Chapter 62 – Money – Part 3

Chapter 62 – Money – Part 3

Kim Taehyun felt around his body as if searching.

“Woojin, are you perhaps wiretapping me…?”

Kim Taehyun shook his head back and forth.

It was always like this.

Woojin’s older sister thought she knew her younger brother, but then at times like this, he seemed like a completely new person.

The expression ‘I know, but I don’t know’ fit him perfectly.

“How did you know? Can you sense something like that in my voice? Like I’m lying?”

-Something similar. What kind of case is it?

At Woojin’s re-question, Kim Taehyun explained the conversation he had with Prosecutor Kim Cheolung.

“I met the prosecutor. But…”

Because he thought it was a courtesy to Woojin.

-That’s good. You might even get promoted.

“It’s all thanks to you.”

-You’re buying me beef, after all.

Kim Taehyun looked up at the sky and smiled broadly.

At times like this, he looked incredibly innocent.

“But this case is a bit difficult. It’s also a 10-year-old case. There are 17 suspects alone.”

-……

As Woojin’s voice didn’t come out, Kim Taehyun smiled bitterly.

“Woojin, you don’t have to worry about anything. If you don’t want to do it, you don’t have to. It’s not an obligation, and you don’t need to make time you don’t have. I hope you don’t feel burdened.”

Kim Taehyun’s voice conveyed his deep concern for Woojin.

-17 suspects… That sounds interesting.

“Huh?”

-That sounds interesting. My interest is piqued.

“Oh…”

When he heard there were 17 suspects, his head throbbed.

Just hearing it made him feel suffocated.

But Woojin said it sounded interesting.

“Two weeks ago, the incident was filmed on ‘I Want to Know the World.’ You can refer to it if you watch it.”

-Yes. I understand. Can I also see the case files?

“Of course, of course, I’ll show them to you as soon as I get them.”

-Okay.

“Woojin, thank you. Really.”

-We have to catch criminals. Leaving them alone is not peaceful.

Kim Taehyun’s mind flashed back to what Woojin had said while eating ice cream.

That he liked peace.

That he hoped this peace would continue.

But he even linked that statement to criminals.

“Thank you, Woojin, I’ll contact you again then.”

-Okay. Take care.

After finishing the call, Kim Taehyun went back into the tavern.

Prosecutor Kim Cheolung crossed his arms and leaned on the table.

“Detective Kim, did you get permission from your mother?”

Kim Taehyun nodded.

“Yes. She told me to catch all the bad guys.”

“Oh my, Detective Kim Taehyun, you have a wonderful mother.”

“Prosecutor Kim, you must ensure the Police University connection. Otherwise, I’ll be too embarrassed.”

He might not catch them, no, if Woojin steps forward, the probability is high.

If I can’t gain anything even after catching the criminal, I’ll be too embarrassed in front of Woojin.

I felt like I wouldn’t be able to look him in the eye.

“Oh, come on… Detective Kim, aren’t I a criminal? A prosecutor. A prosecutor for the Republic of Korea. Should we even write a statement and get it notarized in front of a lawyer? Us?

“Sounds good.”

Kim Cheolung blinked and scratched his cheek.

“Notarization, OK!”

“I think we’ll need some operating expenses too.”

“Wow…”

Kim Cheolung laughed and clapped his hands, clap! clap!

“That’s also okay.”

Kim Cheolung stopped laughing and said softly.

“You have to catch him, okay?”

“I’ll do my best.”

The operating expenses were Woojin’s share.

Just then, Woojin called.

Kim Taehyun went outside again to answer the phone.

“Oh, Woojin.”

-Replaying is paid.

“Huh?”

-I was just about to watch ‘I Want to Know the World,’ but replaying it costs 1,000 won.

“Ah… You can just… No. Should I transfer it to your account?”

-My account number is…

“Oh, yes, yes, okay, Woojin, go ahead. Thank you.”

After the call, Kim Taehyun laughed out loud.

He truly was an eccentric younger brother.

Meanwhile.

Woojin, sitting in front of the PC, played “I Want to Know the World”.

Immediately, narration began to flow.

[The torrential rain that poured down on that peaceful day…]

Woojin quietly watched the screen re-examining the 10-year-old incident.

A grandmother who donated money to a foundation, money she earned by collecting wild greens and waste paper from the market.

However, she was found dead in a small senior center.

Multiple fingerprints and DNA were found, and the time of death was estimated to be 8 PM.

At that time, the few streetlights went out, and a power outage hit the neighborhood.

Crime organizers estimated that the murder occurred during that time.

There were a total of 17 suspects with unclear alibis.

They were narrowed down to people who visited the senior center during that time.

Unfortunately, CCTV was only at the neighborhood entrance, not in the densely populated areas.

[Let’s stop already! The investigation is over and done with!]

Some people were displeased with the reporters’ approach, while others calmly answered questions.

The suspects were mostly elderly.

They were between 60 and 70 years old.

Seven were women, and ten were men.

The designated suspects had various occupations and distinctive physical characteristics.

They included people with leg discomfort, chronic illnesses, and even visually impaired individuals.

The broadcast criticized the candlelight investigation, beginning to narrow down suspects based on scientific evidence.

And after the incident, they tracked down a person who had left the neighborhood and became a director.

[If I wasn’t struggling so much, why would I have come all the way here from the place I’ve lived my whole life? The investigation is over, but people are treating me like a murderer and ganging up on me…]

Woojin slowly nodded his head.

Are there many good actors, or is it all true?

By personally seeing the scene and confronting them, clues were bound to emerge.

Woojin’s finger tapped, tapped, on the PC table.

He grew interested.

***

Lee Hyerim, walking with Woojin, was wiping sweat from her forehead.

She didn’t realize how many winding stairs there were.

Lee Hyerim said,

“I feel like I’ve become a celebrity.”

The elders sitting in front of the house stared intently at Lee Hyerim.

“Are we still far?

“We’re here.”

Woojin stopped walking and knocked on the Blue Gate as if to announce his presence.

“Who is it?”

As a bright voice was heard, Woojin’s lips subtly curved upwards.

“It’s Uncle Woojin.”

The main gate opened, spewing out rust dust.

Bora, in a pink dress, smiled broadly and bowed deeply in greeting.

“Hello.”

“Bora, have you been well?”

It was their first meeting in three days.

At Woojin’s words, Bora nodded her small face repeatedly.

“Yes! I studied hard what Uncle told me. Hehe.”

Lee Hyerim, who had been quietly watching Han Bora, opened her mouth.

“Hello?”

“Hello~.”

Woojin asked as he entered the small yard.

“Where’s Grandma?”

“She went to the market.”

Lee Hyerim’s brow furrowed slightly as she looked around.

“How can anyone live in a place like this?”

Woojin, who had been stroking Bora’s head, said,

“People adapt to everything. No matter where they’re thrown, humans are adaptable creatures.”

However, Woojin was not going to let Han Bora adapt here.

Just then, Han Bora subtly hid behind Woojin.

“Mister…”

Lee Hyerim, who was always so dignified and confident, seemed intimidating to her.

“You don’t have to be scared. She’s my friend.”

Lee Hyerim approached Bora, knelt down, and met her gaze.

“I’m not a scary person, am I? Here, this is for you, some pocket money.”

Lee Hyerim held out a few 50,000 won bills.

But Bora clutched Woojin’s lapel even tighter, hiding herself further.

Lee Hyerim smiled incredulously and straightened her knees.

“Woojin, do I look that scary?”

“No, you look ordinary.”

Lee Hyerim let out another exasperated sigh.

“Bora, did you organize the household ledger well?”

“Yes!”

Bora scurried into the room and came out with a notebook.

Woojin, sitting on the porch, scanned the household ledger.

“Expenses have decreased. But saving money doesn’t mean income increases, right?”

“Yes. The numbers have to work for income to come in.”

“That’s right. Sirsel went up a lot. Did you see it?”

It was the blue-chip stock Woojin had bought for her.

“Yes. It went up by 27%.”

“What did you feel when you saw that?”

“I saw the Madness you talked about, Uncle.”

“You saw it well. It became very expensive, but people hope that the expensive stock, Librarian, will become even more expensive. Free Girls made a comeback, by the way.”

It was Bora’s favorite girl group.

“Yes! It’s been a week.”

“Bora, why do you like Free Girls?”

“Hmm… they sing well. And they dance well too.”

“I see. Then how are the financials of the company Free Girls belongs to?”

“I think it’s similar to other entertainment companies. But as soon as Free Girls made a comeback, they ranked first on the domestic charts. And their YouTube views also exceeded 3 million.”

“So the financials are similar, but only Free Girls are exceptionally popular? Then…”

Lee Hyerim looked at Woojin and Bora as if she was dumbfounded.

It was a side of Woojin she had never seen before.

The way he engaged the child’s interests to teach her Value Investing made it seem as if a father was teaching his daughter.

The child, Han Bora, was talking excitedly, but it wasn’t the thoughts of a seven-year-old.

A mere seven-year-old was analyzing companies.

Suddenly,

Lee Hyerim felt alienated again, all by herself.

It was as if a line had been drawn between Woojin and the child Han Bora, and herself, a line she couldn’t see.

However, Lee Hyerim realized how to break that line after meeting Woojin.

By lowering her pride a little and learning how to get along.

She just hadn’t done it until now, but now,

Now she could.

Lee Hyerim moved her steps as if crossing a line and sat on the flat bench.

“Bora, from now on, will you call me older sister?”

“Older sister…”

Lee Hyerim subtly smiled.

“That’s right. From now on, I’ll be sponsoring you. I’ll be going to another place as a Director, and you’ll be admitted to an International School. Do I still seem scary to you, older sister?”

“No…”

Bora said that, but she still seemed scared.

Lee Hyerim, however, didn’t care and smiled.

“From now on, if anyone teases you or says anything, tell this older sister.”

This was the child she sponsored.

Her pride would not tolerate anyone touching such a child.

Woojin, with Bora between them, looked at Lee Hyerim and spoke.

“You’ve come over?”

Lee Hyerim looked up at the clear blue sky and said,

“Yes, it’s nothing. One step was enough.”

*

Kim Taehyun, who was tidying up the basement, patted his back.

“Oh, I’m going to die.”

Then he quickly looked around.

After roughly arranging the messy boxes and steel drawers, it looked decent.

It even felt like a headquarters secretly investigating some incident.

His gaze turned to one side.

The enormous boxes he received from Prosecutor Kim Cheolung.

With 17 suspects, there was an immense amount of data.

Just then, the door opened, and Choi Gicheol appeared.

“We’re here.”

“Hello.”

Following Choi Gicheol was none other than Woojin, dressed in a tracksuit.

“It must have been tough getting here. You can sit anywhere. Oh, you can sit there too.”

As Woojin greeted Kim Taehyun and looked around, Kim Taehyun rummaged through a box and asked.

“The data is just, enormous. Woojin, what should I show you first? What should I show you?”

“Detective Kim.”

“Huh? Tell me. Just say the word and I’ll get everything ready for you.”

“I saw in a movie that when they conduct investigations in places like this, they eat black bean noodles.”

“Huh? Black bean noodles?”

“Yes.”

“Ah…! Right! Let’s eat first! Let’s order sweet and sour pork too!”

Woojin said.

“I’ll have stir-fried black bean noodles.”