Suho stepped out of the room quietly and closed the door behind him before answering the call.
"Yes, Officer Park," he said.
"Where are you right now, Mr. Kim?" Officer Park asked.
Suho frowned. "I'm in Jeju. Why? What happened, officer?"
"This is regarding your accident, Mr. Kim," the officer replied. "We've identified the culprit behind it."
Suho's breath caught.
"What…?" His voice came out barely above a whisper.
"Yes," Officer Park continued, firm and precise. "As I informed you earlier, I had my suspicions. We laid a trap, and the person walked straight into it. I'm preparing to arrest the person, but before that, I felt you should be informed."
Suho's hand tightened around the phone. "Who is it, officer?" he asked, holding his breath.
There was a brief pause on the line.
"…Someone from your family."
The words landed like a blow to his chest.
Suho felt his chest constrict, the air suddenly too heavy to breathe. Someone from his family? who had pushed him and Hauen to the edge of death. Whose actions had stolen their unborn child before it ever had a chance to exist.
His throat burned, grief and fury knotting together. He wasn't ready to hear the name. Not yet. But he forced himself to stay steady.
"Who exactly is it, officer?" he asked, voice-controlled, though his hands trembled slightly.
"Mr. Kim," Officer Park replied carefully, "this isn't appropriate right now. Until the suspect is officially in custody, I can't reveal their identity. If this information leaks, there's a risk the culprit may try to escape."
Suho closed his eyes and took a slow, grounding breath.
"I understand, officer," he said quietly. Then, firmer, "But this involves my wife." A pause. "I deserve to know who did this. Please… tell me."
The line went silent again.
Officer Park let out a slow sigh before speaking.
"...."
Suho went still. Anger and pain surged through his veins at once, his jaw tightening, eyes burning red, face flushed as he fought to keep himself grounded.
"When I was investigating all the allegations made against your wife," Officer Park continued, his voice steady and professional, "I went through every possible detail connected to the case."
Suho listened, unmoving.
"Earlier, your wife herself contacted me when the Gangnam attack happened," the officer said. "She explained the pattern of incidents that had been happening to both of you. She informed me about the threats made to your maid, forcing her to give birth control pills. Then came your major accident. She also mentioned receiving a message from an unknown number stating that the accident was planned."
Suho's fingers curled tightly around the phone.
"That message disappeared shortly after," Officer Park went on. "Then there was the Gangnam attack."
A pause.
"Since the allegations were directed at your wife and later at your brother-in-law, I was trying to find a common link. A connecting piece of evidence. But initially, I couldn't find one."
Suho swallowed hard, the weight of every word pressing into his chest.
"But while reviewing the call records of the truck driver responsible for your accident," the officer said, "I noticed multiple calls from a specific number at the time when your accident happened."
Suho's breath hitched.
"That number no longer existed," Officer Park continued. "But after digging deeper, I was able to trace it back to its original source."
Another pause, heavier than the last.
"At first, I was confused," he admitted. "The allegations were against your wife. Then your brother-in-law took responsibility for the Gangnam Street attack. Everything became tangled. Contradictory. Messy."
Suho closed his eyes, anger simmering beneath his control.
"But that number," the officer said quietly, "was the thread that untangled everything."
"And just to confirm," Officer Park continued, "I set a trap. I had the driver call the same person on their new number."
Suho's grip tightened.
"The call was answered," the officer said. "There was immediate, unusual fear on the other end. The line disconnected within seconds. Shortly after, a message was delivered to the driver's phone telling him never to call again. The number was destroyed almost immediately after that."
Each word felt like a slow strike.
"Mr. Kim," Officer Park went on, "we're proceeding to take the person into custody. Further interrogation will follow. Based on our findings, I strongly believe this person is also involved in your wife's kidnapping."
Suho stood frozen. His own family member did this.
The thought refused to settle, looping again and again, scraping against disbelief and rage. Blood turning against blood. Trust rotting from the inside.
"Alright, Mr. Kim," the officer said briskly. "I'm running late. I'll end the call now."
"No—Officer, one second," Suho cut in.
There was a pause.
"Thank you," Suho said quietly. "For everything you've done. Truly. But… don't arrest anyone yet."
Silence.
"What are you saying, Mr. Kim?" Officer Park asked, tone sharpening. "You can't stop us from doing our duty."
"I understand," Suho replied calmly, though his chest felt tight. "I'm not asking you to abandon it. I'm asking you to give me time."
"For what reason?"
"I need to speak to my family once," Suho said. "It's already been too much. Too many cases. Too many allegations. Court hearings. We barely survived the last storm, and now this."
His voice softened, heavy with concern. "My haraboji… he's already under immense stress because of everything that happened. If this comes out now, it will break him."
A pause.
"Please, officer," Suho continued. "This is my humble request. Let me talk to them once. Let me try to sort this out peacefully before you take any action."
The words hung in the air.
A man torn between justice and blood. Between law and family. Between rage and responsibility.
And on the other end of the line, Officer Park weighed a decision that could not be undone.
Officer Park let out a slow sigh. "Alright, Mr. Kim. But make sure you don't do anything that creates more problems," he warned firmly. "This is extremely serious. What they attempted could have cost you your life. Keep the gravity of this case in mind."
Suho nodded, even though the officer couldn't see it. "Yes, officer. Once again, thank you for all your efforts."
"That's my duty," Officer Park replied. "Take care. And inform me once you're back and have spoken to your family."
"I will," Suho said steadily. "I'll be there by tomorrow evening. I'll let you know."
"Alright. Take care."
The call ended.
Suho lowered the phone slowly.
For a moment, he simply stood there, staring ahead, eyes unfocused. His thoughts weren't loud anymore. They were sharp. Betrayal. Intent. Someone from his own family had tried to erase him. Had nearly taken Hauen from him. Had taken their unborn child.
He didn't cry. He didn't shatter.
Instead, something inside him settled with terrifying clarity.
His phone buzzed again.
Kevin.
He opened the message to find several photos of a house, followed by detailed notes. Quiet neighborhood. Clean layout. Numbers that made sense. He studied each image carefully, scrolling slowly, absorbing everything.
This was real. This was happening.
He closed the message and immediately started dialing numbers again. Short conversations. Firm instructions. Timelines tightened. Plans accelerated.
There was no hesitation now.
If the world was going to turn cruel, then he would move faster than it.