Lee Jaehyun gazed at Song Aram, who was sitting across from him.
She, who said she would begin explaining, moved her lips slightly, looking as if she was pondering how to start her story.
Lee Jaehyun waited calmly until Song Aram decided to speak.
Soon, she took a shallow breath in and out, then finally opened her mouth.
“My dad bought me the latest Smartphone that came out not long ago as a birthday present. It was my first time using a Smartphone as a middle school student, so I fiddled with it all day.”
Lee Jaehyun sat quietly, listening intently to what she had to say.
He knew asking this and that for no reason would only put more pressure on her.
Here, quietly listening would be the best way to draw out the story from Song Aram.
As Lee Jaehyun remained silent, she continued.
“It was the same on the day of the incident. I was secretly using my Smartphone at dawn, and I remembered someone saying the Camera was good, so I was taking pictures of the night sky from my room. Then, a car came.”
At Song Aram’s words, he shuddered slightly.
A car at dawn meant it was Park Chunbeom’s car.
Lee Jaehyun leaned forward, listening even more intently to her story.
“There are a lot of strangers in the neighborhood, so it wasn’t strange for a car to come and go… so I ignored it and kept taking pictures of the sky. But then suddenly, there was a loud bang.”
As she spoke, Song Aram took a sip of her latte, her throat seemingly parched from nervousness.
She set her coffee cup down, composed herself for a moment, and then continued.
“I was startled and looked down toward the sound. The car had crashed into the guardrail. I saw one person getting out from the driver’s seat.”
At Song Aram’s words, Lee Jaehyun’s eyes sparkled.
It was Park Chunbeom.
If someone got out from the driver’s seat, it was certain.
Lee Jaehyun swallowed dryly, tense, as Song Aram continued.
“I used to wonder why people always take photos when there’s an accident, you know? But I understood then. When something so rare happens before your eyes… your hands just naturally move.”
Lee Jaehyun nodded, understanding her feelings.
Since the driver got out, there was no need to worry about reporting it.
Like Song Aram said, that’s how most people are.
When there’s an accident, half the people passing by just watch, half of the remaining people take photos, and the other half just keep on watching.
Only about one-eighth of the people end up reporting it.
Even then, that’s only when the person involved is collapsed and unconscious.
Most traffic accidents, people just watch and walk by.
As expected, the same words came out of Song Aram’s mouth.
“The driver looked fine, so I figured there was no need to report it. I was excited and hurried to take photos, wanting to send them to my friends, but…”
“But?”
“The moment I took the picture, the man who got out of the driver’s seat seemed to look this way. I felt like he was staring, so I hid out of reflex. And in that moment, the car, the car…”
Recalling that time, Song Aram couldn’t finish her words, hanging her head low.
Seeing her hands trembling, Lee Jaehyun gently held Song Aram’s hand.
“It’s all right. Take your time… take a deep breath.”
As Lee Jaehyun spoke, she shuddered and slowly drew a deep breath.
After a couple of deep breaths, Song Aram seemed a bit calmer, and slowly began to speak again.
“The car flipped over, and when Emergency Services and the Police Car arrived, my heart was pounding so hard… I was afraid my dad would scold me if he found out I’d been using my Smartphone at that hour, so I pretended to be asleep. But they said two people had been thrown out and only one survived. They said only the driver survived, but I clearly saw someone getting out from the driver’s seat…”
Her voice trembled as she spoke.
“But… I was so scared. People around said it was unlucky, that the energy was bad, and our shop’s business hasn’t been doing well, so my dad’s face has grown dark. And… what I can’t forget most is the look in that man’s eyes when he turned and looked my way. I made up my mind a few times. Tomorrow, I’ll go to the Police Station and tell them, I promised myself that…”
As she spoke, Song Aram’s voice cracked a little.
In the end, tears rolled down her cheeks as she continued.
“As time passed, I started to think the police would be angry, asking why I brought this only now… Even when I got to the Police Station, it felt like that man was watching me, so… So, I couldn’t do anything. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”
She finished, sniffling as she spoke.
Lee Jaehyun offered her a tissue and spoke.
“No, it’s all right. I’m grateful you told us now, even if it’s late.”
As he spoke, he gently patted Song Aram’s shoulder as she wiped her tears.
It wasn’t her fault.
Never, could this be Song Aram’s fault.
It’s the criminal who committed the crime who is at fault; how could the Witness be blamed?
It’s the police’s job to give reassurance and take statements from a Witness who saw the Accident Scene and is frightened by it.
If the police failed to provide that reassurance, then that’s their own shortcoming.
Lee Jaehyun let out a long sigh.
As he comforted Song Aram, waiting for her to calm down—
Soon, seeing that Song Aram’s trembling had eased somewhat, he spoke.
“Do you still have the photos you took that day?”
“Yes, I do. I’ll send them to you right away.”
She nodded, then checked the number on the Business Card Lee Jaehyun had given her and tapped it into her phone.
Bzzzt.
Soon, Lee Jaehyun’s phone vibrated.
When he checked his phone, he saw several photos sent via message.
A photo of a car crashed into the guardrail in the dark of dawn.
And…
A photo of a man getting out from the open driver’s seat, and another of that man surveying the surroundings.
Even though the pictures were dark and taken from a distance, thanks to it being the latest Smartphone at the time, the quality was quite good.
Anyone who knew what Park Chunbeom looked like would be able to recognize him.
“This is more than enough…”
It didn’t have to show Park Chunbeom’s face perfectly.
The time and place of the recording were stored in the photo’s data.
And the information the photo provided was considerable.
In fact, there was already a lot in the photo.
The location, the car model, even the damaged condition of the vehicle.
More than anything, in recent years, the only accident at the location shown in the photo was Park Chunbeom’s.
With this much, there was no way Park Chunbeom could get away.
***
Park Daehyung, frowning, puffed out a big sigh as he watched Park Chunbeom, who was sitting in a corner of the police substation.
For some reason, he had a bad feeling.
It was the same unpleasant sensation he often felt during his days with the Investigation Team.
“Tch, even after all this, you still haven’t come to your senses.”
He clicked his tongue, catching himself following his intuition again.
At that moment, Kim Junho quietly approached Park Daehyung.
“Sheesh, Lieutenant Park, why are you making such a scary face? You’re going to frighten off everyone who comes to the substation.”
“……What is it?”
As always, Kim Junho joked with his sly attitude.
When Park Daehyung looked at him and asked, Kim Junho shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, you can’t keep that guy here forever, you know? Our maknae needs to bring something back. No news yet?”
“Mm, not yet.”
Park Daehyung nodded in reply.
It had been quite a while since Lee Jaehyun left for Incheon, but there was still no word.
No matter how strong the suspicion, they couldn’t keep holding Park Chunbeom at the Police Station indefinitely…
It was about time they had to let him go.
In truth, the only reason he was still there was because Park Daehyung had come up with all sorts of excuses to keep him.
“When’s he coming?”
Park Daehyung frowned and jiggled his leg.
Tap tap tap tap.
His foot tapped on the floor, making a sound.
Kim Junho watched Park Daehyung with a somewhat surprised expression.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Sensing his gaze, Park Daehyung shot a glance at Kim Junho and asked.
At his question, Kim Junho shrugged and pointed at Park Chunbeom with his chin before speaking.
“It’s just unexpected. Honestly, with what’s come out so far, doesn’t seem like there’s anything else on that guy. We’ve dug as much as we can, right? Maybe our maknae just got the wrong idea?”
“Mm… That’s true.”
It wasn’t as if Park Daehyung had left everything to Lee Jaehyun.
After sending Lee Jaehyun to Incheon, he’d tried coaxing and scaring Park Chunbeom himself, but couldn’t find anything suspicious.
If there was one thing that bothered him… it was that damned intuition.
“No, I can’t rely on feelings like that.”
Thinking so, Park Daehyung shook his head.
But honestly, he couldn’t shake the sense that something was off about Park Chunbeom.
After checking the time on the clock hanging on the substation wall, Park Daehyung turned to Kim Junho and spoke.
“Five minutes. Let’s just wait five more minutes.”
“Roger that, sir!”
Kim Junho playfully saluted at his words.
Tick tock.
The short five minutes passed quickly.
“Lieutenant Park.”
“Sigh. Guess there’s no choice. Go and let him…”
Just as Park Daehyung was about to order Park Chunbeom’s release—
Bzzzt.
His phone vibrated in his pocket.
When Park Daehyung checked his phone, he saw a message from Lee Jaehyun.
And as soon as he checked the contents… Park Daehyung burst out laughing.
“Ha ha ha ha!”
“Is it? Is it the maknae?”
“Ji-hye! Come take a look at this.”
Kim Junho, not knowing what was happening, tilted his head in confusion.
Park Daehyung called over Min Ji-hye, who had been working on something else, and handed her his phone.
Min Ji-hye grinned as she took the phone and checked the screen.
What appeared before her eyes was a series of photos.
“This is…”
Since Min Ji-hye had been in charge of investigating and organizing Park Chunbeom’s personal information, she knew right away.
Photos related to the accident that Park Chunbeom had claimed was a traffic accident five years ago.
As soon as she saw the phone’s screen, Min Ji-hye immediately realized the truth, her face taking on a stunned expression.
“Our maknae caught another murderer.”
She muttered quietly, her eyes gleaming strangely.