Are you sure?
"Who is it? Where are they now!"
My voice rose in an instant. —I’m on my way to Busan now, so let’s go meet them together when I arrive. I'll be there in two hours.
"Ah..."
After hanging up, I stared blankly at the ceiling. Perhaps because of the loud noise, the door opened slightly and Grandma peeked in, but I didn't notice.
"Mu-hyeok, is something wrong?"
I only came back to my senses after hearing Grandma's voice.
"It's nothing. Nothing's wrong."
"My dear, you don't look well. Are you sure nothing's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong. Don't worry."
Grandma lingered by the door with a worried expression, but I couldn't tell her.
"Really, nothing's wrong."
"If something's wrong, you have to tell your grandma, okay?"
"I know."
Grandma closed the door and left, and I was lost in thought again. 'What could they know?
The culprit? The mastermind?
Or a witness?' No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't believe someone could clearly remember something that happened over a decade ago. Unless, that is, they were directly involved.
Two hours passed while I pondered the unanswerable question. I told Grandma I was going out and left the house. Section Chief Ma, who was in the car, saw me come out and got out.
"Where are you going?"
"Park Dong-soo is coming."
"Boss Park?"
"Let's get in the car first. I have something to say."
The car door closed, and Section Chief Ma stared quietly at me as I remained silent. I hesitated for a moment before speaking with difficulty.
"Someone who claims to know about my parents' case has appeared. Do you think it's real?"
Section Chief Ma just looked at me without a word.
"I hope it's real. Even the smallest clue."
I finished speaking and turned my gaze outside. Section Chief Ma said nothing. A short while later, Park Dong-soo's car pulled up in front of the house.
Seeing him approach, Section Chief Ma got out of the car to greet him. He opened the car door, and Park Dong-soo sat down next to me. The car door closed slowly.
Once in the car, Park Dong-soo's face was uncharacteristically stiff. I turned to look at him, as if urging him to speak quickly, and Park Dong-soo opened his mouth with difficulty.
"He's someone who did his time and left this life, but he was a big shot back in the day. His name is Kim Jun-geun. We agreed to hear the details in person."
"He wasn't involved in the case or one of the perpetrators, right?"
"No, he wasn't. He said he was in prison when it happened."
I gave a small nod. I turned my head to look at the driver's seat.
"Section Chief, let's get going. Where are we headed?"
"We're meeting in Hadan. I picked a room salon so we could talk somewhere quiet, is that okay?"
"Yes. Anywhere is fine."
The car started moving slowly. Until we arrived, the inside of the car was silent, without a single word of conversation. We arrived in front of the establishment.
Park Dong-soo and I got out first, and Section Chief Ma got out after handing the keys to an employee who asked for them. When we entered the room salon, a madam recognized Park Dong-soo and greeted him warmly, but he just shook his head.
"Where's Brother Jun-geun?"
"He's inside."
The madam, seeming to sense the heavy atmosphere, wiped the smile from her face and led us. Inside the room sat a middle-aged man whose hair was starting to turn gray.
"Brother Jun-geun, it's been a long time."
As Park Dong-soo bowed his head in greeting, the man smiled and stood up.
"Hey, Dong-soo! How long has it been? Over ten years, right?"
"Yes, brother."
I studied the man as he exchanged greetings with Park Dong-soo. Just because he had retired didn't mean his rough life had left him; for his age, he was in quite good shape.
"Is this the one? The person who's asking about that incident?"
"Yes, he's my sponsor."
Surprised by his words, the man looked me up and down.
"Let's sit down first, brother."
Park Dong-soo sat down with him, while Section Chief Ma and I took seats on the opposite side. Park Dong-soo began to ask questions as he poured the man a drink.
"By the way, brother, how do you know about that incident? It was a long time ago, and weren't you in prison back then?"
He drank the liquor Park Dong-soo had poured and spoke as if it were no big deal.
"I didn't know about it either. But a bastard who was in the same cell in prison told me the story. He said he was in Seoul. Honestly, he was a nobody I wouldn't have even talked to, but he was an agreeable enough guy."
He continued speaking, his gaze shifting slightly upward as if he were searching through his memories.
"So, he was serving me in our cell... I told him to tell me an interesting story, and it came up while he was talking about things he'd done. A lot of our boys were investigated for that case, so I knew what it was about."
Park Dong-soo glanced at me. When I gave a small nod, he asked again.
"Tell me in more detail. Did he say he did it?"
"No, he didn't do it. He said he just drove. That... what was it, he said he took the job right away because they offered him 500,000 won or something just to drive some people he'd never seen before from Busan to Seoul and back."
"Aish, then he probably doesn't know anything."
"No. That bastard might have been slick, but he was a sharp one. He remembered everything the two of them sometimes talked about in the car."
"Where is that man now? What's his name? Where does he live?"
I cut into their conversation. At the sound of my voice, Kim Jun-geun shifted his gaze toward me.
"Aigo, our young sponsor seems very curious. I can't just tell you for free."
"Brother, I'll take care of you, so just answer the questions. Don't complicate things."
I was just starting to get annoyed, but Park Dong-soo, seeing my expression, stopped him. At that, Kim Jun-geun shook his head, his face deflated.
"He's dead. Someone got to him in prison."
Ha... shit.
It felt like my only hope was disappearing.
"He talked about it like it was some heroic tale, said everything was already settled with the police and the prosecutors, so there was nothing to worry about. Said it seemed like someone high up ordered it. Let's see, what else did he say? Ah, he mentioned that the guys he drove were talking about 'Teacher Park' or something."
At those words, I stood up without realizing it.
"Teacher Park? Are you sure?"
"That's what I heard."
"Any other names, or words that could identify the culprit, or any descriptions of the person?"
"He never mentioned any other names besides Teacher Park. This is all I heard. I don't know anything more."
I slumped back into my seat. 'Teacher Park was active over a decade ago?' I didn't know Teacher Park's face or his real name.
I only knew that he was the Blue Wind Association's cleaner. His subordinate was Park Seong-gi, called Manager Park, the man who killed me. Feeling suffocated, I poured the whiskey in front of me into a glass and drank it straight.
As the strong alcohol burned its way down my throat, my senses began to return. Unable to remain shaken any longer, I stood up and looked at Park Dong-soo.
"Take good care of him, and see that he's compensated. Thanks to him, I've found a small clue."
As I turned to leave, Kim Jun-geun added, as if he had just remembered something.
"I heard the woman was the target out of that dead couple. Something about how she ended up like that because she met the wrong parents, that's what he said."
Section Chief Ma opened the door. Before leaving, I turned back and said to him.
"If you happen to remember anything else, please tell Boss Park. You'll be well compensated."
I walked with Section Chief Ma down the long corridor we had entered through and went outside. The cool winter air hit my face, and my mind cleared instantly. On the way back home in the car driven by Section Chief Ma.
"Section Chief. Please pull over somewhere quiet for a moment."
Section Chief Ma parked the car in a quiet, empty lot near the house and got out. Without me having to say anything, Section Chief Ma had tactfully given me some time alone. I closed my eyes and began to recall old memories.
'If it was Teacher Park, then the Blue Wind Association must be involved. But why would they personally eliminate my mother, knowing they might get caught by Grandfather? What could they possibly gain by taking such a risk?'
In the past, the Cheon Su-man brothers and the Blue Wind Association joined forces to eliminate me for Grandfather's inheritance, but the reason for the Blue Wind Association to kill my mother was impossible to guess. Behind every incident, there is someone who profits. The only ones who stood to gain from my mother's death were the Cheon Su-man brothers.
'What if the Blue Wind Association and the Cheon Su-man brothers had a secret relationship since more than a decade ago? What if they had joined hands, even for a moment, for their mutual benefit?' Then everything would make sense.
I could also understand why they kept pouring money into the Blue Wind Association, even when Grandfather yelled at them and told them to stop. I rolled down the window and called Section Chief Ma.
"Section Chief, get in."
Section Chief Ma, who had been standing by the rear passenger door where I was sitting, walked back around, opened the driver's door, and got in.
"I'm going up to Seoul the day after tomorrow. Please make the preparations. I plan to visit Cheon Su-han, so I'll need you to arrange it."
"Understood."
"Let's go home. Grandma will be waiting."
It was already late, but when I entered the house, Grandma was in the living room, dozing off while waiting for me. Stirred by the sound of the door opening, she lifted her heavy eyelids and called out to me.
"Mu-hyeok?"
"Grandma, you haven't slept?"
"How could I sleep when my boy isn't home? Did you drink?"
"Yes, a little. I'm tired, so you should go to bed too, Grandma."
"Alright, alright. Go on and get to bed. I'll go to sleep too."
Only after confirming I was home did Grandma go into her room. As I gazed at the closed door, tears welled up slightly in my eyes. The next morning.
Grandma woke me up, telling me it was time to eat. I had slept poorly, so my body was tired, but I pushed myself out of bed. Seeing the spicy bean sprout soup on the table, I smiled briefly.
"That's my grandma~ Making bean sprout soup for her grandson's hangover because he drank last night."
"Hurry up and eat. The soup's getting cold."
"Okay."
After we finished eating, we sat in the living room together. Grandma peeled a tangerine and handed it to me. When I just held the tangerine without eating it, Grandma asked.
"Why do you keep staring? Is something on my face?"
"Grandma, are you really not coming to Seoul?"
"You ask that every time you come down. I'm not going. I like it here. I worry about you, Mu-hyeok, but I have my in-laws, and Myeong-soo and Hyeon-seong are here too."
I had asked Grandma several times to come up to Seoul and live with me. But she kept refusing...
"Why have you looked so down since yesterday?"
"It's because I drank, the alcohol. I have to go to Seoul tomorrow."
"You're leaving already?"
"I was planning to stay a while longer, but something urgent came up in Seoul. I'm sorry, Grandma. I'll come down again."
"If you're busy, you have to go."
Despite her words of understanding, her face showed a hint of disappointment. At times like this, she's like a young girl.
"Are you disappointed?"
"No. What's there to be disappointed about."
"Hahaha. But your face says you are."
Thanks to Grandma, I forgot my troubles for a moment and got lost in the fun of teasing her.
"I told you I'm not."
"Ayy, but your face says otherwise."
After teasing Grandma for a while, I stood up.
"I'm going to see Hyeon-seong before I go to Seoul. Don't make dinner. We'll eat out."
"Why do you keep spending money on useless things? We can just eat at home."
"It's because I want to treat you to something delicious. I'll be back before dinner after I see Hyeon-seong."
I arrived at Hyeon-seong's house with Section Chief Ma.
"Section Chief, please wait in the car."
I got out of the car alone and rang the bell.
"Who is it?"
"Mother, it's Mu-hyeok."
"Aigo, Mu-hyeok, you're here."
His mother came out and opened the gate, greeting me warmly.
"Your skin is looking even better. Are you eating something good all by yourself?"
"Goodness, such flattery. Stop that. Are you here to see Hyeon-seong? Let's go inside."
I chatted with Hyun-seong's mother as we went into the house.
"Hyeon-seong, Mu-hyeok is here. What are you doing, not coming out right away?"
"I'll go in. I have some things to talk about with Hyeon-seong."
"Alright, go on in. I'll cut up some fruit for you."
Hyeon-seong opened his door and came out.
"Come in. Let's talk inside."
The window was open and the room was chilly, I wasn't sure what he'd been doing. He had his cast off, but he still seemed a little uncomfortable. Hyeon-seong perched on the edge of the bed, and I pulled out a chair to sit.
"Are you going to stay in Busan? I told you to come to Seoul and help me."
Hyeon-seong's mouth, which had been tightly shut for a while, finally opened.
"...Mu-hyeok. I'm scared of you."
< Teacher Park? Are you sure? > End