Chapter 119 – Result – Part 27

Chapter 119 – Result – Part 27

The detective, who had been staring blankly at Woojin for a moment, spoke again.

I don’t even have time to eat right now… No, more importantly, you can identify the suspect?

Woojin nodded and spoke.

It was a very simple word.

It was similar to the method a lie detection researcher would use to directly question a suspect,

If the murder weapon was a knife, they would show about nine pictures of similar knives and ask directly.

For example, did you use knife number 1? Did you use knife number 2?

Woojin’s words were in a similar context.

Sedan.

Woojin’s gaze briefly swept over the two people, then he continued with another short remark.

Van.

The detective furrowed his brow slightly, as if asking what he meant.

“Excuse me?”

“Did the second suspect involved in the case use a car? The probability of kidnapping someone to a fixed location like a home in a short amount of time is low. There are too many variables.”

The situation itself is different from the previous criminal who butchered human flesh and stored it in a refrigerator as if trading human meat.

The probability of committing a kidnapping in a place without CCTV and dragging the victim into a house is significantly low.

No matter how he formulated and calculated, that assumption didn’t make much sense.

At Woojin’s words, the detective ran a hand through his hair.

“If I had identified that, I’d be investigating the car right now. But who are you?”

Kim Taehyun interjected at the detective’s words.

A detective from another jurisdiction would not easily believe Woojin’s words.

He himself had been like that at first.

But he could make him understand.

Because Woojin teaching something and expressing his thoughts like this also implied that it didn’t matter if the other person knew his identity.

So he spoke first.

“It’s common sense to tell you who I am if you ask. You know that unsolved case that was revealed to be a visually impaired person criminal? It made a big fuss in the news. This person solved it, and besides that case…”

Kim Taehyun rattled off the cases Woojin had solved as if he were boasting about himself.

The detective, who had been listening with blinking eyes, bewilderedly extended his hand to Woojin for a handshake.

“You were a profiler? Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Sekwon.”

“Nice to meet you, Detective Lee Sekwon. I’m Shin Woojin. I’m not a profiler. Detective, I haven’t had lunch yet. Instead of staying here, shall we go out and talk over a meal?”

Kim Taehyun chimed in with a smile.

“He’ll be a great help to Detective Lee.”

“Ah… yes. If you’re offering help, I’d be glad to accept. Let’s go. My treat.”

It would be foolish to refuse help from someone who had solved cold cases in one go.

And there was no evidence whatsoever at the moment.

At worst, it was an original investment.

Woojin said.

“There’s a Soy-marinated Crab Restaurant nearby. I heard it’s a popular spot.”

Lee Sekwon, who had been staring blankly at Woojin’s words, forced an awkward smile.

“Ah… then shall we go there?”

“Yes.”

With that, Woojin and Kim Taehyun said goodbye to the National Forensic Service staff and left the office.

Before following them out, Detective Lee Sekwon asked the Head of the Genetics Department once more.

“Manager, if anything comes up, please contact me immediately. I’ll be on standby 24 hours a day.”

“Oh dear… I told you there’s nothing. Just focus on tracking down those tiny pieces of evidence.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

Just then, Woojin, who had been standing in the hallway, approached the door.

“Detective Lee, I have a lot to tell you. The soy-marinated crab there is also supposedly incredibly delicious.”

Woojin’s gaze flickered slightly.

He had briefly scanned Choi Jeonghoon.

With that, Detective Lee Sekwon closed the office door and left.

Once they were gone, the Manager shook his head.

“Wow… this is like a hidden superhero, isn’t it? What he said makes sense. No, the situation just fits perfectly.”

Choi Jeonghoon, who had been rubbing the inside of his cheek with his tongue and repeatedly wetting his lips, spoke.

“I think I had too high expectations. It’s a bit much to push a suspect based solely on circumstantial evidence.”

Choi Jeonghoon rubbed his cheek, looking deflated.

The Forensic Investigator said,

“Couldn’t the fact that the tutor used a burner phone open up the investigation? I got goosebumps from that.”

Choi Jeonghoon smiled slightly and rubbed his forehead with two fingers.

“That’s not credible.”

The Manager laughed in disbelief and said,

“The guy who was most curious among the people I know… Hey, are you some kind of profiler? Just do your job well. Do your job. Do you know whose DNA was most exposed in this case?”

“Manager, who called me in on my day off?”

“Not just this time, but always, you idiot! I told you to always be careful and thorough when going to a crime scene, didn’t I? Anyone would think you’re the criminal.”

The manager’s words were a joke.

Since the DNA of everyone related to the National Forensic Service and the police is entered into the National Forensic Service database, the DNA of those involved in an investigation is naturally filtered out from the suspect list.

Choi Jeonghoon bowed his head with an obsequious smile.

“I’ll be careful from now on! Then, I’ll go get the samples!”

***

Woojin walked down the National Forensic Service hallway, looking around as if sightseeing and said,

“The second criminal is probably feeling anxious right now. To soothe that anxiety, they might be wetting their lips with their tongue, or rubbing the inside of their cheek. They might also be rubbing their forehead. They might even be caressing their cheek. These are automatic, reflexive actions that are bound to appear.”

This is a behavior that appears when the brain sends a signal to calm stress, and the unconscious, to protect itself, causes nerve endings to react immediately.

When men are anxious or stressed, they usually touch their face to seek stability, but women, on the other hand, mostly touch their accessories, arms, and hair.

However, such actions do not solve the fundamental problem.

Therefore, organisms react and move for survival.

“The criminal will move immediately.”

It was Choi Jeonghoon. The first time he looked at me, his face and gaze were filled with curiosity and intrigue.

‘Manager, if I show this person the crime scene photos, maybe something will come out?’

When he first mentioned the case, praising me, his micro-expression changed.

His smiling face was asymmetrical.

One corner of his mouth was slightly more raised, which was a non-verbal cue of feeling superior to his counterpart.

The person who praised me so highly, once he started talking while watching the video, began to refute me one by one.

No conclusive evidence, it’s circumstantial, I understand, but… Every time he said such things, Choi Jeonghoon’s eyebrows subtly rose, and his forehead tensed, causing frequent wrinkles.

It was a micro-expression that appears when feeling worry, anxiety, or concern.

And when I threw in the last remark using a third party, Detective Lee Sekwon,

‘Surprisingly, I think we might be able to identify the suspect…’

Choi Jeonghoon’s face turned expressionless.

His eyes were slightly widened as their lips met.

It meant he was suppressing fear or surprise.

Lee Sekwon’s eyebrows furrowed slightly as he listened to Woojin recount what had happened in the office after they came out into the hallway.

“I understand what you’re saying, but… we don’t act on mere suspicion. If there’s no direct evidence…”

“There are two criminals, and there’s a high probability that one of them is Assistant Manager Choi Jeonghoon, who works at the National Forensic Service.”

Lee Sekwon, who was standing in the elevator with Woojin, had his eyes wide open.

“What kind of nonsense is that…?”

“The criminal knows very well how to handle evidence like an expert. And even if their DNA is detected, they can naturally evade suspicion. That’s why they can be so bold. They manipulated people psychologically, like puppets. And, am I mistaken? Was it normal for the National Forensic Service Genetics Department to collect data like videos or call logs related to a case? I thought that was the police’s job.”

Just then, the elevator doors opened.

Woojin stepped inside and turned to look at Lee Sekwon, who was still standing in the hallway.

“The tutor will tell you the evidence. You should call the police right away. They’re the only one who can tell you the murder scene. If you throw suspicious words at Choi Jeonghoon right now, the investigation will become even more difficult and twisted. The criminal sewed the victim’s eyes and mouth for symbolic reasons, but there’s no time to explain that now. Criminals are everywhere and nowhere. They don’t discriminate by profession; on the contrary, they know how to use their knowledge.”

Lee Sekwon, who was running his hands over his face, found it hard to believe Woojin’s words.

“Uh, listen…”

Kim Taehyun cut him off, as if frustrated.

“Detective, my younger brother has never been wrong! Call someone quickly!”

“Everything you’re saying makes sense. But! To just believe this and act on it…”

“What’s the worst that can happen? What’s the address of that tutor’s house? I can take this case, right? Hurry! Man, the criminal could be destroying evidence right now!”

Lee Sekwon brought his cellphone to his ear, his mind filled with complex thoughts.

“Uh, it’s me. You know that tutor? Quickly locate them and put them under surveillance.”

-What? Why suddenly?

Lee Sekwon then looked alternately at Woojin and Kim Taehyun.

The main figures who solved the cold case in an instant…

Lee Sekwon spoke to his colleague again.

“Right now. Quickly.”

***

Choi Jeonghoon, who had come up to the rooftop, put a cigarette in his mouth and took out his cellphone from his gown.

“This isn’t right! Not right!”

He put the cellphone back into his gown pocket, then took out another cellphone from his pants pocket and called somewhere.

Exhaling cigarette smoke, he paced quickly in the same spot.

“Answer. Quickly…”

As the call continued to ring, his steps quickened even more.

Just then, the other party answered the phone.

-Oh, big brother.

Choi Jeonghoon unconsciously yelled out.

“Hey, you bastard! Why do you take so long to answer the phone…”

Choi Jeonghoon, who had raised his voice, looked around and lowered it.

“Did you replace the wallpaper and flooring?”

-Of course I did.

“What about the tiles?”

-Oh, the contractor said he’s free tomorrow, and that place was the cheapest…

Choi Jeonghoon’s face turned red.

He whispered, as if chewing his words, and spat them out.

“You’re living it up. Didn’t I tell you to be careful with your actions? Didn’t I tell you to act like nothing happened? Didn’t I tell you to just keep looking at the book?”

Contrary to his words, Choi Jeonghoon judged that there would be no problem with the video.

However, Shin Woojin caught it.

After hearing Shin Woojin’s story, he started to notice strange things.

“Hey, right now, smash everything… No. Cover it with cement. Cover it right now.”

-How am I supposed to make cement…

Choi Jeonghoon’s voice was low, but he was gritting his teeth.

“Online… Listen carefully. Do it right now. No. No.”

Choi Jeonghoon ran a hand through his hair and let out a deep breath, as if trying to calm down.

“You know that old electric blanket I bought last time? The one with the torn wire. It should be in the warehouse. Turn it on high heat on the bed and then come out. Move now. Right now.”

-Did something happen? Should I just set fire to it?

“You son of a bitch. How little do you think of the National Forensic Service to even consider something like that…? Hurry up. Do as I say. Right now.”

After the call, Choi Jeonghoon placed both hands on the railing and bowed his head.

He wanted to give gifts to those who turned a blind eye to power and corruption, and who kept silent.

He wanted to return everything that had been done to him.

And the unidentified DNA, Shin Woojin.

He wanted to mock him to his heart’s content right in front of his eyes.

That this time he wouldn’t be able to do anything, that even he would have to stand by and watch helplessly.

That his anger was the righteous path that would render his eyes and mouth useless.

And that it was just the beginning.

“It’s not over until it’s over.”

Choi Jeonghoon raised his head again.

Suddenly, he looked down and saw someone looking up at him.

It was Shin Woojin.