Chapter 61 – Money – Part 2

Chapter 61 – Money – Part 2

At the mention of a blind date, Bona blinked.

“Why a blind date all of a sudden?”

“Your ideal type is a pure and manly person, right?”

“Yes, but…”

“Let’s sit.”

As Lee Hyerim plopped down, Bona looked back and forth between Woojin and Mansu.

Looking at Woojin, her thought was that he had a handsome face like a beautiful boy, but he exuded a subtly sexy aura.

Mansu had broad shoulders and a manly face, yet he gave off the innocent simplicity of a country youth.

Lee Hyerim said.

“This is Woojin, whom I often talk about, and next to him is Friend… Kim Mansu, right?”

Mansu, whose face was flushed, scratched his head.

“Yes. Oh, that’s right. It’s been a while.”

“This is my friend Jeon Bona. Let’s speak comfortably to each other.”

Jeon Bona, sitting next to Lee Hyerim, looked at Woojin with interest.

Lee Hyerim was a friend who had no interest in men.

But whenever she talked about a person named Woojin, her eyes changed.

It was as if she wanted to capture something elusive in her eyes.

Woojin spoke to Jeon Bona.

“Hello, Bona.”

“Yes, nice to meet you. Hyerim told me a lot about you.”

“Hey, when did I?”

Lee Hyerim poked Jeon Bona’s side.

Jeon Bona chuckled.

Seeing the real person, whom she had only heard about through Lee Hyerim, made her understand a little.

The atmosphere was somehow different from the men she had seen so far.

It was a strange atmosphere, but she couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

‘What am I thinking right now?’

Jeon Bona flinched.

Wasn’t she continuously trying to think about Woojin in front of her?

That was a foolish thought.

Touching someone Lee Hyerim was interested in was no different from suicide.

Suppressing her interest, Bona greeted Mansu, who was sitting directly opposite her.

“Hello, is your name Mansu?”

“Yes, uh, Kim Mansu.”

Jeon Bona smiled cutely at Mansu scratching his head.

That was also true, the women Mansu sensed had an extraordinary aura.

How should I put it?

Should I say they exuded confidence and had a sophisticated vibe?

It was a completely different feeling from the women he had seen so far.

Jeon Bona asked again.

“Are you an athletic student? You have a great physique.”

“Ah… I used to be quite active in my younger days… No, I just enjoy exercising. I’m currently studying in the Business Department.”

Mansu emphasized again.

“S University. Business Department.”

It was his greatest pride.

“Oh… You must be very good at your studies too, then? You have an unexpected charm.”

Mansu laughed like a robot.

“Hahahaha! Thank you for the compliment. You’re really pretty…”

As the two exchanged words, Lee Hyerim, who had been looking down and twitching her crossed legs, spoke up.

Her gaze was fixed on the table.

“I ruined the blind date. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. These things happen.”

At Woojin’s calm voice, Lee Hyerim looked up.

“But I don’t think they’re right for you. That’s why I did it on purpose.”

“Yes, I know.”

“Should I introduce you to someone prettier and with a better personality?”

Lee Hyerim felt her lips dry up even as she spoke.

And then.

‘What kind of foolish thing am I saying?’

As she was chastising herself, Woojin opened his mouth.

I’m fine.

Didn’t you go to the group blind date to make a girlfriend?

I was just curious. I was curious about the difference in knowledge between our Bomi and a medical student.

With your sister? She’s only in her first year of high school, isn’t she?

Yes, Bomi has already mastered osteology.

As Lee Hyerim tilted her head, Woojin explained.

The study that encompasses the names of the 206 bones that support the human body is called osteology.

If you were curious, you should have asked me.

You’re not a medical student. I wanted to let them meet directly, but it’s a bit of a shame.

Lee Hyerim immediately called someone.

Hello, Professor, it’s Hyerim. I have a question. About osteology…

Lee Hyerim, who had been listening quietly, finished her call.

Our family’s attending professor said that actively studying osteology starts from the pre-med years, and it’s usually incredibly difficult for students to memorize. They even go on retreats to memorize it, he said. But your sister memorized all of that?

Woojin’s lips subtly curved upwards.

He could almost see Bomi reciting the contents of the bones fluently in front of him.

Just like her brother. She’s smarter than a medical student.

Her grades are also first in the entire school.

Lee Hyerim couldn’t help but laugh at Woojin’s boastful tone.

But then she stopped laughing and said,

You know I’m a little upset, right?

Why?

You said you were busy, but you still came to the blind date.

I told you. I was curious about what level of knowledge our Bomi had. I just wanted to confirm it firsthand.

Lee Hyerim shook her head.

That was truly a Woojin-like thought.

It was always like this.

He shouldn’t have been thinking about Woojin, but he acted emotionally again.

So, this meeting never meant anything to Woojin to begin with.

It was a meeting held with his younger sibling in mind.

“What are you doing this weekend? The chef at that restaurant we went to before has a new course menu. Want to go try it? It was delicious.”

“I have something to do.”

Lee Hyerim was slightly surprised by Woojin’s immediate refusal.

It was the first time she had seen him refuse food so quickly.

Even though it was a newly introduced course meal…

“Is it something important?”

“Yes.”

Thinking of Han Bora, he felt a strong sense of overlap with himself.

“Can I ask what it is?”

Woojin opened his mouth.

“Hyerim, want to do a good deed?”

***

10 PM.

It was a quiet tavern.

There was a man sitting alone, sipping his drink; a plump man wearing glasses.

Dressed in a black suit, he appeared to be in his mid-40s.

Just then, Kim Taehyun entered the tavern.

The man sitting raised his hand slightly and smiled.

“Oh, over here.”

As Kim Taehyun approached, the man smiled and said,

“Oh, you came all this way for me. Please, sit down. Thank you.”

“No.”

“I was bored, so I had a drink first. Here, have a drink. This Hwayo, no matter how much you drink, you feel clean the next day. Drink it all.”

Kim Taehyun, who received the alcohol with both hands, quickly emptied his glass.

The man smiled broadly as he watched him and said,

“Ahhh… it’s good, isn’t it?”

“It’s my first time trying it, and it’s delicious.”

He said cheerfully.

“I’m sorry. I wanted to treat you somewhere nice, but there are too many eyes watching these days.”

“No, it’s fine. But Prosecutor Kim, the reason you wanted to see me…”

Prosecutor Kim Cheolung was a man rumored to be married but never at home.

He was a prosecutor who lived buried in cases.

Kim Cheolung playfully raised a finger and gestured at Kim Taehyun.

He maintained his smile.

“Oh dear, anyone would think you’re not a Republic of Korea Detective. You’re impatient. Your personality is too impatient.”

“I’ll pour you a drink.”

Kim Cheolung looked back and forth between the glass he was holding and Kim Taehyun, who was pouring him a drink.

“Sometimes Detectives curse at us Prosecutors, don’t they?”

Kim Taehyun waved his hand as if to say, “What are you talking about?”

“No? What do you mean? How could that be? No.”

“Come on, Detectives, I know how hard you all work. When a case breaks, Prosecutors try to step back, blaming the Police for whether the Candlelight investigation was good or bad. Huh? There are people who do the legwork, and then there are those who sit around twirling their pens, passing the buck. I don’t think that’s right. Here, have a drink.”

Kim Taehyun, who had emptied his glass, asked carefully but directly.

Kim Taehyun disliked beating around the bush and preferred straightforwardness.

“Prosecutor, I’m curious about why you called me…”

“It’s a bit strange to talk business without even having time to get to know each other, but I guess we’ll get close if we work together anyway, right? I like how straightforward you are. Our Detective Kim Taehyun, I like him very much. Hahaha!”

“Business?”

“Yes. You know the Room Song murder case from two weeks ago? The Power Outage Murder Case featured on ‘I Want to Know the World’.”

Kim Taehyun slowly nodded his head.

The case from ten years ago was featured on a TV program, but it remained unsolved.

A seventy-year-old grandmother was murdered in Hillside Slum. She was a grandmother who had donated all the money she earned from selling wild greens and waste paper her entire life to a foundation.

When there was a power outage in the neighborhood, the grandmother was found as a cold corpse.

There were as many as 17 main suspects.

There were an absurdly large number of suspects.

And because crucial evidence could not be secured, the case was buried as an unsolved mystery.

Kim Cheolung continued speaking.

“Let’s catch the criminal.”

“Prosecutor Kim, it’s been ten years, and I don’t have the skills for that.”

“Oh dear… Hahaha! Our Detective Kim Taehyun is too modest! He solved the disguised murder with Candle, and the serial killer that seemed straight out of a movie, and even the case where a father beat his son to death before the forensic investigation. I’m not someone who just jumps into things without doing my research, am I?”

Kim Taehyun forced a bitter smile.

All those cases were only solvable because Woojin was there.

Kim Taehyun opened his mouth with a troubled expression.

“That is…”

Kim Cheolung quickly cut off Kim Taehyun’s words.

“I’ll be honest with you. Detective Kim Taehyun, if you solve this case, I’ll build a bridge for you to the Police University, like a matchmaker. Huh? Isn’t that good? You catch the criminal and your promotion opens up like a highway. Just step on the gas! You just have to press it firmly. Smoothly.”

Kim Taehyun couldn’t help but be surprised.

Because getting connections at the Police University was no easy feat.

If he made connections at the Police University as Prosecutor Kim said, it would be like driving on a wide-open highway.

“Prosecutor, are you perhaps interested in politics…?”

Solving such a sensational case naturally brings recognition.

A star prosecutor.

Recognition soon leads to power.

Oh, you just had to… Detective Kim, you really have a knack for embarrassing people, don’t you? What’s there to say? How? Should I write a written statement?

Kim Taehyun was lost in thought.

It wasn’t a case that would be solved just by him stepping up. But if Woojin stepped in, the chances would go up beyond imagination.

Think carefully. I won’t say this twice. Detective Kim, let’s have a win-win situation.

Kim Taehyun poured alcohol into his glass and drank it.

And within a few minutes, he stood up from his seat.

I’ll be back after I make a call.

Alright. Are you perhaps trying to get permission from your team leader? Wouldn’t it be better if I called directly then?

No. I’m just going to get permission from my mom.

Kim Cheolung guffawed.

Kim Taehyun, who had gone outside, put a cigarette in his mouth.

And as he lit it, he called Woojin.

Woojin, the other party is holding out a very sweet candy. Let me rely on you one more time.

Yes. Detective Kim, what kind of case is it?

Kim Taehyun smiled bitterly at Woojin’s voice, which spoke as soon as he answered the phone.

Always, always…

He’s a consistent younger brother.

He felt an emotion pierce his heart like an awl.

Kim Taehyun, you crazy bastard. Aren’t you ashamed in front of your younger brother…

Because he had thought about getting ahead with the help of such a younger brother.

Phew~

Kim Taehyun, who exhaled a long puff of cigarette smoke, smiled slightly and said,

Oh? A case? What case? I just called because I wanted to hear my handsome younger brother’s voice. Oh, darn it, I should go back in. Things don’t run smoothly without me. Woojin, let’s talk later…

Detective Kim. Catching criminals isn’t a bad thing, is it?

Kim Taehyun blinked his eyes.

Are you even mind-reading now?