Chapter 103
I followed the two detectives toward the police car parked nearby.
One of them opened the rear door for me.
"Please."
I nodded and climbed inside.
A few moments later, the car pulled away from the apartment building.
For a while, nobody spoke.
The only sounds inside the vehicle were the low hum of the engine and the occasional radio chatter coming from the front.
Honestly, I couldn't help feeling nervous.
Attorney Park's death wasn't something I could easily ignore, especially after what he did for me.
"There's no need to be too nervous, Mr. Kim."
I looked up.
Detective Choi offered me a reassuring smile, probably noticing my expression through the rearview mirror.
"We're simply trying to gather every piece of information we can. You're not in any trouble, so please don't worry."
I returned a small smile.
***
About thirty minutes later, we arrived at the police station.
The car slowly pulled into the parking area at the front of the building before coming to a smooth stop.
Detective Choi stepped out first, followed by Detective Yoon, who politely opened the rear door for me.
"This way, please."
I nodded and quietly followed them inside.
Even though it was already late at night, the police station was still brightly lit.
The entire place felt tense.
It was obvious everyone was still working on something important.
Detective Choi led me through several corridors before stopping in front of a small interview room.
He opened the door and gestured inside.
"Please, Mr. Kim."
I stepped into the room.
It wasn't as intimidating as I had imagined.
Just a simple table with several chairs.
Detective Choi walked in after me while Detective Yoon remained outside, gently closing the door behind us.
"Please have a seat."
"Thank you."
I sat down across from him.
"Would you like something to drink, Mr. Kim? Water? Coffee?"
"N–No, thank you. I'm fine."
"Alright."
He nodded before sitting opposite me.
For a brief moment, he arranged several documents neatly on the table.
Then he looked up at me again.
"So, once again, we'd like to apologize for disturbing your evening, Mr. Kim. I'm sure this came as quite a shock to you."
I immediately shook my head.
"No problem at all, Detective. I really don't mind. If there's anything I can help you with, I'm more than willing to give my full cooperation."
A relieved smile appeared on Detective Choi's face.
"Thank you, Mr. Kim. To be honest, this case has gotten a lot more complicated than we initially expected. It turns out the victim was a very influential person with close ties to several influential figures in Switzerland, which has led the Swiss authorities to become directly involved in the investigation. So, I hope you understand that we're under a lot of pressure right now."
Attorney Park was that important?
"I understand. But… I thought the police had already arrested the suspect? I saw it on the news this morning?"
"We did."
Detective Choi nodded before letting out a quiet sigh.
"But to be honest… we aren't convinced he's the real killer."
"What do you mean?"
"The strongest evidence we currently have is CCTV footage showing him holding the murder weapon at the crime scene. But… the footage was recorded after the victim had already died. There isn't a single recording that actually shows him committing the murder. And there were no witnesses to assist the investigation either, since no one passed through the area that night."
I remained silent.
"And several CCTV systems that covered the surrounding area, footage that could've confirmed exactly what happened, had been deliberately deleted."
He folded his hands together.
"And not simply erased. They were selectively removed. Only very specific time frames disappeared, while everything before and after those periods remained perfectly intact."
"Whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing. They left just enough evidence to make our current suspect appear guilty. But the suspect himself refuses to tell us whether someone instructed him to do it. He continues insisting that he acted alone."
Detective Choi slowly shook his head.
"Think about it, Mr. Kim."
"You go through all the trouble of deleting surveillance footage, covering your tracks so meticulously… only to voluntarily surrender afterward?"
He let out a quiet, bitter chuckle.
"It almost feels like the real culprit is mocking us."
His fingers gently tapped the documents lying on the table.
"And speaking of CCTV… that is actually how we found you, Mr. Kim."
I gave a slight nod.
"Since the investigation reached a dead end, we shifted our focus to reconstructing the victim's movements during the twenty-four hours before his death."
He slid another document toward me.
"I assure you, it wasn't easy. Whoever tampered with the crime scene also interfered with CCTV footage from several other locations. Our forensics team spent countless hours recovering the damaged files. Eventually, they managed to reconstruct most of the victim's route."
He looked directly into my eyes.
"And according to that…"
"The last confirmed place the victim visited before heading toward the location where he was later killed…"
He gently tapped the photograph lying on the table.
"…was your apartment building."
My heart skipped a beat.
Detective Choi immediately raised a hand.
"Now, please don't misunderstand. We're not suggesting you're involved. In fact, obtaining footage from your apartment building turned out to be one of the most difficult parts of our investigation."
He sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"Can you imagine that? Even after hours of recovery work, our team managed to restore only a few fragmented seconds of footage. Seriously, this culprit is really something else."
"The recording shows the victim arriving at your apartment building, and it briefly captures the two of you speaking outside the building before the footage cuts off."
Silence filled the room once again.
Detective Choi maintained the same calm expression.
"So, Mr. Kim… before we get into that conversation…"
"May I ask… what kind of relationship you had with Mr. Park?"
Shit.
Why didn't I think about this before I agreed to follow them?
What am I supposed to say? I can't exactly tell him he's my lawyer, can I? And if he asks what kind of case he was handling…
There's no way I can tell him he was handling my divorce.
I would basically be exposing myself at that point.
I need to stay calm.
I clear my throat before forcing out an answer.
"He's…"
I hesitated for a brief second.
"…an acquaintance."
Seriously… just when I said I was about to help the police, the first thing I did was lie to them.
"Oh… really, Mr. Kim?"
"Yes! An acquaintance!"
"You must have quite an extraordinary background, Mr. Kim, to know someone like that. But how did you meet him? And when?"
Damn it! How am I supposed to answer this? Ugh… I can't act nervous here. If I suddenly start acting suspicious, he'll definitely think I'm hiding something.
"I met him a few days ago, and as for how I met him… w-well… I don't have an extraordinary background…"
I awkwardly scratched my cheek.
"You see… as you already know, I work for a large company, right? So naturally, I get to meet all kinds of people. Something like that."
"I see."
He didn't look convince.
"You must be quite good at winning over your clients, Mr. Kim."
"Hm?"
"I mean, for you to become friends with someone like Mr. Park, and for him to personally come to your apartment just to have a conversation with you. It's really incredible."
"Y—Yeah… I guess… you could say that?"
Detective Choi remained silent for a moment.
"But why did my cousin say she didn't know Mr. Park at all? In fact, she also said that Nara Group had never had any business dealings with him and had never been associated with him in any business whatsoever."
I froze.
"Y—Your cousin?"
"Yeah."
Detective Choi reached into his pocket before pulling out his phone.
He unlocked the screen and turned it toward me.
"This… she's my cousin."
My eyes widened.
"J—JIYOO NOONA!?"
I couldn't stop myself from blurting it out.
I stared at the screen in complete disbelief.
"You're her cousin!?"
I'm doomed. Was he the cousin she mentioned during lunch earlier?
Detective Choi simply smiled as he watched my reaction.
"So you do know her. Yeah, I'm her cousin. I actually met her before coming to your apartment because I wanted to ask her about this and get a clearer picture of the relationship between your company and him. But don't worry. She doesn't know you personally knew the victim and I never mentioned your name either."
So that explained why Jiyoo noona wasn't at the office earlier. She went to meet him?
"I'm sorry, Mr. Kim. Like I said, I know you're not involved. But I do find it difficult to understand why you felt the need to lie."
"So, Mr. Kim… may I ask you once again? What kind of business did you have with Mr. Park?"
I'm screwed.
I'm so screwed.
"H-He…"
I started to lose my composure.
This detective… He wasn't someone who would simply accept whatever answer I gave him.
"He's my…"
What kind of excuse should I give!?
"He's my…"
"Your…?"
*BANG!*
The room door was suddenly thrown open with such force that made both Detective Choi and I instinctively turned toward it.
"Stop whatever you're doing right now."
A sharp, commanding voice immediately cut through the room as a familiar figure strode inside.
My eyes widened.
"Harin!?"
Right behind her came Detective Yoon, followed by two uniformed police officers. Judging by the awkward expressions on their faces, they had clearly tried to stop her but failed.
The atmosphere inside the room instantly became tense.
She didn't even spare Detective Choi a glance and just walked straight at me.
For some reason…
She looked genuinely furious.
Detective Choi immediately stood up.
"What the hell is going on?"
His eyes shifted toward Detective Yoon and the officers behind him.
"What happened? Why did you let her in? Who is she?"
Detective Yoon looked slightly awkward.
"S-Sunbae-nim… actually, she—"
"Who am I?"
Harin cut him off before he could finish and came to stand right beside me. I was still completely confused about what was happening.
"The more important question is… who are you? Who gave you the authority to bring my little bro—… I mean, my associate here without informing either his employer or me?"
The room instantly fell silent.
Detective Choi narrowed his eyes slightly.
"So you're from Nara Group? But this case has nothing to do with your company. The victim had no business relationship with Nara Group. And Mr. Kim is only here to answer a few questions. We didn't bring him in because we suspect him of anything."
"That changes nothing."
Harin didn't back down.
"This person here is an employee of Nara Group. The moment your investigation involves one of our employees, even as a witness, our legal department has every right to be present."
She took another step forward.
"If your department had simply informed us beforehand, I would have accompanied him here immediately."
Detective Choi frowned.
"And why exactly would he need legal counsel present just to answer a few questions?"
Harin let out a cold laugh.
"Detective… don't embarrass yourself by asking questions you already know the answer to."
I quickly stood up.
"Harin… is there really a need to speak to him like that? Shouldn't you at least show him some respect? He's older than you—"
The words caught in my throat because Harin was already looking down at me coldly the moment I opened my mouth, as if silently warning me not to defend him.
I hesitated for a second before quietly closing my mouth and looking away.
"Miss, whether you agree or not, Mr. Kim's statement is important to this investigation. He was the last person who meet the victim before his death."
"And you'll get his statement."
Harin replied firmly.
"But from this point onward, any further questioning will be conducted through proper procedure."
She stared directly into Detective Choi's eyes.
"And one more thing. The Chairwoman is extremely unhappy about how this matter has been handled. She is speaking with your superiors as we speak."
I was shocked.
Yuna was here too!? I thought she had gone somewhere with her mother?
Detective Choi looked slightly taken aback.
"Even so, we still need to—"
*Bzzz…*
His phone suddenly vibrated.
He glanced at the screen.
"You might want to answer that, Detective."
Harin said with a faint smirk.
Detective Choi expression immediately stiffened.
"…Excuse me."
He stepped aside and answered the call.
"Yes, sir."
…
"Yes… they're here."
…
"But sir, Mr. Kim is an important witness and we haven't—"
…
"I understand."
…
"Yes, sir."
The call ended.
Detective Choi lowered the phone slowly before letting out a quiet breath.
"I assume we're done here."
Without waiting for an answer, Harin immediately grabbed my arm.
"H-Harin?"
"We're leaving."
There wasn't even room for me to respond.
I could only hurriedly follow behind her as she led me toward the door.
Detective Choi simply watched us in silence.
Just as we were about to walk past him, he gently raised a hand, stopping us for a brief moment.
Both Harin and I came to a stop, though her hand never left my arm.
"Mr. Kim."
He looked at me with the same calm expression as before.
"It's unfortunate that we couldn't continue our conversation today."
He reached into his pocket before taking out his card and offering it to me.
"By the way, here's my card. If you happen to remember anything… or if there's something you'd like to tell me… please don't hesitate to give me a call."
"There won't be any need for that."
Harin answered before I even had the chance to speak and started pulling me away again.
I quickly took the card after she passed him and quietly thanked Detective Choi as we walked out.
The remaining officers silently stepped aside, clearing the way without saying a word as Harin walked straight past them.
A moment later, Detective Choi and the other officers quietly followed behind us into the corridor.
Nobody said a word.
The echo of our footsteps was the only sound filling the long hallway.
We walked past several offices before eventually reaching the main reception area of the police station.
My footsteps gradually slowed…
Because Yuna was already there, sitting quietly in one of the waiting chairs.
It looked like she hadn't even gone home yet, since she was still in her office attire from this morning.
I took another few steps forward.
Then—
My footsteps came to a complete stop.
"…What the…"
Because…
There was another person sitting just a few seats away from her.
And it was…
Sera!?
My eyes widened in complete disbelief.
Sera is here too?!
This can't be!
What is she doing here!?
No no no.
Yuna and Sera are here at the same time?!
This is bad!
The two of them were seated only a few meters apart in the waiting area. Neither of them spoke or even looked at each other. They simply sat in complete silence, facing opposite directions. The atmosphere between them was so heavy and tense that even I could feel the pressure from where I was standing.
This is really bad.
Standing between them was a middle-aged police officer in full uniform. Judging from the insignia on his shoulders, he was probably the highest-ranking officer at this station.
Even he looked visibly nervous. From the reception desk to the officers passing through the lobby, everyone seemed to sense the tension as they kept stealing glances at the three of them.
"S-Sunbae-nim... isn't that Chief Nam?"
I heard Detective Yoon ask quietly from behind me.
Detective Choi simply let out a quiet sigh.
Police Chief?
But why was he the one standing there? And… why did it look like he was being careful around both Yuna and Sera?
I looked at Harin and keep my voice low.
"Harin… why didn't you tell me Sera was here too?"
But…
Thinking back, how did everyone know I was here?
Harin didn't even look surprised by my reaction.
"Ms. Hwang came here to clarify a few things on your behalf."
"Clarify?"
An uneasy feeling immediately settled in my chest.
"Clarify what, Harin? What do you mean?"
"Haemin, if the Chairwoman confronts you or says anything to you after this, don't argue with her. Just listen. Don't talk back either."
"H—Harin, what do you mean? I don't understand."
Harin looked forward.
"At least she won't do anything to you here. And not while I'm here."
Those words only made me even more worried.
"Haemin!"
A voice suddenly called out.
I looked forward again.
Sera had already hurrying toward me, followed by Yuna and Chief Nam who was with them.
"Haemin!"
She stopped close right in front of me, her face filled with concern as she quickly looked me from head to toe.
"Are you alright?!"
"Did they do anything to you?"
Almost instinctively, I took half a step back to put some distance between us and quickly glanced at Yuna, not wanting her to get the wrong idea.
But it's too late.
She already stood frozen, eyes cold. Her gaze was fixed on how close Sera was to me. I could feel the jealousy and anger beneath her cold expression.
This is so messed up.
The look in her eyes sent a chill down my spine.
"I came here as soon as I found out they brought you here," Sera said, stepping even closer despite me moving back.
"I-I'm alright."
I said quickly.
"They didn't do anything. They just…wanted to ask a few questions."
Harin immediately stepped forward.
"Ms. Hwang, please keep an appropriate distance from Mr. Kim—"
"Shut up."
Sera cut her off while keeping her eyes on me.
Chief Nam quietly cleared his throat.
"Detective Choi."
Detective Choi and Detective Yoon immediately straightened themselves.
"Sir."
Before they could continue—
"Detective Choi, was it?"
Yuna suddenly took a step forward, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
"Is this how the police operate nowadays? Casually taking someone away without informing their guardian?"
Detective Choi remained calm.
"Guardian? I thought his guardian was in Busan? He lives with his aunt, doesn't he? It was my mistake not to inform his aunt earlier."
I was speechless. How much did they know about me?
Yuna merely smirked.
"You really do know how to talk back, don't you? I'm curious whether you'll still act this way after I remove your cousin from my company, considering she's the one who provided you with the inside information. I wonder if she'll blame you for it."
Detective Choi's expression changed slightly.
I couldn't believe Yuna would go that far.
"Chairwoman, there's really no need for that—"
I needed to step in before Jiyoo Noona got dragged into this.
"So your employee was the one who caused all of this?"
Sera cut in before I could finish.
"Didn't you know how to educate them properly, Yuna? I wonder how you screen your employees before letting them into your company."
Yuna gave Sera a cold stare at her remark.
"Ms. Hwang, please watch your word."
Harin stepped in as well.
"Please, everyone, calm down."
Chief Nam quickly stepped between them, silencing the argument for a moment. The tension in the air was so heavy that everyone felt uneasy.
All three women immediately shifted their attention toward him.
None of them looked pleased by the interruption. The tension weighing on everyone around us seemed irrelevant to them right now.
I could only shake my head in disappointment. Watching them behave like this gave me secondhand embarrassment. This was exactly why they couldn't be in the same room together.
Chief Nam let out a quiet sigh before continuing.
"My apologies for interrupting, but please allow me to handle this."
He then turned toward Detective Choi.
"Detective Choi. I understand your intention, but bringing Mr. Kim here so hastily without first informing the relevant parties was really inappropriate."
"Sir, Mr. Kim is an important witness in this investigation. Time was critical, so we needed to move quickly."
"I understand. But the procedure should still have been handled more carefully. That's enough. This matter ends here for today. Understood?"
"But sir… we still need to—"
"I asked whether you understand or not."
Chief Nam firmly cut him off.
For several long seconds, Detective Choi simply stood there without saying anything.
Finally, he lowered his head.
"…Understood, sir."
Chief Nam's expression softened slightly. He then gave Detective Choi a gentle pat on the shoulder.
"It's alright. You've worked hard today. Go home and get some rest, okay? You too, Detective Yoon. We can continue tomorrow."
"…Understood, sir."
Detective Choi nodded respectfully.
Before leaving, he glanced at me one last time before giving me a soft smile and a small nod.
I returned the gesture with a smile. I don't know... somehow, I felt bad toward him.
Then he and Detective Yoon quietly walked away.
Chief Nam watched the two of them disappear down the corridor before letting out a long, tired breath.
He turned back toward us.
"That concludes the matter for today. I'd like to sincerely apologize for everything that happened. Please allow me to escort all of you outside."
None of us said anything.
We simply followed behind him as he led us.
The atmosphere remained awkwardly quiet.
The officers we passed along the way immediately stepped aside and greeted Chief Nam respectfully, but he merely returned brief nods without stopping. Before long, we reached the parking area outside.
The cool evening air immediately greeted us.
Chief Nam stopped before turning around to face me.
Without any hesitation, he bowed politely.
"Mr. Kim, on behalf of this police station, I'd like to sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and distress you experienced today."
I was so startled that I instinctively bowed back.
"N-No, please don't do that."
I quickly waved both hands.
"You really don't have to apologize to me. I understand everyone was just trying to do their job. So, please don't worry about it."
Chief Nam slowly straightened his back, seemingly relieved by my response.
Before he could say anything else—
"Chief Nam."
Yuna's voice interrupted him.
He immediately turned toward her.
"I don't want to hear about something like this happening again. Am I clear?"
Chief Nam immediately nodded.
"You have my word, Ms. Seo. We'll make sure Mr. Kim won't be inconvenienced like this ever again."
Yuna looked at him without the slightest change in expression.
"You'd better keep your word."
It was Sera who continued this time as she took one step forward.
"Unless you no longer care about your current position."
Chief Nam's expression stiffened.
"I understand, Ms. Hwang."
He answered almost immediately.
"I assure you nothing like this will happen again."
Only then did Sera silently look away.
Chief Nam bowed once more.
"If there's nothing else, then I'll excuse myself."
After offering one final respectful nod to everyone, he quietly turned around and walked back toward the station, leaving the four of us standing alone in the parking lot.
A brief silence followed after that.
Then Sera let out a quiet sigh before turning toward me.
"That's it for tonight. Let's go, Haemin. I'll take you home."
She suddenly held my hand.
"S-Sera!?"
What is she doing!?
I tried to pull my hand away, but her grip was firm.
Almost on instinct, I quickly turned toward Yuna.
Her face looked calm and cold as she stared at us. But the way she was clenching her fist told a completely different story.
For a terrifying moment, it honestly looked as though her fingernails might pierce straight through her own palm.
Panic instantly rose inside me.
"S-Sera… I-I can go home by myself—"
"Ms. Hwang, please wait a moment."
Sera slowly turned her head and looked at Harin with an ice-cold stare.
"What? You still have business with Haemin?"
She looked at her watch.
"It's already nine o'clock. His working hours ended a long time ago, didn't they? You don't have any business with him anymore. Please don't bother him."
Harin was left speechless.
"Haemin, let's go. Don't be afraid of that woman. She can't do anything to you."
I hesitated.
Before I could even think of what to do—
"Before you leave…"
Yuna's voice cut through the silence.
Sera slowly shifted her attention toward her.
Yuna calmly walked toward the two of us.
Step by step, she closed the distance until she was standing directly in front of Sera.
The two women stood face to face.
Neither of them looked away.
The air between them became so suffocatingly heavy that I found myself holding my breath without even realizing it.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
I instinctively wanted to stop them.
But before I could even open my mouth—
*SLAP!*
...
Yuna's hand…
Struck Sera's with a sharp, echoing crack that rang through the air.
The sound was so loud that it felt as though every ounce of anger, frustration, and resentment Yuna had been suppressing until now had been released in that single slap.
For a brief moment, everything fell completely silent.
My mind went completely blank.
I stood there frozen, unable to believe what I had just witnessed.
And in that very moment...
The line between the two of them—
Yuna had finally crossed it.