Chapter 38: Think about what this is
"The investigation will be much easier now that Kay was caught."
"Isn't this all thanks to you, Doctor Im? How did you convince the DIU's Team One to cooperate with the investigation…."
Team Leader Woo-jin was genuinely admiring this.
"Is there anything that Kay said due to the statement?"
"Doctor Im, you seem to be impatient. It's just been an hour since we brought the man here. We are now getting a statement in response to the arrest."
"… right. I guess it's because I've wanted to finish this case for a long time."
"I understand. Come on, everyone on our team performed an excellent job. Once you take Kay's statement, we can put an end to Kim Dohwa's injustice and Lee Wanjae's confession, allowing the dating violence to be dealt with. This is my lawful right! I'm going to enjoy pork with soju today!"
Detective Kang Woo-cheol, who heard this, said, "Ah, team leader. Is that all? If possible, Korean beef—"
"Do you want to drink soju at the restaurant in front of the station? Would you like some hangover soup too?"
"Ah, I was wrong! Let's just go with pork belly."
Amid everyone's excitement, Hansol spoke.
"I will leave for today. After concentrating on this for a few days, I feel tired."
"Ah? Doctor Im, you should come with us. You are our team's best contributor."
"Right, if it wasn't for Mr. Hansol's work, there would have been no cooperation with the drug team, and the case would have delayed making Lee Wanjae benefit…."
Team Leader Woo-jin and Inspector Jung Yu-mi expressed their disappointment. However, Hansol really wanted to rest at home.
Although the case had been delayed due to Kay's capture, and it now seemed to be coming to a close since they've already captured him, it was not completely closed. It was too early to rejoice since the name of the individual who attempted to murder Kim Dohwa had yet to be revealed.
Knowing that his father, Im Jaemin, was at the center of this case, he needed to track out the criminal who would have also harmed the Kim sisters.
That was the task given to Hansol. The other team members didn't seem to be under that thought.
"No. I need to go. Everyone else, eat comfortably and rest."
The other team members seemed a bit upset by Hansol's words, but they didn't hold him back any longer.
"Then, let's meet tomorrow."
"Huh? Uh… go back safe, Dr. Im. You did great."
"Dr. Im, have a safe trip back."
On the way home from work, Hansol didn't go straight home. His steps headed towards where Professor Kim Hee-seob was.
Hansol arrived at the man's hospital and went to the treatment room. A nurse, who recognized him, said, "Uh… the professor is taking a break today."
"… break?"
"Yes. He said he was having a day off today because of a conference. I guess you didn't call him beforehand."
If there was a conference, Hansol would have known since he was also a member of the academy.
"Did you hear about where it is being held?"
"Ah, it is said that it was held today at Le Ver Hotel in Seoul! I guess Dr. Im didn't know?"
"Ah… yes. I must have forgotten it. Thank you."
Hansol walked out the door and asked another doctor about today's conference. The physician responded that it wasn't scheduled for today and added that there were another 6 months till the conference.
Hansol decided to head to the Le Ver Hotel. It seemed like he was onto something.
Hansol parked his car near La Ver Hotel on the border between Seoul and Seongnam.
For some reason, it felt like he could come across something for this.
'Professor was probably meeting someone with the conference as an excuse….'
His father's face came to mind shouting 'education' with the stick hitting his tender skin. And it was confirmed that Professor Kim hee-seob was siding with this man.
There is a high chance that the person Professor Kim Hee-seob was meeting was his father.
But he didn't do much, so he had to wait and see.
'Professor Kim Hee-seob's car…. No, even if there is only one car, it is necessary to consider him having several cars. Father must have taken a taxi here. My father doesn't own a car. Since the connection with the professor cannot be revealed, they are likely to move separately. Like someone shouldn't know….'
Hansol, who guessed so far, parked the car elsewhere and took a taxi.
"Come on. Where should I take you?"
At the taxi driver's words, Hansol informed him that all he had to do was wait in front of the La Ver Hotel.
The taxi driver seemed to have misunderstood that.
"… Oh my. This place is famous for having couples in an affair… They aren't young, and despite meeting nice wives—"
Hansol decided to act along with it.
"Phew… right. I must catch the two of them raising a car together, so please turn off the car lights."
"Okay! I will go ahead."
The taxi driver came out, cooperating with him.
"But… I will be paid for waiting here, right?"
"Yes. I will give you everything."
The taxi driver, who seemed worried, was now happy. Hansol didn't even think much about it.
How long was he waiting?
Hansol focused when a car came. It caught Hansol's attention as it was familiar to him.
Kim Hee-seob was in the vehicle's driver's seat, which came in smoothly.
'… good timing. One person confirmed.'
"Is it that car?"
"… the car is right, but the person I am looking for isn't in the seat. I think we will have to wait longer."
"… ah. Right."
Hansol looked at the hotel, hoping the driver would not speak to him again. And a few minutes later, a taxi came in.
Hansol looked at the back seat of the taxi.
And in that place… was his father.
"…!"
Fortunately, Im Jaemin didn't seem to have found Hansol.
Hansol, who was worried about being caught in the chase, asked the taxi driver to be careful.
"I am a professional at this. It isn't like I have followed through on things like cheating once or twice. But who is the man in that car?"
"…. Is having an affair with my mother."
Hansol lied. He was annoyed with this driver's words and thought that this would make him go silent.
The taxi driver looked at Hansol's expression in the rearview mirror and didn't speak anymore.
And the taxi driver of his father suddenly made a U-turn and moved.
'Did he notice?'
"I think that the taxi noticed us? Seeing how they came back all of a sudden."
"Still, please follow it till the end. Our family business is at stake."
The taxi driver started to drive rough and said he was the most reckless driver when he was young.
As Hansol's taxi was moving rashly, the speed of Im's taxi increased.
It was openly trying to get away.
Hansol glided behind the passenger seat so his face couldn't be looked at.
"If the taxi in the front stops, please tell me. I will get off and pay."
"That taxi driver is pretty good at driving. He seems to be better at turning curves."
The taxi driver seemed to have finally started to concentrate, so he stayed silent as he drove.
Hansol watched the taxi from the back seat.
And he saw Im Jaemin looking back. Perhaps, Hansol couldn't be seen from that angle.
Maybe Im Jaemin had thought that the police were onto him, which was advantageous for Hansol, who didn't want to show his face.
"Uh-Uh? That car there!"
Hansol looked.
Even though it was a stop sign, the taxi of Im Jaemin ignored it and kept going. The taxi of Hansol came to a halt.
"…Ah! We could have caught it!"
The taxi driver spoke, feeling bad.
"Young man, I am sorry. I should have kept going… I couldn't just… I missed them."
"No, it's alright. Please head back to the La Ver Hotel."
Hansol paid the taxi fare and got off at the hotel.
"….!"
"So it was you, my son."
Im Jaemin was standing in front of Hansol's car.
This was unexpected.
"How did you guess my car is here?"
"Ah, I just knew."
"How? Obviously, there was nothing to deduce that."
At that, Im Jaemin laughed.
"How did I know? Hee-seob's nurse called me and told me."
"…!"
This was an unexpected one. For the nurse of Professor Kim Hee-seob to talk about Hansol…
"… I see. I overlooked something."
"Did you not guess that the people around Hee-seob would also be in this picture? My son, you are more stupid than I thought."
"… I have one question."
"I can't wait to guess what you ask, but should I answer you? I didn't raise you to be stupid. You made it this far, so now you have to draw the rest of the image on your own. How could I draw this picture?"
"… I don't have the authority to arrest you, so I am going to ask, but you don't seem to want to answer me."
"Well, it was a good decision to follow Hee-seob today. Let me concede to that guess. Still, I know one thing for you. Now, you know not to visit him."
"Yes."
Hansol felt anger rise within him. He wanted to ensure that the existence in front of him was caught with evidence in his hands and conducted the investigation, putting him behind bars.
Yet, at the same time, he was getting swayed by emotions.
It was because he thought that this hatred was directed at fellow people.
'neither me nor my father….'
In the end, both of them have an antisocial personality disorder. One was overly clever with committing murders, and one was working hard as a profiler to suppress his desire to kill while watching the killers.
That was the only difference.
'… so I have to prove that I am more different from my father.'
Im Jaemin stared at Hansol and said, "Still, seeing that you have followed me this far is nice, so I should give you a prize. Now you must be confused as to whether the case of the Kim sisters and Kim Dohwa are connected… Kay was caught, right? So, are you wondering where they are connected?"
"We know the connection very well because of the Bad Boy in the body. You don't have to tell."
"Right. You did good chasing after Kay. You even threatened the team leader of DIU's Team One."
'… he knows what is happening inside. Neither the Police nor the Prosecution can be trusted. To read the whole picture, I need to be alone with someone I can trust. But… is there someone I can trust?'
"I will give you a hint."
Im Jaemin opened his mouth with a crude smile.
"Choi Jinwoo."
"…?"
"Think about this. Let's meet again."
Im Jaemin walks away.
Choi Jinwoo is probably the name of the culprit in the Kim Sisters and Kim Dohwa case.
'Father, I will let you go for now, but as the situation unfolds, I will get the clues and catch you with my hands one day.'