Chapter 193 - Crimes

"Stay calm, we will get it done now," said Ye Rim to Chang Mi, when they arrived at the police station. Once again she looked at the phone, hoping that Jun Hyeon had read her messages, since he didn't answer the phone.

"I'm calm now, since I know where to find that bastard," Chang Mi said, as they entered the police station hall. Ye Rim looked up at him, concerned. In fact, she was almost in a panic.

Dae Won was keeping Ji Noona captive for all these years?! By Chang Mi's testimony, yes. Jun Hyeon's sister was alive, and closer than they imagined. The feeling of horror, revolt and disgust was indescribable, and she felt herself suffocating just thinking that, minutes ago, she was at Dae Won's house quietly... Thoughts ran over in questions that had no answer. The only thing Ye Rim could think of was that Dae Won was a psychopath, and she was grateful that Chang Mi had the cold blood to get her out of the car quietly.

Ye Rim announced she would like to speak to Ji Jae Wook, as she trusted him. She drummed her fingers nervously on the counter while waiting, impressed to see Chang Mi's impassive expression, only broken by the somber gleam in his eyes.

After a while an officer called them and guided them to the door of the detectives' office, and Ye Rim looked around the place realizing that little had changed since the last time she was there, just visiting. Some familiar faces, some empty tables, some new people.

But the surprising thing was to find Jun Hyeon talking to Jae Wook.

She blinked in astonishment, with a bad feeling. Jun Hyeon looked very upset, and when he looked at her he didn't smile. But she took Chang Mi by the arm and took him there, resolutely,

"Officer Ji, Dr. Kim, how nice to meet you together. We came to talk about Kim Ji Hyeon. She is alive and Chang Mi is the witness!"

The officer kept a serious semblance,

"I don't know if it's a coincidence or not, but we were trying to reach you, Yoo Chang Mi."

"I saw the man who beat me up with a stick and chased the woman I helped. I saw him today, and he was with Ye Rim Noona," said Chang Mi assertively.

"He's talking about Lee Dae Won. He gave me a ride earlier, and Chang Mi saw him," completed Ye Rim, looking at the Detective and also at Jun Hyeon. She tried to assess his reaction, but Ju Hyeon was already pale and reddish eyes, and after a brief moment where their eyes met, Ye Rim understood that he already knew.

"Did you already know, Oppa?"

He nodded, turning to Chang Mi next, "That's why I'm here. Yoo, did you see my sister, what did she say? How was she?"

Frowning, Chang Mi replied,

"Noona just told me on the way here that the woman I helped could be your twin sister, hyung. I don't want to assume anything, but ... you have similar eyes. It may have been her. But she ran away from the man who attacked me, as I said in the other statement."

Dr. Kim turned to Detective Ji,

"As I said, I found a dead man in the bas.e.m.e.nt of Dae Won's house. I'm sure the place was my sister's captivity, but I have no idea who the man might be. But with this boy's testimony, isn't that enough?"

"The murder report is enough, I will ask a warrant for Lee Dae Won. Procedures for investigating your sister's whereabouts will also be prioritized, Dr. Kim. Ye Rim, thanks for bringing Chang Mi. Just give me a few minutes to ask for teams to go to Musician Lee's house and another to pick him up. Did he say where he was going?"

"Ah, no, actually he ... oh, the car!" Ye Rim exclaimed. "He said he was going to leave his car in a specialized place to wash it, but… I saw shoe marks on the car window! And… I think he was at the cemetery recently, at Ji Hyeon's grave! " she looked in desperation at everyone, knowing that at least one piece of evidence would be destroyed. But then what Ye Rim just heard settled in her mind, and her voice sounded shaky and high,

"A dead man?! Was there a dead man in that house?!"

Both Ji Jae Wook and Kim Jun Hyeon raised a hand to place on her shoulder, and stopped at the same time. Clearing his throat, Detective Ji put his hand in his pants pocket, and said,

"Yes. It was what Dr. Kim came to report. It would be good if your lawyer was here, as I already informed you, Dr. Kim, to guide you. It is your right, because of the crime you have committed."

Ye Rim was increasingly astonished, her gaze going from one to the other, but Ji said that he was coming back soon and excused himself, indicating that they sit in the chairs available for this while they waited. Chang Mi said he was going to get coffee for everyone, leaving after confirming what they would like to drink. 

The couple faced each other and sighed,

"Did you find a dead man at musician Lee's house?!" she asked.

"Yes. In the bas.e.m.e.nt. In a damn cellar full of locks," he took another deep breath, running his hands through his hair with a gesture of despair and horror. "I went there because I convinced myself that my sister is alive and trying to send messages through music! Dae Won's songs that have been successful, they all have messages from my sister!"

It was like listening to the plot of a macabre movie, with the difference that it was happening near them. Worse, it was happening to them! Ye Rim touched Jun Hyeon's shoulder trying to calm him down, he was very tense and disgusted as he told the facts,

"So I went over there and started looking for my sister. I found the things I took to her grave, and also the bas.e.m.e.nt. When I managed to get into that damn bas.e.m.e.nt that was a super safe prison, I found a room that was totally empty and freshly washed from ceiling to floor. And in the middle of the room, a man who bled to death. He was hit several times…" his voice trailed off, while his eyes lost their brightness and he remembered the scene.

Ye Rim started to shake, imagining that she had arrived at Lee Dae Won's residence after a murder. And that that person calmly listened to her complaints and was patient, and then even offered her a ride home. That person had worked hard to save a puppy on a busy road, and seemed genuinely happy to have saved a life.

That person was a complete madman, and Ye Rim had no doubt that he was the person imprisoning Jun Hyeon's sister.

What would he reveal to her in the car, if Chang Mi hadn't interrupted? Would he talk about the murder? Would he try to justify yourself?

"You don't believe it, but he was calm the whole time I was there. Suddenly he decided that we had to leave, talked about an appointment but now I doubt it. He insisted on taking me home. He even saved a puppy halfway and… he probably got Ji Unnie out of the house recently. I swear, I saw marks in his car. Marks made by a women's sport shoes. Maybe she struggled…!"

She interrupted herself, looking at Jun Hyeon. What she was saying only hurt him, if it didn't serve as facts or testimony since it was not a trial, and Jae Wook wasn't even there to hear it.

Jun Hyeon had his fists clenched, and his jaw tight and bewildered look showed the pain he felt at the mere mention of this possibility.

"His family has a country house and several properties ..." he murmured, to himself, clearly thinking where his sister might be at this moment. Ye Rim wondered who the dead man was. Another person who, like Chang Mi, stood between Dae Won and his victim?

She remembered something, in the back of her mind. A distant night, a strange conversation, and her feeling of confusing things.

"Oppa, I think the cemetery grave digger knew Dae Won. We once met him in a pojangmacha and this man said strange things to Dae Won. Maybe… was that how Dae Won got the flowers and things you brought to your sister?"

His comment made Jun Hyeon think, but before he answered, a man arrived who Ye Rim immediately identified as an expensive and experienced lawyer, and Chang Mi was right behind with cups of coffee for everyone.

Dr. Kim introduced her to the Lawyer Choi as 'Miss Nam, a friend and witness' just like Chang Mi. The lawyer seemed to already have knowledge of the basic information when he arrived. But he looked as shocked as they were by the revelation.

"Lawyer Choi, I want Dae Won to pay, but before that, he needs to reveal where my sister is. I want my sister back, as safe as possible!" his voice was hoarse and charged with pain and hatred.

Ji Jae Wook returned to the room with a concerned expression. She knew that expression well, and it didn't mean good news. He didn't make a fuss when he arrived,

"I just received the news from another police station. Musician Lee is currently with his lawyers in another district, surrendering and giving a testimony about a murder he committed in his own home."