Chapter 120 – Result – Part 28

Chapter 120 – Result – Part 28

Choi Gicheol, making eye contact with Woojin, had this thought first.

‘Is he smiling?’

He couldn’t see his face clearly, but it seemed like he was smiling.

Choi Gicheol stumbled backward as if to hide himself.

Woojin, who was looking up at the rooftop from below, muttered.

“When you think you’re perfect…”

People tend to become bolder and their actions become grander.

Thinking they are looking down on the world, they consider themselves superior and begin to secretly ridicule others.

For example, there’s a saying that criminals in unsolved cases revisit the scene.

The arrogance and conceit that they are now perfectly uncatchable.

That’s where their downfall begins.

Even if they thought they were perfect, one by one, suspicions and evidence emerge.

Their actions escalate to cover their flaws, and in the process, they expose their existence.

They might suddenly disappear as if they evaporated, or conversely, they might struggle to conceal evidence.

Choi Jeonghoon is no different.

All living things are like that.

When danger is detected, they react in some way.

And by observing that reaction, one can predict the opponent’s future.

Just then, Kim Taehyun’s car, which had come up from the underground parking lot, stopped in front of Woojin.

“Woojin, get in.”

Woojin, who had been looking up at the rooftop, soon lowered his gaze and got into the car.

Kim Taehyun’s car, carrying Woojin and Lee Sekwon, left the main gate of the National Forensic Service without hesitation.

Lee Sekwon silently watched the scene.

He muttered, recalling Woojin’s face.

“You think you’re something, don’t you? You think you can catch me? Catch me? With what evidence? There’s nothing. There’s nothing that can catch me. Suspicion? Tell them to go to hell.”

Lee Sekwon, contrary to before, gave a wry smile.

***

Lee Sekwon, who had entered a specialized restaurant for soy-marinated crab, blinked at the menu.

It was 45,000 won per person, but despite the expensive price, the restaurant was bustling with people.

Woojin, who was seated, said, “We should order three servings.”

“We should order three servings.”

“Ah… should we?”

Three servings would be 135,000 won.

This was the first time in my life I’d had soy-marinated crab at this price from the Righteous Path restaurant.

Lee Sekwon, who had placed the order, suddenly felt dumbfounded.

Shin Woojin’s words made sense.

But it was just a strong suspicion. Yet, he was the one who solved the Unsolved Case.

And looking at Detective Kim next to Woojin, a strong belief in Shin Woojin was evident.

Alright, that’s all good.

But what if it’s not?

What if he’s wrong?

As the side dishes were being quickly laid out, Lee Sekwon brought up the conversation they’d had in the car again.

“Do you really think Choi Jeonghoon is the accomplice?”

Woojin nodded lightly and said,

“Oh… isn’t this gamtae? I saw a review that said if you eat it with crab, you wouldn’t even know if both of you died eating it…”

The Ajumma laughed.

“Oh, no, no. You wouldn’t even know if the person next to you died while eating it. Hohoho.”

Woojin’s eyes sparkled, and he mumbled as if he wouldn’t forget what the Ajumma had said.

“A taste so good, you wouldn’t know if the person next to you died…”

Lee Sekwon was speechless at Woojin’s demeanor.

Despite having explained the serious situation where the suspect would move to conceal evidence, he was making such jokes.

Just then, Lee Sekwon received a call.

It was a fellow Detective.

“Oh. What happened?”

-Taesik was nearby, so I put him on it. He said he quickly got in his car in his tracksuit and left.

Lee Sekwon’s eyes widened at his fellow Detective’s words and fixed on Woojin.

“And?”

-He’s following him now…

“I’ll call him.”

After the call, Lee Sekwon urgently called Taesik.

Kim Taehyun smirked at the sight.

“Hey, Taesik. It’s me. Where is he going right now?”

-He’s on the highway. This bastard is racing in the first lane.

“You can’t lose him, right? You really can’t lose him. Just in case. Request backup as soon as you arrive.”

-Yes. But is this bastard a criminal? Wasn’t he the first one to be excluded from the list of suspects?

“It could be him. No, it’s very likely.”

-Where are you, big brother?

“Me?”

“Here’s your soy-marinated crab. Enjoy your meal.”

Hearing the sound of the auntie putting down the soy-marinated crab, Taesik spoke.

-Soy-marinated crab?

“Huh…? Hey, you! You’re saying strange things! Focus on driving, focus! Call me frequently.”

-Understood!

After the call, Lee Sekwon looked at Woojin with trembling eyes.

“This bastard… they say he’s really on the move…”

Woojin replied.

“There are three crab shells. I think we can each have one. Wow… look at this roe.”

Woojin placed a crab shell on his personal plate.

Then he put rice on it and mixed it vigorously.

“A taste so good you wouldn’t notice if someone next to you died…”

Woojin, who had been muttering, soon brought the spoon to his mouth.

He chewed very slowly.

He chewed slowly.

Suddenly, Woojin’s eyes widened.

“Wow, this is…”

Kim Taehyun, who was moving the marinated crab to a small plate, asked with a smile.

“Why? Is it so delicious?”

Woojin shook his head vigorously.

“I’ve never tasted anything like this among all the soy-marinated crabs I’ve had. It’s a flavor that makes you concentrate. Oh my…”

It wasn’t fishy at all, and the sweet, savory taste was truly exquisite.

Kim Taehyun also exclaimed in admiration.

“It’s really delicious. There’s a reason it’s so expensive. Detective, don’t look so serious, try some. What’s going to change if you worry so much? You can’t just teleport to go catch that bastard.”

Kim Taehyun wasn’t wrong, but Lee Sekwon couldn’t help but feel anxious.

Any detective would be the same.

How could he not be uneasy when a strong suspect was on the move?

But that person was completely at ease.

Well, it might be because it wasn’t his jurisdiction.

Lee Sekwon’s thought was truly a misunderstanding.

Because Woojin was always like that.

Lee Sekwon stood up from his seat, watching Woojin’s calm demeanor, or rather, watching Woojin being surprised by the taste of the marinated crab.

“I’ll pay the bill and leave. I’m worried about Choi Jeonghoon.”

Woojin, who had placed rice and plump crab meat on seaweed-like gamtae, held it in his hand and said,

“If he feels like he’s being watched without any evidence, he’ll try to flee. It might be better to leave him alone.”

Woojin brought what he was holding to his mouth.

And he shook his head once more, saying,

“He’s not thinking of fleeing, but rather strongly wants to destroy evidence. For someone as arrogant as him, fleeing would be a secondary option. And Mr. Choi Jeonghoon cannot leave the National Forensic Service today.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Woojin, who had rolled up his sleeves, grabbed a crab leg and spoke again.

“Because I made it that way.”

With that, he brought the soy-marinated crab to his mouth.

***

National Forensic Service’s Genetics Department.

The Manager was looking at a business card-sized piece of paper with a puzzled expression.

[Choi Jeonghoon is an accomplice in this case. Keep him for just today.]

It was a note Woojin had secretly slipped into his lab coat pocket.

At first, he thought it was a joke, but an unusually large amount of Choi Jeonghoon’s DNA was found in this particular case.

As Shin Woojin said, there was reason to be suspicious if one were to be.

However, it was common for DNA of someone associated with the National Forensic Service to be detected at a crime scene.

And hadn’t he been dispatched in a hurry on his day off, without proper preparation?

Just then, the door opened and Choi Jeonghoon returned.

“Manager, I brought the sample.”

The Manager naturally slipped Woojin’s note into his lab coat and scanned Choi Jeonghoon.

“Oh, just put it there. Bad guys never disappear. They never disappear.”

“That’s why we’re here, isn’t it?”

As Choi Jeonghoon smiled, the Manager nodded.

Indeed, such a cheerful person couldn’t possibly be a criminal.

He had never even expressed dissatisfaction.

No.

‘I failed twice! Twice! And there were people with worse grades than me!’

Sometimes, when he drank, he would ramble on about how unfair it was.

‘Well, when you’re drunk, you can complain about such things.’

Aren’t there people who want to kill someone when they’re drunk?

If all those people committed crimes, there would be chaos.

“Oh, Manager, can I take some time off?”

“Time off?”

“Yes. My mother seems to be quite ill.”

“Really?”

The Manager rubbed his forehead with his hand.

He was pondering for a very brief moment.

Soon, he spoke.

“What should I do about this? The Director is visiting today. How about tomorrow? Take the weekend off and relax.”

Choi Jeonghoon, who was arranging the samples, flinched and froze.

But it was only for a moment, and he turned around with a smile.

“Then there’s nothing I can do. Please let me take it tomorrow.”

The Manager smiled broadly.

“When have you ever seen me lie? Even if a case breaks out, I’ll reserve your time off.”

“As expected of the Manager! Thank you.”

“Oh, did Choi Jeongseok’s DNA come out? Does it match?”

“It might take a bit longer, but I’ll check!”

After Choi Jeonghoon left, the Manager rubbed his face as if performing a dry wash.

He could have given him time off, but he ended up holding him back by accident.

‘Just one day…’

If something feels off, he can just check it.

***

Detective Im Taesik, who was carefully tailing the Tutor, saw a two-story villa.

It was a place he reached after taking the highway and climbing a winding mountain road.

Detective Im Taesik got out of the car and walked, repeating Detective Lee Sekwon’s words.

‘It could be a murder scene. You must check it.’

Im Taesik walked straight to the villa.

The tutor got out of the car and went straight into the warehouse.

As he approached the villa, he ran into the tutor who was coming out of the warehouse with an electric blanket.

He was a handsome man, about 173cm tall and 27 years old, with a slender jawline.

The tutor seemed surprised and hesitated before speaking.

“Detective, why are you here…?”

Im Taesik’s reaction was quick.

“Oh? We meet again here?”

The tutor looked Im Taesik up and down and said,

“But Detective, why are you here…?”

“My father’s grave is here. Today is his memorial day. Wow… it looks like you’re here to visit? I’ve been back and forth so many times, but I never knew there was a place like this. Is this villa yours? Wow… it’s magnificent.”

The tutor couldn’t shake off his suspicion.

He had heard from Choi Jeonghoon to quickly flip the tiles, and then he met the Detective.

Was this a coincidence?

“Then please rest well and leave. Loyalty.”

As Im Taesik turned away without hesitation, the tutor was able to relax.

But then.

Im Taesik, who had been moving with heavy steps, turned back again.

“Um… could I get a glass of water? The air is good here and everything, but there’s no convenience store.”

It was a kind of feint.

The tutor, holding the electric blanket, hesitated and then spoke.

“Of course. Please wait a moment.”

“Thank you.”

The tutor immediately went into the villa.

Im Taesik stood at the door, observing the villa, and waited for him.

Clunk.

The door opened and the tutor handed him a glass of water.

“Thank you.”

Im Taesik emptied the water in one gulp and handed back the glass.

“Then, travel safely.”

The tutor immediately closed the door. No, Im Taesik’s foot slipped into the closing door crack.

“What is it?”

Im Taesik frowned and rubbed his stomach.

“I suddenly have to use the bathroom, could I use it for a moment?”

“Detective, I’m currently…”

“Oh my! I think it’s coming out now. Sorry! I’m really sorry! Ahh! It’s coming! It’s coming!”

Im Taesik forcefully opened the door and went inside.

And he looked around as if searching for the bathroom.

He smelled a new house, as if the wallpaper and flooring had been changed.

“I’ll be out of the bathroom!”

Im Taesik immediately went into the bathroom, locked the door, and plopped down on the toilet.

“Hey! Is it okay for a detective to act like this?!”

“I’m leaving the bathroom!”

Then he flushed the toilet and reached into his pocket.

Hiss- Hiss-

As he sprayed the luminol reagent,

“You son of a bitch…”

Blood reaction was being detected in the room.

Im Taesik looked at the door the tutor was pounding on.

Im Taesik got up from the toilet and immediately opened the locked door.

Thump.

The tutor glared at Im Taesik.

“Does being a detective mean you can just use other people’s bathrooms as you please?”

“Oh, come on~ When you’re in a hurry, you should help each other out.”

“Get out now. Immediately.”

“Yes, yes.”

Crash!

Suddenly, Im Taesik’s words reached the tutor’s ears as he was thrown to the floor.

“I’m going out with you, nicely.”

Meanwhile, Lee Sekwon stared in disbelief at Woojin, who was savoring the soy-marinated crab as if he had discovered the world’s best restaurant.

Just then, Im Taesik called.

“Oh. Where are you? What happened?”

-I’ve got the evidence. It seems the bastard caused quite a ruckus in the bathroom.

Lee Sekwon’s gaze pierced Woojin like an arrow.

Woojin said,

“Cognitive Inference.”