Chapter 32
Why are you interested in Yoon Jun-young’s death when it’s neither your jurisdiction nor are you involved?
Muyoung stared at Choi In-ho with a cold expression. Choi In-ho must have the same question, so silence became a means to determine who had the upper hand.
However, seemingly unconcerned, Choi In-ho spoke first.
“Being like this, don’t we seem like Sherlock Holmes?”
If Muyoung was hiding his thoughts behind a seemingly unenthusiastic face, Choi In-ho was the opposite. He had a style of disarming others with a friendly, approachable smile and attitude.
“Sherlock and Watson.”
He would occasionally throw out nonsensical remarks.
He even grinned while alternately pointing at Muyoung and himself. He showed no hesitation in breaking down the other’s guard. Whether it was innate talent or the result of long practice, his wholesome, good-looking appearance also played a part.
All investigations start and end with inquiries. This was the basic formula of investigation. His personality was undoubtedly a great advantage as a detective.
“What did you come here to find, Prosecutor?”
“Well…”
“Weren’t we on the same side?”
Someone else might have spilled everything to him at this point. However, given the situation, Muyoung had no intention of engaging in conversation until his own questions were answered.
“Unlike some people, I didn’t come here secretly. I got permission from the bereaved family.”
It was the sister, not the parents, but did that matter?
“It hurts my feelings when you say it like that. The police now have clear investigative authority too.”
“Wasn’t it the police who first concluded Yoon Jun-young’s death as suicide and closed the case with no charges?”
“That’s exactly what seemed suspicious, so I secretly made this home visit, just in case.”
As soon as the body was discovered, it made the news because he was a celebrity, but it ended as soon as it began without anyone raising doubts.
“Before the sun that rose in the east could even set in the west.”
“So?”
“If we openly try to overturn a case already closed by another station, they’ll make a fuss about professional courtesy.”
“That damned professional courtesy, tsk. Seems neither the police nor the prosecution can escape it.”
If I step up to catch the culprit, why bring up professional courtesy? Even if they can’t thank you for catching the culprit they missed, they shouldn’t at least hinder. Both the police and prosecution were organizations where those who knew no shame thrived by hiding behind bad customs.
“Did you find anything?”
“I was just about to start looking when you arrived, Prosecutor Seo.”
He said he hid and watched when the front door suddenly opened. He was ready to either arrest or call for backup if any suspicious behavior was observed. Choi In-ho took out handcuffs from his back pocket and rattled them.
“It’s strange. I heard that the Wide Area Investigation Division is swamped with work and wouldn’t have time to spare for something like this.”
“Sigh… As expected, I can’t fool your eyes, Prosecutor.”
As nothing was easily let go, Choi In-ho scratched the back of his head while standing on one leg.
“We haven’t officially started the investigation yet, but we received some intelligence.”
Choi In-ho continued, asking to keep what he was about to say confidential for now until they could investigate further.
“Prosecutor Seo, you handled the penthouse rape and death case, right?”
“Has it spread that far already? The official briefing date hasn’t even been set yet.”
Muyoung twisted his eyebrows and swallowed a dry laugh.
“Well, it’s obvious how things work in this field. Anyway, that’s not the important part. According to our intelligence, group prostitution was taking place in the penthouse, and one of the brokers was supposedly Yoon Jun-young.”
“……”
“While prostitution is said to occur secretly in the entertainment industry under the fancy name of ‘sponsorship’, it’s a different story when it involves rape and drugs. And then Yoon Jun-young, who got caught up in this, died? Doesn’t it smell fishy?”
“The police station in charge of that penthouse case was there, and I’m suspecting that the Wide Area Investigation Division might have deliberately tried to cover up and downplay the case.”
“Ah… Well, I can understand why you might think that. Sometimes when I see what my seniors do…”
Instead of finishing his sentence, Choi In-ho sighed as if frustrated. It’s not like this kind of thing happens only once or twice. In cases involving high-ranking individuals, there are always secret requests and pressure from above.
The prosecution can’t avoid this problem either. Lenient investigations were practically customary for those in power.
Muyoung quietly observed Choi In-ho. Pros and cons. Which would be greater? He quickly calculated with his sharp mind.
“Alright. Let’s do this for now.”
They agreed to cooperate to the extent that it doesn’t interfere with each other’s cases. The police would likely be faster in terms of information gathering than the prosecution.
“So, what do you plan to do first, Prosecutor Seo?”
“I’m planning to start with an autopsy to determine if Yoon Jun-young’s death was really a suicide or a homicide.”
“Then I’ll investigate Yoon Jun-young’s surroundings. What he was up to before he died.”
“While you’re conducting your investigation, may I ask for a favor?”
“Anything, just say it.”
Since they agreed to cooperate, Muyoung decided to use Choi In-ho’s help. He seemed to have excellent talent in this area.
“Apart from Park So-ra, who was said to be in a relationship with Yoon Jun-young, there’s a woman named Lee Jung-hye who died recently. After hearing what you said, it seems she might be related to Yoon Jun-young. Could you look into her as well?”
He didn’t mention how she died or where she was found. There was no need to add unnecessary information that might create preconceptions. Muyoung decided they would determine whether to properly cooperate further after seeing each other’s investigation results.
“Alright.”
Choi In-ho also didn’t expect Muyoung to trust him 100%. He readily agreed as if this much information was sufficient.
“My business here is done. What about you, Detective Choi?”
Muyoung asked after they exchanged business cards.
“I’ll look around a bit more before leaving.”
“Is there something specific you’re looking for?”
“Just in case.”
He said that since Yoon Jun-young was involved in arranging prostitution, there might be some ledger or record in his own secret code or something.
“I see. Well then.”
They agreed to share any findings immediately. With those words, Muyoung left Yoon Jun-young’s house first.
After leaving the villa, Muyoung got into his parked car and frowned as he clutched his side.
“Ugh.”
He groaned softly as he sank into the seat. He had deliberately held it in front of Choi In-ho, but the stabbing pain with every movement was quite bothersome.
“Did he have an artificial joint in his knee or something? It hurts like hell.”
When he lifted the bottom of his shirt up to his solar plexus, there was a dark bruise on his side. The claim about being a martial arts expert in the police force wasn’t an exaggeration, as the pain wouldn’t easily subside. It felt like he had been hit hard on the side with a baseball bat.
“If I had taken a direct hit, my ribs might have been broken…”
Perhaps if Muyoung hadn’t attacked first at that moment, he might have been the one to get hurt instead.
Who would have thought that the Jiu-Jitsu he had learned for a long time, partly as exercise and partly for self-defense, would come in handy.
“Being a prosecutor is supposed to be a job that uses the brain, not the body…”
Today, his side was bruised, and his face was cut.
How did he end up in a situation where he had to catch criminals directly? He smiled bitterly at his pitiful state.
Lately, the stress had been excessive. With invisible forces interfering with everything he did, it couldn’t be helped.
“At times like this, it’s best to sweat it out without thinking.”
That was why he exercised regularly. When nothing was going right and he didn’t want to think about anything, visiting the dojo to grapple with people and work up a sweat would leave his body tired but his mind refreshed.
“Come to think of it, what time is it now?”
He remembered that Jae-in had contacted him before he visited Yoon Jun-young’s house. She had asked to meet, saying she had something to talk about.
Muyoung straightened up from leaning on the seat and tidied his disheveled clothes. He lowered the sun visor to check his face in the mirror. The wound on his cheek was a bit bothersome, but it was passable.
Then, his thoughts drifted in another direction. Although he seemed to have gotten closer to Jae-in recently, that was as far as it went. Despite sharing a house and a bed in the morning, Muyoung was still outside the line she had drawn.
“If I tell her I was hit by a stranger, would she feel sorry for me?”
Or should he try to stimulate her maternal instinct? Saying he’s hurt. That he was suddenly hit for no reason.
Of course, he hadn’t done anything particularly good either.
Based on their conversations so far, she didn’t seem like the type to just pass by someone in need. In fact, inside her house’s gate, there were food bowls for stray cats and a shelter suitable for cold winters.
It seemed certain that, unlike her outward appearance, she had an altruistic nature.
So today was an opportunity. A chance to shake up this usually impassive woman. Today, his charm would be pitifulness, and he had a feeling it might work well.
“I should go get some comfort from Jeong Jae-in-ssi.”
Nine o’clock. It was a bit later than the original meeting time, but she had said he could come to her house if he was late, so she probably wouldn’t turn him away.
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