Chapter 74 – Reaction – Part 2

Chapter 74 – Reaction – Part 2

“I just value my promise with the Prosecutor and don’t want to break it.”

-Oh, I’m sure…

Prosecutor Kim Cheolung, feeling frustrated again, opened his mouth as if to shake off his thoughts.

-Alright. So you’re moving tomorrow, is that it?

“Yes.”

Alright, then I’ll see you tomorrow with good news.

“Have a good night.”

After the call, Woojin slowly nodded his head.

There was no need to recall the suspects briefly mentioned on TV.

He would get an accurate answer once he met him tomorrow.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

At the sound of knocking, Woojin’s mouth opened.

“Bomi? Come in.”

Click.

Bomi, who had opened the door and entered, said with a curious expression.

“Brother, I felt the weight of my brain just now. Sounds ridiculous, right? But I really felt it?”

Woojin’s lips subtly curved upwards.

It was very good news.

She wouldn’t actually feel the weight of her brain, but it meant that Bomi was finally habitually recognizing her brain.

Woojin decided that he could now teach her a little more deeply.

With a pleasant smile, Woojin asked.

“Bomi, what did I say the Limbic System was?”

“It’s what’s in charge of human instincts like emotions, appetite, libido, and sleep!”

“And?”

“A person’s brain has been the same from prehistoric times until now, and that’s referring to the Limbic System!”

“As expected of my younger sister, so smart.”

As Woojin gave a thumbs-up, Bomi smiled shyly.

“It seems really hard to be a younger sibling to such an older brother.”

Bomi said that, but her face was smiling contentedly.

“Bomi is so smart that you’ll know more than your older brother does.”

“I don’t think that’s right….”

“Exactly! As Bomi said, unlike the limbic system, which has a primal reaction, there’s the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is responsible for continuously thinking about something, weighing its pros and cons, making conjectures, reviewing, and forming judgments. But people don’t want to do such things repeatedly.”

“Because the limbic system works more strongly than the prefrontal cortex?”

“That’s right, instinct plays a stronger role. For example, if you work for a long time at a company, the thought of wanting to leave work early never leaves your mind. But sometimes, when you leave work, you feel like your fatigue completely disappears. The reason for that is that the instinct of the limbic system has found stability. You don’t have to think continuously, and you don’t have to make rational judgments. You just follow what your instincts tell you to do. That could be alcohol, games, or even interesting videos. You look for things that can release dopamine. Because instinct loves dopamine.”

“Brother, then the prefrontal cortex can’t defeat the limbic system?”

Woojin’s smile seemed to deepen more than before.

It was because the desired answer had come out.

It was proof that Bomi understood his words well.

“You just need to change your environment.”

“How?”

“You minimize unnecessary thoughts, judgments, and stress.”

“Unnecessary thoughts and judgments?”

“What should I watch today? What should I eat? What time should I go to bed? What clothes should I wear? The brain perceives these thoughts as work and constantly awakens instincts, which prevents you from utilizing your prefrontal cortex 100%. Unnecessary thoughts limit the time you can concentrate. They gradually reduce your concentration from 100% to 90%, then 80%, when you really need to use your brain. It’s like saying you don’t want to concentrate and just want to quickly indulge your instincts.”

“Ah… you mean don’t make meaningless judgments? Because scattered thoughts exhaust the brain and prevent it from making rational decisions when it really needs to concentrate?”

“As expected, our Bomi, you’re smart.”

“Brother, then if it’s the same black pen, would the brain consider it work to briefly think about whether to use this one or that one?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Oh… I feel like I’m entering a new world.”

“You don’t need to think too deeply. You could become obsessive. Just be aware of it and practice it comfortably, little by little whenever it comes to mind.”

“Brother, what you’re saying is really true. I don’t watch YouTube much these days, right? Is that why? I feel like I concentrate better when I study. Is this also that effect?”

“Correct answer. It’s also called Dopamine Fasting.”

“Instinct loves dopamine… so you don’t feed your instincts?”

A pleased smile grew on Woojin’s face.

“Ding-dong-ding. Our Bomi knows ten things if she knows one. Is she a genius?”

“Hehe. What would I have done without you, brother?”

“You would’ve done just fine without me, wouldn’t you?”

Bomi took another step closer to Woojin.

“No. I can’t do without you, big brother. I really can’t… So don’t go anywhere, okay? If anyone says anything to you, call me! Got it?”

Bomi sometimes had nightmares.

Dreams of her big brother disappearing again.

Woojin stroked Bomi’s head and said,

“Then I’ll stick to you like an Earthbound Spirit.”

Bomi laughed in disbelief.

* * *

The next day.

2 PM.

Woojin was sitting in the back seat of the car driven by Kim Taehyun.

Along with Investigator Kim Cheolung in the passenger seat.

The Investigator asked,

“You think there are two criminals, not just one?”

Kim Taehyun grinned and answered for Woojin.

“If Woojin says so, then it is so. Hahahaha!”

The Investigator looked displeased.

Even if he had solved a cold case in one go, he thought it was wrong to believe him unconditionally like this.

He believed they should look at the bigger picture instead of making assumptions.

Because if their thinking became narrow, they would miss a lot.

The Investigator asked again,

“Why do you think there are two people?”

This time, Woojin answered.

“There’s almost no blood or signs of struggle in the vehicle. That means one person was driving and another person was subduing.”

That makes sense.

Conversely, a large quantity of the victim’s hair was found in the driver’s seat. DNA presumed to be the criminal’s was also found. It’s highly likely that one person restrained the victim in the driver’s seat, moved them to the back seat, and then blackmailed them with a knife.

A scene flashed through Woojin’s mind.

*

Click. Click. Click.

The victim walked to a secluded area, her high heels clicking.

That’s where she had parked her car.

Thump.

The female President opened the car door and sat directly in the driver’s seat.

Just then.

Someone shoved her in.

Bang!

The car door slammed shut, and the car itself swayed.

*

Woojin continued speaking.

This wasn’t a simple robbery-murder; it was a meticulously planned crime. It must be an acquaintance criminal. They knew when the bar closed and the victim’s route home from work. They probably scouted the murder location multiple times, which is why the scene was so clean. The chances of making a mistake in a familiar place are low.

The Investigator looked at the Deputy Manager.

It seemed plausible, but it was solely his own opinion.

At the time, the police had tried to solve the case using DNA as a clue, and Shin Woojin seemed to be heavily relying on imagination.

The Investigator asked again.

Why did you point to Baek Gitae? Just because he had a robbery record that other suspects didn’t?

Baek Gitae had been a suspect at the time, but he was released after only a witness interview because his DNA didn’t match.

Yes. His business card was also found at the bar.

So there are two criminals, and one of them is Baek Gitae? And the DNA presumed to be the criminal’s belongs to his accomplice?

Yes. The reason Baek Gitae’s DNA wasn’t found is because he only held the weapon and blackmailed from the back seat. The criminal who initially directly restrained the victim was directly involved with the victim and left DNA.

The Investigator slowly nodded his head.

It seemed to make sense, but it also felt like he was really letting his imagination run wild.

However, it sounded clear as day to Kim Taehyun, who was driving.

“Woojin seems to be getting simpler and simpler. Is it like he’s upgrading? As expected of my younger brother! Isn’t it cheating to be so handsome too?”

Woojin replied calmly.

“The case is just simple.”

The Investigator let out an incredulous laugh.

A simple case?

Was he saying that the personnel mobilized at the time were all useless scarecrows and couldn’t catch him?

Woojin hadn’t meant it that way, but it sounded different to the Investigator.

It was a path of righteousness that brought a slight sense of displeasure.

‘Alright, let’s see.’

To see how he would deduce it.

If he made some ridiculous argument, he would be truly, deeply disappointed.

It felt like they had driven for an hour.

Kim Taehyun got out of the car and headed towards the visible villa. At that moment, Kim Taehyun’s eyes widened slightly.

Because the face of the person walking towards them, carrying soju in a plastic bag, was familiar.

Kim Taehyun approached without hesitation.

“Mr. Baek Gitae?”

He looked Kim Taehyun up and down and replied.

“Yes. Who are you? Are you the police?”

It was indeed Baek Gitae, 52 years old, with a buzz cut.

“Yes. Can I speak with you for a moment?”

His brows furrowed.

“I saw the Room Song yesterday. How long are you going to keep bothering me?”

“Oh, you saw it?”

“Yes! It’s my favorite program, so I always watch it.”

Kim Taehyun looked around and said,

“You even became a Director because of that incident, so do we really need to talk loudly here? There are people watching, it’ll only take a moment. You just need to give a few words as a witness, like before.”

“Ha~.”

He sighed and seemed to be contemplating, then followed Kim Taehyun to the car.

Kim Taehyun immediately opened the passenger door, and he got in.

“Hello.”

Woojin, who was sitting in the driver’s seat, greeted him, and Kim Taehyun, who was outside, put a cigarette in his mouth.

And an Investigator was sitting in the back seat.

Baek Gitae looked at the incredibly young-looking Woojin with distrust and said,

“What else are you curious about?”

“Oh, the person in the back is an Investigator from the Central District Prosecutors’ Office.”

“So what?”

Woojin’s eyes deepened.

His pupils dilated, and he showed a freezing reaction, fixing his body deeply into the chair.

“I thought I should introduce you to Candlemyeon first. Could I hear again what you stated to the Police at the time?”

“Haa, I sang at the Karaoke Room and then went home. Is that enough?”

“That’s strange. According to your statement 15 years ago, you said you left the Karaoke Room, stopped at a supermarket, and bought alcohol.”

Suddenly, his eyes shifted upwards to the right.

It was just a fleeting moment.

“Yes! That’s right! It was 15 years ago, how could I remember every single detail clearly?”

“I asked you to tell me about the past, but you’re imagining things.”

“Honestly, what are you talking about?”

The Investigator, who was watching from the back seat, crossed his arms.

Because it didn’t look like a deduction at all.

However, Woojin’s next words sounded even more absurd.

“The unsolved case from 15 years ago. The police weren’t idle during that time. They spent 15 years trying to find the criminal. And today, we have a result. The accomplice has likely returned to the country, but where are they now?”