Who threatened Cheonma Hara with a knife - Chapter 110



Only Krnovel

◈Episode 110◈

Back to basics

Shin Dae-seong asked detective Seo Min-ju.

“On what basis did you conclude that suspect number 2 was the culprit?”

“It wasn’t my decision.”

“then?”

“Team Leader Choi chose number 2 first. He quickly told me to tell him who the culprit was.”

“While in prison?”

“Everyone is eligible to participate, except for the three people who know the culprit. I met them at a restaurant. They were in charge of serving food.”

Shin Dae-seong nodded and said.

“Okay······ But you don’t know why it’s number 2?”

“I didn’t have time to hear an explanation until then. It’s likely that the information was obtained inside the prison.”

“Team Leader Choi, you have to be lenient because of the circumstances. Tell him that it has been received safely and that you will give it some weight.”

“Is Team Leader Choi naturally first?”

“No, it’s the second.”

Detective Seo Min-ju asked back with a surprised expression.

“Who was the first to decide?”

“Detective Bang Jin-woo.”

“Ah~.”

Detective Seo Min-ju’s short exclamation contained several meanings.

It was a feeling of acceptance that it would be like this and a sense of relief that I didn’t have to worry about the competition.

“Detective Seo hasn’t decided yet?”

“There are still hints left, is there something urgent? By the way, what has been decided as to the second hint?”

Kim Han-gyeol was silent for a moment and then opened his mouth.

“I’ll do it with my cellmate’s chance.”

“What is that?”

“We call in the suspect’s cellmate and question him.”

“It seems okay. Did you just hear about Team Leader Choi’s situation and just come up with this idea in a hurry?”

“How did you know!”

Seo Min-ju turned around with a strange smile.

“I’m going to leave work. I have to prepare a special meal for tomorrow.”

“Yeah, thank you for your hard work.”

The prison’s special meals were taken care of by detective Seo Min-ju, who had a taste for Jang Geum.

As she left, Kim Han-gyeol said to Shin Dae-seong.

“The list of potential suspects keeps growing. From 4 to 3, and now 2 is also coming to mind.”

“I don’t know what’s wrong either. I can’t tell if the seven suspects are lying or telling the truth.”

“But I definitely feel like there’s a culprit. Aren’t you just seeing the forest for the trees?”

“At times like this, I think I need to go back to the beginning.”

“What kind of beginner’s mind is this?”

“Thank goodness we’re in prison.”

“?”

Kim Han-gyeol had no idea what Shin Dae-seong was talking about.

* * *

Bedtime for the prisoners.

Punishment cell at Cheongsong Special Prison.

Shin Dae-seong and Kim Han-gyeol were sitting side by side in a narrow space with a wall between them.

Shin Dae-seong, lying down with his hands as a pillow, had a relaxed expression, while Kim Han-gyeol, crouching with his back to the wall, looked quite anxious.

“Detective Shin······ Was it really necessary to come all the way here for the sake of beginners?”

“That’s why I said I’d be alone. Why did Detective Kim come with me?”

“I thought you were joking. If I stay here for even just one day, I’ll go crazy.”

“I like it when my head cools down.”

“Oh, you have a strange personality. But why did you suddenly develop a problem in your ability to distinguish lies?”

“I don’t know. I’m human too, so I can’t be perfect······.”

“No! Detective Shin must be perfect at all costs.”

“Detective Kim admires me so much, I can’t help it. I have to quickly return in perfect form and catch the culprit.”

Kim Han-gyeol continued the conversation as if trying to forget his anxiety.

“How long have you been locked up in a place like this, Detective Shin?”

“At first, it was almost every day. I spent the least amount of time in the cell. I was either in the punishment cell or in the hospital because I was injured.”

“You didn’t give in until the end?”

“I acted on instinct to survive. The moment I gave in, I became no better than a slave.”

“Was being a detective a big problem?”

“I can’t say no. I’ve put too many violent criminals in prison.”

“If you stay in prison, there must have been people who came in even though they were really innocent. Like Detective Shin.”

Shin Dae-seong answered while looking at the ceiling.

“Of course it was.”

“Which one of them do you remember the most?”

“The one I remember the most······.”

Even though Kim Han-gyeol waited for a long time, Shin Dae-seong did not continue speaking.

“Detective Shin?”

“Uh, sorry······.”

“Surely not, it wasn’t something like a cockroach!”

“Don’t worry, there’s nothing like that. I suddenly remembered someone.”

“Who are you?”

“It was a guy named Lim Hyeong-sik. He was brought in for rape and murder, but it was hard to tell whether that was true or a lie.”

“I really hate sexual assault cases the most. The victim is pitiful, the perpetrator has no money so he should just eat his fill, and the mother of the perpetrator is begging for forgiveness, but it’s really······.”

Shin Dae-seong suddenly sat up.

“Yeah, it felt similar back then to this time.”

“What is it?”

“The truth and lies were not clearly distinguished. He said he didn’t kill the victim, but it felt like a lie. Many pieces of evidence also pointed to Lim Hyeong-sik as the culprit.”

“Does that guy look like the culprit?”

“Then when he said he killed the victim, there should have been a reaction that it was true, right? But I felt like it was a lie. There was a continuous reaction that it was a lie in relation to the incident.”

Kim Han-gyeol spoke, leaning against the wall.

“Detective Shin?”

“why?”

“It doesn’t seem like we’re looking for our original intentions here. I guess the inmate named Lim Hyeong-sik is still here?”

“Because I was sentenced to life imprisonment······.”

“How about meeting him tomorrow morning? Just ask him honestly. You strangely can’t tell the difference between truth and lies. What is the real truth?”

“Will he teach me obediently?”

“Are we like enemies who can’t stand each other and are desperate to get along?”

Shin Dae-seong also answered while looking at the wall.

“No, I don’t have anyone I’m particularly close with in prison. By that standard, just a regular cellmate?”

“Then I don’t think there’s any reason not to teach you. Of course, I think a little kindness is necessary. What does Lim Hyeong-sik like as a snack?”

“I don’t know······.”

“Okay, I’ll ask the guard in charge of Im Hyeong-sik’s cell. Detective Shin is also getting a second hint.”

* * *

The next morning.

The prison warden’s office borrowed by Kim Han-gyeol and Shin Dae-seong.

-dripping.

The guards brought Lim Hyeong-sik in.

Lim Hyeong-sik greeted Shin Dae-sung with an awkward expression.

“Oh, hello······.”

“It’s been a while. Sit over here.”

He sat on the sofa recommended by Shin Dae-seong like a private.

“Sit comfortably?”

“No······ This is comfortable for me.”

Lim Hyeong-sik seemed wary of Shin Dae-seong.

Kim Han-gyeol then said while placing food on the table.

“Would you like some of this? It’s a famous chicken that’s all the rage these days. Detective Shin bought it for me.”

Lim Hyeong-sik’s reaction was that he had not expected it at all.

“Detective Shin, why are you giving me this… Is this perhaps the last meal given to a death row inmate?”

“No, we were cellmates. Even though we weren’t close, I think I could give you this much. Besides, you’re a life sentence, not a death row inmate.”

“Did you really buy it for me? I thought Detective Shin hated me.”

“Why did you think I hated you?”

“Aren’t I a rapist and murderer… No matter which cell I was in, no one looked favorably on me.”

“I never looked down on anyone in particular. I just wasn’t interested in them in general.”

“Oh, I see······ Then, seeing Detective Shin’s sincerity, I will enjoy it!”

-Hurry up.

Lim Hyung-sik ate chicken at the speed of light.

Kim Han-gyeol was surprised and quickly poured himself some cider.

“Please drink this while you eat it.”

-sudden!

Lim Hyung-sik drank the cider from the paper cup in one shot. He then ate the chicken with both hands again.

Shin Dae-seong said to Kim Han-gyeol.

“Detective Kim, order one more.”

“All right!”

Only then did Lim Hyung-sik’s chicken eating speed return to normal.

Shin Dae-seong asked while pouring cider.

“Does it taste okay?”

“This is incredible.”

“There’s something I’ve been curious about for a while······.”

“Just say whatever you want.”

“There’s something you sometimes say to your cellmates.”

Lim Hyeong-sik stopped eating and asked a question.

“What did I say?”

“You said you were dating the suspect and that you didn’t stab him to death.”

“Hahaha, did you believe that? Most people would tell you to lie to some extent. Why would such a pretty and smart college girl date a guy like me?”

“No, I didn’t believe it either······but I didn’t laugh at it at all.”

“Really?”

“All the others were just lying. But I couldn’t be sure if what you said was true or a lie.”

“Then······.”

Lim Hyeong-sik asked very carefully.

“What would you have done if you had known then that what I was saying was true?”

“What an unlucky guy, you must have thought to yourself.”

“And so?”

“Was there more I could have done? My nose was three inches long, so I didn’t have the luxury of caring about other people’s grievances.”

“You would say nice things even if it was just empty words, but you are being honest and straightforward.”

“What can I do, it’s my personality. Now tell me the truth. Are you the one who killed the victim?”

Lim Hyeong-sik answered right away.

“Yes, I killed the victim. I truly committed a mortal sin.”

Kim Han-gyeol whispered to Shin Dae-seong.

‘How is it? Can’t you tell the difference yet?’

‘Yeah······ Nothing has changed yet.’

Kim Han-gyeol asked Lim Hyeong-sik about the opposite case.

“You didn’t kill the victim. You have to answer ‘yes’ unconditionally. Then I’ll buy you chicken tomorrow too.”

“Yes, of course! I did not kill the victim.”

Shin Dae-seong tilted his head as if he still couldn’t tell the difference.

Kim Han-gyeol asked Lim Hyeong-sik.

“Are you good at lying?”

“No, if I had lied well, I wouldn’t have been arrested.”

“Then tell me the truth, did you kill the victim or not?”

“I······ did not kill.”

“But why are you so quiet? Shouldn’t you be making a fuss about this injustice? If it were me, I would have been so angry that I would have harmed myself. But even after you were arrested by the police, you were very quiet. You didn’t actively claim your innocence at trial either. What’s the reason?”

Lim Hyeong-sik said with a strange smile.

“I don’t think it’ll work with just bare hands······.”

“What do you want? Do you want a retrial?”

“I don’t expect that much. Just let me have chicken once a year.”

“That’s fine. Just tell me the truth.”

Lim Hyeong-sik nodded and opened his mouth.

“I didn’t kill Hye-mi. I wanted her parents to do the same. They needed someone to blame, and that person had to be me. No one else.”

“Wait a minute… Are you saying that you decided to become a criminal for the sake of the victim’s parents?”

“I had complicated feelings in many ways. I was so sad that Hye-mi died, and I was also very hopeless······ Somehow, I ended up like this.”

Kim Han-gyeol looked like he didn’t understand.

“I don’t understand what’s going on. Is that a reason to admit to rape and murder?”

But Shin Dae-seong’s reaction is that he realized something.

“It’s true.”

“Detective Shin! Have you finally regained your powers?”

“Yeah, I figured out what I was missing.”