Chapter 22
“So I heard that bastard finally messed up?”
Chief Gu Young-gwang extended his arm holding the soju bottle and poured some into Lee Do-hyung’s glass across from him.
Lee Do-hyung, who was politely holding the small soju glass with both hands, swallowed nervously.
On his way out of the interrogation room, the secretary of the 3rd Deputy Chief Prosecutor quietly approached Lee Do-hyung.
He asked if he was free for a drink today.
It wasn’t common for Chief Gu Young-gwang to seek out someone who wasn’t his direct subordinate, so Lee Do-hyung naturally had to accept. He thought this might be the opportunity he had been waiting for.
“Let’s have a drink first.”
Gu Young-gwang put down the bottle and raised his glass. Lee Do-hyung lightly clinked his glass against the other’s, careful not to let it overflow, keeping it lower than his superior’s glass.
With his wrist supporting the hand holding the glass, he bent his upper body and kept his gaze on the table, lower than the other’s glass.
This was a sign of submission typically seen in groups with a clear hierarchy. Lee Do-hyung was diligently following the etiquette he had learned from his seniors during his days as a rookie prosecutor.
“There are always guys like that wherever you go. Guys who need to taste it to know if it’s shit or soybean paste.”
As soon as Gu Young-gwang emptied his glass and put it down, Lee Do-hyung picked up the bottle and refilled it. Gu Young-gwang, looking at the clear liquid filling up the glass, spoke in a casual tone.
“It all shows how poorly they were raised from childhood. You know well too, don’t you? How classless that Seo Muyoung is.”
“……”
“Coming from a background not even worth mentioning, he clawed his way up, and now he struts around acting like a big shot prosecutor. He doesn’t know his place.”
While people often use all sorts of excuses to belittle those they dislike, Lee Do-hyung instinctively realized that the words ‘background,’ ‘origin,’ and ‘place’ coming from his mouth weren’t directed solely at Seo Muyoung.
After all, he himself didn’t come from what could be called a prestigious family, and he had to swallow his frustration many times due to the limitations others arbitrarily set as his ‘place.’
All Lee Do-hyung had was his academic background. In the past, even that couldn’t be bought with money, but now it was ‘just’ that.
Coming out into the world, he realized he had been a frog in a well. Of course, it was better than having nothing at all, but he hadn’t worked so hard, shedding tears of blood, just to be satisfied with that much.
“Though your backgrounds might be similar, aren’t you different from that guy? You know how to conform to the organization, and you’re quite perceptive about what your superiors want.”
“I tend to act believing that there’s always a reason behind what the higher-ups do.”
Pleased with Lee Do-hyung’s answer, Gu Young-gwang picked up a piece of meat from the grill and placed it in his bowl, continuing in a kindly tone.
“Actually, I like people with strong will. I especially value those who achieve success through countless efforts in difficult environments.”
“I see.”
“Why not? Don’t you think those who’ve run and tumbled on dirt floors have better crisis management skills than those who’ve just strolled on grass lawns?”
“I didn’t know there was such a deep meaning behind it.”
“So, I hear you’ve been assigned to this case?”
Lee Do-hyung had somewhat expected this from the moment this man, who had been indifferent to his numerous attempts to get close, suddenly called him out for beef. However, when the bait was thrown so openly, he couldn’t help but feel conflicted.
“As you know, Seo Muyoung is not the culprit.”
“Do you think I would have called you here if I didn’t know that?”
“Then, why……”
Lee Do-hyung cautiously began but closed his mouth before finishing. It was because a snake hiding its venomous fangs was gleaming its eyes, ready to coil around him.
“You know better, don’t you? It’s only natural that value changes depending on usefulness.”
After refilling Lee Do-hyung’s glass, Gu Young-gwang raised his own. As if wanting to be heard, he muttered that one should become a Deputy Chief Prosecutor within this year to really enjoy the work.
“Then I can assume you understand what I mean?”
Lee Do-hyung, with a stiff expression, raised his glass following Gu Young-gwang.
He was well aware that Seo Muyoung had fallen out of favor with the 3rd Deputy Chief. However, he couldn’t understand why a Chief-level official would go this far to break the spirit of a mere prosecutor.
Could the 3rd Deputy Chief possibly be involved in this incident?
It was unlikely that someone aspiring for a promotion to Chief Prosecutor would take such a risk in a case involving murder, corpse disposal, and evidence tampering and manipulation.
Then why? As question after question piled up, the beef burning black on the grill no longer caught his eye.
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Jeong Jae-in clasped her hands and bowed her head in silent prayer before the body laid out on the cold stainless steel autopsy table, covered with a white cloth.
May your death not be in vain—
As Jae-in opened her eyes after her brief prayer, the forensic investigator removed the white cloth. At that moment, the door to the observation room opened.
It was standard procedure for detectives or case-related personnel to observe autopsies in murder cases. However, since she hadn’t been informed of any observers today, Jae-in’s puzzled gaze turned towards the observation room.
“…..?”
Her eyes wavered as she identified the figure who had entered through the glass window that clearly showed the inside of the observation room.
Why is that man there?
As she slightly furrowed her brow at the sudden appearance, Seo Muyoung waved and grinned broadly. If not for his neat attire, he might have been mistaken for an idle vagabond, so relaxed was his demeanor.
Jae-in nodded in greeting as their eyes met, then checked the digital clock on the autopsy room wall.
“Current time is 5:28 PM. Beginning the autopsy.”
From head to toe. Front, sides, and back. Every fold of skin and hidden area. She meticulously examined every part of the body, photographing any areas with marks.
Even the tiniest scratch could be a clue to the death, so nothing could be overlooked.
This body, reportedly found in a car trunk, was an unusual case with various colored bruises that had appeared around the same time.
Normally, this level of bruising would suggest ongoing abuse.
Based on the red marks on the nape and the scleral hemorrhage seen during the initial examination, she had made a preliminary judgment of death by strangulation.
The autopsy confirmed hypoxic brain damage due to neck compression, with no fractures found in the thyroid cartilage or hyoid bone. There was a band-like congestion mark around the neck, but it wasn’t the direct cause of death.
Therefore, judging from the marks on the nape, the cause of death was manual strangulation. The murder weapon was likely a man’s hand with large, thick knuckles.
Fortunately, the body wasn’t severely damaged, making the autopsy relatively straightforward. By the time she finished suturing the incisions, about an hour and a half had passed.
It would take about two weeks to compile all the evidence collected from the body into a final report, but she could provide a brief briefing now.
Jae-in turned her eyes to the observation room, looking for Muyoung.
“The prosecutor in the observation room—where did he go?”
“He left a while ago.”
The forensic investigator, who had been tidying up the equipment, responded to her question.
The man’s ability to appear and disappear so suddenly left her feeling somewhat disappointed.
He could have at least said something before leaving.
“Please take care of the rest. Thank you for your hard work.”
“You too, Doctor. Good job.”
As Jae-in removed her gloves and mask and stepped out of the autopsy room, she paused.
Disappointed?
She was glad to see his face, and disappointed when he left without a word. It was an odd emotion to feel for someone she wasn’t particularly close to.
Jae-in knew better than anyone the hidden violence of disappointment. It might only feel like mild regret now, but over time, accumulated emotions can make a person very tired and weary.
Jae-in had been weary for a long time already.
The essence of disappointment, which starts with trivial matters and ends up making you feel like a trivial person, is something you can’t understand unless you’ve experienced it.
So it wasn’t an appropriate emotion for her relationship with Seo Muyoung.
They certainly weren’t that close.
As if shaking off this sudden emotion, Jae-in tossed her mask, gloves, and cap into the medical waste bin.
As she trudged back to her lab, Jae-in spotted a tall figure standing in front of her office door.
Seo Muyoung, who had vanished and then suddenly reappeared, was there.
“Why are you here so late?”
The man tilted his head and asked bluntly. His face made her glad again, and she stopped in her tracks. He strode forward, closing the distance between them.
“Ah, you washed up.”
He reached out and touched her still-damp hair, tucking it behind her ear. His fingertips felt hot as they brushed along her cheek and the back of her ear.
“Why are you so surprised? You saw me come earlier, didn’t you?”
“I thought you’d left.”
“No way. How could I leave without saying goodbye when I came to see you?”
The man smiled mischievously as their eyes met, then suddenly bent down.
“You smell nice.”
His prominent nose almost grazed the fine hairs on her neck before pulling away.
“You even use shampoo that smells like you. Sweet.”
His laughter, like rippling water, entered through her ears and pooled in her heart. Unable to even blink, frozen in place, she felt as if she was under a spell.
Was it because of the cool air in the third-floor corridor? Or was it the fresh, crisp scent coming from the man?
Or perhaps it was because of his hands, warm regardless of the season’s temperature?
“Let’s go inside for now. Why didn’t you dry your hair properly? You’ll catch a cold.”
Muyoung put his arm around Jae-in’s shoulders and turned towards the lab.
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Thank you for reading! ♡
