Episode 121
It is more beautiful to willingly endure pain while expecting it to hurt than to get hurt without knowing it hurts. At least that’s what Song In-myeong thought of as ‘sacrifice’.
And surprisingly, there were two such people here.
“….”
For the first time in a long time, Song In-myeong felt like he wanted to kill someone himself.
If only I could include that in my world.
* * *
“…You think someone killed him?”
Kim Yeon-woo struggled to keep his voice calm in response to Detective Hong Gyeong-jun’s words.
“Is there any possibility that it was a monster? Yes I saw it last time. The green algae monster also had arms and legs like humans…”
“On the floor there were only footprints of a child and a dog. “Perhaps it was the dog-like monster we encountered last time that killed the child, but it looked like it had intentionally erased its footprints.”
“There is absolutely no evidence that a person used a child as bait.”
“We also found traces of people there. “It looks like a blood stain from a finger.”
Kim Yeon-woo kept his mouth shut at the detective’s words.
I wanted to ask if it might have been buried for no reason since this is a world where incomprehensible phenomena occur, but they were police officers so it would be difficult to dismiss it as something so simple. No matter how unrealistic the world was, it was right to be as suspicious as possible of anything that could be suspected for the safety of citizens.
“You know… you can’t find the forensics team here. “The green algae monster you mentioned last time was said to be over 2m tall, so it would not have left a trace somewhere around 60 to 70m tall.”
“…To begin with, I couldn’t even tell my fingers apart. I only saw it briefly, so I’m not sure, but the monster’s hands were… covered in green algae. In fact, I don’t think it has the intelligence to erase its footprints.”
She also clearly captured the culprit at the murder scene that passed by briefly with her eyes. Kim Yeon-woo, who has good observation and memory, could not have easily forgotten the appearance of the green algae monster, and above all…
“….”
“Did you look into what I asked you to do?”
“Yes, I roughly narrowed it down to about 4 people.”
It seemed that among them was the culprit they were looking for.
Kim Yeon-woo does not have monstrous intuition like Hong Gyeong-jun, but he shows excellent observation skills. Because the scene was extremely dark and the criminal was wearing makeup, I couldn’t make out the details, but I remembered his physique and his movements.
After confirming once again that there was no one around, Kim Yeon-woo made a slightly frowning expression. Should I say embarrassed or tired? As an ordinary police officer, she was not yet immune to situations like this.
“The first one is Vivian, one of our college students. “The gait was heavier and less formal than I remember, but the overall physique and motion were similar.”
“next.”
“This is Song In-myeong, also a college student. Actually, the way they move doesn’t look very similar, but the atmosphere and physique are similar, so I was keeping an eye on them. Since he is a criminal who has not yet been caught, I thought he could at least change his behavior.”
“Good judgment. next?”
“This is Ha Seong-yoon, who you said was a doctor. Actually, I was considering this person because they had a similar physique, but seeing as he was a little taller than I remembered, I think it was highly unlikely. “Of course, I’m not sure.”
“I don’t think he is either.”
And once again, Detective Hong Gyeong-jun asked.
“next?”
“….”
Kim Yeon-woo, who rolled his eyes in embarrassment for a moment, continued.
“…This is Mr. Jeong In-ho. “The height, motion, and atmosphere are similar.”
“The difference is.”
“My physique appears to be thinner than I remember, but I was wearing loose-fitting clothes at the time. “I think I could have deceived that much with the clothes on.”
After saying that, Kim Yeon-woo unconsciously pressed the corners of his eyes with both hands. I tried to swallow the curse that was burning inside me, and at the same time, I sighed at the feeling of being dizzy.
Kim Yeon-woo is a police officer like Hong Gyeong-jun, but his texture is different from him. She wants to become a detective someday, so she is building her career, but unlike Hong Gyeong-jun, who is a real detective, all Kim Yeon-woo has done so far is subdue a drunkard or patrol the area. I have never been in charge of a murder case.
For her, the current situation felt quite burdensome.
‘They all didn’t look like they were going to kill anyone…’
Vivian was oblivious, but more than that, she was honest and naive. It was very nice to see Kim Yeon-woo immediately apologize and ask for forgiveness when he seemed to have hurt the other person with an insensitive look.
Song In-myeong was often blunt and sarcastic in everything he did, but he always led by example. It was Song In-myeong who took the lead in protecting the group every time a monster appeared, and he especially cared for his friends. Instead of those two, there were many injuries.
Maybe it was because Ha Seong-yoon was a doctor, but he was exceptionally considerate. I’ve never seen him angry, but it didn’t seem inhumane. Ha Seong-yoon was the one who paid the most attention to the survivors’ injuries, and he also nagged Jae-heon Lee whenever he got hurt. It looked quite friendly.
And In-ho Jeong.
“….”
He was struggling desperately to protect his people at all costs.
Kim Yeon-woo also knew because he wanted to protect someone. He was always worried that he would not be able to protect someone and that he would harm them.
The problem was that, by that measure, everyone was a good person.
“…is it really one of these? Even if you were truly dragged into this world, you could have been wandering alone somewhere in the park… or even passed out injured.”
“You’re not saying that he might be dead.”
“….”
“It’s okay. I think I like Yeonwoo’s kind heart. “I don’t think it’s bad as a police officer who protects the safety of citizens.”
Hong Gyeong-jun tapped his thighs with his fingers and stared into space. Perhaps he didn’t know he was doing such a thing and continued speaking casually.
“So, I will give the proper suspicion. The evidence I claim is also insufficient if you want to use it directly in reality. As Yeonwoo said, there may not be a culprit among these people.”
“….”
“But there were some traces that could be found on the body, such as finger-shaped blood stains left behind in footprints that were intentionally erased. “There is no harm in being mentally prepared.”
At the mention of finger-shaped blood stains, Kim Yeon-woo reflexively thought of people with blood on their hands, but had to stop immediately. Because of the circumstances, there were only a few people who didn’t have blood on their fingers. Especially adult men.
“Have you considered Seo Jang-hwa?”
“Ah… Definitely not Mr. Janghwa. He was tall, but he bore no resemblance to how I remembered him. “I thought it would have been especially difficult to hide that long hair.”
“That is also true. “That was a great decision.”
And then tuk. Detective Hong Gyeong-jun’s fingers stopped in place.
“Then how about me?”
“…yes?”
Kim Yeon-woo, who instinctively understood his words, could not prevent his expression from distorting.
“I’m sure I’m not the culprit, but I’m not Yeonwoo. “I don’t see much of a difference in physique.”
“….”
“If you want to protect it properly, it would be better to eliminate as much prejudice as possible.”
He added one word.
“Just because you’re a police officer doesn’t guarantee you won’t become a criminal.”
Kim Yeon-woo could not refute those words.
She knew that she was not yet skilled enough to become a detective. I became a police officer because I wanted to protect as many people as possible, but I was also foolish enough to not be able to easily respond to a drunkard who was making a fuss. In the end, hurting others actually hurt yourself.
However, a police officer or a detective should have been able to be suspicious without prejudice. Especially in today’s dangerous environment and relationship with the deceased, things beyond imagination can happen.
“…I will do that. “Thank you for the advice.”
“That’s all I have to be thankful for.”
“no.”
Nevertheless, Kim Yeon-woo would not collapse.
“I will try my best too.”
Kim Yeon-woo was stronger than expected to be broken or hurt just because he did something that went against his nature. She had the space and faith to overcome and develop.
Hong Gyeong-jun, who was quietly looking at Kim Yeon-woo, smiled slightly.
“…You’re awesome.”
“thank you.”
In her opinion, the cooler person was Detective Hong Gyeong-jun.
He left as if he had nothing more to say. Well, since you never know what kind of monster might come out of the darkness, it wouldn’t be a wise choice to stay away from your group no matter how well the light reaches.
Kim Yeon-woo, who was rubbing her face with both hands, was about to take a step when she too
blinked
at something that caught her eye.
She opened her eyes wide and muttered without realizing it.
“…just now…”
Was it a person?
“….”
I decided it wouldn’t be true.
That’s why I never felt anyone’s presence, and in the same vein, I didn’t even hear a sound. Most of the noises made throughout the park were insects or rustling animals.
Nevertheless, it felt like a pure white arm had appeared in my eyes.
“…It’s scary.”
She faced her fears and walked away.
After that, a vine with teeth passed by, but Kim Yeon-woo couldn’t notice it. It moved too quietly for that and the darkness was extremely thick.
When she finally came into the light, the vine had disappeared without a trace.
“Ah, Mr. Yeonwoo Kim.”
“Mr. Jeong In-ho…”
Just a moment ago, we talked about being suspicious of him, and even now, he is still subtly wary, but Kim Yeon-woo was not stupid enough to make a foolish mistake.
She blinked twice at the call to her and approached.
“Do you need help?”
“Help… can you please keep an eye on your manager?”
“Are you asking me to nurse you?”
“Just until I have a chat with the students.”
“Story…”
Kim Yeon-woo muttered softly and looked at the students following Jeong In-ho’s gaze. To be exact, they are high school siblings wearing school uniforms.
‘From what they say, they seem like pretty exemplary kids.’
In fact, Kim Yeon-woo thought that the siblings were quite delinquent.
Well, there was no high school nearby, and the time when this group and those kids met was when school was still in session. I thought that if he skipped school and came this far, he would hate rules.
But surprisingly, although the children were a little shy, they were friendly and listened to my requests well. Right now, I was thinking that maybe there was an unavoidable reason why I had to come out here.
“…Well, the students will still be anxious. Please comfort me well.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
She couldn’t even guess that the relationship between Jeong In-ho and the siblings was worse than she thought.
For Kim Yeon-woo to know what their relationship was like, it was because Jung In-ho was a common sense person who knew how to respect the other person sufficiently, and there was no significant change in his and his brother’s facial expressions. In fact, the students even seemed relieved as he approached.
Kim Yeon-woo, who was quietly watching the three of them talking, looked at Lee Jae-heon, who was asleep with one of his coats neatly folded and used as a pillow. Looking at the dark gray coat, it was probably Doctor Ha Seong-yoon’s consideration.
‘Well, if you’re hurt this much, you should treat me well.’
Even though they had only met for a short time, Kim Yeon-woo respected Lee Jae-heon.
She had a hard time seeing anyone sick or struggling. At least he didn’t look easy thanks to his sharp and cool-headed appearance, but his friends were always worried that he might get caught somewhere. Of course, Kim Yeon-woo is not the type of idiot who would get into trouble without knowing that he is making light of himself.
There was only so much she knew how to do. Even during my school days, I responded cowardly when someone was being bullied rather than actively trying to stop it. Like pretending not to notice and dragging the teacher along or putting a package of snacks in the victim’s bag. I always blamed myself for not sharing someone else’s pain.
However, Lee Jae-heon was a great adult, completely different from Kim Yeon-woo.
“…It must have hurt.”
Nevertheless, this person always worried about others first.
In fact, Kim Yeon-woo was still suspicious of Jeong In-ho and his group. Sometimes, the victim is pushed to the edge of a cliff without even realizing it. I couldn’t stop suspecting that the nature of giving oneself up so easily for someone else could have been taken advantage of.
Everyone always appears to be a good person in her eyes.
“….”
…I couldn’t help but doubt it every time.
The world won’t always be as beautiful as she hoped.
(Continued in the next part)
