Chapter 41 – So, you mean, you thought of the little things as love

“Since you said there is love involved, let’s hear the story. How did you meet Miss Jihye?”

“I met her at a convenience store….”

Kim Daehyun began to speak while lowering his head.

The summer of 2018 was swelteringly hot. Even during the day, the temperature in Seoul exceeds 40 degrees Celsius.

Kim Daehyun, who hadn’t been living a daily job, was weak in heat. As a result, even though he was out of money, he did not look for a job.

There was no air conditioner in his home. The only item present in his packed room was a fan producing squeaking sounds.

Kim Daehyun, unable to bear the heat, gathered his cash and made his way to the convenience store. He was considering getting an iced coffee to drink.

The walk from his house to the store took around ten minutes. Kim Daehyun regretted his situation while he was walking.

After about ten minutes of walking, perspiration began to trickle down his face. Slowly, his fury grew, and in this weather, he began to wonder why he was living in a semi-basement room, why his parents had abandoned him, and why he had no way out of this.

Tring!

“Welcome.”

A cheerful greeting welcomed him, who had a mind full of negative thoughts. He then turned his head toward the person who cheerfully greeted him.

She was a part-timer standing there with a bright smile, looking so lively.

“Oh, customer! You seem to be sweating! You are sweating so much…. I’ll give you some tissues.”

Even though he said nothing, the part-timer showed him kindness.

Kim Daehyun took the tissues and wiped his sweat. The tissue smelled like baby powder.

“ah… Iced coffee…”

“One moment. I will bring it.”

The part-timer at the cashier left her position and went to get an iced coffee for her customer. At that moment, Kim Daehyun’s heart began to pound. It was the first time someone had shown him such kindness.

Kim Daehyun was regularly bullied while attending compulsory education school, and no one tried to be nice to him. He left school simply to live in the harsh world. However, a part-timer at a convenience store was suddenly smiling at him.

“Do you want it in a large cup or small cup?”

Kim Daehyun looked at the 2,000 won.

“What comes for 2,000 won is fine.”

“Um… you can get both, but it is hot, so sit here and cool off with a big cup to cool your throat.”

This part-timer caught his attention. The part-timer took a cup of ice, meshed the coffee, and poured it in.

“It is 1,500 won.”

“H-here.”

Kim Daehyung bowed and offered the money, and the part-timer took the coins and countered them as she smiled, checking the correct amount.

“But, see that table there? It might be in front of the trash can, but the air conditioner there is the coolest in this place!”

“Ah… thank you.”

Kim Daehyun went to the place and glanced at the part-timer. She would bow her head whenever he made eye contact, and the part-timer continued to smile.

Contrary to his thought of buying a coffee and going back, he sat there where he could see the part-timer and continued to think.

The smile didn’t leave her face as customers walked in.

Kim Daehyun kept looking at her and promised to come here every day.

Kim Daehyun, who drank the coffee for more than 2 hours, finally returned home as she also left work at 5 pm.

‘… she gets off work at 5.’

Kim Daehyun, knowing her time off work, only sought jobs that could be done before the part-timer started working. He eventually began working at night, which he had never attempted before due to his sleeping patterns.

He also went to the convenience store every day. She only worked throughout the week, so he couldn’t see her on weekends, and he began to feel terrible.

Her friendliness grew in proportion to the number of times he visited the convenience store.

One day, Kim Daehyun bought a one-plus-one drink.

“It is 2,500 won.”

“Excuse me… Miss Jihye have this. You might get thirsty while working.”

Kim Daehyun’s kindness was taken as an obvious action towards Park Jihye, a part-timer he saw often.

Park Jihye smiled and thanked him. Kim Daehyun waited for something more to be asked—like his number. But Jihye didn’t ask. After leaving the drink at the counter, she checked out his item, greeted another customer, and cleaned up things.

Unknowingly to her, Kim Daehyun watched when she would drink it, and Park Jihye didn’t drink it until after work. Kim Daehyun followed after her.

“E-excuse me… Miss Jihye! Leave the drink and….”

Park Jihye frowned when she saw him following her. Kim Daehyun decided that she was flustered at the sight of him since she had a crush on him.

“Ah… you don’t have to take it along.”

“Still, you gave it to me….”

Park Jihye held the drink with a frown.

“I am a bit busy today, so….”

Then, she passed by him at a fast pace.

Kim Daehyun looked at her until she went out of his sight.

Her long hair was waving as the wind passed, and the forest scent when she brushed it…. Even her shyness… it all got better.

For Kim Daehyun, Park Jihye was his first love.

“So, according to your words, those small things are considered to be love.”

Hansol spoke calmly, and Kim Daehyung burst into tears. Emotions ran in him.

Hansol discerned Kim Daehyung’s emotions, but because everything came from the suspect’s mouth and not the victim’s, it was only half true.

“But Jihye betrayed me!”

“How did she betray you? Where did this belief of love even come from?”

“I saw Jihye secretly dating another man! Jihye thought I wouldn’t know! Clearly, she was in love with me! However, that bastard kept looking at Jihye!”

His delusions seemed extreme. Kim Daehyun’s state of obsession, possessiveness, and delusions are severe. The psycho-emotion seemed messed up.

Hansol thought that he had become Kim Daehyun and thought.

‘If I was Kim Daehyun… for now I….’

His imagination didn’t last long.

Hansol had never been so obsessed with anything. Usually, in the case of antisocial personality disorder, one shows a form of being crazy about something, but Hansol didn’t have something like that.

The attachment was not made in the first place. Attachment is formed as a result of early attachments with one’s parents.

Hansol, on the other hand, had no such bond with his mother or father, and he had no idea what possessiveness was.

Hansol mainly had dealt with persons with antisocial personality disorder since joining CIF, but this was his first encounter with someone with obsessions where delusions, things, and attachments were treasured.

He was aware that he needed to approach the suspect with greater caution. The statement cannot be obtained if the suspect was improperly handled.

“So… to summarize, Miss Jihye had a boyfriend and that boyfriend was to break the relationship between the victim and the suspect Kim Daehyun?”

Kim Daehyun shouted as if it was unfair.

“Right! If that jerk hadn’t intervened. Jihye and I would have been happy… I still remember… how shy Jihye was after taking the drink I gave….”

“Was she really shy? Wasn’t she flustered? If it were me, it would be difficult for me to take a drink from a regular customer.”

“You are not Jihye! She is a kind and delicate person… that is why she couldn’t show her love for me… the boss could have cut her off if she made eye contact with a customer… so she was very careful.”

“Hmm… let’s assume that the suspect’s words are fact. Then, when do you think the victim changed?”

“Half a year after we fell in love… even that day, I went to search for Jihye.”

Kim Daehyun recalled as he stared up at the ceiling. Hansol stared where he was looking, then at his eyes. Kim Daehyun’s gaze was drawn to the left. When individuals tell the truth, they unconsciously glance to the left, but when they lie, they look to the right.

He could tell the other was recalling a narrative from his own point of view even without employing the ability.

“Usually, Jihye would have greeted me with a bright face but she suddenly called the police and got me arrested! That I was stalking her! Then there was that bastard who came to the store! That fucker said he was the boyfriend of Jihye!”

Kim Daehyun showed anger.

“I said I was the boyfriend, not a stalker, but the police didn’t believe me. The mother fucker said he was her real boyfriend. Jihye was too kind and naive that she must have been taken advantage of by that bastard… if it wasn’t that she wouldn’t have done it….”

Hansol asked the following question.

“If you felt that the victim was being taken advantage of, wouldn’t it have been better to deal with her boyfriend first?”

This was an expected question.

Kim Daehyun looked at Hansol with eyes that definitely looked like the eyes of someone crazy.

“No! Stealing Jihye away is the priority! Because Jihye loved me! Because I am her only love! That motherfucker must be upset for losing her over to me… Jihye can be like this forever by my side….”

After saying that, he fiddled with the capsule-like necklace around his neck. He touched it gently like it was his most treasured thing.

“So you killed the victim? To steal her? You didn’t stay together forever, but you killed her.”

“No! Jihye came to be with me in death! Now no one can touch her… Jihye is mine… hehe… hehe… JIhye… Jihye…”

Hansol became increasingly aware of Kim Daehyun’s change and decided to halt the questioning. Because he didn’t appear to be in the correct state of mind to respond. And felt it would be preferable to resume once he had psychotherapy and emotional treatment.

“Then next…”

Kim Daehyun raised his head and looked at Hansol.

Tears running down his eyes and saliva down his lips.

“Mister… Mister should know… how much Jihye loved me….”

Hansol nodded and came out of the interrogation room.

Team Leader Woo-jin looked at Hansol and then hugged himself.

“Aww, that crazy bastard… not just crazy, this is seriously crazy. I have met all kinds of people but people with such delusions are the worst and scariest. Dr. Im, what did you think of it?”

“For now, the current statement cannot be judged to be of any use. I think it would be right to get him some treatment first and statement later.”

“Okay. Let’s proceed like that. Phew… you did well. Dr. Im.”

Hansol looked at Kim Daehyun, who was stocking that necklace.

What is this feeling of owning something?

Hansol turned, curious about the emotions unfamiliar to him.