“As you can see here, there are fracture marks that can be considered defensive wounds. Also around the shoulder here. This part is very similar to the marks found on Mr. Seo Jun-shim’s body. Although it’s an estimate, they said they can’t completely rule out the possibility it’s the same perpetrator.”
The photo changed to the next one.
Among the discovered bones, one shaped like a triangle was labeled as the “left ulna.”
When Jun-hyuk zoomed in on the forearm bone, it was dislocated.
“Yeah. It looks like a mess, but it’s definitely male. Unless someone just placed male bones there.”
“Well, that’s a problem in itself.”
“That’s just the way it is. Anyway, whether it’s a relief or not, the shape of the pelvis can’t be mistaken between male and female, so it’s definite.”
Hyun-cheol clicked his tongue and clasped his hands behind his head.
“Were there any missing men back then?”
“If we consider only residents of Deokdong, no. The outsider man who bought peaches is not classified as missing but rather as a suspect who fled, so basically no missing men.”
During the initial investigation, the police focused on the possibility the culprit was an acquaintance but found no suspicious people on the day of the incident.
So next, an outsider man who was mentioned among the villagers became a suspect.
Jun-hyuk flipped the screen and continued speaking.
The screen showed the face of an elderly man.
“As Team Leader Moon said, we looked into the whereabouts of the man who bought peaches based on the case report. The peaches were bought under the name Kim Byung-jo in this photo here. He is currently recorded as deceased. His wife also passed away last year. During witness questioning, he was said to be someone who ran errands for the man. We checked the family relations just in case, but although he had one son, it wasn’t him.”
Sighs were heard here and there.
Even the person whose face they could somewhat recognize had already passed away.
At the time, Kim Byung-jo was recorded as cooperating faithfully in the investigation.
This was natural because he was the actual owner of the white passenger car that disappeared with the man.
Although it was an illegal (unregistered) car, it was a foreign-made vehicle purchased entirely in cash.
They wouldn’t have let the errand man who left with it and never returned go unnoticed.
“His name is Kang Sang-ho? What, a fake name? Illegal cars. Illegal phone. Really something else.”
Hyun-cheol sighed heavily while skimming through Kim Byung-jo’s statements.
“He said they were introduced and not really close. They tried to get DNA, but apparently, nothing came up. So he became the prime suspect as a fugitive.”
“The timing fits perfectly. The identity is all fake, and he disappeared suddenly, so suspicion is justified. Look at the story. Spot on. Spot on. Anyone else remember anything about this guy?”
Hyun-chul, who sat up straight again, placing his upper body back on the table, quickly flipped through the report in front of him.
Han-gyeol, who had been silent, scratched his head and spoke up.
“Yes. It’s been a very long time. At the time of the sale, the victims Han Bong-im and Seo Mal-sook said they never had any direct conversation with the person. So we can’t ask them now.”
“Why not?”
“Han Bong-im’s husband passed away five years ago, and Seo Mal-sook’s husband is currently in a nursing hospital with dementia. His condition is so bad that he doesn’t even recognize his daughter. So further investigation isn’t possible.”
“What about others? They said he bought peaches before?”
“There are people who saw the car passing by, but none remember his face clearly. There was a household that bought in bulk, but they didn’t keep sales records. Also, the person is very elderly, so their memory isn’t reliable.”
Han-gyeol shook his head.
He looked troubled, saying that even during the conversations, the accounts were inconsistent.
Memories of the alias Kang Sang-ho were so vague that creating a composite sketch was impossible.
Only the white passenger car had credible eyewitness accounts, but things like expensive clothes, slicked-back hair, sunglasses, a swaggering attitude, or a sweet voice were all based on unreliable memory.
Many testimonies didn’t match each other.
Some said the person was thin and pale, almost like a woman; others said tall and sturdy.
More than half of the witnesses who had originally testified had since died, so reconfirmation was impossible.
Jeong-rok, who had silently been watching the changing screen, spun his chair around.
He furrowed his brows, scratched above them, and sat up slightly.
“If Kang Sang-ho is a fake identity, then who is the real Kang Sang-ho?”
“They’re listed as having an unknown residence. Back then, it was common to pick up homeless people’s identities and sell them, so it’s presumed that route was taken. We tried to find the real Kang Sang-ho, but who’d leave records if their identity was stolen? Also, the alias Kang Sang-ho disappeared, and any activity stopped, so it likely has nothing to do with the real person.”
“So it’s certain that Kang Sang-ho is an alias?”
Jung-yoon, who had been scribbling Kang Sang-ho’s name repeatedly on one side of a paper, looked up.
When their eyes met, Jun-hyuk nodded briefly.
The briefing about the alias Kang Sang-ho and the found bones ended, and silence fell over the conference room.
“We’ll look into all possibilities, but just a thought… if the fake Kang Sang-ho was a pure victim.”
Han-gyeol, who had been scratching the report so hard it had holes, fixed his gaze in one place and spoke cautiously.
“Then a male victim appeared. The culprit only killed women before. Is there a reason for suddenly killing a man? The risk is usually very high. Han Bong-im, Seo Mal-sook, and Seo Jun-sim were all women and elderly, so they were easier to handle. But Kang Sang-ho is a man, and this sudden change in target is hard to understand.”
Jung-yoon also found this puzzling.
The culprit had only targeted women, and only village residents.
If Kang Sang-ho was a victim, it would break all that.
“Well, it’s probably hard to switch targets that fast.”
“Even in this case, except for Kang Sang-ho, the pattern is consistent. The method is the same.”
“There could be another reason. Maybe the man had to be silenced no matter what.”
At that moment, a sharp intuition passed through Jung-yoon’s mind.
“Seo Jun-sim didn’t sell peaches. But someone saw Kang Sang-ho and Seo Jun-sim together, right?”
Jung-yoon slammed his pen down with a loud tap without blinking, like he was possessed by something.
Jeong-rok nodded slowly at him.
But Hyun-chul frowned, drawing his eyebrows together.
“What’s that? Maybe they tried to connect it since Seo Mal-sook sold the peaches.”
“Seo Mal-sook was already missing then. The village atmosphere was tense, connected to Han Bong-im and Seo Mal-sook’s disappearance. Seo Jun-sim, who knew that well, wouldn’t have made such a connection. The villagers say Seo Jun-sim wasn’t so savvy in business.”
“Maybe Kang Sang-ho came looking to meet Seo Jun-sim?”
Jeong-rok leaned back in his chair with crossed arms, joining the conversation.
Jung-yoon gave him a confirming look.
“And then saw something.”
“What?”
“The culprit or the crime scene, probably.”
“You think Kang Sang-ho was a witness?”
Jung-yoon stayed silent but his eyes told the story — yes.
Hyun-chul, noticing this, rested an arm on the chair’s armrest and snapped his fingers sharply. Then he sighed deeply.
“If Kang Sang-ho was a witness, that would be a reason for the culprit to take a risk.”
“Enough motive, yes.”
Of course, nothing could be concluded yet.
Currently, nothing could be confirmed. But it was worth considering every angle.
As the conference room grew as bleak as a desert, the front door opened and Detective Dong-deok-seo entered.
“Here are the autopsy report and case files on today’s victims. They told me to share these first. The team leader will review them in an hour. The rest of you can head to the field. The warrant has been issued.”
“Ah, thanks.”
The detective who briefly glanced around the cold case task force bowed his head slightly.
After the door closed, Junhyuk pursed his lips and grumbled.
“Seriously, how long are we going to keep investigating like this? Aren’t they going to bring us the case?”
“They’ll only bring it if there’s a clear possibility it’s the same perpetrator from 20 years ago. This isn’t enough. And do we have the means to just barge into another company’s case without permission? Look at this.”
The victim’s name recorded in the report was Yang Seonhwa.
She was a woman in her 50s living in the second house to the left of the village hall.
She was also a native who had never left the village since birth, and the niece of Han Bong-im, who died in the case from 20 years ago.