Chapter 36: A Mother’s Confession

The first to react was Min Ji-hye.

She sprang up from her seat, wiping her mouth with her hand after eating jjamppong, and quickly walked over.

Lee Jaehyun also reacted swiftly.

He hadn’t even had a single bite of his jjajangmyeon yet, but when he heard the woman’s trembling voice—

It was clear something serious was going on, so he didn’t regret it.

Since he hadn’t eaten, there was no need to wipe his mouth, so unlike Min Ji-hye, Lee Jaehyun moved without doing so.

Her long hair looked rough and dry.

It was messy everywhere, showing that she hardly took care of it even on normal days.

Her eyes were sunken, and it was clear at a glance she hadn’t come from a good environment.

Min Ji-hye cleared her throat with a loud cough, then approached the woman.

Since the caller was a woman, no one stopped Min Ji-hye from responding first.

“Hello. What brings you here?”

When Min Ji-hye asked the woman, she flinched and shuddered.

An excessive reaction.

The kind that appears only when someone is extremely sensitive and wary of everything.

Sensing the seriousness, Lee Jaehyun carefully walked toward Min Ji-hye.

The woman, who had been looking at Min Ji-hye, turned her head and gazed at Lee Jaehyun as he approached.

She was breathing heavily, but soon, as if she had made up her mind, she let out a long sigh.

“I… I want to report something…”

“Go ahead, please tell me anything.”

Min Ji-hye spoke softly, as if to reassure her.

Her demeanor was completely different from when she was ordering jjamppong earlier.

No matter her temperament or personality—

Min Ji-hye was a Police Officer.

She was duty-bound to protect citizens and keep them safe.

Maybe it was Min Ji-hye’s gentle voice that put the woman a little at ease, because she quickly blurted out her words.

“My daughter…”

“Your daughter?”

She hesitated again at that.

The moment the word “daughter” came out, everyone’s faces tensed with anxiety.

Lee Jaehyun was no different.

He had been worried about how to stop the upcoming child abduction case, so his thoughts naturally headed that way.

“A child abduction? Already? No way…”

That was supposed to happen next week.

No matter how hazy Lee Jaehyun’s memories were, he couldn’t have forgotten the time when, after his father died, he finally pulled himself together and resolved to become a detective.

He didn’t remember the exact date, but it definitely wasn’t this month.

Next week, which means… it would happen in the first week of next month.

Lee Jaehyun tried to remain calm as he listened to the woman’s words.

“I… my daughter…”

“Did you lose your daughter?”

“No, no. It’s not that. Huuu…”

The woman couldn’t finish her sentence and finally burst into tears.

Min Ji-hye let out a soft groan at the sight.

They still hadn’t grasped the situation even after several minutes.

Judging by her expression and way of speaking, it was clearly something urgent—every second mattered.

Min Ji-hye gently reached out and held the woman’s shoulder.

“We’ll do our best to help. Please, calm down and tell us what happened to your daughter. We’ll respond right away.”

Hearing Min Ji-hye’s words, the woman swallowed her sobs and lifted her head.

Min Ji-hye didn’t avoid her gaze.

Lee Jaehyun also watched the woman’s eyes as she looked into Min Ji-hye’s.

Then, the woman opened her mouth.

“…She’s dead.”

Everyone fell silent at her words.

No one could respond immediately.

Min Ji-hye was no exception.

She clenched her teeth once, then forced herself to speak.

“It must be difficult, but could you please explain the situation a little more?”

“I… I killed her.”

Her voice was thick with deep regret.

Just the emotion in her voice was enough to make anyone shudder.

Of course, after realizing what the woman had actually said, they were even more shocked.

“What do you mean…”

“A mother… a mother killed her daughter. I… I killed her…”

Min Ji-hye froze on the spot.

The woman clung to Min Ji-hye’s arm, collapsing to the floor as if losing her strength.

Naturally, Min Ji-hye staggered and sat down with her.

Unable to just stand by any longer, Lee Jaehyun stepped forward.

“Ma’am, where is the child?”

“At home… in the master bedroom…”

“What’s the address?”

“Sangchon Village 2nd Complex Unit 402…”

Fortunately, she managed to give the address.

Of course, it wasn’t certain yet if the caller was telling the truth.

But after hearing a mother say her daughter was dead—and that she herself had killed her—there was no way to ignore it.

Lee Jaehyun immediately turned and moved.

Park Daehyung quickly organized the situation.

“Ji-hye.”

“Yes?”

“Take care of the caller for now.”

“Yes, understood.”

At Park Daehyung’s words, Min Ji-hye nodded, regaining her composure.

She looked straight at the woman in front of her.

The woman still couldn’t raise her head, sobbing in Min Ji-hye’s arms.

Park Daehyung let out a small sigh, turning his gaze to Kim Junho.

“Junho.”

“Yes, yes?”

“Request backup and relay the situation.”

“Understood.”

Kim Junho was a bit stunned by the sudden turn of events, so his response was a bit delayed.

But after fully understanding Park Daehyung’s words, he answered promptly.

The rest was up to Lee Jaehyun.

“Magne, you come with me…”

“I’ll drive.”

Before Park Daehyung could finish, Lee Jaehyun replied, tucking handcuffs into his belt.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Seeing Lee Jaehyun move ahead before he could even say anything, Park Daehyung felt a strange sensation.

But this wasn’t the time to be proud of his subordinate or caught up in other thoughts.

They had to go and check immediately.

As soon as they got in the squad car, Lee Jaehyun let out a long breath and gripped the steering wheel tightly.

Click.

Park Daehyung climbed into the passenger seat, slamming the door with a loud noise.

At the same time, Lee Jaehyun pressed hard on the accelerator.

The car shot forward at high speed.

***

As soon as they arrived, Lee Jaehyun quickly got out of the car.

Several squad cars had already arrived.

Maybe because they’d rushed over, there was still no police line.

It was literally just a few squad cars and several Police Officers moving busily.

There was also an Ambulance at the scene.

Lee Jaehyun focused on the Ambulance Crew.

“They’re bringing out the patient. It’s a young child, in critical condition—we’re heading out immediately, so get ready…”

They spoke quickly, but they definitely used the word “patient.”

Even used the term “critical condition.”

Normally, hearing that a patient was in critical condition would not be good news—but today was different.

They’d just heard a mother say she killed her daughter.

Critical condition meant the child was still alive, so there was a small sense of relief.

At the same time, Lee Jaehyun’s expression darkened.

Honestly, based on the woman’s expression and tone, it didn’t seem likely, but…

“I was hoping it was just someone messing with the police…”

But it wasn’t.

Lee Jaehyun let out a quiet sigh.

Just then, Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin walked over.

“You’re here?”

“Yes, how is it?”

Park Daehyung nodded and exchanged greetings with Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin.

Lee Jaehyun quietly listened to their conversation from the side.

“They said the kid was really about to die. Just by looking, her whole body was covered in bruises… She could barely breathe, so it’s likely her ribs were broken or blood was pooling in her airway, but the Ambulance Crew handled most of it, so I’m not sure. Still, she’s alive for now.”

“…That’s a relief, I suppose. Has the husband been notified?”

“That’s where it gets complicated.”

Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin ran a hand through his messy hair with irritation.

Park Daehyung glared sharply at Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin.

He wasn’t angry at Oh Cheol-jin, but he had a bad feeling the situation was about to get worse.

“What do you mean, complicated?”

“We don’t know where the husband is. He’s missing—wanted for fraud. His name is Jung Woo-min.”

“So, the husband’s a Deceiver and the wife is being investigated for Attempted Murder?”

Park Daehyung couldn’t hide his shock.

Oh Cheol-jin clicked his tongue and corrected him.

“We don’t know about the wife yet. What exactly did she say?”

“She directly said she killed her daughter.”

“A mother who thinks she killed her daughter came to our Capital Region Police Station herself to report it?”

“It’s unbelievable, but that’s what she claims.”

Of course, Park Daehyung didn’t fully believe the caller’s words either.

Still, since she herself claimed to have killed her daughter, she was the most likely suspect.

“How did she seem when she spoke?”

“She could barely talk, looked eaten up with guilt. That’s why I find it even stranger.”

“…Let’s check the scene first. I’ll call Junho in the meantime.”

“Alright.”

At Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin’s words, Park Daehyung nodded simply and set off.

Lee Jaehyun followed behind, but both men were too deep in thought to exchange any words.

It was a four-story Apartment, with the house located on the fourth floor.

There was no elevator, just stairs.

When they reached the top, a few Police Officers were taking pictures of the scene.

Lee Jaehyun calmly surveyed the scene.

The house was messy and disorganized.

Clothes were scattered all over the floor, and dirty dishes were piled up in the sink.

Lee Jaehyun carefully looked around, checking inside the cupboards.

In the kitchen, a pot was filled with lukewarm water, and the living room was strewn with children’s toys mixed with all kinds of trash.

Lee Jaehyun bent down and examined the lukewarm water.

There was a faint smell—like rubber.

Lee Jaehyun checked near the sink to see if there were any wet dishes.

The only wet dish was a children’s spoon set.

Part of it was made of rubber.

“Was it disinfected…?”

He thought about touching it, but worried about contaminating the scene.

After thoroughly checking the inside of the house, Lee Jaehyun turned to look at Park Daehyung.

Park Daehyung gave a slight nod, signaling they should head out.

Lee Jaehyun nodded and stepped outside.

As they walked down the stairs, Park Daehyung spoke first.

“What do you think?”

“I don’t think she was completely indifferent to her daughter. Everything else was messy, but the child’s dishes had been boiled in hot water, and her clothes were organized in one corner.”

“Yeah, among the child’s things, only the toys were scattered.”

“Yes, I noticed that too. Even though the child had contusions… I don’t think a mother like this would beat her daughter so much she’d be covered in bruises.”

Lee Jaehyun turned to Park Daehyung as he spoke.

It wasn’t something he could judge lightly, so he was cautious even as he shared his opinion.

Since it was Attempted Murder, the Strong Crime Unit might get involved, but as it happened within the Capital Region Police Station’s jurisdiction, the First Response had to be perfect.

Giving an opinion so hastily could skew the investigation, but…

On the other hand, focusing on just one thing and digging into it could make for a flawless First Response.

Park Daehyung pondered for a moment, glanced around, and spoke.

“First… let’s check the CCTV.”

At Park Daehyung’s words, Lee Jaehyun nodded.

For now, just as Park Daehyung said, checking the CCTV was the right move.

They needed to gather every possible piece of evidence.