Chapter 184
“Life and death aren’t determined by humans, are they? That woman just lived as long as she was meant to. Why blame someone else and make a fuss about it, huh? Such nonsense.”
Wow… What a truly insane bastard.
Even the detectives, disgusted, shook their heads as they looked at Seol Hee-nam.
Jeonghan, his expression unchanged, stared intently at Seol Hee-nam.
“So, did you kill my parents too? Since it wasn’t your fault either?”
Seol Hee-nam smirked arrogantly.
“If you had just listened to me in the first place and sold the new technology, Lee Cheol-eum would still be alive. And your mother? If she hadn’t come home at that exact moment, she would’ve survived too. But man, bad luck sure follows her. What can you do about that? Huh? Don’t you agree?”
The interrogation room fell silent, as if doused with cold water.
Even the detectives outside the room stared blankly through the glass, seemingly at a loss for words. The atmosphere was so chilling it felt as if they were in the presence of the devil himself.
“……”
Jeonghan, who had been silently glaring at Seol Hee-nam, turned his gaze toward the detectives.
“Detective Ma Taewoo has evidence he collected back then.”
After briefly glancing at Taewoo, Jeonghan addressed the detectives again.
“The statute of limitations is still in effect. Please investigate the attempted murder of Oh Kyung-hee along with the murders of Lee Cheol-eum and Han Eunju . Also, the murder of Kim Choong-seok.”
“Kim Choong-seok? Ha, now you’re just throwing out random names. Who’s that? I don’t even know….”
Seol Hee-nam shrugged as if amused by the absurdity of the situation. Just then, Taewoo grabbed him by the collar.
“Detective Ma?”
The other detectives, startled, turned to Taewoo. Jeonghan’s gaze also shifted to him.
Taewoo leaned in close to Seol Hee-nam’s face and spoke in a low, menacing voice.
“Do you know what Kim Choong-seok, someone you can’t even remember, meant to me?”
Still gripping Seol Hee-nam’s collar tightly, Taewoo glared at him, his teeth clenched as if barely restraining himself.
“He was the detective in charge of the Lee Cheol-eum and Han Eunju cases.
Unlike other detectives, Kim Choong-seok didn’t give up on the possibility of murder. He kept investigating alone. And then, suddenly, he died in a car accident.”
Seol Hee-nam frowned.
“A detective…?”
“What you didn’t know was that, at the time, I was following behind his car. Kim Choong-seok had told me he thought someone was tailing him.”
“…!”
Seol Hee-nam’s expression shifted as if something had clicked in his mind.
Taewoo glared at him as though ready to tear him apart and growled.
“I saw it with my own eyes. A truck that didn’t slow down rammed into Kim Choong-seok’s car and crushed it.”
Crash!
‘Detective Kim…!’
Taewoo had hurriedly stopped his car and rushed to him, but by then, Kim Choong-seok had already drawn his last breath. His hand was still in the inside pocket of his jacket, as if he had been desperately trying to retrieve something before, he died.
In his grasp was a notebook from the pocket, filled with details about his investigation into Seol Hee-nam.
There were even notes that seemed to anticipate such an event, with instructions for Taewoo to handle things in his stead.
But before the investigation could even begin, Seol Hee-nam had used his connections at Samhwa, the company that had sold out the technology, to shut it all down. Lee Cheol-eum’s death was ruled an accident, and Han Eunju’s was deemed a suicide.
Taewoo, who had insisted on further investigation, was reassigned to a remote region, far from any chance of promotion. It was Samhwa’s influence at play.
“Because of you… because of you, Detective Kim….”
Taewoo’s eyes reddened, his teeth clenched tightly.
Kim Choong-seok had been like an older brother to him—a man who, during Taewoo’s penniless days, had even dipped into his savings to help Taewoo get married, a true family-like figure.
Seol Hee-nam, who had been frowning in irritation, finally snapped.
“So, what do you want me to do about it? Do you want me to bring him back to life now or something? What do you expect me to do?!”
“…What?”
Taewoo’s eyes, bloodshot with rage, signaled the end of his patience.
“You bastard…!”
“Detective Ma!”
Jeonghan stopped Taewoo’s raised fist.
Gripping Taewoo’s trembling arm, which was still clutching Seol Hee-nam by the collar, Jeonghan firmly intervened.
He spoke quietly as he looked at Taewoo.
“Let it go.”
“…Tch.”
Smack!
Grinding his teeth, Taewoo released Seol Hee-nam. Then, turning to the wall, he hid his face, unwilling to show his tears.
Jeonghan briefly glanced at Taewoo, who was quickly wiping his tears with the back of his hand, before shifting his gaze to Seol Hee-nam.
Jeonghan stepped closer to Seol Hee-nam.
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