Chapter 104 – Result – Part 12

Chapter 104 – Result – Part 12

The car Woojin had briefly looked at sped away from the scene, kicking up dust as if the accelerator had been pressed hard.

Meanwhile, Choi Gibaek looked down at his hands.

The sight of being handcuffed was not unfamiliar.

Then a subordinate shouted,

“So what if you’re a detective! What did our CEO do wrong?”

Kim Taehyun grimaced, clutching his side.

“It seems like my rib is broken…”

“No, damn it! I didn’t kick him, I just shoved him, so how could his rib be broken…?”

“Hey, you punk. Where do you get off interrupting an adult? Can’t you shut your mouth?”

Just then, the hired thugs, dressed in the same uniforms as the laborers, stepped forward.

Kim Taehyun glanced at them and smirked.

“Wow… Should I piss my pants because you’re staring at me so menacingly?”

Suddenly, the faint sound that had been vaguely audible began to echo loudly.

It was the sound of police sirens.

Kim Taehyun grabbed Choi Gibaek’s arm and pulled him towards them.

“Move. Before I round you up like a bunch of vines.”

Kim Taehyun pushed through them and headed for the car. No, he turned back for a moment and smiled warmly at the people.

“I’ll make sure you get your money. Don’t worry and just stay home.”

“Investigator! My baby is due soon, please help us!”

“Never mind the punishment, just please make sure we get our money!”

Kim Taehyun nodded as if to answer, then roughly shoved Choi Gibaek into the back seat.

“Let’s be gentle. A little gentle.”

Just then, someone got in and sat next to Choi Gibaek.

It was someone whose face and nose were covered by a cloth, and it was none other than Woojin.

As Woojin removed the cloth, Choi Gibaek’s face twitched.

“You embezzled money received from the primary contractor, withheld wages, and tried to satisfy your personal greed.”

“You bastard… You were an investigator?”

“No. I’m an ordinary person. Becoming an investigator at 21 isn’t ordinary, and it’s a difficult thing.”

“Who are you? What was that nonsense you said earlier?”

“I was telling you to be careful of the person with the surname Lee from the south.”

Choi Gibaek’s brow furrowed sharply, and Woojin, despite the commotion, calmly continued speaking while looking at the passing scenery outside the window.

“It’s not a lie. Lee Yohwan. You should be careful.”

Kim Taehyun glanced at Choi Gibaek in the rearview mirror and chuckled.

“Of course, you should be careful of your prosecutor first.”

“Prosecutor? What do you mean by that?”

He kicked the investigator in the side.

Yes, all of this is fine up to this point.

But what the hell does he mean by being careful of the prosecutor?

Let’s go to the Police Station. We can talk there first.

***

Lee Yohwan couldn’t take his eyes off the monitor.

The font seemed larger than the text of other articles.

[Exclusive]

-Between workers protesting due to unpaid wages and a Mirae Industry staff member…

The article detailed what happened at the scene.

-There was a statement that the main contractor, SH Construction, which had an agreement with Mirae Industry, unfairly dismissed union members in connection with unpaid wages…

His hidden past was resurfacing.

Lee Yohwan stood up, placing his hands on the table.

And he spoke to the man standing on one side like someone waiting for punishment.

He appeared to be in his mid-30s.

“Our Planning Chief, why is this article coming out now?”

“My, my apologies. I clearly instructed them to clean it up…”

Bang!

Something hit the entrance door and shattered into pieces.

“I told you to clean this up so no other rumors would come out, didn’t I? Choi Gibaek? Where is that bastard now?”

“He went into the Police Station, but I’ll meet with the Commissioner to make sure no other rumors come out.”

“You have to delete the article first, the article! What if this comes out on TV?”

“I will handle it quickly.”

Lee Yohwan raised his head and closed his eyes.

Then he exhaled and sat on the sofa.

“This is what happens when you bring in the wrong person. He keeps messing around instead of doing what he’s told, all for a paltry sum.”

“I will take swift action.”

Lee Yohwan looked up at the Chief.

“Dogs should act like dogs. Got it? Who Hyerim meets… no.”

Lee Yohwan waved his hand as if telling him to leave.

The Chief bowed his head deeply and left the office.

***

At the police station, Kim Taehyun’s team leader warmly greeted Woojin.

“Oh, Woojin. It’s been a while. How have you been?”

“Yes. I’ve been doing well, as usual.”

“Wow… still as handsome as ever, aren’t you?”

“You must be taking good care of yourself. You look younger.”

“Really? Hahahaha!”

The team leader wasn’t the only one showing interest in Woojin.

The surrounding detectives fixed their gaze on Woojin.

Some knew Woojin’s face, and some didn’t.

But it was also a name they had heard endlessly.

Because whenever Detective Kim Taehyun and Choi Gicheol caught a criminal, they would habitually say:

‘It’s Woojin after all.’

‘Actually, isn’t Woojin a supernatural power user?’

Just then, as Kim Taehyun, who had thrown Choi Gibaek into the detention cell, approached, the team leader said,

“Who’s the guy you brought in?”

“The guy who assaulted a detective.”

“Who did he assault?”

“Me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, Woojin went to see him for a bit, and suddenly that thug bastard kicked him, didn’t he? So I brought him in.”

“Ugh… Hey. We’re already busy enough, don’t create more work. Just let him go quickly.”

To the Team Leader, Kim Taehyun looked perfectly fine.

“Oh, come on… Team Leader, if you say that, I’ll be truly upset.”

Kim Taehyun lifted his shirt.

“Can’t you see this red mark where I was hit? Didn’t you say to arrest anyone who disrespects the police?”

“Hey, hey, quiet and get him out quickly. I have a call from the Chief, so I’m going out and coming back.”

“Why the Chief?”

“I don’t know. He suddenly called.”

After the Team Leader disappeared, Kim Taehyun looked at Woojin and smiled slightly.

“What should we do now?”

Kim Taehyun was incredibly enthusiastic.

He finally felt like he was being helpful to Woojin.

He had received so much until now.

“If we’re going to properly frame him, I think I need to go to the hospital first.”

He knew a hospital with many fake patients.

Even if you were hit with a toy hammer, if you talked well there and got examined, a four-week injury was possible.

“It seems Mr. Choi Gibaek knows Mr. Lee Yohwan’s weakness.”

“Lee Yohwan? Who is that?”

“The person who is the Managing Director at SH Construction.”

Kim Taehyun’s eyes widened slightly as he tried to recall who Lee Yohwan was.

“Lee Yohwan? Lee Yohwan, from the Shinhwa Group lineage?”

“Yes.”

The fact that Woojin was planning to take on a large corporation made Kim Taehyun feel like his brain was short-circuiting.

“Why Lee Yohwan, all of a sudden?”

Woojin explained concisely and briefly.

“Because he tried to mess with Hyerim.”

“Your sister-in-law… that Lee Yohwan guy is hitting on her? Did he do something bad too?”

“No. Hyerim is her younger brother.”

Kim Taehyun blinked.

He had never imagined that Lee Hyerim, who hung out with Woojin, would be a descendant of the Shinhwa Group.

Kim Taehyun ran a hand through his hair with a bewildered smile.

He felt as if he had somehow gotten involved in a property dispute among family members.

When whales fight, the shrimp’s back breaks…

“This is unmanageable…”

“I think it’ll be simple if we just find out Lee Yohwan’s weakness.”

The Shinhwa Group would try to bury their scandals, but with Lee Hyerim, they could turn the tables.

And if they created the ground, the Desires would move on their own.

First, Prosecutor Kim Cheolung, who didn’t want to remain a prosecutor and wished to enter politics, could have a significant impact. No, he would.

Kim Taehyun scratched his head and said,

“So all we need to know is Lee Yohwan’s weakness?”

“Yes.”

“OK. Go home and wait, I’ll contact you.”

Woojin looked around the interior and said,

“Can I have a bowl of Jajangmyeon before I go?”

Kim Taehyun, who had been staring blankly at Woojin, laughed in disbelief.

Kim Taehyun immediately called a Chinese restaurant, and Woojin sat in Kim Taehyun’s seat and waited.

After a brief conversation about Woojin and Lee Yohwan, Kim Taehyun pulled Choi Gibaek out of the Detention Cell and took him into the Interrogation Room.

“Your name is Choi Gibaek, right?”

“Detective, how old are you?”

Kim Taehyun chuckled.

“I don’t treat gangster punks like people.”

“Even if you drag an innocent person here like this…”

“Didn’t you hear when you were arrested? Assaulting a Detective. Besides that, if we put him in the spin cycle and thoroughly shake him out, a lot of other things will probably come out, don’t you think?”

“Just give me food. Just food.”

“Hey. Why do you think you were dragged here?”

As Choi Gibaek remained silent, Kim Taehyun spoke again with a relaxed expression.

Kim Taehyun, who was good at kicking criminals, surprisingly also had the skill to pressure opponents psychologically.

It was because he had seen Woojin a lot.

“Anyway, since you’re going to be doing a long stint in prison and then get out, I’ll teach you something. Why do you think I suddenly brought you in? Because of the commotion at the scene, articles were pouring out, right? But now they’re all disappearing.”

Choi Gibaek’s gaze, which had been fiddling with his fingernails, fixed on Kim Taehyun.

“Hey, Choi Gibaek. If you were going to side with someone, you should have sided with the right person. Do you know what it means for articles to be taken down? Even we can’t easily touch large corporations. Prosecutors? Judges? National Assembly Members? They’ve got all the connections, and if we mess with them, we’re screwed too.”

Choi Gibaek began to chew on his lips.

“So. Consider it a life experience, and when you get out, live a good life. I’m telling you this for your own good.”

“Fuck…”

* * *

Woojin was unwrapping a package of black bean noodles at Kim Taehyun’s desk.

There were 7 pieces of pickled radish, and 5 pieces of onion.

Woojin calculated in his head as he unwrapped the package.

One bite of black bean noodles, half a pickled radish, and raw onion is…

“Woojin?”

At the familiar voice, Woojin’s head turned sideways.

“Hello, Detective Choi.”

It was Choi Gicheol.

“What are you doing at Senior Kim’s desk?”

“I’m about to eat black bean noodles. Detective Kim Taehyun went into the interrogation room.”

“Ah… You came to see Senior Kim, didn’t you?”

“Yes. But you don’t look so good. Is something wrong?”

“It’s a case where three people died at home, and there’s a person suspected of being the perpetrator. But there’s no trace of anyone entering or leaving.”

Woojin stirred his black bean noodles and asked.

“Are you considering it a murder case?”

“Yes. But I only have a hunch and no evidence. The mother was found hanged, and her two daughters suffocated with plastic bags over their heads.”

Slurp, slurp.

“Oh my…”

Woojin, chewing his black bean noodles, let out a short exclamation.

“Is it delicious?”

“Is it delicious because I’m eating it at the police station? Or is the Chinese restaurant that delivered it to the police station just that good?”

“Well…”

Choi Gicheol crossed his arms and smiled.

It was black bean noodles he ate several times a week, but watching Woojin eat it, he truly looked like he was enjoying it so much that Choi Gicheol wanted to take a bite.

“Woojin, would you like a cola?”

“Thank you.”

Choi Gicheol placed a can of cola next to Woojin.

Just then, Woojin, holding a raw onion with his chopsticks, said,

“Even if there’s no evidence at the scene, isn’t it possible for evidence to come from the criminal? That suspect…”

Choi Gicheol grabbed Woojin’s hand.

“The suspect is here; could you take a look, Woojin? It’s premium beef.”

Woojin nodded.

“After I finish my black bean noodles.”