Chapter 142 – Chaos – Part 2

Chapter 142 – Chaos – Part 2

Woojin’s mother and father, and Bomi, who was wiping away tears, couldn’t take their eyes off Woojin’s retreating figure.

His father gently put his arm around Bomi’s shoulder.

“There will be vacations, and your brother will be discharged soon.”

His mother and father felt a mix of emotions.

It felt like just yesterday their kidnapped son returned as a grown man, and now he was voluntarily enlisting in the army.

He had become a complete man.

His mother fixed her gaze on Woojin, who was getting further away, and murmured,

“Our son, come back safely. We’ll see you on vacation. Don’t get hurt.”

His mother’s tears, which she had been holding back, finally fell.

Just then, Woojin turned around.

His mother quickly wiped her eyes, smiled brightly, and waved her hand.

“Brother! I’ll send you letters!”

Woojin, with a light smile, waved his hand once and then disappeared into the crowd, out of sight.

That day.

The trainees who were changing around Woojin opened their mouths and were speechless.

“……”

“What the…”

Even those who had tattoos and lived in the shadows looked at Woojin’s body and slowly kept their distance.

Woojin told them,

He was sincere.

“You don’t need to be wary with those eyes. Unlike others, I couldn’t live an ordinary life, unfortunately.

And now I’m trying to become ordinary.

Most importantly, we are comrades who should get along now, aren’t we?”

Woojin’s calm words made them imagine all sorts of things.

After that, Woojin left the training camp and was assigned to his unit, and no one ever picked on Woojin.

Woojin not only handled tasks cleanly, but the scars etched on Woojin when he showered made them shudder.

He was able to take his first leave and Woojin returned.

Woojin continued to enjoy new experiences and engrave them in his mind.

He saw a wild boar as big as a cow, and an eagle as big as a light airplane, which he mixed in with Senior Officer Manager Lee’s words.

Lee Hyerim visited Woojin more than anyone else.

She once brought pizza and chicken by truck, and not only her, but also family and friends Mansu, Kim Taehyun, and Detective Choi Gicheol came to visit.

And there was another woman who visited almost as much as Lee Hyerim, though not quite as much, and that was Lee Siyoung.

Woojin recommended a sport to her every time she came.

Every time, the stocks Woojin told her about brought her huge profits.

He also relayed information he heard from Prosecutor Kim Cheolung before the Yongsan New City Bidding.

That GH Construction would receive the most contracts for the New City Development project.

As the public announcement was made, real estate prices skyrocketed, and as construction companies proceeded with their bids, the stock prices of each company began to rise.

Among them, GH Construction’s stock price soared like a Red Hare day after day.

–

Inside the dark room, two candlelight flames flickered like ghosts.

Above them hung a Cross, and the naked man closed his eyes, gazing at the Cross.

“Though you live among thorns and briars, and though you dwell among scorpions, do not fear them.

Do not fear the words of those who have betrayed us, nor be terrified by them.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.”

He turned and tightened the leather apron around his body.

The man moved towards a place like a cold storage warehouse, pushed aside a transparent plastic sheet, and entered.

“P-please save me. Sir… please save me. Sob! Sob!”

A woman’s voice was heard, and then the man’s voice from a moment ago.

“Do not be deceived by their outward appearance, nor be swayed by the devil’s incessant flattery.”

“Oh, sir… why, why are you doing this? Please save me. Save…”

“I will deliver the words of our Almighty Lord Jesus Christ to them.”

“Aaaah!”

–

Detective Kim Taehyun ran his hand through his hair again, looking at the crime scene photos.

He erected a Cross on Wooded Hill, murdered the woman, and hung her there like Jesus.

Evidence was not easily found.

No, only footprints and tiny fibers found on the woman’s body; that was it.

Even after reviewing all the CCTV footage, there was no Peculiarity.

The best clue was only one.

There was a message left by the Criminal on the victim’s body.

The tool was presumed to be a knife, and the word ‘Repentance’ was left behind.

The victims of the criminal were two men and one woman.

All of them had the criminal’s signature ‘Repentance’ carved into them, a clear warning bell for a serial murder to anyone who saw it.

Just then, Choi Gicheol approached.

“Senior, doesn’t this case seem similar to the criminal Woojin caught a while ago?”

Kim Taehyun slowly nodded his head.

He, who was a sanitation worker, worshipped demons and committed heinous crimes.

The current criminal was also like that.

It seemed like they were committing crimes due to an abnormally twisted faith.

Kim Taehyun let out a small breath, closed his eyes, and mumbled.

“I cannot see because I have not seen, and though I am seeing, I cannot see.”

It was something Woojin had said once.

Kim Taehyun opened his eyes again and looked at the photos.

“What is it that we are currently unable to see?”

“Observation?”

Choi Gicheol also spoke, referencing Woojin, but he knew well how difficult observation was.

Woojin said that one just needed to find meaning in everything and be conscious of it, but it wasn’t that easy.

Woojin said that it was due to habit.

Because of the unconscious design of the brain, we only see what we want to see.

“I miss my younger brother.”

He genuinely missed him more than wanting to solve the case.

“Woojin must be doing well, right?”

“Of course, he’s the kind of younger brother who, even if dropped in a desert, would want to try something, thinking the sand was snow, and go sledding.”

Choi Gicheol’s lips involuntarily curved upwards.

It really seemed like he would enjoy life, wanting to try anything no matter where he was thrown.

I miss Woojin.

It wasn’t just Kim Taehyun and Choi Gicheol who missed Woojin.

Lee Hyerim, looking out the window from the managing director’s office at SH Construction, was the same.

More than a year had passed, and it was raining outside.

Since she couldn’t see Woojin’s voice and face as usual, she felt hollow as if a hole had been punched in her chest, and she lacked motivation.

It felt like she had been dropped into a desert without an oasis, with nowhere to lean on.

She was thinking of Woojin, and she mumbled with a faint smile.

“On a day like this, rice wine and pancakes are perfect, right? Woojin?”

At that moment.

Han Bora was commenting on YouTube.

It was a stock channel, and Bora’s comment was as follows.

[But why don’t you show your account? Big sisters and brothers, our uncle told us not to listen to people who don’t show their accounts.

He said that investment isn’t about listening to others, but always comes back as results proportional to one’s own study!]

Han Bora grabbed the picture frame on the bookshelf and flopped onto the bed.

It was a photo of Woojin and Bora.

“Uncle, I miss you.”

Then she checked the calendar on her cellphone and mumbled with her cherry-like lips.

“In… 122 days.”

It was the day her uncle would be discharged from the military.

–

As spring passed and the summer vacation was coming to an end, a person was walking out of the military base.

It was none other than Woojin.

He didn’t seem to have changed.

No, his shoulders seemed a little broader, and his jawline was sharper than before.

Not a single person had come to meet him.

This was because he had told his family that his friends were coming, and he had told Lee Hyerim, Lee Siyoung, and others that his family was coming to meet him.

Woojin started walking.

He walked a little more, and then a little more.

Then he got on a bus and looked out the window.

The thought that most ordinary men in the Republic of Korea went to the military and were discharged brought a small smile to Woojin’s lips.

Woojin took the bus and subway, and the first place he arrived was his old house.

Even when he was on leave, he checked the CCTV and the front door.

It was the same this time.

Woojin looked at the gap in the firmly closed front door.

He couldn’t see even the slightest thread that would fall if someone touched the doorknob.

Woojin slowly nodded his head, then went inside and looked around.

There were no signs of intrusion.

There were no footprints on the entrance, which was subtly covered in dust.

Someone had touched the doorknob but couldn’t get in.

Was it the beginning of a bite, or did someone mistake the house and grab the doorknob?

He would just have to watch.

Woojin left the villa without hesitation and immediately moved on to his next destination.

“Just one rice cake skewer, please.”

Ujeong Bunsik Auntie’s eyes widened.

“You haven’t been around; did you go to the military?”

“I was discharged today.”

“Oh my! You must have had a hard time! Come in, come in. There’s one seat left. As a celebration for your discharge…”

Woojin shook his head.

“I have somewhere I need to go right away.”

“Really? Just a moment, I’ll make it quickly for you.”

The auntie, who had greeted Woojin warmly, carefully fried the rice cakes, coated them in sauce, and handed them to Woojin.

“Here.”

As Woojin offered the money, the elderly woman waved her hand vigorously.

“It’s fine. It’s fine. Didn’t I tell you before? I can give everything to Woojin for free.

I received a favor, so I must repay it somehow.”

Business was going very well, and deliveries had started a long time ago.

“Thank you. I’ll come again.”

“Make sure to stop by when you have time, okay? I’ll make you everything delicious you want to eat.”

“Yes. Keep up the good work.”

After saying his goodbyes, Woojin turned and brought the rice cake skewer to his mouth.

“Wow.”

The taste hadn’t changed.

The person Woojin met was Prosecutor Kim Cheolung.

Kim Cheolung looked Woojin up and down and chuckled.

“Oh… is it because you’ve been to the military? You reek of manliness. Really reek.”

“How have you been?”

“Oh, so-so, I’ve been well…”

Kim Cheolung, who had been speaking informally, corrected himself as he looked into Woojin’s dark eyes staring back at him.

“I’ve been well. But now that you’re discharged, shouldn’t we go eat something delicious? Did you come straight to me?”

“Yes. Can I have just one candy?”

Kim Cheolung let out an incredulous laugh.

He seemed to have changed, yet he hadn’t.

How could a person be so consistent?

Kim Cheolung grabbed a handful of candy and meaningfully offered it to Woojin.

“Red Ginseng Candy.”

“Just one is enough.”

Woojin, who had put a candy in his mouth, spoke again.

“I understand that the construction of Yongsan New City will begin in a few days.”

Woojin was able to earn 20 billion won from real estate profits even while he was in the military.

As Kim Cheolung slowly nodded, Woojin, who had rolled the candy in his mouth, said,

“Is there a suitable actor?”

Kim Cheolung smiled meaningfully.

“Even if there isn’t one, we’ll have to create one… right?”

The greater Lee Hyerim’s standing in Shinhwa Group, the higher his chances of entering politics.

Because if she gained power, political figures would naturally flock to Lee Hyerim.

Figures who had committed petty and serious crimes quickly flashed through Kim Cheolung’s mind.

“I hope it’s someone trustworthy. A reporter would be fine too.”

–

9 PM.

Woojin, still in his military uniform, was digging the ground with a shovel.

The surrounding houses were eerily quiet after receiving their compensation and moving out.

Only the occasional meow of a cat could be heard.

After moving his body for an hour, Woojin began to see the buried artifact.

These were things he had buried before going to the military.

And it was also the site that SH Construction, where Lee Hyerim was the managing director, had successfully bid on.

Woojin fearlessly recovered the artifacts by putting in wasted effort.

Woojin opened his mouth as if satisfied.

“Indeed, one must learn.”

Because he was putting the wasted effort he learned in the military to very good use.

Soon, Woojin, who had put the artifact in his room, moved to the next location.

He only intended to dig up the artifact buried on the east side of the site that SH Construction had successfully bid on.

He had no intention of touching the west side of the site that GH Construction had successfully bid on; if anything, he would bury more artifacts there.

From now on, Lee Siyoung was going to ride a Roller Coaster.

That’s what he planned to do if anyone touched his people.

Anyone at all.