Dangerous Investigation Diary

Ep. 32 ° Family Arson Murder Case (3)

Sergeant Jeong brought me to the infirmary and sat me down on a cot. With a stern expression, he gazed at my swollen cheek for a moment, then wiped away the blood, disinfected it, and applied a day bandage. He then placed an ice pack on my cheek and asked,

정호석 [30]

"What did this officer do?"

하여주 [28]

"Ah... no, nothing."

정호석 [30]

".....Officer Ha."

정호석 [30]

"Don't make me... miserable too."

정호석 [30]

"please..."

하여주 [28]

"...Don't cry, Sergeant Jeong."

When I avoided answering the question, Officer Jeong started to sob, then quickly cried. I took the ice pack I was holding and placed it on his swollen cheek. He shook his head and tried to return the ice pack, but I refused.

하여주 [28]

"Officer Jeong... also... has a swollen face."

정호석 [30]

"...Why are you doing this to me?"

하여주 [28]

"That's not it..."

정호석 [30]

"Why are you making me feel so guilty..."

정호석 [30]

"What will I become if I do this..."

하여주 [28]

"No, I..."

정호석 [30]

"I'm not upset that you've been hurt all this time, but..."

정호석 [30]

"This is... what should I do..."

하여주 [28]

"I'm sorry... Please stop crying..."

•••

Going back in time, we return to when Officer Ha was still conducting the second interrogation. The Violent Crimes Unit 1 office was busy gathering data on similar cases to this one, from investigative methods to court precedents. They were too busy to pay attention to who was coming.

While everyone was absorbed in their work, someone kicked open the door and barged in. The team members responded verbally, not even paying attention. The person strode briskly toward the team members. Officer Jeon, who belatedly recognized the person, stood up to stop him, but the incident was already underway.

The officer grabbed Officer Jeong by the collar, lifted him up, and slapped him across the face. For a long time, Officer Jeong couldn't even turn his head, overcome by excruciating pain and embarrassment. After finally confirming who it was, he chuckled in anger and bewilderment.

정호석 [30]

"What are you?"

이수담 [29]

"Oh, oppa, you have a girlfriend?"

정호석 [30]

"That noise again?"

정호석 [30]

"I don't have the luxury of accepting it anymore, and I'm bored, so go away."

이수담 [29]

"How can you do this to me, oppa?!"

김석진 [32]

"Don't yell, Lee Soo-dam."

이수담 [29]

"Oppa, you're out, this is about Hoseok oppa and me."

김석진 [32]

"what?"

이수담 [29]

"Tell me, Oppa. Do you really have a girlfriend?"

이수담 [29]

"Who are you, doing better than me?"

정호석 [30]

"...No, so tell me to get out."

At that time, Officer Ha, who was bright and unaware of anything, came into the office, and Officer Kim took Officer Ha out, whose bright expression quickly hardened as he tried to grasp the situation.

김태형 [29]

"Officer Ha, did you do well?"

하여주 [28]

"Uh, yeah..."

하여주 [28]

"But now... what's the situation?"

Officer Kim, who had dragged Officer Ha out, tried to change the subject with a smile, but Officer Ha wasn't about to let it slide. Officer Kim sighed and ran a hand through his hair as Officer Ha brought up the situation inside the office.

하여주 [28]

"Did I ask something I shouldn't ask again...?"

김태형 [29]

".....No, that's not it."

하여주 [28]

"then..."

김태형 [29]

"Not now. I'm sorry..."

김태형 [29]

"Even if you hear this later, hear it directly from Detective Jeong."

김태형 [29]

"No one will tell me anyway, and I don't know either..."

하여주 [28]

"Oh... I'm sorry."

김태형 [29]

"No, I'm more sorry."

As this awkward situation continued, the office door burst open, and Officer Lee, his face flushed with anger, walked in and slapped Officer Ha across the face. Before he could stop him, Officer Kim yelled and belatedly grabbed Officer Lee's arm, but the attack was already underway.

At the loud shout of Sergeant Kim, all the members of the Violent Crimes Unit 1 also came out, and at that moment, Officer Ha covered his cheek that was swollen and red from being hit and held back tears for fear that his seniors would be worried, but soon he met Sergeant Jeong's eyes and expressed his concern, and eventually burst into tears.

•••

The matter was somehow concluded. The officer was dragged out thanks to Superintendent Kim's call for security, and Superintendent Kim dutifully reported to the superintendent, requesting that the officer be given a heavier disciplinary action for the incident.

In fact, there was a separate reason why Team 1 of the Violent Crimes Unit had submitted their report to the Superintendent. If it weren't for this sergeant, the second interrogation details would have been handed over to Officer Ha, and the investigation would have proceeded quickly. However, the fact that this sergeant is delaying progress is largely due to the team's inherent intolerance.

박지민 [29]

"Ah... This is really annoying."

김남준 [30]

"We should hold back now that we've reported it..."

민윤기 [31]

“Even if I discipline them, it still bothers me.”

김석진 [32]

"Sir Jeong, I love you, Officer Ha."

전정국 [27]

"I think I went to the infirmary."

김석진 [32]

"Why the infirmary?"

김태형 [29]

"You may not have seen it earlier because it was covered... but Officer Ha, there's blood on your cheek."

김석진 [32]

".....what?"

김태형 [29]

"...Yes, that's right. It's bleeding..."

김석진 [32]

"You're bleeding? Because of this officer?"

김태형 [29]

"Yeah... I think I got scratched by the ring when I got hit in the cheek."

김석진 [32]

"What were you doing next door?"

김태형 [29]

"He hit me so hard I couldn't even lift a hand..."

민윤기 [31]

"Stop it. Focus on the investigation."

민윤기 [31]

"Can't you see that it's delayed?"

김남준 [30]

"Okay. Let's focus quickly-"

Upon hearing that Officer Ha was bleeding, Superintendent Kim failed to control his expression, his face turning cold. However, thanks to the other team members' intercession, he managed to calm down and turn his gaze to the monitor. In fact, the other team members, though silent, were all secretly anticipating this officer.

Meanwhile, Officer Jeong stopped crying, and silence fell between them. Both phones kept ringing alternately with text messages from Officer Kim asking when they'd be back, but neither of them checked them.

Unable to bear it any longer, Officer Ha applied an ice pack to Officer Jeong's still swollen cheek. Officer Jeong let out a deep sigh, put the ice pack down, and looked at Officer Ha. Officer Ha flinched at the strangely cold gaze, and when Officer Jeong averted his gaze, Officer Jeong immediately rose from the folding chair.

정호석 [30]

"I'll go first. Come slowly when the sun goes down."

정호석 [30]

"Just 30 minutes or so... more."

하여주 [28]

"Yes? Me too...!"

정호석 [30]

"Please, listen to me."

하여주 [28]

"...yes."

하여주 [28]

"Go to the office first..."

정호석 [30]

"Yeah... see you later."

Sergeant Jeong left the infirmary like that. On the bed was the almost-melted ice pack he'd left behind. On Officer Ha's face, he could feel the day bandage he'd placed on his cheek, which was still swollen.

Even until the moment Officer Jeong left, Officer Ha was worried about Officer Jeong, thinking to himself, 'Officer Jeong's face is even more swollen...' and only watched Officer Jeong's back as he left the infirmary.

정호석 [30]

"I'm here."

민윤기 [31]

"Oh, you're here-"

김남준 [30]

"Hey, your face..."

정호석 [30]

"why."

전정국 [27]

"Sergeant Jeong, your face... didn't calm down when you came here?"

정호석 [30]

"Ah, uh... Officer Ha, please take care of it. Is it really that bad?"

박지민 [29]

"It's really bad...?"

정호석 [30]

"Oh, I see..."

김석진 [32]

"Sergeant Ha. Did you leave it behind?"

정호석 [30]

"Yes, bring me some more ice packs..."

김태형 [29]

"Sergeant Jeong, I think you should bring more ice packs..."

정호석 [30]

"That tidy guy... I'm fine, by the way."

김남준 [30]

"...What happened with this police officer?"

김남준 [30]

"You said you sorted everything out then."

정호석 [30]

"...I don't know either. Where did you pick up that information?"

전정국 [27]

"...You still can't forgive me, right?"

정호석 [30]

"...huh."

정호석 [30]

"Absolutely not."

Despite his life-affirming spirit, Detective Jeong's eyes, a hint of sadness, spoke of a past entanglement with this officer. Even the members of Team 1, who only know the surface of Detective Jeong's story, always look into his eyes and refrain from asking further questions.

Left alone in the infirmary, feeling empty, I took out the notebook and pen I'd kept in my pocket and began to organize the interrogation. As I unfolded the notebook, which was crumpled from the tension I'd gripped so tightly earlier, I suddenly noticed something odd.

하여주 [28]

"...arson."

During the first interrogation, Ayoung suddenly dropped a bombshell: "My parents set the fire." However, during the first interrogation, we only asked her if she had anything to say about the incident itself, but Ayoung's eyes twitched violently, as if she'd been blown away by a thief's foot.

I never mentioned that the incident had been escalated to arson, nor that a can of oil had been found in the house, nor did I have Ayoung present during the on-scene investigation. But...

하여주 [28]

".....No, of course not."

Fearing I might confuse the investigation, I blacked out the suspicious details of the interrogation in my notebook with a ballpoint pen. After deciding to relay the interrogation details, I tossed the ice pack I was holding in the trash can next to the bed and headed to the office.

I don't think the 30 minutes that Officer Jeong mentioned have passed yet... but sitting here quietly was tiresome and, more than anything, it didn't suit my personality.

하여주 [28]

"I'm back-"

김태형 [29]

"Are you here?"

박지민 [29]

"Is the ball okay? Look."

하여주 [28]

"Hey... are you okay~"

정호석 [30]

"...It hasn't even been 30 minutes yet."

김남준 [30]

"Stop it, Officer Jeong. What's 30 minutes?"

하여주 [28]

"Ah... I'm fine."

하여주 [28]

"You... haven't heard the interrogation yet!"

하여주 [28]

"I'll brief you."

The atmosphere was about to get tense, so I abruptly jumped up from my seat and walked over to the whiteboard. As I pulled my notebook out of my pocket, the seniors' eyes seemed fixed on my cheek, where the dayband was still attached... but for now, I had to focus on the content of my interrogation, no matter what.

하여주 [28]

"First of all, Ayoung said during the first interrogation that her parents had set the fire on purpose."

하여주 [28]

"Based on that, we conducted a second interrogation."

하여주 [28]

"First of all, it is said that Ayoung's parents have had academic complexes."

하여주 [28]

"It seems that in order to relieve her academic complex, she pressured Ayoung, the only one among her children preparing for the college entrance exam, to get good grades."

하여주 [28]

"When Ah-young's grades recently dropped, her parents threatened to kill her."

하여주 [28]

"I think the fire was used as shock therapy."

하여주 [28]

"The oil found at the scene... seems to have been purchased a week before the incident and used to threaten Ayoung again."

하여주 [28]

"Ayoung is in a state of great psychological fear."

하여주 [28]

"The question is why did they set the fire when Ayoung wasn't home?"

하여주 [28]

"I think this is it..."

In fact, I had a plethora of questions floating around in my head and hypotheses I'd written down in my notebook and then erased. But given the current situation, it seems... better to keep them buried. If I step forward and end up harming the investigation, I don't think I'll be able to hold out.

김석진 [32]

"First, I need to meet with the remaining family members."

김남준 [30]

"I looked into the hospital, and it says he's hospitalized at Yujeong University Hospital."

김석진 [32]

"Okay, let's go there first."

민윤기 [31]

"Officer Kim, gather everything you need for the interrogation. Sergeant Jeong, go down first and start the car."

민윤기 [31]

"How long does it take to get to the hospital from here?

김남준 [30]

"It's a 20-minute drive."

민윤기 [31]

"And check if it's filled with that much oil."

김석진 [32]

"Sergeant Jeong. I know it's hard for you... but focus. Got it?"

정호석 [30]

"...Yes, sorry. I'll go down first."

Even while I was briefing him, Detective Jeong seemed unfocused, his gaze fixed on nothing. I know it's not right to bring personal matters into public affairs, but how dare he launch an investigation when something like that had happened just minutes before? I understood Detective Jeong's position.

And I, too, as I prepare to deploy, earnestly hope that this time my judgment in raising questions about the content of the interrogation I conducted was correct.

I don't like this article in many ways 🥲 There isn't much context, the vocabulary seems lacking, and it might be a boring episode... but I hope you guys enjoy it 🥹💞

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