keep her emotions in check if she saw him face-to-face.
Drag.
Right then, the door slid open, and four boys in school uniforms entered, carrying a large fruit basket.
"Jincheol."
The tall kid in front approached the bed. It was Lee Hyeokmin from the photos, followed by his usual crew.
"Jincheol, you feeling any better?"
Lee Hyeokmin, drawing closer to the bed, suddenly spotted me and Kang Minjae and froze.
"Who are these people?"
Jincheol didn't answer. To avoid suspicion from the awkward silence, I chimed in.
"I'm Jincheol's uncle, and this is my younger colleague. We were passing by and stopped in. Heard his friends were coming, so I was thinking of treating you all to dinner."
"Ah, hello. I'm Jincheol's friend, Lee Hyeokmin."
He bowed politely. With his gentle smile and courteous greeting, he seemed like the picture of a well-brought-up student.
Hyeokmin set the fruit basket by the bed and said,
"We all chipped in for this—save it for later. Everyone in class wanted to come, but I said we'd handle it so you wouldn't get too tired."
He sat in the caregiver's chair. But Jincheol turned his head away, avoiding eye contact.
I knew exactly why they'd come.
First off, as his supposed closest friends, skipping a hospital visit entirely would look bad.
Second, they wanted to see for themselves just how hurt he was. No matter how routinely they'd beaten him, they probably hadn't expected a long-term hospital stay. It must've surprised them.
And if Jincheol had spilled everything to his parents, they wouldn't show up so brazenly without some confidence. No other actions had been taken yet, so they were sure he hadn't told his folks, just like always.
Coming now, after so much time since the incident, was clearly to gauge the situation.
"Hyeokmin, right?"
"Yes, sir."
"You look like a good student."
"Haha, thank you."
"Must be close with Jincheol. I think I've heard his name before."
"Jincheol's my best buddy. Wait, has he talked about me?"
Hyeokmin eyed me sharply for a split second. I smiled faintly and replied,
"After he transferred, I asked if he was settling in okay, and he mentioned you. Thought you were a good friend—glad to see you visiting. Thanks."
"Oh, no need. Sorry it took so long. I hesitated, not wanting to bother him... Jincheol, my bad."
Hyeokmin patted Jincheol's shoulder cheerfully. When Jincheol stayed silent, Hyeokmin gave an awkward laugh.
"Hey, why so quiet? Still hurting bad?"
"...Yeah, a bit."
Jincheol murmured softly. Hyeokmin sighed.
"Man, I told you not to do it. Why pull that stupid prank and get hurt? Over some indoor shoes? You're breaking big bro's heart here, kid."
"..."
"Get better soon. Can't play soccer without you—one short now. Lee Myungjun's filling in, but he's trash. Hurry back."
"..."
Hyeokmin patted his shoulder again. "Hey? Say something, huh?" he prodded.
Jincheol bit his lip hard and muttered,
"...Okay."
"Hyeokmin, looks like Park Jincheol's pretty tired. We might be imposing."
One of the kids behind Hyeokmin said casually. Hyeokmin checked the clock and replied regretfully,
"Yeah, time for hagwon anyway."
"Jincheol, we're heading out. Get well soon. It's boring without you."
They each said a word to Jincheol, then shouldered their bags.
"Was gonna buy you dinner, but you're off already?"
I asked. Hyeokmin waved it off.
"No, we have to hit hagwon anyway. Just a quick stop. Really, thank you, sir."
He bowed deeply, then shouted as he left the room,
"Jincheol, we're out! We'll come back after finals and hang out proper. Rest up!"
Once the kids were gone, Jincheol released his bitten lip and let out a long breath.
"Fucking bastards..."
His eyes bloodshot, he muttered.
"Uncle, that was all fake! That prick's full of shit. Don't believe him, he's really..."
"I know."
Tears welling up, Jincheol finally broke down sobbing.
"You held it together well. Thanks for playing along like I said."
After hearing Hyeokmin was coming, I'd told Jincheol to stay calm. Best to keep pretending he hadn't spilled the truth, so they wouldn't prepare in advance.
"Uncle, you're really gonna make that bastard pay, right? You'll make sure of it?"
Jincheol choked out between sobs.
"Yeah. Just a little longer."
On the drive back to the office, Kang Minjae gripped the wheel, venting so furiously it felt like pus might ooze from my ears.
"Can you believe Lee Hyeokmin? That little shit's got some nerve! Anyone clueless would think he actually cared about Jincheol!"
The steering grew wilder with every pound on his chest.
"Easy on the driving."
"How's a kid that young so good at acting? That's why the teachers fell for it—or maybe 'cause his dad's the superintendent? Wait, probably both."
"...Easy, I said."
"I'm so pissed! A high schooler pulling that fake polite, model student crap. Scary as hell. Who'd send their kid to school? Mine's getting homeschooled."
"You don't have kids, Kang."
"We gotta blow this case wide open, expose that punk to the world. Poor Jincheol's been through hell. Feels like I'm his dad. That Hyeokmin? Future con artist for sure."
"Red light."
"Am I wrong? Right? Con man in training."
"Red light!"
Kang Minjae, who'd been nonstop ranting, slammed the brakes with wide eyes at my shout.
"...Sorry."
* * *
Jang Taesik checked in two days later. Despite having faxes and computers at his office, he barged in unannounced—right when Kang was out.
"Call ahead next time?"
Taesik shrugged off his jacket, sat on the consultation sofa, and narrowed his eyes.
"You gonna keep drawing lines between us? You know I brought good news."
"What 'us'?"
I sat across from him and handed over a cup of coffee. He was shivering like a wet dog in the cold.
"Ah, hot. Got any mix? Mix coffee?"
"Take what you're given."
"No sense of taste. Kang picks just right for you."
Taesik grumbled, setting the file he'd brought on the table.
"So many loan sharks out there. Was ready to hit every debt spot nearby, but hit paydirt at a few big names quick."
I took the file. Just one sheet, but packed with info.
"Han Kyungchul had debts at the loan shark from 2001 to early 2003. Partial payments in May, July, and October 2003, full payoff in December."
2003 matched the first tutoring year from Kim Hakseong's file. May and July were midterms and finals for first semester; October and December for second.
"Han Kyungchul..."
I rolled the name around my mouth, eyeing the staff list.
"He's the principal."