Chapter 117 |
What did he do wrong?
What did he mess up?
“Mr. Lee Jaehun.”
“I’m fine.”
“…No, you’re not fine.”
“I said I’m fine.”
“I said you’re not.”
Why did everything he touch break?
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“I’m fine.”
“…”
“…I could have been fine…”
Why did nothing ever go his way?
Why, how, I…?
“…”
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“…”
I could have done better.
“…Couldn’t I?”
***
Hong Kyungjun had seen someone like this before.
A person excruciatingly altruistic yet coldly calculating. But since all that coldness was directed only at himself, Hong Kyungjun never knew what kind of person he truly was, not even until the very end.
Hong Kyungjun thought it wouldn’t have been strange if that person had gone down a different path instead of becoming a police officer. For example, the mafia, a broker, or even the founder of a cult. His perpetually twisted smile and arrogant gaze had a way of making people shrink. There was no one who wasn’t afraid of him.
Therefore, no one noticed when that person fell apart.
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‘You can’t do it.’
Even then, that person still couldn’t trust Hong Kyungjun.
‘If you become like me, there will just be one more criminal for the police to catch.’
“…….”
‘So get lost.’
No,
Did that person ever trust anyone in the first place?
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‘You need to stay as you are, Kyungjun.’
…Probably not.
That person, who had clung to life so desperately, one day, for some unknown reason, simply dⁱㅌd. It was so sudden that it left everyone around him dumbfounded.
That was why Hong Kyungjun couldn’t be wary of this guy.
“Mr. Lee Jaehun.”
“I’m fine.”
A person saying he was fine with a face that was anything but.
“…No, you’re not fine.”
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“I said I’m fine.”
“I said you’re not.”
That’ was why, there was no way Hong Kyungjun could be wary of someone who, despite living as a tool and would dⁱㅌ as a tool, would be delighted to dⁱㅌ. Both Hong Kyungjun as a person and Detective Hong Kyungjun felt that way.
He felt it instinctively. This was a person who stood for goodness. He judged objectively. This kind of person wouldn’t do anything evil. In the end, why should Detective Hong Kyungjun be wary of someone who would sacrifice himself rather than others?
“Can you even hear me—”
He was also uneasy.
“I’m fine.”
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“…….”
“…I could have been fine…”
That person Hong Kyungjun knew had also met their end in a similar way.
Resigned, to the point of acceptance….
“…….”
“…….”
“…Couldn’t I?”
That was the end of the person Hong Kyungjun admired.
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“…Mr. Lee Jaehun.”
Hong Kyungjun grabbed Lee Jaehun’s shoulder.
Of course, Lee Jaehun and that person were not entirely the same. Lee Jaehun could at least despair in front of a child’s corpse, while that person considered even that kind of despair a luxury. However, in the way Lee Jaehun relentlessly sacrificed himself in pursuit of efficiency, Hong Kyungjun sensed a similar conviction.
He didn’t want to see someone like that dⁱㅌ again, not now.
“It can turn problematic for someone unrelated to the deceased to be in contact with the body for so long.”
“…….”
“They said there was another adult with the victim. That person hasn’t been found, but because of that, we have to consider the possibility of murder. Please leave the scene, as you could compromise the evidence.”
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His words sounded harsh, but Hong Kyungjun was certain that Lee Jaehun would regain his composure after hearing it. This type of person valued ‘what the problem is’ more than words of comfort and solace.
Lee Jaehun, who had been slowly glancing at Hong Kyungjun, slowly got up.
“…….”
“…I apologize, I shouldn’t have called you over. I thought I’d ask if you knew anything about the child’s whereabouts, but it seems to have backfired. I apologize.”
“No need to apologize.”
After staring into space for a moment, Lee Jaehun turned back to Hong Kyungjun and spoke.
“…Do you know?”
“…….”
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“This child shouldn’t have dⁱㅌd here.”
His voice was tired and mechanical.
“…I know.”
“That’s good.”
Lee Jaehun was smiling as he said that.
“…….”
It was a strangely familiar smile.
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‘Did he say he felt murderous intent?’
Dazed by the unfamiliar turmoil, Hong Kyungjun barely managed to focus on reality.
He had found out that earlier this morning, Lee Jaehun’s original group had been eavesdropping on Lee Jaehun’s conversation with Kwon Yeonhee. Hong Kyungjun had been among them, so it was only natural that he found out.
Lee Jaehun said he had been dragged away by what they called the ‘green algae monster’ and barely made it back alive. He said he didn’t remember much of what happened that night, but he was certain he had been affected by the monster. That was why he asked them to avoid him, saying he didn’t know when he might kill someone.
However, contrary to his wishes, it seemed his group wouldn’t avoid him….
“…….”
Then, what should I do here?
“…Why don’t you go and rest?”
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“There are people coming this way. I’ll go with them.”
“That’s not a bad idea.”
Hong Kyungjun nodded.
‘Something feels off.’
A surprisingly important aspect of detective work was having a good intuition, and Hong Kyungjun was quite talented in that regard. He felt that the culprit he was chasing might be among the survivors he had just met.
Of course, it was just a gut feeling; there was no concrete evidence.
‘So I need to be even more careful.’
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He looked up at the approaching figures.
“Manager, are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“…If you say so, then it must be true.”
It was Jung Inho and another man in Lee Jaehun’s group.
‘They said he was a doctor, right?’
He had heard from Lee Jaehun’s group yesterday that there was a doctor called Ha Sungyoon among the group members. Since they said they would bring back the doctor, this man was probably him.
Jung Inho frowned slightly as he looked at Lee Jaehun’s condition, and the doctor, seemingly unconcerned, approached Hong Kyungjun. He glanced at the child’s body behind Hong Kyungjun.
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“I thought I’d see it someday, but I never imagined the first one would be a child.”
“Same here….”
Hong Kyungjun glanced at the grayish-white hair and tapped one eye as he spoke.
“What happened here?”
“You noticed that, as expected. I touched something wrong and this happened.”
“…….”
Hong Kyungjun had a lot he wanted to say but kept his mouth shut.
‘They must have already discussed this.’
Even though Lee Jaehun seemed a bit mentally unstable, Hong Kyungjun trusted Lee Jaehun’s basic judgment. Of course, it was laughable how much he trusted him given how little time they’d known each other and what little he’d seen, but Hong Kyungjun himself didn’t realize it.
Besides, it was Jung Inho, of all people, who had overlooked it.
“…….”
“…….”
…There was no need to cause trouble now.
Meeting Jung Inho’s dark gaze, Hong Kyungjun gave a slight nod, which Jung Inho returned with a polite smile. This was a stark contrast to the unreadable look he had given Lee Jaehun while leaning against the tree.
‘…He’s not normal.’
That was how Hong Kyungjun defined him.
He had felt it from their first encounter, but this man wasn’t normal at all. Jung Inho wasn’t physically strained like Lee Jaehun, nor did his basic judgment seem impaired, yet he was in this state. It could only mean that his personality was already twisted.
Furthermore, Hong Kyungjun still remembered.
‘He was definitely wary of me.’
Even though they were complete strangers who had never met before, Jung Inho was incredibly wary of Hong Kyungjun. Not only that, but he seemed to harbor animosity, which made Hong Kyungjun suspicious in turn.
Contrary to the image conjured by the word ‘detective’, detectives rarely wore suits. When approaching suspects undercover, they often wore jumpers or casual clothes, but Hong Kyungjun deemed it unsuitable, as it didn’t fit his unique presence. He was a rather distinctive detective, so a meticulous criminal might recognize his face.
Judging by his reaction, Jung Inho also seemed to have noticed Hong Kyungjun’s thoughts.
“…I wonder why.”
At his murmur, the doctor examining the body spoke.
“I don’t think you’re asking me.”
“No, I am not.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Dismissing the doctor with a glance, Hong Kyungjun turned his attention back to the body. Regardless of how much the other party had caught onto his thoughts, Hong Kyungjun hadn’t actually done anything, so there was no need to stir up unnecessary trouble.
‘…I wonder why he’s not doing anything.’
Hong Kyungjun’s doubtful gaze had been the target of criticism from countless suspects in the past. Not all suspects were criminals, yet they complained that Hong Kyungjun looked at them as if they were vermin.
In his opinion, Jung Inho was a quite impatient person. Or rather, he had patience, but Hong Kyungjun believed he would attack if he deemed the opponent worth engaging. Hong Kyungjun’s gaze was quite disrespectful, after all.
‘I thought he’d say something.’
In the end, Jung Inho didn’t say a word.
The problem was that Hong Kyungjun couldn’t tell if it was because he was the culprit or a civilian. If Jung Inho had said something, Hong Kyungjun could have at least pondered over it, which was a shame. He still didn’t know much about the person called Jung Inho.
But one thing was certain….
“…What do you think of Mr. Lee Jaehun?”
He was obsessed with Lee Jaehun.
It seemed less like a person-to-person interaction and more like the way one would treat an object. Like how a religious zealot would regard a talisman or a symbolic item. Lee Jaehun himself didn’t seem to realize it, but from a third-party perspective, it didn’t look good.
“Are you talking about the Manager?”
“So you call him that. You’re not even colleagues.”
“It’s the most convenient title.”
Saying so, the doctor got up and touched his earlobe with his bloodstained hand.
“Well. What do I think….”
A gentle smile spread across his lips.
“…Maybe a streetlight?”
“A streetlight?”
“It illuminates the path, but where it’s absent, it’s terribly dark. That guy is strangely insensitive in some areas, so he tends to hurt people more than helping them.”
“Did yout get hurt too, Mr. Ha Sungyoon?”
“Not really.”
He continued, his gaze fixed on the corpse.
“…….”
“I think this is a pretty decent path.”
A decent path.
Doctor Ha Sungyoon seemed to regard Lee Jaehun as a guide.
“…….”
“There are signs of a fall. Judging by the wide area, the child was pushed with considerable force. Considering the angle… it seems he was thrown down from quite a height.”
“I heard you’re a surgeon.”
“It’s not my specialty, but I’m fairly confident in it. I have a lot of experience running around here and there.”
Hong Kyungjun looked at the doctor.
“Where have you been at?”
“Places where bullets and corpses fly.”
“You have a remarkable spirit of service.”
“Something like that. I studied at a university hospital… they helped me gain various experiences. You could say I took occasional detours.”
“Do you enjoy your current work?”
“…….”
Ha Sungyoon didn’t answer immediately, but he turned his gaze to meet Hong Kyungjoon’s eyes.
“…I do.”
“…….”
“Very much.”
At those words, Hong Kyungjun looked around.
Jung Inho was sticking close to the pale-faced Lee Jaehun and kept talking to him, while Doctor Ha Sungyoon was just quietly smiling. Conductor Kim Kijung was leaning his head against a tree, perhaps shocked from seeing a corpse for the first time, and Student Song Inmyeong was observing Lee Jaehun’s group, who had joined them not long ago.
And of these, the only one who seemed capable of normal thought was Conductor Kim Kijung. At least, that was what Detective Hong Kyungjun thought.
He averted his gaze, avoiding the stare directed at him.
“…Not bad.”
His last glance landed on Song Inmyeong, who was observing the surroundings with his chin resting on his hand.
Things were getting more and more complicated.