The Hidden Clues

“What does that mean?”

It was a word Choi Suhyeok had never heard, despite turning over the nearby merchants again and again with his partner.
The man shrugged and laid out the facts he hadn’t been able to uncover.

“Perhaps they were hesitant to say such things to a detective.”
“What do you mean by that?”

The man hesitated for a moment, then opened his lips.
Only after the impatient Choi Suhyeok urged him once more.

“He’s a person who will do anything for money, so if you offer him a beating fee and say you’ll just hit him ‘one time,’ he’d say go ahead. That’s why they said they really wanted to hit him just one time like that.”
“I knew there was a lot of discord among the merchants, but I didn’t know it was that big.”
“Hmm, it seems the discord was bigger than I thought. Then the suspect wasn’t just Mr. Jeong Jiwoon at first, was he?”

He thought this was the first time he’d been played like this.
This was just the beginning.

“…The building owner was also a suspect. But he had a solid alibi at that time. That’s already been confirmed.”
“Hmm, I see. By the way, are you going to keep the crime scene preserved like this? If their livelihood was at stake, the bereaved family would have tried to deal with it somehow.”
“He was married, but they’re currently separated.”
“What? I heard the victim, Mr. Jo Cheolyong’s body is still in the morgue. Are they getting a divorce?”
“Considering they’re even hesitant to claim the body, it’s more of a resentful relationship than a family one.”
“Then why was the wife excluded from the list of suspects? Even during a divorce mediation, it wouldn’t be difficult to inherit property.”
“…She and her lover provided each other with alibis at the time of the incident.”
“Hmm, I see. Circumstantially, it’s a situation that could easily be misunderstood. Ah, this is just my opinion as a lawyer.”

Like this, one more time.

“Are there usually this many CCTV cameras in a PC bang? I don’t come here often.”
“It’s true that there are more than other places, but half of them are fakes. They said they installed them as a threat because there were a lot of drunk disturbances.”
“My client must have made that statement as well. Then the credibility would be a little low. Even if he is my client.”
“…Another part-timer from the day shift provided a cross-testimony.”

And finally.

“Ah, could you give me your business card too?”

He strode up the stairs, then turned around and held out his hand to me.

“It might be a bit much to say this at a crime scene, but I quite enjoyed my conversation with you, detective. I’ll see you again, Lieutenant Choi Suhyeok. I’ll be in touch.”
“…Yes, please do.”

Choi Suhyeok’s eyes followed Cha Yohan’s back, which had become a distant dot.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve been dragged around like this.’

As if possessed by a ghost.

I returned home, investigated the surroundings, and organized the information I had gathered through Choi Suhyeok.

[You’ve found out a lot in just one day.]

I nodded and checked the organized information against the case file Won Youngoh had given me.
There was new information, and some information had been supplemented.
And just like that, it was dawn again.

‘Let’s get some sleep today. What’s the point if I collapse from this?’

I had memorized the case file by reviewing it over and over, so I had accumulated some points.
I checked the number and then stretched out on the bed.
Because you have to have the stamina to move on to the next thing.
I fell asleep as soon as I lay down.

[Wake up.]

Ding, ding, ding.

A few hours later, a hologram that was more effective than any morning call woke me up frantically.

[Lawyer, wear this today.]

“Yes, yes. What power do I have?”

I put on the clothes the blackmailer had designated and headed to ‘Dike’ as soon as I opened my eyes.

Chime.

Today, too, as soon as I opened the spotlessly clean door, the fragrant scent of coffee greeted me.
My senior glanced at me and then started brewing coffee again.

“It’s only been three days. You’re back sooner than I expected.”
“Yes, have you been well?”
“It’s been the same.”

Won Youngoh’s words had a double meaning.
He was asking if I had come to declare surrender after three days, or if I had found the answer to victory in three days.

‘Even that is just like him.’

Instead of answering, I nodded and, although I had only been there once, I sat in the same seat as last time as if it were familiar.

Clatter.

Won Youngoh soon placed a mug with warm steam rising from it in front of me.
Instead of drinking the coffee, I waited until Won Youngoh sat down opposite me.
He sat down and gestured for me to pick up the coffee.

“First of all, I believe the client, Mr. Jeong Jiwoon, is innocent.”
“Is there any evidence to support that judgment?”
“Yes. But before I tell you the reason, may I ask one thing?”

Won Youngoh replied with an interested expression, raising an eyebrow.
All my answers seemed to be unexpected to him.

“Yes, let’s.”

Even this early in the morning, he was impeccably neat and tidy.
I met Won Youngoh’s eyes once and then spoke.

“I’m curious why you took on this case. The legal fees aren’t high, and there’s no evidence in the client’s favor.”

To be brutally honest, the client didn’t seem innocent at first.
It was a case that no lawyer would readily take on.
Because it was a case that was difficult to get out of from anyone’s point of view.

‘When in doubt, in favor of the defendant.’

How I hated those words.
Every profession has its hardships, but the profession of a judge is a particularly mentally taxing one.
Because the law does not consider the victim’s feelings.
Accordingly, the interpretation was the judge’s responsibility, and a misjudgment was also the judge’s responsibility.
But now, for the client Jeong Jiwoon, there was a severe lack of room for the judge to judge ‘in favor of the defendant.’
It was a constant question even as I dug deep into the case.

‘Why would my senior, Won Youngoh, take on a case like this?’

Won Youngoh detests criminals. Even when he was a prosecutor, he always demanded the maximum sentence.
This was a case I wouldn’t have looked at twice if it weren’t for the experience I had accumulated during my time as Yoon Eunho.

‘Even I could only be sure after getting help from the skill, but my senior doesn’t have a skill… Or does he? There’s no guarantee that I’m the only one with something like this.’

So I was purely curious about this part.
Of course, from Won Youngoh’s expression, it seemed my intention was not conveyed as it was.

“That’s a bit of a strange question. Why do you ask that? What I gave you was an assignment. Not a topic for discussion. If you were thinking of getting help that way, your trick is too shallow.”

As proof, Won Youngoh skillfully tried to take the lead.

‘Ah, I forgot. This was his original personality.’

I sighed inwardly and then spoke.

“It may be an assignment for me, but it’s a life for the client.”

At my answer, Won Youngoh showed his interest on his face without hiding it.
He didn’t forget to shrug his eyebrows either.

“So all suspicious situations and circumstances must be eliminated. I am just trying to help an innocent client.”
“Hmm, trying, you say…”
“Therefore, an investigation into Mr. Won, Mr. Jeong Jiwoon’s lawyer, is also necessary. Is there any information you deliberately omitted from me?”

You shouldn’t get caught up in an opponent who is determined to control the situation to gain the upper hand.
If you’re suppressed in spirit, you’ll be suppressed in everything.
At my attitude, Won Youngoh’s expression changed to a much more serious one than before.

“Hoo.”

Won Youngoh, who had let out a long sigh, uncrossed his arms and spoke.

“I have my own standards when choosing clients and cases.”
“……”
“Anyone can see that this case has a high probability of losing. Anyone would see it that way.”

Criminals who admit their crimes are surprisingly rare, and they usually take an attitude like Jeong Jiwoon, so even more so.

“But isn’t that part strange? The evidence in this case is excessively biased towards Mr. Jeong Jiwoon.”

As if someone had intended it that way.
Won Youngoh whispered in an even lower voice.

“What hand does Lawyer Cha Yohan usually use?”
“I can do simple tasks with my left hand, but I’m right-handed.”

I could write well enough to be recognizable even with my left hand.
Won Youngoh nodded as if he understood and asked again.
His tone was gentle, but I felt like I was being interrogated.

“How many times have you watched the CCTV footage?”
“I think I’ve seen it about thirty times.”

I really didn’t watch it to get points.
Won Youngoh’s eyes widened and he asked again.

“So you found it?”
“Yes.”
“And you know what I’m asking?”

Won Youngoh tilted his chin as if to say, ‘go on.’
I described the peculiarity I had discovered while replaying the video dozens of times.

“The murder weapon, the main evidence in this case, was found at the scene. It’s not even a discovery. It’s as if it was left there openly.”
“Hmm.”
“Only Mr. Jeong Jiwoon’s right-hand fingerprints were found on that knife. It matches his statement that it’s the knife he usually uses for cooking.”

I took a sip of the warmly cooled coffee.
And I spoke.

“The culprit turned his back exactly to the camera, as if he knew its location.”

So I replayed the slow-motion countless times. Then I discovered the evidence.

“But the culprit in the video uses his left hand. It’s not clearly shown, but you can tell from the moving back muscles.”

And this could probably be confirmed with an expert opinion.

“The culprit hid his arm so it wouldn’t be clearly visible on camera, yet he stabbed, pulled out, stabbed, and pulled out. He committed the crime several times.”
“……”
“But the culprit was wearing gloves. If Mr. Jeong Jiwoon was hiding the fact that he was ambidextrous, his left-hand fingerprints should have been on that knife from before. Even a partial print.”

The more Cha Yohan spoke, the more Won Youngoh felt a sense of déjà vu.
Because Won Youngoh knew a man who exuded a similar atmosphere to the man in front of him.
But he…
Wasn’t he a person who had died recently?
Even when he attended his funeral, he couldn’t believe it.
The inside of his mouth instantly tasted bitter.
Won Youngoh, in order to push away that bitterness, instead leisurely drank his coffee and focused on Cha Yohan, who continued to speak.

“Even so, I asked Mr. Jeong Jiwoon to write with his left hand at the detention center. To check if he was ambidextrous.”
“What was the result?”
“He couldn’t even write ‘hello’ properly. He even wrote the ‘n’ sound backwards.”

This time, even Won Youngoh didn’t hide his admiration.
Praise should be given where praise is due.

‘Then that means he caught that fact from the video in one day and had him try it at the detention center.’

This was not a case for a novice to see.
Just what Cha Yohan was talking about now was already far above the passing mark Won Youngoh had set.
Cha Yohan, who had taken another leisurely sip of coffee, blinked his eyes languidly and spoke.
As if he were having a casual conversation, not talking about a murder case.

“And the culprit has an ‘in-toeing gait.’ What’s commonly called pigeon-toed. But Jeong Jiwoon has a slight out-toeing gait. And only his right foot turns outwards.”
“…Ah.”

Won Youngoh let out a low gasp, unaware that the coffee in front of him was getting cold.

‘The rumors of him being ‘Zero-Wins’ when I looked him up weren’t false. They weren’t an exaggeration either.’

Then what is this man in front of me?
Did a person suddenly change?
But one thing was clear.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve met someone I want to work with.’