Chapter 6: The Interrogation That Shook a Monster

Lee Jaehyun entered the Interrogation Room where Myung Jinhan was sitting.

As he opened the door and stepped into the room, Myung Jinhan, who had so far exercised his right to remain silent, finally spoke.

“What, a player change? But why swap in the cop who punched me?”

Perhaps since things had come to this, he’d decided he had nothing left to lose and regained his composure.

Unlike when he’d been arrested at the scene, Myung Jinhan spoke in a light, almost flippant voice.

Without answering, Lee Jaehyun sat down and stared at him.

That cocky attitude, that provocative tone.

There wasn’t a trace of remorse to be found.

If he was the type to feel regret, he wouldn’t have written a suicide note boasting about his crimes.

Why must people like him be kept alive?

Lee Jaehyun simply couldn’t understand.

Especially since he remembered losing his Father to someone like this.

Should I kill him.

Even if I let him live, he’s nothing but a useless piece of trash in this society.

Maybe it’d be better to just kill him here.

Clack. Clack.

As he hesitated, Lee Jaehyun slowly fiddled with the pen in his hand, letting it tap against the table.

Right now, nothing’s happened because I’m here to stop it.

But in a previous life, he was the enemy who killed my Father.

Having lived with regret for ten years, the anger Lee Jaehyun felt toward Myung Jinhan was beyond words.

Could I kill him?

Lee Jaehyun looked sharply at Myung Jinhan.

At the arrest site earlier, he’d acted as calmly and coldly as possible since his Father’s life might have been at risk.

But now, things were different.

He had nothing left to hold him back.

Clack.

Lee Jaehyun pressed the end of the pen, causing the sharp tip to extend out.

Right now, Myung Jinhan was within arm’s reach.

Just one swing toward the carotid artery in his neck, and he could kill him right here.

At the very moment Lee Jaehyun’s murderous intent leaked out—

“Hah.”

Myung Jinhan let out a laugh.

When Lee Jaehyun glared at him, eyes twitching, Myung Jinhan continued.

“A punk like you is a Police Officer?”

Could he sense something from Lee Jaehyun’s gaze?

Myung Jinhan’s tone was full of derision, his laughter bitter.

Listening to the man, Lee Jaehyun pressed the side of the pen.

Clack.

The sharp tip that had been extended now slipped back inside.

His thoughts cleared.

Can’t kill him.

Not that Myung Jinhan’s words had changed anything in his heart.

He just couldn’t allow Myung Jinhan to die without facing the Judgment of the Law.

First, he’d make him stand trial.

For the past ten years, what had infuriated Lee Jaehyun the most was the fact that Myung Jinhan had died without proper punishment.

Staring at Myung Jinhan, Lee Jaehyun spoke in a low voice.

“You’re asking if I’m a Police Officer?”

Yeah, I’ll admit it.

For a moment, the murderous rage had clouded his vision and nearly pushed him to do something reckless.

But—

“Of course, I’m a Police Officer.”

Lee Jaehyun was still a Police Officer.

The kind that hunted down Criminals like Myung Jinhan.

At his firm and unwavering tone, Myung Jinhan briefly hesitated, then forced a mocking smile.

“Really? You look more like someone ready to kill than a cop. Anyone watching would think we’re mortal enemies.”

“Then what, are we supposed to be friends? A punk like you, a Serial Killer, trying to act like you’re on the same level as a Police Officer?”

Of course, Lee Jaehyun could clearly see the agitation in his opponent.

The proof was that the guy, who’d kept his mouth shut the whole time and claimed his right to remain silent, was finally speaking.

At Lee Jaehyun’s words, Myung Jinhan scrunched his brow and opened his mouth.

“Serial Killer? Sure, I kidnapped that woman, but I didn’t kill her. Unless you have Evidence?”

Watching the man spout such nonsense, Lee Jaehyun let out a laugh.

All the circumstances already pointed to Myung Jinhan as the culprit.

Yet the man shamelessly claimed he wasn’t the Serial Killer.

So, that’s how you’re going to play it, huh?

Of course, to Lee Jaehyun—who knew the whole truth from his previous life—such lies wouldn’t work.

Fine.

If Myung Jinhan wanted to lie like that, Lee Jaehyun would just have to expose those lies.

With that thought, Lee Jaehyun curled up the corners of his lips as he faced Myung Jinhan.

***

Myung Jinhan frowned as he watched Lee Jaehyun smirk.

What the hell is this bastard?

He hadn’t liked him from the beginning.

Getting roughed up in the taxi because of Lee Jaehyun was bad enough…

But more than that, whenever he stood before the guy, it felt like his very soul was being laid bare.

Like he was being picked apart, layer by layer.

And that wasn’t all.

That bastard, he really just considered killing me for a moment.

Meeting Lee Jaehyun’s intense gaze, Myung Jinhan swallowed dryly.

Maybe others wouldn’t notice, but Myung Jinhan knew all too well what that look meant.

Murderous intent.

That was the gaze of a predator staring at its prey.

A cop like this? What a joke.

Because he ran a Pet Shop, Myung Jinhan had seen eyes like that plenty of times.

The look a wild dog gives when you toss it a piece of meat after days of hunger.

The problem was, this time that look wasn’t for a piece of meat or feed—it was for him.

Even as chills ran up his spine, he forced himself to act calm and nonchalant.

It’s fine, there’s no Evidence anyway.

No matter how much the circumstances point to him, without Evidence he could be let off for lack of proof.

Sure, he’d been caught red-handed while transporting the third ‘Exhibit’, so he wouldn’t be able to avoid all punishment.

But as for concrete Evidence for the previous two cases, they’d never find it.

As long as that never gets found, I’ll be out in three years, tops.

Then, after serving his time, he could get back to ‘creating Exhibits’ as usual.

Thinking like that, Myung Jinhan secretly smiled to himself…….

“Evidence? I have it.”

“What?”

Lee Jaehyun looked straight at him and declared it boldly.

So shocked, Myung Jinhan forgot to play dumb and reflexively answered.

You have Evidence?

Impossible.

He’d made sure the scenes were clean, from acquiring the ‘materials’ to ‘displaying’ the Exhibits—even the Black Box had been handled carefully.

Most importantly…

That one thing, absolutely necessary for his Exhibit activities, he’d hidden where no one could ever imagine.

He’s bluffing, for sure.

Concluding that, Myung Jinhan regained his composure, shook his head, and spoke up.

“Ha, Detective. What age do you think this is, accusing someone like that? Ever heard of the Guilt Principle?”

“This is why people say our country’s Police Officers are thugs.”

He tried to act relaxed and jab at Lee Jaehyun, but Lee Jaehyun showed no reaction.

Seeing his silence, Myung Jinhan frowned.

Now it just felt like he was barking out of anxiety for no reason.

And in fact, that was exactly the case—Myung Jinhan was the only one getting worked up.

He forced himself to ignore that and continued speaking.

“You, I’m going to sue you for excessive force for breaking my leg. Throwing someone out of a car without Evidence, are you a gangster or a Police Officer?”

He spoke as if threatening, but it wasn’t just empty talk.

From the moment they’d first met eyes in the taxi, Lee Jaehyun had sent him inexplicable hostility.

Sure, after the woman was found in the suitcase, it made sense for the other Police Officers to suspect him as a Serial Killer.

But that was all after something was found.

This guy, from the very start, had acted like he knew Myung Jinhan was the Serial Killer.

No way… he’s just mad that his Father was insulted, right?

Recalling the moment, Myung Jinhan tried to deny it in his heart.

Anyway, since that look had gotten on his nerves, he’d tried to provoke him with words.

That was the problem.

His opponent was crazier than he’d ever imagined.

Next thing he knew, he’d been dragged out of the car, and the travel suitcase had been popped open.

And what were the chances that the Taxi Driver would turn out to be a cop’s Father?

Myung Jinhan thought about that and clicked his tongue inwardly.

No matter how he looked at it, his luck was rotten.

Even the Veteran Detectives couldn’t find Myung Jinhan and wandered in circles.

Yet he’d been caught by a mere Sergeant doing a DUI checkpoint.

When I get out, I’ll file a complaint for violation of the Guilt Principle and submit periodic complaints. When that happens, just beg all you want. I won’t go easy on you.

Even if, by some miracle, some Evidence shows up?

Impossible.

That’s how confident Myung Jinhan was.

But then—

The previously quiet Lee Jaehyun smirked and finally spoke.

“So far, every Victim had matching marks on their neck and knees.”

“Yeah? First I’ve heard of it. So what?”

“You didn’t have any tools on you capable of making such injuries, did you?”

“That’s proof I’m not the Criminal, isn’t it?”

Myung Jinhan grinned as he answered, looking at Lee Jaehyun.

That tool was essential for his ‘Exhibit activities’.

So, of course, he’d stashed it away somewhere only he knew.

Just as he was thinking that—

“Pet Shop.”

At Lee Jaehyun’s slight smile and those words, Myung Jinhan’s face froze.

Lee Jaehyun continued, watching Myung Jinhan’s reaction.

“The Evidence—it’s there, isn’t it?”

Myung Jinhan’s eyes trembled violently.

***

Meanwhile, Park Daehyung and Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin were staring blankly at Lee Jaehyun and Myung Jinhan on the monitor in room 001.

Oh Cheol-jin spoke up first.

“What do you think?”

“…Impressive.”

That was all Park Daehyung could say.

His gut told him that Myung Jinhan was the culprit behind the recent Serial Murder Case.

You didn’t even need a Detective’s intuition—the evidence so far was more than enough.

That’s why, during interrogation, they’d tried to corner him, but Myung Jinhan hadn’t budged.

He’d clammed up and didn’t even look their way, just exercising his right to remain silent.

In the end, Park Daehyung had half given up, deciding to shift focus to finding irrefutable Evidence Myung Jinhan couldn’t deny.

But to draw a reaction out of that guy?

Eyes shaking, he stared at Myung Jinhan on the CCTV screen.

Clearly agitated.

Was it just because it was Lee Jaehyun who caught him?

That wasn’t the only reason.

Every time Myung Jinhan showed a gap, Lee Jaehyun would insert information that would inevitably rattle him.

How he pulled out the Pet Shop keyword, they didn’t know, but Myung Jinhan was clearly shaken by the mention of ‘Pet Shop’.

In that brief moment Myung Jinhan felt sure no one would find the Evidence, Lee Jaehyun had dropped the Pet Shop hint and pried out a reaction.

With a grim face, Park Daehyung stared at Lee Jaehyun.

Interrogation is tough—even Veteran Detectives stumble over it.

Some Police Stations even have dedicated officers for interrogations.

Yet, Lee Jaehyun, as if born for it, had skillfully drawn reactions out of the Criminal.

Watching him, Park Daehyung couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.

So this is what talent is, huh?

Then what about all those lazy, indifferent behaviors he’d shown before?

His curiosity only lasted a moment, before he suddenly remembered something and laughed.

Yeah, geniuses are always lazy by nature.

Because their natural ability is so overwhelming, they never find a reason to work hard, and end up slacking off.

That’s what people called a genius.

But then, why’s he suddenly moving with such passion?

That, at least, Park Daehyung couldn’t figure out.

Still puzzling over the question, he saw Lee Jaehyun coming out of the Interrogation Room.

Shaking off his thoughts, Park Daehyung immediately approached him with Oh Cheol-jin and spoke up.

“How did you know?”

“Huh?”

Maybe he spoke too hastily, without context.

Lee Jaehyun tilted his head curiously at him.

Normally, Park Daehyung would have started with a “good job,” but right now he was too curious for such pleasantries.

It wasn’t just him—Oh Cheol-jin picked up the question and added clarification.

“About the Pet Shop. How’d you know there’d be Evidence there?”

“Oh, that.”

At their question, Lee Jaehyun scratched his head and replied.

“That was the place he was trying to go by taxi. My Father told me.”

“Ah.”

Both Park Daehyung and Oh Cheol-jin exclaimed at the same time.

Come to think of it, Myung Jinhan had been riding in the taxi driven by Lee Jaehyun’s Father.

He’d been moving with the Victim, so it was obviously for the purpose of committing the crime.

Considering Myung Jinhan’s reaction and the circumstances, whatever tool he used was clearly at the Pet Shop.

Oh Cheol-jin turned to Park Daehyung.

“Any info on Myung Jinhan’s background yet?”

“Just a moment, I’ll call the Police Station in charge and ask.”

Park Daehyung quickly pulled out his phone and made a call somewhere.

“Hey, long time no see. About that Myung Jinhan guy I mentioned earlier—got his info?”

Maybe he had a personal connection at that Police Station, because his tone was casual.

Usually, you didn’t mess with a case handled by another department, but if you had a personal connection, there were exceptions.

As he listened to the explanation on the other end, Park Daehyung’s face hardened.

“Hold on.”

He asked for a moment’s pause, then covered the phone’s mic with his hand and turned to Lee Jaehyun and Oh Cheol-jin.

With a stern face, Park Daehyung spoke.

“There’s a Pet Shop registered under Myung Jinhan’s name.”

“This is as good as confirmed.”

At those words, Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin snapped his fingers and concluded.

Myung Jinhan had reacted to the mention of Pet Shop.

And there was a Pet Shop under his name.

If you missed that, you’d have to be an idiot.

Oh Cheol-jin added, looking a bit regretful.

“A shame, though—now that we’ve come this far, I’d rather keep going.”

“Well, can’t be helped. Wasn’t our jurisdiction to begin with.”

Park Daehyung replied, though he too smacked his lips in disappointment.

As Oh Cheol-jin and Park Daehyung showed their regret, Lee Jaehyun quietly raised his hand and spoke.

“Um, it’s past my shift. May I head home now?”

At his words, Oh Cheol-jin and Park Daehyung blinked and looked at him.

Right now, whether he could be the hero who caught the Serial Killer making headlines across the country was at stake.

But Lee Jaehyun just looked like he didn’t care at all, only concerned about getting off work.

“You’re not disappointed at all?”

“Well, I stopped more Victims from showing up, so that’s good enough for me.”

At that, Park Daehyung and Oh Cheol-jin had nothing more to say.

Since Lee Jaehyun, the man who did the most in this investigation, said that, wanting more would just be greedy.

In the end, Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin burst out laughing.

“Hahaha! Yeah, yeah, the Police caught the Criminal, that’s all that matters. Go home and get some rest—you did well.”

“Then, I’ll head out first.”

Lee Jaehyun saluted them, then left the Capital Region Police Station.

Park Daehyung watched Lee Jaehyun, who seemed to have no lingering attachment to the achievement, and chuckled as he spoke.

He wondered if clocking out was really that important in this situation, but then again, Lee Jaehyun had always been the type to stick to his hours.

“Leaving work at a time like this—guess people really don’t change completely.”

“If people changed all at once, they’d die.”

“Then he must’ve died several times today alone.”

Thinking back to the always indifferent Lee Jaehyun, Park Daehyung mused.

Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin grinned at his remark, and Park Daehyung laughed and cracked a joke.

That was how much Lee Jaehyun had shown an unexpected side of himself today.

Watching Lee Jaehyun leave for the day, Park Daehyung looked on with an admiring gaze.

“But why’s he leaving in uniform?”

Unlike usual, when he would change into civilian clothes before heading out, Lee Jaehyun was leaving in his uniform, making Park Daehyung tilt his head in puzzlement.