Chapter 40 – She loves me

Choi Jinwoo’s autopsy from the National Forensic Service confirmed that he died from asphyxiation1. There were no traces of intruders inside the house, proving that he did it to himself.

Fortunately, he admitted in the will that he killed the Kim sisters and attempted to kill Kim Dohwa.

In fact, Choi Jinwoo was from special forces and used e-cigars, which were all found in the house.

Choi Jinwoo’s suicide note contained a lot of regret for making foolish choices.

[I shouldn’t have met him then. He controlled me. When I learned he was taking advantage of me, I knew I was already becoming a murderer, and the police were after me. The last thing I learned was that he completely abandoned me… it was when I heard from his mouth that his son knew about my name. He seemed to want me to die. He, no, they wanted me to die. I, who held his hand because I wanted to live, and I, blinded by money and held his hand, ended up like this without being able to do anything. The police will eventually come to find me and put me in prison. I regret this life…]

The police revealed only this part through the briefing. So that there was no word about who the ‘He’ in the will is.

However, the CIF team involved in the case immediately knew he meant Im Jaemin.

This was because it was easy to guess by the fact that Hansol brought up the name of Choi Jinwoo and asked to pursue it.

However, they didn’t speak about it to Hansol. It was partly because they knew Hansol didn’t have the power to catch Im Jaemin, and in a way, with Im’s help, they were able to find the killer.

Thanks to his quiet and mysterious self, Hansol became a profiler who got more attention from the media. Several media outlets and even a famous channel asked him for interviews.

Hansol, on the other hand, turned down all offers because it wasn’t his duty to catch Choi Jinwoo. Hansol determined that he could appear on shows after he had captured his father with his own hands, with evidence on his side, and exposed the corruption of prosecutors to the rest of the world.

“Kim Dohwa and Lee Wanjae’s trial is today.”

Team Leader Woo-jin yawned and looked at his team members.

“Yes, I know. The prosecutor called us for some reason… there is a chance that Lee Wanjae is behind the attempted murder… prosecutor Kim Soo-hyeon; isn’t he that kind of person? I know he was more favorable to the suspects.” Detective Kang Woo-cheol said.

Prosecution Kim Soo-hyeon was indeed giving out lower sentences through the corruption with large law firms, and the judge was also going along with it.

The CIF team couldn’t consider that today’s case would be any different from the past, but the team was shocked at the prosecutor’s change of attitude.

However, Hansol knew why. It was because he threatened the team leader of DIU’s Team One, and that man must have passed the information to the prosecution.

Then, for the time being, both sides would act rightfully.

“Lee Wanjae, I think it will be tough for him.”

“Should we bet?”

Hearing the words of Team Leader Woo-jin, he spoke about how many years such people would be sentenced. Hansol said it would be one year in prison and one year on probation.

“No, Dr. Im. Why give such weak sentences when talking about him taking it hard?”

Jung Yu-mi clicked her tongue, everyone thought Hansol would give the hardest sentence, but this was an unexpected answer.

“Um… call it my instinct.”

“Do you think his family had something in this?”

“No… just a feeling.”

“We did see Lee Wanjae’s brother give him a beating, and you know we have two days off? See you all later.”

Shin Dong-jin grumbled at it.

“Sadly, the first day is from today; I’d rather get the days starting tomorrow.”

“Sorry. I did ask the chief, but… he said… ugh.”

When team leader Woo-jin pretended to cry, everyone smiled.

“Who will go to the trial then?”

Jung Yu-mi asked, raising her hand. She said she felt close to Kim Dohwa after living together and wanted to see the trial.

“Dr. Im?”

“I want to head back early and rest.”

“Okay. Then I will come with you, Inspector Jung.”

Except for Team Leader Woo-jin, and Inspector Jung, the others packed their bags and went home. It was because they had been living in the station for too long.

If Hansol analyzed this earlier… under the assumption that he figured it…

‘… uh?’

He felt something off. He was definitely emotionless the entire time. Was he feeling sorry for his co-workers?

He knew what pity meant as he studied about it, but this was his first time feeling it.

‘Something… feels weird.’

After coming to CIF, his emotions, which he had never felt, were starting to shake.

‘No. I need to divert myself to be different from Im Jaemin… I need to change.’

Professor Kim Hee-seob and his father believed that education would solve everything.

In addition, Hansol’s ignorance of cruelty never left anyone by his side. The people on his side knew he was thoroughly educated to be an average human. Some even knew that Hansol differed from the others due to his antisocial personality disorder.

‘First… Let’s take a break and check out the hospitals that Im Jaemin hadn’t touched. He cannot control all psychiatrists.’

With that thought in mind, Hansol packed his bags and went out.

Hansol, who went home, fell asleep after reading a couple papers on criminal psychology.

“… how long was I out?”

Hansol, who wanted to sleep for a long time, felt displeased at the call and wondered if he had to answer it. After checking the caller’s name, ‘Team Leader Woo-jin,’ he took a deep breath and answered it.

He is a profiler, and since he had to see and analyze the incident at the scene as well as the criminal, witness, and victim, he had to leave at any time of day or night.

Team Leader Woo-jin wouldn’t be calling him to tell the trial results as Hansol said he was resting, so this had to be something else.

Thinking that another incident had occurred, Hansol answered the phone.

“Yes, team leader. Where should I come?”

[You caught it right away that an incident happened. This time it is in Moradong. There’s a possibility that the person… was murdered by a stalker. The perpetrator has been arrested at the scene, and the on-site forensic team is out for now. You should come soon. How long will it take?]

He had to drive about 40 minutes to get there.

“It will take more than 40 minutes. I will come quickly.”

[Yes. First, come and report to the scene. The criminal has been arrested, so let’s get a statement during the talks.]

“Send me the address.”

Hansol stretched out and changed into his working clothes.

When he got out of the house, it felt like autumn.

While thinking about how the time was passing quickly, Hansol went to the address sent to him, and the police line was already on the scene when he arrived.

As Hansol was about to enter, police asked who he was, and Hansol showed his profiler ID given by the Police Office.

“Ah… you are the famous doctor from the local police! Hurry in!”

Hansol accepted the latex gloves and overshoes from a police officer whose eyes brightened as if he thought Hansol was a famous star.

“Team leader?”

This looked like a multi-family apartment that was built 10 years ago.

Team Leader Woo-jin called him to the 3rd floor.

As Hansol was going upstairs, the downstairs residents closed their doors, saying that the price of their area would go down and that they didn’t know that the suspect living there was a madman.

‘Murders committed by stalkers are typically considered cruel. They do not merely murder them.’

The information obtained from his papers and the various cases revealed that murders by stalkers don’t end with simple killings.

“Ah, Dr. Im. Sorry for calling you on your day off. Hahaha. All our days have been canceled.”

“It is fine. Is this criminal being taken to the police station right now?”

“Uh… When we got a report that there was screaming, the patrol came to the situation, and the Team Three of the Violent Crimes Unit came in to check the inside of the house and then handed it over to us.”

Hansol looked around the house.

There were pictures of a woman taken from various angles. There were even several nude photos of the woman as if forced to take them.

“Why did he kill her?”

“He is keeping his mouth shut and hasn’t told us a thing.”

“… I need to go and talk to him. But this scene is truly bizarre.”

“Go see the criminal. Maybe you will feel it to be more bizarre.”

“Well… I need to go to see him. Ah, what happened with the case?”

“We were all wrong, and Dr. Im got it right. It ended with 1 year in prison and 1 year of probation and a fine of 5 million won and saying that it can happen between lovers and even when he acknowledged the assault and sexual assault.”

“… a light punishment. Did the prosecution proceed with the appeal?”

“Uh. They are going ahead, saying it is for the sake of Kim Dohwa. Until now, they haven’t once done their work right and keep saying such… ugh.”

Team Leader Woo-jin looked around the room. As soon as he found something, he felt sick and ran out.

Team Leader Woo-jin saw the victim’s face with a sad smile and the neck cut off as if done with a wrong weapon.

Team Leader Woo-jin was puking, and Hansol told others to not come into the room.

The victim’s face was rotten, showing signs that chemicals had been used on it.

“… ha. Dr. Im, let’s go out of here and talk.”

Team Leader Woo-jin called Hansol, not wanting to enter again.

“Has the woman’s body parts been found?”

“That… the crazy bastard drugged the body… and the body….”

He couldn’t even speak right.

Hansol wanted to know the psychological state of the criminal.

Psychopaths, serial killers, have some sympathy for their emotions and sometimes want to do the worse, but Hansol wanted to learn what it is like to be obsessed with someone and actually kill them.

Even in the car, as they arrived at the National Police Agency, Team Leader Woo-jin struggled to calm his stomach.

Team Leader Woo-jin decided to get the interrogation room ready to get the statement.

Hansol faced the suspect, Kim Daehyun. The man had clear eyes while still having a strange smile hanging over his face.

Hansol leaned ahead and asked.

“Mr. Kim Daehyun? What is your relationship with the victim?”

“She loved me!”

“Do you think she really loved you? I think I would resent the person who killed me… it must have been terrible. To be in one-sided love… so you killed her?”

Kim Daehyung was furious at Hansol.

“No. Jihye loved me! But it is all ruined because of him!”

‘… truth. He isn’t aware of reality.’

“Then why did you kill Miss Jihye, whom you loved so much?”

The sadness in his eyes changed in an instant.

“So that Jihye can be with me forever.”

A lock of her hair was hung around his neck in a capsule.

“Jihye’s hair smells so good. Now I can smell It forever.”

1 asphyxiation → the condition or process of being devoid of oxygen, which can end in unconsciousness or death; suffocation. ↩️