But then, Jeong-rok uttered words that sounded like something only a lover would say.
The entire atmosphere radiated an irresistible tenderness, his voice so gentle that Jung Yoon couldn’t help but turn to look.
“…Yes?”
Jung Yoon looked back at Jeong-rok.
Leaning his face on the arm he’d extended out the car window, Jeong-rok met his gaze.
He gestured for Jung Yoon to look forward and casually added,
Was it my imagination that his usually bright face somehow felt gloomy?
Jung Yoon unconsciously tried to find something familiar in Jeong-rok’s face.
“Jung Yoon-ah.”
For instance, the tenderness embedded in his name.
“If it’s truly painful, tell me.”
***
From the moment Jeong-rok called his name, his heart, which seemed to have stopped, painfully tightened.
It somehow overlapped with the voice of his former lover.
I can do anything for you.
I’ll do anything you want. If it’s hard to talk about, you don’t have to, but what if I…
“What if I can help you?”
The voice he had imagined in his head was now speaking right before him.
Jung Yoon, staring at Jeong-rok, who uttered the exact same words without missing a beat, turned his head away, unable to give any reply.
He knew he should have just retorted casually, as usual, but the words wouldn’t easily come out.
Feeling his emotions escalating, Jung Yoon clenched his teeth.
He felt like he was about to vomit and was about to hit the brakes when, thankfully, his phone rang.
Jung Yoon checked the rearview mirror to make sure the road behind was clear before pressing the brakes.
The black car quietly stopped on the empty road between the entrance and the rice paddies leading into the village.
As soon as the car stopped, Jeong-rok pressed the call button for him.
He even kindly unbuckled his seatbelt and pressed the speakerphone button, looping the belt over one arm.
[We just got a call from the command center. It seems a missing person report came in from your area. It was also relayed to the Deokdong Police Station, and since we’re also investigating the case, a dispatch order has been issued.]
“Missing?”
[Yes. We’re leaving now. You can go to the Deokdong Police Station for a situation briefing, and then you two can contact the Chief. Along with the scene status.]
At Han-gyeol’s report, Jeong-rok and Jung Yoon briefly exchanged glances.
Missing, that didn’t bode well. Jung Yoon, his heart pounding, quickly shifted gears and replied,
“Understood. We’re almost there.”
[Yes. See you soon.]
“Drive safely, you bastard.”
[Don’t worry. I’ll contact you.]
As soon as Jeong-rok finished speaking, Jung Yoon pressed the accelerator, speeding up.
Jeong-rok glanced at Jung Yoon, who seemed perfectly fine as if nothing had happened between them, shook his head, and re-buckled his seatbelt.
In the distance, beneath a sky where the sunset spread like paint, small houses gradually came into view.
Jung Yoon forced himself to relax his stiff expression as he saw the familiar pavilion.
The car sped past the pavilion where children usually played, went past the long-stretched redevelopment banners, and quickly raced to the Deokdong Police Station.
The Deokdong Police Station, unusually bustling, was reached quicker than usual.
Without needing to exchange greetings, the two participated in the briefing and immediately sent a text to Hyun-cheol, briefly adding the current situation at the scene.
“The missing person’s name is Choi Yoon-joo. She’s thirty-four and recently came to Damhong Village to take over the family business. She transferred here about three months ago.”
“Where was her last confirmed whereabouts?”
Manager Kim Gwang-jin, who had been talking about the missing person with a serious face, tightly sealed his lips.
The Chief, sitting in the very front row, center, pointed his finger, urging a response.
Kim Gwang-jin then subtly glanced at Jung Yoon and Jeong-rok before biting his lip.
“Four days ago, she was spotted in the Damhong Village area.”
At Kim Gwang-jin’s words, the office, which had briefly stirred, quickly fell silent at the Chief’s gesture.
“Was she alone?”
“No. She was with a man wearing dad’s clothes. The children saw him… We’re assuming it was a suit.”
Jung Yoon relayed every word from Gwang-jin to Hyun-cheol via message.
Immediately after the briefing, Hyun-cheol burst into the Deokdong Police Station, glared intensely at Gwang-jin once, and then approached where Jung Yoon and Jeong-rok were.
His huffing footsteps suggested he was exceptionally angry.
“That bastard, he wouldn’t cooperate properly with the investigation, serves him right. I should scratch his face off.”
Hyun-cheol snatched the coffee Jeong-rok had set down, gulped it down in one go, and crushed the paper cup.
Jeong-rok, whose coffee was suddenly taken, looked at him with a wronged expression.
“You said a suit. Does it seem like Jung Yong-baek?”
“We don’t know yet. If his alibi is confirmed again this time, then it’s not Jung Yong-baek. If not, then we have to break Jung Seon-hwa’s estimated crime day alibi.”
“Re-check the alibi. You said we don’t know where Jung Yong-baek is now, right? Scrutinize his whereabouts completely since he took his leave.”
Regardless, Hyun-cheol ignored Jeong-rok and specifically addressed Han-gyeol and Jung Yoon. As they nodded, Hyun-cheol turned and gestured to Jun-hyeok. He then spoke to all the team members.
“I’m going to meet the Chief here. Do you have anything to say?”
“My opinion after hearing the whole briefing is that it’s the work of the same culprit. That’s all I have to say.”
Hyun-cheol’s eyes sharpened as Jung Yoon carefully voiced the conclusion he had reached throughout Gwang-jin’s briefing.
“…You fucking bastard. Why won’t he die and keep crawling back to cause trouble? Anyway, I got it. Do you need anything?”
“I was thinking of going to the hospital.”
“What, are you sick somewhere?”
Hyun-cheol asked, looking at Jeong-rok when Jung Yoon mentioned the hospital.
Jeong-rok, who had been pouting and staring at the crumpled paper cup, furrowed his brow at the unexpected shower of glances.
“Why are you looking at me?”
“Why would he be sick?”
“How should I know?”
“You two have been stuck together constantly, so why don’t you know?”
Though he had spoken, Jung Yoon quickly waved his hands as the conversation suddenly shifted away from him.
“No, no. Chief. Not me, but I wanted to meet the nurse. Because of Jung Yong-joon’s outing.”
Hyun-cheol, who had been leaning his face in as if to punch Jeong-rok, clicked his tongue in disappointment.
“Ah… then you should have said that. Go on. Report back when you’re done. Ki Jun-hyeok, you follow me.”
Hyun-cheol turned to leave, glaring at Kim Gwang-jin until the very end.
On his way out, he even unnecessarily kicked the water dispenser.
Jun-hyeok, who was following behind with a look of disgust, watched him.
Han-gyeol, who had been standing blankly beside Jun-hyeok, suddenly turned and called out to Hyun-cheol.
“Chief! What about me?”
Han-gyeol raised his hand high.
At that, the attention of the detectives in the Violent Crimes Unit at Deokdong Station turned to Hyun-cheol.
That crazy bastard…
Hyun-cheol muttered quietly, then stopped his exit and waved his hand with an annoyed expression.
“Follow those two, keep an eye on them, and report back to me!”
Hyun-cheol’s left index finger poked Jeong-rok and Jung Yoon once each.
Leaving the two bewildered men behind, Hyun-cheol swiftly exited the office.
Unlike Jung Yoon, who was dumbfounded, Jeong-rok calmly collected his car keys as if accustomed to it.
Following Jeong-rok’s gesture to go, Jung Yoon stood up and put the crumpled paper cup in the trash can.
“You heard him, right? I’m a double agent now.”
Han-gyeol followed behind him, his face bright.
***
After driving for about 40 minutes from Deokdong Station, the hospital, which Jung Yoon had seen many times in photos, appeared.
The exterior of the hospital, standing alone on the outskirts of Deokdong, didn’t look particularly great but wasn’t dilapidated either.
Jeong-rok, who had been driving silently, glanced at the back of Jung Yoon’s head, who was looking only out the right car window, and said,
“We’re here. This is it, right?”
Jung Yoon finally turned his head to look straight ahead.
Behind them were mountains, and in front, rice paddies.
The white building, standing alone in the heart of Deokdong’s nature, was clearly visible.
This was because there were no other buildings around to obstruct the view, as the hospital was the only one.
The hospital entrance didn’t even have a common barricade.
One could simply pass through the long unpaved road between the rice paddies and enter without any hindrance.
Jeong-rok parked the car and turned off the engine.
Jung Yoon, unbuckling his seatbelt and looking around, felt puzzled by the excessively quiet hospital exterior.
Not even a single patient strolling outside was visible.
In the parking lot, only two ambulances were parked, with no passenger cars or motorcycles. No other means of transportation were in sight.
“It seems there are people inside, but why is it so quiet?”
Han-gyeol, who had gotten out of the back seat, approached Jung Yoon.
Jung Yoon glanced at him once, then approached the tightly closed hospital front door.
“Wow… What is this?”
Unlike the hospital’s exterior, the interior was truly magnificent.
Marble covered the floors and pillars, and a donation list filled an entire wall.
There were also awards and the director’s resume displayed.
“How can the inside and outside be so different?”
“Let’s meet the nurse first.”
“I’ll go to the administrative office and ask first.”