Chapter 121 – Ordinarily – Part 1

Chapter 121 – Ordinarily – Part 1

Lee Sekwon repeated Woojin’s words.

“Cognitive Inference……”

Lee Sekwon, who had been muttering while looking at Woojin, suddenly stood up and shouted into his cellphone.

“Did you catch the tutor!?”

-Yes. I’ve got him in the car now.

“Request backup. Call the forensic team immediately!”

-I’ll request backup right away.

After ending the call, Lee Sekwon looked at Woojin as if he couldn’t believe it.

There was no evidence, and no strong suspicion. No, it was more like Shin Woojin had created the suspicion, but even so, you can’t do anything with just one suspicion.

But with that suspicion, he accurately identified the criminal and caught them like this.

Cognitive Inference?

I haven’t heard that term much… but that’s not what’s important right now.

Lee Sekwon spoke like someone who wanted a definitive answer.

No, Woojin, who was staring at the soy-marinated crab that Lee Sekwon hadn’t even touched with sparkling eyes, spoke even faster.

“Detective Lee, if you’re not going to eat it, may I have it?”

Lee Sekwon felt like he had been hit on the head with a hammer again.

To be so calm when an accomplice might be right in front of him.

It seemed as if he didn’t care about the criminal or anything else. No, it looked that way.

Lee Sekwon quickly said,

“Yes. Yes. Eat a lot. But do you really think Choi Jeonghoon is an accomplice?”

Woojin nodded, moving the soy-marinated crab lid to his own plate.

“Yes. Now, Detective Lee Sekwon also seems to think so, don’t you?”

“That’s true, but… I think I need to go. If I contact the Forensic Team, it’s obvious Choi Jeonghoon will hear about it. I’ll take my leave first.”

Lee Sekwon quickly turned and headed for the entrance without accepting their greetings.

Just as he was about to open the door and leave.

Woojin’s voice stopped him.

“Detective. You said you would pay when you came out of the National Forensic Service.”

“Ah…”

Lee Sekwon quickly paid and left the soy-marinated crab restaurant.

Kim Taehyun burst into laughter at the sight.

“Hahaha! That person must be out of their mind right now, right? They were on the fence, and then the criminal actually got caught, so it must be a headache for them.”

And also,

“It must feel like being possessed by a ghost.”

This must be his first time experiencing such profiling.

It was said about Woojin, but he didn’t care at all and was just enjoying his soy-marinated crab.

Kim Taehyun thought it was truly Woojin-like.

He accomplishes great things but treats them as nothing special.

He dismisses it as natural, as a matter of course.

Having met Woojin many times, Kim Taehyun suddenly had that thought.

His younger brother is odd, but he has always thought him extraordinary.

But for such an extraordinary person, extraordinary actions are taken for granted, aren’t they just ordinary?

Then Woojin’s voice was heard.

“Where did the rice go?”

“Huh?”

As Woojin blinked, looking at his empty rice bowl, Kim Taehyun chuckled in disbelief.

“So it’s a rice thief, is it? Auntie! Another bowl of rice here!”

***

The Head of the Genetics Department watched Choi Jeonghoon’s back as he performed gene comparisons, while on the phone.

“Yes. Yes. Understood.”

Soon, the Manager finished the call and spoke to Choi Jeonghoon.

“Jeonghoon, about the tutor. A lot of bloodstains were found at his house.”

Choi Jeonghoon’s movements suddenly froze.

It was a definite freeze response.

If Woojin had seen this, he would have thought it natural, but the Head of the Genetics Department, on the contrary, unconsciously began to grow suspicious.

Choi Jeonghoon turned around and said,

“Really? So what Shin Woojin said was true? Wow… I’m getting goosebumps right now. He just interpreted the video like an X-ray, didn’t he? Where is the scene? I’ll get ready.”

The Manager shook his head lightly.

“I told you earlier. The Director is coming. Other people will go.”

“Wow… Tutor. I really want to go. Can’t I be the one to go out?”

“Your mother isn’t feeling well, is she? Don’t go out today. Don’t jinx it.”

Choi Jeonghoon smiled subtly.

“I don’t believe in superstitions like that. I’ll be back.”

As Choi Jeonghoon took off his gown, the Manager’s voice lowered.

“I told you not to go.”

Their gazes intertwined in the air.

It was only a one-candle gaze, but Choi Jeonghoon quickly smiled.

“Understood. Thank you for your concern! I’ll be right back from the bathroom.”

Choi Jeonghoon, wearing his gown again, grabbed the doorknob.

At that moment, the Manager, who had been contemplating hundreds of thousands of things while looking at Choi Jeonghoon, stood up from his seat.

“Jeonghoon…”

Click.

As the Manager spoke, Choi Jeonghoon opened the door.

But someone was standing outside.

It was Detective Lee Sekwon.

Choi Jeonghoon said with wide eyes,

“Detective Lee?”

“Where are you going?”

At his question, Choi Jeonghoon rubbed his chest as if startled and said,

“You were at the door, you almost made my heart drop. To the bathroom. Oh, I heard a lot of blood was found at the Tutor Villa. Haven’t you heard yet?”

Then, the Manager’s weakened voice was heard from behind.

“I didn’t say it was the Villa, Jeonghoon…”

Choi Jeonghoon’s head turned to the Manager as if in slow motion.

The Manager’s face was a chaotic mix of emptiness, betrayal, frustration, and anger.

“You scoundrel…! Why did you do it? Were you that kind of person? Huh!?”

Choi Jeonghoon waved both hands.

“Manager, I’m not sure what you’re talking about right now. I really don’t understand what you mean…”

“Mr. Choi Jeonghoon, I think you need to come with me to the police station.”

As Lee Sekwon took a step closer, Choi Jeonghoon instinctively recoiled.

“Me? Why me? Did that Shin Woojin kid say that? That I’m an accomplice? It wasn’t me! There’s no reason for me and the Tutor to be connected!”

At his shout, Woojin’s voice seemed to echo in Lee Sekwon’s ears.

‘There might be unsolved cases that the Tutor committed. Mr. Choi Jeonghoon, who worked at the National Forensic Service, made the cases go cold, and it’s highly likely that Mr. Choi Jeonghoon buried the cases to use him, and they joined hands. Otherwise, it won’t be easy to find a connection between them. No, there wouldn’t be.’

“You’re accusing someone based only on suspicion! Isn’t that too much!”

Lee Sekwon said,

“Mr. Choi Jeonghoon. You know very well that if you’re innocent, you’ll be sent home immediately. Acting like this makes you seem more suspicious. As you said, Mr. Choi Jeonghoon, don’t cause unnecessary trouble and misunderstandings. Just come with me quietly and you’ll be back.”

“Ha, really.”

Choi Jeonghoon, who had run his hand through his hair, nodded.

“Yes. Fine. Let’s go.”

Choi Jeonghoon immediately followed Lee Sekwon. As he was leaving, he came back into the office and said to the Manager,

“Our mom… I told you she was very sick.”

Choi Jeonghoon, who had been staring at the Manager as if to devour him, then went back outside.

The Manager slumped into his chair, crestfallen.

A suspect emerged from the National Forensic Service. No, considering he mentioned the villa without being prompted, he was almost certainly the criminal.

A criminal from the National Forensic Service.

The world was about to get noisy.

At the same time, Woojin’s image began to clearly resurface in the Manager’s mind.

*

By mid-December, Synesthete had surpassed ten million views.

This was also around the time Woojin’s group experiment concluded.

The movie ‘Candle’ showed the characters’ comical appearances, stimulating the audience’s hormones,

As time passed, the film depicted the nature of the crime and the horrific events, creating scenes that were difficult to watch.

Then, it introduced a protagonist with special abilities, offering a glimmer of hope.

It made the audience root for the protagonist chasing the Criminal, and from then on, it only showed what the viewers wanted to see.

The protagonist’s journey of finding the Criminal’s traces one by one was a reward for the terrible things shown in the movie Candle Half.

Since they had seen what they didn’t want to see, it exploited the reward psychology by continuously showing only what they wanted to see.

It even included an unexpected twist.

That the Criminal was none other than Visually Impaired Person Ira.

And furthermore, that he was a Synesthete.

As the movie drew 10 Million Viewers, Woojin briefly summarized his thoughts.

-You can induce an unthinking opponent to want to see something they wouldn’t normally think of.

-You can also induce an opponent with no information to be interested and curious about new information (Synesthete).

These two things are possible not only for individuals but also when in groups.

Woojin’s thoughts, which he had only held as hypotheses, were proven when the movie hit 10 Million Viewers, allowing Woojin to nod in affirmation.

A few days later, the incident involving the Tutor and Choi Jeonghoon heated up the media.

*

Christmas Eve.

Bomi was entering the apartment, covering her mouth.

The Living Room of the 70-pyeong apartment had two Full-pane Glasses designed into it, offering a clear view of the Han River.

It felt like stepping into a Celebrity’s home, like those seen on TV.

Mom and Dad also looked around the house as if it wasn’t real.

They had received the money as promised after Synesthete surpassed ten million views.

Woojin had already explained how he acquired the money before buying the house.

They were very surprised, but since the house had already been bought, there was no way to reverse it.

“Brother, is this really our house?”

“Yes.”

Mom said.

“Woojin, I really don’t know if we should be living here.”

This time, Dad spoke. No, Woojin’s mouth opened faster.

“I’ve told you five times that the remaining balance has already been paid.”

“You said that… Woojin, but this place is too expensive.”

He said he bought it for 4.5 billion won.

But Woojin shook his head.

“I bought it because I thought it was suitable.”

Before buying the house, Woojin asked people online.

[I have 6 billion won and I want to buy a house. Where would be good?]

Comments poured in.

-There’s a good new building for 2 billion this time….

-You have 6 billion and you’re going for a 2 billion won place? If it were me, I’d go for a 3 billion won place.

-3 billion? If I had 6 billion, I’d go for a 5 billion won place lolll

-You should go all-in. Go for the 6 billion won one, hold on, and it’ll double, seriously.

-Build a building on your land and become a landlord, go go.

Many comments were posted, but Woojin calculated the average.

The amount that came out was a 4.5 billion won apartment with a clear view of the Han River.

“It’s already too late, Librarian. There’s nothing we can do.”

Woojin thought he had made a good purchase.

It was clear that it would be a safer home than before.

At that moment, Woojin, who had approached the window, said,

“It’s become heavy snow.”

The snow, which had been barely visible, had now turned into heavy snow and was falling.

His family also came to Woojin’s side and looked at the spectacular view.

“Father, I haven’t done anything for our son, but he’s really making us proud.”

Mother wiped her eyes and said,

“Woojin, oh dear… I’m sorry and thank you… Thank you, my son.”

Bomi looked up at Woojin.

“Brother. Thank you.”

Woojin slowly nodded his head.

Mother and Father and Bomi were looking at the view, but Woojin was looking at his family reflected in the window.

With the feeling of something warm filling his chest again, Woojin murmured to himself,

‘Good.’

A few days later, Woojin visited the Villa, which could now be called his old home.

It was originally empty after the moving out, but Woojin had furnished it with used furniture and various other items, making it look like a lived-in house.

Woojin had someone else buy the house his father had put on the market, and then he bought it again under his own name.

‘Number 2038.’

It was to welcome a guest who might come.

No, Woojin, who had known him for a long time, could be sure.

At that moment, the contractor who installed CCTVs around the Villa and at the house’s front door approached.

The location of the CCTVs was subtly inconspicuous.

“Would you like to check it on your cellphone?”

Woojin checked the CCTVs on his cellphone.

The entire area around the Villa was visible, and so was the house’s front door.