Chapter 51 – Playground – Part 2

Chapter 51 – Playground – Part 2

-Of course. She was a child being abused without anyone knowing, so I’ll take her to you to see her face after a long time.

“Thank you. But was her mother the only family member living with her?”

-Her father passed away a few years ago. Her mother doesn’t seem to have a good relationship with her family, so I sent her to her paternal grandmother for now. Where are you? At home?

“No. I’m at my younger sibling’s school, but…”

Woojin, who gave her location, headed to the coffee shop.

And savored a sweet caramel macchiato.

It was rich and very sweet.

Woojin, looking out the window, muttered.

“I was about that age too.”

If she was trapped in a warehouse, the child named Han Bora was practically trapped in her mother’s abuse, isolated from the world.

Yet, she was smart and clever.

She could also think of it the other way around.

When people face a crisis, they can show a freezing reaction, but they can also bring out their best abilities.

The anecdote of the grandmother who lifted a car to save her grandson who was trapped under it was a good example.

Woojin was curious about that point.

Was it a one-time event for Han Bora that could never happen again?

But the gaze she met on the bus was the former.

It was only for a very short moment, but she clearly looked at her.

As Woojin finished his Caramel Macchiato with such thoughts, Detective Kim Taehyun approached.

“Wow……. Contemplation over a cup of coffee, that’s nice!”

“It’s not like that.”

“Shall we go now?”

“Yes.”

Woojin left the Coffee Shop and got into the car.

Kim Taehyun took out his wallet and said,

“It feels like it’s been a long time since I gave my younger brother some pocket money. And you helped me a lot last time.”

“Give it to me.”

Kim Taehyun chuckled at Woojin’s straightforward remark.

“Here! Fifty thousand won!”

“Not money.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t give me money, buy me something delicious next time. Give it to me.”

“Of course I’ll buy you something delicious.”

Kim Taehyun slyly handed him a Tablet PC.

“Woojin, don’t misunderstand. You know I didn’t come to see you just because of the case, right? It’s hitting two birds with one stone, isn’t it good? Seeing your face like this.”

Woojin listened to Kim Taehyun’s words and thought of various delicious foods.

And he looked at a photograph.

A woman wearing nothing.

Her eyes were covered with a blood-stained bandage, and her hands and feet were tied behind her back.

A total of seven stab wounds.

The stab wound between the solar plexus and the costal cartilage was the most fatal.

And a thug who took a picture of himself with the pale-lying woman, as if to certify it.

There were a total of three photos.

There’s nothing to gain from the information in the photos…

Kim Taehyun glanced at Woojin while driving.

Every time Woojin showed such an expression, he felt a thrill.

It was as if an extremely skilled specialist was exuding an aura.

It was the Righteous Path, which even a man would find sexy.

Kim Taehyun opened his mouth.

“The suspect’s name is Kang Hyeonwoo. A girlfriend who visited Kang Hyeonwoo’s house found the photos and reported it immediately.”

“Are there any other photos?”

“No, the woman seems to be the same person, and those three are all of them.”

“What does Kang Hyeonwoo say?”

“Of course, he denies it. He says it was a concept.”

“What about the on-site investigation?”

“He said he used a private warehouse as a studio, but it’s clean. No evidence was found.”

“What about the woman’s identity?”

“He said he paid her through a random chat to model for him. He doesn’t even know her phone number.”

“The probability of necrophilia is high. When were the photos taken?”

“In February.”

“Was there any heating and cooling equipment in the place the suspect called a studio?”

“Huh? Why that…”

Kim Taehyun corrected himself.

There was a reason for Woojin asking such a question.

“There’s a folder called Kang Hyeonwoo on the desktop, go into it. There should be on-site photos there.”

Woojin examined the Kang Hyeonwoo file.

One side was decorated like a stage, but it was as shabby as any other warehouse.

No heating or cooling equipment was visible.

“Mr. Kang Hyeonwoo, you use a good camera. You also seem to have put a lot of effort into the makeup.”

“Makeup?”

“Yes. The woman was made up to look like she had been murdered. That’s why no evidence could be found at the scene.”

“Why do you think it’s makeup?”

“It’s cold in February. It’s even colder if you’re naked like this. When a person is cold, their body shows reactions that they can’t artificially control. I told you this before.”

Kim Taehyun blinked.

Every time Woojin said something like this, it felt like he was being asked a question that didn’t exist in the world.

‘I’ve heard that before……’

Kim Taehyun, who had been rummaging through his mind, said,

“Shrink back? Actions become faster? The body shivers to generate heat? The cerebral artery……”

Kim Taehyun threw out ideas, hoping one would stick.

Woojin, who had been listening to him quietly, replied,

“60% of what you said is correct.”

“Then! Oh, oh. 60%? That’s just a drop in the bucket compared to what you told me. Ah, why are you so sure it’s makeup?”

“Mr. Kang Hyeonwoo uses a very good camera, as if he likes photography. You can even see the body hair reflected in the light. When a person gets cold, their body hair stands on end. This has the effect of trapping heat, which is a reaction to block external danger factors. If you look at the photos……”

Kim Taehyun pulled over to the side of the road and stared at the photo Woojin was pointing to.

“In the first photo, the body hair is also standing up. If the woman had died, her body hair would be lying flat.”

Woojin swiped the screen of his tablet PC.

“If you look at the second photo, the woman’s shadow has changed. That means the lighting was moved. While the lighting was being changed and Kang Hyeonwoo was striking a different pose, the body hair remained standing on end. The third photo follows the same pattern.”

“So the woman is alive?”

“Yes. The photos were clearly taken when she was alive. If the forensics team didn’t find any evidence, there’s a very high probability that she’s still alive now.”

Kim Taehyun let out a hollow laugh.

“So he’s just a crazy bastard, right?”

“He’s someone who’s good at makeup in a way that deceives the investigators. He went through all that trouble to create these photos. In Mr. Kang Hyeonwoo’s words, it would be a work of art. His desire may have been suppressed for a while by going to the police station this time, but someday he’ll want to do it for real, not just with makeup. He’ll want to create a real work of art. He’s a person with a very high probability of doing that.”

“So he’s just a son of a bitch. Should we keep watching him, then?”

“I think it would be good to plant a suggestion. Something like, ‘I’ll be watching you, thinking you’re CriminalIra,’ or ‘You should really think about why Police Cars and police are appearing around you.'”

Kim Taehyun let out a hollow laugh and pressed the accelerator again.

“What I’ve realized during my time as a Detective is that there are more and more crazy people. I wonder when these lunatics will disappear.”

Woojin shook his head.

Crime continues to evolve and is bound to keep happening.

It has been that way since the Stone Age until now.

“Oh, by the way, Woojin. Why did you ask about the heating and cooling Room? If we assume the Room was heated, would you have said the person was dead if the Cotton Swab hairs were spread out, as you said?”

“No. I would have thought of it in a different way. A completely different way. More than anything, if a woman had died, there would have been many photos, not just three.”

“I’m getting goosebumps right now, like my Cotton Swab hairs are standing up. Is my brain trying to block out WoojinIra’s external Talisman Reaction with Cotton Swab hairs to protect my body? What am I even saying? I don’t even know what I’m saying myself.”

Woojin subtly smiled without realizing it.

Not only his family, but now he was reacting to other people too.

Woojin decided to comfortably accept this feeling.

And he also heard about Han Bora.

That considering her age of 7, she would also receive psychological treatment.

* * *

Woojin was climbing the stairs in a place commonly called Hillside Slum.

And soon, he stood in front of an old, rusted blue gate.

When Kim Taehyun lightly knocked on the door, rust powder fell off.

“Is anyone home?”

Soon, the Grandmother’s voice was heard.

“Who is it?”

“Grandmother, it’s Detective Kim Taehyun.”

Thump.

The gate, not fitting its frame, swung open with a bang!

It was a Grandmother who looked to be in her late 70s, with the marks of a hard life etched on her face.

She smiled warmly and said,

“Come in. If it weren’t for the detectives, I don’t know what would have happened to our granddaughter. When I see the bruises on Bora’s body, my heart breaks. My heart. And so many injuries…”

As tears welled up in Grandmother’s eyes, Kim Taehyun comforted her.

“Ma’am, it’s okay now. You don’t have to worry anymore.”

Woojin’s gaze turned to the wooden floor.

Han Bora, who had been sitting there in a faded dress, stood up and bowed.

Unlike when he saw her on the bus, the rigidity in her face had eased a lot, and her cuteness was fully apparent.

“Hello.”

Woojin said,

“Hello, Bora. Do you remember me?”

“Yes. From the bus. Thank you for reporting it to the police.”

“How did you know I reported it to the police?”

“After I left my notebook on the bus, the police officers came. You’re the one who reported it, right?”

Bora placed both hands on her stomach and bowed again.

“Thank you.”

“That’s right.”

It was a simple deduction, but considering she was seven years old, it wasn’t bad.

Then, Grandmother walked towards the refrigerator and said,

“We don’t have anything to drink at our house to offer you… I’ll give you some yogurt, at least.”

Kim Taehyun stopped her and followed her inside.

“No. It’s okay. It’s fine.”

Woojin sat on the wooden floor and looked at Bora again.

How should I put it?

It felt like he and Bora were overlapping, like his past self.

But he didn’t want to ask what had happened to her, nor was he curious.

Something bad must have happened to her.

Digging into it wouldn’t change anything about the current situation.

Now, right now, was what mattered.

“Bora, would you like to sit here?”

As Bora came and sat by Woojin’s side, Woojin pulled out a 10,000 won bill.

It was to confirm whether Bora’s intentional misspellings and incorrect alphabet usage were a one-time occurrence.

“Bora, if you memorize what this uncle says right now, I’ll give you this money. You have 15Candle, you need to memorize it in your head within 15Candle. And when you tell me what you’ve memorized, you have to say it in a different order.”

“I’ll do it.”

As Bora nodded.

“Listen carefully. Car, banknote, Notebook, bird, blue, chair, bicycle, Cellphone, wallet, milk. Start.”

Bora’s face was reflected in Woojin’s eyes.

Interestingly, Bora’s eyes were looking up to the right.

Her small lips trembled, about to open or close.

A small smile formed on Woojin’s lips.

And he checked the time.

“15Candle’s up.”

At Woojin’s words, Bora’s mouth opened.

“Wallet, blue, banknote, chair, car, Cellphone, milk, Notebook, bicycle, bird.”

Woojin’s lips curved up slightly once more.

She had memorized ten words in 15Candle, and even recited them in a different order.

“Well done. Here, this is Bora’s money now.”

Bora carefully received the money and bowed again.

“Thank you~.”

Woojin knew how Bora had memorized it.

Bora’s face told him.

Whether willingly or unwillingly, I used my imagination and even my unconscious mind to memorize and rearrange the order.

“Just now, you went to the convenience store in your imagination, didn’t you?”

Bora’s eyes widened adorably.

“How did you know?”

Woojin, with a smile on his lips, asked a different type of question this time.